Friday, January 30, 2009

Just a quick update - The week flew by. Wednesday we went to see Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (fantastic show) and Thursday I recovered!
Still need to sew my skirt lining in (hopefully this weekend). I did begin a new (far less roomy) hat with the tweed wool. Wasn't feeling too well last night so I thought I'd begin this even though it is way too warm out right now. (San Francisco is really beautiful right now.) I'm hoping to stay home this weekend as there is a lot I'd like to accomplish. Biggest goals are to complete the skirt, finish the hat, write a pattern review for a spring top I made a while ago, and begin the plushie (or whatever I'm going to do for the upcoming baby shower).

Happy weekend!!
- Rachel S.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Double Wootness, 2009 Goals, & BWOF 02/09

2009 Goals: I've been thinking about my sewing goals since the beginning of the new year. There are too many things I still need to learn. I guess it will be helpful to post them, right? Girl has to keep some focus, right? Ok, here they are:

+ getting the fit right - This is a big one for me. I'm only 5'1 and I'm not a stick so one of the most appealing things to me about sewing is the opportunity to make things that fit. To date, I've sacrificed this so that I can just learn a few techniques. I think I'm ready to put some real effort into it now. I even purchased some Swedish Tracing Paper to help.

+ zippers - I've taken a class. I've done a few centered and invisible. They still fill me with a little anxiety though. I would like to do enough of these (lapped included) that I can look at one without hiking my shoulders and breathing shallow.

+ linings - I've always liked (loved) lined items. Dresses, skirts, pants, jackets - they're all better that way. I want every piece I put the time into making to be my best effort as far as long wearability and a nice drape.

+ seam finishes - Took a seam class a few months ago and, boy, did I come away feeling inspired! My instructor had pieces she made 10 years prior and, in spite of their getting use, they looked fantastic! She contributed this to the right seam finish (among others). I would really like to master the French seam, underlining, and hong kong finishes.

+ fit my Uniquely You - Almost forgot this one but it's a MUST. I got lucky and the measurements are almost perfect except that the hips needs to come in a bit.

+ make 12 drops (avg. of one per month) for the Toy Society - I'll post more on this later but if you haven't heard of this before, please take a click and a look.

Whew! Those seem a lot now that I've filled in the details. I don't think it's too ambitious but we'll see as the year progress..

And here's a few of my non-sewing related goals.
+ try to move forward a bit with my French - No, I can't speak French. Yes, I wish I could.

+ less sugar (fewer sodas and sugary treats) - I just really want to eliminate sodas and desserts for snacks.

+ water, water, water - Right now I'm lucky if I consume a glass of water a day. Obviously there is a lot of room for growth here.

+ exercise (gym, walk - whatever) 4 to 5 times a week - I'm pretty active but want to establish a hardcore habit with this one.

ENOUGH self-improvement!! On with the rest..




Stash Additions:
I received some jersey I ordered from Gorgeous Fabrics! I was thinking about using the green swirly for BWOF 02/08 103B. I just love this dress and can't wait to try to sew it. Since I've only sewn a few items with knit I purchased some inexpensive jersey to make a muslin. The print does not appeal to me much but the fabric was less than $3 a yard because there are some marks throughout. I got it because I was looking for something with the same "busy-ness" that the jerseys from GF had. Probably won't get to this right away but I'm hoping to at least trace and cut it out this week. Which reminds me! I was able to find a seam guide for my Olfa. That is double wootness! I had read on Assorted Notions that they were not going to make them any longer so I hopped on eBay to see if I could find one. Can't wait to give it a try. The other jersey is black with light grey and pink swirlies. I'm really digging this one and am thinking about the new knit dress with puffy sleeves in BWOF 02/09 (see below).




BWOF 02/09: Will I ever stop wanting to make half of this darn magazine?! How did I get by all of these years without it? K, on to February's offering. I really like the pieces below.

This top (118B) also comes in a dress (119). Thinking I'll be using some of my GF jersey for the dress (it's too snazzy to just become a top)..


Usually not so into tunics (126) but I do like this one with the elastic around the waist:





Like this jacket (127) quite a bit:


And, finally, I really want to make this dress (121) in a couple of months.

Other mentionables are dress 101 and blouse 123. Oh why must work interfere with the good stuff?!

That's all for now.
Rachel S.

Wool in the Summer??! Hope so!

My first post of the new year! And it's in January even! Whoa!

So it's been longer than I thought. I have still been active on my projects but nothing is complete yet. Here's a photo of the Mobius Shrug so far.

I'm really happy with how it's turned out so far. It just needs a couple more inches of length and a border. I ran out of yarn but luckily was able to get another three skeins at BaananeWoolWorks- whoo hoo! The color is just so brilliant! The picture does not do it justice but I would describe it as a really warm red with blue undertones. I think it will go with a few of the black halters I have for evenings out in the summer. I know that that sounds just ridiculous - wool in the summer. I'm still waiting to pair them up so that I can see if the two very different (aka opposite-type) fibers will work together. Here's the thing. It is usually so "cool" here in San Francisco in the summer that dresses and skirts get passed over for jeans and a light jacket. Everyone over here likes to recite a quote attributed to Mark Twain, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." (Unfortunately, it turns out the famous "quipper" didn't really say it but it fits all the same.) I'll post a follow-up picture once I get it finished.

Also up is my first BWOF skirt. Well, I guess it's my first skirt. period. The outer layer sewed up in no time. I've just been stalling on working on the lining. A trip to Tahoe prevented my finishing this last weekend so we can hope for this weekend. I think I'll really like it except for the fact that the fit wasn't adjusted for petite (except for the hem). I wanted to get one under my belt before messing with fit details. Hopefully, there will be a picture on this early next week!

On the stitching front...I've had to postpone the Dutch Farm. One of my best gal pals is having her first baby in March and I think it's time to get started on the gifts for her baby. She's from Ireland and I'm told that they generally wait to give the gifts until the baby is born. That's good for me on the sewing front as I'd like to try my hand at this romper from the June 08 issue of BWOF.

In the meantime, though, some American friends have announced a baby shower for her next month (like 3 weeks away - panic!). Gotta come up with something quick and easy for that one so I'm thinking some sort of baby plushie. I really love the idea of an embroidered plushie like this whale from Pimp Stitch. Not sure how it would weather a teething baby but we'll see. As DB said, "They've been doing it for years." : ) I'm also quite taken with the crayon tinting too. My goal is to have the idea and the supplies sorted by the end of the weekend.

Crochet: made this bucket of a hat on the Tahoe trip. Something told me that it was working out to be gargantuan but you really never know until it's a little too late. I'm not too adverse to ripping so I'll be trying to get to that over the next couple of days as well. It's a shame but that's the way it goes. *shrug*


One last "have to show".. have you seen this Mixed Tape iPod Cozy? It's from Crafting with Cat Hair (a GENIUS name, I think) and it is just too cute! I have a stash of felt that is calling to me. Just have to find some time now..

That's it until next time. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some crafting goals up for the year. Happy Thursday!

Rachel S.