July Wrap Up and August Plans

 My July plans were:

• Burda 7/2022 birthday dress
• Socks at knitting camp
• MK summer cardigan
• Butterick 6640
• NL6692

I made my birthday dress and socks. Woohoo! :) I did not get to my summer cardigan, but I do have two machine knit tops as WIPs (I need more yarn for both). 

I also cut out a pair of shorts from Burda 8/2014 for my daughter and made a couple of Cricut projects.

WIP: sideways knit sweater with hand manipulated lacy sleeve

MK socks with Paton's Kroy

MK socks with Wisdom Angora Lace
So soft, warm, and snuggly!! This yarn has been discontinued. I bought 4 skeins (all solids, boo, but Yay!)

I got really excited about these pleated shorts...then she balked at the length. sighhhhh.

We'll see what she thinks once they're ready to fit.

July turned out a little different than I anticipated. I ended up taking a trip to the ER last weekend turning the entire next week into a wash. I just wasn't able to do much of anything. Bonus though was time with the babies.

B is in FULL toddler mode and it is hilarious (well, at least to grandma it is! haha!)

At one point, I asked him to come get changed and he shook his head and said, No, while walking away. Then he came to "help" while I was making dinner. He repeatedly started the dishwasher and kept pulling all these strainers and bowls out of the cabinet.

F is obsessed with B and never wants to stop going. I kept trying to put him down for a nap, but now, he just fights til he passes out. 

I broke out the Cricut this past weekend to make a birthday present for my sister. She loves Scrabble and I've been meaning to make these coasters for her for ages. I finally got it done and I love the way they turned out! 

The wood blanks are 4x4 inches and I wanted them to fill the space as much as possible. I tried to very closely match the orientation of the point value with the letter. I then did 3 coats of Modge Podge with about 10-15 minutes between coats. Did you know that it takes 3-4 weeks for it to fully cure?!? I did NOT know that! Whew! Once fully cured, no sealant is needed. However, I would like a glossy finish so I'm going to get something to spray over top.

I cut out 3.5x3.5 inch squares of felt and adhered them to the back with the Modge Podge. The felt is adhesive, but I wanted to ensure a really good seal. 

Lastly, Beyonce's 7th studio album was released on Friday. It is full of fun-upbeat dance music but Thique has  heavy baselines, and THAT is right up my alley! :) I’ve been bumping the song all weekend. 

Someone posted that merch was available for 7 days only so I go to the site. $45 for a T-shirt?!? Beyoncé or not, there's just no way I'm paying that much for a tee, so I made my own! I really wanted to use this silver holographic vinyl that I had on hand, but I could not get it to weed cleanly around the curves (Cricut vinyl in general, sucks). I pulled out this Siser glittler vinyl in gold and made quick work of finishing the tee. It's a men's medium and fits well through the body, but it was long. I chopped off 9 inches, folded up 3/4" and hemmed it on my coverstitch machine. Woohoo!

August's plans? eh.

I am going back up to St. Cloud on Saturday for monthly  machine knitting meetup. Mainly because I had stuff I forgot to buy when I was there for camp, but I am also interested in the meeting topic for the month. 

The following weekend I am in Chicago for a bridal shower. Then, in the last 5 days of August, I have grandson F's 1st Birthday, out of town friends visiting so we can go to the MN State Fair, and my husband's birthday. 

Oh, plus I'm trying to knit a sweater to enter into the fair and that has to be completed and dropped off by August 15th. 

And I have several medical appointments as I try to figure out these health issues.

So what are my August plans? TO SURVIVE THE MONTH! haha!

I plan to finish the shorts and a top for my daughter and hopefully the Butterick shirt dress. I also hope to finish the 2 WIP machine knits once I get more yarn, knit the sweater for the fair, and finish the teddy bear I knit for the babies. 

As always, more later!

Mid Year Check-In and July Plans

The year is off to a rough start -- in real life and in sewing plans. Oy! I looked back at my list of goals for 2022 and I've met exactly -0- of them!

