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

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Something’s missing…

Tags

clothing, minion blimp, Paleo, Paleo Diet, Paleo foods, patterns, project, sew, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity, Simplicity 2215, Vogue, Vogue 8577

Laurie here… again… finally… My week off was wonderful. How could a week off not be? I relaxed, I walked, I sewed, I hiked, I sewed, I went to the beach, I sewed, I watched Justified and Suits and the rest of my Fringe episodes, I sewed, I ate Paleo foods all week, and I sewed… 🙂 I did not want to return to work EVER! But alas, no one else will pay the bills so I HAD to go back to work.

Here is just a sampling of what I ate all week. I felt really good so I have actually continued eating like this. Paleo is EASY! Fruits and vegetables- preferably organic, and grain fed free range meats. It is also called “The Caveman” diet. I am finishing up week 4! (The tomatoes in the lower right are from my garden. 🙂 )

I invited Kerrielee over to sew and she showed up for several of those fun filled days. Hopefully she will blog her makes soon! I should NOT be blogging mine… because… well… they aren’t QUITE complete!! For some reason- after I completely finished the skirt- I never fully completed the items I was working on!

The first project I started on I actually completed. This great skirt (90’s era!) with a lovely challis. Oooo, I love challis. I love the way it flows and I really enjoy working with it. I like the skirt a lot. The gathering on the sides of the yoke though add a bit of fluffyness I could really do without. But I think I have a fix for that. I am looking for a solid purple to make a blouse and then I can throw a black sweater over it. I think the hardest thing will be finding that solid purple to match. Seems like whenever I want to match something it turns in to a difficult process.

The rest of my projects? I am not sure what came over me. I STOPPED before they were finished! Why? I would like to say I did not find the perfect buttons. (In actuality I didn’t find the buttons I had in my head BUT I did get buttons.) So the truth is, I had buttons to put on… but… well… they just have not made it yet!

I made this super great little blouse out of a piece of fabric from the oh so special Anne at Pretty Grievances. I used Simplicity 2215- a Cynthia Rowley design. (Kerrielee has made the dress for her daughter and it is CUTE!) This fabric is a chiffon type so I sprayed it with starch and ironed prior to cutting and sewing. It makes it so much easier and I highly recommend you do so when you struggle with slippery fabric! The below pic is closer to the actual color of the fabric. I really really like it- and I don’t normally wear pink! One thing though- gotta add the buttons so I can wear it!

So, I skipped the buttons and started making my coat. You remember the adorable coat pattern I mentioned in my last post that I got from Katie at Kadiddlehopper. Sigh… Also unfinished. I think that MAY because it is summer? Or, because I still have to find the right buttons? Or maybe I am just making excuses here and I was just “not in the mood?” But here it is in it’s unfinished glory…

I actually have the lining in now- and just need to hand stitch the sleeve lining in. Then add the buttons. Look at the BACK! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the back of this coat. It also has a “kick pleat” (not sure what you call it on a coat) that I have not un stitched yet…

I promise when I finish I will take GOOD pics on me- so you can see the pleat, the lilac lining, and the buttons I end up with. (You think I should go with black buttons or cover my own?) I want to wear this coat with a hat.. yep- my kids are gonna die but I am going to do it anyway. A cloche hat I think- like this only in black!

Two unfinished items! Only, ummm… I am not done yet. I am ALMOST finished with my Vogue 8577. Let me just say these pictures do not do it justice. It is a FABULOUS dress! It has LOADS of pattern pieces and I almost put them all back in the envelope but decided that was silly. I am on vacation! I have LOTS of time!

This dress is FULLY lined. That means it was like cutting out TWO dresses … and all those pattern pieces! I lined it with a red broadcloth. The “khaki” is a broadcloth as well with a touch of stretch. I can’t remember where I got it but it is perfect for this dress. (Other than the fact I will have to iron it!) This one gets RED buttons… and red shoes. 😀

All I could think of when I turned this wrong side out was if I had used RED as the facing the dress would have practically been reversible! What’s left to do? The armhole finishing and … the buttons. Sigh… Again, well, when I finish I will photograph it!

I made 2 simple knit dresses for Kerrielee’s daughter and my youngest. But they are not photographed. And I managed ANOTHER pair of hip hop pants for my eldest daughter. Overall it was a pretty decent sewing week.

I also went to the beach and kicked my feet up and read a good book… This is Moonlight Beach… And there was a dolphin pod frolicking around out there!

Saw the Minion Blimp…

Minion Blimp over Oceanside Pier

Early morning walk…

Overall, a fabulous week off… Now I need another so I can FINISH what I started!

xoxo

~Laurie

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