I’m super happy with how it turned out. The pattern is McCalls 7061which, as you can see, is intended to be lounge wear/pajamas…. but I like to say that patterns are just a guide… they aren’t set in stone.
I purchased this fabric from The Styled Magnolia a few months back. It’s two panels in their Cotton Lycra French Terry fabric, which is AMAZING!!! I actually purchased three panels, the third though was in their Endurance XC which I made into leggings and will blog about as soon as I remember to take pics.
Anyhoo – the French Terry fabric is thick enough to be made into hoodies, and my original idea was to make a jacket with this fabric. But after thinking about it I didn’t want to chop up the fabric so much that you would lose the image of the crow. So, I dove into my patterns and decided this long sweatshirt/hoodie was perfect… with a few modifications.
I added about 6 inches to the length (actually I added about 10″ and then cut off 4″ because it was a little too long), and added side pockets instead of putting the original kangaroo pocket. I think a kangaroo pocket would have covered up the crow… and accentuated my belly (no thanks). I also added thumb holes to the cuffs – because I do like having my hands warm.
Can we talk about the hood though?? For the love of all that is sewn – I don’t know why the hood is so large…
…. but I can see how it could come in handy when I meet the Fellowship of the Ring crew.
A few weeks ago I told you about my quest to use up all my scraps in an effort to organize and use up my out of control fabric stash. I’m happy to report I have been plugging along on that effort and tonight finished up the last of 23 zipped pouches using just what I had in my stash. (I should be proud, but part of me is embarrassed).
To make each bag I sewed smaller scraps of fabric together and created a larger piece of monochromatic fabric – which I liked the look of a lot. I can quickly tell which colors of fabrics are my favorite by the number of bags I was able to make using that color. (hello blue).
Remember my Lard Butt jacket?? The scraps I used for that jacket made 3 pouches, a quilt (which I’ll blog about later) and I STILL have scraps left over! SO MANY SCRAPS!! However, I think the bags made of just solids fabrics are some of my favorite.
I also had some larger chunks of fabric that I didn’t have the heart to cut into so I made smaller bags. This pink bulldog/terrier one is probably one of my favorite. And as much as I love this cowboy fabric it felt good to finally make something with it after holding onto it for 8 years!
All of these pouches are listed on my Etsy page…. and after I sew a few other things on my long list of things to sew, I’ll be back to scrap busting and making more zippered pouches (or ?)!
Every once in a while I make something that I am super proud of…. This jacket is one of those items!
It started out a gray hoodie that was 2x too big and had Lard Butt XXXL written across the front. Let me explain…. There is a fun run here in Seattle called ‘Lard Butt’ because it’s only a mile and they serve donuts and beer. Sounds fun right? Well it was and I got caught up in all that fun and decided to buy a sweatshirt 3x too big to memorialise that fun!….. and then never wore it because … well…. Having a XXXL “Lard Butt” sweatshirt really isn’t that funny outside of that fun run.
So the sweatshirt went in my sewing room because I thought one day I would make Sweet Grace a dog sweater from it. However, after I came across my 100th bin of scraps while cleaning out my sewing room I decided I would sew some of the scraps to the hoodie and make a quilted jacket that are all the rage in the Quiltisphere these days.
I REALLY wish I would have taken pics as I went along but it’s one of those projects where I wasn’t sure what I was doing until I was doing it! I started by cutting the hoodie up the Center to open it up…. And then I removed the pocket(s) (there were now two of them since I cut it open), took off both sleeves, and finally the hood, so that I could lay everything flat.
I then started sewing cotton scraps together until I had pieces large enough to cover the different sweatshirt pieces. I then quilted the scraps down to the sweatshirt pieces and trimmed them down to size.
I used the new pieces to cut out the lining fabric which was some knit fabric I had for a few years… I think at one time I was going to make t-shirts, but decided that the fabric didn’t have enough stretch in it…. But it was perfect for this project. Finally, I added a zipper, sewed all the pieces back together and attached the lining!
I decided to leave the hood gray, as it reminds me that it was once something I was embarrassed to wear outside the house…. And now it’s not!
I love leggings, even before the pandemic I was living in leggings outside of work. I have lounge leggings, leggings that I wear outside the house (other than working out), and of course workout leggings.
