Drink and Sew Thursday

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clothing, fabric, fabrics, fashion, New Look 6165, patterns, projects, sew exhausted, sewing, Thursday, Vogue 8792

Kerrielee and I have been focusing on getting more sewing in together each week- because we all know sewing with a pal can be more fun! Or at least WE think so! Kerrielee and I are cousins and although I am a few years older (JUST A FEW OF COURSE!) we have gotten along extremely well forever! As a matter of fact I would venture to say we are as close as sisters. 🙂

We have sewn together off and on for years- and used to sew every Saturday. Then we had a few years of nothing and in the last few months we have hit the ground running with our sewing again. And along with Saturday, we added Thursday, which we now call Drink and Sew Thursday! We make an easy meal so all the kids are fed, and we have drinks.. and sew. This last week we had some beer. It WAS Valentines Day and I had found a nice “My Bloody Valentine Ale” from Alesmith, a local Craft Brewery. It was delish… And we followed it up with a Stone Cali-Belgique. (One of my faves and also another local Brewery)

Oh, and Kerrie and I LOVE Hot Wings but Kerrie is now a vegetarian, so we eat Hot Wing Cauliflower. SOOOOOO yummy!

Now I bet you all are wondering if we actually get anything done. And the answer is YES! I made a new top and a pair of hip hop pants for Kadi, and Kerrielee made a new skirt. Kerrie has more little ones running around so gets pulled away a little more often than I. But isn’t that skirt darn cute? It is New Look 6165. I need to get myself that pattern.

 

I like this pattern. It is Vogue 8792 although I made a few changes, (I ignored the extra piece and made the front as one piece) and I really like the burnout. I used a red tank under it, but can switch up the color! 🙂 I am going to make myself another. As I am on the seamless pledge I am thinking I will make some shorter sleeve ones for summer in some nice solid knits.

It can be complete chaos. The baby is at that age where he likes to run around nekkid. Kids get hungry or thirsty. But it’s fun and we are together, and we get stuff done. So, we will continue with our Drink and Sew Thursday.

So, remember- Thursday is Drink and Sew Thursday… and Saturday- well we are going to call it Stitch and Bitch! Yesterday, we worked on our costumes for Carnivale for 12 hours!! And still had time to enjoy fish tacos and a few drinks. You are all welcome to join us if you ever feel inclined! 😀

A Candy Dress and Lots of Travel!

All my good intentions flew out the window in February. But I have an excuse! I was home with my sewing machine less than 6 days the entire month! February turned out to be a big travel month for me and the first half of March is turning out to be just the same! I have been home 2 days and I head back out tomorrow. On a positive note, I will be home the 15th for a solid 5 weeks! 🙂 Yay for 5 weeks of sewing! 🙂

I have been keeping a notebook of my 2018 projects completed. Does anyone keep a list? I decided I wanted to remember all my makes for the year and keep track of how many items I complete. Especially since many of them I don’t make for myself- and well, I forget!

So far this year I have made 7 items. Not bad I suppose but I could be further along. You saw my Maleficent purse in my last post but I also made a red and white Hawaiian print “Lilo” shirt and a Lilo and Stitch drawstring bag for a “Disney Bound” trip to Disney land. (Been twice this year already and I always have to give a nod to Disney.)

My favorite of the 7 items was a sweet “candy” dress I made for a friends little girl. The ruffles were a pain but I knew I needed to have them! Ruffles and little girls are the best! (Well, I think so!)

My other exciting make was a blouse for the mom of the little girl wearing that dress. And it was exciting because I successfully made my first pattern! I have always wanted to design and make patterns so I am “in training.” When I was asked to bring an idea she had to life I decided it was time to try my hand at drafting. I am waiting for some better pics but here is a sneak peek. It is a tie front blouse and super cute for summer. I used a rayon challis and it drapes very nicely if I do say so myself!

When I get back home (I leave again tomorrow) I have a list of things I would like to complete in March. Among them- a Princess purse for my niece. (Doesn’t that cork look GREAT with that Princess fabric?)

