I made something!

After getting addicted to Atelier on Netflix (it's in Japanese- the acting style is weird, but it got really addictive to read it and see such pretty fabrics...) I decided I wanted to learn to sew bras. Turns out it was a huge blogging trend like a year ago, so apparently I'm late to the game.  But that meant Craftsy had a class for it (actually, now 3 of them! I've taken two...)  and lots and lots of bloggers had reviewed a lot of patterns!

I settled on Watson from Cloth Habit.  And I bought a kit from Tailor Made Shop on Etsy. Having someone else figure out exactly what supplies I needed made this easy!

And yesterday I made my very first bra!  (My "dress form" is a bit fatter and a bit flatter than me, since it's a pillow- but you get the idea...)

 

You can see it isn't perfect.  I need to get used to sewing to the very edge of the elastic so the fabric folds over nicely. I missed in a few places.  I also used the wrong elastic for the straps, which then means I used the wrong one for the ribcage band. The straps were supposed to be a pretty patterned elastic, but it looked too thick, so I used a different one. So now the straps just look like elastic...

Another look- this was more successful than the matching bikini bottom, mostly because I learned just how little you need to stretch the elastic.

And my big mistake: I thought I did well with the seam allowance, but I must not have, because my band turned out much narrower than the hook and eye fittings.  I might try to find single hook fittings and switch these out.  But it's underwear, no one sees this!  Except you guys- but y'all won't tell, right?

I have leftover fabric that I am trying to dye, and so far it looks like the fabric is taking the dye beautifully, so I will make a second one. I have elastic in my stash but will need to find all the notions. I might tear apart an old bra that doesn't fit to get the metal pieces, those don't go bad!

I had trouble with a few things on this.  First- I broke two needles. The first one was because I was using my quarter inch foot, and well, you can't zig-zag with that. Oops. The second was when I was sewing the strap onto the bra, I hit a ring. Needles don't go through metal.  The second was with my machine "eating" the fabric when starting new seams. I ended up using a "leader" like you do in quilting- a small piece of fabric that I stitched on, and then lined my new fabric up with it. That worked just fine.

One other lesson learned: when searching "Watson Bra" to look for tutorials or blog reviews, make sure to add "sewing". Otherwise you get photos of Emma Watson in a bikini.

After I make another of these, I'm going to eventually try underwire and foam cup bras. The only problem is the bras I wear are really cheap- and to make those will be really expensive... so it's kind of hard to justify- but man it's so much fun!

This weekend in sewing....

You'll be shocked to see I made three more postcards.
These all show off fabric I painted during a thickened dyes workshop. I can't wait to send these out.  This gets me to 20 of my goal of 34 before my 34th birthday.  I want to spend time tomorrow to do a more involved collage one, they can't all just be 1 piece of fabric.  But these fabrics are some of my favorite, so I love showing them off.

In the mail this week I got the postcards I ordered from Moo.com  They are seriously awesome and I can't wait to send them out, though postcrossing has been a bit of a disapointment so far. I know it takes a long time for cards to reach international destinations, but the one I sent to someone in the US hasn't been registered. But every card I sent to someone on ravelry the same day has been recieved!  However, I joined a postcard swap group on ravelry; so maybe that will be more reliable.

I also started a Craftsy class called "Sewing with Fleece".  I mainly wanted a little more step by step to make a fleece jacket (though I bet I could have figured it out...) While waiting to arrive, I did the first project- a hat.  The hat is comfy and warm, and I like the way my hair curls, but I think it highlights that I have a big head....  Still, I've had this ice skate fleece forever, so it was exciting to use it.  So what do you think? Can I wear it in public?

Also, the winner of the postcard drawing was Shecki.  I will contact you and get it mailed to you if you would like it.

Custom Throw Pillows

My bedroom has 3 windows above the bed. They let in a lot of light from the street lamp and even more from the moon. So we put curtains up to cover them almost immediatly.

There wasn't really a great way to open the curtains (maybe we could have done a wrap to pinch them in the center?) so the windows always stayed covered. Which basically made it that we didn't have windows. But these curtains were not blackout, so while they were good at night, the room was too bright to nap during the day.

