so far, 'sew' good

Oh, I love me a lame blog post title, don't you?

I finally got around to photographing and posting the summer sewing thus far...both kids are taking a nap due to a super active morning, so I am taking advantage!

Let's get right to it then.

For Daughter:

3 pairs of shorts, all from Butterick 4176. Cute pattern, very easy to execute, but kind of a high rise on these. However, that might be good for playing outside in the summer...she won't be constantly tugging them up as she plays. We haven't found many storebought shorts that actually fit in the waist for my skinny girl, so hopefully these will work out. The cottons are two really old cuts that I used for sundresses when she was, I believe, 2 years old. I had about 1/2 yard left of each, just enough for these shorts. And the denim is quite a nice weight, purchased from W*Mart when the fabric department closed a couple months back.

#3 (of 4) using Simplicity 5489. Oh, how I love this pattern! It is so easy, and gives such a satisfying result. On the others I made, I used the bias band that the pattern calls for, but on this I simply lengthened the main dress piece by about 5 inches. I only bought a yard of this totally awesome fabric, and when I got home I realized that the design ran from selvage to selvage. Whoops! Not enough fabric to cut all the pieces properly, so I used batiste and a lightweight interfacing for the facing pieces. The buttons are just white plastic, but I didn't want to take away from the print. LOVE this fabric! (Daughter says she hates it, but I think she'll come around.) The 4th dress (from this pattern) is cut out and awaits assembly. That will be sundress #7 total for this summer, so I think I can lay off the sundresses now!

For AJ:

I bought a 1-yard cut of this buttery soft linen in a lovely brownish color, intending to make AJ some little lightweight pants for this summer. Unfortunately I grabbed the size 2 pattern pieces rather than size 1, and as my kids tend to run one size behind their ages, these are too big for this year. Hopefully next Spring they will be the right size. I'm not even sure which pattern I used for these...any basic pull-on pants pattern would give the same result.

And for me:

Really, really basic pull-on skirt to run errands in all summer long...made from a really old cut of ugly purple-gray linen I got on clearance at Hancock fabrics. I know we were in our first apartment when I bought it, and it predates Daughter by at least a year. The pattern I used is ancient, too: McCall's 3199, "quick & easy drawstring skirts in 5 lengths." I cut the XS in the shortest length, and it fits perfectly, hitting just above the knee. This pattern obviously runs HUGE, as I'm never an XS in anything. I'm not even an S, and often not an M. So yeah, it's got a lot of ease.

Wrap skirt using another cut of fabric and pattern that have been around forever - the pattern is New Look 6637 (long and short wrap skirts, drawstring pants and shorts). I made this pattern about 10 years ago, I'm guessing, and it was a disaster. I didn't really know what I was doing, so I'm betting my darts were awful, and I used ties as called for in the pattern. Now, seriously ladies, who would ever want bulky ties right at their waistline? It just looked awful...made me look frumpy and lumpy and fat around my middle. Ugh!

But then I saw a blog post somewhere about wrap skirts that button, and I thought, eureka! I could totally modify this!

I used a pretty piece of pique, donated to my stash by my mom, who intended it for a sundress for herself, oh, probably about 15 years ago now. The problem is, it is white, and who wants their underpants showing under a white skirt? Not me. So I chose to make another entire skirt out of white batiste, and I simply sewed them together, all the way around, leaving an opening in one of the lining seams. Then I turned it right sides out, pressed, measured carefully for one inner and two outer buttons, and voila! I now have a cute, just above-the-knee skirt that is really quite flattering. And my underpants do not show.

I plan to make at least one more of these, as they are so easy and very comfortable!

And finally, a linen top. I took major liberties with the colors here so the lint on my bathroom mirror wouldn't show up in the picture. The actual color matches the fuchsia in the wrap skirt. It looks seriously awful on the hanger, so I had to take a modeled photo. This is some linen I bought about 3 or 4 years ago at Joann's, meaning to make a long-sleeved blouse from it. And I remember buying it, too, because it was another incident of rudeness at the Joann's cutting counter...I was also purchasing featherweight interfacing that day for another project, and the woman haughtily told me I was buying the wrong interfacing for this linen and my project would never work out.

Anyway.

This is another somewhat old pattern, New Look 6483, which I have used in the past with great success. The only change I made to the pattern was to lower the dart by about 1 inch. I can never understand whose bust these patterns are drafted for. Are your boobs up under your chin? Cause mine sure aren't, but the dart in this pattern points way, way too high. Lowered slightly, it works out just perfectly. I cut the 12 and made no further modifications, and I find the top fits exactly how I like, with slight ease for movement, but no gapping. I LOVE linen, so will probably make a few more of these if I can find enough scrap linen in my stash.

Well, those are the finished garments as of today. I have a few more things cut for Daughter, and then she should be just about done for the summer. AJ isn't really getting anything handmade this year due to his physical needs (turns out they make onesies all the way up to 5T, hallelujah). I still need more summer things because my wardrobe hasn't been updated since before I had children. At least a sundress and a couple more skirts and tops are needed. Maybe some capri pants. I also placed a recent order with fabric.com for several cuts of lawn and dotted swiss to make summer nightgowns/pajamas for Daughter and myself. Now that I've tossed all the breastmilk-stained summer PJs, there isn't much left in my drawer!

I'll keep plugging away at it, a little at a time, until we all have what we need. But really, despite the enjoyment I get out of sewing, I cannot imagine having to make a wardrobe for a large family completely by hand as they did in the old days. I know people had only a few garments each, but still...to make everything, including underthings and linens, all by hand and by candle/oil lamp light? Sheesh. I tip my hat to those frontier women who did it all (with no electricity nor running water, and a baby on their hip).

So, what are you making?

yet another reason to dislike joann fabrics

I've been sewing my little fingers to the bone lately, but most projects are in some final stage of completion...awaiting buttons, hook 'n eye closures, a little hand-tacking...as soon as I can get finished and take photos, I'll have some great summer wardrobe updates to share.

In the meantime, a story:

Yesterday I took my children with me to Joann Fabrics. I needed some large white buttons to finish up a skirt, and found nothing appropriate in my stash. Now, my children have both, since birth, spent A LOT of time in Joann Fabrics stores. I would say I am there on average once a week. When I am stressed out, I will often head there after the kids are in bed at night, just to wander the aisles, see what's new, browse pattern books, whatever.

Plus, they're the only game in town. There is almost literally no other place to get sewing supplies in my area. WalMart has eliminated their fabric department, and now carries only limited notions. Hancock closed their doors 4 years ago. Other than a few small specialty quilt shops and sewing machine dealerships, there is nowhere to shop for sewing supplies, and certainly no other store to get the specific items one needs for garment sewing.

