S3624 or Procrastination at its best!

First, let me say thanks for the positive comments and emails on the lime gauze top. I received some good ideas and will revisit the top soon. Hopefully, I can turn it into something I like.

I'm leaving my house at 6:00 am tomorrow to fly to Orlando with my daughter for a cheerleading competition. And then on Monday I will fly from Orlando to Denver for a 3-day conference. I travel a lot so packing isn't usually that big of a deal but a multi-city multi-purpose trip requires some creative packing to avoid two suitcases. Then there are all the arrangements I need to make regarding my son, the dogs, the house, etc. But instead of focusing on that mundane stuff, I decided to make a new top for my trip. Simplicity 3624 is now MY NEW FAVORITE PATTERN!! Love this one! So quick and cute, I think! Perfect for dinner in Orlando or cocktail hour in Denver. Dontcha think?

I cut it out and started sewing it last night and finished it up tonight after work. Probably took two hours including cutting. I made View C although a bit shorter. I will definitely be making this one again. In fact, I am going to turn View B into a dress.

BTW, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The cheerleader daughter is at a concert tonight. And she hasn't started to pack either. I suspect we'll both sleep on the plane tomorrow!

Rocket Party

Here are some pictures of our neighborhood Rocket Party held last Saturday. We launched at a local school and then gathered at a friend's house for a grill-out afterwards. Much fun was had!! My son assembled the rocket but then we ran out of time before we got to the painting. We proclaimed that ours was the Earth Day Rocket, left intentionally natural. Nobody believed it.

It was fun to watch. These things went hundreds of feet in the air. I don't know who was more excited, the dads or the kids! After a launch, the kids would take off running after the rockets to retrieve them. There were a few casualties. For our last launch, my son opted for the super charged engine. Our rocket was never recovered! I figured somebody out bringing in their Sunday paper probably found it in their yard.

Some evidence of the day:

"Aw, Mom, this is embarrassing. Get off me. And take those stupid Crocs off your feet."



"Their rocket might be pretty but size DOES matter. I'm just sayin'..."



".....3...2...1... BLAST OFF!"



"Houston, we have a problem."




Tonight, "Awards" were presented. LOL.

Fabric Randomness

I didn't really need to post three times today but I didn't plan ahead. So here goes another post!

Wanted to give a shout out to Marji who took a rough fall a couple days ago. Hope you feel better very soon! And before she took her tumble, she did a little de-stashing and sent me a wonderful package containing these two lovelies! How sweet is that?!!


And in other fabric fun, I received this cool two-sided fabric from Michael's Fabric. It is turquoise on one side and a Burberry stripe on the other. I plan to make this little raincoat at some point. I think I might have already posted this but if I didn't, high fives to Sherri at Michael's Fabric - excellent communication and very fast shipping. I will definitely order from them again.


And Finally, I picked up these two fabrics from Hancocks on Sunday. The black, red and white will become a shirtdress (S2923?) and the red will probably become S2926 with black piping trim.

S3887 or Put Your Blinders On!

Almost finished S3887. I say almost because I bought some embellishments for the neckline but I can't decide whether I like this top. Let me rephrase that. I know I don't like this specific top but I can't tell if 1) it's just too big at the neckline or 2) I don't like the color of the fabric or 3) the style is not for me. Or some combination of all three! The top makes me look huge. (BTW, forgive the athletic shorts - getting ready to go walking.)

What do you think? Should I try this one again in a smaller size and less ahem... colorful fabric? Or move on to something else? Gelbean's and Adrienne's versions were so darn cute! (Shoot, I just read some of the reviews at PR and several point out that the back neck band is too big. And I now remember reading this BEFORE I started. Ugh.)

Hey, maybe I had it hiked up too high? Does it look better here?

Happy Earth Day!

I have been thinking about making some reusable fabric grocery totes. I have a couple from Trader Joe's that I TRY to remember to carry into the store to eliminate at least some of the plastic grocery bags. I think it would be fun to make some decorative ones so I can look both chic and eco-friendly. Ha ha ha. My mom mentioned a month or two ago that she would like to start using reusable bags, too, so I would like to make some for her, too.

Anyhoo, can anybody point me to a basic pattern for a simple shopping tote? I would want it to have a wide enough bottom and enough height to hold boxes of cereal and the like. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I could draft a pattern as simple as that myself but PEOPLE.... I am too busy looking chic and saving the earth. I mean really... only so many hours in the day!

Butterick Recall

Remember Butterick 5173? The pattern was recalled due to the serious error. They offered a replacement pattern if you returned the faulty pattern. I mailed mine last Monday and received the replacement today. I think that's fast customer service!

