More sewing

The kids and I made several things for Christmas. E made J a tic-tac-toe board from the army print and some blue for the buttons. Some of the buttons are vintage from Mildred. J had me make E a bag to hold the marbles he bought her. L and I made a mask for O out of some old polka-dot fabric and a butterfly-shaped mask for H out of an old FQ from PPQ. H and L had me make bookmarks for E out of some scraps.

Probably 2 yards total.

I also bought 8 yards of fabric for J's cape. Four yards of a beautiful, soft butter suede and four yards of just plain black broadcloth.

A new skirt

I finished Amy Butler's Barcelona Skirt last night. It's from some black and white fabric that I got in the mountains last year. It took 4 yards of fabric including some of the muslin from my MIL.

For me

I made a cute little purse for myself from McCall's 4794, view A. It was 1 1/8 yds of fabric out. I also cut up the layer cake and started making the patchwork for some stockings. Tedious.

Here is a picture of O modeling my purse.

From Projects

**edited to add picture

Christmas clothes tally

2.25 for JI shirts
10.5 for ELHO dresses
1.5 for bias strips
---------
14.25 total

Cool! I need to learn how to keep better track of actual usage. This is an estimate.

Fabric must-haves

Would these fabrics make my life complete? Probably not, but they make me smile!


123ABC Tea by Alexander Henry

Nice Threads by Alexander Henry


Home Sewing is Easy by

Housework whenever by In the beginning fabrics

Little projects

I made a new puppet bag for E with some of Mom's fabric (3/4 yd). I also made 8 little beanbags for the kids fair at church (1 yd). They were 5x5 bags filled with popcorn. I used the Noah's Ark fabric that I got for E's diaper bag in '97.

I also mended one pillow case dress and made 4 more. These are out of queen-sized cases and fit the bigger girls nicely.

Mountain miscellany

We went to the mountains for sewing and apples and relaxation. Great trip, except for the rain. And the boredom that came with it.

We got roughly 11 bushels of various kinds of apples. That was a tight fit in the van for the ride home. We have already canned 20 quarts of applesauce and dried 2 dehydrator-full batches. So very good! The kids have eaten many, many apples. Tomorrow I want to can more applesauce and some pie filling. I also want to grate and slice some for later use in muffins, oatmeal, bread, and such.

More fabric

I got the rest of my Christmas fabric yesterday at PPQ. That was 6 yds.

I helped Christina start learning to sew while we were at Beth's last night. She cut several napkins and sewed a 1/4" seam line around them all. She will iron the rest of the hem, and we will finish the hems the next time we meet.

She gave me some kefir to taste. Ummmmm......not sure. I've started my own batch of it.

Finished a skirt

Yippee! I finished a skirt for myself (Taylor Made Designs Sassy skirts). It's barely wearable, but I will make do. It is actually too big. I swear I measured, but it is still too big. I made it from a sale print from PPQ. I also used a very, very old zipper. The skirt is an A-line skirt with a flounce.

At the end of the year I would like to have sewn 20 more yards than purchased. Right now I've sewn a net yardage out of 15 yds.

New fabric

I got 4 yds of Christmas fabric today at PPQ. I'm breaking up the spending for the Christmas dresses. Moda Figgy Pudding is what I've chosen. I picked 5 pieces to mix for skirts.

On a roll

I finished a project for me! Yippee! It is Simplicity 2898. The neckline is very low so I make a modesty panel. I did my second FBA. It's getting easier to cut apart the pattern pieces, but it still makes me nervous.

1.5 yds out

Another project finished

I finished the bra (Jalie 2564) for E. It's really cute. I used some new lingerie elastic. I can't wait to use more of that stuff.

It only took 1/4 of a yard.

A three hour cruise

Goodness! The new ironing board cover should have taken a few hours. Instead it took all day. All day long. I finally found fabric and cut it out. Then I oh so carefully cut off the top portion that was supposed to be just a pattern. Then the search began for new fabric. Took a while to find some fabric of the right length.

1.5 yds out
1.5 yds of regular batting out (also took way too long to find enough)
1.5 yds of insul-brite ( the only thing not stash)
1 pkg of bias tape (old, but useful)

Spotting UFO's

I finished a UFO!

From Drop Box

I started it for L years ago. It fits H, and she loves it. More details later.

1.75 yards out
1 really old zipper out.