So yesterday we cruised in, Daughter walking, son in the stroller. We looked at one aisle of buttons, and finding nothing to my liking, I steered the stroller around the corner to the next aisle, maintaining conversation with Daughter so we'd both know the other was still there. I couldn't see her, but I could hear her. She was looking at a new rack of beautiful hand painted buttons while I browsed just opposite her.

Suddenly I heard a woman's voice saying, "little girl! excuse me, LITTLE GIRL!" and my head snapped up because I thought, oh my goodness, something is wrong with Daughter. I rushed around the corner as the Joann employee went on, "you can't do that! You have to STOP taking all those buttons off the rack!"

Which, ok, yes. Daughter had taken about a dozen button cards down and was making a neat pile on the shelf. She should not have done so, and I take responsibility for not giving her that explicit instruction. I am not offended that the Joann employee spoke to her.

But she went on.

"It's going to take us AT LEAST A HALF AN HOUR to find where all those buttons go!"

Ok, um, really? It's going to take you 30 minutes to replace a dozen very distinctive buttons which are also numbered? I immediately apologized to the woman, and said of course we would put the buttons back. It took Daughter and I about 45 seconds to replace them all, and while we were doing so I gave her what-for in her ear, mostly because I was embarrassed that someone had to speak to her. But she didn't even understand what she had done wrong...she just kept saying, "I'm sorry Mommy, I was just picking out the pretty ones to show you."

What really frosts me about this occurrence is not that the woman spoke to my kid - I have worked retail and it sucks when some kid (or adult) comes along and destroys a display. Many people would let their child make a big mess and just assume the employees will clean it up because "it's their job." I am not like that, but there's no way that woman could know that about me. So I do not fault her for that.

What frosts me is that last part she felt she needed to add...that snarky, nasty comment that it would take a half an hour to fix what my child had done. Seriously? Was that necessary? The poor kid is only 5 years old. She was not strewing buttons around madly, throwing them hither and yon just for the sake of making a mess - she was neatly stacking a few cards to show me the prettiest ones. She was being quiet, and not causing any problem or disturbance. I had half a mind to go back to that woman and speak to her, but I thought that would be setting a bad example for Daughter.

It just brings to mind the general lack of customer service and basic kindness you find in Joann Fabrics stores. How many times have I been treated nastily by one of their employees? MANY. I have been huffed at while at the cutting counter, told I am buying the wrong item for the project I'm doing, been treated badly when trying to use a number of coupons to save a little money, and just generally get the idea when shopping there that I am majorly inconveniencing the employees. The women at the cutting counter will literally turn their backs on you, or walk away when it is time for their break while there is a line of customers. Heaven forbid you ask for an item you can't find, they will look at you like you have six heads and sigh deeply.

If they all hate working there so much, they should quit and get another job.

More importantly, if working at Joann Fabrics is so miserable, what is wrong with the company? Obviously something is really lacking in the work environment, or compensation package, or training, when not one employee appears happy to be at their job. And they are taking it out on the customers!

I spend a lot of money at Joann Fabrics. I like to touch fabrics and yarns before I buy them, and I like the convenience of running to the corner for a zipper or sewing machine needles or whatever, when I need it. But I could be persuaded to stop going in there and simply order what I need online. I can make up the difference at Michael's and AC Moore, for the most part. But I really don't want to do that. I like the store. They just really, really need to do something about their people.

modern day pram set

My sister is almost 7 months into her first pregnancy, and the excitement is building! I can't wait to meet my nephew, and I'm psyched that my kids will finally have a cousin.

Unfortunately she lives halfway across the country and I can't make it to the shower, so I had to hurry up and finish my gift so I can ship it.

I've always been intrigued by the "pram set" that you often see in old knitting books (1940s and 1950s era). But it is typically knit in very fine yarn, and often seems quite "girly" in my opinion. I know that in the old days people dressed baby boys and baby girls in much the same fashion (day gowns, lacy knit/crochet garments), but that is certainly not the case today. And knowing my bro-in-law's love of sports, this kid will be a masculine baby.

Still, they walk their enormous dog every day, and even bought a special super-duper stroller with a mega telescoping handle for the very tall daddy to push, so I know they could actually make good use of one of these sets.

So I made one!

The baby is due in the middle of summer, so I made a 6 month size for fall and winter use.

The sweater is my old standby, the Knitting Pure and Simple neckdown cardigan. Seed stitch edgings instead of ribbing, as usual. I haven't put the buttons on yet because I'm still debating what to use. The yarn is Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Wool" in navy, which I used because I couldn't find any other reasonably priced navy wool worsted weight yarn. US size 7 and 8 needles.

Little Turtle Knits picky pants in medium. I used Knitpicks Swish Worsted in the Dublin colorway (it is a much deeper, truer green than this photo shows). And I ran out just as I finished the crotch seaming! Luckily after completing all the other parts of the set, I had enough navy wool to make the I-cord drawstring. These were knit on US 8 needles.

Elizabeth Zimmerman's Ganomy hat, rather heavily modified to fit a baby head - I used smaller needles (US 7) and lighter weight yarn than she calls for, which appears to have worked to reduce the size of this hat. It's not perfect, and I don't love it, but it came out pretty cute and I really wanted the earflap feature to cover baby's ears when they go for family walks out in the cold. The pom-pom on top is actually made of the Hobby Lobby navy yarn and a bit of Knitpicks WOTA worsted in jalapeno, which I purchased to make a sweater for AJ. It just happens to be almost exactly the same shade as the Swish, so I borrowed a little from my son's sweater-to-be.

And finally, booties. Do you know how hard it is to find a bootie pattern in a size beyond newborn? It's hard! I have umpteen baby knitting pattern books and none of them had what I wanted, so I just took a pattern from a Leisure Arts booklet that was written for sport weight, and gave it a whirl using worsted yarn and slightly larger needles. It seems to have worked! I wouldn't recommend trying this with just any pattern, but for these baby booties the proportions held. You can't see it well in the picture, but there is a little cable running down the entire bootie below the ribbon tie.

So there it is, a modern day pram set for my upcoming nephew. Squee!

butterick 4176 (X2)

Just a quickie today...lots to do on this rainy gross afternoon. It's been so nice all week that I ditched all housekeeping in favor of playing outside, going to the zoo, etc. and now I'm paying for it. The house is a wreck!

After spending the days playing, at night I've been forcing myself off the couch to get more summer sewing done.

After the last dress failure, I was hoping for success with the next...and yes, we have a winner! Butterick 4176, size 4 cut to size 5 length:

Sorry about the blur, the camera was set to a lower resolution and I forgot to set it back.

This is a very easy, simple dress to construct. 6 tucks across the bodice absolutely make this cute dress. They are slightly time-consuming but not at all difficult. Then the fronts and backs are joined, the armholes and neckline bound, and a closure and decorative buttons are added. Super simple!

Here's a less blurry shot. The fit is excellent and I'm glad I sized down one full number (she turns 5 on Monday and right now the size 4 commercial patterns are perfect).

