Technologically Challenged

  I say challenged, not because I'm terrible with technology, but because sewing things to use in conjunction with technology can be difficult. This year I sewed two tech accessories. I also crafted two, but those are for another post.

  For quite some time I've wished that my husband had some kind of fancy phone or tablet or some such so I could sew him a case for it. After all, there is only so much sewing you can do for a desktop computer! (Though I suppose a mouse-pad might be in order.) Last year, that wish came true when he received a Kindle Fire for his birthday. I made him a protective cover right away, but I really wasn't happy with how it turned out, so for Christmas I made him a new one... this time a cover/stand.

  I based his case off of this tutorial from Made by Marzipan, but altered it as usual.

  Firstly, I used my longer measurement everywhere the tutorial said width, and my shorter measurement for every length mention.

  I cut two of the first piece, and none of the final piece, so the Kindle would lean back more, since my husband usually uses his at a table or desk where he is looking down on it a bit more.

  I cut the flap to just shorter than my width, just for looks, and cut the corner pieces a bit larger for extra stability... although I should have left the one in the upper right the original size, since it blocks the top half of the volume control button.

  I also left the batting out, so it would be less bulky.

  The only things I wished I had changed, but didn't, were the snaps and the cardboard. It was far more difficult than I had anticipated sewing those tiny little snaps on with the cardboard in the way of manipulating the fabric. I also felt like the Kindle could have used two layers of cardboard instead of one, though it seems like it is holding up well so far.

  The second sewn tech accessory is very similar... a phone stand/case for my brother.

  I made some of the same changes, but also used plastic snaps before inserting the cardboard instead of sewing snaps on afterward. I also added interfacing to the fabric so the snaps wouldn't pull through, and used two layers of stiffener inside.

  Sadly, this gift was a flop... my brother had already received a case from another sibling, and the phone I made the case for turned out to be a different model than the one he actually has. In other words, it didn't fit. Since he lives in a different state, I'm not going to blame myself too much.

  My husband loves the Kindle case though! =)

Thanks for stopping by,

What I'd Like To Do In 2014

  I'm interrupting my gift posts to talk about my goals for this year. As with last year, these aren't things that I absolutely have to do or else, just things I want to keep in mind. Before I start listing the things I want to accomplish this year, lets see how I did last year.

1. Draft a new sloper, and get this one to fit right. -Done!
2. Make a princess-seam version of the sloper. -Done!
3. Make this top with my stretch lace fabric. -Nope, didn't finish this one.
4. Find a solution to my disorganized fabric supply. -Sort of done... I at least have the fabric in bins now instead of half-folded in piles.
5. Make a fitted dress for myself from woven fabric. -Done! I actually made two, but the nursing dress is the one I'm most pleased with.

6. Make a dress for Booper from formal fabrics. -Done! Thanks to my brother getting married last year Booper needed a flower girl dress.

7. Sew a few unique knit tops for myself. -Done! I ended up making 5... sadly, though, 2 of the 5 had problems that mean I never wear them, and the fabric on one developed tiny holes all over.

 8. Learn how to create PDF patterns. -I'm actually learning this right now... but not quite done.
9. Sew casual sweaters/ jackets for both girls. -Almost half-done, I made a sweater for Booper. Although I never did finish the buttonholes on that.

10. Make a hoodie for my husband. -Didn't finish this one, though I do have the fabric for it now.
11. Sew more with fabric I already own. -I think about half of the things I made last year were with fabric I already had, which is definitely better than before.
12. Learn how to tailor my husband's clothes, especially his pants. -Didn't finish this either, although I did make him a shirt.
13. Find something I really love making to sell. -Still working on it. =) I found a few things I like making, but I have yet to actually make some just for selling.
14. Sew myself a circle skirt with a fun trim detail and horsehair braid. -I didn't finish this one, even though it was the simplest of the bunch. I'm nervous to use the expensive horsehair braid.


That's 6 out of 14 fully completed, and 4 halfway finished. Not too bad, considering that I only expected to actually finish 3 or 4. =)

So for this year, some of the goals will roll over.... I still want to:

1. Make a hoodie for my husband.
2. Make this top with my stretch lace fabric.
3. Learn how to create PDF patterns.
4. Find something I really love making to sell, or more specifically now, actually make them.
5. Sew myself a circle skirt with a fun trim detail and horsehair braid.

I would also like to:

6. Host a giveaway
7. Make more unique knit tops, for myself and the daughters.
8. Finally sew the dress my husband designed for me 4 years ago.
9. Sew at least 2 skirts for each of my daughters.
10. Continue improving my photography.

