Steppin’ Out With My Baby

Got to wear my new top tonight. Hubby had a business dinner thing we were supposed to go to, so I figured that would be a good time to try it out. I was really happy with it—it fits very comfortably and was neither too hot nor too drafty. I wore the sweater I made from Ottobre 02/06 (#18) with it and it looked, I think, rather nice. I’ve got several skirts with which I can pair them, as well as some slacks, so for now this is one of the most versatile pieces in my wardrobe. :)

I didn’t get around to taking in the under arm of the band, but because the jacket covered it, I didn’t worry about it. I’ll probably try to get it taken care of this weekend, but I think that even if I don’t, it will still be very wearable. I can’t wear sleeveless shirts at work, so I’m always going to be wearing something over it. I think I want to fix it for my own peace of mind, though, so Onward! and Upward! :)

Wooot!

I always feel good when I finish a project, but I feel even better when I finish something that has been languishing on the back burner for some time. That describes #14 from Ottobre 05/07 pretty much perfectly. I bought a bunch of fabrics back in early 2008, among them this lush bamboo rib knit that just longs to be fondled. It’s stretchy as all get out at times, but sooooo soft that it’s worth the extra trouble. At the time I bought it, I knew I was going to make something out of 05/07, but hadn’t decided between shirt or skirt. I finally decided on the Sleeveless Jersey Top because I had bought the last of the bolt of this stuff and there was not going to be enough for a skirt. As it was, there was barely enough for the top. I had enough for all the ‘outside’ parts, but there was nowhere near enough for the facing on the inside of the straps.

So it sat on my cutting table.

And it sat.

And it sat.

And I finally put it away in the cubby I have for all my unfinished projects and there it sat for at least a year. I finally pulled it out the other day and got to looking at it.

For the facing, I ended up using a lavender t-shirt knit. This worked for several reasons. First of all, it was in  my stash and so I didn’t have to go spend money on it. Seems like that wouldn’t be that big a deal, but we’ve had lean pick’ns lately, so every little bit helps. Secondly, it was a bit sturdier knit than the bamboo had been, so I think it’s going to help hold up the integrity of the shape, while the ultra drapy, ultra soft bamboo can do its magic elsewhere in the garment.

I’m really happy with the shirt, overall. I added some beading to the yoke band to make it more interesting. It adds just enough sparkle to make me happy while not being so obnoxious that I would never wear it. I can see this under the blazer and the sweaters I sewed a while back. It doesn’t look bad without a topper, but I will have to wear something over it at school—the no-tank-top rule in our dress code and all.

I might end up taking the stitching out of the bottom three inches or so of each arm band so that I can sew a little triangle out of them and then restitching the bands. It gapes a little bit and I’m forever pulling at it, which is not an attractive look. I’m not sure if it happened that way because of the fabric being so droopy, or if it’s my sloppy pattern and fabric cutting from that era—I’ve gotten much neater about both—but I’m pretty sure it’s not the pattern itself.

That aside, the fit and the drape of it all is really nice. Robert, upon seeing me in it, said “That makes you look really skinny!” which is the aim of every garment I sew or buy. Some hit the mark closer than others, but I think this one is going to be a keeper. I’m wearing it to a business function with Robert tomorrow night and I’ll get a picture of it modeled to post soon.

Makin’ Time For Momma

I started working on some pieces for myself last year and, like much that I do for myself, sewing-wise, they never got done. This week, I took matters into my own hands and have been trying to get two of the things done before my high school reunion (15 years!?! When did that happen?!?) and school starting (which is the Monday following the reunion). If I work it right, the outfit I wear to the reunion can be my first day of school outfit, too. :)

I’m currently working on #14 from Ottobre 05/07, the Sleeveless Jersey Top. Now, I know that I recently did my croquis and body analysis that said because of my arms, I shouldn’t be wearing sleeveless. However, as soon as I get done with the sleeveless top, I plan to get out and finish the Tunic Jacket, #15, from the same Ottobre issue. Like the Sleeveless top, I’ve had this outfit cut out and marked, ready to sew for some time. I’m making it from a transparent organza, all blue, brown and black swirls, that will go nicely with the brown bamboo knit that the Sleeveless top is being made from. If I find time (ha!), I’m planning on making the Flared Skirt, #13, from 02/07. I’ve got a nice brown crêpey knit that has some viney stuff embossed on it that I think will go well with it.