This fabric has been in my stash for 10 years and I'm so glad to finally use it. I didn't have any red bias tape in my collection, so I cut my own bias strips from the same fabric to bind the neck and armholes. I wasn't into making a thread button loop for the back neck closure, so I used some seriously vintage (they were my Grandma's and the whole card cost 25 cents) hook-and-eye closures for both dresses.

I also made one in this cherry print. Daughter chose the flower buttons for decoration as we cannot seem to find my little mixed box of juicy red buttons!

We will definitely be using this pattern again. It comes with options for a tank, a shirt, a dress with short sleeves, shorts, and capri pants. The shorts are up next, and I'm seriously eyeballing my stacks of pretty cotton for more outfit ideas. Great stashbusting pattern, too - the dress takes only 1 yard of 44" wide calico. Or you can make a matching set (shorts and top) with 1.25 yards. Love it!

*Sigh*

My mop bucket calls.

the childhood obesity problem is worse than I thought...

Bad news, friends. The problem of childhood obesity in this country has gotten so bad that the pattern companies are now drafting their patterns for enormous pre-schoolers.

Ok, that's an exaggeration. But seriously? WHO ARE THESE PATTERNS FOR?? Over the weekend I made this for Daughter:

Sorry it's sideways. You get the idea. I made view B (the blue floral in the above pic), thinking it would be such a great quick-n-easy sundress for summer. I could use up a bunch of cottons in my stash and Daughter would have a rack of easy-to-pull-on garments. The pattern only really has 2 pieces, a front and back. You make a casing, then put something through it to make the shoulder straps (for this one I used the fabric itself). Pockets are optional, but Daughter did request them. She picked out both fabrics.

What we got is this:

The view on the hangar does not do justice to the ENORMOUSNESS of the dress. It is a sack. The whole thing is so wide it barely stays on her shoulders, and it sags down in front something awful. It might work over a t-shirt with some leggings as a tunic, but as a dress? FAIL.

Oh well, that is what I get for trying to shortcut my time and effort. Luckily we used cheapo "Quilter's Showcase" fabric from Joann's (on sale for $1.49/yd), which, by the way, I would never showcase in a quilt. It's junk. So essentially we have a wearable muslin which taught me that I do not wish to waste good fabric on this pattern ever again. Anyone want the pattern? It's uncut (I traced). If you think you could do something with it, leave a comment.

I started a new dress yesterday and it looks much more promising. Details are really everything with these little girl garments, and the sweet tucks on this dress should save the day, fit-wise:

Isn't that fun? Buttons go between the center tucks for interest. The ghosty white lines are just the chalk from drawing the lines for the tucks. I've already hemmed, so I just need to finish the neckline and armholes, put a button on the back, and voila! I think it will be great. And I feel good about using this fabric purchased many years ago...to make this wee dress. I had more than enough left to make this frock. I might even be able to squeak out bias binding so everything will match perfectly. What do you think? Round red buttons? Or should I go in search of cherries? Cherry buttons might be too busy. I think juicy round red buttons will do.

Let's see, what else? Well, we made good use of the leftover Easter egg dye, I think:

Or maybe not, depending on your taste! This year we decided to try the McCormick "neon" food coloring. Ummm...eew. No likey. The eggs looked just ok. Of course Daughter loves all the colors, and she is thrilled with these tiny hanks of wool. We got the Knits for Barbie book from the library, and I've promised to make a few little doll garments out of this stuff (100% wool fingering weight).

And I kind of hate to say it, but I've been purchasing a bit of yarn lately. I've decided to stop feeling so guilty about my stash. Yeah, I have quite a bit of yarn, but I'm not nearly as bad as some people. I like to buy at my price, and then I have what I need when something comes up. Lately people are having babies like mad, and I like having a few skeins of pretty baby-color yarns stashed away. Now that I've made a February Baby sweater, I'm itching to make more in different weights, fibers, and colorways. These were only $1.50 each, so can you really blame me?

This is 2 skeins of Caron Spa (sport) in 'green sheen', 2 in 'naturally', and 2 skeins of Caron Country (worsted) in 'renaissance rose'. Each colorway should be enough to make one baby sweater; the green and the natural are suitable for either gender. Yay, a baby sweater for $3! As an aside, I don't just do this because I'm cheap - I do it because I can give more when I spend less. If the sweater is only $3 to make, then I can throw in some little matching clothes, accessories, and books without breaking the bank.

Off now to brew up a strong caffeinated beverage so I can make it through the afternoon (another aside: so, so excited for Iced Dunkin' Dark Roast this summer). I must fight the urge to curl up in the sunlight coming in the patio door and sleep away the afternoon...must make use of naptime...

pulling it together (sort of)

I've been exceedingly frustrated with my total inability to finish ANYTHING lately. Like, to the point of anger and sadness. For the past 10 years or so, I've been extremely dedicated to creative endeavors, and despite a few quilt wips upstairs in bins, I've been pretty good about getting stuff done. But lately? Oh my gosh, lately I've just been letting stuff pile up on the dining room table and fighting to keep my sanity day-to-day.

When I am not able to dedicate time to being creative, when I lose that meditation, I can really, really tell the difference. And it's miserable.

Luckily, tomorrow is Easter, so I was forced to clear off the dining room table. I sewed the button back on AJ's yellow cotton cardigan (which was originally Daughter's...cotton ease yarn holds up well) and I patched my very favorite jeans:

The knee was ripped from seam to seam. I ironed mending tape to the inside of the rip to hold it together, then took a piece of regular cotton calico and sewed it right sides together, turned (like making a pillow), pressed, and topstitched the whole rectangle around the giant tear. Hopefully it will hold awhile, as these jeans are so awesomely comfortable.

Problem is, they are quite literally disintegrating all over. The denim is totally shredded at the hip. I used the same method here, just trying to make them last a bit longer. You can't buy comfort like this. I had to try something.

I finally hemmed the sleeves and stitched the buttonholes and buttons for this silly dress. Sometimes I like to buy those bags of coordinating buttons at Joann's (Favorite Findings, maybe?), which is where these brown plastic buttons came from. They are super inexpensive, and this way if one is lost or broken, it can be replaced quickly and easily. Just have to tie off the thread ends (I sew buttons on by machine), and this one is done.

And finally, these sweet "dublin" green Picky Pants (Little Turtle Knits pattern) for my sister's baby boy due this summer. I've finished approximately ZERO knitting outside of Etsy orders over the last month or two, so this feels really good! The only problem is, I used almost every inch of the yarn for the knitting, and that little swirl of yarn on the right of the photo is all I have left. I need to make a drawstring. I'm making a dark navy cardigan, hat and booties so this will be a modern-day "pram set" and I guess the pants will have to have a navy drawstring. Unless anyone has a bit of Knitpicks Swish in the dublin colorway they want to send me...ahem.

