Girls' Pj's

I know, it's all I seem to sew!  I made these before oldest dd went back to college so I didn't get any pictures of her pj bottoms.  (Oldest dd made the Dean's List in her first semester at college!  Always exciting, but especially so when you have homeschooled--it's really nice to know that you actually taught something and the student actually learned something!) 

There was enough for a cropped pair for youngest dd to have some to match so here are hers:

Shiny satin pj fabric with cotton backing.  Yes, it's the Little Mermaid!

Youngest dd's pj bottoms with purchased t-shirt.

Jeans

I finally made my first pair of jeans!  I started them earlier in the fall, made great progress--only the waistband, belt loops, and hemming were left--then the holidays hit.  They finally got finished last month and I finally got pictures taken this month...!

I used J. Sterns Designs jeans pattern because I had taken her jeans muslin class at the ASG conference in Atlanta 2010.

Who knew that the Compensation Plate for sewing buttonholes on the Bernina machines actually worked?  If I remember correctly, even my dealer had her doubts and told me to return it if I didn't like it when I bought it.  I had gotten it orginally to help sew buttonholes on lightweight smocked dresses--those buttonholes at the top and bottom can be very difficult if you have lots of intersecting layers (collar, piping, gathering, etc) so I hoped it would help keep the buttonhole even.  It didn't.  At all.  So I learned to do buttonholes manually on my machine. 

Oddly, making a manual buttonhole on jeans wasn't working (and believe me, I first tried a regular buttonhole and I was NOT enjoying being friends with my seam ripper....!).  So, in a last ditch effort, I thought of this gadget.  Would you believe it worked beautifully????  It helped feed the bulky fabric evenly and gave a very nice buttonhole!

See?  It really is a nice buttonhole despite being redone (and ripped out) multiple times!

I think designing the back pocket stitching is the most fun thing to do when sewing jeans!  I decided to make a cypher (a weird way to do your monogram) using my initials.  At first, I planned to make the pocket flap, but as the project neared completion I opted to not include that.  Impatience factor!

Mrs. Green Jeans.  Okay, joking aside, I didn't want to use my nice, regular denim for my first pair so I bought this teal colored cheapy denim from Joann's.  Sadly, cheapy is the right word for it as I don't think it will hold up well.  It definitely seems to stretch out of shape quickly despite having no lycra.

Pockets!  It's also fun to choose the fabric for that!  Really, the topstitching doesn't show up at all on my real jeans, this is bright and shiny due to the flash.

Well, since it's my first pair, I'm not unhappy with them but I'm also not thrilled.  First, I made the waist way too tall--I didn't want those stupid low-rise jeans things which just look horrible on nearly everyone except young girls with really flat tummies!  Just sayin'.  Unfortunately, I misjudged how tall even though it seemed just right when I basted and tried them on.  Oh well, that's an easy fix for the next pair.

They are also a bit large throughout, which Jennifer had mentioned I might want to take in the seams by a bit and on the next pair I will.  The only other thing is the crotch sits low.  It starts fine but slips down moments after putting them on.  I think this is due to the waist being super loose (I need a belt) and just being a bit big in general throughout the hips.  You would think that basting and trying them on would help pinpoint these issues so they could be corrected before you get them all sewn, but either basting didn't help me or I was just too excited to finally be sewing on these to notice :)   haha!

This color doesn't go with *anything* in my wardrobe except plain white.  Boring.  So I bought a print at Joann's to make a top, which I have not gotten much of a chance to work on yet.  Besides, I still owe you pictures of the girls' pj's and my other project:  The Annual Tie Dye!

Sewing Room Organization and Mini Tour

Blogging can be random, right?  Here and now I should be posting about my jeans that I completed two weeks ago and the pajama pants that I sewed for the girls a week or so ago.  But, no.  Here I am ready to talk sewing room organization.  Go figure. 

