Year in Review - 2010

I've tallied the items that I've made this year and this year's number is 80, give or take a few.  That's about average for me, as I'm sewing for everyone in the household, except for the cats, and I think my son and I made some catnip mice for them, too.  That's a lot less than 2009 (107) and a little less than 2008 (88).  I know it sounds like a lot, but do some of the pieces were pretty easy - knits, of course!

Here's the break down by type:

Tops: 28
Skirts:  14
Pants:  4
Dresses:  12
Jackets/Coats/Sweatshirts:  10
Other (including beaded things, accessories, etc.):  7
Knitted Items:  5

I did not add in the 6 small 3 Studios Challenge Quilts, nor the Ben Hur costumes finished early in the year. 

With the exception of some of the shirts made for the Great Vintage Shirt Project, I'm pretty happy with everything I've made.  I've already discussed that project in a post earlier this month.  Out of all the projects, I've picked four top winners, each for different reasons. 

1.  My son's vintage coat.  I really love how this turned out!  The style is very old man, but I think it still works today.  The contrast collar and welts really add something to the simple, clean lines of the coat.  I also am very happy with the finishing, too.

2.   The monogram vintage shirt.  You can't go wrong with a white shirt and the monogram, while not probably not so much in style today is still a bit classy.  I couldn't resist doing the embroidery in red. 

3.   The wedding suit.  I'm really happy I put the time and effort into making the black suit for my brother's wedding.  I've worn it several times since and it will remain in my wardrobe, as a nice black suit is nice just have for all sorts of events.  The skirt pattern fits so well, that I've used it to make other skirts, too.

4.   Teal hoodie.  I know this doesn't seem to be on par with the vintage patterns and other winners that required more advance skills in sewing and fitting, but this is a piece that I wear a lot.  While I enjoy making garments that are a challenge, they generally are pieces that I don't wear everyday.  Since I'm not teaching, my lifestyle is more casual - not pajama pants and logo t-shirts casual, but jeans/cords with knit tops and hoodies or sweaters sort of casual.  I wear this with corduroy pants or with with a corduroy skirt and along with those sometimes with a brown tweed jacket over it. 

I'm not sure what 2011 will hold for sewing, but I suppose we'll see in the yearly review next December!

Parting Shot:  Puzzle.  I love puzzles, but rarely get a chance to work them.  Since I've had a fairly low key week, I was able to work this one, which I had on the shelf, but had never done. 

3 Studio Art Quilt Challenge

Destination Reveal and Final Review

Here's the final Destination quilt:

Since my son had already asked for the quilt, and wanted on the wall in his bedroom, I had to find a way to hang it.  I found some old picture hanging hardware which conveniently had holes in it which I then just stitched to the back of the quilt.  Since this quilt is small (approx. 12"x12") and stiff enough, I didn't feel the need to use a hanging sleeve and then devise a way to hang it with a dowel. 

He was pretty excited to see it hanging in his room when he got home from school!

For all the quilts for the year (there was one every other month), I've put together a slide show:



This was an interesting project.  I'm glad I did it, it was good to have a small little project to try out some ideas and be challenged by the themes.  I've been able to do more printing on fabric - many of these quilts have printed fabric, and some more free motion quilting.  I'm not sure what I'll do with each of these quilts, as they are completely finished with bindings.  Of course, my son has already claimed one, he might end up with the other mountain quilt, too!

Parting Shot:  Hood.  I went to my local yarn shop to pick up some sock yarn earlier this week, and I came out with yarns for a knitted hood with furry trim.  Sigh.  They had one all made up and on display, and for some reason the whole thing resonated with me.  I chose to use a hand dyed blue worsted weight wool, Classy from Dream in Color, a color that they call Deep Seaflower with blues, teals, and aquas in it.  The furry sort of yarn for the trim is Furlaoro from Plymouth yarn and has similar colors. 

The Beaded Headband

The beaded headband is a project that I finished recently.  You've seen it in stages, so now you'll get to see the completed project. 