I’m pretty proficient at making them, in fact the hardest part for me is finding the right fabric. I’m pretty picky when it comes to workout leggings, the fabric has to have wicking, without being suffocating… and have the right amount of ‘grab’.
After I finished the first round of the Whole 30 Fabric Challenge one of my first purchase was this Arete fabric from GreenStyle Creations which is a new fabric that I was curious to try. The pattern is “Botanical Bliss” which is so pretty and feels so nice! The blend is Polyester/spandex, it has a nice hand to it and is ‘squat proof’… very important these days!
Left side
Back side
Right side
The best thing about this fabric is it matches my Seattle Kracken sweatshirt (Go Kracken!!) which was a happy surprise! And, can I toss out there that aqua is my favorite color and for that alone I love our new hockey team!
The pattern I used for these leggings is the Simpatico Leggings also from GreenStyle Creations. The pattern comes in three lengths which is nice as it saved me from having to add length like I typically have do. The other modification I usually make is a ‘full butt adjustment’ (otherwise they tend to ride low in the back)… but since this was the first time I made these leggings I wanted to see how they fit before I made the modification – and so I would know how much I needed to add. To my great surprise these leggings fit great in that area – no FBA needed.
I also like how the pattern allowed more room in the calf area which most leggings I’ve made don’t account for. I noticed by having that extra allowance in the calf I don’t have bagging between my calfs and ankles.
I have more fabric on the way so more to come – soon!
This past summer I participated in @Pinkmimosabyjacinta #whole30fabricchallenge – the premise being to use up 30 yards of fabric in your stash, and not to buy any more fabric until you do. I had so much garment fabric that I had been hauling around that it felt great to finally cut into it and make all those items I have been putting off for one reason or another. By the time I was done I had sewn up so much fabric that I could finally ‘see’ what I had left and confident in my decision on whether to keep it (because I knew I would use it), or let it go (admit that I would never use it).
I was happy to see that there is second #whole30fabricchallenge because this time my goal is to use up 30 yards of this:
This is about 80% of my quilting fabric. I made fabric bins to sort the fabric by color, but even doing that the bins are overflowing and I’ve had to put some fabric in bags and bins underneath the hutch. My sewing room is not as large as the one in my old house so I’ve struggled to ‘store’ it all AND I had to make space for my home office at the start of the pandemic which added to the storage issues.
At any rate, my goal this go around is to make a bunch of zippered pouches (at least 30) to use up all the bits and pieces of fabric I’ve accumulated. I’m realizing I have a real issue with throwing away ANY usable pieces… the smallest I’ve found in my bins so far is about 1″ x 1″… of course that was Tula Pink fabric so I can see why I saved it.
I started with a few smaller pouches as ‘warm up’, and then I dug out some leather hides I’ve been storing for a few years and paired it with some Halloween fabric from Alexander Henry. I am really liking the combination! What do you think??
I’m thinking there are so many design possibilities with all the fabrics, and bases I’ve accumulated throughout the years that I’m looking forward to seeing what I come up with. I have about 6 bags cut out on my cutting table, and am waiting on some labels that I will sew into the bags – because I’m trying to be legit here.
I’ll be listing these zippered pouches on my Etsy page as I complete them so if you are interested in any let me know.
I haven’t been sewing too many outfits lately… besides working on my photo greeting cards, I’ve also been working on a UFO that has sat around for way too long. I’ll reveal it soon – but for now I am keeping it under wraps for reasons I’ll reveal later.
Anywhoo – I wanted to share an outfit I made back in March/April with fabric I picked up from the Sewing Expo. This is the Emmie top, with bonus sleeve modification, from Seamwork Patterns. I love this top so much! I ‘believe’ the fabric is a voile from Art Gallery Fabrics and was purchased at the Pacific Fabric booth (if I remember correctly). It’s my color and has these tiny little olives on it – it practically called my name as I passed by!
I love the little details – such as the hook and eye; and since I didn’t have access to cording I made my own by braiding strips of fabric.
This top reminds me of a prairie style top of the 70s with the bell sleeves and open neck – I’m really happy with the way it turned out!
