LUCK on your side… a gift for my best friend.
A few weeks ago, my best friend Lara, had the pleasure of walking me through one of those experiences that initially appear to be soul-crushing and life-destroying.
Although, later are revealed to be less than significant… and possibly blown out of proportion… and maybe even a figment of your imagination.
No one talks you through this like Lara.
Lara and I have been performing emotional-triage for each other since 1990… bound by the lifetime-service contract we signed at the age of thirteen.
Our most active duty has focused on council relating to:
Boys, boys, boys, boys, boys, boys, boys.
Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys.
Men, men, men, men.
A few complete asses.
One total lunatic.
And a man with a ponytail.
Ever since we got married, the workload has decreased significantly.
I don’t even remember the last time I called Lara in a panic… Not because I’ve magically gotten my shit together… but because Paul has picked up most of the responsibility for listening to me speak at length about whatever it is I am melting down about.
After I got off the phone with her, I realized I had actually FORGOTTEN how Paul does not measure up.
It’s no fault of his– it’s just that Lara is so much better at assuring me that what appears to be happening, is not actually happening.
There was a time when Lara or I could lie on the floor, nearly comatose with reality—and the other one would say—don’t be silly! There is NO WAY that is going to happen.
Regardless even if it had ALREADY happened.
When we were 22 we could say—WHAT? Please. It’s NOT raining… As lightning struck, and the power went out, and the apartment flooded.
I met Lara when I was thirteen… A treat for anyone, I assure you.
For years, and years, and years, Lara and I could talk for hours, days, weeks, about the same thing… Never changing the topic, or moving on, or getting bored.
And then getting up the next day and being like—oh, thank God! You’re awake.
I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO SAY ABOUT THAT.
For over two decades, our conversations were like a mutual archeological excavation… Like we’d wandered off into a field together, and noticed something sticking out of the ground.
And said— oh, look… What’s this here? This looks interesting. We should dig it up.
And then four days later, still being in the exact same spot. But twenty feet down.
Saying things like– here! Look at this! Right here! This spot!
And attacking it madly with our shovels.
That field we lived in while fifteen, and sixteen, and seventeen… really didn’t change much for a long time. In our early twenties, we were still out there… Filthy.
Wearing miner’s helmets in the dark, and speaking our own language.
Digging, digging, digging… filing bucket after bucket. Hauling it out.
Saying—I wonder what we’ll find next.
Examining every pebble. Every speck… Is this something? I don’t know. Maybe. Let’s get out the microscope, just to be sure.
In fact? All of our ex-boyfriends can go ahead and write us a check right now. For services rendered.
Regardless of the fact that they weren’t actually there… they must have benefited from our in-depth analysis… Metaphysically, perhaps?
Except the ponytailed one. You owe us nothing. We could never figure you out.
We used to send each other stuff ALL the time. Letters. Stuff we found. Stuff we made. Stuff we thought was funny… Plus, I kind of owed her a t-shirt.
Recently, Lara’s been having lots of stress over things outside her control… buying a house, moving… other life-stuff that always pops up at totally inconvenient times and usually involves other people being idiots.
So when I saw this t-shirt idea on DesignSponge I thought it was perfect for her.
Plus, now that I write a blog, I’m contractually obligated to do crafty shit.
In fact, I’m in danger of being fined by the blog-police for the absolute dearth of bows, tutorials, and burlap-related projects here.
Originally, I wanted to embroider something less banal than luck. But then I realized it works because it’s short. Unless you’re like me and decide to do the most giant luck you can fit.
TIPS:
Design Sponge recommends using a piece of cloth as backing… which as the daughter of a woman who is more Martha Stewart, than Martha herself, I have to tell you that is NOT correct.
However, I personally used computer printer paper… which Martha would also tell you is technically not correct. At all.
Since the t-shirt I used was so light in color, my template was visible through the fabric. This meant I could skip about four steps. I didn’t have to iron-on a template, or even buy anything aside from the actual tee… and the paper was great to give the fabric some stiffness, and then tore away easily.
But, if you’re using a dark color tee, or a heavier fabric, you’re going to need to do the whole tracing paper/mirror-image thing… The Design Sponge tutorial isn’t hard, and I think you can kind of figure it out as you go along. It really is a pretty easy project!
