Sewing Stash

It has been forever since I last blogged. As you can guess, my sewing plans derailed last year. I quit a job, started a new job working night shift, and continued my consulting on the side. Hours were long; sleep was fast, and there was little time for sewing or doing much else. Now, I am back on the day shift, working banker's hours (sorta), and starting to sew again along with a dozen other activities.

My first major accomplishment has involved the WOC Nurse Society. I became a member last July and will be attending their national conference in Charlotte, NC this coming June. I am really excited since this is my first national convention with this organization. One of the vendors is sponsoring a walking activity, and I decided to participate. Since Feb. 22, I have walked over 1.1 million steps and have earned a couple of prizes. I am so proud of myself--it hasn't been easy. I had tendonitis and nerve impingement in my left foot when I started, so I began slowly. The contest ends May 18, and I know I won't win. Currently I am in 6th place, but that's OK. Better 6th than not at all.

I have re-organized my sewing storage closet and realize that I have a ton of fabric. Now I know I should get rid of most of it, but I originally bough it because I like it and guess what--I still like most of what I have; I just have too much. I have decided to sew up my stash. I have made 1 shell, 1 tunic, and 1 sundress for a total use of 5 yards of fabric!! Unfortunately, I bought 3 more yards of knit yesterday to make outfits to wear to the convention. I promised myself to sew more of my stash before buying, but the fabric was so pretty and a pattern/ fabric currently in style. I could not stop myself!


 Here is my pink cotton top made from Simplicity pattern 2938, I liked the sleek look on the pattern and really envisioned this to be a dress. However, once cut out and basted together, it doesn't resemble the pattern at all. The have to have cut it smaller or clothes pinned the back to make it that snug. I found it to be baggy, so I tapered the shoulder seams and center back seam to fit me better. As a top for Texas summer, I think it will be a winner--tucked in as a blouse it's a loser, being way too loose and baggy at the waistline. It is a stash buster, though and I used up 1 1/2 yards of cotton without purchasing a thing!!

My second and third projects are hits. I made Butterick 5644 in a tunic first and then as a sundress. I like it! The tunic is a maroon and cream cotton interlock. I know I brought this fabric with me from California over 20 years ago. I have looked at it a dozen times and could never find a pattern that I felt would work with the non-stretchy and limited quantity of the fabric I had available.

This tunic really looks nice with capris and belted. It's very slimming and the waist gathering is just enough to create an illusion of a waistline without bunching or adding weight at the abdominal area. This is certainly a keeper.

Liking the tunic so well, I used a cotton woven piece and lengthened the pattern to make a sundress/ beach cover up. You can't see the pattern, but it's a cream colored cotton with decorative stitching in orange, green, and yellow. I noticed when I started laying out the pattern pieces that the material was flawed and the stitching colors differed. The top is consistent and the bottom is consistent, but the two are still different. No one on the planet would notice except for me, and I rather like it. I had a hard time running the elastic because it didn't want to feed through the layers where the front overlapped. It took 3 tries to get it right, but the finished product is great. I coupled it with an orange/brown woven belt and absolutely love the look. This will be a great item to wear on the flight to Charlotte.

Today, I will cut out 1 yard of a light pink knit for a tank or shell. Haven't decided which yet, but there is time. I'll post the next project when I am done.