Freedom Isn't Free*

Welllll I've been gone longer than I meant to be. Life happens, no big deal, but I'm happy to report that it's because I've been consumed with p r o j e c t s. A few recent discoveries led to a renewed excitement to do some sewing but more on that in a sec. Right now, I have to brag a little about my recent holiday.

Happy belated Fourth of July to my fellow Americans out there, here's to hoping this year we do a little much-needed positive personal growth, yes? I spent the day at work, sporting a Keith Haring t-shirt I stumbled across in Target of all places when I ran in the day before to get some essentials. 

Looks great with my photo ID/keycard lanyard doesn't it? I'm not one for getting decked out in super patriotic gear but I do love Haring so I made an exception. Plus, I like to go slightly over-the-top if I have to work a holiday in the hopes that I help make the day more fun/exciting for the kids stuck in the hospital.

I was pretty psyched to get home because I had a hunk of pork shoulder sitting in my crockpot waiting to be turned into barbecue which, to southerners, is pulled pork as opposed to a catch-all term for any grilled meat. A crockpot doesn't technically barbecue make but I worked with what I had. Want to make your own stupid easy crockpot barbecue? Here ya go:

-cut excess fat off your roughly 4lb pork shoulder then rub on a dry rub of your choice.

-put 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 3/4 cup water in your crockpot, then put in your meat, being careful not to rinse off all your dry rub.

-cook on low for about 8 hours until shreddable. 

-take out the meat, let it cool, then shred it with your hands being sure to get all the fat and cartilage bits out (yummm, amiright?). I suggest disposable gloves for sure.

-spread shredded meat on a baking sheet and put in the broiler for a few minutes so it's more like barbecue and less like pot roast. Keep a close eye on it though, you want crispy edges, not dried/burnt meat!

If you're wondering what do to with all this shredded meat once you've got it, this is what you do:

The good ol' barbecue sandwich on a toasted/buttered potato bun, smothered in bbq sauce, topped with coleslaw, with a side of chips. There was also definitely beer involved (Cisco brewing Grey Lady if you're curious. A great summer beer). Sure, not the most healthy dinner but it was delicious and hey, this is the US after all. Har har har.

Speaking of unhealthy, this wouldn't be complete without dessert of course so I picked up these little angel food cakes at the grocery store and made a 4 berry compote and whipped cream to top them up with.

I was pretty generous with my berries apparently. 

I was very happy with myself for making all this food- I've been phoning it in a little on the dinner front lately and was happy to get stuck in and do some serious/different kitchen stuff.

Aside from that, like I said earlier, my life has been overtake by a new project. I discovered a new online forum for fellow crafty people and it made me realize that I never had someone to really nerd out to about my crafty stuff. People in my life are super supportive of the things I make of course but they're not makers themselves (aside from my mom, which isn't quite the same as discussing it with your peers) so there are aspects of it I can't really discuss with them. I didn't realize how much I was missing that outlet until I found it.

Of course, seeing other's work has led me to realize I want to seriously step up my game and somehow, this lead me to getting WinStitch. 

WinStitch is a cross stitch pattern making software that I've always wanted to try out. Over the course of a few days I tested demos of a few similar programs and decided on Winstitch because I liked the accuracy of the pattern- to-imported-picture ratio better. I've shied away from these programs before because not only is it a new technology I have to learn (not my strong suit), I had to pony up for it. $31 for the standard package isn't bad at all I thought so here we are.

After getting a feel for the controls I finally made my first pattern and of course, it's Star Trek related. 

I always loved the Holodeck episodes of Star Trek: TNG, especially "Elementary, Dear Data" because I also happen to love Sherlock. This is the original picture I snipped Data (my favorite character) from:

Source

I cropped it, photoshopped out the background, then uploaded in into Winstich where I limited the colors from over 140 (!!!) to a more reasonable 40, added words and then a border. I might still mess with it a little but for the most part its done. 

I even tea-dyed my fabric to sew this on!

Between this and a pattern I bought from Etsy and have already started, I have my work cut out for me and I'm PUMPED. I had to got to two craft stores yesterday to get all the thread I needed but it'll be worth it. 

It's right before that last picture I took after I had finished organizing my thread that I realized I was somehow missing 4 colors and need to go to a THIRD craft store to get them. But we won't talk about that.

Here's to getting excited about making things again! I'll be sure to update you on my progress. :)

*It's $1.05