Blankets a Gone Gone

It took me longer than planned, but I finished the blankets this morning and delivered them to my church. I was able to make 24 blankets with the fleece that I had stored in my sewing room closet.
I even had enough scraps on hand to make this reversible blanket
I wish I could say it was an easy job, but it wasn't. Not due to technical difficulty, but from the stand point of actually giving up fabric (isn't that stupid? I have too much, but when it comes time to part with it.... wah!!). Then I found myself thinking "this would make a good gift for so and so." (as if I don't have this year's fleece that mom sent -- stupid, huh?) But, in the end, I pushed through and delivered all of them to their intended destination.
Giving this time was challenging, but I think, in the end, that's a very good thing.

Happy sewing, y'all

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!
and a very Happy Festivus!

What the?

I was flitting around the net just for fun. I came across these white jeans on BananaRepublic.com. Imagine my surprise when I clicked on this close up photo:

Why does this model have crusty toes syndrome and why oh why didn't anyone notice when they posted this picture? It's bad enough that I have to look at dried, cracked heels and toes year round (with the exception of the few days (okay weeks) that it's too cold for open toe shoes in Florida), do I really need to see it in store ads too? Truly WTF??

Got Fleece?

Lots and lots and lots of it. And how does one come to have this much fleece? Years and years of accumulation that went a little like this. Every year mom visits JoAnn's on Black Friday. Every year they have fleece on sale. She buys said fleece and then sends it to me. I put it in with the fabric and plan to use it. Then I don't. Then it gets hot outside so I rotate the fabrics and the fleece ends up in the back of the closet. Then I'm too lazy to dig it out when the cold comes around again. But then again, why would I dig it out when a new box of fleece awaits me each December? Granted, a lot of these have had bits and pieces cut from them. Some are ready to become blankets with only a snip and a serge. Others will require piecing. It's no problem. I'm definitely feeling up to the task and am very happy that I had so much fleece to actually be able to make a difference in my community. Who knew that fabric could be a source of assistance to others and that my source of frustration would turn out to be a gift that I could share? Merry Christmas indeed.

Progress - Slim to None and a New Project

Suffice it to say, after three days of sporadic work on a simple stuffed animal/blanket (I like to call them binkies), I am still far from the end. Sigh. I'm cutting myself some slack through -- it's been about 15 years since I made a plush animal so....

On the flip side of that coin, after struggling with finding a way to make the holidays and especially Christmas more memorable, I now have a solution. At church today, Father P. announced that the local homeless shelters were going to open their doors tonight due to temperatures in the 40s tonight. One of them call with a special request. It seems that they don't have any blankets. Well, for years I've been complaining about the amount of fleece in my fabric collection (well, not out loud, but in my head). I have almost 3 large totes of just fleece in my closet in the sewing room that I never get an opportunity to use. Until now. Could I just go and buy blankets? Actually, no. It's not in the budget. But I can make them. Lots and lots of them with the help of my serger. So, that's the plan for this week. I'm going to ask those that are employed to kindly wait for their gifts while I turn my attention to a more immediate need in my community. I am so happy to be able to have something that reminds me that yes, Christmas is much more than presents. It's coming together as a community to help those that cannot help themselves. (I also plan to find out if they are in need of toiletries). So, if you don't hear from me for a few days, you know why.

Need I Say More?

Okay, this picture isn't entirely accurate. I don't have tons of gifts to wrap because it wasn't in the budget this year and we decided that it really wasn't necessary. I am sewing though -- making a few gifts and then calling it quits. Making lots and lots of mistakes. Something tells me that I'm going to have to move Christmas to New Year's this year.

Hallelujah! I'm Back

Well y'all, I'm back home. Got back yesterday afternoon. Thankfully, no snow in the Midwest -- just really, really cold, especially at night. As for the other states we passed through -- Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia -- they were all dreary. No sun, just clouds and drizzle. We got waylaid near Tifton, GA due to low lying dense fog, so we grabbed a hotel for the night and then drove out of the fog yesterday morning and were greeted by sunshine after we crossed back into Florida .... aaahhh.

Suffice it to say after driving 1,200 miles, I'm exhausted. Went to work today and came home just beat. So....

no sewing

no show and tell...

just sleep (oh yeah, and laundry).

Knits -The Next Chapter

Greetings crafty ladies! By the time this post actually posts, I should be back at home...sleeping.

I still have some things to show you from my first sewing burst, but lest you think I've been idle these past few weeks, here's what's next:
Most of these items are waiting for hems -- some are waiting for facings and bodices. Now that mom is in residence and since my Christmas gift to her is handmade goodies (after I measure her, of course), I will be working on these in conjunction with the other Christmas gifts that I need to make (wait until the last minute, right?). I don't mind though -- I'm undecided about the finish for most of these items, so it will give me more time to think.

In the meantime, happy sewing y'all!

Butterick 5394 and Novelty Fleece

Greetings and salutations my sewing friends. I'm on the road again and hopefully will be back in Florida tonight.

For your viewing pleasure is yet another creation from Butterick 5394. This time I made it in a novelty fleece that's been hanging out for a year in the ole' fabric collection.

