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

Star Wars Emery Dress

Tags

Emery Dress, sew exhausted, sewing, Sewing blog, Star Wars Dress

There are a few things pretty obvious based on my sewing choices and blogged posts.

#1- I love sewing for others… namely my kids. Mostly because they look really cute in the clothes I like to make! Way cuter than I would look!

#2- I love sewing vintage… and the challenge of making a vintage pattern wearable today.

#3- I love sewing with character fabric…

I have made a Pac Man dress… Walking Dead and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle button downs… Marvel comic dresses… Pikachu PJs (not blogged yet) and more. I LOVE themed fabric and enjoy using it in my garment making. And the choices we have! At this moment I have Batman, Batgirl, Dr. Who, Marvel, BB-8, Superman, Wonder Woman and more lurking around in my stash waiting to be made in to something cool.

The biggest challenge is taking that fabric and turning it into something wearable. I don’t want to make a crazy Dr. Who dress that gets worn once (COULD be fun though?) which means I pick wearable patterns when I sew!

Last year I made my eldest daughter a Star Wars dress and my son a button down. They both get worn a lot! But my middle daughter truly wanted a Star Wars dress too so in January I finally got busy making one for her.

Holly is a size 2. I do NOT enjoy using the Big 4 Patterns (McCalls, Simplicity, Butterick and Vogue) when I make her clothes because there is too much to alter. If you look at the B ig 4 patterns many of them don’t have anything smaller than an 8. Why? Indie patterns on the other hand usually go to a 0… YAY! This means I have the general measurements at least and just need to make some minor changes (like a sway back adjustment.)

I made an Emery dress by Christine Haynes for Kadi several years back in red linen. She wanted a dress with buttons up the back and it worked beautifully. (You can see it here.) I love the simplicity of the dress and knew it would be perfect for what I had in mind. PLUS, the sizing fit my needs with very little changes!

As you can see the Star Wars fabric I chose this time around was the Millennium Falcon fabric. It was a tough decision since there is Star Wars fabric galore to choose from but I liked this one because the color would look great on Holly AND it was old school Star Wars. 😀

I widened the neckline slightly on this version. I like the neckline to be a little more “boat like.” I also wanted to make her something with sleeves. She has quite a few sleeveless dresses now.

Unfortunately I only have mediocre pictures of the dress- Candids taken with a phone by my friend… Which I appreciate since they are better than nothing! If only I could fly to California with every dress I make and do a photo shoot. Sigh…

The Emery dress is a simple make. Bodice with darts and a gathered skirt with added pockets. I made very few changes- the wider neckline, a sway back adjustment, and I always line the bodice versus facings. I prefer it that way! My biggest challenge is making a dress without the “body” being present! I like to be able to try it on through out the process. But I think I managed a pretty good dress without having Holly near by.

 

While I was at it I made Holly’s BF a matching shirt… There is nothing better than matchy matchy right? 😀

He was pleased to get a new shirt! I used McCalls 6044. I have made 15 men’s shirts with this pattern and feel like a pro now. 😉

Lots of sewing going on at my house. And Craft Beer drinking. A new brewery opened here in town and since my brother is an investor and his best friend is one of the owners it is becoming a good place to hang out and finally meet people here! I even got to pour beer one day right after opening since they needed help. That was a fun experience!

Hope you all had a nice Spring Break… And maybe you are well into your Spring sewing? I have my LIST all prepared! I will have to share what I am up to next time.

Laurie

xox

~Listening to Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl

All Things Kadi…

Tags

sew exhausted, sewing

Today my daughter Kadi turns 24. I have to say it isn’t just a celebration for her… it is also a celebration for me. I mean I deserve to take SOME credit for the wonderful young lady she has turned into, right??

To celebrate I thought I would post some of the things I have made for her. I wish her albums weren’t in storage because I have actually been sewing for her since she was a baby. Confession- my first baby dresses I was afraid to do button holes so I used VELCRO… And I still have them as proof. Another confession- the 90’s were the heyday of Daisy Kingdom dresses… and my daughters had quite a few- fluffy skirts and all!

