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!

Post #1 Start positive. Stay positive.

Fact: I am in LA this week for the first public Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission Science Working Team (SWT) meeting.

This meeting is a chance for those working on the teams to interact with scientists that are using the MMS data, which went public back on March 1st. 6 months people have been working with the Phase 1a data. (Phase 1a was MMS's first dayside past of the Earth's magnetopause [Fig. 1]. Phase 1b, MMS's second pass of the dayside, starts on September 26th)

Fig. 1 MMS orbit plot for Dec. 1, 2015. The Sun is to the left,.

Fact: I gave a 12 minute presentation on the cold ions that appeared on the leading and trailing edge of an apparent flux transfer event (FTE).

This was my first talk given in a public setting. I have given talks to the greater Fast Plasma Investigation (FPI) team via telecon. This was for sure different. I was nervous, as per usual, but I wasn't ripped to shreds. Then again, I wasn't even poked. No questions or comments from the peanut gallery.

Positive Thinking Moment (PTM): They were stunned silent by my awesome presenting skills, [Fig. 2].

Fig. 2 This might be a bit dramatic

I have found that in the course of my graduate school career I have had moments of absolute dread. The moments where it is hard to believe that I am going to make it out alive.

Fact: The goal of this blog is to focus on the good things and keep my mindset positive [Fig. 3].

Good Thing (GT): LA really does have beautiful weather.
It has been the mid to upper 70s all week, with sunny skies. I wouldn't say this trip is making me a "LA Devotee" but I am enjoying the break from East Coast humidity.

Fig. 3 Idea courtesy of my friend, Lo.