slow, but green.

well, it's official.  i am the slowest member of my family.  and yes, in this context, slow refers to speed.  last may, my sister cathy ran her first marathon in 3 hours and some odd minutes (she qualified for the boston marathon) and last night my other sister won the 200 meter dash at her track meet.  oh, and just rub some more salt in this wound.... my youngest brother clayton runs track, too, and just shaved 5 seconds off his time, meaning he now runs a half mile in a whopping 2 minutes, 17 seconds.  don't forget about brother chris, who also ran track... and marty, the last sibling, who plays junior hockey and routinely jogs more miles than dollars in my purse.  the point is... how is it that i happened to be the leader of this family of super athletes?  now, i'm trying to think about what i can accomplish quickly.  i can demolish a whole bag of chips with a side of salsa, but even that might take me 10-15 minutes.  i can be quick (sometimes too quick) with my sewing machine, but even then, we're usually talking at least an hour from project start to finish.  i'm pretty decent at turning a meal meant for two into a feast for five when my hungry sibs unexpectedly show up for dinner.  i guess we all can't be sprinters.  i'm happy to take a jog around the block or a refreshing jaunt on the treadmill at the gym.  but only because that means more chips and salsa later.  i am an avid fan at all the siblings' athletic events, and i am very complementary about their achievements.  anyway, the kids might be fast, but i've always held and will continue to hold onto my title of loudest family member, thank you very much.

and now... without further ado, i present: jessica's st. patty's day surprise!

sidenote: i don't believe in embellishing or workshopping clothing or accessories without a point.  meaning, if i can buy the same thing for the same price it's going to cost me to make it, i'll just avoid the whole process.  however, my itty bitty sister jessica wears size xs (of course!) and i stumbled upon a whole bunch of $0.97 plain shirts at old navy.  i spent about $1 on fabric, which means i created this adorable little number for a little over $2.  my kind of project!

little sister as a leprechaun

i fell in love with this printed silky fabric (because i'm LOVING polka dots right now!) and decided to use it to make something st. patty's day themed.  when i happened upon the cheap-o shirts at ON, it was the perfect opportunity to use the new fabric.

i used the same method employed when i did my cardigan re-mix HERE.  create a circle pattern by tracing anything in the desired size.  (this time, i traced around the lid of a can of pine-sol.  while i'm not necessarily the world's greatest duster, the pine-sol bottle has found a better use in this project!)  i like to save the plain stiffer wrapping paper that they use to wrap delicate items at hobby lobby or joann's (you know the kind i'm talking about, right?  it's in between regular paper and tissue paper?)  i often use that paper to make my own patterns for things. 

anyway, layer your fabric (so you'll be able to cut more circles at a time), pin the pattern to the fabric, and cut out as many circles as you want.  take the circle and fold it in half once, then again.  you can sew a stitch or two at this point to keep the circle shape together, or you can use pins to affix the circles to the shirt and sew them right on.  i have found it's easier to sew a stitch first, then affix the silk to the shirt because it holds its shape better.  the silk will fray a bit around the edges, but i like that look, especially on a casual tee.

in keeping with the theme (being green) ...  and because i needed a little something special to wear down to st. louis this weekend, i decided to try out the tutorial i found here.  i started with this plain navy tank top i've had for seriously YEARS... it dates back to my pre-law school days, i do believe.

my goal (after i got my last credit card statement and noticed that all my purchases were made at joann fabrics, i decided i should work on this addiction) was to get through this whole week without one trip to joann fabrics, but plans went awry, as you can see.  however, i did recycle some cans (yay for iowa's 5 cent deposit return!) and got a whopping $5ish, which was less than i spent on the material for ruffles and lace, so i figured i could cheat a little bit.  so, anyway, a couple dollars and a few episodes of sex and the city later, and i had this little number:

so, an embellishment on something other than a cardigan... something fit for warmer weather... aren't you proud of me???  this tank should be a personal invitation from me to spring.  (welcome!)  nevermind that i heard we're supposed to get some snow flurries on saturday.  i'll wear my tank bravely.