Pattern Challenge

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but just in case I haven't, I am terrible at finishing projects. I know you are all like "yeah right, she just made five new tops for Spring Top Week". But seriously guys, that is five finished out of ten started. I'm not kidding. It sounds crazy (and probably is), but I like the process of starting something. Usually about half way through a project I can envision the finished product and in my mind that's enough. I still have two tops for Luca cut out and ready to sew in a size 5. She now wears a size 6.

So now I am joining in on Sarah from Come And See The Seitz and her Pattern Challenge. This is exactly the thing I usually shy away from, but I'm trying to trick myself. Let's see how it works out. The challenge is to set a goal for yourself and what you plan to achieve. It's really perfect timing because Luca is on the verge of never again wanting to wear homemade by mommy. I figure I've got about one Summer left. Maybe it'll stretch into Fall (she'll be starting first grade so I seriously doubt it). So my goal will be to sew her a summer wardrobe! Oh how extravagant. The word wardrobe has such a heavy ring to it. I purposely am leaving the quantity of garments blank because as you all know, me no likey commitment. This way if I make 6 pieces for her by Summer I'll feel pretty darn special.

So I invite you to all join in on this challenge. For lot's of you it will be easy. Hello. I know some of my readers. Those of you, you know who you are, seem to be able to live on two hours of sleep per night. I mean that's the only way I can imagine so many projects are getting done while also keeping the house clean, feeding their children and showering more than twice a week. 

Here's a little sample of the first project on my list. It's the colorway from the selvage of the fabric. I love how it has butterflies instead of the usual dots.

Stay tuned to see what I make!

Bird Watcher

Here's my final entry for the Spring Top Week challenge. Phew! I had a lot of ideas going on inside my head and every time a saw a new post to the Flickr group I was inspired. I wasn't sure I would be able to pull it off, but I actually made five tops. It became ADDICTIVE! I don't think I've sewn five anything for myself in the last decade. I still have a few in my head that I'd like to make so now that I'm on a roll I think I'll probably keep it up. Hmmm...we'll see about that. I do tend to start a lot of projects that don't get finished unless there is some impending deadline like, oh let's see,  April 30th! Thanks Rae for inspiring me to sew for myself.

 The vest is made from Simplicity 4079. This is by far the most detailed I ever get in sewing. I usually shy away from projects that take this much sewing concentration. This vest involves lots of picky sewing. It's not really that hard to sew and the instructions are actually pretty straight forward, but it's definitely not for beginners. Although this would look great in velvet... I would NEVER be able to successfully construct this garment in any picky fabric. I used fabric from my stash. The main fabric is Alexander Henry "bird seed". The collar is the Soiree Collection by Paula Prass. The green dot contrast used for the pocket flap, fabric covered buttons and back strap is by Red Rooster Fabrics. I lined the entire vest in black Kona cotton.  I found the strap buckle in the notions department of my local craft/fabric store. I would have preferred something that looked like tortoise shell or black, but it's really not that important of a detail.

 I love how funky this vest turned out. It's definitely unusual. My husband actually laughed when he saw it. I kinda don't blame him. Although it borders on clown-like I think it is just a fun piece to have. I'm not sure where I'll wear it, but I'm sure to get some comments. Tell me what you think of this vest.

Patterns

Like I need another sewing project. These patterns are just too cute to resist. What did me in was seeing some of the great examples of the Ice Cream Dress in the Oliver + S Flickr Pool so I had to get it and since I was paying for shipping I thought I may as well get a shirt for the bambino. I just have to keep my fingers crossed that Luca will still wear something I make for her. Six is the new sixteen around here. Can you say drama?

Getting By

Chef has been out of town for a whole week. Do you realize what this means? We are all starving to death! It is quite pitiful that I cannot manage to hold it together and feed my children somewhat healthy meals for a mere week. He gets back tonight too late to cook. I'm not that mean that I'd make him cook something on his first night back... maybe, we'll see if the kids start gnawing on the baby. I am proud to say that I did not resort to pizza, yet. That is on the agenda for tonight actually now that you ask. I love being the hero. In the meanwhile I need to get some laundry done.

