The Year of Sewing

     For the past 30+ years, I have flirted with sewing--always wanting to become a fabulous, all-inclusive seamstress, but never really knowing how to get there. Now I do. To be a better sewer I finally understand I have to sew more. So, I have committed myself to one year of sewing instead of purchasing. I should be scared out of my mind, but instead, I am rather excited by the challenge. God knows I have enough fabric to sew myself around the world a couple of times, but I don't think I have the skill to do so. This year will be the year I develop the skill. The only thing that can stop me is fear and lack of faith in myself. By experience I know I can do anything I set my mind to. So, here I gooooooooooo!

     I begin with an honest look at my wardrobe. I must admit, it's pretty pathetic. I have a lot of stuff that is the wrong color, wrong size, and wrong fit. I have clothes that are stained that I continue to hang onto. I have some odd guys that I purchased (mostly on sale) that I never really found a use for. It's apparent to me that I have a closet full of impulse buys and my "wardrobe" has no plan. I cannot tell you how many times I have read the articles about creating a mix and match wardrobe using 5, 7, or 9 pieces. THAT's what I want to do.

     Another thing I recognize involves weight and body shape. Mine is not good. Though I love the look of tailored, I need loose and multi-sized to allow for weight changes. Though I am injured right now and unable to workout, I will be back on my feet soon. I can no longer afford to avoid diet and exercise, and my wardrobe must reflect that lifestyle and adapt appropriately.

     Also, I have to incorporate color that flatters. Somewhere along the way, I lost my color palate for a "summer" wardrobe. I need to get back to that formula. When I dressed according to my best colors, I looked good, felt good, made wise purchases, and had a wardrobe that worked.

    So, where do I start?  I have decided to make my blue jeans my core outfits. With fall looming on the horizon, I think this is a good idea. The next step is to learn how to make a storyboard where I can post pictures of my patterns and fabrics. With that goal in mind, off to google search I go.

I Will Not Be Competitive, but I will participate

Woo! Hoo!  I have entered my second contest. I was an idiot with the first one--The One Yard Contest when I made the fabric scrap bear and failed to link in my badge for entering. Though my plate is pretty full, I have decided to enter. I know I won't win, but I can be involved.

Maternity sewing is done for now. I just finished but have yet to take a photo of the new, Green Pepper, wave bag. I like it EXCEPT for the handles. I was supposed to use webbing and I used fabric. Pinned on, the canvas fabric looked good, but sewn--not so much. It's OK, though, since it's just a bag. I can make it prettier another day. The first time I sew anything is a learning curve for me.

So, the pattern stash contest starts at midnight. I am sure there are those who will start sewing immediately. I cannot. I have my first of three certification exams next Saturday. I will be glad when they are over and I hope and pray that I pass each of them easily. I have been and will continue to prepare, but I also have to keep myself sane through sewing. Sewing is good for me. Something about the tactile contact with texture and the expression of creativity calms my soul. I must have been designed to sew. I have yet to pick my patterns. Perhaps I should do that now. My cranium is full of too many facts for me to do anything else at the moment.

I have been crazy sewing like a fiend. First, I made most of what I wore to the 44th Annual Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse Annual Convention in Charlotte, NC. The only RTW clothing items (besides bras, undies, and socks) I took with me were 2 pair of capris and 1 pair of jeans. Everything else was sewn by ME!! I made (and wore) 3 maxi dresses and multiple t-shirts. I loved wearing the maxi's. They fit well, looked good, and were very simple to put on and off. Plus, on the plane, they were major comfortable.

This week I am sewing maternity for my oldest daughter. I found the Megan Nielsen patterns online and purchased 5 of them. I began with the ruched skirt, though the photo does not do it justice:

I took the photo with the skirt lying on a piece of contrasting fabric. Hanging on a hanger, it just looked like black fabric hanging on a hanger. Though a medium in size, the skirt sure looks small and skinny to me. Good thing my daughter isn't very big.

Here are the two ruched t-shirts I made for her:

I think they both are wonderful. The first is a forest green textured knit that came from my stash. Originally, I used the fabric to make my daughter's Poison Ivy Halloween costume when she was in high school. Since the color is great on her, I know she will be pleased. The brown top is made of a jersey knit that she picked out. It's the same pattern with short sleeves. I am concerned that a medium will be too big, but we shall see. If so, I will make a small next time. Plus, if it is too big, I figure she won't wear them until the last trimester, so they will make "new" shirts during the final couple of weeks.

