My latest projects

So today I decided that a new blog post was long over due. It's been so long since I've updated, there are bound to be at least a few things that have happened. My life is not very fast paced but I have worked on a few projects. So I've decided to talk about them, considering there isn't much of anything else to talk about.
In early June, Oma took me to several thrift stores (it's her idea of a really fun shopping spree). I found three dresses, two of them formal, at least a dozen knee length skirts and two blouses. All three dresses needed alterations, but since Oma (who graciously offered to pay for it all) was purchasing them at such a low price, I decided to go ahead and get them. One dress was a yellow floral print, halter top summer dress, very nice design, but the waist line was too high and it made me look pregnant. So now all I need to do is separate the top and bottom and add a three inch wide waist band of a matching solid colored fabric. The problem: I have to buy the fabric because, of course, we don't have the right color amongst the vast collection of fabrics and scraps currently in the house. Figures. I also do not have the money to buy even an 1/8th yard's worth of fabric, so that project will just have to wait a while.
The second dress was a blue satin halter top, extremely pretty. The fitting problem: Top part was WAY too small. In light of this I decided to simply cut off the top and turn the dress into a skirt. It fits beautifully.
The third dress was a very nice black dull satin, with intricate double princess seams. Extremely beautiful design and, if I was a bit smaller chested, it might have been perfect. But alas, I'm a size 4, not a 2. In examining the seams, however, I discovered that the previous owner had altered it to make it smaller that it would have been normally. There was so much excess seam allowance I was certain I could take them out and make the dress fit. This project turned out to be quite aggravating. I pulled out all the seams and sewed the thing back together with as little seam allowance as I could afford and it still didn't fit. It was still far too tight in the chest and to top it all off, it was now WAY too big in the waist. I discovered this after having worked on it for three weeks straight. I was not happy. After a little bit more studying I discovered that the inner lining is what was making the dress too tight up top. So, because there was no possible way for me to take the fabric out any more, I simply opened up the seams, finished the edges, and left them open. The lining wasn't really needed anyway. For the waist band I decided to save myself the grief of bringing the seams in again. Instead, I made a cummerbund, out of a black and red brocade that I had purchased from JOANN Fabrics earlier that year. So, after many weeks of frustration on a project that I never should have talked myself into in the first place, I am finally finished, and I'm even happy with the results.
When I went to California near the end of June, Oma took me to yet another thrift store and I, like the idiot I am, talked myself into purchasing a few more articles of clothing that needed alterations. This time, they were big poofy slip skirts, the kind one wears under a wedding dress. Well, those alterations weren't quite so frustrating, but they did add to the pile and I was really kicking my self for my stupid decision made in the interest of fashion. I sincerely hope that I have learned from this experience, but we'll have to wait and see.
This week, finally being over and done with the pile of alterations, I began on a new sewing project. A blouse that I could produce and sell on my website. I had chosen to use one of the pretty but slightly improper shirts that I have in the private section of my closet. Now, just to let everyone know, this section is not very big, in fact it consists of two shirts purchased at a garage sale for a ridiculously cheap price, and one mini skirt pajama bottom made from the scrap bag. But back to my original subject, I love this shirt, it is black with a slightly mexican influence, with elastic around the waist, collar and sleeves, making lots of ruffles. I love this shirt so much, that I decided to make another one similar to it that I can wear outside in public. So, without taking my beloved shirt apart, I traced the peices, made a few adjustments, and then began to construct the prototype out of more scraps from my scrap bag. Everything would have gone really well if I had chosen a different type of fabric. The fabric that I used didn't have a predetermined right or wrong side. As a result, I had finished putting the blouse together, sewed on the elastic, finished the edges, everything. Only to discover that one side of the shirt was inside out, and the other half right side in. I had sewn half the seams the wrong direction! Now, I beg you to believe me, I am VERY advanced in sewing. I'm really good at it. But for this project, I just wasn't working right in the head. I should have marked the wrong sides of the fabric before beginning, but I didn't. I figured I was smart enough not to need them. So much for that. My brain has been massively befuddled the past month and a half, what on earth made me think that it would work right for this project???
But, oh well. It was just the prototype anyway, made out of the over abundance of scraps hidden in my closet. The pattern works, the shirt fits, and if it wasn't for my stupidity, would have looked really nice. So I'm keeping the pattern, I'll work on it again when I'm a little less frustrated.
Moving on to other projects (and here I thought I had nothing to talk about),
I'm an avid gardener, I'm obsessed with growing things, mostly food. My gardening desires have been rather squelched due to a complete lack of garden space in our yard (oh how I hate living in the city) but I managed to satisfy the urges at least a little bit by using pots; big pots.
I am currently growing basil, bell peppers, thyme, green onions, chives, one peach tree (not in a pot) and about 8 mulberry treelings, grown from seeds saved from Illinois, where they grow wild. The mulberry seedlings have out grown their tiny pots (red plastic cups with holes in the bottom) and desperately need to be planted in the ground, speaking of which, who wants a mulberry tree??? These trees won't be ready to produce for at least 4 years, probably six, but due to the fact that they are wild stock, I have no doubt that they are hardy. They have gotten through this blistering summer with flying colors, and have even grown during that time. This has rather surprised me to be perfectly honest. Illinois summers are far more mild than in Texas and I had expected the heat to at least stunt their growth but I found that I was delightfully wrong. They grew very quickly, and the two that I planted in our yard only a week ago have already grown noticably bigger than the ones still in their pots.
I have had a great deal of difficulty with my bell pepper plants. I planted three of them from seed, only one out of the three grew big enough to produce fruit. I have that one in a very large pot on my patio and it was doing so well until a week ago. Last Wednesday morning, I discovered that a group of aphids had decided to colonize on the plant over night. I've had trouble with aphids already several times and I've learned how to kill them quickly. This I did with zeal; I probably enjoyed ousting the pests a little more than I should have. But alas, I was too late to prevent serious damage. The aphids had carried with them some sort of disease. Within 24 hours that beautifully full plant had lost all but 4 of it's leaves. Needless to say, I kind of freaked out. The plant had already started growing three bell peppers and they had been doing so well until then. In the interest of helping the plant save energy with which to fight the disease, I took off the little bell peppers. I then sprayed the plant down real good with an insecticide/fungicide hoping desperately that what was killing my plant was indeed a fungus and not a virus. The very next day, the largest of the remaining leaves had stopped yellowing, and even looked a little greener. The smaller leaves stopped puckering and started to flatten out again. Feeling relieved, I kept a close eye on it, and when it rained Friday night, I sprayed it again, thoroughly coating the leaves and stems from the top of the plant to the base. My poor plant still looks horribly scarred and forlorn, but I am positive it will recover. There are about a dozen new baby leaves peeking out from the scarred stubs and they all look green and healthy. I told Mom I felt like the doctor who's cancer patient has gone into remission. Extremely victorious and thankful to God for his mercy. I find it amazing, that even on plants, God chooses to work miracles. This must be why I'm addicted to gardening.