Wordless Wednesday- First Snow
Tag: Fancy
Sewing Review
I’m back! This time with my sewing projects for the month. I have been sewing lots of wintery things. I need some more, longer sleep shirts. I do not enjoy the random cold spot in the middle of my back on cold winter nights. Brrr…
This cozy shirt is one of the warmer shirts I have made. It is. Relaxed Raglan pattern from Patterns for Pirates. I ordered the fabric after getting a sample of a different color in an order. It was not entirely wht I expected, but it’s still soft and warm.
It grew a little as I was making it, so it’s pretty oversized, but perfect for sleeping in. The sleeves are deliberately long, which really meant I didn’t shorten them. 🙂
I know you’re probably completely sick of seeing this pattern, considering I have made a bunch of them. It’s interesting to see just how much it changes with each new fabric. I intend to make many more. These are the other two I’ve made.
This one is a black sweatshirt material fleece. I did something funny with the neckline, so it got really wide. I’m considering adding a comtrast band under the first. It’s definitely an “at home” sweatshirt. I was wearing it before the picture, so that’s why the sleeves look wrinkly and weird.
Mmm… pink.. The floral fabric is a triblend with cotton, spandex, and rayon. The pink is a lovely cotton spandex. Both fabrics are from Girl Charlee and were on sale! That makes these even better!
I still have a bunch of the floral fabric and am debating what else to make. It’s so soft!
I had one disappointment when sewing this month. I made these cool foil lightening leggings.
They seemed stretchy enoug, but then when I went to put them on, they wouldn’t stretch past my derrière! Boo! I will just cut down the side and add a strip of plain black. The pattern actually comes with a pocket feature, which I might just try out.
I also made my purple harem pants and this lovely vest for Kalamazo. I seem to have only uploaded a close up of the vest. I’ll have to post the full costume one day. It has a green background with a gold crackle overlay. Those flowers are iron on pieces and it’s accented with gold dance coins.
I wore a green tank top, gold jewelry, a fairy headband, and a fairy skirt.
Last Friday, I attended a tree skirt workshop with my MIL, but it isn’t finished yet. It still needs some bias tape, which I need to make. Sadly, no little elves have appeared to do it for me, so it’s taking a little bit extra time. It was a fun class though and a pretty easy pattern with the special curvy ruler. I would definitely take a class at the store again. I’ll write more about it when I have finished it.
I didn’t really make many new things for my vending event, but I did make these three Star Trek tea wallets.
“Tea, Earl Grey. Hot.”- Picard
I think there are a couple more things that I have finished or made, but haven’t taken pictures of. I’ve been finding myself reaching for more handmade items lately. It’s fun to wear them and have people try to figure out if it’s one I’ve made or not. One of my kid clients didn’t believe me that I made my dress today and said I must have bought it in the store. I must be making some professional looking items!
My goals for this month are to finish up the Christmas gifts, sew up enough items that my fabric fits in bins again, and to make up my cozy jammies and sweaters. I would like to try some of my other patterns too.
To send you off to dreamland sweetly, here are pictures of Fancy utilizing her holey sheet to perfection…
A Very Fancy Friday
How is it Friday? And how did I let this week go by without any posts?
It’s been a strange and busy week for sure. I have done a little bit of sewing, but most of it needs some adjustments, as it has been mainly costume sewing. I don’t have most of it documented yet. I couldn’t even do my monthly review, so I might just wait until next month. I’m sure it will be here before we know it.
I’ve also been working on party planning. And sleeping. I think being sick really took it out of me. I’ve pretty much slept whenever I can.
So to make up for it, here’s a roundup of the many faces of Fancy. She’s been extra photogenic!
She helps me take pictures of new dresses! Not really though, the first picture was taken shortly after this one when I wouldn’t pet her!
She’s extra adorable when she’s trying not to fall asleep, but can’t help it.
She approves of my costume for my show next weekend! Now I just have to finish it…
But for now, there are cookies baking and a kitchen that needs cleaning before the party tomorrow! Expect a bunch of pictures as we have done a lot of fun things for it!
Have a great night!
Happy Gotcha Day to Fancy!
We have had Fancy for 2 whole years today! We were marveling over where the time had gone yesterday. We went to the mall to celebrate early, as we both have work today. She had a lovely time sniffing other dogs and was super excited to visit the bakery, where she got two special treats. One she ate yesterday and the other she’l have tonight. She’s also getting a stuffy to destroy. She’ll be so excited. 🙂
So to celebrate, here’s some of my favorite pictures of her taken recently.
She’s adorable while sleeping.
Helps me with sewing!
She’s inquisitive.
And sometimes downright goofy. 🙂
But the most important part is that she’s ours! We wouldn’t trade her for the world! Now, I need to go snuggle her before work. I hope these pictjres brightened your day!
