Ottobre Trench is Finished

My niece's trench is complete, yea!! Ottobre 4/2006 #23, size 140 with extra length. The fabric is Nanette Lepore from a coop. I did not line this coat, thought it wouldn't need it for a spring coat and the fabric looks great on the inside too. I used the wrong side of the fabric for the belt loops and welt pockets. My niece is into American Girl dolls, so I scraped a trench like coat from the little fabric scraps I had. I added welt pockets to the doll coat. This is the first time I have done welt pockets, not too bad but I need to practice more. The flower pin was from a Husqvarna card, I use this on my purses, too. I really like the punch of color it adds. The cuff straps suggested a buttonhole, I didn't see the need. Instead, I inserted the cuff straps into the loops and sewed the buttons to hold the strap closed.

Sewing Room Challenge

Okay, here it is in all of the disarray!! Notice there isn't a picture of the floor, I am a cut it, trim it and throw it on the ground type of sewer. Then after it drives me crazy, I vacuum and it looks so nice for a couple of minutes.

I sew in the unfinished part of the basement, in fact, there use to be heating oil barrels here 20+ years ago. We added cabinets for this room 10 years ago, I painted it the bright red color at midnight one weekend. I couldn't stand the color anymore and what better time to paint with little ones. As you can tell, I share my space with the plumbing, duct work and the furnace, they don't seem to mind. I don't mine either, I like a clean and tidy home but that doesn't pertain to my sewing room. On this side of the basement, I can be so very messy and thus so very creative, at least in my mind.

The view as you walk into my room. It is set-up in a "L" shape. I had to paint an old desk and add to my counterspace for my coverstitch machine.

My cutting table and under the cutting table. Plastic storage bins contain my purse making supplies. Pillow forms and fiberfill shoved here.

Dressform and fashion fabric, I have a couple other pieces on the floor but this is all the stash I have.

Quilting fabric, I just cleaned this cabinet up last Saturday.

My 12 year old daughter's sewing machine:

My Designer 1, bookshelves, and wall storage (I keep embroidery cards, future projects and some trim

WIP - Saturday

My niece's birthday is one week away but I won't see her for two weeks, yea, time to finish her birthday present. I have been working on a trench coat from Ottobre, Autumn 2006. I have made wonderful progress and feel this garment will be completed tomorrow. This trench coat even has welt pockets, mine look good but I could use more practice!

Next for her is this skort and t-shirt.

I bought the skirt fabric at Joann's and sent a swatch to my friend Anne, owner of Needle Nook. In today's mail came the perfect match for the shirt and some great trim for the skirt and top. I still need to prewash the t-shirt fabric but other laundry is in line first.

That's all my sewing for now, my younger two, HAVE to go to Old Navy, there is an outfit they would love to have!!!

Swapping Fabric

I have been looking at my stash fabric and realizing I wasn't going to sew some of it up, not really me, shouldn't have bought it. So, I listed this on Pattern Review



sold some of it. Now money in my paypal and the urge to make some new spring purses and other craft items --- I couldn't resist this collection Building Blocks and Peas & Carrots by American Jane plus a few other prints including Heather Bailey's Freshcut (just 3 pieces)!



Anyone else do this? I did rationalize it, the money wasn't coming out of the monthly budget, just out of my paypal "fun" money! Now to start stalking the mailman, I have many things on the way

• cards from Etsy
• birthday presents for college girl
• fabric from Needle Nook
• slipcovers for chairs

I think that is all but the night is still young, I might get more. No, better not, I will keep telling myself that!!

Shopping

Went to Joann's on Saturday, by myself, I might add.

I bought some pattern, notions and fat quarters.

Then some fashion fabric-

top for my niece's birthday next month, green for another Jalie top (maybe with the zipper), pink denim for niece and denim just because I was out. All was 40% off, the knit was 30%.

I then went a bit crazy and bought several quilting cottons. Purses and craft projects. The bottom few (browns and aquas) will be a purse for college daughter.

