Our Looooooong Weekend...

Well, it looks like the 3-day Labor Day weekend has turned into SO much more.

Thanks to Gustav, we'll be home through Wednesday. Wednesday!!! So much for my sewing mojo.

But, on a huge note of relief, the family and friends have all checked in and are all safely away from the Gulf. It's only the 4 days of residual rains to worry with now.

One more thing (well 2)...

1. GO AWAY GUSTAV. (or at least make up your mind so that we can all plan our lives accordingly!!!!!)


2. GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!! (in 40 minutes.)

More on the mini-wardrobe

So, we all know men hate to shop. I've decided it's because they hate to try-on. And, I've discovered over the past few weeks that they hate to be measured or fitted. So, I had to come up with someway to actually make these clothes fit my dear hubby. Here's my solution:

That's right. I pulled out one of his RTW T shirts and matched the pattern pieces to it. (I used one of his undershirts because they are more form-fitting than, say, his Jimmy Buffett T-shirt.

This started with Kwik Sew 3570 . The finished garment measurements were waaaaay out of wack with the body measurements and DH was at work. So, I laid the pattern piece on the shirt and compared. What did I find. The finished measurements were wrong. I was able to retrace the pieces before I ever cut my fleece. Whew!

On the raglan tee (the PJ pattern that I modified into a very cool T), I also used this method. I confirmed the size and was able to use the RTW shirt to shorten the sleeve.

My Man in Blue

Here's my mini-wardrobe entry for PR. I've called it "My Man in Blue", even though my man in blue wears a brown uniform most of the time. (Local sheriff's office, not those delivery guys.) Anyway, I think he looks nice in blue, so I've created him a fun weekend wardrobe. (Besides, he wouldn't let me do a purple and gold wardrobe--darn Arkansan!)

The requirements were 4 pieces, 3 colors, 4 outfits. Here are the outfits:

McCalls 4518 unbuttoned over McCalls 5282 with Jalie 977 Pants

McCalls 5282 with Jalie 977 Pants (Unzipped to shorts)

McCalls 4518 with Jalie 977 Pants (unzipped to shorts)

KwikSew 3570 with Jalie 977 pants

Did you hear the one about the pears...

Look what my sweet babies brought in for me Tuesday night. They "were just lying on the ground Mommy".

You can stop laughing now. Really.

Some Vintage Fun!

I got to raid my grandmother's stash. Here are some goodies I picked up:

The oldest is from 1966. I can't find a date on the newest one (I'm thinking it's that Butterick on the top row of the bottom picture) but it's probably late 70s, early 80s. The are all size 12 or a combo including size 12, so they will all fit me!!! (For my non-sewing friends--pattern sizes are much different than Ready-to-Wear. )

I picked all of them for 1 of 2 reasons:

1. They have excellent construction and fitting instructions. Or

2. They are back in style (or I can make slight changes so that they are). What's up with that?

Up this week...

This week's to do list:

1. Jalie pants to finish the PR mini-wardrobe contest entry.
2. 3 sweet jumpers and jon-jons for a customer
3. Recover the dining room chairs. Yeah! I finally found something I liked!
4. Finish my great orange coat.

...all while rangling the Little Man. He's school doesn't start until Friday.

Book Reivew: Sewing for Your Home

Better Homes and Gardens Sewing for Your Home

Published by Meredith Corp.

Published in 1974
ASIN: B00161VWBI

Some Chapter Headings:
Colors and Fabrics
Window Fashions-A Decorating Asset
How to Make Pillows and Cushions
Room Dividers and Wall Hangings
Children's Rooms are Special

I liked:

• The nice explanation of special cutting circumstances like fabrics with a pile, one-directional designs, or plaids.
• The sliding fabric panels on page 73. I love these! You'd have to see them, but basically the fabric panels attach to sliding tracks and essential create the impression of a fabric wall when closed.
• The introduction to quilting.
• The folding chairs that are made of 3 covered cushions that are hinged together. They can fold into cubes, chairs, lounges or mattresses.

My dislikes:

• Not really any. I suppose that's because the decor ideas are what I expected out of an early '70s book.

Conclusion:
All that's old is new again--well almost! If you are looking for a great home dec reference, this is it. This book includes great tables and diagrams for measuring and creating lots of basic, timeless home dec pieces: pillows, bedspreads, table runners, slipcovers, etc. I must also add that the chapter in color is wonderful with discussions and examples of rooms done in various color schemes.

