Lovin' that Simplicity Top...

So, after I cut out the Flute Player's new dress, I had roughly 7/8 of a yard left.

And I still had the Simplicity 2603 pattern sitting out.

So I quickly cut out one of what was left and stitched it up pronto.


And, guess what... it is a close enough match to the salmony Jalie 2919 (scroll down a bit) cardigan that I made for choir last month that I could wear them both to work today.




I'm tellin' you what, that's a great little top pattern... short on yardage needed, quick to make up, and it covers a multitude of sins... ;)

BTW, that's vintage mid-80's jewelry going on there...a painted balsa wood necklace and plastic door knocker earrings! Fun!

Nothin' like a sale...

It seems a little frivolous to post sale acquisitions on a day dedicated to the remembrance of those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom that we enjoy today, so I'll post this disclaimer that, even as I was shopping, I did hold gratitude for those who serve our country in the military and their families who sacrifice so much so they may. God bless you all.

But...Memorial Day sales are a fact of life, and I'd not be honest if I said I wasn't glad to be able to take advantage of them...even if it was only a trip to Hancock's with a pattern list in hand.

I picked up two pieces of decorator fabric for tablecloths...I've discovered that they pre-treat that stuff w/stain resistance, so it's PERFECT fabric for tablecloths! And it was under $3 /yard; I didn't take pictures of the fabric but I'll post pictures when I get the edges serged and they're turned into tablecloths. ;)

And I picked up a few patterns... once again, I'm not linking, because the burgers are coming off the grill momentarily and I've got to get back to fixing dinner...

I've always got my eyes open for likely costume pieces when the patterns are a buck apiece...they may not get used, or I may use only a detail, but at some point I'll be glad I picked them up.

Oh...there's the oven timer! Baked beans are done...have a wonderful Memorial Day, everyone! ;-)

Choir Wardrobe 5/29: the Token Yellow Top

So, after I hung the jacket up on the rack to wait on the inspiring frog song ('Rip-it, Rip-it'), I pulled out the yellow rayon blend jersey that came in the same box as the gray denim and decided to get it out of the stash. Yellow is not my color, but yellow has been a color of the month four or five times in the past couple of years and I decided to bite the bullet and get some yellow for a shirt...it was only 3.98 for a yard, and a yard is all I got.

I used the sandpaper on my Ped Egg to scrape off the blue fuzzies that resulted from someone throwing my load of pre-wash into the dryer with blue flannel sheets. It didn't work perfectly, but it was definitely Good Enough.

Then I cut out and sewed up another Simplicity 2603 shell top.



The sewing nerves are beginning to unknot... ;)

And, as this was the last Sunday for this month's colors of gray, black and yellow (the choir didn't sing last night; we had guest worship leaders for that service), I wore it with my black rayon jersey Vogue 8305 cardi wrap, an aging silver scarf and the trusty ol' Lee bootcuts:



So, now I have something I never thought I'd own...a yellow top.
Actually, this is almost a fine gauge sweater knit and it pills like crazy; I think this is gonna be a drip-dry garment, just to see if I can avoid that mess...

Time for a Break

The Jeans Jacket has been a sore test of patience. The fabric is a quite thick and sturdy denim, and it is really right at the edges of the capability of my machine. I've taken out at least a bit of the topstitching somewhere on each topstitched piece, I believe...some two or three times...because of wobbles or thread nests or other issues.

I've finally gotten to the sleeves; got one in nicely, serged the seam and pressed it well, then put the other in.

And was quite dismayed to see how the sleeve seams related to the back yoke.


At least I didn't topstitch that first sleeve or trim the seam allowance when I serged it.

But I think it's time for a break and a couple of quick knit projects. My sewing nerves need to unknot a bit before I go back to the jacket....

Attendants' Dresses

I believe the Princess has now settled on what will be the bridesmaids' dress:
Simplicity 2362, the black halter-neck version.

It will be in a silver gray fabric, yet to be determined.