 

A Pirates purse for ME:

And an essential oils travel bag for my eldest daughter and I. (I have become an essential oil user and I love them!) I got this kit from The Fabric Candy Shoppe– where I buy quite a bit of my fabric. (Including the Candy Fabric and the Pirates fabric above.) By the way, following fabric groups on Facebook can be dangerous to your wallet!

Some of the random things I did in February while I was out and about:

The castle at Disneyland at night. Love the lights at Disneyland!

Wine drinking in Oregon!

The Southwest COCO plane I was next to in Houston when I flew on Flight #1 to San Diego. Yes- besides working a lot in San Diego I also went to Disneyland, went to Oregon, and spent some great time with family and friends. But, I still missed sewing! And can’t wait to get back to it!

Isn’t this a great pattern? I just love the cut on this button down, collared blouse. It is feminine and pretty! I plan to make it real soon!

That’s about all for now. I hope to be back soon to share and visit with you all!

Happy Sewing!

Laurie xo
 

 

1954 Mail Order Pattern- A Pretty Dress and a History Lesson

Tags

1954 sewing pattern, mail order pattern, sew exhausted, sewing, vintage dress pattern

In my quest to write this post I wanted to learn about vintage mail order patterns and along the way I learned quite a bit and thought I would share some highlights.

William Jennings Demorest and Ellen Louise Demorest began the home sewing pattern industry in 1860. They held fashion shows in their homes and sold the patterns. Sounds  just like some of the “in home party businesses” we have today like Tupperware, Pampered Chef and Scentsy! This turned out to be the beginning of the Mme. Demorests’ Emporium of Fashion and an fashion empire!

The Demorests published a magazine called “The Mirror of Fashion.” It listed hundreds of different patterns, most available in only one size. One size ladies and gents! The knowledge those sewists must have had to grade the patterns to their bodies! You also had to have some skills- NO directions were included!

Some other little tidbits I learned about William and Louisa… They launched FIVE magazines and started a cosmetics company. They built a fashion manufacturing and merchandising empire from Louisa’s paper pattern business. William ran for Mayor of New York City and was a Prohibition Activist. (I guess he would not approve of my “Drink and Sew” nights!

Ebenezer Butterick was a few years behind the Demorests with their pattern company and in 1870, a Scottish tailor names James McCall started his pattern company. Throughout the years many other pattern companies came and went- and we are left with the Big 4- Butterick, McCalls, Vogue and Simplicity. And several others like Kwik Sew and Lekala… and LOTS in Indie pattern companies. YAY! Wow, we have a LOT of choices when it comes to patterns.

Mail order patterns are just that! you would spot a pattern in a magazine or in a Book of Fashion and order it sent right to your home. Unlike most of the patterns of today your pattern came in one size. The vintage ones I own have no lines… no notches and no markings. Well, they do have large and small circles cut out so you are not completely flying blind!

Now, I am not really here today to give you a history of mail order patterns but I found it really interesting- especially since I love the fashions of certain eras and if I can get my hands on a pattern I am thrilled. I am even more thrilled when I can make it up and wear it, although in this case, I made it up for my eldest daughter.

This is not my first foray into vintage pattern sewing. I made myself this green dress a few years ago for “Fall for Cotton.” The girls thought I looked like Mrs. Teapot. I have also made my middle daughter quite a few of the same dress. My favorite is this floral one here.

What I really enjoy doing is taking a vintage pattern and making it relevant enough to wear today. I really feel like I succeeded with this 1954 Mail Order dress pattern. I find something so special about handling something that was owned by someone long ago. This pattern came from The Baltimore Sun which looks to be a Newspaper. It still has the address of the lovely lady that ordered it and the postmark is pristine. Apr 29, 1954.  Tell me that is not the coolest thing ever!

The pattern had never been used or at least that was what it looked like to me so I was VERY careful. No pins. I just weighted the pieces down and cut out the dress and then promptly put the pieces away. The directions are all contained on one page. One side for directions and one side is basically a sewing lesson.

The dress went together amazingly easy. And it was a near perfect fit! I took it in slightly at the waist and the shoulder neckline area had to be taken in about 1/2″ on each side. Other than that- it was a dream to make.

