Project Update, Monthly Sewing Goals, Giveaway items 5 & 6!

Happy December to ya!!!! The last few days have flown by and I intended to post. My "Wee-One was under the weather so I've spent that time giving her a little TLC (thankfully she's doing much better) in addition to trying to finish up my  dress and start a new project--an unlined coat.  Minus adding the sleeves and hemming, I'm almost done with the Holiday Dinner dress I have to wear on Thursday. Here's a sneak peek of the bodice.....

(Just need to add sleeves and hem. The fabric is a gorgeous jacquard. Sad you can't really see the metallic bronze, silver colors in my dark sewing room. It' really pretty fabric. Hope to get a better pic when I wear it)

I must admit that I had a little snafu. Something I've NEVER done before. I accidentally cut the lining of the dress while pinking the neckline. So there's a chunk of fabric missing over the armholes.

 See it at the top of the armhole? Crazy, huh??? Well there's a FIRST time for everything. And I was SURPRISINGLY calm about it. I'll repair by adding a black fusible over the area and that will fill the space. No need to cry over spilled milk. Now if it was the jacquard I'd cut up like that I probably would've fainted! LOL!

Ok, moving on. We're in a new month so I need to discuss my sewing plans and recap them from last month AND announce more prizes in my GIVEAWAY!!!!

10,000 Hour Sewing Challenge Recap: Ok, for November I sewed the....
1. Animal Print Peplum
2. Snow Leopard print skirts for ME and the "WEE-ONE"

Some client work and the Thanksgiving holiday slowed me down a bit but I plan to pick up the pace for December. I still to plan to follow my sewing goals listed HERE.

Alrighty then, that's that! Last but not least I want to reveal the next 2 items (#5 & #6) in my "V-List Giveaway". You can find details  HERE on how to qualify.

Giveaway Item #5-- Kwik Sew Tracing cloth 5 yards---I often use tracing materials in place of muslin or to trace on if I want to preserve a pattern piece!
Giveaway Item #6-- Super Glide Tailor's chalk---can be removed when ironed. LOVE THIS STUFF!!!

Don't forget to visit THIS POST for details/qualifications for the Giveaway!!!

Ok, that's it for me! Hope all is going well with you. Until next time....Happy Sewing!!!

Sept & Oct Wrap up; Nov & Dec 10,000 Hour Challenge goals.....

Singing....."It's a NEW month. Oh, how exciting, it's a new month"!!! Well we're already 6 days into November. I get excited about new months because I get to reflect on my bi monthly sewing plans and create new one's 2 months in advance. Of course I'm all about my 10,000 hour Sewing challenge!!!! See my side bar to see my accumulated sewing/sewing related activity hours.

Although my November & December sewing plans aren't complete, I've got some cool things in the works. But before we get to them I need to re-cap the September and October sewing......

1. NewLook 6130 Peplum top
2. NewLook 6210 High Performance Knit dress
3. McCall 2853 Reversible capes (client work)

Looking back I didn't sew a thing for myself in September. I practiced my draping lessons and fitting pants but didn't end up with a final project. But I think I made up for it in October when I churned out that HUGE client cape order and 2 dresses. So it evens itself out I suppose. I logged

As far as new plans go for the final 2 months I intend to.....

1. Sew some of my fall wardrobe (detailed in my video)---that list includes a coat and lots of separate pieces---skirts, tops, vests, etc.
2. I found out I'm invited to a swanky event in December so I have to sew up a nice semi-formal dress. I'm so used to doing formal gowns so making something a little less dramatic but high fashion should pose a nice challenge. I'll start blogging about my ideas soon.
3. I've got several client projects to work through.
4. I also will be celebrating my 3 year blogoversary in a few weeks so expect a giveaway or two.
5. Pick back up with my draping lessons.
6. Re-organize my blog template (working on that now so please forgive if things are out of sorts)

So all in all, I hope to go out this year with a BANG!!!! So that's what's coming up.

Currently I'm working on a top and skirt for this weekend.......

Well that's what's up with me.  How about you, you have any exciting new sewing plans to share?

Sept/Oct. 10,000HR Sewing Challenge Wrap Up and November/December Goals

I'm almost to the finish line with my Sewing Challenge for this year.

