A Taggy Blanket or Jordan's Gift to Riley

Last week ,I was in Ottawa visiting my daughter as well as my youngest son.

While there, my daughter was planning a baby shower for my future daughter-in-law. Jeff and Melanie are expecting a baby girl, whose name is to be Riley, in a couple of weeks.The day before the shower , Tamara and I invited my son's step-daughter, Jordan who is eleven,for a visit.We thought she would enjoy helping with the shower preparations .

We decided that Jordan might like to do a little sewing.I had made a taggy blanket



for my other baby grand-daughter and after explaining what a taggy blanket is,Jordan thought it would be a great gift for her baby sister!. We went to Fabricland where she chose fabric,which should be soft and cudly, and a variety of ribbons of different colours and textures.

Back at home,we got right down to work.

Step 1....Here Jordan is measuring the ribbons.We decided to cut each one eight inches and to make the blanky 15 inches square.



Step 2....Next, Jordan looped each ribbon as she pinned them about 4" apart to the right side of one of the layers.





Step 3...After pinning the second layer over the first layer and the ribbons, It was time to go to the machine.Jordan was a little nervous because she had never sewn before, but I think she did very well with a little help.



Here is the blanket sewn on all sides with an opening of about five inches left on one of the sides so she could turn it right side out.



Step 4...After turning it and sewing the opening shut, here is Jordan with her gift for Baby Riley.



I forgot to take a picture but Jordan made herself a cushion with the left-over fabric and this time she did it all by herself!

Sewing was not all Jordan did that day. She helped Tamara decorate these cookie jars containing the ingredients as well as the directions for making the cookies which were to be party favours that each guest took home.



We carved this watermelon baby carriage fruit bowl



And she helped decorate the cupcakes which were one of the desserts at the shower.



The day ended with a feast of Chinese food and a very tired young girl.

The next day was the shower and Jordan's gift was a great success with not only her Mum and big sister, ,but with all the guests!

Sewing for my Lifestyle

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians! Are you stuffed, tired and happy? Hope so.My Dh and I got up early and prepared our turkey and all the fixings so we could enjoy our family which includes our little cutie pie Sadie who is almost 14 months old. I can't resist showing a picture.



I'm almost too tired to blog but if I don't post this tonight ,I won't get another chance as we are leaving for Montreal on Thurs. and I'm then taking the train to Ottawa . I want to be in town for the baby shower my daughter and Co. are having for my daughter-in-law. My new grand-daughter is to be born in mid Nov.
I have a lot of baby stuff to make before Thurs. because as is my habit,I've procrastinated and waited for the last minute to make crib sheets, bibs, receiving blankets and even a quilt (sort of).

So here is what I have to show you tonight.





The fabric is a light chocolate brown sports weight stretch cotton that looks just like denim.The pattern for the jacket is this OOP Vogue Designer one that I've wanted to make for years.



This wasn't my first choice ,however. I had my heart set on making this OOP jacket, but horrors! there was a crucial piece missing.It probably found its way into another pattern envelope when I was cutting out more than one but since that was a long time ago, I couldn't come up with a solution so I had to settle for a different pattern.

I think the jacket is as cute as can be (and look at all that top-stitching which as you know I love to do) but I would have preferred it longer. I added a couple of inches at the bottom but I didn't want to mess with the style too much and it had no allowance for adding length in the body of the jacket.







I was having a hard time finding the right buttons (for the other style ) so the zipper closure on this one solved that problem
.



For the pants, I used the S.Betzina jeans pattern I used for my Swap, but I wish I had chosen to make a simpler style as there's an awful lot going on right at the stomach which we older women just don't need.But the fit is good and they went together really well.



I trimmed the back pockets with a design to mimic the trim of the jacket.



When I close the jacket, the wide band acts as a girdle and feels good,



but I prefer the opened look.



All in all, I like my new sportswear suit.It will be a great outfit to take with me to Montreal and Ottawa.Now if only I had a medium weight jacket to go with it.Mmmmmm!

More pics here.