I used fabric I ordered from Fabric.com. The only issue was it was listed as a challis but I swear this thing is cotton! It is beautiful anyway so I am not disappointed. The birds and colors are perfect for Kadi since she loves little chirpy things and looks great in these colors. (I consider this melon and bright pink!)

I made the dress so it fell right above the knee. Length is important in keeping it young and current in my opinion. The neckline is so very feminine. When I am perusing patterns from this era I see quite a bit of the notched neckline.

I serged the inside- I know I should probably have french seamed it all but I had bright pink thread in my machine and went for it. Challis I would have french seamed- the cotton was thicker than a challis so serging seemed like a better option anyway- and again- bright pink thread was in my machine!

The invisible zipper was SUPPOSED to be on the side but I forgot and put it in the back of the dress. It is a PERFECT zipper if I do say so myself! 🙂

All in all I am SO very pleased with this dress. Kadi is as well! She wore it to her friends wedding the day after completion and has assured me she will get a ton of wear from it. She wants another one soon!

Laurie xo

April- a ME ME ME Sewing month! :D

I sew. I sew a LOT. Many of the things I sew never make it to my blog. Frankly I am better at short and sweet so Instagram is my favorite venue for social media. I LOVE seeing what everyone else is making. And frankly I love to see what you are eating and drinking and doing! I am not sure why- I suppose a psychologist would have quite a bit to say about that. 🙂 But if you want to follow me I am LaurieSue– San Diego girl that loves craft beer, sewing and my kiddos!

A few months ago I was chatting with my cuzzy (yes, I call her that) and we decided that we were always sewing for everyone else, and it was time to devote a whole month to sewing up some things for ourselves. My cousin has 6 kids! Five rambunctious boys and one sweet little princess. She sews constantly for those boys and her daughter. She makes a few things for herself but not many! I sew for my girls too. Basically because they are cute and young and a think they are so much more fun to sew for! But I WANT to wear things I have made too. I am not saying I DON’T make things- I am just saying I don’t make much and have so much on my list I would like to do.

So, for Spring.. it’s all about me. 🙂 Heck- this is perfect timing too because Me Made May is right around the corner and dang I am definitely participating! (there IS a Me Made May 2015 right??)

I went through all my fabrics and here is what I came up with. Some of them I don’t even know what I am going to make into yet! But maybe you will have some ideas! And yes, that is my mini trampoline. It’s for holding fabric right??!

First up is this. Funny enough it is a fabric I just bought, because, well, I had to have it. You know how that is right? I am trying to be realistic with myself and make things I can wear all Spring and Summer and feel comfortable but nice in. This is kind of a sheer flowy cotton so I will put a cami under it.  I have been wanting to try this pattern for a while. It is The Everyday Elegance Tunic by Patterns for Pirates. I think this will be a quick make! I also bought some black lightweight cotton denim with a bit of stretch. I am going to make either a crop pant or a “legging” style pant to go with it. THIS is something I will wear a lot! So I am pretty stoked to be making it first. (Even though it is the “youngest” fabric in my stash!)

I LOVE Sewaholic patterns. Initially I was going to do all Sewaholic patterns for the month of April but I am also trying to use stash- and I would have had to do some major fabric shopping. (Not that I would mind buying new fabrics but I need to be good… right?) I am going to be adding 3 new Granville shirts to my life this month. The white is a beautiful embroidered cotton and is slated to be a long sleeve. The pretty print is a voile and I am going to make a sleeveless variation. The butterfly is also a cotton voile. I am TORN. Do you think it would make a good Granviille? Or is it too much butterfly?

I am very short on tops so knew I needed to focus on making several this month. I have some silk in my stash. SILK! I have never used it because it is expensive and I am afraid. But I am gonna do it. Because I have already made this top I know it is going to work for me. That makes me a little more confident that it will be a success! It is grey, which isn’t the best color on me, but with the right lip color I think I can pull it off!

I have over three yards of this really nice cotton jersey knit in royal blue. I have enough to make the sleeveless top in the left and the Simplicity dress in the upper right corner. I like solids… and I love blue. This top will go with my black pants I am making as well. I KNOW the top will get a lot of wear. Knit top? Solid color? Perfect!

