this-is-katrin

[this-is-katrin]

Random thought of the day:

What if wearing underwear on the outside of our pants actually made us superheroes, but no one knows because we're trained from a young age not to. Some kids have it happen but the behavior is "corrected" and years later they think they just imagined the superpowers.

#what if #writing prompt #super powers #random thoughts

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Story idea: Harry Potter actually takes place in an eldritch universe.

Wizards and witches use wands fashioned from special magical trees and creatures. These wands cause fantastical things to happen when combined with the correct words. What if the trees and creatures were actually eldritch entities and by using the wands they enter into a contract with them. Over time wizards and witches forgot where their magic came from and new generations are born with some magical ability to promote another contract with the eldritch entities. In return for use of the magic, the eldritch entities get a part of the witch or wizard's soul and a sort of chaos is created in the world (which of course the eldritch love). But how does the wand choose the wizard? Perhaps it reads their souls and bonds with the witch or wizard who most closely resonates with the eldritch being associated with the wand. Harry happened to have a piece of Voldemort's soul in him which would have played a part in that as well.

Anyway, just an idea that I've been playing around with.

#harry potter #writing prompt #eldritch #fanfic #food for thought #wizarding world

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[this-is-katrin]

Mantra of the day: I love my job, jail is bad.

I really do love my job, but some days someone just irks you the wrong way and you're ready to walk out the door and never look back. But then I remember all the sweet and wonderful people I work with and suck it up for their sake.

#work sucks #mantra #i love my coworkers

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I love and hate making things like this. They're a pain with several nit-picky steps. However, how CUTE are they?! These I made for my sister's birthday (probably will get stolen by her husband too) but I already have another 2 started for my bestie. Let's see how many I can get done before I lose my sewing mojo again.

All fabric and materials from Joann because 30% employee discount. Also, pardon the mess in the back. I am a messy sewist.

#sewing #diy #sewing projects #handmade #joannfabrics

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Is this not the cutest thing EVER?!

I have been sitting on the project for literally months because I got busy with Christmas. It has taken me a day (mostly because it's a new project and I had to seam rip the neck) but I already want to make 50 of them. A towel, fabric quarter, interfacing, and ribbon. That's it! This one is meant for my MIL, but I think I'm gonna have to make myself one for each holiday too!

#sewing #diy #sewing projects #handmade #cute #st. patrick's day

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Looking for a simple and cheap way to store fabric? I have an idea for you! I hear a lot of people talking about using comic book boards, but I just don't have money for that. I also don't have huge shelves or a dedicated sewing room to use for organization. So I've had to come up with my own method.

Pardon it not being instagram worthy, but here is my personal solution. I bought a sterilite 3 drawer container. I think it cost me less than $10. It rolls, so I can move it wherever I happen to be working. Also, the drawers help to organize types, colors, sizes, or whatever your system may be. I only have 1 cart at the moment, but I will have to get a second for my stash in the basement.

I labeled the front with stickers from Dollar Tree. 1 set was enough for this particular project. You could use vinyl, paint, or even sharpie if you so choose.

Then comes the hard part. I purchased 3 24x20 inch foam boards from Dollar Tree to use for fabric boards. Based on my personal stash and fabric sizes, I chose to cut them into 4x6in pieces with an exacto knife (also from Dollar Tree). This gave me exactly 25 pieces from each board. I like this size because it leaves plenty of room to roll the fabric on and is small enough to fit 3 rows of fabric in each drawer. I folded the fabric into a long strip to roll on the board and placed them as seen below.

My cotton drawer is the nicest as most of them are between a half and whole yard. The knits were harder as I use them for clothes which usually means 2+ yards of fabric. I left the larger pieces folded and wrapped the smaller ones (1.5y or less) on my boards. The top drawer is miscellaneous things. Most are silky/satins, but there is also fur, lacey material, and some pieces too small for boards but too big for scrap pile that I'll likely use for doll clothes. (Also some cotton quarters that I haven't rolled yet.)

Overall, the whole project cost me about $15 and I can store a fair amount of my fabric stash. It's turned a messy pile that I had to dig through into a neat and organized drawer where I can find things with a quick glance. I absolutely love it and am extremely glad I did this!

