orchid flower arrangements: 2nd edition

eek!  it's been awhile since my last post, but i finally have a break from traveling.  yesterday, i had the pleasure of helping my friend put together centerpieces for the 3rd Annual Freedom House Gala, which was a smashing success from what i hear!  i wasn't able to attend the event itself, but i was able to witness all the hard work the volunteers put into setting up the event.  please please check out Freedom House's website for more information on how you can support women who are survivors of slavery and human trafficking.

here are some pre-gala photos from yesterday taken with my new MFT camera.  i'm very tempted to hop on Pinterest before bed to get some other simple centerpiece ideas.

7 am - Head to SOMA to pick up orchid flowers from the SF wholesale flower market.  These are just eye candy.

At Saint Mary's Cathedral near Japantown. The banquet hall is a blank slate.

Start by rinsing and drying all the vases. The awesome group of volunteers put together ~50 vases.

My friend getting ready to put together the first centerpiece arrangement.

The centerpiece with the flowers and rocks in place. The finishing touches are water and a floating candle.

You might recognize the arrangements as they are pretty much the same ones from last year's Freedom House gala, but I feel like the purple and white combination this year really popped out. Perfect for night-time, right?

Handmade jewelry by the survivors of Freedom House

My friend, a talented designer, hard at work cutting the table numbers

The final spread :)

infinity scarf

i know. i wince just thinking about the fact that i neglected to end 2011 with a fun holiday-esque project, but the holidays got the better of my waistline and much of my time was spent eating and imbibing rather than doing anything creative. however, i did make my first infinity scarf, which i’ve worn quite a few times already. (hooray!)

i thought i’d share it and at least start 2012 as a supporter of the DIY juggernaut sweeping this country.

The final product!

I bought two yards of this jersey fabric from Fabrix in Inner Richmond. It was something like $3/yard, and it's super soft even after a wash. The great thing about the fabric is that it doesn't pill!

I had to sharpen my pencil so that I could mark the fabric. It's been awhile since I have been behind a sewing machine.

I had a general idea of how to make an infinity scarf:
1) Fold a long piece of fabric in half, patterned side facing in (as shown above)
2) Sew the edges together with a 1/2-inch seam allowance to create a tube
3) Flip the fabric inside out so the patterned side of the fabric is on the outside
4) Sew the ends of the tube together to close the scarf

Since I have never made a scarf using fabric before, I wasn't sure how long and wide I should cut the fabric, so I referenced this video for an idea. I ended up cutting my fabric to 59" x 20" (but remember, the fabric is 59" x 10" when folded in half), and since I used a 1/2-inch seam allowance, the scarf ended up being roughly 9" wide. In retrospect, I think I could have actually made the scarf wider with this particular fabric since jersey is not as stiff as other knits and drapes nicely.

For sewing, I figured it didn't really matter what color thread I used since it wasn't going to be seen...

...until I failed miserably at a blind stitch and it became obvious where I made a mistake.

I found that the best solution was to do a basting stitch and to pull a little on the thread to ruche. Mistakes are no big deal in sewing when you can hide them :)

This is a scarf my sweet grandmother knitted for me over Thanksgiving. I showed her a picture of a pull-through scarf that I liked, and she put this together in less than a few hours. Isn't she talented?!? My grandmother made about 50 more of these scarves so that my aunt could donate them to children in Mexico, where she and my uncle spend some of their time.

My grandma even made a little version for my dog! My mom and I have matching ones, haha.

The "Ok, I'm ready for my treat now" look.