Woo Hoo...I'm Back!

I'm back!  Wow, it's been a while. So much craziness has happened since my last post!  I've endured the move from hell, had a virus knock me out of commission for a few weeks and dealt with pet drama.  I also haven't been able to reach my sewing machine since the move until recently! So many boxes.

Someone's getting settled in at our new diggs. It's temporary, but don't tell her that.

While I haven't been sewing for over a month, I've been lurking on everyone's blog and living vicariously through the sewing projects of others. Thank you all! If I can't sew, at least I can admire those who can.

I've also been acquiring fabric. My hording abilities haven't been hurt by any of the above! It's quite therapeutic really, and I've picked up some awesome stuff that I can't wait to show everyone!

Last week I finally felt well enough, and was finally able to clear up enough space to sew again! It felt so "right"!

My project was McCalls M6744.  Full disclosure: I was heavily inspired/blatantly stole this idea from Gail's blog.  I love her version, and came across it when I was looking for a perfect summer dress.  I wanted something simple, lightweight and fuss free.  Something that I could make 10 of and just throw on in the summer.

Pattern: McCalls M6744, View A.

Size and Modifications: I cut a Small at the top and graded to a Medium at the waist.  The only other mod was to shorten the strap. I didn't realize it needed to be shorter until I had finished the neck and armholes. No matter, I folded the strap older and top stitched. It's not perfect, but I'm the only one who will notice. I'll need to shorten it further for my next version.

Fabric: Jersey from my favorite jersey source - the Vogue Fabrics remnant pile!

Final Verdict: I really like this. The elastic waist is actually my favorite detail. So simple, but I just think the casing looks great!  I made a minor error on the casing. When I finally figure out the instructions, I was half way through my own method. It's not bad, just a bit different.

Funny thing, shortly after I started this (I actually started before the move), I discovered Sewaholic's Saltspring dress.  Both have the shape I wanted (blousy top and flowing, loose skirt). Saltspring is next up in my queue, so we'll see what happens.

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Thurlow?

Um, I think I might be...

Crazy, right? I don't think that these pants are the most complicated garment I've ever sewn. Not that I consider them a beginner project, I just think I've tackled more complex projects without a care in the world. I've been putting off sewing this pattern for months now, and I'm trying to figure out why because I really do want a pair of Thurlows!
 
I think I'm seriously psyching myself out.  When I was young, I made a few pairs of pants. Nothing difficult and they fit "okay", but that was before I learned that you could, and should, alter patterns for correct fit.  I also make lounge pants all the time. I'm a rockstar when it comes to lounge pants! I'm not sure if that's really a thing to brag about, but there you go.  If you don't believe me, check this out:

These were all 2011 Christmas gifts, using my go-to pattern McCall's 3019. Of course, the only fit issues with these are length and cutting the right size elastic for the waistband.

I think the problem is that I now have too much knowledge. I've read so many blogs where people struggled to perfect their pants fit through through multiple iterations. I don't just mean Thurlows; there are many pants-related fitting posts out there.  Now I'm worried about crotch length, the pants being too tight, or too loose, having to make a gazillion muslins to get it right, etcetera, etcetera.

I cut out most of the pieces that I would need for the muslin weeks ago. I think I'm just worried about messing up my awesome Mood fabric that I've earmarked for this project.  Couldn't you just make a wearable muslin? Well, yes I could but I don't currently have suitable fabric in my stash and I'm trying not to buy new fabric until I use up some of my old stuff first. (I do this every few months, just to see how long it will last.)

So, no more procrastinating. Work permitting, I'm going to start sewing up my muslin tonight! I'm not going to have major fit issues, and I'll be cutting out and not ruining my awesome striped wool this weekend!

Sew me!

And if I mess up, it's only fabric right? It sure isn't doing me any good in a box on a shelf.

Tool Time!

It's been at least a month since I've made a pair of lounge pants.  I'm going through some serious withdrawal here!

I have grand designs of making shirts, pants, suit jackets, etc. for my husband some day. So far I've only managed to make lounge pants.  Lots and lots of lounge pants. (Knitted projects don't count. I knitted an awesome cabled sweater a number of years ago for him, and a few winter hats.)  Lounge pants are great because he always wears them around the house.

He picked out the tool-print flannel fabric on one of the many times he had the misfortune to accompany me to the fabric store :) He also graciously agreed to model them for me:

This is my go-to lounge pants pattern, McCall's 3019 (out of print).  The only modification, other than chopping a serious amount of length on the leg (we're vertically challenged in this house), is to reinforce the crotch seams with a line of top stitching. It really helps make these last longer and prevent any rips or blow outs.

