Mr. Pike

This is the big project I've been working on for the past few months, Mr. Pike. The challenge (from the Designer III Group) was to use a Marimekko fabric or design as an inspiration for a sewing project.  I  love Marimekko, mid-century and Scandinavian design. Some of you may even recall that I made a skirt last summer with some Marimekko fabric.

I knew in an instant which fabric I wanted to use as inspiration: Hauki. My husband and I used to go pike fishing when we first met and one of the first things he ever gave me was a wire leader. (It prevents the pike's sharp teeth from biting through the line.) We were never very successful. Over the years we have come to realize he's not that good a fisherman and I was mostly pretending to like fishing just to be with him!

I sketched out Mr. Pike at the coffee shop before I even got home that day. My Mr. Pike has a goofy smile instead of sharp teeth. Back home and made a larger scale drawing and printed it out. When I was ready to buy the fabric, I went to Joann's thinking they were open until 7 but they were only open 'til 6, so I had to choose the fabric in only 15 minutes!

He sparkles at night!

A whole lot of wonder under came into play at this point. I did a satin stitch around the edges of Mr. Pike and the seaweed. Then the whole thing got moved up to the bead room. All those layers made beading a bit difficult. My little fingers were sore! I put bugle beads on the seaweed and sequins on Mr. Pike. I put a button on his eye which enables him to see you from all angles.

Finally, I bound the edges. As you can see, I'm no quilter! I think all the ripples add to the underwater theme!

Mr. Pike hangs above our bed and he makes both of us happy every time we see him!

Happy New Year!

Wow! Another year. A lot more sewing. More sewing than I've even shared here. Its so hard to get good pictures this time of year in my part of the universe.
 
Looking back over 2014, what I've made is mostly things I wear everyday-- skirt and t-shirts. I don't purchase a lot of clothing and what I do is usually thrifted, but now I can say my wardrobe is probably 75 percent made by me. I wear at least one handmade garment everyday. I'm proud of that.

I'm also proud that I have used my sewing talents to enhance my home. This is something I have never done much before this year. I even did a little bit of sewing for other people. (I still miss the Selfish Seamstress!)

I also worked on "One Big Project" until my little fingers hurt! More about that soon.

So now the obligatory tally, more or less:

14 Tops
11 Skirts
7 Jackets/Cardigans
1 Dress
7 Pairs of Drapes
14 Dishtowels
2 Crib sheets
2 Pillows
One Big Project


So how did I do with last years resolution (to focus on detail)? I give myself an B+. I did do two projects that took over a month to complete but for the most part, feel like I'm sewing volume not quantity. Maybe what I need to do is lighten my hoard so I don't feel so much like I have to conquer it.

And this brings me to my 2015 Resolution: to only make garments that coordinate with each other and with what's already in my closet & to not waste time and mental energy on things I don't love.

Bizarre fabric deserves a bizarre pattern

Both this fabric and pattern were inherited from Gwen's stash. I like to think that she intended for the two of them to go together. Some people might think this fabric is ugly. Here's a close up so you can judge for yourself.

I wore this to Starbucks and noticed this gal couldn't keep her eyed off it. I was thinking how stylish I looked and she was thinking damn, that lady's got a lot of cats!!

The pattern is the Sewing Workshop's Deja Vu Wrap. 

It is cut from one big Moby Dick looking piece with extra parts for the pockets and binding. 

The instructions have mark you the pattern with 5 different colored tailors tacks. You would seriously get lost without them. It seams like it took longer to cut out than to sew it. I made a size small. I took it to a sewing group meeting where a bunch of the ladies tried it on & everyone liked it. At least, they said they did!

I would make this again if the right fabric came along.

Catching Up

I've got a lot of catching up to do, so lets get started...
When I made these next few garments I had decided to try something new: make things that go together!! I know, what a concept!

I still use and love my homemade iPhone app for organizing my fabric and patterns, but once in a while I like to take all my fabric out to look at it and then re-fold it  I made some coordinated piles then tricked my husband into choosing one. Sure enough, he chose my least favorite, but fate is fate and you shouldn't mess with it. I'm not a huge fan of the green, and why I had so much of it I didn't know. Oh wait, I could see they were mostly from the free table or the thrift store. I knew I didn't buy that fabric!

I started with this heavy four way stretch olive green jersey from the Salvation Army. I envisioned something classic like a St. John or Butte Knit suit. I was going to use Simplicity 2154, but some evil demon made me go with McCalls 6708. It was a total wadder!!! Then I did what I always do with patterns that don't work out: I threw it out! Why try to fix it when I've got 300 other patterns I could be spending my time with?

Instead of Jackie Kennedy....

I got Jackie Gleeson.

I din't get my suit but I did make a skirt from my TNT knit skirt pattern Butterick 5539. Because of the weight and stretch of the fabric (which is what was probably behind it making such a horrible cardigan) the skirt gets longer and longer when you wear it, which is okay since it's getting colder and darker everyday.

