2014 - My Year in Review

Last year I wrote up a post, summarizing my sewing for 2013.  Although it takes quite a while to write/sift through photos etc., I find it very interesting to see what I did/didn't achieve in the year.  So I am going to do the same again :)

January

The start of January was very cold, and I made myself five garments during that first week.  I love TNT patterns!  So here we are, two pairs of lined pants and two cardigans as well as a fleece jacket.  All these items were worn frequently - sadly the cardis were made from some ponte fabric that pilled, but I made more as you will see later in the year!  Total: 5 garments.

 February

This was a really busy month - looking at my posts, it is hard to believe how much I made, but when I get going, it can be like a production line in my sewing room!  I turned out four pairs of PJ's, two pairs of pants (one grey wool, one houndstooth), two dresses for my SIL and five, yes FIVE more cardi's - using cotton jersey rather than ponte.  I wear the PJ bottoms frequently, but the tops were just too big for comfort and surprisingly warm.  The cardis and pants were all worn a lot until I lost weight . . . . .   Total: 17 individual garments!

March

This was another good month, I managed to finish three pairs of socks, as well as three cardis, three sorbettos and black jacket that went straight to wadderville.  Total: 7 garments, 3prs socks

April

Ah yes, April.  A sad month as we said goodbye to our lovely collie, Jess.  This meant that I really wasn't that interested in sewing garments, so I made 'mug rugs' instead!  17 of them.  At least.  Total: 17 crafty items.

May

This was a another month of socks and quilty stuff.  I have found that if, for some reason, I can't decide what garments I would like to sew, then I'll make something quick and easy.  Like mug rugs, 17 wallets, wall hangings etc.,  So May was a month of 'quick and easy'!  Total: 2 pairs socks, 17 crafty things.

June

This was a pretty quiet month.  I had started to lose weight, so I wasn't making many clothes for myself.  Instead, I made a few items for the Galgos del Sol and Alibar Dog Knits - they raise money to help rescue and re-home spanish galgos - similar in looks to greyhounds, but smaller.  Oh, and I made some socks for my brother.  Total: 1 crafty thing, 1 pair socks.

July

Oh July, how I loved you so.  You see, July was the month that I went to Hamilton in Ontario for a week for Boob Camp at Bra Makers Supplies.  It was fabulous!  Like, OMG fabulous.  I made three bras that week, and I think that I now have about 20 - we will see what the count is like as I continue throughout the year! 

And I made a few bits for Alibar as well.  They were auctioned, or sold via their Facebook page.

Oh, and two pairs of socks - the other pair is here!

 

Total: 2 pairs socks, 5 crafty things, 9 garments (bras)

August

Yep, you got it, more socks and bras!

 

I think that there is a pattern here!  Total: 3 garments (bras),one pair of socks

September

Oooh, interesting - although I took a sewing class this month, I did not complete any items . . . .

October

 . . . but I certainly made up for it in October!  I completed two pairs of socks, three 'box bags' that I use as project bags for my sock knitting, and four pairs of trousers - ones with flies, pockets and waistbands!  Total: four garment items, three crafty items, and two pairs of knitted socks.

November

This month was a 'bras, bags and socks' month.  I love small projects!  Total: two garments, two pairs of socks, two crafty items.

December

Now, I know that I was busy this month (and happily so!) and made waistcoats for both my father and Mr. SDSC, socks, various crafty items - box bags, a jewelry pouch, hot plate holders etc.  Total: four garments (waistcoats), three pairs of socks, eight crafty items.

In summary; 51 garments, 16 pairs of socks, 53 crafty items for a total of 120 items.  And I know that I have missed one pair of socks and there are three pairs of trousers that need blogging about . . . . !  Phew, I'm exhausted now!

Although I have not blogged as much this year, my production has been pretty high and there is a lot of repetition of patterns - this works really well for me and my wardrobe.  There were a few wadders (PJ tops, March's black jacket) but on the whole, most other items have been in regular rotation.  I took a couple of classed (bra making and trousers pockets & flies) and have put this knowledge to good use.

Well, this is one monstrous post, and is enough for today - how was your year?  As productive or enjoyable as you would have liked?

Christmas Gift Sewing (and a bit of knitting!)

Well, now that the big man has come and gone, I can share with you some gifts that I made for Christmas.

My lovely Sister-in-Law back is traveling back to the UK next month, and I thought that she could use a hand with her packing . . . . . so I made her a couple of the box bags that I am currently somewhat obsessed with:

And a cute little jewelry pouch based upon this free pattern in Craftsy.  The pattern was a little too big for my needs, so I made it smaller - opened up it is about 9" x 6". There are two zippered pouches, a piece of felt that you can use to hold your studs, and some ties for rings.  Pretty neat right?  It is a very clever design.

Miss Sharon also mentioned the other day that some socks that I had knitted for her (ages ago) keep her toes really toasty, so I managed to get a pair finished for her just in time for Christmas:

The colour of this yarn (Estelle Sockittome) is fabulous, and the dye pattern is very pretty, but boy, this yarn is splitty. I was constantly having to drop stitches, frog back, and then pick them up again as this yarn does NOT play nice with 2.5mm needles. Funnily enough I am knitting a cowl on larger needles in another colourway - and that is fine, but these socks were a NIGHTMARE because of the yarn. Such a pity as the colours are gorgeous.

The stitch definition is good, and has a lovely twist - which is just as well as the yarn is a single ply. I’m not to sure how long these socks will last - only time will tell … .

Next up was a pair of socks my Mr. for Christmas:

This time I used Knit Picks Felici - a lovely soft yarn that Knit Picks are no longer making/selling.  If you can't have Christmas coloured socks at Christmastime - I don't know when you can!

