Anime does things to my head

Look! It's a project!

So a while back Dash and I watched Ninja Scroll, a movie with a plot that might as well have been designed by 13-year-old boys. This was the result:


(The shirt, not the utilikilt.)

Here's another:



The whole thing is decent quality cotton. It's pretty thin (not like something you'd wear to tae kwan do, which is usually very heavy, almost canvas). It took 3 yards with no wasted fabric. I did french seams inside to make it more durable, and 1/4 inch hems everywhere that didn't have a facing.

The black facings are black cotton with medium-heavy weight interfacing inside them to keep them from getting all scrunched up when washed. They're all just long straight strips, folded over and sewn down. Nothing fancy.

It closes with hooks and eyes, like so:



The original plan was to add frogs along the black bit at the top, but I couldn't find nice ones and ran out of time to make them. I just moved to Seattle, so I'm now in a different state and not going to continue working on the shirt. I did promise to make another one for another friend, though, so maybe I can refine the design with that.



In other news, I've been living out of a suitcase for nearly a month and am really sick of it. I move into a more permanent place on Friday, thank god. Pretty much all crafting has to be postponed until then.

Journal

I have things I should post. I need to take pictures.

The following pictures were (obviously) taken with the built in camera on my computer.








At any given time, I have a notebook that I carry everywhere and use to record everything from class notes to to do lists to sketches and random writings. I have a big pile of past ones, with all sorts of stuff in them.

The one I had before this was big, about 12" x 9". It turned out this was really too large. The thing was heavy, and too big for anything smaller than the bag I use when I take my computer places. So I didn't use it as much as I wanted.

My solution was to cut the pages from the old notebook (not show) and use them to make this thing. It was done quickly, and all but the initial sewing was done in a bar while hanging out with friends, so it's not terribly precise. But it's very functional. The cover is some leather I had lying around. The clasp is a magnetic clasp of the sort used on purses. The stitching that holds the signatures together (there are 6) goes through the cover and is exposed on the spine. The strips of leather add stability and can also be used to clip pens etc. onto.

Summertime, and the living is easy

I am still here. I am working full-time-ish, but with very flexible hours so doesn't end up being terribly stressful. Right now I'm at the beginning of the project that'll occupy me for most of the summer. It'll be hard to get motivated until I'm actually implementing something or other.

In crafting/creative news, I have been doing things. Not LOTS of things, but things. I've been sewing a fair amount, including a rather nice dress of green cotton (from a pattern, for instant gratification) and some boxers of entertainingly patterned fabrics for the boyfriend person. I'm also attempting to teach Whitney how to sew from a pattern, and then potentially others. My clothes have generally been boring me, so I'm hoping to make a bunch of things I enjoy wearing over the next few weeks.

The ridiculous striped raglan sweater continues, slowly. It isn't really weather that makes me want to get up close and friendly with wool very often. Gardening has been limited to throwing a bunch of wildflower seeds into the back yard in an attempt to push out the (gigantic) dandelions.

Perhaps I will update this with pictures in a bit. I just dug out my camera, but I probably ought to actually finish working for the day before I go outside to take pictures of things.

Broken Computer

I graduated, I moved out of my apartment, I have a job. I'm finally unpacked and have started making things again. But my computer is in the shop, so no pictures until it returns.

Holy shit guys

Holy shit I finished my thesis, originally uploaded by alicen.

I totally finished my thesis.

This is what I look like all the time now

This is what I look like all the time now, originally uploaded by alicen.

Not Dead Yet

My thesis is due in 13 days, so no so much with the posting lately. I do have things to show though - a stripey skirt that hasn't been hemmed, and the beginnings of a raglan sweater.

I think this summer I am going to teach myself card weaving and maybe build an inkle loom. I'm subletting a much better sewing machine along with my room for the summer, so I ought to be able to finish up a number of projects as well.