Just a Few Thoughts

I had planned on posting about my brown denim pantsuit but since I didn't get any pictures taken,I thought I'd just put a few thoughts out there.

Ever since I participated in Swap 2009, I've been very aware of whether or not I wear the things I make.I guess that would be because I actually sewed 17 different items for Swap and of course some of them I've hardly worn at all. This has led me to consider very carefully what I now sew.

After really examining my past projects ,I decided that by far I wear the coats .jackets and pantsuits that I make the most.These include long coats,



3/4 coats,


<
short jackets



, jeans jackets,



and casual pantsuits .



However during the summer months, I'd have to include sundresses and skirts to the list ( except for this summer when it rained most of the time).

So what do I sew and don't wear or wear very little? I'd have to say dresses, skirt suits (but I do so love skirt suits and do wear them occasionally) and even tops.That would be because I really like sweaters and nice classic T-shirts.As for shirts,they were once favorites but since I've developed this bigger than necessary chest, I'm not that comfortable wearing them.

After Swap, I decided I wanted to make my sewing more meaningful and I sewed more things for my daughter and I felt good about that. But it doesn't mean that I lost my desire to sew for myself. After all I have this humongous stash and as many ideas as I have pieces of fabric.

So I've been wondering what your thoughts are on this subject.Do you only sew things you need or are you like me (in the past) and sew that oh so stylish suit or party dress to have it languish in your closet?

A Sew Passionista Design or My Self Drafted Jacket

I'm not succeeding in keeping to my Sunday night blogging schedule. Why not? I guess life just gets in the way sometimes. Or am I lost in LOST?

You see, my husband and I started watching Season 1 a couple of weeks ago and became quickly wrapped up in it. We are now on tape 1 of Season 3. Right now we are taking a break so DH can watch a hockey game so I thought I'd post last weeks project.

A couple of years ago I bought this fabric that is a cross between a boucle and a chenille.The purple is just beautiful.



Originally, I tried to copy this cardigan from Coldwater Creek.



I drew out the pattern by copying a loose fitting pullover with dropped sleeves . It didn't turn out right and I just hung it in the closet where it stayed till last week.

I was looking for something to do while spending time with my mother at the Nursing Home ( I always take hand-sewing or something else to do because my mum can't communicate anymore and if I have something to do while I'm there I can stay longer I find. She just likes to know someone is there who loves her,I feel. )

Well, I grabbed the jacket ( I wish I'd taken a before picture ) and ripped out some of the seams and cut a few inches off the bottom to have a little fabric to work with. When I got home I remodeled it by adding the collar,



adding a strip of fabric to the undersleeves because they were too narrow,



and gathering the bottom of sleeves because they stuck out..



I finished off by lining it and I really love the results.
I'm especially proud because I feel like I was the designer in this case. So here it is.








Instead of buttonholes, which would have been a real problem on this fabric, I made large loops. I found the buttons at a second-hand store!



Here I am in my jacket. Sorry but I can never get the colour just right.





This week I'm working on a brown stretch denim pantsuit and it's turning out quite well I think. Hope to have it up on Sunday night.

Now back to "Lost".

What I've Been Doing Lately

I've been wanting to post about a few different things but have been just too busy to spend much time on the computer. This past week ,I hosted the monthly meeting of the Retired Teachers Group for my area and of course I had to clean every inch of my house.

It was a great success and the big plus is that the house is very clean now and I can sew to my hearts content for the next few days.

Toward the end of August I started sewing a few transition pieces for the early fall. I also wanted to extend the wear of this suit .

Using this New Look pattern,



I made these navy loose flowy pants which are OK and fit well.



I'm not in love with the fabric though but we all make mistakes sometimes. The fabric was a rayon/nylon (of all things) mix and I liked it before I turned it into pants but now I don't think it has enough body. But they do look well with this jacket. (I forgot to get a pic of the two together ).

Then I made this Sandra Betzina top and I love it. It actually looks exactly like the pattern cover and I didn't change a thing .
Here it is!





I've worn it a couple of times and have gotten compliments each time .
The fabric is a fairly light poly/lycra. I do feel I have to wear my Spanx with this one as it is a snug fit. (I made size C ). A thicker knit might be a better choice for the next time and I do intend to make it again.

