a sewing dilemma.

ps. i have not gained weight. contrary to what this photo might lead you to believe.

so what is this, you ask?

it's a low-quality photo, taken by my computer, of a zip-up hoody that i sewed. from scratch [i don't really know if you would say you sewed something 'from scratch'. oh well].

i'm taking a sewing class at school, and this was our first project. it's a little emo. the fabric has skulls. i finished it today. no tears were shed in the process [i came close], but there was some blood - that's a whole different story.

now i'm on to project number 2. which is where i need your help.

project 2 is a men's tailored shirt. 

i'm making it for the boy.

it will be a 20-ish hour investment. seriously.

my teacher told me to make sure and inform him that if we were to break up, i would need the shirt back. seriously, she did. [i told him, and he didn't think it was very nice].

anyway, here is my dilemma. i had wanted to make the shirt out of very high-quality fabric. if i'm going to invest that much time into constructing an article of clothing, i want everything about it to be high quality. that way, when the boy wears it, he will happily tell everyone in the vicinity that his woman made it for him. because she is awesome. 

but today, i went to the fabric store.

and the high quality fabric i had wanted was expensive.

and i mean expensive.

like $50 for the amount of fabric i need - that kind of expensive. 

[ok, maybe that doesn't sound like a lot, because you would pay a lot more for it in the store. but think about that + 20 hours worth of my time. that's a lot of value. plus, i'm cheap].

so here's the thing. the money is not the major deterrent in my not wanting to spring for the awesome fabric. it's more the, what if i mess up? or what if it doesn't even fit him well and he never wants to wear it in public? i would kick myself for splurging on the pique - that's the fabric that feels like heaven.

so then i thought, maybe i'll make the shirt out of a not-so-awesome fabric... and then, if i mess up, it's not a big deal. and if it doesn't fit him perfectly, it's not a big deal. and then i can know how to make a second shirt of perfection, which i can construct out of the fabric that better be laced with 24-carat gold thread for how much it costs. plus, i'll then have an instant christmas present.

but what if the first shirt turns out perfect? but i made it out of crappy fabric, so the boy definitely isn't going to want to show it off to anyone.

this post is way too long. and i have obviously put way too much thought into this.

so - for all you seamstresses out there [or you can pretend] - what would you do? have faith in your seamstress skills and go for the big girl fabric? or hope you have 20 more hours of sewing left in you to make the real deal after you do one for practice?

if you help me, i'll bring you a cupcake.

or mail it to you.

seriously, i have 40 sitting on my kitchen counter.

xoxo.

jana

lucky you.

lucky 5 of you, actually.

i have been having the best day! mostly because of all the sweet e-mails and comments i’ve received thanks to liz and this wonderful post. [i’m in the process of responding to everyone – i promise i haven’t forgotten about you]

so in honor of my awesome day, i decided that the time has come for my very first giveaway!

[a mess crafted by me]

but first – some restrictions and limitations may apply:

1.  5 lucky winners will receive something handmade by me, especially for them. which means each prize will be different and completely awesome.
2.  prizes have a 99% satisfaction guarantee. so in the event that you win and don’t like your prize [which hopefully won’t happen], i’ll be incredibly sorry, but there are no refunds or exchanges.
3.  winners may have to be patient. i have a couple of really good ideas, and i know for a fact that some of them will take longer than others. but i promise that your prize will come, and it will come in 2009.
4.  to enter, simply leave a comment below telling me what creative thing you wish you could do most. [i personally would love to learn how to sew and play the guitar or the piano, but you only have to tell me one]. feel free to comment even if you don’t know me and/or you don't have a blog of your own and/or if you live in a foreign country – i promise i’m nice.
5.  last but not least, these 5 lucky winners will be chosen completely at random next monday [march 2 at 11:00pm pacific standard time] after i finish watching the much-anticipated finale of the bachelor [dear jason, pick melissa… i guess].

sound good?

hope you’re having a happy day too! 

comment away!



xoxo.
jana

p.s. thanks for the idea chelsi!

proof that i have too many hobbies.

[i might have woken lizzie up from her afternoon nap to take this picture. actually i let her wake up - big difference.]

yes, i definitely painted this. yesterday. in one sitting.

pretty good for my first acrylic painting ever, huh?

i saw something like this at ikea a little while ago of audrey hepburn in breakfast and tiffany's and fell in love. i didn't buy it, of course, because i had absolutely no where to put it in my little byu apartment and i have a really hard time purchasing things i know i could do myself.

so instead of doing an audrey, i decided to do a lizzie first - merry january todd and heidi!

dear painting, you are my new found love. can everyone now see why i still haven't declared a major?

thankfully, this new little art form of mine isn't too expensive. i did buy lots of paint though, so i have a few more paintings lined up, none of which [of course] are for me.

yes, i realize i need children of my own to photograph and paint - you can give me yours, if you'd like.

on the ninth and tenth day of christmas...

i didn't have to work...


so i could set up for this party, and then recover from it.

since our freshman year in high school, i've put on the girls' annual christmas dinner - 7 years and counting.

me and liz might have stolen these branches from a neighbor's tree.

after dinner, we took the pictures hanging from the trees and wrote our predictions for our friends this coming year. the plan is to read them all at the party next year and see if any come true. i haven't even peeked - i want them to be a surprise

i made these felt trees a few days ago to be additional table toppers, but there was no room on the table to put them! at least i have some sweet christmas decorations for next year.

and here are my lovely guests...

.. and of course, the traditional goofy picture.

the wheels in my head are already turning with ideas for next year - i can't wait!

on the eighth day of christmas..

my big mess needed to be cleaned.

project coming later :)

on the fourth day of christmas...

i mailed out my last one of these.

{addresses blurred out}