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.

4 comments:

Rachel said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. I think having a blog is going to keep me focused, too. It will also help me keep track of what I have made this year.

Aminat said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I really love the way you highlight your goals for the year, and I will be visiting your blog often to check out your creations. Have fun sewing.

Reethi said...

I'm 5ft myself, and it took me about a year before I was able to consistantly judge the alterations I needed to make to petite-size something. Great goals, and yes, BWOF 02/09 has some really lovely things...

Dawn said...

I love those same BWOF 02/09 patterns. They outdid themselves this time I think.