Then I added this jean jacket which I've made several times before.



It is this Burda pattern and an absolute favorite.



The fabric is a very finewhale corduroy which was in my stash for years.I never could decide what to use it for but I really love it as this jacket.The buttons are sweet aren't they? My husband pointed out that they had hearts on them and since I'm really not that fond of hearts I turned them sideways . I think that makes all the difference don't you think? LOL.



Here are the three pieces together.



And for more pics, look here.

Have a great week everyone and here's hoping you find time to sew!

Not Just Your Ordinary Denim Jacket

My grandchildren have been here this week.It will be the last visit until Thanksgiving (which is in October here in Canada ) so we really made the most of our time together.

Last evening while Jessica and Matthew were busy on the computer, Nana was busy in the sewing room making Jessie a denim jacket.

In choosing a pattern ,I had to take into consideration that I only had about three hours for this one because they were going back home today . When I made this jacket for my daughter this summer, Jessie had tried it on and liked it.I also knew it was a quickie to make. So Vogue 8232 it was.

The embroidered denim came from my stash and was approved by said Jessie.
Here is my sweet grand-daughter in her made by Nana jacket.



I made a couple of easy changes to the pattern. I lengthened the sleeves and made them a bit narrower so they wouldn't puff out. I simply measured the yoke band to see how much I could eliminate from the width and folded it out.

I added an inch to the centre front so I could add buttons and buttonholes. Instead of gathers to the top front and back,I used pleats and sewed them down. The fabric really had too much body for gathers.








Jessica thought her jacket might be a bit short and wide. I had to explain that this is a "fashion" jacket and not just an ordinary jean jacket.I think this is a nice piece for a young girl going into Grade 7. What do you think?

Vogue 8605 for a Store Display

It's that time of year again when the staff at Fabricville is encouraged to sew garments or crafts out of the new fabrics coming in daily to be used as displays for the various fabric collections.
The deal is that we get all fabrics and notions including patterns,for a particular project at no charge.We must leave the item on display for about three months .After that we get to take it home.


Vogue 8605 caught my eye right away when I first saw it on someone's blog ( maybe Carolyn's?) It's that type of pattern that I know would be more suitable for that tall willowy model-like creature who is wearing it in Vogue patterns catalogue.You've heard me go on and on about that before.Well,since this jacket isn't going to cost me one cent and I get to add the pattern to my collection and I really like the skirt and pants in this one,I decided why not!





I used a wool /acrylic sweater knit that I feel was very suitable for the style .A light wool double knit was recommended and this knit would be very much similar in weight .It's a hazy floral with navy and other blues as well as a couple of shades of green.Because the wrong side of the fabric shows at he collar,I decided to use a navy knit facing and I'm not sure it works. I may decide to take it out and just let the wrong side show when I get this home in late fall.




When I chose this pattern I thought it would be a quick project but not so.First up, I hand-basted all the markings ( pockets,tabs,etc).Then the fabric insisted on curling at every edge so I ended up turning the seam allowances over a scant quarter of an inch and stitching them down.After joining seams I then top-stitched them on each side of the seam .This took a considerable length of time.What with having to figure out how to add a facing and working it in into the style of the piece,I worked 11 hours on this little beast.



I really enjoyed making this garment though. It was fun!I love trying different things.The only change I made,besides adding the front facing, was to make the buttonhole in the "band" rather than in the spot indicated by the pattern because I just didn't like the effect of having a buttonhole so far from the edge of the jacket.

Do I like this rather boxy and floppy cardigan-like jacket? Yes I do. I think it's cute and will be fun to wear with jeans. It would look great with a longer pencil skirt like the one in the pattern but to be realistic,for me ,it will be a casual piece. And if I change my mind and decide it's too baggy ,I'll at least wear it as a wrap while I'm on the computer in the winter on those cold days.

It has been so terribly hot and humid for the past ten days here that I just couldn't persuade myself to try the jacket with a turtleneck and the appropriate pants for a photo. Instead, I waited to get a couple taken at work. The setting on my camera wasn't right but these pictures will give you an idea of how it looks on .