Earlier, I also made a Bible cover for Charlie's b'day. It turned out really cool but a bit too big. I need a pic of it. That was 2 yds plus some batting that's been hanging around for a couple of years. I used the name tag and NBC patch from his old Army gear. I love that!

The quilt is done!

J's quilt is done! Beautiful! He was very surprised. And I am very tired.

12 yards out.

Finished sewing

I made myself a purse. It's so cool, not even a place mat! It was only .5 yard, though.

I also made 3 pincushions with the girls with 1/8 yard.

Quick update

I finally finished L's birthday blanket! Four yds out. I had to buy material for my bathing suit. That replaced the 4 yds from the blanket. I also got 3 yds at PPQ the other day from the sale table.

Whoohoo! I also finished up the little Vanilla House pocket purse for L. Only 3/4 yd, though.

Miscellaneous

I worked on J's quilt. Two squares are done. I mended a dress for E. It is liable to tear again, but she likes it. I've also started L's blanket. This week is going to be very busy. Tristan is coming every day for a couple of hours. I'm meeting Christina at McDonald's in the morning. The bug man is coming on Tues. and E gets her braces off on Tuesday as well. J and I go see Dr. Barenborg on Wed.

Something finished

I made covers for different handles. One is for a 5-gallon bucket with a broken handle. The other is for suitcase handles to make them more easily identifiable when picking up luggage at the airport. Very cute. Only 1/8 yd of fabric, but every bit counts. I also used up some old velcro.

From Family '09

More done

H's blanket is done! Poor girl had to wait a long time for it, but she's quite pleased.




That was 4 yards of fabric. Yay! I think I'm ahead of the incoming fabric.

Another one done

I finished L's birthday dress. It is very pretty. She is so very excited! I used fabric-covered buttons for the first time on a garment. I also made a scallop edge for the double collar. I have not done one of those before. It looks cool.

2 1/2 yards used. And I used up a small spool of thread and 2 bobbins.

Flag banners

Tonight, at the end of a very busy day, I cut out the flags that I am making for the church. Charlie will show them to Debi tomorrow. I hope they are what she has in mind.

First we split the kids for time out. Charlie and JHO took off, and I took ELI with me to breakfast at Atlanta Bread Co. Turns out that Charlie went there with his group, too. It was good.

Then we did some cleaning. I managed to put away some fabric. The big 2 did a bit of ironing.

Charlie got home we put away all the grains and stuff we got from Breadbeckers. That took forever. Then, we went to a birthday party for Tabetha Davis. After that was a trip to G&G's hotel before going to the fish fry for the Sunday school crowd.

Finished sewing

The birthday dress for E is finally finished! It's Simplicity 5234. I made the first one too small so I made a second one. The second one got a lining and lace on the bottom that she wanted. It looks really nice on her. Altogether, 6 yards of fabric out. Plus a spool of thread was finished and some lace from '06 was used. Yay, me!

I mended L's ballerina puppet finally. Now she has 2 shoes and neater hair.

I repurposed an ugly purple shirt that the girls didn't like into a shopping bag. I used ribbon for the straps that is at least 15 years old. It's not very attractive, but hopefully it will be functional.

Socks rock

I want to crochet my socks! There are many patterns to choose from all over the internet.

Patterns

I have been organizing patterns. Lots of them. Another container is empty. The patterns are in envelopes and filed away. Most of them are in my picassa album. I love being able to look through my "pattern book" online. It's very convenient.

What I finished

I got his birthday outfit. It's a cute little romper (McCall's 9354) made from army truck fabric that I got at PPQ. I also used buttons off of Charlie's old army coat. It's adorable. Adorable. Pictures to follow soon. Only 1 yard out.

I made a napkin pouch for H for her b'day to hold her princess stone. I used some of the old heart buttons from mom on it as well as some old ribbon. All is cost was $1 for a bandanna from WM.

Now I'm working on fixing a pair of pants for Charlie's blacklight performance. I'm just taking off a light gray strip off the side and resewing the seam. That doesn't feel like real sewing, but it's a big money and time saver.

What I finished

I finished one of the luggage tags that I started ages ago.

It looks pretty cute. I made it out of the same material as the diaper bag. I'll post a pic later. Next time I need to change around a few things. I want to sew the plastic on the front piece before sewing the front and back together. I also want to sew all the edges WST leaving the top open. Then turn it, insert tag ends, and top stitch closed.

I also did a bit of mending. I mended 2 pairs of tights. The striped skirt with ribbon trim that my mom made for E needed a side seam repaired. I also need to finish up the elastic for the waistband.

