Happy New Years!

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Happy New Years, Everyone!

A Happy Family Christmas

Christmas was very merry at my house this year. In the morning, my sister baked a fresh batch of festive mini cupcakes.

Unfortunately, they weren't for me to eat. They were a custom order!
She started baking goodies this year for the Baker's Market, and people have been placing orders for pies and treats like these. Aren't they yummy looking!?

Here's a pic of Christmas dinner. My parents outdid themselves this year.

These little cocktail sausages were so yummy. They had little juicy pockets of mozzarella cheese in them!

Here's one of the glass bowls full of chocolates and cookies.
And here is the chocolate fountain. We put a whole box of truffles in there and then lots of cream and milk to get it to the right consistency to flow properly in the fountain. It was a lot of fun! We dipped apple pieces, pineapple pieces, banana slices, cookies, cake, nuts... you get the idea!These are some of the presents I wrapped up this year. I got a lot of good gifts this year too. Santa was good to me. My favourite were some clear Sterilite containers that perfectly hold my fabric stash. Now I can stop worrying about them collecting dust!

I also got a nifty thread spool holder for my growing collection of thread colours.

Check out the new pouches I made today! I figured I'd make some for the shop since I've been neglecting that lately. So, if you've been eyeing some of the pouches, you can now pick your favourite from my shop!

If you have some requests for another specific one, just let me know.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Reflections On The First Semester of Nursing School

Recharging

I slept in today and woke up very late. Then I laid in bed and did nothing for a bit before stretching and then rolling over to lie on my side for a bit longer. I did some thinking, rolled some ideas in my head, and finally eased out of bed. It was really nice!

Cleaning The House

After that, it was a productive day of washing windows and horizontal blinds. The dirt really builds up in one year because of all the pollution of being near the highway. After washing 6 big windows and blinds, I took a shower and headed out for some Christmas shopping.

Fighting Germs

I think I'm coming down with a bug since my skin hurts and my tummy has a dull ache that doesn't go away. Sometimes the ache is in the front, and sometimes the ache is in the back. It's very odd. I've had it since sometime during the exams.

I tried to look it up to see if I could figure out what it might be, but scary diseases and illnesses come up, so I decided to stop looking so that I won't become a hypochondriac that thinks I have every disease in the world. I'll just pop in to see the doctor when she gets back from vacation. I have a feeling it's just stress-related.

Grades

The grades came out for all my courses and I actually did really well this semester. I had told myself that it wasn't realistic to get great grades for first semester, but I ended up getting them anyways. It was such a huge relief for me when I saw them. I was really worried that I had bombed the final for one course, but it was A-okay.

By tomorrow we'll find out which hospital we'll be assigned to for next semester. I'm hoping for the hospital nearest to me since it will be easier to get there for 6:30 am start times.

Classmates

While Christmas shopping, I've bumped into a couple classmates. We always rush to ask if the other person passed all their exams and whether they'll be moving on to second semester. The relief is mutual when we've both confirmed that all is well and that we'll be seeing each other again in January. I feel like my classmates and I have been through a lot together. It binds us together even for the students that I didn't interact much with during the semester. I don't think that some of my friends really understand that about me yet. However, I feel like my family understands. My family has been really supportive this semester and I'm really thankful for that.

Worries

Sometimes I feel really scared about becoming a nurse. I walked away from a good job with good co-workers, and I think that being a nurse will be much harder than being an animator. I have had almost 5 years of being an animator, but I have only 1 semester's worth of training as a nurse. I worry that I'll make a mistake and that people will get hurt, and I worry that I don't have what it takes to be a nurse. However, if grades in school are any form of indicator (and I don't think they are, but I'll just pretend they are so that I feel better), then I am unnecessarily worried. I freaked out all semester and I probably made myself sick because of it, but the grades are excellent.

