Li'l Miss Muffett's World of Sewing and Other Adventures

Saying Goodbye...for now...

2011-06-08T14:54:00.000-05:00

Well, everyone, the time has come for me to throw in the towel for a bit. I really had plans for the year with lots of info and tutorials, but it just hasn't worked out. I'm simply scatterbrained and have a hard time getting myself orgainized. School and family take presidence over all. I know I haven't posted for a very long time and the posts are few and far between but I do think about the blog a lot. Right now I just need one less thing to think about. Otherwise, I'm doing well, family is good and school is great! I'm on Facebook and will continue with that since I'm in contact with so many members of my family there. So if you want, hit me up.

I have been sewing...really!

2011-04-21T15:51:00.000-05:00

You know, I think I've used that title before! ;-) I even have proof! This is one of the new patterns being released for spring by Colette Patterns:

It's the Violet Blouse. Here's the back, too:

I have to say, I really love this blouse. I was a little hesitant at first when Sarai sent over the line drawings. I was concerned about the collar looking too childish but it really doesn't. Honestly, it fits so well and goes with just about everything. I've worn it with jeans, skirts, and my white capris like I am here. It looks super under my jean jacket too. My husband even noticed it (he never notices my clothes, unless it's underwear) and said he really liked it and the vintage feel it has. Yes, MY husband said that! I used a cotton voile that I found at my local thrift store. I'm not sure if it's vintage but I love it just the same. For all my sewing sistas out there, I used the size 18 and made no alterations. I think I will just lower the bust dart a bit (yes, there's one in there...) to accommodate my ginormous rack...although it is getting smaller! I had to buy new bras even! Gasp! I just haven't had time fiddle with fitting a new pattern, let alone make any new ones.

Anyhoo, I also made the Ginger skirt but I used a horrible mustard brown fabric to test it and I can't bring myself to photograph myself in it. I have a cute stiped denim that I want to make it up in using Version 3 for the chevron effect.

I've also been busy testing for Pattern's by Figgy's. Below is the Jane Dress and Blouse that will be available soon! It's a lovely little dress with two sleeve variations and a blouse that has a hip sash as shown below. Both sleeves can be used for the blouse also.

The little dress is made from cotton voile that may look familiar...

The blouse is made from a lightweight cotton seersucker.

That's it for now. I've got more pattern testing going on here at the ol' sweatshop. More on those soon!

Have a very Happy Easter is you celebrate it! If not, have a nice weekend!

Sewing for Boys!

2011-03-09T11:20:00.000-06:00

I'm so thrilled to finally announce what Shelly and Karen from Patterns by Figgy's have been up to. As you probably know, I've been a pattern tester for PBF for the past several months (almost a year, I think). Recently, I was able to let it slip that these lovely ladies were writing a book....but a book on what?! Well finally we can let the cat out of the bag!

It's a book all about sewing...FOR BOYS!!! Something that I think a lot of people have been pining for. I tested just about every pattern in the book and they are all great! I even got to make a garment for the photo shoot, which was pretty exciting for me. This is the garment I made:

Photo courtesy of PBF

Too bad I can't be credited with making the little guy too 'cause he's darn cute! Please check out their blog for more sneaky peaks and more info!

Getting Clean ...and a Recipe!

2011-03-03T14:25:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I came across the One Green Generation blog while they were going through a detox cleanse. I followed along until they finished and it seemed like such a great experience for them! I bought the book and have been working my way through it. It sounds like a cool deal to me so I told hubster about it and it's a go with him too. I want to finish the book and then we'll get started. The total cleanse is for 21 days + a week long elimination process that is done before the cleanse is actually started. I think I'll do the whole thing, but I told my husband he can at least try for the 7 day cleanse and if he feels up to it he can continue with me. I'm pretty excited about it and if anyone is interested I can do daily posts like they did on OGG. The book says keeping a journal is a good idea anyway.

Anyhoo, on to the recipe! This is another "bath and body" recipe in my quest to make myself and my environment cleaner and greener! This time it's for a powdered deodorant. I used to use just straight baking soda but found that it really made me itch so I went back to the stick deodorant/antiperspirant. I was reading recently that the soda by itself is too strong and that it should be cut with corn starch so I thought I'd give it another go. I tried this recipe and have been using it for over a week and really like it. I even got hubby on board! I'm pretty sure the recipe came from the OGG blog too, I just cut mine down so it would fit in my 4 oz. jars.

Powdered Deodorant

1/4 cup Baking Soda ( I use Bob's Red Mill "Aluminum Free" Baking Soda)
1/4 cup Cornstarch (I'm wondering if arrowroot would work too?)
2 drops Tea Tree essential oil (I use NOW brand)
1 Bay Leaf

Mix the soda and starch together. Add the 2 drops of tea tree oil and stir with a toothpick (or whatever you have on hand. I used a bobby pin since I was mixing this up in my bathroom!). Pour into a small jar or other container with a tight fitting lid. Stick one bay leaf in there and close up the jar. Shake to mix it all up. I let mine set overnight but I don't know if that's absolutely necessary. I'm sure you can just use it right away. To use, I take a cotton ball and use it like a powder puff to apply enough powder to cover my underarm area. It doesn't take much!

Now, this doesn't prevent wetness; although, the starch does absorb a little. I swear I have had no odor and my husband says he hasn't either! Cool! The real test will be this summer when even the store bought stuff doesn't help me out.

Next up is homemade laundry detergent! There are about a bazillion recipes on the web for laundry soaps. I'm trying a powdered one and I'll let you know how it works!

In sewing news, the time is coming when I'll finally be able to unveil what those crazy Pattens by Figgy's ladies have been up to with their book! I can't wait!

Good Morning

2011-02-10T08:05:00.000-06:00

Hello, everyone! No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth! I just happen to be highly disorganized and bogged down with school. I really envy the ladies that are super busy and still have time to sew and post! How do you do it?!

Anyhoo....enough whining!

I haven't sat down to my machine in what feels like weeks. I will be soon as I've been asked to test some more patterns for Colette Patterns! Whoo hoo! I think you're gonna love 'em! Also, Sarai has some lovely tutorials up for inserting lace for the Nutmeg pattern that you definitely must check out! I tested that pattern last year but lost my photos when the lightning struck our house and killed the comupter. I need to pull those out and retake pics! The knickers really are devine and I wear them often!

Hope you all aren't snowed in too badly!
Have a great weekend!

Somethings Gotta Give...

2011-01-14T12:12:00.000-06:00

I'm back hitting the books again after a glorious, month long Winter break! I have three classes this semester and it looks like they're going to be a little tougher. Especially Human Anatomy. I'm already seeing that I'm going to have to let a few things go, or at least "lessen my presence". Unfortunately this blog is probably going to be one of them. If you haven't noticed, I have a little poll in the right hand column to see what kind of tutorials and posts about lingerie sewing you'd like to see. I still plan to honor that, but the posts may come far and few between. Not that I've had any rhyme or reason to my posting to date, but you get my meaning. I figure I'll know more as I get into the semester to see really how difficult my classes will be.

As for the poll, I see most of the votes are going towards bras. My fave! So, what do you want to know? Fitting techniques? How to construct a bra from beginning to end? Fabrics, patterns, and other components? Anything?! I'm excited about putting together posts and tutorials and really want to know what exactly you'd like to see! Let me know what you want to see for the other stuff, too. Kelly asked about a bias-cut slip for the curvier set. CarlaF wants to know about fitting bras. I can do a post on sewing panties. What do YOU want to know?! Post in the comments or email me privately if you'd like. I'm all ears!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T08:56:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I wanted to drop in for a quick post to wish you all a Prosperous and Happy 2011!

I've been planning for the next year and hope to share more about sewing bras and other lingerie. If there is anything you'd like to see in the way of tutorials or anything at all let me know in the comments or you can email me privately! My email is over there on the right hand side bar------------>

A Thousand Happy New Year's to you all!!!

XOXO

Handmade Christmas Wrap-up

2010-12-22T09:02:00.000-06:00

No pun intended!

These are the lounge pants for my eldest nephew. I hope he likes them since there isn't anything really spectacular about them. They are a super soft knit and the Ooga Booga print is kinda fun and funky. Hopefully enough so for an 11 year old dude.

Now everything is all wrapped and under the tree waiting to be taken to Grandma's on Christmas Day! I've surprised myself in that I got done early. I'm the usual type to wait till the very last minute.

I hope all of your holiday runnings are going well and you all are enjoying the season!

I'm taking a little bloggy break till after the first of the year so we'll see you all on the flipside!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

XOXO,

Heather

Handmade Christmas Part 2

2010-12-20T09:58:00.000-06:00

I finished up the outfit for my niece over the weekend!

I used the Ines top from Ottobre 6/2010 and it went together like a breeze! I love the little puffed sleeves and adjustable ruching on the sides. It just makes it fancier than a plain ol' t-shirt. The skirt is simply three rectangles sewn together and seamed up the back with an elastic waist. Can't get much easier!

I added this little panty, also from Ottobre 6/2010, because I've been wanting to try it out. The only change I made was not using the waistband. Someone else had made these up and posted on Ottobre's Flickr site that the waistband came up really high so I left it off and just added elastic. The fabric is some nylon/lycra from Victoria's Secret that I purchased through a coop, Kathy's Lace and Elastic Outlet.

I made my younger nephew a tote bag and I completely forgot to take a picture of it before I wrapped it. I guess I got so excited! I had made him one a few years ago and it has hole worn in it, so my sister thought a new one was in order. Don't think I'm not absolutely tickled pink that he used that bag so much he wore holes in it!! To me, that's the awesomest thing ever! ;-)

Next is some lounge pants for my older nephew. I have some Ooga Booga knit that I'm using for that. Hopefully, I'll finish those up today!

Just 5 more days until the Big Day!!

She Likes It...

2010-12-14T08:04:00.000-06:00

and says it makes her feel like a girl and grown up. I think that's a good thing.

Handmade Christmas part 1

2010-12-13T09:51:00.000-06:00

My daughter, believe it or not, has been begging me desperately for a Christmas outfit to wear to Grandma's. She even wants a dress! The ultimate Jean Girl wants a dress! I think I will faint now... She showed me a picture from a magazine that has a girl in a long sleeved striped top with a little sundress over it. I said I would get to it if I had time... LOL! I'm sneaky that way.

Anyhoo, I've been pouring over all my patterns and Ottobre magazines to find something suitable and hopefully that she'll like. It's probably going to come back and bite me in the butt for not working with her on it, but what can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment! I've already finished the striped top and I wrapped it before I took a picture. Doh! It's Ottobre 2/2007 design #3(I think). I used some Chez Ami black and white striped cotton/Lycra. I actually made myself a shirt with the same fabric and the same pattern. I made mine with an aqua neckband but chose white for hers. I love that shirt and I hope she will like hers. For the dress, I'm using Lana from Ottobre 5/2010. I think the woman in the magazine looks so cute with the long sleeved dress underneath. I figured it'd be a lot more modest and warm than a tiny sundress. The most trouble I've had was finding fabric to use. Most of the knits I have are boyish or way to thin. I ended up going to the thrift shop in search of fabric and came away with a $2 long sleeved knit dress in a pretty plum color. It came with a vest too but I was able to cut the entire pattern from the main dress. That pretty much reduced it to shreds!

This is all I have left!

Now I have the pattern all laid out and ready to sew.

I've read others' reviews and it seems like a quick sew. I'll probably get it done today while she's in school. I may wrap it, but I'm itching to just give it to her when she gets home!

A Handmade Christmas

2010-11-29T15:01:00.000-06:00

Seriously, what could be better?
My husband and I have had a rough year financially and since I have enough fabric to supply a small craft store, I'm makin' gifts this year! My nephews, niece, and niece dog are all getting handmade goodies. I'm in the planning stages as I await measurements from my sister. I need to ask my brother how big his "daughter's" neck is. I might make her a collar or something. As I get stuff done I'll share it here!

Are any of you haveing a Handmade Holiday?

P.S. I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving if you celebrate it. We did and I'm still stuffed!

Sewing for the Boy!

2010-11-12T11:51:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been sick for going on 3 weeks now. It's my danged sinuses, and I'm too cheap to go to the doctor for meds. But, I tell ya, it hasn't slowed me down in the sewing room! Besides my test sewing for the book, I've really been on a kick of sewing for Conner lately. He's been going through this stage where he doesn't like his jeans with snaps. His little fingers aren't quite strong enough to snap those buggers. I think most of this stems from bathroom breaks at school and having to schlep back down the hall, pants undone, for his teacher to help him with them. I certainly can't blame him! That sucks. So anyhoo, I had made him up the Dapper Dillingers awhile ago in a twill and he has really been wearing those out. I love the styling with the flat front and all. I think they look more 'grown up' than an all-elastic waistband, too. Here they are:

I decided to make him a pair in denim since it's getting cold here in Kansas. I have some really nice stuff that I've had setting around for quite awhile. I made him some jeans a couple of years ago from it and they outlasted every pair I bought off the rack! They still look good even now, they're just too short. Conner is pretty thin, only a 20" waist, so I made him the size 4/5 Dappers. The length was spot-on, too. I might need to lengthen just a touch next time so they last even longer. I didn't want him walking on the cute cuffs, though. Although, if he did, and the fabric frayed, the cuff would be so easy to replace! For this pair, I drafted a faux fly so they would have the look of jeans. I love how it turned out!

Sorry about the wack-a-do coloration. I don't know what's wrong with my camera. It's almost 6 years old, that's what's wrong! You can find more detailed pictures on my flickr page!

I also made him another pair of jeans. This is from one of my favorite Ottobre patterns. It's from the 1/2009 issue and is design #21, among others (it's the base for several styles in the issue). They are an elastic waist pant and are somewhat slim fitting although it doesn't look it on him! They are so easy to throw together; I swear it takes me about 30 minutes. Plus, it's a blank canvas for all kinds if embellishment: pockets, patches, etc. Next go on these, I will add a faux fly too and maybe a separate waistband.

And last is a Tee for Two! I made this up using some of Patty Young's "clown stripe" knit that was gifted to me by Shelly. It's some pretty lush stuff. I've read about the extreme shrinkage so I washed and dried 2-3 times before I cut into it. He wore the shirt and then I washed it on cold. The second time it was still the same size so I think we're good.

It fits so good and I love the slimmer cut, too. These are a fast sew and they have raw edges so no hemming! Makes 'em go that much faster! I was going to cut out a few more but didn't get around to it. I think this weekend I'll buckle down. He really needs some long sleeve shirts!

It's kind of funny because I just told Millie how my kids were getting to the point where they don't want to wear "Momma Made" stuff. This week Conner has worn at least one handmade garment each day! We even had two days where everything down to his undies were handmade. Love those days, even for myself! So I guess I'm eating those words, Millie! Ha! And I'm tickled pink!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! We have a chance for snow! I think that's a perfect reason to snuggle up in my sewing room!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T22:21:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post to wish everyone a fantastic Halloween!

This is the first time in 13 years that I haven't had to make a costume. I'm a little sad... but also a bit relieved since I've been so busy. I have no cute pictures to offer either. I'm a slacker, what can I say...

Everyone have fun and be safe!!!

Those Sewing Whirlwind Pics!

2010-10-18T12:19:00.001-05:00

Hi! Happy Monday!

First off, I want to sincerely thank each and everyone one of you for your kind comments about my Mother-in-Law on my last post. You all are just such a wonderful bunch of people! You truly warm my heart. That may sound cheesy and cliche, but it's true dammit and I make no apologies. She is doing much better now, thank you. She spent 5 days in the hospital and we found out this all stemmed from a really horrible sinus infection. She feels better than she has in months so we have been wondering how long she's been carrying around this infection.

Anyhoo, I finally had some time to snap pictures of my 'whirlwind sewing escapade'! This is a pretty long post, so go grab a cup of tea real quick! ;-)

Okie dokie, Numero Uno is the easy peasy circle skirt. I think this took all of about 30 minutes to make, cutting time and all! I just plugged my measurements into the formula given in the tutorial. The only thing I changed was the waistband. Instead of using wide elastic I used a brown cotton/Lycra and made a band about 14" wide x my waist measurement. I then stitched up the side and folded it in half, wrong sides together. Aligned the raw edges of the waistband and skirt and stitched them together. This makes the very comfortable "yoga waistband" you may have heard of. I can leave it wide or fold it over. For the hem, I was able to use my handy dandy rolled hem foot on my regular machine and voila! A skirt!