When I started this piece, I didn't intend for it to be bridal, but with all the whites and beiges and pearls in the piece, it does work.  The veil is double layer and not quite finger tip length.  Thanks to velcro, the veil is fully detachable, allowing the headband to be worn by itself. 

Starting at one side and continuing across, here is all the bead work:

As you can see, it is not quite symmetrical, but does carry the swirls/waves throughout.  This is a one of a kind piece, as some of the pearl beads are vintage and I don't have any more of them.  They were originally part of a necklace, which I think was broken and has since been incorporated into several beaded pieces.

I did really enjoy making this piece, and maybe I'll make another in the future with a different theme/colorway.  I'm not sure.  Although I really like this piece, this is one that I'd be willing to sell.  I don't always sell my pieces, but if you know a future bride that this would work for, let me know via email and we'll discuss it!

Tomorrow:  the reveal of the final 3 Studios Art Quilt Challenge of the year!

Parting Shot:  Staying Warm.  My mother in-law brought over a dish for Christmas dinner wrapped and insulated in this cardboard box.  Wellie found out it was warm and comfy and decided it was a good place for a nap!

A "New" Coat, Part Four

Holiday Progress

I was able to work on the coat a little bit over Christmas, although I didn't expect to get a major amount of work done.  I did get the sleeves made and inserted and the collar attached:

I'm ready to assemble more buttons, too:

I am hoping to finish this coat on New Year's Day.  This week, I've been relaxing, finishing projects and planning things for next year.  Tomorrow I'll show you the finished headband. 

Parting Shot:  Wellie's Christmas.  Wellie enjoyed Christmas - the presents and the tree!

A "New" Coat, Part Three

A New Body

Today I had some time to actually work on the coat!  Beside cutting out all the suede pieces, I was able to get some of the major seams done.  Yes, this photo is over-exposed!  It is hard to get a good photo of black wool coat, or any dark colored garment for that matter.

The whole body is now put together, minus the collar and the sleeves.

I still need to decide which type of interfacing to use, and get the sleeve tabs made.  Tomorrow looks like it will be a very busy day, as does the rest of the week.  I'm not sure when I'll get back to working on the coat, but it can wait a little longer as I've lived without it this long.  It will be done before the end of the year, that's not a problem, as I have all next week and no other major projects to work on.  At least not any that I know about!

Today will be my last post until next Tuesday, as my family will be home for the holidays and we'll be sending time together.  I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!  Please take a few minutes of quiet time this holiday season and contemplate the real reason to celebrate the season, the celebration of our Savior's birth. 

Parting Shot:  She's In!  My daughter had run-offs today for Fine Arts Competition in the Small Instrumental Ensemble category.  Each school can only send three competitors for each category and four signed up for this one.  She's very excited, as they were vying for a slot with another flute duet, a violin group and a trumpet group.  They'll compete in January, so four more weeks of the same number!

3 Creative Studios 2010 Art Quilt Challenge - Destination

Part Two, More Sneak Peeks

The quilt is almost done, but I can't show you the whole thing until next week, the reveal week.  So far, I've done the piecing and the quilting:

I'm also working on the binding:

My son came in while I was working on the quilt and was really, really excited to see what I was working on.  He recognized the pictures and the map right away.    He asked if he could have it, so it will go in his room when I'm done with it. 

I got all the rest of the supplies for my coat today and since I don't have to drive the carpool at all tomorrow, I should be able to make some good progress on it!

Parting Shot:  Pretzels.  Lots of pretzels.  There are three more trays besides these.  Once the chocolate sets, we'll divide and bag them up as gifts for my daughter's teachers. 

A "New" Coat, Part Two

Since I had a a limited amount of fabric, I thought it would be a good idea to make a muslin before cutting out the coat.  I decided to make just the upper part of the jacket with the sleeves and collar, which was really the part I wanted to check. 

The muslin fit well, even over sweaters and other jackets with shoulder pads.  The only thing I'll change is to reduce the height of the collar a little and shorten the sleeves. 

