LOLA

Category: Uncategorized

  • No. 41 Scam vibes, muumuus, and my Limelight

    OMG Yalllll. I’m back over here and I ain’t never leaving again! I learned my lesson the HARD WAY! Lemme tell y’all what happened. So y’all know I sew right? Right. I wanted to incorporate my houseplants somehow into my blogging. If you didn’t know I grow over 150 houseplants and they are so pretty y’all OMGGGG

    Anyway, after milling over ideas of how to share ’em like I share my sewing I thought I needed a new blog dedicated especially to them. Don’t ask me why I just didn’t use this one; I knew I should’ve. I told myself so many times before I actually agreed to that foolishness that I shouldn’t. Chileeee against all my better judgement I did.

    Now I didn’t want to immediately complain but I have no choice in this situation. As soon began to build the site I got irritated. The site was so fukkin BASIC. I didn’t think it would be so fancy because the site itself looked prehistoric by damnnnnnn. The features were so difficult and downright odd. Whole site just seemed to be against any user ever. After studying how to personalize everything I managed to get a post up. It was an absolute mess too! Everything was out of place. I never seen anything like it! I was irritated ASF to say the least and after a short while I decided I would cancel the subscription effective immediately.

    *Blood pressure rising rapidly*

    Attempting to cancel the subscription was the most ridiculous part of the whole embarrassing debacle that was my houseplant site. Now of course there was no one to talk to about cancellation; only AI and an email. It took me over a week to actually get the “subscription” cancelled because it took them over three days to answer the mandatory email I had to send for help!–insert eye roll– Imma stop here because I can literally go on and on smdh Anyways, I decided to incorporate my houseplants into this blog. I have a subscription for this one too and TBH I’m not sure why I even wanted another one. This one never presented a single issue; the other site WAS an issue. I kinda thought it would kinda be better to keep them separate. I do want my two loves together in one place though! Expect more of my tropical family along with my sewing okay? Okay.

    *Blood pressure rising rapidly*

    Now lemme update y’all on my sewing stuff. I’ve only finished that striped dress that I blogged about last as a patterned project. I free-styled a muumuu for myself a couple weeks ago too. I used a piece of olive green colored linen blend that had been in my stash for eons. I kinda wanted to test a few decorative stitches on one of my machines so used my impromptu muumuu project to do that. I used purple thread and it ended up being so cute. No pictures though; it really wasn’t for show. (I can show you guys if you insist) What I have been doing is a lot of mending; for myself and my bestie. She bought a whole buncha ready-made muumuus but they were too long. A few of them were gifts were other folks too. I fixed those up. She came and got those and brought a few more of her own for hemming but they’re still on my sewing table LOL I’ll get to em soon. I do have a matching separates idea in mind but I need some kinda fleece something to pull it off.

    I didn’t plan on including any photos in this post either y’all; it was mainly to gather my peeps in one spot again. My plan is to take a few photos of my most recent plant purchase and share with you guys. So that means I’ll be back soon. I gotta get a few photos of this pretty gal. I’ll give you a clue who it is. Some of my folks that follow me elsewhere may have seen here already. She’s completely NEON and her leaves are on the larger side. Feel free to add your guesses to this post. I’ll be back soon too share her pretty self and some information on her journey here!

    Talk soon,

    Christy

  • No. 40 *Cough cough* Is this thing on?

    Yallllll I am so sorry I’ve been MIA; again. And no life hasn’t been “lifing” Ive just been hanging out and working to be honest. Nothing fancy at all but nothing horrible. I haven’t been sewing much at all either; but I do have a table full of UFOs and a half finished dress pinned on Jayde per usual. I did manage to do a couple repairs last week because the sewing bug was biting a bit but that’s about it lately. After that I felt like sewing but I couldn’t come up with anything I wanted to sew up. I go through that sometimes; just no ideas at all. My sewjo will be back soon like it always does.

    Now this post isn’t about my sewing though; its about my plants! I have a ton of plants and I show em every day on my other socials but I don’t believe I’ve hardly ever shown my plants on my blog so I decided to come crawling back to my space with my plants in tow. Accept photos of my purty plant collection as a peace offering for my hiatus y’all now I said please LOL! *insert happy face*

    Any way I figured today is as good a day as any to introduce my first blog plant; I actually got two new plants recently; one of em I’ll be showing y’all today! I’m only going to share one plant at a time though; just so y’all don’t get overwhelmed. I’ll be showing my dresses and other sewing stuff right along with my plants; half my collection lives in the sewing room anyway!