Look here if you want to see more V8605.

Hope you got the chance to sew this past week.If not, maybe you will this week.

Tamara's Mini Wardrobe,Summer,2009

Well, I worked for three weeks on these pieces and was a bundle of nerves wondering if Tamara would like them and if they would fit. To my amazement,I sent the parcel out (to Ottawa from New Brunswick) by regular post on Monday and she received them on Thursday.Not only that but each piece fit!!.She said it was like Christmas and was very excited and pleased with everything.

The first piece I made was the jacket from this pattern (Vogue 8232)



Originally, it was suppose to go with this royal blue dress from my last post.
But later, I decided to add sleeves to the dress. Well,DD can still wear the jacket and dress together if she wants.



I used cotton twill and made two changes to the pattern.
First I added one inch to the front so that I could add these pretty big blue button and buttonholes.



The second change was on the sleeves. This twill was not stiff but an adequate bottom weight fabric. Thus, the raglan sleeves tended to stick out. To tame this, I formed a pleat at the hem and added a button and this simple step solved the problem.




Here is the dress and the jacket together. What do you think?




The next piece I made was a top using this pattern.( By the way, Debbie Cook has the directions for making an FBA on this pattern here)Is it OK for me to post a link like this?




I had never made anything with a twist on it but I found it quite easy,especially since I used a rayon/lycra which was quite lightweight.I want to make DD a long sleeved dress with this pattern because she really likes the top.




Actually.I'm not crazy about rayon/lycra.It is a little too see-through and clingy for my taste.In Tamara's parcel,I included a white RTW cami to wear under her twist top.



Next up was this skirt made from the same New Look pattern as this one I made for myself. DD chose this fabric so I was quite confident she'd be pleased with it. It's a light, stretchy, cotton poplin.



Instead of gathers on both front and back, I used pleats.



Here are the twist top and poplin skirt together.Tamara agrees that this style is slimming.



The last two pieces were made from a stretchy cotton denim I had in my stash, for DD to wear on casual Fridays.I decided to make the vest as an afterthought because I had a little of the fabric left over from the skirt.

I bought this pattern back in 1995 or so and had never made it.



The vest ended up being shorter than it showed on the pattern jacket so it's a little too short. Tamara agrees with me on that . However if she wears it with a shirt like this RTW T-shirt I picked up for her,tucked in , I think it's wearable..





The skirt is from this pattern (OOP) and is like this skirt. DD loved this one she said.

Well,this has been a long post. I hope you were able to stick it out to the end.I made up a folder of all the pieces if you want to have a look here

I hope you found time to sew this weekend.This week I'm making the jacket in this pattern as a store display.

Presenting Tamara's Vogue 8571

I've been sewing a lot for the past three weeks (as usual) but I've been too lazy to blog. I've visited many blogs but haven't left many comments,not because I had nothing to say,but because I was too lazy to say it.Tonight (it's 11:30), I've suddenly got my blogging mojo back,so here goes.

I've made my daughter six pieces since last you heard from me.Yes six.However,because I want some of these pieces to be a surprise for Tamara, I'll only show you what I think is the best of the bunch.
( I've already E-Mailed her the photos of this dress).

The pattern is Vogue 8571 and the fabric is a poly/lycra.



I added sleeves because I thought she could wear it well into the fall and beyond. My DD really doesn't like sleeveless things for work.Here it is and we both love it.



I used the sleeves from her last dress. I simply flared them out at the bottom ,gathered them at the center and added a narrow band.The gathers echo the gathered bodice, don't you think?



I had a heck of a time with the bodice, I must admit. At first I spread the gathers almost all the way around the band ( I didn't read the directions) and had to take the band off and start again.The band twisted when I stitched the band facing in the ditch. This happened not once but twice!! Finally I can say that it's finished,not perfectly mind you but it will have to do.



I really like the back of this dress. I think it has a retro feel



I almost feel like making this again right away to prove to myself that I learned a lesson or two while making it. One, to read directions and two, to mark all notches and circles,etc. clearly before beginning a project.Wouldn't you think I'd have learned this many years ago?

