The Oslo Sweater and Possibilities

November 4, 2016November 4, 2016 SewtropolisLeave a comment

I’ve been obsessed with finding patterns by indie clothing designers mainly because I want to see ‘what else’ is out there besides what the big patterns companies are offering. I stumbled upon Seamwork magazine and fell in love! They have a great online magazine, and if you subscribe, you get to choose 2 of their free patterns every month. Sign me up!!!

The first pattern I downloaded was the Oslo sweater pattern. To be honest once I downloaded it I was not looking forward to printing it off and taping all the sheets of paper together. So I thought I would take it to Kinkos to see if they could print it off on a larger printer (hoping that it wouldn’t cost a fortune) and lo and behold they had a printer on the floor – that I could use anytime – no special skills required … and didn’t cost an arm and a leg!!! I’m probably way behind the times here, but what a great surprise!! It opens up a world of e-pattern possibilities for me!!!

For fabric, I chose a gray wool blend sweater knit from Pacific Fabrics – it was a little on the spendy side, but I thought the Oslo would be simple enough that I couldn’t screw it up too bad – so I splurged!

I have absolutely no room in Athena to cut out patterns, so I loaded up 3-4 other patterns that I’ve been meaning to cut out and headed over to the KOA’s day room to use the big tables they have set up.

Side note – they keep the day room locked because the kids like to go in and trash the place. I had to ask them to unlock it for me and they made it clear that there were to be no kids in the room without their parents. No sooner did the KOA guy leave when I looked up and there were 3 little heads poking around the corner to see if the room was empty! And then 2 more kids would poke their head in, then 3 more, etc. etc. A few would walk in to see what I was doing, but for the most part they just hovered like vultures waiting for me to leave. Ahhh kids! Gotta love em!

Anyway, back to the Oslo! I ended up being able to use my serger on the whole thing and because of that it took me about an hour to finish it! It was SO simple! I’m glad I splurged on the fabric, it turned out nice enough to wear to work. (which is where I took the pictures – sorry they are so aweful) Had I bought a cheaper fabric it may have just ended up a ‘weekend wear.’

Next time I make it though I may try to make it a little longer. I find that it sits right at the widest part of my hips – which is not flattering for me at all!

Another option may be to add patch pockets to the front – and maybe a closure since I kinda like wearing it closed. I’d have to make it in a heavier weight fabric though if I were to do either of those, but I like this pattern because of all the possibilities – I like possibilities!

I like how the sleeves are done, I can either wear them rolled up, or down if I need them to be a little longer – again possibilities.

So that was one of my sewing project for the week! I also worked on Athena, I took out one side of the overhead storage in the back, which gives me more room to add a closet! No more fold lines in all my clothes – Yay! It has really opened up the back area! It doesn’t feel so cramped and now I’m thinking once I move out I’ll make that area the lounge area and put in a entertainment center…. the possibilities are endless, and I like possibilities.

Athena · Projects · RV Living

New Slacks and New Shower Faucet!

October 28, 2016October 28, 2016 Sewtropolis2 Comments

This week I spent a LOT of time fixing up Athena! After our “storm” last week I discovered that moisture has been making its way into the trailer though a side hatch door. The storage area accessible by the hatch door is under one of the twin beds in the back Well, moisture had no where to go except up – into the mattress. (I discovered it looking for one of the dogs toys).

One of the renovations I’ve been wanting to do is pulling out one of the beds and adding in more storage – so that is what I did. I pulled that sucker right out of there and put in a portable closet so I have more room to hang my clothes and one of these days I’ll make it to Ikea or Target to see if I can find a dresser or some other storage unit that is tall enough (counter height) so I can cut out fabric. Right now if I want to cut out anything I either do it on the floor or go to the ‘TV room’.

Anyway, once I pulled everything out, I had enough energy left over to put in a new shower faucet. What a FIASCO!!!!! It took me forever to pull the old faucet out – I swear that thing was welded in! I ended up having to cut the plastic pipes and reassemble the whole thing with ‘up-to-date’ fixings. But, four hours and three trips to Home Depot later – I have a new shower faucet and shower head! BOOM!