The fabric is some I've had in my stash for probably 10+ years. It's kind of a weird color and I have nothing to wear with it at the moment. The fabric is most likely poly and has a touch of sheen. It's sort of a heathered brown/gray with peach... I dunno.

Next, is the bra. This is Merckweardigh BHL15. She now has an Etsy shop and the patterns are in English! Whoo hoo!

I used some odds and ends to put it together but I like how it turned out. I've made this bra before but I used all stretch fabric and it wasn't supportive at all. That bra is too big now, but I thought I'd try this pattern in a non-stretch fabric. I bought this tricot last year to use for some custom order panties and was dissapointed to find that it was a bonded nylon tricot. Bonded = No stretch, what-so-ever. The shop said nothing of this in their discription, of course, so I ordered it. It worked out fine though because it happens to be the perfect fabric for bras! My favorite RTW Freya bra is made of some similar stuff! Well, anyway, after all that the bra didn't fit in the cups, which is really too bad since the band and underwires fit perfectly!! The lower cup is good but the top squishes my breast tissue in a very unflattering manner. I'm thinking, and if I can get up the guts, I can slice the top cup while wearing it down to the seam and measure how much I need to add then transfer those findings to the pattern. I still haven't gotten up the nerve yet but I may try it.

Lastly, This is my mock-up of Vogue 8546:

This first picture turned out all fuzzy for some reason. Sorry 'bout that!

The back shows the wacky fabric a bit better. I really should take a close-up. It's some funky stuff, I'm tellin' ya. I'm forever attracted to the funky fabrics, though. I have a slew of '70's polyester autrocities, but I love 'em just the same. This fabric has a little bit too much body for this jacket. I think it will be much better in something more fluid. That's something I don't have in the stash at the moment, though! This fabric adds too much bulk in front and that's something I really don't need! All-in-all, I really, really like the jacket! It's very comfortable and I'm keeping my eye out on a good deal for some wool jersey. The only thing I'm going to add is a big button, kind of where my hand is in the front view, to hold it closed.

Now for a bit of exciting news! As you know, I have been a pattern tester for some time. Most recently working with Patterns by Figgy's. Well, the lovely ladies behind PBF, Shelly and Karen, so very graciously asked me to be one of their pattern testers for their NEW BOOK!!! It's coming out next year! Yes!!! Shelly and Karen are writing a book and I get to help test for it. I'm also now an official tester for Wiley Publications. My name will be in the book and on their website and everything! Needless to say, I'm so excited and feel so honored! The only thing that really sucks is I can't tell you what the book is about. YET! As soon as I get the go-ahead, I'll let you all know. I can tell you right now some of you are going to be most pleased...

Well, I guess that's it. I think I have about three posts in one here folks, but it's been building up!

Have a wonderful week!

Feeling the Blahs

2010-10-11T20:16:00.000-05:00

Well folks, I really have a lot of stuff to show you and some very cool news, but I feel like shit. I had to put my Mother-in-Law in the hospital on Friday. That was an all day affair, of course, and I've been up there with her most of the day, everyday. Hopefully we'll have her out tomorrow. I haven't got a damn thing done and now I'm really starting to feel like hell. I hope I'm not getting sick but it's going around. Grr, I just don't have time for that.
Conner and I did go get batteries the other day so my camera is up and running. I'll try to post pictures sometime this week of the things I've made. I already had a picture of my brown Schoolhouse Tunic (I forgot about that the other day) so I can share that with you now! Gratuitous dog shots included!

Sewing Whirlwinds Are the Greatest!

2010-10-05T10:42:00.002-05:00

Wow, this is my 200th post! How about that?

Well I had a nice sewing whirlwind of a weekend! No homework is the greatest thing ever. Ever! I made no less than 4 garments! And guess what? My damn camera is out of batteries so I have nothin' to show! Yet. Anyhoo, here's what I made:

1. Panties for a custom order. (I can't show these 'cause they're all packed up to be shipped.)
2. My Brown Schoolhouse Tunic (which I love and have worn twice already)
3. A super easy circle skirt for me, a la MADE.
4. A BRA for me! (Can you believe it?)

I'm also working on Vogue 8546. I've been wanting to make the jacket/cardigan up for quite some time now. When I saw that Debbie was working on it the spark was renewed. I don't have many large pieces of fabric in my stash that would work but I found a crazy double knit from the '70's that was long enough. It's a bright cherry red and kind of obnoxious. I'll post a pic of that too!

After I pick up the li'l mister from school, we're going on a battery run.

School House Tunic #1

2010-10-01T20:51:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday to ya! I finished up my toile or "wearable muslin", if you will, of the Schoolhouse Tunic from Sew Liberated this morning. I gotta say, I LUV it!

It may not look like I like it here, the sun was in my eyes...

Before I cut into my brown fabric, I wanted to test this baby out. This style of front, empire seam to be exact, is not always my friend since it's almost always to short to cover the girls. I think the style itself looks pretty good on me, when it fits.

I did a kinda-sorta tissue fit. I just held the front piece up to get an idea of where it would hit on me. It was fer sure too short. I guesstimated that I needed about a 1 1/2" FBA. I use the method from Fit For Real People for adding a dart to a dartless top. It should be noted that the fabric is not really the right kind of fabric for this tunic. It really needs something with more drape. This is a stretch poplin that I've had in my stash for awhile. It was a long enough piece so I just went for it. It just has too much body so it kinda sticks out from my body when I wear it, and boy does it wrinkle like a mofo!

Back. Wrinkles. Meh.

Belted. I really like this look. Helps cut down on the poof factor.

My little ham. He wanted to get in on the action. He made sure I said "cheese".

Here's one before I did my hair and makeup. It shows the lines a little better.

And another. This shot is to emphasize the poof factor with this fabric. I'm not pregnant. You can see the bust dart I added here better, too. On my next version, I need to raise the point up about an inch because this one doesn't point to my apex. I also don't really like the elastic in the sleeve. I think I'll just take that out.

All-in-all, I really like this top. I've worn it all day and I've been very comfortable. There are lots of styling options, which is a bonus. When I was working on this last night, I tried it on over my jeans and that looked pretty darn cute, too! I hope to get my brown version done this weekend since I ended up not having any homework. Woot!

Have a Happy Weekend!

Fall Sewing

2010-09-26T11:05:00.004-05:00

Fall has to be one of my favorite times of the year! I love the crisp air. I love taking the kids to the pumpkin patch. Just the general feeling and smell of Fall. I don't know how to describe it. One other thing is wearing layers! I'm not fortunate enough to have a beach bod so tanks and shorts are not really my thing. Jeans, sweaters, skirts with boots, and long sleeve tees...that's my thing. I just splurged on this pattern from Sew Liberated:

I see this becoming a staple in my wardrobe. The tunics I've seen made from this look really good. I have this cute brown rayon I picked up at the thrift store the other day, 4 yards for $4, that I think will work nicely.

If you've made this, let me know what you think of it!

Another award!

2010-09-24T15:24:00.000-05:00

Holy crap! Clio just awarded me with this lovely little award! Wow, two in the space of less than a month. I'm feeling awesome. I just 'found' Clio's blog recently. She makes beautiful things and she is venturing into sewing lingerie. You all know I feel about that! Anyhoo, the rules for this award are:
1. Tell us what you like about your own blog.
2. Then send the award to 10 other blogs that you read.

Hmmm...what do I like about my own blog? Well, I love writing about sewing and it's such a thrill to see that other people enjoy it and hopefully learn from me. I get emails with questions and I'm so happy to help other seamsters out. I've "met" so many wonderful people through my blog, too! In the area I live there is not much sewing activity. Sure, there are the quilters but they are really clique-y and I've yet to find someone who makes their own clothing. If I do find someone and try to engage them in a conversation their eyes glaze over for some reason so I just shut up. I don't get it. Anyhoo, it's wonderful to have this seemingly unlimited supply of sewing friends!

Okie dokie, on to my nominations! I read a LOT of sewing blogs! These 10 are just a very small sampling of blogs that I enjoy reading, get tons of inspiration from, and/or the ladies behind the blogs have become darn good friends (in alphabetical order):
1. Beangirl
2. Big in Japan
3. Cheap and Picky
4. CreaBH
5. Feathe rty Sews
6. Figgy's
7. Just Keep Sewing
8. Kadiddlehopper
9. One Girl Circus
10. Quality Time

The only thing I hate about these "chain letter" kind if awards is I'm seriously leaving a whole bunch of blogs out! Gulp! I mean really, take a look at my sidebar and how stinkin' many blogs I have listed. Also, I'm sure several of these ladies have been nominated for this award before. If they have then they're off the hook...for now.

Well, that's all I have for you lovelies today. I have been sewing, A LOT, but it's not something I can talk about yet. Are your curiosity juices flowing? Good!

I have been sewing...really!

2010-09-07T20:31:00.001-05:00

Yes, it IS true! I have actually been sitting down at my machines and sewing stuff! First, I want to apologize to any of you who had trouble posting comments. I've had a couple of people email me and say they couldn't. I think I got it fixed so let the commenting commence. I love hearing from all of you!

This picture is as good as it gets for now!

Okay! First sewing project is McCall's 5893. I finally made myself a maxi-dress! Better late than never! The fabric was bought last summer and I never got around to it. This is supposed to be an easy one hour dress but it has taken me like a week to finish. I cannot place any fault on the pattern though. It's been all me. The fabric I used was pretty thin and stretchy so I decided to add a lining to the bodice. I just used the outer fabric and cut another bodice piece for this. For some dumb reason I thought I could stitch the neckline and armhole and then it would all turn inside out perfectly. Well, no that didn't happen. No matter how I twisted and turned it just didn't work! I tried and tried to figure it out but since I basically had two tubes attached by two big pieces of fabric it would never work. So, I spent over an hour on that little gem before I realized I was just going to have to rip the armhole seams out. There was no question. Dammit! Amazingly, I found a tutorial on how to do this type of bodice with a lining just in the nick of time but I'll be damned if I can't find that blog now! I may have to do up a tutorial myself on it 'cause it's a pretty handy technique to have stashed away in the ol' noggin! If anyone is interested in a tut let me know and I'll get to work on it.

I also did a 1.5 inch FBA and it turns out I didn't need it. The fabric stretched sooo much I ended up taking out 4" on each side. Yes, a total of 8"! That's just ridiculous. I *almost* started ripping the bodice and skirt apart and then I smacked myself back into reality. I just cut that sucker apart and re-sewed it. This ended up being a very good thing since the bodice and the skirt were both too long and now they're just about right. The bodice is still a bit long.

Another thing I changed was I didn't make a casing at the bodice/skirt seam as directed. I hate doing that and think it looks really sloppy. Instead, I just measured the elastic to fit around me just under my bust. Then I stitched it to the seam allowance just as you would a waistband; quartering the elastic and dress, stitching with a zig-zag while stretching the elastic to fit.

Wow, that doesn't make a lick of sense but you understand now why a one hour dress turned into a 1 million hour one.

Next up is some more sewing for the little girl I used to babysit. She's turning three so I wanted to make her some new outfits for fall. I've only made these little pants so far. I used Ottobre 1/2009 design #21 for the base. I adapted it into one piece instead of two so you just cut out, sew the inseam and crotch, hem, and make the waistband casing and yer done! Love that!

Now I just need to find some fabric to go with this rosy coral! I'm having a really hard time. None of my knits go with it, unless I use white, so I'm probably going to have to use a woven. I have some more knit tops to make and maybe some jeans. I'll share those when I get done!

Looks like lots of back to school sewing has been going on around the blog-o-sphere. I love to see all the cute stuff people are making. The weather is starting to turn cooler and the trees are starting to let go of their leaves. I love this time of year!

My first Award!

2010-09-04T16:05:00.000-05:00

The totally awesome Big In Japan nominated me for this award and I feel pretty honored! She's cool, a rock star, and has a bunch of awesome lookin' tats. I have to admit I have a bit of a girl-crush on her too(Shhh...don't tell).

Anyhoo, since I'm the recipient of this mighty honor I'm required to tell 10 things you may not know about me! I'm pretty boring so I don't really know how entertaining this is going to be. Just fair warning to you all.

1. I got married right smack out of highshool. Well, about three months after graduation. I was 18 and he was just barely 20. We celebrated our 16th Anniversary on September 1st!

2. If I could be anything, I would be a dancer. Not an "exotic" one, although my husband would probably enjoy that for his eyes only, but a serious Dancer.

3. I used to want to be a tattoo artist. I had the machine, ink, supplies, and everything but it just didn't work out. I thought we were going to be able to move to a larger area so I could try for an apprenticeship and then the economy tanked. Now I'm just glad my husband has a job!

4. I think you all may already know this, but I'm going back to school. I never went to college, so it's been pretty exciting for me. I always wanted to go, and it's a bit of a dream come true.

5. I have a dark side (really, who doesn't?). I don't show it very often but it's there. Dark, fetish-y, underworld-y stuff is intriguing to me. I imagine the really gross aspects of my nursing career will be more fascinating than appalling.

6. I was only 21 when I had my first baby. Many people thought my husband and I got married because I was pregnant. Ha! We showed them!

7. I always have dreams where I'm back in highschool and I don't know my locker combination or my class schedule. I'm always the age I am at the time, too. Since when do 30-somethings attend highschool? What is up with that?!

8. The older I get, the more I'm becoming a germ-a-phobe.

9. I watch cartoons. On purpose.

10. I'm painfully shy. Seriously, if I know I'm going to meet new people I get really nervous and kinda sick. People probably think I'm a snob but I'm really just trying to hold myself together! LOL! Maybe when I dig deeper in my Psychology class I'll learn more about why I'm like that.... Once I get to know someone I'm pretty silly and loud.

Oh! Thank goodness that's over. I had a hard time thinking of stuff! This is more difficult than I thought!
Now it's my turn to nominate! Several of my blog friends are already nominated so these may be duplicates for some. I'm suppose to nominate 5, but I'm doing 6! All of these ladies are just plain awesome!
Millie
Kelly Hogaboom
K. Line
Tina
Shelly
Katie

School's in Session!

2010-08-17T10:50:00.000-05:00

I had my first day of school today! Well, just one class actually, Psychology. I was so nervous walking in there! My heart was pounding and I got the dreaded sweaty upper lip. LOL! My teacher seems really nice. She's upbeat and I think she'll be great. My husband had a Psych. teacher that had this low, monotone voice that was the worst! I'm so glad that's not the case with me. Let's hope my English teacher tomorrow is great too.

I've been sewing a little. I'd like to try and get a few things made for myself. I need to figure out some sort of schedule so I can fit sewing in with my classwork and Mommy duties. If anyone has any hints let me know! In school as a kid, I was the one who always got in trouble for "not using time wisely"! Unfortunately, I'm still that way. Ha!

My camera is busted so I have no pictures to share. I'm searching for my daughter's but have had no luck!

Well, I'm off to read the handouts I got this morning!

Have a great week!

Lookie...

2010-07-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

lookie!

Got these in the mail yesterday! One of the perks of test sewing for PB Figgy's is all of us testers got copies of the final patterns we tested! Isn't that sweet?! Way more than I was expecting. I'd say this is a pretty good gig! :-) Kelly's kids are featured on the front covers and I though that was pretty darn cool! On Patty Young's blog she has a little excerpt from the 2010 Bernina University Fashion Show and it features the Beach Bum Hoodie and Board Shorts!

The kids are spending the week at my parents so I'm getting ready for a garage sale this weekend. Not exactly what I enjoy doing but it's so much easier when they're not around and sifting through everything. Usually there are whines of, "you caaaan't sell thaaaat!!" So, it's best to do this sans kiddos. Then I'll be gearing up to sew some back-to-school clothes. I did get the Riff t-shirt from Ottobre 3/2010 made Sunday night but Conner wore it to Grandma's and I didn't get a pic of it yet. I used a striped knit and didn't do the guitar applique this go 'round. It was incredibly easy to sew and I did most of it on my regular machine. I just used my coverstitch for the hem and to sew the neckline and armband seam allowances down. Also, the bra I made, the Kwik Sew 3300, ended up being fit for the princess so I see a few more of those in store. She actually said it was comfortable! Holy crap! Now, if she was just telling me that...I dunno. I have tons of pretty fabrics and lace so she should have a nice collection here pretty soon. I so desparately need new ones myself but I'm waiting a little while to see if the girls shrink anymore. I'm planning on amping the ol' excersize routine once school starts and I have more time. Both of my classes are in the morning so I'll have extra time in the gym before I pick up Mr. C from school.

