Weekend Sewing Part 2

I had a very productive day. 

Here is the bread cloth for The Coach. It took me a lot longer to finish it than I had figured. I had calculated around an hour or maybe an hour and a half would be all that was needed to do the outlining and the message. Three and a half hours later I took the last stitch. I hope she likes it. 














Here is The Coach's birthday present. I have knitted things for both The Chef and The Son but never anything for The Coach so I told her to pick something and I would make it for her. So on one hand she knows I'm making it for her. She doesn't know it's finished and I'm giving it to her for her birthday. 

And, here is the final project for today. A kimono dress for The Princess. The Coach had asked me about making a dress in this Asian style for The Princess. I used a ModKid pattern, Kyoko. It was surprisingly easy. The one thing I was disappointed in was the amount of fabric the pattern called for to make the bias tape. The pattern said to buy 1 yd. So I did. And I cut it all into bias 2" wide bias strips. And now I have so much leftover. I'll have to find some project where I can use it. 


I finished all three projects I had designated for today's marathon sewing session. And, I got in my 4 mile run! Good day today!

Weekend Sewing Part 1

The Love is out camping with his buddies this weekend and I am so psyched about being able to sew & create all weekend. Here is what I accomplished last night.

Austin Pajama Pants

I started these 2 pair of pajama pants for the youngest grandson, Austin, last month. Sometimes the simplest of projects get put off because I think, "Oh they are so simple. I'll whip them up later." And later never gets here. Since we will be visiting Austin and the rest of his family for Thanksgiving, I finished these to take with us. 

Riley knit top 

2+2 Skirt from Oliver + S 

Next up is this cute little purple top for The Princess. Again, I started it last month and just kept putting off the finishing details, like weaving in all the serged ends. This top goes with the skirt I made her in September. The Princess likes "bling" to adorn her clothing but I'm not really a "bling" person so I used lots of buttons on the top. Hopefully, she'll like it. 

Two projects slated for completion this morning, both are for The Coach.

•  Finish cross stitching the Thanksgiving bread cloth which is part of last year's birthday gift. I only have a little outlining to do. 
• sew in the lining of the purse I knit The Coach for this year's birthday. I will give it to her over Thanksgiving weekend because her birthday is in early December. 

But first I'm off for a morning run!

Wool Pumpkins

At the recent Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in Kansas City MO I saw some really cute fabric pumpkins in a booth called Sew Cherished. The owner of Sew Cherished, Dawn, hand dyes wool and sells it along with other needlework and quilting items. I walked away without purchasing anything, but those pumpkins just planted themselves in my head and would not go away. As you can tell, I ended up buying the wool to make these 3 pumpkins as well as the pattern & kit to make this beautiful hand embroidered pumpkin. I won't even attempt to work on the embroidered pumpkin until after the holidays are all over. It will be my embroidery project for 2011. 

Stuffed pumpkins made from hand-dyed wool

Embroidered pumpkin pattern

Here is the link to Sew Cherished and Crab-Apple Hill. Both are interesting websites. 

Umm, Can You Say Messy?

This is how my sewing studio looked Saturday morning. There was stuff piled everywhere. The pictures don't show the projects piled on the floor and the clothes to be ironed piled on the ironing board. Ugh! It was awful. I have a hard time sewing & creating when my environment is chaotic. So I took some time to clean up—only a little as it turned out. Then I got distracted and decided to finish up a couple of projects. (This is what happens when my sewing studio is a mess. I find it difficult to focus on one thing at a time.) 

By Sunday evening the cutting table was better. The sewing machine area was much better, although not completely clear. I did however, make these cute wool pumpkins. And I finished up a purple knit top for The Princess and made 2 pairs of pajama pants for The Youngest Grandson. 

Wool Pumpkins (see next post for details)

The Love will be camping with his buddies this weekend and I will be spending most of those 3 days in the sewing studio. 

An Apron and Napkins, Totally Unrelated

This apron was supposed to have been finished for my ASG Annual Meeting & Tea last Sunday. My neighborhood group was hosting the event. Alas, it didn't quite make it. But I did finish it last night.  The pattern is the Vintage Style Apron from Sew4Home.com and the  fabric is from the now-closing The Quilt Shoppe.(I will miss this shop. I don't quilt, but they have wonderful fabric and their level of service cannot be surpassed!) The fabric is from the Caffeine Cafe collection. The front of the apron is Coffee Cup Toss and the accent fabric is Coffee Beans Dark Blue. The apron is lined with Coffee Beans Tan. The lining makes the apron reversible. 

