Knit Sew Much

Ottobre 01-2005-22 T-shirts For My Boys

2010-04-28T22:22:00.000-08:00

My boys have been wanting me to make them something and I have tons of high-tec knits in my stash so I decided to make them some long sleeve t-shirts. Of course I headed straight to my Ottobre mags to find just the right shirt. This was a great t-shirt. It was very easy to sew up and my boys love the fit. I ended up making 3 (the other one is black with grey contrast) and my son who is in the pictures wants more. I think I am done with this shirt for now. Some short sleeve shirts are in order now. Summer is coming and it might be warm enough to wear them. :)

Pattern Description: Long sleeve t-shirt with shoulder yokes cut from different fabric. Bound neckline and contrast cuffs.

Pattern Sizing: 104-128
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, my garments looked like the picture.
Were the instructions easy to follow? I found the instructions were pretty easy to follow. I did have to make sure that I marked the shoulder line. More of the contrast goes to the front than to to back. The first shirt I made I attached the shoulder incorrectly. I put more of the contrast in back. For the other shirts I made sure I marked the shoulder line well.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? It was a great pattern. It went together pretty well. I didn't understand why they put in a zipper. I didn't put one in my shirts.

Fabric Used: high-tech knit from Rose City TextilesPattern alterations or any design changes you made: I removed the zipper. I also used contrast knit fabric for the shoulder yoke instead of the woven the pattern called for.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? DEFINITELY! My youngest son has asked for another one.
Conclusion: Great t-shirt pattern. I like the interesting detail on the shoulders. The shirt sewed up very quickly.

Just thought I would leave you with two more pictures. This shows what Alaskan kids do on the first nice day that comes along after a long winter. It is sunny, 45-50 degrees outside, there is still snow on the ground and my kids are having a water balloon fight. My kids are so anxious for summer. Can't you tell. :)

Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Tutorial: Adding Pleats-Sewing the Pleats

2010-04-24T23:11:00.006-08:00

Wow! I can't believe it has been so long. Sorry for the wait for part 3. It has been a busy week (or 2).

On to the tutorial!

1. Fold the pleat in half so that the clips match up.

2. Sew right down the line that you marked for the pleat.
This picture shows 3 pleats that have been stitched along the lines.
3. Keep pleat folded in half and put a pin in right on the fold.

4. Opening up pleat place pin against seam line. This forms the box pleat. Half of the pleat is on each side of the pin.

5. Baste pleats down inside the seam allowance.

6. Iron pleats down.

It should look like this picture when the 3 pleats are finished (I apologize if the pictures are a little difficult to see). The red line is the center front.

Well, that is how it's done. I hope you were able to follow my process.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Tutorial: Adding Pleats-Preparing the Fabric

2010-04-10T23:52:00.004-08:00

This is part 2 of a 3 part series on adding box pleats to a garment that was originally drafted without. To see the dress I pleated click here. For part 1 about preparing the pattern click here.

On to part 2--Preparing the fabric

Once your pattern is completed you are ready to cut out your fabric.

On my project I wanted a box pleat right in the center of the dress so I added 1" to the center front of my pattern (right side). The picture below shows my new pattern placed on the fabric. Notice that the CF is not on the fold anymore. I added 2" total to the CF but when I stitch the pleat the excess will be taken out and the original CF will again be the actual CF of the dress. When the pleat is finished I will have 1/2 of the pleat on each side of CF.

After you cut out your pattern make clips at the top and bottom edge of each pleat. The red marks on my pattern shows where I clipped. When you clip make the clips big enough to find them but not enough to go past your seam allowance. In this garment my seam allowance was 5/8" so my clips were about 1/4''.

The next step is to draw your pleat lines. Draw with chalk (not marker) from the clip at the top to the clip at the bottom of each pleat. Note: I wanted my box pleats on the outside of my garment so I drew my lines on the right side of the fabric. If you want your box pleats on the inside of the garment draw you pleats on the wrong side of the fabric.

This picture shows my bodice piece with all the lines drawn in. The wider sections are the pleats.

The red line on the left side is my center front. The black lines on either side (actual center front from pattern piece) will be stitched together and the red line will be at the center of the box pleat. I will show how the pleats are stitched together in the next post.

To prepare the fabric for the skirt all I did was make clips at the top of each pleat because the skirt will not be pleated all the way down.

I hope that this was helpful. Please ask if you have any questions and I will try to clear them up. Stay tuned for part 3 coming soon.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Tutorial: Adding Pleats-Preparing the Pattern

2010-04-08T22:50:00.001-08:00

As I promised here is part one of a tutorial on adding pleats to a garment. I am going to use my bodice pattern that I used for my daughters dress. You can use any pattern that you want. The method will be the same.

Note: You can see the white line a few inches up from the bottom. That is where I sewed the front band to the bodice piece to make a full bodice piece. McCalls 6020 had two separate pieces and I wanted only one. This had to be done before I began the pleating.

My pictures were taken after I already used this pattern so you will have to excuse the folds underneath.

Let's begin.

1) This is my original pattern piece. The center front fold is on the right. I drew 4 lines parallel to the center front. These lines are 1" apart. I want the box pleats to be 1" wide and to touch each other so 1" is the spacing that I need to make this happen.

2) I added 1" to the center front. When I cut this out I will now place the edge of the added piece on the fold. This will be my center pleat. When the pleat is made the original center front will still be the center front of my dress. For this pleat I only add 1" because it is on the fold. I am actually adding 2" (1" on each side of the fold) which is the width I need for a 1" pleat.

3) I drew horizontal lines so that I would be able to keep my pattern lined up correctly. I can see through my pattern paper to the grid lines on my board. The center front should be lined up on a vertical line. The two horizontal lines are perpendicular to the center front.

On a pattern without a center front to line up you can always use the grainline.

4) Cut along the first line. Carefully move your piece over 2" keeping the horizontal lines following the same line on the board. Add in paper to fill in the empty space. This is my first pleat (When made into a pleat all that is added will be removed).

5) Make all the other pleats in the same manner cutting on the subsequent lines. Here is my pattern piece with all the pleats added.

For the skirt back I didn't need to add any for the pleats. I just turned the gathers into pleats. I measured and drew lines so that my pleats on the skirt would match the pleats on the bodice. Here is a picture showing where I drew the pleats.

Well, I hope that this tutorial helps clarify how to add your own pleats. It is really easy to do. In the next post I will show how I prepared my fabric.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

An Easter Dress for My Daughter: McCalls 6020

2010-04-05T23:10:00.000-08:00

Every year I try to make my daughter a dress for Easter. It hasn't always happened but this year I was determined to make her one. She needed a new dress (actually she needs a few) and I have so much fabric that it was a no brainer to make one instead of buy one. A month or so the Hanna Anderson catalog came in the mail and this dress immediately caught my eye. I loved the pleated bodice. It wasn't very expensive but since I knew I had fabric I decided to recreate this dress for my daughter.

So, I set out to find a pattern that I could use as a base to work with. I found McCalls 6020Front of my altered dress

Back

Side rant: One of my pet peeves with patterns is how sleeves always look smooth but are really gathered. Why do they always make gathered sleeves anyway! Smooth set in sleeves usually look better. How often do you see a RTW shirt with gathered sleeves? Usually not, but they expect us to always construct home sewn ones that way. I am usually able to ease in about an inch of extra fabric but they often put in many extra inches. I really need to learn how to draft my own sleeves to fit armholes. Or I just need to learn how to take the extra ease out of my sleeves. If anyone knows a good book or tutorial I would really be interested.

Okay, I am done with my little rant now on with my review.

Pattern Description: Below mid-knee length dress with front band, gathered skirt, tulle ruffle on lining, back zipper and ribbon sash or tie ends. Sleeve options: sleeveless or gathered sleeves.

Pattern Sizing: 3-14 I made my daughter a size 8 but lengthened to a size 10. She measures a little less than size 8. The 8 fit her quite nicely.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? If I had made it they way they drafted it would have looked like the envelope. I changed my version quite a bit.

Were the instructions easy to follow? I didn't use them too much. I did like their instructions for lining the bodice and sleeve construction.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I picked this one for the square neckline.
Fabric Used: cotton with a little bit of stretch. The stretch wasn't necessary. A regular cotton would work great.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Obviously I changed quite a bit and I hope you can follow my progress.

BODICE1) I traced the front band and the bodice front on to sewable tracing paper. Then I sewed these two pieces together to make one whole bodice front. This new bodice front is what I will use to do the rest of my alterations.

2) I cut off the "straps" and added 1/4" seam allowance to the "strap" and the bodice where the "strap" would be sewed back on after bodice is pleated.

3) Now for the pleating. I wanted 1" box pleats covering the front. I had to add 2" for each pleat. First I drew 4 (I wanted 4 pleats on each side of the center pleat) lines one inch apart parallel to the center front. Then I started at the center front and added 1" (this would be on the fold so I am adding a total of 2" to the center front) for the center pleat. Next, I cut the pattern on the lines and added 2". I added a total of 9" to my bodice front. Note: before you cut your lines apart make sure you draw perpendicular lines to keep your pattern lined up.

4) To make the pleats: I clipped at the top and the bottom of the pleat. Then I drew lines on the right side of my fabric with chalk on one side of the pleat. Next, I folded the fabric matching the clips for each pleat and stitched on my chalk line. Put a pin in the fold of the pleat. Match the pin to the seamline and press the pleat down.

5) After it was all pleated I reattached the "straps". This completes the bodice front.
SKIRT
This was fairly easy. There was already extra because it was going to be gathered.

SKIRT FRONT
1) In order to get my pleats to match I measured starting at the center front.
Measure over 1" (center pleat) and draw a line parallel to the center front.
Measure over 1" and draw a line.
Measure over 2" (pleat #1) and draw a line.
Measure over 1" and draw a line.
Measure over 2" (pleat #2) and draw a line.
Measure over 1" and draw a line.
Measure over 2" (pleat #3) and draw a line.
Measure over 1" and draw a line.
Measure over 2" (pleat #4) and draw a line.

Measure width of the skirt front. Subtract 9" (this is the # of inches I added for my pleats. ex. 23 1/2" - 9" = 14 1/2"
Measure the width of the bodice front. ex. 12 1/2"
Subtract the width of the bodice from the width of the skirt.
ex. 14 1/2" - 12 1/2" = 2"
The 2" is extra so I folded it out. Now the bodice front matches the width of the skirt front.

The skirt back is altered in the same way that the front. Keep in mind that you are adding a zipper to the center back so leave room.

As I am writing this I realize that this will need visual explanation also. I will be doing a couple of blog posts in the next few days with pictures of the above process.

Other design changes:
I put a ribbon over the seam line all the way around the waist.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Definitely. It is a very cute pattern.

Conclusion: Another fun project. I was so happy with how it turned out. It looks just like I wanted it to. My daughter really liked it too.

As I said above I will be doing a couple of posts that will have pictures of how I added the pleats to the bodice. So stay tuned.

Thanks so much for wading through this long post. Have a great day!

Until next time...

An Easter Dress for Me: McCalls 5619

2010-04-04T22:09:00.006-08:00

I was at Joann's a few weeks ago (when McCalls patterns were on sale) looking for a pattern for my daughter's Easter dress (in a later post). After I found her dress I thought I would quickly skim through the woman's patterns. This pattern caught me right away. How fun would it be to make myself a dress for Easter. I haven't ever done that before.

When I first saw this dress I liked how it was empire but didn't look like it would make you look pregnant. Boy, was I wrong! I didn't read the description. I'm not sure why I didn't read the back because usually I do. But, if I would have I would have know that this dress was loose fitting not close like the picture. Can you see the pleats in the skirt? I can't. As you can tell by the drawing they are there.

For my trial garment I made the dress right out of the envelope. It was huge! It needed some serious adjustments if it was going to fit what I had pictured in my head. It was also a little lower than I liked. After this I set out on a journey to make the tent match what was in my head. Here is my finished dress. This is pretty much what I had pictured in my head.

My review from pattern review: McCalls 5619

Pattern Description: Very loose fitting dress with low elasticized bodice front neckline, gathers at waistline, pleated skirt and back zipper closing. Sleeve Options: sleeveless, short sleeves with stitched hem and elastic, or elbow length with sleeve band. Length mid-knee or above mid-knee.

Pattern Sizing: 6-20 I measured a size 14 (bust) 16 (waist) 18 (hip). I cut out size 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? I think that my dress ended up looking like the dress on the girl pictured. The description described the dress as loose fitting. I don't think that the picture looks very loose fitting at all. I didn't read the description very well ( I really need to work on this) and went with the picture. Well, this dress is VERY loose fitting. I could have been 8 months pregnant and the dress would have fit well. So, I made a few alterations in order to get it to be close fitting.

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were pretty easy to follow.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I didn't like how big it was. But, I will concede that that was partially my fault. The puffy sleeves are not my favorite but I still like the dress.

Fabric Used: cotton

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Wow! Where to start?! I made up a muslin just as the pattern was drafted and found out it was a tent.

1) I wanted the neckline to be raised up a bit so I added 3/4" to the bodice front and removed 3/4" from the upper front. I didn't change the bodice back length so I ended up having to put in a bust dart to take out the extra length.

2) The pleated skirt was huge and so I had to get the pleats out so that the skirt had a flat front. This was quite easy. I just folded out the pleated parts all the way down the skirt panel. Once they were out the waistline of the skirt was the same length as the bodice front.

3) There was still quite a bit of room in the back and I wanted it a bit more fitted. So, I put long darts about 3" on either side of the zipper.

Back of dress

4) I added a batiste lining to the skirt.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I probably would not make this again just because it is distinct. I would recommend the pattern as is if you want a loose fitting dress. I would recommend this one if you want to make it more fitted as the alterations are pretty easy.

Conclusion: It turned out to be a pretty cute dress. Surprisingly, I enjoyed trying to make this fit as I had pictured in my head.

This was a fun project! It was such a challenge for me to get it to fit. Getting clothes to actually fit me is one of my challenges. I am pretty happy that I was able to get this to fit.

I will end with this fitting challenge story. The back of the dress was not fitted at all. It was pretty straight through the backside and I wanted to show a bit more curves. So, I started with adjusting at the zipper. I kept moving the zipper over more and more in a bit of a dart effect. After I had basted, tried on, ripped out, repositioned and rebasted a few times the light bulb finally went on in my head. Then I adjusted the back the in a much simpler manner. I put in the zipper just as I would have before (without any funny stuff) and made 2 long darts on either side of the zipper. Worked like a charm!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

What Have I Been Up To...

2010-03-19T09:15:00.003-08:00

LOTS!

Sorry there aren't any pictures with this post but that is the one thing I haven't been doing. It has been a very busy couple of months. Unfortunately, blogging has been at the bottom of the list. So what have I been up to?

Sewing--I have made a few garments but I think that only a couple were completely finished. I still have the hem to finish on my first pair of pants I have ever made. I think they fit fairly well. I am not sure why I don't have the motivation to finish them.

Traveling--At the beginning of February I went to Portland. I was there for a Bible Study Fellowship leaders retreat and to FABRIC SHOP! Both were fantastic! One highlight was spending 2 1/2 hours at Rose City Textiles and leaving with about 100 (not a typo) yards of fabric. I brought home so much fantastic high tech knits. I can't wait to sew them up. The other highlight was going to the Pendleton store in Washougal, WA. We took the tour of the factory and it was so interesting. I loved seeing how quality fabric is made. They also sell some fabric in their store there. A lot of it is flawed in some small way so there are fantastic prices. I bought quite a bit of luscious wool fabric. It is gorgeous and now I just have to figure out what to make.

My husband came with me and our 7 year old son (yes, they did go to all the fabric stores with me). It was a great time to spend focusing on our son. We also went to the zoo and OMSI (a science museum). We all had a great time.

Setting up a sewing studio--I decided in January that it was time to teach sewing lessons. I have been thinking about this for a few years but until now it just hadn't been the right timing. So January and February have been full steam ahead getting things in order. The most time consuming part (it took almost a month during which there was no sewing) was cleaning and organizing my sewing space. It was a cluttered mess that needed almost a total reorganization. I LOVE it now. Everything is labeled and has a spot. It is neat and clean and I can walk around the room easily. I joked to my husband that it is now the most organized and clean room in the house. It really helps that every Monday night it has to be cleaned for lessons the next day. I am thoroughly enjoying teaching my students. It is such a joy to do something I really love and make some money too.

Getting a couple new machines--I already had two sewing machines but in order to have at least 4 students in a class I needed buy one more sewing machine. I pondered and researched. I didn't want to pay a lot but I wanted a quality machine that would have a nice stitch and be durable. I was thinking about a Viking Emerald but ended up with a Janome Magnolia instead. It had some really neat features. It is a great machine for a beginner and I have really liked having it for my classes. I think it might become my go to machine for buttonholes. They are super simple on this machine and turn out quite nicely.

I also wanted another serger for the students. Again I didn't want to spend a whole lot but I wanted a quality machine that wouldn't break down a lot and be frustrating to the students. I originally wanted a Huskylock 910. I have a 936 and love it. I thought the 910 would be great because had the great stitch quality but not all the expensive features so I might be able to find one for $700 or so. I ended up finding a person on Craigslist selling an almost brand new Elna 925 for $400. It is an older machine (originally purchased in 1998) but since it hadn't been used much it is in perfect condition. It was high end in it's day. It can even do cover stitch (although I don't need this since I have a cover hem machine and the 936 does it also). I have used it quite a bit and I love it! So, I have been learning two new machines which has been a lot of fun!

Spring Break--My kids had Spring break last week. I am not sure what we did but the time certainly flew by. We got dumped with a few feet of snow so we did spend quite a bit of time outside playing.

Life is starting to settle down a bit and hopefully, soon I can get some pictures of completed garments. I am so behind. I don't think that I even finished up all of my before Christmas sewing. Someday. Today I am focusing on laundry and hopefully getting to some sewing. I should start on my daughters Easter dress. Since the fabric needs to be washed I might cut out a shirt for me instead. I better get started!

Thanks for hanging in there with me! Have a great day!

Until next time...

Computer Confusion!

2010-01-15T15:40:00.000-09:00

Our computer was going very slowly so we decided to get a new computer. My husband decided on this:

It is a Mac Mini. I have never used a Mac before so this is quite new for me. So far it seems fairly easy but it is a whole new thing to learn. I liked my Word and now I have to learn something new. Uggh! Getting pictures is also quite a challenge so my blogging has suffered a bit. I have a couple more things to show you from the holidays but I am having difficulty getting the pictures together. I don't have time for this! Oh, well. I think I will be happy eventually. I hope so! At least the internet stays the same. :)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Another "Sweet Sunday" Ruffle Dress

2010-01-14T20:47:00.005-09:00

I made this one almost the same as the last one for my niece. You can go here to see that review. The only change was in the sleeve bands. I made one continuous band instead of having a tie. I tried to make a tie but the velvet ribbon I used for the band was too bulky. I really like the simple band.