Anyway, they are city dwellers and have a gigantic dog which requires daily walks, so I wanted to make up a really warm set for the baby to keep him nice and cozy in the stroller this autumn. I'm also working up a plan for either a quilt or a knitted or crocheted blanket. I'm leaning towards quilting because my mom is making a blanket. Or perhaps I'll make both, who knows? But I need to bust a move because the shower is mid-May and I want my gifts ready then.

So I feel a little bit better having finished up some stuff. I still need to figure out a way to incorporate more meditative time into my days to keep me calm and sane. The kids are beating the crapola out of each other constantly right now - I mean I can't even turn my head without one of them pushing, smacking, pulling hair, shoving, kicking...it's awful! Hopefully with the nicer weather coming we'll get outside, work out some pent up energy, and quit it with the violence! We'd like to get the sandbox built this weekend, and I'm hoping to go BIG so there's something awesome to do in the backyard. Daughter tends to be really lazy without me goosing her to get up and do something, but she LOVES to dig (I often find her outside underneath trees, digging, digging, digging), so here's hoping a great sandbox will encourage more outside play.

I'd better get the day started. My parents have picked up Daughter for breakfast and the baking of Easter bread dolls, so now Hubs and I need to clean and prep for tomorrow's brunch, the eggs need to be dyed, and the Easter cutouts need frosting (I have the Wilton 101 cutter set, so we made eggs, crosses, bunnies, etc). Gotta cook and crumble the bacon for my quiche lorraine, and get out the dishes we want to use. Grandma's china? Not sure yet.

Happy passover, happy Easter, happy Spring! Have a wonderful weekend, all.

oh, me

Hey, so, where am I?

Gosh, I just don't know. I don't know how these amazing mamas do it, raising more children than I, and still churning out the creative blog posts day after day. Holy moly.

Right now I'm looking over a really messy kitchen where rice krispies are strewn far and wide, the table is sticky, the dishes are piled up, the countertops are covered with crumbs...the carpets and ceilings and corners of the hardwood floors are dusty and, ew, cobwebby...I just used the last of the diapers in the stack and really need to get off my butt to throw the dirties in the washer...I really must get organized and make sure the kindergarten papers are all completed and ready since I hand them in at 1:20 today...and AJ's speech evaluation is in 1/2 hour right here, in the middle of the maelstrom.

It's just been like that, lately. I can't finish anything right now, even emptying the dishwasher is often a job abandoned 3 or 4 times before completion. I spend most of my day trying to keep the kids from torturing each other. I knit a few rows here, a few there...so many things I want to get done, especially for my sister whose baby shower is in May. I drink gallons of coffee but still can't seem to shake off this logy feeling.

You know what? I went in for my annual exam last week, and after going over the usual health questions, the nurse asked me if I have any "anxiety or depression." For the first time since I had my first child 5 years ago, they asked me if I have anxiety or depression. I laughed out loud when she asked. Does feeling like a tattered flag at the top of an abandoned flagpole on a really windy day qualify? Cripes.

But then again, really, I wouldn't say I have any kind of serious problem. And my son is doing so, so well compared to even 6 months ago. He's actually eating quite a bit now, and hopefully with speech therapy will continue to improve. Things are pretty good, I'm really quite blessed. I just think it will take many, many months...no, years...to climb back up to a sense of normalcy. It's just been such a rough ride.

Oh dear. This wasn't supposed to be a "woe is me" post. It's just to say I'm here, chugging along. Just in a bit of a lull right now.

spring wips

False alarm! The camera is ok, it was the memory card that was shot! WOOT! Viva la camera!

Now I can continue to take crappy pictures in all but the best light for who knows how long!

The last few weeks have seen me being a really frustrated Mommy, what with the moody almost-5-year-old and the Very Busy Toddler who refuses to eat more than a few bites of food and drinks almost nothing. So I stepped back from blogging to keep it from becoming a bunch of repetitive whining. But, thank God, Spring is arriving as it always does, and we are able to get out in the sunshine, generate some vitamin D, play, breathe fresh air, and start to climb out of our winter rut.

I meant to get photos yesterday, but couldn't, so a quick idea of what we've been up to:

• Flashy light-up Disney princess sneakers for Daughter in a really big size (major growth spurt this winter!). I truly hate light-up princess sneakers, but I truly love my kid, so we got them.
• A new-to-us scooter for Daughter was procured (handed down from some cousins). We are planning to buy her a new one as this old one is in rough shape, but we had to make sure she could do it and like it before we spent the money.
• Plans are being made for purchase of Daughter's first bicycle. She still rides her trike but is practically giving herself two black eyes as her knees come up so high when she pedals. Also, she needs a new helmet because the one she got at 2 years old just isn't cutting it anymore.
• SHOES on AJ for the first time! (He is not a fan.)
• AJ playing outside for the first time! (He is a BIG fan.)
• Knitting and sewing (obviously).

As we wait for the playgrounds to dry out - which could be awhile, this is Buffalo and we are probably going to get a few more inches of snow before Spring is officially here - we are hanging close to home. So I'm still knitting and doing a little sewing. I'd like to increase the sewing but the Very Busy Toddler doesn't allow me much time.

After finishing up some baby gifts for a dear friend, I got busy with:

This dress for Daughter was originally going to be a size 2. I cut it out at the end of summer '08 when I was about 7 or 8 months pregnant with AJ. It never got stitched together (in fact, the pattern pieces were still pinned to the fabric). I wanted to salvage it because the fabric is pretty, so I cut a new bodice in a size 4 and used the existing size 2 skirt. I had originally cut the skirt to the size 4 length anyway. It still needs sleeve hems and buttons/buttonholes. She can wear it, but the problem is the length...even the size 4 length is far too short. I can't lengthen the actual dress (nor do I want to, it would look funny because it's open all the way down the back, plus it is already hemmed), so what are my options? I had the thought of making a slip with a wide band of the dress fabric at the bottom, designed to extend below the hem by about 5 or 6 inches, kind of like an old-fashioned underskirt. Lame? Ideas?

On to the knitting! I can't believe I have never made one of these before. Do I even need to say what it is? I finally made a "February Baby Sweater!" I checked The Knitter's Almanac out from the library during the summer of '08 and paged through it while Daughter played at the playground, but like everything else during that long, hot summer of anxious pregnancy, it didn't go real far. I thought it was kind of interesting, but I was in no shape to do math or otherwise use my brain.

Holy cow, what a great pattern. Elizabeth Zimmermann was a genius. I have since gotten my hands on all her books and I'll be doing more posts involving her stuff very soon. I am obsessed.

