Apron day my friends, and it is all about the tie dye.

Today, was a good day in creating and sewing for me, and I focused on using and showing off this beautiful tie dye fabric when designing my class apron. Take a gander at this beautiful print.

I decided to make ruffles for my apron, and I even bought this beautiful wine colored sequence to put on there. I will post when I am done with it. It should be a completely functional and hopefully stylish piece!

Now, back to flossing, so I was in the restroom at school yesterday, and this student was, of course, flossing her teeth in front of the sink. So she says to me, "sometimes you just got to get the fish out of your teeth." I genuinely agreed with her. She went on to note that, "if you don't, bad things can happen, like rotten teeth." Once again, I agreed with her and went on my merry way. I am so thankful people floss in this world, and they choose me to tell their flossing or other odd stories to.

I am blessed.

ReDo, ReDo and ReDo again!

Okay, I knew this was coming, but I just didn't think it would happen on something as simple as an unlined round pocket! I had to redo it all over again. I totally biffed this one up! First off, I cut the pocket short and squat and nothing could fit in there besides a dental floss stick thing. ( Okay, I need to go off on a rant right now. Don't get me wrong here, I love those dental floss sticks. Actually, I was addicted to them for quite awhile. But, like I don't carry them around in my jean pockets, but I think the larger population must because I find these things lying around all over the place!! What are you on a walking path and then all of a sudden you realize you have something in your teeth and pull a floss stick out from I don't know where your running socks and floss.....and then you just LEAVE IT on the ground! I just don't think there can be anyone out there getting cavities filled with all these floss sticks just lying around on the ground.) Anyway, I sewed my pocket again with thinner fabric, and it came out just fine. Lesson learned, no matter what you are doing in life, rip and repeat again and again until you get it right. Whoooowhoooo!

Here is the invisible zipper I put in, too. Nothing fancy about it except that it is on this beautiful dyed fabric.

My second week is off to a running start!

Hem, hem, hem, hem, hem. I sewed hem finishes all day today. It was nice. I actually did one that I wasn't familiar with, it is called a net-bound finish. Pretty cool, huh? Sews up just like using bias tape, but with a nice soft, stretchy net. I like it a lot.

Next, I am on to zippers..yeah! I actually like putting in zippers.

On a side note, my allergies and sinuses are going crazy again. I guess it is not just bulbs that make my sinuses go nuts.

First week of sewing school down, and I feel great about it!

Hello there, I am one week down in sewing school and feeling better than ever! Today, I worked on embroidery finishing stitches. I think they turned out quite beautifully. I can't wait to use them on a skirt or a purse.

So I made this necklace for my mother-in-law two nights ago with linen yarn. Let me first say thank you to Miss Tanya for the idea and design (although I am sure I did not crochet it nearly as well as her or as quickly, he he!) and secondly, I LOVE linen yarn. I thought bamboo was my favorite or mercerized cotton, but now I am thinking maybe linen? Who knows? With yarn, all your wildest dreams may come through. Thank you Pedro. Check it out.

I love you grandma. 

Fashion showcase

Today, was a fashion showcase at school and whew am I beat! It was a wonderful display of the student's work for this past year, and it was just incredible. I felt a part of the event, even though I just started this week! We had tea on fine china along with wonderful snacks provided by the culinary students. I felt privileged to be a part of it. I had the honor to wear a beautiful strapless teal and champagne dress created by one of the students. I felt so special.

Also, I wanted to start posting items that I am challenging myself to make in and outside the classroom for the next year or so. If you know me at all, you know I LOVE going to thrift stores. Having worked for an incredible thrift store organization before this (by the way, please donate to your local Goodwill store. It really does create jobs for those with disabilities or otherwise in need), I just love the idea of reusing something old in a new way. So, I found this beautiful cross-stitch in a thrift store. And, I wanted to use it with this cool pleather material I had previously. I didn't have enough of it to fit vertically, so my creative hubby suggested placing it on the diagonal, and I LOVE how it came out. So much more pleasing and interesting to look at wrapped around the satchel. Hope you enjoy!

Second day in sewing...whew, another one bites the dust!

Well, I went back to school again today, and whew I made it through. Yeah! So, today, I did quite a bit more of the hand stitchery work. I am pretty proud of this arrowhead tack I did today! Check it out.

Pretty cool, huh? It is a reinforcement stitch. Time-consuming, but looks cool.

Also today, we had a birthday celebration in the class. And, it was totally celebrated. I mean, these people went all out. One gentleman brought in rice and salad. Another lady fried chicken and another lady brought in homemade double-fudge chocolate cake. I mean, nummy in your tummy to all of the above. Okay, I didn't eat the cake, because of course, I stuffed myself full of rice. I just love rice. It goes with anything, doesn't it? Then, there was a really nice gift-giving session including silk scarves. This birthday celebration was top-notch. I hope I am cool enough next year to get a party like this one!

First day of Sewing School...yeah!!!

Hi, my name is Shalley a.k.a Shall Pal, and for several years now, if anyone knows me, they know I love to create and more definitively, have a passion for sewing. I decided along with God, my incredibly supportive husband Bri Guy and my super-sized cat Bobbers apparently, it was time for me to follow my dreams....So, I started sewing school today. I LOVED it. I worked on all kinds of hand-stitching. It was so soothing to manipulate the thread and just working in muslin again. It was great. But, this blog isn't just about me learning to sew. It's about changing my life, one day/thread at a time.

So, today, I hand sewed to my heart's content, and at lunch time (10:45 a.m. yes, that is correct. I ate my ham sandwich and Herr's chips today at 10:45 a.m. I mean who am I Jim Halpert, with Dwight as my boss) moving on, I was invited to lunch with the other students in the class. All ages and all backgrounds. It was nice to be part of the crowd on my first day. Maybe that is how it is in the sewing world? Maybe people take people under their wings as they learn to sew....Well, it was my first day, and once again I loved it. I am going to live in this delusion of wonderfulness for as long as I can.

On a side note, I decided I needed a new art school look, so I cut my hair. Take a gander!

Yes, it is really dark brown with blond streaks, and I think I took off about 5 lbs. of hair! Time for a change my friends, and there will be many more of those to come. Stay tuned!

P.S. Yeah, that is my charcoal of the spheres from Professor Hoffman's class behind me in the picture. She was an incredibly gifted and patient professor...and yes, I placed that picture of spheres and cones and boxes and whatever other geometric items from the drawing that caused me to sweat my grade out in Drawing 100 on my wall. I am darn proud of that piece!