Plans for Semester Two

So, my plan for second semester is to work hard, stay focused, but to also worry less. I am growing more certain that I can do this and that I can handle it, and I have to hold on to that because I can't keep being so stressed all of the time. It's not healthy, and it's not beneficial. I need to exercise more so that I am physically fit and able to handle the hard work of being a nurse, and I need to learn to relax and just drop the stresses because it will make me more efficient and effective.

Even talking about that now makes me feel a little better.

Thanks for sticking around as I work through all the challenges of making a career switch. It's nice to know that I come here and write about it. Hopefully, this can help someone else out there who might be thinking of making a similar change in careers (or of becoming a nurse!)

Have a great week!

Happy Pouch Experimenting

With most of the pouches already gifted to their new owners, I have slowed down on the pouch making. I am, however, experimenting.

This lovely pouch is another Christmas gift and it is the second pouch I have made with batting instead of microfleece as the backing for the interior lining. I am quite happy with the slight puffiness of the pouch and I think I will continue with using a thicker padding for the pouches.

I think it makes the pouch better. In my mind, it is now of a higher quality because it can better protect the contents inside.

I originally wanted the woodland tree design on the outside of the pouch, but this blue woodland chain print was too cute to hide away on the inside.

The irony is that I was really disappointed when the fabric arrived and it wasn't the colour I had imagined. However, now I rather like it the way it is.

I think the white zipper matches well with the fabric and gives it a clean, fresh look.This little pouch is made just for me! It's a coin pouch 4 x 3.5 inches so that I can stop having so much loose change floating around in my bag.Joanne has been going on and on about this love bird print on the inside of her pouch so much that I've grown rather attached to it myself. I had meant for the blue print to be on the outside and the birds to be on the inside, but I changed my mind last minute and switched it.
The zipper had to change from dark brown to pink so that it could match the outside print better, and it does look pretty cute now.
Switching the fabrics also meant that the batting lined side is now on the outside and the heavy interfaced side is on the inside. I figured I might as well find out what the difference of switching them would be.

The result? I like the batting on the inside layer more. The heavy interfacing is too crunchy on the inside and the outside layer seems too soft since the inside layer is so much harder.

After stuffing a dollar bill and my change into the pouch, I also discovered that the change pouch is a little small.

The first time I made a coin pouch, I made it 4 x 4 inches and that was deeper. I thought it was too deep so I made this one shorter, but I think that 4 inches is better if I want to stick credit cards into this pouch. At 4 x 3.5 inches, it is able to fit a card or two, but not a stack of cards.

For future pouches, I would also make the pouch slightly wider (5 inches?) so that there is more zipper room to stick in dollar bills easier. Of course, it's more of a wallet then than a coin pouch.

I think the experimenting will have to continue until I find the perfect size. Right now, the regular zipper pouches seem to be a good size for a variety of purposes, so that's good.

In other news, I sold this lovely pouch today. It was a custom order, and I quite enjoyed making it. Let me know if you would like to order a custom zipper pouch too!

Have a great week! Christmas is coming soon!

Havana On Commercial Drive

On the weekend, the boy and I headed out to Commercial Drive for some light grub. We stopped in at a restaurant called Havana and we were pleasantly surprised by both the food and the atmosphere.

As you can see, my cuban roast pork sandwich looked delicious! Roast pork, ham slices, dijon mustard and a pickle made for a juicy burger-like sandwich. The salad was fresh and the dressing was tasty and not too overpowering.

For the boy, the highlight were the shoelace fries. They were crisp, flavourful, and had a good combination of salt and pepper on them. Plus they weren't overdone or underdone.

They were good enough for a second round of fries! Yum! And there's something to be said about a generous dose of good ketchup. You might think I'm crazy, but not ketchups are equal. This ketchup was rich and sweet, with just the right amount of tang. Plus the container is perfect for dipping. It's probably just Heinz ketchup, but it was good.
It was a chilly day, so I had a good cup of hot water with lemon. I like it when my hot water comes in a kettle. Then I don't have to keep asking for a refill.
Check out the cool walls! They are covered with eclectic old photographs and there are carved out messages and signatures all over it.