#sewing #diy #organization #sewing room #dollar tree

[this-is-katrin]

I had a dream that the king and the queen of a small country had a daughter. They needed a son, a first-born son, so in secret, without telling anyone of their child’s gender, they travelled to the nearby woods that were rumoured to house a witch.

They made a deal with that witch. They wanted a son, and they got one. A son, one made out of clay and wood, flexible enough to grow but sturdy enough to withstand its destined path, enchanted to look like a human child. The witch asked for only one thing, and that was for their daughter.

They left the girl readily.

The witch raised her as her own, and called her Thyme. The princess grew up unknowing of her heritage, grew up calling the witch Mama, and the witch did her very best to earn that title.

She was taught magic, and how to forage in the woods, how to build sturdy wooden structures and how to make the most delicious stews. The girl had a good life, and the witch was pleased.

The girl grew into a woman, and learned more and more powerful magics, grew stronger from hauling wood and stones and animals to cook, grew smarter as the witch taught her more.

She learned to deal with the people in the villages nearby, learned how to brew remedies and medicines and how to treat illness and injury, and learned how to tell when someone was lying. 

Every time the pair went into town, the people would remark at just how similar Thyme was to her mother. 

(Thyme does not know who and what she is. She does not know that she was born a princess, that she was sold. She only knows that one night after her mother read her a story about princesses and dragons, her mother had asked her if she ever wanted to be a princess.)

((Thyme only knows that she very quickly answered no. She likes being a witch, thank you very much, she likes the power that comes with it and the way that she can look at things and know their true nature.))

The witch starts preparing the ritual early, starts collecting the necessities in the winter so they can be ready by the fall equinox. Her daughter helps, and does not ask what this is for, just knows that it is important.

The witch looks at Thyme, both their hands raised into the air over a complicated array of plants, tended carefully to grow into a circle, and says, sorry.

Keep reading

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I bought this beautiful machine a few days ago. It arrived yesterday while I was at work and, of course, I opened it immediately after getting home. It smelled of plastic and machine oil, but is so pretty that you don't even care. I just unboxed it last night to look and admire its presence.

Today, after my husband dragged me out of the house for 4 hours (he bought me lunch and fabric so I'll forgive him), I decided it was time to take it for a spin. I read the manual cover to cover.

A word to the wise, always read the manual before working with a new machine like this. It had a ton of useful information about threading, types of needles to use, how often to clean and oil, and even tension troubleshooting! I hear so many people asking about tension settings, but a few inches of fabric and 5 minutes with the manual can set you straight.

Anyway, after a few minutes trying to figure out tension on scrap fabric, I managed a beautiful serged seam.

Black is top and white is bottom. I did tighten the lower looper (blue) a tiny bit more after this, but it was seriously not that hard. My actual project ended up with this beautiful serged edge

Isn't that pretty?! I left the colored threads in as this is a brand new type of sewing for me. But guys? I'm in love! The edges are absolutely gorgeous! I'll never go back to zig-zaged edges! I know sergers come with their own headaches, but I don't even care at this point! I could not be happier with this machine.

#sewing #serger #sewing machine #i love it

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3 days ago I started seeing feathers. I work at a craft store so it's not really that surprising at work. However, it was striking to me as normally they're in packaging or near the feather boas. I found behind my counter. Then 2 days ago my daughter found a big turkey feather in her backpack. I figured it was one she forgot about from a visit with family. Shexs been doing virtual schooling until recently, so it makes sense that she didn't notice it. I noted the presence and contemplated a possible meaning, but otherwise I let it be.

Yesterday... my boss asked me to apply for a management position! I have only worked for this business for 8 months and was completely stunned! I had contemplated applying for the management position but wasn't sure I had the qualifications. He urged me to discuss it with my family and apply if I wished.

I'm wondering if the feathers signified a coming positive interaction in my life, specifically my workplace since that's where I first started seeing them. Either way, I'm in a very good mood and put in the application this morning 😁

#witchcraft #witchblr #what does it mean #job promotion #feathers

[this-is-katrin]

This is the correct way to draft a pattern after a long day, right?