I guess the Picture Problem is one excuse.  I hate the whole picture thing--thinking about doing them (oh yeah!  I should have taken a picture of that--notice that past tense thing); uploading them; editing them; putting them on blogger and then writing about them at the proper place and time--all of that stuff makes me slow.  And apparently it makes me random because I have the pictures for the ongoing sewing room organization but not any pictures of finished jeans or pj's!

As I said, sewing room organization is an ongoing project and over the last six months I have made considerable progress.  I still have a long way to go as in I could actually put things away after I get them out and am done with them.  Still working on that one!  I do it when I cook, so why not when I sew? 

The next thing that brought this post forward, was a conversation with a fellow ASG member.  We were marveling, gawking, drooling and just plain envying another member's sewing space.  It's bright, cheerful, colorful, organized, quirky, clever, innovative and just plain ol' fun (and enviable!).   She's happy to show it off, even with people having to go through her front door and upstairs.  And why can't I have that, too?  Well, I guess that would mean not only a clean, neat home but also one that has some style and decent flooring and such (I think that means no fur--we have A LOT of fur).  Some of the main rooms are like that; certainly not all of them.  One day!  But in the meantime, the sewing room is getting some of the attention that it needs so I can enjoy the space (and be more productive???).

Anyway, here's the UGLY part.  This is part of why I'm not really happy with my sewing space.

Ugly paneling.  Very Ugly Paneling.  Extremely Mega Ugly Paneling.  Not only is it this lovely, but it is textured, too!!!!  That means my fabric catches on it!

 



The Extremely Mega Ugly Paneling in action with sewing supplies propped up.

Now, in order to combat that particular problem in a time long, long ago, we conceived a solution that would minimize construction and pain.  And it was this:



Corks!  Wine corks!  Lots of 'em.  They are cut in half to minimize how far they extend into the room.  And, NO, we did not drink all the wine to get the corks!

Yes! Practical, functional, not un-beautiful, fun, innovative, clever...and slow.  It is smooth and doesn't catch my fabric which is another benefit.  And I can use it like a bulletin board.  Eventually.  When it extends to cover more wall space that will be a nifty use for it. 

Well, in the meantime, I have been gradually working on other areas of the sewing room to make it more organized and more user-friendly.  First, my dh installed a hanging rod so that I can hang up ongoing and future projects on it.  I really like that it helps get the piles off the other surfaces in the room. 

Not the most beautiful in the world, but highly functional.  It sits over the youngest dd's sewing/work/play table, which dh made many years ago as a school table for the older kids when we began homeschooling.

Next, dh really outdid himself with this shelf project!  I love, love these!

Look at those wine corks along the edges!  One day it will look totally perfect with my walls!

The shelves were made to hold ironing supplies.  I'm still deciding what to put on them, but it's really nice to have a place that is not the floor or the ironing board for starch, water bottles, and pressing tools!



Those corks really, really look a ton better in real life!  Here, they look *almost* as ugly as that paneling, but it ain't so!



Won't that wall look terrific when it has all its corks on it? 


My sewing space is kind of awkward with lots of doors.  I really love the things that have been  added to help with space organization and need to continue to work on that so that my workroom can be a place that I like to show off!  Perhaps that's my 2012 resolution!

Christmas Gifts Received

I received several wonderful handmade items and craft books for Christmas this year and I thought I'd share them with you.  As you can tell from the bookmarks, I've already picked out some projects to make from the books!

First up:

Amy Butler's Style Stitches

The Beader's Bible by Dorothy Wood
My newest want-to-do hobby!

Simple Glass Beading by Dorothy Wood

 Now, to the handmade items!  First, is a make-up bag my stepmother made.  She even used some of that fusible vinyl on it so it would stay nice and be easy to clean!  Isn't it pretty with all the embroidery on it?

Next, are some bobby pins that oldest dear daughter beaded and gave to me.  They look really nice when I wear my hair up in a French twist, which I do frequently!

