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.

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.