Sew and Sew

Life got in the way........again.

2011-04-24T20:42:00.000-05:00

I've finally been able to get back into the sewing room after many months of not doing much in there. I was working on a quilt with the jelly roll and cutting my pieces when we received a phone call that my MIL was being taken to the ER, this was the 28th of January.....she passed away the next day. We were consumed with the details of everything and I just had a hard time getting back in there and especially blogging about the little I was doing in there. Anyway I worked on the quilt until I decided I needed to make some garments, so I folded it all away in a drawer until the fall!

So now that that is out of the way...I'm heading to Chicago in May for the 10th anniversary PR weekend, my first! And one of the things that I need are some clothes that I have made. So I worked on the McCall's pattern mentioned in my last post I think.

I cut out my muslin on Friday and tweaked it a bit, then cut my fabric that I bought last spring from a huge sewing store in the Orlando area that the name has completely slipped my mind. Here are some pics of me wearing the dress with LOTS of spandex garment underneath :-)! I may wear this to the luncheon on Sunday in Chicago.

This pattern was so easy to sew and I may make it again. The ruching on the sides were the trickiest part of the dress. The ruching was great on the back but the sides it seemed to kind of disappear once I sewed the stay tape in place. I used the serger on most of the dress and maybe that is why the sides seams and the ruching seemed to disappear, maybe I cut off too much of the gathering. I think it looks fine, so I'm very happy with it.

My next dress project is in the works...the muslin is cut and I'm ready to sew except the long weekend is just about over and work again on Monday. I'll try to get in there tomorrow after work.

Until next time.

Check!! Another off the list.....

2011-01-17T20:05:00.000-06:00

Finished the purple knit dress/jacket today. It took me way longer than it should have to sew and finish this pattern. I decided to pull out the Coverpro to do the neckline/sleeve/hems. Of course since it had been almost a year since I used it, I had to relearn how to use the machine. I had a few problems getting the stitches to form correctly, but it will do. Not perfect but acceptable.
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I'm planning on wearing this tomorrow, so I'll post pictures.

Next is on to McCall's 6194
- pajamas for my grandson. I have fabric leftover from his last pair that I'm going to make and another knit that I was going to make for him when I made the last pair. He has grown so much, that those are way too short for him.

That's all for now...happy sewing!

Plans go as planned!

2011-01-10T19:40:00.000-06:00

My plans for the sewing room yesterday came through without a hitch.

1st - the glue stick worked beautifully to get the pattern matched perfectly on the home dec fabric for my SIL. So that is out of the sewing room and on its way to New Jersey.

2nd - the purple knit jacket came out better than I thought it would. The sleeves are bit short, but I usually push my sleeves up on knits anyway.

I think the reason I think it looks better is because of my new serger. The finish on the edge for the collar and front is so much better looking than the last one I did with the gray. I put purple wooly nylon in both loopers and changed the differential feed to N, used only the left needle, and used a small stitch width and a tiny stitch length, one click up from the satin stitch length. Here is a close up of the finish on the edge.

That is it for now. The purple dress is next on the plan of action.

A New Year......2011

2011-01-09T11:57:00.000-06:00

Gosh, the last year went by so fast! I didn't get to do near as much in the sewing room as I had planned, here's to hoping 2011 will get more projects started and FINISHED!

First of all here is the finished Mama's Boy Quilt that I started back here.

Backing

Backing and binding..all machine stitched

Quilt front - my first machine quilted quilt using free motion quilting

And here are a two items that I scored as Christmas gifts that were sewing related! A Moda jelly roll

And my quilting group had a gift exchange and I received this fat quarter bag that was made using 6 fat quarters. I have the pattern but now I don't need to make me one! There is even paisley fabric in this....

For now I have my dress and jacket cut out.

I'm using this pattern McCall's 5890

which I have made before here. That version is now too large and can't be altered to fit because of the depth of the armholes. So I'm making again in a smaller size and I already knew what alterations I wanted to make to the fullness of the skirt.

The serger is all threaded with the purple thread and is ready to sew. But first I have to get the home dec fabric sewed together for my SIL.

I had some trouble getting the patterns to match at the seams, so I've had to get some fabric glue and I'm hoping this does the trick. The fabric seems to be an open weave and even using the walking foot, the pattern goes out of wack towards the end of the seam. Fingers crossed that the glue does the trick.

And of course I HAD to buy a new pattern This is from the McCall's Spring 2011 book. I have several pieces of knit that I want to make either a dress or a top. So the plans keep going! I'm really going to try to NOT buy any fabric for quite some time since I have a LOT in my stash and it is time to use it up.

You will notice a link on the side to MPB Men's Shirt Sew Along...I'm not participating by sewing; only by promoting and reading all about it. It should be a good read as Peter always adds a bit of humor to his sewing as well as some wonderful insight.

Bye for now so that I can try seaming the home dec, here's to hoping the glue works so that I can move on to the purple dress!

Christmas Sewing or lack there of!

2010-12-18T20:41:00.000-06:00

Just an update. I've been sewing, just nothing worthy of posting pictures of. I made 4 stockings to hang on the mantle and they came out OK, nothing too special.

I have my Mama's Boy quilt all layered and pin basted. It is ready for the quilting part....scary! I also have the purple dress all cut out and the serger is threaded and ready to go. Before I can get in there to work on those items, I need to get into the guest room and prepare it for Christmas guests. My daughter and my grandson are coming in on Thursday and leave next Monday. Then my brother and sister-in-law are coming in on Tuesday next week and leaving on New Year's Day. So.....if I don't get to get in there to sew tomorrow, I won't get to until next year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Finished with Thanksgiving Weekend PJ Sew Along

2010-11-27T21:56:00.000-06:00

I didn't get to spend all day in the sewing room today, only a few hours. I did finish the PJ's ---and they are VERY bright!!

I totally forgot to mention that I made a tote bag from this pattern last weekend.

Here is the finished bag --- shhhh....it is a Birthday present for my sister!!!

Tomorrow is Christmas decorating day so I won't get to sew much, if at all. Maybe I will get to cut out my deep purple knit dress and jacket during the week and sew a bit next weekend. Until the next time.....

After Turkey Day Sewing

2010-11-26T21:48:00.002-06:00

I got to spend the ENTIRE day in the sewing room!!! That hasn't happened in a very, very long time.

First I finished the pajama pants

for the PJ Sew along with Ann from Gorgeous Fabrics. (Thank you Ann for starting this sew along...I needed the push to get these PJ's made since I had originally cut them out in September of last year!!) And then I started on the top, but stopped for a bit to let the collar cool on the tailors ham before I attached it to the neckline of the PJ top.

So I made this - a thread catcher with a pin cushion attached. A practical bit of sewing. Then I got back to my PJ's and this is where I left off for the night.

Tomorrow after I go to Weight Watchers, nail appointment and then to buy groceries for the week...I will attach the cuffs on the sleeves, the pocket, the hem and then the buttons and buttonholes. I should finish by Sunday.

Wednesday night I re cut the PJ's from the Large that I had original cut back in September 2009 to a Medium, but after trying them on...I think I could have cut the Small. Oh well, they will be extra roomy and comfortable for sleeping and lounging around in.

For the next project after the PJ's are finished I have a deep purple stable knit that I will make another dress and jacket with. I made this same pattern here. I LOVED this dress and jacket and wore it many times but when I was putting all my summer clothes away last weekend and pulling the fall clothes out, it was too big and I wasn't going to be able to alter it to fit..at least the dress. I probably could wear the jacket but the dress armholes were too big along with the rest of the dress. So I decided I would just make a new dress and went to Hancock's the other day. It is actually the same knit I used on the grey dress except it is purple. I know how well this knit washes and dries, so there will be no surprises.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

I'm back in the sewing room!!!

2010-11-17T21:55:00.000-06:00

The quilt class was fantastic! I now feel much more confident that I can machine quilt! I know I will need to practice, but I really think this is something I can do.

My new serger arrived on Friday, so I got to sew with it Sunday and I've been using it a bit each night.

Here is my Tissue Tote that I made from the free pattern I received at The Teacher's Pet booth in Houston.

And then I made.....12 more! Gifts! Free! Made with fabric scraps in the stash!

I also made a cute little pin cushion. And I have 5 more of those to make.....because they are cute! I'll post pictures of all of them later. Tomorrow night is the quilt guild meeting, so no sewing then. Friday night I plan to start on the PJ's out of the same fabric as the gift tissue totes. They have been cut out since last September and now I have to adjust the pattern size used because they will be too large now. Hopefully it won't be too much of a pain to fix that. Until then..... Happy Sewing.

Houston Quilt Festival - What a weekend!

