Baby Shower DIYs and...a little sewing

My next garment for the Endless Combinations contest is a dress from Simplicity 8890. I finished it but isn't my favorite thing. Will review as soon as the sun resurfaces and I can take pics.

Also, I was all set to cut out S8389 for my black shorts and I have the 6-14 size range. FOR PANTS! Eek! I am an 18 on bottom so yeah...no. I'm going to sew an oldie but goodie; Simplicity 1887.

I am thinking of finishing up with a tee, possibly McCalls 6839. An old pattern that I made back in 2015 but I loved the shape and am pretty much considering recreating it (using a b & w stripe again).

oh. my. goodness. Speaking of patterns...

Have you seen that IG Design Group is rebranding the Big4 as "Something Delightful"?

Not cool. At all. What on earth does this name mean? What does it have to do with sewing patterns?!? What does it have to do with the iconic names Butterick, McCall's, Vogue? Ugh.

ANYWAY...I will call the shower a success! Now, because things just have a way of happening...

I woke up that morning, early. I ran to Target to buy some pants (a rayon/linen blend) because it was going to be a SCORCHER; there was a heat advisory in place. I love a dress during the summer but as a member of the Thick Thigh Club, when it's really hot? I don't want any skin-on-skin action happening. Then, I went to Trader Joe's to buy flowers, came home and arranged them quickly, as my husband loaded up the car. 

indirectly related facts:

I am super independent. It's woven into my DNA. My husband is a caregiver. It's just a part of him.

Yes, this is huge spot of give and take for us.

Park that.

While arranging the flowers I was feeling "off". I couldn't put my finger on it but something was off. At one point, I said to him, "I don't know what made me think I could pull this off..." And carried on. I decided I was sad(?) that it was going to be HOT AS HELL and that would 1) affect the guest list and 2) result in a bunch of wasted food (because people really do not eat as much when it's hot).

We arrived at the park shelter (which is amazing and I will reserve it again for something else in the future!) and right away, I see tables with tablecloths on them. Deciding that someone had decided to hang out there on this warm summer day, I marched right up there and (nicely, I swear!) informed them that we had a reservation. But THEY had a reservation. WHAT?

After searching my email I realized, I RESERVED THE SHELTER FOR THE WRONG DAY!

I was gutted. And my brain felt fuzzy. And by then, my brother and sil had arrived (they were going to help with set up while my husband, Mike ran around picking up the food and ice). I started crying and he started freaking out. LOL! No one sees me cry. Like ever. Childbirth? no. Proposal? no. Wedding? no. But get me frustrated enough and the tears will flow.

I had to call my daughter and tell her. Apparently, she cried too! And Mike sprung into action!

The shower was scheduled to start at noon. At 11:15 we arrived at the new site. By 12:03, when the first guests arrived, everything was in place except for the baby pics of the mom and dad. His mom was one of the first to arrive so she took over hanging pics while I ran home to shower. By 12:30 I was back and my brother was back with the food.

You know what? It all worked out! Holding it at the Ice Arena (at the private school where Mike works), meant a place to cool off in the extremely hot weather (the interior of the arena is 50 degrees F!) and a better place to house the food (the vestibule was much closer to room temperature). He got to do what he does. I got to lean on ~everyone~ around me because we were all necessary in making it happen.

Never too old to learn new tricks? :-p

I bought a huge roll of the burlap pennant and used the Cricut to pretty them up. There was one each that said "baby", "eat", and "gifts". I made menu cards for the food and the cupcakes. I made an instruction card for the pin game and measure mommy's belly game, and finally, a little hanging sign welcoming baby Bert. (that's their name regardless of gender!).

We'd visited a local guy for the lovely wood rounds and scored a case of Mason jars cheap. Using burlap ribbon + satin ribbon + twinkle lights, and plenty of flowers, we created the centerpieces. I spent under $50 on flowers (I love TJ!) and collected vases and other glassware from my own stash at home :)

This trio of what is technically tealight holders on the wood round was my favorite!

