I Will Officially Be an 80-Year-Old Woman If I Do This

I'm thinking about entering one or two of my jams in the NC State Fair. A blue ribbon nets me a $10 cash prize!! That could subsidize my caramel apple (with nuts) and deep fried Moon Pie. Plus, my blog would have SO much cred! :D

Baby Gifts

My friend and former co-worker is due to have a baby girl very soon. I had started this hat many months ago, but when I decided to make the outfit I knew I might as well finish the hat, too. Infants are too young to dislike homemade clothes, right?

Our Gas Is SO Classical

Rockin' out at Bull McCabe's! Allow me to take a moment to say how TOTALLY proud I am of Rob. He singlehandedly set everything up and programmed everything that needed programming - and it was his first time ever playing a rock show! Too awesome! And now he can scratch "Playing 'Classical Gas' solely on synthesizers" off his life list.

Presenting - The Backwaits!

The Piedmont All-Stars Talent Show was a smashing success! Like most restaurants, The Piedmont is filled with awesome musicians and last night they put together a special showcase for them to strut their stuff. Graciously, they also let Rob and I play. We work there very part-time, as backwaits (i.e. food runners/bussers) on Saturday nights. The name and the modified work uniform were no-brainers.

Music! Tomorrow Night! 8/28!!

After a long hiatus from the musical arena, I'll be playing tomorrow night with Rob! Other musicians who work at the Piedmont will also be playing - it's at Bull McCabe's (formerly Jo & Joe's) in Durham. 8:30 or so. It's sure to be a good time!

Here's a teaser of something I'll be wearing for the performance. You folks are going to be in for some ROCK. That's all I'm sayin' ...

A-HEM...

Totally amazed at the fact that I can sew a straight line.

But Wait! There's More!

Matching separates?! Why not!

Behold!

I purchased this Halloween fabric on the cheap in January, figuring it would serve as my practice fabric. But then I got to thinking - why not make it the signature pattern of my new HalloWear line? "Fun and functional clothes for those of us who wish it was Halloween EVERY DAY." Let's be honest - fugly patterns worked for Vera Bradley! UGH!!

It All Started Last Friday

For X-mas '06, I received a sewing machine and two very cool sewing books - Sew U by Wendy Mullin of Built By Wendy fame and Simplicity's Simply The Best Sewing Book. After the initial test run, and a started-but-never-completed attempt at a skirt in January, the machine and books have sat untouched. Last Friday, I picked up the Simplicity book and noticed the "Patternless Project" section. It contained a skirt that had no pleats, no darts, no zipper. None of that intimidating stuff. It is basically a rectangle with some elastic and a hem. I was inspired ...

Endorsed By The King

Perfect with Peanut Butter-Banana Sandwiches!

Top row: Blueberry-Peach (or is that Blueberry-Rhubarb?), Sparkling Hot Pepper, Cranberry-Hot Pepper, Jalepeno-Mint. Any good ideas for using the Jalepeno-Mint? It's actually quite tasty, but I realize it's an odd combo.

Relish and Pickles and Jam - Oh my!

Sa-Lute!

Thanks to the glorious Rebecca for linking me to all these old WWII posters that advocate canning. I've got this theory that our house - a late 1940s bungalow - contains a time warp. Especially in the kitchen. In the kitchen, it's like it's 1947 all the time. Not only is it my canning station, but it's also my sewing station.

The Next Blogger Asked Me To Read This

Greetings and welcome to Focus On Your Craft! Inspired by my dear friend Katie and her world travelling adventures - and resultant travel blog - I thought I would begin to document some of the crafty things I've been doing here at home.

Before Tenacious D became the horror captured in "The Pick Of Destiny," they were, honestly and without a doubt, one of the most inspiring forces in my life. This blog is a little wink and nod to their true spirit.

The message of The D? Set the artist free. I'm talking about this artist, in here, set it free! I'm sayin' - QUIT YOUR DAY JOB. I know a lot of you out there are saying, "I can't quit my day job! I've got kids to feed, JACK." QUIT YOUR DAY JOB. Focus on your craft - one time, before it's all over, you've died, you've squandered it - you f@$#in' ROBOTS!