2010-11-11T21:36:00.000-06:00

I actually made it to the Houston Quilt Festival this year, my first time! It was ~~fantastic~~ ~~awesome~~ fabulous! I made the decision to go last Tuesday afternoon after getting a bit of feedback from some posts on PR and the idea was given to me to try Priceline.com for a hotel room. I didn't even look to see if any of the Host Hotels still had rooms, so I gave Priceline a try. First I put in $60 and it came back and said to try $75 for a 4 star or better hotel. So I gave it a try and low and behold it came back at $75 at the Houston Hyatt Downtown just 11 blocks from the convention center where the Festival was being held. So, I got up at 4 am Saturday morning and headed out to Houston. I arrived about 9:15 into traffic due to road construction right downtown at my exit to the Hyatt. I made my way to the Hyatt Valet parking and the valet suggested I try to check in. As luck would have it, they let me check in!! I put my stuff in my room and then headed to the convention center and the weather was perfect for an 11 block walk! I met up with my neighbor and her sister and we proceeded to have a day of SHOPPING!! Here is a picture of the loot I purchased. I know I said I wasn't becoming a quilter....but I think I might be....it is just so much fun.

I'll describe...Bottom left is a pair of curved snips to cut those jump stitches in my machine embroidery designs, a pair of reverse tweezers- for changing those needles, a quilt pattern to make the with the fabric in the upper left, a slip pad for machine quilting, a tote bag pattern and the fabric that I will use that is folded in the star package and a straight stitch plate for my sewing machine. In the next row is a freebie of a tissue holder pattern with the fabric and then a few pins that were freebies and the luggage tag from Babylock that was a freebie along with the tote bag. Also here is the ergonomic rotoray cutter and some nonslip pads for rulers. I also bought the ruler that has a lip for this rotary cutter to fit on but they were sold out so it is being shipped. To the upper right are 3 different sized rulers from Quilt In A Day by Eleanor Burns and her cute shopping bag. I even got to meet her in person! Then there is the red halo for machine quilting and the last 2 items shown are 2 different patterns for quilt in the hoop for the embroidery machine. My neighbor and I split this purchase - it was buy 2 get 1 free so we split the cost and will share them. She took the other one to her house. And the biggest and most exciting purchase is the ......

Babylock Imagine serger!!! It has Jet Air Threading for the Upper and Lower loopers! Wow is all I can say. It is being shipped and I can't wait to get it. That means that I can actually change threads when I am serging something. I have had the same white thread in my other serger because it takes my 30 to 45 minutes to change the thread on the darn thing. Anyway, we spent the entire day shopping at the vendors and then we all had dinner at a wonderful greek restaurant somewhere in Houston. I'm sure I could never find it again! Sunday morning I had a leisure breakfast at the hotel then went upstairs and packed and headed down to checkout around 10:00 am and then headed to the parking garage next to the convention center. I parked then contacted my SIL and we met up and viewed the award winning quilts and most of the other entries. Wonderful quilters out there! I then left my SIL and moved back into the vendor floor where I visited the Floriani booth to talk with them about my software. She spent a good 45 minutes with me and I feel much better about trying to digitize now. I headed back out around 1:30 and made it home around 6:15 pm! Whew! What a weekend.

As you can tell, the Quilt Festival was a great success for shopping.

This Saturday I'm taking my machine quilting class that was cancelled from a few months back. A few of the items I purchased will be used in the class.

I'll post how the class went!

Completions

2010-10-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

I'm finally back in the sewing room after my working/R&R trip to Porto, Portugal. I returned late Wednesday, Oct 13th and needed a day to recover! Last Sunday I finished trimming the binding for the quilt and then I took 4 evenings to hand stitch the binding to the quilt. Today I made the label and attached it.

I took the quilt to my Sassi Srippers Quilt Guild club on Thursday and they told me the name of the pattern was Hole in the Barn Door. I had no idea what the pattern was and surely appreciated the info. Here is the finished quilt.

Then I worked on the embroidery of the book cover for our Iota Epsilon yearbook, for our newest member, Joan. I finished that and will give it to her this weekend at our "Get-A-Way" weekend in Tickfaw State Park. I'm giving Paula the quilt then as well.

Those were 2 items needing to get finished before the end of October!

Now I want to finish the Mama's Boy Quilt that I started in January and work on a few items that I had plans for gifts. My machine quilting class is now rescheduled for November 13th. So I'm looking forward to that too.

Here is a few pics of Porto!

Until next time.....

Purple, Purple and more Purple!

2010-09-26T20:07:00.000-05:00

Want to see what I've been working on all weekend? A purple quilt! My friend Paula's mother-in-law passed away almost a year ago. She was a quilter. Paula found this quilt top along with the backing fabric in a bag and I volunteered to quilt it for her so that she would have it finished for the anniversary of her death next month. I found the fabric to make the binding and bought the batting and finally got started Saturday afternoon. I tell you, now I know why it is SO important to press your squares after you have pieced them going a certain way! It sure has been a challange getting this quilted when the blocks aren't exactly square and the seams not pressed properly. It has been a wonderful learning experience. Here is the quilt top layed out for the basting with safety pins.

I've worked on it all weekend, today ALL day except to eat lunch and dinner. I've finished the quilting and have made the 30 yards of binding.

Here is a close up of the binding. I couldn't believe I found something that would match so well.

Here is what the quilt looked like when I finished quilting.

The back is the solid dark purple that was used on the blocks. It seems that the blocks were made in 1986 since 2 of them were dated with the person's name that made the block. The story is that Rita's (Paula's mother-in-law) quilting group made the blocks and then they were put into this quilt. Several are signed by the person's name and others aren't. It is pretty remarkable for me to be working on something like this. I feel like I've finishing up a piece of history. I wonder if the other ladies that worked on it are still living and do they wonder what happened to the quilt? Some of the blocks were hand stitched and others were machine stitched.

I hope to get to work on it a bit more next weekend, but if not it will have to wait until the middle of October since I am leaving on October 6th for Porto Portugal for a work meeting....and a bit of R & R with my husband since the 8th will be our 34th wedding anniversary!

After this quilt is finished, I'm going to finish the Mama's Boy quilt I started earlier this year! I'm really not turning into a quilter...full time at least, I will get back to garments one day!!

Later!

Sorry for the massive absenteeism!!

2010-09-06T21:48:00.005-05:00

I have been very, very absent from posting, not sewing...but posting.

I left off after I wore the dress I had been working on. Since that time I have finished another dress, with the same pattern

AND took my trip to London! We had a great time - we did have a chance to see the Grace Kelly exhibit

at the V & A. It was wonderful. Sewing related, I went to a nice fabric store (I don't remember the name) I didn't buy anything there. They did have the fabrics displayed a bit different than I've ever seen. They had strips of the fabric hanging from pants hangers and then those were on round racks with the price/content/location on a cardboard piece on the hanger. If you wanted a swatch, you just cut a piece from the bottom. All the actual bolts of fabric were stacked on top of each other along the walls. Not the most appealing way to display, but efficient. Then we went to the Liberty Dept. Store....beautiful fabrics! I bought 3 different fabrics there and it was very hard to decide on just those 3 (limited luggage space).

Once home, I had to begin my next project...an A, B, C baby quilt

for my soon to be born Great Niece. The shower is in 2 weeks and all I have left is to stitch the binding down. I just can't decide if I want to try the stitch in the ditch with invisible thread, or hand stitch it. I decided to hand stitch! It came out really nice, for my first "real" quilt. A few stitches are showing since I did the stitch in the ditch - I wasn't always in the ditch....I was even using my machine magnifying glass.

As soon as I finish this quilt, I'm going back to the "Mama's Boy" quilt that I started in January. I feel more confident to be able to finish it now that I had success with the baby quilt. I'm also taking a machine quilting class next Saturday. It should really help me a lot. I'm looking forward to the class so much.

One other thing that I almost forgot to mention was my first vintage machine that I purchased on E-bay from a seller in Canada a Bernina 121 born somewhere around 1957. She is a beaut and she purrs like a kitten. I have had some trouble with the stitches but I'm sure it is a threading problem.

Wearing of the dress

2010-07-06T20:33:00.000-05:00

I wore the new dress today. It was very comfortable, but I have one issue with it. The lining seems to have stretched in the front as the day went on. Every time I got up the lining was longer than the dress...only in the front. Which is strange since the lining is cut the same length all the way around the dress. I'll have to take a tuck in the lining between the front darts before I wear it again. I'm taking it to the dry cleaner tomorrow for cleaning.

I wore it with this white denim jacket from Chico's today, but once I make the purple linen jacket, I'll wear it with the dress. It gives me options!

I went through and purged the pattern stash yesterday and posted the 10 patterns on PR yesterday to give away and I gave them away today! A nice lady in New York has agreed to take them from me. They will be on the way to her first thing tomorrow.