Warning…Picture heavy!!

I have made Kadi more than three costumes over the years but here are the ones I have access to!

Spanish Guitar Solo

Another solo costume. This one was very modern and danced on stage to NO music. She told the story with the “word scarves.”

Two Beds and a Coffee Machine… Earned many awards and 1st places on the competition circuit. NOT because of the costume but because of the choreography (Thanks Heather Dale) and dancer.

 

I made Kadi at least a half dozen of these “Hip Hop Hammer Pants.” Animal print pants outta control…

Downton Abbey Inspired Nightgown

Hudson Pants by True Bias

Vintage Mail Order Pattern

Sunflower Skirt and Burda Top

Skirt Simplicity 1200 and Cynthia Rowley top

Star Wars Dress

Emery Dress by Christine Haynes

McCalls 6834

Vintage Simplicity 7895

I do enjoy sewing for Kadi… however now that we are 1600 plus miles away I don’t get to do fun photo shoots. 😥

 

I made her a pair of Carolyn PJS for her birthday… she should be opening it in a few hours! Here is a sneaky peek! She is a child of the 90’s hence the Pokemon theme!

Happy Birthday sweet daughter of mine! ❤

If you are interested here are some of the items I made that have a corresponding post…

🙂

Links to POSTS:

Animal Print Pants Outta Control

Downton Abbey Inspired Nightgown

Hudson Pants by True Bias

Vintage Mail Order Pattern

Simplicity Sunflower Skirt and Burda Top

Star Wars Dress

Emery Dress by Christine Haynes

McCalls 6834

Vintage Simplicity 7895

Official Day of the WIP

Tags

cooking, Cynthia Rowley 2215, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity 2215, thanksgiving, vintage nightgown, Vogue 8577, WIP

Thanksgiving is just around the corner here in the states. It’s a day of thankfulness where we gorge ourselves on turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and all the trimmings with family and friends. In my house I have The Vegan Daughter, the daughter that raised a turkey for FFA during high school and now refuses to eat it, and the daughter whose favorite meal in the whole wide world is turkey and gravy. My son is coming also and I am sure he will just be happy to get a good meal! But it means at my house I get to be creative. I will be preparing LOTS of vegetable dishes (OH how I LOVE roasted veggies!) and making a few recipe adjustments. But I have promised Juliette I will not mess with her turkey and gravy!

I like Thanksgiving well enough, but for me it is a two-fold reason for celebration. I get a fantastic meal and a day with my family, and I get the day off! And the Friday that follows it! A 4 day weekend as a matter of fact. So I have decided to dub the day after Thanksgiving the “Official Day of the WIP” for me. In other words I am going to pull out all of my WIPS that were cast to the side for one reason or another and do my best to finish at least a few of them. 😀

I recently organized my “sewing room” and threw all of my WIPS in a box. Some of my WIPS just need buttons!! Like this pretty pink chiffon blouse. This is Cynthia Rowley 2215. It is a pretty simple button down blouse. I received the fabric from Ann at Pretty Grievances a while ago. I think I will get some good wear from this come spring- once I get those buttons on!

Cynthia Rowley 2215

I need to finish this coat on WIP Day for 2 reasons. #1- I am having a WIP day and #2- Because I needed to have a coat made for my Sewlution. This coat is 3/4 of the way finished. I just need to put the sleeve lining in and the shoulder pads. Finish off the lining and do the buttons and buttonholes. A few hours is all I need! And being WIP day will be an all day thing I think I am good to go!

I also have this dress. It is lacking buttons and sleeve binding. That’s it! Another one I cast to the side before completely finishing. I think because it is just not me. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE the dress and wish I did not feel so silly wearing it- But I do. 😦 Maybe it is the super full skirt. Maybe it is because I don’t normally wear the color. I am not sure! I think I will finish it up, wear it somewhere, take some pics and THEN decide!

If I get these all finished up I have ONE more. A vintage nightgown I started on the other night. I would say I am about half way done!