And, for an added plus, if you're looking for some great ideas that translate into wonderful retro and modern ideas, a book published in the early 70s just might be the ticket!

Would I buy this book for myself?
Probably not, but as I "inherited" it, I'm glad it's in my collection.

Would I buy this book for a beginner?
An old book is a great, and usually cheap, reference for a beginner. Somethings, like how to measure your windows, never change, making a book from a different decade, just as applicable.

A little sewing...

I've gotten a few personal pieces (as opposed to jon-jons and jumpers) finished over the last few weeks.

KWIK SEW 3570

This is part of the mini-wardrobe I've got planned for the August PR Mini-Wardrobe Contest. He still has 2 shirts and pants coming. Maybe.

I really like this shirt. I did have trouble figuring out which size to make. Come to find (figure) out, the finished garment measurements that are printed on the pattern tissue are incorrect. It was very easy to put together. The wrap-around side seams are great.

As for the pattern: the instructions were wonderful. Just reading them, the zipper installation made no sense, but I followed them anyway. The instructions worked perfectly! I'm thinking of trying this again in a few months with a heavier jersey knit. My review is here.

Vogue 7799

I'm really beginning to love most Vogue patterns, this one included. I was first attracted to the long, lean look of this top.

This is actually my muslin, but is a quite wearable one. I made my usual adjustments (FBA, sloping shoulders, rounded shoulders). I also used my serger for most of the seams, though, oddly enough, the instructions included no mention of that. I also used a double needle for the hems of the top and armholes. I do think the neck is a little long. (It's folded down again in this pic.) The PR Review is here.

Vogue 8392

This is my back-to-school sewing. (Not the "wearing back to school" kind, but the "hurray, the kids are back in school and I can sew" kind.) I love this top.

I've made view A before. This is view B. I must admit the tiger print is a first for me. I have never worn an animal print before. But, I love this top. (Did I say that already?) It was very easy to make. The instructions are easy to follow. I made a FBA by just increasing the side seams, tapering from armhole out 1/2 inch and back in at waist. I adjusted for rounded shoulders.

First Day of School!

If you're looking for a book review, sorry. I'll get back to them next week.

For the rest of you...

A little "cheese" on the first day of 1st grade! (If you click here, you can see last year's picture. She was below my chest last year. This year, it's my shoulder. Next year...)

Mini-facelift for the House--Part 2

My sweet hubby painted the front door today.

Look at that shiny kick plate. Lots and lots of elbow grease there.

Next up, the trim, carport and ugly metalwork columns in "Modest Silver".

His first shirt...(remember that pic I promised?)

Remember this shirt pattern that I hated? Here's the picture I promised so long ago. And, okay, I'll admit, it doesn't look quite as homespun as I'd thought it might.

Sorry it's so small. I snatched it from my SIL's pics on another site. (Thanks Anne!)

Help! I need to choose a lining...

Here's the current state of my orange coat:
The next step is the lining. I haven't decided yet.

Option 1: A mystery treasure from the stash. (I'm thinking it's polyester.)
Very pretty. Nice and smooth so it would make it easy to put on and take off. Not sure how well it would breathe.

Option 2: 100% cotton bought just for this project (until I found the piece in my stash).

Natural fiber, so it should be a little cooler. Not as smooth as option 1, so I'm not sure how it would wear.

What do you think?

Happy Blog-iversary to Me!

Book Review: Big Book of Kids' Crafts

Better Homes and Gardens Big Book of Kids' Crafts

301 projects for kids 4 to 12

by Edited by Don Rosenberg
Published in 2005

ISBN: 0-696-22540-9

Some Chapter Headings:
Create something FUN with paint and markers!
Make some FUN with paper!
Let's have some holiday FUN!
Go outside and find some FUN!
Sculpt some FUN with clay and beads!
Try something new (it'll be FUN!)

I liked:

• The supply list listed on page 7.
• The "out-of-the-box" ideas for everyday objects.
• The easy watercolor techniques. (I even trust the 3-year-old to do these.)
• The idea of using kitchen utensils as stampers (page 62-63).
• The "Good Manners Napkins" (page128-129)
• That the book has ideas for young children as well as for middle schoolers.

My dislikes:
None really.

Conclusion:
While not actually a sewing reference, I do think this is a great tool for inspiring creativity in children. This book outlines some great beginning techniques that children can learn. From these, the creative possibilities are only limited by the child (and how big a mess Mom will tolerate!).

