Sunday, October 31, 2010

Branching Out With Knits


I haven't worked much with knits until the last month or so (mostly because I had heard it was hard), but after seeing so much of what other people are doing lately, like at MADE and No Big Dill (two of my favorite blogs!) and many others, I got myself a ball point needle and just started. It really isn't hard at all, and knowing how to adjust your machine a little (like change the pressure on your presser foot) makes a big difference with really stretchy knits!
I LOVE the big butt baby pants that RAE makes so I thought I would try to make a version of my own.


That went so well I tried a shirt.
Got the general size from a shirt that fit well and made up the rest :o)


And another :o)
The car one came straight out of a cold dryer so it was a bit wrinkled for the picture.
Previously known as a friend's tank top and short-sleeve shirt. I love getting bags of goodies from other people!


After the shirts, I realized Caleb didn't have any jeans. So a quick dig through my old jeans stash and about 20 minutes later we have a whole new outfit. I've noticed the boys have a lot of separates and few complete outfits, so I need to start making things to bring together what they have - not just add to the volume of their drawers. 
I tried forever to get a cute picture of Caleb, but decided he was way to fast for me!


See :o)


And off he goes.


I made this shirt for my nephew's 6th Birthday. 


Obviously it was a pirate party they were having :o)
I wanted to do something pirate without being covered in skulls and crossbones. It's sometimes hard to find nicer-looking pirate stuff!
I used an old shirt of Samuel's as a pattern, and the back half of a black XL t-shirt and a few other scraps I had saved for the applique. 
I looked online for ideas, but ended up just making up my own thing.


I was able to use the band from the old collar as the new collar. I just folded it under like bias tape so it is about half as big as it was but that's perfect going on a smaller shirt. I think it looks pretty good!! Like my 3sillymonkees tag??? I do!!! I'm trying to perfect it before I do a post on it, so maybe soon :o)



 It's been good for me to just jump into this knit thing and see that it's really not too scary! I feel way more confident and am ready to try all sorts of things with knits now!

Friday, October 29, 2010

The Unexpected Remodel


Check out the fun at my parents' house!!!


The remodel was planned, it was the timing that was a bit unexpected.
I'm sure it will only take 2 weeks :o)
(anyone other than my family watch the money pit on a regular basis?)


This is pretty much how our house looked all the time growing up. It explains why when I smell paint or sawdust my first thought is home :o) 
There were always lots of friends and family helping (usually in the wee hours). Everyone worked, no matter how old (or should I say young). There was always something that you could do even if you could only carry 3 shingles up the ladder at a time :o) That was me when I was 9 years old. We thought it was fun most of the time!


I love all those familiar sights and sounds!


I should have pictures of  the finished product to share very soon. Have fun Mom and Dad!!!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

More For Me



I know I should be working on the boys' quilts, but I guess I get distracted easily :o) !!!!
I had a fun week sewing for only me, but then I felt kinda bad and am trying to make up for it by doing extra squares this week :o) That evens out right?
 I got this pattern from a friend's Grandma a long time ago (maybe 5 years or so) and always liked it but never really thought seriously about making it until last week.  I saw this fabric for $1.50 a yard, and for some reason immediately thought of this pattern. I figured I could make it work with 2 yards, and if it didn't turn out that great it was only $3 down the drain. So at my first available nap time I started cutting out the pieces. I thought I would just get that part out of the way that day and sew the next, but it went so fast that by the time everyone was up 2 hours later I was almost done! The next day all I had left to do was the tie, hem and the sort-of sleeve.


 I Love it!!! And really love it for $3! And I'll take many more like that :o) And, thanks so much to my friend Sarah, I have these pretty pictures to share.




 I love that the dress can be more dressed up or dressed down with different shoes, and it can fit you through many shapes and sizes, because it's made to just pull over your head, and you use the tie to make it as tight or loose in the right place for you as you want to. And that's great for me because I'm always changing between just pregnant or just had a baby, and sometimes I'm even at my normal size :o).  I was going to make the neckline a bit higher, but then that problem with most dresses (no nursing) is there again, so I thought I'd just leave it low enough to be accessible and wear a tank or something under it.  But then I saw somewhere how to make a little crocheted chain with your thread (using a regular needle, not a crochet hook) to make a button loop. It was so easy and delicate and I think just adds a little something extra.



I plan on making some variations of this into tunic-type shirts for this fall/winter, and maybe one (or two) more  next spring :o).  Things to look forward to...  So this is done and I still have 2 other pieces of fabric burning a hole in something (my sewing machine I guess) :o).  A green dress is coming next...