Take One, Take Two - Cut

Remember in my last post, I was planning to make the Christine Jonson Shired top (yellow one in picture)? Well, I cut my wonderful black and white knit from Textile Studio, made this top and didn't like it at all. The bodice is two layers, then the bottom is several layers and all that shirring. No, not me at all. I proceeded to cut my top apart and decide what to make with my small fabric pieces. I went through all my patterns, no possibilities, stood at my cutting table trying to decide what to do. Bam, the other view of this pattern. It has the side front pieces, perfect for a solid black. I redrafted the back to have side pattern pieces, a must when working with little pieces of fabric!!! I had to piece my fabric together for the front and back but my sleeves were fine from the shirred view. I decided the piecing needed something so I did some coversitching and sewed it wrong side up. So after take one, take two is a winner and another knit top for my closet

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Valentine's Day is a Sewing Day

Snow day here in my area, no school again today. My younger two girls were disappointed, they were excited for their Valentine's parties. I am excited to have a second day in a row, stuck at home and having the time to get some things accomplished. Cleaning, laundry, touching up some paint in a bathroom and of course, sewing.

Yesterday, I made 3 knit tops. Two were Jalie 2682, one of each view. This pattern is wonderful, the way Jalie has you construct the bodice in ingenious. I sure haven't seen it before, I highly recommend this pattern. The third top is Simplicity 4076 (in yellow stripe fabric) , a nice TNT (tried and true) pattern. I did make a couple of changes from my previous tops, added 2" to the length and redrafted the sleeve, I didn't care for the bell sleeves for work. All this fabric came from my sewing workshop with Anne, owner of Needle Nook fabric. I bought this on February 3rd and it was sewn up by February 13th, impressive, if I do say so myself!

I just cut out Christine Jonson's Shirred Top in a wonderful fabric from Textile Studios. Maybe pictures later today.

Oh, one more picture, I should have been more observant with my bodice and bodic facing - look at the match on the inside of my shirt, bummer. I didn't intend to to that. Oh, well.

I am hooked on Valentine's Day

I don't know what it is but I usually don't get too inspired with Valentine's Day but not this year, I am really there. It might be our gloomy weather and I am loving the colors, who knows.

I am on Sew Thankful's email list and Tracy had information on fabric postcards, I loved this idea and ordered some Fast2fuse from her. I thought what a fun project and I will use this for my Valentine cards to my daughters and my parents. My hubby wouldn't be that impressed so he will get a Hallmark! The top photo is college daughter's valentine, I finished it last night and wanted it mail it today, pardon the lighting. The grouping are for my other daughters and for my parents. I added the ribbon loop, in case they wanted to hang these. White fabric is fused on the back of the cards and I wrote my message with fabric markers.

I am home this afternoon with no girls, I have been in my sewing room working on various projects for 3 hours!

Valentine Countdown

Finished decorating my mantle today, love the look and might leave it there for all of February. It is a short month and the way the weather has been for the first seven days, a gloomy month, too. A few pictures for the blog and I am off to finish tracing my BWOF jacket.

Oh, how can I change my banner in blogger? Thanks.

Valentine Sewing

My Valentine kit arrived today from Anna Maria Horner, and I scrambled to finish it before dinner and the arrival of company for the night. Here are my pictures, not so good quality at almost midnight. I will try to get better daylight ones in the next few days. This was such a fun and quick project. I needed a pick-me-up today, thanks Anna Maria. I am heading to Joann's after an appointment tomorrow, looking for more Valentine's items and then decorating my fireplace with my new garland and other goodies.

Sewing Fun

All day Saturday I had the opportunity to sew with my friends from my local ASG and my good friend, Anne, owner of Needle Nook Fabric. Anne came to our ASG, with her helper, Deb (hi, Deb) and taught us bra-making. You are thinking, make your own bras? Yes, we did, and mine looks pretty darn good. No, I am not going to show a picture of my bra but I will entice you with the fabric piles we were able to feel and buy.

I did buy 3 pieces of knits for shirts, one is probably going to be this Jalie 2682. I had so much fun and hope my ASG has another teacher in soon, also, I encourage all you sewers to take a ME day and treat yourself to some sewing fun. Now to find some time to sew up all this fabric.

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Weekender Bag

Finally, time to post pictures of my college daughter's Weekender Bag. It is a surprise, no, she doesn't read my blog so I am safe!!! It is this an Amy Butler pattern, I thought it was relatively easy to sew and the directions were pretty easy to follow. I used Peltex instead of Timtex, I know my bag isn't as sturdy but it is sturdy enough. Peltex was easy to work with and created a wonderful finished product. This matches her Laptop bag