Thursday, November 30, 2006

Felting Project

I have been working on my Red Jacket Felting project. Our ASG Christmas party is this Saturday and I want to wear my "thrifty" red jacket with felting embellishments. I am using an idea from the new Indygo Junction Needle Felting book. They show a swing jacket that the color collar and cuffs had been embellished using wool roving and knit yarns. Their project was called Confetti.

I am calling my Confetti Too! I really need to finish it up. But as usual life gets in my way. I keep getting a sick headache that I put up with all day at work yesterday. I would have like to have stayed home for a few hours just to be quiet and probably would have gotten rid of the headache. But I had to be at a meeting most all day and had to make a presentation during this meeting--so I popped Vanquish, Bayer and Tylenol most all day. After dinner I laid down for about 45 minutes and it was gone.

So tonight I have to really finish up most of this project to be able to wear it Saturday morning.

Pictures to follow.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Vogue 8323


I have completed this top. I have to say that I am pleased with the fit and the top itself. I plan to make all three views. I made View B with the funnel/cowl neck. The shape of the center front and back pieces are unusual as the neck and self facing are all one piece that flows into the center front and center back piece. I wish I had taken a picture of this, but will when I make the next view. This has princess seams that allow for great fitting opportunities. I did have to make a FBA and I did the usual forward shoulder adjustment and swayback adjustment. The FBA created more width in the waist and hip area that I did not need so adjusted that area before actually cutting out the fabric.

The neck portion is very long and I ended up cutting off two inches at the top. I don't think I have a short neck nor long, average length. The neck is suppose to slouch around the neck line and mine did but it was too much. I think that I might could have cut off another inch without affecting the slouch and also not have the wrong side of the neckline show.

Here are some more shots of the top.
















This is look of the neck. I was trying to give you an idea of how much is the neck.












And another look of the neckline.













The fabric I used was a buttermilk knit that I acquired from Emma One Sock. It is a paisley design with warm browns, beige and soft gray.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to wish all who visit here a Happy Thanksgiving!

I have truly been thankful to all who have visited and provided comments, asked questions and given sewing and fashion advice. I feel like I have acquired a lot of new internet friends, making my world a lot bigger than the city in which I live.

I am most thankful to Lisa Laree and Liana who were the "triggers" that got me into blogging, whether they know it or not. There was a thread on the Pattern Review Message Board about blogging. Both of these ladies were kind enough to share information with those of us who had enquiry minds about blogging. Thank you both.

Back to Thanksgiving dinner cooking and hopefully eating soon. The smells are making me so hungry! Enjoy the day! Thank you for visiting and reading my blog and I look forward to future contact.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Next up!

I am going to make this next-Vogue 8323. I am making View B, with the scrunch neck look and 3/4 sleeves.

I printed out a PMB pattern and overlaid it on this one to determine what adjustments I really needed. I bought the 8-14 size as my shoulders, neck and upper chest fall within this range. My bust falls within the 16-18 depending on pattern draft. Thus I had to make a FBA and had to add three inches based upon finished bust measurement on pattern sheet. I ended up using Sandra Betzina's method of full bust adjustment from her book FAST FIT.

Here is my fabric.
This is from EOS-Emma One Sock. It is a buttermilk knit, paisley design in shades of golden/warm brown, beige , white and grey.








I bought this earlier this year. Has not had a lot of time to age as some of my fabrics.
Here is another fabric, that I want to make up next. This fabric is from Wazoodle, acquired during the spring of this year. Another one that did not age as long.
Not sure if I want to make View C, scoop neck top from this same pattern or try another one. Will probably decide after I make this one. I won't have to do too much to this one as the side front is where the major FBA change was made so only have to adjust front piece by lengthening it to match up with side front.

Simplicity 9825 Complete

As mentioned in my last post I only had a few more things to do with skirt and it would be complete. I am happy to say it is now finished. Here are a few shots of the details of this skirt. I am very pleased with how well it all went together. I think I did a great job with the topstitching, if I say so myself! I also had success with the lapped zipper and the back yoke sections lining up nicely.


This one is blurry, but the intent was to show how the yoke pieces lined up in the back with zipper.


Here is the front view with yoke topstitching and pockets.







I need to clarify what I meant by using the term faux suede. This is not Ultra Suede or Facile; this is faux suede with polyester and satin type finish on the wrong side. The term is used at Hancocks and such so I use it also. When I was flipping the Fabric Savvy book the other evening, I realized in this book the term is used to indicate the Ultra Suede type fabric.

I will say that this is the beefier polyester faux suede that I have acquired from Hancocks and it looks very much like Ultra Suede until you actually touch and sew with it.