It's a celebration!!! Happy 4th of July!! And I finished the dress!!!

2010-07-04T20:29:00.001-05:00

I finished See and Sew B5235..at least the dress portion of the pattern. I don't think I mentioned that this dress was inspired by a picture of a dress (109) in the Burda Style magazine from May 2010.

The photo of the dress and this fabric is close enough. My dress doesn't have the princess seaming or a back waist line.

The view from the back.

Here is the detail of the zipper slipstitched to the lining.

I need to adjust my dress form...she is "larger" than me!! I just noticed this when I put this dress on her inside out. The dress fits me much more loose than it does her. I'm planning on wearing the dress on Tuesday, so I'll snap pictures and post later.

I've changed my mind on making the jacket right now. I want to make another dress first. This time with a V neckline. I saw this but I'll have to trace the pattern and alter it because it only comes in Plus size. It is dress 123 in the March 2009 issue of Burda Style Magazine. Not the coat, just the dress. I'll have to give this more thought since the last dress went together so well...I really hate to take the time to try this one and alter.

I will give this much more thought!! Until next time.

Progress

2010-07-03T20:30:00.000-05:00

I've had distractions today that have kept me from my sewing. I didn't get into the sewing room until 2:00 pm. I had to draft the pattern to make the interfacing for the neckline since I read somewhere that for best results, I should interface the lining along the neckline. Once that was done and I cut the interfacing, I then got started.

I took a break at 8:00 pm to have dinner and post. I'm now understiching the neckline and the armholes..at least as far as I can go.

I'll get back in there and finish the understitching and then I'll press really good and call it a night. Tomorrow the zipper!!

Have a great 4th of July!!!

And the winner goes to - the 4th try

2010-07-01T20:37:00.001-05:00

I finished the last pair of Kwik Sew 3614 - the shorts. I made these with the welt pockets and they came out pretty good. I am very satisfied with the outcome. I really think I like this pair best of all of them. Forgive the goofy look on my face!

For my next project - I'm making Butterick See and Sew #B5235. I'll be making the dress from a Purple Greek Key stretch cotton fabric that I purchased at Joanns when I was in Florida a few months back. The jacket will be from the purple washed linen that I have had in my stash for years. Both items will be lined with Ambiance, the dress with white and the jacket with purple of course. I'm going to underline the jacket with an ivory cotton batiste to keep it from wrinkling so much.

A few weekends ago, I went to Slidell with my sister-in-law Danette (who I haven't seen in years!) to the quilt show. I bought two packets of fabric, one with LSU motif fabric and the other with the Saints motif. I plan on making a quilt using the Cotton Theory Quilting technique so that one side will be LSU and the other side will be Saints! There were some beautiful quilts on display. I felt so inadequate and in awe of the work these quilters can do.

I also bought a quilt pattern that I hope to try soon. It is very simple, but I'm sure it will be a challenge for me.

And this is the last of the fabric that I bought at the quilt show...a gorgeous purple and gold Fleur De Li's.

My plan for the Holiday long weekend is to sew the dress, cut the jacket muslin and then adjust if needed and then cut the fashion fabric. The dress muslin was made last week and it fits perfect straight from the envelope with no adjustments.

That is all for now, happy sewing.

Kwik Sew 3614

2010-05-23T18:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, I finshed 3 pair of shorts with Kwik Sew 3614. The first pair was a light weight tan pair that are now too big but great for around the house.

The second pair is from an aqua blue twill from Hancocks and that I also used to practice welt pockets. These were the practice pieces. #1 was using the instructions from a PR online class by Shannon Gifford. I only tried it once and knew more practice was needed.

The second try was from instructions in a post on Gorgeous Fabrics' Blog from Friday, February 23, 2007 http://gorgeousthings.blogspot.com/search/label/Pockets which came out much much better.

Then I made a denim pair of shorts and was scared to mess them up with a welt pocket if things didn't go well, so I'll put the welt pockets in the next pair of shorts - a dark green twill. Here are the denim pair

They are cut 1 size smaller than the first pair and I love the stretch denim. I bought that at Joann's in Winter Springs last month. I messed up the buttonhole when I went to cut the slit and ended up cutting the threads! Drat! I'll have to hand sew around the cut part to keep the denim from unraveling, but since I always wear my shirts out, no one will see it but me.
I didn't do a review of these shorts on PR because they had been reviewed several times already and I really didn't have anything to add.
Next up, the green pair of shorts then a couple of dresses. Hopefully I won't be so long in posting.....

Yes....I'm saying it again...I'm still here!!

2010-05-17T12:51:00.000-05:00

Haven't been doing much in the blogging world...but I have been sewing a bit. I made 2 pair of the shorts and I've cut fabric for 2 more. I will post pictures later of both pair that I made.

I've actually been praticing making welt pockets for the back of the shorts. I used Shannon Giffords method that she had in one of her online classes that I took from PR, and boy do I need more practice. I googled and found another way to make them, so that is up next...we will see how well that method goes. I really want to add them to my shorts so they will look more RTW.

I cut a stretch denim for one pair and a dark green twill for the other pair. Both fabrics were purchased on my last visit (end of April) to Winter Springs, FL to visit my daughter and her family. My grandson is a great fabric shopper! He helped pick out the thread and zippers for both pair! I think his young eyes helped pick the right colors for the thread.

I'm still here!

2010-03-29T21:36:00.000-05:00

I'm still around...just haven't been sewing or blogging. I was very busy for work lately and am now getting a bit of time for my favorite hobby!
Sunday I made a shorts muslin that I had to tweak just a bit and now I'm ready to cut the fashion fabric. I'm using Kwik Sew 3614.

I'm making the longer version of course! This pattern has a really unique way to insert the zipper and also the waistband. Everything is done flat! Quite easy and intersting. This is the first pair of pants I'm made in many, many years. Stay tuned for the finished project.

The quilt...I'm not done with it, but I've put it away for now. I wasn't able to practice the quilting as much as I thought I would, so I've put it away until I feel like practicing again.

I did get to spend a whole week in my favorite place...San Diego. I was there for work and then spent a few days extra to have fun. The weather was horrible...yes, horrible, but we managed to enjoy it anyway. Sunday, March 7 (my birthday) I had brunch with friends at the Hotel Del Coronado, wonderful! Then the afternoon/sunset in La Jolla.

I've also booked my annual sister's vacation. We are heading to London in July.

Well, until next time...Happy Sewing!

Practicing

2010-02-06T22:34:00.000-06:00

The machine quilting isn't going so good. It. Is. Hard. And I'm not good at it. I did try tracing the stencil onto the sticky saran wrap...my BSR doesn't read the fabric well so my stitches in curves are not regulated. So I've traced the stencil directly onto the fabric. I'm. Not. Good. AT ALL! So I may just have to stitch in the ditch...we'll see....practice continues.

Mama's Boy Quilt

2010-01-24T18:15:00.003-06:00

I have finished the quilt top and I really like the way it looks.
I went to several quilt shops yesterday looking for a product that has quilting stitches already printed on a sticky back paper so that I can "cheat" quilt. I'm just not that good at stippling, so I thought I would be able to find this product...not so. One of the shops said they could order it, but I can do that myself from a catalog.
But on the way home I had this great idea! I think I might be able to use the sticky back plastic wrap and just stick that to the quilt, then trace a pattern onto that. Then I can do the quilting and just pull the plastic wrap off. Doesn't that sound like a plan?? I'm just not sure how it will work. I'm afraid it might gum up my needle, but I'll give it a test run. Till then....

Burda October 2009 Magazine Dress 115

2010-01-20T19:37:00.014-06:00

This dress was easy to sew, however I did take my time. It came out exactly how I wanted it to and the fit was perfect with only small adjustments made to the front princess seam. I took them in about an inch or inch and a half at the bust area on each side. I might add that this is more of a "standing" dress and not so much a sitting dress. If I had made it form fitting as the Burda model wore it,
I would have never been able to walk much less sit! I really had to watch my steps too. The width at the hem was much more narrow that I had thought it would be. When I tried to get into my car...well, lets just say I had to hike the hem up a good 6 inches or so just to get in the car! Here is the technical drawing from the Burda website:

Here are the photos of the finished dress. Excuse the wrinkles....I wore it to work! Here is the front as I wore it. I bought this cardigan from Talbot's to wear with this dress.

And here are the shoes. I bought these with this dress in mind.
Here is the dress without the cardi.
The back.
The lining. I used a technique from the book Easy Guides to Sewing Linings an ebook I downloaded.
I will have to restitch the area around the zipper. After wearing the dress the stitching has come loose in the area across my back. The dress isn't tight, so I'm not quite sure why it came unsewn.

And here is my next project already in the works. A lap quilt using the pattern "Mama's Boy".
I bought the fabric and the pattern from Connecting Threads before Thanksgiving.
This is the completed center strip that I cut, pieced and sashed!