Ottobre 6/2009 #23

Sleeve Band

I love the fabric for this dress. I picked it up at Joann's a few months ago. They actually had quite a few nice corduroy prints this fall but this one jumped out at me and said take me home. I couldn't resist. My daughter really likes the print too which is a plus.

I am now working on a shirt that was supposed to be part of my wardrobe. I might have it finished in the next couple of days. It has been slow going. Hopefully I can get to fit right.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

A Few Blankets

2010-01-10T00:16:00.005-09:00

About a year ago I went through all my flannel. I had quite a bit of it from Joann's black Friday sales and I needed to make room for new fabric. I bought most of it when my daughter was little. Now, she is big. Way to big to have pj's made for her out of this cutesy stuff. I decided to make up some of the flannel into blankets to donate somewhere. So, the fabric sat for a year or so just waiting to be used. I finally got around to doing it the last couple of days. They were each pretty quick to make. I cut a 36" square with rounded corners. Serged wrong sides together leaving an opening. Turned it inside out and used a 2 thread overlock stitch with decorative thread to finish the edge.

Here is my pile of blankets. Now I just have to figure out where to take them. I have so many options.
This one is my favorite. I love the plaid with the cute little princesses.

Now, for just a teaser of what I am working on. Last night I cut out the dress for my daughter from the same pattern as the Christmas dress for my niece. I put the bodice together this evening. My goal was to have it finished for her to wear to church tomorrow. But I am really tired and instead of staying up a couple more hours filled with silly/frustrating mistakes I think I am going to go to bed. She can wear it next week.

Sleeve

Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Free Audio Story!

2010-01-05T13:38:00.005-09:00

This has absolutely nothing to do with sewing unless you like to listen to them as you sew. I was pointed to this website, Home School Radio Shows, from The Money Saving Mom. My family LOVES audio stories so I jumped on this right away (we listen to a lot of stories in the car). I thought some of you might enjoy this too.

The Long Winter

By popular demand, we again present this fine interpretation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" book, "The Long Winter". This Ingalls family is quite different than the one you saw on TV, but it is a very faithful adaptation of the book, and is quite entertaining. It is the ONLY "old time radio" adaptation of any of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, and you love those stories, you'll treasure this. This broadcast was originally aired way back in 1950 on the radio version of the Hallmark Playhouse.

If you click here you can download this story along with two others for free. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Birthday Kuspuks for my Nieces

2010-01-05T11:04:00.002-09:00

All of my nieces have their birthdays in November and December. I find this to be really inconvenient (like it was at all up to me). I love to get them presents and I only get to do it once a year because their birthdays and Christmas are so close together. Plus, all the sewing for them is done at one very crazy time. This year I did more sewing for them than usual. I already posted my 6 year old niece's Christmas dress. This post will be about the Alaskan kuspuks I made for my 6 and 3 year old nieces for their birthdays.
Kuspuks are traditional Eskimo dress for men and women. There are different types for different times of year. For the winter they are made of fur and are very warm. I saw quite a few of these on New Year's Eve when we went to see the fireworks. They looked so warm and cozy. The summer style is usually made out of cotton. For women and girls they can be a shirt or a dress or a coat. The version for men and boys (snowshirts) are the same style with out the ruffled skirt and can be used as shirts or coats. They are a very versatile piece of clothing.

Front of Kuspuk for 6 Year Old
(My son is modeling and I promised his face wouldn't show.)

Back

Kuspuk for 3 Year old

(She has plenty of room to grow.)

Pattern Description: The kuspuk is a light fabric parka that is worn in Alaska during the summer. Eskimo women make it in bright prints and wear over their fur parkas in winter to protect the fur.

This pattern by Lois is designed so the flounce may be left off during construction of the garment to make a boy's parka or a shorter summer parka. The garment slips over the head and has a front zipper. Almost any type of colorful material may be used, although the fabric should be durable. Decorative braid or rickrack is used to trim the garment.

Pattern Sizing: I purchased 6-8 (child) but they are available in toddler up through adult sizes. I made the 6 for the 6 year old and sized down a bit for the 3 year old.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes. The picture on the front is a pretty basic sketch but my garment looked pretty much like the sketch.

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were okay. Most was fairly clear. They didn't give clear directions about attaching the pocket or placement lines where to place pocket. Zipper instructions were also very sketchy.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked that it is an authentic pattern created by Alaskans and used by Eskimo women. It is a very cute shirt/dress. It can be worn for a while even as a child grows because it can be a dress or shirt.

Fabric Used: cotton I purchased years ago probably from Joann's.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't put in a zipper. I wanted to use my new snap press and snaps so I adapted the pattern. All I did was add about 1 1/4" to the center front of each front piece. I also folded the flounce in half and gathered it to the top so that it wasn't as long and I didn't have to hem.

Close Up of Snap Front

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? My daughter would like on but right now I don't feel like making this again when I have so much else I would like to sew. I would recommend this pattern to others if they want and authentic Alaskan garment.

Conclusion: A pattern with sketchy instructions but worth making if you would like this type of garment.

You can purchase this pattern through Northern Threads in Fairbanks, AK.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

A Christmas Dress for My Niece

2010-01-03T03:26:00.001-09:00

I made a dress for my 6 year old niece for Christmas. I immediately loved the picture of the "Sweet Sunday" Ruffled Dress in the Winter '09 Ottobre magazine. I knew that I just had to make this dress. I thought this would be a perfect style for my niece. I liked how the pattern was so unusual. I had so much fun making this one. I want to make another one for my daughter in a bit more sophisticated fabric. She absolutely did not like the picture once she saw it but I had her try on the one for her cousin and really liked it. YEAH! I get to make one for her too.

Front
Back

Note: You might be interested to know why my son is modeling this dress. It was part of his punishment. He decided to mess around with a permanent marker (which is not allowed for obvious reasons) while his brother was trying on the dress for me to check the fit (my youngest is about the same size as my niece who doesn't live nearby). I think you can imagine what happened next. YES! He got black permanent marker on the dress! I am sure you know how upset I was. He missed out on going to a movie with his grandparents and had to model the dress. BTW, I was able to get out most of the marker with rubbing alcohol. You would have to look very close to see the disaster.

On to the full review:

Ottobre 6/2009 #23

Pattern Description: A girls dress that has a well fitted bodice in contrast to the fullness of the skirt with its three overlapping ruffles.
The sweet ruffled dress is sewn form velveteen. The bow, sleeve bands and neckline trim are cut from shiny satin. The underskirt of the dress, to which the two lowest ruffles are attached is also cut from satin. The sleeve edges are gathered to bands the ends of which are tied in bows. The dress has an invisible zipper on the back.

Pattern Sizing: size 92-128 According to my niece's measurements she was a 116 chest and waist with a 128 waist. I made a 122 and I thought it ended up a little big. I think this dress is kind of roomy.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? My dress looked very much like the pictured dress.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes they were easy to follow for an Ottobre pattern.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I really like the style. It is different than what you see in RTW but yet very RTW looking. I immediately love the shape of the neckline.

I did have a little difficulty stitching the middle layer to the satin because it so slippery. Before I read the instructions completely I thought the skirt was 3 separate full layers. I was disappointed it wasn't because I wanted to take off the top two layers to make a less ruffly dress for my daughter who didn't like the frillyness. They way they have you construct the dress makes for far less bulk and probably more twirliness (is that a word?).

Fabric Used: I used a stretch cotton woven fabric that I picked up from the back wall at Denver Fabrics.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't add the bow. I also used knit for the neckline ruffle and the sleeve bands. By using this heavier fabric I couldn't tie the bands into bows. I had to just knot them and cut and resew the ends so they weren't so long. My neckline ruffle falls forward a bit so I had to tack the facing down.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Definitely! I already have the fabric and permission from my daughter to make one for her.

Conclusion: I love how cute this one turned out. It is so different and stylish. LOVE IT!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

1st Garment of 2010: Jalie 2911 Pink Fleece Hooded Pullover

2010-01-02T16:57:00.009-09:00

Don't I look so comfy in my fleece shirt and cozy fleece pants? This is my usual at home attire. I LOVE fleece!

This shirt is actually garment #5 of my wardrobe plan. Boy was that a bust! Not the shirt, the wardrobe plan. I finished two of my planned skirts and two shirts. I liked each garment I made (I will review when I get pictures), one outfit in brown and one in burgundy. Although these colors look nice together the styles of the skirts and shirts did blend well. I was frustrated with my choices. In order to complete the wardrobe I would have to take out two of these items and add two more. Plus, this shirt really wouldn't go with all the bottoms. So, knowing these hurdles and the need to complete Christmas clothes for my kids and presents for neices and nephew I decided to chuck the wardrobe plan. I will make the garments I was planning but they will not all go together. That's fine with me.

Back to Jalie 2911. I really like how this turned out. I did have a bit of puckering at the base of the collar. It is okay. Next time I make this I will work on getting rid of the puckers. The back also has a few wrinkles (not shown) that will need addressing with a sway back adjustment. I am really going to enjoy wearing this. The fleece is so soft and comfortable!

My Review on PatternReview:

Pattern Description: Woman's pullover with Hood or Shawl Collar

Pattern Sizing: toddler girls -- women's plus sizes

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? My version looked just like the picture.

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were okay. I had a bit of trouble understanding how to attach the hood/shawl collar. I did get it together but I have a slight bit of puckering at the bottom corners.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I really like how comfortable this shirt turned out. I think the fit on me resembles the fit on the model.

Fabric Used: Light pink Polartec 100 by Malden mills that I picked up from my local sewing store, Seams Like Home.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I ended up taking in the sides because I wanted a little bit more fitted look. I also added a 1/4 inch to the pattern at the bicep for a bit more room.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I will make this again and would definitely recommend this to others. It was a pretty quick pattern to sew up and I really like the result.

Conclusion: I am already trying to figure out if I have some fabric to make this again. I think next time I will use a knit and do some more shaping. I will have to address the extra fabric at my lower back. I think I will need a sway back adjustment. It is fine in this shirt but if I use a knit I think I would like it to fit just a bit better.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

Until next time...

Looking Back, Looking Forward!

2010-01-01T20:28:00.003-09:00

A Few of my favorites from 2009

2009 is over. It was a good year for us. God blessed us in many ways and I am very thankful for His watching over us. I am excited to see what 2010 brings. Whether it be joy or sorrow I know that God has us in his hands all through the year.

Last year I wouldn't make any resolutions. As I said last year I don't like them because I never keep them. I just gave myself a list of things that I wanted to accomplish throughout the year. I thought I would reflect on last years accomplishments and add my thoughts for next year.

1. I want to purchase better quality fabric. I have a tendency to gravitate toward good deals. I need to put more quality stuff into my stash that I would actually want to wear. I also want to concentrate on coordinating fabrics and not just purchase things singly that I later have to find something else to match. I did pretty well at this this year. I purchased quite a bit of nice fabric (most of which I got for great prices). I ended up with lots of nice wicking knits, high quality fleece, some nice wools, quality cottons and nice fashion knits. I am very pleased with what was added to my collection this year. My problem now is that I do not have very much to use for muslins. I would like to continue this through 2010 (hopefully at the NY and LA garment districts).

2. I want to spend more time crafting and not just vegging out. My main time for crafting is the evening and I am often pooped. I don't want to do anything but when I don't do anything I feel like I wasted a bunch of time. I will still veg out I would just like to do it a bit less. I did better at this also. My completed garment count will verify. I completed a total of 37 garments using up 61 yards of fabric. This certainly is not as many garments as some but I am very happy with what I completed. I did veg out a bit but I did a lot of sewing too. This is a goal for 2010 also. I don't necessarily have a goal to complete more garments than last year or to use up more of my collection but I want to spend time sewing consistently.

3. I want to finish sweaters (and sewing projects for that matter) within a reasonable amount of time (not two years). I have been getting better at this and want to continue this success. Totally failed! I don't think I hardly picked up my needles all year. Maybe I will pick up my needles this year. No pressure though. Only if the knitting spirit moves me.

4. I want to sew more for myself which would then include increasing my fitting skills. I definitely worked on this this year. I made 10 garments for myself. A few turned out to be wadders but I learned from my mistakes. I definitely want to increase my fitting skills this year. There are quite a few Burda garments that I am itching to make.

5. I want to make a chart to keep track of my projects. I really like the chart Karen made and want to borrow the idea. This will really help me see my accomplishments and be a motivator. Then at the end of next year it will be easier to count up my projects and yardage. I would really like to know exactly what I made and how much fabric I used. Oh, and I would like to fill the chart by the end of the year. Completely neglected. Hopefully I will do this soon.

6. Lastly, I would like to figure out my camera and learn how to take better pictures. My pictures don't have to be museum quality just better than they are now. I really want to get some good pictures of my kids. Worked with my camera some. My goal for 2010 is to take a picture every day. I have a separate blog for these pictures. I haven't done well in the past with this challenge for myself. Hopefully this year will be more successful.

2009 Garment breakdown
Made for Me--10
dresses 2
tops 5
skirts 3
Elianna--9
dresses 3
tops 3
pants 1
skirt 1
jacket 1
Seth--8
shirts 6
pants 2
Silas--5
shirts 5
Nieces--4
kuspiks 2
dresses 1
skirt 1
Nephew--1 robe

I have quite a few garments to show you (11 to be exact plus one I am finishing as soon as I post this) over the next little while. So stay tuned.

Thanks so much for stoppin' by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T23:38:00.002-09:00

My kids got creative with their new Bendaroos.

I have so much to tell you all. So many projects to review. I have been busy sewing and not wanting to take the time to do reviews. I will fill you all in on what I have been up to soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great New Year's Day!

Until next time...

Wardrobe Contest Item #1 Burda 9-2009-131 Brown Corduroy Skirt

2009-10-25T19:21:00.005-08:00

Burda 9-2009-131

I have finally finished something for the wardrobe contest and have reviewed it. I originally didn't know what skirt pattern I wanted to use my brown cord. I poured through my Burda magazines. I really like this skirt when I first looked through the magazine but didn't think it would work because the pockets would accentuate my hips. Looking through this time I fell in love with this one again. Looking again I realized that since there is no bulk from the pockets it would still be flattering. I decided to give it a try.

Pattern Description: Large leather-bound patch pockets with buttoned flaps provided the main attraction on this classic cord skirt.

Pattern Sizing: 36-46 By my measurements I a made a 42 tapering out to a 44 at the hip. I had to take it in a inch and it is still a bit big.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Very much!

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were pretty easy to follow.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I really like the pocket styling.

Fabric Used: Brown fine wale corduroy

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't have any leather so I did do the pockets as they described. I used tan piping instead.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would definitely recommend this pattern.

Conclusion: This was a quick skirt to sew up. I did have to take some time to get the pockets to match but after the pocket application it went smoothly.

I really liked how this turned out. It is a easy skirt with cute style. I think I would make it again but would probably change the pockets to different locations.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

How Much Fabric? Card Giveaway

2009-10-18T21:17:00.002-08:00

Grosgrain posted about a giveaway for these awesome pocket cards that help you figure out how much fabric you need for different garments.

Check them out they are really neat!

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

I'm Still Around!

2009-10-18T21:02:00.002-08:00

I know it has been a while since I have checked in with you all. Life has been happening and not as much sewing. I have finished a couple more garments from my wardrobe challenge and sometime soon I will get pictures and review them. I wore them today and forgot to get pictures (as usual).

It seems like my motivation for sewing has been a little lacking lately. The skirt I made took way longer than it should have but I like the results. I think I have been a bit frustrated lately because that garment haven't gone together as I would have liked. I did get a Jalie shirt made up last night that went pretty quickly so that was a nice boost.

Well, enough rambling. I will hopefully be back soon with some garments.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Something to Make You Smile!

2009-09-27T19:55:00.003-08:00

I saw this very cute YouTube video on Portabellopixie's blog. I loved it so much I had to post it here also, just in case you haven't seen it yet. Enjoy!

Hope that made you smile! :)

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

Until next time...

An Inspirational Movie! 500 Days of Summer

2009-09-26T23:23:00.005-08:00

Last night My husband and I went to see 500 Days of Summer (we were celebrating his birthday and mine) with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. This was a cute movie. But the reason I really like it had nothing to do with the story of the movie. I was totally oooooing and ahhhhing over the clothes that Zooey Deschanel wore throughout the movie!

I don't think that I have ever watched a movie and been so inspired by the clothing. I loved every minute of watching her clothes. I would describe "Summer's" style as a bit vintage but classic. I had a hard time putting my finger on it exactly. Today I went in search of pictures on the internet to show you some of the outfits I liked. I found out that they called the style retro-chic. Well named.

I absolutely loved how simply she dressed. The clothing was simple with great detail. Now, let's enjoy some fun pictures.

I think this is my favorite dress! I really want to recreate this one.

This skirt is so cute. I really like the shirt also. Below is closer up picture of the shirt.

Here's another really cute dress. I love the look of the lightweight cotton. They are so springy and fun. The skirt is so flowy and flirty.

This is my favorite shirt. The pintucks are fabulous. The shirt is hip length with a very cute thin tie around the waist. I would love to recreate this one also.

Here is a link to a MTV interview with the costume designer Hope Hanafin. And here is another link to a blog talking about the style in this movie.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Just Checking In

2009-09-21T21:06:00.002-08:00

But nothing interesting to say. I haven't had much time for sewing or anything. I have been busy keeping my daughter focused on her homework. I did get my Burda (from July '09) knit shirt mostly finished. I still have the hems to do. I also got a pair of Burda trousers traced out. At this rate I certainly will not finish my wardrobe by the end of November. This weekend is my birthday and I am hoping to get some focused time to sew.

That is all I have to say. Next time I will be more interesting.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

PR Wardrobe Contest Fall '09

2009-09-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

I never thought I would be doing something like this. Before I never thought that I would have enough coordinating fabrics to make an actual wardrobe. The other day I decided to read through the contest discussion. I was so inspired by all the fantastic wardrobes. It looked like so much fun. I thought it might be fun to take a peek through my stash and see if I could pull together something that would resemble a wardrobe. Surprisingly, I was found enough coordinating fabrics to make up a fun wardrobe. I got a few of my favorite fabrics in the mix and some that have been in my stash for years. I am very excited to make the Ottobre and Burda pants.