Whew.....I can't believe how quickly this year is going by. I started sewing this month forgetting that I had to begin NEW challenge goals. I remember the month of September but it's almost like I blinked and October was gone. Nevertheless, I've got to keep on keeping on. I've got to log sewing & sewing related activity hours so I can meet my 1000 hours for the year. It seems up to date that I'm 182 hours away from doing so (my hours are listed on the right side of my blog) which means I need to log at least 91 hours each month. Hmmmmm......I wonder can I do it? I'm so close to the finish line. Well I've gotten too close not to achieve my goal so it's time to stay indoors and sew nonstop! Fortunately I get over a week off for my Christmas break so I really plan to sew like made. I'm beginning to drool thinking about all of that sewing---let's get back to my sewing achievement for the last 2 months.

Let's recap my sewing for Sept/October:

-Simplicity 3877 for a Client
-Burda 7549...my Anniversary top
-Simplicity 3867 cute top the 3rd time around
-New Look 6729
-Vogue 1194 Donna Karan Special
-Another set of Nursing Nest Pillow Cover (Boppy Knock-Off's) for my nephews

So I sewed up a few items, not as many as I like (I aim for 6-8 garments), but I'll definitely make up for it during the last 2 months of the year. Overall I loved everything I sewed and was fortunate not to have any wadders this time around.

As for my November/December goals, I'm taking a slightly different approach. I plan to probably finish up a few items that I didn't complete from the Sept/Oct challenge in addition to a few "suprise items".Although the last 2 dresses I made were cute and all, I feel the need to do something more challenging. So I'm embarking on making a corduroy jacket. I feel like doing some handsewing, lots of pressing, and much tailoring. Here's my pattern and fabric choices....

(Here's the 21 wale corduroy and the polyester lining I plan to use)

(Here's the pattern. I want to make view B with the double buttons and straight sleeve)

I'm gathering all of my supplies and preshrinking everything. I've spent the last few days doing my usual research on the project. I love to do background reading on a project so I can make better decisions on how to construct it. I've been checking out these 2 books and dvd. I like most of you LOVE the Tailoring book (which I discovered is a repackaged version of the Tailoring book from the Singer Sewing Library). It covers EVERYTHING and the 4 different ways you can make a jacket. I love having options.

 (Some of the Resources I've been studying)

 Believe it or not, I've never sewn a jacket for myself before. I've assisted one of my sewing students with constructing her jacket which came out rather well. However, I want my first jacket to be constructed very well so I'm exploring all of the possible construction options. The pattern instructions seem fine but I may deviate from them just a little. I should start on my muslin tonight. I don't plan on being done with it  by this week so I may slip in a simpler project to make up for that. However, I hope to be done sometime next week and have a cute jacket to show for.

Lastly, at the end of this month I'll be celebration my 1 YEAR BLOGOVERSARY! Yayyyyyyyy! I can't believe it's almost been a year since I took the plunge and started a blog. For me that was a sorta scary step but I'm so glad I did.  I've been so fortunate to connect with some great people like YOU! So to celebrate I'm planning some fun "stuff" throughout the month. So stay tuned a few Give-A-Way's and Special Deals are on the way!

Sewing my First Swimsuit......

Well after receiving several inquiries from Serenity Love Sincere Peace Earth about the swimsuit I planned to sew for this month's goals, I knew it was time for me to get to work so I'd have one before the month's end. Thanks SLSPE for the swift kick in the butt:)

It just so happens that I have family coming into town for the July 4th holiday and we're planning an especially fun trip for them to the beach. What better time would it be for me to debut my newly sewn swimsuit. Although I don't need it until next weekend, I've got lots to do until then. I also plan to hopefully sew another maxi dress (from my last post), provided I can settle on the right fabric! I really want a pink paisely printed knit!

 In regard to the swimsuit, I've been doing a good deal of research for the last few days and have gathered all of the supplies I need. Here's my pattern, fabric, lining, and stretch twin needle. I plan to use my serger to sew my swimsuit and attatch the elastic and my twin needle to do the topstitching. I would like to add cups to this swimsuit although there are no instructions in this pattern to do so. I'll just have to rely on the info from a few books I have. From what I can tell it shouldn't be too complicated......I hope!

