On Turning 27 and Some Other Junk

I’ve been 27 for one week now. I transitioned from a someone in their mid twenties to a someone in their mid-late twenties. As I’m writing, it seems like a silly little thing, but it’s made me very aware of how old I am and feel. When I think back to being 20, I realize my life is nothing like I thought it would be at this age. It’s absolutely nothing like I would have imagined it to be. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a great life though.

I never really thought I would move back to my home town after college, but I did. The economy was not good and I was terrified I wouldn’t find a job, so I came home. I lived at my mom and step dad’s house for a while, but have been living own my own for a little over a year. I think moving back home strengthened my relationships with my family. I think if I had moved half way across the country like I originally thought, I would not be so close with everyone. I think I would miss out on seeing my sister basically everyday and the rest of my family all the time.

Over the past few years I developed stronger bonds with my family, but there is one relationship that I was sure I would have on lock down by age 27. I just knew I would be married by now. It’s obviously not happened, but that’s okay (or at least that’s what I keep telling myself). Actually I really would rather wait and be married to the right person than just to rush and find someone to marry for the sake of being married. I do believe it is a difficult age to be navigating and dating. It’s very difficult to look at your newsfeed on Facebook and see so many weddings and babies and feel like all the good guys are gone. When others try to set you up on dates you are of course grateful, but there is also a little piece inside that makes you think that they feel sorry for you because you are missing out on what they have.

Thinking back to age 20 again, I thought I would never want kids of my own. That’s changed too. My sister has a beautiful 8 month old daughter, and ever since she popped out, I’ve wanted one for myself. Now, I know it’s possible to have a baby without an actually man, but I cannot afford that or afford to take care of a baby all on my own. This too will just have to wait until Mr. Wonderful fall from the sky. Maybe he won’t fall from the sky, but at this point I’m not really sure where they come from so maybe he will appear soon.

As far as a job is concerned, I never really had a clue what I would be doing. A career is something adults have, but not me. Sometimes I think I should have one because it’s what all good adults have, but then again I’m not really a normal adult. Most of the time I don’t even feel like an adult at all. I feel like I’m just faking it until I get by. Maybe when all of the pieces fall into place I will feel like a real adult. I have jobs. I have multiple jobs. It makes for a crazy schedule, but I like what I do. I’ve always told myself that I would rather go to work and like what I do than make tons of money and be miserable at my job. I make enough to support myself and even put a little back for savings, and so I will keep my crazy schedule for now and not worry about a “career”.

And then there is my body. I have this wrinkle in my forehead that seems to get bigger each day, and I keep thinking, “What am I supposed to do about that?” It is gross and shouldn’t be there yet. I’m not old enough to have wrinkles, but it’s there and not going anywhere. I also have a ton of gray hair, but that doesn’t bother me as much. It started appearing when I was in high school, so I don’t feel like it’s really apart of my transition into be old. I’m also sore all the time. I think surely this is not what 27 should feel like. I am a fairly healthy and active person. If this is what aches and pains feel like at 27, I’m not sure I want to get too much older. It’s just a little frustrating.

So I’ve complained for a while now, but let me tell you how wonderful my life is and how blessed I am. I have an amazing family. I have some great friends. I love going to work. I love my dog. My body hurts because I’ve spent my life dancing and I wouldn’t change that for the world. I will get some wrinkle cream soon and it probably won’t make my wrinkle go away, but at least I will feel proactive. I’ve been lucky to always have what I’ve needed in life, and a lot of the time had what I wanted too. And ultimately God has a plan for me. He might not want me to get married at all, and if that’s the case then I will just have to do as he pleases. It’s hard for us to not compare our lives to each other, but we are all different and on different journeys. I just have to remember that my life is for me, not for everyone else. I don’t have to be the same as them.

Here I am at age 27. Sometimes I feel a little frustrated with life and getting “old,” but it’s okay. It’s a part of life and it’s a part of God’s plan. I am a lucky girl!

As far as crafting is concerned…I apologize for not having any completed projects to show recently. I’ve been working on multiple things, but just haven’t finished. I will share when things become complete.

Disney Dress

I have a little friend going to Disney World. Well, she actually won’t really even talk to me, so she might not be too much of a friend. She is my sister’s niece, and is super shy around me for some reason. I’m not that crazy. Anyway, she is going to Disney World soon, and I believe that all 5 year old girls going to Disney World should have special clothes for such a special place. The most adorable Minnie Mouse shirt came into the consignment store, but it was 2 sizes too big for what we needed. I made Alex buy it anyways and promised that I would make a dress out of it.

