Heat Wave!

Even though a lovely heat wave filled with 90 degree weather has been lingering around Ohio the past few days I've managed to be productive with my sewing! Take that heat. Below is the start of a pair of shorts, or well was the start. I finished them today only to discover I made them a size too small. Grr...

So I've retraced the pattern saving what I could (the pockets and belt loops) so I could use them on the next size up. I just hope this size fits properly or else I'm out of the denim fabric I found on clearance. I spent about an hour ripping seams trying meticulously not to rip any fabric. Great fun that was, but it'll be well worth it to reuse the fabric, especially since I lined the insides of the pocket with a lovely plaid remnant that I had found months earlier.

Made in the US of A

So Happy Fourth of July all. Today I present to you something I'm actually wearing today! I hear that gasp of surprise. Me, actually posting another picture of an article of clothing I made? Yes sirree, here's a dress I made based on Simplicity 2884. I originally made the dress with fabric remnants, but this started out with a lovely liliac skirt part and the light blue bodice which we see here. My mother pointed out the colors didn't go together. With that comment I set the dress aside for months and months and months.

Back in May I happened to be looking through the scraps of fabric again (or should I say as ususal) and stumbled upon some light blue fabric that I though would look great with the halter dress I had started to make back in, oh December. What I was doing making a halter dress back when it was snowing is another issue in and of itself. It just so happened that the fabrics matched perfectly and the remnant I bought was the right length for a skirt!

I swear the skirt's not crocked, it just looks funky because of me rushing in front of my camera... At least that's the story I'm sticking with, I could also blame it on my awkward posture, but we'll put part of the blame on the camera. I have to go into work yet again hence the cardigan.

I did have some troubles with the zipper and bodice. I'm not sure who Simplicity thinks will fit into their dress, the measurements fit my waist, but not my boobs. I took a lot of time attempting to fix the fit on top, which meant taking the zipper out and putting it back in about 5 or 6 times. I hate zippers... So the side looks like this:

Overall, a little rumply from the sides and the back, but it's wearable, especially with the cardigan over it. The next time I make this (and there will be a next time pattern, watch out) I'll spend some decent time measuring my chest and making adjustments to the pattern. I'm not sure who has such a tiny waist and such big boobs, but it's definitely not me.

And from this last picture it does look like I need to take some of the length off part of the midriff. Hm... Do I really want to take out the zipper again?

New Fabric and Aprons

So, I haven't been up to nothing. Work has pretty much held me hostage for the past few days. Who wants to work 7-8 hour days when working for minimum wage? Certaintly not I, but that's the schedule I'm stuck with and I am greatful for the money. Without my job I wouldn't be able to fund my sewing addiction/hobby. There's always that blasted give and take to everything isn't there? Now, don't get me wrong, I like my job, I just wish I didn't have to work as often and got paid more. Hence why I'm going to graduate school, to get a "grown up" job.

I have been tampering with my sewing machine and fabric these past few days. I had this lovely apron (pardon the akward picture, the sunlight hasn't been working with me to get decent pictures) half finished for a few months now. And I got around to dragging out the iron and ironing board so I could finish it! I quite like it with the pink and black, I feel I could have added a bit of black detail to the bottom and at least one pocket, but oh well, it's finally finished and I'm not tampering with it anymore...

Aside from sewing I've revisted my local fabric store (JoAnns) and dug through the remnant section. Remnants are how I justify my mass quanitiy of fabric. If it only cost $4 a yard (or so) and the object only cost $5 to make.... I'm slowly, slowly adding more handmade garments to my closet. Mainly dresses, which I hadn't worn much in previous years. I've found that dresses keep me cooler and with the AC going out a lot at work, it's not worth it to wear pants.

The lovely pink and yellow popsicle fabric is for bags. A free pattern for Charlie reusable bags can be found at Burda. I've modified the pattern a slight bit for most of the bags I've made (pictures will show up later). The pink fabric is actually going to be made into a bag for one of my friends. I have to draft a pattern for that, not especially hard with grocery-like bags.

There was a sale this weekend, or rather is a sale, for patterns. How could I pass up $0.99 patterns?? Answer: I couldn't. I caved and bought 3 patterns, one for shorts which I desperately need. I can't find shorts the right length! I'm a bit too small for the misses sizes and I don't want to look like a hoe in junior's sizes. Making my own just seems logical. I also have a pattern for a dress and cardigans. I need to stop buying patterns though and start sewing more!