That is how I plan on spending my Friday! Then I still have the WHOLE weekend for starting something new! Which, if you are anything like me you are always down for a new project!

How about you? Do you have extra days off for Thanksgiving week? Will you be doing any sewing?

Laurie

xox

#LameSewcialist

Tags

birthday, Dog Under My Desk, Ear Bud case, Earbud case Pattern, Sewcialist, sewing

The last few weeks I have been a pathetic example of a Sewcialist. I have managed to keep up with MOST blog reading and I did make it to my first #FabricChat onTwitter. But for the most part I have been severely lacking in the Sewing and Social departments and feel out of touch. SIGH…

I blame most of this on work. Between the big event we had (where I got to stay on Coronado Island for 4 days) and our recent product launch I have been working quite a bit. Product launch is over now and things are back under control. WHEW.

Anyway- this is all I made this week.

Dog Under My Desk Earbud Case

I used Erin Erickson’s Dog Under My Desk pattern… And I LOVE it. My earbuds were getting all tangled up in the bottom of my purse and my laptop case. I hated it. So I made this little case. And now all my kids can expect one for Christmas! This is an easy to follow pattern and I can use up quilting scraps! I knew I was saving them for a reason! 🙂 She has more patterns that I am interested in. Check her out!

In other news, my baby turned 17 years old yesterday. Geez… where did the years go! I don’t know! (I am having a bonfire party for her tonight!)

And look at our new family member! Juliette, for her birthday, received this ball of cuteness!

Juliette and her “Charming”

He is a 5 week old Holland Lop bunny. SUPER affectionate and litter box trained. Now she has someone to snuggle with. She has wanted one for a while and when I saw this cuteness I caved. His name is Charming and I am thinking I will call him Prince. I am very excited about making Juliette a Christmas dress and Charming a matching bow tie. (lol)

Next week will be a better sewing week for me. And I am sure I will do my best to spend a little time on Twitter too!

Happy Sewing! (Or crafting… or knitting… or cooking… or reading… or whatever you do best!)

Laurie xo

By Hand London- Anna #2- With a Twist!

Tags

Anna Dress, By Hand London, clothing, easy sewing projects, fashion, Jersey Anna dress, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing

My class reunion was last Saturday and I decided the day before I would make something new. I was digging around in my garage looking for something that would strike my fancy and I stumbled on a black and white ITY jersey I had been hoarding. Hmmm… black and white (my 2 fave colors when I am sewing) and ITY jersey will make the perfect dress so in the washer it went.

After making my first By Hand London dress a month or so back I knew I would be revisiting the pattern several more times. When I found the black and white jersey out in my stash, the Anna pattern came out again to grace my cutting table! I cut the bodice (using the same bodice pieces I ended up with after my first foray in to Anna making) and then laid out the skirt. I knew I would be making the long version again because there is something about a MAXI I love! I wear them often, definitely more than I wear a “regular length” dress. And a MAXI with a thigh high split seemed like a perfect thing to wear to a reunion on the beach.

Trying to SQUEEZE on the pattern pieces… But no joy

But HORRORS!! I was 6 inches short! SIX inches! No matter how hard I tried there was NO way I had enough fabric to make the long version and I did not want to make the shorter version… OH, what was I going to do? I posted on Twitter and Laura H. said to add a band but in my head I kept thinking a black band at the hem would cause too much weight and ruin the line of the dress especially since this was a JERSEY KNIT. I posted on Instagram and Rachel of House of Pinheiro suggested putting the band up at the top of the skirt. SALVATION!

I am thinking it turned out pretty great! I removed 7 inches from the top of each of the skirt pieces (added seam allowances), and cut it out in a solid black. Oh happy day! I was so pleased with the finished dress I wore it again on Sunday when I was taken out to The Yellow Deli for my birthday.

Because I was adding a black block to the skirt I decided to add black bands to the end of each sleeve. I really like the look it gave it. I was tempted to do the boatneck but I am ever so fond of V-necks that I again went with the V. I love the V and think with this dress it looks right.