I've been trying to get her to let me order the fabric online, but she wants to see it live and in person before she commits. But she works for an organization that has been HIGHLY involved in the tornado relief efforts, so her shopping availability has been somewhat curtailed. I'm hoping to get a chance to go to Sir's Fabrics, but, while that can be a gold mine of goodies if you're just looking for bargains to add to the stash, if you're looking for something quite specific,it can be a nice drive up and back and that's it.

One of the online fabric vendors has a yummy-looking silvery gray silk/cotton poplin that may be nice for this dress...but I'm not holding out great hope of convincing her to go with it. I *might* be able to order a swatch, but I fear that by the time the swatch gets here and she makes up her mind there won't be enough left for 5 dresses.

I'm a little bummed; she has two bridesmaids who live out of state, and one of them was just back in town for a little over a week for a visit. I did get her measurements, but if we'd've planned better and had the fabric, I could've measured her on the front end of her trip and had the dress ready for try-on before she headed back to Boston.

Oh, well...

Whack-A-Seam

I'm looking forward to a long weekend with (hopefully) a few moments for sewing and blogging.

I've got some pictures stored up for future posts, but can't seem to get time to write 'em up.

Meantime, I'm nickle-and-diming my way through the Jalie jeans jacket; it's been on my ironing board now for several days waiting on me to sew the sleeve seams so I can switch thread for the next batch of topstitiching.


I have real concerns about whether or not my little New Home will power through the bulk of the inset seams/pocket/pocket facing/ pocket flap/etc on the front yoke seam and have been pounding it with the clapper when I find myself in the vicinity.

I definitely will have some comments about the processes on this jacket when I get it finished and reviewed. ;-)

Choir Wardrobe 5/21-22

This month's colors: Gray, Black and Yellow, w/blue jeans



Saturday night I let my hair do its natural frizz and pulled it back in a comb dating from...1991? Throwback Big Hair. Along with the Jalie 695 tank top and the Jalie 2566 cardigan from my gray rayon/lycra jersey double twinset. It's teamed up with a cheap yellow pleated scarf from Wal-Mart and straight-leg Lee jeans.



Sunday was dark-wash boot cut Lees again, and the sleeveless Vogue 7604 from the '06 SWAP and my black poly crepe Textile Studios Florence Jacket, which fit better 20 pounds ago, highlighting my need to do some sewing or weight loss or both.

I had to leave Frisco in the photo, just because the whole reflection of the glowing eyes looks so...eerie... ;-)

No Sewing Week

The Actor has graduated. We are greatly, um, relieved.

He had a 3.4 GPA w/an advanced diploma. I wonder what he would've had if he had not had any zeros/deductions for late work in the past 4 years?

His future is still very fluid...personally, I think he needs to let his maturity level catch up to his age before he tackles something like college, where zeros and late work are fatal errors. He may do the internship program at church (formerly Master's Commission)...we'll see.

He did get a taste of community theater this spring, with a handful of small roles in Hamlet. Here he is dressed as Osric, showing another outing for my Ruffled Pirate Shirt:

I think I need to make a Pirate Shirt for every member of the family...I've found that they are coming in very handy... ;-)

Choir Wardrobe Returns

So, yeah, these are not the best photos...but I'm giving up waiting until I take good pictures.
We have services on Saturday night AND Sunday now; we've split the choir so that we rotate who is supposed to be there which day, in an effort to avoid burnout. ;)
But, since our kids volunteer in children's ministries we end up being at church for all 4 services most weekends. So we're usually in choir both Saturday and Sunday.

We happened to be *scheduled* to sing Saturday night...but it just so happened Saturday was a day to get hitched; we had three weddings amongst our membership. We attended the one that was latest in the day, at another venue, and skipped the reception because we were on Saturday's schedule and suspicioned that the choir would be a little skimpy. Turned out that suspicion was well-founded; I switched parts so that My Sweet Baboo and I comprised the tenor section. My throat still feels a little sore today...

