Back to it again

Hello everyone!

I had a refreshing Spring Break last week with my family!

I don't get to see my mom, dad, sister and brother too often because they live near Savannah. Even though we try to go no more than three months between visits, sometimes that's a little easier said than done.  Overall, I really needed that time.  I really needed to walk into my mom's house and be greeted with a German Chocolate cake (complete with homemade frosting and all)!  I needed to see my daughter follow her grandpa out to the garden, asking him all kinds of questions in her four year old way, and my son giving grandpa bear hugs as soon as he got up in the morning.  I needed to see all FOUR of my nieces' smiles, and love on my littlest niece, who is just coming on on her first birthday.  Every moment I spent with them was what God knows I needed:

Me and my younger brother

Me and my younger (yes, go figure) sister

My daughter and son, pictured on the right (pink and blue)
My nieces to the left, minus their baby sister

So now I am back and ready to spring into action!!  I got my Palmer/Pletsch Fit for Real People and Pants for Real People books on Tuesday, and I am amazed that I never bought these before. These books should be called Fit Issues, Explained!!  I love how many different fit issues it includes and goes over.  I know this will help me tremendously with my sloper.  I am still hesitant to try their tissue fitting method, but I am thankful for the other information on fit.  My sloper is already looking better!!

Moving forward, I have decided to only work on my sloper for a few days out of the week.  The rest of my time will be dedicated to sewing items for spring/summer.  If I don't do this, I will be in serious trouble a month from now when I have nothing to wear.  In fact, I am already working on something new... I will show you soon!

There was also an anonymous question as to whether I ever figured out the fit on my muslin for Burda 6910 (particulary the gaping at the neckline).  No, I have not.  All this time I have been thinking I have sloping shoulders, but I realize now that my shoulders are more square.  Also, I have a slight round back, which could definitely be what caused that gaping/riding up.  I have not tried to make any of these adjustments yet because I would have to cut another version out. Instead, this shirt has been pushed to the side.  Should I dig it out and tweak the issues with it, I will let you know.

I hope you enjoy this Easter weekend!

Stay sew-filled!

Getting unstuck

Hello everyone!

I hope you are well!

My kids are on spring break this week, so I have switched up the routine for now so I can take advantage of the time we have together.  It is Thursday evening as I am writing this, and while most parents would be excited to have their kids back in school soon, I have been drinking in our moments together...they really do grow up fast, and I know I will not always be the number one person they want to spend time with.

I have managed to spend quite a few nights adjusting my bodice sloper, though.  Yes, I am on version #4, and I am just stuck.  I have been keeping track of the adjustments I have been making, but I am so ready to see the finished product.  Part of me feels wearied that there are still more adjustments needed.  I mean, really?  How can my body be that difficult to fit?

I have been using Crafty's Sew the Perfect Fit class to help me with fitting my bodice, yet there are adjustments my body needs that are not included in this class.  Granted, I know that the instructor can't go over every type of alteration one might need, but it has been hard for me to figure out just the right adjustment to make, being a novice fitter and all.

So my challenge continues...

Just last month I imagined that by mid-April I would have my sloper done, be working on Easter dresses for my daughter and me, and beginning to sew my wardrobe for spring.  None of that is my reality today.

I. AM. STUCK.

To get myself unstuck, I have ordered two fitting books to help with this process.  They are:

The instructions that come along with the Vogue sloper are not bad, they are just too extensive for me that I don't know where to begin.  There has to be a better way.  There has to be.  I am going to try the Palmer-Pletsch way! I realize I have to do something different if I expect different results because I haven't been getting any epiphanies lately.

I don't have a picture of my sloper for you, but I can describe it. The back bodice is quite loose, while the front upper bodice fits perfectly, and the front lower bodice can barely close.  I have opened the side seams to allow for the front to close, but there is still some pulling going on.  I am gonna have to adjust the front darts (make them smaller), and pinch out the excess in the back.

For now, our family will be going out of town for a few days, and I will be on a small break until I receive my added resources.  I am hoping this will give me a breath of fresh air and a new perspective/renewed strength to continue in my sloper journey.

I'll check back in next week, and let you know how things are going.  Have a wonderful week!

Stay sew-filled!

Fun with the Liebster Award

Hello everyone!!!!!

I was super excited to see that Annette from Mrs. Toad Sews nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award!  I don't think that Annette knows that my mom is German, and "Liebster" is German for beloved (and other words such as sweetest, and sweetheart).  How fitting!  This award is only an award you can receive by a nomination from another blogger, and it is specifically designed to increase awareness of blogs that have less than 200 followers.

Thank you Annette for such an honor. You have such a great blog, and I am amazed by the things you create with your sewing talent.  Though you are starting out, I know your blog will continue to grow as other people see the love you put into what you make!