Simple Sunday- Dog Edition
“My fashion philosophy is, if you’re not covered in dog hair, your life is empty.” – Elayne Boosler
“Because of the dog’s joyfulness, our own is increased. It is no small gift. It is not the least reason why we should honor as well as love the dog of our own life, and the dog down the street, and all the dogs not yet born. What would the world be like without music or rivers or the green and tender grass? What would this world be like without dogs?” ― Mary Oliver, Dog Songs
“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.” – Samuel Butler
“Nothing is so lovely as a quietly snoring dog and some evening Brahms, as you sit in a comfortably overstuffed chair with your feet on the footstool.”
― Ann Beattie
Fancy Sewing
Fancy is shocked that this is not a post about sewing things for her!
I do have a dog costume book, but she is not so fond of things on her head. She is going to come with us to Renaissance Fest next year, so we may rig up a cape or something to attach to her harness. 🙂
I did sew my fabulous costume and am quite proud of it. We went with K and J again and she made their costumes as well. Here’s a picture of K and I all pretty!
We had a lot of fun! We got to see some fun bellydance and a really cool African drum group. And shopped, of course!
I had originally planned to go as a pirate, but got this crazy idea to make a vest and had started the shirt already. The skirt I had from my first bellydance at the Ren Fest. It was cold that day, so I was glad to wear my handmade purple leggings underneath.
Here’s the details of the vest and shirt. Fancy was super interested while I was taking pictures. It probably smelled like turkey legs and all sorts of other things.
I made it from a linen table cloth, given to me by a friend and her mom for experimentation purposes. It’s currently unhemmed, because I couldn’t decide how to finish it off. It’s pretty short, but I didn’t realize it when I made it that it would be that way and didn’t have a huge amount of fabric. The sleeves are made from a lace piece I had in my stash. The elastic twisted, but it isn’t really noticeable when it’s on. Despite the chill in the air when we got there, the linen was quite comfortable.
I wasn’t going to make something, but then my harem pants went wonky and I didn’t have a vest to match. Then, on Thursday, while driving to work, I thought “I should just make a vest with the peacock brocade!” For once my rational brain and emotional brain were in full agreement and when I texted the Husband and K, they both were very enthusiastic. My fate was sealed. I needed a new vest! In a day and a half!
The vest was actually the pattern I was supposed to make last year, so I had cut the pattern pieces already. I had this peacock brocade from a while ago and still have enough for at least a set of panels for a dance costume for my October dance.
It came out so pretty and elegant! I used a cotton batik for a lining. The trim was from a Knitpop sale. I knew it would come in handy for something. I did have to buy the buttons and elastic cord. One side came out notched and one straight and I, of course, didn’t notice until I had sewn it all together. Brocade also frays like there’s no tomorrow, so unpicking it is not an option. Grr…
Here’s a closeup of the details. This was before it was sewn, I was just checking to make sure it would match.
I had pretty flowers in my hair and a very large coin necklace to go with it. It was fun to get all dressed up again and I may use the vest in my October dance. Here’s a detail shot of everything.
I’ve sewn regular things as well. I made this bicycle cardigan and it’s very cozy, but light enough for the weird transition point between summer and fall. I am making weird faces in all my full pics, so will post a shot later.
In other craft news, my friend K made us these fun pictures for the Harry Potter party and I didn’t post them with the wands like I should have. I love the light/dark quote.
I love them and am excited to display them. She did a great job!
Hailing from my childhood, I decided to make use of my scraps from my clothes and quilts to make some American Girl doll clothes for my Etsy store and couldn’t resist buying this set of official doll patterns for my American Girl, Kirsten. I even had pretty close to matching fabric. This should be a fun experiment, I think. Maybe I can talk my Dad into a making a little spoon for her spoon bag. 🙂 I also bought a doll size treadle sewing machine online because it was the cutest thing ever and can you imagine the photo opportunities?
I haven’t been making too many new things for vending in October because I have so much! I’m hoping to make some things out of the vegan leather I bought, but I haven’t figured out what to do with it, or how to sew it. I need to find out what needle to use. It’s very thin, so I don’t know if a leather needle is needed. It’s also slightly stretchy. Hmmm…. I’ll let you know how it goes.
In garden news, the squirrels have declared war and I have accepted their challenge. Fancy has been showing more interest in chasing them, so I’m hoping they will stop stealing all my tomatoes! Terrible squirrels! The young jalepenos have also been targeted, but not eaten. They are super spicy this year, so I hope the peppers burn their furry little butts!
I’m late at work this week, for most days, so that might limit my sewing time, but I have plans! Fall is sweater weather, so I want to replace the ones that don’t quite work with more comfy ones. Secret pajamas make the winter bearable!
Right now though, it’s off to bed for me! Have a lovely, cozy night!