I had a really good experience eating here, and I would definitely come back again. The food was good, our server was super polite, well-groomed, and attentive, and I like the environment. Also, Commercial Drive is a great place to wander after the meal!

I hope you are having a great weekend!

Pouch Making Extravaganza

I'm a pouch making machine! I am running out of time to make all of my Christmas presents before I see my friends for various gatherings so I am sewing late into the night to get them all done! Yikes!

This one has been long waiting. I have had a small piece of this lovely dogwood bloom fabric in pond colour, but I wasn't sure how to use it. With the arrival of this checkered grey fabric and the addition of a black satin ribbon, it was finally ready to be showcased.

I managed to make two rows of pockets for the interior, so there are 4 useful pockets inside!

The back also has the same design as the front, but with more simple flower patterns.

I know just the person to give this to for Christmas, but I have no idea if she will like it. I have my fingers crossed.

This is another zipper pouch with a similar dogwood bloom print in berry. It is such a delicious colour!

It matched perfectly with a pale pink fabric with black dots, so that became the interior lining. I found that this colour of zipper looked much better than a pink zipper because that would have been too much pink! This colour of zipper matches with the flower stems, so that the overall look is more sophisticated. I did, however, choose a rose coloured thread for the stitching beside the zipper so that it blends in.

Both of the pouches have heavy interfacing for the exterior, but the pond coloured pouch has microfleece for the interior and the berry coloured pouch has quilting batting.

I find that heavy interfacing is relatively stiff so I like to have something soft under it to soften the overall look and feel. Microfleece creates a thinner pouch and quilting batting makes a slightly more padded pouch. I'm not sure yet what the preference will be on the user-end, so hopefully I can get some feedback from my friends about that.

Here are some more pleated pouches using the same design as Joanne's pleated pouch from yesterday. I was only planning to use this yellow floral print called "Simply Sweet" as an interior lining, but I found that it made a really pretty exterior fabric.

My dad really liked this pouch. Too bad it's too girly for him to use :)

He especially appreciated the chestnut print on the interior. I think this chestnut print is adorable.

Finally, here is a pleated pouch in a wonderful fabric by Tina Givens. I adore it. It is my favourite fabric out of all of my new fabric stashes. There's something about this fat bumblebee and the patterns around it that is just perfect. The colour is quite nice too!

I used that same yellow floral pattern on the inside because it made me think of honey, which is very fitting for a bee-themed pouch!

I'm still trying to decide if I want to put wristlet straps onto these pleated pouches. It is a lot more work to add them, and I would need to buy the supplies for loops and other attachments. I didn't like the sewn-on fabric strap that I made for the first pleated pouch because it seemed too flimsy and it can't be removed.

So, for now, it's more of a clutch pleated pouch than a wristlet.

Okay, so one last one. This is a flat bottomed pencil pouch. This is the first time I have made a flat bottomed pouch, and I have discovered that it is very time-consuming to get the corner made just right.

However, with a little time and patience, it turned out great. Since this pencil pouch is for my sweetie, it's very manly. No cutesy fabrics for him! He chose a dark grey wool. The interior is a lovely, thick black fabric that is smooth almost like satin, but not shiny. It's thick texture makes it great for the lining because it doesn't need any kind of additional padding. It's a little harder to work with though because it has some elasticity.

Okay, time for some rest.

Have a great weekend!

UPDATE 04/30/2011

If you would like to make the pleated pouch, the pattern and instructions can be found in my shop http://bluepandemonium.etsy.com

You can also purchase the PDF sewing pattern through this secure link to Paypal

Joanne's Pleated Pouch

My friend Joanne came over today and we made her Christmas present together! I wanted to try a softer interfacing for the pleated pouch design, so this was the perfect time for it. I went with microfleece this time instead of heavy interfacing.