Anyway, this FBS was made with some soft sort-of putty color Patons Grace I got in a clearance bin at Michael's last year. Two skeins at $0.99 apiece, plus a card of gorgeous vintage buttons, and I have a very frugal little baby gift for a new cousin (born, ironically enough, in February). I think this came out to about a 6-month size, using size 5 needles. I've since purchased additional sport weight yarn to make another and see what happens with the sizing. EZ! You are fascinating! I'm also eager to try this using a different stitch for the body (maybe to make it more boyish?) as I think that's really the spirit of the pattern as it was written...to use it as a springboard and make it your own.

And finally, newborn soakers have been selling well all winter, so I'm working up a few in random leftovers to sell at a reduced price. I know some people balk at paying even $18 for a newborn diaper cover, so these will be 'knitter's choice' colors and will probably list for about $15 (including shipping). I think that's fair.

Oh, and a really special treat for me and Hubs:

It turns out we got the new, larger memory card for our camera just after Daughter was born. This is one of the photos we found on the old, original card when Hubs popped it back into the camera yesterday. Here's Daughter, 5 days old and all of 5.5 pounds, being cuddled by Hubs' grandmother. Impossible to believe that one month from now she will turn 5 years old.

major bummer

I was all set to write a post catching up on all the stuff that's been going on, but when I went to take photos I discovered that after almost 6000 shots, our beloved 2 megapixel Canon PowerShot A40 is dead.

*SIGH*

Taking suggestions for a decent point-and-shoot in the $100-$150 range. Anyone? Anyone?

summer 2010 wardrobe underway

I apologize for the low-light, bad photos, but it's snowing like gangbusters outside and it's the best I could do. Here are the first two items of Daughter's Summer 2010 wardrobe:

ladybug dress

floral dress with contrast facings/bottom band

This is a great pattern. It turns out my kid actually has pretty strong opinions where her clothing is concerned, and has been asking for more dresses/jumpers that have "straps, and buttons on the shoulders." Unfortunately she has outgrown the New Look pattern I used for several years to make button-shoulder jumpers. This year we got lucky and found Simplicity 5489 (on sale for 99 cents, awww yeah). The only differences between the old and new patterns are rounded shoulder straps instead of square, and the bias band at the bottom. The construction, however, is exactly the same. I barely glanced at the instructions, just enough to confirm the steps, and I was able to whip these out during naptimes over the past couple of days. I would say this pattern is good for an advanced beginner.

The ladybug fabric was a special request from Daughter - I made her one with the old pattern in that exact fabric (but I can't find it on the blog, and frankly this blog is an emotional landmine for me so I stopped searching for it). I wanted to do a contrast band of red pindot at the bottom but Daughter insisted it be made entirely of the ladybug print. I had 1 yard + 15 inches, which is all we could get, and the pattern calls for 1 yard of the main print and 3/4 yard of the contrast. I did some seriously creative cutting to get the bias band. Then, to hide the seam, I stitched on some vintage black ric-rac from my grandma's stash. The buttons are also ladybugs.

The floral dress was a result of my WalMart fabric run the other day. I didn't know how much to buy, so I went with 1 yard of each print, figuring I could make something out of that. I love how it came out - I used the stripe for the facings as well as the bias band and the pale green color looks really pretty on Daughter. She is having a serious love affair with ric-rac and has asked me to put it on just about everything - in this case it functions nicely to separate the two prints.

I'm going to ballpark it and say each dress cost about $3. The buttons and trim were from stash, and the interfacing (at 63 cents per yard) adds a negligible amount. I generally shoot for less than $5 per homemade item if I can do it, so these qualify as frugal in my book.

I'd love to sew something else right away, but the weekend will be spent knitting up an Etsy order. Hopefully I'll be back to working up Summer clothing next week...I am desperate for sunshine and warmth to return!

slow clothes movement

Oh boy, if you've been on board with what I've been talking about lately, go read this! It's good stuff, and comes very close to articulating what's been churning around in my head.

Did you read it? Ok, ok, let's talk about it, yes?

Do you like shopping? I hate it. I go into a store and look at the racks and racks of clothes, and I kind of freak out. Too many choices, too much useless "fashion" for me. I have become almost painfully practical, and cannot deal with the fast-changing styles in the store.

But, I admit, I also dislike shops like Goodwill and Amvets. I'm all for hand-me-downs and will take them from people I know, whose homes I've seen and whose care of said items was good. AJ's physical therapist, who has also become a good friend, brings me enormous bags of beautiful boy clothes, and has just offered me several pairs of winter boots for my son. Oh yes! I will definitely take those. But I haven't gotten on the used clothing train as far as second-hand shops. There is nothing wrong with shopping there, I have no problem with anyone else doing it, it just isn't for me at this time.

Rather, I like to buy and make very classic, standard wardrobe items and then wear them out. And I like to either find made-in-the-USA if I can, or make it in the USA, specifically, in my house.

It has long bothered me that the people making our cheap, mass-market clothing are likely very, very poor people, young children, or overworked and abused women in oppressive countries. I think we tend to believe that because the US has strict labor laws pertaining to children and to a legal number of hours worked by adults, other countries do, too.

HA. They do not. The 12 year-olds making our t-shirts in the Philippines are not subject to labor laws, I don't care if they are working under the Target umbrella. And I think it is kind of important to remember that. It is important to know what happens to get those inexpensive clothing items into your closet.

Sure, fabric production is not much better, but perhaps by reducing our insatiable desire for newer and more fashionable clothing we can reduce demand for these cheap items. At least by purchasing the fabric rather than the finished good, I have removed one part of the slave-labor chain.

That said, I broke my self-imposed rule of sewing only from stash today. Our local WalMart is eliminating its fabric department, keeping only notions from now on.

Considering most of my fabric stash is small cuts (1 yard) originally intended for quilting, I've been having trouble scraping up enough to make dresses for Daughter. So when I heard about the WM fabric clearance, I went to check it out.

In this case, spending a little money will turn out to be very frugal in the long run!

For about $30 I got enough fabric to make at least 3 dresses and about 4 or 5 sets of pajamas. This flannel (plus a red piece that is currently being washed), was $1.48 per yard, making even the largest pajamas for Daughter about $4.50. But if I cut carefully I'm betting I can squeeze more (like extra pants for AJ) out of some of these fabrics (where gender-appropriate, of course).

I'm picturing a fall school dress for Daughter - main body being the large print, collar and cuffs/pockets in the small print. About $5 for this. It will be perfect with some white tights (or better yet, handmade knee socks!) and brown buckle shoes. Love!

There are some other pieces too, which we cut right into for a sundress, and a large cut of dark indigo denim for another fall dress (also being washed right now so unavailable for photographing).

And we need to get the kids involved! Cripes, it is so sad to hear about moms and grandmas who cooked and sewed but told their offspring to get out of the way...it is a story I have heard more than once. (Princess getup is optional.)

Or how about some good old-fashioned repurposing? That was big in the "old days" too - you got a hand-me-down dress from your cousin/older sister/neighbor, and your mother made it fit. Gosh, I don't even know anyone who knows how to do that (I do not...I've never learned alteration skills, though I'd like to). Even Martha Stewart is getting in on it - next time one of Hubs' dress shirts wears out, I'm making one of these.