The sleeveless top should go all speed ahead from here on out (famous last words?) since I got the beading detailing I wanted to do to it finished. I decided that the band in the front was kind of boring, so I took a few hours and randomly scattered some brown beads on it to make it more interesting. Besides, who doesn’t love a little sparkly? ;) Now to just get the rest of it put together, but really, it looks pretty easy so I just need to sit down and do it.

Cross-Pollination

I spent the better part of my afternoon working on the blog today. Or blogs, I should say. I started up a wing in my blog house several years ago that I had intended on devoting to my sewing obsession. Seemed logical. Fun, even.

Except that life happens.

At the time, Harrison was three and Laura wasn’t even the proverbial gleam in my eye. I was teaching, momming, and wife-ing. Still am, two years later, and then some. I decided, though, that I wanted to go ahead and get this stuff segregated. When I post sewing stuff, I’m never sure if my sewing peeps give a crap about what else is going in my life. Alternatively, I’m sure people who follow my ‘life’ blog (hello? do you exist, outside of my husband?) don’t give a crap about my sewing obsession.

My solution, then, is to post sewing stuff here and non-sewing stuff here.  Things that have relevance to both will be posted on both. I’ve taken the already-posted sewing stuff and posted at Wanna Share A Needle?, with the life stuff clipped out.

(Why do I feel like I’m going through a divorce, all of a sudden? You get the sewing posts every other weekend and I’ll get them for all major holidays…)

I also intend to go back and do pattern reviews at www.PatternReview.com (duh, right?) for all the clothes I’ve sewn in the past two years but never got around to reviewing. In my spare time. (Ha.) The pictures and links to those reviews should eventually show up in the sidebar of Wanna… eventually.

I have a tendency to over-complicate things sometimes, but I really think this is going to work better for me. At least in my head, it will. If you follow me (hello? do you exist?), feel free to follow either or both postings. :)

(Anyone else ever worry about sounding self important…?)

Seeing Myself

I always wonder if the things I make for myself are really as flattering on me as I think hope they are. I have such a distorted view of myself—as I’m sure lots of people have of themselves—and  so it’s hard to know what really looks good. Even in photography, I’m always wary because, well, I don’t know. It just seems that I will like something, it will seem perfect and then I’ll see a picture of it and be embarrassed that I ever thought to put that particular outfit together, much less on myself. Or, conversely (and much less often), I’ll wear something that I’m not thrilled about but that’s clean and/or available and seeing it in pictures, I’ll realize it actually looks pretty good.

I read an article some time ago in Threads magazine about creating your own croquis, or design template. I had sat it aside, thinking I’d get around to it one day, but never really having the time to and finally just forgetting it existed. Recently, I went through a bunch of my old Threads, looking for a different article that I had read and wanted to look at again when I came across this one. (It’s in the June/July 2006 issue, if you’re interested, pp. 51-55.)

In the mean time (meaning sometime in the past three years), I read Donald H. McCunn’s fabulous book How to Make Sewing Patterns, which had lots of great design options peppered throughout. I also, of course, have been subscribing to Ottobre for several years now, as well. So the time seemed ripe for pulling the info from all of these sources, tying it all together with my passably decent proficiency in Photoshop (which I first learned in college, but have tinkered with in the past 10 years or so with the help of my computer genius husband).

I took a digital photo of myself (actually, hubby did that part...) in exercise clothes with tape at bust point, hips and knees and string tied around my waist. I then used Photoshop to draw on an upper layer, giving myself a line drawing from which to work for later use. Using the Singer Sewing Reference Library's The Perfect Fit, I looked at my proportions and made note of what pattern adjustments and styles I should be using and which ones I should avoid.

Colored lines mean the following:
red = body divided into quarters--where the average figure usually fits
black = where my stuff actually fits
blue = midpoint between underarms and hips--where the waist should lie
green = torso shape

I started playing with hemlines and styles to see what works for me. For reference on the styles, I used McCunn's How To Make Sewing Patterns. Once I had played with that, I went to my Ottobre line drawings and started sketching in their styles. 