I've already cut out a muslin from some burgundy swimsuit fabric I have in my stash. I'd like to test the fit to make sure I don't have to do a shorten the back pattern piece or make any other adjusments like hollow out the armhole or leg holes if they're too snug.
Since this is my first time making a swimsuit, I plan to thoroughly document what I do from start to finish. You know I'm just methodical like that.  I'll post my progress in a couple of days. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I Need Some More "Play Clothes"-- May/June 10,000 Hr. Challenge Goals

Whoever coined the saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T SEW! In my world, absence (from sewing) makes me NUTTY for sure!!! April was a crazy month due to my out of town work assignment to AK. I didn't hardly get to sew anything for my March/April 10,000 Hr. Challenge goals. Out of the 6-8 pieces I was planning to sew, I only managed to get following 4 items done, and one of them was a WADER.


Vogue 8593
Butterick 5225 ---WADER
Simplicity 3867
Vogue 1182 Kay Unger dress

Well I'm definitely trying to make up for it in my May/June 10,000 Hr. Challenge goals. Since the last month was so serious I figure I need some time to play. You know, time to chill out some, sew, and take things a little easy. Well if I'm going to play then I need some PLAY CLOTHES!

Here's some of the patterns I intend to tackle:

 I hope to get at least 6-8 pieces done!

I'm even planning to add a swimsuit or two! Yipee! Here are a few of my fabrics. I especially like the Girl Superhero Comic strip fabric which I've had in my stash forever! How cute would that be in a tankini!

Well this is currently what I'm working on......  Isn't this print just dizzying! That's what I love about it!

Anywho, happy sewing to you! Hope you're able to get alot of sewing done:)

I'm Finally Back.....and ready to FIRE up the sewing machine!

It's so good to be back home from AK and to see my Babies (first my Husband and Daughter, then my sewing machines!!!) My free time was so slim while I  was away. I've desperately missed reading all of your blogs and following your progress. I've got some catching up to do. And I've also got a lot of blog posting to do of my own.

I'm so happy that I made my flannel pants. From the picture you can tell that I really needed them. When I ran outside to take this picture it was about -10F, that's right -10F. Excuse the expression on my face but my friend had a problem taken the pic and the cold was starting get to me-----Boy was it COLD!!!! But my pants, which are McCall's 5992 kept me toasty at night (indoors of course--LOL). I made 3 pairs using 3 types of fabric and here I am modeling the one with the moon and stars on it! Since I have several more trips back to AK, I'll be sure to bring them along each time.  I chose not to do a PR review of this pattern since flannel pants are pretty easy, but I have to admit the pattern wasn't drafted well (some notches didn't match up) but I could work through it considering how straight forward sewing sleep pants are.

(Here's a closer shot)

Due to this trip I lost about a week or two of serious sewing time and I'm anxious to get back to the grind. Thus in a couple of days I'll be posting my new 10,000 Hour Sewing Challenge goals for May & June and reviewing what I accomplished for March and part of April. But before I do that I just realized that next Sunday is Mother's day (I can't believe it) and I have to get moving on making my Mother's day dress. So I've already pulled my fabric and now I'm stuck between deciding on 2 patterns. Here's my fabric and potential patterns....

The fabric is a beautiful silk charmeuse with gorgeous hues of mauve, red, tan, and gold in the shapes of palm fronds on a white background. This fabric is heavenly. It's extremely beautiful and I was hoping to capture that beauty in the perfect pattern.  Hopefully by tomorrow I'll finally decide on which pattern to use! I could really use your input. Which pattern do you think is best?

10,000 Hour Sewing Challenges: March & April 2010 Goals

It took me a week but I was finally able to round up a new set of sewing projects. For some reason it took a little while for the creative juices to flow for me to settle upon some good ideas.  Nevertheless, I'm SUPER EXCITED about my new goals.  Here are the "pool of patterns" I plan to pick from to create my 6-10 garment by the end of April.  They are....

 

(Just have to add the zipper and this top is ready for review)

  

 (This dress is cut out and is next in line to be sewn)

(Here is the "pool of patterns" in which I'll pull some of my remaining projects from unless I get some new ideas or new patterns)

 (I still want to squeeze in a pair of jeans and possibly another pair of these Jalie trousers(I loved my first pair of trousers).)

Here's my pool of fabrics as well.....

 

(Lots of colorful poplin prints for tops and dresses.......)

  

 (Denim and bottom-weight fabrics for capri's and jeans)

 

(2 polyester prints that I can't wait to sew with.)

In addition to these above sewing projects I have to sew Easter dresses for my daughter, Goddaughter, and myself. I haven't even decided on patterns yet but I'm working on it asap.