We changed at church from wedding-appropriate clothes to the 'bluejeans and...' that is our typical choir attire now.

All of that is to explain why the photo from Saturday, taken after we got home Saturday night, looks a little frizzy-headed. ;-)



Anyway. This month, we are wearing black, gray and yellow, with jeans. I'm wearing Lee bootcut jeans, even if the bootcut flare doesn't show up in photographs, in both pictures. Saturday, I paired the jeans with the Christine Jonson Basewear 2 top and the Jalie cardigan of The Double Twinset, made from the most marvelous of rayon/lycra jerseys from Gorgeous Fabrics. I have not seen its like anywhere else. (Note to Ann: if you EVER get any more of this stuff in any other colors, please let me know!!! I want some!!)

On Sunday, I wore my latest completion...Simplicity 2603, from gray sparkly jersey knit from one of last month's additions to the stash and one of my old faithfuls, my black rayon-blend herringbone suiting Bistro Jacket

And some yellow plastic jewelry, to add the third color.

;-)

Almost post

I'll confess, I kinda miss posting the choir outfits each week...so much so, that I've about decided to start it again, only w/a new name (Choir Wardrobe, maybe?). My Sweet Baboo actually took a photo of what I wore today...three, actually...but he's gotten a bit out of practice on his fashion photography and they weren't postable.

1) I didn't have the movement wrinkles smoothed (minor problem) and
2) We did the photography AFTER church and AFTER I sat through a 3+ hour production of Hamlet by a local community theater group (which was EXCELLENT, btw) and AFTER I'd had a day's worth of humidity working on frizzing my hair...which was pulled back when I left the house this morning but had apparently frizzed out of its bindings all day such that I had a fuzzy halo thing going on in all three photos.

Fail.

So...maybe I'll wash today's outfit and try it again next week. ;)

Even in a blackout, the stash grows...

This is from Fabric Mart's Easter Egg Sale...y'know, the one that started at 20% and incremented its way up to 30% as you bought more.

I really struggled with that. Had the cart filled up to the 30% line more than once, then went back and culled it down. This is what I decided I couldn't live without.

It arrived a week ago, while the power was still out. Couldn't even prewash it. (note: I did that today...)


One of their Trendy Jersey knits...for the Flute Player, actually. I plan to remake that orange Madison Avenue dress a size bigger so it doesn't fit quite so snugly. I also got some of the Trendy Stretch Rayon...the fuschia/purple watercolor floral. I'm thinking this is going to be a Kwik Sew 3521. We'll see.

The purple is one of their bamboo jerseys. Oh. What. Yumminess! I've got about 3.5 yds; I'm actually toying with the idea of making a Madison Avenue dress for ME, with a matching Jalie cardigan...if I do that, I'll make 3/4 length sleeves.

But right now I'm cutting out jackets. I finished the sparkly Simplicity 2603 top, which I'm planning to wear for choir tomorrow, and am progressing to the gray denim Jalie Jeans jacket (whilst I have gray thread on the machines, you know). But I've also cut a turquoise light weight wool gabardine jacket from Vogue 1100; I've got the fabric and the lining cut; all I have left is the interfacing and that one'll be in the queue. I expect us to wear turquoise for choir sometime this summer; we've worn it for the past 2 or 3 years...maybe this time I'll be ready ;)

Checking In

It has been a week.

I posted the details on the faith blog, but for those who don't want to click through...we were without power for several days, and off the Internet until today, but we had no damage or injuries to our household.

I feel frivolous to say that I used the power outage to cut out the bazillion pieces to the Jalie Jeans Jacket, out of some gray denim. I have a Vogue jacket on the cutting table now, and have made a good start on it.

But with the power back on we're playing catch up and I don't know when I'll actually get to sew. Maybe a wee bit at a time for while.

I also finished sorting my fabric and got the bins organized back in the attic where they belong. So I pretty much have my living room back.

But there are so many who don't have a living room at all anymore I almost feel guilty saying that.

I think it'll be awhile before we're back to what passes for normal.