Almost there

2010-01-17T21:55:00.002-06:00

I worked on the finishing parts of the Burda dress. It is coming along very nice...except when I was ready to press up the hem of the dress....I tripped the breaker in the sewing room. Not good. It was dark. I was home alone. It scared me! I think it was because I had the electric space heater on, the TV, the sewing machine and the vacuum ironing board. I think the ironing board and the heater were pulling too much power. Anyway, I turned everything off, flicked the breaker back on and then turned the light and TV back on in the room. Then I turned the lights back off and stopped for the evening. I'll finish up tomorrow, since it is MLK day and I don't have to go to work. I think the dress will be perfect!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T21:44:00.003-06:00

I was finally able to get into the sewing room today. I was off work for 11 days and only was able to sew today. I managed to get the banner made for my Sorority (Iota Epsilon chapter of Beta Sigma Phi) so that we can have our ritual on Thursday night.

I also worked on the Burda magazine dress. I have all of it sewed and ready for the handwork to stitch the lining to the zipper, then the sleeves go in and then the hem. I'll post pictures as soon as it is finished which should be this weekend.

I think I'm going to work on a lap quilt next so I won't have to "fit" anything. I need something to do that is just straight stitching.

McCall's 5890

2009-12-06T20:21:00.009-06:00

I didn't start the Burda magazine dress yet, but it is all cut out and ready. Instead I sewed McCall's 5890.

I made it from a really nice knit that I bought on a whim at Hancock Fabric's a few weeks ago when I went in there for white satin for a banner project.

I made view D for the dress and view B of the jacket. Previous reviews on PR of this jacket commented that the finish for the hem along the shawl collar were odd because you could see the back side at the bottom of the front edge. So I used a tricot edge, at least that is what my serger book called it. I used a black wholly nylon in the lower looper and regular black thread in both needles and the upper looper. Here is what the edge looks like from the inside of the front edge and this is what it looks like on the outside of the front edge.

I wore this the other day and it is so very comfortable. Here is the whole ensemble as I wore it

Here is just the dress.

I had to do some alterations on the dress because the fullness of the skirt was a little too matronly for my taste. From the picture on the pattern envelope, it doesn't look that full. I cut the size 18 and it fit perfect at the shoulders and bust, but after it was sewn, I ended up tapering about an inch at each side seam at the waist and ending up with about 4 inches at the bottom. Each princess seam was tapered from 1/2" at the waist to about 2 inches at the bottom, to give the dress a more straight skirt look, but with a little flip. I really like the way it turned out.
I can even wear it with a black blazer for a bit of a different look.

The next project WILL be the Burda dress!

PMB blouse is a wadder

2009-11-10T16:44:00.005-06:00

Ok, the PMB blouse is junk, trash, garbage! The last blouse I made with the old measurements was a princess seam blouse for the build a better blouse class and it still fits OK, but this new blouse I cut out and had looking so nice, until I tried it on....the darts hit me about 2 inches BELOW the apex! Darn it. So it is garbage.
I took the cashmere/silk fabric to the dry cleaner for shrinkage and have ordered the lining fabric.
I made the muslin on Sunday and it fit PERFECT,
yes PERFECT right from the pattern with NO adjustments at all...I am amazed and can't wait to get started on the fashion fabric. Yeah, Bruda World of Fashion magazine!!!

#2 Stitch and Flip Jacket

2009-11-03T15:13:00.003-06:00

I finished the 2nd Stitch and Flip Jacket on Sunday afternoon.

It turned out really nice and it looks great with the knit Talbot's knockoff top that I made. I even have enough fabric for a straight skirt which goes on the list of projects to do.
Next on the list is a PMB blouse that is layed out and ready for me to cut out. Then the muslin needs to be made for the Burda dress. Those are the only 2 projects that I'm going to even THINK about doing for the near future.

I AM special!!

2009-10-27T13:25:00.002-05:00

I am the....are your ready for this?? I am the "Featured Member" on Pattern Review today!!! Woo Hoo!!! Take a look on www.patternreview.com ad see me as the "featured member"...only today (Tuesday, Oct 27, 2009)...after that is is gone!!
Thanks Susan for letting me know.

Back in the sewing room!

2009-10-25T18:44:00.002-05:00

I went back in the sewing room today. I washed an aqua pima cotton shirting fabric for a blouse and I printed off the pattern for the blouse from the PMB software. I also traced the pattern from the Burda World of Fashion magazine from October 2009 for the dress that I will make with the cashmere/silk fabric. Hope to get back in there tomorrow evening!

Lost the mojo!

2009-10-12T20:06:00.002-05:00

I've lost my sewing mojo! I left for a conference to Mexico and can't get the sewing mojo back since I've been back. Today I received a shipment of 3 fabrics that I ordered last week from Michael's fabrics. One is a cashmere/silk blend that I am going to make a dress from Burda's magazine for this month. The other is a linen/cotton blend that I bought because it was on sale. The last one is a white cotton shirting - because I love white blouses! I try to post the pictures of the fabric later.
I'm hoping I will get the mojo back soon! Daugher and Son-in-law and grandson are arriving on Saturday...can't wait to see them again.

No entry in the Jacket contest :(

2009-09-17T20:01:00.001-05:00

Well, due to the fabric I'm using (very bad ravelling) I've had to finish the sleeve seams different than the contest rules state. You are not to have any exposed seams in order to qualify....so I'm not going to enter. However, I will finish before the deadline. It is coming along very nicely! Pictures to follow.

Contest Jacket progress

2009-09-13T16:45:00.004-05:00

Well after cleaning up the house,laundry and making a grocery list and making it to the grocery store, I was finally able to get in the sewing room and continue the work on the contest jacket. I sewed the front sides and have the sleeves ready to put into the jacket. Here are a few pictures.

Here is a picture of the "extra" fabric that I had to purchase. I haven't had to cut into it yet, but after I get the sleeves in, I will cut this for my facing pieces.

And speaking of grocery lists...a fellow WW member told me about this website that you can pick the type of meal plan you want and what store you want and for $15.00 for 3 months, it will calculate the points, have recipes, grocery lists and the prices for that store of the items on your grocery lists. I signed up for the Points system, for 2 people and any store (because I hate shopping at Wally World) and I bought my groceries from the list today. It seems pretty neat! Give it a try, I have the link over to the right! Weight loss update...another 1.4 # for a total of 46.2 pounds!

It's Here!!!

2009-09-11T22:54:00.002-05:00

My fabric arrived today! Now I can cut the other 2 pieces and get started again on the jacket. I have all the back and sides done.

Rejected.....again!!!

2009-09-10T11:04:00.002-05:00

Yes, can you believe it??? I was rejected to give blood again! This time.....I went to Costa Rica. So, now I'm banned from giving until June 2010, but I'm traveling to Mexico in 2 weeks. I guess I'll just have to be one of those people that will NEVER be able to give blood, because I'm always traveling out of the country for work. 2011 - I'll be in Brazil, 2012 I'll be in Russia. No blood from me!!!!! I really am disappointed :(((

Contest Jacket is coming along

2009-09-09T21:27:00.002-05:00

I started sewing the contest jacket tonight. Yesterday I discovered that the paisley knit top I made on Monday will look fantastic with the new jacket. The colors match perfectly. The other fabric should arrive either tomorrow or Friday. I've really gotten as far as I can go for now until the other arrives.

Tomorrow I am going to do something I have never done before.....Give blood! Yes, I'm going to try it again. Over 20 years ago I tried to give blood at the hospital for this woman that had to have her arms amputated, and she was an accountant. I felt for her and her family and decided to give in her name only to be told that the meds that I was taking (Bactrim) was a sulphur drug and I wasn't able to give blood because there are too many people allergic to sulphur drugs. I never tried to give again. Last night the local blood bank called for my DH and I took the message that they were wanting his blood, then asked me if I had ever given. Tomorrow the blood bank is having a special 12 hour drive and I'm going to head over there at lunch and give a pint! I'll at least lose 1/2 pound :)))

I'm in luck!!

2009-09-08T16:09:00.002-05:00

The store called first thing after they opened and the sales clerk found my fabric on the remnant table with 1 3/4 yards left!!! Plus it was on sale! I only needed 32inches, so the extra will be nice. She took my credit card info and will charge me and ship tomorrow via UPS!! The jacket is saved.

Change of plans.....again!