• Trench Coat - I want this but have stalled. Wah. I am thinking of taking a sew-cation in August. A trench coat is a strong desire but in reality, isn't a workhorse here in Minneapolis. I'd estimate I could wear a trench for about 4 weeks in fall and maybe 4-6 weeks in spring. 
• Burda 2/2020 blazer - I don't think I ever bought lining fabric for this. I wanted a very specific color and struck out with Mood. I'd better start looking again so that I can be ready to sew this for fall! A wool blazer will have lots more functionality than the trench - I can wear it about October through May ish. 
• Formal black dress - Perhaps this should read "semi-formal". I need a dress for more serious/somber occasions, but not say, a black-tie event/party.
• LBD or LBJ(umpsuit) - I'm thinking this Vogue 1465 or Simplicity 9151 (always down for a CR pattern!)

• Blazer for him - Another project for fall. I have the fashion fabric and lining! Ooh, still need buttons though. 
• The Dress a Month fitting Challenge - So far, I've sewn patterns by Simplicity, New Look, and McCall's. I've removed Kwik Sew because I don't have any woven KS dress patterns. I also removed Viki Sews. I've replaced KS and VS with Ottobre and Patrones.  I don't think I'll get to all 12, but definitely want to finish out the Big4.

• Matching machine knit sweaters for the boys - winter project
• Machine knit trousers - I'm not sure if I'll get to these unless I find yarn on my knitting camp trip this month. I think a crepe yarn is best but don't want to buy online without help. So either I find yarn at Rockinghorse Farms or I get tips from the experts there on where to buy. 
• 5 garments for skill building
• A raglan sweater or cardigan 
• A sweater or cardigan with set-in sleeves - I found a summer project in Machine Knitting Monthly that I'm going to try!
• A dolman sweater with some type of stitch pattern (garter, fair isle, lace, something!)
• Socks - This will happen at MK camp in July
• A wrap or poncho - I may do this sooner rather than later because the office is often pretty chilly!
• Begin grad school - who knew the deadline for fall was February?! Hahaha. I can be kind of spacey sometimes so I'm not surprised I missed this little (har,har) detail. I will be applying February 2023.
• Read 3 books per month - my focus has been really off and I have only read about 5 books total this year. womp, womp.

I was going to work on my challenge pattern (a Vogue) but pivoted and started a dress for my birthday which is next week. I sewed a sleeveless version of M7834 in white swiss dot and it is SO cute! The cotton doesn't drape as nicely over Lily so it looks tight, but it isn't. It fits great! May not get photos of it on until that day but will post it. I did not make any changes aside from leaving off the sleeves, and narrowing the shoulder as needed from version 1.

In June I sewed 5 yards. 1 garment for myself, 4 kids garments, and altered 3 garments for my daughter!:

Ottobre 3/2010 #17 and 18

Ottobre 3/2014 #12 and 25

M7834 dress 

For July, I am really going to try to execute!!!!! :)

• Burda 7/2022 birthday dress
• Socks at knitting camp
• MK summer cardigan

• Butterick 6640 for my challenge in a striped cotton shirting. I plan to have fun with stripe direction!

• I really(!) want to find time to sew NL6692 as well

Wish me luck! 

How is your 2022 sewing plan coming along?

May Wrap-Up and June Plans

I am so late with this, gah. In May I sewed 6 garments for a total of 9.25 yards. This month I sewed:

• Vogue 1250 top and dress - 2.5 yards 
• ITY print
• elastic in the dress
• McCall's 8174 dress - 1.75 yards
• rayon modal jersey knit print
• elastic
• McCall's 6744 dress - 2 yards
• ITY print
• elastic
• Butterick 6378 top - 1.5 yards
• yellow silk georgette
• Burda Magazine 4/2019 skirt - 1.5 yards
• red cotton lycra twill
• zipper, D-ring

I am really happy with all 3 of my dresses! I ended up cutting the top too short, so I have to see if it's wearable or not at this length. But I will certainly keep this pattern 'hack' in the roundup. I love the cowl. 

