My week of UFOs

Hello everyone!

What a difference a week makes!  So much has changed since I checked in with my September sewing plans.  Mainly, the changes have to do with the weather here in Georgia.  I am sure most of you have seen the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, and have followed along with Hurricane Irma as well.  For now, my household is bracing itself for the after effects of Irma, as we are mostly in its path.

So, my kids are out of school, and I have prepped as much as I can by doing laundry, buying non-perishable items (in case of a power outage), charging electronics/phones, and preparing my mind and heart.  We are not expecting the worst, mostly heavy winds and rain, but we do live near a wooded area with lots of trees that could fall.

My prayer is that we continue to stay safe as the storm passes.  Also, my prayer is for all of those affected by severe weather/hurricanes/storms/flooding.  We have been doing our part to help others, and plan on continuing to do so.

That being said, I did want to take a moment to share the two projects I finished while working on UFOs last week.

Over and over, I am learning that I am not a quick sewer, LOL!  In fact, I am "quick" in my head, but slow when it comes to getting it all done.  Nevertheless, I might be a little faster than years past.  And, any finished project is a WIN, no matter the time it takes!

So, here is my son's vest:

Before buttons and label

After buttons and label

This project was mostly finished, and only needed  hand sewing to be done.  That is actually something I enjoy, so I sat down one evening and got to it.  I used my Classic Tailored Shirt class with Pam Howard to review sewing on a button properly, and then I did it!  Truly, Pam Howard is an excellent teacher!  While I can still brush up on my hand sewing technique, I was pretty pleased with the way the interior came out.

I used a cotton shirting for the fabric of the vest, and the wrong side of a shiny fabric I bought from Hobby Lobby (not sure what it was, maybe a satin).  The wrong side worked perfectly because it looks a lot less dull, but still lends a crisp, clean look to the vest.  Basically, I was trying to steer away from a super shiny, cheap-looking lining.

My second garment posed a bit of a dilemma.  Here it is:

This is Mccalls and I made it sleeveless after I could not get the stripes to match at the sleeves.  I was so baffled too! I know I cut them right, but re-cut them to be sure.  I even looked up YT videos, and found some additional sewing resources to help.  The fabric is not flawed, but I couldn't get the sleeves to do right.  After trying seven times (I can insert sleeves really good now, lol) I finally decided that this top just wanted to be sleeveless!  And so it is!

As a side note, I had a friend give me a wonderful suggestion for this top:

Though I absolutely LOVE this top, I didn't have any lace that would coordinate with my stripes. But, I am thankful for friends that have great ideas, and will keep this in mind for the future.

I was a bit concerned about the modesty of the back, but after stitching up the sides and trying it on, I realized that it was not as exposed as I thought.  

Now, I am awaiting the appropriate under garments before I photograph the final results for all of you.  I believe the shirt is a cotton knit with spandex.

I am now moving on to the Kelly Anorak, as of today!!!  I am excited, but sad to leave a lot of projects for a later time.  Who knows, I may take breaks from Kelly in order to work on an item here or there.  We shall see...

In the meantime, I will check in sometime this week again to let you know my progress.  I am working on posting more to Instagram, but it is definitely a learning curve because I prefer blogging. But, you can gladly follow me there to get updates a little more frequently.  

Stay sew-filled!