May 14, 2013 @ 10:13 am
Victoria, once again you rock the blog world! Loved this post, so totally relate to it, and the timing of the project is perfect! TY!!!
May 14, 2013 @ 4:31 pm
Hey, thanks! Not really a traditional tutorial, but hopefully more interesting…
May 14, 2013 @ 10:20 am
This is charming. 🙂 Of course, because YOU made it for LARA. 🙂 I love hearing about your friendship!
I do nothing of crafty note. My most recent “how-to” post was How to Write a Query Letter Without Freaking Out. Practical, but no fun pictures.
I have embroidered for friends and family, and I have even spun wool into thread. Of course I have no posts about these things either.
Thank you so much for sharing your inner brain and your outer awesome. Personally, I like a template for connected letters, but it does require a lot of thread. 🙂
You’re fabulous. Every post.
May 14, 2013 @ 4:31 pm
I’m skeptical that it’s possible to write a query letter without freaking out. Do you have evidence such a thing is possible?
I suffer from over-edit ocd… where something like that gets revisited for so long that by the time it’s finished, an entirely different approach has occurred to me.
May 14, 2013 @ 10:23 am
Have to tell you, didn’t care for it on the photo in the email… clicked over to check it out and then Waa La!! Totally awesome once I realized where you did it and got a bigger picture. SO incredible! What a cool gift! I wish I had a friend like you. :0) I can’t sew to save my life… if I could come up with the time to take a lesson it’d be fun- knowing me though, I would forget I wanted the lessons and do something else then be bummed I wanted to take the lessons and didn’t.
May 14, 2013 @ 4:32 pm
My sewing skills are limited to hemming stuff… anything more complicated than that gets into the realm of half-assed solutions where if you look at the inside of the seam, it’s clear I pretty much glued it together… So I guess that’s an endorsement of how truly simple this project is.
May 14, 2013 @ 10:56 am
Super cool! I miss those days of incessant chatter and picking apart the same topic over, and over, and over again with your girlfriends-turned-sisters. Now much husband has to put up with this, but it becomes a one-sided conversation.
May 14, 2013 @ 4:34 pm
I KNOW!!! I miss it too… even though half of those conversations were totally agonizing and involved trying to decipher WHY life was so confusing.
May 14, 2013 @ 11:19 am
Victoria,
What a heartwarming and hilarious story. I’m going to pressure my best friend to make me a t-shirt. In all seriousness, you made this whole embroidering thing look easy. I’ll save this for the files on ‘crafts I’d like to attempt once I retire’.
You described best friend discussions perfectly!
Karen
May 14, 2013 @ 4:35 pm
I made sure to leave the tag on the t-shirt, so she knew I actually bought it… the last time I made her a tee, I just used one that didn’t fit me anymore (I am way taller than she is)… it was for a joke-thing, so it didn’t need to be super nice… but I overlooked that it had a giant stain on it. She was like, is this a USED t-shirt?
May 14, 2013 @ 12:11 pm
I linked up, but I went with an old post of something I made with love for Douglas when we were still dating. I was too busy planning a party to make anything last week!
May 15, 2013 @ 9:39 am
I’m so glad you shared… I love that project!!
I loathe party-planning. Whenever I think about having one, it takes me no more than ten minutes for the panic to set in… and cancel all imaginary plans.
Then I congratulate myself on having avoided the stress.
May 14, 2013 @ 1:14 pm
Look who’s crafty?! Martha would be so proud!
For all my love of needlepoint and cross-stitch, I’ve never attempted to embroider anything. I have the supplies just haven’t made the jump into the great unknown. You make it look so easy and now with my new found knowledge of playing with fonts in Illustrator, I may be unstoppable.
This shirt is so cute, but the depth of your friendship is the truly the gift.
May 16, 2013 @ 7:46 am
I think it would be cute filled in… I guess I’d need a smaller template because it would take too long otherwise. But it would be easier to read if the letters were solid.
May 14, 2013 @ 5:00 pm
I’m sorry, did you say you thought you weren’t crafty? I want one. Like yesterday. I can’t do that. And I have lots of bloody embroidery hoops!!! Again, I want one!! This requires a giveaway…
May 16, 2013 @ 7:46 am
I totally thought of you and your hoop collection!!