    Now lemme share a little background into my plants really quick so y’all have an idea about em all. I don’t want y’all thinking I done lost my mind. I currently I grow over 100 houseplants. Now some of y’all might be like wtfff but it’s totally not crowded here; and this is totally not my first time having hella plants. When I first started growing plants back in 2004 I started my first serious collection. Life happened and I had to leave all my beloved plants behind. Life happened again back in 2019 and I have to leave my second major collection behind once again. My veggie plants and all 😦 Fast forward to this beautiful Sunday morning and I have one helluva houseplant collection over here! I do have a few from my second collection I was able to salvage and luckily they survived the bullshit and they’re doing so well! They’ve grown so much and tbh I have too! With this collection I made sure to add my favorite plants I lost back into my collection including my Madagascar Dragon Tree and my Lemon-Lime; both Draceana varieties. Y’all done let me yap so long I haven’t even started telling y’all about the plant I wanted to share (remember I’ll tell y’all about the others in futures posts). Okay lemme tell y’all:

    In this collection of plants I grow Hoya. Now I had previously never grown nor liked Hoya like at all because all I have ever saw at the big box stores were that horrendous Hoya carnosa; y’all know that rope one I’m talking about? **In my opinion, that is thee ugliest Hoya there is and I will be saying nothing further on the subject** I honestly didn’t notice any other varieties back then. Remember I started growing houseplants when online shopping wasn’t really all that popular. Nowadays I have my favorite online plant shops delivering cool plants all the time. Before my most recent Hoya delivery I was already growing four other varieties: the Pink Flamingo, the Black Margin, the krohniana Black, and the DS-70.

    The Hoya Imma show y’all today is the super cool Hoya Finlaysonii or the ‘Chicken Farm’! Now I have always bought things if they have a cool name and I promise you this plant was no exception. However, when I did a little research I learned this plant’s background which makes it a millions times more cool to have in my collection. This plant’s name has a direct connection to where it originated from. This Hoya variety was discovered in Borneo in 1997 near an actual chicken farm! They sold me with the name and when it arrived I instantly loved it. It’s one of the easier, thick-leaved Hoya varieties; which are my faves to grow. The thinner leaved Hoya tend to be finicky; especially if you have a tendency to over or underwater. If the pictures below make you wanna track one down lemme share some care tips for ’em really quick:

    1. This plant likes bright, indirect light and cannot handle full sun. If this plant is placed in full sun it will burn and crisp up. (**if the plant gets reddish/purple coloring that is okay; that’s a process called “sun-stressing” and if you like the look try placing your plant in brighter light to make it happen! If you don’t care for the look just grow your plant in a place with less light**)
    2. For my Chicken Farm’s soil I added small perlite, Coco, and bark. Hoya like a well draining mix; water thoroughly until the water runs out of the bottom of the pot. Drain well! I let my plant dry out pretty much all the way between watering. Essentially allow the plant to dry out quite a bit between watering to prevent root rot and leaf drop. The Chicken Farm is one of the more easygoing Hoya!

    I’ve been talking and talking; y’all know how I do when Im gone too long but any who ask any questions, share any comments, and please show off your Chicken Farm if you grow one! Pictures of my cutie patootie chicken bootie below! (I named him Chanticleer after the rooster on Rock ‘A’ Doodle! )

    Be back soon I promise!

    Love, LOLA

    This is my last attempt to sew something. I just fell completely out the mood and that was months ago smdh its just a house dress but still….

  • No. 39 The desert sunshine, Happiness, and Lola made a Lolita

    Yall how is everything? I’m doing well; woke up and had a slight crisis but everything seems to be on the up and up again. I’m usually super organized and I just want everything in order. Sometimes things just happen and I promise you it drives me insane! I have to remember that life has lemons, but I love lemons and lemonade! Bring on all the life! Now let the ranting about my new coat begin!

    Now y’all know that where I it’s usually always very warm and sunny but I just love, love, love making coats and other outerwear. Yeah I hardly get to wear them but when I do they are soooo darlin’ and actually keep me toasty too! I’ve made a few coats before; I have a trench coat that is fully lined and a shorter trench that isn’t. My new coat is fully lined too and it’s only because it looked cuter that way. I make a lot of mods to my projects because of where I live. I used silky lining fabrics on both versions of this coat.