You can see in that picture we also didn't have curtains. Well, there is a flagpole across the street that the guy keeps a spotlight on all night (as I guess he should). That spotlight comes in through the crack in the blinds at EXACTLY eye level to where I sleep (the window side is my side of the bed). Kevin can't see it, but curtains were a priority for me. (Once I put a t-shirt over the blinds, they became a priority for Kevin.)

A few months ago we got curtains, and I think they added a lovely finished look to the room. But they didn't match the small curtains. And the small curtains weren't really working as well as I'd like.

So I got another panel of the curtains, with the idea to make a set of small curtains.  But then watching movies in the living room, I had the goofy idea to stick the throw pillows into the square windows in our kitchen that glare on the TV.  And they blocked out all the light. And filled the window well almost completely.

I realized I had a solution. Instead of making curtains, I could make pillows.  And they fill the window almost completely (just a little light around the edges). The room is nearly black- which make napping very easy.

But even better is that I can take them out of the windows during the day, and use them as throw pillows on the bed. So my bed looks fancy, and the windows let light in.   

Since we were going to use them as throw pillows, it was important they be washable- the dog hair gets everywhere. So I made pillow forms and then put an invisible zipper in the seam and the curtain fabric is a pillow case.  The curtain cost $23.79, the zippers $0.60 each, the fiberfill was $12 for a 5-pound box (and I have about half left)- so the pillows were about $10.50 each.  Pretty good price for made to match, custom pillows. It would have been hard to find throw pillows on sale for that amount. And now I also have window coverings!

Did the gushing blog post give off how excited I am about this?

New Purse

It has been a very very long time since I updated any craft project.  Sorry!

Part of it, is that I'm stuck in a rut- I haven't started a new quilt.  The snowflake quilt was so awesome, and quite honestly, so was Mario. So I don't know what to do next. I don't want to step back to ordinary after those things.

But, I have been making a few things, which means the other problem is I'm just bad about blogging.

So I'll show off one project today and then try to post about the others soon.

I made another bag:

I've made this bag before, on my Kenmore.  OMG! It was so much easier on the Bernina.  I did break a needle on one of the insane seams, but once I switched to a denim needle and my jeans foot, as long as I used my leveling thingy (to bring the foot flat)- it sewed right through, without even hesitating. I wasn't sewing full speed- but holy crap, that is some POWER in this machine.  I had to hand crank the wheel on the Kenmore and it still skipped stitches.

So the reason I remade this purse was because my first one was just worn out.  It had stains on it, and the corners were beginning to tear a bit.  I took this purse everywhere for years.  It went on 3 cruises with me, and served daily as my lunch bag.

This purse is amazing.  EIGHT pockets. And lots of space.  I love it so much.

It is also incredibly easy to make- except for the fact that there are an insane number of layers (made more insane by the fact that I do double the pockets.
Let's talk layers.
Each side is 3 layers, cotton + fleece + cotton.
Each pocket is the same 3, plus it is bound on the edges, so that adds 6 layers (due to folding of the binding), so 9 layers per pocket.

Let's stack it all up, 2 sides, 4 pockets: 34 layers. Then, to make it look nicer inside, you enclose the finished seams in binding, another 4 layers: 46

total layers, 6 of them are fleece.  See why the machine needs some major power behind it? 

But it is totally worth it.  Unfortunately, all those layers makes it hard to line up.  I tried really really hard to get the binding on the sides to be right. It's just impossible to pin.

My only other tip: if you aren't into quilting, or want a quick project: buy pre-quilted fabric.  I think it took longer to do the quilting on the fabric than the rest of the bag.

Oh, and use water soluble thread for the first stitching of the handles.  I knew this, but I didn't. So that means I have some double lines of stitching and it doesn't look perfect.

I also wish I had put in a thicker zipper, in a matching color- but this was a stash project, and that was the zipper I had in my stash, so it will have to do.