Lastly, my daughter wanted a skirt with a 2-tiered flounce but not with a maternity panel. Sigh. (tbf I never wore maternity clothes with either pregnancy. YOUTH!) The ad she saw, the woman had just pulled the skirt over her belly so I said FINE. I used the still popular McCall's 6654 knit skirt pattern, in her normal size 12,  at the shortest length, and added a 4" tier and a 6" tier.

I measured the hem and cut out a rectangle. I slashed every inch and spread the shorter layer about 5/8" at each cut and the longer one at 7/8".  After taping it down I traced off the shape, keeping the center on the fold, and added seam allowance to the top. Because my daughter is as fickle with handmades as RTW items, I do enough but don't put too much energy into projects. I cut the flounces with my rotary cutter and left the ponte unhemmed.

I pinned them together and before I knew it, I'd sewn them each to the front and back of the skirt. DOH! I wanted to sew them in the round! So I had to do some unpicking (not fun in ponte with perfectly matched thread!!) but it was fine in the end :)

3 days before the shower, she asked me to make this top for her and I found a bodice in Burda 11/2015 that was a perfect match. She wanted tulle sleeves but there was no time to acquire fabric AND sew the top so I hit the stash. I had this mesh that was a perfect pairing with the ivory ponte. This bodice is meant to be a dress so I lengthened and straightened out the side seam. It was also meant to be lined. The sleeve attaches to the bodice from just above the notch in front to about the same in back. The rest of the sleeve is just hemmed. I did not take into account new finishing without the lining (and the mesh!) and it was Friday afternoon and I just didn't see finishing it if I had to undo a bunch of topstitching (and in places that had already been trimmed back). So, we hit up Forever 21 because of course, her 7 month belly can still fit into a medium top at the juniors store! Oh, to be young! :)

I probably won't be finishing this but the bodice is NICE

 andI plan to make myself a dress from this pattern!

We had a blast, the food was good, the games were fun and they got a ridiculous amount of gifts including ALL of the big things (car seat, stroller, breast pump, crib (they actually got 2 cribs and have to return one!). And an actual ton of Target gift cards which will come in handy. Baby Bert is set!

my top is M6519

I keep telling them that if we know nothing else, we know Bert is going to have a super curly mane :-D Don't let them fool you in their pink shirts; gender is unknown and I'm betting it's a boy!

McCall's 7061; Contest Sewing

I've still been fairly mojo-less. Which is fine! But I enjoy sewing and hate when my mojo wanes. I decided to enter the Pattern Review Endless Combinations contest to get it going again. Endless combinations requires a minimum of 4 garments and each garment has to "go with" (coordinate & be worn with) the previous item. There's no requirement for cohesive among the entire mini wardrobe, just more of a guarantee that you won't create an "orphan". 

I was mostly focused on fabrics I wanted to sew, and on garments secondarily, and lastly, wanted to try to use patterns I'd made before.

I actually started with a dress from Simplicity 8890 (I'm going to finish it but am slightly meh on it! It's awaiting the final bit - the straps). Next up was this slightly cropped hoodie from M7061. I plan to follow the hoodie with a pair of black pull-on shorts (something I DESPERATELY need) and then a tee or Ogden cami.

I'd previously sewn this pattern for my loungewear wardrobe. I made the (CUTE!) tunic and used this version sans hood and bodice band because I didn't have enough fabric. I wanted a fitted hoodie (which is a tough pattern to find!) that just kissed the top of my bottoms (these jeans are high-waist).

I LOVE IT!

I tried on that version and decided where I wanted the hoodie to end on the body. I measured the finished width on the band decided to shorten the top 6" (the band is about 2.5"). 

Same as the initial version, I cut a size medium (additional hip room was irrelevant on this version) and a 1" bicep adjustment. Because of the thickness of this knit, I sewed 3/8" seams on the body and sleeve. I added eyelets and a drawstring on the band, mostly for aesthetic reasons. If you really wanted to draw up the bottom, I'd recommend a channel for the drawstring. 

There were lots of reviews that mentioned how big the hood is. I have a big head. *Every* time I sew something with a slit opening in back and someone mentions "Just sewing that shut", I'm like, NOPE. I'm gonna need that to get it over my dome! LOL!! Well, this hood is HUGE! LOL! I almost switched to the collar (I really love that feature on this pattern), because I don't really *need* the hood, I just wanted it to come up around the neck. But I do like it as is; the crossover is really cool.