You know I LOVE maxi’s if you have been a long time reader. So you know I have to have a few new ones to wear this season. I bought this black and white print jersey knit a long while ago. (Hurray for using stash so I can shop for more!) I made myself this maxi last year- so I know it is another winner. Maybe I will blog BOTH when I get this finished. 🙂

I have more… But I don’t want to exhaust you all. The rest can be SURPRISES! In the meantime… tell me your thoughts on the butterfly voile Granville. Too much? And HELP me decide what to do with these oh so pretty florals as I am stumped! Ideas anyone? The tough part of sewing for me is that I am not slim and trim, nor am I a spring chicken* any longer. I love florals for Spring and want to add some to my wardrobe. The 2 on the outer edges are rayon challis and the center one is a nice cotton jersey. I have 3- 3.5 yards of each. Plenty for almost anything! (Except a pair of Carolyn jammies 😦 )

My initial thought on the challis with the white background is that I should NOT do a full dress. Maybe just a bodice with a solid darker blue skirt? Of course that is contingent upon me finding one and you know how that is! Another thought was making the Sewaholic Oakridge blouse and wearing it with blue jeans! This one:

Decisions decisions! That black and blue floral challis has been 3 different things already! And now I can’t remember any of the ideas I had!

I have some more aqua and black in my fabric collection for April. I would also like to make a black Hollyburn and Gabriola. And I have a few aqua knits for some drapey tops. My biggest challenge is going to be to get these things done! I guess as it is the 31st I can get cracking.

I have some “daughter sewing” blog posts just waiting for pictures. I will be sharing those soon!

Take care and happy sewing!

Laurie xoxo

* Speaking of Spring Chickens I had a debate with my eldest daughter on whether this pattern was too young for me. I don’t think we resolved it so maybe I can put it to a vote. Be honest! I don’t mind if it IS too young. I just can’t decide! Lets put it too a vote! I can take it! Really I can! (BTW- I have a 26 year old son! I am 40++)

2014 Goals- From Sewing to Beer Drinking… :D

Tags

2014, Goals, quilting, sew exhausted, sewing

I love new books… I love turning that first page knowing I am embarking on a new adventure. A story that will pull me in and make me a part of it. I love the smell and the crisp edges of each page as I turn them. A new year is like a new book. Brand new pages to turn. 🙂

I used to scoff at resolutions. After all we can make commitments to ourselves any time of year. But now I realize there is something about starting the New Year out with 365 clean, fresh pages. Brand new pages that I get to fill! And what better way to start the New Year then with an outline and a fresh set of goals to fill those pages.

My goals are not all sewing related. Some I am carrying on from last year because dang if I did not completely succeed YET. Some are easy. Some will be more difficult. But here they are nonetheless.

LIFE GOALS

1. Do some form of exercise every day- even if it is just one loop around the block or running up and down the stairs 10 times.

2. Eat right MOST of the time

3. Clean out my garage so I can park in it!

4. Read at least 2 books per month. I am already compiling my list! I used to be a huge reader but have not made the time for it in several years. I love to read and am looking forward to enjoying some great books.

5. Once a month disconnect from everything electronic for the evening and just hang out with my girls. My girls are on board with this one- We already tried this once. We didn’t even use electricity! We sat together and played games and talked by candlelight. Fun times!

6. Be a better blogger. I counted 12 projects I never blogged about! One Archer, a red denim jacket, 2 Maxi dresses, a maxi skirt, one tank top, one dolman sleeved top, 3 Sol Hoodies (I am going to blog these in January), my Carnivale costume and a sundress for my middle daughter

6. San Diego now has 82 Craft Breweries. If you didn’t know I am a lover of craft beer. And I plan on having visited ALL 82 by the end of the year. I confess I have a head start. My brother was here last week and we knocked out 11! And I started a blog to document it- http://www.82SanDiegoBreweries.com. Hopefully I can keep up with it!

SEWING GOALS

1. Sew more items I will wear every day- Renfrews, Thurlows, a few maxi skirts, and another batch of undies! I am also thinking I’d like a denim skirt, a Robson, a Saltspring dress, and more!