Check back in a few days for the whole mini-wardrobe reveal. I'm mailing it to my DD tomorrow.

Have a great week everyone! Hope you got some sewing in over the weekend!

Miscellaneous. Sewing

I haven't blogged for a while because I just didn't seem to feel like it.
But tonight I feel the spirit move me so here I am.

I've actually sewn a plethora of things in the last two weeks.I don't really enjoy home dec. I only do it when I have to. I've needed to make a new cover for our outdoor glider for a couple of years. To make myself get to it I had to schedule it in my weekly work plan. I started at 9:00 last Tuesday morning and finished it at 9:30 that night.I'm so very glad that's over with.



I had extra fabric so I made cushions for our bistro chairs as well.



Our youngest grand-daughter will have her first birthday on Aug.21st. I decided I'd try my hand at quilting. Have you seen this paper doll fabric ?It's just irresistible and I was very inspired to give a little quilt a try.
Here you see it with all the top pieces sewn together. That's as far as I've gotten.I'll have it machine quilted by a local woman .



Here's a closer view. Aren't those dollies adorable?



I'm also planning on making the dolls for Sadie to play with when she gets older. You use drapery weight fusible interfacing on the back of the fabric and you cut them out .You can even make a stand for them. Here are the clothes that go with the dolls.




You fuse fusible fleece behind these . You cut them out and supposedly they will stick to the dolls. I'll show you those after I've made them.

This next item ,I made just for the fun of it.I made it late one evening when I told my husband I was going into my sewing room to play.That's the term I use when I don't really know what I feel like sewing.



The little clutch is made out of metallic vinyl.I cut two pieces about 10 inches wide and 16 inches long.



Before sewing the sides together ,I cut strips of vinyl and sewed them to the ring.It's hard to explain how I did this without pictures but I forgot to take some of this step.



Next I sewed the embroidered taffeta lining, which I cut about 4 inches shorter, to the clutch width wise.Note the pocket which I sewed close to the bottom.



Before sewing the sides ,I added a magnetic closure.



My new purse purse matches these shoes quite well I think.

Next up is this OOP New Look skirt .I had a similar pattern in the late 70's and found it to be very slimming.



The fabric is a small geometric print stretch poplin from my stash which I've had a while and still love.It has a black background with white ,light orange and dark orange shapes.I used big black buttons also from my stash (of notions that is). I considered orange buttons but they really didn't do anything for the skirt.



I've worn this a couple of times and I love the style of this pattern.




My next project(s) is a mini wardrobe for my daughter,I'll be starting with this skirt.

More pics here.

Vogue 8486 (for me)

I'm cheating a little because I actually made this dress about three weeks ago but I didn't get around to blogging about it.



I first saw this pattern made up in Vogue Patterns magazine in the June/July 2008 issue. I talked my self out of it because it was one of those patterns that you know would look better on a tall, willowy ,slim woman. You know you are not tall and slim, at least not since hitting fifty eleven years ago.Then , the same pattern is featured in the April/May 2009 issue and you still love it!

Well,I tried to talk myself out of it but I just had to make this dress.So here it is in a mini geometric cotton knit.It looks really nice on Antoinette ,my dress form.



I love the pleated detail at the scooped neckline.
.


It needed no zipper, just a loop and a button .



The whole thing, from cutting out to finishing the hem, took three hours!
Here it is on almost short, and not quite slim, little old me!



Now when you're 61, and you haven't exercised in a couple of months, you don't have the arms that look good in sleeveless. What do you do? You add a little cardigan and you're good to go!



I've already worn this little dress three times in three weeks! Do I like it? Yes I do. It's a keeper!

See more pics here!

Now, I'd like to know.At what age do you think a woman should stop wearing sleeveless?

A Sundress for Tamara

I've been making this same sundress for my daughter since 1995!!.



Last summer I told her I was retiring the pattern and we'd have to find her a new favorite.

