Catching Up Pt 3 - Wallets

And then I came across a pattern for wallets.  And that was that.  I made one or two or a whole lot more!!

I loved making these, the inside, binding and closure tab took just one fat quarter, and then the front portion was cut out of a second fat quarter (a quarter yard of quilting fabric, usually 18" x 22") .

Inside there is space for six credit cards and then the two deeper pockets can hold something larger - perhaps receipts, health cards etc.

Now I made these primarily for myself - not that I need so many wallets, but I like to keep my cards all together so there are no zippers or coin pockets.

And I get really excited about some of these fabric matches - the colours are just such fun!

I called this wallet (above) the 'Cool Cats in London' (what-do-you-mean . . . . your wallets don't have names??)

I bought a panel for the wallet above - it is what I would call 'Primitive Americana' and there are different scenes on it so I could make a number of wallets and although you could tell that they belonged together - they would all be different.  A bit like a clothing collection really.  I got a bit carried away with the labels though, and this one ended up with two!

To finish off I made a sweet little coin purse. This was a new pattern and I'm not too happy about how it ended up (my issues, not the pattens) so I guess in quilting terms it could be known as a 'useable muslin'!!

All in all it has been a fun diversion. I know that I am nearing the end of this sojourn, because when I went to look in my local fabric shop, the quilting fabric was not calling my name! I did have some fun with precision sewing - those 1/4" take a bit of getting used to, but a 1/4" foot helps immeasurably. I also got to play with interfacing weights (some of the wallets are pretty rigid whilst others have some bendability).

And the fabrics - I really love the colours and patterns that you get with quilting cottons. I love that these projects are quick and easy (and don't take a large table to cut out on!) and I suspect that I will continue to make little bits and bobs during the week and dress-make at the weekends. I have also toyed with making up some wallets and purses, and maybe some mug rug patterns, to sell on Ebay. Isn't it great that we live in a time when we can realise these kinds of dreams?

I have a busy weekend this weekend - my father really loves Charley Pride, so I am taking him to see Charley in concert this weekend.  Although it is not my kind of music - I remember growing up listening to it, and he has a fabulous voice and great stage presence. So, not much sewing this weekend, but I am now ready to start planning what to make next.  It looks like Winter has finally turned its back on Alberta - we have had temperatures in the 20's (centigrade) all week, so it is probably time to chop up the linen!  How is your Spring/Summer sewing coming along?

Catching Up - Mug Rugs and Wall Hangings

The second post from the trilogy that chronicles my brief sojourn away from dressmaking (I can hear my dress fabric calling me back!) was to dabble in mug rugs.  I have mentioned them previously in this post, and have had a great time sewing up some more . . . .

1. Whales, 2. Jigsaw, 3. Scottie Dogs, 4. Flowers, 5.Tea Cups (my own design), 6. Scottie Dogs (see 3), 7. Four Seasons, 8. Autumnal Leaves, 9. Jigsaw (see 2), 10. Red Flowers, 11. Snowman, 12. Christmas Tree Sampler, 13. Rainbow Stripes (my own design), 14. Autumnal Leaves (see 8.), 15. Home

They range in size from about 8" x 4" to 10" x 6" and do not use up much fabric.  I learned a lot about colours and how they play together, as well as working with light and dark values.  I also found these great outlets for precision sewing (1/4" seams, stitch in the ditch etc) and, of course, hand-sewing!  But most of all, they are just so damn cute - it makes me smile to delve into my fabric stash and choose such lovely fabrics to play with - and a fat quarter goes a loooong way!  I plan on making up some more for Christmas/birthdays - I would parcel one up with a cute mug and some hot chocolate and/or fruity tea.

I have already given most of these away - the 'new home' one was made into a tiny wall hanging for my brother and his wife when they moved into their new house.

I love that the windows are a little wonky - I think it adds to the quirky charm.

And finally, for this post, I made a few wall hangings:

Again, these have all been snagged - I only have the photos to remind myself of them!  I will make another version of the last wall hanging as it is from a fabulous quilt shop in Canmore, Alberta (as is the 'We Love Canada' one), and features the Three Sisters Mountains which were in most of our wedding photos as we got married in Canmore.  Happy memories!