This fabric is so cozy that I didn't bother lining it.
It was hemmed on the coverstitch which loved this fabric!

I saw a make on the Russian Burda site where the user had placed her tag on the sleeve hemband and I thought it was super cool. Copied that! :) 

My jeans are ASOS and I absolutely adore them. The inseam gussets are everything!

We have chosen to have a baby shower for my daughter. We are following CDC and State of MN guidelines. While we have no issue wearing masks, it helps that our city has a mask ordinance in place in case anyone is resistant. In addition, we're staying as safe as possible by 1) holding it outdoors in a huge picnic shelter which allows for  2) social distancing 3) keeping it super small (our city also restricts outdoor gatherings to 25 people) 4) keeping it short and 5) nothing is shared (individually servings of food and cupcakes). Grandparents aren't going to be present for obvious reasons and no one attending lives with a grandparent. We've encouraged anyone with possible exposure to bow out. We know it's a risk! So we're taking as many precautions as possible. Let me know if you have other suggestions!

So I've been busy making stuff (helloooooo Cricut!) because I still want it to feel as genuine as possible for her. It's been a rough year for all of us and she has really struggled. She has missed out on a commencement ceremony, her husband can't attend her prenatal visits, among other things.

I'm making a top and skirt for her and then I'll be moving on to the rest of my E.C. items. 

I love a good flounce! Hoping this outfit turns out!

Onward!

Ooh! I was sucked in by this rayon challis from Fabric Mart - it was Sue's pick one day and I got 6 yards. EEK! But it's so pretty! and vibrant!! 

I also got this poly crepe for a dress. I usually move on to fall sewing in August but I'm not seeing that we'll be back in the office by then so we'll see how it all goes.

Stay safe!

June Wrap-Up

Gah. I can't get my sewing mojo or my picture taking mojo back. I'm rapidly losing track of made-but-not-reviewed projects. And it is REALLY important to me to review my 'makes'! I like to know what adjustments I made without pulling the thing out. I like to see lengths of skirts/dresses/sleeves...I like to see the fit on me in case I revisit the pattern or am looking at something similar. Bleh.

This month, I sewed 7.5 yards. I sewed:

• Vogue 1507 top - 3 yards (fussy pattern cutting)
• floral print cotton woven from SR Harris
• Hug Snug binding
• New Look 6614 dress - 2 yards
• orange linen from Fabric.com (stash)
• eyelets, clasps
• Burda Magazine 5/2020 - 2.5 yards (WIP)
• border print Ankara
• buttons

Favorite. FAIL. Accomplishment:

I am digging the Vogue top even though the fabric was *just* slightly too heavy. The front and sleeves are double layered. I'm really liking the Burda top so far. I knew the shape (of the not yet reviewed black version!) would be great in an Ankara print. Then, I cut a length from the upper portion with plans to hem it and use it as a head wrap, but it felt a little "Spider Man" with the blue, red and yellow. LOL!

The NL dress is not quite what I imagined. I don't know if it'll be wearable. I did finish it, so we'll see. Could be a fail.

Also, I stopped tracking purchases. I also stopped updating my sketch book. WAH. Stupid pandemic. Considering the vast majority of my shopping is online, and there was no in-store shopping until late May (when I bought the fabric for the Vogue top from SR Harris), my email shows no pattern or fabric purchases in June.

I've really been pushing myself to learn my knitting machine and have had some successes...

baby blanket using a tuck pattern

initial progress on baby sweater (sleeve is blocked so the ribbing looks nicer!). 

I accidentally dropped the work when I went to do the decreases on the other side

and then, SPLAT. Fell on my face again and again. Now, I'm thinking I damaged some needles/latches on the main bed. I have some on order and will try to replace the ones where my fabric is getting hung up and see if that helps.

NOTHING IS WORKING ANYMORE!

Lots of Cricut love this month with Father's Day and graduations! The sign is for my dad, tee and onesie are for my son in law, and the t-shirts for a couple of cousins. 

mid-placement

Plus, I bought these cheap-o containers from Target ($2!) and jazzed them up with some permanent vinyl.