This wardrobe is a huge challenge. Every pattern is new except for Jalie 2804. Even though this is very ambitious I wanted to end up with a wardrobe that I was proud of and very excited to wear. I didn't want to pick easy things just to get everything completed by the end of the contest. I will be so happy with myself if I get them all finished. I am going to try very hard to get it done by the contest end on November 30th.

The requirements:
5 tops
4 bottoms
1 topper

All tops and topper must go with all bottoms.
There must be at least one print.

I think my wardrobe fits these requirements. I still need one more bottom (brown cord skirt I think). I am up in the air with the topper. Burda 8-2009-119 was originally going to be the topper. It will go over everything except the pink fleece. I might go with a brown check wool coat.

I am off to get started and trace some patterns. It all seems so overwhelming right now. I just need to get started.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Ottobre 6-2008-38 Color Me Happy Quilted Jacket Finished (Finally!)

2009-09-08T22:58:00.008-08:00

Finally I was able to get a picture of my daughter in her coat. I didn't want to post without her so I waited. All the rest of this post was written on Tuesday just after I finished.

It feels like I have been working on this one forever. I know in reality I haven't but it sure feels like it. I think it turned out very nicely and my daughter really likes her new jacket.

Actually, finishing this one is very satisfying. This is one of a very few projects that was a real need to make. My daughter really needs a fall jacket. This wasn't simply something that I wanted to make. It was a necessity to clothe my family and that makes me feel great about my ability to sew.

This project turned out to be quite tedious. Since I didn't line it I had to finish all the seams. I wanted to make sure that the inside looked very nice since I know my daughter will be tossing it hither and thither. The way I chose to do it, I ended up sewing up each seam three times. Talk about making a project take longer! PHEW!

Here is my full review:

Pattern Description: Ready-quilted fabric with vivid zig-zag pattern inspired us to design this winter jacket for schoolgirls. It is equally suitable for city wear and ski slopes. The pockets are inserted in the panel seams and there is a zipper down the front. The collar can be worn either up or folded down. The jacket is lined with slippery outerwear fabric.

Pattern Sizing: 128-170 I made a size 128. I did make the shoulders a little wider since my daughters shoulder measurement was quite a bit wider than the size 128. I also lengthened the sleeves.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? It looks very much like the picture. Were the instructions easy to follow? I only used the beginning of the instructions for the shell since I made it without a lining (I didn't have any). They seemed pretty straight forward.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The construction of the pocket was explained very well. I was able to get some nice looking pockets without any trouble.

Fabric Used: Polyester quilted/embroidered fabric from Joann's

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't line the jacket. Instead I finished all the seams. I used a mixture of trims because I kept running out of stuff. I had quite a few yards to begin with but you need a ton to do this. I think I had 5 yards of teal FOE, 5 yards of woven foldover and still had to bind the hem with fleece.

Inside Front
Inside Back

Finishing all the seams was not too difficult but it was tedious. Every seam ended up being sewed three times. It took a while but the result was nice. To do this I: 1. Sewed the seam. 2. Sewed the FOE (flattened out) right along the very edge on top of the seam. 3. Folded down the FOE and the seam allowance and stitch right along the very edge of the other side so the seam allowance was completely covered. I also "bound" my zipper (and pockets) with woven foldover. This was simple. I just sandwiched the fabric and the zipper in the foldover.

Bound Zipper

Topstitching

My other alteration was to take out 1" from the height of the collar. I didn't think that my daughter would want it up past her chin. By taking out some height it became a length that was more comfortable for her.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would recommend this pattern. I think it turned out very good. I may or may not sew this again. It was a nice pattern and it is not so distinctive that you would know it is the same thing out of different fabric.

Conclusion: I am pleased with this jacket. It was tedious because of the way I constructed it. But even the instructions have you topstitching most of the seams. It is simple yet striking.

While I feel like this jacket took a lot of time it really was quick to sew up as far as making jackets goes. I am very happy with it and so is my daughter!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Ottobre 6-2008-38 Color Me Happy Quilted Jacket Sneak Peek

2009-09-05T19:52:00.005-08:00

I thought I would give you a sneak peek of the jacket I am working on for my daughter. She would like it to be done before we go to the state fair tomorrow. I'm not sure that will happen but I will do my best.

Ottobre 6-2008-38 Tellu Quilted Jacket (pictured below in pink)

According to the pattern this is a fully lined jacket. I didn't want to do any lining (originally my daughter wanted this to be reversible) so I had to figure out how to finish the seams so they looked nice on the inside. I decided to cover them with FOE (unfolded). I think it has turned out nicely. Below is a picture of the outside of one side front (black) and the inside of one side front panel (pink). The teal covers the seam. The black binds the pocket to give it a finished look.

I am really happy with how it looks so far. My daughter is very excited to wear it. Better go get working!

Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. Have a great day!

Until next time...

What to do? What to do?

2009-09-03T20:20:00.003-08:00

I am supposed to be starting a light fall jacket for my daughter. I'll get to it as soon as I am done with this. She is very anxious for me to finish/start it. I bought some really cute embroidered quilted fabric from Joann's last year that I am going to use. I think she has reminded me about this coat everyday as she leaves for school.

What have I been thinking of instead of making her coat? Let me share.

I was reading over at pattern review about the wardrobe contest. Never before have I even thought about doing this as even a remote possibility. I have quite an assortment of fabrics that I couldn't possibly find enough coordinating fabrics for 5 tops, 4 bottoms and one extra. As I was pondering the wardrobe contest I mulled over my stash. Guess what! I think I would have enough to coordinate. It would be an interesting mix of brown, denim, burgundy and pink. I'm still not sure if I will try but the thoughts are there.

Why wouldn't I try? Three months should be long enough to get the garments finished.

Well the other thing I have been contemplating is overhauling my house (upstairs living area that has been the same since we moved in more than 11 years ago). This would include new flooring, painting kitchen cabinets and replacing wood panel with glass, tile under cabinets, repainting whole upstairs, and, what the whole process hinges on, reupholstering my living room furniture.

I have never upholstered. I really have no idea how to do it. I saw a basic tutorial and it didn't look too hard. If I am able to redo my furniture I would want to redo the rest of the upstairs. If I can't then we wouldn't. I have a chair I was thinking of starting with. I am very nervous to try. What if I mess the chair up? Then I would be out one chair. If I am successful then the whole chain of events start. Are we up for it?

Has anyone out there tried upholstering furniture (other than simple chairs)? Can anyone suggest good books or tutorial videos? I would really love some helpful advice.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Burda 7-2009-104 My Plaid Shirred Dress Finished!

2009-08-30T20:32:00.003-08:00

I was determined to get this dress finished to wear to church this morning. Last night, at about 11 PM, my husband came in and asked if I was going to be finished soon. I told I thought I would be finished soon. Silly me! I finished 5 hours later. Guess I not a very good judge of how long my projects take. I really enjoyed this project. I learned a lot. As I said before there were many parts that I had never done before. I thought I would take you through how they went.

1. Shirring-I used elastic thread and zig zagged over it. I really liked my plaid fabric. I was able to follow right along the line which made it very easy. I was pleased with how easy this was to do.

2. Welt pockets-These went pretty well. I used "Sew any Set in Pocket" by Claire Shaffer to help. One of my pockets looks pretty good (picture below) the other one overlapped a bit at the end. I liked how the had me construct the inside of the pocket. Burda's instructions were understandable for someone who hasn't done it before (me).

3. Flat Felled Seam-Boy, did I have trouble with this one. For some silly reason I had great difficulty getting my head wrapped around this one. Finally, I remembered to look in "Shirtmaking" by David Page Coffin for some help. After a few attempts I finally got something that resembled a flat felled seam. This was definitely the biggest stretch on this project.

4. Collar with stand-I referenced "Shirtmaking" for this also. Understanding the pictures took a bit but finally I got a collar that turned out really well. I really liked this method. My edgestitiching actually looked pretty good on the inside doing it his way.

5. Blind Hem-Just as I was about to hem the dress I decided to do a blind hem (about 3 AM) that I had never tried before. I consulted my sewing book by Simplicty to find out how to do it. It was so easy! I had no idea. It looks great on my dress.

So, here it is. My plaid shirred dress: Burda 7-2009-104.

Front of Dress

Back of Dress

Pattern Description: What an enchanting, feminine shirt-waister! With roll-up raglan sleeves front button fastening and lightweight fabric it's sure to become one of your favorites. Elastic shirring at the sides gently sculpts it to your waist.

Pattern Sizing: 36-44 My bust measures a size 40 while my waist and hip measure size 44. I decided to make size 40. I didn't want there to be too much fabric since I was using a heavier fabric than suggested. I really like how it ended up fitting.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? It looked very much like the picture.

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were kind of easy to follow. I liked the pocket instructions (I did use other sources for the actual welt part). Now that I am looking back at them they are quite sketchy. They are fine if you know how already to do the different parts of the construction. Since I didn't know how to do the welt I looked at another source.

Welt Pocket

I also used Shirtmaking by David Page Coffin with pictures for constructing the collar.

Collar with Stand

I was able to easily construct the dress (with a bit of extra help) so the instructions were easy enough.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked so many parts but my favorite is the waist shirring.

Front Shirring The raglan sleeves were very easy. This pattern is drafted very well. All the pieces fit together perfectly.

Fabric Used: Cotton woven plaid. I really liked using the plaid. This really helped keep everything on grain. I was able to match the front and the top arm seam. I also matched the collar and stand.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't change anything.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? This is a great pattern. I really liked the finished result. I probably wouldn't make a second of the same design though. Another great thing about this dress is that it can really look different in so many ways. Check out Christina's version and Dawn's version to see two other very different looks.

Conclusion: Great dress! This was a fun challenge to make. I hadn't done shirring, welt pockets, or flat felled seams. I have made shirt collars before but not very well. This was my first try with Coffin's method. It turned out well for my first try. I am very pleased with this dress. I think it will become one of my favorites just like Burda said.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a blessed day!

Until next time...

It's Been Slow Goin'

2009-08-26T22:11:00.002-08:00

Just thought I would check in. I was able to spend some time on the Plaid Shirred Dress on Saturday. I was able to get the shirring and the welt pockets completed. The both look pretty good and I am happy with how they turned out. I haven't had a chance to work on the dress since then. I am hoping to have some time tomorrow. I need to get it finished soon because my daughter is very anxious to have me make a fall jacket for her.

Hopefully, I will have something to show you soon.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Burda 7-2009-104 My Plaid Shirred Dress in the Works

2009-08-22T12:03:00.009-08:00

I love reading other sewers blogs! I have been inspired so many times by what other people make. They will make up patterns that I saw but didn't pay any attention into something fabulous. That is exactly what happened to me with this dress.

When I saw it in the magazine I didn't pay much attention to it. Then Christina made it and I thought her version was very cute. Then Dawn made up her version and hers was great too. So I decided to give it a try.

After I decided I was going to make this dress I had to find some fabric. Since I wanted to pull from my stash I decided on trying a plaid that I have had for a while. I have always really liked it but haven't had any inspiration for it. This one is not too heavy with nice body and drape. I have seen a lot of plaid lately so I think it is still in. I also figured that If I didn't like it for this dress the pieces are big enough that I could refashion it into something else. I draped it over myself to get the effect of the dress and I liked the initial look.

Now, there are many things about this dress that I have either not done before or am not very good at. This will be a real skill builder even if it doesn't turn out right.

Have not done before:
1. Shirring
2. Welt pockets (Christina and Dawn didn't do them. I would like to try. It depends on how the pocket placing falls on the plaid.)
3. Flat Felled Seams (Now I will finally take the time to try out the flat fell foot I bought a while ago.)
4. Raglan sleeves (I don't think these will be any problem. I am good at sleeves.)

Things I am not very good at due to lack of experience:
1. Shirt collars with stands
2. Pockets
3. Matching plaid

So this project will definitely be an experiment and a fun challenge at the same time.

I cut it out of muslin already to see if I even liked the style on me. I cut size 40 because I didn't want tons of gathered fabric. The shoulders and bust fit beautifully. I did have to take an inch out of the length so that the shirring was at my waist. But that is it. I am off to cut it out.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great Saturday.

Until next time...

Road Trip: South Dakota--From the Badlands to the Border

2009-08-21T23:29:00.001-08:00

It has been a little bit since I have done a road trip post. This post will focus on our couple days we spent driving from the Badlands in South Dakota to the border of South Dakota and Minnesota. We saw some amazing things!

1. Badlands National Park--We didn't do much other than enjoy the amazing scenery. We drove the Badlands Loop Highway (Highway 240) through the park and were amazed at what we saw. For miles on one side all we saw was prairie. On the other side the prairie drops off hundreds of feet to the prairie below. In between the two levels are these amazing dirt/rock formations that were 100's of feet high peaks. They looked like if you walked on them they would crumble. There were fascinating stripes of colors through the "mountains". The stripes of different types of rock were amazing. I know I am saying amazing a lot but I just can't think of any other way to describe this. You will just have to look at the pictures which really don't do it justice. The drive through the Badlands was really neat because some of the time you are at the top of the "mountains" and you looked down on everything. Other times you were at the bottom and you could really see how tall they were.

2. Wall Drug--In Wall, SD just a little way from the Badlands off I-90(I think). We saw cryptic signs for this place miles, and miles, and miles before we were even close to Wall Drug. They really peaked our interest with, "Coffee 5 cents Wall Drug" or "Free Ice Water Wall Drug." This is one crazy place. It is HUGE! You go inside and it is like a frontier town main street. Each store has a store front like you would see on a street. There are different types of stores-bookstore, western wear, shoes, apothecary, and so much more. If you take a side hall way you go into this drug store like place with a huge crazy assortment of different stuff-trinkets, souvenirs, health and beauty items, candy, and lots of other stuff. Then you walk into the ice cream parlor and their dining room. The dining room was huge! We had to have the full experience so we ate there. It was a bit expensive and the food was decent. If you can find you way out to the back there is a strange assortment of stuff. This is a fun area for kids. There is a covered wagon, giant jackalope, giant dinosaur and other things. I think this was called the backyard. Then you can walk into the back building and do some mining, play some video games, shop at the toy store or try not to be eaten by a large, smoke-breathing t-rex. I know this all sounds weird and it was. We spent a few hours here just looking around. It was quite an experience. RoadsideAmerica.com has a good page telling about Wall Drug.

3. Corn Palace--As I told my husband as we were driving through South Dakota, South Dakota creates its own tourism. The Corn Palace is no exception. This is a large building in downtown Mitchell. It is attached to the city hall. The cool thing about this building is that the outside is covered completely in organic products-corn, grain and grasses. They had created pictures out of corn and stuff. It is a very interesting sight. We didn't go in but I think they have some info and a movie inside about SD agriculture. Again, RoadsideAmerica.com has some info about this attraction too.

This ends this road trip post. I hope you enjoyed these interesting activities. My next road trip post will focus on Minneapolis, MN, our last stop on our few thousand mile trip.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Brown Velveteen Pant--Ottobre 4-2007-32

2009-08-20T23:05:00.000-08:00

This is the first pair of Ottobre pants I have ever made. I know that I already posted my son's pants but I made these first. It just took me longer to get pictures of these. These pants were quite a project. They weren't really difficult. They just took careful precision in order to make them look great. I really enjoyed the challenge of making these. I think this is the first real pair of pants (jean, cargo style) I have ever made (I am not counting easy elastic waist pants).

This is my daughter again on her first day of 4th grade. She is wearing the Velveteen pants along with her tunic top I already posted about.

While making these I used techniques that I have never done before in order to be very precise. In order to place the back pockets in the correct position I used tailor tacks. Prior to this project I never wanted to bother with using these to mark my fabric because they were time consuming. This time I didn't want to mark up my fabric with anything so this was the best option. The other thing I did was thread trace my darts. Again, I never bothered thread tracing due to taking too long. It really didn't take too long and it made the darts so easy to sew.

There was quite bit of topstitching on all the seams and pockets but it sure made the pants look great. It is difficult to pick up all the details in the pictures. I tried to lighten up the pictures enough so you can see the details. The actual color is a dark chocolate brown.

Ottobre 4-2007-32

Pants Front

Pants Back

Pattern Description: These pants are pepped up with lots of topstitching, bar tacks and bottom-leg trims with rows of buttons. The back-pocket facings and facings for the leg-pocket flaps are cut from printed floral cotton poplin. the knee panels are gathered at the sides, both for looks and added comfort.

Pattern Sizing: 134-158 I made a 134 width and 146 length. I knew this would be big in the waist but thought I would put in an adjustable waist band.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? My pants looked just like the picture.

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were fairly easy to follow. I had a little bit of trouble with the fly zipper because no measurements were given.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like all the details in these pants. The pockets are so cute.

Cargo Side Pockets
Back Tulip Pockets

I was even successful with the tulip back pockets with their method of application. I found it was important to edgestitch very close to the edge so that my light colored facing fabric didn't show at the edges.

Fabric Used: Polyester that is like velvet on the right side and slippery on the wrong. It is a very drapey fabric. I am not sure the exact name for this fabric.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't add the bottom leg trim. I also didn't follow their instructions for the waistband. I stitched the waistband and top of pant right side together and turned to inside. Then I stitched knit binding on the bottom edge of the waistband,turned it to the inside and then stitched the waistband from the right side to finish it off.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would certainly recommend this pattern. It makes an awesome pair of pants that look very RTW. I didn't think these were difficult but I did have to take my time and be as precise as possible.

Conclusion: The extra time put into these pants was well worth the great result. Attention to detail is very important for making these pants a success.

These are great pants I probably will make another pair. Next time I will remember to put in the adjustable waist before topstitching the whole thing. They are a little big on my daughter now. I took some large tucks in the waistband in order to get them to fit her. You can't see the tucks at all since her shirt is so long.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful day.

Until next time...

Funky Flower Tunic--Ottobre 4-2007-31

2009-08-19T22:52:00.004-08:00

This is another pattern that I have been wanting to make for quite a while. I thought this would be a perfect first day of school outfit-short sleeve since it is still kind of summer and cute pants. I will write about the pants in a later post. My daughter really like this and was actually excited for me to finish. Here she is on her way to her first day of 4th grade.

Ottobre 4-2007-31

Pattern Description: The tunic with sweet puffed sleeves can be worn on its own or paired with a turtleneck. a single-jersey belt tied around the raised waistline highlights the empire cut of the tunic.