Well, as I was leafing through the Vogue patterns catalogue at work one day during my lunch break, I came upon this.I was astounded to see that the dress was exactly like the very old Butterick that my daughter has always loved, but of course in a shorter version. So I made her this.



The fabric is a border print cotton with payettes sewed onto the design and I only had 1.2 meters because it was a remnant piece that I picked up at Fabricville.



In spite of the limited yardage, I still managed to get both a dress and a little shrug out of it. It wasn't easy.I faced the bodice with cotton voile.



For the shrug I used Butterick4396 and had to conform it to the fabric I had left.I had to not only split the sleevee but separate them and rejoin them with fabric strips. I think this added a fun design element and Tamara liked it.





Even though Tamara was home for over a week, I couldn't persuade her to have a photo taken. You see, we've had three weeks of bad hair weather! LOL! She is on her way back to Ottawa as I write this .
We did manage to go to Fabricville together and she chose some patterns and fabrics that she liked. I'll wait for the 3/1 sale to buy a few pieces for her. Stay tuned for this dress in the near future.

Feeling Better About My Stash

I just had to respond to the comments about my last post.

Thank you Gail ,Kim, Linda ,Vicki ,Carolyn ,Betsy ,Adrianna ,Gwen ,Chris ,Julia, Karinna,Ivalyn,The Sewing Loft and Knitmachinequeen. You've made me feel less greedy and more normal.

It's so very true what Linda T said about fabric being our entertainment. And Linda, about needing counselling, my DH thinks I should start a fabricsaholic group.Mmmm!Think that might work?

Now my fabrics are pretty well all very economical because as some of you already know, I work at Fabricville and get very good buys on everything I take home.By the way, as I was cleaning up the other day it occurred to me that I could find only two pieces that I had before I started working there five years ago. Now that tells you doesn't it that I used to be more controlled in buying fabric.


Most of you don't think that having a large stash is a problem. I think the problem with me is that not only do I have too much fabric,but I have too many shoes ,too many watches, too many handbags,too much jewellery,too many coats,etc.

Having said that, I see myself more clearly now. Not only is sewing my hobby and my passion,but so is fashion! Oh my! Not only am I a Sew Passionista! I'm also a Fashion Passionista.But then, that would make me a Fashionista wouldn't it? Surely I'm to old for that and I should know better.LOL

I'm sure there will be many more posts on this topic on many other blogs but I at least do feel better.There's this gorgeous yellow cotton jacquard that I've been trying to resist at Fabricville and I work tomorrow....!

Happy Sewing !

My Stash! Oh My!

I spent all of yesterday cleaning my sewing room and reorganizing my stash. I brought out the summer fabrics and put in the winter stuff. ( By out I mean on the shelves in the room and by in I mean on the shelves in the closet of the sewing room)





The above pictures show only part of my extensive stash. the rest is in various under-the-bed containers and on shelving in other parts of the house.

Now I know there are frequent discussions about stash in the sewing blog world. Some sewers feel that one can never have too big a stash while others don't condone the stash that is, well, shall I say uncontrolled.

Mine is absolutely out of control to the point of nausea. I mean I sometimes can't sleep wondering and worrying over what I'll ever do with all that fabric. And what if I die suddenly? Will my stash find a good home?

Now you probably think that I've made a resolution to not buy any more fabric, right?
Wrong! But I have a new rule. It's this: I can't buy a fabric unless I know exactly what it will become and when it will become!

So there. The problem is solved as far as limiting the growth of my stash.Now what to do about decreasing the stash as it stands now?

That brings me to another problem. Too many clothes! Sewing from my stash shouldn't be too hard but I'm running out of hangers!Now I hear some of you thinking

"Why don't you give away some of your clothes to Goodwill?"

I've already done that many times and already have the next bag half full. I still can't wear all the clothes that are left in my closets.

And someone else is saying

"Sew for your family"

I do sew for my daughter but I don't always get feedback and I often wonder if I'm just wasting my time or does she really wear the things I make for her.My grand-daughter is 12 and she suggested that I could make her pretty tops and capris so you can bet they are in the works.

But, let's face it. I could go on and on and who am I trying to kid. I'll always be happiest sewing for myself because my creations are my babies and I love almost all of them. No one appreciates them as well as me.