2. Sew more thoughtfully. What I mean by this is I do not want to just sew to sew. I want to sew the things I have in my head and not “settle.” When I settle for a fabric or get distracted by quickie projects I am never happy. From now on if I buy a pattern and have an image in my head instead of settling for something else I would rather wait until I do find the fabric I need.

3. Properly fit everything I sew. If this means making up 6 mockups of a pattern in my quest for the perfect fit, then so be it. I want my clothes to hang right and fit right.

4. This one is pretty specific but I am making it anyway! I want to make all 3 of my girls a silky, beautiful robe and matching PJ’s this year. Ideally I would have these done for Christmas! Hey, I have 360 days!

5. I have a box full of clothes I would like to refashion. I figure if I make a goal of one refashion a month I can probably succeed at this.

6. This was one of my goals from last year. I did not do it in 2013. I managed to buy 3 different sizes of needles and some yarn but I never actually started the project I had picked out. I REALLY want to learn to knit.

7. More quilting in 2014! I used to ALWAYS quilt. I have at least a dozen quilts in use at my house- (HEY- it’s winter!) And I have fabric for at least 6 more hanging out in drawers. Top of the list is my Snow White quilt. I also have a Yoda quilt and by hook or by crook I am going to have a BATMAN quilt to snuggle with by years end.

8. Last but not least- I want to sew something beautiful out of silk. Without ruining it! I know exactly what I want it to be… but I think I will keep it to myself! (The toughest part of this goal is that I need to have enough cash to buy the silk AND I need to find exactly what I have in my head.)

WHEW! I am gonna be busy! But keeping busy is good. I always tell my kids it keeps me outta trouble!

Happy New Year and make it a great 2014!

Laurie xox

Sewing in Oregon…

Recently I left the sunny town of San Diego in my Toyota and drove up the entire state of California to Medford, Oregon. A little town about 45 minutes over the border. I LOVE to go to Oregon. My grandma lives there. My mom lives there. My Auntie Candy and Uncle Bill and more! I get to relax, visit, take walks in the country, eat lunch by the river, wine taste, drink martinis at the Eagles lodge with Candy and Mom, brewery hop, and just have an all around good time!

On this last trip I also brought my machine and sewed. My mother wanted me to make her a pair of pants. And of course when we went fabric shopping that pair of pants turned in to 2 pairs of pants and 2 mock turtle neck tops. And she liked the pants so much we went off to the fabric store again and bought more fabric. 🙂

Honestly, 4 fabric store trips in ONE week. (Didn’t want to miss anything you know!) and I ended making her 4 pairs of pants and 2 tops. And I changed the length of the 2 skirts I made for her last time! Alas, my mom does not like to model for me. Maybe some day… but for now, here are some so so pics of what I made… Followed by some wonderful pics of my vacation!

The pants are basic and comfy. I used an old New Look pattern I had laying around that I had not used. New Look 6499. She liked the look of that pant but wanted them to hit at her waist. I made a muslin out of an old nightgown and added 2 inches to the top. They fit great so off I went making a black cropped pair and the burgundy pair.

The top is Burda pattern 6990. It is a wonderful top, fit well, and has several variations. Overall some simple sewing for my mom that left her with some great clothes!

I don’t mind sewing for my mom. She buys me fabric and pays me too! Plus she puts me up, cooks me meals, takes me to lunch on the river and lets me eat dinner on the veranda every evening. 🙂 We also drink wine together, went craft beer tasting, and drank some Cherry Moonshine. (Yikes!)

I will leave you with some pictures of my trip- because I would like to relive it again!

Road to Grandmas House

Deer at Grandmas

Just a portion of my moms gardens that she “built” herself in the middle of nowhere!

The neighbor has donkeys!

Beer tasting at The Walkabout Brewery!

Wild Turkeys crossing the road

The horses we fed apples to on our walks!

Lunch on the Rogue River at the Rogue River Lodge

Gold Hill Museum- 2 of my fave things- Sewing machines and beer 🙂

Antioch Cemetery- Stopped to visit Grandpa on his bday!

Couldn’t resist climbing on the tractor at the winery in my Anna dress!