2009-09-07T16:23:00.009-05:00

I had to make a change to the plans after the cutting day yesterday, because I goofed again! I realized my jacket pattern calls for 4 front pieces instead of 2 (this happened on the other one as well and I totally forgot about that little tidbit)I need to highlight that CUT 4 on that pattern piece, seriously I really need to go do that NOW! Anyway...I was doing all my markings on the pieces and I saw that little 4 there and remembered..and I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FABRIC!!! I am about 4" short, or course it could be 2" and it doesn't matter because I still don't have enough fabric. I frantically looked for the receipt and thankfully it does have the fabric item number on there. So I called the store, and they are closed today because of the Holiday. I left a message and hopefully they will call tomorrow and maybe I can get over there before the end of the week and keep my fingers crossed that they still have the fabric! YIKES...I was so upset.

Sooo, I regrouped and I started making the knit top that is the Talbot's knockoff. It turned out fantastic!!! Yay!!! But before that my DH helped bring in the Europro Vacuum Iron and Ironing board that my friend Jayne gave me. I didn't have the direction book and couldn't locate on online, so I really didn't know how to use the thing and honestly, I was a little scared! I had read that sometimes they pull so much electricity (1500 watts) that it needed to be on its own circuit. Well, it works WONDERFUL. I can't say that enough, it is totally AWESOME (and I don't use that word often because I think people use that way too much). This thing irons a seam so flat....well, I've just never seen anything like it, except maybe from something that the dry cleaner did. Here are a few pictures of this wonderful little machine.

With that said I had a great day in the sewing room after all. Here is the finished top!

So, I may just get started this evening on my PJ's! Plus I'll get to use the cool iron again.

Cutting Day

2009-09-06T16:38:00.011-05:00

Today I've been cutting...and cutting...and cutting!

I have 3 projects cut and ready to go. I rented Margaret Islander's Industrial Tips video tape and one of the tips was to take a day and just cut out projects. Gather all items together (threads, buttons, seam binding,etc.) and tie with a scrap of the fabric.

The project to the left top is my next pair of pajamas. All my PJ's are too large now so it is time to make a new pair. I bought this fabric at Nancy's Notions online quite awhile ago. It is quilting cotton from one of Michael Miller's collections. I'll be making a short sleeve tunic style top and capri length bottoms. This will be #3 to sew in the cue.

The project on the right top is my Talbot's knockoff top. I mentioned this one earlier in one of the posts. This is #2 in the cue.

The fabric is a knit that was purchased in New Orleans at Promenade Fabrics.

And the front project is my jacket that I am going to enter in the PR Lined Jacket Contest. This the same pattern that I made for the Stitch and Flip Jacket class that I took from PR in July.

The fabric is a Home Dec that I bought in Mandeville a few weeks ago. The fabric is a blend of Linen/Rayon...we think! It steams/irons very nicely, but I will dry clean. The fabric is very similar to the fabric in a jacket that I had years ago. I'm using Ambiance lining fabric that I ordered online. I'll have to get to work on it tomorrow because the deadline is Oct 1 and I'll be leaving for Mexico on Sept 22 and not return until Oct 1...so I have to have it finished and photographed and my review written by the 22nd!

Now onto a finished project. I took another class Building a Better Blouse from PR in August and I put the finishing touches on it Saturday. This is a pattern that I blended from PMB and a Kwik Sew pattern for the sleeves. I am pleased with the way it fits. Not sure about the fabric though...maybe a little too "old lady" looking. However, I do LOVE me some paisley!

Oh, and I'm down another 1.2# for a total of 44.8....yes, .2 from an even 45#. Urgh! And it has been 35 completed weeks!

I have been sewing....really!

2009-08-02T21:14:00.009-05:00

I really have been sewing, but not posting. It takes a lot of time to do both!! This is the top Butterick 4817, that I finished early July.

The rest of July I've been working on my Stitch and Flip Jacket class. I'm almost finished, just the tacking of the facing and the hem is left. Here is what it looks like now.

I'm taking another class on PR and it starts tomorrow. It is the Build a Better Blouse Class. I'm going to be using Kwik Sew 2849 .

While I'm preping the pattern for that class, I'm going to start work on my Talbot's top knock off. I found this top at Talbots and then found a pattern just like it!! The Talbot's top is on the right and the pattern photos are on the left. Doesn't it look just like it?

I also added something else to my sewing room! I went to visit my daughter in Orlando last weekend and I went to IKEA and bought an Alex chest. It now houses my ironing press instead of that large table.

Homework

2009-07-07T13:53:00.002-05:00

My class started yesterday on PR - Stitch and Flip Jacket and I did some homework last night. We were told to sew scraps of fabric together using the technique and finish the edges with trim, binding, etc. Here is my finished homework....it's pretty!

I have NO idea what I'm going to do with it....but it is pretty!!!

Updating the sewing room ---- AGAIN!

2009-07-06T15:02:00.007-05:00

I know, I've a "sick mind" as my sister says!!! I wanted to start using the clam shell ironing press that Jayne gave me and I had no room with the way the room was laid out. So....I ask my DH to build me shelves to free up some floor space and this is how they look! I love them!!!
Then I was able to put a table under them to house the ironing press...see!
Then, since he was building stuff, I asked him to cut me a piece of peg board and this is how it came out! I even found some cute baskets that fit on peg board. I found some really cute 3 ring binders, boxes and magazine holders at Office Depot, so I think I'm really finished with the organization of this room.....maybe???
More pictures:

My next class through PR started today, Stitch and Flip Jacket! The first lesson download was today, so I found out that the pattern I wanted to use wasn't a good choice for this technique, so I went out at lunch to Hobby Lobby and bought this pattern to use

I'm going to use a fabric that I bought while in Seattle and a lining that was in the stash from Vicki. I'll post when finished.

Plus yesterday I made the muslin of another sleeveless top that I will try to cut out this week. It is a simple top and should be easy to sew in a night or two. Another project I started this weekend was to put the measurements into the PMB software and make the fitting garment. I've sent the pictures to the company for their critiquing, we'll see how well we did. Thanks to Jill for her help!!! Also, today I bought a Light Box to help put the PMB patterns together. Jill brought hers for me to use on Friday and I immediately saw that this was a much needed item.
She went through the pattern stash that I bought at the garage sale and she found several she wanted. Now, I have to post the others online for sale. That will be for another day and another chore!

Patio Furniture Makeover DONE

2009-06-02T09:09:00.005-05:00

I finally finished the patio chair cushion project that was started a little while ago. I got disgusted with the whole project after the first cushion was made and my velcro didn't stick. I used the non-sew velcro and I didn't follow their directions like I should have. A full minute is quite a bit longer than one would think it is! So, I put the velcro on the remaining 3 cushions as the directions stated and guess what? My fabric shrunk a full inch, so then the closure pieces didn't fit the rest of the cushion pieces. That is when I decided to toss it in the corner. Now after Tommy repainted the 4 chairs and table, I promised to finish the cushions. So back to the drawing board.

I ended up cutting pieces to add to the closure pieces so that they would be the correct length and it worked out very nicely. Here are the pictures:

The last 2 cushions may not make it through the summer - only was able to sew them with a 1 needle serger finish. While putting the new covers on the back cushions, the seam on the bottom that forms the box came unsewn. The seam didn't hold....oh, well. I'm done and next summer I'll just buy new ones because I will not be making them again! The fabric is a Waverly Outdoor fabric from http://www.housefabric.com/defaultproduct.asp and this is the pattern name http://www.housefabric.com/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=28498.

I used Coats and Clark outdoor thread http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=6f724c89-ff6c-49a0-af50-2ec09889a5c6 with a topstitch needle in the sewing machine and size 14 in the serger. The weave of this fabric is very loose and I think that is also why the 1 needle stitching doesn't hold up to stress.
Oh, and to get those new cushions into the new covers.....my Mother gave me the idea to put them into a garbage bag so it would slide right in, but someone on PR website went a little further with that idea. You put the cushion into a very large garbage bag then take your vacuum hose and suck the air out, then slide it into the cover, turn the vacuum off then cut the plastic bag off and pull it out of the cover. Worked like a charm!

Sewing update!

2009-05-23T17:23:00.004-05:00

I finished the blouse last night and I really like this one, the fabric is so much better.

I made a fantastic purchase this morning on my way back from Weight Watchers (another 2.4# BTW!!) at this garage sale. I bought 4 boxes of patterns and 3 rulers for $30....I had $100 worth of fun just going through the patterns. Even Mama looked through them, I think she had that much fun looking through them too, and she doesn't sew! Here are pics of what 2 of the boxes look like after I went through them. And here is a picture of the fabrics I bought last weekend in New Orleans.

The one on the left is a paisley knit, then a pique polka dot, navy linen and then the paisley cotton/stretch. I need to get them washed. The polka dot needs to sit in vinegar and water to set the colors so they won't bleed. This was suggested by the owner. And I did a little online purchasing during the week and all of it arrived in the mail today.

I bought more Palmer Pletesch interfacing, waist band interfacing, pattern tracing paper and then from Pamela's Patterns, The perfect Tee Shirt, The Perfect Tank Top and the T-shirt makeover pattern along with some Heat'n'Bond for the hems of the T's.