As you can see, the pleated pouch turned out terrific! I LOVE this Trefle Alice in Wonderland fabric in purple. Jo loves purple so I was trying to make a patchwork pouch for her, but my collection of fabric didn't seem to have the right combinations of purple. This fabric from Fresh Squeezed Fabrics was a perfect fit though, so I snapped it up.

I had chosen a different coordinating fabric for the interior, but Jo spied a cute birdie fabric and she wanted that one instead. I must say, it's pretty adorable in there! There are also two pockets inside for her to store things.

All in all, a very nice pouch. It's my favourite one so far.

I hope Jo likes it too :)

Want to make a pleated pouch of your own?

The pattern and instructions can be found in my shop http://bluepandemonium.etsy.com

You can also purchase the PDF sewing pattern through this secure link to Paypal

Once you're finished making a pleated pouch, don't forget to post your photos to the Flickr group here!

New Pleated Pouch Design

Now that school's out, I have time to try out some new sewing tutorials! Today's experiment was a pleated pouch.

I used the tutorial from Skip To My Lou as a guideline, but I changed it. I didn't like how flimsy the finished pouch looked in the tutorial, and I didn't want such a tall band on the top. Also, I wanted the pleats to fan out from the center.

So I cut my own templates out of cardboard (from cereal boxes, no less!) and just guessed on the correct dimensions and shapes. I made the top band thinner, the bottom section wider to allow for more pleats, and I used heavy interfacing to make the exterior more sturdy. There is also micro fleece sewn to the backside of the inner lining to give it softness and some support.

I think the hardest part was figuring out the correct places to make the pleats, and how to make them even.
I also added a little wristlet strap to the pouch, and I changed the shape of the inner lining from a U-shape to a shape that more closely matches the outside look of the pleated pouch.
The end result is very pleasing! I think it looks really pretty, and especially in this fabric combination (which is part of a new fabric stash from Fabric Bee).
If I was to change something, it would be to use medium interfacing or the microfleece for the outer fabric. I feel that the heavy interfacing is too "crunchy" for the pleats. I want a bit of a softer look and feel for future pleated pouches. Nevertheless, this pleated pouch is a winner in my books.

What do you think of it?

Have a happy day!

UPDATE 04/30/2011

If you would like to make this pleated pouch, the pattern and instructions can be found in my shop http://bluepandemonium.etsy.com

You can also purchase the PDF sewing pattern through this secure link to Paypal

End of Semester One, Time for Pouches!

Today is officially the last day of my first semester of nursing school! I wrote my last exam today and now it's done, done, done! I can't believe it!

It's flown by so fast!

This morning, two lovely packages of fabric arrived on the doorstep. I think that was a sign that today would be a good day :) I'll show you the other two packages shortly, but first up is my prize from Fabric Flair.
Fabric Flair had a deal on where one or two lucky customers could snag a fabric bundle for half price. I waited every day at 9pm, but I missed it every day until I finally clued in that I was watching the wrong time zone! Eureka!
I checked the correct time zone, waited 3 hours earlier than before, and BINGO! I snagged the best half price bundle of all! Riley Blake's Wheels is soooooo adorable. The colours are bright, the patterns are fun, and I love it!
With exams finally over, I settled down for some sewing with my new fabric treasures. Check out the cute pouches I whipped up!
These are part of my new pouches that have heavy interfacing for the outer fabric and some very light padding under the lining. The end result is a much sturdier zipper pouch. The zippers from K and C Supplies are perfect for this set too. She picked the colours out for me and she did a great job :)
Sigh, I'm so delighted to be done exams. It has been a very, very rough semester, NO JOKE! Now that sewing time and rest time have started, I am feeling so gooooood!

I'm looking forward to some happy times with friends, family, and FABRIC (hehehe!)

What happy times are you looking forward to?

Have a happy day!