The red skirt is really great! It turned out so well with my mods to increase the size. But the twill is really stretchy with poor recovery. I wore it for the first time and it bagged out a bit. Clothes never last as long when they need to be washed each time.

I didn't get a chance to work on a project for my fitting challenge but will try to get one in for June. I'm having a tough time personally, and lots of required travel coming up, so I may only get 6 or 8 done this year. We'll see.

June started out with my awesome vacation to Cabo with friends! I didn't sew anything for the trip but wore a few handmades while I was there, but I'd purchased a few hot-girl 'fits for the trip! 

I purchased the white top while I was in Cabo. It is a really nice cotton gauze!

Since we're halfway through June, I may use a Burda just because I think that's a lower barrier to a good fit :) There is a dress from 5/2019 that I traced awhile back, so I'm ahead of the game there.

I've also made outfits for my twin niece and nephew with fabric they chose from Fine Fabrics in GA. I'll review those next, I used patterns from Ottobre Kids. 

I still need to photograph my red skirt, and M8174. I also feel like a need a white cotton dress. I'm thinking of making a sleeveless version of M7834 (blogged HERE). It's such a great pattern and I got a really nice fit! 

More, later! :)

Finished Travel Bags and March Wrap-Up

I have wanted to complete this project for SO LONG! I bought 2 yards of this border print cotton shirting last January, with hopes that Covid would soon be behind us and the world would be opening up. Haha! I have made simple drawstring bags before, but I really talked myself out of them over and over again, complicating it more than needed. And then, when we went to Phoenix earlier this year, and ended up taking an ATV tour, our clothes were so dusty and sweaty that I wished I'd had a separate laundry bag for them. And I was determined to complete the bags before my next trip. I didn't make it...we went to Denver last weekend for a wedding. But, I flew out Saturday evening and we were back home Monday evening so I didn't really need it, this time. But I'll be ready for my next trip!! 

Oh, and using a border print just made the whole process so much easier and simpler! I measured the width of the border less the selvedge and with seam allowance and cut the top part of the laundry bag at 20" wide x 10.5" long. Then I cut the plain white fabric at 3", and the bottom at 4.5" for finished dimensions of 17" x 20". But I cut the fabric at 20". 

Oops. 

And I didn't allow for the casing area. 

Oops. 

So, it's smaller than I intended, and I'll likely make another one slightly bigger :) 

I cut the shoe bags for a finished dimension of 13" x 15" and made some of the same measurement mistakes. Seriously. BUT, they fit my shoes so, WIN.

I like the narrow black border that almost looks like piping!

If you're noticing a difference in the text, I blame Cricut! I had the bright idea to buy an Infusible Ink tee blank. I had some black infusible ink in stash and I knew it would outlast iron-on heat transfer vinyl. But, Cricut made this product to perform best at 380 degrees F. The original Cricut Easy Press only heats up to 360 degrees F. So it's not quite hot enough to fully sublimate into the fabric. Booooooo! 

When I got my Beatrice, I ordered a 144 yard spool of 1/4 cotton twill tape from Wawak for the low-low price of $7.91. I used it to mark my form up and still have a gazillion yards of it, of course, so expect to see it often! 

On the laundry bag, I made the casing too narrow and the double strings don't work as well. They work perfectly on the shoe bags though! (see my IG grid for a quick video)

The lining is white athletic mesh that's been in stash for I'm not sure how many years. I love that it's just slippery enough to not stick to the cotton, it has a little bit of weight to it but not too much. 

I sewed the top fabric to top lining, pressed it out, left about 1 1/4" open on either side of that seam and then sewed down the lining, around, up, left the other side open, then down, around, and up the main fabric. The only suggested change is to turn it once the sides are sewn and just sew/serge the bottom together to anchor the lining. I was going to shape the corners but just didn't have the room to do it and the results on the laundry bag are meh.

They're so cool! :-D I expect to get lots of use from them!

