Monday, April 19, 2010

I Have a Problem....

My name is Kristin and I have a problem.

A sewing problem.

My house is a mess. Threads and pins on the floor.
My dining room has been taken over my my sewing mess.
I am thankful for a loving and supportive husband who just moves my pattern pieces over when it's time to eat.

Everyday I am constantly thinking about my newest project, or the billion on the back-burner. And coming up with new ones.

I buy too much fabric. That is an understatement. Yes, I am turning into my mother ;)

My daughter recognized the "fabric store"  (Hancock) and Hobby Lobby...though it was cuter when she called it "Lobby Lobby"

The fabric store clerks noticed when I got a haircut.

When I'm out and about I am always looking at people's clothes and styles thinking...."I could make that!"

I have too many unfinished projects. When I get toward the end of a project and it is successful and the high is over, I often don't finish the buttons or seams. Or hems. I need to just have a UFO day- Unfinished Object Day! Anybody want to join in?

I feel guilty when I don't give a handmade birthday gift.

I dream of sewing for a living, though I fear it would take away the fun. I have a little sewing job right now that brings in a little $, and I think that's good for now! Not too much that it takes away from MY projects.

I am glad to have found the patternreview.com site, so I know I'm not alone.

My name is Kristin, but the truth is, I don't want to recover!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Velveteen musings

Yoyo, blog reading peeps!!!!! Well, my newest project is a lined chocolate brown velveteen blazer, also for a Patternreview.com contest. I like the challenge and sewing along (virtually) with others- so fun! Completing short term projects with deadlines really feels good. Maybe I miss being in school after all! Ha!

Anyway, I am using Simplicity 2728. It was so hard to decide on a pattern, but this will help me learn a little about fitting a jacket, but still has some nice details.  I will be making the view to the right....but with full length sleeves with these adorable ruffles on the bottom of the sleeves.


When I wrote on the Patternreview message board that I was using velveteen, I got lots of advice and warnings about sewing this type of fabric. I did hesitate slightly and wonder if I am making a bad choice, but really, how will I learn if I don't try new things? If I fail, I fail, and I learn something. If I succeed, I will have a really cute blazer! :) I bought some gorgeous teal lining fabric that I think will be divine with the chocolate brown, but then I saw this charmeuse:


Sooooo not what I'd usually wear, but it sort of calls to me. I am WAY too shy to wear this on the outside, but it would be such a fun lining. We'll see. I REALLY need to stop spending $ on fabric! This is a problem. :) I feel like Julie on Julie and Julia...she bought food, I buy fabric. She cooked after a hard day, I sew. It DOES make it all better, and sewing is much less fattening ;)

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

I made these outfits!!!!!

So today Bill played "Olan Mills" and took some photos of me! I felt like a model- ha. Not. ever. Anyway, these are the 4 items (that make 4 outfits) I made for the Mini-Wardrobe contest over on Patternreview.com. I am super proud! Tell me what you think! :)







I may write more about these later, but for now I need to enter my outfits!!!!!! 
You can read my pattern reviews here:

Friday, April 9, 2010

To button or not to button?

Here is my finished jacket! Yay! I really love it! I decided on buttons buttons, everywhere buttons. I worry it is a little much, but it just seemed right when I was sewing them on! I definitely want the four down the front, but what about the pocket ones? Are they too much? I started with the bottom two pocket flap buttons, but it didn't seem balanced, so I added on the top ones.

I think it might be a little busy over the jersey dress (which is one of my outfits for the mini-wardrobe contest) but I do like how it looks over a solid color.

Thoughts?!  :)

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Almost done!

Whoohoo! I'm almost done with my jacket!!! This is Simplicity 2443. I love it so far, and don't really think the pic does it justice! The fabric is kinda hard to photograph as it has a little shine to it! All that's left is tacking down the inside neck facing, and adding on buttons. The pattern calls for ribbons, not buttons, but I am a fuddy duddy like that and I don't want ribbons. I bought some cool buttons though!!! See below!










I almost think it looks better on the hanger-ha! It'll probably look better on me -5 lbs from now!

Below are my buttons- I am definitely putting four big ones down the front...then possible little ones on either just the flaps of the bottom two pockets, or maybe on all four? I don't want to be too BLINGY, but it just might be cute. We'll see! :)What do you think? Just big? Big & little?

I LOVE the details of this jacket...the pockets, the fake pocket/placket thingy (the rectangle), and the sleeves...check out the sleeves:



I'm also pretty proud of myself for using French seams on most of the inside seams. This gives the inside such a nice look even though it's unlined(who sees it but me anyway, but hey!), AND it won't get all gross and ravel when I wash it. I love that this pattern had most of the inside facings enclose the raw seams also!

Check out my nice pretty jacket inside (the facing seams/side seams didn't line up right, but I didn't worry about it, because the outside did!):


Do you like my toes? I almost cropped them out, but then decided to share them with you ;)

When I'm done with the buttons, I'll post a final pic!!! Until then, let me know what you think about the buttons if anyone reads this and cares, hehehe!


Saturday, April 3, 2010

Jacket so far!

Here is my jacket front so far! I think it is going to be cute! I am using the tabs and buttons though, instead of the ribbons as the pattern calls for. It will have short sleeves and a band at the bottom. I LOVE this dress denim fabric- what a find at WALMART for 3.97/yard! :) I wish I'd bought more, though I HOPE to have enough leftover for a skirt, if I don't have any catastrophes with this jacket! :)

Friday, April 2, 2010

The one armed burlap

So the other day I made my first muslin of my jacket......(for my non-sewing friends- a muslin is like a practice run of a piece using either actual MUSLIN fabric, or just some cheap fabric, or even nasty fabric that may or may not have been given to you)...hehehe. So anyway, as you can see below, my muslin is nasty puke brown, and has one sleeve. It's really lovely. ;) There are going to be other details on this, and I fixed the fit, btw- that is the point of a muslin!!!!!! Anyway, I had Bill help me with taking pictures of myself in it, and he obliged, being the nice hubby he is (okay, he might have complained a little.) He didn't even ASK what I was making....he just goes about following my orders. I asked him if he knew what I was making and he says "what is that called, a burlap or something?" So from now on, I shall refer to a muslin as a "burlap".....love it!

Don't be scared. My jacket will be cute :)


PS: One should not be wearing sports bra when adjusting fit...DUH