Pattern Sizing:116-152

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes! Mine was longer because I added length.

Were the instructions easy to follow? This is very simple to put together so I didn't use the instructions too much. The seemed very easy to follow when I read through them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the styling.

Fabric Used: Knit blend probably poly, rayon or something. It is a thin knit that is very drapey. This pattern would work well with many different types of knit from lightweight to heavier. I bought it from the Michael Levine upstairs room full of boxes of extra fabric in Los Angeles, CA.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: None

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes I would sew this again. It is very cute.

Conclusion: A very quick top to sew up that turns out very well. I like the longer length so my daughter can wear it with the pants (I also made the ones pictured with this tunic in the magazine) or leggings.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Ottobre "Kalle" Outdoor Pants

2009-08-18T21:02:00.004-08:00

I have been very busy the past few days sewing, sewing, sewing. My children started school today and I finished some things for them to wear on their first day. This first post will be about my son's pants. There will be posts to follow the next couple of days about my daughter's outfit.

My 7 year old son told me a week or so ago that I needed to make something for him. Well, of course I am going to make something for him. Ottobre has so many awesome patterns for boys so I turned there first. Actually, I knew exactly what I was going to make for him. I had been wanting to make these pants for quite a while. While I was in Portland in March I made sure I went to Rose City Textiles because I wanted some fabric for these pants. I ended up finding some fantastic dark grey Supplex in the Annex.

Ottobre 4-2008-24 "Kalle" Outdoor Pants

Front
Back

I thought these would actually be harder than they really were. This project took me about 7 hours from tracing to completion. This pants were a joy to make even though the side seams and hip pockets had 5 rows of topstitching and all the other places had three.

Front Pocket and Topstitching

I am actually in awe that I finally made a pair of awesome boys pants from Ottobre. I can't wait to try another pair.

My complete review:

Pattern Description: The pants sewn from lightweight outerwear fabric have logs of beautiful details, including pleats on roomy back pockets, knee pleats on pants front and bar-tacks stitched with contrast-color thread. They also have multiple topstitching in various colors.

Pattern Sizing: 104-134 My son is taller and thin (his height is b/w 122-128 with his waist/hip between 104-110. Thank goodness for multiple pattern sizing. I cut the top at 122 with the width 116. Then I cut out 128 at the bottom. The pants ended up fitting him great. Next time will cut all length 128.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? My finished product looked very much like the photo except my knee pleats don't hold in quite as well. They still look good though.

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were good. These seemed to be more detailed than some other Ottobre instructions I have used.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love these pants. They have such great details. I love the pleats and all the topstitching even though it took a bit of time the effect was well worth the time.

Knee Pleats

Back Pocket Pleats

Fabric Used: Supplex from Rose City Textiles in Portland, OR

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't change anything except I didn't put on the belt loops.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? This was a fun pattern to make. I love how the details you spend time on really make a difference in the look of the garment. I would (and probably will) definitely sew these again. They didn't take too long and look great. It took me about 7 hours from tracing to completion (a lot less time that I originally thought).

Conclusion: Fantastic pant and my son really likes them so they are a definite winner.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Garments in My Sewing Queue!

2009-08-12T23:05:00.014-08:00

While I have been sick I haven't been sewing but sickness certainly didn't stop me from thinking of sewing. I decided to go through my Ottobre and Burda mags and make a list of the garments that I wanted to sew up. As I was going through I limited myself to only picking patterns that I most likely have fabric now to use. This is the measly list that I came up with. Note: This list does not include Jalie or my big 4 patterns.

For my kids:

Ottobre 3/2004
#22 pants for my boys

Ottobre 1/2005
#29 high cross front shirt for daughter

Ottobre 1/2006
#37 eyelet cross over sleeveless blouse
#16 basic dressier pant for daughter

Ottobre 4/2006
#16 Star hooded fleece sweatshirt for son
#17 slim corduroy pant for son
#23 trench coat
#31 T-shirt with cross neckline for daughter
#32 hooded vest for daughter

Ottobre 5/2006
#33 belted jumper
#32 shirt with cute shirring on the sleeve

Ottobre 4/2007
#21 Jacket with shawl collar
#20 elastic waist a-line short corduroy skirt
#29 denim pant for boys
#34 hooded sweatshirt w/ front pocket for daughter
#32 velveteen pant/ jean--finished
#31 tunic w/belt--finished

Ottobre 4/2008
#26 raglan t-shirt for boys
#24 cool pants for outerwear fabric for son--finished
#35 shirtdress w/belt
#38 raglan t-shirt with hood for son

Ottobre 6/2008
#29 sweater with mock button up shirt for son--finished
#26 outerwear vest for son
#36 jacket w/sweater knit for daughter
#38 light outerwear jacket for daughter

Ottobre 1/2009
#22 raglan t-shirt w/contrast long sleeve and cuff for son
#18 t-shirt w/ contrast yoke, sleeve, and shirred front for daughter
#35 tunic with button front
#32 leggings
#24 polo shirt for son

Ottobre 3/2009
#33 flared t-shirt with criss-cross in back
#24 t-shirt for son with contrast cuff and stripe on shoulder
#27 t-shirt w/polo color for son
#19 jersey jacket w/gathered yoke

Burda 8/2009
#139 short plaid jacket
#141 dress
#145 cuffed skirt

For Me:

Ottobre 3/2004
#41 hooded fleece jacket

Ottobre 1/2005
#38 high cross neckline t-shirt
#40 quilted outerwear vest

Ottobre 2/2006
#3 collared pullover shirt
#18 sweater cardigan with tie
# 5 basic button up shirt (no pockets)
#1 v-neck t-shirt

Ottobre 5/2007
#10 jeans
#19 hooded sweatshirt

Ottobre 5/2008
#5 cargo pant
#13 jacket

Ottobre 2/2009
#1 cami

Burda 8/2008
#129 long blouse w/tucks at shoulder

Burda 2/2009
# 107 skirt
# 101 dress

Burda 5/2009
#103 wrap v-neck top
#112 shirt jacket w/zipper
#110 blouse

Burda 6/2007
#129 wrapped top dress

Burda 7/2009
# 122 wrapped top w/tie

Burda 8/2009
#104 ruffled blouse
#119 jacket w/interesting collar
#107 pleated skirt and buttons

Now I certainly don't expect that you did any more than skim through the above list. The only reason that I typed it out is to keep a list for myself. Also, I couldn't believe all the garments that I could make that I already had fabric for. Of course I already knew that I had a large fabric collection (that I don't feel guilty about) but making out this list really put my fabric collection into proper perspective. I guess I really don't need to buy any more fabric for a while. I think that I will keep very busy.

I am so glad now that I didn't do any clothes shopping for my children this year. Earlier this year I purchased some things for really good sales. My plan was to sew up anything they would need. I certainly have the resources.

What have I done so far? Tonight I traced a Ottobre shirt and a pair of pants for my daughter. Tomorrow I will hopefully get around to cutting them out and sewing up at least the shirt and maybe the muslin of the pants. Before I do any sewing though, I have to have my daughter try on all her clothes to see how much she really needs. No need for me to sew up more than she needs when I could be sewing for myself. :)

Wow, what a lot of rambling.

Just so this post isn't pictureless I leave you with a picture of my children climbing on this really neat rotating climbing wall. We went for the first time to Pump It Up, an indoor inflatable playground. They had as much fun on this wall as they did all the big blow up stuff.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Update 8/13: My daughter tried on all her clothes. She has plenty! What is a sewing mom to do?! I am going to have to finish her first day of school outfit then sew for my son (who does need some things) and then for me. But I have so many cute things to make for her! I am heartbroken!

I have a question for you moms. Do your children outgrow their clothes because of their width or height? All of my kids outgrow things because of their height. Width wise my kids can wear clothes 3-4 sizes smaller than their height. For my daughter this means that all her shirt sleeves become 3/4 length and she can wear them another year or two. She has had a couple of things in her closet since 1st grade (she is going into 4th). My 7 year old son can wear a size 4 t-shirt or short but needs size 7-8 to be long enough for his arms and legs. How do your kids grow? Are mine weird or just normal?

Jalie 2804: A Spontaneous Creation

2009-08-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

What a fun sewing weekend I had. My kids were gone camping with their grandparents and I spent Saturday finishing up my Burda blouse and made this one up Sunday afternoon. It has been a long time since I finished so many garments in such a short time. I should have been working on my daughters school clothes but I wanted to make one more thing for me.

Boy, this is a great shirt to just whip up in an afternoon. It was so easy. I think that I might have made it a little small. It could be because my fabric is too stable (it passed the stretch test but had to be pulled). I will still wear it but next time I will make a bigger size.

My full review:

Pattern Description: Empire crossover top with banded neckline and modesty panel. View A has a double layer lower bodice with gathered top layer. View B (one I made) has a flat single-layer bodice. Choice of cap, short, 3/4 or long sleeve. Sleeveless version has a casing at shoulder seam for adjustable casing.

Pattern Sizing: child 2-13 (F-Q) women's 4-22 (R-FF) I made size V tapering to Y at the hip. This is the same size that I made last time I made a Jalie pattern. I feel like it was a bit too small. I can wear it but I think a bit bigger would have been better. My measurements fit size V but I think I would like a bit more room. It could be that I needed to use a stretchier knit. The fabric I chose stretched the amount needed but I did have to pull it a bit.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes. Mine looked just like the picture.

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were pretty easy. I did have to look at the pictures to get a better idea of what the instructions were saying.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked how easy it was to put together. I made this shirt (from tracing to completion) in just a few hours. I like how the modesty panel extends across the whole front and isn't just a small v of fabric.

Fabric Used: Polyester knit from Joann's with quite a bit of recovery. It stretched the required amount but I had to pull it a little.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't change the design at all. I did try to make the sleeves larger. I tried starting at the V size and tapering out to the y and then back in. this didn't work that well. I think that I would need to try something else next time.

I didn't attach the neckline as they did. I bound it with my coverstitch machine and binder attachment. I also did this on the modesty panel instead of turning elastic. I think that this made the seam in the armscye a bit bulkier. The bulk seems to cause a little pulling at the arm seam. I think I would try the elastic next time.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I will definitely try this again. My daughter wants me to make her one and I think I have enough fabric left.

Conclusion: This is a great staple. Once I get the fitting quirks worked out it might become a TNT pattern.

BTW, I LOVE my binder attachment. Belinda and Debbie Cook have shared so many garments with awesome binded edges. They use binder attachments and have such marvelous, professional results. I have been wanting a binder for quite some time but wasn't sewing enough knits to warrant spending the money. I decided to bite the bullet and get one because I knew that I was going to be making quite a few knit shirts for my children for school clothes. This was one of the best things I have purchased for sewing. It is so easy to use! I thought there would be a learning curve but for me it was fairly easy to use right away. One thing I have to figure out is how to stretch the binding a bit to get the neckline to hug the neck. I will just have to play around until I get it right.

Here are some links to Debbie Cook's coverstitch tutorials and also Belindas coverstitch tutorials. Their information is fantastic!

Thank you so much for stoppin' by. Have a great day!

I Just Want to Sew!

2009-08-10T11:45:00.000-08:00

My kids are home. My youngest son is sick. I don't feel so well. The house needs to be cleaned.

BUT, all I want to do is hole up in my sewing room and sew, sew, sew!

Oh, the tortured life of a seamstress!

Until next time...

Burda 8-2008-103 Blouse Finally Finished!

2009-08-09T23:30:00.001-08:00

This project, while enjoyable took a bit of time. Not something I could just whip out in a day. I really like the fabric I used. It is something totally different than I have sewn with before. I have always steered clear of slippery fabric. Sewing with polyester silky was not as difficult as I thought it would be. Cutting it out had its challenges. I started cutting the pieces out with two layers. My front peplum pieces came out very different so I changed to cutting out single layer. This worked much better.

My full review:

Pattern Description: This blouse sports a peplum and short, puffed sleeves as well as true-to-style self-fabric button loops and pretty little buttons.

Pattern Sizing: 34-42 I made size 42.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? My garment looked very much like the picture.

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were pretty easy to follow. This shirt doesn't really have any complicated design features. Even though the instructions are typical of Burda (not much extra info) they are clear enough if you have made shirts before.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?I liked how the neckline was finished. The binding finishes off nice and cleanly with the facings. I also really like the button underflap application. I have made other patterns with button loops that didn't include this. This just shows how much attention to detail there is in Burda patterns.

Fabric Used: Silky Polyester from Fabric Depot in Portland, OR. This was my first time to use this type of fabric. I tested different seaming methods to minimize puckering. Sandra Betzina, in More Fabric Savvy, suggested french seams for this type of fabric. This didn't work very well for me. I had very good luck with serging.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I added 1/2" to the length so the shirt was a little longer. Other than this very minor adjustment I made the pattern as drafted and written.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I probably wouldn't sew this again because it is distinct. I would definitely recommend this to others. It was easy and fun to sew.

Conclusion: This was a great shirt to make. It has great style without being too complicated to construct. A very rewarding project.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota Part 2

2009-08-05T22:09:00.000-08:00

The Black Hills in South Dakota were so beautiful. I was glad that we were able to explore them for a couple of days. I found out that the Black Hills (which look very green when you are in them) were named because they look black from a distance. Interesting, I thought.

The other interesting thing we saw was all the little piles of wood and brush. They were everywhere. Finally we found out that all the piles were made to clean up downed trees and brush that are potential fire hazards. Then in the winter they would burn up the piles.

Here is a list of the other fun things we did while in the Black Hills.

1. Custer State Park--We would have liked to camp at one of the campgrounds in Custer State Park but we froze the night before (it got down in the upper 30's) so we didn't. While in Custer State park we drove the Needles Highway (SD 87) and it was AMAZING (well, my kids didn't think it was quite as fun as I did). The rock formations were fascinating.

Notice my children at the bottom of this picture of the Needles Eye for size reference.
There were some really neat tunnels that we got to drive through. At this tunnel we got out and climbed around on the rocks a bit. It was so much fun to explore the nooks and crannies of these rocks.

The highway is not many miles but it takes a while to drive. It is very twisty and curvy and very beautiful. There is something gorgeous to look at around every corner.

We also drove on the Wildlife Loop Road. This drive was more on the plains but still interesting. While driving on the road we saw a few buffalo but not as many as I wanted to see and they were quite far off. We kept hearing how plentiful the buffalo were and I really wanted to see some. We also came across a donkey at the side of the road. He was quite cute.

As we were leaving the park I finally got to see a LOT of buffalo. There was tons of them and they ran right across the road in front of our car. It was GREAT!

After all of the buffalo passed us we kept driving and were able to see the exact path they took. It was really cool to see the trodden ground. Such little things can fascinate me.

2. Highway 16A--We drove this road up to Keystone. There is some awesome tunnels on this road. I love tunnels. They are so much fun. I loved that these tunnels were one lane so there was some element of danger. One tunnel framed Mt. Rushmore. Much to my husbands dismay (he got pretty exhausted driving on all the curvy roads) we drove this road a few times because I loved going through the tunnels. He is so wonderful to put up with my craziness.

We ate dinner at a new sandwich place in Keystone and then we drove on to Rapid City. I know that Rapid City isn't technically in the Black Hills but I am going to add the stuff we did in Rapid City to this post.

3. Storybook Island--In Rapid City, SD. My kids loved this stop. They really appreciated being able to run and play after a long day of driving. Storybook Island is a large playground with all the things to play on based on storybook characters.

I was amazed at all the fun details in this park and it was free (you could give a donation). My kids could have played here all day.

4. Thunderhead Falls--10 miles west of Rapid City, SD. We were told in Keystone that this was something we shouldn't miss. The area getting to and around Thunderhead Falls is beautiful. Thunderhead Falls is a pretty tall waterfall that is inside a cave. The cave was fun to walk through. We saw some interesting mining remains and how different minerals showed up as different colors in the rock. The actual falls weren't that fantastic. We could really only see the last 10-15 feet of the waterfall. The noise of the falls inside the cave was kind of fun. So, this is one attraction that had its good points but we could have missed it.

5. Chapel in the Hills--In Rapid City, SD. This stop was an afterthought. We passed the sign for it on the way to Thunderhead Falls. The picture on the sign looked fascinating so I thought we should check it out.The chapel itself is an exact reproduction of the famous Borgund Stavkirke of Laerdal, Norway. The architecture was gorgeous! It was beautiful inside and out. They actually have services in the chapel. Unfortunately, we weren't there at the right time. They also have a small museum showcasing items brought over from Norway or made by Norwegians here in the 1800's.

Boy, we sure were busy on our trip. I think that I have blocked some of the craziness out. My next Road Trip post will bring you more things we saw in South Dakota.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Simple Silk Screening

2009-08-04T16:17:00.004-08:00

I have been wanting to do silk screening for a while. I almost purchased some stuff to do it while I was at the Sewing Expo in March. I didn't buy anything then because I didn't want another project to figure out. I think that the Yudo machine that came out is really neat but I am not going to pay over $200 for something that I am pretty sure I will not do all the time.

Just the other day the Crafty Crow linked to an awesome easy silk screening idea on One Golden Apple. I can't wait to try it out. She made it look so simple. These are some cute t-shirts that the Golden Apple showed on her post. I think that I might even try this with my kids. My daughter is having a friend over to celebrate her birthday and this might be a fun thing to do.

Now I just need to find the supplies. Good luck to me!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota Part 1

2009-08-03T10:32:00.000-08:00

This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. This also began the tenting portion of our adventure. After we drove for a few hours we camped for the night in Lusk, Wyoming. This was our best tenting night even though we were at a "campground" sandwiched in between the highway and railroad tracks. We stopped early enough to set up the tend in the light and when we woke up the sun had warmed up the tent. Little did we know what was to come or we would have enjoyed that nights sleep much more.

Now on to South Dakota. I really knew nothing about this area before planning this trip. Sure I had heard about it but that was about it. I just knew that I really wanted to see Mt. Rushmore since we were going to be in the area. This area was so beautiful and fascinating!

Our first stop was Jewel Caves outside of Custer. All I can say is WOW!! We were able to take a 1 hour and 20 minute Scenic Tour of the cave. It was amazing! My children loved it. They have constructed a path for the entire tour. You walked on either raised metal pathways with railings or on what looked like cement walkways. There were lots of stairs but I didn't mind since the surroundings were so fascinating. After the tour the kids got a junior ranger book to fill out. They learned a lot about the caves doing these books and really took ownership of their adventure. After they finished they were "sworn in" to become junior rangers and were given a badge. This was an awesome experience that none of us will ever forget.

