Simplicity 9143

So about 3 weeks ago DH was looking at sales flyers and pointed out a Mrs. Santa apron.

I didn't like it, but rather than just say no, I told DH that I could make an apron of higher quality. He pointed out that I was lacking in a holiday apron; and boy that got the old cog wheels turning. I remembered all the holiday stash fabric I had and all the adorable apron patterns I had in my pattern stash. I decided to get sewing!

This pattern is a vintage pattern, copyright 1989, that I think I got off eBay last year with a whole slew of others. I love all the different views. They remind me of the many varieties of aprons one sees women wearing in the TV shows of the 1950's. I'm pretty sure my grandma had aprons in at least two of these views as well, and I'm not talking about the standard looking barbecue aprons you see on guys!

I decided I had to make view 3, shown above in the red gingham check with this fabric:

I got this reindeer fabric from Trendy Fabrics last year and hadn't figured out what to do with it yet.

This red polyester lining fabric that I got last year from PR member Petalbaskets is an exact match to the red in my main fabric. But oh how I couldn't get it to cooperate with Mr. Iron! It didn't seem to like Ms. Sewing Machine, either; but when I finally got everything put together, it was lovely!






This pattern called for rickrack, which you can kind of see around the pocket below. Perhaps black rickrack would have made the colors pop more than the matching green I picked.

I left the rick rack off of the neckline area, partially because I was a little worried that it wouldn't feel too good against the back of my neck and mostly because I was too excited with my new apron and pronounced it DONE!


I'm ready to cook! Are you ready for me kitchen?

And another picture of me modeling my oh-so-comfy apron!

Simplicity 4381 --Pajama bottoms

Having successfully made the adorable lobster pj's for younger DS in September, I tried one out for older DS in October and finished them up in early November. I chose Simplicity 4381. These sewed up well. Loved the fly on them and a first for me was piping, which was so-so. I didn't get everything perfectly matched.

Older DS' size falls between a boys size large and a men's size small, per the pattern envelope. My mistake was in picking the men's size small. It would have fit so much better if I had just chosen the boy's size small and graded slightly up for the XL, as the length is much close to DS.

I ended up having to hem the pants at the piping, which minimized its decorative effect. However, older DS has a very nice pair of pj's that can be lengthened for quite some time to come!

Kwik Sew 3042

I finished Kwik Sew 3042, boys' pajama pants bottoms back in September, but didn't get them reviewed in PR till today. Here's my review.

I made these for DS after our trip to NH this summer. We found this adorable lobster print in a warm cotton flannel at JoAnn's and I couldn't resist. Here's our budding model now:

This was a very nice pattern. I particularly enjoyed working with the drawstring elastic, a first for me. I had studied this tutorial (several) times before sewing with it and then had no problems with it.

Because I called these "loungewear" instead of pajamas, DS spent the whole day in them--a Mom's greatest compliment! Here's another picture.

2009 Coming to a close--Accomplishments

Well 2009 is over and I wanted to review my accomplishments for the year and plan for 2010.



Here were the 2009 goals I set for myself:



1) Make 40 garments: Um. How many? Well, last year I made 9. This year, if you count the "Fall in Love With your BabyLock Workship" and the "Anne St. Claire Bra-Making Workshop" I attended, I made 15. Not bad. But maybe 40 is a goal for 2011? I'll try something a bit more manageable this year.



2) Make a complete inventory of stash: Done! Yea!



3) Maintain my blog and learn to use it better: Hummm. Next year will be better.



4) Reduce stash:



5) Enter any motivating contest on PR: Well, I entered the UFO contest and finished 3 of 5 planned projects. Not bad. I'm always pleased to finish a project. I think I entered the stash contest, but can't remember. Obviously I didn't get too far. This year PR has done their contests slightly differently and I've very excited. Moreover, there are just so many that interest me this year.



6) Improve sewing skills: Yes. I feel like each time I make something, I learn something new or become more familiar with my machines, fabric, etc. I'm getting there! I took 2 workshops, see 1 above. I loved the Anne St. Claire bra-making workshop. And since the muslin I made there is practically falling apart, I need to make more! Also loved the BabyLock workshop I went to which was for my new serger, where I made a Christmas holiday tablerunner.



Other:

• I bought a BabyLock Evolution serger at the October Chantilly Sewing and Quilt Show. LOVE IT!


• I have an Ellisimo on layaway. Maybe my basement will be in order by June 2010 and I can then go finish paying for it and bring it home.


• Attended lots of great classes at the Chantilly Sewing and Quilt Show.


• Have begun using my Janome embroidery machine a bit more this year. Yay! Bought some nice designs to make.

A respectable year? Yes, I think so. Not the great year I planned, but my sewing center was adversely effected by a leaky basement. Finally in October, we decided to have a French drain put in, and there went my sewing center. Now we have a dry, but unfinished basement that is we are slowly redoing with carpet tiles and getting back to normal. But I'm still thinking June '10 before its done.

Ironically, once I no longer had my sewing center, I started sewing again at the dining room table! I guess the unpleasant conditions in my basement were effecting me more than I had thought.

2009 UFO Contest--PR

Well I completed 3 of 5 projects for the UFO Contest and I couldn't be happier.

Here's a summary:

apron for Elliott:














Tahoe Pullover:



Butterick Blouse:



Great work!

Neck Treatments for Knits (Achieving nice necklines)

I found a couple of videos on the Threads website which illustrate neckline bindings and turtleneck finishes for knits:

A Neckline Binding for Knits

Video:
Sarah Veblen, teacher and author of Sparks, Maryland, recommends you try her techniques on assorted samples to get a feeling for the amount of stretch as it varies from knit to knit and experiment with various types of neckline finishes.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1911416549/bclid0/bctid1917486352

A Turtleneck Finish for Knits

Video:
Many sewers are intimidated by knits, especially when it comes to sewing a pucker-free neckline. Because they must stretch over your head, and then lie flat, necklines present a unique set of challenges. Sarah Veblen shows you how to achieve success.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1911416549/bclid0/bctid1917449964

Goals again

I continue to work towards those goals.

• I completed another garment this weekend (PJ bottoms) and have the hem to do on a t-shirt (all for Elliott)
  
• additional stash reduction of 3 yards-- 5.66 yds. to date!
  
• I continue to resist the fabric sales, although my birthday is coming!
  

For learning to sew better, I've started my serger class and after just 2 days, it is already proving to be worth every penny. She had an excellent tutorial on how to adjust tensions for the 3-thread overlock stitch with color pictures illustrating problems and solutions. LOVE her classes.

My next project is to work on the UFO contest, since it only runs through January. I will return to the stash contest by cutting a blouse from the Palmer/Pletsch professional blouse pattern I have in early February (unless I show incredible speed in the UFO completion!).

Meeting those 2009 Goals

I am thrilled to report the following accomplishments:

• near-complete inventory of pattern stash (just those Vintage patterns to go)
• near-complete inventory of stash
• completion of 1 garment
• reduction of stash by 2.66 yds.
• so far, I've been able to resist the fabric sales!
  

For learning to sew better, I've signed up for two classes:

• Serger class by Shannon Gibson
• Underlining class by Sarah Veblen (her facing class was great!)

So far so good on meeting the goals.