Also, I broke down and purchased Pattern Master Boutique 4 from Nancy's Notions and it has shipped so I should get it next week sometime. Plus I registered for the making pants better online sewing class at PR which begins in June.....whew...I'm going to be very busy!

I'm back in the sewing room!!!

2009-05-20T08:59:00.018-05:00

Since I've been losing weight (31.4#!!), I was able to use one of those patterns that I was trying to sell over on PR.

I made 3 muslin's before the fit was right.
I used size 22 and made a FBA of 2" and I had to shorten the shoulder width by 1/2".

Here is the finished blouse.
I dislike this fabric very much, it is a rayon blend and it was very difficult to cut, sew and hem. After I finished it I threw it into the washer and dryer and all these little frayed edges stuck out from the hem. It was just too difficult to turn under without a wavy hem. I'm wearing the blouse today to see how it wears, but I'm thinking it will not be a favorite! I'm working on another one with sleeves that I will post just as soon as I'm finished.

This weekend my new PR friend (Jill) and I traveled to New Orleans to Promenade Fabrics on St. Charles Avenue. What a wonderful shop! The gentleman (that I'm guessing was the owner) was a character and he knew his fabric. The best selection of linen and silk that I think I have ever seen. All of his fabric is from Europe. I didn't know there were so many varieties of linen! I bought 4 pieces of fabric! A navy linen, a piece of cotton pique that is white with navy polka dots a really nice brown paisley knit and a wonderful stretch cotton with orange/green paisley on white. Jill bought a few pieces as well, but she almost bought this fabulous lime green silk, but she decided she just couldn't pay that much for fabric and then she would be afraid to cut it!!! I totally understand that because I have a $25 yard Italian cotton that I haven't cut either! The gentleman even suggested that we go across the street for lunch at Hoshun Restaurant http://www.hoshunrestaurant.com/accolades.html, and he was right. The food and atmosphere was wonderful! Then we headed back to Metarie to Joann's and Jill bought a few peices of this wonderful silky feeling fabric for some blouses. Then we headed home. It was a wonderful day and I was so glad to finally meet JillRN1995, we will be going on another fabric shopping expedition in the near future.

Too many projects!!

2009-04-04T21:59:00.002-05:00

I'm not getting much sewing done, only buying more stuff to sew! How crazy is that? I have just bought 14 yards of outdoor fabric to recover my cushions for the patio furniture and then I had to buy more needles for the serger so that I could sew this fabric plus several presser feet for the serger and now I need to buy the sewing thread that is outdoor friendly so that when I do get them cut out and sewed they won't fall apart in a year or two!! Plus it is too windy each day I want to get outside and spray paint the furniture! I need to get this done so when it warms up I can use it.

And I bought a new pattern for knits that I want to try plus I bought 6 different pieces of all types of knit fabric at Wal-Mart last Saturday and it is still sitting in the bag on the floor of the sewing room. As I'm typing this I realize I like to buy stuff for sewing as much as I like to sew. Then Thursday I went to Barnes and Noble and bought 2 sewing magazines and a big new sewing book published by Singer that is full of beautiful pictures of all sewing techniques.

And of course last Saturday, the really big purchase....my new car!! I bought one of those new Toyota crossover SUV's the VENZA. The color is Sunset Bronze Mica and it is beautiful. I have ALL the bells and whistles. Back up camera, DVD player in the back with 2 wireless headphones, Navigation package that has voice command, bluetooth telephone connection that is voice activated, Satelitte radio, auto dimming high beam headlights that is the coolest thing ever! Also, the automatic back hatch door that you just press a button and the no key startup and door opening and locking. It is the coolest vehicle ever!!!

Simplicity 3744 Threads finished!

2009-03-15T18:23:00.005-05:00

I've finished another project. This one for my sister and if I can get her to let me post a picture, I will post later in the week! Edited 3-18: She let me post!! Originally started this dress last spring, but it is now finished and I hope she likes the finished product! It is made with a cotton shirting that is white with a light blue stripe. It looks like a very nice dress to wear on a hot day. The picture doesn't show the fabric very well because of the small light blue stripe. Oh well, it fits her very well, the only thing she will have to do is move the buttons on the back belt so that it doesn't hang down.

I then cleaned up the sewing room and serged the ends of more fabric and it is in the washing machine now. That is how I can tell if the fabric has been pre-washed once it is put away.

I think my next project is going to be........a pants muslin!! Yikes that is scary, but I have this really nice chocolate brown linen that I want a nice pair of pants out of and I bought this beautiful Italian cotton that is white with a choco brown stipe running through it and I want to make a nice blouse out of it and this will be a very nice outfit! That is my long term goal right now and in between that I have lots of knit that I want to make a Jalie sweetheart top and a vee nick tee out of. Sew much to do and sew little time!!!

On the weight loss front....21.2 pounds down!!! Yeah me.

Kwik Sew 3369

2009-03-08T10:08:00.013-05:00

Here is my latest creation!

This was part of the Plus-sized sew along from PR that I participated in. I purchased this fabric at Hancock's awhile back to make this jacket. It was on the clearance table of the home dec dept. I think I paid about $5 yard.

I had originally thought I would line it with the green stripe but then
decided it would be too difficult to put on over a top with a sleeve since it is a cotton fabric, so I took the easy route and just made it unlined. I did use it as the under collar and the lining of the pocket flaps.

I found these really nice buttons at Wal-Mart, imagine that!

I wear a lot of the lime green tops, so I thought it would come in handy. It really fits nicely after I made some adjustments: 1)shortened the shoulder width of the yoke (front and back) by a good 1 1/2" 2) I didn't want the pocket flaps to go across the fullest part of my bust so I took about an inch in on the length of the yoke front 3)I took in 1 1/2" on the sleeve width at the top to about the elbow, the sleeve was just too full. 4) I orginally cut the 1X and increased the size to a 2X at the waist because of the pattern measurements, but after the 2nd muslin decided I didn't need the extra at the waist and ended up cutting the 1X all over and making the adjustments to the shoulder area. I made 3 muslins for this project before cutting the fashion fabric. The pattern is well drafted so it went together quite easy.

Back in the sewing room!

2009-01-26T20:52:00.002-06:00

Finally, I was able to get back into the sewing room. I finished....yes, that is correct, finished the last 2 remaining items that I had cut out and not finished. Of course one, the aqua blue stretch poplin sleeveless top is too tight for me, but I finished it!! The other item was the Jalie sweetheart neckline top (previously posted picture in earlier blog) and it fit perfectly, except I ended up cutting off too much on the bottom before I hemmed it and now it is too short for me. I'll use it for a knock around the house top. It was very easy to sew and I am pleased with how well it fit without any modifications to the pattern. I will make it again and not cut too much off the bottom.

I also had finished before the Holiday's a Talbot's knock off top that I used a well worn short sleeve top as the pattern and it turned out extremely well. I'll post a picture the next time I post.

Clearing out some patterns...some never used and never will

2009-01-04T16:59:00.003-06:00

These are some patterns that I have cleared out and am putting on pattern review to try to sell.

Two gifts complete

2008-11-29T14:29:00.005-06:00

I finished the matching lounge pants for my SIL and Grandson. Finished, well mostly. I still have to purchase and put in the elastic for Grandson's pants. I did a flatfelled seam on the larger pants because for some reason whenever I make pants, the crotch seam always seems to come unsewed. I will serge it and go back and seam it with the sewing machine, but they always seem to come unsewed. Hopefully this type of finish will keep SIL from "splitting" his pants!

It's funny, while working on these LSU Tiger pants, the football team was losing to Arkansas!

PJ's for IV and other projects

2008-11-28T09:32:00.007-06:00

Here are the PJ's I finished for IV. This was so easy. It is pattern 2826 and I made the size 3 for the top and the size 2 for the bottom. If this fits him, I'll make another pair out of this fabric.

I have enough fabric of each of these to make him a short sleeve pair and short pants as well as another pair next winter! I didn't realize I was buying so much fabric. This fabric came from Joanne's in Orlando that I bought when I was there last time. I'm also working on this Jalie pattern

Out of this knit fabric

that I bought a long time ago from I don't remember. This is my muslin. I'm planning on using my coverpro machine to do the hems, etc. The serger will be used to finish the seams.I'm also working on this pattern for my SIL - Larry for part of his Christmas Present.

I'm making him a pair out of this LSU Tiger cotton fabric as well as a pair for IV, so they will have a matching pair - corny I know, but cute.

That is all I'm working on right now and it is enough to keep me busy for awhile. These LSU Tiger pants come first because I need to get them finished before the 12th of December, that is when I'm heading down to Orlando again and it will be my Christmas visit.