I Love It!

My sister is visiting so it's been hard to get any sewing done. The kids adore her and follow her every move when she is here. Last night she went to bed early (they really wore her out), so I got to get some sewing done. I finally finished top number four for the Spring Top Week sewingpalooza. I had originally made this top last week in a heavier weight knit and it just didn't look right. I used McCalls 6078 which is a pretty simple design. My sister brought me some beautiful chocolate brown slinky knit from L.A. so I thought I'd give this pattern another try. I am so glad I did. It is gorgeous! I even got my sister to model the top for me. Yay!

Hopefully I can get my fifth top done (my own personal challenge) by the end of the month. Chef is in Portland again until Friday which is when my sister leaves. It's usually quite a few days until the house gets back to normal after she leaves.

Sisterhood

My sister is the most unique person I know

We don't always get along, but she knows we will be the android sisters forEVAH!

P.S. Maybe one day I'll tell her about this here blog.

Simple Upcycling Project

Remember the black cashmere sweater that I cut the sleeves off of? here are the cute lounging pants I made. There are a few drawbacks to these pants. First of all I have to tell you they are the softest, most cozy little pants a baby could ever put his little bum into. That softness doesn't work too well when you are an 8 month old on the verge of learning to crawl. He was slipping and sliding around the floor during this photoshoot which leads me to the next problem. He became a Swiffer Sweeper. It wouldn't matter much if our darn cat and dog had black fur. Can you picture it now? Luckily I took a photo of the pants before I put him in them(yes, there are already little hairs everywhere). Side note: The t-shirt was a baby gift from The Chefs former boss and let me tell you how happy he is that it finally fits the little guy. It says METALLIKID with two electric guitars. I think it's safe to say I married Metallica's number one fan. Just had to mention in case you read this babe ;)

 I didn't notice the strange placement of the pants crotch against the wood door until just now. Creepy I know, but I'm not re-taking the photo.

I made the pants using just the two sleeves and a strip from the bottom of the sweater for the waistband.  I still have enough sweater left to use in some diaper covers. This was a quick, rewarding and fun repurposing project. It took longer to put black thread on my overlock and straight stitch than it did to sew these pants. I think I'll applique something on the bum, but let's see if I ever get around to it.

Spring Top Week

It's official... I'm on a roll! I finished top number three for the Spring Top Week sewing challenge.I have two more planned, both pretty simple designs, we'll see if time allows.

I used Simplicity 2448 View C and the sleeve from View D. I've had this fabric for quite a while and I'm not sure of the content. I burned a bit to see if it had poly in it but it burned clean. If you could peek into my closet you would see a sea of white. It's borderline creepy. Maybe I'll photograph it for y'all one day. The pattern was pretty straight forward. I did not use interfacing as called for mostly 'cause I'm a lazy seamstress. The back has a center seam which had I been paying attention during cutting I would have cut on the fold. I made no alterations to fit. It hangs pretty nice with the drapey fabric. I would make this again but if I use a cotton I will not use the sleeve because then I'll look like I'm wearing some Star Trek costume. 

Oh Yeah Baby... It's Top Number Three

Last night the Chef was in Portland on business so instead of watching something from the DVR, like we do every night, I had some free time to sew. After the kidlets were asleep I finished top #3 for the Spring Top Week Challenge. This is definitely a first for me. Hello! Three tops for ME?!? Can this be? Rae, is that what you mean by selfish sewing? I may begin to like this concept. Okay so I exaggerate about three tops because we all know that Whackado hardly counts. I rarely finish projects so this is a whole new Sascha. There are really about 10 half finished on my cutting table. For reals yo!

For instance. I may just post this crazy item I sewed up last night to show you how bizarre home crafting can get. I took a beautiful black cashmere sweater (with a teeny moth hole) and made something for the babes. I know, don't remind me it's Spring and cashmere on babies is so last year. I'll just give you a teaser.