    I’ve made this pattern before years ago and tbh I literally just winged it. I hadn’t made a pattern as extensive as this one at that time and the coat showed it. I loved it so much despite its many mistakes; in fact it’s up next for some mending to fix it up. I knew I would make the coat again and I knew exactly what modifications I wanted to include when I did even back then. Sifting through my fabrics is how this coat came to. A new dress was up next but the fabric I used for the coat was standing out. Of course, just like that my whole motion was changed and a new coat idea was on my cutting table. My Lolita pattern had been on my mind for a couple weeks too so I suppose my new coat was meant to be.

    When I made the coat originally it was kinda too big for me. If I was able to layer in the cooler months it would be perfect. But when I took photos wearing the first coat I was wearing thee thinnest knit top this side of the strawberry patch! No layering necessary! (it was in December too) This reminded me that I could take the coat in a bit to make it more fitted. The pattern is designed to look more tailored already which helped a whole lot. The length was another thing I remembered I wanted to modify; I shortened it quite a bit by taking almost five inches off the hem. (I want to wear a mini dress with thigh high boots with the coat). I also changed my mind, probably too many times about the closure. I added a smaller button but when I put it on I wanted a much bigger button. Just today I finished the new button/buttonhole mods with a bigger button/buttonhole. Tried it on and let me just say I LOVE it and the mods were exactly what the coat needed to fit me how I wanted it to. Now I do want to add that the pattern sizes are super inclusive with the smallest size being a 2 and the largest being a 24. The flounce is the star of this coat; it’s the flounce pattern piece for me! I already gave it the final press and hung it up in my closet.

    The pattern of the hour is the Spearmint coat from Lolita Patterns; pattern #5013. It debuted in 2013 and it has been a favorite of mine ever since. On Pinterest I had pinned a wool baby pink coat that looked exactly like the Spearmint before I knew the Spearmint coat existed. I went looking for a pattern to make a similar one for myself. The indie patterns companies did NOT disappoint. I sewed up view A and size 16 again; that size eliminated the need for me to worry about the bust area fitting well. The coat pattern has 18 pieces though *gasp*. I must include that this pattern is not beginner friendly either; it’s rated four out of five for difficulty (the difficulty of the Lolita patterns are measured in skulls and this one has four out of five skulls bolded) This pattern has some of the coolest pattern pieces though. I’m glad it’s in my stash and it’ll remain one of my faves to sew up.

    Okay I’ve rattled on and on and I still have a whole lot to say but I’ll stop myself because y’all know how I am about sewing! As always if you have any questions or comments share em with me. I can talk sewing any day, any time and I never get tired! This was a slower sew so I was able to get a lot of progress shots. I can’t ever include them all but I always share the process of all my makes on my other video socials. Let me know if you wanna join me elsewhere; I share my handles!

    LOVE,

    LOLA

  • No.38 Summa Fashion, a pair of shorts, and shine

    Hey y’all hey! I’ve been in my sewing space tinkering around kinda on a daily basis nowadays. I am making sure I keep that UFO basket somewhat clear. (I may be weird but I love mending clothes) Currently thinking about pulling an all-nighter because I have this idea for a mini dress for the cooler weather in my mind that will not let me rest. I also pulled out my Marfy book and my Merchant & Mills Workbook too! I have so many ideas I’m having a huge creative block right now. So I decided I should blog then sew.

    Now this rant is about a top and shorts combo I whipped up last month. I really do try and choose fabrics for projects but my fabrics have always chosen for themselves. I’ll pull out a piece of fabric and a pattern then end up sewing with a completely different piece of fabric and pattern. I’ve even made a jumpsuit out of tablecloth fabric! Earlier I was all set to take photos and blog earlier but when I pulled out the heels I wanted to wear in the photos I was surprisingly reminded that the last time I wore those heels I had fun! LOL! They were damaged and scraped along with a little dirt. I’m going to keep and refashion them somehow; I still like ’em a lot. I did a video blog of the outfit on my Tiktok and Facebook accounts if you guys are interested in seeing the outfit in action! (Come say Hi on Tiktok using: @lolastitches15 and on Facebook using “Lola Bunnee”)

