It’s quite cold here for our usually temperate climate, but then it IS winter and so many folks across the country are really suffering from the effects of winter weather that I can’t really complain.  But I do know that spring comes early and I’ve been focused on making some things that have 3-season wearability.  Here’s a recent combo.  I believe I may have gotten both of these fabrics at JoAnn’s, proving once again that you can find decent fabrics there for garments if you really slow down and look.  The pants are linen and the top is a brushed poly or maybe poly/lycra knit that is butter-soft and quite stretchy.  Once I took the pictures, I switched to some deep dark olive wool pants and a red wool jacket because it’s it’s in the 30’s outside right now and not expected to get above 54 at the highest today.  I know that’s a balmy day in Minnesota but it sure feels chilly to this California Girl.  I do love the versatility of this top.  Because of the many colors in the print, it can go with all the red, navy and olive green solid coordinates in my closet.

I don’t generally pay much attention to where design motifs fall when I sew because I don’t care for the “fussy cut” look you get if you plan where everything lands and match motifs over seams and so forth, but maybe I should plan ahead a little more when a design has perfect circles in it like this one.  I just got lucky that the prominent blue circle medallion in the design fell in mostly inocuous places and the secondary circles in the design did the same.  Lucky is often better than good.  Here are side and back views of this outfit below.  Incidentally, I can see that I need better makeup and better lighting for these photos and a fresh shorter haircut for spring.  Warning, I might go REALLY short again with the hair.  Will my electronic devices still recognize me if I do?

For some time I’ve been looking for a good pull-on pant pattern for woven fabrics in both crop and full length styles.  Lots of people on PatternReview love the Pietra Pants because they have a flat front, ingenious and capacious pockets plus both wide and narrow leg options.  So I tried the Pietra:

And you see the style is appealing, but the fit on me was completely wrong.  While the pants were a little snug getting over my hips, once on, I couldn’t keep them up at the waist.  They sagged, they bagged, they were essentially unwearable.  I decided it was due to my curvy waist-to-hip ratio.  These pants look great on people with straight figures, but on pears or hourglasses, they don’t work as well.  So next I decided to try the Sew House Seven Free Range Slacks.  

It was summer when I first tried these pants with some random blend washable linen-look fabric from stash.  These immediately became my favorite summer crops:

Since I rarely tuck tops in, the full elastic waist is not usually an issue, but even if it shows, I think the depth of the waistband gives it a little better look than a standard elastic waist pant.

  The pockets are handy and just wide and deep enough to accommodate my phone in its case in a pinch.  I’d rather not carry that beast in my pocket, but sometimes you must.  Another attraction of these pants for me is the high waist.  Pants are always more flattering and more comfortable on me if they have a high waist.  I’ve struggled for decades with the low-rise pants dominance.  

Nice pants.  I wore them constantly the rest of that summer and then as winter approached, I went looking for some fabrics in stash to make some warmer versions.  This wool fabric was the first:

The straight leg version is great too.  I have since made these pants in lightweight denim, linen/cotton blends, and wool blends in both the wide and straight leg versions.  These are my happy pants for both wearing and sewing.  The sizing is true to the envelope measurements and closer to ready-to-wear standards than the usual Big 4 pattern sizing, if a little on the short side.  I’ve added about an inch to the inseam for full length pants and don’t roll a cuff. 

The instructions are clear and thorough.  I could make a pair of these in a day if needed, but I usually do it over 2 days, cutting and making the pockets on the first day and doing the rest of the sewing on the next day.  As the title indicates: Best. Pants. Ever.

DGS number 4 has some itchy skin/eczema and needs to have his hands covered while he’s sleeping to prevent him from scratching. So we have covered the ends of the sleeves of his onesies in silk backed with cotton. Sleep peacefully baby boy!

In the diy Face Mask Category, the Àplat Origami Face Mask, is a clear winner. They are fast and easy to make, don’t require a nose wire to get a good fit, don’t shift around when you talk and, at least on me, have a little air gap in front that makes breathing easier while still fitting close to the face on the sides.

You do see a little gap back by the ear, but that is okay because over the cheekbone and down the side of the face the fabric is touching my face all the way. In the side view I’ve circled the area that sits close and touches my face:

You certainly could try to make a little dart there for a better fit, but I don’t think that’s necessary.