This morning I was able to take the cape apart so that I could get started on the cutting.  I released all the hems, removed the hood and then took most of the seams apart.  The only seam I left was the one over the shoulder and down the side of the cape.  This section is where I could cut one sleeve, front and back per side.  I'll have a seam down the front of the sleeve and a seam at center back, but it will work.  This also means that I'll have some seams on the bias, but I've made jackets with bias seams and as long as they're stabilized properly, it will be fine. 

So far, I have everything cut out except for the pieces I'll need to cut from the faux suede.  I won't be picking that up until Monday, but until then I have plenty to keep me busy.  I can get started on some of the assembly. 

Parting Shot:  Peppermint Patties.  Let the holiday cooking and baking begin!  I've started with some mini Peppermint Patties.  They're easy to make and taste just like (or even better) than the ones you can buy.  Of course, you can make whatever size you want!

A "New" Coat - Patrones #285, Model #19

Introduction

I've been needing a longer length coat for a couple of winters now, and I've finally decided it was time to do something about it.  I have a shorter grey coat, and a plaid coat, both of which I made.  I wear the plaid coat a lot, but I can't wear it with any of my plaid skirts (I've got quite a few, it is a weakness) without looking a bit crazy.  I certainly don't have a problem mixing prints, but there is an art to it and I can assure you that those plaids don't work with the plaid coat.

To start, I took inventory of the coating wool that I already have.  I've got a couple of charcoal greys and a plaid.  Oh yeah, another plaid!

That's not going to work, although it would make a great coat!  After looking at one of the grey pieces, I knew I had enough, but needed a fairly simple pattern.  That's fine, I'm a petite and don't really need a complex coat with a lot of extra details.  I finally settled on this pattern, and as a bonus it is drafted in the smaller size set of Patrones (38/42/46), so I don't even have to grade down to the 38!

After tracing off the pieces, I started to think about the details such as lining, buttons, etc.  Let's start with the lining.  I like to use flannel back satin for coat linings if I can't get a nice heavy weight coat lining.  No problem, Jo-ann's has plenty of red, which would be my color of choice.  Then I decided to look through my collection.  I've got regular red satin, but not enough.  Sigh.  I also want to make the coat warm, but I used the last of my Thinsulate to line my son's previous coat (a grey/plaid one, not the current camel one).  Yes, that's the Thinsulate below, you can barely make out the printed word, "Thinsulate".

It was then I remembered something.  You see, the original reason I had any Thinsulate at all was because I made black cape about 10 years ago.  I made it of lovely black wool coating, with nice coat lining and the Thinsulate.  It was like wearing a blanket - super warm.

I made it because I was pregnant with my son and none of my coats or parkas would fit me.  He was due in February and at the time we lived 5 minutes from church.  On really cold days, let's say in the single digits Fahrenheit, the car never got warm before we got there or back home, hence the really heavy cape.  The cape has drawbacks - no sleeves and all the style of Darth Vader.  I've only worn it probably less than 10 times since that winter.  Sooooo . . . .

What to do with all that nice wool, lining and Thinsulate?  Why, refashion, of course!  I have figured out how to cut the new coat out of the cape.  There will be a few new seams where there weren't any before, but it will work!

I am going to buy some faux suede for the sleeve tabs, pockets and collar just for some contrast.  As far as buttons go, I don't like anything I've seen at my local craft/sewing emporium.  I even went to the antique store yesterday because I know there's one booth that has a great buttons, but didn't find anything quite right.  Right now, I'm leaning towards covered buttons in the suede.  I need to check my stock of button blanks to see if I have enough in the right sizes. 

Now, to take apart the cape.  This should be fun!