The other 2 larger containers say "dressmaking debacles" and "Crafting is the Best Medicine"

2020 goals

And, we're halfway through the year! 2020 is a total wash in so many ways. blehhhhh.

Sewing related, I'd set few hard goals for the year. I wanted to keep my spending very conservative because I knew that this year would be so unpredictable economically (due to the administration, election year, etc). I set a budget of $250 for fabric (hahaha) and $50 for patterns. I've spent about $385 on fabric and $48 on patterns. Well that ain't half bad! I can see myself making it the rest of the year without adding new patterns but we'll see what happens when the fall releases drop :) I've only purchased 14 patterns this year - that's some kind of record.

And while I blew through my lowly fabric budget, I added 68 yards to the stash and I've sewn 83 yards. So I'm ahead!

Also, I've sewn 60 items and 32 of them have been from stash fabrics (older than 6 months) - a little more than half. I'm going to revise my fabric goal to end the year with 75% of items sewn being from the stash.

I have barely touched this goal list! I made a jumpsuit and made some loungewear. Summer is a bust and I should probably just move into fall sewing soon. I really want to make my husband's blazer this year. We shall see.

Lastly, I was planning a career move this year. At an interview with a major corporation that I would have LOVED to work for (have you ever noticed how many Fortune 500s are headquartered in Minneapolis?! Target, Best Buy, 3M, General Mills, US Bank, United HealthGroup, I could go on!) we were making lighthearted jokes about the slight stock dive. The next week, the world was shutting down around us and they pulled the position. Bleh.

So I'm gearing up to get back in the saddle (there was like, NOTHING on the job boards for awhile there) and figure I may as well start looking elsewhere. So my relocation MAY happen in 2020 if things play out well.

I'm tired and could use a fresh start. I have a brother and sil here, some friends and my fantastic sewing community that would be well missed. But I am also very anxious here and feel so...repressed. It's not healthy :( Current events only exacerbate what's been true since my mid 20s.

Hope you are staying healthy!

Repeats: Butterick 6330 and 6621

Dresses and tops are my wardrobe holes right now and I have been on a tear!

I made a couple new dresses before working on the time consuming Vogue 1507 top (post is written, just needs photographs!). When I just NEED to sew or really want to knock a couple things out, I'll use patterns that I've made and loved (like my last post with tops!). 

I don't have pics of B6621 on me but I've already worn it twice since finishing! :-D If you'll recall, I loved this pattern when it came out and promptly sewed 4 versions. I've sewed another last summer and this is my 6th! 

I used the same pattern - a size 14 graded to a 16 at the waist on down, with a 1" full bicep adjustment. On this one, I removed the FBA. 

This rayon jersey is a Fabric Mart buy. I had previously shortened the neckband quite a bit and it was tough going with the wool jersey. I added 1/2" back and it went it fine. I hemmed the tie, overlay, sleeves and hem on the coverstitch. I did an okay job matching stripes (take my word for it!), and sewed the side seams and CB seam at 3/8" from the waist down. 

It's comfy and I love it!

The previous B6330, blogged here, was sewn and LOVED. I made another one soon after in black but that fabric was bad. It grew and grew and grew. I washed it before hemming and it came out so distorted that I tossed it. 

As with the prior version, I cut a size medium. I added 1" to the back skirt but cutting it 1/2" away from the fold (it uses the same piece for front and back). This does result in an unmatched bodice to skirt but it's knit and there's elastic and mehhhh it's fine. :)

I really, REALLY love the fit. This jersey was a FM precut that I previously made a cardigan from and I love it!

I added the pockets and finished the armholes and neckline with a facing(?). I cut a 1 1/4" strip of fabric, stitched it in place, trimmed and graded the seams, turned it to the inside and coverstitched. The pattern has you just turn in 5/8" and topstitch but that's just hard to do nicely on curved seams. 

Lastly, the pattern doesn't actually include a tie, it's a bow sewn to the front but, no thank you! I cut a 1 1/4" strip and serged it, turned the tube and pressed. I didn't bother trying to sew the ends. 