Little did I know I was going to be working with such a picky dresser. She likes tanks and racerback tops, soft, and nothing too tight on her tummy. I guess I can’t hate on her too much because I too am a stickler for clothes fitting exactly how I like . I formulated somewhat of a plan and got to work.

I gathered all of my supplies. I had the t-shirt, fabric for the bottom of the dress, elastic for the waist, matching thread, and also another solid black t-shirt that you cannot see in this picture because I decided I needed it later.

I used recycled shipping/packaging paper to make a pattern on. I used a tank top that fits her now and some measurements to make the pattern.

I cut out this pattern on the Minnie Mouse t-shirt and on the plain black t-shirt. I sewed the 2 front pieces together face side in at the neck and arm holes and I did the same with the back pieces. I flipped them right side out and then sewed the front to the back. I made sure I was sewing with a  zig-zag stitch so it would stretch as she put it on and off.

Now here is where I’m not so great because I forget to take pictures along the way and I’m not too wonderful at explaining, but I will try. I made the bottom of the dress out of a big circle of fabric kind of like a tube. I sewed around the top with a long stitch and then pulled it to gather it. I used 2 pieces of fabric to make the waist band. I sewed them to the top of the skirt and then to the bottom of the t-shirt leaving a hole in the back. I fed the elastic through the hole using a safety pin. I then sewed the elastic together and closed the hole.

Here is the front of the dress. I am in love with the glittery Minnie Mouse. It is just too cute. Also, we had to go with the traditional Minnie Mouse red and white polka dot to make this outfit perfect.

Here is the back. It has a racerback cut, just like she likes. I added a big bow to the back also for extra cuteness and there is also a bow for her to wear in her hair. I just love Disney and dresses, so of course I love this. I know she will look adorable. I hope she loves her dress and Disney World!

Baggy Legs and Elephant Knees

It may not be a surprise to you that I alter a lot of my clothing. I like when clothes fit properly, but I’m very hard to fit. I am short with an extremely short waist and legs, I have a pouchy tummy and a big booty, and I’m not proportional. I guess it’s a good thing that I can sew and am not walking around like a total ragamuffin.

One of the most difficult things for me to fit is pants, most specifically skinny jeans/pants. Part of the problem is after I get my big booty to fit the legs tend to be a little baggy, but also because my legs are so short the knees of the pants don’t hit my actual knees in the correct place, causing elephant knees. I cannot stand when skinny jeans have baggy knees. I understand there is going to be a little wiggle room, but the elephant knees have got to go!

I have found a pretty easy way to fix this problem. Since the first time I did this, I feel like I am actually able to purchase pants. I can just fix them if they are a little off. For summer I have been on the hunt for a pair of white skinny jeans. When jeans are skinny, I typically like them to fit really well and pretty tight, but not this time. Since they are white, I wanted to be a little more cautious and not go too tight.

Here are the pants before. They aren’t super baggy, but you can see the extra fabric around the knees isn’t cute. Also, they are long, but I think I like them rolled up for summer.

The first thing I do is put the pants on inside out because it just makes it easier in the long run. I take straight pins and pin down the side seam of the pants to about where I would like them taken in. You might need a friend to help with this part. I like to follow the curve of my leg. Be careful not to make the ankle too tight or you won’t be able to get them on and off. Also be careful taking them off with all of the pins.

I use the pins as a guide to draw a line on the inside of the pants where I plan on sewing. You can see how it is curved like our legs are. It looks kind of funny now, but they will look great on. I pin the pants together and then sew on the drawn line. I make sure I’m really careful at the top of the pants so that I blend the existing seam with the new seam.

After I have sewn, I like to try them on before I cut anything away. It will not look perfect yet because of the baggy excess fabric inside the pant, but you will have and idea. I had to tweak the top of my seam on one leg so you might have to do that too. After I do an initial check, I cut the excess fabric away. I don’t have a serger to finish the seam, so I set my sewing machine to a zig zag stitch and sew over the edge of the fabric so it doesn’t fray as much.

Here are my finished pants. I know they aren’t super skinny like I usually make skinny jeans, but I think they look way better than before and will be great for summer time. For all you fashionable people out there, I don’t make all of my pants tighter. I understand that some pants, like dress pants, aren’t supposed to be as tight on the legs. I just think you look better when your clothes fit well. Hopefully this will help you if you have elephant knees. Also, this is just a warning, your pants will look kind of funny when they are laying flat because they legs will be curved and not straight. Don’t worry about it if they look fierce on!