A few more gifts

My sister's kids have a lot of stuff, so I generally don't do gifts for them, but contribute to the college fund instead.  (They are starting to get old enough to know who gifts are coming from, so I'm probably the crappy Aunt- eh, they'll thank me later!)

However, I thought the twins might like the blankets I was making this year, so I made them a set for their birthday.  They are still just getting Christmas checks though.  I was told that The Hulk and Cars are the height of coolness, so that is what they got.  My sister assured me if I monogrammed them it would be okay, and not cause fights over who got the better one.  In her words "everything causes fights, this way I can say, 'no, that is not yours'" 

I think I finally got the binding down- heavy fabric, and starch!

I actually got my machine binder in the mail yesterday.  It has a learning curve though, so I don't think it would have been ready for prime time if I received it earlier.

My sister also told me that Cole "owns" a baseball team called the Osums (Awesome- she told him he spelled it wrong, and he said he was the owner, he gets to decide how to spell it.)  She asked me if I could make him a pennant for the team.  Of course I can!  This was a fun project- I basted the letters in place using steam-a-seam, and then used a blanket stitch to sew it in place. Kevin told me I had to add a white strip to the side, or else it isn't a 'real' pennant.  This is more a vintage pennant, as the new ones are very stiff, and this one is just felt.

Turns out Cole has the flu :( so we were suckers and let him open it early.  He pronounced it amazing, and then searched the house looking for somewhere to put it.  He found the perfect location.  What do you think? 

Cole told his Mom "Aunt Jessi is the best sewer in the world.  She can sew anything."  (He also thinks Uncle Kevin can make anything...which is probably true.)  If he keeps that attitude up, he'll probably get any sewn gift he wants!  (For his birthday, he might be getting an Osums t-shirt.)

Family Tradition

My husband's family has a tradition.  An Aunt makes a stocking for every new baby.  I'm not the only Aunt in the family, but I'm the only crafty one- so I'm making my third family stocking.

This one I used my embroidery machine to put the name on- so it looks super fancy there.  It is fully lined.  I'm not 100% happy with it (I think I just need to iron it out, but I'm scared of melting the fleece) but I think it looks pretty good.  My SIL told me that the stocking needs to be pretty big, so I tried to make it big. 

 I put off sewing it for quite some time- but it was pretty easy to make.  And my machine just goes right on over the 8+ layers of fabric, fleece, batting, and rick-rack.  It is nice to not have to wrestle with it at all!

I hope they like it.

Spool Stand

I don't think I ever blogged about this, but it is one of the greatest additions to my sewing room.  A spool stand!  Once I got into the snowflake quilt I realized that those 12" squares EAT thread.  Seriously, I had a mostly unused 1000 m spool and it was gone in just TWO squares.  

So I researched my options and found out that I definetly need to go with large spools. I order my Isacord from IMachineGroup.com  The shipping isn't cheap (it's the actual shipping price, so it is fair though, I'm just used to cheap shipping), so I usually get 10 at a time, and it is the best price per spool (with shipping) I've found online. (Have you found a better deal?)  Without shipping, a 1000 m spool of thread costs $3.25 (a fantastic price, btw). But a 5000 m spool- it costs $6.95! It would cost $10 more to buy that much thread if I only bought the small spools. But large spools, well, they don't fit on the machine.

Enter a solution.  The spool stand!  Again, I'm cheap.  I looked at those and they seem to range from $15 to more than $50!  The cheapest ones had lots of bad reviews about them being tipsy, the most expensive are decorative, and the one I decided I wanted is about $25.   Now, $25 buys a lot of fabric.  I didn't really want to spend that.

So I showed it to Kevin and he told me he could make it.  And he did. And it is perfect.  And the best part: free.  It was made entirely with scraps that were around his shop. And it fits the spool perfectly, and it isn't tipsy at all, and now I have PLENTY of thread to make snowflakes.  If you sew with the same color a lot, I highly recommend going this route.  It is MUCH more affordable!