Next, I revisited the Textile Studio Santa Monica Tee. I thought I didn't like raglan sleeves but I guess I was wrong about that. I really like this pattern. Its quick to sew up and doesn't require the fiddly application of a neckband. (Ditto for The Textile Studio's Monaco Tee.) The first fabric is a cotton interlock from the free table. I think the pattern runs a bit small in the body although the sleeves are too wide for my taste. After a bit of tweaking, I'll be putting this in my Pattern Hall of Fame right next to the Textile Studio's Monaco Tee.

Naturally, I made another one. This one is an ITY knit I got last summer at Haberman Fabrics. I was a bit short on the yardage so I pieced the sleeves by adding cuffs. I like it better than the other one!

My final green garment is is so incredible it deserves its own blog post. Get ready!!

The Four Week Migraine

I did do some sewing about a month ago, took some photos and wrote a draft blog post . That's as far as I got before I got the headache from hell. Actually, I had been having week long headaches and dizziness all summer and had been working with my doctor for a solution to them. He put me on a medication to prevent migraines but it didn't work. Then I got the worst headache ever. And it just kept getting worse. I was in a lot of pain and very worried. My blood pressure was ridiculous. I went to the ER, then spent a couple days in the hospital. Thankfully the CT scan was clear. I didn't want to see, hear or smell anything and I couldn't think straight. I couldn't tolerate the second medication but the third one seems okay so far. It's to prevent future attacks. I've spent a lot of time on the couch, more and more of it in the upright position everyday. I still have a bit of headache and dizziness and will still need to get an MRI to be on the safe side. I'm determined to not spend the whole day on the couch--I have over one hundred unread blog posts to catch up on!
So what caused this? Our old friend: Mrs. Menopause. Seems that if you had severe migraines in your teens and twenties they can come roaring back when you enter peri-menopause. So as I skipped along all through my 30s and 40s with maybe two migraines a year, counting down the months until my periods would be over, I had no idea what I had in store.

Everything I've sewn in the last month, almost

It seems like I have done in the sewing room this last month is sit on my butt and watch HGTV. I just haven't felt as motivated as usual, but even so I did manage a few things. 

More Drapes!

The painting in the living room is complete and so are the drapes. One thing my husband and I agree on is this: we love the drapes but hate the paint! The wall color in these pictures makes it look even more like a banana peel than it really is. It's going to have to be repainted--the sooner the better!!

The saw drapes made like this at JCPenney. They are genius! I love how they look and they were so, so easy to make. They have tab tops with the tab sewn into the hem at the top, not the top edge. I used strapping for the tabs since I didn't have extra self fabric for them. I had measured so well, there was only and inch and a half of fabric left over after making four panels. 

The tabs gather on the rod and create soft pleats. 

The Final Installment: the Big Skirt Project

There was a little bit of summer left when I started this but none left when I finished it. I was suffering from skirt burnout and wanted to get that last skirt done. Okay, Rhonda, I love your style and sincerely admire your pattern making skills. But just so everyone knows, beware of trying this with a woven fabric! Of course most of the problem may lie in the fact that it's too short.

I didn't even bother changing into a top that went with it.
It does go with banana wall though. 

I played around a bit with it and think it actually looked better on backwards. What with having no butt and all, I can wear my skirts either way. Darts are no obstacle to me.

I cut the flying-nun-hip-wings off. I think that left the stripe in an awkward place so maybe I'll wear it in the spring, maybe I won't.

A Creepy Muslin!

I made a muslin of this top and really liked it except I used a creepy knit from the free table. It was a bit tight due to the lack of stretch in the fabric. I think was Jet Set from JoAnn's. Totally unnatural, and I don't necessarily dislike unnatural, but this stuff would leave scratches if you used it for a dust rag. I like the pattern and will be putting it on my short list.

A Little Something and a Lot of Shifty

This is another muslin. It's the A Little Somethin' Jacket from CNT patterns. The fabric is a shifty chiffon from one of my favorite places: the free table. I used a lot of spray starch as I wasworking on this one. It's a cute jacket but already too lightweight for this time of year, plus I have nothing that really goes with it, so I don't imagine it will get much use. 

Thanks, Jan

 A Really Big Project

I have been working on a big, fun, exciting project for the Designer III group. I have completed the machine sewing and have quite a bit of handwork left to do on it before I can reveal it on the 23rd.

In the meantime, I have a plan and have something new started in the sewing room. I'm excited to have that excited feeling back.

More Drapes

I am happy to report the dining room drapes and painting are done!! This is the first set of proper drapes I have ever made and I'm pretty proud of myself.

I found this project a bit stressful in the beginning.  I measured and checked my numbers six times before I took scissors to the fabric! The actual sewing wasn't difficult but rather tedious. So was the pressing. There was a lot of steam on an already hot weekend. 

I used a pleater tape, along with drapery pins and drapery rings. You can't see any of that but I know it's there. I found the most important thing when making drapes is this: whatever you do, right or wrong, you have to do exactly the same each time. Fortunately, this room only requires a pair!

The fabric is a Waverly print from fabric.com., crafted with pride in the U.S.A., according to the selvedge. The print is called "Small Talk" and is so appropriate considering the numbers of goldfinches who frequent our feeder. 

On to the living room....