Good Bye Summer?

I'm going to spare the apologies for not staying up to date on my blog. I write when I feel compelled to share and as time permits and apparently neither of the two have lined up for quite some time.

While summer is officially over on Friday (boo hoo), we typically have later summers in the Pacific NW with gorgeous weather well into October. The perpetual joke around my area is that summer never starts until July 5th. Independence Day weather is always iffy and we can have gorgeous spring days, but lots of rainy spring days here too. It's definitely different than other parts of the country, but it's where I've always lived and I'm used to it. Since summer is so short here (at least I think it is when you hear about the long summers of the south), I really didn't sew much summer wear this year. I had high ambitions, but family, friends, & camping seemed to take over in rank. Plus we took a three week road trip in May that took us as far east as Colorado, so that pretty much took a whole month away for any sewing.

Looking back at my sewing journal, I have sewn 43 yards so far this year. Not too bad, but why does it seem for every yard I sew, I want to buy five more? Am I the only one? Please say it aint so! I'm not sure why I get so ambitious in the buying department, Lord knows I can sew faster in my head than in reality so I guess that is why!

I got two UFO's finished up in July. One was a blouse from Butterick 5025 and the other was a skirt from My Image magazine Spring/Summer 2011. I'm pleased with both garments. I have worn the blouse a few times, but feel like it needs to be a smidge longer to wear with jeans and the skirt is a fabulous staple in my closet for year round dressing. Here is the completed ensemble.

I need to take some photos of a few of the things I've sewn lately and share them. One of my favorites is Kwik Sew 3740, a cowl neck top. It's super cute and I think it just replaced my old stand by of Burda 10-2005-114. This is the envelope of the Kwik Sew pattern. And true to Kwik Sew, it's was definitely quick (and easy) to sew. I made two!

So are you ready for fall and fall sewing? I haven't made a plan of attack for sewing and I'm not sure if I will. I really want to make a nice wool coat and since I have several cuts of Vera Wang wool coating from Fabric.com (hmm, was that fall 2009 that they had the big bonanza there?), I don't have much of an excuse not to get one made. Share with me your fall sewing plans, I'd love some inspiration!

Pattern Review - Jalie Jeans #2908

My finished product (photos lightened to show details better):

Pattern Description: Women's stretch jeans, slim fit through the hips and thigh with flared leg, back and side front pockets, zip fly with button closure. View A has low rise (2-3 inches below navel) and view B has a regular rise (at navel).

Pattern Sizing: This pattern comes in 27 sizes F - FF for girls age 2 up to a womens 52 inch hip ~ I made a size S in the lower rise version.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Absolutely!

Were the instructions easy to follow? Absolutely! Jalie *always* has excellent instructions that give you RTW results.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Seriously, what is not to like about this pattern? Sorry to bore you all with another review, but I'm so happy with my jeans I just had to show them off! This is the best jeans pattern (IMO) that replicates RTW. If you want to make jeans at all, definitely give this one a try. I also like the huge range of sizes, however my DD is not at all interested in me sewing for her so I'm not sure if I'll use any other size than my own. I also love the cut of the leg. Bootcut is such a flattering style for just about anyone and this one does not disappoint.

Fabric Used: Stretch Denim from Joann's 98% cotton/2% spandex. This wasn't the suggested fabric on the pattern package, but my RTW jeans are all 99% cotton/1% spandex and I really like that type of denim best. I used a fun quilting cotton to line the pockets.

Notions used: I used Gutermann topstitching thread in a gold color to mimic the typical jeans topstitching, standard non-metal zipper, one button, and Palmer/Pletsch tailor interfacing for my waistband and light interfacing for the front fly zipper.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I added a few inches to the length (I can't remember how much because I traced off the pattern several months ago). During construction I had to follow Emilie's gaposis fix for alter the back yoke and waistband for my swayback. I ended up taking out 3/4" in the yoke and then a 3/4" wedge in the waistband. It could still be a bit snugger, so I will work on tweaking the fit a little more.