Monthly Review
We have had a busy weekend, although it did involve sleeping in a lot. Apparently Fancy was very upset this morning when I was still sleeping and she couldn’t cuddle with me.
She probably hasn’t had as good of a weekend as we have. Her weekend involved lots of baths. This was her before one of these baths. She’s probably wondering why her treats were going into the bathroom.
She’s normally pretty good with baths. We have given her lots and lots of treats during them, but this is probably too much for her. Luckily, the smell is going down so we should be able to cut down on the baths for now. Hopefully she’s learned that the stripey kitties are no good!
The Husband and I had separate fun things to do on Saturday. He went to a friend’s house for video games and I had some ladies over for crafting fun. K brought her sewing machine and B brought scrapbooking. S helped me make Harry Potter wands for our party in October. They turned out so cool. It was definitely a group effort, as K brought the chopsticks we used, and B helped pick the end stones. Here’s some pictures!
The bottoms of the wands. It was fun to use up bits and bobs from my bead box.
A fancy styled shot. This banner turned out to be a very tiny banner, perfect for a little space, or a dollhouse. I got it online and it’s a reminder to check my sizes before I buy it. I was expecting it to be bigger. We made the wands with hot glue, paint, chopsticks, and beads.
I also made faux Mercury glass vases for a multi use decoration.
Sewing wise, I have also made a few things that haven’t been blogged about. I made a pair of white cotton lycra shorts to go under dresses. Specifically this dress:
The fabric is from Girl Charlee and I think is a rayon spandex. It’s very light and silky. I haven’t worn it yet because all my shorts are too dark to wear with it. I’m excited to finally be able to wear it. This was one of my floral fabrics that was on a massive sale a few months ago. It’s hard to resist fabric that is $3.00 a yard!
I made this floral dress too. This one is out of DBP- double brushed poly- from So Sew English. I quite enjoy this one too, although it can be a little hot sometimes.
I can’t stop making these shorts! I think I’m up to 10 pairs? I have a maroon pair. I don’t have good pictures of them though and they are currently wrinkly from being worn. My latest pair is made from lightweight denim, with both front and back pockets.
I got brave and tried a pair of pants from this pattern and I adore them. They look spiffy and are super comfy. They are a black rayon linen blend from Fabric.com.
I used a yoga waistband, because why would I use anything else? They are super comfy. I will probably get some other neutral colors of linen. I like these pants.
Speaking of pants, this fabric was running through all my sewing groups and I finally succumbed. Who doesn’t need Marauder’s Map leggings?
I enjoy wearing them and will have them for the Harry Potter Party. I have enough scrap fabric left to make a cute tank or shirt from them.
In non clothes items, I made a little progress sewing on the star quilt. Fancy likes to cuddle with me while I’m quilting, so I haven’t worked on it in a little bit.
I made some pattern weights, but seem to have lost the picture. I used a bunch of scraps and they have been very useful. Much better than using random things like cups, canned goods, and dog toys.
Foodwise, I thought it had been a bad month, since I had several weeks where I didn’t make anything new, but it turned out to be a pretty good month. The party and canning recipes helped.
My favorite recipes this month were the cardamom plum jam, chocolate bundt cake, Dilled green beans, margarita shrimp.
Misses were the Basil Pecan Pesto, which we had with a chicken leg over pasta. I don’t think I ever had a picture of it up, it was kind of a greyish looking paste. I used a recipe from Southern Living Small Jars, Big Flavors.
Everything else was pretty good. My numbers overall were 36 recipes with 23 new recipes. I have a lot of things canned for the winter, which is nice. Yesterday I canned a Chunky Tomato Salsa and a Roasted Garlic Pizza Sauce both from Better Homes and Gardens Canning.
I am running out of time before work, so will have to report my goals for the month later. I’m not sure what to do with my food side of things, especially if I am still in a food rut. Please bear with me as I experiement with different food ideas.
Have a great week!
Thoughtful Thursday or Forgetful Friday?
Where Did My Sewing Go?
I’m so confused. I swear I made more things than I seem to be able to find. I’ve been late all this week and our weekend was pretty busy, so it feels like I’m missing projects!
Fancy may have a part in this. I’ve gotten this sad, neglected look multiple times in the past week when I’ve tried to get up to sew.
Now how am I supposed to resist that face? 🙂 Of course, it’s also been hard to be in the basement when my lungs are having fits.
I have been doing some mending, which might explain why I’ve sewn a bunch, but don’t have many new projects. Both the bird and the dog leggings popped stitches, so I had to repair some curves. I also had to cut off the band for the owl tunic and redo it, so it is now done, but it did take a lot of time.
Ha! i just figured it out. Two of the three projects had major mistakes that I had to redo before I could be done. My seam ripper and I are buddies.
For example:
Adorable, right? So this would be what happens when you put a purple fabric in and it leaks all over.
