What, you don't have a shelf full of droids?
Mad Cat Capsule: Comparing Spring
Spring marks one year that I have done a capsule wardrobe. Now I'm able to compare my first spring capsule with this year's. There are a few of the same items from that capsule that made it into the latest one! Both have my signature colors of denim, grey, black, and some white. Both are colorful, far more than my Winter Capsule.
My previous Spring Capsule had mostly cool colors, but the new capsule has more warm jewel tones but with teals, and browns.
My first capsule was far more casual, in the newest one, I consciously tried to be more dressy and formal. I feel more more in tune with a personal style since I have been using the CW method! That was one of my goals, and I'm glad it's working!
With this spring, I also have been a little looser with the "rules" of this capsule. I have never followed the stricter rules that some people use, but this time around I feel like I haven't even completed this capsule and we are already one month in.
My first Spring, I was very rigid on purpose. I wanted to make sure I was trying this process whole heartedly. Now I feel so much more comfortable with capsules, I feel ok to play around with this one more.
Since my first attempt, I've been introducing more and more slow fashion into my capsules. This latest one has the most ever, and I've almost completely stopped buying fast fashion! Even if I tempted, I try and seek out a sustainable alternative. I also care much more about what my clothes are made of. Sure, I always knew cotton felt great, but now I look for wool, cashmere, silk, and linen, too!
How long have you been keeping a capsule wardrobe? Does yours change much season to season? What have you learned?
May OMG
Yep, you guessed it. This month I'll still be trying to finish this scrappy little quilt.
So far, in 2018, I still haven't completed any OMG Goals:
Jan - Finish one small quilt - Not Finished
Feb - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Mar - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Apr - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
May - Finish scrappy quilt -
Linking up with Elm Street Quilts and around the web.
April in Review
April was all about flowering trees, the weather getting warmer, the anticipation of Spring and Summer. But let's face it, April was all about cats.
I got to meet a magical space lady, 'Lil Bub!
We saw so many #watchercats!
We hung out at home with all our cats, which is always a priority for us.
Work out of the house was busy this month and not too much sewing got done. I'm far behind in many projects, but it felt like a very productive month.
So many plans were completed in April! May is shaping up to be a whirl wind, so let's get going!
Youtube | What I Ate | No. 2 (Video!!)
Please subscribe if you like my videos! Give them a thumbs up or leave a comment!
Post a link to your youtube below!
MCQBOM² / 12
While making the last Mad Cat Quilts Block Of the Month, I had scraps and extra time, and threw this block together right after.
I can't wait to do a group photo of this bom! I've been super happy with the way these blocks have come together.
Linking up around the web today.
April Plant Update
Finally!! Flowers in my plant update!! This update is all about flowers, in fact. From the beginning of the month, with snow covered buds, to the end of the month when many trees and flowers are in full bloom, here are some pretty plant observations.
Can anyone tell me what these flowers are?
This crocus was hanging on for dear life.
Finally the magnolias are blooming.
Same tree...
...different day.
This apartment/tree set up always reminds me of Nola.
Yessssss.
What's blooming in your neck of the woods?
The Thrifting Bug
When I was younger thrifting was one of my favorite activities. I never stopped thrifting but I did slow down quite a bit. But recently, I've caught the bug again.
Now that I only buy second hand clothes, I find myself stopping by the local thrift shops quite often. I also keep an eye out for rummage sales, yard sales, etc... I still try not to buy too much, but sometimes I find treasures I can't resist.
I try to have a mental list of what items I'm looking for; I love to get shoes, clothing with great fabrics, lovely homewares, vintage toys, and more. But I try to only buy what I need and will use. What do you look for when thrifting?
Bullet Journal Check In: A new BUJO
It's that wonderful time that comes around every so often! I have filled my bullet journal and its time to set up a new one!!