The pants are from an old McCall pattern that I modified to add pockets. The fabric is a linen fabric also bought at the Pacific Fabrics booth – primarily because it matched the top fabric. Since this is the 3rd or 4th time I’ve used this pattern the pants went together fairly fast. The modifications include the pockets and elastic waist, front and seat adjustments.
It’s Memorial Day weekend – and I had no plans for camping or gathering with friends… so I sewed (for the most part). Saturday I participated in a Social Distance Run … except I walked because I haven’t exactly trained for anything these past few (8) weeks. I walked early while it was still cool and not a lot of people were out. I actually enjoyed the walk (urban hike) – plus I got a pretty cool medal for playing along.
I also spent time in my yard pulling weeds, studying and of course sewing! I’ve paused my summer sewing while I work on my lingerie/loungewear sewing. Now that I’m also going to school my time is very limited and I like working on smaller/shorter projects so that I still feel like I’m accomplishing something. I’ll share what I’ve made in the coming weeks, in the meantime I still have pieces I want to share from my summer wardrobe including these Warrior pants from GreenStyle Creations!
Can I just say I love these pants! I REALLY want the weather to warm up so I can add them to my summer rotation! (I’m still wearing jackets). I’ve had the fabric for a while so I can’t say where I got it with 100% certainty. It’s not quite the right fabric for these pants – it’s a little on the thin side, and not quite stretchy enough, but it works for my first try at these.
These pants are definitely not a beginner project mainly because of the the way the pockets are put in. I can’t even describe how it’s done…. just that I’m thankful there was a video tutorial I could watch to help me figure it out. I had to add about 2″ to the length (which I do on almost all my pant patterns), and it took some concentration to get the stripes to line up – both with the front/back… but also matching the legs themselves. it’s not perfect, but I’m happy with the outcome. I’ll definitely be making these again as soon as I have more time on my hands!
Well, I made it through another week! The best part of my week is that I joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program… sort of. One of the Brew houses near me has organized a CSA to help support all the farmers who would normally be setting up stalls at the local Farmers markets.
I used the raspberries in the box to make a batch of jam this morning. I added it to the frozen blueberries I had, with the juice of one lemon! I can’t wait to dig in tomorrow morning! I love toast and jam like nobody’s business!
Before the lockdown I had plans to be in Tarpon Springs, FL this week. In preparation for that trip I was busy the first few month of the year sewing my vacation outfits. I actually tried to do it in a mindful way, starting with going through my closet and deciding what I needed! I browsed Pinterest for ideas on outfits I liked, went through my patterns that matched those items, came up with a color scheme so that I could mix/match easily, and then I fabric shopped! I used Trello to set up my projects, patterns, and fabrics, so that while I was shopping I knew exactly how much fabric to get – and not over/under guessing.
I don’t know if I was surprised or not… but I realized when I went through closet that I had like 3 t-shirts (other than workout t-shirts) and all of them I use as pajama tops. So first thing on my list: T-Shirts.
This was my first one! I freaking love the fabric – I picked it up at the Sewing Expo I went to in February. Even though it wasn’t exactly in my color scheme, it’s not completely out of it. (By the way – the pattern for all the t-shirts is KwikSew 2900 which is out of print).
This shirt I tried to make ‘flutter’ sleeves … What I got was not exactly what I was imagining, but it will do. I found the fabric at the “Vogue Fabrics” booth at the sewing expo. It was like $5 a yard so I bought like 5 yards. You’ll be seeing more of this fabric in the coming weeks.
Oh, I should mention that I made these pants using fabric that I picked up at JoAnn’s about 6 months ago. The pattern is Simplicity 1283 and these are the second pair I’ve made using the pattern. I learned a couple of things this time around: 1. I lost weight since the last time I used the pattern because these things are pretty big, and 2. I definitely need to figure out the wrinkling issue I have at the back of my legs.
The third T-shirt I made was a solid gray shirt made out of the softest bamboo blend from Sew, Sew English! Holy smokes I love this fabric. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of it with nothing over it… so you also get to see my 2nd favorite item: a duster I made using SeamWorks Oslo Sweater pattern.