Butterick included a coupon for a free See & Sew pattern to compensate for the shipping. I think I'm going to pick 5168
I like the jacket.


After browsing the See & Sew patterns, there were not too many that appealed to me. Is it me or is the fit of the garments on the models really bad? Look at this - the turquoise dress looks to be about two sizes too big for the model:


And this - both crotches are all wonky:

B5179 or How to Over-Complicate an Easy Pattern

As I mentioned, I got lots of sewing done yesterday. This dress was item # 3. Described as a Fast & Easy, it really should have taken no more than 2 hours including cutting. But ask me how long it took me. "How long did it take you, Bonnie?" Oh, probably 5 hours and I almost ruined it!

The dress is Butterick 5179 and I made view C although I added the contrast band from View A and used the same contrast fabric for the yoke. The pattern was easy to follow but I added a little time after deciding the challis I was using was a bit too sheer and needed a lining. I cut out the smallest size and it still came out like a tent.I know the dress is sort of a flowy dress but what I got was WAY bigger than the picture indicated. Mistake # 1, didn't make a muslin.

No problem, I thought. I'll just take it in a bit at the waist to give it some shape and reduce the volume. I'll just wing it. Mistake # 2, don't wing it. Always measure. I ended up with a good waist size but it jutted out awkwardly at the bottom - I didn't have a cleanly graduating seam because I didn't measure. Plus, somehow I distorted the band at the bottom so it didn't line up with the side seams. I have no idea how that happened. Oh, did I mention, all my seams were serged at this point? Ugh. Mistake # 3, don't serge until you've done the final basting.

So, I laid the dress out and drew a clean seam on both the dress and the lining. And serged it. Tried it on and realized it was too tight! Mistake # 4, see Mistake # 3. Crap, by this time I'm seriously losing interest in this "Fast and Easy" dress but I want to wear it to the cheer banquet this afternoon so I persevered. I realized I had some extra room in the back center seam so I undid the band on the bottom (for the 4th time) and opened up the back seam, adding some width that way.

Basted it all together and WHEW, it fits although it's definitely not perfect. It's a little shorter than I wanted but that was because I re-serged the bottom band several times and lost length each time. The upside is the zipper turned out perfectly and the contrast yoke matched up perfectly.

So moral of this story is DON'T CUT CORNERS. You would think I would know this after admiring so many expert sewers but I got impatient. (My normal M.O.) I will actually make this dress again in the sleeveless version but I will alter the pattern up front to get the fit I want.

M5529

Here is another finished product from yesterday. This little jacket was inspired by some jackets I saw at a fashion show a few weeks ago. I really love animal prints and thought it would create a fun look to wear with jeans. The fabric I chose is sort of a giraffe look and it coordinates with the shoes I bought a few weeks ago. My daughter and I at first thought it would be too much "animal" together but we both like the look.

What a quick project this was! I already had the fabric cut out but it probably only took 1 1/2 hours to sew. It's not lined so I serged all the seams and used a twin hem needle to hem the bottom and sleeves. The fabric is a minky polyester from JoAnns. Complete review at PR.

S4084

I spent a good part of yesterday in my sewing room and VOILA! My trench is finished and the weather cooperated by being rainy and cool today so I wore it to church! Complete review at PR. Here are some pictures of it.





You will see my brand spanking new briefcase in this last one. Ordered Tuesday, arrived Friday. I can't say enough good things about ebags.com customer service. Every order I have ever placed has arrived in 3-4 days. [ugh, as I copied the link, I saw that everything is 20% off today. Figures, I couldn't wait 5 days. Ever impatient.]


And since it's Sunday... a confession. At the end of Mass this morning, the woman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I just want to tell you your coat is beautiful. The details are incredible." In a fit of vanity, I blurted out, "I made it!" I was annoyed with myself but it was such a nice rush to receive such a compliment, especially from a stranger.

The next coat

Thanks to everyone who posted nice comments regarding my trench and more importantly for the encouragement on my neck injury and Friday's procedure. I emailed everyone that I had email addresses for but for those of you I don't, I wanted you to know that I really appreciate your kind words and thoughts! To Dotty - I was especially glad to hear that your treatment was successful the first time.

Although I still haven't put the finishing touches on my trench (been out of town), I already have another coat in mind. I just sent an email to order some of the gorgeous b'berry fabric from Michael's Fabric. [Edited to say that Sherri of Michael's fabrics couldn't be nicer to deal with! I can't wait to receive my fabric.] Specifically, I ordered RC03 - turquoise cotton on one side and the b'berry print on the other side. I now have to pick the right pattern. I am considering these three:

New Look 6736 Look at Ande's adorable version here!



