I Drew a Line, I Drew a Line for You

And it was all yellow:)

I have been absent from documenting, but certainly not absent from the sewing machine! There are so many things I sew for gifts and secrets that I would ruin a surprise if I blogged about it right away! I also have a commissioned project that’s going on right now that is taking up most of my time, and I am loving ever second of it!

In little spurts I have been sewing little things here and there, like a baby shower gift, and Love’s yellow dress to wear for her yellow themed 2nd (what?!?!?!) birthday party next weekend. It was such an easy, simple design, and I am thrilled with the result! Once again, I was able to use fabrics I had in my stash. The neon yellow skirt bottom came from my sister in law who actually got it from her grandmother (my sister in law had this hanging up as make-shift curtains in her master bedroom right after they built there house, and it turned their whole room neon, lol)

The bust and bow fabric is from my great grandmother in a box of unfinished quilting she had.

I just love using these fabrics. I love knowing where they came from, and how many hands have touched this fabric, contemplating what to make with it. I love knowing that my mother’s mother’s mother had UFOs (unfinished Objects) just like me. Maybe she would prefer WIP (work in progress), maybe she wouldn’t, she was pretty feisty:)

She used to watch me when I was 3 or 4 and I always loved sneaking into her sewing room. It was a tiny little room that had a mini door leading to it (she was under 5 ft, and her husband was over 6 ft, so I imagine this was quite an escape for her, as he physically wouldn’t be able to fit in this sewing room). I often wonder if these UFOs were sitting there while a secretly glanced around, allowing me to experience this fabric in two different ways within one lifetime. 24 years later I am helping Granny make use of this yellow fabric that she probably lost interest in finishing after chasing after me:)

I find it lovely to have these connections with people through fabric, and I pray that someday my children will find unique connections to me and my mother, and her mother and so forth. It may not be fabric, or even something physical, and that’s ok. But for the record, there will probably be a basement full of fabric for them to inherit:)

Fabric Organization

I sat down to finish a project tonight {and I finished it! YAY… pictures to come!} and I realized that my fabric is a giant mound of craziness. CRAZINESS. I have gotten a few hand me down boxes from grandmothers and mothers, and each time I have just thrown it in the sewing area. Then I’m excited to get started on something random, and I rummage through such boxes, spilling them, throwing the random pieces about. There are so many tiny pre-cut quilt squares all over my sewing area, I just simply felt overwhelmed every time I thought about organizing it.

Anyway, tonight, I thought of it, and decided I should get started. I did! I started it, but about half way through I realized I really just realized I don’t know the best way to organize fabric as a clothing sewer. Quilters organize their beautiful quilting cottons (perfectly squarely cut) into color stories. Just like The Cottage Home, she makes children’s clothing, but uses mainly cottons.

But what does great fabric organization look like when it’s not just cotton. When it’s jersey knits, poly blends, cottons, cotton blends, and the mysterious fabrics that come along with inheriting other people’s fabric stashes?

I would love to know how people organize their fashion fabrics! Please give me some pointers, links etc to help me get the ideas flowing! I need inspiration!

Under Pants

Love has eczema. Severe eczema. And you know what? It’s awful. Awful for her mostly, but for us as well {her parents}. She itches something mean 24 hours a day and if she can ever barely see the skin on her legs, she scratches down to the bone. It’s heart breaking to watch her go through this, and I am always looking for an answer. A way out. A way for her to experience life without the constant irritation of painful, itchy skin, or scabby legs.

We are trying two things right now {we’ve been trying things her whole life, so this is actually normal around here}.

1. only 100% cotton clothing {but mainly on her legs, because that’s where her skin is effected the most}

2. no wheat {I can’t even begin to explain the crazy links I have read about, linking everything to the cause of eczema, so we give each one a try}

So far the wheat is working ok, it’s not been long enough for me to tell if she is itchy or not. But Keith and I both noticed she had been in a better mood since we stopped buying grocery bread. We haven’t officially transitioned fully to no gluten, she still has some snacks. So time will tell with that one.

What is working is the 100% cotton. She is still itchy, but the cotton doesn’t irritate her skin, and as long as she doesn’t have access to scratch, her legs look close to normal {!!!} However, it’s actually difficult to find clothing for kids that is 100% cotton, especially pants! And top that off with it’s actually IMPOSSIBLE to find socks that doesn’t have a “filler” we were running into a problem with her being able to get at her legs to scratch them to pieces. So, mama, the sewer came up with these bad boys:

Under Pants! Made from 100% cotton 🙂

Under Pants

Under Pants

Under Pants

Under Pants

Under Pants

Under Pants

Loves the Camera

Doesn’t Love the Camera

They are working like a charm, and I couldn’t be happier. Now if only I could figure out the root of the eczema so she doesn’t have to feel the urge to scratch, we’d all breathe a little easier!