Ok.I feel better now. I think I'll go start on Jessie's top which I'm making with the leftovers from my DD's last dress.

Is there anyone else out there who is feeling overwhelmed or greedy or maybe a little nauseous over too much something? I'd love to hear from you if there is.

A Whole Lot of Sewing

I haven't been blogging but I have been sewing up a storm.

I've been putting a lot of thought into what pieces I really wear out of all the things I make.The answer is SPORTSWEAR. I love making and wearing casual suits.As well,I love dresses and in the summertime I wear sundresses a lot when it's hot.Last year I made three new sundresses so this year I want to make a couple of skirts which I also wear quite often at this time of year.

I had a whole lot of this navy and white pin-cord cotton and I decided to make a Sportswear Mini Swap.

I used these patterns and made three pieces.



The Vogue Designer pattern ,I admit,was a stretch for me as far as the style.I also knew that it probably wasn't right for my 5'4.5" chesty shape ,but I just loved it and had to make it.

The New Look pant pattern is a TNT and the same one I used for these. the New Look skirt is OOP and I thought perfect for varying the lay of the stripes.

I started with the pants and they were a joy to make. When I tried to top-stitch , the result looked like a series of crooked skipped stitches I guess because the stripes are so mini.Not to be deterred, I decided to use a zigzag stitch. After a bit of experimenting, I ended up feeding two threads into a 90/14 universal needle and a 2.5 wide and 2.5 long stitch.I really like the result.

I trimmed both the pockets and the hem with navy grosgrain ribbon. I wasn't sure about the hem but when I asked for my DH's opinion ,he said he liked it at the hem so I did but am not sure I like it.



The shirt I'm wearing with my cropped pants in this photo is a linen version of a Sandra Betzina shirt which she fitted for me at her workshop



Next up was the Vogue jacket.



I cut out a size 12 and added an inch to each side but didn't need it. I did my usual FBA and followed the instructions and had no problems. Again I used a zigzag top-stitch but I limited it to just a few places.The sleeve cuffs are really weird in this pattern but I resisted the urge to change them to a more ordinary look. I may change them yet. I'll wear it a few times before I decide.

I love big buttons and this jacket was a perfect chance to use them. These buttons are an inch and a quarter and I just couldn't bring myself to make the buttonholes. Instead I used snaps and just sewed the buttons to the right side of the jacket.






Since I want to wear this as much as possible into the summer months, I decided to line the jacket with cotton voile so it would be cooler. It isn't an ideal lining for a jacket as it's not slippery, but it's too late to turn back now.



I've made this skirt before in the longer length in a red striped stretch denim. I can't show it because my daughter has it in Ottawa.Anyway, I pictured an A-line skirt for this fabric and I also think I'll wear it more than I would a straight or pencil skirt in the casual life that I live.I lined it with a rayon lining mainly because I didn't have any voile left.



I'm showing my less-than-perfect invisible zipper here ( Carolyn if your reading this you are not alone). I've been using invisible zippers for a few years and I have this thing that if it's not completely invisible after two tries, I just leave it alone.



Here I am looking rather bedraggled (I just got my hair cut today and it's kind of flat)in my new sportswear.







If you want to see more, look here.

Gratitude of Attitude Award

Thank you to Ann of Ann's Fashion Studio
for sending me this award.

I have an attitude of gratitude because I have a very happy marriage and my husband and I are both healthy; my children and grandchildren are all healthy; as a retired teacher ,I have a great pension and the time to do whatever I like when I like;I have really good friends and my cup is full to the brim.In short I'm perfectly satisfied with my life!

I'm just leaving to go pick up my grandchildren for the weekend (another thing I'm grateful for) so I don't have time to pay this forward but I will as soon as I can.

Have a great weekend all and I hope you have time to sew!

My Daughter's Birthday Dress

June 7th is my daughter's birthday. It's one of those Big O birthdays. She's going to Las Vegas with her dad and some friends for the big day. We'll celebrate with a party when she comes home for a visit at the end of June.
I just went to the Post office to send her dress off and I just hope she gets it on time.
Tamara really loves knit dresses so we came up with View E of this pattern.