Here’s my nicely pressed collection:

So far. I intend to make a few more to coordinate with colors I wear frequently and just because these are fun and easy to make. Btw, the pressing helps the masks fit better and look nice and tidy stacked in a drawer, all pressed and ready to go. Pressing with a hot iron also further sanitizes the masks after washing and drying.

The babies are arriving here and there and so I’ve been sewing baby things like burp cloths and these little tunics/dresses:

May I just say that Brindille and Twig has the best patterns going for baby clothes that fit and are practical? This is their angled dress, second and third iterations.

• When the boys play with it, there is room for both of them.
• It doesn’t scoot around or get wrinkled, but lays flat and stays in place.

This was prior to quilting and binding, but you get the idea. Here is my new setup for free-motion quilting using rulers. This is a huge step forward in quilting on a home machine.

Another reason for making 4 smaller quilts is that they would have been much easier to maneuver on my machine with its small harp area. It felt like wrestling with a bear at some points during the process.

Now it’s time to sew a few things for myself for this summer. I’ve got white thread in my serger and coverstitch machines so I think I’ll make up some things that will not require rethreading. Lazy-girl sewing!

This t-shirt project is an experiment in 3 ways:

First, it is impossible to find decent t-shirt fabric at local fabric stores so I bought a Men’s XXL T-shirt at Target, washed it, ironed it and cut out these 2 t-shirts, happily using the hems where possible. The only hem I had to sew today was the bottom of the smaller shirt. Plus I re-used the ribbing at the neck on the smaller shirt. So, an experimental fabric source.

The patterns were traced from the Kwik Sew book, Sewing for Toddlers. Yes, this book is wildly outdated, but the patterns are basics and toddlers generally don’t care if their clothes are up-to-the-minute stylish, they want simplicity and comfort. And trains. I traced the T1 size for DGS2 and the T3 size for Big Brother but used the T4 length. My experience with these patterns is that they run a little wide, but nothing like the usual Big 4 patterns for kids and babies. The shirts look about right, but they haven’t been tried on yet. So, experimental patterns.

About the trains. We were wandering through Beverly’s Fabrics a while back after an unsuccessful hunt for zippers for the fleece jackets that are all finished except the closures and suddenly this rack of embroidered appliqués appeared many aisles removed from the sewing area. Full stop, back the train up and choose one for the upcoming t-shirt project…ooh, they have TRAINS. I wasn’t looking forward to sewing these appliqués on so imagine my delight when I took a closer look today and realized they were IRON-ON. Sweet. They seem well adhered, but who knows how they will wash. I suspect they will curl and pull away and eventually fall off. But babies and toddlers do not wear their clothes for long. So, experimental appliqués.

Tomorrow I deliver them and we see how they fit and find out if there will be more in the pipeline. I am considering using Men’s XXL t-shirts for fabric to make my own tees.

And I downloaded a Brindille and Twig Romper pattern, have got snaps and a snap setter on the way and have had the Mickey Mouse fabric on hand for some time, should be enough to make the romper for Ryan and a Tee for Logan. In order to comply with the rules of the contest I can’t start actually sewing on this project until August 1st which is still a week away, but I’ve got plenty to keep me busy until then. My current goal is to finish the white jacket my wardrobe so desperately needs and which has been in progress for 2 months before I begin sewing for the boys.

What have I been doing for 2 months when I should be able to finish this in under a week you ask? Finishing up another project with an actual deadline, that drawing of Lemon Boy Cucumbers.

You can buy these Closet Maid over-the-door organizers at Target as of 7-2016. Aisle C-41 in my Tarhet. Are the aisle numbers consistent from one Target to the next? 

Serger cones fit perfectly in this pitifully easy to assemble and install rack. Lots of them. And who has a serger and doesn’t have lots of cones of thread? This is not my original idea. I found it on the forums of Patternreview.com while desperately searching for ways to organize my sewing room. I am merely passing it on. Paying it forward if you will. It’s a great idea, so thanks to the original poster, whoever you are.

Updated to add that the serger cones fall over so it’s best to store them lying down and they fit fine that way too.

Updated again, 2024, to note that I no longer use this method to store serger cones.  They tended to rattle around too much and occasionally would fall out if someone slammed the door and created a rebound.  I’ve yet to remove the rack, but I’m moving that task to the top of my to-do list when I buckle down and really tidy my sewing room/office space.