Y'all have a great week!

Some Bra Sewing At Last!

2010-07-23T15:41:00.000-05:00

Surely you all must be amazed! It has been entirely too long since I've SEWN a bra, let alone posted about sewing them. So, what the heck happened?! Well, I got kinda burnt out and also miffed at the above bra. Um, remember this bra that I was making for a Pattern Review contest? Yeah, that was back in freakin' February! I just finished***read: slapped together*** it yesterday and when I put the damn thing on it was too BIG!!! Damn! Well, no worries. It has been stripped of every part that I was able salvage. The outer fabric (the sparkly stuff) is soooo stretchy that it just looked like crap anyway and that's what got me pissed in the first place. There were poofy bits every where and wrinkles. Oh, and it gave me NO support so "OFF WITH HER HEAD!!" or in this case straps, elastic and hooks and eyes....

This little cutie is a bra I started for my daughter several days ago. I finished it up yesterday, too. Miz M has been asking for a nude bra to wear under a white tank top. The pattern I used is Kwik Sew 3300 and as with most KS patterns, it was a breeze to sew up. I used plain ol' nylon tricot for the cups and powernet for the back. We had some fitting issues that had to be worked out but all-in-all I think it turned out really cute. Well, really the only problem we had was the band being way to short. I added about 1 inch to either side behind the hooks and eyes as you can see below. I tried a couple of different methods. Neither of which I like. Ahh well, it looks pretty craptastic but does the trick.

The cups fit her perfectly! Rejoyce! My lovely model is not a very good representation of what it looks like on my daughter. M has a wider ribcage. Everything else was good but I think if I make this again I'll widen the back band quite a bit. It's just too narrow for her build. Now we'll just see if she actually wears it. When we first tried it on it was a little tight (to her) and she got all whine-y and meltdown-y, like only teenagers can do.

Here's a funny/interesting little tidbit for you: A lady on one of the sewing groups I belong to mentioned her husband had been on a business trip to China, I believe, to a bra making factory (he worked for Bali). Well, I guess the lady laid her fabric out on a cutting table and took a sharpie and marked out all the pattern pieces, freehand. FREEHAND?! Isn't that amazing? It also explains why one bra might fit and another does not even though it's the same size, brand, style. That's another reason why women should NOT go by their perceived "size" and just go by fit. I believe bra sizing charts to be written by the devil, himself.

I'm going to cut this post off here. We'll have to talk some more about bra fitting sometime! I hope you all have a great weekend! I'll be packing since my kids are going to be spending next week with my Mom and Dad. It'll be quiet yet oh-so-nice....

Take it easy!

Flyin' by...

2010-07-22T14:26:00.000-05:00

to say "Hi"! I have a bra post in the works (*GASP*) I know it's shocking, isn't it?

Also, just got notification that Patterns by Figgy's is releasing a limited number of their new Fall patterns for purchase! Sweeeeet! Hurry to snap 'em up! They are AH-dorable!

Be back soon with that bra post!!!

xoxo,
H

Lucky Number 13 and some Sewing...

2010-07-15T08:52:00.001-05:00

Good Morning (or afternoon)! I just thought I'd do a quick post before all the kiddos wake up!

First of all, my baby girl celebrated her 13th birthday on Monday. I can hardly believe I'm the mother of a teenager now. I posted about it on facebook and got lots of comments in support of my impending doom. Above is the cake she picked out. She couldn't decide if she wanted me to make one or just buy one and then she say this lovely confection. It tasted okay but I seriously had trouble sleeping that night from all the sugar! Good grief! I wanted to post a cute picture of her blowing out the candles but she said to me, "NO posting that picture to the internet! I look weird!" Ah yes...it's starts.

We went to Wonderland Park in Amarillo, TX on Saturday to celebrate a little early. I have no pictures 'cause I forgot the camera. It was so nice though since our little man no longer needs a stroller. We didn't have to carry/push anything! It was amazing! My husband didn't have stroller duty so he actually got to ride some of the rides. He never really minded before since he has some inner ear problems and he doesn't do well on rides anyway. But I think he enjoyed himself even though he got a bit dizzy and nauseous. This is a nice amusement park that's not too big and still has some really great rides. The birthday girl and I rode all of the rollercoasters! Our fave! Mr. C even rode his very first one which is really saying something since he is terrified of heights. He loved it, though!

Secondly, I have been sewing! My sewing mojo is still seriously lagging but I've managed to bust out a few things. I made my daughter a swim suit!

It started with this top. She wanted a bikini oh-so-bad so I thought I'd give it a go. This top is from New Look 6357. The fabric and lining just weren't thick enough and everything shows through! Yikes! Plus, I'm not so sure how I feel about her in a bikini...

So, the second try I just did on my own without asking her opinion (which usually gets looks od disgust). I have several Jalie swimsuit patterns in my stash and this one is #2447. I picked out some fabric, also from the ol' stash, and just went to town. She didn't really know what I was doing and that can be a good thing. Anyhoo, this pattern goes together so fast and smooth I could hardly believe it. Oh, and it fits her ever-so-nicely! She's pear shaped so I really should have made the bottoms the next larger size but these will do. The top has a bit of room to 'grow' too, if you jnow what I mean. The fabric is from Chez Ami, of course, since I have a butt load of the stuff. It's really nice and the weight is perfect. I used a thicker lining fabric for the bra cups and I think it'll be okay. The suit has yet to see water so, we'll see.

Lastly, I'm test sewing again! This one is for Patterns by Figgy's and I must say these are some great britches! They look super sharp on too. I can't get my 'model' to model so my poor table has the job. These look so good on him! They have a flat front and elasticized back,

Contrast lining,

and front pockets.

I chose to make the pockets with the contrast fabric just for fun. The main fabric is a pale olive, stretch twill from a co-op and the lining is a quilting cotton called "Route 66" from Alexander Henry. This pattern will be released Aug. 1st and since this was a test there may be some slight changes in the final product. I thought it was pretty great as is but you never know...

I'm getting geared up to spend the weekend at my Mom's. My sister and her family are back in the States for awhile. I think they go back to France at the end of July? Anyway, they're staying at Mom's for a couple of weeks and I haven't seen them since Christmas, I believe. I can't wait to see them!

Well, I have one little one that just wondered out of his room and is need of some snuggle time! Weekend is almost here, have a great one!

Happy 4th To My Fellow Americans!

2010-07-04T14:56:00.000-05:00

To celebrate our great nation there must be food! It's gotta be good and there's gotta be lots of it! We're having our annual Independence soiree this evening with all the requirements: good food, good friends, lots of illegal fireworks! (It's illegal to shoot fireworks in our county but we do it anyway. I say screw you, Man! Don't tell 'cause our next door neighbor is a fireman. Thank goodness he leaves every year! LOL!)

Anyhoo, I want to share a yummy, easy dessert. I know it's not Thursday but, heck, who remembers the last time I did a Recipe Thursday post for Heaven's sake?! If you love Cherry Cheesecake but hate the whole bake-it-with-a-water-bath-blah-blah-blah yer gonna love this! I had some fresh blueberries in the fridge so I thought I'd add them for fun! It's not exactly fantastical looking but it tastes damn good!

Easy Peasy Cherry Cheesy Dessert

2- 8oz. Packages Cream Cheese

2- 8oz. Containers Cool Whip

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 Stick Butter, Melted

2 Cans Cherry Pie Filling

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and press into the bottom ofa 9"x13" baking dish. Toast in the oven for about 8 minutes. Let cool completely.

Mix softened cream cheese with an electric mixer on low and slowly add powdered sugar. Beat until well mixed. Fold in Cool Whip and pour onto crust. Top with cherry pie filling and chill to set.

That's it! Now dig in and enjoy!

Testing...1,2,3...

2010-06-22T17:02:00.001-05:00

I think I mentioned something the other day about testing again for Patterns by Figgy's. This sweet little kimono-styled jacket is the "Bamboo Little Woo" being released this Fall! It really is a cute design and very easy to sew up! I made this up in a super soft baby-rib. The woven is a loose-weave cotton.

Also, remember forever ago when I mentioned Colette Patterns had some new releases coming soon and I was pattern testing again? Well, I just saw the new patterns are out and have been for awhile. I have good reason to be late, being out of the loop and all. I tested the Nutmeg set and it is gorgeous and sexy! The pieces are also very simple to sew up, the bralette being a bit more difficult. I have no pictures at the moment due to my crispy, deep-fried computer situation (we lost a lot of pictures! *sigh*) so I'll have to shoot some more. This is more of a heads-up that Sarai has new offerings!

Here I am at the lake this last weekend. I look like crap but you can kinda make out my melting figure. I was pleasantly surprised...

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T13:01:00.000-05:00

Here are my two boys at the lake yesterday!

I hope all the daddies out their have a nice relaxing day!

Radio Silence

2010-06-17T11:56:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lengthy absence! A few weeks ago lightning decided to strike our ginormous pine tree. Above is a picture of part of the gaping wound. It goes all the way up to the tippy top of the tree. Now the thing is literally bleeding sap. Poor baby. We hope it survives. Our neighbor across the street called a scientist friend and he thought it should make it. The surge fried our computer (which we just bought in January), the washing machine, heater/AC, and our Treager grill (it plugs in). All of my sewing machines and my husband's guitar amps made it. We were very lucky in end. That stuff is all just stuff and it could have been a lot worse.

I enjoyed the last few "un-plugged" weeks, believe it or not. I didn't even sew one stitch! I'm testing another pattern for Patterns by Figgy's and am waaay behind. I really need to get busy. I got it cut out last night and then the power went out due to some heavy wind. Sheesh.

I've been kickin' butt at the gym and have lost about 9 lbs and have lost several inches. A total of 3" on my full bust alone. Awesome! Speaking of, I need to get going over there right now so will post more later!

I've missed you all!
XOXO

Patterns by Figgy's = AWESOME!

2010-05-24T12:37:00.000-05:00

I finished up the Beach Bum Hoodie and Board shorts pattern that I was telling you all about. The one that I broke my fast with.

These are some of the worst imaginable pictures and they don't do the pieces any justice, AT ALL! My son was on the cranky side when I made him put these on and model for me. He was also hot and sweaty from playing outside. Plus, you have to see my extremely messy sewing area. You get the general idea though. All in all, I really like this pattern! The shorts are super easy to make! Just two pieces and an elastic waist.

I had some trouble with the neck facing on the hoodie so I emailed Shelly and she was so helpful! Seriously, this lady is awesome and couldn't be kinder! I was even able to finagle my way in to being a pattern tester for her! Boy, am I good or what?!

This t-shirt is the pattern I tested. It's called "Tee for Two" and it's for boys or girls. It's a raglan sleeve T that is sewn with the seams out so you have a cool raw edge around everything and this makes it perfect for kids who have sensitivity issues since there are no seam allowances inside to make skin itchy. Plus, it just looks pretty darn cool! I think the pattern is coming out this August so be sure to watch for it!

As for the fabrics used, I pulled everything from my stash! The plaid is a seersucker I purchased from a fabric coop last spring. The shirt is some jersey from the thrift store. It came packaged up in a kit to make a t-shirt which was kinda neat. It's soft and thin and perfect for a summer t-shirt! The hoodie is also thrift store fabric. It was a mystery to me until I posted the pic on Flickr. Kelly asked what the fiber was and Shelly came back and suggested shot cotton. In looking at other pics on the web I think that might indeed be what it is! It has a nice weight to it, similar to quitling cotton. But the texture is different with a cool crosshatch raised weave. I don't know how else to describe it! It's nice though and will be great this summer!

I have done some sewing for me too. I don't have any pictures at the moment but I made some sweats for workin' out and an Ottobre skirt. More on that to come!

Breaking of the Pattern Fast

2010-05-11T15:38:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it. I broke my self imposed fast of all things sewing related. I couldn't help it. I've been wanting to try this pattern for my boy and with some of the money I got for that very last custom garment I bought it, dang it! It's the Beach Bum Hoodie and Board Shorts from Patterns by Figgy's. I've got it laid out and I'll get it traced today or tomorrow. I have a few appointments this week so I hope I can get it done soon. My daughter is calling it "Teeth Week" since she has a dentist appt. today, me tomorrow, and then her Orthodontist on Thursday. Goodness! I want to get busy on that Butterick pattern mentioned in my last post too.

I also want to thank everyone who left comments about my McCall's blouse! You all are awesome!

Weekend Sewing!

2010-05-10T12:08:00.001-05:00

Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all the mommies out there. I actually got to sew this weekend! I finished this McCall's 5640 this morning and I'm wearing it today. It is quite comfortable if not a little Muu-muu-esque. Seriously, the ease in this puppy is redonkulous. According to my full bust measurement I should have made a 26 but it has, get this, 19" of ease. 19"!! I opted to go the route of using my upper bust measurement and the finished garment measurements to choose my size and with that I made the 18. It fits pretty good but the neckline is still a bit wide. Can you imagine if I had made the 26?! It would have been falling off my shoulders!! Good grief! There is one problem that my 5 year old son so lovingly pointed out while I was bent over in front of him, helping him into his shoes. He said, "Mom, I can see your bra...". Thanks, babe. So, it does gap open when I'm bending over. I may need to think about wearing a cami underneath.

Anyhoo, I made view "C" which is the top. I didn't have enough of this fabric to make the dress and I was really afraid a dress would have looked exactly like a Muu-muu anyway. I used a medium-weight quilting cotton that I bought last year, I think from Hobby Lobby? Maybe...? I dunno. It's a pretty aqua with vine-y swirls in cream and a dark purple/wine color.

The neckband is in a coordinating fabric:

I didn't even use interfacing like it says...'cause I'm out. I think it'll be okay though. The fabric is thick enough (I'm hoping). I'll be doing up a review for Pattern Review since I had the sizing issue and all. I thought it might be helpful to warn others about the insanity.

Up next on the chopping block is Butterick 5195. It's another one that I've read has an insane amount of ease so I'll be doing the same thing I did with this last top. I'm wanting to make view "A" but the drawing on the front is quite misleading. It shows a woman with sleeves that hit her above the elbow but the photo of the woman wearing view "B" (which is the same but lengthened into a dress) shows a more 3/4 length. What's wrong with these crazy illustrators? I'll be making a sort of morph between views "A" and "C". I'm still deciding on what fabric I'm going to use. I have some that I bought at the thrift store but I'm afraid it might look too much like lingerie so I may rethink it! I'll post more soon!

Happy Monday!

The Beginning of My Selfish Seamstress-ness

2010-05-05T10:54:00.000-05:00

Yes, I made something for me again! This is my TNT Simplicity 3835 (view C): the Built by Wendy pattern that everybody made and loved a few years ago. This is the 4th time I've made this up and I love it still. It's fast, easy and fits! I wanted to make something yesterday and found myself somewhat paralized by my new freedom. What was I going to sew?! I'm pooped out on bras, panties, and other lingerie and I really need some tops for Summer. I was digging through my plethora of patterns and came across this one and it's about as close to instant gratification sewing as you can get. I found some coral seersucker in my stash and away we went. It's so nice and light and perfect for the warm weather we've been having. I did make adjustments to the pattern the last time I made this in the way of FBA and increasing sleeve width. The first two time I made it straight and added width to the center front and back seam. I like the FBA better though because it gives a better fit. I did pivot the center front hem away from the fold about 1 1/2" to add more room for my tummy. I don't know if that makes sense now that I re-read that....sorry! Oh, I don't sew a back seam like it instructs either. I cut the back on the fold and that extra gives more room for mah booty.

Up next I think I might make this:

This one is McCall's 5640 and it looks comfy. The style is pretty similar so I'm hoping it'll look good on. I'll just need to decide if I want a top or dress!