I mentioned earlier that this dress was made from a jersey print like my first one. This is not the recommended fabric but with some pattern adjustments it works. I actually LOVE it in the jersey. It really is comfortable and easy to wear. This one has a thigh high split although I don’t seem to be showing off enough leg in any of my photos.

Using a jersey knit means I did not have to put in a zipper. 😀 Not the most flattering shot of my backside but oh well…

The ANNA is a very easy dress and I highly recommend it. The skirt pieces can get a little confusing- I confess with my first one I had to remove one of the sections because I had put it on the wrong way- but this time I pinned little scraps of paper with the corresponding pattern piece letter and laid them out properly on my floor before sewing them together.

The color blocking is awesome also if I do say so myself. If I had not cut out the bodice I think I would have put it directly under the bust darts in more the waist area- but that can be an experiment for next time! 😀

For my birthday we ate at The Yellow Deli. It is the most adorable little restaurant. It reminds me of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house with a curved stairwell and all kinds of nooks and cranny’s where they have tables tucked away. Or you can sit on one of the many balconies or patios. They have a pretty basic menu but the best thing is everything they use is organically grown on their own little farm. The people work the farm and run the restaurant and live together in a commune. Definitely has overtones of the 60’s but I kind of like the concept!

The Yellow Deli

It’s a great little place to go to for lunch! My girls and I definitely enjoyed ourselves.

Me and my girlies…

And that is Anna #2… I am thinking about making a tropical print one next. But Fall has arrived… I live in California though so maybe I can squeeze a fun tropical dress in to my fall sewing. I may even go really nuts and make it out of a cotton or challis like I am supposed to!

If you haven’t entered the SewExhausted giveway be sure and do so before Thursday night the 10th!

At The Yellow Deli in Escondido.

#FallForCotton – A Vintage Dress and a Classic Car Show…

Tags

100% cotton, daughters, Fall for Cotton, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity 4432, Vintage, vintage dress, vintage pattern, vintage patterns, vintage sewing

When the Fall For Cotton Vintage pattern challenge was announced a while back I hopped on board for 3 reasons.

#1- I love vintage patterns and have a ton! (And if you have a ton you should use them if you can!)

#2- I love cotton. It is simple, feels nice, and comes in all kinds of prints, colors and designs.

#3- I LOVE sewing with the sewing community! It’s like an international sewing bee where we get to support and be supported!

And I also decided 2 things. I was going to make a dress for Holly out of a vintage pattern that has been at the top of the stack for ages now… And I was going to make myself one too… Because “The Mistress Demands” that I do. Wellll, actually I made a sewlution (New Years Sewing Resolution) back in January and it involved TWO vintage dresses and a coat. To my chagrin I am not even close to completing that and this year SPED by so fast I am still trying to catch up! I must say though that the “Keeper of the Jar” is a hard taskmaster when you have not started what should have been started. We were chastised just this past week. But I will persevere regardless of the fact I only have 100 days left. (Hey, that actually isn’t too bad!)

But for now, here is a really LOVELY dress if I do say so myself for my middle daughter Holly. I couldn’t resist turning this picture in to a vintage pic!

Holly is 18 years old and just graduated from high school. She is attending the Junior college in our area and is majoring in Theater Arts. She is also taking sign language. She would like to be a high school teacher down the road and teach drama and sign and maybe have a community theater on the side. (Unless she makes it BIG in the acting world and in that case she will buy me the BEST sewing machine there is to buy!)

For this dress I used a vintage pattern in keeping with the Fall for Cotton Challenge. We were able to choose a pattern or look from the 20’s to 70’s. From what I could glean on the internet (and correct me if I am wrong) this pattern is from the early 60’s. It is Simplicity pattern #4432.

I used 100% cotton of course! It was a piece of fabric I fell in love with on my recent trip to Oregon. It was on the clearance table and another 50% off so I paid a total of $9 for the whole piece! As soon as I saw it I KNEW it was going to be this dress and it was going to be for Holly. 🙂

The inside is fully lined with a white cotton. It actually started out as a light weight car cover my grandma gave to my mom, and my mom was going to get rid of. It was so soft I said NO! I can use that cotton fabric for lining! And I did!

