Fabric update

I escaped from the house this morning on a little fabric finding mission.

Unfortunately in my travels I discovered that the store I wanted to check out will be closed till after New Years. Oh well, not wanting to go home empty handed I decided to make a detour via the local Spotllight store, which was only a few streets away from where I was anyway.

Spotlight did not have many fabrics in but I settled on some lightweight cottons. The first one has a blue background with lemon, pale blue, pink and green outlined hearts on it, I purchased enough of this to make one pair of 3/4 pyjama pants and hopefully a pyjama top.

The second fabric has a white background and stripes in navy, blue, green and pink (much the same colours as the other fabric) but unfortunately there was only enough of this for a pair of pyjama pants. I will need to go back at some stage and get something that co-ordinates for the other pyjama top, but it's better than nothing.

So off to the washing machine these go. If the kids don't need me too much today, which is highly likely as 3 of them have the flu (as do I), I might get some patterns traced off or cut out, not sure which way I will be going with that yet.

I am hoping to start sewing tomorrow but that depends on how well I feel. At least I am making some progress ...

A late WIAW

Ruthie is holding a WIAW over the Christmas break, with prep being done the week prior to Christmas and the sewing starting on Boxing Day and some of the girls are already producing finished garments.

I fianlly decided I will join in but I will be a little late.

I have been searching for PJ's but cannot find what I want in the style, colour or size I want, so I have decided to use the WIAW to create 2 pr pj bottoms and 2 tops. It might not be what most people have in mind for a WIAW but it's what I need right now.

Despite best intentions I haven't made it to the fabric store yet, but I have found the pattern I want to use and decided on how much fabric I will need. I spent the day today catching up on housework so hopefully tomorrow I can venture out for a little retail therapy and get some fabric so the WIAW can begin.

Once I get these pieces done then I might still consider the Winter (Summer down under) 6 pack. I could do with some more summer tops and thin pants (probably linen or linen blend), so we will see ...

Happy Sewing.

Will I or won't I?

This is a mad time of year for everyone, is it not?

With the boys on summer school holidays there is so much to do and, with Christmas approaching at lightening speed and me still trying to tame the spring cleaning, there are simply not enough hours in the day to do everything I need to do, never mind the stuff I want to do. So why I am I wondering if I have time to get some sewing done amongst all the madness?

On the Sewing Guild there is always something happening and at the moment there are three tempting options to ponder. There is the Wardrobe in a Week (which is actually one week prep and one week sewing) to complete 4 garments, the Winter sew along (or Summer for those of us down under) with a 6 garment goal, or the more challenging SWAP (Sewing with a plan, 11 garments to be made). Any of these choices would add some much needed variation into my currently lacking wardrobe and each has it's pro's and cons, but I am not sure I can complete any of them.

I haven't had time to sort through my patterns or fabrics to see what I might like to make with what I have available, and for now I am still pondering, but I am leaning towards the WIAW. I have done this once before and know I can do it, so that might be my jumping off point and if I can manage it then it could morph it into the Summer Six Pack. I don't have any TNT's yet so I am pretty sure the SWAP is beyond me atm, but I'll get there.

Time will tell ...

Where are the patterns?

We live in a part of the world where being at the beach, pool, or lake is a big part of our lives, especially in Summer (which is approaching fast), and you need appropriate clothing to protect yourself from the very harsh sun. I prefer longer length board shorts and either a tankini top or rashie, but finding something suitable in shops is almost impossible (and always expensive). I decided to make my own and that's where I hit a stumbling block.

I have been searching pattern websites for ladies board short, tankini and rashie patterns, to no avail. Surely somewhere out there they exist? After some time I discovered a mens board short pattern made by Jalie, but that's it. I am so disappointed, I was really hoping there would be half a dozen or more patterns to choose from but sadly there aren't.

So my question is this, if you want to make your own sun safe swim wear what patterns do you use? Do you adapt another pattern, have you drafted our own, or have you given up as it's all too hard? If you have sewn your own what fabrics have you used and where did you get them from? They seem to be almost as hard to find as the patterns.

Hopefully someone has been there done that and can point me in the right direction. Right now I am feeling rather down about the whole thing but the kids are hoping I find a solution fast as the school holidays are just a few short weeks away.

I await your words of wisdom ...

No sewing today

... hopefully tomorrow I will get back to my machine.

Monday was ds#2's birthday, yesterday was taken up with the car being taken to and collected from the mechanics and grocery shopping, this morning I had appointments to go to and just after lunch I am collecting eldest ds from school to drive up to my mothers to set up my nieces wii to work with the new wireless modem. I have a couple of layouts I need to do for the DT but they don't need to be done till Friday.

So if all goes to plan tomorrow will be a sewing day, once the mornings housework is out of the way. I have two tops that have been cut out waiting for me to put them together for weeks and they will be the first in line. Hopefully they will go together fast and then I can think about the next project. There's only a couple of weeks left to complete the Autumn (or in my case Spring) sew along but I doubt very much if I will get another 4 items completed in that time. You never know though, miracles can happen ....

What are you working on atm?

Finished

Well I have finally finished the clothes I was making for the little girl in Sri Lanka. It's just as well I am done as the people taking them over are leaving on Friday and I need to pack these up and get the package to them before they finish packing their bags..

Plans changed a little and I ended up with 4 separate outfits, 3 of which are shown here and have a matching little head scarf (folded over the shoulder of the striped top).

The 4th set is blue and white and matches clothes she has already received. I didn't take a photo of the other outfit as it was simply shorts and a little cropped top.

I am yet to give these a press so please forgive me, I wanted to get this post done before I stopped to make dinner :)

It was nice to make some girls clothes for a change, something I haven't done since my niece was little (she's now 12) .... I just hope the little girl will like them.

Once I catch up with the housework I might be able to get some sewing done for me, maybe!

Catch Up

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while, at the moment there are not enough hours in the day to do everything I'd like to. Anyway as far as sewing goes, this is what I have been up to ...

My Autumn Sew Along collection is not going anywhere. I still have the black twist front top waiting to be sewn up and the white crushed knit top is at the same stage. I did cut out a pattern for a pair of Marcy Tilton pants but as these are a new pattern to me and I have not made pants in decades I need to fit these from scratch. I have put these items on hold for the moment though as I have another project I must finish first. I am not in a hurry for these things and whenever I finish them it'll be fine with me.

What am I doing instead of the Autumn Sew Along?

The people who live next door to my parents are off to Sri Lanka in less than two weeks and the family they know there are doing it tough (as a lot of people are). There is a little girl in the family (3 yo) and I thought it would be nice to make a set of clothes for her before they go. I have some lovely lightweight cottons in oranges, greens, pinks etc that should be perfect for their climate and I am aiming to use these to make her some pieces that will mix and match.

The first pattern is New Look 6883, I am hoping to make at least two pair of pants and two tops from this pattern. Then it's on to New Look 6504 possibly in a green gingham if it has enough body, if not it might be a lightweight drill in white or yellow. If there is any time left I hope to whip up a top and shorts from McCall's 9369. Should miracles happen a knit dress from New Look 6478.

I know anything at all will be appreciated as last time they visited they took clothes I made for my niece when she was 3 or 4 (she is now 12 and had long outgrown them) and she loved them, but I am hoping she will really like this wardrobe that is made just for her.

The only things standing in my way of getting done in time are the fact that my overlocker doesn't want to play nice so I am having to find alternatives (that are not as fast) for seam finishes, and I have been battling a virus since last week. Oh well, I'll do what I can and will hopefully have something to show by the end of next week.

Thanks for dropping by,