I thought that this scarf was very interesting.  One of my husband's co-workers made it and gave it to me.  It's quite simple, but very clever.  All it has are multiple types of yarn knotted together intermittently--no knitting, no crocheting!  The various yarns are simply lined up together and about every 12" they are knotted together.

Finally, this wasn't really a Christmas gift, but a very nice beginning to the holidays.  At the beginning of November, my local American Sewing Guild chapter held a drawing for a gift basket for all of the Shop Hop participants who went to all the shops.  Guess who won????!  Yes!  It is truly a terrific basket, filled with donations from the various shops who were in the hop.  It also included three very, very generous gift cards to sewing stores!!!!!!!  I was SO surprised and pleased. 



Christmas Gifts 2011

Happy New Year to you all!  I got quite a bit of sewing done before Christmas to give away as gifts.  I had a few purses that I wanted to make, but I didn't get them done.  Too much going on, including illness #6, no it must be #5 because I think I have #6 right now.  I've never had so many cold, cough, and congestion type things in one single fall and winter.  It's become a joke.

I'm sorry to say that not only have I not blogged in forever and a day, I haven't even read a single blog in well over a month!  I've missed both, so it's good to (sorta) be back at it.  It might be slow going still, since I am really not joking about being sick so much.

This year, I made pillowcases and mailed them the week of Thanksgiving:

All were made as pairs, so 2 of each type.  A very underwhelming reception by the recipients, except for the pair that went to friends.  No more Christmas crunch sewing for me!  Bah humbug!

I had gotten a freebie tissue holder set to sew, so I made it up and gave it away.  Really easy and very cute!

I made a tote bag for my ds's Spanish teacher.  Wish I had taken the picture after I had sewn on the buttoms as they were perfect for the fabric!  This tote pattern is a freebie from a local shop and titled, "The 30-Minute Tote Bag".  I'll tell you now, it takes longer than 30 minutes!

Lastly, I made a table runner as a birthday gift.  It's called "The 10-Minute Table Runner" with good reason--that title is very accurate!

Before the holidays, I started on a pair of jeans.  They were set aside to work on the Christmas gifts, but they will be the first thing I finish this new year!  All that's left is the waistband, belt loops, and hemming.  More on those later.  

Swimwear

At our last Sewing Guild meeting, a member brought a complete package for making a swimsuit for a little girl to our Ways and Means Table.  She showed it to me first since she knew I've made a couple of swimsuits.  And, look!  It has everything to make a swimsuit!  There's even a pattern, Kwik Sew 2884, in it.  It has all the elastic, lining fabric and the fashion fabric which won happy approval from youngest dd. 

While I won't work on this until next year, I was really pleased and excited to get this.  I was even happier that youngest dd loved the fabric!

Gadget

I finally broke down and ordered this rotary arm gadget for my Olfa rotary cuttern.  It's called a Removable Rotary Arm Guide and I first saw it on a blog post by Sew-4-Fun.  I cannot find her post where she used it, but I did bookmark her answer to my question about it.  I had never seen anything like it in my area and since her post, I've really kept my eyes open for it.  I had found and bookmarked it at an internet store, but figured I had all the time in the world to buy it or get it as a gift.  Fortunately, I noticed that it was going to be a discontinued item and since it's been more than a year since I learned about this wondrous gadget, I figured I'd best be buying it.

Isn't it neat when you learn on the internet from other sewists?  I can really see that this will be useful for patterns that don't include seam allowances or where I want to add more to an existing seam allowance on a pattern--what a time saver!  I can't wait to try this new tool out!  I bought 2 of them, just in case!

Biscornu

Biscornu means irregular shape.  In this case, it is a pincushion with 8 sides made to demonstrate all the fun stitches you can make on your machine using its decorative features along with a variety of needles like a wing needle.  My youngest dd made this one during a sewing guild sew in earlier this year and I finally got it sewn together for her.  It is rather awkward to do that which is why I did it for her.  She had the best time sewing the decorative stitches and it was an excellent way for her to become very comfortable with threading and unthreading her machine.  She knew how, of course, but when you have to thread and rethread many, many times in a couple of hours it becomes almost automatic!