 The apron is unique because of the way the ties attach to the apron body. The tie ends are inserted through buttonholes on the apron and tied in a knot. The neck and side ties are both handled this way. Here's a close up. I really like how it turned out and probably will make some more aprons like this when I find great coordinating fabric. 










When I attended the Original Sewing & Quilt Show in KCMO a couple of weeks ago I found this fall-themed fabric in one of the booths. Since I love using cloth napkins I cut the fabric into 18" squares and serged the edges, actually a rolled hem edge. I used bright orange wooly nylon in the loopers and a variegated brown thread in the needle. It looks really great. 

I made 6 napkins and have decided I will give 4 to The Chef. She & her SO will be celebrating their first Thanksgiving in the house they bought this year. Maybe these napkins will add to the festivities. 

Giving and Receiving

I was touched by this blog post over at Sew-Whats-New.com today. It is especially timely during this holiday season. 

I Love This Scarf!

Northhampton Kerchief

Isn't this a beautiful scarf? I fell head over heals in love when I first saw it in the KnitPicks catalog back in September. The colors shown here are not good for me, but the design is divine. I saved my pennies and last week, with the help of a 40% off coupon, I purchased the book, New England Knits,  then ran directly to my LYS, Hearthstone Knits,  to buy some yarn. I came home with a lovely, dark blue, dark red, grey heather combo. I have been knitting obsessively every since. 

The scarf is actually a square and you start knitting in the middle with only 12 stitches. You increase every other row. You quickly have lots of stitches on the needles. At this stage it is a very easy piece to knit. It is literally all knit stitches with yo's (yarn overs) for the increases. I pick it up and knit on it every chance I get and I'm almost finished with the grey center area. I leave on a business trip today and will have lots & lots of knitting time while traveling. Woo hoo!

My knitting has lacked excitement this year but this project has me jazzed! I can hardly wait to finish it. Did I mention I love this scarf? 

Sew-Whats-New

Have you discovered this great sewing site? Sew-Whats-New. I don't hang out at patternreview.com. Nor do I ever stop in at Stitcher's Guild. In fact, I don't really spend a lot of time visiting sewing sites. But I do like Sew-Whats-New. And I was blessed today to have my profile featured. I got to add the nifty little badge you see in the side bar. Pretty cool, huh? 

Thia Tee--My New TNT

La Fred Thia Tee I made view B with a round neckline.

Thia Tee (actually it's lavender)

Description: Thia tee is a high-hip length, semi-fitted shirt designed for stretch knits. The fit is achieved through vertical and horizontal bust darts. The pattern features two necklines: a round, semi-boat neck or a square neck. Sleeve options include a short cap sleeve, three-quarter length or long sleeve.
Sizing: XS – XXL. I made a large.

Fabric used:  High quality single knit from the stash. I believe it came from Fashion Sewing Group maybe 6 or 7 years ago. The picture captured it as blue, but it is actually a beautiful medium lavender. 
Instructions: Easy and there are great sewing tips included.
Changes:  None; I made it straight from the pattern to check for fit.

Likes/Dislikes:  There isn’t anything to dislike about this pattern.

Conclusion:  I have long looked for a t-shirt pattern I could truly call a TNT (tried and true). I finally found it! I love the fit of this pattern. I love the styling. The darts help shape the top so it doesn’t just hang on me. Even the slightly dropped shoulders are o.k. I might try raising them just a tad. The neckline is simple so it will be easy to scoop it out; raise it a bit and add a turtleneck collar. Ooh-la-la. I’m loving it!

Textile Studio Capri Jacket

Textile Studio Capri Jacket Short Version

Capri Jacket

Description: This versatile jacket can be worn as a jacket over a sleeveless top or a blouse depending on fabric choice. It has two length options with a fitted shoulder, narrow inset sleeves and graceful side shaping. 
Sizing: XXS – XXL. I made a medium so it would be more fitted. I’m just not into very loose-fitting tops.
Fabric used:  Very soft, drapey knit, brown with blue flecks.
Instructions: Easy, easy, easy!
Changes:  None

Likes/Dislikes:  The fabric is so soft and drapey. I love that. But I think this jacket would be better with fabric that had a bit more body.

Conclusion:  I like the end result, but I don’t love it. I thought I would be able to wear it as a blouse, but I will need a cami under it.  I have some additional yardage of the fabric and I think I will try it in a more traditional knit top style. Also, the top button really isn't crooked.