I have to tell you, I was not expecting great things from this fabric. I was simply using it "because". The result, however, is marvelous. It feels so vintage inspired.

The fabric is that curly fleece -- looks like a french poodle. It's awful to work with -- sheds like nobody's business. I cut this one out in conjunction with a faux fur number and let me tell you--my sewing room looked like a chinchilla and a poodle got in a fight.
It was worth the mess though.
I plan to use this non-sweater sweater to showcase some of my grandmother's pins. I think this one will get a lot of wear -- it's very cozy and now that it's assembled -- it's stopped shedding. (whew!)

Butterick 5394 (Yes...Again)

Hi from the road! No, I'm not actively posting, but I figured I'd go ahead and schedule my posts so I can continue to show you my "stuff".

This sweater is yet another one from Butterick 5394. It is a made from a sweater knit that I got last year from Fabric.com. I went ahead and made a belt to go with it, but am unsure about belt carriers (no guarantee that I'll actually wear this belt). I'll ponder it a while longer.
And here it is sans belt. I'm hesitant to add the carriers because I don't like the look when I'm not actually wearing a belt. So you ask, what are the chances that you'll go beltless? Pretty good. You see, I inherited one of my grandmother's jewelry boxes and it was filled with all sorts of lovely pins. Hmmm. I think I just made the decision.
Happy sewing!

The Tale of Butterick 5247, a Cardi, a Belt and Some Boots

Here I am in yesterday's outfit. The dress is Butterick 5247 and I combined it with my other cashmere cardi that I got last year from Bloomy's for an amazing price. You can't really see the print of the dress, but it's a herringbone knit from ??? I felt that all this black lacked some pizzaz, so I paired it up with a purple belt courtesy of Target and my flat boots, which I got from Kohl's last year (Simply Vera) for, yes, you guessed it, a fraction of the retail price (I still can't believe they had them in my size).
And here's the dress all by its lonesome. I will never wear it this way, but I thought I'd show it to you for good measure.
That's all for this morning folks. I have to get packed. Happy sewing!

Simplicity 2560. It's a Keeper!

So, what did I wear to work yesterday, you ask? (Okay, I know you didn't ask, but .... oh whatever!)


This:

The jacket is Simplicity 2560 and the fabric is a Vera Wang knit (I think). It either came from Fabric.com or Fabricmartfabrics.com. (My brain's a little fuzzy right now.) The top is a retail number (Christmas present from mom -- I think she got it at Macy's) that gets worn twice a year if it's lucky because, until now, it didn't really "go" with anything (it's sleeveless). I think I made these trousers 3 years ago from a New Look pattern; the fabric is a poly crepe.

I have to tell you -- I love this pattern. Eventually, you'll see how much I love it. The fact that I didn't have to do any creative thinking (other than fabric choices) makes it even better. This jacket is destined to be a work horse (along with its friends that are hanging around waiting for hems). I think, with creative dressing, I can take this thing through all 4 seasons (hot, oh man it's hot, at least it's not so hot, and why isn't it hot?).

And now, dear people, I will be out of pocket for the next few days (although I'm going to go ahead and do a post or two in advance -- I'm not sure if it will work, but time will tell). I'm flying up to Illinois in order to drive a car, and my mom, back to Florida. I must be crazy. They have snow, and, from what I hear, a lot of it. Since most of our time will be on the road, I want to travel light, but my Florida wardrobe is going to require some layers in order to stay warm. Thank goodness I decided to make McCalls 5987 out of wool. (Plus, I won't have to remember to take a scarf...I will, however, have to find my gloves.) I'm cold just thinking about this crazy adventure. Imagine, a road trip in winter....

Butterick 5394 .... in a Garage -- What I Wore Yesterday

Greetings from the garage!

Here's what I wore to work yesterday:

The sweater is Butterick 5394, made from a knit boucle that I got on Ebay (yeah, I got it on Ebay) a few years ago. I have to say that I love this sweater. The shirt is one of the gaggle of Perfect T-shirts that I made earlier in the year. The trousers are from Jacque Penne (JCP) -- one of two pair of retail trousers that I own (the other pair is white) -- they are too long in the crotch (of course), but I'm too lazy to pull the waistband off and fix it.

Here's a picture of the back of the sweater (I'm really not trying to torture you with butt shots, but they are educational (for me, not you) so you can see where it hits me (remembering, of course, that I have a compact, troll like torso). Not the best look for me, but I sill like it.

That being said, I had to work to get this sweater to look like the picture. The collar was (a) extremely long and (b) floppy. At first I thought I had stretched the collar out when I was pressing the seams, but I made two sweaters like this and guess what? Both collars were very long. So, I decided to deal with the floppy collar first.

I spent a lot of time thinking of possible solutions: interfacing? self fabric interfacing? I continued to toss it around in my mind until it dawned on me. What fabric tends to behave quite well, as in, put the collar up and it will stay that way (for the most part) but is still soft?

Fleece!

So, I grabbed some scrap fleece, cut a piece to the size of the portion of the collar that I wanted to "stiffen" and then doubled it.