Custom Nightie

2010-05-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

I finished up my last custom order today! Yipee! LOL! This was a recreation of a gown that my friend's mom loved but couldn't find a replacement. Her gown is 14 years old and very loved (aka worn out!). Anyhoo, she brought me the gown after much hulabaloo (it was meant to be a surprise but it didn't happen that way, darnnit) and I made a pattern from it. I think, all in all, it turned out pretty well. I hope her mom loves it and wears it for 14 years!

A New Weakness

2010-04-30T08:56:00.001-05:00

Have you seen this?

Y'all know my love of lingerie and I'm so weak right now! I can't buy it 'cause I don't have any money anyway...I'm adding this to my wish list though! I just came across this the other day when Mikhaela talked about the lady behind the patterns. She's an illustrator so that bumps her up in my book by about a billion notches. If you're plus sized and love vintage definitely check out her vintage repro pattern line. So cool!

Mornin'!

2010-04-26T11:56:00.002-05:00

Good Morning party people!

No, I'm not really a party-er. We were all in bed by 9:30 last night. Whoohoo! We had a busy weekend though. I took my COMPASS test and we had two birthday parties. The big man attended one for our 6 year old neighbor Saturday. Conner and this boy seem to have a love/hate relationship. The Birthday Boy was apparently pushing Conner around/showing off all afternoon. Conner finally had enough and punched him in the face. Um. Yeah. He punched the Birthday Boy in the face. Said boy really can be a mean little jerk to Conner so we didn't really punish Mr. C too harshly. That may sound horrible but I bet he never pushes Conner around again. Or at least that is our hope. Call me a bad mom, it's okay... The other party was a surprise for my MIL's best friend on Sunday. She's turning 90!

My test went pretty good. It's divided up into three parts: Reading, Writing, and Math. I scored a 99 on both the Reading and Writing. The Math was not so good... I got an 88 on the Pre-Algebra portion but a 25 on the College Algebra. Yikes! My adviser said I need to pass up to beginning Algebra to not have to take a math course. I'm really hoping that 88 will be good enough....

I have no pictures today. I haven't been sewing much. My mojo has gone kaput. I have a custom ordered nightgown to finish up before Mother's Day and then I will be done with sewing for others. Honestly, it's a relief! I think I'm going to start adopting some of the Selfish Seamstress' ideals. I'm going to sew for me and my family and that's about it. Screw everyone else! LOL!

Happy Monday!

More Test Sewing and Mabe Some Jeans?

2010-04-12T09:10:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned before I'm testing one of the two new Colette patterns coming out soon! My results are due today so i need to get crackin'! Don't worry, I'm really almost done! I also read that Pattern Review is having another Jeans Sew-Along. I'm thinking of joining or at least following along. Believe it or not, I've never made myself a real pair of jeans! I've made capris with a fly opening and made my DD some shorts that have jeans stylings but I've never made myself a pair of jeans! I have plenty of denim so that's not an issue. I have lots of jeans zippers from the thrift store too. I think I have everything I need now I just need to find the guts to do it! LOL!

On a side note: My friend who lost his job found full time work! YAY! So now I'm watching their girl full time on through the summer till I start school. I'll probably be sewing for her a bit more. It is oh-so-much fun making little things!

Fresh Cream Bra For Kim

2010-04-09T00:01:00.005-05:00

I finished a bra up for my friend last week and wanted to share it! Following are some super crappy pictures but still...
I used Danglez DB3 and ended up having to take little tucks in the top cup like I did for my pink bra. I really thought it was going to work for her since she's bigger than me. Oh well!

The tucks don't show here 'cause I took this picture before she tried it on. I sewed the tucks and then gave it to her before I could photograph it again. Sorry! I'm lame!

It's not the best sewing job ever and for some reason my machine decided to dick around with me for awhile. I kept having to rip out the zigzag stitches because they were seriously messed up on the bottom/bobbin side. I mean like totally wacked up! I think some little fingers had been messing with the tension or something. I fixed it though (I think). The fit turned out pretty good. The bottom cups fit her well but we couldn't get the wires to sit against her breast bone. I didn't see her in it after I took the tucks so maybe that helped some. She likes it so that's good!

Happy Friday!

Recipe Thursday: Spring Fling Cake!

2010-04-08T14:52:00.001-05:00

This is the best cake. Ever. Seriously. It's light, moist, easy, and oh-so-delish. I just made this for Easter Dinner but made another for dinner tonight since my husband's aunt is going to be in town. When I realized it was Thursday I thought I would post it for my most neglected Recipe Thursday. Sorry about that y'all!

Spring Fling Cake

Cake

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix

4 Eggs

1 11oz. can Mandarin Oranges (don't drain)

1/2 Cup Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Prepare 3 round cake pans by greasing well. Beat all ingredients on Medium-High for 2 minutes. It's kinda cool because the oranges get beat to hell and you hardly even know they are in there after it's baked! Pour batter into pans and bake for 15-20 minutes. Check to make sure they are done with a toothoick. Transfer cakes to a coolong rack and cool completely.

Icing

3oz. Package Vanilla Instant Pudding

20oz. Can Crushed Pinapple (do not drain)

9oz. Container Cool Whip

Mix the Pudding and Pineapple well and then fold in Cool Whip. Place one cake on a plate and spread with about 1/4 of the Icing. Place another cake on top and ice. Repeat with the last cake. Use the remaining Icing to cover the sides. Be sure to keep this refridgerated!

For the cake I made today I used a 9"x13" baking dish instead of my round cake pans. To do this I just buttered and floured my pan and baked it for 30 minutes. I turned it out on to a cooling rack and then once it was cool transferred it to one of those rectangular Tupperware covered cake thingies. I had plenty of Icing to frost the top and sides. I also used a 20oz. can of madarin oranges instead and counted out 8 for the decoration. I poured the rest into the cake batter. Yummy!

Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T16:23:00.000-05:00

Here comes the Easter Bunny!

For those of you who don't celebrate Easter I wish you a very Happy Spring!!

Quickie!

2010-03-29T14:43:00.001-05:00

Alright, get your minds out of the gutter!

Okay, two things:

1. Going to meet with the Nursing Program Director tomorrow morning.

2. More pattern testing for Colette Patterns! Oh, you're all gonna luuuv it! Mwuhahahaaaa....

SQUEEEE!!!

UPDATE: Meeting went really well. I think it's going to take me a little longer to get through it all than I had originally planned but that's okay. it's just the way the program works and I just don't want to be a full time student right now with Conner being so young. It'll all work out in the end!

Thank you guys so much for all your supportive comments!! Y'all are the best!!

Getting Organized...

2010-03-24T09:18:00.001-05:00

...and then getting sidetracked! Ahhh...the story of my life! Well, anyhoo, last weekend I decided it was high time I get my shit together and start organizing my fabric and pattern stash. I have a shelf with some (okay, who are we kidding here? I have shelves!) of my fabrics and it always looks a mess. No matter how many times I fold and refold and try to be carefull getting stuff out it all just falls into a damn mess. Awhile back a blog featured a free download to print out your very own fabric wraps. I cannot for the life of me remember where they came from so if you know PLEASE tell me! Ack! That drives me nuts.... So anyway, I got through the messiest shelves. They being the messiest because they contained most of my smaller pieces of fabric from when I was making purses and totes. There was some seriously cute fabric in there that I totally forgot I had! I'm now using those shelves for the awesome pattern boxes my Mom and Dad gave me for Christmas.

Here's where I am so far. And, YES, all of those pattern boxes are FULL!

I have an illness. Leave me alone.

Nice, neat little bundles!

This is next! Eeeek!

Geesh, that is seriously messy! I'm almost too embarrased to post those pics. Egads!

Now on to the reason for my sidetrackedive-ness (yes, that's a word). My li'l guy is growing. He is growing out of his clothes... and his undies! Those size 4 Spongebob's just aren't cuttin' it anymore. Whilst straightening book shelves I came across the undies pattern from That Darn Cat that I bought forever ago and never used. I needed a break from organizing so I thought I'd make up a pair. See what's what. Seriously, this is A Darn Cute Pattern. It's awesome. You can use small bits of fabric and no elastic is involved. The first pair I made promptly went on Little Mister's behind. He loved 'em. In his own words, "I really like my new underwear pants!" When asked if mommy should make him more he exclaimed, "Ooh yeah, you can make me lots!!" Alright, that may sound a bit more dramatic than what really went down but still it's pretty much word for word what he said. Cute! And it made me feel good knowing one of my children still appreciates my sewing capabilities. So seven pairs later....

he's all stocked up for now. I'm going to make a few more and that should be good. There are only 5 showing as he's wearing one and the other is in the laundry. You can see on the second pair from the right where I messed up the fly. I used my coverstitch machine to attach the binding, which worked ever-so-awesomely, and I fed the fabric through the wrong way. DOH! He hasn't figured out how to use the fly yet so it's not a big deal. Now I'll need to start in on some for the girl. She walked in while I was finishing up a pair and was like, "Gosh, how many pairs are you making him! Where's mine!" Mehmehmeh, whinewhinewhine... Little brat. So....I'll be working on hers later this week. LOL! Yeah, I'm kinda soft.

In other news, I've decided to go back to school this Fall! Yes, my 34 year old ass is going to be a student again. I'm super excited and totally nervous. Ultimately, I want to go through the Nursing Program our community college offers and it's a really good one from what I understand. Since Conner starts Kindergarten this Fall I'm just going to take the Gen. Ed. classes needed like Human Anatomy and English Comp. to get those out of the way. Then I'll apply to the program next year. The program takes 2 years and then you can call me Nurse Heather!

I'm not planning on getting all wacked out on drugs, tho. ;-D

Something For ME

2010-03-09T10:10:00.000-06:00

with really bad pictures because I didn't feel like setting up my "tripod" (which is in fact a chair with books, boxes and whatever else to get it the right height).

This is the Ottobre 2/2007 #2. I've made this before and I really like the fit.

Coverstitch Porn! Mmmmmm...

On the last top I made I didn't do the sleeve as instructed and just did a straight hem. This time I did but I'm not really sure if I did it right. The instructions kinda confused me (not so hard these days!). I think it looks okay even though it's not lined up perfectly. Ah well..... at least it's another piece of clothing for my steadily dwindling wardrobe! Oh, I used Chez Ami fabric...again.

Another Otto outfit....

2010-03-07T12:10:00.005-06:00

and a top for me (in the works)!

I finished this up last week for Miz K. I used the same Kamomilla T-shirt and Saimi Sweatpants patterns. I didn't add the cuff to the pants since they were so long anyway and, stupid me, I forgot to gather the front on that damn neckline! Grr! I did make short sleeves for this one and used clear elastic to make the gathers. I then applied the binding over it all. Can I just say here how much I stinkin' love my coverstitch machine? The binder attachment is so frickin' awesome, too! Anyhoo, the little bow is not attached to the top but is a hair bow I made using scraps. All fabric is from Chez Ami!

The top I'm making myself is from Ottobre Woman and is from the famous 2/2007 issue. I think it's design #2, the 3/4 sleeve Tee. I'm using Chez Ami fabric. Shocking, I know. I've made it once before and I wear that top so often it's really worn out now. I may make a few of these with different sleeve variations since I need tops so badly. It's really pitiful when you reach in your closet and realize your husband has more clothing that you do! In defense of that, I did go through my stuff the other day and I took out everything that was faded or stained, which was most of my wardrobe. I really need to make up a SWAP storyboard!

And the winner is....

2010-03-02T09:52:00.004-06:00

Well, before I announce the winner I just wanted to say THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!! for all the birthday wishes. It warmed my heart and made my day!

I'd like to mention that I didn't use the Random.org generator because you have to PAY to use it! Sheesh! (I'm broke, remember?) So, anyway, I decided to make up my own random generator and here it is:

Yes, my random generator is still in his jammies (handmade by his grandma!) and being a bit cheesy....

Randomly generating....

The WINNER!

Congratulations Kim!!! Her proud moment was winning First Prize for a pair of pants she made her niece. Awesome! Just email me with your address and I'll get it out to you pronto, my dear!

Hopefully, this week will be full of more sewing and maybe I can finally get some patterns up on Etsy! Going through all of them and making sure all the pieces are there is kind of a bitch!

It's my Birthday and I'll give stuff away if i want tooooo...

2010-03-01T07:56:00.002-06:00

Good Morning! Today is the last day to sign up for the giveaway. I'll be drawing the name tomorrow morning so really you have until then to enter.

Remember, all I want to know is your most crowning sewing/crafting/etc. achievement! It's open to all my international pals too. I have immensly enjoyed reading everyones' entries! They are all just so great I wish I could give everybody a little present!

Best wishes to you all!

Ottobre outfit finished!

2010-02-26T00:01:00.003-06:00

I finished up the outfit for the little girl I've been babysitting. I've mentioned before that her daddy lost his job last year so they can't afford to buy her a lot of extras. She's growing like a weed as most little ones tend to do so I thought I'd make her a few things. I forgot how much I love making clothes for little kids! Especially little girl clothes....since my little girl doesn't want me making her clothes anymore. Well, except bras, panties and jammies. I was measuring her for undies recently and she asked why I needed her waist and hip measurement. I said, "It's for the panties. Why? Do you want me to make you something?!" She promptly replied, "NO!!". That "no" had an incredulous tone to it so I figure that I should just be happy making her undies. That ship done sailed, I guess.

Anyhoo, on to the outfit.

The top is Ottobre 1/2010 #2A or the "Kamomilla" T-shirt. Dress is also Ottobre from the 1/2009 issue. It's design #8 called the "Babushka" pinafore. I left off the frill though. The pants are the "Saimi" sweatpants I mentioned in the last post.

I like how it turned out and Miz K just loves it. When we were putting it on my son chimed in that she looked like a zebra, in a good way (This was before we got the dress on). I'm not sure how I like all the stripes either. It's sort of too Prison Chic for me. I may make her some different leggings to go under the dress and a different top to go with the striped pants. I have a red and white polka dot top I made for myself and every time I wear it she always pets it and oooo's and ahhh's over it. I'm sure I have enough leftover to make her a little top!

I did make a couple of stupid mistakes. I swear I can be such a dummy but that's what you get for sewing whilst tired. One of the reasons I picked the top was the sweet little gathering in the front. When I attached the binding do you think I remembered to make the gathers? Hell no! There was no way I was going to rip it all out and it turned out fine. The neckline is not too big, thank goodness! For the pinafore I fussy cut the front piece so the hippy chic, flowers, and bubbles were all nice and centered. It looked good! I assembled everything and got all the top stitching done. Then.... I realized I had attached the back shoulder straps to the front skirt piece and vice versa! DOH! I got very lucky in that the back, even though I haphazardly cut it out, had the girl's face and hair in all it's entirety and the flowers and bubbles filled the rest of the space. At least she'll look cute coming and going! LOL! Like that could be hard, you see those white-blond curls! She's a doll!

If you're curious, the fabric for the pinafore is By Robert Kaufman and it's called "Lucky Girl". I'm not sure if it's discontinued or not. I've had it in my stash for at least a couple of years.

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway! You have until Monday, March 1st and I keep adding extras to the pile! *wink*wink*

A Call to My Sewing Sisters and Brothers!

2010-02-25T00:01:00.001-06:00

Okay, I know a lot of you out there are vintage freaks just like me! I acquired this pattern awhile back off Ebay but I haven't been able to find out ANYTHING about Blue-and-White patterns!

As you can see, they are quite literally blue and white:

From the pattern cover I see that it comes from the Woman's Home Companion Magazine that was in production from 1873 to 1957. I was just wanting to maybe date the pattern and see if anyone else knows anything about Blue-and-White patterns. I haven't seen any others before or since.

Up next on the cutting board, so to speak, is an outfit for my friends' daughter. The pants are Ottobre 1/2009 #16 or the "Saimi" sweatpants. The pattern is super easy and I love one piece pants for kids. They fit her really well and she was so excited about them! I feel a stack-and-whack comin' on. For all my fellow Chez Ami fabric lovers out there, I used their black and white stripe jersey and red rib knit! Is their fabric not the best?! The groovy pink fabric is a twill that will be a jumper or pinafore of some kind (I think I bought it on Ebay). I've gotta search my magazines for a pattern to use.

I have to add that I just LOVE reading all of your crowning achievements! It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. I may have to do this more often! Keep 'em comin'!

xoxo,
Heather

First Ever GIVEAWAY!