Where's the glass? The bottle is made of glass, so isn't it technically already in one?

#sewing #diy #sewing projects #sewing patterns #red wine #momlife #pattern drafting

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Just finished a batch of these babies! Paczki are a necessity on Fat Tuesday in my house since husband is half Polish. I used this recipe from Pinteret.

It seems difficult, but half the work is just waiting for the dough to rise! The other half is actually frying them.

More fun comes when filling them. I make lemon and Holland creme fillings because those are my husband's favorite. I found more recipes on Pinterest for those.

These are both fairly simple. The Holland creme recipe should be cut in half or even a quarter unless you're baking for a literal army. It's incredibly sweet so a little goes a long way.

I'll be talking over half of these to work with me tomorrow. I'm hoping for no leftovers!

#food #cooking #homecooking #paczki #fat tuesday #recipes #made from scratch

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When you make food that impresses even yourself for Valentine's dinner. This was my first time cooking steak and it came out FANTASTIC! I have some modifications to make, but even my picky husband ate every bite!

#food #home cooking #cooking #valentine's day

[this-is-katrin]

Pardon the messy hair. We've had this doll for quite a while and my daughter isn't exactly a girly girl. However, the dress is done minus the bottom hem. I even made a cute little veil to go with it! I need to get a barette to attach it to, but I already love the whole ensemble.

It's not perfect, but I'm very happy with the result. It's completely hand-stitched at this point which is a huge deal for me. Carpal tunnel sucks, right? It was cramping and numb as I was sewing on the lacey parts. However, I got it done!

I'll upload some better staged pics once I manage to make the boy's suit to accompany this dress. I'm still trying to decide if I want to make a suit jacket or just vest and tie. It's such a hard decision, amd how much work do I REALLY want to put in to this?

#sewing #diy #sewing projects #handmade #doll clothes

[this-is-katrin]

So I'm making a wedding dress for an 18" doll. But it's not really for the doll. It's for a sock monkey. Yes, a sock monkey. Why?Well, it's a bit of a story.

The story starts about 10 years ago when I was in college. I was working cleaning dorms over the summer when a coworker found a christmas sock monkey left in a room. She sat it on a chair outside the room I was working in, and it startled the crap out of me when I opened the door. Of course I kept it and named it "cleaning monkey".

I told my sister about this and she just about died laughing. Fast forward to christmas and she gives me a sock monkey dressed as a ninja. Oh, yes. It was on like Donkey Kong. I decided to stop in at Build-a-Bear a few months later and made a pirate monkey to send back to her. The next winter I received a giant box in the mail. It had some clothes for my daughter and an ENTIRE sock monkey family inside. What on earth was I to do?

For the last 3-4 years I found random monkey items to send my sister. A dream catcher, coloring pages, a toy for her small dog... it's been fun. However, I really wanted to do something with the sock monkey family. I decided this year that 2 of them are getting married. I'll be taking photos and sending my sister an album. After that, they will definitely have a baby sock monkey, anniversaries, holidays, etc. But it's all starting with a wedding dress. I will be making a suit, vest, and tie for another monkey with some black fabric I have.

Luckily the doll and monkey have very close measurements so I can give my daughter the completed garments once I'm finished with my shenanigans!

#sewing #diy #sewing projects #sock monkey #shenanigans #siblings #story time #doll clothes

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I finally finished my bag! I'll be going over the inner seams again when I get my heavy duty sewing machine back from the repair shop, but otherwise it's done!

This was more to test the pattern, but I really do love the final product. I will probably make another with different fabric in the future and tweak the pattern as I'm not very fond of large purses.

#sewing #sewing projects #handmade #handbags

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I've assembled most of my purse/bag at this point. I deviated from the instructions a bit in attaching the lining to the outer material, but it's for personal preference. All that's left is to put the remaining pieces together and edge stitch the top.

I also fif my first snaps on the side pueces. They're the plastic ones, but still really cool to find out how they work. I'll be using them again on future projects for sure. I used to be all about velcro, but this is so much simpler in my opinion.

#sewing #diy #sewing projects #tote bags #handmade