Back off Vacation!

Okay alright, I actually came back over a month ago but have had so much going on that I took an extended vacation from the blog. I may be taking a bit of a hiatus from blogging about sewing and crafting because everything will be soon put in boxes to be moved overseas! We found out that Kev's next assignment is in The Netherlands, we are very excited to be moving and closer to some of my family that lives in Europe.

Now onto the sewing. :)

(okay according to the order of uploads I have not blogged about these yet sorry if any are a repeat.)

Nice summer top using the sewmamasew spring ruffle top tute, only I am lazy lazy seamstress and gathered the front and back instead of the pleats.

A retro mini dress using the same pattern. My orange fabric wasn't quite wide enough so I added the flower panel to make it work. I mean to add a style element.

Reversible skirt with comfy waistband.

The reverse. Notice anything? Look close. Yup those are suppose to be dandelion puffs but they are growing upside down. At least I cut both pieces upside down!


Uncut cord trousers from a Woman's Ottobre. Not sure which one off the top of my head, will look it up and add later. Oh but these actually fit and I had to very little modifying, just take in about an inch in the center back seam.

The waistband. I felt quite clever using the cotton for the waist facing, it really cuts down on the bulkiness of the waistband and adds a little extra cute. The pockets are lined with the same fabric.

Newest knitting:

Beanpole beanie in dream in color classy midnight derby. I so enjoyed making this hat! The bobbles are really fun and surprisingly easy.


Rani cuff (from knitty.com) in leftover dream in color smooshy in chinatown apple. This is my first beaded knitted item, I need to make the second cuff but it requires stringing 300 some beads, which is best done without little helpers.

That is all I have pictures of for now! Hope everyone enjoyed summer, I know we did and we are definitely enjoying somewhat cooler weather ans starting on fall crafting and sewing.

Love Annmarie

Fiddling with Patterns

You know how sometimes you get a new pattern and it's just not perfect so you keep fiddling with it? And all the time trying making something just a little different. That's today's sewing. I've been trying to find some good tee patterns for me and decided to pull from the Sew U Home Stretch book. It's fun to see how the pattern can be altered just a bit to get something different.


The first 3 on the left are all essentially the same pattern. The sleeveless are, well, just sleeveless. I think there is an error in the book for the sleeveless pattern as it calls for 15" ribbing for the neckband and that is way way too short! But it did make a cute gathered edge in front. The last two tees are from Woman's Ottobre. The blue is a plain sleeve raglan and the black is the pleat sleeve (I posted the black before.)


A slightly better picture of the pleat sleeves.


A couple of fitted diapers for wild thing. I always do something wrong when sewing diapers and I totally forgot the elastic on the waist on the doggie diaper. ah well.

That's all I have pictures of for now. :) Happy June, We have lightening bugs out here finally!

Annmarie

An Ode to French Terry

I have a confession to make, I only recently (like really recently, about 2 months ago) figured out what french terry fabric is. Yup, no idea that my favorite zip hoodie wasn't some kind of weird sweatshirt but not sweatshirt fleece material. Had no idea what it was called or that I could even buy french terry fabric. Obviously, I have been living under a rock. Once I figured out what the favorite material was called, and hurrah! I can even sew something great up, I had to find some! So today's post is the result of my discovery.

All three pieces are from New Look 6734. The french terry is a stretch (FT comes in not stretchy too!) in a lovely mocha color.

Zip front jacket. This is actually the last item I cut, I ran out of the mocha french terry fabric for the back and used a lovely bird print jersey which was lined with brown jersey for stability.


The back of the zip jacket.


With the clam diggers. The pants were altered from a much longer capri pattern and did not behave nice when I shortened them, not sure what happened, but after ripping it all out and fiddling they worked out well.



The tee, this tee was wow short! About 3 inches above my belly button unhemmed too short as I forgot I lengthened the pattern like the first time I made it. I added the brown jersey at the hem for a layered look but I might try something else as I don't love it.




Little i's robot birthday tee, made the day after his birthday.

Pleat sleeve raglan from Woman's Ottobre 5/08 #14. I shortened the sleeves and probably should have sized up as the newsprint girls fabric is an interlock and not quite as stretchy as jersey :) I still like it though!

Well all of my other projects, mostly tee shirts, are in the wash so I will get some pictures once they are all clean!

Annmarie

Work In Progress: Summer Play

Hello All
Halfway through May and the lovely weather is here to stay! Yipee! I love spring and summer, we spend loads of time outside so I don't do as much sewing but I do have a few projects to share. :)


The big work in progress: a play tent for the boys. It's made out of larger scraps of fabric and has wooden dowels and pvc joints. We were checking out the size here.

Uh oh! Mama there's no door! ;)

Almost done here. adding ties on the inside and had to run out to get more dowels and pvc joints for support.

Gardening apron and knee pads. We had loads of rocks along the garden beds, so I needed a bit of cush. Little i insisted on taking the picture.



Layered knit skirt, I cut an a-line skirt a size smaller than I normally wear and it fits very nicely. The waist is fold over elastic (foe) and I gathered at one hip with clear elastic. First time successfully doing that technique!