I really like the look of this skirt. It was simple to sew. I cut a size 18 at waist and hip, tapering to 16 at hemline. I ended up taking up about another 1/2 inch at the midpoint between waist and hip. I did my usual swayback adjustment for this skirt. I also used a 2 inch hem. I will make this skirt again down the road.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Loving this skirt

My skirt is almost complete. I really like the fit of it and the look in general. The faux suede is a real good quality, not all faux suede is equal. I have a teal piece I purchased that is really not a good quality at all. I still may make something of it. It is very flimsy. I am thinking some type of pull over top or something along those lines.

This skirt has some real nice design lines and the vertical line in the front adds length to the look. When you are 5'3", appearing to look taller and perhaps more slender is appealing especially when your age is a speed limit-55.

I promise to post photos later. I only have to attach the facing yoke piece and topstitch the split in the back and hem.

I already know what I plan to work on next. I do have some Christmas Quick Gifts I want to make up for a few people at work and I want to embroider a denim jacket. The good thing is I only work Monday next week and then I am taking some vacation and of course the Thanksgiving Holiday. Sewing, cooking (yeck) and family visiting.

I just got home from CURVES, so time to shower and then go shopping!!!! I think I have some fabric purchases to make for those Christmas gifts and perhaps there will be some extra bargains out there. Later!

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Vogue and Kwik Sew Patterns

Took advantage of 75% off Vogue pattern sale at Hancocks this past Saturday. I think I saw this pattern on Lisa Laree's blog-Sew Random. I really liked the look of all three tops and decided to buy the pattern-Vogue 8323.

This pattern caught my eye while browsing through the pattern book and I decided to buy this one also. I am a sucker for sheath style dresses. I like the look of the darts and the sleeve. I could not figure how to replicate this with Pattern Master Boutique. I have a perfected sheath pattern with PMB and I will use that as a fitting guide with this pattern.

I also picked up this Kwik Sew pattern having seen a review of it on Pattern Review. I want it for both the top and the skirt. I want to make the skirt but will want to make it shorter and I hope I can redraft it without too much of an issue for shorter length.

Where have I been?

I can't believe I haven't written something since Saturday.

I have been working on my skirt and I don't have a lot more to do. Just stitch the side seams, attach the yoke facing and hem. I thought I would share some photos. Here is the front with the faux pockets. There is a center front seam and I have topstitched the front seam and I topstitched the yoke seam also.



I also have inserted the lapped zipper on the back after sewing the back yoke pieces to the back skirt pieces. I love using invisible zippers but thought I really need to hone my lapped zipper skills. I really don't like doing zippers other than the invisible zipper. You can not get better at something if you don't practice it so the pattern called for a lapped zipper and that is what I did. Unfortunately I can't currently find the photos of the skirt I took showing the zipper, the topstitching and such. I think I took the photos and are save to camera not memory stick. So will post those soon and provide more feedback on skirt progress. I plan to complete it tomorrow and then start on making a few knit tops.

Later!

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Initial start

I made short progress on skirt this morning. I decided to add the faux pockets from view B, so cut those out this morning and attached to the front skirt pieces. Slow but sure progress.

Visited with family members today. Took DMIL to visit DH's cousin's wife. She just returned from Italy, she spent three weeks there. Sounded like a fabulous trip. We then went to DH's niece's house to celebrate her daughter's second birthday. Weather was so nice, felt more like spring than fall.

I hope to do some sewing tomorrow. This is a simple skirt to sew, rated easy on the pattern. Because of the type of fabric I have decided not to add a lining. I will share more progress tomorrow.

Move to the head of the class!

I decided a few days ago to make a skirt from some chocolate faux suede fabric that I had left over from a project I made a year ago. I had just enough to make a simple, slim or A-line short skirt. Last night when I went into my sewing room, after rifling through several skirt patterns in my pattern chest of drawers, I decided to make this. I am making view B, which is 24 inches in length. The other views are 17 inches (maybe years ago I could wear that) and 35 inches (not enough fabric and don't need another long skirt).

I pin fitted the pattern and then pressed and cut it out last night. Now that I have posted this brief entry for the morning, I off to start on it. DH and I are going to be Danville to visit family today, so want to get as much time in before we have to go.

Later

Monday, November 06, 2006

Felting Red Jacket Project

Another project worked on yesterday was the felting of a red wool jacket. I purchased this jacket at the Discovery Shop, a thrift store run by the American Cancer Association. I specifically went looking for a boiled wool or melton type jacket. This was priced at $15.00 but it was on sale for 1/2 off so spent $7.50.

