November 2024 Newsletter
From Dan, Your Friend and Master's Student at SDSU
Dear Friends, Happy November! This month was packed with milestones, creative endeavors, and plenty of celebrations as I turned a year older and successfully defended my thesis.
November kicked off with a bang as I celebrated my birthday and the completion of my thesis defense! To mark the occasion, my friend, celebrating an October birthday, and I enjoyed an evening at Lips, a drag queen diner. Figure 2.1 shows me posing between queens dressed as Glinda and Elphaba. I later saw the movie with my mother and we both enjoyed it greatly.
Later in the month, I house-sat during Thanksgiving, keeping an eye on some sweet cats who have grown so much since I last looked after them (Figure 2.2). Their playful company was a joy throughout the holiday.
Speaking of house-sitting, I also had the opportunity to care for three adorable dogs (Figure 2.3). Pugs are growing on me; they are so cuddly. These bundles of energy kept me on my toes and added some delightful chaos to the festivities.
As the holiday season began, my parents and I enjoyed some family time together. Figure 2.4 shows them in front of the beautifully decorated Christmas tree at church. It was a special way to wrap up the month.
Feeling inspired by the festive spirit, I skipped over Thanksgiving and dove straight into Christmas cheer. Figure 2.5 is my doodle of C3PO in a Santa hat, capturing the holiday vibe perfectly.
In the sewing realm, I upcycled three pairs of ill-fitting jeans into a chevron-patterned skirt (Figure 2.6). I love how the aged denim contrasts beautifully, and I still have more fabric left for future projects.
One of my proudest projects this month was a candy corn plushie I made for my sewing final (Figure 2.7). I’m already looking forward to the next class, where we’ll dive into pattern-making and designing our own clothes from scratch. Up until now, we have been learning to follow patterns and adjust them, but pattern making will open up an entirely new skill (and wardrobe potential) for me!
Finally, I created mini pillow Christmas ornaments (Figure 2.8) to gift to friends. Like my candy corn plushie, they’re stuffed with fabric scraps for an eco-friendly touch, a technique my teacher shared with us.
November has been a wonderful month of celebration, creativity, and reflection. Here’s to an equally exciting December!