    Now where I live it’s still going to be over 100 degrees or the next couple weeks. I quickly decided that I wouldn’t start sewing for the cooler weather just yet and show this outfit since it made more sense. For the top the pattern I used is Simplicity S0399 Summer Fashion Super Jiffy. It was just one huge pattern piece; the shorts had about five pattern pieces. I made the shorter version of the top because I wanted to show my shorts off too! I used a fabric from my stash that I snagged from Fabric Mart a while ago. The fabric is just so pretty; it’s described as a “Sky Blue 100% Polyester Corded Stripe Netting”; I had three yards. For the shorts I used another fabric from my stash but I have no idea where I bought it from; I had about two yards. Usually when I can’t remember where I got the fabric from I found it on one of my thrifting trips. The pattern I used for my shorts is Simplicity 1165 View B. Both pieces can be worn separately but they do match as I used the mesh I sewed the top with for the shorts pockets. (One of the pictures I added shows the matchy-matchy thing these two pieces have going on)

    I’m starving so bad right now and I wanna have frozen yogurt for dinner so I don’t get lazy for this evening’s sewing sesh. But I have chili fries and a cheeseburger on the brain too. I’m going to try and wrangle some of these ideas down to one or two and find some fabrics that wanna help me! I’ll stop rambling now because I can go on and on about anything sewing. Of course I’ll add a few photos following this chat and until next time y’all!

    Love,

    LOLA

    Creating and watching murder shows per usual LOL

  • No. 37 Big Cats, Zebra, and Safari Demure

    How is everybody doing? I’m doing just fine this evening; keeping it cutesy and very mindful. Very demure. I cannot stop saying that even if I tried LOL! I love that gal on TikTok and I swear I’ll never delete that app…it is just hilarious! Now this post is about a pattern mash-up I daydreamed up one day in June; Sunday June 16, 2024 to be exact. I kept thinking of a halter maxi dress and these two fabrics that I’ve had in my stash for eons. Quite often I’d pull both of the fabrics out and admire them but never found anything to make with them. When my ideas came together for the halter maxi I immediately fished those two fabrics out to make my new dress. The two fabrics have the prettiest Safari prints and went beyond well together. When I first got them I loved ’em a whole lot. I’m also still sewing for hot weather because our forecast is still well over the 100 degree mark. Now on to the deets on the dress and patterns.

    To create the dress I used two McCall’s patterns; the halter portion of M6083 and the skirt portion of M7834. I’ve made M6083 before quite a few times before. (View D of M7834 only one time though) I had almost three yards of both pieces so it was more than enough to create the tiers on the skirt. I fussy cut the fabric to showcase the prints because they really are what makes the dress special. I cut a size 16 from both patterns and the fabrics are some kind of buttery cotton blend. They are sooooo soft. I sewed it up using two of my machines because I had one set for all the gathering the skirt required and the other one for the regular construction. It was a super fun sew but kinda extra with all the fabric that the skirt portion called for. The bodice needed some fixing up because it was too big when I tried it on. I ended up taking it in an extra 5/8 of an inch. Overall I LOVE it.

    Imma show yall the pictures now because I have the internet guy coming over to install a new modem and fix the wall outlet. Got a sweet potato pie in the oven too! I’ll talk to you good people soon I promise! (There’s a video at the end of the dress right after I finished it)

    Love,

    LOLA

  • No. 36 Two Goddess robes from “back in the day” and a bonnet

    Well hello hello everybody! It’s almost 7pm around these parts; I just got off work a few hours ago. I’ve been having crafting mania lately along with wanting to sew up everything and I’ve been sewing myself crazy! Last weekend I went to buy a new plant and explore the neighborhood. I found the elusive Cebu Blue pothos! I was starting to think it was a phantom plant! It was already on a moss pole and he is so handsome! I’ll show him off later on in this post. On the way home with my new plant I noticed directly across the street from the Home Depot was a Joann Fabrics. Now those that know me can tell you I don’t shop at Joann’s unless it’s an emergency. I always get an interesting vibe when I go in; it kinda distracts me from sewing because of all the cool craft stuff. I get so sidetracked in there and wanna do everything but sewing when I visit. One day I was browsing there and almost left with a candy making kit! But this time around was everything sewing in there y’all! I spotted some super cool denims, linens, and so much more! I’ll be back to snag a few pieces but not until I get my coupons together on the website so I can save some coins. I also just followed this sewing diva on Insta (I forget her name but if you wanna know just shoot me a message and I’ll check my Insta for her handle) and a lot her makes feature the dyeing technique Shibori. I had that coolness on my mind when I went in. By the time I left I had three tshirts, a Simply Sewing magazine bundle, two tumblers, a Shibori dye kit, some iron-on letters, and some invisible tape. I paid $75.00 dollars even; me and the cashier thought that was lucky! I’ve personalized two of the t-shirts already with the iron-on letters and some patches I had in my stash. I also added some rhinestones to the one with my Huny’s name to give it a little razzle dazzle LOL…I’ll share those another time though…

