March Recap

Hello everyone!

It's Spring Break (at my house)!

I admit that quarantining at home was not the way I imagined this Spring Break would go.  We made plans to finally take a vacation with my mother-in-law who recently retired. However, we quickly had to rearrange those plans--along with others.  Thankfully, there was nothing we had to cancel or be reimbursed for, so the adjustment was mostly mental.  

I am now entering the third week of being home with my kids, and some of the days have started to wear on me.  Surprisingly, it isn't what you are probably thinking.  I don't dread the day to day, or hate our routine.  I find those things comforting, as well as getting to spend more quality time with my children.  The challenge for me is enduring without losing hope.  The more days they add on, the more I wonder when the whole thing will end.  Yes, we are all looking forward to when this ends!!  

My encouragement is taking one day at a time and not getting too far ahead of myself.  God has enough grace in each day He provides, and I truly believe that.  It has also continued to be therapeutic for me to sew, and I would love to share with you the items I made for the month of March:

For March I got a chance to sew for my kids!  I have been looking for opportunities to make things for my family here and there, but I really planned so much for myself that it has been a little more challenging.  This top is called Raw Edge Details from Ottobre Spring 01/2017, and it is my daughter's TNT shirt.  The first time I made it we loved the fit, but found the neckline a little too high. I fixed that by scooping it some, and now it fits her perfectly.  Now anytime I am fabric shopping I will inevitably purchase a yard of her "favorite" design to set aside for this quick and easy tee.

Next up are a pair of pajamas I made for pajama day at school (some weeks ago).  Again I used her TNT Ottobre shirt pattern, and Simplicity jogger pants.  I used this cute print I bought at Hobby Lobby last Spring, and had white ribbing in my stash that matched perfectly.  

For my youngest son I received a request for a button front shirt.  Let me tell you, this little one is full of requests! He wants a jacket, shorts, pants, and basically anything he sees when we flip through my Ottobre back issues.  We landed on this pattern and he just loved it.  I was on a shirt kick so I conceded.  It is called Zebra Run, from the Summer 03/2015 issue, made in a quilting cotton from Hobby Lobby from a few years ago.

This went together quickly, and my only change was to cut 2 pieces of the yoke so it would finish nicer on the inside.  I thought for sure Ottobre would have this feature already but it was left out of this particular pattern.  It is still a wonderful pattern that fits spot on, and a nice beginner level shirt without the yoke lining. It is a little hard to see the pocket, but there is one...and I even worked some magic by lining the print up for this area.  I have such a great appreciation for people who make it look so seamless when they work with printed designs.  It was no easy feat!

Moving on to things I made for myself, M7975 turned out to be a winner!  I so love the twist front once I tacked it and handsewed the front twist.  I am planning another one, possibly in Navy.  

  

This denim button up from Simplicity is my most favorite of favorite shirts!  I only had finishing details to do for this one, and it worked out much better than I planned.  Can you believe I was ready to throw this shirt out halfway through the sewing process?  I took many mini-breaks from it, and am glad I decided to see it through.  I highly recommend this pattern, though OOP (Simplicity 2311).  It has a nice amount of ease, and the cup sizing enhanced the overall fit.

These Ginger jeans right here!!! All I can say is that sometimes small faux pas lead to big rewards.  They are slightly cropped because I cut them a little too short, but I love the length and like to wear them rolled up a bit.  You might see one more pair of cropped Ginger jeans on the blog, then I think I might be ready to venture out some.  I absolutely love this pattern, though there are other version of jeans/pants that I would like to try to.  So, expect some variation soon.

Lastly, what do you do when you have sewed so much that you need a breather?  You sew a wardrobe staple!  Well, that is what I did!  For my last garment of the month I cut into this gorgeous double brushed floral print from Joann.  When I saw all the colors I knew it would complement my finished wardrobe perfectly.  Also, it is so soft and the colors are so vibrant! On this version I sewed View B, the short sleeve, wider neckband one.  I was not sure about the neckband, but the wider width suits this scoop style nicely.  Kwik Sew 3766 for another win!

Overall that makes 1 pants and 3 tops for me, and 1 pants and 3 tops for my kids. The things I enjoyed most was completing a wardrobe that I really do wear.  I even like going into my closet and choosing the combination that brings me joy--even if I will only be at home.

I hope your sewing for March went wonderful for you!  We will all get through this time together, and life will eventually go back to what it was.  In the meantime, enjoy your craft, enjoy one another, and enjoy this life!

Stay sew filled!