This month, I sewed 2 things outside of the bags and a PS5 cover that I started for my husband. I sewed 5 yards this month: 

• McCall's 7834 dress - 3 yards
• rayon challis from Fabric Mart
• 12 buttons
• McCall's 6996 cardigan - 2 yards (WIP)
• wool double knit from Fabric Mart

The McCall's dress was my Dozen Drafts project and I put a lot of time and work into fitting so yes, I love it! The cardigan is working up well and just needs hemming ("just" = the entire front, the lower hem and the sleeve hems!)

This doggone extra long McCall's shoulder...more on that later

Excuse my dirty mirror and toilet plunger. Doh.

I also had a goal of making two Machine Knit projects. I "only" got the 1 but, WHEW! The plaid-like pattern was hand manipulated the entire way and was a doozy! All worth it though because they are beautiful! Ravelry project

I started two books - one on Machine Knitting. While it is a resource, I do tend to read these types of books cover-to-cover. I am also a good way through The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

As of now, my plans for April include:

• Finishing the WIP I intended to complete in March
• Complete "A Dozen Drafts" dress
• Complete 2 machine knit projects

More to come potentially, after I pull my spring clothes out. I didn't get to that either this month! After finishing the McCall's dress, I had so much momentum, and then over the course of 3 work days I had 17 hours worth of meetings. I was EXHAUSTED every day! April is a little quieter. I do have plans to get with a MK friend, but hoping to get lots of sewing in!  

February Wrap-Up and March Plans

Another month down, 2022 is a runaway train!! :)

This month I sewed 1 yard. Ah. I'm going to get my mojo back. I can feel it! 

I sewed Burda magazine 10/2021, a top in a deep brown silk. I also finally made some good progress on Simplicity 1325. I did not cut out anything for A Dozen Drafts. But also, it was a busy month. 

While on a trip to Vegas and the Phoenix area, I visited SAS Fabrics. They carry a lot of fabrics that I have purchased and have seen at Fabric Mart. The colors in this print ITY jumped out at me and the piece was 1 5/8 yard, at $3.99/yd. SCORE. I am thinking of making Vogue 1250 if I can get the pieces to fit (my size calls for 1 7/8 yd)

I had another set of goals for February: Finish 2 sewing projects, Finish 2 knitting projects, Read 2 books. 

• I finished one sewing project (the brown top) and added the bodice lining to my S1325 dress. I hand basted in a zipper and let the side seams out a bit through the middle back and waist:

I started this on January 26th. It stalled and it finally dawned on me that I wasn't fully feeling it. But I wanted to finish it to check the fitting process on my Beatrice (I'll talk more about this fit on me vs what I observed on my dressform when I review the pattern). I put a couple of tops that I'd layer this with on the dressform and got inspired to get back to it. 

CUTE! :)

• I finished THREE knitting projects! Wooohoo!! My hat and scarf, blogged here 

and I finally finished my grandson's sweater:

• I read one book: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

It was a really great read! An extremely moving story, characters that came to life on the pages, and it was a page turner. This was Ms. Wilkerson's debut novel and I can't wait to read more.

• Exercise at least 30 minutes, 5 times a week. 

I did not meet this goal, but I did pretty well and lost 4lbs from Feb 1 to Feb 27.

I finished the month with a 1:1 with the biggest grandboy. Each time I see them, I can't believe how much they've changed. It's so wondrous watching kids grow up. 

It was a balmy 37 degrees in Minneapolis on Saturday. We went to an indoor playground, stomped the squishy snow, and went to lunch. <3

What's Next?

For March, I am setting more goals!!! 

• Swap out some closet items - Though spring hardly ever actually shows here, the body and spirit knows! :) I always struggle with my wardrobe around this time. so I will pull in some brighter/softer colors to get through the rest of this dreaded winter. 

• Finish S1325 - It needs skirt attached to bodice, zipper, and hem.

• Sew another garment for A Dozen Drafts - I don't think March will be the month I catch up, but want to definitely get another garment done this month.

• I’m managing the Upcycle Contest on Pattern Review this month! 

• Black cardigan - I have a very nice wool double knit, and would like to make a longer cardigan. I feel like that's a wardrobe hole.

• Finish one WIP - I have 4 WIPs that I really do want to finish and will get to at least one of them this month. 