So remember when I was telling you how I have been working on using up my fabric stash. Well, I had this knit fabric that was kinda heavy that I can’t remember what project I had in mind when I bought in. After weeks of thinking about it I decided to make slacks since I can always use work and weekend slacks. I used Kwik Sew pattern 3115 which I’ve made plenty of times before – so much so that I’ve already added length and widened the band. All I had to do was cut and sew.

Turns out that for years I thought this fabric was black when actually it’s a deep dark blue! Ha!! I normally wear either black or gray pants (minimalism technique) so adding blue gives me one more option – and it’s a deep enough blue that I won’t have to try and mix and match tops.

I am really happy with the way these slacks turned out. I widened the waist band so it sits a little higher on the waist… and work appropriate. I’m tempted now to find more of this fabric and make another pair… but I have so many OTHER projects I want to get to. More next week!!!

Nikol

Athena · Projects

Hives, Sharks and Athena’s New Look

September 16, 2016September 16, 2016 SewtropolisLeave a comment

I spent most of my weekend painting Athena (more on that later), Saturday was absolutely beautiful out! Not too hot, not too cold – it was just Goldilocks – except there was something in the air that caused me to constantly sneeze and made sweet Grace break out in hives! I was in and out of the trailer all day and each time I came inside I would find her scratching at one part of her body or the other. Poor girl was just miserable. After I saw the bumps on her face I gave her a 1/2 a Claritin and hoped it wouldn’t kill her. It didn’t. In fact, she started to feel better within the hour! After that she was good and there’s been no sign of the hives since – Tis the season!

So remember those shark slippers I made? Here’s a picture of the recipient wearing them! LOL I love the smile on her face! Made all the frogging (rip-it, rip-it … get it?) worth while!

Okay, now onto Athena! Here is the before picture!

And here is the after!

I’m not quite done, I still have to do the hitch, tank, bumper and a few minor details, (which I am doing in orange) but I can’t believe what a difference painting makes! It’s like I have a whole new trailer!

The hardest part was getting up on the roof – I have a slight fear of heights, plus I had a hard time trusting that the roof wouldn’t collapse. Once I realized it was going to hold I actually did okay. That big box is my A/C & unit – the one that kept me cool on those hot-ass summer days! One of these days I’ll get it replaced with a new one which are half the size and twice as quiet!

I first put on a clear coat of Kilz to seal it, then used this enable paint from Home Depot.

I had the colors picked out since I bought the trailer 3 years ago! I’m so glad I hung onto those paint chips – if I hadn’t it would have taken me another week to decide on colors. (I can make a decision – I just like to take my time doing so) As it was it took me all day Saturday to put the Kilz on – then all day Sunday to paint just the top half. I worked on the bottom half on Sunday and have been coming home after work each day to do the trim.

It’s supposed to rain this coming weekend so I may not get the chance to finish painting everything. What I don’t finish can wait till we have a stretch of sunny days again – even if that isn’t till Spring. Plus, it’s not like I don’t have a host of other projects I can work on.

Nikol

Athena · Projects · RV Living

Showers and Sharks

August 19, 2016August 19, 2016 Sewtropolis1 Comment

The temps last weekend reached into the 90s – which is hot by Seattle standards, so I planned on staying out of the heat as much as possible! In fact, that was my plan all along after being on the go for the last few weeks, but it was nice that the weather cooperated with my plan.

Athena has a A/C unit which is 35+ years old – but still works! Once it awhile it would trip the circuit so I’d have to go to the back and flip the switch. Honestly thought I was counting my blessing that I was flipping a switch in my 35+ year old trailer than going without A/C in my “high efficiency” apartment!

This past weekend I also put sealant on the cracks in my tub so that I can take a shower in my trailer and not worry about water seeping down to the sub-floor. (Not something you want at all)

The shower is a little small, but it works and beats hiking over to the KOA showers! I have one of those shower heads where you can switch the water on or off. My water heater does not hold a lot of hot water – so being able to switch it off is important if I want hot water for the full shower! On my list of upgrades is to replace it with a tankless water heater. Then I can shower without turning the water on & off OR going outside to light the water heater! Ahhhh the luxuries!