    Now on to the robes I sewed up during a bout of sewing mania I had a few weeks ago. The pattern of the hour is Simplicity 5685 View 1; it debuted in 1973. I was so manic I sewed it twice back to back. The first one I sewed I used “Muted Berry Red/Rosewood Pink/ Multi Nylon/Lycra Floral Print Mesh”. I had three yards so it was perfect for the length I made. Both robes were whipped up using the short version. There are three lengths included in the pattern; a super short one, one that went a little past the knees, and an ankle length version. Basically mini, midi, and maxi lengths in dressmakers’ terms. I wanted to make a matching bonnet with both of them but I only made one for the second robe I sewed up. I also ended up giving first the one I just described to my daughter. I owe her the matching bonnet. The second one I sewed up I used “Blue/Lime/Red/Multi Polyester/Lycra Petal Blossom Print Stretch” fabric. I had four yards of this fabric but I still wanted to make the shorter version…That view was just so feminine with the fabrics I used. Both pieces are from Fabric Mart and had been in my stash for quite a while. The first robe I included the pocket but no matching bonnet; the second one I omitted the pocket and included the matching bonnet. The bonnet is self drafted; if anyone wants to make your own just let me know. I’ll help you out. I got the robe idea from wanting to look the prettiest when I’m lounging around my apartment while keeping cool because I live in the desert!

    Now y’all know I will ramble and ramble about sewing some stuff without stopping so I’ll quit now and show the pictures of the robes. I’ll include a snapshot of my Cebu too. I’ll be back soon I promise; until then be good folks for no reason. Wait; tell me if you have sewn up something similar lately or if you bought new plants because I wanna see em!

    Love,

    *LOLA*

  • No. 35 A Lola, a beachbag, and poplin sunshine…Did I mention zombie nurses?

    **clears throat and taps mic** Is this thing on? OMGGGG guys how is everybody? Yall know my life is like a movie and I cannot make up anything that happens on any given day! I won’t go into too much detail about my life’s happenings but I will share that I recently moved from my old place! I wanted to move so bad from that area and complex with a whole host of reasons why; I no use in going into ’em now because I’m already gone. Long story short I’ve been in my new place a little less than a month. I absolutely love it around these parts and my new sewing space. It’s pretty much sewing central just as I imagined when I decided to move. I always apologize for the long pauses in my blogging and sharing stuff and I’m here to do that again. Forgive me y’all! In my defense I thought my laptop was broken. My GRANDdaughter was using it one day and my GRANDson leaned on it and needless to say we all figured that was all she wrote. Or so we thought. But I didn’t get rid of it, I put it back in its storage bag and put it away. I couldn’t just throw it away for some reason. That was months ago. Fast forward to last night I took it out of the drawer and plugged it in. It powered right on! I was so happy because I love my little laptop and I really didn’t want to get rid of it or have to buy a new one. Okay now on to the patterns of the hour and a little bit about ’em…Even the newbies know I have a ton of patterns. Like a literal ton of them. For some reason I just could find no inspo in not even one of them. Sometimes I get like that. When that happens my go-to for sewing ideas are my sewing magazines and books. They never let me down. I ended up sewing a new beach bag and dress with same name as yours truly! If you’ve a sewing maniac like me you’re aware of all the sewing magazines on the market and have a few favorites. One of my favorite publications is Simply Sewing. I ended up pulling out Issue 44 and whipped up two of the patterns that it featured. The patterns of the hour are The Lola Dress and The Beach Bag. The bag is hugeeeee; its already one of my favorite bags I’ve sewn. I used a hounds tooth denim for the exterior of the bag; it was already in my stash. The dress I created out of a yellow-orange cotton poplin I’ve also had in my stash for a long time. I never throw fabric away; even its its “ugly”. My motto is one day it’ll be perfect and for the Lola dress the “ugly” fabric absolutely was. I started both projects on the 26th (of this month) and they were both fun, easy sews! But the star of both pieces are the zombie nurses! I lined the bag and the dress with a piece of “Beauties and Brains” fabric which is another piece I left in my stash until just the right time…Wait till y’all see the pictures!