The picture was taken from here since I didn't take any pictures while touring the cave.

When we went in to the caves it was nice and sunny. When we came out it was pouring buckets of rain. The day was full of surprises. After Jewel Caves we stopped for a bit in Custer, SD. It was a small, cute little town. We ate lunch at a brand new bistro that had awesome pie.

Then we were off to Mt. Rushmore hoping it wasn't raining there. I was so excited and I was surely not disappointed! I was in awe from the first spotting of the face of the mountain driving by.

I wasn't expecting the huge parking garage when we drove in. It was shocking. We went up the stairs out of the garage to see this...I don't know what it was about this memorial but I was in awe from the very moment we stepped in. I loved every minute. I thought it just got more and more impressive as we went along the path through the Avenue of the flags and got up close to the mountain at the Grand View Terrace. Thankfully it had stopped raining. You can see the rain on the faces. It almost looked as if they were crying.

My kids picked up a junior ranger book here also. It had a lot of fun activities to do while at the memorial. One of the activities was a bingo board with lots of different facts they were to find out. We went on a ranger talk to learn about the mountain. My kids were fascinated by all that the ranger had to say. They learned a ton about the artist and the 4 presidents. They could still tell you who Gutzon Borglum was and possibly which president had the Panama Canal constructed. What an educational experience!

Down the elevator, under the Grand View Terrace, was the LincolnBorglum Visitors Center. There was so much to see and learn. My children loved the exhibit where they could push buttons and watch the mountain blow up on the tv. Oh, so easily entertained. They were "sworn in" again here to become junior rangers at this park and picked up another badge. They were lovin' it!

We spent about 3 hours the first day and then went back again the next day to see the Dakota, Lakota, Nakota village and spent a couple more hours looking around. I was sad to have to go. I thoroughly enjoyed this visit and would like to go back someday.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Stay tuned for more travel in South Dakota and some crafting coming up soon.

Until next time...

My Favorite Girl is 9 Today!

2009-08-01T21:10:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that my firstborn child is 9 years old. Time has gone so fast. It has been quite an exciting ride. She is such a blessing from God and I am so thankful to have her!

She decided on a ballerina princess party for our extended family gathering. On Monday she asked me to make her a tutu to go with the theme. Of course I said I would. Armed with Joann's coupons we went to purchase pink and purple tulle. My original idea was to make the no sew version. But time became and issue and I decided that I could sew them up faster than I could cut 100's of strips (the plan was to make 3 tutus-one for her and her 2 and 5 year old girl cousins) and tie them on to the elastic. I was right. I was able to make each tutu in about an hour.

The skirts for my daughter and my 5 year old niece (not pictured) were made of about 4 yards of both pink and purple. The skirt for the 2 year old was about 2 1/2 yards each of pink and purple. I cut the tulle different for the 2 year old's skirt and I didn't like it as much so I will give directions for how I made the skirts for the older two. Construction methods were the same for all three skirts.

Tutu Tutorial

1. I cut the tulle in half lengthwise and then in half lengthwise again so I had 4 long strips of pink tulle and 4 long strips of purple tulle.

2. I stacked all the tulle on top of each other. I put all the pink on top of the purple for one skirt and then all the purple on top of the pink for the other. I found that the best thing was to pin the edge that I was going to sew together. It was easier to get the edges together before going to my machine.

3. I put my binder that clean finishes both edges and makes a 3/8" binding on my coverstitch machine. I used 1 1/2" strips of satin to bind one long edge. I decided on binding the edge to keep the tulle from scratching the girls.

The edge looked like this when finished.

4. I sewed a line of stitching about 3/4" under the binding. This became my casing for elastic.

5. Half inch elastic was threaded through the casing.

6. Lastly, I serged the sides to close up the skirt.

My daughter and her cousins loved the tutus. They were quite the hit.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

August 2009 Burda

2009-07-30T10:09:00.001-08:00

I received my new Burda mag in the mail at the end of last week. I was thrilled to see it. I wasn't expecting it so it was quite a fun surprise. I flipped through it immediately and saw some things that I just loved. A few I will definitely make.

Jacket 119--I loved the unique styling of the collar. I am not sure what I have to make this out of but I would really like to make this one.

Blouse 104-- I will definitely make this one! I have been wanting to make a shirt like this one and was thinking I would have to change up a pattern I already have to add the ruffle. I think I may make this out of a stripe fabric that I have had for a while but waiting for just the right pattern. I liked it in the denim also but I currently do not have any lightweight denim appropriate for a shirt.
Skirt 107--I love the pleats and the buttons and the belt. I guess I just love everything about this skirt. I am not sure what I will make it out of or what I will wear it with but this a must sew!

Up until this magazine I have never been impressed with Burda's childrens clothes. The are never sized big enough for my daughter and I usually didn't like the styling. That all changed with this issue.

Jacket 139--When I turned the page and first saw this jacket I about dropped my teeth. I LOVED it so much. I couldn't wait to show it to my daughter who would look absolutely adorable in this jacket. Much to my dismay she wasn't as impressed as I was. I am going to make it anyway and make her wear it!

Skirt 145--This one I was a bit unsure of. I think it would look really cute with the jacket. Maybe in matching material. This one is a possibility but not certain.

Dress 141--I wasn't lovin' this dress when I first saw it. My daughter on the other hand loved it. So I will probably make this one to match some of the fun tights she already has. But it will be without the buttons since my daughter didn't like them.

I already have so much to sew and so little time. I have just now added quite a few more things. Such is the life of a grand planning seamstress. :)

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Burda 8-2008-103

2009-07-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

I purchased the Aug 208 Burda mag last year mainly because of this pattern. I loved it immediately. Since I bought it in the fall it was too cold for such short sleeves so I put it off until this summer. Well, this summer has been so busy that I am only now getting around to making it. I know that summer is almost over for us but I wanted to do this anyway. Maybe I will get to wear it once or twice before it gets too cold. I got this fun polyester silky polka dot fabric back in March from Fabric Depot in Portland specifically for this project. I love using fabric that I got while on a trip. The actual fabric is a little more burgandy than red.

I have the pieces cut and I am hoping to get some time to start sewing this up soon.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Road Trip: Denver, Colorado

2009-07-27T20:54:00.005-08:00

Next on our route was Ft. Collins, Colorado to see my husbands family. As usual we took some day trips down to Denver to do stuff with the kids. Naturally one of my favorite stops was Denver Fabrics. I got quite a few nice fabrics. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures. I was too busy fondling fabric to remember pictures.

We took the kids to a few fun places. Most of which we had been to before but had so much fun we made sure we did them again.

Overlooking Denver from the foothills

1. Denver Children's Museum

We visit this museum every time we are in Denver. When our kids were younger they LOVED the downstairs young child exhibit. This area was so much fun. There was a tree with all the things need to play house. There was costumes, a boat that rocked, and many other things I cannot remember. My kids were very disappointed that they were all over the age limit of 4 (I think) for this area. There was still plenty for them to do. There is a nice fire truck exhibit where my boys dressed up like firemen and pretended to fight fires.

We spent most of our time upstairs. I tried to get my kids into the art area but they weren't interested. They wanted to go to the invention area. This area has a bunch of cubbies with an assortment of tools. The children take recycled materials and can fashion them into anything they want. They do have some idea sheets to give ideas but the children are free to do whatever they want. My children started to make some things but were really just interested in sawing wood.
The next area my children loved (and remembered from the last time they were there 3 years ago) was the grocery store/diner. They loved shopping for groceries with their little carts, buying them from each other at the cash register and putting them back. They also really enjoyed taking orders and making food for mom and dad.

They spent some time at the small basketball court shooting baskets. Their other favorite area was an animal habitat playscape. They put on different animal costumes and then ran around up hills, through burrows, under trees, in and out of nests. This area was all about learning about different woodland animals' habitats, food and predators. They had a blast!

2. The Butterfly Pavillion

My husband and I had been to the Butterfly Pavillion years ago before we had children. We remembered that it was quite fun so we decided to take the kids. It was judged great by 2 out of 3 children. We didn't know that our oldest son would be terrified of the butterflies.

The first stop is a really neat room that has all kinds of different bugs. There was so many to explore that we do not get a chance to see. Seeing all the different ways that bugs camoflage themselves was fascinating.

The next room had some ocean creatures. The kids loved touching some starfish.

After the ocean room you can go into the butterfly pavillion. I LOVED this part. It is so fantastic! It is a beautiful pavillion full of trees, plants, flowers and of course butterflies. Butterflies from all over the world, in so many different beautiful colors fly everywhere. My daughter tried very hard to get one to land on her. This was so much fun!

The last room at the butterfly pavillion is a fun area for kids to climb, and play and learn more about different bugs. They also have hundreds of real (but dead) bugs and butterflies behind glass so you can get a close up look.

3. Hammond's Candies (featured on HGTV "How's It Made")

We toured this candy company a couple of years ago and wanted to go back again with my husbands family and when my children were a little older and could enjoy it a bit more. This is a fun step back in time. They make old fashioned candy with old fashioned methods on old fasioned machines. They make ribbon candy on a little contraption that is over 100 years old. This picture shows how they aerate the candy before it is shaped into candy canes and lollipops. This is a fast tour but it is fun to watch (and it's something free).

Of course the trip isn't complete without a stop in the candy store. :)

4. Red Rocks Park and Ampitheater

We decided to go to see Red Rocks as we were driving by on the highway. We were headed to Denver Fabrics so we decided to go after (couldn't take away any precious shopping time since they were going to close soon). I didn't really know what to expect. It was fascinating. The rock formations were beautiful. There are some hiking trails through the area but we unfortunately didn't have time to hike them. We drove up to the ampitheater but couldn't actually go in and see it because they were getting ready for a punk rock concert. We walked down a path from the top around the side to the bottom of the ampitheater where we could see in a bit. It was quite an amazing sight! In the picture you can kind of see the rows of stairs. These are the seats that look down onto the stage. The stage is backed by a huge rock as well as the sides. The rock formations make a natural ampitheater. It was really fun to see. I think going to a concert there would be awesome. Oh, here is a cool picture of part of the road up to the ampitheater.

I didn't really intend for these posts to become a long travel guide. Well, I hope this helps someone out there with a little trip planning. There are so many other fun things to do in Denver. These were just the ones we hit on this trip. Next time we are going to plan ahead to go on a tour of the Denver Mint. I think that would be really fun.

Hopefully my next post will involve some crafting.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Road Trip: Omaha, Nebraska

2009-07-21T23:03:00.006-08:00

I have been sewing but don't really have any pictures to show. So I thought I would show you some pictures from our road trip earlier this summer.

We flew to Minneapolis where we began our adventure. We stayed the night near the airport and managed to make it back to the airport to get our rental car before noon. We didn't reserve a minivan ahead of time because they were soooo expensive. We were praying that we would be able to upgrade when we got there. Every other trip they always asked if we wanted to upgrade so we were hoping they would do it again. God provided and were were able to get a minvan. This was a very good thing because I don't think my husband would have made it through this trip in one piece if we had to be in a car with three kids in the back seat together.

So we left Minneapolis and headed to see my brother and his family in Omaha, NE. We made it in one piece in about 6 hours. We got to visit that night and go to Famous Dave's BBQ. We had been told over and over how great this restaurant was but now we finally got to see for ourselves. It was good. :) The next day we went to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. OH MY GOODNESS!!! This zoo was AWESOME! I have been to a few zoos and this is by far my favorite. I liked it even better than the San Diego Zoo. They have some of the most fantastic exhibits. As you walk in you see this great big dome. It was the desert dome and it was AMAZING!

Inside the dome you walked around the large mountain looking at different birds and animals. You surroundings were just like in a desert with sand, and desert plants and flowers. After you fininshed in the top (which was hot like the desert too) you went downstairs. All I can say is WOW! First you go inside the mountain into the bat caves. There were so many different kinds of bats. Then you walk into a bayou. Literally a bayou. You walk on raised wooden walkways over the water in which alligators and other animals live. They have sunken boats, a run down shack, and plants to make it look so real.

This zoo is half inside and half outside. They had so many neat exhibits I can't remember them all. The other one I really remember is the rainforest. It was EXACTLY what you would think a rainforest would look and feel like. The even had a fun rope bridge to walk over and hidden paths to higher lookouts.

Somewhere in one of the building was a bunch of monkey exhibits. The gorilla one was really fun. They had these bubbles so you could see better. There was even a tunnel you could go through that came up under the exhibit so that you were kind of in the middle with a bubble over your head. It was really fun.

This was such a fun trip to the zoo. I would love to go again. Someday we will get back there to visit my brother and a trip to the zoo will definitely be in the plans.

Hope you have a great day! Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

What have I been up to this summer?

2009-07-17T10:23:00.008-08:00

This...

And this...

And this...

And this...

While watching this...

This...

This...

And waiting for this...

And this doesn't even include pictures from our little over two week driving trip to Minnesota, Nebraska, Colorado, and South Dakota. What a busy summer!!!

Hope you are having a great summer too!

Until next time...

An Easter Dress for my Favorite Girl

2009-04-21T22:50:00.004-08:00

Obviously this was finished a while ago. I am finally getting around to posting. This ended up being a pretty quick project especially since it was smocked (I started pleating the fabric--the first step in this project--6 days before Easter. Needless to say I was under a bit of stress to get this one done). After I was finished I was quickly on to other things and didn't get around to sharing it with you until now.

My inspiration for my daughter's Easter dress came from the latest issue of Australian Smocking. I love to make smocked dresses for my daughter. She is getting older and I wanted a style that was smocked but more sophisticated than the usual smocked dress. The Australian Smocking issue had a black floral sheath style dress that was beautiful. I didn't want to spend $15 on the issue since I only wanted the one pattern. I didn't think that a pattern for a simple a-line sheath style dress would be hard to find. I did have a little trouble but finally found Butterick 4220.

This dress had the right shape. I was a little leery because it didn't have a real person in the dress so was hard to tell the exact fit. I was also a little concerned because this was supposed to go over the head. I wanted it to be a bit fitted and there might too much ease if it was designed to go over the head. The fit ended up being perfect. I was very happy with the results and so was my daughter.

Here is a picture of my favorite girl and my boys ready for church on Easter morning. My review follows the pictures.

A close up of the smocking.

Pattern Description: Pullover, a-line dress, above ankle or mid-knee length, has stitched hems. A, B: lined.

Pattern Sizing: 7-10 and 12-16 I made a size 7 for my daughter who wears a RTW 9 slim (she could wear a 7or 8 RTW but she need the length).

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, except the skirt on the picture is more full than the finished garment.

Were the instructions easy to follow? I didn't pay too much attention to the directions. This is a very easy garment to put together. I do think that the directions for attaching the lining is not correct.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like how quickly it went together. The pieces fit together quite well. I didn't like that the pictures shows a smooth set in sleeve but it is really quite gathered.

Fabric Used: Stretch cotton. I wanted the dress to have a bit of body, not as much drape. This worked well.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I cut out a section in the middle of the bodice and inserted the smocking panel. The smocking panel did not go all the way under the arm to the side seam so I added dress fabric to the sides of the panel. After adding the side panels I had one large rectangle. I laid the original dress pattern over my rectangle and cut the armhole.

I also added an invisible zipper in the back seam. I am not sure how my daughter would get this dress on without the zipper (maybe if I used the suggested drapey fabric it would have been able to be a pullover). Her measurements matched the size 7 almost perfectly and it fits her perfectly .

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes it is a nicely fitting dress and looks cute. I think next time I would cut the bodice and make a two color block dress. I would look very different.

Conclusion: This is a nice pattern. It is a good basic dress that has a lot of potential to make different many times.

As soon as I finish my daughter's Jalie shirt I will share those. Hopefully soon!

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Burda 8-2008-121 Finished!

2009-04-19T18:32:00.005-08:00

Yeah! I finished my skirt. ( Click here to see my process on this skirt) It took a lot longer than I thought it would. I think it was because I topstitched all the seams on both sides. I really like how it turned out (even though it is a little big). I finished it late last night and it fit perfectly. This morning when I put it on (now with nylons) it was a bit big. I could still wear it. I might take it in but I would have to rip out understitching, topstitching, the waist seam and side seams. I might do this later. Right now I want to move on to something else (really I should finish up some of my other UFO's) and since it is wearable I probably won't tackle it now. Here are some pictures and my review.

front
back

Pattern Description: This slim skirt is sure proof of just how elegant lurex flannel can be! Godets (cut-in-one with the skirt panels) furnish walking space and swirl nicely on this very figure flattering garment.

Pattern Sizing: 36-44 I made size 44 which fit well late at night when I finished but not in the morning with nylons. :)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Exactly

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were pretty easy to understand.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like how feminine the bottom flippy part looks. Seriously, the pattern was so well drafted. All of the pieces fit so nicely together even after I fiddled with them a bit. I really liked how the seams were numbered. This was my first BWOF pattern. I haven't seen numbered seams like that in a very long time. It was very helpful for know which sides went together. All the pieces looked very similar so that bit of info was very helpful.

Fabric Used: I am not exactly sure what it is or where it came from. I am pretty sure that it is mainly polyester but it must have some lycra because it has some stretch to it. It might have some rayon also. It drapes very nicely.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: After reading other reviews I learned that this is a very curve hugging skirt. I really wanted to make this pattern but didn't want it to hug my rear very much. As I looked at the pieces I noticed that they all tapered in just a bit below the hip. I straightened this out on all the pieces. It wasn't very much but when I added this to all 8 pieces it gave just enough room. Now it gives a bit of shape to my rear without hugging in too much. I also topstitched on either side of my front three and back three seams. I really like the finished look of this.

I also omitted the lining since the wrong side of my fabric is silky.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Definitely! I am not sure what fabric I would make but I certainly will make it again someday.

Conclusion: Fantastic skirt. It is so fun to wear. I love the flirty bottom.

I really enjoyed sewing my first Burda WOF pattern. I sure can see why so many of you are hooked. right after I finished I went looking on their website to see what other mags I might be interested in. I only have Aug 2008 and picked up Feb 2009 in Portland. The preview for May was up on the website. I looked through it and loved quite a few things. I immediately preordered this one from Sew Baby. It should come mid-May. I may have to seriously consider asking for a subscription for Mother's day. I should sew up something else soon to help me decide.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Burda 8-2008-121 Muslin

2009-04-15T00:26:00.004-08:00

Well, I have not blogged in a bit but I have been sewing instead. I finished my Jalie top, have partially completed my daughters, partially finished some burp cloths for a friend, and smocked and sewed up my daughters Easter dress. Not bad for less than two weeks.