So now that the shower is up and running I started working on a shower curtain to match the rest of the curtains in the trailer – and was promptly side tracked with starting a Fusion quilt! This is just the first block – I only have 48 moe to go.

I had seen these on Pinterest and thought they were so pretty. Then, when I was out in Minneapolis my friends mom mentioned she had started one – and really that’s all it took to get me motivated. The fact that I just so happened to be cutting 5″ squares for the curtain also helped.
I have been on a roll with crocheting lately – that super secret project I mentioned here, are these Shark Slippers!

I get a kick out of these things!

I have to admit there was a lot of frustration in making these – mainly because I am not a proficient crocheter. I have to look up the abbreviations over and over, but I got it and if they fit my hella big foot they are sure to fit the recipients size 7 foot! The pattern is from Penelope vt on Ravelry. If you make them follow the directions no matter how crazy they seem and save yourself a lot of frustration at the end!

Till next week!

Athena · Projects

A Powwow and Raspberry Jelly

July 29, 2016July 29, 2016 SewtropolisLeave a comment

Hello! What a week I’ve had -so far. As you know I’ve been staying at the KOA for the past few weeks. The good news is I love it… the bad news is, they are SO PACKED this time of year that I had to leave for 11 days! Long story, but when I went to extend my stay they had already booked up and had no room at the inn until Aug 10th. So I will be staying with family and friends for the next 2 weeks. Yay for family and friends!

First stop: Spokane! I dropped my trailer off at the Spokane Airstream dealer to have them figure out why there is water leakage under the trailer when I hookup to city water. Hopefully it will be as simple as tightening a few hoses and won’t cost an arm or leg.

I stayed with my sister for the weekend and while there she, her friend Shirley and I went to a Powwow in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – which was so much fun!! All I can say was WOW at all the color!! There were so many people that I could not get close enough to take pictures of all the dancers in main arena. This is the best I could do – sorry – it does nothing to show off how beautiful and elaborate all the outfits were!

But I managed to put my brave pants on (pun intended) and ask a couple of dancers if I could take my picture with them. The one on the left looks all mean without a smile, but he was super nice and was all smiles before and after the picture. Same with the hottie on the right.

My sister and Shirley were giving me a hard time about missing my chance to grab a husband. So to get back at them, I asked another dancer, who was dressed up in a gorgeous outfit if he would take a picture with my sister. We nicknamed this guy “Chief I’m Single” because his friend was trying to set him up! So many missed opportunities! LOL

Now onto the creative stuff – In my last post I teased that I would show you how I make Raspberry jam – well, here it goes:

Step 1: go for a long walk along the Green River trail where raspberries grow wild along the river!!

step 2: Pick about a gallon of berries! You will need the extra for your yogurt parfait or smoothies.

Step 3: enjoy how beautiful the trail is!

Step4: get down to jam making business! I used about 1/2 gallon of berries and the juice of one lemon. I love experimenting with different flavors and since I am planning on giving these jars of jelly away I though lemon would be a safe and refreshing option. I washed the berries off real good – (I was more concerned with critters than chemicals spray). I then put them in a pot over medium heat with about 2.5 cups of sugar and let it boil for about 10 min stirring constantly!

I did not use pectin in my jelly – instead I boiled the mixture until it had the consistency of a thick syrup and then boiled a few minutes more. Then I laddeled it into sterilized canning jars, covered with a lid and canning ring then boiled in a canning pot for about 10 min. I found with Jellies you don’t have to boil very long before you hear the lid seal. Sometimes it will seal even before I put it in the pot! All good signs!

I did all of this in the comfort of my own trailer! It makes me happy that so far I haven’t had to give up anything but debt by downsizing to a 27′ trailer.

Athena · Projects

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Napkins

July 22, 2016July 22, 2016 Sewtropolis4 Comments

I’ve been living at the KOA for about a week now and still really enjoy it. Every morning I take my dogs to the dog run to do their “biz” and thanks to living in the apartment for a year they know to hold it till they get there – which means I’m not pissing off my neighbors by having my dogs crap next to their RVs.

