Meringue Skirt #1

        I was happy to receive the Colette Sewing Handbook for Christmas.  And, even happier when I read on Coletterie that  Erin of Miss Crayola Creepy and Sarah from Rhinestones and Telephones were doing a sew along.   It is a nice slow pace  - one design per month, even I should be able to keep up with that.  I really want to learn how to sew garments correctly and with patience.  This group should be a great opportunity to learn from others.  This will be my first sew along and I'm excited to be part of it.
       Project #1 is the Meringue Skirt.  The Meringue is fairly straightforward narrowish skirt that has a cute scalloped hem.  We were supposed to start with a muslin but I had some inexpensive yardage from Fabric Mart and wanted to make something that hopefully I can wear in the future.  I cut the size 12, taking about 1.5 inches off the length (mistake) as most patterns are long on me.  It sewed up quickly.  While the facing instructions seemed odd to me they worked perfectly and I learned a new technique.  I struggled a bit with the invisible zipper (its not invisible at the bottom) but I think that is because I don't have the invisible zipper foot for my machine.

 It looks pretty good from the back.
Strangely it is a bit tight across my belly but still a bit wide across the hips.  I'm thinking I might increase the waist by a tiny bit and decrease the hips.  I also think it is too short (my husband disagrees).  It should be wearable in the summer or maybe with tights in the fall.
My next version will be in denim.  I will make that 2.5 inches longer.

I am proud of how well the scallops turned out -
that was a new technique for me.

Also this was the first time I used the catchstitch to sew in a facing/hem.  I'm quite pleased with that too.  You can barely see the stitches when you look closely at the front.

Bottom line  - already I'm learning lots from both the book and from being part of this group.  I love how supportive and helpful the sewing community is in general.

To Infinity and Beyond

     So many blogs recently have featured infinity scarfs.  There are knitted ones, ones made out of polar fleece, single loop ones, really wide ones - an almost infinite variety.  I ended up with a heavy knitted one at our work Yankee Swap and have been thinking a lighter less bulky one would be nice.  Yesterday at Joann's I spotted some lace remnants and a sort of low pile furry white knit and thought why not.  They were 70% off so for a few dollars and a couple of hours I now have two infinity scarfs.
     I used this tutorial from Sweet Verbena http://sweet-verbena.blogspot.com/2011/10/single-loop-lace-infinity-scarf.html as guidance.  Her scarf was only a single loop though and I knew I wanted mine longer.  I also didn't want it to be quite as wide.  So for length I just used the full width of the knit fabric - about 60 inches.  For width I made it 10 inches wide.  For everything else, I followed her directions and ended up with this.

The red lace is fairly open so a light of the white backing shows through but you can adjust the scarf to display either more or less of the red.
  The width and length are exactly what I was hoping.
  It does look a little Christmas y.  I wish had made it last month - it would be
a perfect accessory for the black sweater dress I wore to a holiday party.

However, I noticed that with the open work lace you could really see the messy inner seams if you looked closely.
  I started the Crafty Diane Rupp online sewing course a couple of weeks ago and learned how to make french seams.  This made me wonder if I could make a scarf with French Seams.
   My second piece of lace was not as long so I had to piece it together to get a 60 inch piece, but other than that I kept all the measurements the same.  Instead of doing the first seams right sides together I matched them up wrong sides together (or how the completed scarf would look).  I then sewed a quarter inch seam down both long sides in a medium zig zag stitch as the base fabric is knit.  Then I turned the scarf inside out and carefully sewed a second seam a little wider than a 1/4 inch making sure to roll the previous seam to the outside edge.

That way all the messiness was on the inside of the closed seam.  In retrospect it would have looked even better if I had used white thread in my bobbin but I was more concerned with matching the green lace.  I then turned the whole thing right side out again and sewed the short ends of the green lace together matching right side to right side.  Then you sort of turn it inside out again.  It doesn't need to be turned all the way - just enough so you can sew all but the last few inches of the right sides of the knit material together.  Then pull everything back through the gap, slip stitch the opening and voila! A very neat infinity scarf.

Because of the heavier lace this one has a more solid appearance.  I'm really pleased with both and wish I had tried this before the holidays.  These will make great gifts and I'm already mentally going through different fabric and color combinations
Despite the french seams the second scarf is the same width as the first because I used a narrower seam allowance.
A definite instant gratification project!

Best Chewy Molasses Cookies Ever!

       My DH is a chef but in our household I do most of the baking (with the exception of cinnamon rolls) as I have the bigger sweet tooth and a secret weapon  - my grandmother's recipes.  When I bake cookies I usually make family favorites that have been made in our family for many decades but when I saw this recipe on the King Arthur Blog I had to try it.

        They call them Cape Cod Soft Molasses Cookies.  I call them The Best Chewy Molasses Cookies Ever.  

        The recipe intrigued me because it uses crystallized ginger.  I love the spicy sweetness of crystallized ginger and will eat it plain.  This recipe called for finely chopping it and adding it to a batter that includes some oatmeal as well.  I was hooked.  

         I pretty much followed the recipe:  http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cape-cod-soft-molasses-cookies-recipe .  I was out of allspice so I used a teaspoon of Penzey's baking spice.  No fresh ginger in the house either so used powdered ginger.  And, because I love vanilla I added just a dash.  The cookies turned out perfect!  Just the right amount of chewy satisfaction with a spicy kick.  Two days later they still taste as good as they did out of the oven.  Best of all it took under an hour to mix these and back them and clean the kitchen.  

          My pictures are not too good but the cookies rock!  Might compete for time in the baking rotation with Grammy B's extra thin ginger snaps...  Try them.