2010-02-24T00:01:00.001-06:00

Okay, y'all! As promised I'm going to have a giveaway to commemorate my 5th Blogiversary and my birthday. The Blogiversary is on Feb 26th and my B-Day is Mar 1st!

What are ye gonna get? Well, everything in the above picture! You know my love of underpinnings by now so of course it has to be lingerie themed. It includes a simple muti-sized pattern for a slip, suitable for a beginner. It's a vintage Sew Lovely and has never even been opened. Cool! I also think that you can size it up easily if you need to. Also, enough peach nylon tricot to make the largest size (There is probably enough that you could even make a matching pair of panties! This stuff is like 100"+ wide!) and a selection of stretch lace to adorn your lovely new garment with. I might even throw something a little extra in there. I love surprises, don't you!

Okie dokie, the details are:

1. You must leave a comment here on the blog or email me privately between now and March 1st, 2010. lil-miss-muffett@sbcglobal.net

2. I want you to tell me your most crowning sewing or crafting achievment! If you don't have one tell me something that you've done or has happened to you that is super cool. Anything goes! You shagged Tom Cruise? I wanna know! LOL!

3. The giveaway is open to my international readers too!

That's it! Pretty simple. I'll use one of those random generator thingies to choose the winner and I'll announce it on Tuesday, March 2nd.

Let the games begin!

Stay Tuned....

2010-02-23T09:27:00.003-06:00

I've been thinking about doing a giveaway! Yes, a GIVEAWAY! I love it when people do that. I just got a pattern from Pattern Junkie and that was pretty cool. I'm coming up on my, believe it or not, 5th Blogiversary *!* and it's also my birthday next week! I really can't believe I've been blogging, on and off, for FIVE freakin' years! So, to commemorate this outstanding achievement of mine I want to give some crap away! Well, it's not crap... I'm thinking something along the lines of a vintage pattern or two. Maybe something else thrown in there? I dunno yet. Details to follow shortly!!!

I am going to start listing some patterns on Etsy soon like I mentioned in my last post. I'll probably try to do a few at a time. Start savin' yer money now girls and boys...

Bustin' Some Stash!

2010-02-17T09:53:00.003-06:00

I just read about Zoe's stash busting over at the Colette Patterns Blog and thought it sounded like a grand idea! I have absolutely NO extra cash for buying new fabrics and certainly not any extra space so I think I'm going to join along with my other sewing sisters who are also diving in! I have so much fabric it shouldn't be a problem! I've posted the little graphic in my side bar over there. I'm also thinking about going through my pattern stash and selling some of them off. I have quite a few vintage patterns that I will never use and it would be nice for them to have a new home where they can see the light of day. Keep your eyes peeled for that. I'll be listing them on my etsy shop!

In sewing news, I did NOT finish my bra and panty set for the Lingerie Contest at Pattern Review. I've just had too much going on. They are both cut out and hopefully I can get it finished this week! I'm babysitting again so I probably won't get anything done today. Here's a little sneaky peek:

Recipe to come later

2010-02-12T09:39:00.002-06:00

Well, if you're at all interested in the recipes I've been posting it'll be just a bit before I can get another posted. I spent the majority of yesterday with my elderly Mother-in-Law and today I'm babysitting for some friends. I hear the kids (aged 5 and 2 1/2) talking about jumping on beds so I better go investigate!

Bra sewing again!

2010-02-10T09:29:00.005-06:00

I've finally carved out a little time to make myself some new bras! All of mine are getting worn out and after having several conversations about bra making with Kristin, my juices got flowing to make some. Also, Pattern Review is holding a Lingerie Contest. It ends Feb. 14th and I thought I should get busy! LOL! The bra above is a mock up of one of my custom drafted Danglez patterns. If you look closely you can get a glimpse of the fabric I'm using for the contest piece. It's a really fun animal print with swirls and little silver paillette thingies. This bra has a diagonal seam cup and I just love how it fits! The details are more visible here on my dress form:

I wore it all day yesterday and didn't have to tug or adjust and I just love that! The contest bra is proving to be a little bit more difficult than the trial bra. It just sort of sewed itself. The print fabric is really stretchy and lightweight, almost to the point of being a mesh. Needless to say, it has to be fully lined and that makes things fussy. I'll cut a panty or two to go with it. Hopefully, I can get it all done before the weekend!

Some sewing, believe it or not!

2010-02-08T10:02:00.003-06:00

Yes, I do sew! Imagine that!

Here are some before and after photos of Ottobre 5/2007 Design #12A. The fabric I used was some Bamboo/Cotton/Lycra and it is extremely soft and has a lot of drape. Unfortunately, it shows every bump that lies underneath it. Not so good when you're a big girl. Anyhoo, I think that with the fabric containing Lycra and being so drapey it really stretches when wearing. The top came out much longer than I had intended and it just looked plain sloppy!

I trimmed it up quite a bit so it rested about mid hip and then added the ruching as described in the instructions for this pattern.

It's a little more flattering now and in the last photo you can see the ruching. I think that helps add a little shaping to the sides.

On a most exciting note: I fixed my serger! All. by. myself. Well, I had an assistant who ran and got me screwdrivers and compressed air and got in my way a bit (I'm not, ahem, talking about kids here either....) but for the most part I did it myself! I was having a problem with the fabric not feeding through and could feel/see that the back feed dogs were really loose. It was just a matter of tightening two little screws but the getting to those screws proved rather difficult. It only took about 30 minutes and now I'm back in business. Plus, it saved me quite a bit of money. Yay!

Have a lovely week!

Recipe Thursday: Face and Body Sugar Scrub

2010-02-05T10:19:00.007-06:00

Er...I guess I should say Recipe Friday. Oh well, better late than never! Although, I believe this is about 3 WEEKS late!! Maybe more, I quit counting.

Anyhoo, this is a wonderful scrub that you can even use on your face! It's really simple to make and leave the skin silky soft. You can make this using organic or regular sugar, whatever you have on hand. I'm using regular for this batch since I just didn't have the cash for the "good" stuff! :-D

Face and Body Sugar Scrub

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup White Sugar

Sweet Almond Oil (or any other light vegetable oil. Olive oil is particularly wonderful for moisturizing the skin and grapeseed is excellent.)

Essential Oil of your choice (I'm using orange and vanilla essential oils this time. Other good choices are lavender, lemon, lemongrass, ginger, rosemary, geranium, jasmine, rose, etc. Pretty much whatever you like and can use.)

Gather your ingredients.

Mix up the sugars in a large bowl and start adding the oil slowly, stirring every so often until the mixture becomes kind of think and paste-y.

It should end up looking like this.

Now, you begin adding your essential oils. Just a little at a time until you get the fragrance you want. I found that about 1/2 teaspoon each of the vanilla and orange was plenty.

It's always nice to have a test sniffer handy!

When everything is just right, you can start loading up your container. I'm recycling a container here but you can use canning jars or even baby food jars, whatever. That could make a really cute little gift! I'm thinking bridal and baby showers, gift baskets, etc. This makes a pretty good amount and my jar is not big enough to hold it all so you might be sure to have an extra container on hand just in case.

Ta Da! Now you have some lovely scrubby goodness.

To use: Scoop up a palm full and rub all over skin. Use a little more on dry areas like feet, hand elbows. If you use on face rub gently. Rinse well. Also, be careful in the shower, it can make the floor slick! You may notice the oil separates, just shake your container well before opening and using.

Enjoy!

Thrown for a loop!

2010-01-26T09:26:00.003-06:00

I have had so much crap happen in the past few weeks I can't even believe it! It really threw me for a loop and completely off track. I was doing so good with posting here. I have a recipe lined up for Thursday believe it or not. I really want to get back to that since I've missed the past two. This one will be another yummy bath and body recipe! Speaking of, has anyone tried any of the recipes I've posted? B&B or food? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Anyhoo, I have a custom panty order (3 pairs! YAY!) to get working on and a friend wants me to make her a lingerie set for Valentine's Day. That should be fun! Have you ever had a friend that you know is wearing the wrong bra size and you just want to shake her and say so? Yes, well, she's my friend like that so I'm kinda excited about getting her tricked out properly and telling her what her true bra size is. I know she's gonna freak 'cause I'm thinkin' her boobs are bigger than mine, which is really saying something, and she seems a bit in denial about this. The other day she came over wearing no bra because all of hers were in the wash. I would never-ever-ever-ever go anywhere without a bra. Maybe if I was a 34B but since I'm a 38J, no way sistah! I'd put an eye out.

Alright, clearly I'm rambling today. I need to get to work anyway!

Have a good one!

Oh! And as a parting shot, I came across this Elvgren Pin-up the other day and thought it was so pretty I just wanted to share! He is one of my most favorite pin-up artists ever!

Back Online!

2010-01-14T10:32:00.002-06:00

We finally got our new computer last night! I have felt so very out of touch this past week. It's our only source of information since we don't have cable or satellite TV. I just found about Haiti yesterday! To top it all off, my Mother-in-Law suddenly fell quite ill and we were rushing to Doctor and then hospital. All is well with her now, thank heavens! All I can say is, what else is next! I'm beginning to think this is all some sort of cosmic joke and I've just about had enough. Hopefully, I can get caught up on housework in the next few days and get back to sewing! I've missed being near my sewing machine something terrible. The new semester for my aqua aerobics class started Monday and I haven't even been once so I'm feeling kinda bad about that too. I need to get my booty shakin' and get some work done.

I hope you all are doing much better than me!
Take it easy!
Heather

Crashed!

2010-01-07T14:50:00.002-06:00

My computer at home crashed so I'm on my husband's 'puter at his office. Won't get a recipe up today. Sorry! Hopefully, we can find a new computer tomorrow. I'm already jonesing! How does one become so addicted to a stupid computer?! Anyhoo, I'll catch you all on the flip-side!

xoxo,
Heather

Crafting Cleanse

2010-01-05T10:10:00.003-06:00

I have to sell some stuff. That seems like it might suck but it's really not so bad. Taxes this year are going to eat our lunch so the hubster and I are putting a bunch of our goods up for sale. It kinda sucks. Then again, it's cleansing. I have a pottery wheel and kiln that haven't been touched in FOREVER! I still love to make pottery, don't get me wrong, but whenever I go out into the garage and see that stuff setting there I feel guilty for not loving it properly (for example, USING IT!!!). So out it goes to a new home where it will be loved properly. I have lots of books I'll never use and yarn I'll never knit up, etc. It will feel good to purge all the clutter and make more room for my sewing. It's what I'm most obsessed with and always have been since I was a kid. Hopefully, it will clear a lot of the clutter in my brain as well. I want to do so many things but don't have the time, so I get all overwhelmed and don't do any of it!

I'm also trying to get organized! Ha! I've subscribed to the Fly Lady in hopes she'll get me whipped into shape. I love her ideas so far. It is so very hard to make new routines, though! The first step is "Shining Your Sink" and I can't even get past that yet! LOL! As you all know, I hate cleaning so this is a real challenge for me.

Alright! No more sob story! I'm off to get busy....

Recipe Thursday: Granny's Super Sweet Taters

2009-12-31T09:58:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year's Eve! I probably won't be posting New Year's Day since the hubster has a gig tonite and we'll be zombies tomorrow. I can't believe this year is at it's end already! It went waaay too fast but I'm glad 'cause 2009 just sucked, am I right?! And now we can start saying twenty-ten, etc. instead of two-thousand and blah-blah. That always bothered me for some reason. I'm crazy, perhaps?

Anyhoo! I got my yellow undies made yesterday and I even did a review for Pattern Review! This is Kwik Sew 2100 and I like the pattern a lot. Their sizing is really off, which you can read about in my review, but these turned out great! I used a Nylon/Lycra and they sort have a slimming effect. Yay! I just realized yesterday that I make way more stuff than I review. I should really do more reviews this next year! It would be cool to have a record of everything I make throughout the year. I've noticed many other sewing bloggers doing a kind of wrap-up of their sewing projects and I honestly haven't got a clue how many items I've made over the last 12 months!

Okay, on to the recipe! You will most definitely need something with slimming action when you eat these sweet potatoes! They are so wonderful and it's the only way I make mine. I got the recipe from my Mother-in-Law several years ago and it's the one I think her mother used. I'm sorry I don't have a picture! I made these for Christmas Eve but totally spaced the picture taking/Recipe Thursday stuff. You'll just have to trust me on this one! We always reserve this dish for special holidays. This would be perfect to serve tomorrow!

Granny's Super Sweet Taters

6-8 Sweet Potatoes or Yams (whichever you use, try to find the smallest ones, they tend to be better)
1 pound Brown Sugar
1 pint Heavy Cream
1/4 tsp Nutmeg (optional)
9"x13" Baking Dish, sprayed with cooking spay or buttered

The night before you make the dish, mix cream and brown sugar in a covered container or big jar, refrigerate. (If you want to use nutmeg you can stir it in with the cream and brown sugar or wait and sprinkle it over the potatoes before baking. It's not part of the original recipe, just something I added on my own so please don't think it's necessary. These are just as delicious without it!) Stir the mixture every so often, maybe each time you get in the fridge. Boil the potatoes in a large pot, skin on, for about 30-45 minutes or until soft. Drain and let cool. This makes peeling the taters super easy! Okay, now you can peel 'em. Cut into quarters and place them in your baking dish, preferably in a single layer. You can do this the day before if you need the time! Right before you want to bake your taters get out your cream mixture and stir well, pour over the potatoes. Heat oven to 350 degrees then pop in the taters. Bake covered (I just use foil) for approx. 1 hour and be sure to spoon the sauce over the potatoes every 20 minutes or so. What comes out is a bubbly, caramel-y treat like no other! No marshmallows needed here!

As always, if you have questions please email me. I'd love to hear if you try the recipe!

Yellow Undies for New Years Eve?

2009-12-30T11:28:00.004-06:00

Did you know it's good luck to wear yellow undies on New Years Eve? It's supposed to bring wealth in the new year, too. New ones are best and getting them as a gift is even better. Why yellow you ask? It's the closest color to gold, of course! You're even supposed to throw away all your old panties at the stroke of midnight!

I could really use some good luck and wealth in 2010 so, I'm going to gift myself with a new pair! That counts, right? I have all my supplies ready to go. I'm just trying to decide if I want yellow lace or black. I'm leaning towards the black 'cause it's just sexy!

Let the holiday cleanup commence...

2009-12-29T10:36:00.003-06:00

We got back from my mom's Saturday and have pretty much vegged out for the past few days. All that holiday hubbub poops me out! It was so good to see everyone, though. Now, the Christmas mess is driving me nuts and it has to get cleaned up. Believe me, it takes a lot of mess to drive me nuts! I seriously hate cleaning. Also, sorry I forgot to do my Recipe Thursday! I'll get caught up this week!

Now I can show you the Christmas sewing I was working on! Above is the bra and panty set I made my mom. She told me the panties fit but I've yet to hear on the bra. The panty pattern I used is from Coni Crawford. I had to alter it a bit because I don't like the way the back waistline is shaped. The first time I used the pattern was for myself. I used it as is and because of this extra fabric I have a big poof above my butt. Not real cute. I'm sure it would work for other body types. Me and my mom's butts aren't shaped that way, though. LOL! The bra pattern is the Queen Elite from Anne St. Clair that I've talked about before.

Below is the nightie I made for my sister. I quite literally finished it the day before I gave it to her. I used this pattern and it went together like a dream!

My form is set to my daughter's size so it doesn't fill it out as well as my sister will but I love how it turned out. The fabric is from a bundle and is supposedly from Victoria's Secret. It is soooo super soft! The matching panties are my go-to Jalie. These are the low rise view A.

I knitted my Sister-in-Law a scarf but forgot to take a picture of it. I didn't use a pattern or anything. It was just a simple 1x1 rib.

Well, my messy house beckons me.

Happy Tuesday!

Christmas Sewing: A Sneak Peek!

2009-12-22T11:17:00.003-06:00

Here's a little sneaky peek at what I've been working on! Can't show the whole thing 'cause I don't want to ruin the surprise. I love how it's turning out and I certainly hope the recipient does too!

All the Christmas gifts to be purchased have been purchased, I have just a few more things to get finished up sewing-wise and then I'll be DONE!!! Yay!

Last Saturday Nite!