To take the pictures I took Holly to “Cruisin’ Grand.” In our town, every Friday night from April through September the old classic cars gather up and down the street, musicians come out, and people come to look at the cars, eat, and have a fun friday night. I knew it would make a perfect backdrop for Holly’s classic dress!

Isn’t Holly a doll? Haha… She totally got in to the fun of it. While we were taking pictures a woman came up to me and said Holly looks so girly and feminine and pretty! She said it was so nice to see a young person dressed like that and she thanked us for for bringing back great memories of when she used to have dresses just like that! 🙂

As you can see we had tons of fun modeling with all of the cool cars from all different eras. (ha! 20’s to 70’s are allowed! Just like our challenge!)

The dress was very simple. It did not call for lining but I wanted to fully line it so she didn’t have to go looking for a slip every time she wanted to wear it. The skirt is very full and spins! Always a good thing in a skirt! 🙂

This car is from 1963-  probably around the same year as the dress I made!

I will be starting on a Fall For Cotton dress for myself on Monday. I have a pretty dark solid green cotton. Fingers crossed I get it finished in time! This Friday night will be the last Cruisin’ Grand for the summer. Maybe I will take my pics amongst the classic cars as well! In the meantime I will leave you with some more pics of Holly and Grand Avenue on a summer night!

~Laurie

My Anna that Broke the Rules…

Tags

Anna Dress, Anna Pattern, By Hand London, dress, fabric, ITY Knit, sew, sew exhausted, sewing

I made an Anna dress! And I couldn’t be happier. She is a bit of a rebel… but there is nothing wrong with that- after all, rules are made to be broken, right?

But let’s start at the beginning.

Recently the Anna dresses started popping up all over the internet. First I got a glimpse of ONE of Sew Busy Lizzy’s. (She has THREE fabulous ones) And then I read all about The Amazing Taracats two…  saw a few more here and there, and they looked so stylish and sexy and swingy- and, well, all the things you have to love in a dress! And I wanted one!

By Hand London Anna Dress Pattern

The Anna pattern is the newest from By Hand London. So my pattern winged it’s way across the ocean and arrived Thursday. It is BEAUTIFULLY packaged and definitely a pattern that is meant to be treasured.  I wanted to make one right away but I was not sure if I had any appropriate fabric in my stash. And I could not afford to buy any more fabric right now- so it was stash or nothing.

And that is where the rule breaking came in. The suggested fabrics for the Anna are lightweight woven fabrics and cottons. But, I have had this knit and it has been TRYING to make it’s way in to a Maxi for a few months. I have gone from one pattern, to another, to another, and decided on Saturday morning I was going to turn the Anna pattern in to a pattern for knits. She turned out mighty pretty in my opinion. 🙂

Look! I had help from Milo tracing and prepping the pattern

I tried to give Milo his own pencil but he seriously just wanted the one I was using!

I had to SQUEEZE this dress out of 3  yds of fabric.. And honestly, this knit cost me $9.00 total. In the end I had to cut off 6 1/2 inches in the length so if I had known that prior to starting I would not have had to worry at all.

I finished most of it Saturday morning before heading to the beach for a bonfire.  On her blog post Lizzy said it was a quick make and she was right! Then on Sunday my daughter asked me if I was going to wear it to my sons company picnic so I sat down and focused on finishing it up. I hand stitched the neck facing, used a double needle to hem up the sleeves, and ran out of time. I wanted to hand stitch the slit- (ooo- I LOVE the slit!) So, I did a quick basting stitch to temporarily hold it and will hand stitch it after I write this post!

I love the fit of the Anna… I love the way it swirls. When you wear it you feel very girly and feminine. Nothing wrong with that!

Like I said, putting this together is very easy. Just pay attention to when you are putting your skirt panels together. I got a little excited when the bodice was done and didn’t pay attention, so I “mis-sewed” one and had to switch it to the other side. I  did not put in a zipper- I did not need to because it is a knit. And I did not hem it because my machine does not like to hem knits, although my sleeves turned out nicely with the double needle. I also overlocked this one because #1 Kerrielee’s overlock machine was at my house for some hip hop pants making (thanks Kerrie), and #2 because I did not want to add any bulk from french seaming the knit.