Here are the "official" rules:

You thank the person who gave you the award

Then link back to that person’s blog

Copy and paste the Liebster award to your own profile

Answer the 5 question your nominator asked

Pick 5 blogs who you feel deserve to be noticed (they have to have under 200 followers)

Ask them 5 questions

Then finally blog it and leave a comment to let your 5 choices know they have been chosen.

Nominate 5 blogs

And here are Annette's five questions for me:

1. How did you get into sewing?

Well, it seems that having a child really does change everything!  I never even entertained the notion of sewing until I was pregnant with my son, who is now 7 years old!  I wanted to make him a simple baby blanket, and some other baby gear like bibs.  After finishing that I dibbled and dabbled in small projects here or there.  It wasn't until I had my baby girl 4 years ago that I REALLY began to get interested in sewing. After all, I had to make cute dresses for my girl, right? Now I have added sewing for myself in the mix with the RTW fast for this year, and I am excited to see where that takes me.

2. What types of sewing do you enjoy?

Mostly garment construction.  I have dabbled in quilting, but my heart would definitely be in making clothes.  While I was in high school, and had little to no concept of sewing, I remember telling my friend (jokingly) that when I got married and had kids I would sew for my them and make them wear it.  We laughed, but it stuck.  I have always wanted to sew for my family.  I consider it an honor, and I love that my kids are still young enough to like what I sew, or being able to choose their own fabric for new pajamas or tops.

When I see my daughter pick out the same pajamas I made for her night after night, it makes me happy.  Maybe she will want to sew as she gets older, and if not, at least she will remember wearing what mama made!

3. What do you do when you aren't sewing or blogging?

Well, technically I am a stay-at-home mom.  Technically.  I work part-time with my hubby, helping him with a business he started last year.  I also work part-time at a Christian preschool taking care of 3 and unders (my little loves).  I help out in my son's class on Friday, and run all the errands necessary to keep my home manageable.  I have also done some knitting in the past, but mostly, I run. I. LOVE. TO. RUN!  I have done two 5Ks, and am training for a 10K in the Fall.  My ultimate dream would be to Run Disney with a few of my girlfriends in the Spring.  We could drive down, have a girl's vacation, and race through Disney with all it's spectacular scenery, characters, and fun!

4. Do your real life friends know about your blog?

Yes!!  The real question is, do my real life friends read my blog!!  All of my friends are supportive of the sewing I do and my journey to sew everything I wear this year.  However, I only have one friend who checks my blog out from time to time to see what I am up to.  My other friends are "just not that into sewing."  They will "ooh" and "aah" over what I create, but that is as far as it goes.

5. Why do you blog?

I blog because I love to write and share my experience in sewing with other people. Also, I have always been an avid blog reader, and in my reading I found that there weren't many blogs (at the time) that supported the novice sewers' experience.  There were plenty of amazing blogs from amazing seamstresses making amazing garments, and while those blogs inspired me, I wanted to relate to someone who was starting out in sewing and did not have the expertise that a lot of these bloggers had.  You know, like when you have to unpick your seams multiple times, or you sew your sleeve on crappy, or you forget to mark the right/wrong sides and mix them up.  Maybe you choose a fabric that is all wrong, or experience some other mishap.  At any rate, I like showing the real bumps and bruises along the way to a wonderful garment in hopes to encourage others that you don't have to be a seasoned seamstress in order to make a great garment.  If I can do it, trust me, YOU can do it too!!

My five nominations are:
1. Jenna from Seamstess in Training  "I just love her blog, and her creations!"
2. Candice from Sew My Time!  "She not only sews, she has style!"
3. Kyle at Vacuuming the Lawn "I always learn something to help me in my own sewing!"
4. Suzy at Suzy Bee Sews "Wow! I am always amazed by what she sews!"
5. Leslie at 3 Stitch Studio "A woman after my own heart, she sews a lot of knits, and does it well"

And my five questions:
1. How did you choose your blog title?
2. What frustrates you most about the sewing process?
3. What is the most cherished item you have made?
4. What one sewing-related item is on your wishlist right now?
5. Do you do anything to further grow/develop your sewing skills?

In closing, this sloper is beginning to feel like the song that never ends...My first version was not bad, just too big.  It was too much of a mess to try to get it sized down, so I am in the process of a sewing up a second version right now.  The sizing on this one looks a lot better, and I hope to have it fitted by this weekend.  I can tell I will be needing a lot more assistance from my hubby than I originally anticipated.  I have been using my dressform, but I would rather fit the sloper to my own body at this point.

I hope you have a wonderful week!  Happy April, and I will check in later this week again.

Stay sew-filled!