I mean, there is definitely the argument to be made that trying to clothe your family from handmade and repurposed clothing is time and labor intensive. Yeah, it sure is! That is why I am starting my Daughter's summer dresses in February! But if you step back from the relentless pursuit of more, and instead make do with fewer, better items, it could be done. There is a great post about that here, regarding buying and caring for very high quality items for your children, especially if they can be passed down. Why do our kids have to have 5 or 6 or more sweaters, when really 1 or 2 will do? My Daughter currently has about 10 pairs of pants in her drawer (several were Christmas gifts). She never even wears about 5 of them because she doesn't like them.

However, I certainly do not advocate going back to a time when the woman of the house spent every waking minute cooking, cleaning, and sewing. I can't imagine it, really - if I had to make my husband's every sock, I would keel right over. He has humongous feet and it takes me weeks to get through a big boring pair of socks for him! All I'm saying is that I wish we were all a bit more conscientious about our clothing (and our food, too...but that's for another day!) and participated a bit more in the process.

I know I am largely preaching to the choir here, and I promise I won't always rant and rave about this stuff. What I love so much about the internet and the blog community is the prevalence of thoughtful, like-minded women (and some men, too) who are taking back responsibility for what is worn, made, cooked, grown, etc. in and around their homes.

Boring, dreary February is almost over. Easter is coming soon for those of us who celebrate, and hot on the heels of Easter will be Spring and sun and warmth. Are you ready? Let's make stuff!

why sew?

When someone finds out that I made something (I very rarely announce it, but am often asked), I typically get one of two reactions. Either the person reacts with awe and respect, saying "wow, that's great...I could never do that!" Or they react with a sort of thinly veiled contempt, sneering "uh, don't they sell _______ in stores?"

Both of those make me feel sort of embarrassed and sad. The second because it's kind of nasty, implying that by sewing or knitting something I am wasting my time. The first because anyone could knit and sew, if they really wanted/had to. I certainly was not born knowing how to knit or sew - I was shown the basics by my mom and then worked and worked at getting better. I failed miserably many times, and tossed out a few "wadders" along the way. If you give yourself permission to fail, heck, you can learn anything.

So why do I sew (and knit, and crochet, and quilt)? And why do some women find it abhorrent? It's an interesting question.

I guess I do it because I get immense satisfaction from making something with my own two hands. It's a sense of accomplishment. And there is a certain gratification a homemaker and mother feels when something she has done actually stays done. Great blog post about that here. So much of housework is dirty and unpleasant...it is nice to make something pretty that stays pretty!

I also do it to save a bit of money when I can. Much like knitting, sewing can be done inexpensively if one is not tied to fancy name brands, gadgets, and equipment. A good machine, decent shears, good quality needles and threads, and fabric bought on sale (and don't discount the bargain table at places like WalMart - you can often find mill-ends and overstock fabrics that are of good quality for $1.50/yd), and you're on your way. Easy patterns go on sale for 99 cents all the time, and can be reused. I like to find 3 or 4 good patterns that Daughter and I both like and make them over and over with different buttons and trims for fun.

And I guess a big reason I do it is to keep handmade alive and well. My dad and I were chatting a few weeks ago about gardening...he often tells about the amazing gardens family members would grow when he was a child. They were Italian immigrants, and they knew how to provide for themselves. I want to grow a garden this summer and I have very little idea how to begin. Dad will help me as much as he can (he has successfully grown basic garden items like tomatoes, zukes, and herbs for years), but there is no one else for me to turn to for guidance. And I think that is sad.

Likewise, with sewing, I know my Nana (Dad's mom) could alter clothing, but I'm not sure how much of a seamstress she was. My other grandma could make almost anything - holy cow she was an amazing crafter - and I know she sewed because when she married my grandpa he bought her a Singer Featherweight with all the attachments (yes, we still have it). My mom learned to sew on that machine and tells about making simple shorts and tops when she was a teenager, because back then it was so much cheaper to sew than to buy ready-made. My great-aunt knit herself entire fine-gauge suits, consisting of jacket and skirt, on US size 1 and 2 needles. As a child, I would sometimes wear the pair of gray, yellow and white wool argyle socks she knit for my Dad. But that's about it on the sewing/knitting front. Other family members surely learned to do these things at some point, but no one does it anymore except me and my mom.

I have grown pretty tired of picking through endless racks of the same clothing in the stores. How many times have I been out with my kids and run into someone with the exact same outfit on their child? More than I like to think about! And when I look at the labels in those Target pants and Old Navy shirts they all say "Made In (poor foreign nation)." It used to be that imports were something special. Now we import quite literally everything. And I don't know exactly how to word it, but that makes me uncomfortable.

It used to be that people had just a few outfits, and one or two dressy items, which were of excellent quality and kept nice so they would last. I have tended toward purchasing cheaper clothing because I thought it more important that our drawers be filled for some reason. So off to Target we would go, buying 5 pairs of pants, 6 t-shirts, a package of socks, and maybe a dress or two. Then Christmas and birthdays come along, and before long the kids' drawers and shelves are overflowing with outfits that will be worn just a few times before being outgrown.

Now, I will never claim to be any kind of ace seamstress, but if I put my money towards good materials, and invest a little (ok, a lot) of my time, I can create a small but sturdy wardrobe for my children, supplemented with some higher quality store-bought things. And if we're talking about summer clothes, I can do this for myself as well (I have not conquered tailored pants or shirts for cold weather, and I live in jeans anyway). I can make nightclothes for all who need them, and knit warm socks and sweaters (necessary when it is chilly for about 8 months of the year).

By doing this I can feel just a bit less dependent on big companies and foreign nations for the things I need. I don't like the fact that, as a nation, we have given up control of our needs to anyone who will provide them. No one knows how to do for themselves anymore.

And the best part of making some of our things is that Daughter gets a real kick out of it. She goes through my patterns with me, chooses fabrics she likes, and picks out rick-rack and buttons to embellish her clothes. What a thrill, to be able to provide her what she wants while she is still young and doesn't feel the need to be exactly like her peers!

So that was sort of rambly, but it is hard for me to put into words why I do what I do.

Why do you sew or knit or crochet or quilt or can or preserve or keep chickens in your backyard? What does it mean to you?

wip-lympics

I am an Olympics junkie. Especially the winter games. I can and will watch any event, even curling. Even luge (though I watch that through my fingers out of sheer terror). I even watch the biathlon, which is totally boring. I can't believe it's been 4 years since the last winter games. Four years ago right now I discovered I'd accidentally gotten pregnant (I know, right? Seems like yesterday...), and I spent the Olympics knitting mittens and hats for Dulaan.

This year, it's all about the finishing.