I also cut the waistband on the cross grain instead of on the bias. I made my first pair back in Sept on the bias (and in a size bigger) and didn't see the reason for that except it wasted fabric. This time I cut it on the cross grain and interfaced for added stability and I liked the end result much better.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I will definitely be sewing these again and again. I made a size "T" back in Sept and really like them, but they are a bit too big for me. I finally got around to making another pair in a size "S" and the fit is much better for me, but I think I have a smidge of tweaking still. After that, I'll have a perfect jeans pattern for me and will be able to whip out a new pair any time I want to!

Yes, I definitely recommend this pattern!

Conclusion: Seriously, I finally have pants/jeans I'm proud to wear outside of my house - thank you Jalie!!!!!!!!!

Featured

Michelle from Some Day Crafts featured my M&M pj's on her blog so I thought I should share a picture of my kiddos in their pj's. Her blog has lots of neat crafts, so if you're the crafty type check it out!

2009 Wrap Up

Well I had planned to put this up yesterday, but had trouble with my computer and then we lost power at 6:15 last night so it had to wait until this morning.

I was inspired by a few graphs I saw so I did a little tally of what I sewed in 2009. I have been keeping track of what I sew for a little over three years in a spiral notebook. It has come in handy so many times and it's also fun to look back and see what I've made.

In 2009, here is a breakdown of "who" I sewed for. As you can see, I wasn't in first place, instead it was all about the kids (go figure). The gifts were things I made for extended family members (ie not my own kiddos), mostly for Christmas gifts but some where birthday gifts and baby gifts too.

Here is the breakdown of pattern brand used. There are repeat patterns on here and KS is dominating because that is my go to PJ pattern. Also the "That Darn Kat" is the undies pattern I use for my youngest ~ you can see which ones in this post.

Another thing I notice is that I need to suck it up with my BWOF and Ottobre - seriously those magazines are expensive and if I'm not using them, then why the heck am I buying them? I have 5 years worth of BWOFs and 10 years worth of Ottobres - I should never be sewing anything else (or buying anything for that matter!). My Ottobre is up for renewal and I'm considering dropping it, but breaking up is so hard to do. I really look forward to getting the magazine, but with 10 years worth, can there really be something different and new making it worth the price each year? I still have a few weeks to ponder it. Have you had this struggle? If so, how did you decide?

Now on to my Christmas sewing. I sewed like crazy for the entire month of December and am so glad that is over. It was fun and a great idea, but it was so time consuming and overwhelming at times. A few of my favorite things I made are pictured below.

This is a pillow I made my sister. Why I like it so much is that she and my BIL acquired a business in 2008 called Acorn Uniforms in the Seattle area so it's rather fitting for them. It's a free pattern at YCMT if you want to make your own.


I also made three of these door hanging pillows to give as gifts. I wanted to make myself one, but ran out of time. I'm sure I'll make more of these, they are super easy and so cute. You can get this pattern free at YCMT too (can you see I have been using this site lately - it's really great!).

I always make the kids special pjs for Christmas Eve and really liked the prior year's matching snowman pjs. When I looked for matching fabric online this year, I didn't find anything that jumped out at me plus a lot of the Christmas knits were too girly. I really wanted to use fabric I had stashed and then it came to me - M&M pjs! My MIL collects all things M&M and all the kids have their "own" color so I decided to make them pjs in their M&M color! They were a hit and looked so cute IMO. I used this freezer paper stencil technique for the M's.

Up for 2010, not sure. I am not really a resolutions girl. I don't like making goals that I don't know if I'll keep. Heck, I have "to do" lists in my head each morning and most of the time I don't even get those all the way completed. I do know I really want to make myself a nice coat. I purchased some gorgeous wool coatings from Fabric.com in the fall so I have the supplies. I also want to make a trench with the Burberry fabric I purchased at PRW. Another pair or two of Jalie jeans are in order too. Lots of "wants" so I'll just keep plugging away and do my best while still enjoying my hobby. Oh and definitely using those BWOF (it will always be BWOF to me by the way) and Ottobre mags!

