In which I celebrate bling.

Last Thursday was the ChemSoc Christmas party, and as one of the organisors I encouraged people to wear cheesy Christmas jumpers or indeed, fashion their own. Naturally, I had to participate myself. Crafting? Chemistry? Christmas? Oh yes. I decided I didn't want to spend a night out wearing a jumper, so I got a top I'd be happy to go out in and made a patch for it. Hello sequins, welcome to my wardrobe.

The stitches used to sew on the tree were purposely crappy and big - such that I'd be able to easily remove the seasonal foliage and get some more use out of the top. Unfortunately I don't have any action shots - I'd forgotten my camera on the night and in honesty, I'd rather have it take a run through the wash before I put it on again. I'm taking it home (if I get there, what with this snow and all) over Christmas, so hopefully in the next post there'll be some of me looking snazzy.
As you cannot have failed to notice, next week is Christmas and, bus services willing, this time next week I'll be in Donegal. As such, there will be no post. Even if my mom had internet, I plan to spend next Saturday knitting, playing computers games and drinking a truly astonishing amount of beer. When I come back I will post anything I have made over the holidays, as well as some things I made over the last week which I can't share as they're intended as gifts. I hope everyone has a happy, warm and safe Christmas, spent with loved ones.



I was somewhat absently browsing Craftster one evening this week while waiting for dinner, when I saw this post. I myself have been using newspapers as an economically and environmentally way of wrapping my Christmas presents for years, but apart from tying on the a homemade gift-tag with some nice colored yarn, that's about as elaborate as it gets. I was really intrigued by the paper pinwheel decoration - another nice thing to do with an essentially free resource (depending on the paper you're using, of course). I used this tutorial found via Google, and had this guy knocked up before dinner.

This was made using an envelope from the bank - the designs on the inside of those guys can be pretty elaborate sometimes. I couldn't manage to get a decent close up shot of this, but it features a multitude of Celtic style peacocks - not bad for free paper. Another with paper...

I then decided to take this technique into my more usual medium of fabric. I cut squares from some nice fat quarters I was given a while ago, sewing some squares together with some heavy weight interfacing between to make the pinwheel stand nice and stiff. This would be even better if you had pinking shears, my raw edges being as they are, out and proud for all to see.

I didn't really have any buttons that color coordinated with the fabric, but I still think it came out pretty well. This one was made using 6 inch squares, so is rather big, but I think smaller ones would make really cool brooches, and indeed I plan to knock up a few more for this purpose. This one will probably get sewed to a canvas shopping bag to jazz it up. I stuck the paper ones up as decorative touches in my room.

I hope everyone has been having a nice weekend, and is taking it easy with this icy weather. Not that taking it easy means you're guarenteed not to fall, as I know only too well, covered in bruises as I am. Sew it goes.

Cold, cold, so cold! This ice is playing havoc with my cycling habits as well as my body temperature, although I will admit the world is quite pretty under its layer of ice and snow.

On with the crafting. As I may have mentioned, this is a busy couple of weeks for me, so even though I've had the sewing machine out this week I haven't finished anything by a long shot. Similarly I also got some new fiber for my spinning wheel, when the driveband gave way. This is basically the string that translates the motion from the the actual wheel to the the bobbin and the flywheel, which are the guys which actually do the spinning. It is literally just a bit of string, which I didn't have in the house - just lots and lots of yarn, which is too slippy to grip the wheel. So you can't say I haven't tried. But I did make up some cute little headbands, which are great for using up ends of yarn, and also for showing off your favorite buttons.

Don't mind the state of me in these photos - I'd just woken up from a nap and could barely operate the camera, never mind look foxy, or even awake.