Kevin was also very smart when he made this.  The hooks up the top direct the thread in two different directions.  The thread moves so slowly when I sew, that I really only need one.  But when I wind a bobbin, it flies off the spool- so it usually comes out of the bottom hook.  The top hook is oriented differently, so it stays in. So this does work for winding bobbins!  And they aren't hard to thread at all- there is a teeny opening on the side, so I just slip the thread through that (and that is how it escapes) I don't have to actually thread UP through them.

New Wallet...

I fell in love with this pattern the first time I saw it on http://stitchesandseams.blogspot.com/.  I purchased it for $10 from http://www.etsy.com/shop/MadeByMotherOfMarine.  I consider this to be very expensive for a pattern, and I do not usually spend that amount of money.  

The pattern is EXTREMELY well written.  The steps are very clear and mostly well illustrated (a few steps require you to read to understand the illustrations).  The cutting diagrams are clear, however, I chose to not use them.  You use almost all of the 3 fat quarters if you make the optional insert, but not so much that you really need to follow the layouts exactly.

 I had put off making it for awhile because it looked difficult.  Here is my take on that: it would be very difficult to make it really well.  But it is not at all difficult to make “okay”.  A beginner could do it, though there is one seam that has a very big hump in it, so a beginner machine might not like it (I’m still in awe of how my new machine doesn’t even give this a second thought.)  It also took way less time than I thought it would.  Half of an afternoon, less if you don’t make stupid mistakes like I did.  (The materials list literally says “seam ripper- don’t kid yourself”.   She was right, I definitely needed it.)

 

The pattern is not completely foolproof.  I’m not sure how I did it, but I managed to put the vinyl pocket on the wrong side.  I guess I did the self-binding (a great feature) wrong.    I also loved the idea of the paper piece to guide you sewing the corners, however, I wasn’t able to follow my sewn-on guidelines very well. 

Dislikes: 

-It is probably my sewing, and not the pattern, but I feel like it has a “crafty” feel. It doesn’t look store bought. The fact that the inner fabric shows a little when it is closed contributes to this.  Maybe I didn’t do a good enough job pressing before doing the final top-stitching?

-The zipper pocket is unfinished.  I think this is necessary, because otherwise you can’t turn the wallet through it, but I would have liked a bag made of fashion fabric to hold the coins.  I don’t like that I can see the interfacing.

-There was one confusing instruction:  for the optional insert, it says to interface and topstitch the pocket fabric as you did before, but the pockets were never interfaced before.  Turns out, I cut a piece wrong (forgot to go on the fold) and don't have enough for the insert anyway, so it is moot.

I'm very happy with my wallet.  It fits everything I need, and has room for plenty more.  Plus the magnet clasp is something I haven't used before, and makes it seem more finished than just velcro would.  I also really like the zipper on the outside of the wallet.  The tabs on the sides makes for a very professional finish on that part.

AND while I probably didn't need to, I got to use a TON of feet for this project.

I used my zipper foot, my edgestitch foot, my applique foot (to trace the curves), my regular foot, my quarter inch foot, and my jeans foot (to sew through ALL the layers, and topstitch them).  Feet are fun.

Dress for Josefina

(Modeled by Jess)

So I recently decided I needed to downsize my American Girl collection.  I have 11 dolls, and no room.  However, deciding which doll to get rid of was a nighmare.  I finally decided on Josefina- I got her at the end of high school (I think? Maybe even in college...) and we never really 'bonded'.  Even some of the newer dolls have 'stories' or 'play' to them that is more than her.  So I decided she would go first, and then I'd figure out who goes next.

However, I couldn't just give her to goodwill or put her up on Ebay. I decided to send her to my Uncle.  He has 6 children, including 4 girls.  I think a free American Girl doll will be much appreciated in that household, and he is so amazing, fostering, and then adopting 2 of the girls.  I packed Josefina and realized she only had 2 outfits.  So I gathered some homemade clothes to send too, and saw that I had cut out the pieces for this cute denim dress while I lived in Ohio (6 years ago...) but never sewed it together.  Since I left the hems as raw edges (with a line of stay stitching), it was quick and easy. 

The dress was too plain without decoration, so I added daisies to the neck and hem, and then when I tried it on Jess, it was way too short, so I added the eyelet lace.