P.S. I drafted the pattern myself. And I’m proud of it. Woo!

How to Dress myself {Basics: Navy Blue Skirt}

Phew! I’m finally finished with the pjs, and I got to sew something for myself! A while back I started to realize I need to revamp my wardrobe. I have a lot of clothes that simply don’t fit. partly because I have had them since high school, and partly because my body has changed in the last 4 years. I also took a pledge not to buy ready-to-wear clothing along with a bunch of other fantastic ladies!

So I started with a simple cotton, very light weight fabric that my husband bought a long time ago as a photo backdrop in high school. It’s still on the bolt. It’s a beautiful navy blue and the perfect color and texture for a staple A-line skirt. I didn’t use a pattern at all. It’s a square front panel and a square back panel. the top is gathered over the elastic. the only measurement I took was the elastic around my waist, and I used the actual elastic, not a measuring tape! Then I eyeballed the hem as the last step.

I used some no twist elastic for the waistband, and some hemming lace to make a wide hem just below the knee. I’m really excited about the versetility of this skirt, as I can wear it with boot ans tights for winter, or just a slip in the summer. I cardigan in the fall and just a tank if it’s warm. I can wear it with a simple tee, or a light sweater, and if I add a sparkly top, I feel it would transition nicely to a semi dress up.

Cost: 100% free, thanks to my stash.

ALSO, I am sooo sorry the mirror I used was gross. When you have toddlers running around, you tend to sneak in photo opportunities, and that sneak didn’t include walking past them watching Veggie Tales, increasing my chances of the distraction not working, just to get windex. Please look past the fingerprints.

Makes a beautiful wide hem. And a touch of surprise underneath.

basic staple, in navy

My serger broke a thread, and I got annoyed, so I took a different approach.

Christmas Gifts Finished, Finally.

My family is no longer allowed to have children. Seriously, that’s a lot of pajamas!I’m not joking! {OK, I’m joking, I love all these kiddos and I want more more more!}
2 boys and a thousand girls {6 girls} Christmas pajamas have been sewn. I started planning this in September. And I will do it again next year:) I am hoping they will wear them Christmas eve!

Hand dyed flannel fabrics: Purple/Pink/Blue

Jersey fabrics: Green and Dark Purple old jersey sheet sets.

Florals: Already in my stash from grandma’s and such.

DIY ombre dye! Had fun dip dying the skirt fabric before I cut out the pattern.

Vintage floral pattern was used to supplement my lack of purple fabric. I simply love the way this one turned out.

This is not my favorite style, but I was so happy to learn how to sew this!

Oldest cousin’s dress. I couldn’t decide if she would like pink or purple better, so i did both.

The Green accent in this dress actually pulls in the rest of the collection. {accidental, but I love it}

The simplest of the bunch for Eli.

Special hem!

Each child that is receiving a separates set has a special stitch design.

Olive’s didn’t get a bow, because when mommy is the seamstress, she skimps on yours! Promise I won’t do this next year!

Bow on the back of the booty, to match her newborn sister.

Since this set is for a newborn, I add a bow on the bottom of one of the pant legs.

This collar didn’t exactly turn out perfectly, but I ended up liking the look.

And ruffles:)

This very special girl loves the color green, so she got the green jersey instead of the purple!

Lessons learned:

• ask for waist measurements of all the kids {some of them might be too big}
• This pattern’s torso length is insanely short. {Ruffles, and special hems were added to extend the length for the kiddos because I could feel it in my bones that they are going to be belly shirts)
• Ironing freshly RIT dyed fabric results in discoloration.
• Sewing the armseye on a size 5 or smaller is difficult unless you sew it flat}.
• Sometimes I hem one pant leg in the rong direction, which means technically one pant is sewn on backwards. Thank goodness this pattern has a similar front and back.
• I will not put in as much effort for my own clothing {or my own children} as I do for sewing gifts for other people. I hope to improve this.

So what do you think?

Snow White

My niece’s birthday is coming up in December and I’m ashamed to say I missed her in the planning ahead part of my sewing list. Between 3 other niece/nephew birthdays and 8 niece/nephew Christmas gifts, I missed it. But! That was in September, and I remembered her birthday in November, which is still a month ahead of time, so I really could have done worse! Anywho, she’s all about dress up. She was Cinderella for Halloween and I asked her mom which princess dress she would like that she didn’t already have. Snow White! I used the dress pattern that I will be using for her Christmas pajama dress, so it really worked out perfectly. The only thing I changed were the sleeves and collar.