Q/A:  From Lydia, "Would you mind revealing which model of hiking trousers this is? I'm looking for a pair of hiking pants in a petite and curvy fit."  Sure, they are the Compass Pants.  They're a great pant for the price.   Like I said, they are *almost* perfect, as they are still a bit big in the waist but there is an attached belt which helps. The length is perfect for me, and I'm just under 5'2".   I have pair in 6 Short, and they work very well as almost a year round pant, and are roomy enough to wear with heavy weight technical tights underneath in the winter.  They are not waterproof, but do dry quickly and have a bit of stretch.  I talked to another petite hiker this summer and she loves hers, too.


Parting Shot:  Cute, Quick, Easy.  This afternoon, I had a little fun and developed a quick little stocking to fill with candy for each of my students in the choric speaking group.  They did a great job performing this morning, and I wanted to give them a little treat at next Monday's rehearsal.  Now I just need to make 6 more!

3 Creative Studios 2010 Art Quilt Challenge

Last Challenge:  Destination

As promised a few sneak peeks of the last 3 Creative Studios art quilts for 2010.   This time the topic is Destination.   I thought of several things that would work for this topic, but I settled on a quilt that I'm calling Destination: North Twin. 

North Twin mountain was the last hike that I took my son with me for 2010, back in October.  After that, the weather got too cold and it became too icy and dangerous for him to be out hiking.  I've been on several hikes since then and I can attest to the fact that there's plenty of ice and not quite enough snow yet for snowshoeing.  Since this was the last one for him for this year, I decided it would be a good one to commemorate with a little quilt. 

I've started by printing out some pictures onto fabric from the hike, one from the start and one at the summit.   At the start, we're in fall weather, and at the top there was plenty of frost, rime ice and wind.  I've also scanned in the map for the area and then printed it onto fabric, too.

The next step was pulling out fabric from the collection to coordinate with the photos.  I'm not sure which ones of these I'll end up using.  I'll have to play with everything together for a while before I decide!

Tomorrow:  One last big project before the end of the year:  a coat!

Q/A:   I've had this question for about week, and knew I'd be doing this post soon, so I saved it.  I hope you don't think I forgot about it, m&em, because I didn't.  Here it is:  "Do you sew anything for hiking? And my 10 year old wants to know what you (son) carry in your backpacks and take for lunch when hiking. He is a Scout and want ideas."  I don't sew for hiking - yet.  The trouble is finding the right technical fabrics.  There are places to get them, like Seattle Fabrics, but I haven't gone down that road just yet.  EMS makes a pant that fits me almost perfectly and comes in a petite, so I'm perfectly happy to buy them, knowing how much trouble it is to make pants.  I have made gear for other people.  One of my best pieces of work was a custom fishing bag for a former coworker. 

What we carry in our packs is a good question.  The weather in the White Mountains can be very fickle and can change quickly.  The Whites are small by comparison to the Rockies or what you'd find in Alaska, but can be every bit as dangerous in terms of weather.  Three different storm tracks converge on Mt. Washington, which can make weather in the Northern Presidentials very interesting.  It snowed on Mt. Washington on July 1 this year.  Being very aware of weather conditions and researching the weather reports before going hiking is important.  To that end, in the summer we carry fleeces and a pair of extra socks, in spring and fall we add hats and gloves, as conditions might be spring or fall at the trail head, but winter at the summit.  Winter is another story as far as layers and clothes - there's quite a few layers and extra things to carry!  In addition to extra clothes, I always carry an emergency kit.  I've put together one for myself, and it includes waterproof matches and a lighter, some first aid items (gauze pads, tape, etc.), ibuprofen and acetaminophen, a knife, a chocolate bar, a couple of Gatorade packets and Aquamira for purifying water.  Everything is organized into small ziplock bags and then those are put into one gallon size ziplock bag. 