Bye Bye Mom… Hope I will see you soon!

And that was just a sampling of my trip!

I have my machine up again and am getting started on one of my Fall For Cotton Challenge dresses. I am making one for Holly and one for me. See ya soon with an update on Fall sewing and some new dresses!

Laurie xox

Sewing Camp

Tags

clothing, dress, easy sewing projects, fabric, fabrics, fashion, patterns, project, projects, sew exhausted, sewing, Vintage, vintage patterns, Vogue 8577

Camp… Do you remember going to camp as a kid? I was only able to go a few times during my childhood but those few times were awesome! When I was 14 I went to camp and focused on Astronomy for a whole week. I learned all about the constellations, took night hikes to view the stars and had a grand old time bonding with my fellow Astronomers. Fun times for sure!

As an adult some times we just don’t get to do some of those fun things we enjoyed as children. Mainly I suppose because we have so many responsibilities. Work… kids… households to maintain… Sometimes life can get a bit overwhelming! Well, a few weeks ago I realized I had 192 vacation/PTO hours collected. And upon doing a quick search of my employee handbook, and realizing I was going to start losing some of them if I did not use them,  I put in a request for a week off.

With no place to go, and funds being a bit too tight for gallivanting off to all those dream places on my list,  I decided to enjoy a blissful week at home. And because my 3 daughters are of an age where they do not require me to keep an eagle eye on them, I get to focus on me and what I enjoy doing.

And what could be better than a week of sewing?

I am just starting to come off a dry spell sewing wise. I found myself having trouble dredging up enough energy to sit at my machine and make something- and frankly that feeling lasted for close to 2 months! But, today I  finished a  little halter sundress for Holly- It is quite pretty if I do say so myself! And I am chomping at the bit to start on something new!

So, tonight I started choosing a few more “I have to make this” projects I have wanted to make. I have high hopes I will be able to finish all of these during “Sewing Camp.” AND I have high hopes I will be able to enjoy some time at the beach, walking and hiking, drinking some beers with my friends, and spending some quality time with my girls.

Up first, and I confess I already have it laid out and the pattern pieces ready to cut, is this little number for Juliette. I think this color is going to look amazing on her! I plan on doing the short version of C and can hopefully find some pretty white daisy buttons for it.

Then  I have this marvelous coat. Yes, it is from the 90’s era and I just adore it. The shorter coat in the top right is the view I plan on using. I got this pattern and a few others from the wonderful Katie at Kadiddlehopper thanks to a Twitter conversation we were having one day. She mailed them to me when I expressed interest. THANKS Katie! The fabric is a light weight plum colored wool/ rayon. Because I live in California I do not need thick, heavy, warm coats. But I LOVE coats and think this will be a nice one that I will actually be able to use in the “dead” of a Southern California winter. 😉

This pattern also came from Katie. I have a pretty floral challis that I think will be perfect for it. Ooo- I am so excited to have this skirt! I had a similar pattern way back in the 90’s I loved- and wore a lot. It has a solid black background and I’d like to find a short sweater type pattern that buttons in the back to make in black to go with it. (The one with the pattern shows a little skin and I am pretty certain I need to keep my skin covered!)

Vogue 8577 has also been lurking up at the top of my pattern pile waiting for it’s turn. I have a few shirt dress style patterns but want to try this one. I am not 100% certain it will look good on me. Those pockets are located right at my biggest problem area- But I am going to give it a go anyway. I have a very nice olive colored broadcloth and plan on adding red buttons. Yes, I can guarantee I will be sporting a pair of red pumps when I wear this dress. And I am breaking out of my little self imposed box with this olive dress. I have always liked the color but never owned anything olive. Olive and red… makes me smile! 😀

Finally, I have this ITY print in a dark navy, off- white and red that has been at the top of my fabric pile. If all goes as planned I hope to have a maxi dress accented with a red solid hanging in my closet by the end of Summer Sewing Camp.

I have more I would like to do but I did not want to overwhelm myself. The whole point of vacation is to relax and have fun. If I finish all of these and have time to spare I will gladly start on another project. After all, I have PLENTY waiting in the wings!