I had an evening to sew and did I head for my partially finished projects? Of course not! I decided I wanted to make a skirt. I read a blog entry by the Slapdash Sewist recently about how she was evaluating different skirt styles on her pear shaped body. I also have a pear shaped body and found it very interesting. I usually make slightly a-line skirts. I don't think I own a straight skirt (although I do have a couple of wrap skirt that are straight). I am not quite ready to try a pencil skirt I did want something a little straighter. I decided to go for something with a flared hem.

I perused through my pattern stash and landed on pattern #121 in my Aug. 2008 issue of Burda magazine (my one of only two mags). It was exactly what I wanted. I was pretty excited. This would be my first Burda pattern. I decided to look for pattern reviews on this one. I was a bit concerned about the fit. Straighter skirts can often fit tight and I want to get some insight from anyone who had already made the pattern.

I found two reviews on PatternReview. One was from Karen (here she mentions the skirt in her blog). She said that it really accentuated ones rear. This is not what I am interested in but really wanted to make this skirt.

As I was looking at the pattern pieces I noticed that each piece had a nice hip curve out and then cut in a bit just below the hip. Hmmm. I thought to my self. I wonder if I can just straighten out the line from the hip to the godets at the bottom in order to make it less form fitting.

So I gave it a try. Here are pictures of my first attempt with cheap fabric. Please excuse the bad picture and messy background. My husband wasn't home to be my photographer.

Back: I am pretty happy that it doesn't hug my rear at all and just slims my hips. It fits my lower back well without any gapping.

Front: The goopy side is just pinned. There will be a zipper in this skirt. So far I like the look.

This is a very easy skirt to put together. I am not doing the lining because the fabric that I am using has suede like right side and a slippery wrong side. It will go faster without the lining. I wanted it to be finished by tomorrow but since it is now 1 AM I must restrain myself and go to bed.

Possibly I will finish tomorrow and by some miracle, get a picture and post the finished skirt.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Jalie 2682 In the Works

2009-04-03T22:00:00.008-08:00

I have been working Jalie 2682. I am in the trial stages. I like the fit but I think I can tweak it to make it better.

I like the look of the front. It feels a little tight across the bust. Obviously the back is a little tight. The made a size V but tapered to an X at the hip. I had to make the sleeves quite a bit larger. I didn't want skin tight arms.

Deciding how to fix my problems is kind of a challenge. The bottom of the shirt seems to fit well. I think I have enough room even if I make it in fleece. I need to add to the bust and the back under the arm. I don't need the room above bust so I don't want to add width to the whole length of the bodice. I am going to test my seam alteration method with this pattern. I want to add width to the side seam under the arm without adding width to the bottom part. I might add to both the side seam of the back and also the center back. I am also going to shorten the length. I think it is more flattering on me a bit shorter. This also helps the back look a little better.

I will post about my alterations after I finished.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

A Very Prairie Dress

2009-03-31T17:00:00.000-08:00

My daughter chose Laura Ingalls Wilder for a report and project at school. The third grade did a wax museum. Each child chose a person from our American history. They the had to write a report, create a background, come up with a costume and props. I encouraged my daughter to choose Laura Ingalls Wilder because I wanted to make the dress. Yes, I asked her teacher and she said it was okay for me to make the dress.

My first challenge was to find the right fabric. It needed to be something that looked very simple and old fashioned. It needed to be inexpensive (I was going to need about 5 yards). I found some fabric at JoAnn's a few weeks ago on sale. I spent about $20 for the fabric which wasn't too bad. I washed it up and of course it was a wrinkled mess! You get what you pay for. Actually, wrinkly cotton wasn't too bad for this project. I think that it was more authentic this way.

I used McCalls 9424
The pattern was pretty easy and straightforward. I didn't have any difficulties. I didn't change anything either. I did omit most of the interfacing. I didn't put it on the collar or the back facing. Both turned out just fine. I did interface the brim of course and also the front facing for a bit more crispness. I think it turned out pretty well. My daughter was certainly pleased with it. She wore it all Friday hence all the wrinkles. :)

Portland Fabric Store Tour Stop #3: Rose City Textiles

2009-03-25T17:10:00.000-08:00

Rose City Textiles

2515 NW Nicolai
Portland Oregon 97210

This was the one store that I really wanted to hit. I really wanted to get some good wicking fabrics. I would like my kids to have some nice wicking shirts for camping and they can be quite expensive in stores so I will have to make them. I also wanted some nice lightweight outdoor fabric for some Ottobre pants for my sons. This store was a high priority and didn't want to miss it.

This store is located a little out of downtown. It is in a bit more industrial area. The street it is on has train tracks running down the middle. At first we couldn't find the store. I knew we had passed it so I turned around. Going the other direction down the street I easily found the store. The sign above the door says RCT.

I walked in and knew right away that this was going to be an awesome store. At first when we went in we didn't see anyone but after a few minutes Annette came and let us know she was there if we needed anything. They had bolts and bolts of wicking knits, lycra knits and gorgeous fleece. Around the corned was a plethera of mesh and supplex and other outdoor fabrics. Through a couple of double doors in what they call the Annex was lots of elastics and trims and other fun stuff. I couldn't tell you all that they had. Once I was out in the Annex I found the motherload. I was looking through some bolts of fabric that were stacked out there on some shelves. One of the men who worked in their warehouse informed me that all on those shelves was $1 a yard. Blow me over with a feather! $1 a yard! I couldn't believe my ears. I was quite overwhelmed though. I didn't really know what I was looking at.

Annette to the rescue. I asked for a bit of help and she was more than willing to point me in the right direction. She showed me all kinds of great fabrics. I ended up leaving with about 60 yards of fabric. Most, but not all of it was from the annex. I left with some fantastic deals.

Now, I would like to gush about the customer service. It was fantastic! Annette was so helpful. She is quite the enabler salesperson. I really liked working with her. When she found out that I was from AK she said that she does a lot of business with Alaskans. She said that if I needed something to just give her a call and she would send me samples.

This was such a great find. I am so glad that I made a point of stopping at Rose City Textiles. If you are in need of high tech fabric go online or better yet give Annette a call. She will be more than happy to help you out!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Enjoy your day!

Until next time...

New Jalie and Kwik Sew Patterns

2009-03-24T12:12:00.004-08:00

Dawn informed me yesterday that Seams like Home (our local sewing store) just got in Jalie patterns. I had been in a few months ago and they had one Jalie pattern. I got really excited and asked if they had any more. Now, Seams Like Home was originally a quilt store. The owner purchased Three Sister Fabrics (a fashion sewing store) and combined the two. So, the woman I talked to must have been a quilter and had no idea what I was talking about. Saddened, I left hoping that someday they just might carry more of these patterns. Yesterday was a happy day (although the owner had to point out what I was talking about because the woman I asked to point me in the right direction must have been a quilter :) )! The patterns were still behind the counter. Hadn't even been put out yet. They were so fun to look through. I was like a kid in a candy shop. :) Here is what I came home with.
It is only two of the many patterns I like but these two were my must haves! I have seen so many great shirts made out of this pattern. I was going to purchase a half zip sweatshirt/jacket pattern but since I didn't have specific fabric in my stash for it I decided to go for a Kwik Sew pattern instead.

Yes, Dawn, I said Kwik Sew. Let me explain for the rest of you. For a while now the store has had the Kwik sew pattern books. But, they didn't carry the patterns (except for a few leftover old ones). To me it didn't make sense why they would have the book and not the patterns. I am so excited that they now have both! I know that this may seem trivial to most of you but it was exciting for me. I haven't tried one of their patterns because I haven't had access to them locally. I see so many of you making great things with their patterns and am really excited to finally try one. I bought the this one because I have so much wicking fabric to use and I really like this style. A couple of my favorite t-shirts are this style.

I am so anxious to start the Jalie pattern on the left with my blue microfleece. It will have have to wait until I finish a project for my daughter. I am making a prairie dress for her for an activity at school. It is on Friday so I will have pictures later. I have enjoyed this project. It has been a good "get back to sewing" project. I didn't have to do any fitting. There has not been any difficult sewing. Just fun to get my juices flowing again.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Portland Fabric (and Yarn) Store Tour Stop #2: Knit Purl

2009-03-23T14:22:00.004-08:00

Knit Purl

1101 sw alder
portland, or 97205
(11th and alder)

Knit Purl was a fantastic yarn store right next to Josephines Dry Goods. We had a great time looking around in here. Every thing was so neat and inviting to look out. The people working there were very helpful. As we were leaving my mom and I saw the cutest baby sweater. Usually, I don't consider making baby sweaters. They grow out of them so fast and the recepient of such a gift does not always fully appreciate the gift. But I have a friend having a baby in August who I knew would really would appreciate this sweater so I just had to buy the yarn to make this really cute sweater for her. What is also really fun about this is the yarn I bought is lucious. It is Shibui sock yarn. I was told that the owner of Knit Purl created this yarn. Too fun!

(Picture courtesy of the Knit Purl website.)

I am really excited to make this for her. I haven't started yet since I have so much to sew and I have plenty of time. :)

Here is a link to the Knit Purl Blog.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Ooooo La La!

2009-03-20T23:56:00.003-08:00

Look what I got from Dawn!

Yep! A bunch of luscious fleece. This is gorgeous stuff.

The green and blue are Polartec 100 microfleece. It is so soft. The funny thing about the blue is that I have a hooded Columbia fleece jacket that I bought from Nordstrom probably 8 years ago. I absolutely LOVE that jacket. I wear it all the time. I have always loved how the fleece is thin yet very warm. About a year or two ago the bottom of the zipper broke. Did I throw this beloved jacket away? Of course not! I just don't unzip it very much. I step in and out of it most the time or unzip with the ultimate care. Guess what! This blue Polartec is almost the exact fabric that my jacket is made of. It's fabulous!

The red is Polartec 200. It is a little thicker than the 100. This is what caused my heart palpatations when I saw Dawn's Etsy store. When I was in Portland I saw fabric very similar but didn't buy any. I tried to go back to the store on the way to the airport but didn't have time. I have been kicking myself that I didn't get it in the first place. I really wanted to make a specific Ottobre jacket for my middle son. When I saw that Dawn had this I contacted her right away to get some. This is when she informed me that she had all kinds of other stuff. She is an evil woman!! :) Such an enabler!

Okay, the last one is so fantastic I can hardly stand it. It is plum on one side and lavender on the other. It is so soft I can't even describe it. It is a Polartec 300. It has great properties. Wind resistant on the plum side and wicking on the lavender. This is perfect for up here. The funny thing about this fabric was that a few months ago I saw this at our local store. I was drooling over the color and the softness. I dragged my daughter over to see the color and feel the softness. She wasn't as impressed as I was. Silly girl! I didn't purchase any because even though it was a 20% off day it was still way too expensive at the original price of $26 per yard and I didn't know exactly what I would do with it. I dropped my teeth when I saw this from Dawn and she was parting with it for soooo cheap. I couldn't help but get a couple of yards. I still don't know exactly what I am going to do with it but who cares. I think I will just pet it for a while. :)

So, go on over to Dawn's shop on Etsy. She has lots more fantastic stuff. Just try not to drool all over your keyboard. :)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Until next time...

Portland Fabric Store Tour Stop #1: Josephine's Dry Goods

2009-03-16T22:31:00.004-08:00

Our first stop was going to be Bolt Fabrics. According to an article in Threads Magazine it was one of the best Fabric stores in Portland. Unfortunately, we were there on Monday which is the day it is closed. So we headed on to our next destination.

Josephine's Dry Goods
521 SW 11th Ave. Portland, OR 97205

This store is located in downtown Portland . It is on the bottom floor of a taller building. The store was small but very nice. The quality of the fabrics was great. They had some very beautiful fabrics I would have loved to take home. The prices, while not inexpensive, seemed reasonable compared to some other stores we had been at. The sales woman was friendly and helpful but let us shop on our own. They also sell Burda World of Fashion Magazines so I was able to pick up the February issue. I was very excited to actually look through a magazine in person. I loved so many of the styles in this issue. The shirt dress is fantastic. I might have to try making this.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Back from Puyallup

2009-03-14T22:39:00.002-08:00

Okay, I'm back from the Sewing and Stitchery Expo. Well, actually I have been back for a while but I have been catching up on stuff. This afternoon was the first chance I had to unpack my very large box of fabric and stuff that I brought back.

My mom and I had tons of fun! We took so many great classes and learned so much. We took a class with a new to me way of altering patterns for a better fit. Lorraine Henry (I think that's her name) taught two 1 hour seminars and a 2 1/2 hour hands on class about the seam method. She taught how to alter patterns by cutting off the seam allowance, making "hinges" and then pulling out the seam allowance to the correct measurements. I think I understand this way of doing it but haven't had a chance to try it on my own yet. I will blog about it when I do it later. All that she taught is from a great book called Fabulous Fit.

Here is a link to a Threads article by Judith Rasband (a co-author of Fabulous Fit).

We took some other great classes. I absolutely love Peggy Sagers of Silloutte Patterns. She helps me focus on the fun of sewing and not on the rules. Actually she throws out a lot of the "rules". I have taken her seminars every time at Expo. Each time I listen to her something is cleared up for me to understand and use. The first time she taught me about setting in my sleeve flat without using pins. I LOVE this way of putting in sleeves. It is so easy! I don't pin at all and my sleeves ease in beautifully. The key to doing it is to have the sleeve on the bottom so the feed dogs can do the easing for me.

This year I finally understood LCD after hearing it three times. L is for length. C is for circumference. D is for Depth. Any alterations are done to the length first, then circumference (width) and the you can change depth (darts ususally). She talked about the bust circle that is a 2 1/2 inch radius around the bust point and that all darts and princess seams just have to go to or through the bust circle not the bust point. She said lots of other great things that I might be able to remember later.

Along with great classes we did lots of shopping. That was so fun too!! Since I do not have everything unpacked I don't have any pictures. Maybe I will take some pictures of some of my goodies in the future. I also brought home tons of fabric for so many great projects. After Expo we went down to Portland to some great fabric stores. I will tell you about some of the stores in the next few posts.

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my ramblings. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Another Superior Threads Giveaway

2009-02-24T11:52:00.002-09:00

I usually don't post about giveaways and now here I go and post again because Superior Threads is having another giveaway on their blog. The things I will do just to get another entry. :\ They are giving a $100 gift certificate this time. Wow! I would LOVE to have $100 to spend on their thread.

Thanks for humoring me. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Alaska Quilt Block #3

2009-02-24T11:43:00.003-09:00

Wow! This has been a long time in coming. I am finally posting about this block. This one came from Diana's Cozy Cabin Quilt Store in Eagle River, AK. It is a nice little store about 20 minutes from my house. Eagle River is technically in the Municipality of Anchorage (but it has a character all its own) so I didn't post the map also.

I won't be posting for at least a week. I will be at the Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, WA. I leave tomorrow and I am so excited!! I am excited to go to lots of classes and learn lots of new stuff (not to mention a trip without any children). I am even taking a hands on class for altering patterns to fit. I am hoping this is a good class. I am very excited to do some fabric shopping also. After the expo, my mom and I are driving down to Portland to visit some fantastic fabric stores. It is going to be a very fun and very busy week. I will try to take pictures.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Ottobre Pekka T-Shirts

2009-02-21T22:39:00.003-09:00

I needed another quick t-shirt for my son during their Spirit Week at school for Space Day. I know, that was a long time ago. I am finally getting around to posting about these shirts.

I found some perfect space fabric at JoAnn's. At first it was going to be just another plain t-shirt but then I found the red rib knit at home and decided to make a double sleeve t-shirt. Ottobre had the perfect shirt. I used the Ottobre Pekka T-shirt pattern (04-2008-25). It was perfect.

I made the space shirt for both of my sons. My younger son just had to have something made for him too. Since both boys are the same size around I made them a 122. This length was perfect for my older son but I had to shorten the length for to a 110 for my younger son. Unfortunately, I forgot to shorten the arms also for my younger son so they are a bit long. I could still do it but probably won't. They are fine rolled up. Sorry, I don't have a picture of my younger son in this shirt but it looks exactly like this one. They both like these shirts and actually wear them!

I also had this striped fabric laying around that I thought I would use to make the same shirt since it also went with the red rib knit. I didn't like the result that much (I don't think my son actually likes it that much either. He hasn't worn it yet and I had to beg him to put it on for a picture). I decided to embroider the front to give a bit more interest. Whoops! Something happened while I was embroidering my older sons shirt and I ruined it. I only partially messed up my younger sons shirt. He can still wear it but it certainly isn't my favorite. A solid sleeve would have been much better.

Full Review:

Pattern Description: The long-sleeved two-in-one T-shirt combines solid colored and striped interlock knit. It has double layer sleeves.

Pattern Sizing: 92-128 I made a 122 for both sons in the width and shortened to 110 length for the younger son.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were very easy to follow.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the easily the double layer sleeves went together. The whole shirt was very easy to put together.

Fabric Used: For the older son I used an inexpensive waffle knit. For the younger son I used an inexpensive maybe jersey knit. The contrast red in both shirts is rib knit.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I bound the short sleeve edges in the rib knit and I did not put the stripes on the short sleeves.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? DEFINITELY!!

Conclusion: This is a fantastic basic shirt. You can do so much with this style shirt. You can use this pattern over and over as a basic starting point and make many different looking shirts. I will get tons of use from this pattern. Oh, next time I would be more careful not to pull the binding too tight on the sleeves.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Superior Threads Giveaway

2009-02-14T10:51:00.002-09:00

I usually don't do two posts in one day but right now I have the time. I could probably do 5 with all the different things I could write about. I have a few finished garments, a sweater in the works, quilt blocks and blankets. But I don't want to go into those things right now. I just want to do some quick blogging in order to quickly get back to sewing.

Superior Threads is having a giveaway on their new blog. I love Superior Threads. I use their So Fine thread for constructing garments. It is such wonderful thread. There is hardly any lint at all. My machine stays so clean using it. When I first purchased some thread I thought it was a bit expensive. But once I started using it I was hooked. It stitches beautifully and so smoothly. For me it is worth every penny. And actually it is cheaper per yard. The up front cost is a little more but it will last a long time if you get the big cones.

Check out their website for all their products. They carry tons of different quilting and embroidery threads and many other kinds too. They have lots of great info on their website, in their newsletters, and I think on their blog in the future.

Thanks for stopping by again. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T10:43:00.003-09:00

This picture is a part of my new blog that I wanted to share with you. I am not sharing this because I think that you will be interested but because it shows that I am working toward fulfilling the things I set out to do at the beginning of the year.