• Make 2 machine knitted items - can be for me or for gifts. I just need to get myself in there using my machines more consistently.

• Read 2 books - Reading more is an important goal for me. The pandemic left me spending way more time sitting in front of the tube than I normally would. 

• Continue working on exercise, diet, and flexibility. 

Until later!

January Wrap-Up and February Plans

This month I sewed 2 1/4 yards from stash - the Simplicity 1325 which is still in WIP status. 

I made really good progress from the time I started the fitting process, then I got hit with a pretty bad migraine attack and lost all of Saturday and Sunday. Womp, womp. 

But, I have always counted fabric totals as "out" from the time I cut the project out, so it will still be recorded under January's totals. I "just" (haha) need to sew the bodice and lining together, insert the zipper, attach it to the skirt, and hem! That's "all"! :-p

I added 5 patterns to the stash from Style Arc, and also added 11 yards of fabric - ow. I bought 9 yards from Fabric Mart (not sure why the last photo is missing, it's a 100% cotton double border print. A french blue background with pale pink and white irregular spots. It's very pretty and I can't wait to make a dress from it this summer!

We flew into Nashville for my stepdaughter's wedding the second to last weekend of the month. Between the two of us, we have 2 girls and 3 boys. Both girls are married now and neither of the boys are! (the youngest stepson is just 16). The wedding was beautiful and my husband was honored by his Papa duties.

I was all prepared to make a dress but then work and life got in the way. So I ordered this, crossed my fingers, and decided I'd wear my navy dress from my husband's birthday if it didn't work out. This size Large is a tiny bit more snug in the hips than I'd normally go for, but it wasn't tight and worked fine. I LOVED the icy gray color on me!

On our way to the airport, I stopped by Craft South (The Fabric House is closed on Sundays) and picked up 2 yards of this Kaufmann Essex Linen/Cotton blend. I am often drawn to this color, and then remember I don't care to wear it. DOH! LOL! And, it's just the color+my complexion that I'm not a fan of. Not by my face, not on my lower half...it's just not my fave. I could potentially wear it as a jacket as the rest of the outfit would pull away. I have already kind of decided to make matching outfits for the grandsons though...so we'll see :-)

My normal everyday look + business + travel left me looking pretty tired on the day of the wedding. After googling some tips, I came across a makeup blogger that is my new fave! She also has hooded eyes and while she has dark circles under the eye that I don't contend with yet, I do have the darkness and discoloration on my eyelids that drives me crazy. The tips have helped tremendously! 

Here are a few looks where the eye makeup just really brightens up my whole face. Yay! I'm a newb and I kept it pretty basic with stuff from Ulta. Got some handmade items in there too ;-)

M6796 top

V1323 top

Burda 5/2020 silk top with M6996 cardigan

For February, I have 4 goals:

• Finish 2 sewing projects (yes, I reserve the right to include the WIP as one of the two!!)
• Finish 2 machine knitting projects. There's a WIP I want to finish, and I realized I do not own a black scarf. I'm not sure how that's possible, but it is so! I need to actually swatch, but I wanted to try out a couple of tuck stitch patterns. I want something simple, that will remain tightly woven (it's Minnesota after all!), but tuck stitch patterns curl less on the raw edges, so that's why I'm going that route instead of stockinette.

• Read 2 books
• Complete 30 minutes of exercise 5 days per week (yoga and walking counts)

I haven't decided on my February Dozen Drafts project yet. I have another wedding to attend in Denver in March...so maybe I'll make something for that :)

More later!

2021 Wrap-Up

I know everyone says it, but, HOW DID THIS YEAR GO BY SO QUICKLY?!? It was simultaneously long and arduous but over as quick as lightning. Funny how that happens. 

On a personal note, the new job I started last December quickly turned sour. It was about 5/6 weeks in that I realized I'd made a mistake. And I tried to do everything in my power, but you can't change someone else. I left in April and soon after found my actual dream job. I've been there since mid-June and it has been an amazing transition. 