    Now let me stop rambling because y’all know I can go on and on…I snapped a few pictures of my new makes and I’ll include ’em below. Yall can literally see the zombie nurses through the poplin on the dress which is quite literally my favorite part of the it (besides the pretty color); I’m glad my idea worked out. The set is giving Summerween which I don’t mind because Halloween is another one of my favorite days. *Good Friday and St. Patrick’s Day are a couple other faves of mine* I gotta check on dinner too; it’s in the oven. See now I’m talking and talking again lemme show y’all these photos! I’ll be back soon I promise!

    Love, LOLA

    Follow my TikTok!

  • No. 34 A Tie-Dyed Pullover and An Alocasia

    Hey yall hey! I’m back with another one of my makes and one of my pretty plants!…Now before I start rambling I wanna say I hope everybody is in good spirits and doing well!…I’ve been okay around these parts; just sewing and tending to my small jungle….Let’s get to the good stuff shall we?

    The dress being showcased today was sewn up in July of 2016; yes 2016 yall!..My entire closet is all me-made so when I get ready to shoot something and I haven’t sewn anything I just head to my closet and to my written and photo archives for the information…This particular dress had me going waaaaayyyyy back!…The pattern I used is Simplicity 1801 View A; its a Cynthia Rowley pattern….I have a super similar Vogue pattern too (but I haven’t sewn that one up yet)….Apparently when I made this dress I didn’t take many pictures of it either; only one of the cut pieces on my sewing table and one of the finished dress on my dressform…I’ve really only worn it probably three times with today being the third….I do love it a whole lot though…its sooo comfy AND it has pockets! I whipped my dress up using a tie-dye linen in Spring colors from my stash and it just goes over my head for wear..I remember it being a quick sew with no hardware in its construction….Add sandals and maybe a sun hat and I’m all ready to go with this one! A comfy dress is always cool to run errands or lounge around in at home….If you sew this one be advised that the neckline is a little spicy so the “girls” may be all over the place without adjustments; just a heads up….Overall this lightweight midi dress is essentially perfect for Spring and Summer!

    Yall still with me? Okay then on to my green baby of the hour! The pictures this go ’round I’m holding onto one of my Alocasia. When I saw it I immediately thought of the “Elephant Ears” outdoor plant and it kinda is; it’s just the houseplant version….The fancy name is Alocasia Odora ‘ California’ if you wanna grab one because the pretty thing has heart shaped leaves with ruffled edges!…My parents had Elephant Ears growing in our yard my whole childhood and I know mine can go outside too; as a mature plant it may get to four feet tall…I couldn’t bear to put him out there though; however I do actually have a different variety of Elephant Ears that I deemed “outside strong” on my patio already! I’ll show them off eventually along with my patio makeover…

    Imma stop going on and on so y’all don’t glaze over and be all uninterested and stuff so until next time good people yeah? Yep!

    Love Always,

    LOLA

    They look so pretty in the morning sunshine!

  • No. 33 Lace, Blooms, and a Belize

    I’m back again yall! Gone ‘head and check to see if any piggies are indeed flying because yall know me LOL…but in my defense I’ve really been trying to be more consistent with my sewing and blog posts I promise. Life been life-ing of course but I’m still here and I just cannot complain. After I cleaned up my sewing space (see last post) I’ve been in super good spirits for all my crafty stuff. I’ve been much more consistent with my social media posts though and for that I’m grateful; if you good people want to check out my stuff in other places just let me know! One day at a time I suppose yeah? Now let’s get to the good stuff.