Added to the clothes and kit, I always carry a map, compass and trail description, plus food and water and most often, a headlamp.  We always carry at least 2 liters of water each.  Food varies.  Most of the time it is granola bars, sandwiches (peanut butter and honey are good, but my son likes cheese), dried fruit (I like dried cranberries), nuts, trail mix.  Nothing really exciting.  Sometimes I'll take yogurt or tuna with me instead of the sandwiches.  I always have a cooler in the car with a couple of Gatorades or Powerades, a bagel, individual cream cheese and knife, so that there is a snack waiting back at the car.  It also depends on the time of year; when it is too cold, the food will freeze unless you put it close to your body.  The granola bars aren't easy to eat if they're frozen!  My son is 9 and will be 10 by the next time he'll be out in the mountains in May or June, and he carries all his own supplies, food and water.  It is important for him to learn to be independent and be responsible for himself.  Besides, I am not a sherpa!

Parting Shot:  Christmas Tree.  This is this year's tree.  We are still decorating in blue, silver and white, but have added some red birds this year for fun.

Vogue 1194 - Photographed and Accessorized

Here's the dress:

I was able to try it on quickly and get some pictures before changing to go to my daughter's choir program last night.  I have to say, the dress is very comfortable and is perfect for the holidays when you're busy and need to look really nice.  This is as easy as it gets for holiday dressing:  put it on, accessorize and go.  It can be dressed up or down, with just a change in jewelry or scarves and shoes. (The scarf is a $3.50 Jo-ann's special.  I bought 3/8 yard of something silky, trimmed it even and roll edge hemmed it with my serger.  Cheap and quick.)

The back looks so much better after removing that top piece of elastic, too:

I have to admit that part way through this project, I wasn't 100% convinced that I'd like it.  Once I tried it on, I was really happy with my choice.  This dress is a little different from what I'd normally pick for a holiday outfit, as I'd usually pick something really tailored or vintage.  This is a good change and I'd certainly consider more of this type of dress in the future.

Tomorrow:  Some sneak peaks of the last 3 Studios Art Quilt Challenge quilt for 2010!

Parting Shot:  Rerouted.  This poor little box went on an adventure before it arrived here.  I ordered some gifts for my husband and the box was shipped from Ohio and doing well, arriving in Chelmsford, MA like almost all USPS boxes do before coming up to my part of New England.  Somehow it then ended up in Laurel, MD, where it was turned around and sent back here!

Vogue 1194 - DKNY Dress

Finished, With a Few Tweaks

I was able to finish up the dress this morning.  The last part of the dress is pretty standard knit construction, sew the shoulder seams, then insert the sleeves while the garment is flat and then stitch the sleeve and side seams as one long seam. 

Before hemming, I tried on the dress to check the hem lengths.  While the dress was on, I noticed a few small problems.  One, at the top of the back band, there was some strange wrinkling.  You can barely see it in the envelope photo and it looks worse in real life.

 I was hoping that by removing the elastic from that seam that the problem would go away.  I carefully removed the elastic and the wrinkles were gone.  Yay!  If you're making this one, baste the side seams and try it on - it will be easier to remove the elastic before you stitch those side seams, especially if you're going to serge them.

One other slight problem was that the front facings and center seam were fighting with each other and didn't lay flat and together.  I solved this by tacking the two pieces together right at the corner on each side.

As far as the hems go, I had already shortened the sleeves by an inch, and lengthened the dress by 1 1/2".  The sleeves were good, but the dress was a bit longer than I wanted, by turning it up 1 1/2", it was just right, just below the knee.   The pattern instructions are to machine stitch the hem twice, and I did try coverstitching a sample, but I didn't like the result.  With this fabric, a hand stitched hem was going to look better, so I serged the edges and then catch stitched the hem by hand.  I am fairly happy with the hems, but hems in any kind of velvet are tricky.

Overall, I really like this dress!  It is comfortable, yet dressy and can be styled with a variety of accessories.  I have one choker necklace, plus matching earrings (not shown), a vintage pin and a scarf.  I'm not sure how I'll wear this just yet. 

Tomorrow, I'll try to post of photo of me wearing the dress.  My children have a school concert tonight, but I'll be wearing something different.  Maybe I'll have enough time to quickly put the dress on and get a photo.

Parting Shot:  Getting There.  The majority of the beading is done on the headband and it is partially assembled.  I just need to finish the inside and do the edge beading.