Happenings

Worst. Blogger. Ever.  Thank God, I don't blog as means to make income or I would starve.

I thought I would stop by my space here and update life. It's kindly crazy at the moment. Who's ready for winter to end? Everybody? Yeah, me too, we're just coming off of 20 inches of snow last week and it is snowed a couple inches twice since then.

Home: We are in the process of getting our house ready to go on the market. We have been meaning to do this for 4 years now but are fantastic at procrastination. It is time now. My daughter starts kindergarten in a couple years and we need to be settled in our new place by then. We just arranged to have every single floor (except for one closet) in our house replaced. It was not cheap but after years of living, and kids, and pets, it was not an option. We are replacing the carpet and vinyl on our main living area (kitchen, living room, dining room) with hardwood and I can't wait. We're working on a few other improvements too, Naturally, we are kicking ourselves for not doing this stuff sooner so we could actually enjoy it. The new kitchen faucet that my husband installed yesterday, cheap and easy. Why did we wait?

I don't know,
but things are moving and we hope to get it on the market at the beginning of April. Hopefully, it will sell quickly and we can start on the fun part,  house shopping.

Family: My son, who has a parylized nerve in his left eye that limits it's movements, is starting to favor his good eye and is at risk for losing accuity in his weak eye. So, we get the lovely task of patching his good eye for two hours a day to make him use his weak eye. Ha. Ha. Hahahahahahhahahah. I don't know if you have ever tried to patch a 2 year old's eye, but I don't recommend it as a good time. So far the longest we have managed to get him to wear it is about 20 seconds. If anyone has any experience with this and knows a good trick, I am all ears.

Health: Very quietly, I will mention that I have been on a weight loss path and have dropped 7 pounds since mid-January. That is all I will say for now.

Career: Nothing to report here. All of my focus is on the first three things.

Tin Can Knits Barley

Life: I was on a knitting kick for a while and worked my way through several of the patterns in the Tin Can Knits Simple series. Including the hat pictured. I am very much a novice knitter but I enjoy it and it will be something I can do when my sewing machine goes into storage. Speaking of, I am back on a sewing kick now and just completed Style Arc's Slip-on Suzie (sorry about the bathroom selfie) and am currently working on a muslin for McCall's 6696.

Style Arc Slip-on Suzie in ITY knit from G-street fabrics

I have sewn quite a few items in my current wardrobe but the craptastic winter with it's early sunsets, have hindered my photo shoots.

Anyway that's what I am up to. I'll be posting before and after shots of the home improvements. Should be fun!

Polka Dot Pencil Skirt

Like sew many sewistas I love Gertie's blog and had to have her book on sewing retro fashions. I love it and plan to make everything in it even, though I shudder at the thought of me in a wiggle dress. Anyway, I just finished my first creation from the book, the pencil skirt.

Can I just say, I love. this.skirt! Not only is the pattern great, I love it in this navy/white polka dot cotton sateen. This may be the first clothing item in my new post-kids plus size that I truly love. I even think it is, dare I say it, flattering. 

I got the fabric at G-Street Fabrics in Rockville, MD. It was normally $19.99/yd but was on sale for $12.98. I scooped up three yards and used two for this skirt. I have no idea what I am going to do with 1 yard of stretch cotton sateen but I'm pretty sure it will be for my three year-old. 

I also lined this skirt. This is the first time I have done a lining. It wasn't too hard and certainly did make the skirt seam more luxurious. I used a navy rayon lining from Joann $4.19/yard.

Modifications:

I modified the waist band to be straight across the front. It just seems more comfortable that way. I may make another version with the high band complete with boning.

I converted the back slit to a back vent using the tutorial on the "A Fashionable Stitch" blog. It was an easy change that I think really takes the skirt up a notch. 

Other:

I inserted the lapped zipper using the method taught in the free Craftsy class "Mastering Zipper Techniques" taught by the same Sunni that gave me the back vent tutorial. She was very useful in the making of this skirt. Anyway, the technique worked perfectly. The class is free. Check it out.

I hand basted all the seams before sewing them. I have been having lots of trouble with my fabric getting out of alignment and this helped a lot. It didn't really take too long. 

I know that you don't technically have to finish seams in a lined garment but I felt the need to do something, so I pinked the seam allowances and ran a line of straight stitches down each piece. It was less than the overcasting I would have done on an unlined item but still made it seam more finished. 

I added a some red bias tape to the hem allowance on the vent. Just a little something flashy on the inside as a surprise. I uses my blind hemmer foot to do the hem. It's the first time I have used it on an actual garment and I think it turned out well.

Errors and conundrums

My waistband ended up not having enough length to overlap and put in a button. I guess I shouldn't have done 5/8 seams down the ends? Next time I'll do 1/4 there. I ended up putting a flat hook closure there. 

Speaking of the ends of the waistband, one of the corners keeps turning back inward no matter how many times I push it out. I 'll have to do some research to find out what is causing it. 

I'm not really sure how I was supposed to finish the back vent. I just kind of winged it and overcasted the edges. I don't have a serger.  

I'm still working on proper fitting. This one is pretty good but it could get quite a bit better. The waist definitely needs to be tightened up a bit. 

But overall I think it turned out pretty well. 

Did I say I love this skirt? Cause I do! I plan to make this pattern several more times. The total cost of this one was only $36!

Things I've been sewing

So, naturally, I haven't been blogging but I have been sewing. I'm really enjoying sewing and find it a great way to unwind at the end of the day after the kids go to bed. Even better, my husband thinks it is a great hobby and doesn't get too bothered at the money I spend on it. Such as:

My new sewing machine!

My old machine was a super cheapy from Target. My new machine is still a super cheapy but it is a better super cheapy, read: computerized. It has a lot more stitches and is so much smoother than my old machine. It's like buttah. Best of all, it has a speed control. That pedal is like a gas pedal to me and I have a hard time not pressing it to the floor. But with the speed control, I set it to slow and I can press the pedal to floor but still have the control of slow sewing. It is fantastic for sewing curves. 

So what have I been making?

Well, I am enrolled in a Craftsy class, Sewing With Knits. It is great and I no longer fear the stretch. Our first project was a fleece hoodie. I made one. It turned out great. And then I left it at my sister-in-law's house before I could get a picture. 

Scoop neck tee. I swear I don't look this bad all the time

The second project was a scoop-neck t-shirt. Sewing a t-shirt isn't particularly exciting but it was a great way to learn some knit techniques and t-shirts are handy when you are chasing kids around on the weekends. The fabric is cotton interlock and the total cost was around $9.00 (I never buy fabric at Joann without my trusty coupon).

Last night, I finished up a shirt for Caroline. It is the Oliver and S Ruffled Halter. It's a free pattern and and after you get the huge pattern pieced together, traced and the fabric cut, it is a really quick and easy project. I like it so much, I'm planning to make another one for my niece.  I really love Oliver and S patterns and I especially love free. The total cost of this shirt was only $7.00. The fabric is a poly/cotton blend with puckers. I originally bought it to make Caroline a dress but it just seemed to be a little too much in your face for a full dress. It is perfect for this shirt though. The ruffles are cut on the bias and the edges are left unfinished. This fabric does not fray at all so the ruffles with continue to look good. 

Oliver and S Ruffled Halter. Bad pic. She does not understand what "stand still" means. 

I also have another work in progress. It is Oliver and S's popover sundress (Again O&S. Again free) with appliques. The appliques will mark the first real use of my Silhouette SD since I bought it 2 years ago. 

I also have a v-neck t-shirt, a 4th of July dress for Caroline, and a whole list of other things on the to-sew list. All I need is the time to get it done.