Go Sox!

Once upon a time, I had a Red Sox shirt. It was one of those ringer T-shirts where the body and sleeves are white and then the neck and sleeves are bound with navy blue ribbing. And it had my favorite logo on it; just the Sox. Eventually the shirt grew to be too small. It was a sad day. But when you're showing a good 8 inches of undershirt beyond the hem of your T-shirt, it's time to move on.

I couldn't quite bring myself to bring the shirt to Salvation Army or to give it away. I liked the logo too much. So, like a true crafter, I cut the logo off the shirt and told myself I would find a project to use it for. And there it sat in my fabric stash for a couple years. Waiting. Until this project came along....

This Spring term I look a knitwear and swimwear class. I decided this was the time to make use of my saved logo. So I bought me some navy blue and white interlock and made a new Red Sox shirt. A navy and white raglan baseball shirt (fitting, right?) which I sewed my logo onto. It turned out pretty snazzy if I may say so myself. Why don't you take a gander and tell me what you think?

Snazzy, right?

Here are some of the details.

A blurry picture of the vents. I found a stitch on the sewing machine that looked like the stitching on a baseball (it's called a faggoting stitch, it's a decorative applique stitch) so I used it to sew up my vents. You can also see my awesome double needle work on the hem where I used blue and red, because that's a lot more exciting than topstitching on white in white.

Here you can see my less-than-amazing skills at zig-zagging on the logo. You can also see the color difference between the old silk screen and the new interlock.

Another look at my awesome topstitching and the neckline.

If I use this shirt pattern again, I'll probably adjust the armhole depth some (it's a little breezy under there). But the length is just right, after I added two inches to the original pattern! I'd also like longer sleeves, but I didn't buy enough fabric, so I'll have to be more careful next time! All in all, I'm rather fond of it.

So there you have it. A project finished. Check.

So, I've decided to start up my blog again. This time, it's not for a class so I might actually do it.

Mostly, I thought it would be fun to post the various projects I'm working on.

You know, because with all my projects I have so much time to write about them.

I guess that means I should also take pictures of them to make it possible to show them off.

Which means I should probably find my camera.

Or finish some projects....

Triplus, Number 3

I was looking back at some comments on previous posts, and on my post "Exchange No. 8" I was reminded by my friend Hannabeth about another painting by Ron Richmond that we both like a lot. This one is called Triplus, Number 3 and is also owned and displayed by BYU in their Museum of Art. Here's a picture of it:

For some reason it's coming up kind of small, but I can't think of anything to make it bigger that doesn't also over-pixelize it. Oh well. I'll have to describe it for those who have poor eyesight.

Once again, I love Ron Richmonds simple yet profound representations of the Atonement. In this composition, he has the white cloth overlapping the red cloth, just like in his Exchange No. 8, I think it is a reference to the cleansing power of the Atonement. On the white cloth are three bowls. The one closest to the viewer is filled with water, the second with blood, the third is empty.

My first thoughts on seeing this painting were expressed in an exchange between Christ and Nicodemus in John 3:3-5. It goes like this "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

That takes care of the first and last bowls. Being born again of water would be baptism. The act of baptism by immersion symbolizes this rebirth. We are immersed under the water as we are buried underground after death and then we are brought back out of the water in a representation of the resurrection. We are born again through our baptism. We are born again by the Spirit when we are baptised by fire, or given the gift of the Holy Ghost. After baptism we are confirmed members of Christ's church and given that gift. What of the blood then? I would say that we are born again through the Atonement as well. As we repent and forsake our sins, we are born again through the blood of Christ. As we accept Christ and his sacrifice on our behalf, we are made new creatures through him, we are born again.

I Hope They Call Me on a Mission

So I've officially decided that I'm going to serve a mission for my church. Well, that's not entirely true. I've known for some time now, but now I'm just shy of my 21st birthday and it's all become a much bigger reality for me. After Christmas break I start the process of getting my papers in. I had also made a decision not to talk about it because there seems to be a curse here at BYU that whenever a girl is set on going on a mission and tells everyone that that's her plan, she ends up getting married instead. I have a very good friend who had her mission call and was getting ready to head out in September. She got married in November. But it doesn't always happen. I have other good friends who served missions despite marriage prospects.

A lot of my friends this year are very recently returned missionaries and it's actually been good to hear their mission stories and experiences. It makes me a little less scared to go on my own mission. But only a little. I am by nature a very nervous person and the whole prospect of going out and talking to strangers has never excited me. Nor has the idea of sharing my testimony. Put the two together and I'm shaking in my Chucks (since that's what I'm wearing right now, not boots).

One of my very favorite scriptures is Doctrine & Covenants section 6 verse 36 where the Lord tells Oliver Cowdry to "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." It is such a simple command and yet for someone like me it can be so hard. But at the same time it's a very comforting thought. The Lord is there for me in everything I do and especially in those righteous endeavors that were His ideas in the first place. If left to my own devices and decisions, I probably would be too scared to serve a mission. But because I know the Lord has asked me to serve a mission, I will do it. It is still my decision, but I'm choosing to follow the Spirit, the council of my family and friends and what my own heart is telling me is right. Just like Nephi said, "I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." I will have the support of the Lord on my mission. I need not fear, I need not doubt my decision.

Adventsingen

Now, I don't speak a lick of German, but today I went to a German Christmas celebration at the Provo Tabernacle. Basically the entire program was in German: the songs, the introduction, the scriptures, the program. The only thing they told us in English was where the bathrooms were and that we need to turn off our phones before the program started. Even the group songs were in German, and I didn't know how to pronounce anything, but I sang anyway.

But I like that it didn't matter. Christmas is still Christmas no matter what language you are celebrating in. It doesn't matter what the traditions are, they all celebrate the birth of Christ. So even though I was lost in the language being used all evening, I understood the spirit of the proceedings. When we sang Stille Nacht it was still the same melody I knew by heart. and the angels were still singing on high even if the tune was a little different.

I'm not really sure what more I have to say on this topic, but Christmas has been on my mind a lot lately and I decided to share my thoughts. It's just neat to know that no matter where in the world you go, Christians still celebrate for the same reason this time of year.