My favorite notebook to use is Fabriano notebook with grid paper. I've used a few of these, my last BuJo was a purple one and for my new journal I got one in blue. Bc I buy a new (bio friendly) notebook, I make sure to only use pens I already have. We have a seemingly endless supply of pens and markers. So the pen I'm using right now is just some sort of black in pen that has rattled around the house and the name brand has worn off.
I am on the hunt for a more zero waste/low impact solution to just buying a new notebook Perhaps I should start seeking them out at thrift shops or yard sales? Does anyone have any low impact solutions to notebook needs?
My last journal lasted from November until April. I'm excited to see how many months I get out of my new bullet journal!
On My Mind On Friday Morning
A home improvement I'd love to do before next Winter is to install a wood stove for added heat and comfort. Some are very fancy, but I'm looking for something simple (1,2).
Did you know that Catitecture (architecture and interior design for cats) was a thing!?! The video at the end is a must watch.
Even huge corporations see that there are alternatives to plastic straws, and more people are asking for them. (this link contains a disturbing video link, please be aware).
Speaking of fires.
Here's a sneak peak of the furniture we picked up from my grandma's house this week. It was my dad's bedroom set growing up in the 50s and 60s, then my grandma use it in her bedroom for many years. Now it's ours.
You can see it got made our own, with toys and plants quickly taking up residency. Don't mind the roll of paper towels, they are still one bad anti-zero waste habit we have.
MCQBOM² / 11
You would think it would be easy to find the time to make two blocks a month. But somehow I always feel like I'm behind with the Mad Cat Quilts BOM. This block was again inspired by Pat Sloan and her amazing free patterns.
This week some friends and I had an art salon of sorts. We gathered at a friend's house and all made art together! Interestingly enough, I wasn't the only one hand sewing! We plan to make our salon a regular thing! Everyone who came got work done and it was nice to chat, explore idea, and discuss our work!
Do you prefer to work alone, or make art around friends and family?
Linking up around the web!
Hand Sewing (Video!!)
I am slowing but surely making youtube videos! I don't plan to always share them here, but for now, I'm pretty proud of each one! Subscribe to my channel if you like these videos and use the notification bell to know when they post!
Here is me working on my visible mending. Original music by audionightlight.
What are you favorite style of videos to watch?
Zero Waste - Foraging for Firewood
In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste and Low Impact would be a more accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.
You may remember that when we moved to NJ we got a fire pit. It's one of the first household things we really wanted! I can't say it's our most used house hold item but when we do use it, we love it!
One reason that we werren't using it too often was bc I hated buying firewood at the store. We mostly found it at big box stores, wrapped in plastic (!!) and who knows where it came from! We had seen many places where wood was for sale on the side of the road, but the idea of having to walk up and knock on a stranger's door always stopped us from getting it that way. Buying it locally online would mean buying a cord, which is way too much for our little fire pit.
Right now we just have piles of firewood in various places in the yard, as it gets to be fire season, we will chop and organize our stash.
Then one day we started picking up sticks, and logs and fallen branches. And as our stick pile grew and grew and as we started oooohing and ahhing when we saw a pile of discarded tree limbs on the side of the road, we realized that this was a viable way to gather wood for our fire. Now where ever we go we usually come home with a large stick or two. That person walking around the neighborhood dragging a large dead tree branch? That's me. We stick wood in our car, in our bags, carry it on our shoulders. Now that we have a large stick collection, we are just waiting for the weather to be nice enough to have a fire!
We realized that we like the mindful act of seeking out something useful when we are out, without buying anything. There have been some big wind storms lately, many trees lost limbs. It was a field day for us, and we liked the idea that instead of going to the local dump (and then who knows where? We don't have a compost or mulch pick program in our town), this debris would be used for something. We are happy to put to use something that most consider solely waste.
Right now, we are only collecting fire wood casually but it got us thinking that this might be an affordable, zero waste, way to cut down on the none renewable resources we consume. If we were to install a wood stove to offset gas-heat usage, could we gather enough sticks to help heat our house?