I have started a new blog called Capturing Each Day. Each day I will post a picture that I have taken that day of something relevant to my life. One of the things I really want to do this year is to get better at taking pictures. The only way to do this is to consistently take them. So this blog is an attempt at stretching myself toward better picture taking abilities. The pictures are not great but hopefully in time they will get a lot more interesting. If you want to take a look please do but it is not at all crafting related. Although some pictures I am sure might be since it is a big part of my life.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a Happy Valentines Day!

Until next time...

Camo Day

2009-01-30T22:15:00.004-09:00

This past week has been Spirit Week at my kids school. Tuesday was Camo and Pink day. My kids didn't have anything camo so on Monday evening I decided to make them something. I wanted to use my Ottobre 301 t-shirt pattern and just needed some fabric. My youngest son and I headed to JoAnns for some knit camo fabric. I really wanted some pink camo for my daughter. That would have just been so perfect. I went in hopeful to find what I needed. I searched and searched but was having trouble finding what I wanted. I thought I was going to have to settle for fleece. Of course, there was not any pink camo. As a last effort, we headed to the clearance section and my son spotted some camo fabric that was perfect. So, that evening I spent making two shirts. My kids loved them!

I used my Ottobre t-shirt pattern for the first time. It was a wonderful pattern. It fit my kids beautifully. I am amazed at the accuracy of the measurements in Ottobre patterns. I am so impressed with Ottobre I don't think that I can go back to patterns from the big 4. I would much rather spend time making something that I know will fit my children rather than hoping for the best (which is what I do with big 4 patterns). I am so bummed that I didn't start using these patterns sooner (I have had a magazine for a couple of years am just now using it). Well, now I will just move forward with these great patterns.

Here is my review:

Pattern Description: Unisex long sleeve t-shirt either straight or more fitted cut

Pattern Sizing: 92-170 I made size 110 for my son with size 128 length for his long arms. I made a size 122 width and 140 length (146 arm length) for my daughter.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes the instructions were very clear.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the instructions for putting on the binding and putting the sleeves flat and then seaming the sleeve and side seam at one time.

Fabric Used: very stable knit without a whole lot of stretch

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't make any alterations

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Absolutely! I am sure I will make this many, many times in the future.

Conclusion: The finished garments fit my children exactly. I love how accurate the pattern size is to the measurements given. This is one of the best t-shirt patterns I have ever tried!

I used my coverstitch machine for the ribbing and it worked wonderfully. I still have quite a bit of practicing to do to get my hems and ribbing close to perfect but even as unperfect as they are I still think they look great. I love this machine.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time (hopefully soon, I have a lot to show you)...

Facelift Again!

2009-01-23T22:47:00.002-09:00

As you know from my constantly changing blog that I have never been happy with how it looks. Well, Melissa posted about a great place to get fun and FREE backgrounds. So, I played around with it for a bit (I am supposed to be sewing) and came up with something that I think I actually like and might stick with for a while. There are so many fun ones so don't be surprised if this blog looks different next week. :)

There is a button you can click on in the upper left hand corner that will take you to the Cutest Blog on The Block site and you can find your own super cute background. Such fun!

Thanks for stoppin by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Alaska Quilt Block #2

2009-01-19T13:32:00.004-09:00

I would have posted this a couple of days ago but I have been having computer trouble. But now I will post block #2 and hopefully I will get it done before my computer crashes again.

This block is from The Calico Cow in Delta Junction, Alaska. To give you an idea of how far Delta is from me it takes about 6 hours to drive there (330 miles).
My grandparents picked this one up for me as they traveled out of Alaska back to Texas. When I first saw the fabrics I was unimpressed. I thought they were boring. Even as I was making this block I didn't think I would like the finished product. To me, it seemed boring. When it was all finished I was pleasantly surprised. I like the simplicity. The simple fabrics help to enhance the star in the middle. It will never cease to amaze me how you never really know how something will look until it is all finished.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

My Sewing and Knitting Backstory

2009-01-13T19:58:00.003-09:00

I have been reading the histories of many fantastic seamstresses in blogland. So many started when the were very young. My sewing and knitting history is long and short at the same time.

I grew up in a fabric store. No, not really but I was there with my mother very often. None of the fabric stores are still in the same place and most are not around anymore but I can clearly picture them in my head due to frequent visitations. My mother sewed beautifully all my life (she started in junior high). She saved the first baby dress she ever made me. She made many, many special dresses for me as I grew up. She would ask me periodically if I wanted to learn to sew but it was never an interest to me when I was young. I was way too busy doing other things. I did take home ec in junior high but had a horrible teacher. My mother couldn't believe the ways she would tell me to construct this one garment I tried to make. This experience really turned me off from taking the time to learn to sew.

Then comes Christmas of 2000. My mother got a new fancy dancy embroidery machine for Christmas. Since she had no need for her old machine she GAVE IT TO ME! I was now very excited to learn. I was 26 and my first child, a daughter, was only 4 months old. I really wanted to learn how to make my daughter cute things. My mom started me out guiding me through my very first garment, a really cute pair of overalls. I was hooked. My mom was a great teacher but I decided that I wanted to have focused time to learn. With my mom learning would be hit and miss whenever we would be able to get the time together. I decided to find a sewing class. I found a wonderful teacher and for a year went every week for 2 hours to learn how to sew. She taught me so much. I really appreciated how she taught me to think outside the box and gave me confidence to not have to follow the pattern guide sheet. She let me make whatever I wanted and guided me through giving me many tips along the way. The garment I will never forget was a pair of real overalls made with purple twill complete with lots of topstitching. By the time I finished them I hated them so much I think I only had my daughter wear them once.

During the summer of 2001 I think sweaters with everything must have been in. I was seeing cute sweaters everywhere and I decided I wanted to learn to make them myself. I contacted a knitting teacher and my mom and I sat a couple of Saturdays on this lady's couch while she taught us to cast on, knit, pearl, increase, and decrease. This was my only knitting instruction. Most of knitting I have taught myself (well, actually, I go to my knitting guru friend all the time with questions).

After the year of sewing classes my husband said that I had learned enough and said I couldn't go back to the classes. They were too expensive. He has no idea how much there is to learn with sewing. Since then I have been learning on my own and stretching myself to get better and do more complicated things. Twice I have gone with my mom to the Sewing and Stitchery Expo (2006 and 2007) and learned a ton of fantastic tips and tricks. The second year I picked up smocking. We are going to go again this year and I am so excited to learn some more. I only really discovered sewing blogs and pattern review (I actually signed up for PR in 2003 but forgot about it and never went to the site) about a year and a half ago. Wow! What a wealth of inspiration and motivation. I have loved this resource and has helped me grow tremendously as a seamstress and a knitter.

So as you can see sewing has always been a part of my life but I only have been doing it myself for the past 8 years. Boy, have I come a long way! I can't wait to see what the next 8 years will hold.

Thanks for stopping by and reading a bit of my history. Have a great day!

Until next time...

A Dress for a Wedding

2009-01-11T16:32:00.004-09:00

In the past I have read about many people who have had a wedding to go to and therefore made a dress. Before reading these blogs the thought wouldn't have crossed my mind to make a dress for a wedding. Plus, I don't go to too many weddings. Most of the people I know are already married. Well, recently a co-worker of my husband got married and I made a dress for the wedding!

This was a huge step for me. I have never made a dress for myself. Shirt, yes. Dress, no. I used a fairly easy pattern. Butterick 5206.
I read the reviews on Pattern Review and was pleased to find out that most really liked the pattern and the finished results. I think they all said that they had to take in a few inches and this really helped me decide what size to make. My pattern only went up to a 14. This was fine for my bust but too small for my waist and hips. After reading the reviews I felt confident that I could just cut a 14. I did add an inch to the back after measuring the back bodice piece because I have a wide back. I also added a bit to the neckline because all the reviewers felt the neckline was quite low.

The pictures aren't the greatest. They were taken inside at night and there is quite a bit of shadow. I tried to lighten them up a bit so you can get an idea of how it looks.I have to say that this is the boldest print I have ever worn over my whole body. I cannot believe I made it for myself. It is very daring but I kind of like it though.

Pattern Description: Mid knee length dress has close-fitting mock wrap bodice, flared skirt, contrast binding, side zipper, two sleeve lengths and tie belt.

Pattern Sizing: 8-14 I measure 14-16 in the bust and 16-18 in the waist and hips. Since I had read other reviewers had to take the dress in about an inch or so I decided to cut out a 14. This worked great for me. I did add an inch (total-half inch to each side) to the bodice back because I have a wide back and after measuring the actual back bodice piece I realized that was needed.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes very much like the picture.

Were the instructions easy to follow?Very easy to follow although I didn't really use them too much since it was easy and I wanted to do things a little differently. I but the top together before doing the binding on the top. I wanted to make sure the top fit well before going through all the trouble of binding the edge. I also set the sleeve in flat rather than per the instructions.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the simplicity of the pattern and the result didn't look simple. I think that I must not have attached the waist very well because it looks messy. This is completely unnoticeable under the belt.

Fabric Used: probably a polyester knit from Michael Levine Loft

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
1)I didn't have quite enough fabric so my ties were not as long as the picture.
2) I did the binding a bit differently. I cut it on the crossgrain because this direction had a comparable amount of stretch as my fashion fabric. I stitched the binding on the garment right sides together. Then I folded the binding over the seam allowance to the other side and stitched it down using my coverstitch machine. This gave a nice finish to the wrong side. Since my fabric was black you can barely see the stitches on the wrong side of the tie. This was a very easy application of the binding. I would have rather used a binding attachment for my machine and done the whole thing in one step but since I don't have a binding attachment yet I had to do it in two steps.
3)Eliminated the zipper per recommendation from other reviewers. It slips over the head just fine.
4)Bound the arm and hem. It was easier to bind these edges instead of trying to turn and stitch them down.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I am not sure. I love the dress and love how it looks but I am not sure that you can have many of this style in one closet. I might make it in a solid. I think that would look different enough from the print.

Conclusion: I would definitely recommend this pattern. It was easy to sew and to fit. This is a great first dress and a nice beginning pattern for sewing knits. I really like the belt as it covers a multitude of mistakes.

I took pictures of putting on the binding but since it is black it is just too dark. You can't see anything so there is no point on having pictures. Sorry about that.

If you are looking to make an easy dress that is quite nice give this pattern a try. I think it is a great knit dress. Oh, I think that it is a bit low too. I have it pinned but I think next time I might wear a tank underneath.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Alaska Quilt Block #1

2009-01-10T22:16:00.004-09:00

Twelve days ago I made the commitment to make one quilt block a week. You are probably think that I already messed up. Well, I didn't really. I didn't get the Thangles (which is necessary to making the blocks) until last Saturday. Since it has only been a week since I had all the supplies I am right in my time frame.

Let me tell you about Thangles first. They are quite interesting. Since my blocks are 2 1/2" finished I will used these measurements. You start with 3" strips. Then you pin on the Thangles 2.5" strips. The strips are 3"wide paper strips that have triangle lines marked.

As you can see in the picture there are multiple diagonal lines. The middle one is solid and the two on either side are dotted. You stitch on the dotted lines. This one strip will make 4 triangles. This is a picture of the backside and you can see the stitched lines.

To make the triangles you cut on the solid lines.

Last you take off the paper and you have a very nice square.

Sorry I don't have a picture of one finished square. I do have a picture of my finished block. This block kit came from Seams Like Home here in Anchorage. It was pretty easy to get. :)

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great Sunday.

Until next time...

To Go Cheap or Not to Go Cheap? That is the Question.

2009-01-04T19:30:00.004-09:00

I rediscovered an Ottobre yahoo group recently that I subscribed to long ago. All of the messages were going to my yahoo mail that I never check and boy have I been missing out. I set it to go to my regular email and now I will be able to keep up. This is not the reason for this post though.

One member of this group posed a question to the others. She wanted to know an average price for making different garments and if it was possible to sew for less than you can purchase clothing a stores such as Target or Children's Place. The discussion got quite interesting with people sharing why they sew and what quality fabric they use. Some members sew to save money and strive to make garments for the least amount of money possible. Other members bought the fabrics they loved regardless of price because they wanted to make one of a kind outfits. There was also many responses in between.

I thought this was a very timely question. Something I have been pondering lately. When I began sewing 8 years ago I couldn't wait for JoAnn's 50% off clearance fabric sales. I loved getting fabric for $2 and $3 a yard or even less. I could make outfits so cheaply. I did quite a bit of sewing with this type of fabric. I didn't even go to the independent fabric store because I couldn't imagine paying those prices.

After a while I started going in to our local fabric stores and would find fabrics I really liked that were on sale. I bought a few cottons for $5 and $6 a yard. Thus began my love for high quality cotton fabric. I noticed immediately how nicely it sewed up. It would press beautifully. It didn't come out of the dryer a wrinkled mess.

Then I decided to make a wool skirt for myself. I wanted nice fabric so I went to my local store and purchased some nice wool. It was a delight to sew and I loved the result. My love for nice fabric was just beginning. I still couldn't bring myself to pay a lot for fabric on a regular basis so I worked on finding good deals when I could. I would go to Denver Fabrics Annex when I could. I stocked up on some nice fabrics when I went to the Sewing Expo in Washington and found some for good prices. I would get cottons twice a year when the quilt stores had their sale day or get it from their clearance bin. All the while I continued getting cheaper stuff also.

Now in my stash I have an assortment of a few nice fabrics, some decent fabrics, and quite a few cheap fabric choices. Every time I sew with my cheaper stuff I have great difficulty. It just doesn't sew up as well. It doesn't make sewing fun for me. It just becomes frustrating and the results are often not exactly what I would like. Take for instance the three polka dot dresses I just made. I purchased the fabric from JoAnn's. It wasn't clearance fabric. It was their regular stuff for about $6 a yard which I got on sale. This was fairly decent fabric. It sewed up alright but when I finished they just didn't have the crisp look I was going for. It just seemed like the fabric was never completely pressed. While these dresses are cute I wish I would have purchased nicer fabric. I would have gotten the result I really wanted.

I just made two garments from fabric I purchased at the Denver Fabrics Annex and from Michael Levine's Loft-nice fabric at less expensive prices. I was very pleased with how both sewed up. One of the garments was a knit. My knit experiences to this point have been less than great. Recently I made a knit shirt for my daughter. The shirt material was from Michael Levine's Loft and it was fairly nice to work with. It needed contrast and binding fabric and so I purchased some from Joann's. I had great difficulty with this fabric but it just might have been because it didn't have as much stretch as I needed. With the garment I just made I also needed fabric for binding. This time I got it from my local store. It was a little more expensive but it was a joy to work with.

So, through this fabric journey I have learned a few things. Sewing is much more fun when I use nice fabric. Nice fabric might cost a bit more but in the long run it is worth the extra expense. I am happier with the result and am more likely to wear (or encourage my daughter to wear) the garments that I make. Using nice fabric just makes sewing more fun.

As a result of this ponderings I have made it one of my goals to purchase more quality fabrics for my stash this year. Now, I still have a very frugal side so this will be a challenge but one I think I am up for. It is just going to take some savvy shopping.

In answer to the question on the Ottobre group how much I spend on fabric. I guess that would depend on the project. I might try not to spend very much on something that I know is not going to last long (like shorts for my children for a short Alaskan summer). But, I will not skimp on something I want to last a while. I have to remember that the garments I make could not be purchased at cheaper clothing stores. They would be found at the more expensive botiques. So if I spend $20-$25 (I usually spend lots less on nice stuff) on fabric for an outfit I am saving a lot of money compared to the expensive stores where I would like to purchase clothing.

I know that many of you already have come to these conclusions about purchasing nicer fabric. This has been a process for me. Actually this is kind of funny because I figured this out a long time ago with purchasing yarn for knitting. I simply cannot bring myself to purchase cheap yarn. I figure that if I am going to put hours and hours into something I am going to use the good stuff.

Wow! This is a long post. I will leave you with a picture of a typical activity at my house. Thank you so much for reading. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T23:32:00.006-09:00

Many other bloggers have been talking about their past year and looking forward to the next. Well last year I didn't make any specific goals to look back on now. I will just give you my thoughts on the last year which are a few.

3. My family is healthy and doing well. God has blessed us tremendously and provided for us in so many ways. I am so thankful for His care and concern for us over the past year.

2. I didn't sew a whole lot of garments but I learned a lot by what I did make. I am pleased with this years progress.

3. I finished 3 sweaters. I began 2 of them this year and finished up one started a couple of years ago. This was awesome progress for me. Yeah!!

Now, as for looking forward. I am not into New Years Resolutions. I never keep them. I think I have a commitment phobia. As soon as I think I have to do something I don't want to do it no matter how much I like the activity. I am such a rebel! So instead of resolutions I will nail down a few things I would like to accomplish. But remember there is no pressure here. Since I like to keep this blog mostly crafting I will restrict myself to crafty accomplishments. If I went through the things I would like to work on in my personal life the list would go on, and on, and on.

1. I want to purchase better quality fabric. I have a tendency to gravitate toward good deals. I need to put more quality stuff into my stash that I would actually want to wear. I also want to concentrate on coordinating fabrics and not just purchase things singly that I later have to find something else to match.

2. I want to spend more time crafting and not just vegging out. My main time for crafting is the evening and I am often pooped. I don't want to do anything but when I don't do anything I feel like I wasted a bunch of time. I will still veg out I would just like to do it a bit less.

3. I want to finish sweaters (and sewing projects for that matter) within a reasonable amount of time (not two years). I have been getting better at this and want to continue this success.

4. I want to sew more for myself which would then include increasing my fitting skills.

5. I want to make a chart to keep track of my projects. I really like the chart Karen made and want to borrow the idea. This will really help me see my accomplishments and be a motivator. Then at the end of next year it will be easier to count up my projects and yardage. I would really like to know exactly what I made and how much fabric I used. Oh, and I would like to fill the chart by the end of the year.

6. Lastly, I would like to figure out my camera and learn how to take better pictures. My pictures don't have to be museum quality just better than they are now. I really want to get some good pictures of my kids.