Attempting to sew with knits

 Flush with the success of my lounging pants (which I have already worn several evenings) I decided to attempt a simple knit skirt.
  Leanne Barlow at http://elleapparel.blogspot.com/ always looks like a professional model in her homemade clothes so I decided to try one of her tutorials.  I had a cute cheap knit with strips so I thought I would make her Socialite Skirt.  It looks quick, simple and comfy.  The trouble began as soon as I tried to lay out the knit for cutting.  It took forever to get it lined up and flat.  I painstakingly matched up the strips but after cutting learned I was only semi successful.  It will be a while before I try something with tiny stripes again.  Then, I started to make the pleats.  The knit would not cooperate!  Finally I ironed on some interfacing to the top part and that helped with the pleats.  Bottom line  - a skirt I thought would take an hour or two took a half dozen and at the end I didn't even hem it because I was so frustrated.  Leanne's instructions were clear  - the issues were all created by me.

 So, one would think after that I would shy away from knits for at least 24 hours right?  Well, no.  I really need some shirts and I love cowl necks so I decided to make McCall's 6241 out of a black and white animal print.  Before I even cut it my husband said I would never wear it  - should have listened.  It cut easier and fitted easier than the other knit.  But, the semi finished top was HUGE!!  I went with my measurements but it would have fit someone 50 pounds bigger than me.  So I started trying to make it smaller.  Sadly I then wacked too much off the bottom.   To try to fix that I added a black band.  I took in the sides by an inch, cut off 6 inches in length from the sleeves and took them in an inch each too.  It is still big and now it just looks funny.  But, I still think this pattern has potential and might try again in a smaller size.  The knit worked better than the first one too.  If I hadn't damaged the bottom it might be wearable.

  The good news is that I'm half way through the Collette Meringue skirt and that is going MUCH better.  I hope to write about that later in the week.  I'm not counting the two above as finished because they aren't at this point.  Need to hem the sleeves on the black and white one and hem the bottom of the stripped one.  Not sure if it is worth the effort for either.
    Any tips for working with knits?  I could use them.

Suprised Myself

    I actually did a complete sewing project today!  Unheard of.  A couple of months ago I found a piece of checked flannel in a thrift store for just a few dollars.  I knew immediately that I wanted to make them into comfy lounging pants (translation - pants only to be worn inside the house).  

     I choose McCall's 6252.  This morning I cut out a large which according to my measurements was what I needed.  I shortened the length of the pattern by four inches.  I had just the right amount of fabric, if I were a few inches taller it would not have been enough.  I got the length exactly right but they were huge in the waist, hip and leg.  I just sewed new side seams an inch in from the old ones and made the back crotch about a half inch smaller.  It took me about a total of four hours to make them but most of that was cutting the pattern and pieces and threading the elastic.  

  Terrible picture  - next time I'll get my husband to do the documenting.  

   I'll probably make these again but will cut down the pattern first.  Will also add pockets - that is all that is missing.  But for less than a day's work this was a great instant gratification project.  

Looking Forward to 2012 Resolutions and Goals

    We are still a few days away from the official end of this year but I am ready to look forward and set my sights on 2012.

     Here are my goals/resolutions for the next year:
1.  Weigh less at the end of the year than at the beginning.
          I'm not going to share what I'm starting at but since 1/1/2010 when I first made this resolution I've lost and kept off about 35 pounds.  So slowly but surely I'm getting there and I am in MUCH better shape!
2.  I will complete at least two sewing projects a month.  Tentatively I'm hoping for one new and one old but I'll be happy if I just actually complete two.
3.  I will learn how to use a serger.  Got to have 1 easy goal.  ;)
4.  This year I will go to the gym or exercise for at least a half hour at least 4 x per week year round when I am home.
        The last two years I went on hiatus for the summer and had to work hard to get back to where I was.
5.  I will spend at least 15 - 30 minutes a day doing some sort of cleaning type activity.

      My plan is to set up some sort of side bar to track my success with these.
   
      This afternoon DH and DS are going to be taking the carpet out of my sewing room and doing some furniture rearranging.  I need to go clear away some of the clutter so they can get started.
       Cheers!

Looking Backward

Where did November and December go?!!
What was I thinking when I started a blog so close to Christmas?  And, what was I thinking when I set a goal of 14 hours/week for the month of November?  Sigh, so naive and optimistic.

I will do better going forward but today's post is about looking backward over the past year.
I started the year with a few resolutions.  I only remember two of them.  Again, deep sigh.

I achieved one of them - I weigh less at the end of the year than I did at the beginning.  Even that had its ups and downs (pun intended).  Last spring I did a great job exercising and eating right.  I stayed on track with Weight watchers and by the end of May I was 20 lbs less than January 1st and only 10 pounds away from my goal.  Then, I stopped cold - not going to the gym and not doing weight watchers.  Interestingly thanks to being outside a lot I maintained for the whole summer.  Then, starting Labor Day weekend I lost control.  Gradually over the fall I put 10 pounds back on.  I started going to the gym again but not often enough.  So, while I still weigh 10 pounds less than in January 2011, it could have been better.

The other goal I remember was sewing related.  I wanted to finish 4 projects a month.  I hoped that this way I would work my way through my vast inventory of UFO's.  While I didn't not complete 48 projects I did complete quite a few both new and old.

 These are just a few of the completed items.  So I have to feel pretty good about my success rate.  Especially as some of the items had been unfinished literally for years.  Some were new - I am proud of figuring out how to sew clothes.
Obviously, from the poorly arranged grouping of photos I have not figured out how to use blogger properly yet.

Later I will look forward and set my goals for 2012.