I have been sewing...really!

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!

Getting Clean ...and a Recipe!

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

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!

Those Sewing Whirlwind Pics!

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!

Lucky Number 13 and some Sewing...

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!

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

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...

Patterns by Figgy's = AWESOME!

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!

Colette Patterns: Lady Grey...in red!

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!