Using an idea from the new Indygo Junction Felting Book I started experimenting with this jacket. The trim around the collar and all over one side of the jacket, onto the back and ending at the pocket on the other side is a yarn with metallic fibers. I purchased this from a local knit shop. I used wool roving in various colors on the collar as well as pieces of yarn cut in snippets and needle punched. The jacket in the book is called Confetti. I have more to do with this but thought I would share this work in progress.



Even DH thought it was interesting and something to work on to wear at Christmas!!! He sees embellishing as something for special occasions!!!!!

Experiment Gone Wrong!

This was to be a felted flower on a sweatshirt. I used fusible cutaway stablizer behind the area felted. That was a good idea. I used water soluable stablizer on top another good idea. Regretfully the embroidered outline of the flower in tone on tone thread was not the best idea. Thus hard to tell the flower outline. Couple this with not sure how which directions or how much roving to place on the flower petal parts resulted in this creation. Hard to tell it is a flower. But practice makes for improvement.
I did enjoy the felting with the Babylock Embellisher. Just punch, punch away! Posted by Picasa

Completed blouse and skirt

Here is the completed blouse and skirt. Finally! They are both so easy to make but yet took me forever to finish. Operator issues not the patterns.!!!!!!!!

One Year Blogging!

I checked and found that my first post was November 6, 2005. How time flys when you get older. I remember my Grandmother telling me when I kept saying I couldn't wait to turn 18 or 21, "Don't wish your life away, it will come fast enough". Now it seems that times does go by to fast.

Here's to another 12 months of blogging!

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Blouse and Skirt are Complete!

I am happy to report that the blouse and the skirt are now complete. The KS skirt was so easy to sew. I could make up a few, which I may. I will post photos just as soon as I take the time to take photos of the items.

I am pleased also to note that I began two embellishment projects. One the verdict of its success or not is still to be determined.

I will wrote and again post photos of these two projects as well. Right now, I am going to spend some TV time with DH.

Later!

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Early Morning Start to the Day!

I was sleeping very well until 4:30 AM when I woke and remembered I had left the Rowenta Steamer on! That will jolt you awake. It does not have an auto cut off. Didn't want that feature. So, I hop out of bed, it is below freezing this AM and go cut the steamer off. Back to bed.
Then I start thinking about sewing and my lackluster sewing enthusiasm. My low sewing libido if you will. I finally come to the conclusion that I have been trying to sew with a plan (SWAP). I do believe it is a great way to sew and develop several related garment pieces. I must confess though, I am sick of sewing brown and teal!!!!!! One jacket and one skirt thus far in this color scheme. One blouse now COMPLETED (finally) and a matching cut out skirt on the sewing table now.
Then there is my OCD (obsessive, compulsive disorder) problem. I can and have been very task oriented when it comes to sewing and have not, in the past, allowed myself to switch from one project to another when I have not completed the one I am currently working on. I finally got over that when I was doing more wearable art projects. I had to, as I committed to make several jackets for others in a certain time frame, plus I was submitting items for contests as well as trying to make purses for a wearable art shop on consignment and make some clothes for me.
Because of the SWAP idea I have been trying to pursue, I am heading back to the compulsion or obsessing about completing projects in the works. One side of my brain, however, wants to do XYZ projects, unrelated to brown and teal clothing. And that other part of the brain is saying OCD, OCD, OCD stick to the SWAP!
ENOUGH! I finally went back to sleep. Two hours later and I am finishing my coffee, making this entry and getting ready to go to CURVES. My new decision and plan. I am finishing the skirt today and then I am going to work on two projects next that have nothing to do with brown and teal. Actually they are experiments with felting and embellishing. Yeah, I feel free and enthused again!

Friday, November 03, 2006

Better view of the earrings!

This is a much better photo of my earrings. I really want to do justice to them and as I have written before I am not a photographer! They really look as good as the photo on the seller's site. Thanks again Kathy!

Thursday, November 02, 2006

October Etsy Purchase

I took the Etsy 5-4-3-2-1 Pledge, agreeing to make at least three purchases, one each month for September, October, and November. I am pleased to report I got my Etsy purchase today for my October purchase!

I made a purchase from Etsy seller Kathy Hardy, trading as Dornick Designs, LLC. I purchased a pair of drop earrings in copper and teal. They came in a cute little tin. Here they are and quess what?! they go with my new blouse and soon to be skirt. Actually that was my first thought when I saw them.



Here is the tin:




Here is the cute little button she sent attached to her card.

August Sewing Simplicity 7295

 I am not doing well as a blogger. I have been working on this project since July 30. Today, I finally finished it. It has been a stop-and-g...