Incidentally, you are looking at the backside of the pages. As per Nancy Shriber's suggestion, after sketching in the details in pencil, I went over the lines again with a fine tipped marker and then flipped the page over to see it. This way, I wasn't looking at the body lines along with the clothes--much less confusing. Several of the drawings—bottom right hand corner of the second page and the bottom two in the left hand corner of the third page—are Harrison’s offerings. The first one is a “Marrying Dress,” which he seems to think I need despite the fact that Robert and I just had our 15 year anniversary and we have no intentions of needing “marrying clothes'” ever again. The bottom two were Ottobre designs that Harrison decided to pair. He drew all three outfits in pencil and I went over them in marker. I had to fudge the lines a little when I did my part to make the design more legible. :)

I learned several things about myself through this exercise. First, it’s time to get off my bum and get going losing the baby weight! But until that happens, I know that lower hemlines on shirts work for me (I always suspected I was long waisted—my shirts always ride up in the back!), knee level is good for skirts, but in the grand scheme of things, I think I’m more a pants kind of girl. And, much as I always suspected but never really tried (pregnancy aside), empire waists are not a flattering style on me. Period. Surprisingly, the princess seamed thing I tried looked like poo on a stick. I had always been told that princess seams were good for the busty gal, but seeing it in black and white like this, I’m going to have to pass on those patterns from now on. Sigh.

Of course, when he saw the fun I was having with my drawings, he had to have some of his own. I took a picture of him (in shorts!) and used Photoshop to make his line drawing. I didn't bother with the proportions as I did for myself, obviously--he's a kid!--but I did leave the body pretty bare. I knew he'd be drawing pants and I didn't want him to have to worry about seeing his underwear through the pants.
These are his Ben 10 characters. I know next to nothing about the show and, honestly, he doesn't really know much either, but he got a Ben 10 watch the other day and so now he's obsessed with as much about it as he knows and/or understands. :)

The blue one is my favorite—I think his name is Spider Monkey and Harrison says he has four arms. I also like the green guy with the red/orange hair—apparently, he’s some kind of fire sprite? I don’t know—I just thought it was kind of cool. :)

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(Originally posted on Monday, August 3, 2009 at 11:58 PM.)

Dia Del Muerte Purse

Finished my purse today!

In all fairness, I’ve only been working on it in earnest for a day or two, but it’s been on a back burner for months. I bought this cute little purse back in November when I was at a teachers’ convention in San Antonio. It had this Dia Del Muerte print that was really cool and I was super excited about it.

However, it had a few small problems. First of all, it was super tiny—I could barely fit my cell phone and wallet in it, much less any other paraphernalia I might need to carry around (and this was pre-iPhone when I was carrying around a little Samsung slider!). If I wanted to carry my iPod with me, I was out of luck unless I had a pocket in which to stow it.

Secondly (and probably for the better, as it turns out), the zipper on the purse died a few weeks after I bought it (no pun intended). I was much peeved, but I carefully, carefully dissected it, taking it apart stitch by stitch until I had two small panels of the fabric left. These scraps of fabric sat on my inspiration board for months, waiting for me to get to them. I knew I wanted to make another purse from them and I was pretty sure I wanted to use the Dotted Dream pattern from Ottobre’s online pattern selection. The ‘how’ of it all has been percolating in my mind for some time, though, through baby clothes for my daughter, several shirts for my son and a birthday outfit for my best friend’s kid. Finally, though, I was able to get to my sewing and here’s what I came up with.

I ended up using a red baby cord to go along with the skulls. I fussed with the cutting out of the top panel pieces since I wanted them to come to a chevron pattern, but I wanted them to come to a 45 degree angle.

I got these panels sewn together and the side panels sewn on and then I had to interface it.

Because I was using baby cord, I decided to use a sew-in interfacing instead of iron-in, and I think it worked out pretty nicely. I got the stiffest stuff I could find, but it was still flexible enough that when I was turning the lining bag outside in, it fit through fairly easily.

Speaking of the lining bag, I added pockets to it so that I’d have places for my phone, my wallet and a pen or pencil. I think I’m going to make a matching Purseket-type thing for it, as well. I made one several years ago, but I used really ugly fabric for it since I was just figuring out the dimensions of the project. I got really lucky with my pattern since, size-wise, it was pretty perfect, but I think I’m going to make another one using this really stiff interfacing and see how that works.