Neither one of us likes cap sleeves so I ended up making three versions before I came up with this length.





View E had a twisted band detail and I tried it in both plain black and with the self fabric. I wish I had thought of taking a picture. In any case ,it didn't do a thing for this dress. We decided I would go for simple and just leave the midriff plain.



The fabric is a poly/lycra and only took about two metres to make.The skirt had no back seam and the midriff isn't faced. That bothered me a bit and I almost decided to line it but then I thought the dress would be a lot cooler to wear if I just left it out.

This is a really easy pattern to make up,well if you don't make three versions of the sleeve that is. I would recommend it as a good project for those of you who would like to try working with knits but are a little leary.

I decided to post this project today because My DD doesn't check my blog out the way she use to so she probably won't see this and she'll still get a surprise when she opens her package.So here is the dress.

Final Pictures of Swap

Although I've already added a link to my post on the right side of my blog (I know there's probably a name for that part of a blog but...) I thought I'd post composites of my final choices.I just realized that at some point after taking these photos I changed the burgundy printed lycra top for the yellow geometric print top. Whoops!



Here ignore the burgundy print top at left.



On either end are my two extra pieces, the jacket to my little black suit
on the left and my bburgundy felted wool jacket. on the right.



Swap was a great experience and I'm glad to have participated and to have seen it through.

There has been an unexpected benefit as well. It has made me think about how much I really do wear (or in some cases don't wear ) what I make. It has made me realize that I want to concentrate on making special items from now on or at least to sew only garments that I'll be sure to enjoy.

I've added a section on the sidebar,if that's the right term,called

A Few of my Favorite Things.

The items you will see there are the clothes that I love and wear often. You can click on any one and see a few more shots of each piece.

I'd love to see others do this as well. I'd really be interested in seeing your favorite things.

One UFO Finished...Adri V2976

Just a quick post on this one.A couple of years ago, I bought this black and white herringbone (yes, herringbone again) linen and I made culottes. They didn't fit well and I just cast them aside and decided to make the jacket from this pattern:



Well, I started it but it was late August and I decided to leave it for spring (2008). Here it is spring 2009 and I decided it had to be done before I can go on to a new project. My new thing is to alternate one new garment with a UFO. So this is what Adri 2976 looks like.
The culottes have now morphed into wide legged cropped pants, by the way.






The fit isn't great (the jacket is snug across the bust ) and if my daughter likes it , she can have it. But,Tamara be forewarned that this is linen and although I washed and dried the fabric three times in hot water and hot dryer respectively a la Sandra Betzina, it is still quite wrinkly.



More pics here.

Adri Times Two

Does anyone else have this pattern?

I made this jacket last spring as a store display. I made it out of metallic linen and I loved it.



It is a great pattern for top-stitching and as you know, I love to top-stitch!



I also made the tank but out of a light cotton.



The pants are made from linen , They're cropped and I used an old favorite TNT.



Of course being linen, the outfit is very wrinkly but I love it anyway!



Now back to the present.The minute I had finished my Swap, I cut out and made this version of the same Adri jacket.




The fabric is a two-sided denim so what could be better? The collar and lapels have
only one layer and you turn the seam allowances to the outside. I used two spools of polyester thread for the top-stitching. I threaded one of my extra machines with the green thread and that made it very convenient.
Also, I wanted buttonholes instead of the loops, so I added an inch to both. front pieces at the centre line.

For the pants, I used this Pattern.

I had used this pattern for my grey Swap jeans and I knew they were a little big. I used View B and since I thought this style could stand to be a little roomier, I just cut the size C with no alterations and they fit perfectly!.



The back pockets were another Top-stitching Opp.The colour in this photo is terrible though.



I used the contrast side for the sides and the label is to cover up an"oops".



This is the kind of outfit that I love to wear and that will fit very well into my lifestyle.My husband and I are going to Vancouver next week and I'll be taking this with me.




More photos here.

Now on to a UFO, another Adri Pattern.