This is about the 3rd sweater I’ve made using this pattern, this time I lengthened it quite a bit… like by 12″. I wanted something that I could wear on cooler nights on the beach… or over a swimsuit. I found the fabric at Pacific Fabrics about 2 years ago… it was one of those ‘I love this fabric, but I don’t know what to make with it, so I’ll get 3 yards of it”. I barely had enough for this duster, I ended up piecing the collar piece from four sections instead of two. I still love it!
Here it is Monday night (way past my bedtime) and I am hoping to get this post up instead letting it slide one more day. I think we all know what happens when I do that… it will be months before you see or hear from me again.
I actually did some sewing last week… but of course I didn’t take any pictures. Here’s my excuse: I look like crap and I’m too lazy to put on make-up and do my hair so that I can take pictures. I know, I know… we are all beautiful… but seriously, I look tired without make-up and my hair has a mind of it’s own… (think Medusa).
Medusa
So my hair has been in a constant pony-tail, (back of the head or top of the head – depending on if it’s a.m. or p.m.) I’ll eventually get around to taking pictures… after all this is a sewing blog.
I also started my Master’s program this week! I’ve been reading about 12 court cases a week, briefing them, answering questions, watching videos and having dialog with other students … I love it! But it’s a lot and hopefully this week I’ll get better at managing my time so I can get it all done.
This weekend I took the pups on a nice long walk around the neighborhood, and had to admire how blue the sky has been. There’s very few cars on the road so there’s no smog in the air (or not like it was), and that makes everything more vivid and clear!
Here is a picture of the snow capped Olympic Mountains I took while standing at the end of my block. (with my iPhone) I normally don’t get a view of these mountains… when I do, it is definitely not this clear! I haven’t been out of my neighborhood so I can’t see ‘THE” Mountain (Mt. Rainier), but I’ll bet it’s beautiful!
Olympic Mountains as viewed from Renton, WA
I’ve also been noticing all the Spring flowers popping up! I can stare at a perfect flower for hours! It’s like Nature is putting on a show – and letting us know how perfect she can be.
So despite how bad things have gotten, or how uncertain our future will be, I’m grateful that Mother Nature can (and has been) healing herself and able to put on a beautiful show at the same time.
What a week! It started off with me registering for Grad school. I am attending Washington University in St. Louis, Masters in Law program. All classes are online which meant that I needed to get logged into their system and store all my IDs and passwords – which I did. The next day, my computer crashed! It won’t even turn on!
I can’t say I am surprised. The computer is about 12 – 15 years old, and I have been waiting for it to crash… but a week before school starts?? Needless to say timing is not ideal and with the “Stay home, stay safe” order in effect it’s not like I can go out and pick up another computer! So I took a deep breath and ordered one from Apple.com and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it arrives before classes start on Monday.
On the sewing front I finished a total of 100 masks; 50 were donated to the Seattle Indian Health Board, and 50 were given to my brother and his co-workers. When my brother came over to pick them up it was sad not to be able to give him a hug. But I had to laugh that we exchanged homemade chocolate chip cookies – unplanned! Yep, we’re related!
Once I was done with the masks I finished this beauty! Which was mostly long arm quilting and binding it.
Quilt, pillow shams, throw pillow front, and smaller panel (pillow).
I saw this at the Quilting and Sewing Expo at the end of February… before shit hit the fan on this pandemic! I saw it hanging there and stood for about 5 minutes just admiring it! It was so pretty and unlike any quilt I’ve seen before…… so of course I bought the kit!
Image of full quilt! Love at first sight
It was designed by Sarah Watts for Ruby Star Society, and the kit includes a queen sized panel, two pillow shams, 18” throw pillow, an small panel to make a baby quilt (or wall hanging), and a extra panel which I made into a small pillow! The fabric is a beautiful sateen that is super soft and makes all the colors bright and beautiful
Wall hanging or baby quilt
I bought enough backing fabric to complete all the projects, including the binding, but after I finished quilting it I decided that the pink binding looked better, and added an extra pop of color.
Back of wall hanging
If I were 13 I would put this on my bed and never take it off….. but as it is, now that I have admired it, pet it, and added my ‘artistic’ touch to it, I will list it on my Etsy site. My hope is that someone who admires unicorns, owls, flowers, full moons and pretty birds will find it and claim it as their own.
Sewtropolis 