Frenchy Bag pattern by Amy Butler. I made up the shoulder bag, which is the bigger of the two patterns. Really fun pattern to sew and I had loads of fun appliqueing the print fabric to the bag, but unfortunately, it is not big enough to carry all the stuff we currently need. The cloth diapers can be a bit bulk and they don't fit very well. It will be a nice size for when I don't need extra diapering stuff though.


Another work in progress, but almost done! A one skein stole, using really fun zauberball yarn. A very easy knit and quick too. It's currently blocking and I need to weave in the ends.

Hopefully more projects soon!

Annmarie

Springy Sewing

More fun projects that have finally made their way onto the computer :) Hope everyone is enjoying spring!


I was inspired by some lovely outdoor pictures and decided to try it myself. Um yeah, that sooo doesn't work well in Kansas, way to windy! Anyway, from left airplane tees (and pants for wild thing) made out of a blanket from target, Boatneck tee, and sun dress from ottobre for a friend's daughter.


Red french terry pants with fun drawstring waist, board shorts (burda pattern I think). The board shorts were way way big so I took them in quite a bit and now they are very comfy.

Modified sorta wrap skirt. I had made the Amy Butler lotus dress and didn't wear the dress for about 6 months. Decided to make it into a top and skirt instead. The waist is held close with snaps and the ties wrap around the waist.


Blue Sky Hat with the brim modified to 4 inches wide and Smarty Pants capris. The waist wasn't working for me as the pattern directed on the pants, so I made it a drawstring waist.

My first 'fancy' socks. The yarn is dream in color smooshy in chinatown apple and the pattern is (free!!) Hedera from knitty.com.

Decided to play with dyes too! All fingering weight for socks or shawls. The middle one is an over dye, the original colors didn't look nice knit up so I frogged what little I had done and overdyed with a different blue; toned down the turquoise and evened out the odd grey parts. The right started out as a lovely rusty red until I added too much black an ended up a georgous black cherry color. I don't know if I can make socks out of this one, might need to be a scarf or shawl!


I just had to share these photos of wild thing. I had told he we needed to change his shirt because it was filthy; this is what I got.

NO mama I love my doggies.


I not taken it off.

See how sad, no take off. Doggies has pocket. Mama make more doggie then take off. K?

Little i decided he didn't like the sap in his hair from tree climbing and apparently a bath at the end of the day was not going to fix the problem for him, so he decided to cut his hair. a huge patch right up in front. Out came the clippers and he now is sporting a buzzcut, like Daddy does, Mama!

Annmarie

Skirt and Tee

I realized when I was uploading these pics they are all skirts and tee shirts! Didn't even realize I had been doing that :).

A boatneck tee (on little i) from ottobre 1/09 the neck was odd and fiddly, but ended fine.


Corny (ahahahaha, yes dad that is for you!) tees for the boys. Such a fun print and very appropriate for our location: middle of nowhere Kansas.

Ooga booga tee for little i, this is another one of those I can't believe I can buy this fabric reprint!

Barcelona skirt, the flowers are embroidered, so this was a must line skirt.

Another barcelona skirt with the apron overlay and a yellow ruffle tee to match.


The reverse of the apron overlay. I've been planning this skirt for almost 2 years! I am so glad I finally sewed it up :D


We had a suprise snow storm the end of March. Just when everyone was ready to plant seeds and get the gardens going. I was so irate that I couldn't work on the garden, I sat down and knit some thick warm house socks. Worsted weight knits so fast for socks! Anyway I had this great orange superwash (mission falls 1824 wool) in my stash that I had planned to make babylegs but the boys said, no don't want any. :P


They are a little loose round the ankle but that's perfect for around the house.

After the snow was all done we went out and played for a bit.




My sad attempt at a snowman.


Look snow!

Maybe next week I can plant my garden...
Annmarie

Birthday Sewing!

Hurrah! It's my baby's birthday, baby n turned 2 yesterday, (holy smokes 2!! how did that happen?) so what's a sewing mama to do but make a few fun birthday treats.


The outfit. Baby n is currently obsessed with dogs, so a doggie shirt it is with coordinating linen pants appliqued with a dog.

The whole birthday ensemble. The cape is from ottobre 4/04, it's a cotton pique that was unfortunately stained in the prewash by some bleeding fabric. I felt very clever making up the crown all by my lonesome; it reverses to a robot print (we had a robot party) for wearing later, fits his head prefect, and I totally had a pattern I could have used. doh. Oops, oh well, now I know for little i's birthday next month.

Enjoying a new birthday toy.


Ready to blow out the candles on the orange robot cake. Yes, yes there are more then two candles on the cake and the decorations are all squished, but that is what happens when the kids help. :)

I've been thinking that since baby n is 2 he kinda needs a new blog name, as he really isn't so baby anymore (at least that is what he tells me). I've been racking my brains for a new name, and had been coming up with zilch (don't ask how long it took me to come up with the blog name, it's embarrassing). Yesterday the coffee guy comments that baby n looked like the kid from the where the wild things are, sure enough he did and moreso, he acts like the kid from the book, so there it is baby n is now wild thing. :)

I've got more projects to post so look for another post later today or tomorrow!

Annmarie