Lined it up with the collar

and stitched it in by hand.
Worked like a charm. The collar stays "up" like a funnel, which is what it is supposed to look like. As for the length of the collar? Well, I just moved the snaps over (it has buttons but they don't work) and made an asymmetrical collar. (Works for me).

For my parting shot, here's how I assembled my buttons. First I did a covered button using some black mesh scraps.

Then I picked up my handy needle and thread and sewed the sweater fabric over the covered button, leaving the shank exposed so I could sew it on the sweater. Easy peasy. (The sweater fabric would not cooperate with the covered button and silver showed through -- necessity really is the mother of all invention). Well, I'm done with this scatterbrained post. Off to do other things. Ciao.

Butterick 5387 and Ottobre Woman 2.2009 (No. 11 Swing Jersey Skirt )

Greetings from the cold garage.

I made this ensemble several weeks ago, but didn't post it because I was pretty sure that I disliked it. Well, I do dislike it, when I wear it like this (which I only did once).

What don't I like? Well, the shirt for starters. It's Butterick 5387 and it's just okay. I doubt I will attempt another shirt from this pattern again.

I don't like the finishing details. I opted for a retail look -- serged hems left exposed in contrasting tread. Nope, don't like it.

Here's what you see when I'm walking away from you. Where's my waist?? (note: the skirt's hem is actually even. I was tugging at my ensemble prior to taking this picture and got everything off kilter).

Oh yeah, the skirt. I like it. It's from Ottobre Woman 2/2009. It's #11, the Swing Jersey Skirt. It's a 10-gore skirt that is easy peasy to put together. This pattern has been deemed wardrobe basic.
But have no fear. I was inspired to go back to the closet and find a way to make this work and here it is:Now this I like. A lot. So, the skirt set sucks when it's "alone", but with the sweater it works. My waist is back and the crazy colors don't mess with your eyes. The neckline of this fugly shirt still shows, but whatever. Now I'll just go back and hem the skirt and sleeves in a more conventional manner.

That's all.

Let's Get it Started in Heyah - Garage Studio Productions

Let's get this started:

I've finally found a place to take pictures and please, don't be jealous of my beautiful studio. I know it's gorgeous. Not only does it have proper lighting, but also has a shelf at the right height where I can perch my camera and support it with a box of sandwich bags. So, without further ado, I bring you some items from my Florida winter collection (caution: the items I am making are quite simple and frankly, very boring).


This is what I wore to work yesterday. The dress is Butterick 5247. Fabric is an acrylic sweater knit that I got from Fabric.com last year (I think). This pattern is perfect in its simplicity for a sweater knit.


The cardigan is made from a boucle knit that I got on Ebay several years ago using Butterick 5394. If you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you know that I tend to sew in multiples (I am determined to get my money's worth out of any pattern and $1.99 is $1.99, although I think this one may have cost me .99.
I'm not crazy about the feel of the acrylic sweater knit, but I do love the boucle. Both are lightweight sweater knits, which makes them perfect for Florida, but will require layering when we have our one week of winter in January, which means that I'm going to have to break out my Perfect T-Shirt pattern and make some long sleeved knit shirts to wear with all of these garments.



THE SWEATER DRESS

I do believe this dress borders on too short for work, but I wore it anyway and will probably continue to do so, with opaque black tights rather than the ones I wore yesterday.


Here's a close up of the sweater. Like the expression on my face? It's my "I am so over taking pictures of myself" expression. You also get a nice shot of the floor in the garage. Jealous of my new photo studio yet?

Here's the dress minus the sweater.

And a view from the back for the sake of torture. After having worn this ensemble all day (the building where I work was running A/C yesterday..brrrr), I have come to the conclusion that if I am going to wear a sweater over this dress it needs a belt which leads to another problem... it's even shorter when I belt it and therefore not appropriate for work.

Being resourceful and mindful of the fact that I can only sew so fast, I made sure that this dress can do double duty as a casual outfit.

I actually like it better as a belted tunic. Here it is paired up with a pair of leggings (Ottobre Woman 2/2008) made from a swimsuit knit I got on clearance from Fashion Fabrics Club. I love this fabric -- it's so stretchy!

While I was taking such professional pictures with my little PHD camera (P.H.D. = push here, dummy) in my fancy studio, I decided to show you another sweatery jacket. Welcome to my dojo indeed. This is Butterick 5394 again. The fabric is one of those fancy fleece fabrics -- it really resembles a bathrobe. Well, a bathrobe with fancy feathery trim. But it's warm without being too warm. Again, perfect for our weather.

Here's a closeup of the funky trim. I sewed it on by machine using my rolling foot. I know for a fact that I did not buy this trim (or this fabric, for that matter), so that leaves my mother as the guilty party.

And for my parting shot -- a close up of my leggings.

Until next time....happy sewing y'all!

I'm Still Here

Really. I am. And sewing. A lot.

But, truth be told, the thought of taking pictures, posting them and then talking about the projects is far from appealing right now.

Maybe next week.

Until then, I'm going to continue to take advantage of this huge dose of sewing mojo. I don't know where it came from, but I like it!