I’ve had to make a few ‘adjustments’ since living here the first is purchasing a Jetpack so I can get internet!! There is WiFi here at the KOA, but there may as well not be once everyone starts jumping on it to watch movies. So last weekend I bought a JetPack from Verizon, my new plan includes 24 GB – which I can already tell won’t be enough with all the Netflix binging I do. I figure now that I don’t have a cable bill I can probably afford to up the GB a little bit and still come out ahead cash-wise.

I’ve also been going to the library to check out DVD’s of programs that are on my list of things to watch… This week I watched the original “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”. I had just finished watching the remake before I moved out of the apartment. (actually I only watched it because it had Benedict Cumberbatch in it and then was pleasantly surprised to see that Tom Hardy was also in it!! (those lips!!)

Anyway – where was I??? Oh yes…

This past week I also made some cloth napkins to put between my pyrex nesting bowls. I’m heading to my sisters in Spokane this weekend and I don’t want them to get scratched in transit. I purchased these bowls about 5-6 years ago at a vintage store in Minnesota. I used them only on special occasions because I didn’t want the boys to break them. If they were to get damaged or broken now my boys would never let me hear the end of it!

Anyway, to make the napkins I cut two pieces of fabric about 18″ x 18″, sewed them wrong sides together (leaving a 6″ opening) and then turned right side out. I then pressed and edged stitched around the edges – sewing the opening close. Easy, peasy and no scratched bowls. Hopefully!

Next week, I’ll share how I made Athena Jelly!

Athena

The RV Living is Good!

July 17, 2016July 17, 2016 Sewtropolis6 Comments

This past week I moved out of my apartment. I spent a year there and even though it had a great view of downtown Seattle, was close to the sound and had all the amenities one could hope for … it just wasn’t for me – and it was expensive to boot.

I came to Seattle without a job, so I wanted to live someplace centrally located – and West Seattle seemed to fit the bill. I landed a job in a suburb south of the city which is about a 30 minute drive from West Seattle on a good day. Over the winter I did try to commute more – but having to catch two busses and a light rail ride added 2 hours commute each day. When I started attracting prisoners on work release – no joke – I pulled the plug on commuting). I also didn’t like leaving the dogs in the apartment for 10 hours each day.

After I decided to move out of my apartment I started looking for a house to rent closer to work that would have a yard for my dogs. But, even though some places accepted dogs, finding one that would accept 2 big dogs proved to be next to impossible. Housing here is tight… and when it started to look like I wasn’t going to find a place in my price range, before my lease was up, I started to think about living in my trailer – at least till the end of the summer – give the housing frenzie time to simmer down and take my time in finding the right place. But then the more I thought about it – the more advantages I started seeing for living in my trailer long term.

You see, I once owned this business, Sewtropolis, and even though I loved, loved, loved it…. it seriously wreaked havoc on my finances. I am now in the process of paying off that debt so when I ‘ran the numbers’ I saw that there is some serious financial advantages of living in my trailer for as long as I can.

So, here I am …. at the KOA and you know what …. I f*king LOVE it! I love that my dogs get to sun themselves in the GRASS outside my door. I love that I live within steps of a river with a trail that runs for miles along it! I love that when I walk around the campground people say “Hi”!!! Can you believe it!?!!? People f*cking say ‘Hi ‘here!! NOBODY says ‘Hi’ in West Seattle!!! I love that people stop by and ask me about my big a$$ potted tomato plant! (seriously it’s huge) I love that there is the laughter of kids playing (I didn’t realize I missed hearing kids laughing) I love that there are no sirens 3-4 times a night – every – f*cking- night!!! Ugh! And I especially love that my commute to work is only 10 minutes and I don’t even have to get on the freeway!

When I posted on FB that I had moved into my trailer people couldn’t believe it! I guess I had been living with the idea for so long that I no longer thought it was a big deal. I also saw that the advantages FAR outweighed staying where I was at. So, people can think what they want – I’ve never been one to live a boring life and now I can now get serious about digging myself out of debt and that to me, is all that matters.