(Originally posted on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 11:59 PM.)

Hearts‘n’Flowers

I finally finished working on Sarah’s outfit! Yay! I used the Hertta skirt (#19) from Ottobre 01/09 and the free tank top pattern from the Ottobre website. All fabrics came from my local Hancock’s.

Overall, I’m really pleased with how it came out. My serger acted like an absolute brat a few times, but I think that forced me to find some creative solutions I might not have tried else wise. For example, when I couldn’t get the cover stitch function to work, I had to apply the binding with my sewing machine. I got to playing with it and realized that I liked the look of the raw edges, as that tied to the raw edges of the appliqué, thematically.

Speaking of the appliqué, I really, really love the way that came out. I had planned on putting the chipmunk from pattern #20 in the same issue on the shirt and ‘girling it up’ (Sarah’s request—it was to be wearing a dress and shoes). However, time and fabric stash decreed that that was not to be on this go-around. Down the road, maybe this fall, I’ll get around to doing that special order shirt, but for today I decided to go with a flower from the skirt fabric. It spiffed up an otherwise very plain tank top and now the shirt  can be worn with the skirt or it can be worn with some jeans or solid colored shorts that match the colors. Very versatile, I think.

In the future, when I’ve got two weeks to work on something that can go as quickly as this did (actual sewing time was only two days—half of one day was the tank top!), I need to get going much sooner so that if problems do come up I can deal with them in a much more timely manner.

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

(Originally posted on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 11:59 PM.)

No Time For Sewin’

I was supposed to be able to sew all day today since both kids were at their respective schools and I didn’t have any workshops to take. What happened, instead, is that I got to take my van out to the Chrysler place to get the door worked on. They were really nice about ferrying me back and forth between my house and the dealership, but  a good chunk of my time was spent riding in cars.

In addition, instead of staying home during lunch (after being ferried back here), I got Robert to take me out to eat. We went to this new (to us) Thai place downtown that was really good. I had never had Thai food before, but was really pleased with what we had (Pork Pad Thai). Prices were reasonable and the food was awesome. The only glitch was that it took over 30 minutes for them to get the food to us. In their defense, though, they cooked it fresh right then and didn’t have it sitting around waiting for someone to come in and order it. All told, I will definitely eat there again—just might call my order in ahead of time.

Back at the dealership this afternoon, I was struck agog when I tried out the door they had fixed and it still didn’t work!!! I mean, yeah, you could push the button and the door would open and close. But it wouldn’t stop at the end of the ‘open’ cycle so if you were planning on getting in that door, you had to be very, very fast. I showed it to the guy who had just handed me my keys and he seemed surprised. I was surprised that he was surprised—did they not have someone check the button to see if it worked when they finished installing the part? It seems so logical to me, but I’m just an Art teacher—I don’t know anything about being an auto mechanic. Perhaps I’m over looking some pertinent piece of information here. Or maybe they’re just maroons.

But it’s fixed now. Works like a charm.

Didn’t get to do much sewing before supper because I was watching Transformers with my son. Robert finally got it fixed, removing all the vulgar language and the worst of the violence (yeah, he left some fighting in, but c’mon, they’re robots! That’s different!). When he realized what the ‘surprise’ movie was, his jaw just about dropped off and his eyes nearly fell out. That’s my kind of reaction to a surprise. :)

I’m still not done with Sarah’s skirt—my stinking coverstitch machine is being a brat. It works fine as a serger, but when I try to use the coverhem, it goes postal on me. I’ve already called the shop in tears because of this machine and it’s tweaky performance. I’m getting very near ready to tell them exactly what I think of their machine. Or maybe I should just call them and ask for help again….

Either way, I’m getting Sarah’s skirt done under duress, but it will get done. Soon.

(Originally posted on Thursday, July 23 at 11:43 PM.)

Ducklings

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The jammies, by the way, are the ones I finished the other day. I need to get a better picture of her in just them and not in a giant toy, but I think you can get an idea of how they fit, more or less. They’re kind of big in the torso, but just about right in the legs—I’ve got a long-legged pony here! There’s plenty of torso room, so I think even as she gets taller, she should be able to wear them for a while. Pattern is Ottobre 03/04, #6.

