Sunday, September 21, 2014

Update and a small blog break

So.... I have been sick. Like sick, sick, sick - as in "I can't get out of bed" sick.  This has been going on for 3 weeks now and of course before that I was dealing with a kidney stone/pulled back muscle.  I do have chronic health issues, and a myriad of other crap I deal with but this is unlike those and isn't letting up.

I'm really not sure what is going on but I have chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, and my stomach is killing me. My heart is fine - I've been checked and re-checked. But I just hope I don't have another stomach ulcer. Those are no fun!

My doctors have not been able to figure it out, but I still have hope.  Needless to say my sewing has come to a halt.  :(  I can't get out of bed most of the time, much less do or focus on anything else.

I just wanted to give you all an update, and let you know that when I do feel better (hopefully soon)  I'll be sewing ferociously!!  Until then, I'll keep reading your blogs and loving all that you make.


**I am not able to respond to each comment individually but I wanted to let you all know how much the comments were appreciated.  Thank you all, Your comments meant so much to me when I was feeling down.  You guys are the absolute best!**

~ Happy Sewing! ~ Kristin ~

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Ottobre Dress 06/2012 #30 and Jalie 2920 Leggings

Sewing for kids is so much easier than sewing for adults. Less fitting is involved and the process seems faster.  Plus, my kids need to be presentable every day for school, whereas I don't leave the house much.  So my things got put on the back burner again and K got a few new things.

First up is this Ottobre knit dress.  K saw a similar one in an ad and came running to me "Mom, I want this, can you make it?" Luckily I could ;-)

(K is under the weather so these are the best pics I could get)

Issue 06/2012 #30 "Sulka" jersey dress. The sizes range from 128-170cm.  I made K a size 140 but added a 1/2" to the waist of the bodice tapering to nothing at the underarm. I also added a tad to the sleeves at bicep and elbow tapering to nothing at wrists.  I stared for a long time at the armhole thinking it would be too tight, and in the end left it. Well, the armhole is tight. I used only the inner bodice lining for this dress because I didn't want the outside piece with the bows.
 


K likes the fullness of the skirt and the swirly-twirly factor.  It turned out as she wanted it so she's pleased, and thus I'm pleased.  Long sleeve weather pounced upon us and it looks like it is here to stay.  We went from 80°F to 55°F overnight (the Midwest temps can be so fickle).



Fabric: Blue Cheetah Jersey Knit, A rayon/poly blend.  I purchased it in August from fashionfabricsclub.com when K picked out the dress and fabric.  It was only $7.43 for the 1.75 yards I used.  I'll pay $8 any day to make this girl happy :)


K also needed some leggings so I decided to try Jalie 2920.  I had it sitting in my stash for a bit and it seemed the right time to try it.  I went with a size "O" which is 150cm or size 11 US.  K has  a larger rear and I wanted to ensure they fit.  The pattern is only one piece, which makes these fast and that is nice.  They looked tiny and I was scared they wouldn't fit but they did!


These leggings are more like tights without bottoms.  They are snug, no bagging and sagging on them.  In the future I might do a large rear adjustment for K because I'm worried she will outgrow these super fast.  If I was making these for my self, I would definitely be doing a large rear adjustment!


Fabric:
The Purple are a stretch nylon/lycra rib knit.  It is super soft but I'm afraid she will snag them the first wear.  This fabric has been in my stash for.ev.er so I'm ok with it.  1 yard purchased in Feb 2012 from fabric.com for $2.99
The Light Blue are a cotton/lycra jersey I picked it up in August 2013 from Mill End Textiles before they went out of business.  It is sooooo soft and yummy but I only had 1/2 yard so I made them shorts/capris :) $1.75
The Pink are a 100% cotton jersey with less stretch. I picked it up from Hobby Lobby May of 2014, 1 yard for $4.89

This month has been rough as I'm still under the weather.  I hope to pull out of it soon because I'm starting to get patterns piled up in the "to sew" bin.

I was able to sell 23 yards of fabric and haven't bought anything yet so that helped my totals out a bit. It blows my mind how much fabric has come in so far this year and I haven't sewn as much as I think I can.  I need to remember that there will always be fabric I want and I don't need to buy more until I use what I have.

September Totals:
(stash is anything purchased before Jan 2014)
Stash used: 1.5 yards
Fabric Out: 27 yards
Fabric In: 0 yards

Totals for the year to date:
Stash sew this year: 42 yards
Fabric out in 2014: 168.75 yards
Fabric in 2014: 154.5 yards

~ Happy Sewing! ~ Kristin ~

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Fall Sewing Plans ~ Me Sewing

Fall, my favorite season. I love the crisp air and the beautiful colors.  (I dislike the allergies).   
Time to start a Fall Sewing List to keep me somewhat on track.
Summer plans will have to wait until next year unless they make it over to this list (and some did make it onto the fall list).

So here is what I would like to me-make between September, October, and November

Tops:
Simplicity 4813; Fabric: a stretch blue gingham like this
  Stretch Gingham Light Blue/White
View 3 (short sleeve on top)

Burda Blouse 09/2014 #103a; Fabric: I think this green lawn



McCall's 6964; Fabric: a Navy and white stripe (need to purchase)

View C (boat-neck on bottom); let's see how the Palmer/Pletsch fits :)

Ottobre 05/2011 #13 Cardigan; Fabric unsure




















Bottoms:
Jalie Jeans 2908













Made pair 1 here
Made pair 2 here

Burda Skirt 10/2009 #127










Dresses:
Advance 9052: Fabric this yummy lawn



Burda Dress 09/2014 #124; Fabric unsure













Sewaholic Cambie; Fabric: This amazingly awesome cotton lawn by Marc Jacobs


View A (on left)

Slip:
Simplicity 3352

View 1 (right side).
Fabric: a lightweight white cotton in stash

~ Happy Sewing! ~ Kristin ~

Monday, September 1, 2014

August Recap 2014

The last of the summer sewing :)

My August Makes:

My August Fabric Purchases:



My August Pattern Purchases:



August Totals:
(stash is anything purchased before this year)
Stash used: 5.5 yards
Fabric Out: 14.5 yards
Fabric In: 13.25 yards

Totals for the year to date:
Stash sew this year: 40.5 yards
Fabric out in 2014: 141.75 yards
Fabric in 2014: 154.5 yards

And on to fall!

~ Happy Sewing! ~ Kristin ~