Post #15 Making up for lost time

Updates!

Sewing

I have still been doing a bit of trial and error when it comes to getting better at sewing. Since my last sewing post I made another circle skirt and a simple dress, both in the same fabric. The fabric I used is a black and white, tribal print pattern. I saw it at Joann's and I wanted it. It is a thick, knit fabric, aka it is stretchy, but not prone to runs like the navy blue knit fabric I used for my first dress (post #11). The circle skirt was only one piece, so a true circle skirt, that all I had to do was add the elastic waist band and secure the hem. I am pretty pleased with it. and it is one of three skirts I wear on a regular basis. (I have only worn my first skirt once). The dress is also a big hit, I am consistently getting complements on it.

Day 32 Lorac Alter Ego Celebrity and the dress I made

Makeup Artistry

I have not done any movie makeup looks since my Alien/Sea creature, but I did start a Pan Project on June 28th (Post #16). That is gonna be a big improvement because I was able to declutter some makeup that was dried up and was a waste of space. I also found that I have some darker foundations and powders that will look better with my summer skin (I managed to get a tan somehow). I am also currently partaking in a 100 days of lipstick (Post #17), which I will post about once it is all over, I am 30 days away. If you haven't seen pictures, you must not be following me on Instagram (neon8919). It is on Instagram that I am keeping track of what I look like in each lipstick. I am also writing down all the lipsticks in a little notebook, which is a helpful way to keep my life organized. 

Running

I restarted the Marathon Trainer for a third time, I am on week number 4, GEM kind of derailed my progress, but the hope is that I will be able to keep it up and get to a point where I can run without the Trainer. As I have said before, and I will say again, I am not intending to run a marathon any time soon, but I would like to be able to run a 10k (~6 miles), that would be awesome. 

Physics

June was a month of travel: the 2nd MMS community workshop (in Boulder, CO) at the beginning of the month, and then GEM 2017 (in Portsmouth, VA) the third week. I am one of the GEM Student Representatives so that kept me busy leading up to, and into, the meeting. 

This summer I have two things that need to get done:

(1) My paper - which I have been working on, but it is not in a completed stage yet...

(2) My thesis proposal - I will be turning it in at the beginning of the Fall semester, so as soon as my paper is done my efforts will be turned to coming up with my title. The title cannot be changed from the one I submit in the Fall, this means it has to be broad enough, because I don't know what results I might get, and it must be narrow enough to still be a PhD title. 

Post #13 February Summary - March Goals

Straight from my January Summary:

Stuff I am hoping to finish in February:

1. Sew my first dress (will also be in the February sewing blog)
2. An alien makeup inspired by a deep sea creature

3. Chapter 2 of Gurnett and Bhattacharjee

4. Submit my first first-author paper

5. Have my thesis proposal mostly done.
6. Finish the C210k Trainer

I did complete my first dress as you have seen in post #11.

Also, I did attempt to create an alien inspired by an angler fish, post #12, albeit nearly a week late.

I have been slacking on the plasma textbook. I only completed up to the section I posted on earlier this months: post #10.

I have not submitted my paper yet...

I still have no real thought on my thesis proposal...

Technically, I have not finished the C210k Trainer, instead I have started the marathon trainer by Zen Labs. I am not doing this because I aspire to run a marathon, I am running off the adage "Go big or go home," pun intended. I ran outside during the beautiful weather we had last week, and failed miserably, so instead of trying to continue with the free version of C210k, I would just do the one time payment of the marathon trainer and be good to go until I can run on my own for any distance. So who knows, six months from now, maybe I will be capable of running 26.2 miles. (Don't worry if you laughed, I am laughing, and anyone who knows me would laugh. I am not a marathon runner, I like pizza entirely too much. Though if I do make it, this whole section will be fun to read, and make a great part of my Success Story.)

So 2 out of 6 goals completed... eh. Here's to a successful March:

Stuff I am hoping to finish in March:

1. Sew a vest, some beach apparel, and my Tea Party dress

2. An angel/devil makeup inspired by a good/bad personality trait

3. Chapter 2 of Gurnett and Bhattacharjee

4. Submit my first first-author paper

5. Have my thesis proposal done.

6. Finish weeks 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the Marathon Trainer

Post #11 So turns out I am not particularly patient (Hobby No. 1)

So I did only a couple sewing projects over the past month. The first one being my very first circle skirt, which turned out alright for a first project. Next I tackled sewing a full dress, complete with sleeves, which also turned out alright. I have a lot of progress to make before Halloween.

My first circle skirt. 

I started by cutting out a pattern from some package wrapping paper. I chose to make my skirt 24" long to ensure that it would reach my knees. I used my pattern on the folded fabric, and cut out a half circle. I repeated that process twice, and it resulted in two half circles. The picture below was after I sewed the two pieces together. 

 After hemming all the edges on the bottom of the skirt I started to tackle to waist. I decided to put in a zipper, which I pulled from another dress that didn't fit very well. After frankenstein-ing the zipper in, I decided I needed a waistband. Using the same fabric I used for the straps on my New Years Eve dress, I made a waistband that was about two inches thick, and attached that. My last step was to add a couple eye hooks to close the waistband. And voila! My first circle skirt.

Please disregard the cat, Hatter is obsessed with the bathroom (other cat owners can commiserate, I am sure).

 

It ended up fitting better after the first wash, although I should extend my ironing skills to the pre-wear time. Heck, my ironing skills need work too, I burned myself while working on this skirt.

Amount Spent: ~$17

My first dress

To be honest, I sewed this dress last night because I knew I was going to be posting this blog today. I started by using my circle skirt pattern to cut the skirt, but this time I folded the fabric so I ended up with one piece instead of the two I cut out for the first skirt. 

I then used one of my existing dresses to cut out the bodice, and finally I used some sleeves that I had from another hack job that I used for my sleeve pattern. I am kind of impressed with myself.

When walking into Joann's to buy the fabric, I didn't realize I was going to end up with Syracuse colors, oh well (Go 'Cuse!). What was good about this project is that I got to play with different stitched and different materials. FYI: The knit fabric I chose was so slick, it was kind of hard to work with. I will have to keep that in mind for my next outfit. 

Amount Spent: ~$25

As I mentioned in my title, as I was sewing last night I realized that I am a "measure once, cut once, sew once" kind of person. I don't take extra time to make sure everything is the way it should be. This is something I need to work on. Luckily, both my hobbies are situated where I am able to practice patience. I am not sure what my next sewing project will be, probably my dress for the Third Annual Tea Party. I do know that April's post will be beach-y!