WIP Wednesday: Climbing Mountains

Tags

bags, mending, sewing, WIP Wednesday

WIP = Work in Progress

Hello and happy Wednesday!

I hope you are well and getting some lovely spring weather and maybe making a few things, too!

I’ve had a pretty productive week here and it came about more or less by accident.

You see, I’ve had fun, bright, comfy knit fabrics on the brain and have been entertaining myself by putting them together in different combinations in my head.  I had so much success with my last couple of knit tops that I’ve been itching to make more things that fit well and feel great.

Then, early last Saturday morning, my honey and I were talking about the long Memorial Day weekend ahead, and he asked me how I planned to spend it.  And my mind immediately went to–not all those lovely, colorful knits–but this ugly mess in the corner of my sewing room:

Return of the Mending Pile of Doom (and that’s the Ironing Pile of Doom right below it).

Yes, it’s actually gotten BIGGER since I vowed recently to finally deal with it.

So I decided I was going to finally tame it over the weekend.

Most of it was tedious stuff, so I won’t bore you with it, but one job was an interesting one that I thought I would share:

I had two of these purple towels that were still in good shape, but the edges were getting frayed.  So I put a scrappy binding on them.

I trimmed the towels a little to remove the frayed edges and the bulky original binding.  Then I sewed on 2 1/2″ strips just like a quilt binding, except that I did the final seam by machine (I do my quilt bindings by hand, just because it turns out a little neater that way).

Here’s how they look in the linen closet.  Cute, huh?  Definitely an upgrade!

So, by my count, I mended 9 items, and ironed several more, and here’s the pile now:

Not all done, but much better.  I definitely need to get back to my schedule of mending one item after I finish sewing something, so that I don’t let that mess get out of control again.

In the meantime, though, I’m going to take a break to make myself a new car garbage bag with these:

I deserve it after all the car drama we’ve had here over the last few months.

I told you a while ago that I was in a hit-and-run accident, right?  Well, it turned out my little Kia was totalled (SOB), and my honey and I decided to go a while before replacing it.  Then, a few weeks ago, what happened?  It was HIS turn to have an accident, and his car had to go into the shop for three weeks.  So we decided to move up the purchase of a second car, and this was the result:

New wheels!  Time to make a pretty new garbage bag for my new ride.  And maybe it will make me feel a bit more positive about driving–nothing like TWO accidents in the span of a few months to crank up your driving anxiety. 

Anyway, have a great week, make yourself something that makes you smile, and be sure to look before you change lanes.

STH

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WIP Wednesday: Spring Silliness

Tags

clothing, Ellie and Mac Memphis Top, mending, sewing, WIP Wednesday

WIP = Work in Progress

Happy Wednesday!

I know what you were thinking–poor old STH disappeared into a pile of mending and was never heard from again!  Well, it’s not quite that bad, but I just haven’t been sewing much, as I’ve been busy with other things.

I did make a start on the mending, but, predictably, got lured away by a fun spring-y knit fabric calling to me from the knit bin (that’s what I get for organizing my knits).  As I’ve written about before, my generally careful and cautious self tends to make not-very-sensible sewing decisions in the springtime, so it was probably inevitable that the bees-and-flowers top would happen.

And this is the pattern I chose.

Ellie and Mac Memphis Top Pattern

 

Potential cons associated with this project:

1.  I’ve never used a pattern from this company before, and I can’t find a single review of this pattern anywhere.  There are no finished measurements on the pattern, so sizing is going to be an issue.

2.  The pattern calls for a drapey knit with 50% stretch; what I have is a not-drapey cotton/poly jersey with about 25% stretch (I got it at a $2/lb. fabric sale at SCRAP).

3.  The last time I wore a “babydoll” style top was when I was 16, and the cashier at Safeway asked me when I was due.  In a lifetime of social awkwardness, this was definitely an awkward peak moment.

 

Pros of this project:

1.  The fabric has bees on it.

2.  It isn’t black, and I’ve been wearing mostly black for the past month.

3.  The pattern is more or less completely different from what I usually make or wear.

4.  I want to make it.

 

So, yeah, inevitable.

