Week 11: Lucia's NDAD Creation

After the past two days in NC, I've realized that my blood has totally thinned.  I've been SO cold, sleeping in the fetal position in a bed of blankets, and dealing with freezing hands (especially when I'm typing!) When I saw Lucia's project, I thought that it was just what I needed to keep me warm right about now.  Check it out...

"I had to send this to you because I had so much fun making it, and it turned out perfect.  I was recently shuffled to a new part of the building I work in and found out once I was settled that it has a reputation for being cold.  There is a breeze from a vent that blows across me and freezes my upper body.  There are days when my fingers are sooooo cold and stiff! 

Already, I know what she's feeling!!  This was her before:

I was thinking about fingerless gloves, but realized what I really needed was something that kept my shoulders, arms and hands warm.  The wheels started turning...

I hit the thrift store near where I work and happened to go in on a day when sweaters were half off.  LOVE IT!  (Me too!)  I found a sweater that had really long sleeves, was a good size and weight and at half off was only $3.  I chopped the sweater off under the arms, cut the front open and gave it a nice shape, then the grand finale I sewed the ends of the sleeves to form fingerless gloves.  

I kept it simple and ran a zig-zag stitch around the edges to make sure everything stayed in place.  I now have a nice shrug with built in gloves that is perfect to keep at my desk and pop on when it gets chilly.  This project just tickles the heck out of me."  

Tickles the heck out of me too Lucia!!  Loving it and would love to be wearing it right about now while I type in 19 degrees.

Week 12: More Wool

Third sweater from my bag o'Marisa donations!! This one was another pile sale fine - $1 (I spent more on laundering!), Irish, woolen, ivory, button down sweater.  I figured it would be cooler in these parts and this could work on my trip.

Unfortunately it hasn't been cold enough out yet until tonight when I wore it as a jacket.  The detail on this sweater is just amazing!

I wore the before version, pre-tweaked, this evening and will finish it up to wear on tomorrow's post.  Just a little embellishment to make this a bit more glam!

The road trip so far down South has been so wonderful.  I've been working most of the time, but left for a very fun, and down home dinner experience this evening.  It even said so on the chalkboard!

The family and I went to CRACKER BARREL!!!  I haven't been to one of these in years - I'm talking the last time I was here I still had -teen at the end of my age.

I made a new BFF, Sarah, who is going to have to come and visit me in LA for her first West Coast trip.

She hooked a sista up with endless glasses of sweet tea which I just found out is another key to my heart.  Oh sweet tea, I would use my one free piece of luggage on my flight home to take a vat of you back with me.  I'm actually very serious.  Cracker Barrel, any chance we can make this happen?

There's nothing like seeing lots and lots of rocking chairs on the porch.

Mmm, humid summers on the porch sipping sweet tea (I almost wrote sweat.  Sweat tea, gross, not so much) I can't wait to return this summer when the family is all settled in.

Finished sweater comes tomorrow...

Week 12: Old Bebe Sweater

More sweaters from the bag o'Marisa's warm weather clothing donations. This one was something I got towards the end of college.  It was during a trip to the Bev Center - (for those who are non LA-familiar, it's the big mall smack dab in the middle of the city that was being threatened by an oozy lava flow - pre-CGI - in Volcano...

- where I was newly exposed to bebe and found it on super clearance.  One of those 60% off on top of the clearance price deals, so I caved.  NOTE TO SELF: Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it has to be purchased.

I put it in my giveaway sweater bag because I wasn't a fan of the construction after holding onto it for way too long.

Here's a closer shot.

I hate when things are stitched like this - I need some movement!!  And also, there wasn't elastic here either!

There was too much openness and bagginess down to where the piece was stitched and I was over it.  Two snaps a twist, over it, so I figured I'd pass it along, that is until this little road trip came about and I went digging in my sweater bag to pull out some options.  Had a little aha moment.

Only tool I needed for this one was a seam ripper and it was super easy to work on in the car too!

The final leg of the trip included some Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina love...

...before we arrived at our Final Destination, kinda like the movie, but not at all like the movie :)

My brand new piece was ready to leave the car!

We had the best welcome committee too, headed by the Captain.

By taking the seams out, the sweater completely opened up and turned into a little wrap number.  The sash was stitched on separately too, so all I did was wrap it around the waist.

From the back...

It's such an easy piece to toss on top of things and I will be getting lots of use out of it.  Thrilled to have rescued this one!!