I've faced some really tough family issues this year and have been in therapy consistently all year. But I am seeing progress as the year comes to a close. Hopeful for better, brighter days. 

My little grandson? He became a Big Brother 21 days before his 1st birthday! :) Those boys are so sweet, so well-loved (and well fed!), and an absolute joy. 

So 2021 did indeed bring many joyous moments: DD was able to walk at commencement this year (she graduated last year but it was virtual), my parents visited for 2 weeks this summer, I had a girl's trip with my closest friends, I started an amazing job and welcomed a new grandson and that's where I will keep my focus. 

My 2021 sewing goals? Blergh. LOL! I had 9 goals:

• Sew a trench coat
• Sew more jackets/blazers
• Sew bras/bralettes
• Sew 2 pieces of silk from stash
• Make at least 1 machine knit project per quarter
• Sew a set of travel bags
• Sew a blazer for my husband
• Sew jeans for my husband
• Sew a quilt for grandson

Yeah, no. LOL! I started a jacket that's a UFO, I muslined a bralette pattern (I am realizing I just don't care about sewing lingerie, unfortunately), I sewed one piece of silk, and made two items on my knitting machine. 

2021 Totals:

• 41 items (8 gifts/33 for me)
• 24 from stash (59%)
• 68.75 yards
• 33.75 from stash (55%)
• 50+ yards donated

I was conservative in my estimate of donated fabrics but will say I donated 4 plastic Mood Fabrics bags worth to my kid's former HS for their theatre program. And considering I almost always buy fabric in cuts of 2 to 4 yards, I think that's a decent rough estimate. 

• 68.75 yards sewn
• 50 yards donated
• 67 yards purchased

In the first 9 months of the year, I had purchased just 25 yards of fabric. My ratio was great! I think donating that fabric sent overboard, LOL! I purchased 42 yards of fabric from October-December. So technically, I brought in 56% of the fabric I used/sent out. I'll allow it :-P

This collage includes: Burda bias cut cami (rated love) * Simplicity top (rated okay) * Burda UFO jacket * bralette muslin * Burda hoodie (rated love) * Burda dress (rated love) * Simplicity tops (rated love)

Garment status

Digging deeper into the 33 items I sewed for myself, I rated them: 

• 13 items that I love, including:
• Burda 1/2021 cardigan
• McCall's 6744 floral dress
• Burda 1/2019 polka-dot hoodie (pictured above)
• Burda 2/2013 trousers (current WIP)
• It's worth noting that 7 of the 13 are Burda magazine patterns

• 3 items that I like, including:
• Burda 5/2020 silk charmeuse top (the back slit droops which makes it a like, not a love)
• McCall's 6844 cardigan (the fabric is a little itchy, boo!)
• Simplicity 9275 top (I love everything about it except the the pooling in the back

• 5 items that are just okay, including:
• Simplicity 8529 black/olive top (the olive fabric is a little too drapey)
• McCall's 6754 blue floral dress (It's a little too short! wah!)
• Simplicity 8337 emerald green top (pictured above, I don't love the ruffle)
• New Look 6651 dress in blue print voile (it may be a tad too matronly, yet to be reviewed)
• Burda 1/2018 black and white print cotton skirt (Minerva crafts project - fabric just too firm)

• 6 UFOs (I don't have a requirement of myself to finish UFOs, some may become FOs, some might become wadders):
• Burda 6/2018 black & white boucle jacket (pictured above). I just got burnout on the project and then it was too small, and now it fits again so I am hopeful that I'll finish it
• 2 skirts from my TNT Butterick 5760 (one needs a hem, one needs a lining)
• McCall's 7920 dress (I chose a white fabric and instead of looking sleek and chic, it looks kind of nurse-ish)
• Burda 5/2020 dress (it is a fitted garment and you know, Burda means FITTED. I cut my regular size and when I basted it, it was WAY too small. So I'll revisit in the late spring/early summer and determine if it's worth finishing.)
• Burda 5/2020 skirt (I always end up with a fitted bottom at the basting stage during PMS week. ALWAYS! And I put this aside and didn't come back to it, and then it was cold. I will finish it because I love it, but it is definitely not a winter garment so it'll be revisited.)