My measurements put me at a size 2X, but I was worried about having enough ease in the fitted top, so I measured the pattern pieces.  I decided to cut a 3X for the top part, a 2X for the ruffled bottom.  I partially sewed the top section, tried it on, and decided to lower the neckline about 1/2″; once I was happy with the top part, I cut the lining to match.

Glamorous sewing room selfie.

My initial reaction was “bleh,” but now I’m not sure.

Here’s a version with about 4″ of hem pinned up.

I think I’m going to like it!

This version may be a little bit short; I think I’ll try it with 3″ pinned up and see how it goes.  I need to find that magic length that’s “flowy” without looking like hand-me-downs from a taller person.  I was considering ripping out the gathering in the front and replacing it with tucks, but the look of the gathering is kind of growing on me.  This jersey is very thin, so the gathers aren’t too bulky, and hopefully don’t make me look like I’m expecting.  And it feels lovely to wear!

I’ll get this finished soon, then I really need to get back to the mending pile.  I started with 16 items to fix (SOB), and I’ve still got 10 to go.  One item, a purchased fleece jacket with a troublesome zipper, went into the Goodwill box, as I didn’t think I could rip out that zipper without destroying the fabric.  Another one, a pair of knit wool gloves, had a big hole where the thumb meets the hand, and there was no way a darning job would hold for long at that stress point.

Here’s one I did finish, though.

I’ve had this jacket for years, and wanted to replace the buttons for the longest time.  I recently got some new buttons (sale at Joann’s), and put them on.

New buttons on the top, old on the bottom.

I’m not in love with these new buttons, but at least they’re interesting, and reduce the “Montana cattle rancher” vibe of the jacket.  I may have only managed to get to “funky Montana cattle rancher,” but that’s an improvement, anyway.

You know, I was feeling like I hadn’t had any sewing success in the past few weeks, but I guess maybe I have!

I hope you’re having some successes with whatever it is you’re trying to do.  Have a wonderful week, everybody!

STH

 

WIP Wednesday: The Not-Sewing Part of Sewing

Tags

mending, SCRAP Tri-Cities, sewing, WIP Wednesday

WIP = Work in Progress

Happy Wednesday!

I have been busy doing everything sewing-related that doesn’t involve actual sewing this week.

I’ve more or less finished my fabric database in Evernote (I thought I was finished, but then happened to look over to my left and notice a couple more yards I’d put in a project bag).  89 pieces of fabric!  No idea how many yards that is yet, but will update my Excel spreadsheet this week and figure it out.

Stashbusting has taken a definite hit lately, what with being out of town and that $2/lb. fabric sale at SCRAP right before we went on vacation.  And then there’s that fabulous turquoise batik in the photo above–that was a curtain that I got for free from my Buy Nothing Facebook group.  I do love me a bargain, but my stash closet overfloweth.  The plan for September definitely calls for more sewing and less acquiring!

I also sorted and organized my stash as I catalogued it.  This is the bulk of it right here:

As an aside, I tried REALLY HARD to buy some fabric while in the UK and just had a terrible time managing to do so.  I went out on three separate excursions to find quilting shops that Google assured me were there and couldn’t find any of them.  The fabric store I did find in central London didn’t have anything that grabbed me, though my partner and I did spend a minute admiring the gorgeous £100/meter tweeds.  It wasn’t until our day trip to Cambridge that I stumbled on a quilt shop by accident that had some fat quarters that I could bring home to my sister for taking care of my cats while I was away.

I brought three meters of this home for me:

I’m saving this one for spring fever sewing next year.

So now I’ve got all this fabulous stuff in my stash, and I’ve been pondering what to make next.  It’s still plenty hot here, and will be for at least another month, so something for hot weather makes sense, but what?  A drapey tee with that lovely rayon jersey?  A dress out of that raspberry linen?  Or a shirt out of the turquoise batik?  I spent way too much time on Pinterest yesterday considering possibilities . . . .