Finished sewing

I sewed a little pouch for my noisemaker. It's adorable, but a kind of tight fit. It went together so fast. I used an ancient zipper in it and some old thread, too. Yay! Using up all my stash! 3/8 of a yard isn't much, but I also get a kick of using the old notions.

I've got to trace and cut out E's birthday dress.

Shrinky dinkin'

Those shrinky dinks rock! We had a ball trying to make name tags for the puppeteers. I see more uses now.

The kids have been catching up on their math so it was kind of a fun way to take a break.

Birthday dress #2 done

Yay! I cut it out one day and sewed it another. Simplicity 9846 view D without pockets. It took 2.125 yards of fabric that was all stash. It should have been made a bigger size, but it works anyway. H likes it. Now I need to get going on E's and L's. They are both very excited to get their dresses.

Sewing and exercise

This is the best explanation for how to do a hand-sewn blind hem.

I've gotten the dress for H picked out and the fabric is washing. whoohoo! We're using stash instead of going out! I might need buttons (probably not) and interfacing, but that's OK.

Charlie and I went to the gym today during gymnastics. It was just a little workout, but at least we went.

lat pull-down n/a
seated leg press 128 x 10
row 50 x 10 x2
hip abductor n/a
hip adductor n/a
lateral raise 30 x 10, 5
seated leg curl 50 x 10
ankle raise n/a
chest press n/a
ab crunch n/a
treadmill n/a

Current projects

Now I'm working on altering the tan t-shirt to make it fit for Charlie's skit at church. I'd like to make it work. It's something else that I'd like to learn - adjusting clothes.

I went to the Y Thursday and Friday. I want to go again on Monday.

On Friday, I did light exercises. Mostly the arm ones so I could say I was there. Friday I did 35 minutes on the treadmill. I used the "random" setting with a speed of 1.6-2.2 for 1.25 miles. Not too much but it's a start.

Decision to make

This is the list of patterns that H likes for her dresses. Now we need to narrow it down.

Butterick 4860
McCall's 2950
McCall's 4758
New Look 6577
Simplicity 3902
Simplicity 4337
Simplicity 9384
Simplicity 9846
Twirly Skirt

Updates

Thursday I started going through my yarn stash (winding and sorting it) at Beth's house. As much work as the fabric stash. Oh well, as long as it gets used.

Today I made some fabric-covered cork boards. I like having the daily school assignments in one place for the kids, me, and Charlie to see. It was ugly just having them tacked up on the wall. I got some square cork board panels at Staples and dressed them up with some striped fabric I've had for ages. Only 1/4 yd used, but it's something. The fabric was just stapled to the panels then hung in the hallway. Using fabric on a no-sew project is as good as anything.

I am trying to just use the fabric I have. I want stop worrying about whether or not it is the right fabric or if I might need the fabric for something else later.

Columbia

We are packing to go to Columbia tomorrow for Bible quiz. I really want the kids to do well. L is so nervous. E and J are sick-ish. Fun stuff.

I'm planning Joann's and seeing the Bauschatz family. I've got some scraps and the yo-yo makers in the bag for the travel time. I will probably throw in my forever project, too.

Shopping list:
1. firm fusible interfacing
2. bathing suit fabric
3. wish list patterns
4. bias tape maker
5. rotary cutting blades

Today...

...is my birthday. 39th! yuck. We had fun, though, even though I wasn't in a good mood for most of it. The kids got a few minutes on the church playground. I got some nice gifts. We went to dinner at O'Charley's.

No sewing today, maybe tomorrow at Beth's. I want to get O's blanket done.

Finished

I made McCall's 4006 for O's birthday dress. It's with the pretty floral fabric that she picked out at PPQ. I used my bias tape maker to make self-fabric bias tape. That was a lot of fun. Quite a learning curve. It would have helped had I kept the paper telling me what width to cut the fabric. I finally figured it out as well as how to cut bias strips.
Today I got 4 FQ's. Plus 1 free for O from them for her birthday. I still have to finish her blanket. Then I'm not sure what project will be next. Probably finishing up Christina's diapers. I serged a lot of diapers for her the other night at Beth's. It was fun and kind of mindless.

Speaking of birthdays......Charlie got me a really cool mp3 player for mine. Very cool. And he did it all by himself. Even cooler.

Finished

I finished the spider. J helped some with it. He likes machines. We'll call it done. That's .75 yards old and new stash.