    My interests are just as scatter brained as I am and at this point and I have no plans on gathering any of my thoughts LOL I wanted to introduce another one of my passions which is houseplants! (I’ve had plants in my place since I had my first apartment at 19; one came from my Mama and the other one was given to my from my Gramma; they both were avid houseplant people) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE houseplants just as much as I do sewing so I’ll be introducing each one of them along with a cute dress or something else I’ve sewn up until yall have met them all…After I cleaned up my sewing space I found some lace fabric that I had totally forgot all about. I have so much fabric in there so this happens quite a bit; which is why I haven’t bought any fabric in a very long time. (I used to have fabric deliveries at least once a week at a point in my life) I told myself that I would now only buy fabric if I need something specific because I have so many pieces. Three pieces stood out after the spruce up so I left them out on my sewing table and this beautiful fabric was first up.

    The fabric is described as “Soft, Dusty Blush Pink/Off White 100% Nylon Corded Lace with Petals”….basically it’s a piece of the most beautiful lace fabric with 3-D blooms and petals! Watch when yall get to the pictures whewwww lol…I had three yards of all the beauty and used almost all of it; I still have about a half a yard left. The pattern I used for my new dress is Simplicity 8013 View D…I was going to serge the whole thing but I was too lazy to re-thread my serger; it has Black thread on it now….The dress turned out literally perfect and I fell even more in love with the fabric after it was finished….I wore it yesterday and kept it on all day; it was that comfortable.

    And now on to the first plant I want to introduce yall to…It’s my beautiful Tri-Color Ficus Elastica; or in lay’s terms a Triple colored Rubber Tree plant. I’m now the proud owner of three rubber trees which will all be featured at one point or another. This is my first time owning a rubber tree plant let alone three of them but they are some of the prettiest things on Earth and I’m so glad they’re here….My plants make me just as HAPPY as sewing does and chileeee that is saying something! Do you hear me? Where I snagged it from is escaping me right now but I believe it was from Albertson’s! They never know what they have and you can pretty much go plant shopping in there like a garden center; especially around Mother’s Day…They often have rare plants that just die because there’s only one or two employees to look after them and I’m sure they have a lot of stuff to do normally so the plants often get overlooked. This tree-like plant is hearty, with large, glossy leaves that are sturdy and beautiful. Most plants clean the air inside of our places and this one is no exception. I’ve heard that they’re especially effective at cleaning formaldehyde and other chemical toxins from the air!…I have three of them in my bedroom and I stare at them all the time…They are really soooo pretty…Now yall know I can ramble on and on so I’ll just say like I usually do that if you have any questions just let me know…If you have plants I’d love to see them too! And another as always I’ll put the pictures at the end…

    Talk to you good people in a couple weeks!

    LOLA

  • No. 32 Sewing room spruce up for Spring

    Well how’s it going y’all? Everything’s everything around these parts; just working and dreaming up dress projects for Spring and Summer….Of course I apologize for my erratic posting but here I am again harassing y’all about my sewing shenanigans…I told myself I was going to start sharing my plants and stuff too; they’re so pretty and showing new leaves on a daily basis because of springtime…I’ll try an work something out with my next post…

    I sat down to write this with just all kinda appreciation for my sewing space….I mean I just really love it in here…The initial set up felt kinda crowded for some reason; I decided to change everything around…I’ve also been getting rid of a lot of little stuff that I swore up and down I would use and yeah; I never did….I went through every single piece of fabric I have in here; examining the quality once again and folding everything back up….I love doing that so much…At one point in the clean up I had piles of fabric everywhere! While I was doing my best attempts at draping on my dress forms I found three pieces that I’ll work with for my next few projects…I called myself draping to see the print placement with certain fabrics…

    I took quite a few pictures while I was sprucing my space up too…for this post and for my memories…I remember I had a “sewing corner” and now I have an entire sewing room FULL of everything sewing…I’m so grateful for it all….I’m in here now watching a Netflix show about a poison dart frog, downloading pictures from my camera for this post, and relaxing in all the happy….I was supposed to have written this at least a week ago but I kept giving out after so long of folding and dusting everything….

    Now y’all know I’ll ramble on and on about sewing and this sewing room so I’ll stop now lol…I’m going to start one of the projects this afternoon; its around 2:30pm here at the moment so I have a couple hours to work with before I lay down for stinkin’ work….Of course pictures under my ramblings and I have quite a few this time…Since I found my camera its kinda fun to take pictures again…I still have no idea how to use that thing smh…

    Talk to you lovely people as soon as the spirit hits me!

    LOLA