Of my 5 wadders, the real disappointments were the red & white striped cotton jersey I paid an arm and a leg for from Marcy Tilton that bled all over the place, the clip-dot voile McCall's 8042 top, and the recent fail that was the Simplicity 9373 chartreuse cardigan. 

I always sew more tops than other garments. What can I say, I'm consistent! Also worth noting that of the 14 tops I sewed, 10 of them were either Burda magazine or Simplicity, which is consistent with the pattern brands I think fit me well. 

Garment Type

Of the 33 garments, there were:

• 14 tops (4 wadders, 1 donated because it was too small)
• 8 dresses (2 UFOs)
• 5 skirts (3 UFOs, I intend to finish all)
• 4 cardigans (1 wadder)
• 1 jacket (UFO)
• 1 pant (WIP)

ONE PAIR OF PANTS?! That's insanity! I think I spent a lot of the year hoping/planning to lose weight and ended up buying a few pair of pants to get me through. I'm excited to sew a few new pairs, soon.

Pattern Company

Of the 33 garments sewn for myself, I sewed:

• 13 Burda Magazine
• 8 McCall's
• 7 Simplicity
• 3 Butterick
• 1 New Look 
• 1 Burda envelope

I sewed a Kommatia pattern for my daughter but otherwise, no Indie patterns this year. I really don't feel like I missed them either. I did purchase a handful of Viki Sews patterns during a sale (I got 6 or 7 for ~$30) so we will see if any of them are sewn in 2022!

I should have my Beatrice Form very soon after the new year and I'm curious to see how it will change my sewing life :) I definitely do not plan to touch those VS patterns until I have it. It'll be so much easier to see the fit changes needed with the form!

Goodbye, 2021!!

This collage includes: failed top due to pattern and fabric (Burda 8/2016+Marcy Tilton cotton jersey) * machine knit sweater for grandson * golf club covers for my brother * S9011 dress * Burda 3/2014 top sewn for the Rebecca Page sewing summit * M7061 hoodie * Burda 1/2021 (I LOVE THIS TOP!) * M6016 baby shirt * matching shirt for dad with M6044

***********************

I worked on this blog post Monday afternoon and then my energy started to plummet. I chalked it up to a long morning of interviews (we conducted 4 back to back) and a big lunch. Tuesday morning, I had 4 more interviews to conduct and really started to drag. Plus, I had crazy congestion, sneezing and coughing. I jokingly asked my husband, "Do I have COVID?" I scheduled a test and just over 24 hours later, discovered I was indeed Covid positive. I am fully vaccinated and I do believe my case is considered mild. It's uncomfortable, for sure, but mild. I am isolating and doing all I can to take care. I'm pretty salty that my long holiday break was tainted! I was ready to do some serious sewing! 

I'm going to work on my 2022 planning post while I have the energy :-)

October Wrap-up & November plans

l sewed something this month! Haha! I was going to try to work on this jacket from 6/2018 that I started some time ago but, Oops. It doesn't fit right now. 

But I also ordered fabric this month. FM had discounted shipping and that is so hard for me to resist! LOL!

I really liked the DKNY jersey, found the double knit and swooned, then saw the interlock (V1835) and that plaid rayon shirting was $1.99/yd. I ordered 5 yards with the plan to make some nice, traditional pajamas. But it washed up BEAUTIFULLY and I may use it for a dress, and stash the rest. 

Then, they had their $2, $3, $4 sale soon after and I found some really great pieces of fabric (18.5 yards for $56?! Rayon blend knits, viscose and rayon wovens? SCORE. 

When I washed up the first fabric order, I brought the metallic double knit up and said, I'm about to make a cardigan. I was so excited! I spent so much time Thursday night combing the pattern stash, looking for the right thing. However, my hand was really bothering me. I don't know about you, but cutting the pattern tissue/paper is such a tedious part of the job and for some reason, tests my fine motor skills much more so than cutting the fabric. So I knew I had to choose something I'd made before. 