Take care! ~Laurie

ONE HUNDRED HOURS

Tags

challenge, clothing, easy sewing projects, fabric, patterns, projects, quilt, quilting, sew exhausted, sewing, sewing vintage clothing, vintage patterns

Halloooo… and YES- you read that correctly.

I have been mulling this over in my mind for the last week or so. And I discussed it with Kerrielee on one of our 4 mile walks… AND, WELL, I am thinking I can do this! I am thinking WE can do it! Kerrielee took a little convincing, but once I broke it down for her, she thought it COULD be doable. And why not give it a shot? If we only make it to 92 hours, well HEY! That is 92 hours of sewing!

Oh the things we could make! And you know we all have PLENTY to make! A never ending list!

So, this month, we are going to sew for 100 hours. 😀 And that is 100 hours each. We will keep a little tally going in the sidebar in case you want to check on our progress.

The nice thing is we already sew 8 plus hours on Saturday together, and about 5 hours on Drink and Sew Thursday… That leaves 22 days in April- each day 2.27 hours. I just made it an even 2 and a half hours a day.

The truth is it will be easier for me. I have older chilluns. I have a full time job but I work 5 AM to 1:30 PM. At 1:30 Kerrielee and I meet for our 4 mile walk and then I pick up 1 child, my youngest, from school. (She is all of 16!) Off to dance classes she goes and I am free. Sometimes until 9 PM at night! What do I normally do with that time? Ummm- well, I confess I have made great friends with my Roku and Netflix account. Do you know how many GREAT series’ there are out there I have never watched? I watched over 100 episodes of ALIAS! Just finished Season 5 of Mad Men… Watched Lost Girl, Criminal Minds, Warehouse 13, and well, the list goes on and on. I think I can easily find 2.5 hours per day!

Kerrielee on the other hand has a 2 year old at home and 4 other kiddos she gets to care for. AND the hubby– lets not forget the husband. And to top it all off she is caring for her mom too. So, it will be much more of a challenge for her- BUT I will cheer her on. 🙂

So- On our marks, get set… and GO! Let the sewing begin!

Laurie and Kerrielee

PS. We do have a lot of March projects to share- we will do a little March roundup in a few days… AND I have completed my Bowie Sew-A-Long project- I just need to take pics! 😀

The Two of Us…

Tags

costumes, crafting, daughters, dress, easy sewing projects, fabric, fabrics, Family, patterns, projects, quilt, quilting, quilts, sew exhausted, sewing

I thought it was high time for a proper introduction… and so here it is!

For those of you that have been reading a while, you may have noted that there are two of us. Cousins… and we love to sew! And we LOVE our families! I, (Laurie), am older and admit it- SIGH… and when Kerrielee was 3, my mother and sister and I moved down to the San Diego area. Kerrielee became like my little sister. 😀 We lived next door practically, and she was always over (I could get her to help me clean my room) and when she was 8, I’d take her on dates with me- YES- my chaperone!

Through marriage and kids we have remained tight. Both of us started sewing as teens and we have kept it up. But only in the last 10 years did we start sewing together… and boy has it been fun! Anyway, here is a little about US…

Here I am with my kiddos… I have four. A son, who when he was little I would make button down shirts for, and three daughters. When I was pregnant with my eldest daughter I started sewing her clothes. She had a FULL closet before she was even born! I’d make matching bloomers for her dresses to cover the ugly diapers and because it was the 90’s she even had lots of matching hats. My youngest daughter had 3 times as many clothes because she got the hand-me-downs and new ones! Those were some well dressed girls! I still sew for them… and I sew for me too!

Here we all are- Casey, Kadi, Holly and Juliette. (And me)

Kerrielee has five children. Four son’s and one daughter. They are all much younger than mine and so she is kept a “little” bit busier in the “mama” department!

OKAY! Getting 5 kids to all smile at the same time can be a chore! But here they are- looking mighty adorable if you ask me! Kerrielee makes super quilts and even has designed a few. I keep telling her we need to turn those in to patterns and SHARE! But we seem to always be busy doing other things. You just wait though- one of these days!