She loved stuffing her pincushion!  I got a perfectly sized stuffing freebie during our guild's shop hop this year. 

Finished!  She chose the strawberry button for the center.

Bras

Long time, no posting!  I have been sewing quite a bit, off and on, between the kids' activities and a very long illness.  Some of the things I'm sewing will have to be shared later, like after the holidays!  I am doing an extremely poor job of focusing on sewing for myself which was supposed to be my resolution for this year.  However, I have enjoyed the gifts I've sewn for Christmas, but will wait to post them until after the recipients have gotten them so as not to spoil things! 

As the post titles says, I have been sewing bras.  I sewed up 2 of them which were leftovers from my bra workshop class at last year's American Sewing Guild conference. 

2 sets of bras all cut out and ready to sew.

Bra cups pinned and ready to sew.  Unfortunately, I found all the pinning awkward and annoying, so I undid it all and hand basted instead.  I will do this for future ones!

Bra strap with one edge scalloped.  These are time consuming to make!



2 completed bras!

 I have a few more bra kits that I can sew and hope to work on those soon.  They are more fun and colorful, too.  Bra sewing is a rather tedious endeavor to tell the truth, but the comfort and fit can't be beat by any that you can buy!

Simplicity 5364--Cinderella Pajamas

Before oldest dd went away to college (go Hokies!), the girls decided they wanted matching pj's.  Off to Joann's we went and they chose a pretty Cinderella print.  Oldest dd only wanted shorts for hers and purchased a plain white t-shirt to go with them.  Unfortunately, I forgot to get a picture of her before she left.  She sewed her shorts herself and I even let her use my serger after her fiasco with the swim suit and the serger.  I think she really likes the serger.

However, I do have pictures of her little sister modeling her completed pj set.  The original deal was that she would sew up her own pajamas, but when it came time to do this she did not want to.  I used Simplicity 5364 (oop) for the bottoms for both sets, but I made up my own pattern for this top.  I used a basic yoke pattern and a large gathered rectangle of fabric for the rest with the armholes cut out and bound. 

Pardon the wrinkles.  We aren't big on ironing our pajamas!

For closure, I did a simple button up the back just because this child loves her bedtime stories so there is always someone to assist her with getting on her jammies.

I seem to sew a lot of pj's.  And I have more pj bottoms to sew.  Not to be left out of the Joann's expedition, the guys chose some fabric so they could have some summer ones, too.  Sadly, the summer is pretty much all gone, but we'll see if I can't get them done soon so they can get a little wear out of them or they will be ready for next year! 

Simplicity 2516 (skirt)--complete!

Today's sewing went smoothly which was a surprise.  I fixed the lining issue where I inserted the zipper by resewing the seam so that it faces to the inside.  It isn't as nice as the rest of it, but no one else will know.  Since the lining is slippery and frays some, I thought I would try Steam A Seam to hold the hem in place.  That stuff works well, but sure is annoying to place and get to stay put.  After all that on both the lining and fashion fabric, I didn't feel like stitching the hem, too.  So, I have a "cheat" hem!  But, I think it looks fine and I can always change my mind and go back and stitch it later!

Here's the finished skirt:

And, since writing this post I've worn the skirt a few times.  I really like it!  I've even looked through the stash to see what other fabric I could use to make it again, but nothing struck me.  Oh well.  I do not want to buy more fabric and have another project staring at me so I will just enjoy this skirt for now. 

Tonight was the due date for our Ugly Fabric Challenge.  I did not win anything :(   The ladies who did win were very creative and it was a lot of fun to see what everyone sewed and who got my ugly fabric.  This skirt was a win for my wardrobe though, so I'm happy :)