While I play around with ideas, I’m working a bit on the dreaded mending.  Tonight’s job was hemming a pair of pants and putting patches on my partner’s kikoys.  He acquired them on a cycling trip through Africa a good 25 years ago (!!) and the fabric they’re made of is on its way out.  He loves them, though, and wears them daily, so I’m trying to patch the tears as they happen.

Someday, both kikoys will be covered in patches and he’ll be set for another 20 years or so.

Some of my patches.  I have so much fun stuff hiding in my scraps!

More patches.  He may not appreciate the fish, but I enjoyed it.  🙂

Three items out of the mending pile.  Progress!

By the way, if you’re in the market for indie patterns, many sales seem to be happening right now in order to benefit Texas hurricane relief efforts.  If there’s a company you particularly like or a certain pattern you want, this would be a good time to sign up for the company’s e-mails or Facebook page to get their sale code.  Love Notions, Muse, and Schwin are three indies having sales that I’ve run across just this evening.  Time to sew that stash!

Have a great week and may your path be ever strewn with bargains.

STH

ETA:  This appears to be a public post, so hopefully the link to it will work.  This is a list of pattern companies participating in the sales; sale codes are in the comments.  Some of these sales are short-lived (I think the Love Notions one is only for 8/31), so don’t dawdle!

Further ETA for Chic Mona, and anybody else who might be interested:  On Monday, Craftsy is allowing members to view their classes for free.  Here’s a link that explains how it works.

 

WIP Wednesday: Nesting

Tags

mending, quilting, sewing, swears, WIP Wednesday

(WIP = Work in Progress)

Happy Wednesday, all, and it’s especially happy for me because I have finished the baby quilt!

If you recall, this was a commission for a co-worker of my sister’s.  It was a simple quilt–big blueberries on one side, small on the other, blue border on both sides, cross-hatching for the quilting, ruffle around the edge–but there was a fair bit of hand-stitching, so it took me a while.

Things I learned doing this project:

• There is a reason that people don’t put a narrow border on both sides of a quilt, which is that the quilting you do will inevitably shift the border a bit, and then any quilting you do on or near the border will be wonky.  The only way I know to make sure that doesn’t happen is to carefully line up and hand baste the two sides of the border together so that there won’t be shifting.  Slow and laborious, but it did the trick.
• I still really, really hate making gathers.
• I really, really, profoundly suck at estimating the time needed for sewing projects.  I mean, I knew this, but yeah, it’s bad.  When I was a grad student, I was told about the Rule of Threes for research:  studies will always take three times as long as you expect, cost three times as much, and require three times as many experimental subjects.  I suspect the formula is similar for sewing projects.

I had set a goal for myself of finishing the quilt by Sunday night, but I finally finished at 2:00 Tuesday morning (and my fingers are still sore from that marathon binding session).  I’m afraid I don’t have any pics of the whole quilt, as it had just come out of the dryer, and I was desperate to keep it cat-hair-free until I could deliver it.  The only place my cats don’t sit is this little table next to my sewing machine, so that’s where I put the quilt for photos.

Will you just look at that (almost) perfectly-lined-up border quilting?!?

The good news:  I have some scraps of this super-cute fabric to use in future quilts.  The bad news:  I still haven’t learned how to keep the damn camera strap out of my pictures.

Anyway, now that this project is done and delivered (YAY), I think it may be time to do something about Mending Mountain.

All the ugh.

My sewing room is my own little comfy nest and I’m feeling these days like I want to take better care of it.  In addition to dealing with the Mountain, there’s the fabric inventory in Evernote, the project/fabric use spreadsheet (which I took a first whack at the other day), and using up some stash so that everything fits better into its assigned space.  I’m also making a pile of fabric to donate.  If I don’t love it, and it’s not long enough to be useful for muslins, out it goes.

I’ve got a couple of summer tops in mind to help use up some of these weird little 1 to 1 1/2 yard pieces of fabric I have.  These two, for example, are going to be combined to make view D here.

So hard to take pictures in this harsh white light we have here these days.  😦

That blue on the left has been in the stash for years and may be from Wal-Mart, I’m not sure.  The navy eyelet on the right (SO CUTE) is from SCRAP.

Off to start my way up the Mountain.  Wish me luck.

STH