2009-12-19T17:00:00.004-06:00

Here's the pics I promised. My husband's band rocked the house last Saurday/Sunday. Had a blast as usual. I took a ton of pictures but since MY CAMERA SUCKS, they didn't turn out very well. In this first one I was able to get them all lined up:

That's my man.... mmmmm hmmm!

Recipe Thursday: Brrrrrownies! Ah yeeeah!

2009-12-17T09:36:00.004-06:00

Okay, this is a super easy Brownie recipe! So easy it should be illegal 'cause yer gonna want to make it every day. I found this recipe on the web but have adapted it a bit to suit my taste. I also use organic ingredients whenever I possibly can. It makes the brownies healthy that way! I keep telling myself that anyway.

Easy Peasy Brownies

1/2 cup Butter (it's best to use real butter)
3/4 cup Brown Sugar (I use dark brown but I'm sure light will work fine too)
3/4 cup White Sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa
1/4 tsp Salt
1 TBSP Vanilla (yes, a tablespoon)
A sprinkleydoo of Cinnamon or about 1/4 tsp (trust me)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare an 8" square baking dish with butter or cooking spray or line the bottom with parchment paper, set aside for now. Melt the butter in a large-ish saucepan. Remove from heat and let it stand for a couple of minutes. Dump everything else in the saucepan and mix well. Pour batter into the prepared pan and pop 'em in the oven for about 20 minutes. Test with a toothpick for done-ness. If the toothpick comes out gooey, bake for a few minutes more.

Now, you're supposed to let these cool before you can cut them but who has time for that?! We're dealing with brownies, people! We cut/scoop and eat hot. They aren't pretty but really, who cares.... If you want them to look nice just wait an hour or so.

You can also add chocolate chips, nuts, or whatever suits your fancy! The recipe can easily be doubled if you need more choco-goodness.

Enjoy!

Christmas sewing

2009-12-16T09:00:00.003-06:00

I've been working on some Christmas sewing for the past several days. Unfortunately, I can't post much about it since the recipients (a.k.a. Mom and Sis) read my blog! Due to much needed devotion to these projects, I'll be out of pocket here for awhile. Tomorrow is Recipe Thursday and I will have a treat for you then! Well, more like a treat you can make for yourself.....yummmm!

I used a super quick remedy on the Hot Patterns Uptown/Downtown dress (pics later!). I just threaded some elastic thorough the binding and it more or less did the trick. I just don't have the time to rip it out and redo it now. I'll leave it like this and if I make another I'll be sure to make sure my fabric is stretchy enough! I think I'm going to make an infinity scarf to wear with it so that'll cover my, shall we say, indiscretion. I'd really like to get a review done up for Pattern Review, too.

Happy 'Hump' Day!

In Progress: HP Uptown/Downtown Dress

2009-12-14T15:00:00.004-06:00

and I need some suggestions!

Okay, the neckline is giving me fits and I'm thinking about just sticking some elastic in there so it'll lay flat! This is one of those patterns where, for the neckband, fabric choice is key. If it ain't stretchy enough it just ain't gonna work right. I *thought* my fabric was stretchy enough but I was sorely mistaken. The neckband on the size 20 is 10" shorter than the neckline and no matter how hard I pulled I just couldn't get it to fit. Well, I just barely made it all the way around and at the end got a tiny pleat. When I put the dress on it look horrid! It was all bunched up and the sleeves looked crazy. I'm sorry I didn't take a pic to show you. The pattern calls for rib knit for the bands and it mentions that you can use self fabric but it better have super elasticity and excellent recovery, that's all I'm sayin'. I did rip out the original neckband (ugh, dark thread on dark fabric!) and made the neckband about 6" longer. While this technically worked it makes the band stick up and I just don't care for it at all. Hence the idea for elastic or do you think it will look like crap? Please, please help! I love this fabric and hate to see it wasted.

sorry no pics today!

2009-12-11T21:52:00.003-06:00

I really meant to take pictures of my Hot Patterns Uptown/Downtown dress to show you. Well, I did take a couple but they were really horrid and you could see my messy desk/house in the background. They just weren't fit for posting. I'm a little *meh* about the pattern at the moment anyway. Lets just say my fabric choice wasn't right for the neckband and it looks crappy and I'm trying to figure out how to fix it. Maybe just rip the whole damn thing up...

Tomorrow/Saturday is my obligatory "Roadie Duty" since the hubster and his band are playing. They're going to be rockin' out in Borger, TX at the Main Street Bar (I think it's called) so if you're anywhere near come join us. I'm kinda sore from swimming and doing my water aerobics classes all week so we'll see how I feel after lugging around amps and monitors. And it's supposed to be a little warmer Saturday and Sunday which is a bonus. You haven't lived until you've loaded a truck with musical equipment at 2:30 AM in freezing temperatures, I'm tellin' ya! I'll take pics and share them next week!

Everyone have a lovely weekend!

Thursday is now the Official Recipe Day!

2009-12-10T09:19:00.007-06:00

Last Thursday I posted a couple of shampoo recipes and I think I'm going to keep it up! I love to cook and make up my own bath and body stuff so I'll post some sort of recipe every Thursday. It could be brownies or it could be body scrub. You just never know with me!

First things first though, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who gave in to Fabric.com, that evil temptress! Second, I really need to thank the UPS man for bringing all that fabric I ordered from Chez Ami early yesterday! My husband would just die! Now it's all safely hidden in the bins in my garage. Of course he's used to my fabricaholic tendencies after 15+ years. If you sew for children then you really need to head over there. They have some of their fabrics clearanced for $2.50 a yard. You have to buy it in two yard lots but it is sooo worth it. The fabric is excellent quality and washes beautifully. I've made my son several things and they all still look great after several washings. Anyhoo, I'm sort of ashamed to say I bought *gasp* 42 yards. Yes, you read that correctly. I know, awful right? I plan to use it for at least 5 people so it'll go fast. Some good friends of ours have a 2 year old daughter and I want to make her a whole bunch of stuff. Her daddy lost his job a couple months ago and I know they don't have the money to buy her a bunch of Winter clothing. So, I'm arming myself with my Ottobre mags and will get down and dirty as soon as I get some of this fabric washed.

Okay, on to the recipe!

This is another shampoo that we love and is easy to make. It's my daughter's new favorite and really does smell fresh. My little guy and my big guy like it too. Bonus!

Minty Fresh Shampoo

1/4 cup Distilled Water
1/4 cup Liquid Castile Soap (I use the unscented stuff from Dr. Bronner's)
2 tsp Jojoba Oil
1/8 tsp Peppermint Oil
1/8 tsp Tea Tree Oil
Bottle

Pour water and soap into bottle and then add your oils. Swish around to mix. Shake well before use in the shower. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Rinse well.

This is a good one for this time of year with cold and flu season upon us (well, in the Northern Hemisphere anyway). The tea tree has excellent cleaning properties and is an analgesic, decongestant, and expectorant. The peppermint is also good for sinus congestion and is a pain reliever. So the next time you have a cold or a headache, hop in the shower armed with this shampoo!

Tomorrow, I want to unveil my version of the Hot Patterns Uptown/Downtown dress! See you all then.

Dang you Fabric.com and Hot Patterns!

2009-12-09T12:18:00.003-06:00

I caved this morning. It's all due to stinkin' Fabric.com, too. They're having this 12 Days of Christmas sale and the first day was 60% off the Vera Lavender Collection. I've been eyeing several of those fabrics for some time so I pretend shopped and filled my cart with a few things knowing I probably wasn't going to buy anything. Then the next day I check my emails and I've got one from Fabric.com. It basically says, "Hey wait, you have stuff in your cart and you forgot to check out! Here, we'll give you and extra 15% off if you come back and buy up this stuff you don't really need!" How the hell do they know I put shit in my cart and didn't check out?! Creepy. So anyways, I go back to Fabric.com and see what all I put in my cart. Some of it is mysteriously gone, btw. Then I see that patterns are on sale today with the frickin' 12 Days thingy and I sink out of my chair and onto the floor (well, not really. I just said that for dramatic effect.) 'cause now I'm doomed. There are several Hot Patterns that I want so I added a few to may cart and used my coupon (which was ABAND2009....can you believe the nerve of these people! They said I abandoned my cart, for cryin' out loud! Oh, poor cartie baby, I'm sorry!). I got this, this, and this. I bought the last two because I loved Debbie Cook's versions. (Okay Debbie, now it's all your fault! heehee). You know I just had to order more than $35 to get the free shipping. So, there goes Christmas for the kids. Just kidding....

Sorry no pictures today. I do want to thank everyone for their super sweet comments about my coat! Sarai liked it too so that was truly icing on the cake!

Have a good one!

Colette Patterns: Lady Grey...in red!

2009-12-08T09:00:00.005-06:00

Finally I got some pictures of the pattern I tested for Colette Patterns! It has been gray and dreary so I gave up on sunshine and just went into my kitchen to take the pictures. Alas, they aren't too whippy and you'll have to forgive my mom jeans. The red was hard to photograph and my camera just sucks. I think she's dying, to be honest.

Anyway! This is the Lady Grey pattern and, I must say, I love this coat! It has a gorgeous shape and I think it's very feminine and flattering to my curves. This is a wrap coat with princess seaming and topstitching. It ties with a long belt and also has one button on the outside and one on the inside to secure it. The collar is wide and just waiting for your favorite brooch. The hem is full and it flares out just right over the hip. Just for reference and for all my sewing peeps, I made a straight size 18. No FBA or nuthin'! The only thing I did was trim the sleeve cap down a bit 'cause it was poofing up and not in a good way.

Here's the back. You get a better sense of the hem. You can't really see it but there are two belt loops in the back.

Here's a close up of the front without the belt so you can see the button closure.

And a closeup of the back. There, now you can see the belt loops!

I made this from a wool gauze that I got from Fashion Fabric Club. It was like 5 yards for $35! It's a little bit lighter weight than what is suggested but I love the drape and it's really soft. The lining is a polyester.

All the new Colette Patterns are up for pre-order here! Check 'em out!

My new favorite shampoo!

2009-12-03T11:01:00.007-06:00

A little side project that has been ongoing for me is making my own bath and body products. In an effort to reduce the toxic chemicals in our household I've turned to using more natural products. One of my favorite things to make is shampoo and it's super easy to do. You might have to make a trip to your health food store to get some of these ingredients. I don't live in a large area and was able to find all of them locally. Amazon.com is a great source for the liquid castile soap!

I've been playing around with different formulas and I want to share a couple that we really like. The first is one that I use the most and the second is one I make up for the kids. Each recipe makes about 4.5 ounces.

One thing I would like to mention before we get started is, while I am an 'independent student' (since I'm learning on my own from books) of aromatherapy and the different uses of essentials oils, I am by no means an expert! Please use caution when handling these oils as they are very potent! If you're unsure if you can use any of them consult a handbook (or even your doctor). I have a couple of books by Valerie Ann Worwood which I really like!

Okie Dokie! Enough of that business, let's get cookin'!!

Lemon Rosemary Shampoo

1/4 cup Distilled Water

1/4 cup Liquid Castile Soap (I use Dr. Bronner's unscented)

2 TBSP Dried Rosemary

2 tsp Sweet Almond Oil

1/4 tsp Lemon Essential Oil (I prefer using essential oils but you can use fragrance oil too)

5-10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

Some sort of container (I use a glass bottle that is for oil and vinegar. Got it for $1 at the Dollar Tree and the little spout is the perfect dispenser. I have also reused old shampoo bottles. Just be sure to rinse them well first.)

Boil the water and then sprinkle the Rosemary over top. Let steep for about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the Castile Soap in your bottle. Add the Sweet Almond Oil and your Essential Oils. I find using a funnel is most helpful for all this. Once your Rosemary tea is done you'll strain the leaves and discard. Pour the tea into the bottle and swish it all around to mix. In the shower, be sure to shake before each use since the ingredients will separate. Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

This fragrance is fresh and uplifting and makes my hair shiny and bouncy. It isn't thick like the stuff you get at the store so you will have to pour a little over your head. Otherwise, you just use it like you would normally. The castile soap make lots of fluffy lather and with the essential oils you get the benefit of aromatherapy! This type of shampoo is also gentle so you will probably need to rinse and repeat. The oil in the mix makes conditioner unnecessary! Yay!

The next one is very kid friendly (smell-wise) and the easiest to make. My daughter helped me make up the last batch which was fun. Anyhoo, once all the kids' store-bought shampoo ran out I wanted to make them something they would like. The Lemon Rosemary Shampoo is wonderful but a bit herbaly and more astringent smelling. Let's just say, my 5 year old son wasn't a big fan. This one smells really yummy and makes my hair look and feel really good. My daughter has super duper thick hair and it works great for her, too. It also has the stamp of approval from Mr. Picky.

Creamsicle Shampoo

1/4 cup Liquid Castile Soap

1/4 cup Distilled Water

2 tsp Jojoba Oil

10-15 drops Vanilla Essential Oil

10-15 drops Orange Essential Oil

5-10 drops Tea Tree Oil (optional)

Bottle

Pour all ingredients into your bottle and swish around to mix. Shake before each use. Lather, Rinse, Repeat! See, I told you it was easy!

This is the Creamsicle Shampoo. Oops, looks like I need to make some more!

I'd like to maybe make this a regular feature to my blog. What do you all think? If any of you out there make your own b&b stuff too let me know. I love to try out new recipes!

My official We Love Colors and Sock Dreams review!

2009-12-01T09:38:00.004-06:00

Holy crap! Can it really be December already?! So, did everyone out there who celebrates Thanksgiving eat too much? I did! I went to the pool and swam my laps yesterday morning so I feel a whole lot better!

Anyhoo, on with my review! I know Andrea was curious how the We Love Colors tights worked for me. I have to say I'm on the fence about them. I didn't get any pictures because I wore them to a funeral and didn't get a chance. I will try to take a picture of me in them next chance I get!

First the good: The colors are so great and super saturated. Even after putting them on they were pretty much opaque. They fit well in the hips and tummy and were very comfortable.

The bad: They have pretty much zero recovery. They're more like leggings with feet. I wore them with boots and when I took the boots off the fabric was all scrunched at my ankle. And, yes, they were huge in the foot! But this is a plus if you have a very wide foot. The knee didn't seem to bag too much but I couldn't wear these with a shoe because of the ankle issue.

I'm pretty much going to just chalk these up as a great pop of color when I wear skirts with boots. So, not bad but not perfect either. I guess I would grade them a C+. Next time I might try the Nylon/Lycra as I'm sure they will have a better fit. They are also $6 more per pair! Yikes!

Okay, now for the Sock Dreams!

Seriously, I love these socks! They're both great! First up is the Wavy Lace Over-the-Knee sock:

Above is a picture of the sock pulled up as far as it can go. On my right leg you can see it does in fact come up over knee and not terribly uncomfortably, either. It cuts in a little as you can tell. The left leg is scrunched slightly and pulled to just under my knee. This is where I have been wearing them and they truly stay put! The foot is loose but not too much. They are just really comfortable! Below you can see them really scrunched which is a cute look too. These are just above mid-leg on me here. If you have a narrower calf the scrunch would be all the way up like the photo on the website.

Here are the Ribbed M Stockings:

Oh boy, these are nice and toasty! I've been wearing these around the house in the morning when I'm still in my jammies and robe and they are perfect! These have a really heavy rib and the foot is thick and soft and slighty loose like the Wavy Lace. These do come sort of thigh high on me. On the right leg you can see it's wanting to roll a bit. I don't have these pulled as high as they will go but rather how I normally wear them, just over the knee. This way they're a little slouchy.

I like that this brand will fit a wide variety of sizes and their website has so many styles! Everything from fun, funky, everyday socks to fetish worthy stockings. I'm thinking Christmas gifts here, too. My grade for the Sock Dreams is definitely an A!

Well, now that I'm obsessed about cute socks, I'd love to hear if you all have a favorite!

Busy weekend!

2009-11-23T12:12:00.007-06:00

Well, as my previous post stated, I finished up my Colette Patterns test sewing! Yay! But before that, on Friday, a milestone was reached for someone very dear to me....

My little man turned 5!!!

I can hardly believe it! Love you sweetie!

Next, I want to (finally) show you all the lingerie set I made for my daughter a couple of weeks ago!