Although the sewing is a bit 'eh', I think the dress is very cute.  I tried to put in an invisible zipper, but I mut have done it wrong.  It is fairly visible...

Photos are courtesy of Kevin, with no guidance from me.  I was out running errands, but he is wonderful, as he took great ones and even posed his model!  (I used to take pictures of my dolls in scenes, so he must have remembered that.)

Vogue 1208

 

Remember this dress?  I made it!  It doesn't look like that though... I think you have to be tall to look like that..

One of the things I really liked about it was the neckline. It isn't quite as elegant on me though. (Oh, and that pretty crystal headband- I put on all those stones yesterday too.  Almost a gross...super sparkly. I got the crystals on sale!)

I sewed this dress on Sunday.  It is SUPER quick (although I took some short cuts since I didn't really understand all the instructions).  It is bias cut so it has to hang for 24 hours, so I hemmed it today.

Front view:

This is a straight size 14 (for non-sewers, store sizes and pattern sizes have no correlation!).  My bust fit in 14, my waist in 18 and my hips in 16.  When I made it I planned on cutting a 14 and grading to make it bigger in the lower body.  Honestly, I wish I had made a 12!  I think the neckline is too big for my shoulders, and the whole thing just feels loose. It is described as "fitted" but NO WAY.  I have a huge amount of ease in the tummy, and I am many sizes too small for me! If I do make a 12 (which I don't have in my pattern envelope, so I won't) then I might grade out to the 14 for the waist, but this is plenty big.

Back view:

(The fabric is quite wrinkly- some fell out with the hanging but I could NOT get it to press out.  There is also so extra fabric in the back that I think a swayback adjustment would help, but I just don't get alterations.  I don't have the patience or the money to learn to make them... so I just cut patterns as is and hope.)

Here is a close up of the bow.  I didn't do the "knot" detail because it involved pressing pleats, and my fabric was having none of that.  Plus I think this looks fine.  Here you can see how the lining peaks out.  Since I can't get anything to press down, I don't know how to fix that. Honestly, it doesn't bother me. (Oh, and my bra won't peak out- I plan to wear strapless!)

Here is one of the short cuts.

I didn't understand the instructions to join the sleeves at ALL, so I turned the dress back around, sewed up the seams 1/4", flipped it out and joined them with 3/8 seams (instead of 5/8 since I used up 1/4).  You can tell I did this if you are a sewer and look at the sleeve view on the none bow side. It puckers just a bit.  But Kevin (who is super picky) didn't notice until I pointed it out, so once again, I'm not concerned- it's not couture.


Here is another short cut.

The hem is shorter than I intended (but I like it) because 1) I hemmed it before hanging, since I didn't see the instruction and had to cut the hem off since seam ripping black on black on fragile fabric was not working and 2) The first hem I did had over an inch in variance! Hugely uneven, almost purposefully aysmettrical looking.  Kevin helped me mark the current hem, and it looks MUCH better.  But, so it wouldn't be even shorter, rather than turning twice, I just turned once.  The black serger thread makes it so that you can't tell even if it flips up a bit.

So what does a formal dress for a cruise cost?
The pattern was $3.99
The black fabric, crepe back satin, $12.45 (4.98/yd) The bias cut wastes more fabric than it uses- hopefully I can find something to do with the remnants.
The lining $3.98 ($1.99/yd). 
So $20.42.   I could probably find a dress on sale for that, but you don't get that awesome- I made this!!! feeling.
(Notion used was bias tape I've had in my stash as long as I can remember, a new needle, and some coats and clark stash thread.  We'll call it $22...)

Quick question- does anyone know what understitching is?  It told me to understitch the lining.  Does that mean sew the lining seam allowance to the dress seam allowance?  I googled and still couldn't tell.  So I just didn't do anything.... 

Oh, one more question- do you think I should try to take in the dress a bit in the upper body, so it has more shaping and looks less like a sack of potatoes, or just leave well enough alone?  I'd do that after the cruise.  I am leaving this as is for now.

A sewing day...