Here we have my 5 WIPs. Clockwise from lower left we have:

1. Multicolored ankle socks, one complete, one just begun, started July 2009. The yarn is acrylic and ugly, so I lost interest in these slipper-like socks after the first one.
2. Baby cardigan with tulip pattern for my cousin's baby girl, due in about 2 weeks. Back, both fronts, and 1/2 of first sleeve are done.
3. Bo-ring putty color socks for Hubs. About 2/3 of first sock done. Did I mention these are BORING?
4. Giant cream-colored sweater, started back in the day when I had to get up at 3 a.m. and feed AJ. It was mindless, and that's what made me put it down.
5. And finally, my second stab at Conwy socks in a burnt orange color.

That's it! Not too bad! I'm hoping to finish the first sleeve of that baby cardi and get going on the second today/tonight. Then it needs seaming and edging and all that. This is the most urgent WIP because the baby is coming very soon, and after that I will work the other projects as my interest dictates. But I would like to get them all completed or nearly so before I cast on for anything new.

We're all fighting a nasty headcold with sinus pressure and misery...going on 4 weeks of the same illness in our household. Wishing temps would climb out of the 20s so I could air out the rooms a bit. We're so closed in at this time of year, and the germs just circulate among us. Ugh.

Though it does provide a good excuse to curl up with tea, an afghan, olympics on the tube, and some knitting.

a valentine

I bought some red flannel a few years ago - early fall 2007, I think - as part of a big fabric purchase for etsy sales and Daughter's wardrobe. I got several things made from that collection of goods, but then I got pregnant and most of my sewing plans went right out the window. It was too hot, I was too uncomfortable, etc., etc.

Now Daughter is outgrowing her clothing and pajamas by the minute. Her ankles and wrists are hanging out of everything she owns. What kind of mama would I be if I let that stand?

I want to continue on my frugal path, so I made her a Valentine's Day gift with that old cut of red flannel!

This sweet nightgown is about the easiest pattern I've ever sewn. It is Simplicity 9292, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Three pattern pieces, people. Three. Awesome.

Another view. The sleeves are 3/4 length, and I don't know how that's going to go over with Daughter, so I did not make any more of these gowns yet (though I have another piece of stashed flannel waiting).

The nightgown is a pull-on style, with bias tape around the neckline. The pattern called for 1" single fold, but I only had 1/2" double fold on hand. So, oh well, that's what I used. Honestly, when using it folded in half to face a neckline, I can't see a difference.

I also have an enormous stash of laces in 2 yard increments. I think they were samples provided to the shop where I used to work. Not sure how I ended up with a big bag of them, but who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? I used some pretty eyelet trim on this gown.

Sleeve detail with eyelet lace trim. I just love this treatment, and it avoids having to turn under a traditional hem (I just pinned the lace to the right side, then turned it all under, using the edge of the lace as a stitching guide). I toyed with the idea of embroidering something below the neckline, to jazz it up, but then decided I liked the simplicity of it the way it is.

I did run into a bit of a problem when cutting out the pattern. I'm not sure what giant children the pattern makers had in mind, but the size 4 nightgown measures 34" finished length. My daughter is tall for her age (almost 5) and the gown would have dragged on the floor at that length. I ended up cutting off about 3" at the hemline.

Because it is so long, it did not fit on the 2 yards of flannel I had.

See it hanging off the bottom there? Poop. What to do?

Eureka! For a simple pattern like this, on fabric with no directional print or nap, it doesn't matter which grainline you use. So I just turned the fabric, folded the ends in to the middle, and cut on those folds. Reminds me of Ma Ingalls saying "we must cut our coat to fit the cloth." Yay, I squeezed this nightgown out of less fabric than the pattern called for! I feel so delightfully thrifty when that happens.

I sure hope she likes it.

robe

Thank you all for your good and sound advice regarding my discount dilemma. In the end, I wrote what I hope was a kind and nicely worded email back, explaining that I would not be able to discount my goods. Frankly, I think my work is well worth the small dollar amount I charge, and besides, I already include shipping in my prices. If I make 4 items instead of 1, I realize no savings (no "economies of scale" for my fellow business majors), because it just means buying more yarn and spending more time. If she wants cheap, fast product, I'm sure she can find something on diaper swappers or ebay, and I kindly suggested she look there as well.

Moving on...

So. February. Every year February tries its hardest to take me down. I fight it, but oh man, the dark gray days, the boringness, the squirrelly kids...it is hard to keep from going crazy. I don't want to go shopping and spend unnecessarily, but where else can we go besides the mall? We are restless and bored. And sick. Did I mention the sickness in the house? Oh my word. First I was sick over the last couple weeks of January, then Hubs picked it up, then Daughter (and this is the sickest she has ever been, with a deep chest cough and clogged head), and now of course the littlest member is hacking, coughing and gagging while walking around with twin streams of you-know-what running down his face. I wander around the house, breaking up arguments, wiping noses, doing dishes, washing snot-encrusted sheets and pillowcases...I pick up my knitting and put it back down, I look at the sewing machine and sigh, thinking I'd much rather curl up under an afghan and close my eyes for just a few moments while Daughter watches a video...

Yeah. February. It sucks.

I've been slowly, ever so slowly, finishing up a few sewing projects. First up, the bathrobe I posted about last week.

This pattern is a size 5, and Daughter is turning 5 in a couple months, but it is still enormous on her. What a little twig! Commercial patterns are often like that, though. As you can see it is quite long, and the shoulder seams are falling off her actual shoulders. The sleeves are too long, requiring rolling. But it's all good, because when I make something like this, I like it to last, and she will wear this for several seasons.

Despite how crooked it looks here, it is sewn properly and is straight. The too-bigness causes it to hang unevenly in front. Also, the belt carriers are missing because when I finished it late at night, Daughter was sound asleep and I couldn't measure for where to place them. They are made...let's see how long it takes me to actually measure and stitch the silly things.

Back view. Overall we are both quite pleased with this robe. And the best part, for me, is that there are no characters on it. I can't stand sleepwear with Disney crap all over it, nor can I stand the feel of that polyester fabric they use to manufacture it (though we do have some of it...Daughter has received a few items as gifts).

I'm also stitching up a Valentine's Day gift for her, and that's almost done. I should have it finished up tonight or tomorrow. I had another eureka moment while cutting out the pattern, which I'll share. Then it will be on to planning some summer dresses and shorts - I swear the kid has grown like 6 inches over the winter, and her shorts were all too short last year as it is. She'll need shorts, sundresses, new sneakers, socks, a new sunhat...and then there are the school clothes...oh goodness. Time to go stash-diving and see what we can come up with.

etsy: to discount or not to discount?

I have recently received several inquiries via etsy from people wanting a discount on my handknit wool soakers.

The most recent was from someone wanting 4 newborn soakers at a discount.