Catching Up - the Knitting Chapter

Well, it has been a few weeks since I last posted (Gosh! It sounds like I'm in confession!) and thank-you to those who inquired about my well being. I am fine - I just lost my dressmaking and blogging mojo. Most strange as it seemed to leave a gap that was quickly filled with knitting and patchwork/quilting! I have been a little loathe to share this diversion with you as I have read many blogs were people say they are put off by posts about quilting/cats/children etc., and then I reminded myself that it is my blog and my journey, so I hope that you will read on and who knows - maybe open your thoughts to other projects that you may find fun!

I am going to start off with a couple of knitting projects - both socks, so no surprise there, but also a little tale about how this has leaked into work.

The first pair of socks are made from my Billy Basic sock pattern (free on Ravelry)

I remember years ago - probably in the early-mid ‘80’s reading about Kaffe Fassett. It was a magazine article and he was photographed sitting on the floor with baskets of yarn around him and he was knitting a jumper or cardigan.

Each basket had a different color of yarn in it - and not all the yarns were the same weight, and some of the lengths of yarn were only a metre or so. He would pull out a piece of yarn in the color he wanted, and would just knit, using many different shades (yellow springs to mind) and it gave such fabulous depth to his knitting. To me, it seemed such a ‘way out’ way of knitting - so liberating to knit with what you had (including leftovers) rather than buying X balls to complete a project, and although I never knit like this myself, he has always been an inspiration - the first knitter that I had read about who broke to rules.

Fast forward 30 years (has it really been that long?) I came across some of his yarn in my local yarn shop, and all those happy memories came flooding back. So I knit some plain socks to show off the lovely yarn. And this is them!

Second up was a pair for Mr. SDSC.  Plain brown in colour but a fabulous pattern that makes clever use of  contrasting knitting and purling to get great results.

I am so pleased with both of these pairs as I have not been able to knit for the best part of 2 years now as I have 'thing' called De Quervains Syndrome that effects my left (non-dominant) wrist.  It has been excruciatingly painful and meant wearing a brace, lots of physio and finally . . . . . a steroid injection.  Oh boy - that injection was fabulous and means that I can now knit quite happily.  Woohoo!

So, a couple of my colleagues at work commented that they wanted to learn to knit and had contemplated signing up at a local yarn shop.  I volunteered my services and for two lunchtimes a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) we gather in our lunch room to knit and chat  no work conversation allowed.  It has really been fun - I have taught four or five ladies to knit, and it has really helped in the workplace (not that we have tough jobs or anything like that, but we do have to deal with quite volatile situations and angry people on the phone and in person).  One of things that I found interesting was that having taught someone to knit - they wanted to go and purchase fancy yarn to actually make something - rather than practice, practice and lose interest.  As a result, there are a number of finished fancy ribbon/fluffy scarves, booties, cowls, infinity scarves etc., and the feeling is that this is 'their time' in a busy workplace, a time when they can relax and clear their minds.  It certainly makes my week a lot happier being able to knit at work!

How about you - any sock knitters out there?  And what are your thoughts on blogs that cover a number of different topics/crafts?

Anything Armani Can Do . . .

I can do too!!

So, have you seen the recent Threads magazine - it is one of their specials, and I managed to track down a copy last weekend.

There are some pretty neat articles in here, and one that really caught my attention was about Armani and the construction of pants.  I have made quite a few pairs that I am really happy with - fit wise, but some of my fabric choices were a little lacking.  The fabric itself is not that bad, but it does not feel too good against my skin - once you start wearing lined pants, it is hard to go back!  It was not worth lining the pants as they are a medium/light weight polyester blend and I wanted to wear them throughout the Spring and possibly the summer . . . . and then I read this article:

Now why didn't I think of this?  Half lined pants it is then!  Armani likes to underline (attaching the lining to the main fabric and then treating it as one fabric piece) whereas I prefer my lining to hang free - I find it creates less bulk.  I have some Bemberg Ambiance squirreled away and once I have lined the two pairs of pants - they will be a dream to wear!  I also have two pieces of some very lightweight wool fabric that is in Spring/Summer colours - now I can make them up and know that they will feel good too!

This article also caught my attention - I think that there will be some lovely lingerie in my sewing future!

How about you - are you prepared to altered a 'so-so' garment in order to make it wearable, or would you rather toss it and start afresh?

Sidetracked - Mug Rugs

With losing Jess recently I found myself a little distracted and did not want to cut into any of my sooper dooper dressmaking fabric in case I made errors.  But I still wanted to sew.  So I decided to sort out my quilting fabric and make some mug rugs.  Now what is a mug rug I hear you ask?  Well, it is a cute little rug for you to to put your mug on - and it has space for a cake or some cookies.  They make up quickly and are fun to make.  They measure about 4.5" x 9" up to 7" x 10" - it is personal preference really, so this is what I made:

The pattern for the whales mug rug can be purchased here.