Fabric Mart had a sale on their Milly odds and ends and I racked up. I took the opportunity to add these cute silver beads to my tie. Swoon. 

This dress, especially, is going to get TONS of wear this summer and into fall. It's begging to be paired with a cute jacket!

In other news...

I've been following this online knitting machine lesson and did a terrible job on this sweater :-p

That mock ribbing IS cool though!! 

The wonky front half was so traumatizing that it took me 2 days to do the other side - it was much better :) The next step was to sew the raglan seams, leaving one open and then rehang the neckline and knit the neckbinding. But then...

I FOUND A RIBBER!!!!

The main machine does stockinette and you need a ribber (or garter carriage I think) to make purls. So the mock ribbing above is made by skipping a needle (basically leaving a small float) and ta-da, mock 2x1 rib. But the ribber does REAL ribbing! Woohoo!!

So I'm going to learn to use it and do another practice sweater with actual ribbing. 

The inspector

A set of plates that aid in attaching it to the main bed was missing so I'm waiting on those. I'll clean it up in the meantime (vacuum out the dust, inspect the needles, clean it and oil it) and hopefully I'll have my plates in the next week and can get to practicing. SO exciting. 

The other technique I've been trying to learn is how to knit lace. There's a separate carriage that works in conjunction with the main carriage on the machine that does all the needle selection and transfer of stitches for lace patterns. You can always manipulate stitches manually, but I've got a good selection of built-in lace patterns. 

After trying and trying and trying I FINALLY figured it out!! I do notice some dropped stitches so I'll have to look harder at what's happening during the process (someone pointed out that it looks like a specific needle dropping so I'll watch for that). 

You don't know how many times I've stared at this swatch and smiled!

A Bunch of Tops

I didn't get a chance to update here but put a post on Instagram (here) explaining why I was postponing Faye's Tops That Pop. It took a bit for me to wrap my head around my feelings about everything and ultimately, I don't feel good uplifting brands that are choosing to be silent. So, soon. We will do this soon.

These tops were made pre-challenge.  I've made all of these patterns before so they're getting lumped into this post. 

This fabric is a cotton lycra knit from Girl Charlee. I haven't ordered from there in years because of a bad experience and reading about many others' experiences. 

This fabric felt really nice when I pulled it out of the package - soft and smooth! It was much, much less so after washing. I wore it and washed it again and bleh. It won't last long :(

Size 14 with sleeve hack mentioned here and lengthened it 6" (the top in the pattern is a peplum). I intended to length the sleeves but forgot. 

Next up was another version of the Kommatia tee pattern in this printed cotton knit, also from Girl Charlee. Same pattern adjustments here - size Medium with an extra 2.5" added at the hip. 

When I made this Ottobre tee, I liked the cute print but I joked that it looked like I should be working in the pediatric wing of the hospital. This gives me the same vibes! WAHHHHH. I'm not making any more cotton knit print tees! LOL!!!

On the right, I tried it with a few garments before sewing the neckband and hemming to be sure I should finish it. I do not love it. I love the print, but the garment is meh for me. 

Next up was this top intended to copy a top I saw at LOFT. I made this pattern previously here. I chopped the sleeve but should have cut it a bit shorter. I was aiming for more of an extended shoulder look vs. a short sleeve.

The color is so me, the fabric felt really nice even after washing, but it was HORRIBLY off grain and had a giant hole in it. 

I was not pleased and will not be ordering from them again. 

Lastly, I saw this Jason Wu top during some of my RTW idea gathering time and decided to use the Ogden to copy it. 

I used my normal size 12, chopped off 6" and decided on an 8" ruffle at 2.2x the width.

I used a cotton poplin that was in my donate bin. I hated the top I made with it but I thought it was perfect for this little summer top. 

Also, I really wish I had made the ties like twice as long!!

I hemmed the gazillion miles of ruffle with my rolled hem foot. I've mentioned before that I had lots of trouble making rolled hems until I got my new machine and used the foot that came with it. EFFORTLESS. I think it's the foot design and if you have a rolled hem foot that gives you the blues, try another one! Especially if you have a machine that takes universal feet.

I promise you, rolled hems are absolutely effortless now!