Wishing all my readers a healthy and happy 2010!

Goodies

It's *sew* fun getting goodies in the mail. I have gotten several things recently and wanted to share.


The top row of five fabrics is something I won in a giveaway from Yvonne at Color In Your Life (she owns a great online shop Bunte Fabrics that stocks lovely European and Japanese fabrics for children, Euro patterns, and lots more - plus she's in Washington State). I haven't ordered anything from her yet, but when the need arises, I will definitely buy from her. The fabrics she sent are gorgeous and while I'm not sure what I'm going to make with them yet, you can bet that it will be something adorable and probably for my second cousin's little sweetie who turns one next month.

Then I got a surprise package from an online friend who lives in Canada (hi Abi!). She sent me two magazines - a La Mia Boutique from Nov 2008 and then Patrones Ninos #277.

Lastly, I won Patrones Joven #279 that Marita of Paradise for Me was giving away in a drawing on her blog.

I've gotten to look at a few of the international magazines before, but to have some in my hands that are mine is soooo much fun! What eye candy. Yes the fact I can't read the directions is a bit scary, but it's not enough to sway me from trying. Thanks for the gifts ladies, know they will be loved and cherished by me. :-)

Then of course after getting my own personal Jalie fashion show and the ability to try on Emilie's clothing (thanks Emilie!!!), I had to buy three new Jalie patterns. Here is what I ordered:

I didn't try on the pants (#2909), but Emilie was wearing them and they are adorable! I think I will like them a lot, plus they are cut like the jeans which are amazing. I really liked the new crossover top too. I'm a fan of the old one, but the new one is a little longer and has a cute collar you can use. I was sold after I tried on Emilie's top (which is the green one shown on the pants pattern).

More sewing

I feel like I've been making good headway getting things cranked out lately. I'm using up fabric I have and getting different gifts made.

First up is a garment for me. It's one of my favorite patterns, BWOF 10-2005-114. I actually purchased the fabric in November when I was taking my pants fitting class. I can't remember the blend, but it's a sweater-y knit of sorts. Not that stretchy, I guess more like a fancier fleece. It has a nice texture to it and the colors are berry. The photo is a bit dark, I think it's prettier in person. So cozy and a welcome addition to my wardrobe.

I also made one for my sister out of a sweater knit I got from Joann's a long time ago. It too is prettier in person (Is this a good enough reason for a new camera since I have such crappy shots??? If so, please email my hubby and tell him! lol). I was going to get rid of the fabric, but when my sister saw it in the pile she really liked it so I decided I'd make her a sweater too for a Christmas gift. We're the same size and she'd tried on another one I made so I'm sure it will fit her. The fabric is definitely her colors and not mine. This is a "what was I thinking" purchase.

And a few box bags from this tutorial ~ thanks to Stacy for pointing out the tutorial on her blog. I will post a review on PR of this pattern very soon. The directions are a little confusing, but the pictures help. I also found a helpful post on this blog about how to do the corners in an easier manner. Below are the fruits of my labor. I made the black one larger for my SIL - you can see it matches the Weekender Bag she'll get for graduation in March.

More baby bibs! I just love the Valentine one.

And another throw pillow for my couch from some leftover fabric (ivory chenille on the back side). I got smart this time and put a zipper in it. This is soooo much better than hand sewing the pillow shut because it's faster, plus I can take the pillow out and wash the cover. I might go back and redo the other pillows I did earlier in the year.

So that my friends, is what I've been sewing. Actually I also made two more aprons from my Grandma's apron pattern to put in my "ready to gift" box. I forgot to take pictures of those, but I surely don't need another apron right now since I already have three in rotation plus a Christmas one. Oh and I made my youngest a pair of pants from Ottobre too, but they are set aside for Christmas. Nothing exciting, just blue twill, very cute nonetheless.