And, my favorite part is the label.  I just get the biggest kick out of making these!

Honestly, to me this pattern isn't complete without this label.  I did try to get too fancy with the edge stitches, but what's the point if I can't have fun and experiment from time to time?

A Quick Little Project

It's been an extremely busy week, but I found some time to finish this:

This is just a quick project I finally finished for my Grandma - a flannel house dress using McCall's Easy 2250 (out of print).  It's not fancy, and certainly not an amazingly exciting project to blog about, but I think it still tells a story.

It doesn't matter if I'm whipping up a quick flannel-based project or an elaborate evening dress, I try very hard to put the effort in to make sure that it's well constructed and that the garment will last.

A project like this makes me realize that even though it's something that I consider simple and quick, a lot of thought, care and love when into it's construction.

I was very careful with my fabric selection. It needed to be soft enough for her to wear comfortably and keep her warm. Fabric selection is important in all garments really - taking the time to make match up the appropriate fabric to not just the appropriate pattern but to the wearer's lifestyle. 

While I may hand wash my handmade clothes or at least protect them with garment bags, this flannel dress will get no such tender loving care.  To me this means all seams are finished, whether or not they are covered by the facing.  I'm addicted to my serger and no seam is safe from it's clutches. I want to make sure that a garment like this will hold up to repeated washes and that it's built to last!

See those red arrows? Those indicate all hidden serged seams.  I'm not taking any chances with my Grandma's dress coming apart!

 
I brought this dress over to my Grandma at her nursing home today and it was a hit.  She loved it was excited to wear it tomorrow. I'm happy to know that this quick little project see a lot of use. Now, I need to decide what color dress to make next for her.

Fabric Cutting Craziness

Guess who had a burst of energy this weekend and cut out fabric for three new projects!

I really surprised myself because cutting out pattern pieces is my least favorite part of the sewing process, and I never cut out more than one project at once.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe because the process isn't that exciting, or maybe because it's impossible to layout and cut any fabric in my house without having to navigate around my cat Floozy. She's never met a pattern she didn't want to lay on.

That's right - check out that strategic use of brown paper as a decoy.  I've also tried decoy fabric with varying degrees of success. (And yes, I cut most things out on the floor since it's the largest, clearest surface I have available.)

The dark green fabric in the top image will be my second Burda Gathered Top.  I've taken in a few inches from the neckline, so I'm excited to see how it will turn out.

The tool print fleece is set to become another pair of lounge pants for my husband (McCall's 3019) and the blue snowflake print fleece for a house dress for my grandma (McCall's Easy 2250). Both patterns are no longer in print.

I have a number of much fancier projects in the queue, but wanted to finish up a few quick items first.

Weekly Sewing Goals

I love the website www.sewweekly.com . I find it extremely inspiring to read about other sewers who commit to completing a project per week.  But, no matter how many times I contemplate playing along at home and completing one of the weekly challenges, I just never do. 

Well, not this year!

I'm borrowing their concept to challenge myself, but I need to put my own spin on this.  I need this to be a realistic goal and take into account that there will be some weeks where I just don't have the time, so I'm going to be loose in my challenge criteria. I want to complete one clothing-related project per week. Said project can be sewing a complete garment, completing a knitting project, or even something as minor as mending an article of clothing. I'd like to be able to say that I worked on one crafty/artistic project every week.

So far, so good.  For the first week in January, I made pajamas for my mom out of some very cute cat print flannel.  Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the top, but the pattern was McCall's M4320, View B. The bottoms are McCall's 3019, which I believe are out of print now. (They're very similar and possibly identical 4320, but I've never tested it out.) These are my standard, go to lounge pants pattern and I've made these about a million times now.

Sorry about the grainy pictures.  These were all taken with my cell phone.

I've also added my "signature" label to these. It's definitely not my best work, but I was in a bit of a hurry.

Second week and I've been going strong. My first project was one off my to-do list: "Better Than a Box Pet Bed" from the book One Yard Wonders.

Miss Floozy is modeling her brand new cat bed.  She sat on it before I finished hand sewing the last seam. Consequently, I had to work around her and try not to stab her in the backside with my needle.

I also just discovered the Rosy Ladyshorts pattern from Cloth Habit.  I love, love, LOVE this pattern! I can't say enough good things about it. I've made three pairs so far, with a fourth in progress.  Sorry, no pictures of these to share yet.

Let's see how long I can keep the sewing momentum up!