Back to the sewing machine. I took the day off from work, but don't seem to be accomplishing much.

Mother's Day Sewing Weekend

It seems to me that Mother's Day should allow mothers to do whatever they want on their ONE day. That's what I try to do. Since my kids are grown and gone, I do whatever I want any time I want. Since tomorrow's Mother's Day, I have planned to sew for myself, by myself, to satisfy myself. (Totally selfish, but what the heck--with two daughters, I earned it!!)

This morning I cut out 3 outfits:  a pair of pink, knit capris, a pink leopard t-shirt, and a red/salmon sleeveless knit dress. I finished the dress in a little over an hour. Here's the first product:

 Since I took my own picture, the details are lost because my arms are in the way. It's sleeveless with a scoop neck. I made a size 14 with alterations for sloped shoulders and sway back. I still need to hem it, but I think it looks pretty good and will make a great foundation garment for my trip to Charlotte, NC in June. I am allowed to put in a 5/8" hem, but I think I will go for a 1" hem since I am probably a little shorter than the pattern is made for.

I am trying to think of a jacket that will go with the dress and flatter the curves without creating bulk or look boxy. I may need to work on that in my head for awhile BEFORE laying scissors to fabric. I don't like wasting fabric or time, and I really hate making items that I won't ever wear.

Shorts

I made the first pair of shorts EVER that fit, look polished, and were made from scraps and cost me next to nothing. I really like them. I used a cotton plaid from my stash as a muslin and sewed them over a couple of weeks. It wasn't that they are that hard, but I really was putting in crazy hours at work and had to do what I could do in the time I had available to do it. I think they look pretty good. I have a royal t-shirt that works perfectly with the plaid.

The pattern:  Simplicity 1808.

My First Teddy Bear

I joined an online site called Pattern Review. Sewers of all levels share their love of sewing from all over the world. It is amazing to me how much so many different people have in common. I am quickly becoming addicted to the website.

Anyway, they are currently running a contest titled One Yard Challenge. The idea is to sew an item using more than 1/2 and no more than 1 yard of fabric. I decided to make a teddy bear though I have never made a stuffed anything in my life. Here's my final result:

I used fabric scraps from my scrap bag. I had 1 piece 22" x almost 45" and a second double scrap of 7" x 12". The free downloadable pattern came from an online website. I chose to not add the 1/4" seam allowances, making a slightly smaller bear than the pattern was designed for. When I almost had him completely done, I realized that I ran out of fiberfill. To stay with the" use up the scraps" theme, I took apart an old pillow to have some of the fiberfill.

I think he needs something else, but I can't figure out what that something is. A bow tie, t-shirt, or vest might be a nice added touch. I can't decide. So I put him up on the top of my plant shelf to watch him for awhile. I know the right accessory with come to me, I just need to step away and quit thinking about it.

I wore my tunic today!

Here's my Butterick 5644 tunic. We went to an outdoor wedding today and I decided this would be a perfect look. Very comfortable and causal.

Currently, I am having a horrible time. I started a pair of shorts using Simplicity 1808. To start, the pattern was improperly printed and very difficult to make any sense out of. Second, I had to make several adjustments. I used a size 14 to fit my hips properly (based on the finished measurements) but that made the waist too small. Rather than adjust the waist and leave the pleats in, I opted to take the pleats out. Unfortunately, I forgot to make the same adjustment on the belt and the facing. I cannot believe how totally stupid I can be sometimes!! Then, when I finally got to the part where I could put in the elastic and actually do some fitting, I didn't have the right size elastic. I had every size you could think of, but not 3/4".

So, I opted to begin a teddy bear made of scraps. I finished the head last night and started on the body today. The arms were really difficult, but I finally figured them out. I started to stuff the body and realized I didn't have enough polyester fiberfill to complete the project. I'm going to have to go back to Joann's tomorrow and get some more fiberfill.

Maybe, now that I have the elastic I could at least run it through the casing a call it quits for tonight.