Vogue 8480 Erica's bright yellow version can be seen here. Too cute!




McCalls 5635



My new briefcase is on the way! (Why no, it didn't go on sale and you are correct that I have no willpower. akimbo, your testimonial pushed me over the edge! lol) I decided the blue one would get dirty very quickly after being thrown in airplane overheads, under seats, on the bus, etc. No to mention the daily trips to the office. So, I selected the red one instead hoping it would hide the dirt a little better. Snazzy, no?


And finally, thanks to Mimi for nominating me for the "Excellent Blog" award! I'm suppose to nominate ten other blogs but that will have to come on a later day as I promised my son I would take him to the music store and he's been hovering over my shoulder for the last 30 minutes! Ta ta for now.

Edited to add that as I caught up on my Bloglines, I realized Nancy of SewWest (I love everything she sews!!) also nominated me. Thank you, Nancy! That was so sweet of you!

Monday Miscellanea

What a glorious weekend we had! I really wish it had been a three-day weekend. I spent the previous weekend sick in bed - from Friday night to Monday morning - and so this weekend, I felt an especially exuberant boost of energy as I not only played catch-up but tried to take advantage of the great weather. Never enough hours in a day...

I posted a few recipes on my recipe blog. My neighbor is having some health issues with her five year old daughter and so the neighborhood food brigade has been enlisted to alleviate some of the household chores while they deal with it all. My day is today and I made Brunswick Stew, Spinach Citrus Salad and Soft Ginger Cookies. The salad is a new recipe to me from Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade cookbook and is such a beautiful spring salad. The stew and cookies are two of my favorites - I was striving for comfort food.

After several months of neck and arm pain and lots of tests, the diagnosis is protruding discs between the C5-C6 and C6-C7 vertebrae that are pushing on the nerves on the left side of my body. Steroids and physical therapy haven't worked so the next step is an epidural injection this Friday. I did not have epidurals when I delivered my kids and after reading what the procedure entails, it kind of freaks me out! But if it takes away the pain, numbness and tingly and allows me to sleep, I'm on board. I haven't slept through the night in three months and I don't even have a cute little baby to help make up for it!

According to my doctor, the kind of damage in my neck is usually caused by trauma (like a car accident or something) but I haven't experienced anything like that. Just woke up with a stiff neck one day, tingly/numb arm the next and it progressively got worse. I suspect it might be because I tend to carry to much weight in my briefcase. So..... I am purchasing one of these two lovelies as soon as ebags has their next sale. Don't you just love the blue color?!! They also come in other pretty colors - pink, orange, green and of course, black, but I think I'm going with the blue. I prefer the style of the one on the bottom but I noticed some of the reviews commented that it doesn't hold much so I may default to the other one. Wonder if I can deduct this as a medical expense on next year's taxes?!!

So darn close!!!

My goal this weekend was to finish my trench coat. I had barely begun sewing it before this weekend but I thought I had a wide open weekend. Do you do what I do when you have a wide open block of time? Fill it up??? Aside from a 4 1/2 hour basketball/cheer banquet tonight with my daughter, I had nothing actually scheduled. But I ended up doing a bunch of cooking, a bunch of cleaning and a little yard work to take advantage of the sixty something degree day. Woo hoo! And then there was the trip to the music store to try out drums (the 13 yr old, not me, lol). And the trip to Lowe's to buy a lawn mower. And the grocery shopping. And the long walk with the neighbor. And Mass. Yup, nothing actually scheduled. But I digress... Back to the trench.

I am very happy with how it is turning out. All I have left is the hem and the buttons / buttonholes. It fits beautifully. My only disappointment is that I did not interface the lapel. The fabric was SOOOO stiff, I didn't think it needed it. It probably does. But I'll cope.


Here are a couple close ups to show the detail of the fabric, lining and buttons - this is actually a fabric from the home dec department. I don't know what you call it but it has embossed design on it, some parts shiny, some parts dull. Very elegant looking, I think. I used an olive green lining, which coordinates well with the gold fabric.



The pattern is Simplicity 4084; a Threads pattern. The pattern is quite clear. There are a lot of pieces and it took a long time to cut out - 2-3 hours. If I counted correctly, there are 18 pattern pieces for the main fabric, 13 pieces for lining, and 8 pieces for interfacing. I had planned to make view A without the piping but I forget to add the front yoke pieces until it was too late. So, I guess I actually made View B. I added the bow after admiring a similar look on some RTW jackets.

Thanks! And why I'm not as productive as I should be...