Would I buy it for myself (and my kids)? I probably wouldn't have picked it up for my kids, but Mom gave it to them. We love it. I especially love the fact that their are some techniques that are appropriate for the Little Man as well as my Big Girl.

Another week, another jon-jon (or 2 or 3 or 4)

I finished a few jon-jons this week as requested by my sisters:

For my Baby Sister to give to a childhood friend for new baby boy:


For my Middle Sister to give the older sister of the childhood friend mentioned above (also expecting a baby boy):
And, because I loved it, here's a close-up of the ducky!

Mini-facelift for the House--Part 1

Here are the newly panted shutters. I think I like the blue.

Now, I have to decided on the trim color. Here's the "Modest Silver" that I'm thinking about...

What did I do last week?

Sunday...we picked pears ...and more pears

Monday... I taught sewing and thought about the pears.

Tuesday... I taught swimming and dreaded the pears.

Wednesday...we played with the Hortons and bought jars and sugar for the pears.

Thursday... I looked at the pears, weighed the pears (75 pounds) and began my assault on the pears.

Friday...I tackled a few more pears.

Saturday...we played with Charlie and I ignored the pears.

Sunday...I quit!!!! Yes, you do still see pears in the background (another 15 pounds or so).

75 Pounds of Pears = 12 quarts canned pears + 8 pints canned pears + 5 pints pear butter + 4 half-pints pear preserves + 1 pint pear preserves + 15 pounds left over pears

Book Review: 10, 20, 30 Minutes to Sew

10, 20, 30 Minutes to Sew

by Nancy Zieman

Published in 1992

ISBN: 0-8487-1118-1

Some Chapter Headings:
Minutes to Organize
Fast Fashion Elements
Serging, the Ultimate Time Saver
Super-Quick Knits
Elastics--Fast and Fun to Sew
Needle Know-How and Feet Smarts
Begin to Sew

I liked:

• The idea that I don't have to spend a whole day to do some worthwhile sewing.
• The tip about using a recipe card file to keep track of alterations for yourself and others you sew for.
• That she writes out this tip (I knew this, but I'm not sure how I knew it, so seeing it in writing was reassuring that I was doing it correctly): "When you are sewing together 2 fabric pieces of different lengths, stitch with the longer layer down (next to the feed dogs of the sewing machine) and the shorter layer up (next to the presser foot). The feed dogs will gently and evenly ease the longer layer to meet the shorter layer." (page 25)
• The great introduction to a serger.
• The "Seams Great Elastic Casing" ( I wish I'd used this on this dress.)
• Her "Favorite Gathering Method" (page 133) that uses a zig-zag stitch rather than 2 rows of basting stitches.

My dislikes:

• Some of the fashion ideas are a little dated.
• Her centered zipper instructions (pages 35-36) didn't work for me.

Conclusion:
This book works to dispel the notion that "I have no time to sew". As she points out in her introduction, so much of sewing is the prep and the pressing, rather then the actual time stitching a seam. With that in mind, it becomes easy to take a project and break down into smaller steps that fit much better into a crazy, busy lifestyle.

On a side note, McCalls patterns are now offering some "10,20,30 to Sew" patterns that are supposed to have Zieman's tips include in the instructions. I haven't looked at them, but I'd be interested in knowing if they break the project down into smaller steps like the book suggests.

Would I buy it for myself? I probably would have never chosen it for myself, simply because the book screams 1990! However, I grabbed it off Mom's shelf on a lazy weekend at her house and discovered the tips. I still haven't returned it. Oops!

Would I buy the book for a beginner? I think a beginner could benefit from this book, particularly if she is having trouble finding the time to start and finish her new projects. Plus, the elastics and serger chapters are great for trying new techniques.

Answers about coat pattern

Well, I after waiting 2 days for Vogue customer service to reply to my email, I bit the bullet and stitching the shoulder seams and side seams on my new orange coat anyway.

Then, today, a reply:

Dear Salinda,

Thank you for your email concerning Vogue Pattern 1068.
Whenever possible we try to provide our home sewers with the information they
desire. Yes, after step 7, you should stitch the shoulders, and the sides, then
proceed with step 8. We appreciate you writing to let us know of this
discrepancy.

Cordially,

Meg Carter

Consumer Services, Vogue Patterns

Yeah, thanks. I figured that out.