Blah, Blah, No FOs, Blah, Blah

:)

When I wrote my last post, I was SO ready to finish up the dress and jacket and get ALL THE SEWING done before surgery.

Last Monday morning I went in for nerve conduction testing / EMG. oh. my. goodness. That was the worst thing I have ever experienced. It was so painful that I burst into tears and was just lying there sobbing, begging the neurologist to stop. It was that bad! I was sore for a few days afterward.

In the mean time, I went in that Wednesday to get the results. Good news - no nerve damage. Yay!!! My orthopedic doctor noticed my "cute new mole" (as I referred to it) and told me to go to dermatology to get it checked out. Luckily, they were able to get me in same day (I think it's because the doctor suggested it vs me just trying to get an appt!) and they are right down the street so I left the orthopedist, got coffee, and went to the dermatologist.

She looked at it and decided immediately that it had to be removed. Then said, "We're going to remove that, it's a superficial scraping, and send it in." I was on the table before I realized "send it in" = "biopsy". She tried to be reassuring but I was already freaked out. The injection of the numbing medicine into my hand was HORRIFIC. More tears (I don't know what is happening to me). I left there with a chunk of skin missing and a whole bunch of questions. When the anesthetic wore off, OH MY GOSH. Wah. Wah. Wah.

Thursday and Friday I was not only in pain from the EMG and the biopsy, but I was worried sick about the results. I bought a whole bunch of random things (this form of dealing with feelings is infinitely better than stuffing my face!)The office called me Saturday afternoon -- mini freak out that THEY ARE CALLING ME ON A SATURDAY! followed up immediate relaxation when the assistant introduced herself. Well they cannot be giving me bad news because the doctor would be on the phone... -- All is well! YAY!

You don't even want to know the level of offensiveness that I was ready to have at me, a brown girl, living in the tundra, who doesn't even LIKE outside and is constantly Vitamin D deficient falling victim to melanoma. Whew.

The biopsy site was feeling a little better on Saturday and I made a pair of Evie La Luve Frankie undies. My first time EVER sewing underwear! But it still hurt and so I didn't do anymore that day or Sunday.

from my IG

My company closes for Presidents' Day and the entire time I've worked here that has been a sew day. But My Hand. Wah. I kid you not, around 4-5 p.m. my hand miraculously felt better - so annoying. I was home alone for the evening and cut out and mostly sewed a pair of pants from NL6189.

My jacket is ready for the lining to be sewn (I decided to follow the instructions and not bag the lining. It'll probably take awhile to finish but that's okay. I'm on the fence about the style. Of course, right?!  I think I understand how to do the vent of the lining/dress on NL6123. And now I have 7 days until surgery! Should definitely be able to wrap up the dress and current pants project. I have suddenly realized I have very few pants that fit and hope to cut out V1411 in an olive green ponte too. We'll see!!

Otherwise, I am optimistic and will do everything the doctor tells me - promise! But I also know that I'm always more affected than the general population. Like my 4 days of arm pain and soreness from the EMG!

With the 3 in-progress projects, the undie pattern and hopefully V1411 to review, there will be some activity here on the blog! I will probably schedule them for about once per week.

Lastly, did you happen to notice I'm a contributor over on the Curvy Sewing Collective blog?? Debbie Cook and I will be alternating the monthly pattern roundups and February was 'my' turn!

Updates on WIPs

I have kept my zipper stash in ziplock baggies, loosely separated by type, and in these plastic baskets I got from Dollar Tree. I have my trims in a basket, elastic in another, and all my interfacing is folded and in ziplock bags.

I went to The Container Store to buy a tote to keep my Indie patterns in so I could free the 4th drawer in my pattern file cabinets.  Checking out, I spotted these clear shoe baskets (whose shoes can fit in these??) and they were only $1.69 plus I had a 15% off coupon...JACKPOT! I should have gotten more but I was just thinking of zipper storage at the time. And now I need MORE!!!! Lol!

They will stack perfectly on my bookshelf!

I may use the Cricut to label them.

Now they're separated by regular zippers, invisible zippers and fashion zippers. 

I need one more for jacket zippers. 

 My NL6123 dress is right at the finish line. I've only sewn a lined dress with vent once and had to do some research before finishing. I know I used Colleen G. Lea's vid last time but this time it seemed confusing. Could be that I was just tired. Hopefully I'll get that finished this week.

This is the fabric I bought for my husband's blazer (it feels amazing!). 

It arrived and was much more green than gray.

Behold my terrible in-progress pics :) The side seams were basted here (I ended up letting the hip out a little). 

I'll dish about my dart issue when I review.

The blazer is coming along too. I'm not sure why I chose two labor intensive projects to work on at the same time. DOH!!

The lining is cut and ready to be assembled. I'm not going to bag the lining; I am going to go ahead and hand sew it like the pattern instructs. 

The sleeve vents are constructed like actual vents...but then the buttons are just sewn on through all thickness.

WUT?

I'm going to go through all this trouble and not go all the way? Pfft.  This jacket, except for the collar style, is *exactly* like one of my J. Crew blazers. front darts, armhole princess seams, where the welts are positioned...I'm using it as reference.

Anyway, I interface a piece of the suiting and make sample buttonholes. Decide the first one was too narrow and the second one was good! In true sewing headache fashion...I have 5 perfect buttonholes and 1 that I don't even know. 

Samples!

