Effortless Imperfection

Recently, and out of nowhere, several strangers have complimented me on the depth of my hair color.* While I appreciate them, these accolades surprise and amuse me for a few reasons. The first is that I pretty much wing it when it comes to selecting where to place highlights, so for them to turn out looking normal is quite a feat. That their arrangement creates the illusion of depth in my thin, fine hair is borderline-miraculous.

The second reason is that my hair-coloring routine is worse than amateur. It takes a good 2.5-3 hours to do four foils and one all-over color. The foils are a complete joke: clumsily folded, bulky, and I’ll be honest, sometimes I actually use Reynolds instead of Spilo. It’s sturdier.

After the application and processing time, of course, comes rinsing, shampoo, conditioner, and ph-balancing lotion. Then I apply a demi-permanent color to the hair that was just highlighted, to even out the blond and soften the shade. That has to process for another 35 minutes, after which comes more rinsing, cleaning, conditioning, and balancing. At this point we’re going on about four hours of time spent on changing the color of my hair.

I justify the time and effort I devote to coloring my hair in terms of money. The supplies I buy online are staggeringly inexpensive compared to what’s available at drug stores and to what it costs for color at a salon. And the color and developer I buy are professional grade, unlike the boxed coloring systems at Walgreens.

I realize that salon prices factor in the speed with which the colorist works as well as her or his skill. The ambiance of the salon is also something to consider, as is the fact that someone else does all the work, and there is no clean-up afterward. Still, at this point in my life, the value of these features is significantly less than $120, which is about the going rate for a couple of highlights and one or two all-over colors. So, every once in awhile, I spend a Tuesday evening or Saturday afternoon in the bathroom, painting my head and hoping for the best.

*Depth not well-represented in photos. Sorry.

It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything, so I wanted to make this a good one. Lots of pictures from last weekend’s trip to Mendocino – It was a refreshing escape from the city, with the perfect balance of activity and relaxation. We didn’t want to leave!

Many thanks to Miss Oblivion for hosting, as well as for the pictures. Somehow, she’s the only one that remembered to bring a camera and was nice enough to share with the rest of us. I don’t know who actually took which pictures, so forgive me for not crediting each one individually.

As the pictures indicate, we hiked, biked, cooked, ate, drank, laid in the sun, hung out in the hot tub, and generally just enjoyed the relaxed pace of the Mendo lifestyle. Elliott and I did yoga on the roof deck, out in the sun. It was sublime: fresh air, gentle breeze, lots of sunlight…Amazing.

Other particularly memorable events include the bike races around the property (complete with jumps and obstacles), which resulted in several bleeding boys; the creation of a new religion, of which Fritz is the leader; and the discovery of a crazy hitchhiker on the road, who was picked up by a car and then kicked out a block later. Good times!

This is awful, but someone stole a kitten from the SF SPCA. If you have any information, please contact the SPCA and help reunite this little guy with his brother.

Here is the information from the SPCA web site:

Stolen Kitten: Please Help The SF/SPCA Find “Jack Daniels”

Partially-Blind 3 Month Old Kitten Stolen from Maddie’s Adoption Center

WHAT:

Today, July 8, 2009, between 2-3:45 pm PT, three month old kitten, “Jack Daniels,” was stolen from The SF/SPCA’s Maddie’s Adoption Center at 250 Florida St. San Francisco. A description of the perpetrator(s) is not available.

A description of the cat is as follows:

• Color: Black
• Sex: male
• Breed: Domestic Short Hair
• Age: 3 months
• Weight: approximately 3.0 pounds
• Distinguishing characteristics: cloudy eyes (partially blind)
• Neutered
• Microchipped (#982009105787461)

He is a partially-blind kitten, who depends on his brother for many of life’s necessities.

He is particularly vulnerable and we are gravely concerned for his safety and well-being.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

If you have any information, or if you see a kitten fitting this description please contact Kiska Icard, Communications Manager for The San Francisco SPCA, 415.760.4265. NO QUESTIONS ASKED!

WHERE:

The kitten can also be returned directly to The San Francisco SPCA’s Maddie’s Adoption Center, 250 Florida St. San Francisco, 415.522.3500, which is open daily 11 am-6 pm (Wednesdays 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.).

For my birthday, one of my friends gave me a men’s XL t-shirt. She said that she learned to sew by making alterations on garments like large men’s shirts, creating new pieces and experimenting with techniques and styles. So, because she’s very thoughtful, she gave me a shirt so that I could do the same. Personal, yet practical. Awesome.

The pictures above show what I created out of the t-shirt. It’s a boat neck tank top, and it fits really well. The arm holes fit much better than in the previous shirts I’ve made, and the length is perfect.