So today I decided to put off homework (I need to get ahead, since we will be on vacation the last week of class) and do a bit of sewing.

The main productive thing I did was get started on the next quit.  I cut all the squares while Kevin was in San Diego, but I was always too tired to ever do any sewing.  So now I have started just a bit of assembly.  I can't spend too much time on quilting though because I need to make my formal dress for the cruise.  I'm quite nervous about it- because I can't figure out how it is going to fit from the pattern pieces- so rather than try to alter, I'm just going to make it and see how it looks.  The fabric is not too expensive, so it will either be a dress or a lesson learned.

I also did a quick project.

 My skating coach turns 21 this weekend, so I got him a bottle of wine as a present.  The store had no wine gift bags, so I whipped up a bag real quick from some stash fabric.  I love the serger for super quick projects.  (I also love my Bernina's buttonholes.  I made a buttonhole to string the cord through, and it is perfect.)

Snack Baggies

My sister saw some cloth snack baggies on pinterest and asked if I could make them.   She even sent a tutorial.  I did look at it at the time, but it was essentially: make bag, add velcro, so I didn't go back to it.   The tutorial called for a lined bag (neater look inside) but I read a few "mom blogs" that mentioned the crumbs work their way between the bag, so they don't like them lined- so I made two that are unlined (serged edges inside). 

I'll send these down to my sister and see which style she likes and, if she wants, make a bundle more.  I'm suspecting with twins the snack baggies go fast- and it sounds like she is trying to reduce plastic use.

Hopefully she'll go for the unlined option- as it takes only a few minutes to make.  These bags are practically free, as they just use scraps- only need to purchase velcro!

Vogue 1224

OMG- this may be my favorite dress ever. 
It looks TERRIBLE without the belt (a source of frustration last night) and I am really happy that the cut I put into the underarm when I misread the directions was easy to fix.  But once I got past all that- I LOVE it.

Possibly the best thing about it: I didn't have to shorten the hem line!  It is an appropriate length as is (haha).  And because it was lined, I did a bubble style skirt, so no hemming!  Huge plus in my book.

Will everyone tell me I'm brilliant- because I LOVE it.

Want to hear more about it? Read my Pattern Review

More Pajamas

I made Kevin another pair of Pajama pants.

I used the same pattern again, still not following it (it has a weird old timey style with piping).   I did the same modifications to greatly lower the waist band, and then lowering the fly- otherwise, it would be way too short, since the waist band is drafted to go to the chest.

The only mistake I made was not stitching down the part of the fly that ended up in the elastic casing.  It really makes no difference, because one side of it is closed- but one side remains open. There didn't seem to be any part of the instructions saying to do that.  He could put a quarter in there.  You never know when you might need a quarter.

I did not attempt to match the plaids at all on the sides (and they don't match) but oddly, they match nearly perfectly on the back seam.  This makes me wonder how matching the plaids could be possible, because if I matched the sides- then wouldn't the back seam not match?

I'm excited to say this is my first TNT: Tried and True.  Now if I know Kevin wants Pajamas, I know exactly which ones to make.

Except now he says "but they don't have pockets..."  URGH! You never said you wanted pockets! I could have added pockets. 

All I was told is that the first pair I made (years ago) didn't have a fly, so I found a pattern that had a fly.  But- at the time I didn't buy new fabric and used the least girly stash fabric I had.  So then the complain was that the second pair  was purple.  This pair fixes both these issues, and now he is saying he needs pockets.  Who needs pockets when they sleep?  I mean, I gave him a place to put a quarter :)  I guess if I make another pair (probably next year, he doesn't wear PJ pants all that much) I will add pockets.  Probably just in the side seam.

I also made a gaggle of headbands.  Courtney asked for ones that wouldn't slip out of her hair when exercising, and she specifically asked for velvet (skating dress remnents), so I used some crushed velvet I had.  Then, I have a micro-suede one I like, so I made one (ottoman remnents), then I used a textured fabric that came in my fabric mart box.  And there is the flannel one from this morning.  If you look at the stitching lines, you can see the flannel one has the stitching very inward- I used the quarter inch foot, but changed to the edge stitch foot for the others. I like that better.   I also stabilized the stretch velvet and the mystery stretch fabric, and that helped a lot.   My other note is OMG as a quilter I take the ability to press cotton easily for granted.  Trying to press these fabrics was a nightmare- all three of them.