Today the kids are home for a snow day. The Pacific NW is getting hammered with Arctic air and now snow. In the Portland area the kids have been out all week, but we didn't get the snow they did over the weekend. Now we're all getting it and it's just beautiful out! It rarely snows here anyway and when it does, it's here for a minute and then gone. The extended weather report is snow off and on and below freezing temps through Tuesday (as far as the weather forecast goes). We might be in for a white Christmas afterall!!!!

I got mail!

First off, thank you for your kind responses on the "homemade" topic - I appreciate all your insight!

Well nothing perks a girl up more than a good mail today! Today I hit the mother load with my new Ottobre Woman, new March Burda WOF, and a journal from Ottobre that was sent to me as a gift from the staff for sending in photos of garments I've made (they are such a top notch company, if only every company was as wonderful as they are!).


Yesterday I went to the big Sewing Expo in Puyallup, Washington. I had a pretty fun time, tho I feel like year after year it's the same old stuff and there is lots of quilting and machine embroidery stuff which isn't really what I'm interested in. I did get to attend Sandra Betzina's seminar on unlined jackets. It was fun and she's always a hoot to listen to - she's just so down to earth and practical! I also met a fellow PR member Diane E. She's from California and came to the show to help Sandra in her booth at the show (they are friends and I'm jealous!). Diane is so fun and I wish I would have had more time to chat with her. I also bumped into another PR member Cathy - we shopped together in Portland this past fall. It was fun to see her again and hopefully we'll have another shopping adventure in Portland fairly soon.

I'm so proud of myself too because the only thing I bought at the whole show was a set of Kai scissors. They are awesome and I got the whole set for $45 (I think that was a pretty good deal). I'm excited to finally have curved tip ones to cut jump threads when I embroider stuff. The other two pairs will be very useful too of course.

I had big plans of sewing today, but instead we went to town to run errands and were gone far too long. It's now time to get dinner started, so maybe after dinner I'll get myself in gear for what I will do tomorrow. Only 12 days until I leave for the big LA Pattern Review weekend and I still have things to make - ugg, why do I leave things to the last minute????

Handmade vs. Homemade

Yesterday I got a lovely thank you note in the mail thanking me for the "homemade" gift they'd received from me. As I read the note, I couldn't help but cringe when I got to the word "homemade". I feel like "homemade" sounds so cheap. Like all I could afford to give was something I threw together at home when quite the opposite is true. I could have so easily popped in to Target and got her something there, but instead I lovingly picking out something special to make and then spent several hours working on the project just for her. I know she didn't mean to make me cringe, but it just gives me such an unsettling feeling and that dreadful word makes me feel like my efforts weren't really appreciated. I think if someone doesn't sew, they just don't realize how long it takes to make something or the thought and effort that goes into the process. I much prefer the word handmade to homemade, it sounds so much classier. What word do you prefer and have you ever had this happen to you?

Printed fabrics, colors, & sewing with a plan

While exercising this morning my closet door was open and I couldn't help but notice how I have so many items that clearly don't go together. From my observation, I can see I really gravitate to printed fabrics and have lots of things that really only go with jeans (which is fine since I wear jeans 99.9% of the time). Still it seems a little unsettling to me that I have so many things that don't mix and match. Would I go to the store and buy so haphazardly? Probably not, however I don't seem to have a problem sewing in that fashion. I buy fabrics that I like without really thinking about the end result of what I'll make or who will wear it. I think it's really time I sew with a SWAP (sewing with a plan) mentality. I'm wasting my time and energy (as well as money) buying fabrics and sewing things that don't all marry together.

I also have been thinking more about color lately and what colors look good with my skin tone and hair color. Back around Christmas I was chatting with my mom about "my colors" and she gave me my late grandma's copy of Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson. My book is copyright 1980 so the pictures are a bit dated in the book, but the information is still valuable on how to choose which "season" you are. After doing some reading, I determined I'm a "winter" (what my mom and late grandma always told me I was and what "season" they are too). The colors that suit me best are cooler colors - ones that are clear, vivid, or icy with blue undertones (my palette also includes black and white). It's really an excellent book to pick up or borrow from the library if you're unsure of what colors look good on you. To reinforce the point to myself, I recently came to realize that just about every time I wear red, I receive a compliment on how great I look in that color. We all have colors that look good us, we just need to find out what those colors are and wear them. Yes, I am completely guilty of wanting to wear colors outside my palette (why do I love brown so much, it looks terrible on me???). Obviously it's not a crime to wear unflattering colors, however, I now understand how "my" colors seem to bring me to life while the ones that aren't in my palette make me look pale and lifeless.

