A Little Obsessed.

This sewing hobby of mine is getting out of control. Not that I'm going to do anything to cut back, but I have just been in the zone so much that other things are falling down on the priority list. Things like "paying attention to my children" and "home cleanliness"... those aren't THAT important, right?

I love browsing blog tutorials, and I just keep adding to my list of sewing projects. Here's what I have so far. And hopefully when I type it out it will make me STOP LOOKING AT MORE TUTORIALS OF SUPER CUTE THINGS TO MAKE.

1. Finish my 2nd shift dress, which I'm making out of a super-themey harvest-colored flower print. I'm making it out of a thicker stretch knit and added longer sleeves so I can wear it for Thanksgiving. I need to move the pockets (I measured where to place them but somehow they ended up weirdly low so I need to move them up, grr), finish the neckline and hem it. It's so interesting working with the same pattern/tutorial but with different fabrics. It feels so different than the same dress I made with the batik woven. Bonus: The knit version is stretchy enough not to need a zipper! Have I mentioned that I love learning a new skill??

 

2. Matching PJ pants for the boys. Daddy was so jealous of Max's that he wants a pair. He picked some gray flannel with a fishing design.

Check out the tight spiral on my imaginary football, yo

 








3. A slouchy bag for my aunt - I'm going to use this tutorial. I haven't picked out all the fabrics yet but I DID pick out this super awesome button with a coffee mug on it (shh, don't tell!)
4. Infinity scarves for Christmas gifts following this tutorial from my current blog crush Merrick. She is tots amazing. And so is her and Leanne's online sewing course that everyone should do. I made a scarf already with some knit and it was very easy:

Plus its easy to add my "xoxo Phae" tags to them which are so awesome

5. A baby dress for a close friend - I've already bought the most adorable corduroy!
6. A baby blanket for another close friend - haven't chosen the fabric here. They are a unique couple and so I want to find some unique fabric to match their personality!
7. I would love to make a copycat of my Pascha dress, but in a thicker black fabric with some texture. Ideally I want to wear it for Christmas Liturgy but if I'm being realistic, that is not going to happen with the aformentioned other projects!!!!

Christ is Risen!

SELF: stop looking at tutorials. Just stop.

(But you know you're not going to.)

xoxo Phae

Creating

You know how when you're pregnant, there's suddenly a whole lot more pregnant ladies out there?  Of course, you're just suddenly more aware because it's suddenly on the forefront of your mind. So, lately I've been doing some introspection. Maybe because of the new year... I don't like to admit that I conform to secular traditions like resolutions, but there is something wonderful about new beginnings.  Fresh page, clean slate, blank space...and I'll write your name (ok ok, I digress.)

Anyway, so my introspection showed me that I was kind of jealous of Husband because he is currently working on a project to build us a storage shed in the backyard.  And he is often spending his time on house projects that you can SEE and TOUCH when they're finished, and they last...  I realized I spend my time on things that are near-instantly destroyed or consumed: a tidy living room; clean, folded clothing; nutritious, 5-star-restaurant quality meals...

And then this happened. My clever, creative aunt posted this gem on FB, and my wise father (a professional artist) posted this response:

And then this happened. I was randomly looking at my Google calendar (that I never look at) and saw these tasks that I made for myself a long time ago (2012???):

At least we've gone to the museum & zoo.

Growing up with an artist father meant that my childhood and teenage years were filled with the availability of all kind of art supplies, and the encouragement to use them. We used to work on so many projects that are some of my favorite memories: making beads and miniature scenes out of Sculpey clay. Weaving scarves on a child-sized loom. Making super intricate magazine-cut-out collages to hang in my room. Decorating Pysanky eggs at Pascha.  And for some reason (oh, I don't know, working on a Chemical Engineering degree, caring for 2 small children round the clock, just some guesses) in my adulthood I've gotten out of the habit of creating things. And it felt like I was missing something. 

So I've made a few things lately.  They didn't get eaten, and they didn't get muddy tracks all over them. It feels wonderful! It feels right. There's a sense of accomplishment and pride and happiness and joy. The process is soothing and joyful and exciting, and the end product is (hopefully) useful. I even got to use math and optimization on one of the sewing projects. YES! Win, win, everywhere.

can I fit more pieces with the long side on the x or y axis?

God willing I'll continue this streak of creating, and I will actually have a hobby!

P.S. If we are FB friends, sorry/not sorry about posting pictures of all these new creations of mine.

What have YOU created lately?

Post 1: My day is swell, thank you.

Phae Feaga - an Introduction

I have a lot of interests.  I've wanted to start a blog for a long time but could not choose which topic of interest to write about.  So, instead of stalling any more trying to decide, I'm just going to write about it all.

Some of those interests include:

1. Mike Feaga: my super-awesome, super-hot, red-head, interesting, smart, hilarious, sassy (yes, I know that's a word typically reserved for females), frugal, non-mainstream, loving, thoughtful husband.
2. Zoe Feaga: our adorable, hilarious, smart, blue-eyed "crazy woman" (Mike's words, repeated by Z.)
3. Health and Wellness: a HUGE category which includes but is not limited to:
   • preparing and eating delicious, quick, nutritious meals
   • reading blogs about preparing and eating delicious, quick, nutritious meals
   • running (not so much right now, you try running with a watermelon on your bladder)
   • yoga (the physical as well as mental/spiritual aspects)
   • any free forms of exercise - having a 2-yr-old gives you new ideas about exercise
   • reading books, blogs, the dictionary... "I like to break a mental sweat, too"
   • spending quality time with family - near and far (thanks, FaceTime!)
4. Spirituality: this is an aspect of wellness, of course, but it deserves its own number.  I was baptized as an infant into the Orthodox Christian church and grew up with an almost-inherent understanding of my faith.  Now, I love to explore/re-learn/practice the traditions and theology of the ancient faith in a new light as an adult.
5. Living frugally: Mike and I love to challenge "the norm" when it comes to The American Dream (used very loosely, as I'm aware there really isn't such a thing as one standard American Dream) of obtaining stuff (nice cars, nice clothes, nice house) in order to obtain happiness in life.  In fact, we believe the opposite - by focusing on the non-stuff... stuff, you are focusing on what truly brings happiness and fulfillment.

One of the main goals I have for this blog is to hold myself accountable to the above interests.  Because if I'm honest, they aren't really "interests" so much as "my whole life" - and I want to be the kind of person who practices what they preach - every day (hence the name of the blog) - which then translates into a month, a year, and a lifetime.  By sharing things with an audience (even if it's only my Facebook-savvy dad...Hi Dad!) on a regular basis, I will hopefully be able to reinforce these principles within myself. 

Thank you for helping me, and hopefully I can help you, too!

xoxo Phae