What a dud...

Class was a dud...I drove up to Cedar Rapids and ended up coming home.

So here's the story. I signed up for a class called Bag Making and Detailing. I try to do a class every month because I get lifetime free classes with my machine (but not really- a year, and then you get another year when you get the machine serviced...) because of the VIP card (which also gets you 20% off Bernina accessories, fabrics, and kits.)

So Pine Needles is really vague about what their classes are. When they put the calendar out, they didn't know what the project was yet, or the kit cost. (How do you have a class without knowing what the project is?) That's okay- so far I've really liked the classes and learned good techniques even when the project isn't my favorite. Plus, I really like bags.

So then I get the supply list and it is not useful. "Fabric according to pattern"- but I don't have the pattern yet. However, I googled to find the pattern and it is a cosmetic sized bag. This is my first UGH- I was thinking purse/tote bag. So already, I'm not too excited.

Then I call to get the kit cost- $31 (minus discount), but they didn't mention this was not including thread or needles (that is usually what makes the discount on kits nice- they don't usually discount thread, so it helps me build my Mettler stock). Thread is usually included in class kits. The pattern ($10) calls for 2 fat quarters and a zipper. I figure I could bring the supplies, but then I feel bad about it because they won't make any money, and if stores don't make money, they don't stay open. So $31 for a class that will teach me pintucks and demo Bernina's super expensive really cool ruffler sounds fair.

Today I drive up there and it turns out the kit is $39.95 (minus discount). That is just too much. I ask if I can buy the pattern separately, but it turns out they won't sell it outside the kit- so bringing your own supplies isn't even an option for this class. If you wanted to do that, they said, you'd also have to find your own copy of the pattern. WTF? I politely tell the teacher that this was more than I budgeted for, so I wouldn't be staying. She trys to tell me the kit is a better value than 2 fat quarters, a pattern and a zipper, because it is home dec weight fabric, not quilting weight. UM-$10 pattern, $2 zipper- how expensive is your home dec weight??? And besides, if the supply list told me I needed 1/2 yard of home dec weight, I could have brought that myself. But even still, you wouldn't sell me the pattern.

I'm annoyed I drove up there. But in my free afternoon, I did make three more headbands.

Quick Sunday Project

My sister asked me if I could make her some headbands, so this morning before I packed up my machine (I'm heading to Cedar Rapids for a class this afternoon) I gave it a try. I just copied a headband I already have. It takes about 20 minutes, and uses two 2" pieces of fabric 15 inches long, and just a bit of elastic. A nice remnant use!

Courtney wants ones that won't slip when exercising, so I plan to try different fabrics, and take them to skating and SPIN. If they don't come out when spinning, they should be good (of course, she has straight hair, so that might be more slippery than my hair.)

I wear headbands daily, so I am excited to make more.

You might recognize this fabric from a recent Fabric Mart purchase- this is the Marc Jacobs flannel. I made Kevin a pair of pajama pants yesterday, but we haven't done the photo shoot yet. I think to thank me for the pants he took the above photo at an angle that makes it look like I have not only ONE chin, but a very skinny one. I don't have too many photos like that!

New Patterns...

I often take advantage of the 99 cent pattern sales for Simplicity, McCall, and Butterick. It is difficult to justify spending more than that on a pattern. However, Vogue has some beautiful patterns and they all get great review on Pattern Review. I decided to take a chance and try a few out. These were on sale for $3.99 each, making them cheaper than Kwik Sew or Jalie (I love Jalie) but still expensive. Unlike those other two brands, they still come on the cheap tissue paper, which I don't like.

I am hoping to make a cruise dress- these are the four I decided on. (Pictures from Vogue Patterns website)

This one is my favorite. I plan to make it with the Charmeuse fabric I have, which might be a little too light weight (Charmeuse is suggested for the lining...). Kevin doesn't think this one will look good on me :( It only has 2 reviews on Pattern Review, so I'm not sure what to expect with it.