I used a vintage Kwik Sew pattern and this is the fabric and stretch lace from Elingeria.de. It's a super cute cotton knit screen printed with hearts and 'love', etc. I love how it turned out! She just adores it and wants to wear it all the time. This feels pretty good to me since most of the stuff I make her these days doesn't get worn. She's at that stage.... *sigh* It's all about skinny jeans (gasp) and Converse! I didn't sew for her very much when she was little and now I'm wishing for those days again. She is in desperate need of undies so I can always do that. I also realized over the weekend that she needs some lounge wear! Of all things! That should be easy to throw together. I have some great Jalie patterns that will work perfectly.

Lastly, I want to give you that sneak peek I promised....

Have you all been good...hmmmmm?

Oh well, even if you haven't here it is!

Alright, that's all yer gettin! But don't fret! The new patterns are available for purchase this Friday! Yipee! So be sure to keep your eyes on the Colette blog. I wanted to point out how well my seams matched up. See how pretty? This is always a source of joy and satifaction for me. I just love when that happens!

Next up for me is the HP Uptown/Downtown dress. The pattern is all laid out on my big table waiting to be traced! I keep seeing everyone's amazing creations and I just can't wait to have one of my own!

P.S. Today I'm wearing my fuschia We Love Colors tights. I'll give a review on them (hopefully tomorrow) and the socks from Sock Dreams. I've worn both of those and, let's just say.... well, you'll have to come back and find out!

Hugs & Stitches!

Colette, my love...

2009-11-22T23:08:00.003-06:00

Just a quickie update. I finished the test pattern for Colette Patterns today and got all my feedback sent to Sarai like a good little girl. I'm tellin' ya...I love this li'l coat! That's all I'm sayin'. It's late but if you're all good I may give you a sneaky peek tomorrow!

Is the curiosity eating you away.....

Teehee!

Oooo, Friday the 13th...

2009-11-13T10:15:00.006-06:00

Mwuaa ha haaaaa....

I didn't even realize it was Friday the 13th until I saw it on another blog..... Usually, I'm the one telling my husband "Ooooo, It's Friday the 13th...mwuaa haa haaaa" first thing. Well, that just confirms that I'm a dork. Now I need to go call him a make sure he knows what today is. Tee hee.

Anyhoo, on to other stuff...

Who else, besides me, is loving the super bright tights everyone is wearing?! I just think it's sooo cool lookin'! Well, I get an email from the Lingerie Post everyday and one mentioned these snuggly thigh high socks to wear with your nighties and such. I really liked the M Stocking from Sock Dreams that they highlighted so I headed over their and picked up a black pair and also some gorgeous wavy lace, over the knee socks.

The lacy socks are sooo soft and feel really good on. The ribbed are super thick and should keep me nice and toasty! They're both made from recycled cotton and have minimal packaging. From what I could tell, most of their products are made from recycled cotton. Cool! All those groovy socks got me to thinking about the bright tights that I've been seeing, and loving. I remembered finding a link to We Love Colors some time ago so I mosied on over to their website. The great thing about them is they also carry plus sizes in a lot of their styles. Yay! Seriously, they sell rainbows! I mean, I think they offer like, 50 different colors or something! I picked up Scarlet, Purple, Fuschia in the solids. The 'Splash' colors are #7001 & #2312

Unfortunately, the colors are really washed out in the picture above. They're actually quite rich and vibrant. They feel soft and stretchy and the only thing I found was the foot is really huge! There is no shaping or tapering and it's basically straight all the way down. Even though I'm a curvy girl with 17" calves, I have smaller feet with a tapered ankle and narrow-ish heel. I can even wear some narrow shoes so we'll see how it goes. I'll be sure to give you all my thoughts on both brands.

Everyone have a lovely weekend and don't get into any mischief today. Watch out for black kitties and don't walk under any ladders, etc.

Oh, and what do you think of my mermaids? Aren't they pretty? I love mermaids....

I finally caved....

2009-11-09T10:02:00.005-06:00

Yes, in a moment of weakness, I have fallen to that temptress Hot Patterns. When I opened my email from Patternreview.com this morning I had absolutely no plans to dump over $40 into new patterns that I really don't need. But when I saw Michelle's cute version I just plum gave in. I watched Trudy's vids on this a couple of weeks ago and it almost sent me over the edge but when I saw it made up and on a real person I just had to have it. I think it'll be so cute with boots and a little jacket for this fall. I've also had my eye on this one forever:

I figured, "what the hell?!" I'm already going broke... Ha! So, I think today I'm going to dig through my stash and find some fabrics that will work for both of these so I can get at 'em when they arrive in a few days.

I did have a productive weekend of sewing! I made my sweet daughter a bra and panty set from a vintage Kwik Sew pattern. She made me wash it last night so she could wear it today so I have no pictures yet. It turned out so cute and really fit her perfectly! Best part is she loves it! I used some fabric and lace I got in a grab bag from Elingeria.de some time ago. When I pulled the fabric out of the package I knew it was destined to be made into something for her. The piece was kind of small but that's the great thing about sewing lingerie for little people, it doesn't take much! ;-D

Awesome Thrift Score, Awesome Pin-Up, and Awesome News

2009-11-06T10:04:00.010-06:00

Can things get any more awesome?! Teehee! Well, it is Friday after all.....

I wanted to share a bit of awesomeness that has come my way in recent days. First off, I went to the thrift store yesterday to see if I could find some fabric for a coat I'm making (more on that in a bit). Instead I come across a shoe box of mugs that I thought looked terribly familiar. See, I used to work at a gift shop as their Bridal Consultant, which basically means I just registered brides for all the stuff they wanted people to buy them for their big day. Anyhoo, these mugs looked familiar because they are made by a brand that the shop carried. Okay, are you ready....They're Denby Greenwich! DENBY!!! Hello?! I only paid $2.75 for 10 of them!!! The lowest price I could find online was over $20. EACH! Honestly, I felt kinda guilty because they had no idea what they had. But, here I sit, sippin' my coffee, in my new mug, and it's feelin' pretty good! ;~D hehehe

I also found some clogs that were brand new for $4. The brand is Indigo by CLARKS! For Heaven's sake!

Next up is the "new girl" I drew for my hubby's band logo. I think she turned out pretty awesome:

Lastly, you may or may not know how much I love Colette Patterns. Well, the other day Sarai had a call on her blog for test sewers for her new line of patterns coming out soon. I thought "what the hey" and contacted her asking for a slot. Lo and behold, she emailed me back and said I'm in! Awesome!!! Without giving too much away, I signed up to make a short wrap coat. The line drawing is great and her sample is just gorgeous. I ordered fabric and it's on it's way. I chose a wool gauze in a lovely, deep red and a dark purple for the lining. I just got the email this morning that it had finally shipped. 'Bout damn time! I was getting a little panic-y about not having it here in time hence, the thrift shop run.

Well, that's my awesomeness for the week. Do you all have any awesomeness to share?

Oh yes, the word for today is awesome. See how many times you can use it!

Go ask Alice...

2009-11-01T15:25:00.003-06:00

Ta daaaa....

I had a wonderful time last night! My husband's band rocked the house and my feet and legs are killing me from dancing all night. The four inch heels probably didn't help matters either! I got lots of compliments on my costume and was a runner up in the "Most Original Costume" contest.

Right now I'm exhausted and will probably go take a nap soon! Hope everyone had an enjoyable evening as well!

A Bra for Amy

2009-10-08T11:36:00.004-05:00

When my friend Amy found out I was making my own bras she asked if I could do the same for her. Of course I said "heck YES!!!" After a few failed fitting attempts I had her try on a bra I had just made myself using the Queen Elite from Needle Nook (see side bar for link). The band was too big but the cups fit fairly well, being a smidge too big for her, and the wire size was perfect. Using this information I traced off the next smaller cup than what I used. I used the same pattern piece for the underwire and shortened the back to basically make it a size 32 band. I made an ivory colored trial bra and I think it fit her really well. I gave it to her so she could wear it and see how it really fit. She said it was a winner so I made her a "real" bra in black. The fabrics and notions are also from Needle Nook. The stretch lace was some I got in a bundle off Ebay. Here you can see it on my dress form:

The cups look all wonky because the bra doesn't fit my "model". It kinda gives you a better idea of what it looks like than if it was just laying on my cutting table. Trust me, I tried this....

Something else I added was a power bar. This is a little something new. I've read about it in my bra making books but hadn't tried it yet. Power bars are used kind of as an inner sling to provide uplift. This is especially important to us curvy gals. I really like how it turned out and will do this to my own next time. You can see it here:

Okay, sorry for all the technical sewing gobbledygook. I know a lot of you sew bras too so you'll get me. ;-D This is also an attest to how perserverance pays off. I just want to make sure all you budding bra-makers out there (Andrea, I'm talkin' to you!) don't give up! It can get frustrating for sure but the hard work really pays off. I learned a lot by fitting someone else, too. I really enjoyed the process and hope I can do it again. Hey, maybe this is the start of a lucrative career for me. That would be awesome! Spending all day sewing....and playing with pretty fabric and lace... hell YEAH!

It is Alice!

2009-10-07T08:03:00.002-05:00

Voting is closed! Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote. I think this will be a fun costume and definitely something different for me. I usually gravitate more towards the witch/vampire genre for Halloween. I have a few custom items to finish up sewing and then I'll get started. I'll be sure to post a picture or two when I'm finished!

Thanks again!
Heather

Looks like it's Alice!

2009-09-30T15:22:00.002-05:00

Just 6 more days to vote! From the way it looks here and over on Facebook we're leaning towards Alice, though. I think she'll need to be a little bit naughty and a little bit nice....kinda like me! ;-D I found the cutest shoes, too:

Women's Queen of Hearts Heel

Shared via AddThis

Halloween Help!

2009-09-19T09:30:00.005-05:00

I'm having a bit of a dilemma over here. My husband's band has a gig on Halloween night and of course it's also a costume party. I'm having the hardest time trying to figure out what I want to go as. I was thinking of going with Alice in Wonderland and then hubby said why not the Mad Hatter. Grrr.... SO, I'm gonna ask y'all for some help! I put a little poll over in side bar so be sure to vote! It will end October 7th at 12:01 AM Central. I figure that'll give me plenty of time to sew it up. I have this pattern to use:

I'll be lengthening the skirt so it hits at the knee. I want it a little sexy but mid-thigh is a bit much for me. Another option for me is Simpilcity 2547. We have a Wizard of Oz museum here in town so that always works. If you have any other ideas for costumes be sure to leave them in the comments. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks!
Thanks in advance y'all!!!

I know, I'm sorry....

2009-09-11T08:19:00.003-05:00

I haven't updated this baby in a super long time! Ugh! I've just been totally bogged down lately with a big custom order and a sick child. She's pretty much well now but was home from school for almost 2 weeks with bronchitis and a throat and sinus infection. Yuck, poor baby! It *almost* turned into pneumonia and thank goodness it did not.

I'm almost finished with the custom order but I ran out of the ribbon so I'm waiting on more of that. I did make some progress on the bra I'm making for my friend Amy (Hi Amy!). The last fitting went really well, I think. We're getting closer to a good fit.

I finished my black and red Danglez bra and a nude Queen Elite some time ago. I think I've finally got a good fit with the QE. The red and black fits good but I think I need to tweek the cups just a tad. There's just something not quite right yet. I might stop sewing bras for myself for just a bit since I've upped my exercise routine and will hopefully start losing weight again. I joined an aqua aerobics class and I still swim in the morning with DH. I love this class though! It's really fun and everyone is sooo nice. It's at our local community college and I was so worried it was going to be full of cute-n-tiny college girls. Well, I'm the youngest by at least 20 years and there are all sizes. Yay!

I have no pictures of the new bras as my camera is sorta jacked up at the moment. It's dying and just needs to be replaced. I can borrow DD's so I can at least post some pics here and at PR.

Well, I better go and get busy. I rearranged my living room yesterday and just have a few more books to put away and need to vacuum under the couch.

*Oh* I have to tell you all that hubby and I just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on Sept. 1st! I cannot believe it has been that long, it's gone by so fast. I've been with him since I was 16! How does he put up with me?!

Have a great weekend!

Sports bra prototype

2009-07-27T10:02:00.006-05:00

Well, I already posted this over at PR and on the lingerie sew-along I belong to but I thought I might share it over here too. I think my mom reads this sometimes so she can get a sneaky peak! (Hi Mom!)

Most women can attest that as soon as they find the perfect RTW bra it becomes discontinued by the manufacturer shortly thereafter. Well, this happened to Mom recently. So frustrating, isn't it?! Anyhoo, I had her give me one of her older, worn out bras to see if I could replicate it for her. This is the prototype I came up with:

The original is a sports bra with molded cups. I used the method suggested in Beverly Johnson's book about laying pieces out on a foam board and then using pins to "trace" around all the parts. I folded the cups in half until they laid flat and made a 2 piece cup from that. Here are the pattern pieces I came up with:

This was the first time I attempted copying a RTW bra and it went quite well. Faster than I expected. It sewed up extremely fast too which is fantastic! If it fits her I can whip her up a drawer full in a day! Cool! You can get a better idea of the style here on the form:

The original also has a power bar which I traced off but did not add to this bra. If everything fits I will add it next time. This here is just one layer of a heavyweight Victoria's Secret Satin that I got from Kathy's Lace & Elastic Outlet (see side bar for link). She get's fabric from them every once in awhile and I was lucky enough to snag this.

I'm currently working on a bra for me! I really need some more and this one is going to be red and black. Va va vavoom! I have quite a bit of red 50 denier tricot I bought from Needle Nook so that's what I'm using for the cups. Well, the top cups are going to be from black and red lace I got from Elingeria in a grab bag. It should be cute and maybe a little sassy....

Well, I'm off to get laundry started and load the dishwasher. Gotta get this joint cleaned up a bit!

Have a great Monday!

Oh, on an end note... Here is another hightlight from Colorado!

The dinosaur museum in Woodland Park was actually the first thing we did after checking in to our room. I had forgotten! My son LOVES the dinos so it was a highlight. Here's a funny tidbit: another little boy came up to Conner and told him not to touch the bones and that there was a sign that said "Do Not Touch" (I'm guessing he had heard this a few times himself). Well, Conner didn't like that too much so after the boy walked away he promptly turned to his daddy and said: "The dinosaur bones come alive and eat that boy!!" How stinkin' cute is that!? Somewhat violent....but funny, and a good story to tell!

Home!

2009-07-20T11:48:00.004-05:00

Well, we're back. We actually got home late Thursday. And can I just say, I feel like shit! I caught some kind of cough while we were there and it really sucks! I'm feeling a little better today though so that's good. We had the best time and I really didn't want to come home. You know, back to the real world of laundry and dishes. We crammed so much into the 5 days we were there. It rained on us 4 out 5 of those days but it was cool 'cause we got everything done in the morning and the rain didn't come till the late afternoon. Well, except on Saturday. We got to our motel pretty early and decided to go check out the Garden of the Gods. The picture above is from there. It is just gorgeous there and we went walking around and hiking on the little trails. The sky started rumbling over the mountains and we saw lighting far off. We decided to make our way back to our car and, of course, it starts sprinkling. Then comes the downpour! So, everyone in the park runs screaming towards the rocks to find shelter. We were completely soaked through! It was fun though. Probably when I caught this damn cold.

More highlights to come!

In vacation mode!

2009-07-10T09:09:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow we are off to Colorado for 6 days! Whoohoo! I haven't been in several years and I can't wait to get back. My little family has never seen the mountains so it should be exciting for them, too. We're going to be in the Colorado Springs area and see all there is to see (well, a lot of it anyway). Plus, it's hopefully a lot cooler there. It's supposed to be like 109 here or some such bulls@#t. Man, I hate hot weather!

I'll see y'all on the flip side!!!

It was time....

2009-07-06T11:37:00.006-05:00

My son's hair has been long for the past few years. Ranging in length from just below his ears to past his shoulders. We had a new family move in next door recently and they have a little boy who is just a teensy bit older than our li'l guy. Well, they hit it off, of course, and soon Conner was saying he wanted short hair like his new friend's. Oh, uuummmmm.....okay. Well, this went on for a few weeks and we kept asking him if he really wanted to get his hair cut short. He continued to answer in the same way: "Yes!" I think we were asking ourselves if we wanted him to have short hair, really. My husband and I love his long hair! So, a few days ago I gave him a trim and cut about 2 inches off his hair (I've been his barber since birth) to just below his ears. Well, that just wasn't enough for him! He wanted it short like his friend's. Oooookay.... we made the decision to take him to a real barber, the same barber that gave my husband his first haircut and subsequent haircuts as a child and adult (now he just shaves it all off), partly because I'm not a trained hairstylist and because I didn't want to start crying in the middle of cutting his hair and really screw it up. I made my husband take him. I just couldn't. My daughter and I went the the grocery store and the boys went to the barber. Gene took the camer along to document this most monumental occasion.