The neckline is lovely. I chose the v-neck for this dress. Mine is a bit of a rounded V- I believe due to the fact it is a knit. But I like it anyway.  I did the obligatory spin and ended up on the ground. But trust me, Anna swirls quite nicely!

Did you notice my knee was a little red in that picture showing off my slit? That is because me and my Anna dress went on an adventure. At my son’s company picnic there was a mechanical MAD bull, and I thought I could tame it…. I realize these photos are DREADFUL, but I have become a much braver person so I will share them with you!

I lasted a whole 8 seconds. (That’s PRO status right??) BUT, I can now say I have ridden a bull… and I’ve lived to write about it. BTW- Anna held up quite well, and my children were VERY impressed that I even made it ON that bull. As a matter of fact they all now have blackmail videos on their phones.

Here we all are- having fun. I love it when my kids are all together. It makes my heart happy. ❤

And that is my Anna dress. 🙂 Very highly recommended! All my girls want one. Kadi is all set to run out and buy me some fabric for hers. She wants a black one- and because she likes to change everything, she wants me to add a lace cutout to the back of hers. Honestly, I can’t wait to get started on MY next one!

Oh, and I think I want to make a short red denim jacket to go with this one for when the weather gets a little chillier. 🙂

~Laurie

 

Those wild kids of mine showing me how it’s done.

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

May meltdown, but now I’m back at it!

Tags

cleaning, clothing, costumes, dance, daughters, dress, patterns, projects, quilting, sew, sew exhausted

(Kerrielee) Man it’s been awhile! It’s almost like I’ve have dropped off the face of the Earth! I have missed you all so much, reading your blogs, seeing what you have all been up to, BUT I am back!

I have been sewing this month, not as much as I would have liked. The first whole week in May I did not sew a single thing! (GASP, horrible I know) You know sometimes you just don’t feel like it!

But instead of focusing on all the negative this month,(not blogging, totally flaking on me–made-may) I am just going to jump right back in and let you all know what I have going on.

First, for me, how much I can sew really has to do with how I am keeping up on my house. When it’s a mess I have such a hard time focusing on my sewing, probably because of guilt….why should I be sewing when my house is such a mess!? So, at the beginning of the month I said “self, you will clean for at least 2 hours each day!” (Plus just the general pick up you have to do throughout the day and evening, oh and those never ending dishes and laundry!) Now mind you, there are 8 people living in my house, so we can generate a lot of mess, plus I think sewing in itself just makes things look messy, all that thread and fabric scraps laying around! So 2 hours a day really does not get that much done, but it has kept the bathrooms clean, floor clean, living room picked up and vacuumed, my room, and the little boys room cleaned. So the main areas of my house should look nice at anytime if someone drops by. All of those things take 1- 1 1/2 hrs, depending on if I have not quite gotten in the full 2 hours each day (you know life does come up sometimes). On the days that I do have extra time, I pick one of the projects I hate, wiping down the cupboards and walls, windows, dusting, decluttering, cleaning out closets…you know those fun things! All in all, this has been going pretty well and I am sure at any point now the other 7 people in my house are going to catch on 🙂

Now that I have a pretty good handle on that, I think I am ready to get back at hanging out with the blogging world!

Here are a few of the projects I have in the works for the next week or two…..

Shirt for Eleena for one of her dance numbers. This has to be done by Sunday!

Here is another flip flop quilt I am working on in bright colors. I would like to be done by the end of May so it can count as my quilt for the month!

Leggings for a friends daughter. These also must be done by Sunday (picture day at the dance studio!)

The same little girl with the leggings asked me to make her a dress for her 5th grade promotion ceremony. I have till the 6th to get this done!

And then I have a dress for me and skirt for Eleena…just for fun!

           Looks like I have a lot to do. Maybe you all will get to see some finished projects soon!

Happy Sewing

Kerrielee