I don't know how many versions of M6844 I've made over the years (at least 5), but I knew it was it! I made pattern adjustments Friday night and sewed it Saturday and Sunday. I'm really excited about this one. The base is a medium toned grey and the lurex threads allows it to take on the color of so many other colors! Grey, deeper shades of purple, coral, blush, and of course white, off white, black, etc. 

I will get pics this week and get it blogged. YAY!

as of Saturday afternoon, it's since finished

So that's 1 5/8 yards sewn for October! woot woot! 

I'd also like to use another pattern that's been sewn before, the In-House Patterns Belle bow blouse, to do my version if this Tahari top. I like that the Belle has an extended shoulder line. I really loved the cotton voile version I made way back when, I think the print just wasn't a good fit for my wardrobe. I later made a version in white rayon challis that just wasn't right...I don't think I had the skills to work with a solid challis at that time. :)

It's getting cold in the tundra y'all. I saw this simple little "snood" on Lafyette 148's website for $348. WHEW! It is cashmere, but it it's a 14.5" square! It's a tiny square!! So I'm going to decide on a tuck stitch pattern that I like on the machine, and knit one up.  

I had to buy a new coat this weekend so why not make a new scarf? It's not like I own 20 scarves and cowls already...haha!

August Wrap-up and September Plans

This month I sewed 3 things for 6 yards:

• Burda 5/2020 skirt - 1.25 yd (WIP)
• orange & blue animal print cotton sateen from stash
• tack buttons

• McCall's 8042 top - 2 yd
• magenta clip dot voile
• bias tape

• New Look 6651 dress - 2.75 yd
• navy cotton print voile
• elastic
• buttons

I'm not 100% sold on either the top or dress, but am hopeful for the skirt. The shirtdress is very cute but I don't know if it's entirely my style. It is still awaiting buttonholes and buttons. The skirt stalled because I am ALWAYS starting something fitted when I get to my super-bloated part of the month. Durrr.

Other thing of note this month, I finally started the process for my Beatrice! I will be posting an unboxing and summary of the scanning process soon. And once I receive it, I will post about the final product, and will follow up after some time with a review. I'm excited!

Beatrice scanning suit

My husband decided on a fancy birthday celebration and I was on short notice to find something. After a lot of pointless online browsing, I happened to go to Nordstrom Rack to return a pair of shoes and went by the sale rack and HUZZAH! I found a beautiful Vince Camuto off-shoulder dress in a RPL (rayon/poly/lycra) blend in MY size. There was no price tag on it and I took a deep breath and went to check out. It was $44! SCORRRREEEEE. After that, I stopped by TJ Maxx to make another return and found a cute Club Monaco dress in my size and for $49. So I bought both and am keeping both because they're pretttttty.

I was a lot less bloated on the day I wore the dress, LOL!

We had an awesome time!

I also became a Nana again! My daughter and son-in-law welcomed their 2nd baby boy, Fin into the world on August 26. I'm heading to California this week to get all the baby snuggles!

September plans are pretty loose. Here we are a whole week into the month and I'm just now writing an August review. Wah. And when I return from CA, there'll be just barely a week left in the month. I still don't have anything specific I want to work on and will likely focus on finishing my shirtdress and the skirt I started last month.

And I am playing around with some knitting machine techniques because I AM GOING TO KNIT AND FINISH A SWEATER!!!!

ribbing with hand manipulated eyelets (you can see where I messed up! LOL!) and laddering.

At the very top of the ladders, I tried to bring the needles back into work but apparently did that wrong

And I tried my hand at lace again

Isn't this pretty!? The machine does ALL the work, I just have to remember when to do my 2 rows of knit carriage (vs. the lace carriage). My machine has capabilities of a new machine but not the full electronics. So on the actual 940s, the machine will tell you when to knit. On my upgraded 910, I have to pay attention to when to knit. I will probably try something simple like a shawl with lace before diving into a sweater with the technique (like, decreases and increases in LACE?!? eek!)

As always, more later. Fall is my favorite so I'm really hoping my mojo makes a comeback.