...and receiving (sewing-related presents)

You guys, I about fell over when I opened this:

It's Alabama Chanin's DIY Verd Unisex Shirt Kit, which I've been eyeing for months. MONTHS. Thank you, awesome husband.

I AM SO EXCITED.

Here's what it should look like eventually:

I'm halfway through embellishing the top:

That's the back; I decided to outline the leaf shapes with the (included) Brunette embroidery thread for a quilted effect, although I think it'd be neat just to construct the shirt as is with no embellishment. If I want to make the shirt I fell in love with, though, I'm going to have to reverse applique the bottom part eventually -- which means cutting out a few of the beautiful, perfectly stenciled black sections before construction. Scary. Gotta be done, though.

The front so far:

AUUUGHHHH I LOVE THIS KIT SO MUCH.

You know what I especially love? The wooden embroidery floss spool.

Wooden thread spools make me so happy. I always pounce on them at yard sales. IN YOUR FACE, PLASTIC.

I'll post a full review when it's done, but in the meantime: YAY YAY YAY. Is all.

One more thing: My excellent sister-in-law gave me Yoshi's Woolly World for Christmas. I'm a Nintendo-holic and grew up on side-scrollers, so it's pretty fantastic. But BONUS: Everything in it is made of yarn or sweater knit, including Yoshi.

Bad shot from my TV.

See the knitting needles? And the sweater knit for the lava? SO CUTES.

So anyway, I'm dying at the gorgeousness of this game, and also cursing a lot, because it's challenging. Just because it's happy doesn't mean it's not hard.

That is all. Cheers!

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