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(Originally posted on Friday, July 17, 2009 at 11:51 PM.)

Finished!

I finally finished Laura’s jammies! I used #6 from Ottobre 03/04 and was really pleased with them. Fabric was the pink color way of the Chickadees and Hearts knits offered by The Joys of Sewing co-op recently, as well as some brown velour I got in a grab box from Sewzanne’s a few years ago.

I have plans to make another pair of these jammies in the blue Chickadees color way. I’ve already got the pattern cut out—all I have to do is find the time. (Ha.)

They have not been very hard to sew at all—there was that invisible zip, but it was really no problem. The velour I used for the middle panel was kind of tetchy, but even that wasn’t terrible. I put the last snaps in tonight and the girl is asleep in them right now. Of course, that means I don’t have any pictures of her wearing them yet, but I’ll take care of that in the morning. The size is a little large for her—I made a 68 and I think she’s closer to a 62 right now. However, they’re close enough and she has plenty of room to grow into them. I hate making an outfit and having it outgrown in just a few weeks!

Next up, sewing wise—got to get the “Hertta” skirt and “Tiku” t-shirt from Ottobre 01/09 made up for Sarah’s birthday party this weekend. Both patterns look really easy—should be able to get them whipped up over the next few days, especially as both Wednesday and Thursday the kids will be in their respective schools and I will be able to devote both days to sewing. Have needle will travel!

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(Originally posted on Monday, July 13, 2009 at 11:38 PM.)

So very near done…

…with Laura’s pajamas. I’ve been fighting working on them for several days now, between fighting with taking care of the kids and trying to not completely neglect hubby. They’re really not that bad to sew; it’s the velour that’s giving me the most fits. I’m using the pink and brown hearts and chickadees coordinating fabrics I got from The Joy of Sewing co-op a few weeks ago, but in between them, I’ve inserted a panel of brown velour. It’s soft, cuddly and pretty much a total brat to work with. That being said, I really like how the thing is coming out, so I may or may not use it again in the blue colorways of the same fabric. We’ll see—I’ll probably want to take a break from it pretty soon…

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(Originally posted on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 11:09 PM.)

Chilled Out Sunday

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Got started cutting out some jammies for Laura. I’m using the Chickadees and Hearts coordinates I got from The Joy of Sewing Co-op the other day—really good quality stuff, really cute prints. I’m combining two prints with a solid brown velour panel in pattern #6 from Ottobre 03/04. The sewing part shouldn’t take too long once I get everything cut out, so I’m hoping to get started by tomorrow night. I also need to start digging around to find some fabrics for Sarah’s birthday gift—she asked for #19 and #20 from 01/09, but I have to ‘girl up’ the chipmunk with a tiara, a dress and some shoes. Should be interesting. :)

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(Originally posted on Sunday, July 5, 2009 at 11:11 PM.)

The World Was Our Oyster

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As promised, I finally got pictures of the boy in his shirts. They are #22 from the 01/09 issue of Ottobre Design. I’m currently working on some jammies for the girl from 03/04—should have a pair of them done in a few days if I can keep the kids occupied enough to get to my sewing machine.

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(Originally posted on Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 10:58 PM.)

Oogas For All

Got photos of the kid’s stuff that I’ve sewn for them, finally! Sat down yesterday and got Harrison’s Ooga Booga shirt sewn. It was #22 from the 01/09 issue of Ottobre Design, minus the long sleeves. I could have found another pattern that I didn’t have to alter, but this book was in hand and, well, I’m lazy. It came out fine, although at size 110, it’s a little big for him. I prefer that, though, since it means he’ll get to wear it for a while.
I’ve also got some girly Ooga fabrics, so I think I’m going to make a similar shirt for Laura so they can be coordinated. :)

(Incidentally, getting him to stand still for me to take a picture was not happening. Maybe later…)
Also got photos of Laura’s dresses and coordinates. Finished sewing them a few weeks ago, but never got the pics up. Patterns are #1, #3 and #4 from 01/08 Ottobre, and #2 from 06/08.

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(Originally posted on Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 1:12 PM.)