This one caught my eye a while back, but I thought it would cling to much too my stomach, and the more I looked at it the less flattering I thought it was even on the model. However, it was named a best pattern on Pattern Review, and TONS of people have made it and it looks excellent on a wide variety of body types. I'm excited to try it. I've read it has a unique construction, which worries me, as I'll have to alter it to fit my petite frame. Stupid petite frame.

This would be a more casual beach dress. Kevin hates it. However, again it was named a top pattern on PR, and tons of people have made it with all different body types. I'm excited about this one. I plan to use a knit I got from Gorgeous Fabrics a few years back, a black and white sunflower print.

You'll be shocked to hear Kevin hates this one too. I don't think he can look past the model's photo (it also isn't very flattering) to just see the shape of the dress. (That is something challenging about sewing- to imagine what it could be, rather than what it is being shown as.) This is another pattern rated as a top pattern on PR, and a ton of people have made it, and it flatters a large number of body types. Essentially though, this dress is a sack of potatoes with a belt. I'm not sure what fabric I have for this- as I don't have many wovens.

Quick project.

Yesterday I had a terrible day at work. It was just no good. Kevin and I went out for Indian food (oh so good! I just ate the leftovers for dinner tonight- I want more!) and then we came home and played Super Mario 3. We aren't so good at it anymore... Then, I went down in the sewing room, and played with fabric and thread for a few hours and came up with this:



It was based on a McCalls pattern, but the pattern was really not good. My measurements were all over the place, so I started with a medium, and sewed it up with my serger, and then started grading down the seam allowances on the top, but not at the bottom. I think it was 3 tries of taking off from the side seams before Kevin finally said "that looks like a real shirt". Because I like the shirt long, and I only had 1/2 yard of fabric, I had to V cut the sides so that it doesn't pull too tight over my hips. Kevin says it looks fine, but I think maybe it looks a bit goofy. If I did it again, I'd just cut that part wider, but I had way less fabric than the cutting layout called for, the pattern piece was actually hanging off the edge by about an inch, but since I was using the serger, I knew I didn't need 5/8" seam allowances, so I figured it would even out more or less.


I think it looks nice enough, but I wish I had thought to narrow the neckline before I started. Of course, that can only be fixed by sewing a seam down the center front and center back, so once I made it up, nothing could be done. I'll consider this a "wearable muslin" and I know what needs to be fixed if I make the pattern again.


I think this is my favorite of the fabric I got in those Fabric Mart bundles, I'm glad that I was able to get a garment out of it, since it was such a small cut.

In other news: man I am pasty white! My poor arms haven't seen sun since college. I rarely wear sleeveless anymore, and am almost never out in the sun like I was in Texas.

Crafty Weekend...

First up: A contribution from Kevin. (He also did all the photos...)
We picked up the blank for this pen while we were in Fort Worth during Christmas. It is Dymondwood in Bubble Gum. What's interesting is I have Bubble Gum Dymondwood knitting needles too! Those are darker than this is, but really, I cannot think of a wood that is a better fit for me. I love the cheerful colors of this pen!

I'm still having some issues with my wrist. I mentioned before I can't open and close scissors. I did get spring loaded scissors, but it is still too difficult. The opening action is too wide for my hand to handle, so while they are better, there is still some pain. But I found out I can use small scissors. Small scissors mean one thing: applique!

This bib is for my new niece. I also made a secret project but can't post a picture until I hear that the recipient has it.


On Saturday I made this mug rug for a ravelry swap.
Can you see the bump on the top where I joined the binding? I can't remember how to do it on a diagonal, so I get a ton of fabric :( I also managed to do a fairly good job of mitering 3 of 4 corners.

I also added another row of border to the quilt I'm working on for my Mom. Kevin had to cut the strips - it hurts too much to put the pressure on the rotary cutter. I managed to cut the rug above to square it up, but it is very tiny- a quarter of a placemat...