As with last year, I may come back and add to this list. =)

What about you? Are there any goals you want to keep in mind this year?

A Tale Of Four Belts

  I didn't originally plan on making 4 different belts as Christmas gifts this year... it just kind of happened. I started out with this clever idea from Delia Creates for Lego belts:

  Since I have two young brothers-in-law who are extremely difficult to make gifts for, but who like Legos, I made two of these:

  The only difference between the two of them is the Lego figures. Unlike the originals, I used belt webbing for the belt, and a plastic buckle, since it had the flattest top.

  The little guys are not glued on, so any kind of Lego can be added. =)

  Then I saw this clever flower belt at Make It and Love It... and you know I had to make one.

  Only, as usual, I changed some things. This time I kept the base of the belt, with its hidden closure, exactly the same:

  And just changed the flower. I used this tutorial from Pickup Some Creativity for making a finished-edge fabric rose, combined with this tutorial from SnowyBliss for making them stem-less.

  I love the way it turned out! And so does my sister. It was extremely difficult to sew the base of the rose at points, and to sew it to the belt, but with the help of some pliers I managed. =)

  And finally, after a couple miserable fails with some transfer paper on t-shirts, I made my youngest brother a leather belt:

  This one didn't include any sewing at all, just careful cutting and a leather hole punch.

  I used Chicago Screws to attach the buckle to the belt.

  Since there didn't appear to be a 'right' way to put them in, and I liked the screw better on the back of the belt, that is how I inserted them. They would work better with thicker leather or another layer of this thickness, but they still do a good job here.

  I would have finished the edges of the leather better, but since this was a last-minute project, I didn't have the materials for that, so I just burned the edge with a wood-burning tool to help smooth it.

  That is the story of how I made four belts for Christmas. I made two belts last year as well.... I'm not very creative when it comes to handmade gifts for males!

Thanks for stopping by,

Denim Collared Shirt

  Of all of the things I made for those oft-mentioned photos, this one is my favorite.

  I used the same self-drafted princess-seam sloper as I did for my most recent nursing dress, with a few small changes. First, I added a small amount of height to the back shoulder to keep the neckline from pulling backward. I also added a center back seam for a simpler button opening at the top.

  I didn't add corseting this time, which brought out the problem of too much ease in the original, but since the fabric I used has some lycra in it, the whole shirt shrank a bit in the dryer and ended up fitting perfectly. However, these photos were taken before washing. =)

  The stretch also pulls the shoulder seam downward slightly, which alters the fit of the entire sleeve.... again, they looked better after washing, although still not as nice as they could be. There are no zippers in this shirt either... I was planning on an invisible side zip but with the stretch it was unnecessary.

  I changed the sleeves to just-past-half-length and added tulip cuffs:

This photo looks great... until I upload it. Annoying. =(

  Next time I would make the sleeves about 2 inches shorter, so the cuffs wouldn't crease in my elbow when I bend my arm. I wanted to be able to wear the cuffs up or down, so I sewed them right-sides together with the sleeve then top-stitched the seam allowance to the sleeve portion, but when the cuffs are up they pull the whole sleeve until the seam allowance shows... and I'm really not sure how to fix that. The only thing I can think of that might have helped is lining the sleeves. Next time I'll either do that, or French seam them.

  The next thing I added... a collar. I took the neckline measurement, drew a rectangle that matched that with 6 inches of height, then slashed it every inch and flared the bottom edge. My first iteration of the collar was quite a bit too narrow... I think in the version that worked I added three inches for every inch, and it looked to be about 2/3 of a circle.

  I cut two of the collar piece with seam allowances, sewed them right sides together, did the usual trim-flip-press, and sewed it to the neckline. I love the way this collar falls... the fabric may have brought out my fitting problems, but it was perfect for this collar. I love the way the back of it looks too, and my absolute favorite detail of this shirt is the button:

  Isn't that awesome?! I found these personalized engraved wooden buttons at Pick Your Plum about a year ago (they offered the same deal about a month ago, so it's quite possible that it will show up again) and have been saving them for the right projects. Having a button in the back makes it quite painful to wear my hair down, since it gets caught all too often:

  But with three little daughters I usually wear my hair up anyway, so that isn't a huge deal.

  I kept the same flare in the hip portion of the shirt as I had in my dress, because when shirts aren't loose on my hips they ride up. I'm not fond of tugging at my shirts all the time, so this worked well. The final details of this shirt are thread-chain button loop and belt loops.

  And now I suppose you want to know why I love this shirt so much in spite of all the issues I mentioned. Two reasons:

  Firstly, I had a concept in my head for a garment that was much more difficult than most of my projects, and I actually created it. It's not exactly like I'd imagined, but the closest I've come so far.