Also, I need to photograph the latest top for moi. On me or the dress form? What do ya think? If it be the dummy I'll be able to post it later tonight. If me, who knows when chef will be willing to take a pic in "just the right light babe". He so doesn't get it.

Spring Top Week Entry Two

So I wasn't sure if I was even going to post the whackado shirt, but it looked halfway decent in the photos so I decided to go ahead and let you see it. One of the reasons I decided to put it out there is because my husband nicely came outside with me and took the photos and that was quite a feat. He kept waiting for me to smile and I kept reminding him that I was going to crop my face out of the pictures. I also moved to a few locations because I wasn't sure how the light was making the shirt look. Stripes are so hard to photograph. I thought I better wear the shirt instead of putting it on the dress form because it didn't look to good without arms in the sleeves. When I mentioned that I may not even enter it to the challenge he gave me the evil eye, so here it is.

A little bit about this train wreck. I used some fabric from my mom that is super cute and really soft and slinky. I wish I had made a raglan tee with it instead. Or a boat neck shirt. Or a lap tee. Or anything but the shirt I did make. I wanted to make a wrap around top, but the idea I had was harder to draft than I thought. I don't veer from patterns too well. Then I saw an Onion pattern I liked but didn't think it would make it to me on time since it's from Denmark. So I thought I could copy it and wing it. I know it all seems fine from the photos but that's because I'm standing still and not moving! The front V buckled a bit so I ended up stitching it closed which solved that problem. I also have a clothes pin on the back because the waist is too big. I intended for the top to be longer but I measured all wrong. I do like the sleeves. I made them flare a bit on the bottom toward my wrist. I would make them more of a bell on the bottom if I were to make it again, which I am definitely not. 

I have two more tops I'd like to get done. A blouse I fell in love with and cannot wait to make is one I found in the Spring Top Week Flickr pool by Hokidoki. She made a Simplicity 2601 pattern look so stinkin' cute. If I find a fabric that I really like it's probably a top I'd wear with jeans quite often. Another pattern I already have cut out but now I'm kind of over it. That happens a lot to me. I spend so much time cutting out the pattern pieces, then cutting out the fabric that by the time I'm done with that I'm ready for the next project. I also liked making the Schoolhouse Tunic by Sew Liberated enough that I'm sure I'll make a couple more.

Hopefully I get some sewing time in today while the kids are in school. I'd really like to make a top that makes me forget this one ever happened.

Hello Monkey

Oh crap! Time to lower the mattress.

Whackado Shirt

I've made another shirt for the Spring Top Challenge and it's whackado. I hope to get a photo of me wearing it later today (if chef comes home when there is enough light), otherwise I'll put it on a dress form. This shirt is so whack that I may not post it to the flickr group. We'll see. I may be able to make it look cuter when I put it on. I don't know how you guys make patterns from scratch.

Just a Bit of Traffic

We went to LA for the weekend 

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

My "Spring Top Week" Top Numero Uno

Yay! Another contest that I'm actually participating in rather than thinking about participating in. Before you know it I won't be able to hang onto that Queen of Procrastination title.

 Last year I didn't make a top for Rae's Spring Top Week because I'm a dork. No, really I was pregnant and didn't really feel like making a maternity top. This year I have no excuse and I have had a couple of top patterns ready to try. The first I've been wanting to make is the Schoolhouse Tunic by Sew Liberated. I wanted to make it out of a similar fabric as the one pictured on the cover, but the fabric I have is not enough yardage. It takes kind of a lot of fabric and I usually have smaller yardage because all I sew is kids clothes, so I had to get creative. I had some white rayon with a super nice drape that I was originally going to use for a curtain (I think). The photos don't show it, but there is a small stripe woven into the fabric which gives it some nice depth. 

