Back from the wedding

Let me start by telling all of you THANK YOU for your encouraging comments regarding the dress for my brother's wedding.  I wish I was here to show you how beautiful it turned out, but sadly, I am not.  However, I am here to say that you all are amazing!!!  It is nice when people believe in you, and know that you can accomplish something.  I truly felt that love from your well wishes, and it meant a lot to me.

So, let me start from where I left off in my last post.  I had finished the bodice, and only needed to insert the zipper, construct the skirt, pockets, and tucks, and attach it all.  First, I ended up getting sick. It was definitely some type of respiratory illness, and I was just plain tired.  I pushed through as much as possible, but wasn't as productive as I could have been.

Later, I ended up having more issues with the fit of the garment.  I kept trying it on, taking it in here or there, then retrying it on.  By Thursday night I realized that I needed a lot more tweaks to get the dress to a place I was happy with.  So, I reluctantly decided to go with my back-up plan, and finish my dress once I got back from the wedding.  That was such a HARD decision to make!

Here is a pic of the dress so far:

I am going to continue adjusting this dress, and am now faced with the dilemma of where to wear it, lol!  But, like anything in life, if you sew it, the event will come!  I am not sure where that will be, but it will be neat when the opportunity presents itself.  I only hope I can get to it because my UFOs have been piling up...

Now that you have seen what I didn't wear, here is what I DID wear to the wedding:

It is a polka dotted dress with waist definition, and a vintage feel.  Though it was not my first choice, it ended up perfect for the occasion.  And we had such a great time together at the wedding!!  I mean, my baby brother is now married!! Everything was beautiful, and the food was amazing!

I wanted to show you pics of the bride and groom, but I am currently waiting until they post pics to their own social media account.  It was their wish, and I have no problem honoring that.  I will show you my two boys together.  Here they are, my youngest and oldest:

They are the best of friends, and someone should definitely tell my youngest son that he is not grown yet, because he thinks he is, lol!  They wrestle, play ball, and be boys together, and when my little prince has had enough, he runs to his sister.

Lastly, here is a pic of me and my father.  I am a daddy's girl at heart!  I always have been, and always will be.  My dad looked so great, you all.  He is retired military and a former drill sergeant (can you tell).  His wisdom has guided my life, and continues to do so currently.

If you all are interested, I will post additional photos of the bride and groom when I can.

For now I am working on a few things that I want to finish before the end of the month.  I am also thinking of creating a tab on the blog that will allow you to see "in-progress" pics of my Kelly Anorak jacket.  It would be a good way for me to catalog it, and reference for my review when I am finished.

I am also nearly done with the Piedra pattern from Seamworks patterns.  I hope to be able to show you this one soon!

Stay sew-filled!

Threadcount 1610 dress sneak peek

Hello everyone!

It is finally beginning to feel like Fall in my neck of the woods!  I am hopeful that this crisp weather lasts; however, being in Georgia, the weather can quickly revert back to temperatures in the 80s.  Considering the fact that I haven't completed many items for my Fall wardrobe, a rise in temperature would be ok with me too.

I am here today because this week is the final countdown to my baby brother's wedding, and I have been sewing like a madwoman, lol!!!  Every night I make my way up to my sewing closet, crank up my machine, and work on my dress choice for the wedding...Threadcount 1610.

So far I have the bodice finished, except for a few seams I have left basted in case I need to take them in.  I really wanted to get this garment to a place where I could try it on and see what I was working with.  It fits my dressform nicely, but I have a little more cushion in my waist than it shows since I have not padded it yet.

Well, I tried it on a couple of times, and was surprised to see that the bodice is still a little loose.  Today I plan to attach the skirt and add the zipper so I can make my final tweaks to the dress.  Hopefully that will all go smoothly because, lo and behold, my throat has started to hurt and I haven't been feeling the best.  This dress will need a lot of me pushing through in order to get it done.

I do believe it is going to be wonderful to see how this all comes together, BUT I have learned that I am not a fan of sewing for deadlines.  While my goal is to be finished with everything on Wednesday,  I think Thursday night is more likely. 

Through this whole thing, I can say I am grateful to have the bodice done!!  That, by far, has been the more intensive part of the garment, while the skirt portion is simpler.  It only has a few tucks, gathers, and pockets before it gets joined together. 

I will try to update my blog once I finish the dress, but I may wait until after the wedding before I post a full review with photos.  I will tell you that I have a "back-up" plan just in case this dress doesn't work out, BUT my hubby has already backed me into a corner and told me I have no choice but to move forward and finish this one! I agree with his sentiments, and am doing all I can to make it happen!

Stay sew filled!

Kelly Anorak muslin is done!

Hello everyone!! 

My husband and kids are home with me today, but I am basking in the glory of this one fact--my Kelly muslin is done!  I made a WHOLE jacket!  Ok, maybe I didn't put a lining in it, or finish up the hardware (it is a muslin), but I did construct an entire jacket, and got some really good practice along the way!!!

Today I am showing you the Anorak, and going over a few revisions I will be making for the final version.