The next 2 months are going to be a super busy month and I'm going to cram as many sewing project that I can into them. I wasn't super satisfied with my progress from January & February's sewing challenge so I feel I've got to push my limits just a bit. Thanks in advance for following along with me and keep your fingers crossed for me!!!

January / February 2010--- 10,000 Hr Challenge Final Report

Just a little less than 4 hours until March 1st and I'm putting down the fabric and stepping away from the sewing machine to reflect on the work I've done for the last 2 months. When I started this challenge I had high hopes of getting alot done---as you can see from my initial challenge post here. It might have seemed that I was reaching for the stars a little bit with some of my lofty goals but I felt it necessary to push the envelope some. The reality for the seamstress is that time is always a limiting factor to some degree or another.  Well I ended up doing alot of "Plan B" garment exchanges based on my change in taste, time limits, etc. So what I actually sewed looks like an entirely different list minus the Jalie 2909 trousers. So let's take a look at what I did do.......

What I accomplished:
So I ended up with the 6 garments (you can see them if you look at the Pattern Review display windows on the right or click on the pattern link to see my blog review--which has more details). They were...

2 dresses ---  Vogue 8593, McCall's 5974
3 tops--- New Look 6714, New Look 6807, New Look 6922
1 pants--- Jalie 2909


My Goal was to end up with 6-8 garments. I was aiming more for 8 but between the lengthy research I did on my pants, the lost of my steam iron, and sewing machine issues through me a bit off schedule. And this past week was a nightmare. I'd really hoped to squeeze in another garment but time wouldn't allow for it. But that's life and we know that life is filled with it's own little interruptions.

My Favorites:

I really liked everything I sewed but I consider the Jalie 2909 trousers as my greatest sewing accomplishment for the past 2 months, especially since they were the first pair of pants I've ever sewn. The two weeks I spent working on these were extremely invaluable and have made me comfortable with fitting and sewing pants----there's no more avoiding them!!!

I also loved this dress and wherever I go I always get compliments on it. I'll definitely be sewing the Vogue 8593 again.

 My Dislikes:

I really didn't dislike this McCall 5974 dress just the high midriff front. But I've decided to wear the dress as long as I can get a blue cardigan to match---you know to lengthen my torso a bit.

Additional Observations:
I didn't realize that everything (except my Jalie trousers) I sewed these 2 months were knits. I love sewing knits and wearing them but I also like to show I can sew other fabrics as well and like the experience of doing so as well. So my next challenge goals will contain a little less knits.

  What I've learned:
These two months have been great and have allowed me to get a better sense of how I spend my sewing time and time in general. Trust me it takes alot of effort to carve out the 3 hours a day I need in to fulfill my 1000 hour challenge for the year and my overall 10,000 hour challenge------(hmmmm, as if being a Wife, Mom, Full-Time Employee, and having my Sewing business doesn't occupy enough time).  And on the days I can't carve out the time I'm pretty good at making it up on the weekends. You Guy's know how determined I am to meet my goals so I'll do the best I can with the time I've got. So far it seems I've got the time.  I need to do a better job at dividing it up for pattern fittings, and doing so in a couple of days time so I can spend the rest of the week actually sewing and completing the garment.

Ok--it's time to clean my slate (and cutting table) and to move onto the March/April 2010 Sewing Goals. I'm excited about Spring sewing. That's next..........

Current Sewing status, Challenge review, Upcoming plans, DVD Review...

  It seems like things have been sooooooooo crazy lately. At the tail end of last week my sewing machine began giving me some issues so I dropped it off for repairs and/or tune-up (details in my last post). Well the good news is that all it needed was a little cleaning. It's hard to believe that 7 months of hardcore sewing would produce enough lent to cause the thread cutters to malfunction and as a result cause all that jamming---come to think of it, it's not that hard to believe! It's time for me to stock up on canned air and to do more frequent cleanings since I use my machine practically non-stop---just like you Guys of course!!! Whew, well that's a load off. All it cost me was a $60 cleaning fee from the wonderful Mr. Smiley--the only other person that I trust with my Baby!!!!