We're still in the research phase of this possible new plan but we are kind of excited to see where it might lead. Does anyone out there have any advice on wood stoves, firewood or foraging? Do you forage for anything in your neighborhood?
The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters
One of my goals in 2018 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters by Chip Kidd was a book I picked up somewhere (a book sale, a stoop sale, a stoop?) bc it had an interesting cover and an interesting sub title.
This book sat in my to-be-read pile for a long time, years and years. Who knows why it was the one I chose one day?
Navigating love, lust, art, and inspiration during his first year away at college is hard until our narrator meets surgary sweet Maybelle Lee, and kitchy bitchy Himilllsy and enigmatic, design obsessed Winter Sorbeck. Then it get far harder!
Set in the 1950s, a young man struggles with becoming an adult, what that means and how it revolves around art. An interesting take on a coming of age story, a look at the art school life in all it's quirky glory, I really enjoyed this book. Written in a non traditional manner, by a graphic designer, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in design, art school, or coming of age stories, or books set in the mid century.
This book is hard to describe but that might be what makes it worth reading. What's your favorite book that you can't explain?
FAL2018 Q1 Recap and Q2 List
Here was my list for Q1, nothing got finished from this list sadly:
1) Baste, quilt, bind, label and gift Baby Quilt One.
2) Baste, quilt, bind, label and gift Baby Quilt Two
3) Finish quilting, bind, label, Maybe Quilt.
Bonus: Add borders, baste, quilt, and label Maybe Isaac Quilt.
On to Q2!
I'm just rolling over all the goals I had for Q1 into Q2. Not very exciting I know but I really hope to finish these projects.
1) Baste, quilt, bind, label and gift Baby Quilt One.
This is my April goal. I have about 1/2 of the quilting done, just have to get motivated to work on it.
2) Baste, quilt, bind, label and gift Baby Quilt Two
This goal is approaching the point of lateness where you wonder if you should even bother.
3) Finish quilting, bind, label, Maybe Quilt.
This is another where I wonder if I should even keep it on the list, or chuck it in the Wrinkly Old WIP pile. This quarter will be my last attempt before abandoning it to wallow.
Bonus: I'm changing up the bonus bc I really should work on this other WIP that could be better done earlier in the year.
We'll see if I make thru the goals and onto the bonus.
I'm hoping I have better purserverance in the second quarter! Linking up with our global hosts for the 2018 Finish ALong!
What I Ate in a Day (Video!!)
Oh boy, ya'll. I may not be getting the hang of this youtube stuff, I may have posted this video a week later than I intended, but I think I have the BUG. And now I have a partner in crime, audionightlight!! Check out this sweet song he made me:
Subscribe to my channel if you like these videos so far and let's see where this crazy train takes us.
If your new to youtube, or been doing it for a while, please post your channel in the comments!
Mad Cat Capsule: Spring 2018 (April - June)
Here we are, come full circle back to Spring. I started my Capsule Wardrobe in Spring 2017 and I have greatly enjoyed the last year. I feel like I've learned a lot and yet, I feel like I'm still learning and growing into capsule wardrobes. I'm still learning the best way to create each capsule, I'm still learning what my personal style is, and I'm still learning to part with so many of the clothes I've kept over the years. I feel like I'm moving towards owning less, buying less, but enjoying my clothes more.
For Spring, my method was very different than the last few. seasons. I had a good idea of many things that I wanted to include and did not go thru all my stored clothes, only those I knew I wanted. I also bought quite a bit more this quarter (all used, except a few pairs of sneakers). I also didn't choose one color to be my theme as I mostly have done for the other capsules. I know I wanted more color this season, so I added whatever I wanted. My color scheme has my usuals, grey, black and denim, but also some maroon, brown, teal, orange, white, and mustard.
7 Pants - New to me red cords (used), Everlane jeans (sustainably made), red pants (new to me but used), brown pants (used), grey jeans (used), gap jeans (new to me but used and mended), banana republic jeans (new to me but used).
