Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Skirt from Stash

One of my goals for  2015 is to make 20 clothing garments from the stash.
#1 is complete

I have had this navy glen plaid in the stash for at least 10 years.  It was purchased in a small cloth shop, Mary's, in Philadelphia, MS.  I purchased enough to make pants and a vest.  But, I decided to change that plan and a skirt was more appropriate at this time.

Pattern:  Simplicity 2451. 
Size:  12, following the measurements on the envelope and comparing to the ease measurements on the pattern.....sad to say that this was the correct size.  There is soooo much difference between RTW sizing and pattern sizing.
View:  B


 
 
I did not make a muslin.  I had enough material so that if this was a failure that I could not fit, I could always recut.  I worked very carefully to match the plaids at each seam.  Very time consuming but well worth the effort.
 
I did baste completely to fit.  Surprisingly it fit! I opened up necessary seams and finished them with the serger as I put it back together.  I lined the skirt with polyester lining. The zipper was very easy to set and match the yoke seam using the double sided wash-away tape.
 
Back
Love the flare. 
 
 
Side View
 Hard to see the side pockets, but they are there.

Front



The rounded yoke was very easy to work with and is very flattering.
 
I wore this to church on Sunday and it definitely will become a TNT. 
 
 I also like view "C".....will be giving it a try real soon.
 
A Success!!what a way to start 2015.
 
 
 

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Cloth Basket

Soooo many scraps and what to do with them and how to find what you need!!!!
Do all of you have that same issue?

I decided to find a pattern and make a cloth basket.  The idea is to have a basket(or two) for each color.  Yea for internet!  There are many patterns and tutorials for free.  I of course was looking for quick and easy and found one @ birchfabrics

I followed the tutorial and here is my #1 stashbuster  scrappy project using less that 1 yard.
 
 
I really do not think that it is as large as I will need, but I think that with the current pattern I can change the dimensions and make what I need.  And, it took less than and hour to cut and sew.  Just the kind of item I was looking for.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

2015 Sewing Goals

I joined the RTW(ready-to-wear) Fast in 2014.  I did well and really did not purchase but 2 t-shirts, could not pass them up for $5.

I have now formally joined the RTW Fast in 2015 with the intent to continue my goal of learning the 'fitting' process and enhancing my wardrobe with garments that are more 'ME'.  You can follow the fasters here:

RTW Fast 2015 Participant - because I'd rather sew than shop

I also joined the 2015 Stashbusting Sewalong. I like that you establish your goal's on how to use your stash.  The Sewalong goal is "Not to guilt or shame anyone but to encourage each other to use our stashes first. These are resources we already own and we want to use these investments wisely. "

Stashbusting 2015!

Here is my personal commitment.
 
I Karon, commit to using 20 pieces of stash fabric in 2015 for garment sewing. Additionally, I commit to making 5 projects out of 'stash scraps' that are currently less than 1 yd.

I am keeping a sewing diary this year because as 2014 came to a close, I could not tell you many of my sewing accomplishments.  I did blog about some of the projects but not everything.  If I participate in these 2 online communities, setting goals and linking my completed projects, maybe I will know at the end of the year what I did.

Keep me encouraged.
 


Sunday, January 4, 2015

Lola's Creative Adventure

Back in October, I took my granddaughter on a fabric shopping trip.  Lola is 8 years old and very artistic.  She loves clothes, color and design.

I chose the pattern, McCalls 6737 and a legging pattern Sew Sew B6005. 


The pattern was chosen because it would require 3 fabrics.  Lola was given the challenge to break out of her normal pattern and choose a completely different color.  I suggested that she look for a darker fall color.  Not her usual pink and lime green.  I also encouraged her to not choose companion fabrics.  I wanted her to hit her creative stride.  Needless to say she was in heaven.  This selection took several hours.  She would find a fabric she liked but not be able to find additional pieces to complete the pattern.  She never seemed to get bored. It was a great outing.

Now, I have finally gotten past Christmas sewing and jumped into her project.  I sewed this by a size 7 which is the smallest size in this pattern.  I hope that it will fit and she will wear a white turtleneck T under it.  The leggings are a size 4.  I had used the legging pattern before and knew that it was large.

She has not seen it and probably has temporarily forgotten about it.  Lola should be by here on Monday to pick it up.  I think that she will be very pleased with her new outfit.  She did end up with lime leggings but only because we only had a choice of orange and lime green knit to match. We both agreed that we did not want orange.

I think that she did an excellent job for her first creative adventure.

 
 
The outfit below is also for Lola.  It was made from the same See Sew.  I had this almost finished in October when I packed everything away to hit the Christmas list. This is just a knit print that was in the stash and I purchased the chocolate brown for the leggings. 

 
 
This is a good start for 2015.

FMQ domestic machine

 I have been reading and watching  many YouTube videos on FMQ. One of the best hints I found for basting was......pin first, then between th...