I have a feeling that these will make great Christmas gifts - parcel them up with a mug or cup and some nice coffee/tea/hot chocolate - perfect!

I know that a lot of readers are turned off by patchwork/quilty posts on a dressmaking blog, and as I am enjoying this sidetracking and will be indulging this passion a bit more, I have started a blog to specifically for these 'tangents' - if you are interested, pop over and see me at the Patchwork Dog!

Well, I really enjoyed making this (and a number of others!) - but tomorrow I will be cutting out fabric for some clothes, and will be playing with my new machine!  Can't wait!

Days Gone By

Or 'How to Tailor Using Paper . . . .'

Last week I had to fly to Edmonton for work - it is a short flight and after arriving I saw this display:

Yep.  It is a tailored man's cutaway coat - what is so special about that?  Well, if you take a look closely you will see that it is actually made out of pages from a diary.

Wow.  Just wow!  The details and stitching is quite amazing. 

This is the title board - and I love the name of the piece.  I did a quick Google search, and other than Facebook, I could not see anything about this designer/creator.  I wonder if it was part of a student project and if he made it himself.  It really was a nice surprise to see this - who doesn't like an unexpected piece of sewing in their daily life?!

Wardrobe Planning - week 2

Thank-you so much for your comments about my first week of wardrobe planning - I have to say that I recommend it to you all . . . wardrobe planning that is!  I found that my mornings ran a lot more smoothly and that I had a everything that I needed.  So here I am again this week, with my next selection.  I am also showing that jewelry that I have selected as I am trying to use more variety there as well.  So here we go - week two (which is a four day week due to Easter Monday) including the accompanying bling!!

White, cotton Sorbetto top - the fabric is the leftover from one of the dresses that I made for Miss Sharon.  The gored skirt is lined. and black with tiny white dots and the cardi is my purple rayon Burda.  It is going to be warm tomorrow so I will start my week here.

My bling consists of amethyst earrings from a little country shop that I try and call in on when I visit Red Deer each month.  The earrings are made locally and I met the designer when I was in there last.  I always feel good buying locally made goods - especially when I have also met the artisan, it makes them more special.  The net bracelet is one I made many moons ago - I wish I could find the pattern as I have some more beads shouting to be made into jewelry!  These seeds beads have a purple/green iridescence and match the earrings better than this photo gives credit!

Yep, another Sorbetto - this is a natural colored linen and I will wear it with these grey pants and brick cardi.  I like to wear scarves - I tend to wear them rather than necklaces, and this one with the fringe works well.

The bling will be kept simple - Swarovski crystal earrings and a braclet that I made with a kit from my local bead shop.  The bracelet was supposed to be elasticated - but I think that looks rather cheap on me.  Instead, I used beading wire and added a simple clasp and I am very pleased with the look.

You may need to take a seat here as my top is a RTW stretch cotton poplin that is probably a couple of years old now.  I will wear it with the blue franken cardi and my lined houndstooth pants - we are expecting quite a bit of rain this week and a drop in temperatures, so I think that this will work well.

My earrings are from the same Red Deer shop as the purple amethyst earrings above, and the bracelet is one of my Mum's that I came across after unpacking some boxes that have been sealed up since she passed away in 2009.  I don't think that she ever got to wear this, so I am happy to be able to get some use out of it - it is surprising light and dainty.  The earrings are some kind of blue ceramic/glaze and I love wearing them!

And finally;

One more skirt combo to see me through the week - I made the lining a little long and the lace edging peeks out at the bottom - I was going to alter it, but I rather like the look!  I will wear it with a natural colored linen shirt and a pink cardi.  My scarf has some lovely splashes of turquoise in it - hence my earring selection!

Sadly, these are not real turquoise, I can't remember what the stones are, but they are frequently dyed to look like turquoise - and that works for me!  Worn with a simple silver bracelet - that will see me through the week.  This selection has made me realise that I need to make some more tops out of stretch cotton poplin (I have one or two Sorbetto's, but a shirt or two would not go amiss) and I should really get round to sewing up the two black cardis that I have cut out.

Phew - it takes me longer to write the post than it does to make my outfit selections!!