SO, here he is at the barber's smiling big. That's Jerry the Barber in the background.

Whoa...here goes!

Sorta Emo now.

Making the spikies. Conner calls it 'making his hair sharp'.

Ta Daaa!

When we got home from the store they were already back and he came running to the car. Meghan and I both squealed (literally) "OMG, He's soooo CUTE!!!" The neighbor across the street was outside watering his flowers and he probably thought we were half crazed! He looks so different, though. I was nervous but I really love it!

Love ya big guy!

Colette Beignet

2009-07-02T10:10:00.004-05:00

I finally got my review up on Pattern Review for my Beignet skirt. I still haven't made the belt but, oh well! I thought I'd post my review here, too. And can I just say that I never realize just how big my rack is until I see pictures of myself! I mean, good grief.... Okay, sorry, TMI.

Pattern Description:

From website:

High waisted straight skirt provides a very flattering shape with paneled styling: not too loose or too tight around the hips, with a very fitted waist. Buttons up the front, has side seam pockets, and includes a self tie belt, which can be swapped out for your own narrow belts. Skirt has a faced waist, button placket and full lining.

Pattern Sizing:

0-18. Sizes run similar to RTW.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

I think it looked pretty close considering I'm a bit more on the ample side! LOL!

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Oh, the instuctions are great! Seriously, I think that a beginner could easily follow along. Plus, Sarai has a glossary in the back with some of the sewing terms she uses throughout. The diagrams are wonderful, too!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

This pattern is so well written and beginner friendly! It has quite a few pattern pieces including all the lining pieces but I really found it to go together quickly. The subtle shaping at the waist and hip just skims over the body and it fits so nicely!
Back.
Another front view.
It also comes in an adorable little booklet format and it's binding is, fittingly, stitched! CUTE!

Fabric & Notions Used:

I used a peach-y/coral-y cotton twill I found at the thrift shop last summer. The lining is just some white nylon tricot. The buttons are some big ol' fat buttons that came in one of those big button grab bag kinda things you can buy at Hobby Lobby and the like. I couldn't believe I had twelve of the exact same button. They are a bit too thick though and are more intended for a coat or something. Next time I'll use a smaller button. Do be sure to read through the pattern to see what all you'll need. I noticed the supply list on the back has a few errors. I'm sure it will be fixed in the next printing but just thought I'd put that out there for ya!

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:

This pattern goes up to an 18 and my measurements would put me at a 20 if the sizes had continued on. Each size increases by about 1/4" so I just added that much to each piece where the sizes graduated up and not to every seam. Does that make sense?? One thing I should mention, too, is that although the pattern calls for 2 1/2 yards of fabric I used maybe 1 1/2 yds or just a tad more. The extra length printed on the pattern is due to the length of the self tie belt. If you piece the belt instead of cut it as one long piece you should be good to go with less fabric. (I still need to make the belt, btw. I just haven't gotten around to it.)I was also able to squish the pattern pieces closer together using even less fabric.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Oh yes, I'd really like to make this again. This was more or less a test garment to see if I'd like this shape on me. I don't normally wear skirts this short but I think it looks okay on me! I do recommend it as well! I think this style will look great on lots of different body shapes.

Conclusion:

This is an awesome new independant pattern line and the designer, Sarai, is super sweet! I love all her designs and have most of them so far. Go out and support our independant designers!!!

Ugly skirt finished!

2009-06-30T15:07:00.003-05:00

Whew! I got my entry posted right under the wire! Today's the last day to enter. I know I won't win since there are some really great entries so far and far better than mine. It was fun though and a great way to use up some fabric that's been sittin' around.

The colors are a bit more geared towards Fall but it's cute enought with sandals. I look forward to wearing it this Fall/Winter with tights and boots!

Ugly fabric...?

2009-06-20T20:52:00.003-05:00

I've joined the Ugly Fabric Contest over at Pattern Review and here is my ugly fabric:

It's dated 1971 and I purchased it from my local thrift store some time ago. I'm thinkin' like a year or so. As I mentioned over on PR, I always gravitate towards the funky fabrics. If it's wild and crazy it must be mine! This here has a light canvas-y feel and I think it will be perfect for an A-line skirt. The contest ends June 30th so I need to get busy. I can probably whip it up in a day so I should be okay. I have a TNT A-line skirt pattern already so I should be good to go.

Tomorrow is our Goodbye/Happy Trip to France party for my sister and her family at my mom's. They won't be moving until August but this will be last time they come to Kansas for a long while. We'll throw a little Happy Father's Day love around too since tomorrow is Father's Day and all and there will be 3 or more daddy-os there.

I hope all the Daddies out there have a wonderful day tomorrow!

I'm Home!

2009-06-17T13:42:00.002-05:00

And completely exhausted! The drive home seemed to take a lot longer and was much more tiring than the drive to Ohio. Isn't that always how it is though? We had a good time going to Akron Zoo and a really cool park in Medina. I got to go to JoAnn's one day while my mom stayed at home with the kids, bless her. The rest of the time was spent hangin' around the house. It got a little wild at times what with 5 kids under 12 and a very large puppy but that's okay.

My trip to JoAnn's proved fruitful. I purchased a few fabrics to make some summer dresses. I'd like to get them done before we leave for Colorado but I'm not sure if that's happenin'. They had a sale going on so that was good. I'll post some pictures later after I've more time to decompress.

I must say I'm glad to be home! ;-)

Off to Ohio!

2009-06-03T14:39:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm off to Ohio with a pit stop in Pratt, KS to pick up my mom. I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Hopefully I'll return alive if not insane. Wish me luck with my two wild and cranky kids in a truck for like 16 hours. At least we're stopping in Indiana for a night.

I'm planning on being a good girl with my eating and exercising. I've lost 8 lbs so far! ROCK ON!!! I'm finally starting to see results in how my clothes fit. That always seems to be the biggest boost for me. I'd like to continue swimming while I'm gone and I think my sister said they have a YMCA or something. If not, I want to at least go for walks. I reeeally want to stay away from fast food, too. I haven't eaten it in so long that I don't crave it anymore and the thought of it kinda turns my stomach. This is a good thing, though. I used to scarf McDonald's a lot. NOT a good thing!

I'm not planning on being a good girl when it comes to fabric buying though! teehee! I want to find some fabric to make a maxi dress....or two.

Well, I better get going. Gotta finish up my packing and laundry.

See y'all in about two weeks!

Out of commision...?

2009-05-31T10:04:00.002-05:00

Maybe? At least for a little while, anyway. I've got to get ready for our trip to Ohio and finish painting this darn house! I wanted to get it done before I leave but now I'm thinkin' if I can just get the front painted.... LOL! It's lookin' pretty good, btw. I probably won't be around a computer much while I'm there. Me + my mom + 5 kids= Mania! Just kidding..but I know we'll be busy. I'm so looking forward to the trip. I know it'll be long but I like traveling and seeing different parts of the country. I've driven to Michigan and flown to Florida but this is my first time going to Ohio. My sis lives close to Cleveland and Akron. I'm hoping to find some fabric stores. I guess I mentioned that before...oh well, I obsessed with fabric. teehee! I have gotten a little sewing done. My son desparately needs shorts so I used an Ottobre pattern and altered it to be a one pattern piece short with no side seams. Makes it a super fast sew. I have a ton of Chez Ami fabric that I ordered when it was clearanced so I made him 4 pairs of knit shorts. I still need to get the waistbands in 3 of them so we can take them with us.

Okay, I'm rambling now and I need to go get my daughter from her Granny's. I'll try to get one more post before I go and I'll show you what I did for the lil guy's shorts.

Have a great week!

Thank you!

2009-05-26T11:49:00.004-05:00

I just want to say "Thank you!" to everyone for all the kind comments about the tutorial. I may have to do some more! LOL! If anyone has an idea for a tutorial leave it in the comments and I'll see what I can do!

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend! I was outside the whole time. Painting. No sewing for me. Our house is coming along, though. It's going to look really nice when we get done! I can't wait.

I'll be driving up to Ohio in two weeks. My sister and her family are moving to France in July and she's going over there to be with her hubby to house hunt. Me, my mom, and my kids are going up to Ohio to watch her kiddos. I've never been up there so it should be fun! Does anyone know of some good fabric shops around Medina, OH?;-D

We've also got our plans down for our first family vacation, ever. Gene and I have been married for almost 15 years and we've never had a real vacation. Sad, I know! Anyhoo, we are going to Colorado! I seriously can't wait. I went there with my family as a little kid and loved it! I'm really looking forward to sharing it with my little family. The kids are super excited and Meghan is constantly talking about it and asking about all the different things we are going to do. Conner is ready to go climb some mountains!

Needless to say, my sewing time will be limited. I'd like to get some summer clothes made for me and the kids but that may not happen. I finished up the sample Beignet skirt and I think it looks cute.

I don't think my husband likes it, though. He said he's not used to seeing me in skirts. I wear them all the time. Men can be so clueless sometimes....

Well, I have a ton of house work to get caught up on so I better sign off here!

Have a wonderful week!
Heather

Bra band tutorial!

2009-05-18T10:38:00.011-05:00

Finally, huh?
This tutorial is how I make the lower bottom edge fit a bit better under the cups. It also gives the illusion of a partial band bra. Okay, I have a combination of large heavy breasts and a protruding belly. Nice. This can make wearing bras pretty uncomfortable when the band is too wide under the cups. The tummy pushes up against the breasts and underwires and it can rub somethin' awful. When the band is too wide it flips out or sometimes in and is often really painful, causing rashing and other yuckies. I have found using this method relieves a lot of it. There are also several women out there that like the look of a partial band bra but hate wearing wires and wires aren't necessary in a full band bra. I suggest using a really good channeling, though. The stuff I'm using for this bra is from Sew Sassy and it's friggin' awesome! It's the #922.

Okay, seriously, I'm not the greatest tutorial maker. I've only done one other. If you ever have any questions regarding this or bra-making in general please leave me a comment and I'll get back with you.

On to the good stuff!

First things first: Trace your pattern on to tissue or whatever you use. Now, I mostly use European bra patterns and they do not include seam allowances (I'm using my custom Danglez DB3) . If this is the case for you too add your normal seam allowance to all edges except the lower edge on your band. If you're using a Kwik Sew pattern or another company that includes seam allowances you might find it beneficial to just draw them in real quick for future reference.

Normally, I place my elastic on the bottom of my tracing to find my seam allowance:

So, pretending that my pattern below is the fabric, when sewn it will look like this:

With the picot edge peaking out and a nice wide band.

Instead, we want it to look a bit more like this when finished:

With the picot edge essentially peeking out from the bottom of the cup.

My band pattern is in 2 pieces. To get my tracing I butt them together.

I want my elastic to finish where my finger is pointing in the picture above.

I lay my elastic on the pattern, flipping it over and lining it up to that point:

Below, I made a mark where the elastic ended. I moved it up a little so you can see better.

Usually, I use my handy dandy attachment on my rotary cutter to make my seam allowances:

As you can see, the narrowest I can get it is too wide so I can't do that this time.
I measure the mark and get about a 1/4" (6 mm) seam allowance.

Using my ruler I mark my seam allowance all along the bottom.

Now, cut!

Here's the finished band pattern:

Now it's time to cut out your fabric and sew the cups and band together following the pattern's instructions:

Place your elastic along the bottom, lining up the edges.

Line the fabric and elastic up so the needle enters just outside the left edge. When you start sewing grasp the threads and gently pull them while you start stitching. This will help get everything moving along smoothy. (shown above)

sew, sew, sew

Your elastic should look something like this:

I trim my seam allowances. Not absolutely necessary.

Measure down about 3/8" from the top of the band and start sewing on the channeling:

Trim seam allowance.

Lay the bra right side down on your table and flip the elastic to the inside. I pin the elastic down close to the cup/band seam allowance and use my fingers to feel the seam.

Now for the part that sort of gave me a heart attack the first time I did it. Grab your scissors and *GASP* cut the elastic (!) trimming it to fit along the seam. Do this for both sides.
Below, you can see my trimmed elastic and on the table the little piece I cut out:

Move everything over to your machine and start stitching down the elastic as you normally would. I use a 3-step zig-zag.

When you get to the elastic under the cup narrow your stitches to fit and be sure you don't catch the cup or channeling :

Begin stitching down the channeling with a straight stitch:

When you get to the bottom of the cups just stitch right over the elastic. This encloses the raw edge so your elastic will not ravel. Now go sew the channeling down on the other side.

Oooo... that looks nice!

You can see how the elastic/channeling just barely peeks out from underneath the cup. Stitching the channeling down over the elastic it helps it to not flip up, too.

Below is the oustside with wires inside the channeling:

Here's the inside view:

Finish up your bra per the instructions and VOILA! You have a GOR.GE.OUS new bra!

Sewing along

2009-05-15T09:01:00.005-05:00

I finished up the danglez DB3 custom bra the other day and here it is on me:

It's really droopy because I didn't add any support or lining. It's just one layer of fabric all over. BUT, the fit is much better! The top cup is a bit large but I think it's due to the lace being a little too stretchy and the bottom cups need about 1/2" shaved off the bottom. I sent some pictures to Dini and she sent back a PDF with the alterations to make to the cups. Groovy! So, that'll be my next project. Also, in bra making news, I joined Sigrid's Lingerie Sew-Along. It should be fun and hopefully I'll learn some more. I'm hoping to get that dang tutorial done too. I've been trying to organize it in my head but I've never done a big tut so I hope I do it right and don't ramble on like I usually do!

I'm currently working on my Beignet skirt from Colette Patterns and I'm so excited about it! I got the pattern cut out and will try to get the fabric cut today. With babysitting and all I just don't get into the sewing room much. Today is the last day though so I should start crankin' more stuff out soon. There won't be any sewing this weekend though because my hubby's band has a gig in Borger, TX tomorrow and I'm an unofficial roadie. Yep, I help load/unload/tear down all their equipment. It's tiring for sure but I enjoy watching them play so it's okay. :-D I also have fun drawing logos for them. The pin-up on the website is mine and I drew the original pin-up that they use on their t-shirts. (Wow, that was a shameless plug, huh?! LOL!) Anyhoo, we won't get back home until early Sunday and we'll be totally exhausted.

I never did get pictures of my new vintage lingerie! Oh well, it'll have to wait till next week. I hope you all have a rockin' wekend!
xoxo,
Heather

New bra!

2009-05-12T11:07:00.011-05:00

I got busy yestersay and finished up the Danglez bra from my custom drafted pattern.

I just need to shorten the straps a little and then it will be done. The cups are still a bit big but I think it'll be okay to wear. I'm sort of afraid to make anymore bras since I've started losing weight (3 lbs so far! wOOt!!!). I always lose boobage so I dunno what to do. Anyhoo, I think I will shave off a bit from the bottom cups next time and see how that works. The cups should fit into the band better too since I seem to have to stretch the band to fit the cup. I'm not really sure if that's the way it should be.

I recently found a new independant patternmaker! They are Colette Patterns. They are gorgeous! I purchased three so far and I'm thinking I need the other two!

These are the three I got. I'm thinking about making up the skirt first. From the people that have made up her patterns so far they are drafted tremendously well and the garments fit like a glove. Plus, the pattern sizing is more like RTW and they all go from size 0 up to an 18. So I'm talkin' 46" bust, 38" waist, 48" hip for the size 18! Cool! I personally think that's awesome. Also, the packaging is sooo pretty. Each one is a little booklet with stitched bindings. The instructions are very thorough and include several well drawn diagrams. Yay!

I didn't get the pictures of the vintage lingerie since I was sewing ALL DAY yesterday. I'll try to get that done during naptime this afternoon (maybe). I also took pictures as I was going along so I'll have the tutoral for making a full bra band look like a partial.

I better get going for now. Gotta take the little ones outside for some playtime!