4 Pullover Sweaters - cream (used), teal, grey (a favorite thrifted piece), black.
4 Over Shirts/Cardigans - Mustard cardi (hand me down), maroon cardi, red/blue button down (10+ years), vermillion cardi.
8 Tops - Maroon cowl neck (10+ years), black short sleeve sweater/top (10+), grey satin neck (used), B&W diamond top (new to me but used), moon shift (clothing swap), white short sleeved top (newly thrifted), lace sweat shirt (newly thrifted), Everlane top (sustainably made).
4 Tank Tops - White, grey, black, brown with flowers (all over 10 years old).
7 T Shirts - Maroon V, teal V, grey V, maroon crew (all made in usa and 10+), cat/whale (10+), grey Talula's, black Witch band T.
4 Shirts/shorts - New to me bermuda (thrifted), t shift, denim (used), long black.
9 Shoes - grey cons (10+), tall boot (new to me but used), suede booties (used), white hightops, velcro vans, cat sneakers, grey moccasins (10+), maroon boots (10+), emily booties.
My Spring capsule is a little all over the map, but I like it!! I think it'll work for me and I'm excited to try it. It's a bit larger than some of my previous capsules, falling at 50 items. 35 of those are slow fashion, a higher percentage than previous capsules. Many of the remaining 15 pieces are close to the 10 year mark. Having an entirely slow wardrobe is a goal I'm happy to work towards.
I cannot wait to get into the meat of this capsule. And into real spring. Warm weather cannot come soon enough. Is everyone as excited for the coming season, and coming capsule, as I am??
Something New: Visible Mending
One thing I know I should do more of, as a sewist and as a someone on a sustainable lifestyle path, is mend my clothes and make repairs to my wardrobe.
Since I get almost all my clothes second hand, or use what I already have, repairing my clothes will help them last longer. Since I don't use the sewing machine, sometimes my repairs can't help but be visible. But I am also trying to embrace purposely visible mending.
I decided to try it out on pair of jeans I thrifted but that had a hole near the knee that was too big for my taste. For the patch I used a bit of old jean. I stitched one way with a blue cotton thread and in the other direction with cream colored purl cotton thread.
I like how these came out, but 'll be interested to see how these wear and how I feel about them after getting used to it.
Does anyone else use visible mending to repair clothes?
April OMG
You know that feeling when you are soooo motivated, and yet utterly incapable of getting stuff done? I feel like that has been me with OMG this year. And kinda with quilting in general.
What do you do when you feel that way??
Do you keep plugging along, working on the same projects, but not getting anything done? Or do you switch it up?
I guess I'm gonna keep it up for another month. I'm gonna keep the same goal I've had all year so far. Let's see if April is my month.
So far, in 2018, I still haven't completed any OMG Goals:
Jan - Finish one small quilt - Not Finished
Feb - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Mar - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Apr - Finish scrappy quilt -
Linking up around the web today!
March in Review
Last month, I asked what direction March would take and it's been topsy turvy! With wild weather, interesting events, spring break, hard work, cat drama, and more, this month went by in a flash.
1) Big Boy's Spring return! 2) finally some blossoms! 3) Jersey Shore land speeders. 4) An aloof porch cat.
We hid out most of march in doors, and kept to our selves. It wasn't all relaxing as we have been struggling with Irving Barry. He's been with us since December, but he is (and we are) still adjusting to life together.
1) Looking upward, 2) looking in ward, 3) looking for self love, 4) loving the past.
When we did go out we tried to make the most of it, visiting the beach, wishing congratulations to friends, exploring new places with old relics, and balancing health and indulgence.
1) Spooky streets. 2) Rock candy. 3) Celebrating Spring Break. 4) Illuminated walks home.
We got a lot of "real" work done, on the house and at jobs, but March was good for creative work as well. Inspiration seemed to lurk in every corner and under every snow fall.
March was good, if mentally exhausting, but I'm feeling April for implementation. March's plans were laid, April might see them hatch.