Thanks so much for all the encouragement on the dress-gone-bad post. I couldn't email all of you who left comments but I do appreciate the tips and encouragement. And you are all correct in that I forgot to interface before putting the zipper in. I do that EVERY TIME! I'm going to let it sit for awhile and return to it. It's a flattering dress style so I should persevere. It has more of an autumn/winter look to it anyway so maybe it will be my first FO of autumn 2008!

I am working on my trench coat (S4084), which requires a lot of concentration and precision. (Yeah, I know... smart move going from a failed project to this one!) I have taken advantage of my whole sewing room. Using all the counters to hold various pattern pieces and just giving myself lots of space. I was trying to sit at my cutting table to do some hand sewing and marking but it wasn't too successful. Why you say? Well, looking at this shot, it looks like I should be fine.

But I have a "helper".

And yet another "helper" (look under the table.) She is whimpering to jump on my lap!

Worse than kids, I tell ya.

Darn...

I put the zipper in my dress (V8904) today and it is awful. It screams "home ec sewer." The top back bodice is all scrunched up and the mid-bodice band is not properly aligned. I was so careful cutting out the fabric so it would all line up but the fabric was a loose weave and it was stretching as I sewed it. But delusional me just kept thinking, "it won't be noticeable." I lined the bodice with a fabric that did not stretch - hence the gathering.

I also don't like how the crossover lays in the front. I think I could fix that by simply tacking it down but I don't know if I have the enthusiasm to fix the back. Plus, because it's a woven fabric, it is not very comfortable. Although it fits perfectly through the waist, hips, butt, it still feels odd because there is no give at all. I've been spoiled with knit dresses.

This will go on a hangar as a UFO until I decide to take it apart and re-sew the bodice. And the biggest irritation is that this was THE MOST PERFECT invisible zipper installation. At least it was the best I've ever done.

Furniture Delivery

I just got off the phone with the delivery firm and my furniture will be delivered on Tuesday. WOO HOO! I can't wait.

And on another note... I just found out from Debbie's blog that PR is having a mini wardrobe contest. I've always been tempted to join the wardrobe / SWAP contests but realized that I can't control my work schedule and I would probably not be able to finish. But this one sounds manageable - 4 pieces created in a month. I attend a conference in Florida every July and even though the dress code is "Resort Casual", women tend to dress a little more formally than the men. I thought this would be a good opportunity to make a coordinated ensemble with a "Resort" theme - perfect for The Breakers in Palm Beach!

Here are the rules:

Pattern Review’s Mini-Wardrobe Contest
May 1 – May 31, 2008

This is a contest to create a 4-piece wardrobe in 4 weeks. Those pieces should fit one of the following three frameworks:

1) 2 bottoms and 2 tops - 1 may be a jacket

OR

2) 1 bottom and 3 tops - 1 (no more than one) may be a jacket

OR

3) 1 bottom, 1 dress or jumper, and 2 tops - 1 may be a jacket, and the top or jacket *must* be wearable with the dress or jumper.
If a jumper is made, it should go with both tops (i.e., function as a bottom).

All pieces must coordinate with each other. A coat may be substituted for a jacket, but also must coordinate well with all the other items in the wardrobe.
Patterns may be new, never sewn before, or TNT. Self-drafted patterns are fine. Patterns may be drafted, tweaked, and muslined before the contest date, but fabric for the pieces entered cannot be cut till the start date of the contest (May 1).

Each entry must be made as a storyboard or composite of all garments included in the wardrobe. It is suggested, but not mandated, that participants draw up a storyboard and post it as a WIP that can be followed, updated, amended, etc… during the contest.
Final garments may be pictured on a dress form or worn by the garment’s intended owner. Please consult with the contest moderator if neither of these is feasible for you, and options will be discussed.

Any individual piece entered into this contest may be simultaneously entered into another contest as long as it meets criteria for both contests.

This wardrobe/ensemble may be created for men, women, or children. Sorry, doll clothing is not admissible.

Accessories, while they may be made and showcased with the wardrobe, are not a part of this contest.

Swimsuits, while wonderful, are not considered admissible to this contest. Workout wear is admissible within the above parameters.

WINNER: to be determined by popular vote. Official voting criteria will be posted at a later date, but will be based on (and these are listed in no particular order): wardrobe versatility (is it wearable and do pieces complement each other well?), garment construction/ skill of designand craftsmanship, designer creativity, and presentation.

PRIZES: One first prize: a sewing machine donated by Greenberg and Hammer (thank you! )

And because a post with no pictures is boring... How about this cake? It's the largest carrot cake I have ever seen! 11" in diameter and 5 " high. It felt like it weighed 15 pounds. My assistant bought it for my birthday last week. It was delicious; in fact, I'm going to have a piece right now.