Finally, I made some fabulous little holders to hold your hot bowls when they come out of the microwave:

I'm not sure if you can see in these pics, but there is a dart on each side of the square that pinches in the fabric, making a bowl shape.  The above musical holder was a gift for my Dad, and the Christmas fabric ones are for my brother and SIL.

All the fabric, batting and thread are cotton, so the holders can be microwaved with the bowls on top of them.  I made another black/red/white musical one for Mr. SDSC and he has been using it all week for his Weetabix in hot milk every morning . . . . . much better than a folded up tea towel!

I've also made a couple more waistcoats - a black one with red lining for my father (forgot to get a pic of that, and he now has it at home) and a black/brown houndtooth for Mr. SDSC - photos to follow.

How about you - did you get any Christmas sewing/knitting in this year?

McCalls 6361 - It's all Pants!

Having taken the Ron Collins class on pants/flies, I knew that I had to make up a pair as soon as possible and practice what I had learned.  With my local (only) fabric shop having a sale on McCalls patterns, I picked up a copy of 6361 - a basic ladies trousers pattern with a fly front.  Following advice from Threads Magazine about trouser fitting, I used size 18 (my hip measurement) and adjusted the crotch to match my TNT pattern that I have been using over the last year or so.  Having lost weight, I am finding that my 'me-made' clothes are not fitting very well, so I need to update my TNT's.

Source

I made up a muslin that fitted OK-ish, and with a couple of minor alterations, I made up these bright red corduroy trousers.  The fabric was a 'hmm, that doesn't look like the colour on the website' when I ordered it a year or two ago, and it has sat festering in my stash ever since.  There is some lycra/spandex in it that gives it just the right amount of stretch.

I know, red is such a hard colour to photograph . . . . .   I can now see from these pics that I may need to make a slight adjustment in the small of my back as there is some puckering - a sway back adjustment perhaps?

I traced off the size 18 and then used my TNT crotch curves from previous trousers.  All in all, I pretty happy with these.

I then made three pairs of work pants - but in order to photograph them in daylight I didn't hem them, so please turn a blind eye to the bottoms.  I lost three inches to hemming!

C'mon, focus - take your eyes away from the hems and look at the rest of the trousers!!

As you can see - there is the same problem in the small of my back.  I'm actually wondering if I should let out the side dea,s a little.  I will need to check my fitting book.

And here are the last two pairs.  This fabric is a narrow pinstripe:

And finally in a soft mid grey fabric that I am now having second thoughts about.

I will take some more photos now that they have been hemmed - but that may not be for a few days, and I will be wearing the trousers to work before then.  I am mostly pleased with them - on the plus side I am thrilled that I have mastered the fly zips and pockets, but on the minus side I think that the legs are on the loose side, and the fit is a little snug around my hips.  I will wear them and see.  As I am still loosing weight, they will get looser over the next few weeks so it will be interesting to see how the fit changes.  I think that I may also try Style Arc Barb - although they are pull-ons, they are more tight fitting and I have a couple of other corduroys with lycra that I can use.  I can always add a zip if needed.

I will write a follow up post talking about the pockets, zips and closures as well as the waistband treatment - this post is getting rather long now!

All in all this is a great pattern - after a few adjustments, and I think I will make the skirt next as I am now hooked on fly zips!  I find these are quite labour intensive - probably about 3-4 hours each pair, but I think that the finished trousers look quite professional, and I do need to have quite a few pairs for work during the winter - all my lovely lined, pull-on trousers from last winter are too large :(

You can find my review of this pattern here.

Have you tried adding flied to your trousers or are you a die hard pull-on fan?

Photobombed by a Greyhound

Not sure about you, but I like to photograph my makes as a reminder of when/how I made something. You have noticed that there are plenty of posts with pics of my sewing makes, and a few of my knitting. Like this one. This morning I wanted to take a few photos of a pair of socks that I had just completed - nothing special about them other than they were made out of yarn that was very soft - and the colour of the yarns is very pretty (Knit Picks Felici):

Then along came a greyhound who wanted to be in on the action!!

Thank-you Hobbes.  I guess it is time to play!

More Unselfish Work - And a Sewing Course Coming Up!

It has been a while since I have made any clothes for myself, and I am a little sad about that. The reason that nothing has come out of my sewing room (clothing wise) is that I have lost weight recently (26 lbs and counting!) and although this is the ideal time to make some new (smaller) garments - I don't want to use my lovely, lovely fabrics for clothes that will only last a couple of months. I know that some of you go through your wardrobes with gusto each season, clearing out the old to make place for the new, but I tend to keep hold of clothes for a little longer.  So, no clothes sewing for now . . . . however, I am booked on a bra-making course on July 14th (here in Canada!!) and I can't wait!  I have booked a week long course - if I have to travel halfway across the country, I really need to spend a few days there!  I plan to travel a little whilst I am there - Niagara Falls is relatively close, and I understand that Burlington is worth a visit as well.  Oh, and then there is Lake Ontario, I think that I will be dipping my tootsies in the sea.  Has anyone taken a course like this?  Do you make your own bras?

Source

Sadly, if my bras could speak right now, I am sure that this is what they would be saying - but in a couple of weeks, I should have some much happier underwears!!

But here is what I have been making.  A few baby hats and wallets to raise money for charity.

Pretty cute hats - very quick and easy to make.

The fabric for the aboe wallet is from a designer called Laurel Burch - probably very well known amongst the quilters out there.  Her colour combinations are gorgeous.

And finally, the last two greyhound fabrics are from Spoonflower - they are not my designs, but you can buy other peoples designs,and this is what I made.  The fabric is pretty expensive, but I have been very pleased with the quality and service.  Definitely worth a look if you are after something specific - or want to have your own design printed up.

Have you ever had your fabric design printed up?  And what about weight loss/gain - how does that affect your sewing?