History Has Been Made Today!

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'

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!

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!

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

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!

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...

Down and Dirty Darts

Darts can be difficult little things to sew. I usually do not have too much trouble with the simple triangles but my New Look shirt has some more complicated waist darts. My usual method for transferring dart markings to the wrong side of my fabric is by using tracing paper and a wheel. This proved to be not the most effective method this time.

This time I knew that matching up the lines could be difficult since it was in the middle of the shirt. I (thought I) got smart and decided to put the markings on both sides. This sounds great but it wasn't. Of course with all the moving of the fabric while placing the tracing paper it didn't get put back exactly in the same place and the lines didn't exactly line up. I also couldn't see where to stitch. What to do? What to do?
Here was my down and dirty solution. This is by no means the best way to mark darts but it worked for me. I should have thread traced the outline of the dart but for this muslin I did not want to take the time. I will thread trace on the shirts with the nice fabric.

First I basted the traced dart on my sewing machine. I still had my traced lines to follow. I only basted one side of the dart because the (cheap) fabric was puckering.
Then I matched the basted side of the dart with the traced side and pinned.

Last, I stitched the dart. Since it was thread basted I could clearly see the stitching line and could easily stitch the dart.
Voila! A nice dart. Not the best method but the outcome worked for me.

Thanks so much for stopping by and seeing how I make darts in a pinch. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Fabulous Foot Day

I have another foot that is for embellishment and whatever else you can think of. The foot for this week, the Open Toe Foot, has so many possibilities.
As you can see this foot is totally open so you can see exactly what you are sewing. None of the stitches are hidden. This is especially nice for decorative stitches, appliqu������ satin stitches, or zig zag type stitches. The red dot helps you guide so that your stitches are straight. Since the foot is open it is important to have your fabric wide enough so is is under both side feet. If you have fabric under only one side you may lose it in the feed dogs or wavy stitching lines. This is a great additional foot to have. It is not necessary but does bring a bit of ease to certain types of stitches. If you have a use for this foot that you love please let me know. I love to have new ways to use all these feet I have.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

All is well with the world!

It has been snowing!

Now, before you think I have gone off the deep end, please, hear me out.

I have live in Alaska my whole life. Life is different up here including the weather. There are some constancies I have come to count on. It used to be that during the summer we would always have at least one 1-2 (some years three) week period where we would have gorgeous weather. We never wanted to leave in the summer for fear that we would miss that short period (and still don't). This has changed only slightly over the years. In the early 90's we had full summers of great weather but now we seem to be reverting back to the single block of good weather. The other constant is during winter. Almost every year that I can remember we get a Spring is Coming tease around February. Then in March or April we get a dump of snow. This is something that I count on. This year is thankfully not an exception. The snow was completely melted from my front yard. Everything was gross and looking like spring. Everyone else was getting their hopes up that winter was over. Not me. I was counting on that one last snow. It came!

Now, don't get me wrong. I love Spring and Summer. I love not having to put on a coat and boots to go outside. I love not shivering going to my car. My thankfullness for this snow has nothing to do with the actual coming of Spring. It has to do with restoring my faith in the world so to speak. This is especially important to me since last year we did not get a Spring snow. If it had happened again I think that my world would have been slightly shaken. So many things are changing all around me. Things are so different than in my childhood. This is like the last area of constancy. One of the last threads that is again unbroken that gives balance to my life. So I am glad for this snow once again. This reminder that all is well with the world once again.

Now the snow can melt. I am ready for Spring!

Thanks for stopping by for a bit of pondering. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Fitted Shirt Progress

Making a fitted shirt is quite nerve wracking for me. There are so many things that could not fit right. I must just dive right in. Luckily I could care less about the fabric I am starting with. If it fits right it might make a cute summer shirt. If not, oh well. As a reminder, I am making this pattern.

In this "muslin" fabric that I have had in my stash for quite a while. I am not sure if it came from JoAnn's clearance or Wal-mart. That should give you a good idea of the quality of the cotton.

Now for the alterations so far. In this first picture you can see that I shortened the front above the waist but below the dart. You can also see where I then lengthened it again below the waist. I am short waisted but need the length below my waist so the shirt is not too short so I have to take some pattern out and add it back in. Kind of a hassle.


This next pictures shows what I did to fix the dart placement. I have marked my bust point with the x. The original dart pointed too much below the bust point so I had to move it. Since I also needed to take out some more length above the waist I just took some out above the bust dart. Now the dart points directly at my bust point. I will find out if this worked when I put it together. Unfortunately, I forgot to move the waist dart over a little. It points into the circle I drew around my bust point but not directly at the point. I am not going to worry about this for the muslin but I will probably move it over for the nice fabric.


For this "muslin" shirt I am doing view d (the short sleeve one with ties). I am a little nervous since Becky said she had a bit of trouble with the ties. I am going to attempt this because I think this fabric is better suited for summer and short sleeves. The other shirts I make will be with the longer sleeves.

Now I am off to finish cutting it out.

Thanks for stopping by again. Have a terrific day!

Until next time...