V8409

I made good progress this evening. I was a little skeptical the dress was going to fit. It seemed tight in the bodice but I think it's going to work. All I have left is the zipper and hem - my two least favorite things to do! Depends on how late we get back from dinner tomorrow night. The fabric looks a little distorted but if you click on the photo, it is very clear. It's a glen plaid in brown with green highlights. (BTW, the beads are from my sweety apron partner, Laura.) I love the sleeve style of this dress! I thought a little button would be a cute accent. Which buttons look best? White pearls (left) or beigy flat ones (right)?

A parting shot of my HB banner. Gotta love that same 17 year old who usually thinks I'm an idiot. (Of course, I usually am!)

No Pictures; Just a shout out to all my bloggy friends

I am bored by blog posts with no pictures but I have done absolutely no sewing or knitting since my last post... Ok, since BEFORE my last post. I panicked over nothing. My furniture is not here yet and based on the tracking, I'm thinking it will take at least another week. But in the meantime, I painted my bedroom a very soothing shade of blue. Kind of a robin egg blue although my oldest walked in and said, "Cool, looks like Tiffany's blue." LOL. I also painted the ceiling (first time I've ever done that and let me tell ya... I don't like doing that so much!) and all the trim and I bought a yellow comforter set and a new mattress set. Now, I'm just waiting for the furniture. I realized that switching from a king bed to a queen bed means I need new pillows, too. It never ends... I am holding off posting pictures until I get everything.

Thanks for all your sweet emails. My birthday was low key. In fact, the kids and I have not "officially" celebrated yet due to conflicting work schedules. But I did walk in to a very sweet Happy Birthday Mommy banner on Friday after my 3 days away. We're going out to dinner tomorrow to celebrate.

I just came down to my sewing room to return to my V8409 dress, which I had hoped to wear to a presentation in New York on Tuesday but it's not looking good. Let's see how ambitious I am for the rest of today.

Finally, Happy Easter! I hope you were all able to share some time with family and friends.

I know I shouldn't complain....

Aside from a mattress on the floor and a tv on a little stand, my bedroom has been empty for several months since the big D. I've been sort of leisurely shopping for bedroom furniture for several months, however, there are definitive advantages to my current arrangement:

• I don't have to worry about falling out of bed and breaking a bone.
• No furniture to dust.
• Herschel (with his 3" legs) can easily jump on and off the bed. [Hmm... that's not really an advantage.]
• It's quite easy to vacuum with no furniture to move.
  

But I digress...

I decided that it was time to quit living like a college student and get some furniture. After some looking, I found something I liked that would not break the bank. I ordered it Sunday knowing that it had a four to six week delivery time. One of the pieces was even identified as being back-ordered (what do I care, I've lived without for months, right?) It was all good - gave me some time.

• Time for the tax refund to arrive to pay for said furniture.
  
• Time to sand and prime the feather dusted walls (Dear Lord, was that ever really a good look?)
• Time to browse HGTV.com for some decorating ideas.
• Time to buy the painting supplies.
• Time to find bedding and accessories.

So what did I find in my inbox after arriving home from work today?
Dear Bonnie D. Thank you for your order from 'We're just kidding' Furniture Distributors. We shipped your entire order today.

Umm... that's two days. Not four to six weeks. [Yeah, I know.... Quityerbellyachin', Bonnie.]

My arms already ache from the sanding I did this evening but I'm just about done. Can somebody come help me paint? I'll make you a nice dinner!

I CAN DO THIS. I DO SO LOVE A CHALLENGE!!!

Oh... what does it look like you ask? Well, here is the bed....

I hope I don't offend....

But this is the funniest darn thing I've seen in awhile. And I suspect many of my Midwest and New England blog friends share this sentiment.

Busy day but not much to show

I cut out the trench coat (S4084). It took FOREVER to cut and mark. There were 18 pieces of the main fabric, 18 pieces of the lining plus 6 or 7 of interfacing. I am guessing it took me several hours to do all that.

I also cut out the V8409 dress and started sewing it. I have the bodice done. I decided to line the bodice rather than use facings. I wonder... is there ever a reason when it makes more sense to use facings? I hate them and think they look unprofessional so I wonder why certain patterns call for them instead of a lining.

So no finished products but at least I made some progress.

College girl was home for dinner so I made a big dinner and the kids cleaned up the whole kitchen. Woo hoo! This is what we had:

Pork Chops with Mushroom Wine Sauce
Potato Tart
Green Bean Casserole
Applesauce with cinnamon
Dinner rolls
Blueberry Bread Pudding

I just had a taste of the bread pudding. I'm going to indulge later!