May 15, 2013 @ 11:27 am
As I read this post, I kept trying to decide whether it was appropriate to make a joke about the other four letter word that rhymes with luck that I find myself uttering when attempting something crafty. Then I thought of another joke that was far less funny but I still cannot help but make about getting side stitches from laughing about the first joke. Sorry.
May 16, 2013 @ 7:50 am
Here I thought I missed out on making the joke… but apparently it was unnecessary to actually say it out loud.
I cannot tell you HOW HAPPY it would have made me to send Lara a t-shirt that said F*** in giant letters on the side… CLEARLY superior.
May 15, 2013 @ 11:28 am
I also thought I’d let you know how impressed I am, as I tried doing this exact thing except in a straight line on a blanket that I thought I was going to hand quilt (lol) and it was horrific.
May 16, 2013 @ 7:52 am
I had to pull out a few stitches a couple of times… but the template mostly kept things under control.
I had started out making tiny stitches… but then halfway through the first line of L realized I was making twice as much work for myself.
May 15, 2013 @ 11:51 am
“Plus, now that I write a blog, I’m contractually obligated to do crafty shit.”
LOL!! I love it!
Thanks for the great idea!
Cheers, Becky (aka sketchystyles.com)
May 16, 2013 @ 7:57 am
It’s what no one tells you about blogging… I thought it would be enough to dazzle with my personality, but turns out I must also make things.
Thanks for linking up!!
May 15, 2013 @ 2:18 pm
Just found you and already signed up to be notified when you post additional awesomeness. Thanks for taking the time to make the internet a great place to spend time!!
May 16, 2013 @ 8:01 am
Your comment MADE MY DAY.
I should change the text of the email-subscription box to read: sign up for when I post additional awesomeness….
That’s a WAY better sales pitch.
May 15, 2013 @ 8:45 pm
I am late to the game and have no required craft item for entrance through the gate anyway, but I tweeted. As always you brought me through an adventure. Also, what wonderful friends you two are.
May 17, 2013 @ 6:29 pm
She IS my best friend, but next time I should write about the ways we annoy each other, just to give a balanced picture… lol.
Have a great weekend!!
May 16, 2013 @ 1:21 pm
I also linked up an old-ish project since I am less proud of more recent things (doing stuff for the sake of blog/pinterest love? I may be guilty of late). Anyway, this is as good a time as any to come out of lurkerdom and mention that I take great enjoyment from your blog.
May 17, 2013 @ 6:22 pm
Blogging has changed my entire brain chemistry. I saw this t-shirt idea and thought—oh, that would be fun for Lara… followed IMMEDIATELY by the thought—AND A BLOG POST. I cannot say the second thought was any less important than the first.
Thanks for linking up… it’s fun for me to see who else is out there, you know?
May 18, 2013 @ 8:45 am
I completely agree. “Blog-portunities,” I call them. It drives my husband nuts.
May 18, 2013 @ 6:04 pm
I would tell Paul, but I don’t need him deciding he has back up– thinking it’s nuts…
May 18, 2013 @ 9:49 am
I think my failure to cut a triangle casts me out of the clubhouse entirely. But I love the shirt!
May 18, 2013 @ 6:09 pm
It was deceptively easy… although I cannot vouch for whether it will withstand washing.
However, since the post has been written, that’s all that really matters.
May 19, 2013 @ 10:15 am
I think I love you for that alone. You know what really matters)
May 19, 2013 @ 7:04 pm
Yes… the internet has shown me the true meaning of our existence.
May 19, 2013 @ 12:40 pm
LOVE this!!! I have been wanted to do some kids shirts with names on them. I am going to use these instructions to do them. Oh and I so need a LUCK on your side tee!!
May 19, 2013 @ 7:03 pm
I know! I really could get carried away with ideas… I spent at least an hour playing with other fonts before realizing I’d spent all my free time on a theoretical project. (I hate when I do that)
May 19, 2013 @ 5:48 pm
What a great personalized gift! And what an adorable little helper. Good job on the hand stitching. It looks really well done. 🙂 did Lara love it??
May 21, 2013 @ 1:26 pm
She did! It got there on the day of her house-closing… so I felt it was well-timed!