The FIRST buttonhole I made after the sample is like 2/3 the length it needs to be. I have NO idea what happened. Nothing was changed between making the samples and making the buttonholes. nothing was changed from the first buttonhole to any of the others. It's a mystery!!! 

My edges are wavy because I had constructed the vent area before realizing it wasn't real. I'm not sure why the lack of instruction to interface didn't tip me off...but I added interfacing after the fact which means that edge isn't interfaced. Not ideal but, sometimes you do what you gotta do!

I have not been sewing much and it finally dawned on me that my lack of mojo was likely due to  amount of work remaining on these projects. Lined garments are like that...you have the shell and you're excited and then, crap! There's still a TON of work to do! :-p

I will likely not get my husband's blazer done before surgery. It'll be a good fall item! 

I really need pants right now. I am thinking of sewing at least one pair and then cutting out a bunch of stuff and seeing where the wind blows :) 

I think I'm going to make a tops from M7722 and V8597 right away. I need a couple easy projects with these two that are in progress! 

January Wrap-Up and February Plans

And just like *that*, we're a month into 2019!

This month I sewed 12.75 yards:
*6.5 yards from "new" fabric (acquired within the past 3 months)
*6.25 from "stash" fabric (older than 3 months). ((shot out to Carolyn for the idea to categorize))

I basically sewed Butterick 6621 and uhmm....yeah :)

• Print jersey - 2 yards

• Black wool jersey - 2.25 yards

• Green rayon jersey - 2.25 yards

• Burgundy ponte - 2 yards 

• Burda 12/2018 top - 2 yards
• Ivory poly crepe
• buttons, velvet ribbon

• Butterick 6641 blazer - 2 yards (WIP)
• winter white suiting
• buttons 

FAVORITE: I really adore all the versions of the dresses I made but the black one literally makes me smile!

FAILS: No actual failed projects thankfully. I am a little frustrated that the ponte dress is a bit snug as I didn't account for the (much!) thicker fabric. My blazer is coming along but the pockets are a little wonky.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Me. Pattern hacking!! I knew what I wanted and worked at it to get it.

This month, I purchased 14.75 yards of fabric and 7 patterns. Doh.

I did not feel bad when I ordered this suiting and boucle. After losing out on my actual Black Watch plaid from Michael Levine, I saw this and thought it was a good compromise. There was a 60% off sale at FM and $24 for the cut was not bad. Then, I saw this boucle. Sold! Total order was 3.5 yards. No problem.

poly/wool blend suiting

100% cotton boucle

But then once the well is opened... :-p

The next Fabric Mart contained a plethora of lining which is NOT included in my totals. I've never counted lining because I buy it when I get a good deal on it and then use it accordingly. As of now, it's still nice and tame and all fits in one 12x12 cube.

Also contained in that order was: 5 cuts of jersey; 3 prints and 2 solids.

"fruit puch" cotton/modal jersey

floral poly jersey

Halston dusty blue poly jersey

striped double brushed jersey

ivory & navy poly jersey

Other sewing purchases this month included interfacing (for the current jacket project), thread (50% off sale at JA), another serger cone thread rack (I have been looking for a 2nd one and neither of 'my' JAs have had them in stock. Bonus - it was 40% off), and velvet ribbon and buttons from Treadle. (The ribbon was used on the Burda blouse and the buttons for are for the current jacket.)

Lastly, February plans...

My surgery is scheduled for the end of this month so I'll be sewing, sewing, sewing until then! I have a couple of "spring" knit dresses I want to make and hope to get them done too since I may still be healing when the warmer ("warmer" to a Midwesterner is like...50 degrees!) temps arrive. At worst, I'll have them cut out and ready to sew.

This weekend my sewing group is getting got together to actually sew! We usually just hang out and chat, which is awesome, sewing being the mostly solitary hobby that it is...but I'm so excited for this! IT WAS AWESOME!!

I sewed the sleeves of my blazer (the actual sleeve seams; not setting them) and got the plaid fabric above cut out using NL6123. I have the front and back assembled and ready for the zipper and side seams. The lining is cut out and started.

progress on the blazer

It doesn't look like much on Lilly!

But it's a fitted sheath and the bodice contours really nicely. 

I am hoping to make my husband's blazer before surgery as well! This will depend on how the Bootstrap muslin goes. If there's too much work -aka- a 2nd muslin is required, it'll be saved for the fall.

I gasped audibly when I thought about sewing New Look 6560 with the beautiful green silk I got from Metro Textiles last spring. I rough cut the pattern pieces today at the sewing meet up.

Also, remember this sweater?? My husband accidentally shrank it. I tried to not be too disappointed and thought, well, I'll remake it.

And not too long after, he shrank this top. And I almost cried actual tears. So now, I will be washing the handmades!!!

Anyway, I told that sad, sad tale to say that I'm going to remake V8597 in this blue knit. FM listed it as jersey but it's so soft and feels like a light sweater knit.

(ambitious) February plans:

 

S2246*B6621*NL6123

NL6560*V8597

• New Look 6123 dress (no flounce; there's a cap sleeve I"ll be using)
• New Look 6560 top
• Vogue 8597 top
• Husband's blazer
• Cut out and hopefully sew:
• Butterick 6621 dress 
• Simplicity 2246 dress 

I've gotten some questions about the sleeve detail on the burgundy dress. I will post a quick how-to soon! 

Well that's it! A little late and a whole lot of words!!