 

Olive is modeling it here, she’s a whole size and a half too small for the dress {and she is a cranky little munchkin today} so bear with me and the quality of the pictures:)

 

 

Super, cranky. “Maaaammmmmaaaaaaa, soooooocccckkkkks” She really wanted socks on.

I even made a little red bow and slid it onto a clip. 

The sleeves are pleated in the actual fashion of Snow White’s dress. Box pleated at the arm cuff, and opened slightly to ease in the armseye. 
The lion was the model before Love woke up, and frankly, he might be a better model. I’m not sure:)

 

Sewing a T-shirt V-Neck Band {Tutorial}

I am making a billion {8} knit pajama tops for Christmas gifts this year, and I have gone from feeling intimidated by neckbands, to feeling pretty comfortable with them. I thought I would share my step by step with you, just in case someone out there might need some second reference. I am using a walking foot, and crazy old leftover jersey sheets. This is a 4T sized neckband, so don’t be alarmed at its size:) I mainly use the lighting bolt looking stretch stitch on my Bernina, and a stretch needle. I wish I had a ballpoint needle {you’ll see why later}.

Overlap your neckband. Right over left, or left over right, do what you please.

Baste the ends of the neckband together along seam lines {I did 5/8in}, though all thicknesses.

Basting the second side, forming an X.

Then Baste up the center, to make a star {*}

It will look this when you are finished. I also reinforced the center front of the shirt. I was careful not to stretch the fabric, and I used a normal stretch stitch. Then I snipped the V right to the dot, being careful not to snip my stitches that I just sewed.

Next up, I made sure to complete the neck hole, by joining the sleeves right sides together. No I’m ready to put the band in!

It’s really hard to show this in pictures, but I did my best, so here goes.

With right sides together, pin the neckband to the neck edge, matching center back notches, and aligning the shoulder seams with the dots that match. Match the center front dot on the shirt front with the center of your star, and pin.

Here you can see how I pinned the V. {There will be a lot of extra fabric in the V on the other side, I made sure the head of the pin was lined up in the center of the star and went all the way through the center dot to match them up, then the rest of the pin goes through to keep the pin in, not to hold the gobs of fabric in place}

On the wrong side, start sewing at center back, adjusting the fabric as you go to match notches, and dots accordingly. {The band is slightly smaller on purpose! That ensures it to lay flat when finished.} When you get close to the V, take the needle that is matching the star and center front dot out half way. Keep the needle poking out so it still keeps the matches together, but doesn’t direct the rest of the loose fabric. {Watch out! It’s pokey}

Sew along the 5/8in {or whatever your seam allowance is}. Keep the raw edges together, you will still be sewing a straight line, and the shirt front will be flat against the band, where you are sewing {but not on the other side of the V}. Sew until you hit the center of the V, which is also the center of the star, keep your needle down and get ready to pivot. {I can not say the word pivot without screaming it in my head like Ross from Friends}

Needle down still, lift your presser foot up. Rotate the neck so that your now facing the rest of the V. You’ll want to adjust the excess fabric so that this side now lays flat and the raw edges align. Lower the foot, and sew the rest of the neck, all the way around, easing in the shirt to the band and continuing to match dots and notches.

This is what it will look like. {hopefully} Sometimes I mess it up, and I rip it out and do it over. Or, I call it a feature, convince myself I like it better than the normal and leave it. It happens, we’re human.

Then I sew another reinforcing line just inside the original line.

Rip out the basting seams. There are three, and go carefully. You do not want to rip out the ones you just worked so hard to get right. I will actually pull out the baste  seams when I can, grabbing one of the ends and pull slightly, sometimes they pull right out, sometimes they need the seam ripper.

Then you have this beautiful V. {I was using a stretch need but it’s not ballpoint. I recommend a ballpoint if you are worried about the basted lines showing}

Here’s what it looks like on the other side.

I pressed it.

Then serged it. If you don’t have a serger, you don’t need one. Just go straight to the top stitching.

And the other other side’s view.

Topstitch. Use a fun stitch that has a stretch to it, this one is slightly thicker of a stitch. I start at the center V and just go around if I am using a crazy stitch and just overlap them at the end. I like the look and it’s easier than trying to guess when the needle is going to be going forward or backwards. If your using a regular stretch stitch or zig zag, you can get fancy, start at the center back and then keep your need down when you get to the point of the V, rotate and have a lovely finished V.