Separate your colors, kids! I’m going to get a color catcher and re-wash. Luckily, it’s not completely over the whole thing, just patches. The Husband doesn’t need purple Christmas pjs…
I also repeated my new trick of sewing a sleeve to the neck area on my shark shirt.
I was almost late to work because I had to unpick it and lost track of time. It’s now fixed. This is the Perfect T pattern. When I make this again, I’ll grade out the front or do a Full Bust Adjustment. It pulls a little. The pattern is meant for knits, so it is a little strange with woven. It has a blue cotton lycra back. I enjoy it. 🙂 I’m determined to use all this fabric.
I have a dark blue dress planned with a bow on the back made out of this, but need to figure out the skirt as I have not quite enough fabric. 🙂 Everyone needs shark clothing for Shark Week, right? (On a side note, I’m pretty sure the Husband really does love me. He’s actively encouraging me in my quest for all the sharks!)
I also made yet another pair of Linen Loungers. The main mistake on this one was to sew the pockets in backwards, so that the curve went towards quite the wrong direction…
It would have been very inappropriate… 😳 I, of course, didn’t realize it until I had sewn the sides together and put them on to try the fit. I had to unpick everything and redo the pockets and the sides. Then while sewing the waistband, I ran out of bobbin thread and didn’t realize it until halfway around. 🙄
There’s a good chance I shouldn’t try to sew while sick…
Luckily, something worked out at least. I made these workout pegs yesterday and wore them today while at the mall with Fancy.
I plan to wear them tomorrow for a Zumba class too. We’ll see how they hold up. They are quite thick material wise and didn’t shift today at all.
Speaking of Fancy, we got her a sprinkler on Sunday, one of those ring ones. She was all excited at first and then freaked put and huddled away from it. She normally loves flowing water and will chase the hose for hours, but this one she didn’t like.
It’s been super hot, so we thought that she might enjoy a sprinkler. We might get her a little pool instead.
Well, I am going to not attempt to sew tonight. This week might have taught me a lesson about late night sewing. I hope your night is relaxing and refreshing. Feel free to tell me any mistakes you’ve made this week, so I can feel like I’m not alone. 🙂
Threads Of Crazy… Or Creativity
Fancy had to investigate every single bush on our walk today. She sniffed a squirrel’s butt, startling both herself and the squirrel. It was pretty funny.
Another funny thing that happened today was one of my more sarcastic teens telling me that I was “one of the older people, you know, another generation…” and then making me a cane. Because I’m old, you know. 😆
I love working with teens for things like this. You can really tell when you have good rapport with them.
I’ve had a couple of funny sewing mishaps, one easily fixed and one that got tossed in the projects box until I’m over it. Here’s the second one…
So this is a shirt… There’s one sleeve on the left… Then there’s the neck… With a sleeve attached… 😂
That’s when I thought I should stop for dinner. It will get fixed eventually.
I did make nice things too.
I made a pair of harem pants to test my pattern for my peacock bellydance costume. I was a little nervous at first. Before the gathering on the waistband I could fit into a single leg.
They turned out super fun though! I’ve been wearing them constantly in the evenings.
They are a navy jersey or rayon spandex from many years ago. Originally the fabric was going to be an infinity dress, but it stretched when I tried to cut it and I moved on. They make me want to dance and fly out very well during twirls. I kind of want six more pairs. 🙂
While trying to decide what to make, the Husband suggested that I focus on the things I need, since my projects in the box held no appeal. I made two pairs of bike shorts to wear for pjs and under dresses.
They are both made from scraps, hence the different bands. I cut the left leg on the galaxy one wrong, but fixed it with a higher waistband. They are both comfy and fill a need. This next shirt was also made from scraps. It needs a neckline adjustment, as it tends to slip, but is cute. It’s the sewing machine print with black backing and bands. Both are double brushed polyester, so very soft.
I haven’t used this material for much other than leggings, so was fun to try. I have an Agnes dress with color blocking partially put together with DBP for the skirt.
Aren’t those spools adorable?
I needed to sew before work on Monday. Felt it in my bones, kind of need. So I made these heart leggings in 30 minutes and went to work slightly happier at least.
They are very comfy. My co-worker gave me a look and shook her head when I said I’d made them before work.
We have a family wedding to go to this weekend and I was thinking about making a dress for it, but hadn’t picked a pattern. I made this dress length Agnes.
It’s very soft and comfy. Hard to see, but there are little gold outlines on the flowers.
I think it’s fancy enough to attend a wedding. My arm and neckbands worked perfectly. I enjoy it greatly.
Well, we’re watching TV and keeping Fancy company while the fireworks start. The Husband is putting together the new entertainment center too. I may go sew downstairs, if Fancy gets too upset. She won’t even eat her chew.
I hope you all have a safe and Happy 4th!