I may have cheated a little on the concept of altering a t-shirt to make something else, because I really just used the t-shirt as fabric. Regardless, I’m happy with the final product.

It’s taken me longer than I would expect from myself, considering the fact that I’m borderline-obsessed with her, but I’ve finally put together a little gallery of my cat, Ziggy (aka Panda).

Enjoy the cuteness! kthxbai.

Maker Faire was a couple of weeks ago, and this year it also featured a Swap-o-rama-rama – Meaning that the organizers provided sewing machines, thread, screen printing, and other materials/services, and participants brought old clothes to donate to the communal pile.

A free-for-all of grabbing, digging, pulling, and claiming various articles of donated clothing gives way to the hovering over of occupied sewing machines, waiting for one to become available. If that happens before the interested party gives up, the task of cutting, pinning, and re-purposing can begin.

I had fun at the event, regardless of the chaotic scene, but I didn’t create anything worth mentioning. I did take home a skirt, though, to use on a later project, because the paisley pattern caught my eye. I finally started working with the material the other day, and so far have one of two scarves completed.

Although it should be longer, and I had a bit of trouble coaxing the tips of the triangular ends out toward the right side of the garment, I think it’s totally wearable. Much more so than the table runner other scarf I made.

I set out to make a scarf as a birthday present for my friend. I didn’t think the construction through properly, though, and sewed the green fabric to the printed fabric before attaching the backing. Bad idea. I had to rip the seams apart and do it over, this time attaching the green and printed fabric to the black fabric at the side seams.

The seams actually came out looking good, although the lace trim is a little rough. Unfortunately, the piece as a whole looks more like a skinny table runner than a scarf. Oh well. It’s fun to learn lessons the hard way, right?

I’m pretty pleased with how this one turned out. I started it while the first skirt was still in progress, so that I could practice and remember the techniques Diana was teaching me in class. Obviously, this one has a decorative band around the bottom, whereas the first skirt was all one material.

My first attempt at constructing the band was aesthetically unsuccessful. I hadn’t laid out how I was going to attach the band to the skirt, and neglected to go over all the options to determine which would make the most sense. Instead, I just sort of went for it.

The result was an ill-fitting band, poorly sewn and way too bulky. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’d constructed a rolled hem on the black-and-white fabric and then sewn the black fabric over it. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it quickly became apparent that it was actually a very amateur idea.

I took the skirt in to Diana on the day of my last class, and she patiently illustrated the best way to attach the band. I took her advice, and the finished product is a hundred times better than my previous attempt. I’m really proud of this one, and although it’s a little big, it looks pretty cool.

My first skirt is officially complete! I’m really excited, because it came out even better than expected, and it fits surprisingly well. Many thanks to Diana, my sewing instructor (http://www.betterlivingthroughsewing.com), for her unending patience and her willingness to share techniques and wisdom. I also really like her cat.

If you’re in the Bay Area and are looking for extremely well-priced lessons with an instructor that knows what she’s talking about, I highly recommend dropping her a line.

Regarding the skirt I mentioned in my post yesterday, I decided not to take pictures of it yet, because it needs some work. Diana gave me a plan of action to remedy the hem disaster I created, so I’d like to rework that part before I go public with it. =)

(Please pardon the cheesy title to this entry…I couldn’t help myself.)

I realized recently that I’d forgotten to share pictures of the fantastic birthday gifts my parents got me…Then, I realized it’s already June and my birthday was in April, so I better get on it. The sewing kit and machine case are really adorable and very, very useful, since my previous sewing kit was a cardboard box and my previous method of transporting my machine was to carry it. The tools and gadgets they bought to go in the kit have been extremely helpful, and helped jump-start my foray into the world of sewing. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

It didn’t occur to me at the time to take pictures, but David’s parents also sent me some really terrific sewing-related birthday gifts. A cutting mat, ruler (see through -  a must), rotary cutter, and other tools have been integral in my attempts at creating non-amateur-looking pieces. Many thanks to all for the generosity and thoughtfulness. =)

Tomorrow is my last sewing lesson! I’m excited to finish my skirt. I’ve started on another skirt, in the same style as the first, to practice the techniques I’ve learned in class. It’s almost finished, actually, and I was going to post pictures of it, but the lighting in my apartment is not ideal for photography, so I’ll wait until daylight and try to get some good ones. Unlike the skirt I’m making in class, this one has an invisible zipper and trim on the bottom. Naturally, I screwed up the trim. I really need to work on hems and seams. You know, the two most important parts of sewing.

I have to keep focused, and be conscious of the fact that I will not be a perfect seamstress on my first, second, or fifth attempt. It’s frustrating sometimes, because it feels like I’m wasting time and material and resources to create pieces that look bad. On the other hand, you have to start somewhere. This may not sound politically correct, but how do kids in sweatshops do it?!? Amazing.