My foot isn't well yet, but it is not too bad. I threw out (donated) all my old shoes and am replacing them with Clarks only. I now have only 7 pairs of shoes and 1 pair of running shoes in my closet. I had over 30 pairs of shoes before I purged them.

I also had a very successful garage sale a few weeks ago. Made over $300. I still have quite a bit that will be taken to Goodwill or the Salvation Army as donations.

Catching up on projects - Wall hanging

2008-11-28T09:27:00.005-06:00

I've been away from this blog for awhile, so I'm going to catch up with the projects I have finished, started and planned!
I finished the wall-hanging and it is on the wall! I think it really looks like the picture that was on the pattern. I give a big applause for all the quilters out there, this is HARD. I didn't expect it to be so hard to match seams, etc. I thought the actual quilting would be the hard part, but it seems the piecing is much harder. Anyway it is finished and I am glad it is done. I did use my BSR to do the quilting along the borders and I used the embroidery for the quilting in the triangles.

Ok so my feet aren't so OK......

2008-10-10T15:30:00.004-05:00

Last weekend turned out to be a horrible one due to excruciating pain in my right outside thigh. I ended up going to the ER Saturday evening and they had no idea what happened to me as did I, so they gave me an injection of Morphine and a prescription for pain. The morphine injection was like water....it did NOTHING! I questioned wheather I received "real" morphine or not. I stayed in pain the entire weekend and went to my GP on Monday morning and received another injection. This was a new drug that I also received the prescription for to take by mouth. This stuff was a miracle drug! As of today, it feels like nothing happened. It is strange that I had visited the Podiatrist the previous Monday and received a cortisone injection in my heel, a taping of the heel and instructions to go to a local athletic shoe store and buy a particluar pair of running shoes. I was supposed to wear these shoes almost 24/7, only when time to go to bed was I to take them off and then I had to wear this boot thing to sleep in. I followed all of these instructions and then I ended up in the ER. He says it had nothing to do with my pain....hummm. Not so sure buddy!

Anyway as of today I feel great. I just have to wear these shoes ALL the time. It is hard to look nice with running shoes on, I feel like such a slob!

I have to get up early tomorrow morning for my Sorority garage sale and then I'm free to sew the rest of the weekend. I received my newest toy yesterday, a Janome Coverpro 900. I bought several knits and really wanted to finish them professionally so I found this neat little machine (it isn't all that little) that does the coverstitch hem for a great price of $249.00.

I working on my wall hanging now and hope to finish it this weekend.

Finally made it ....

2008-10-03T16:38:00.004-05:00

Well I finally made it to visit my 2 year old Grandson this past weekend, a little late for his birthday party, but I made it there all the same (Gustav can't stop me forever).

He is so much fun!!!! Here he is in his birthday party outfit (that he didn't get to wear!). I was very hard to get him to stay still long enough to get a picture that wasn't blurry or of just the back of his head....he never stops!!!

For his birthday I bought him his "big boy bed". It is a cute cherry finish toddler bed. The crib mattress fits in there and he just looks so cute in there. He is doing great sleeping in there, no problems keeping him in it. Good thing I made it there to get his bed because when we were loading it into the truck to throw in the trash, all the spindles fell out. It was 30 years old and kept in the hot attic for 25 years, so I guess it served its purpose. His mother used it as well as his Uncle Bubba and now it has been put into the trash!

While I was visiting my DD and I visited several fabric stores and I purchased quite a few pieces and notions. I added a few more paisley fabricsto the stash for the quilt (that will end up costing me $1000 bucks before I finish). I also found this unique black silk fabric with fussy dragonflies that I will make a couple of pillows with. I have no idea who will get them, but I couldn't resist the fabric. I'll post pics soon.

Hopefully, I will get some sewing done this weekend. My feet are on the mend so I hope to rest some this weekend.

Ike is gone....things back to normal???

2008-09-15T13:17:00.003-05:00

Ike finally made it's way to Texas, but not without giving us a little grief. The winds were horrible and of course the yard is flooded again and the power went out again but only for a short time.
Friday night we found a snake in the hall heading to my bedroom!! We have also found 4 skinks in the house, which Hunter loves to catch and play with until there are dead carcasses left and removed tails! He gets a treat for each one he kills! How are these little creatures finding their way into my house???
Saturday after doing a little cleaning (checking for any additional critters) I had to get out of the house! I finally got to a quilt shop that I had been wanting to visit and headed over to Hancock's with the Bernina store inside. There was a coupon sale for $10 off any $50 purchase, which I took advantage of and purchased a new foot (#57) and 3 boxes of Bernina needles.
I was going to start working on my Cotton Theory quilt using my paisley fabric, I am short 6 more fabrics!!! So, I started my wall hanging, I'll post the final project when I finish.
I booked my airfare to see my DD and her family, again! The other trip for GS's 2nd birthday was cancelled due to Gustav, so I'll try it again next weekend. I'm heading to Dallas Wednesday for a bank seminar for work and this weekend I have a cooking class to attend. I need these things to take my mind off the hurricane havoc!

Gustav came and left......a mess!

2008-09-10T15:20:00.005-05:00

Pool fence damage and debris in pool.

Uprooted tree that did NOT hit anything but my driveway!!! Very blessed.

Gustav did make landfall and it hit the Baton Rouge area very hard! I evacuated because it was suggested due to the expected storm surge

The trees that were downed is amazing! Our power was restored on Saturday night at 9:30 pm. We used generator power at my Sister's house until her power was restored early Saturday morning. We picked up our things and set it up at home. A window unit and a generator are wonderful items to have. We purchased both right after Katrina and before Rita. We have used both several times since then. Last summer there was damage to the power substation and we were without power for 4 days.

Hopefully Ike will not hit any part of Louisiana, we have had enough!!! The national news never mentioned anything about the damage to BR and surrounding areas, only that New Orleans was OK. I guess it is because the resident's of this area weren't crying for people to help us! Our new Governor, Bobby Jindal, has done an exceptional job! Congratulations to him and his staff for a job well done!!!

Eyeing Gustav

2008-08-30T10:46:00.010-05:00

I see that Gustav has just been upgraded to a cat 3 storm. I've gathered all supplies and if I have to I'll be ready to move out. Of course my 440 is going with me!

Hanna has started to move west now and looks to be getting stronger too. I also see that there is another TS brewing off the coast of Africa.

My house has this stinky smell going on that I can not figure out. I noticed it last night when I took Hunter out for his last potty break. I have sprayed Frebreeze and have lit candles. We changed the air filter (because it seems to smell worse when the A/C is running) and I've steam mopped the floors plus vacuumed and cleaned the toilets. I still smell it. We pulled the refrigerator out from the wall, nothing! It is a mystery.

I'm working on my PJ's and I have run into a problem. I didn't have enough fabric to make the facing out of the fabric that I wanted to use plus I didn't have enough fabric to make the bottoms out of the same fabric as the top. So I had to make the top out of the floral and the pants out of the pink and white dot fabric. I wanted to make the facing of the top out of the pink and white dot as well, but had to use plain white and I have cut a small piece of the pink and white to sew together so that it will show by the collar. Hopefully it will work out ok, afterall it is just pajamas.

Here is the fabric I'm using for the top.

Here is the fabric I'm using for the pants and trim.

This is what I have to do to make the facing show the way I wanted it to.

I should have them finished this evening. I have the shorts finished.

UPDATE!
Gustave is now a Cat 4 hurricane and we found the source of the stinky smell!!! DH was cleaning out the frezzers in the garage on Wednesday morning preping for Gustav and left a package of turkey necks out (thinking he would put them back in just in case we decided to go crabbing again) and forgot to put them back into the freezer, so they have been sitting out since Wednesday morning...yep, that is a horrible smell!!! So now the garage door is open as well as the utility room door and hopfully it will air out and go away!

Preparing for storms

2008-08-28T09:41:00.005-05:00

Last night we gathered all the battery type of lighting to see exactly what we have and if we needed any batteries. We have so many lights and extra batteries we will be very lit up! Hubby made sure the generator still runs and the portable AC, then filled up 4 gas cans and will get butane for the grill today as well as some canned goods, etc. We have plenty of water on hand from the scare of a storm last year. All in all we are as prepared as we can be. Now it looks like Gustav has moved to the west southwest, so who knows! There is another storm, Hannah out there on the eastern side of the Virgin Islands and the projected course takes it to the east of Florida by Monday or Tuesday. I'm leaving Thursday morning for Orlando.......uh supposed to.

I traced the pattern for the latest PJ project for me last night while I was watching Project Runway so I will try to get it started on Friday night, tonight we have a wake to go to for a friend's Father that passed on Tuesday.