Here is the muslin:

I am a definite fan of this jacket, and am so glad I chose it to sew.  I was definitely hesitant to undertake such a big task, but after having finished the muslin, I feel so much more confident about sewing it.

I will follow up with more details once I make the final garment, but I will provide some encouragement for those of you overwhelmed by the thought of a jacket like I was.  This is a great pattern for an adventurous beginner.  The instructions are clear, and the tutorials on the Closet Case Patterns website provide more information if you get hung up in any areas.

For me, I found the facings to be tricky, but the zipper placket pretty easy.  Also, the hood had lots of ease, and was harder to attach, but the gusset pockets were quick and done before I knew it.  

Here are some changes I will make to the final garment:

• add 1" in length to account for my long torso
• move the drawstring casing down 1" so that it sits more naturally at my waist

That's it!!

Since the pattern's release, there have been a few corrections and extensions offered.  One of them is an extension for a lining, while the other is a sleeve adjustment.  I will be checking both of these out.  The sleeves, while comfortable, do feel a bit restrictive with movement.  I read that the new sleeves would eliminate that problem.  Here is a peek at the fabric I chose for my jacket:

The top flannel is for the lining, and the bottom is a navy cotton twill by Kaufman fabrics. 

And, speaking of fabrics, I also got the cotton sateen in that I ordered for my dress:

This week will definitely consist of strategic sewing. I will be finding ways to spend time at my sewing space, and check off items on my October plans list.  But mostly, I need to get some things done!!! I will be back to let you know where I land soon.

Stay sew-filled!

September Recap/ October Plans

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is well.  In light of all that has been happening in our country, and the recent event in Las Vegas, it feels a bit off to go on with life as usual.  Every devastation brings more grieving and pain.  With that said, my heart goes out to anyone affected by the recent tragedy, and any tragedy.  In fact, we have a family friend whose youngest sister was at the concert who was thankfully found safe after being unheard from for a few hours.  Those moments of not knowing were definitely long--and yet some families endured the waiting to hear terrible news concerning their loved ones.

As for me and my family, as darkness continues to loom, we will hold on to hope.  We will love, we will act; but most of all, we will pray.  I hope that all the brokenhearted will find comfort in the arms of our great God.  And my JOY will continue to be found in dialoguing and sharing sewing with all of you.

Here are the garments I made during September:

I am grateful for the items I finished this month because they were not intended to be my main focus.  I took the first week of the month and worked on some UFOs, and after that, finished my Astoria top.

The Astoria top by Seamwork has proved to be a quick and easy sew! While I had to adjust a few things with the top, I enjoy my Seamwork subscription because it is has been refreshing to add a nice garment to my wardrobe with relative ease.  I am also keeping my Fall wardrobe in mind, and the Astoria is the first garment I have sewn with colder weather in mind.  I am still working on something to accompany it.

Next is M6873, my son's vest.  I finally got him to sit still long enough for me to get a photo of him in his vest!  To my surprise, he doesn't bother the buttons when he has it on.  I thought for sure he would pick at them, or fuss to take it off.  Nope, not the case!  I think I may be more inclined to sew things for him in the future.  All boys need a good pair of overalls, right???

Last is M7570.  This was another super easy sew.  The tie in the back is so cute, but I am still in search of a way to wear it without "braw" straps peeking through.  It will definitely be worn next year, but I am glad to have made it.

Now, the main thing I worked on, and will continue with, is the Kelly Anorak:

I love to work on each new detail, and see the jacket slowly coming together.  I only have to add the pockets and sleeve, and I am finished with the muslin.  The hood gave me some trouble because I had a HUGE amount of ease when I pinned it to the coat, but I just took some out of each end of the facing. The whole experience feels surreal, and I have to keep reminding myself that I am getting closer and closer to my very own jacket!!

October Plans
The month of October will bring a lot of the same!  I want to finish my jacket muslin and translate it into my final garment (yay). 

I also FINALLY chose a pattern from my stash for the dress I will wear to my brother's wedding this month:

Though I have been sewing almost 100% from my stash this year (yes, I can't believe it, but it is true) I had to buy a fabric suitable for this pattern.  After spending the day at Joann Fabrics and coming up empty, I decided on a cotton sateen from Amazon.com, thru Fabric.com.  I am nervous!!!! The fabric will be here any day and I have to hit the ground running.  The wedding is less than 3 weeks away! Yikes! 

I also decided that my "quick" make from my Seamwork subscription will be the newly-released Piedra pattern.  It is already printed out! I just need to tape it together, make minor adjustments, choose my fabric, cut and sew.  I have an idea for this garment that will incorporate it into my Fall wardrobe.  Spoiler: It won't be stretch velvet, but I am loving the way the velvet looks on the model shown.

And that does it!  I have lots more swirling in my brain, but I will be focusing my efforts here.  I will check back soon with my finished muslin pics, and maybe even a sneak peek photo of my dress fabric when it gets here.  I hope you are inspired to sew something this month, even if it is only ONE thing--every garment matters!

Stay sew-filled!