I saw that some of my foundation stitches showed through here, so I ripped them out, and used some water to erase my water soluble ink dot.

And here it is!

He Finally Settled for a Lobster

 

 

I was SO excited for Halloween this year. E’s first year in preschool, and I just knew they would have a costume party. They did, but the ride to get a costume that E wanted to wear was a mess. He changed his mind more than he has about anything else. Usually he knows what he wants and sticks to his guns, but not this time:) He was finally excited when the time came. He even wanted to get dress at home, before he saw other kids wearing costumes! 

Add a whole lot of “I don’t want to dress up as anything!”s in between, and this is how our Halloween costume conversations went.

1: Alpha Pig (95% made) 

2: Lobster! (Changed his mind, no lobster)

3: Wyatt from Super Why (Made the Cape, and he refused to wear it)

4: Lobster! (Success!)

We had a better set of eyes but they got lost when we went to the trick or treat at the zoo. That night was a disaster filled with freezing rain and 3 vendors that showed up because of the rain, when there should have been hundreds (which meant barely any trick or treating).

My sister found a red pajama onsie at a thrift store, so really this last minute costume came together in a flash. I just sewed up a stuffed lobster tail, and two big pinchers, then pinned them on using safety pins. I thought about sewing it right on, but my nap time sewing time slot ran out, so safety pins won!

Eli attends a preschool at our local Career and Technical specialized high school. His teachers are mainly high school students who are learning Early Childhood education (he also has two adult certified preschool teachers who manage the highschoolers and guide them in their teaching the children. Seriously, I love this program. It’s amazing. Anyway, this brings awesome opportunity for him, and today, it meant they got to tour around in a costume parade to the whole school! Teachers and students loved seeing the wee ones all dressed up as they went door to door trick or treating.
The high schoolers learning to be firefighters dressed in full gear to hand the kids candy, and of course the kids went crazy over it! Seriously a blast! I love how Eli’s little lobster claw has to reach in to grab the candy!

We still have trick or treating in our neighborhood to do tonight, which would make 3 costume wearing events this year for Eli! 2/3 he has worn the costume. Here’s hoping tonight will make it 3/3!

 

I’m Fasting :)

I am so excited to be a part of Goodbye Valentino‘s Ready-To-Wear Fasters! You can see my profile, and all of the other ladies who are participating here!

The goal is to not buy ready to wear {RTW} for a whole year for myself. The rules are pretty simple:

• Refashions count
• Gifts don’t count
• Undergarments are an exception

I am also going to be sewing for my children’s clothing as well, but I do tend to be gifted and handed down a lot for them, so I will really just be making some special occasion things.

One of the biggest challenges will be the pants for me. I think it will take a little while, but I’m confident I can learn to sew a pant that fits me well! I have already taken a class on sewing knits, and that’s where the focus will be for my tops, because that’s normally what I wear. I already feel a lot more comfortable sewing with knits, and I am really excited to continue making comfortable stay-at-home-mom worthy tops.

My fast starts this month, but I won’t be focusing on making any clothing for me until I get through my Christmas gifts lined up, and since I just whipped up a lobster costume last night as the 3rd costume for one finicky little boy, November is looking like a busy month for finishing those projects up!

Wish me luck!

Finished Halloween Costume

An old friend contacted me and asked me if I could follow this tutorial for her for a Carrie Bradshaw {Sex and the City} Halloween costume. It looked simple enough and I was ahead of the game on my Christmas gifts sewing, so I took it on.

She found her own thrifted slip to sew the tulle onto, and away we went.

The tutorial was not too bad, although she wasn’t clear on the closure. My friend din’t want the big bow, so we used clips to make a belt for the satin band. The very top layer of tulle is actually attached to the satin band. About half way through, i realized that the tutorial skirt was actually more like an apron. She tired the whole thing together and didn’t slip it on using the elastic of a slip. So I improvised. I kept the elastic in tact and used my handy new sewing on jersey techniques, so it’s still functional {hence the satin belt instead of permanent attachment}. Because of the elastic already being in place, I also had a hard time getting even layers all the way down, although it’s not noticeable when someone is wearing it, it’s one of those perfectionist things that bothers me. If I had to do it over, I would just make the skirt from scratch instead of using a thrifted slip, or make it apron style instead.

After I snapped these photos, I realized the bottom layer was a bit too low, so I took it up an inch. It now sits underneath the middle layer nicely! Overall I am really happy with the end product, and hopefully my friend is as well!