FINISHED project !! Nightshirt

2008-08-26T13:34:00.006-05:00

Here is the nightshirt for my sister. She bought the fabric in San Diego at the quilting store.
Here is a closeup of the hem facing. I had never tried this before, a new technique for me.
The back of the nightshirt.
Here is a closeup of the back emelishment.

I think it came out very nice. I hope she likes it. I think it looks like one of those "dusters" that the stay at home mom's used to wear in the 60's!! Or it could be a cover up or robe?

Here is the pattern that I used from Cindy Taylor Oates called Pajama Party and I have made 3 pair of pajamas already, but this was the first nightshirt. I have another pair of PJ's for me in the next project that I will start this week. I'm going to make short pants and just use one print for both and add a smaller print for the trim. Pics to follow.

Watching the rain fall....and sewing

2008-08-25T12:23:00.007-05:00

A great weekend for sewing. Fay finally made it out of Florida and decided to give us a visit. Saturday was beautiful but windy and Sunday was rain all day long.

I managed to do a great deal of sewing Friday night and all weekend. Friday night I finished the quillow and Saturday night I cut out the pattern for my sister's nightshirt. Sunday I sewed on it all day and decided to stop around 7:00pm to spend some time with the hubby. He was away in Bristol Tennessee at the Nascar races. I should finish the nightshirt tonight or tomorrow night and will post pictures when finished.

Here are the pics of the finished quillow.

I almost forgot....I finally lost a few pounds - 2!!!! Not losing by leaps and bounds but I'll take it.

Tropical Storm Gustav just formed and he better not mess with my trip to Orlando next week!!

A Sewing Sunday

2008-08-18T09:32:00.005-05:00

I finally finished my grandson's 2nd birthday outfit.

I also quilted for the first time using my BSR!! It is the pocket for a quillow for my mother's birthday present next month. Here is the picture of that. After reading the post on pattern review about someones experience using the BSR for the first time...I thought it was about time I gave it a try. The results (IMHO) are very good. This was my first try at using free motion quiting at all.

If you don't know what a Quillow is, it is a lap sized quilt that can be folded into itself to form a pillow. I posted pictures from a Fons and Porter magazine from Jan/Feb 2007 that had the instructions. I wasn't able to get far on the project because I didn't have the right sized batting. So I'm off to Hobby Lobby today at lunch to purchase the correct size batting.

No result!

2008-08-11T14:10:00.003-05:00

Well....after one whole week of doing the healthy eating program and walking on that treadmill, nothing, nada, zilch! Not one ounce lost. I remember when I could lose 7 pounds in a week by just watching what I ate. I guess those days are gone since I hit the big 50! I'm not giving up! My new receipe book by Ellie Kreiger came in today, so I'll be able to find new healthy receipes to try.

On to more happy things! I finally stitched out the embroidery basket with daisies to go on my mothers quillow pocket. I also, cut out my precious grandson's red gingham JonJon that I am making him for his 2nd birthday party. I will stitch out the "practice" balloons and #2 tonight to make sure it stitches ok before putting it on the suit. Hopefully picture will be added tomorrow.

I purchased a new foot for my machine today. It is #18 the button sew on foot. It is a new version to the old #18. This one is rubber coated so that the button will not move when you are trying to sew it on to the item. Very nice, plus I received 20% off because of a store sale!

Made it through 2 days.....

2008-08-05T09:52:00.003-05:00

I made it through 2 days!!! Not so bad to eat healthy and walk on that dreaded treadmill. It actually went really fast last night. I was walking and watching Closer, so it went real fast. Last night I fixed the grilled chicken that had been marinated in fresh lemon juice. When you take a bite of that, it is just so wonderful! Tonight it is Grilled Salmon and asparagas with a brown rice pilaf.

Received several e-mails from online fabric stores that had great sales, but no paisley that I am looking for, so I'll have to keep looking. My next item to start and finish is my mother's birthday quillow! I'll start that this week.

I need to fix those 5 little pillowcase dresses for my friends' granddaughter. She's a little smaller than I thought she was. No problem though, I'll just have to unsew the ends where the elastic is and pull about an inch off of the front and back and restitch. She is just so cute. Yesterday she came walking out of the garage all excited. She just learned to walk. It is so fun to see little ones learn new things!

My grandson is having problems with some of his family members names! I don't blame the poor baby. He has a Granny (ME!) a Grammy (Father's Step Mother) and a Grampy (Fathers' Father). Oh well, he will figure it out.

Time to loose some of this weight.....AGAIN!

2008-08-03T16:46:00.004-05:00

Ok, so maybe I'll change this blog to a sewing and trying to loose weight site!! After my trip to San Diego, I have to loose some weight. I have always had a weight problem, all my life and now that I am older I just couldn't seem to get to that point where I was ready to loose some of the gained weight again. But after that trip.....it has finally happened.

I started my plan this morning, first weighing in, and I was surprised that it wasn't as much as I thought it was. Still up there but about 20 lbs lighter than I thought I was. It is all just repositioned around my body, instead of around my hips it is all around my stomach and waist and my big ole neck! That after hysterectomy spread and of course being over 50 doesn't help much either.

The treadmill is sitting right behind me as I type this, just sitting back there. I HATE that thing, but I will put my walking shoes on in a little while and get on the darn thing. I plan on getting on it each evening after I get home from work. I would love to be able to walk outside but with the heat index hovering around 102 degrees, I don't think so. At least inside I can watch TV and have the air conditioning and ceiling fan running.

I finished 2 projects on my list today! I finished the baby blanket and a burp cloth (not on list but an after thought) for my Son's friends' baby girl and I finished the window treatment for the sewing room!!! It has been a good day, except for that darn treadmill looking over my shoulder!!! I guess it is time.

Wall hanging project

2008-07-31T10:20:00.006-05:00

I received my Rust Autumn Harvest Wreath Quilt wall hanging kit yesterday! Since I put the concrete floors in the sewing room and repainted, I needed something to decorate the walls. As you can see from the picture of the project it will look really nice against the gold of the room.

Here are the fabrics in the kit and I bought the Floral Trellis Tonal for the backing fabric as well. There is some applique involved which is the wreath, I've never tackled that so this will be a learning experience!

The kit list the fabrics as Golden Vines, Rust Wheat Stripe, Brown Packed Ditsy, Rust Focal Wheat, Rose Packed Ditsy, Sage Packed Leaves and Rust Ditsy. Don't you just love the names of fabric! I purchased the kit from Connecting Threads on sale for $19. When finished it will be 36 1/2" square.

I have several other projects that need to be finished before I can start on this but will post the progress once I get started.

Quilt shop in San Diego

2008-07-29T13:22:00.006-05:00

I've just returned from my 4 days in San Diego with my Sister. We had a wonderful time doing all the usual tourist things. We both decided that we WILL lose some weight before next trip. Our feet and legs were killing us from all the walking we did.

I did get to visit a quilt shop called Rosies Calico Cupboard....and I have to say, I've never seem so many bolts of quilting fabric in one spot in my life!!!! It was referred to me by someone in my Bernina group online site.

I only purchased 1 piece - a creamy gold paisley to go with my other paisley collection for my quilt as you go quilt. Almost there! I know, all that fabric and you only bought 1 piece! I was having stomach issues that afternoon and just couldn't get into looking through it all. My Sister did buy 2 pieces so that I could make her a nightshirt. Another project to add to my list!

Sewing room

2008-07-22T13:01:00.005-05:00

Here are the pictures of my sewing room. We just finished refinishing the floors with stained concrete. I had burber carpet here for 10 years and my Jack Russell Terrier aka Hunter became really sick and needless to say, I had to rip the carpeting up! This works better for a sewing room anyway. I still have to make a new window topper and I do have the gold paisley (of course!) fabric, just not the time to make it yet. I'm leaving for San Diego on Thursday morning and will not return until Monday evening, so no sewing for me for a week or so.

Projects

2008-07-18T16:08:00.002-05:00

I went to Hobby Lobby Thursday on my lunch hour to use my gift card that my son gave me for Mother's Day and I found 5 pieces of fabric on sale that I had to have. I decided to make pillowcase dresses for a friend of mine's granddaughter's first birthday. Of course this was NOT part on my list of projects already started! I also bought 2 pieces to go with my never ending "paisley" infatuation for a quilt as you go project. I keep gathering fabrics for this project with no beginning date set. I have to decide on the pattern I will use so that I can finish buying the stash. I still have money left on my giftcard so I can return for more to add to my stash!

I did go straight home after work and cut all 5 dresses out and finished them all this morning.

Project List as of today

princess seamed dress for sister (still in the muslin fitting stage)

paisley quilt as you go quilt

embroidered sewing motif clock for sewing room

Continue to organize sewing room

baby blankets for son's friends baby - born this week 2 weeks early!

Quillow for my Mother's birthday in September

Curling Iron holder

Embroider luggage tags