The pattern was really easy to work with. It's a simple design and I pretty much followed all the instructions. Since the fabric I chose is really drapey I added a button to the top because the opening was flopping down. I made an elastic thread loop. I also lengthened the sleeve and widened the bottom a bit to have a flare (next time I'll do more). The pintuck detail was a pain in the ass, but is my favorite part of the top. I wish the photo showed better detail but I made all the tucks different widths and also sewed them unevenly to create wavy lines. The pattern calls for a center box pleat in the back which I changed to a slight gather. I forgot to photograph it, but it's pretty unexciting. When I make this again I'll probably make it with the box pleat because I plan on making this out of a cotton which will be more bulky. Two things I wish I had done differently was to make the seam allowance smaller for less bulk and I should have faced the entire front bodice because the fabric is so sheer. Luckily I sewed this garment with a little patience so it kind of looks o.k. to see the facing through on the front. This top definitely needs a camisole underneath (I'm freaky about wearing one everyday anyway. More on that another time). No one was home to take a picture of me wearing it (the baby doesn't count) so I had to throw it on the dress form. Phew! That's about it.

Another Generation Learns to Sew

Lately I feel like I need to play catch up on sewing. I've mentioned this before, but did you know I took about a 10 year break from sewing? The only sewing I did was the little basics like hemming pants or stitching up torn seams. I did occasionally do home dec sewing. Pillows, curtains, duvet covers. Things like that. But for some reason I didn't sew for either of the first two kids. Now that I'm back at it I am frustrated with how little time I have to complete projects. Things that used to take me only an hour to complete now takes days, sometimes weeks. I have so many patterns that I want to still try out on Luca but she is already six years old and soon she will be too embarrassed to wear anything I make for her and let's face it, sewing for boys is just not as fun. 

I guess I should just get into sewing for myself. That's harder because I basically only wear jeans and white t-shirts and even if I didn't, have you seen the fabric selection out there lately? And if you do find something you like it's $22.00 per yard and you need 2 yards for your project.

Back to my original reason for this post which was not to complain. It's to say that I am so thankful my mom taught me to sew when I was six years old and I almost squealed with delight when she bought Luca a sewing machine for her 6th birthday. Coolio.

The only problem is that I barely have time in a day to do the things that need getting done around here. I wish I could sit down and give her a few more lessons (she turned 6 in January and I haven't put in too much effort).

She's got big plans that Luca. She's sure that she'll be making a new wardrobe in no time. So far all she's gotten completed is a square (sort of) beanbag. At least she finished it. Let's just hope she doesn't take after me in the project completion gene.

Thread Rack: The Non-tutorial Tutorial

Remember this from last week? Well I got out the hammer and glue gun and voila!

A thread rack

The basics:

• thumb tacks (plain/flat if covering with buttons)
• buttons (or anything you can think of!)
• elastic thread (jewelry elastic, not shirring elastic)
• bamboo cutlery holder
• hot glue

Pretty much no explanation necessary on the how-to, but if you're going to try this, the one thing I would have done differently is to put the thumbtacks in only 1/3 rd of the way up on each row. The elastic doesn't need to be in the middle of each row. It would be easier to get thread spools in and out if it was lower. I'm also going to add a picture hanger to the back so I can hang it on the wall. This is nice and low profile unlike a lot of commercially bought thread racks. I originally thought I would need two of these, but it holds over 75 spools (more if all are the skinny spools) which is way more than I thought it would. I almost used some decorative thumbtacks that I had with black elastic, but decided the buttons were cute for a sewing theme. You could glue pretty much any cute little do-dad to the thumbtack. Fabric covered buttons would be nice also. I got my bamboo cutlery holder at Target, but they have them at Bed, Bath and Beyond also (good if you've got one of their coupons). I'd love to see your interpretations of this little project, so if you make one link to me!

This weekend the bigger kids worked on a gingerbread Easter house

Um, you remember correctly, only one of my kids is actually blind.

Living With the Animals (plural)

Did you know I have an indoor only cat that catches mice? Lot's of them. Think about that for a minute.

 She has never been outside, as in, where the mice usually live. Yes, I have a problem don't you think?

(and yes, I tried to photoshop the picture to divert your attention away from the dirty glass. I don't think it worked...thankyouverymuch) 
In case you were wonderin' what animals we do choose to live with
2 dogs
1 duck
6 chickens
and that cat

PEEPaboo!

Something to wear under an Easter dress perhaps?

PEEPS Bunny tutorial again!