Fish Skirts > Fish Sticks

Something has gotten into me the past couple of days. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve been a slacker at sewing and miss it, or if I’m tired of seeing piles of unfinished projects laying around, or if I’m ready for summer and summer clothes, but I have been a sewing machine (haha) for the last 2 days.

I don’t even like fish. I think the smell bad and taste bad, but this shirt was too cute to pass up. It’s a men’s XXL and covered with a very cute fish pattern. Nautical is always a good route to go for summer and I was thinking this future fishy skirt would fit right in.

Here are the fish. I think they are too cute and perfect for summer!

I removed the pocket with a seam ripper and cut the top of the shirt off right under the arms. I then took in the sides of the skirt. I went straight down and made sure I had plenty booty room.

I made a waist band next. I pieces together leftover fabric from the top to made a casing for elastic and sewed it to the top of the skirt. I then fed the elastic through and sewed the opening shut.

Here is the finished skirt. It just slides right on. This was a super easy project. I might have to make more than one. I think it would maybe be cute with a contrasting waist band or with pockets. I might have to play around some more with other shirts to see what I can come up with. I think it will be lightweight and breezy for a hot summer. Now I just need to find a lake/beach to hang out at.

If you decide to do something like this make sure you look at the bottom of the shirt. Most men’s shirts are not straight across at the bottom. You need to make sure you have enough room to hem it or let it have a curved bottom.

It’s only April and I’m totally ready for July 4th!

Dress Season

While out thrifting I saw a gorgeous shirt…actually it was quite hideous, but had so much potential and I had a plan for a dress. It’s almost my favorite season. It’s almost dress season! That means I can wear a dress every single day without tights or leggings. I love dresses and I was going to make me a new one.

Here it is. I told you it was ugly and it’s massive too.

Goodbye sleeves and shoulder pads. From here I took in the sides, finished the hem around the arms, cut the bottom off, and cut down the back of the shirt. Because the shirt was so big to begin with the arm holes turned out to be a bit bigger than I wanted, but it’s not too horrible. I will probably just have to wear a tank underneath.

Then, I made the bottom of the dress out of a funky chevron pattern. I’m almost over chevron for the most part, but this one was a little different. It kind of had an aztec-y feel to it even thought I’m not sure thats what you would call it. I basically made one big circle. I gathered the top and sewed it to a waist band. The waist band was then sewn to the top of the dress.

The last big step was installing an exposed zipper. I’ve never done this before, but it was pretty easy. Way easier than a regular zipper.  I watched this fabulous tutorial, and it gave perfect instructions. Mine isn’t perfect, but I’m sure there are other exposed zipper dresses to be made in my future.

The last step was hemming the skirt part. I accidentally made it a little bit shorter than I had planned. It might end up being a going out dress and not a dress for work. I could always add tights, but that takes away from the fun of dress season. Tights are for winter. My birthday is coming up soon. Maybe it will be my birthday dress.

Here it is. I paired it was a teal chevron necklace, teal bracelet, beige high heels, and a headband.

There is that beautiful zipper I stressed out about for no reason. For real though, you have to watch the tutorial, it makes it so easy.

Even though this sweater covers the cool zipper, I still like it. Maybe I could wear this until I’m slightly less pasty.

Orange you glad I fixed this shirt?

And here we have another thrift store find that needed an update. I’m pretty sure my sister thought I was doing drugs when I picked this one out and said it needed to come home. I’m pretty sure she thinks that about a lot of the things I try to bring home. We both actually have knack for seeing what things could be instead of what they actually are, but we don’t always have the same vision. I think some of that might be because she doesn’t really sew. Well, she does a little bit, but mainly straight lines.

There it is in all of it’s glory. Extra long short sleeves, shoulder pads, and no basically shape.

Goodbye shoulder pads and too long sleeves.

I split the sleeve right down the middle and sewed in the crochet-like trim. It was actually a belt before it became the detail on my shirt.

I cut the shirt right down the back, which then became the front and created a new neck line. It sort of came to a v but also would cross over similar to a wrap dress, but would be sewn into place instead of tied.

I added little pleat tuck thingys on both sides under the bust.

Here is it finished. I paired it with purples skinny pants that don’t actually appear to be purple in these pictures. I wore a mustard colored tank underneath and one of my favorite feather necklaces.

And here we have a mirror selfie to show the detail down the sleeves.

I really like how it turned out, and enjoyed wearing it today. I think it will end up being a great shirt for the summer time. It was light and breezy and loose and fun.