Well that delay (and being too lazy to pull out the back up machine) means I've got alot of catching up to do. Sew much to do....... and Sew little time (and yes "so" is swapped out  intentionally). I'm getting antsy because the end of the month is quickly approaching, and I have to wrap up my January and February sewing goals detailed in this Post .  Well I made a few of the items but swapped out some in order to make others (you know we Girls are always changing our sewing plans). I plan on doing a January/February wrap up no later than Monday to evalute my 10,000 Hour Sewing Challenge Progress---remember I'm taking this challenge very seriously and am trying to stay disciplined as best I can! I have one item I'll be reviewing on tomorrow and I hope to get a couple of items done no later than next week. I hope I don't have to spill a little over into the first week of March to complete these items. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I will also be posting my March/April sewing goals by Monday. I'm sooooooooooo very excited to being sewing Spring clothes. You might recall this Post in which I showcased some really nice Spring fabrics I purchase and of course all of the New Vogue Spring patterns  that I can't wait to give a try. I probably should stop talking about this now because I feel myself beginning to drool.

Before I forget, I managed to squeeze in a sewing movie. I didn't realize that another movie about Coco Chanel was being released until a couple of weeks ago.

 So I checked it out. I had already seen the Lifetime movie "Coco Chanel" and have done a little reading up on her. Although I already knew a little bit about her life it was good to watch a more current film that focused on  her before she became famous. I just want to warn you that the movie is in French and has English subtitles, so unless you're fluent in French it will be a wee bit difficult for you to sew and watch this film. I have to admit that at times I forgot this film was about the designer since it focused on her love life (actor Allesandro Nivola wasn't too bad on the eyes) and some of the dilemmas and challenges she faced that pushed her toward becoming a designer. That's not a bad thing. It's always neat to see how Great people got their start. I believe that same greatness exists in all of us from one degree to another. I applaud her for following her "unconventional" vision even in the face of adversity. As we all know she has an empire that still remains today and is synonymous with true elegance and grace. If you have the time check this one out. I give it 3 out of 4 Stars!


Well, I've got to hop back to sewing and everything else. Although it's Tuesday, due to some weekend meetings, I have very limited time to sew, so I'm going back to the grind. I hope to maximize the little time I do have. How are your upcoming Spring sewing plans coming along??? You know I can't wait to see the fabulous clothes you make (wink)!!!

10,000 Hour Sewing Challenges: January & February 2010 Goals

Ok I'm pretty siked, no I'm just plain ECSTATIC, about beginning my 10,000 Hour Sewing challenge--specifically about my sewing goals for January and February.

During my first week I have to finish some UFO's ( a dress for me, a hoodie for my Goddaughter, a couple of small pieces, and some client work). BUT THEN........

I can move on to a few garments that I've been wanting to make for quite some time. They are the following :

I need some new black slacks. They're an essential staple for my wardrobe. I'm still undecided on the fabric. I can't decide if I want to do a sateen or a polyester blend fabric with a little stretch. Hmmmmm.....

A chocolate brown corduroy jacket would be nice and great for work! I also need one in black, maybe the same black fabric I use to make the Jalie slacks out of. That way I can create my own suit.

 

I ultimately bought this pattern for jeans but I managed to get some 14 or 17 wale corduroy from Fabric.com for about $2 or so a yard so I decided to make tan and chocolate brown corduroy pants. Pants are so hard for me to find since I have really long legs (34" inseam).

 

I currently don't have a black skirt. Yet another wardrobe staple that I'm in need of. I have a nice black polyester fabric for the job.

 

I love the "orange coat" design and thought it would look nice in a quilted black fabric with a sassy, red satin lining.

 

I thought this would be really cute. I love these little jumpers and I love anything with princess seams for that matter since I like my garments somewhat fitted. I'm hoping this plaid print is small enough that I can get around the idea of matching the print. I'd rather match the plaid in a "non princess seam" garment. We'll see.

 I also have a few "PLAN B" patterns (not shown). These are alternate patterns I'll use just in case my time is minimal or my week is bombarded with things to do. Keep in mind I do work full time, have a sewing business, and most importantly am a Wife and Mother (I try to be good one's). So just like you I have responsibilities that sometimes steal me away from sewing.  But even with life's little interruptions and unplanned events,  I'm determined to stay with my goal of sewing one garment a week, minimal:) So by the end of February I should have 8 garments to show and my sewing plans for the next 2 months. The rest of my Ten Thousand Hours Sewing challenge "rules" are posted on the top right side of my blog page.

Ok, that about covers it!!! Now it's time to step away from the computer and prepare to do some serious sewing. This ought to be quite the adventure!!!! Thanks for coming along for the ride:)