Kerrielee and I sew together twice a week- Thursdays which we have affectionately dubbed Drink and Sew Thursday… and Saturday. From 11 AM and on until we can’t sew any more! If we have something hanging over our heads we may add an evening or 2!

We like quilting… and sewing clothes. We love reading all your crafty/ sewing/ quilting/ cooking blogs… We are on Facebook and Twitter… and you can follow us Via BlogLovin. OH! And Pinterest too- We can spend WAY too much time on Pinterest!

Most of the posts will be written by me- I have a little more time on my hands. But Kerrielee finds great tutorials and helps keep the FB page up. And every now and then I will nag her in to writing a post! 😀

And that is US- In a nutshell pretty much.

He he he…

Laurie and Kerrielee

Kerrielee: Gee, Laurie, what do you want to do tonight?

Laurie: The same thing we do every night, Kerrielee – try to take over the world!…

Laurie: Umm.. I mean SEW!

Hello… Again!

Tags

#BlueCalla #Gerbera #Sewing #Family #pursemaking #sewexhausted

I thought I would say Hello since I have been gone for a very long time. I think about writing a post- but then I don’t. 2017 was an incredibly busy year. A new/ old job meant I spent almost half the year traveling and I found out it isn’t as glamorous as I thought it would be! Living out of a suitcase sucks! And there were many nights I was wishing I was in my own comfy queen sized bed! On a positive note since 95% of the time I travel to San Diego, I do get to see my family and friends a lot and that is a good thing. 🙂 I have been in Texas 2 years, and I still miss them incredibly!

In a nutshell- in 2017 I got to go to New York, San Francisco, Memphis, and Arkansas, visited the Redwoods on my first annual family vacation with my kiddos, 2 of my daughters are engaged and my eldest daughter is GETTING MARRIED this year (!), I lost a family member very close to my heart to suicide and I still think about him almost every day :(, I survived Hurricane Harvey, I started purse making and I love it, and I sewed a lot despite the travel, but not as much as I would have liked! But then do we ever sew as much as we would like? 😉

For 2018 I signed up to be a part of the Ready To Wear Fast with Goodbye Valentino. I participated a few years back as well and enjoyed being more thoughtful with my makes, fabric choices etc. This year I plan to really focus on getting more of my every day wear to be me made wear. On top of that I have wedding sewing! My daughter and I are in “talks” for me to make her gown. I am terrified! But if we start now that gives me 8 months!

Just so this does not become a no sewing post I would love to share my latest purse making! These are my 2nd and 3rd Blue Calla Gerbera Crossbody Purses I have made.  And the pattern is free! Now that my kidlets are grown up, I don’t have to carry such a big purse and these are easy to make! Yeah- I get they aren’t very grown-up but I love them anyway! I specifically made Maleficent for my trip to Disneyland last week. 🙂

My goal for the purses I make is to have them NOT look home made. I think by choosing the right materials, and using hardware I can do a decent job. I also did not want it to look like a tote bag, and just incorporate a bit of the fabric… The Gerbera works out great for that because it has a small panel which can be your focus!

I got the vinyl from JoAnns with a 50% of coupon. Only way to buy vinyl! I think she turned out pretty great!

I just bought a rivet press- Next I plan to conquer that as I think it would add another level of “professionalism!”

You know I HAD to add a little “Once Upon a Time” charm! 😀

At the same time I was making Maleficent, I made a second Snow White purse for my niece. She saw mine last year and begged me for one!

I used cork and the Snow White is actually a knit fabric I reinforced with extra interfacing. I lined it in black and white gingham because I thought it looked nice!

I have made 4 items this year so far! Currently I am finishing up a little girls “Candy Dress,” and have a robe cut out for my brother. I plan to cut myself a robe out as well and start my 2018 make list! I know it is already the 17th, which means I am kind of behind, so I better get busy! What are YOUR 2018 sewing plans?

I will leave you with a few photos from my Redwood Family Vacation… Happy 2018!

Yes, we stayed in this incredible house in the woods! It was amazing and perfect and we all had a great time exploring, enjoying s’mores and drinks by the fire pit in the evening, exploring the coast and the redwoods, and spending time together!

Sarir

 

See you soon! Really!

Happy Sewing!

Laurie