So my "plan" is to try to sew with a plan. I want to create garments that mix and match and that are also in the "winter" color family. What is the sense in wasting my time and money making things that don't look good on me or go with nothing in my closet? I also want to have staples in my closet that help boost my wardrobe. Those "go to" pieces that I can always rely on to be dressed up or down as needed. Just because I'm a SAHM (stay at home mom) doesn't mean I shouldn't have a fab-u-lous wardrobe.

Just a little thinking out loud today.... :-)

P.S. I forgot to mention that I made four shirts over the weekend (no pictures yet). Two from Jalie 2682 (one in a print - imagine that and it's not really a flattering print for me either) and one in red. Then two from the Ottobre 2-2007-04 (gathered front t-shirt without puffed sleeves) - one in a pink print that is actually flattering to me and the other in the remainder of the red jersey.

Let's Try This Again...

Well as much as I really wanted to enter the world of Blogging, I just didn't have enough drive to keep it up apparently. I have several blogs I like to read regularly, so I made a decision that I would try this again. Even if no one ever reads this, I still subscribe to the thought that I will enjoy looking back on what I've accomplished.


So what have I accomplished??? Well today I made a ribbon board to hang over my computer. I have so many cute pictures of my children, nephews, and friends' kids that I want to hang onto them and enjoy them, but my fridge is looking like a terrible mess with pictures hanging everywhere plus pretty artwork thanks to my children (how sad it will be when the day comes that they don't want to draw pictures for the refrigerator anymore). So I decided that a ribbon board would be the answer. The wall over my computer is bare, so it's the perfect spot since I can see them from the kitchen and enjoy them while I'm computing too.


To make the ribbon board, I started with a base of 1/4" plywood from DH's wood shop (it measures about 2' long by 3.5' wide ~ just a scrap that he had in there and the perfect size for the wall). I took some thin batting I had and covered the front of the plywood and stapled it to the back with my staple gun. Then I used a piece of fabric from my scrap box that had grape vines all over it (coordinates with my kitchen) and covered the front in the same manner as I did the batting and stapled it to the back. Once the wood was covered, I divided the board into sections and secured ribbon 1/4" ribbon across the board in a diagonal fashion (secured to the back via more staples). Unfortunately I have run out of ribbon, so I must make a run to Joann's later so I can finish the board. Once all the ribbons are secured, I will hot glue buttons onto the front where the ribbons intersect each each to cover the staples I used to secure each little "X". And just like that I will have a really cheap ribbon board! The cost of this baby will be the price of a spool of ribbon and maybe a package of buttons if I don't have enough in my stash. Pretty good considering Pottery Barn Kids wants $59 for one half the size! I will post a picture of mine as soon as it's finished.


In other news, my last post (albeit 9 months ago) was about my favorite financial expert Dave Ramsey. I'm so excited to say that we are almost DEBT FREE (except for our house which will hopefully be paid off fairly soon - maybe 5ish years from now)! We paid off my van a few weeks ago (it has never driven so good by the way! LOL) and will have DH's truck paid off before the end of June. Becoming debt free hasn't come without much sacrifice tho, but I can hardly wait until we only have a house payment and our regular utitlity payments every month ~ it will be so wonderful to have no consumer debt or automobile loans - woo hoo! :-)


I guess that is it for now. I have been busy sewing lately. I made my oldest son a new pair of jean from an Ottobre magazine and myself a knit top from New Look, a swirl skirt from Butterick, a twist top from Simplicity, and an awesome wrap dress from Burda World of Fashion. You can peek at my reviews at Pattern Review to see photos and detailed information about the garments.


Until next time!