Project Central!

So I finally took some pictures of some of the sewing projects I have been working on. Its been a lot of fun and I'm surprised how quickly I am improving. The first picture is of the first tote bag I made. I loved the fabric and was surprised how easily it came together. Its technically reversible but I've been keeping the brown on the outside since I love that pattern. I made another tote but forgot to take a picture of it. It was for my cousin's birthday and she said she really liked it! I added a ribbon in the center to tie and closed and an inside pocket as well to make it even more usable. The third tote I made was a trick-or-treat bag for my friend's baby girl 1st birthday (its on Halloween!). I played around with doing an appliqued "M" for her name, Morgana. I think it turned out well! I might make some more for the other kids in my life!


I've been working on some different aprons as well. My kitchen is red and white so the first apron I made I tried to find some fabric to match. Its reversible and I love how the two patterns fit together.



I then made a different type that has ruffled fabric on it, which was really fun to make! I bought some candles from the farmers market that match the color and will send it to my friend as a gift for her birthday. I think she'll really like it!






I even pieced one together with some scraps to keep practicing. I thought it turned out pretty well and I got to work on my first apron pocket as well. I think between the three aprons I have made I've got a pretty good idea of what to make next!


My mother asked me if I would be able to make a drawstring backpack for her. I thought it sounded like a fun project and I am so glad she asked me to do it! I think it turned out wonderful and I am excited to make one for myself too! I already had a few requests from friends to make them too. So who knows, maybe my crazy idea of trying to sell things in the future isn't so crazy after all...

The tail end of September

The last few days have been a lot of fun. I was able to go back to Florida to visit some friends, celebrate a birthday, meet my friend's baby for the 1st time, and spend some time at Disney's Epcot as well. (The picture on the right is all the ladies who came to celebrate my friend Kerri's birthday at Epcot, Kerri is in the center with her darling baby girl, Morganna)

It was a wonderful trip and was definitely worth it! It is so great to see how my friends' lives have changed in the last 1.5 years since I had been in Florida. New houses, new babies, new romances. I'm so happy I was able to get back before we head overseas.

Also, I am in much better spirits about our move being pushed back to January. We have found a condo to rent on Padre Island in Corpus Christi so I get to spend my November and December strolling on the beach everyday! I don't know many people who would complain about that! Its such a load off my shoulders to know that we have some place to live (and its a really nice place too). Our friends rented the condo previously and had a great experience with the landlord, and so far we have too. He's been very flexible and understanding about our unique situation (not many people would be willing to rent out a condo for only 2 months) so we are quite grateful. Now I'm also beginning to realize that our time here in Little Rock is really coming to a close! We only have one more month here until most of our friends part ways. I tend to make the most of it! We have softball games 2+ times a week, and we still want to make a weekend trip to Memphis to see Graceland and spend a night on the town on Beale street. I think October is going to be a great month.

Delayed move

So my husband and I found out today that we have to wait another month and a half before moving over to Japan, and he'll be gone for 3 weeks of that time! So it looks like I'll have a few more weeks here in the good ol' USA... and have plenty of down time to work on some projects! So far I've learned to make a table runner, a tote bag, a reversible apron, and another style of apron that has a bunch of cute ruffles on it. I'm hoping to get some good practice by making a lot of Christmas presents this year and I think it could possibly turn into something more long term. I've discovered a website called Etsy that sells all homemade items, which could be one avenue that wouldn't cost me much at all to start up. I could also see about selling items at local venues, like farmers markets or craft fairs, but for three years I'll be in Japan and I'm not sure what options will be available to me there. And who knows, maybe I'll end up finding a fantastic job that I adore and I won't have time to make projects beyond ones I do for myself, my home, or my friends & family. I guess time will tell! But since I know for sure that I won't be settling down for almost 4 months, time is on my side for a while.

<3 not so plain jane

Lets get this thing started!

So here it is, my very first blog on Proud to be a Plane Jane! I have really enjoyed reading some other blogs I found online while searching for projects and thought that it might be fun to try it out myself. Maybe people will be interested in my new projects? Maybe people will want to here about some of my adventures while moving overseas and surviving my husband's deployments? If not, at least it gives me an outlet to share some things and hopefully will be a fun time as well.

After spending 4 hard years and too much money, I successfully received my B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, only to find myself working for two years post graduation without being inspired to keep working in the corporate world. I currently am on my "summer vacation" as I am choosing to call it. I got married in May and moved with my husband to a military base while he is in training. It is a temporary location since we will be moving overseas to Japan this fall/winter so I've been able to take this time to make our house more of a home, explore new hobbies, and do some volunteering. I hope to explore new career opportunities in Japan while continuing to pursue my new hobbies and love of volunteer work.

So here's to a new adventure in blogging, I hope you enjoy it as well.

~Not so plain Jane.