I am sure I could think of more but I will just stop here.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Alaska Quilt Block Shop Hop

2008-12-30T14:00:00.003-09:00

Back in 2006 14 different quilt stores across Alaska joined together to create blocks for an Alaskan quilt. I spent the summer of 2006 on a quest for all the blocks. I thought I had them all but it turns out I only have 11. Oh well back to my story. I obtained these block kits through different means and it was a lot of fun. Of coursed I planned to make up this quilt right away. That didn't happen and now almost 2 years later I think I should finally get to it. Wow! I can't believe that I am going to make a commitment to do this. I really want to finish this project and this is the only way I would do it. At first I was going to commit to one a week but I think that might be a bit much. If I do one a week great! But as I am writing this that seems like a huge accomplishment. No! I WILL commit to one a week and I will post my finished block here so you can see my progress. There! I'm going to do it! Now all I have to do is find out where I can get the Thangles that the pattern calls for. This might take me a couple of months. :)

I will leave you with this picture of my kids playing in the trees. They had such a ball.

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Final Christmas Gifts

2008-12-27T23:33:00.003-09:00

Here is my last Christmas gift for my nieces. This was quite an easy project. I copied an apron that my children had. I used some Daisy Kingdom fabric that I got a few years ago at JoAnn's. I love the contrast binding. This is a close up of the embroidery and the binding.

Oh, my children would like to wish you a belated Merry Christmas and Happy new Year. ( I was attempting to get them to take a nice picture in their Christmas outfits. Not today!)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Birthday Dresses

2008-12-16T18:24:00.009-09:00

I decided to make matching dresses for my nieces for their birthdays and my daughter. I was inspired by a dress a Gymboree earlier this fall. The Gymboree dress was a simple peter pan collared dress with a belt in a polka dot fabric. I loved the simplicity of the design and that it really showed off the fabric. I thought of making the three matching dress in September but it actually took me until late October to make the committment. Only after finding the fabric did I decide to make the dresses.

For my 2 year old niece I used New Look 6842. I was immediately drawn to the plaid dress. This pattern had the cute peter pan collared dress I was looking for. This was actually difficult to find in this size. The complete review is here. If I copied the whole thing here this post would be way too long.
A close up of the bodice. This dress has banded sleeves.

For my 5 year old niece and daughter I used New Look 6309. Essentially it is the same dress except the the shape of the collar in the back and the ruffled sleeve. The review for this pattern is here.

This is my daughter and my 2 year old niece in their dresses.` My other niece doesn't live near us.
In my reviews I tell how I added the belt. I will put this explanation in my next post.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

My Black and White World

2008-12-15T23:39:00.004-09:00

Time for another completely unsewing related post.

I like to take pictures but I am not that good at it. I tried taking pictures of my kids on Sunday but it didn't work out at all and I was definitely rethinking why I try. Today I decided to take some pictures while my kids were playing outside since that is where the best light is.

Lately, I have been looking around and noticing how black and white the world is especially when we have a lot of snow. Here are some pictures I took (that I actually like) that display my world. Just so you know the pictures are actually in color. I didn't post process them to black and white.

I don't think I will quit taking pictures quite yet.

Oh, here are my kids. They had a ton of fun playing.

Then to make the perfect end to a fun time as were were leaving I somehow dropped the key to my car. We walked to find a phone (mine was in the car of course) to have my husband come pick us up. We ended up getting the car towed to the dealership where it is sitting waiting to be opened and a new fancy key made (we only have one key because they are so expensive) sometime tomorrow. What a day! Although it could have been worse the details worked out fairly smoothly.

Hope your day ends better than mine. :)

Until next time..

A Call for Help from a Bad Pattern Reviewer

2008-12-08T12:26:00.004-09:00

I thought that I would start some reveiws for Pattern Review so that I could enter some items into the Holiday Sewing contest. Of course I have done a few reviews before (although I am not so great at it) but was slightly confused with the picture thing among other things.

I noticed today on my review page the little part that has a number and a C by it. As I read the page I realized that that meant the number of comments on my review. I was so astounded and excited that people actually read my reviews and found them helpful. Now some of those reviews were written in April so as you can see I am really taking a long time to understand all the ins and outs of Pattern Review. Quite a few of the reviews said that my pictures would not come up any bigger than thumnail. I would absolutely hate to come across a review, be very interested to see the garment review and then not be able to see anything other than a small thumbnail. If any of you have read my reviews and this has happened to you I am soooooo sorry. I guess I need a bit of help. What is the best way to put pictures on my reviews? Do I need to use another site? Should I just link to my blog? I know that many of you are loyal PR's and throughly understand how to do this so I would really appreciate your help.

Thank you so very much!!!

Until next time...

Baby Shower Gifts and My Cute New Niece

2008-12-07T19:23:00.010-09:00

I went to a baby shower the other day and I actually made the gift. I made simple burp cloths out of cloth diapers and some leftover Amy Butler Fabric. I made two plain ones and one that was personalized that turned out quite cute.

These are pretty easy. here I how I made it.

First I cut out the correct size for my fabric strip. For me it was 5"x18".

Next you should interface the fabric at least where the name would go. I didn't do this but I sure wish I did.

Then print out the name large and bold in whatever font you would like. I picked something pretty blocky because I thought it would be easier to satin stitch.

Center the paper template on the fabric. You can either pin or use weights to keep the template from slipping.

Cut out the letters very carefully. I used a very small rotary cutter to do this. I am not sure scissors would work as well as the scissors would lift the fabric.

Now place on the diaper and stitch around the edges. Lastly, satin stitch around all the edges of the name.

Then make another one by satin stitching on the letters directly onto the diaper.

Okay, now to show you my adorable niece Aleya and the ones I made for her.

Spartan Pullover Turned Vest Finally Finished

2008-12-07T18:57:00.005-09:00

It has been a few weeks since my last post but I have been very busy. I have quite a few things to post about but haven't had the time to do the actual posting.

I finished this project for my hubby little bit ago. He has actually worn it a couple of times already AND liked it. The pattern had sleeves but as you may remember (from a post quite a while ago) that I ran out of yarn and couldn't finish the sleeves. I had the entire sweater finished-shoulders seamed neck edge completed--when I tried it on my hubby. It was awful! The dropped shoulders just would not work to finish for a vest. So, I had to unseam (Is that a word?) the shoulders and then rip the whole thing out to the armholes. Then, I proceeded to bind off 20 stitches for each armhole and reknit the front and back following the pattern. To Finish I just did garter stitch edge for the neck and armholes.

The final product:And on my hubby:

Someday I'll get it right!

2008-11-14T14:30:00.002-09:00

I just cannot settle on a blog style that I like. I would love to have something custom made but that is fairly expensive. Oh well! I guess that I will just change it every so often. Maybe by chance I will come across something that I like one day.

Have a great day!

Until next time...

Back to School U-Neck Vest

2008-11-12T16:59:00.004-09:00

Well, I finished and I think that it looks great. I am very pleased with how this turned out. It actually fits. This pattern comes from Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel. This was a fun project. It was very easy except for figuring out the basket weave pattern. The pattern is easy up to the armhole split. After the split and some shaping you lose stitches and I had a hard time figuring which to pearl and knit to make the weave. There was a lot of ripping out while trying to get the hang of it. The nice thing is that you really can't see the mistakes so I didn't feel that I had to go back and correct EVERYTHING.

Yarn: Lana D'Oro Paints by Cascade Yarns

Color: Blue/Green/Purple--I was hesitant about using a variegated yarn at first because I usually do not like them. I was assured that this variegated yarn was very subtle. I LOVE it. The color variation is beautiful.

Fiber content: 50% alpaca 50% wool

Gauge: 5 stitches per inch on size 7 needles

This picture of the back shows a bit of the rib and basket weave texture.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Ottobre Kaiku Cross Front Tunic

2008-11-09T16:33:00.003-09:00

My first attempt at an Ottobre pattern was this tunic. It is from the Fall 2008 issue (4/2008). Tracing out the pattern was not as crazy as I thought it would be. The lines were fairly easy to follow. The instructions were good too. I picked this because I thought it would be fairly simple to put together and didn't have too many pieces. Remembering to add seam allowance was a little challenging and I had to catch myself a couple of times. But all in all it was a great project and I am excited to try another pattern. I have so many planned.

My review:

Pattern Description: Long sleeve cross front tunic for girls with contrast neckline binding, waistband and cuffs.

Pattern Sizing: 116cm-152cm: My daughter is tall and thin so her measurements were not even close to fitting into one size. I made the size 122 width with size 134 body length and size 140 sleeve length. The finished garment fit her perfectly. Their pattern sizing seems to be very accurate.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes. I picked this to be my 1st ottobre pattern because I thought it would be fairly straightforward. The directions were clear and easy to follow. I liked the detailed directions when to use a sewing machine straight stitch and when to use the surger. I might not have done it their way originally but I am glad that I followed their directions because I liked the finished product.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the clear instructions and the method of gathering with the elastic at the edges of the bodice.

Fabric Used: A very slippery knit that I purchased in a remnant box so I do not know the fiber content. The black binding was a cotton poly blend from Joanns that did not have as much stretch as the main fabric. Due to the different stretch fabrics I had some challenges.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: None yet. I think that I will stitch the front piece to the back piece of the bodice from where they cross to the side seam. This seems to sag a bit on my daughter.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Definitely. My daughter loves the shirt even though is is a bit wonky.

Conclusion: Next time I make this I will make sure that I have two fabrics that have similar amount of stretch or if not I will add length to the neckline binding, and waistline. On this shirt the contrast had to be stretched to fit too much. This caused a bit of puckering. It works but not as nicely as it could it the fabrics were more similar.

Oh yes, a picture. My daughter is being a goof and so the shirt does not look its best but oh well, you get the idea.
I love this fabric. It is so fun but it was a huge challenge for me to work with. I have never sewn with something so slippery. My surger had quite a time keeping it under the presser foot. I used my coverstitch machine for the hem and boy did I have trouble keeping it straight. In fact, the hem is quite hilarious. You can't really tell because it is such a drapey fabric.

I bought this in LA from Michael Levine's remnant store across the street from the regular store. Shopping there was quite an experience. I only had a few fabric shopping hours in the LA garment district so I want to make sure that I spent time in good ones (Christina blogged about the fabric stores they went to after the LA PR weekend which gave me good direction). My mouth dropped as I walked in the door to the upstairs store. It was a large room and the floor was covered with large boxes FILLED with fabric remnants. The was barely room to walk between the rows of boxes. I was like a kid in a candy store. It was all $2/lb. It took me a bit to get over my shock of all that fabric. After about a half hour of casual digging I really got into it. I found quite a few fabrics (some great knits which was what I really wanted to find) and only paid $25. I wanted to go back so bad later in the trip but unfortunately I ran out of time. I will be back though. I don't know when but I WILL BE BACK!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day!!

Until next time...

My First Cable

2008-11-04T23:00:00.006-09:00

I finally attempted a cable swatch. It was a lot of fun. My goal is to make a Dickinson Pullover that was featured in Interweave Knits Fall 2007.

I would like to make it with Cascade 220. I was unsure of the gauge and didn't want to make a big purchase with out knowing if it would work. The gauge in the pattern is give in the cable pattern. At my LYS it was suggested to me to try this yarn out if I already had some. Well, lucky me I do have some at home. My husbands sweater is out of Cascade 220. So I sat down one evening and tried my hand at cables. It was tons of fun. Following the chart was easier than I thought it would be. I am very encouraged. I think that I will be able to make this once I can afford the yarn. :)

Here is a picture of my cable swatch.

I am thinking of making this sweater in a soft lavender.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

Until next time...

Frog Short Fiasco

2008-11-04T16:27:00.003-09:00

Well, we are back from our trip to California. I made a few things before we left and have been crafting since we came back. I thought that I would show you some of the things I have made in the last few months over the next few posts. Some are simple, some are not but I have fun making all of them.

The first garment I will share is certainly not one of the most complicated but it has a long history. I bought some frog cotton fabric at Joann's years ago. My youngest son has been begging me to make him something with this fabric (has been stashed since before he was born) for quite some time. I kept telling him I would. It was going to be a cute Ottobre shirt but a shirt this fabric did not turn out to be. One day before our trip I spotted a really cute frog shirt that I knew was perfect for the frog fabric. My son was very excited about his new frog shirt and soon to be made frog shorts.

Fast forward: We are on our trip and he will not wear the shorts he has been begging for. According to him, they are too long. I am not happy. Finally on my birthday I made him wear the shorts. Here is a picture of him in them while we spent a few hours climbing around Joshua Tree National Park.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Simplicity Tank

2008-09-13T21:30:00.003-08:00

I am finally getting to some projects that I would like to have finished before we leave on Wednesday for California. I have hardly any clothing that is appropriate for 90+ degree Palm Springs weather so I am quickly making a tank. So far it is going very well. Here it is in progress. I have the front pinned to the form. I wanted to see how the ribbon would look. I think that I like the effect.

I had to change from the directions a little because I used a ribbon instead of a fabric tie. I will have to see if it works.

I will post a picture of it on me when I finish. Hopefully this evening.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

History Has Been Made Today!

2008-08-29T16:52:00.004-08:00

The 1st Woman Governor from ALASKA could be the 1st Woman Vice President!

Wow! What a day for Alaska (and women too)!

Our Governor Sarah Palin was announced today as the candidate for vice president running with John McCain. This is huge for us and has been on every talk radio show today.

What ever you think of her politics she is quite a woman. Go to the State of Alaska website and read her biography. It is interesting.

What I think is so amazing is that she really is just a regular person from a regular family in Alaska. My dad works with her husband. She truly shows that you can do whatever you want to do in life if you put your mind to it. She is an American success story.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

California Dreamin'

2008-08-27T21:45:00.002-08:00

I have been trying to go on a vacation with my husband for the past year or so . The last time we went on a trip together was in '98. Our last overnight together was more than 5 years ago. I thought it was about time to get away together. I have tried time and time again to make this happen with absolutely no luck. I have been pretty discouraged about this because I really need to get out of Alaska for a bit (I need sun and warmth before the snow sets in). I love this place dearly but I NEED to get out at least once a year (usually more).

Finally, out of desperation I decided to try a trip for five instead of just two. This turned out smashingly! Our vacation just fell together. I am so excited to head to California in 3 weeks. Yes, only 3 weeks away and my daughter does not have any shorts and neither do I (we are so going to need them in the HOT, HOT weather of Palm Springs).

We are staying in LA for a couple of days and I am so excited to take in a bit of the garment district. I the last time I was in LA (8 years ago) I attempted a trip to a fabric store but when I got there I was too leary to get out of the car. It was just me and a 9 month old baby and the surroundings looked a bit scarry. This time my husband will be with me (probably waiting in the car) and I am definitely going to do some shopping.

I have so many ideas for things that I could make for me and my daughter that I put off because we didn't have any warm weather. Now it is time to get sewing. Maybe I will have something to show in the near future.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Until next time...

Hello Again!

2008-08-21T20:37:00.003-08:00

Well, it has been a few months since my last post. Lots of things have happened this past summer. It was not the best of summers by any means. We had terrible weather (hardly any sunshine) and that seemed to make the time fly by. We kept waiting and waiting for summer to start and it never did and now it is pretty much over. Sorry to be such a downer. Can you tell I am in mourning? So what am I going to do to get some much needed sunshine and warmth? Plan a vacation!!! Sometime in September I think we are going somewhere.

You would think with all that bad weather I would have crafted like crazy. Unfortunately, no. I am working on finishing up a few things--two sweaters, a knit dress for me, and a smocked dress for my daughter. I will post when I have some pictures.

Oh, one big thing we did this summer was to get a dog. Lizzy is a cute little black lab. The picture is when we first got her 5 weeks ago. She has taken over my life for a bit and haven't had much time for other things.

Anyway, hopefully I will get back to regular posting since we are back to a schedule again and life will be relatively normal.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Until next time...

2 weeks can just fly by!

2008-05-05T11:04:00.004-08:00

The last two weeks have gone by so quickly! I am not sure what happened to them. They haven't been very productive weeks creatively. I have been keeping up with my favorite blogs (just barely) but I have not really had anything to say. Ever had weeks like that? So much going on but not really anything to talk about. My boys did celebrate their birthdays. My middle child turned 6 and my youngest, 4. I cannot believe how old they are getting. I already have my daughter (she's only 7) off to college. It goes so fast! Well, enough depressing stuff. I don't want to bore you with all our uneventful happenings so I will leave you now. Hopefully I will get creative soon and have something to show. I will leave you with birthday pictures in lieu of real creativity.

Thanks for keeping with me! Have a great day.

Until next time...

New Look Shirt Finished

2008-04-21T12:24:00.003-08:00

I finished this "muslin" of New Look 6407. This fabric was a bear to sew. I had great difficulty with so many parts. The collar went together pretty easy. I liked their directions but actually putting it on gave me some trouble. I am not sure what was making it so difficult. I thought the directions were a little spotty but I could have just been tired.

I had trouble putting the sleeves in also. I do not like to do basting rows to ease because inevitibly I get a gathered look. I prefer to sew in the sleeve flat or pin together having the longer piece go over my finger to ease the extra fabric. One of these methods usually works really well for me. Not this time. I am not sure if it was because of the fabric or because of the pattern having a lot of extra ease. I eventually made it work and got them in nicely but they sure gave me fits.

I ended up having to take the pleats out of the sleeve (at the hem) because it was too tight. I used the same sleeve band so I ended up having little left over. I can tie a knot and have just little tails. I like how this ended up. I think the ties are cute.

I cut out a size 14 in the front and I like the fit although I still have a little fine tuning to do. I discussed some of my fit adjustments for the front in this post. I cut the back a 16. It is a little roomy but if the fabric didn't give a bit I do not think it would be very comfortable. In my next shirt I am going to take in the darts just a bit more at the top and I am going to get rid of some of the extra fabric above the waist. I already adjusted my pattern for the back. I took out more fabric just above the waist and added it back in below the waist for the length. After wearing this a bit I think that I might adjust the armholes a bit. They seem a bit low.

All in all, I am happy with this pattern. I think I will really like it in the other fabrics I have. This actual shirt I am leery of because I am afraid once it is washed it will shrink up into a wrinkled mess. If not, by some miracle, it will be a nice summer shirt.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

I Love this Sew Stylish!

2008-04-15T20:21:00.003-08:00

I picked up the Spring Sew Stylish up today and I LOVE it. There are so many great articles. There is a ton about draping which was fun to read. I love the short article they have about making your own croquis. Paula of Sew Confused has a post with her croquis trying different skirts. This was so interesting to me and I was wondering exactly how to go about making one. This Sew Stylish gives me the answer. It is really easy to do. Burda Style also has some info about using these.

Anyway, this is a great issue and I am am sure that I will use quite a bit of the information inside.

On a side note: Here is my dress form all dressed up (courtesy of my darling daughter) and ready to go!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...