  The second reason is the fabric. It's an incredibly soft denim with a nice amount of stretch and is a beautiful color. The weight worked well for this shirt, but it's plenty thick enough for a skirt. Like the twill in my last post, it's from Nick Of Time Textiles, and I'm really happy with it. Which is a very good thing, since I bought over ten yards of it! I was concerned when it arrived, because it was greyish and waxy, but that turned out to be just a coating that washed right off. I'll be pre-washing an extra time for the next thing I make though... once to remove the coating and once to pre-shrink the fabric.

  That is the last of the Thanksgiving photo pieces! On to Christmas stuff now. =)

Thanks for stopping by,

The Long-Awaited Black Skirt

  I realized about 6 years ago that I needed a basic black skirt. I was just beginning my forays into sewing at that time, and had two skirts (neither of which fit) under my belt. The second was created using math, so I altered my math a bit and laboriously sewed up a black skirt with some too-stiff, too-shiny fabric. It was closer to correct this time, except too tight in the waist, and I actually wore that skirt a few times in spite of its issues. Ever since then, I've been looking for the perfect black fabric to make a skirt that fits. 

  A couple weeks before Thanksgiving this year, I bought the perfect black twill from Nick of Time Textiles. This stuff is beautiful! It has a soft hand, enough body for a skirt but is light enough for a shirt, and enough drape to swish beautifully as I walk. The only thing I don't love about it is its lint-attracting qualities, but I'm pretty sure that is a problem with all black twill.

  I originally intended to make a dress from it, but since I bought quite a bit of yardage (and it is 68 inches wide), I decided I would have enough to make a skirt once I'd finished all of the other garments I made that week. I made the same style of skirt as my two drop-cloth skirts, since for some reason I still had the pattern piece I'd used.

  It isn't a perfect fit, since my tummy hasn't gone down from the last baby as quickly as I'd hoped it would, but it's eons better than any other black skirt I've ever owned. And since most of the fit issue is at the lower belly, and my shirts are usually un-tucked and hit around my hips, it's not noticeable.

  I did make a couple more changes this time... I cut extra width on one side of the center front piece, with matching width on the right front, and only put buttons on that side. I also interfaced under the buttons, and made thread chain loops instead of elastic or fabric ones. And finally, I serged everything instead of French-seaming, since I had less than one day in which to sew this.

  I apologize for the last two photos... they were lovely, but adding my watermark did something horrible to them (that didn't show up until I just uploaded them) and I'm not sure why. And this next photo... it looks like I'm being all pose-y, but I was actually just making sure Gaiw wasn't playing with my tripod (which was a birthday gift from my wonderful husband).

  There you have it, a simple black skirt, which has already proven its worth by multiple wearings. =)

  I have just one more post left to conclude the Thanksgiving sewing, and it is by far my favorite of the pieces I created that week. I've been saving the best for last! =) I know, some of you are waiting to see the rest of the Christmas gifts I made, but I just can't bring myself to post things out of order like that. All in good time. =)

Thanks for stopping by,

Merry Christmas!

  If you hadn't noticed already, I've been taking it easy with blogging, but I should be back in about a week with the rest of the Thanksgiving clothes, as well as all of the gifts I made for Christmas this year. I hope you have a lovely, relaxing, fun, blessed day celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Thanks for stopping by,

Denim Baby Dress And Black Onesie

 This is the outfit Beckers wore for our family photo this year:
 A denim dress, with an asymmetrical opening, contrasting, collar and waistband, and plastic heart snaps (I still love these snaps);

  and a black onesie with a ribbed envelope neckline and lettuce-edged sleeves:

  There is a reason that neither of these are worn by Beckers for the individual photos.... I made the ribbing on the onesie too big, and didn't add enough ease in the bodice of the dress. Also, the skirt of the dress is too narrow for a baby, though these proportions would have been perfect for an older kid.

  
  The dress is technically reversible, but since the pink side is so much lighter weight than the denim (and is also a bit too sheer) it's not likely to get much use on that side:

  Also, I DID iron this dress before taking pictures of it... but these fabrics both require extra steam to remove wrinkles, and my iron's steaming capabilities are far below average. =)

  I still like the idea behind this dress, but here's what I'd change if I were to make it again: I'd add about 1" total ease to the bodice, double the flare in the skirt, and widen the collar by an inch. Also, I probably wouldn't line the whole thing next time, just the bodice.

  Since I know you all just come here to see the baby, here she is =) (This photo was NOT posed):

  Next up, the things I wore for the family photos. =)

Thanks for stopping by,