And lastly here's a picture of some lovely clearance fabric, everything was on sale for $6 or less, and since I didn't buy more than 1.25 yards of anything, I was pleased. Fabric and patterns all for under $12, now that's a steal.

Hopefully I'll get around to more sewing this weekend, but I never know. My old computer's hard drive bit the dust and I still have files (and pictures) that I need to get off of it. Evil technology, attempting to rui

n my weekend by making me retype things as opposed to working fine and allowing me to sew.

Oh Canada... Oh Wait a Minute...

So, I got around making this quilt in oh... March of this year. As you might be able to tell by the fabric with all of the lovely shamrocks on them. You might very well be asking, Kat what is up with shamrock overload here?

The answer is simple, the quilt was a project for a close family friend, one I actually gave to her today and took pictures right before I wrapped it up. There may be a theme with my sewing presents and me taking pictures of them...

You might be thinking that the lady I gave this to is Irish, or very much enjoys St. Patty's day. Well, you'd be wrong, on both counts. There's a long embarrassing story behind the whole ordeal and I'm not at liberty to share it.

Before this quilt I'd never sewed a quilt before, never even thought about the idea. How could I, the queen of not sitting still, complete a long complicated sewing task such as a quilt? Well, it was cold, that's how I did it! Darn weather in the Northern part of the U.S., with all of your snow, and wind, and horrid cold! I couldn't go outside, so I had to do something inside. I picked out my fabric, got to cutting, organizing, and taking up the entire living room of my house much to my family's dismay. But this sucker got complete after months and months!

It definitely was a learning experience, especially with the batting and sewing three layers together. Would I do another one I hear you ask? More than likely! I'm a glutton for punishment.

Corduroy Green

I have ignored posting for far too long! I've been a bit busy the past week. My summer class at my community college has started, eating up 3 of my nights and then I've been picking up hours at work (good for the paycheck, just not my sanity). Reven kindly pointed out I hadn't shown anything with sewing so far, so without further ado: the project that got me back into sewing this past year!

The corduroy dress is from the Simplicity 3673 pattern. My friend Alda pointed it out for me, saying she could see me in it... I ended up completing the dress in September/October of 2009. The dress is suited for the colder weather, which works out quite well half of the year!

I received a handful of compliments when I wore it to work a few times. I had to show one of my friends at work the lining to prove to her I made the dress. It's an odd compliment when someone doesn't believe you've sown the object you're wearing. See, the lining is a wonderful purple color. I had some left over fabric from another project and used it as opposed to buying new lining, it worked out well.



If I were to make this again I would adjust the neck a little bit as it gaps off of me. I did adjust the hem when I made it. Dresses that go past my knees make me look a little bit shorter than I am.

Mum's the word

Mum's the word
Originally uploaded by laughers_song

As I've said in my last post, I have a slight obsession with the macro features on my camera... I've taken loads of pictures with it and tend to delete more than half of them (I haven't really figured out how to get a good focus with my little digital camera). The ones that do make it past my cut are fairly decent in my opinion.

This flower is a planted mum in my front yard. I somehow managed to get out of helping plant a majority of the flowers, but yet I'll be the one weeding the flower beds, eck. I'm hoping the deer don't decide to eat the mums like they do every other flower we've ever planted, the mums are just too pretty (and too photogenic) to be deer food!

It's early on in the morning yet and I have to go work for 6 hours today. Joy... Working retail isn't exactly what I call loads of fun. I can't tell people how stupid they are, or that the thing they're looking for is RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM, or that they need to learn how to read. No, no I have to be nice and cheery and chipper. While those qualities may describe me I don't like wasting such effort on the stupid people who don't have a clue.

Hopefully I'll get pictures of my sewing today! The sun is shining!!

Just Keep on Sewing

It took a little while to get my sewing machine back up and ready to sew. But in the last week (or so) since I've posted I do have sewing results to show from it.

I started working on my second wrap dress. The pattern I found on Burda. I don't follow directions very well unless there are a plethora of step by step pictures to guide me along, but the Hope Wrap dress is so very easy, instructions or not (I don't notice if it has them, I'm sure it does though).

The dress started off as a pile on the table I use for sewing, slowly becoming more and more dress like. I finished the dress on Monday, but haven't had time to get any pictures taken or upload anything to my computer (darn you work!).

Somehow I managed to get the wrap dress almost finished within the span of 24 hours. At least I've been productive, right? I just need to get photos of me in said dress... Oi... That requires me setting up my tripod and hoping for decent light. Damn you mass amounts of rain!