I also did the little bag for I's birthday. It is very, very cute! L helped a bit. That was fun. Another .75 yards old and new stash.

Pictures:

I did it again

I broke the computer. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Now I get to put all my data on a thumb drive and send the computer away for a little while.

I worked on I's spider and backpack. fun stuff. I'm also looking for a dress for O's birthday.

Busy days

I've been so busy lately! A lot of cleaning has occurred. Many large black trash bags have left the house. That always feels good. Gloria has been visiting. It's been a lot of fun, but very tiring. I hope that she will come again.

I bought material (sigh) at PPQ for a spider and a bag for I's birthday. He will be 1yo on Thursday! Time flies. The fabric has been washed and is waiting for cutting. That's on tonight's list.

Mending

I'm emptying the bucket one drop at a time. I started hemming the cowboy vest with a blanket stitch. I also put waistband and leg elastic in 3 pairs of panties that O can wear. Mom made them, probably for L. This is why I'm so glad I made that list of stuff to "fix" somehow. Some of the things just needed a tiny bit of work. Some need a lot of work. The list, though, helps me see the trees in the forest so I can know which ones need work.

Mending, mending, mending

I hate it. So far I've done the following:

1. L's bookmark from B/S
2. E's apron from B/S
3. tightened elastic waist for O's skirt
4. fixed ripped in H's doll dress
5. put buttonholes/buttons on star vest

More exercise

1/16/09

lat pull-down 90 x 10 x 2
seated leg press n/a
row 50 x 15, 7
hip abductor 55 x 15, 12
hip adductor 55 x 10, 9
lateral raise 30 x 10 x 2
seated leg curl n/a
ankle raise n/a
chest press 40 x 10 x 2
ab crunch 50 x 15 x 2
treadmill 15 min, #3


I also did some work on the wii fit. It's kinda fun. I did 20 minutes last night. I don't think it'll do anything for strength, but the rest is a blast. It keeps track of my weight and goals and everything I do each time I get on it. Even Charlie used it for a bit. fun!

Exercise again

Today I want back to the Y and worked out. I really want to not look like and feel like I do right now. I want to be able to move about freely, not worry about how my clothes fit, and live for a nice long time.

I exercised hard. I realized that I needed to push up the weights. More tomorrow.

lat pull-down 90 x 15, 3
seated leg press 108 x 15, 8
row 50 x 15, 2
hip abductor 55 x 10, 8
hip adductor 55 x 15, 9
lateral raise 35 x 5, 1
seated leg curl 40 x 10, 1
ankle raise 25 x 10, 7
chest press 30 x 15 x 2
treadmill 8 minutes

Posting

I'd like to post regularly, but I can't seem to get it done. I hate to be boring. I'll never be a pro blogger, but I want to be interesting. Today I got more patterns organized. yippee. I'd love for them to just jump in the pattern boxes, poof! I also got buttons sorted and put away. And, H and I sewed doll eyes on her doll from Gram. H thinks Gram forgot the eyes, but The Evil One ripped them off during the party when Mom gave the doll to H. It felt good to do that. I should try more often to sew in honor of my mom.

This and that

Today I made some detergent. I like making it. One less thing to buy. Sorta. I do need to get washing soda and borax. The soap I use is the soap that I made with Beth. It's still cheaper.

I still have a ton of fabric to inventory. Last night I used 1.25 yards to make Leah a baby doll sling. At this rate, I can sew until I die without ever buying more fabric. I did also work on altering the prefold diaper into a fitted diaper for Christina. I like the idea of doing that. I might use some of my prefolds for it.

Busy, busy day

Here's the list for today:

1. shortened elastic in waist of corduroy skirt from thrift store for L. Twice.
2. fixed button on pants for Charlie.
3. tacked down facing on H's new dress.
4. attached purse handle to my bag.
5. attached clasp on skirt from thrift store.

I also got some diapers to mend from Christina.

Yesterday I got J's spider completed. UFO contest, yay! I also got E's blanket done. Stash contest, yay! 2 yards.

More when not so tired.

New year

I already have some sewing done. I made E's fleece blanket. It's 2 layers this time. One is the blue camo (blech), and one is a medium blue textured knit. I sewed a seam about 3" from the edge all the way around. Then I cut 1" strips for fringe all the way around. The 2 layers were supposed to be tied but E thought it looked better just loose. Picture will follow.

4 yards out of the stash, 2 yards qualify for the contest.

From Family '09