At first I was angry and insulted. I hand make these soakers with the same attention and care I give to items for my own family. I carefully hand wash and air dry each one separately, then pack and ship, all as quickly as possible. My prices are very, very low and I agonized over raising them by $2 when the price of the wool I use went up and I was making even less money. I tell customers they will receive their item within two weeks, but it is more often one week because I work quickly, putting aside my personal projects to get these soakers out the door. Once I have someone's money, I feel guilty until they have their item.

When I do the math on these soakers, I am "earning" probably about $2 per hour, and each newborn soaker takes probably about 4 hours all together. I don't know for sure because I'm just a stay-home mom trying to earn a little extra student loan money around my kids' schedules, so it's not like I sit down and make one soaker start-to-finish.

And therein lies my disappointment and sadness when someone asks me for a discount on this handmade, high-quality, long-wearing, extremely useful item. If you browse etsy, which I did when trying to set my prices, you'd see that I charge much less than most people, including those who make soakers and longies from recycled wool sweaters. I'm not saying those don't require work, but it is less work to cut up a sweater and seam it into pants than it is to hand knit those pants from scratch.

I offer a newborn soaker for $18. This is an item you would use literally every single day around the clock. Is that not worth $18? I might also add that I INCLUDE SHIPPING in my price! So after the cost of the wool (about $4 or $5), first-class shipping ($2), and etsy/paypal fees (about another $1), I am already down to $11 earned. Divide that by 4 hours, plus the driving to go get the wool, and I am making a pittance.

But I do it because that pittance is more than zero, and I can do it from the comfort of my sofa. And sometimes I have a really busy month where I can earn an extra $100 to send off to the student loan people. Hubs always says to keep that money for myself, but I like to feel I am contributing something to the family. It is a point of pride. Yes, sometimes I'll use a few dollars to order something I want or need, but more often than not, any money I earn goes toward a family need.

So I would love to make these 4 soakers. I would prefer to make them at full price. However, I feel fairly confident that when I write back to this potential customer and tell her that, she will not order. Am I cutting off my nose to spite my face? Should I go ahead and offer her a discount of a few dollars off each? Is it better to take, say, $60 for 4 soakers rather than $72 just to make some money? I'm really not sure. As etsy buyers and sellers, what do you all think?

CPH at last

One of my 2009 knitting plans was to make a Central Park Hoodie. Everyone else has made one, and I see them all the time at knitting guild meetings - in fact, the designer, Heather Lodinsky, is a member of my guild!

I managed to knit all the pieces last year. In fact, I think they were done around the end of July/beginning of August because I remember knitting them while Hubs was in Vegas for 8 days.

At some point during the holidays I started assembling the parts and knitting the hood. Then I had to pick up the 308 stitches up one side, over the hood, and down the other side, and knit the ribbing. Finally, I spent 3 or 4 days sewing in the sleeve caps and seaming the sleeves and sides. BLEH! I hate seaming!

But I loooooooove my sweater:

I know the photos are grainy and awful. That right there is the famous 2 megapixel camera that I refuse to replace.

Anyway, I just love this sweater! It's so well designed, and the first adult size sweater I've made for myself that actually fits right. It still needs some kind of closure...perhaps one large wooden button with corresponding loop? Or a toggle closure of some sort? I couldn't wait to wear it, though...button or no, I've been pulling it on almost daily. And this sucker is WARM. Wow, is it warm.

The stats:

pattern - central park hoodie by Heather Lodinsky

yarn - less than 3 skeins of Lion Fisherman wool in nature's brown**

needles - Denise interchangeable, US 6 and 8

time period - Springish 2009 - January 2010, though it is actually a fast knit and could be completed rather quickly if worked steadily

And did I mention it is WARM?!? We keep our thermostat at a chilly 60-62F, a remnant of our old ways in our first house, which was so crappy and drafty that raising the thermostat above 62 was something akin to lighting hundred dollar bills on fire. We keep the heat low and wear wool around here, and this sweater actually has me sweating half the time. I highly recommend this yarn if you are knitting in a very cold climate. For my birthday I cashed a $15 rebate check and bought myself (with coupons of course) 3 more skeins of this wonderful yarn in the oatmeal colorway. I see another sweater for mama on the horizon!

*(I purchased 4 skeins with coupons at Joann Fabrics back when AJ was in the NICU...since I only used 3 this heavy wool sweater cost me less than $13.50. Sewing may not save you much anymore, but you can certainly knit cheaply if you know where to look and are not tied to expensive brand names.)

new sewing trick!

I was recently watching some sewing show on PBS (America Sews, maybe?) and saw something so, so enlightening - I could not wait to use this trick.

The guest was showing how to set in a sleeve, and she said something along the lines of "you should never have to gather a sleeve to make it fit." She said it is not the 1980s anymore and unless you are making some sort of period costume with leg-o-mutton puffy sleeves, you should NOT have to gather a sleeve cap. If you do, the pattern is written/drawn poorly.

!!!!!

Friends, if you have been hanging around here long enough, you'll recall that I would rather chew tinfoil than gather in a sleeve, especially on a tiny garment for a child. It is pure torture, and the main reason why I make a lot of jumpers and sleeveless sundresses for my daughter.

Here is the trick, plain and simple: you stitch the sleeve to the garment before you stitch the underarm or side seams, so the sleeve is going in flat.

Place the sleeve, which has more fabric and needs to be eased in, on top, and the garment on the bottom, right sides together.

Pin the markings first (for example, large dot to shoulder seam, small dots together, notches, etc).

Then, carefully fold the two layers of fabric over your thumb or finger, whatever is comfortable, and bisect two pins. Then do it again and again, always bending the fabric to ease in the sleeve, and pinning in between two other pins.

You'll need eleventy-billion pins, and it takes a few minutes, but in the end you'll have this:

There are probably 50 pins holding this sleeve in.

Once you have carefully pinned in this manner, stitch the sleeve to the garment with the sleeve on the bottom. The reason you do this is simple: the feed dogs pull the lower fabric incrementally faster than the top fabric (thus the need for a "walking" or "even-feed" foot in quilting), so you put the piece requiring ease on the bottom. Then press, clip, etc. according to pattern directions, and go on to stitch the entire underarm/side in one long continuous seam.

IT WORKS!!!

This woman on the TV show said there's really no reason you can't sew up garments in this order (shoulder seam first, underarm/side second) rather than the "traditional" way of gathering in the sleeve. Now, I am sure there are exceptions to that rule, but in general? I think I'm going to use this a lot, and I am much more excited to make garments for my kids if I can do it this way.

Now, if only I could come up with a good, quick, easy way to finish seams without a serger!

Oh, what am I making? This:

Daughter is "helping" to make the blue girly robe in the upper right corner. I've never made anything with this type of collar before, but so far, so good. Just hemming and a bit of hand finishing to do, then we'll have a blue flannel bathrobe.