Creating With Friends

 A while back, Cennetta Burwell of The Mahogany Stylist and I teamed up to make cargo pants. We had so much fun!!! And then the added benefit...we got new pants!!!

We have both enjoyed our cargo pants so much that we decided to team up again and do not only a new pair of cargo pants, but a cargo jacket as well. We chose the Kelly Anorak from Closet Core Patterns.

 

My jacket is cut and ready to go. Cennetta and I are using the same fabric for our jackets, so we'll be twins ;) The fabric is a lovely stretch twill, so it should make for a fabulous spring jacket. 

Once we get our jackets completed, we will be making the cargo pants from Iconic Patterns. 

We love the look of the pant. Can't wait to get these made up!

If you have never collaborated with a friend on a sewing project, I encourage you to do so. If nothing more, you both hold each other accountable!!! 

We should have made a little progress on our jackets by next week, so stay tuned!!!

Cargo Fashion Show

In a bit, I am off to the second week of my weaving class, and dropping Mr. Berkley off at daycare. He loves daycare as he gets to play. Does my heart good :) 

I am so pleased with my first weaving project. Here's a glimpse at what I have done so far;

Last week I learned how to set up the loom. Wow, what a project! 

Rather than a Monday Morning Inspiration post, I thought I would do a quick post and show you my new cargo pants. I am in love!!!

From the front they look like a typical pair of pants. I really like how the print of the tee works with the print in the pants.

The back cargo pockets.

A side view where you can see the trim and I have my hand in the front zippered pocket.

If you missed the last post on the pants, you can find it HERE. I talk about what I did to create all the pockets. 

As you can see, my pants aren't the typical cargo pant, kinda high end actually. But...so what?!! Who says that cargo pants can only be worn for hiking? ;)

Wishing you a fabulous start to your week!

Rhonda

Cargo Crazy/Pair 2, Pockets, Pockets Pockets

Berkley and I had our second agility class. He loves it, but I think I need a remedial class on how to run without falling :/ Berkley was running through 1 of the tunnels. My job was to run and meet him at the end so that I could then direct him to turn and run through the second tunnel. As I was running, I managed to stumble, and I went flying, landing directly on my knee. Hurt like the dickens!!! But the positive thing is that I didn't land on my wrist and break that again!!! Always a silver lining :) My knee is so swollen, but this too shall pass. 

I am so very behind on the cargo pant challenge that Cennetta of The Mahogany Stylist and I are doing. I may be behind, but I absolutely love this pair!!! I only have hanging pictures today, but my next post will be me in the pants.

Here's the lovely Cennetta in her pants;

     

We both used the same fabric, but in a different colorway, hers is a tanish brown, mine a gray/blue. The fabric is from Mood Fabrics and you can find it HERE. 

For my front pockets, I decided to do something a little different. I used the pocket from the pattern, but I filled in the opening, lengthened the pocket, and rounded the corner. As you can see in the above picture, I inserted zippers to create openings in the pockets. 

I really went crazy with this pair of pants. I had purchased the trim from Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver, Colorado. Had no idea of what I would do with it when I bought it, but there was enough to run it down the side seams, so I went with it!

I used the existing pocket pattern to create the back pockets. They were a little too large, so I folded the pattern until I had a pocket size that I liked. I did not use the darts, just ignored them and rounded the corners.

The pockets blend in so well that it's a little difficult to see them. I added a snap closure and just a bit of the ribbon trim as a tab on the flap of the pocket.

Here's a side view of the pants.If you look closely, you can see all 3 pockets. I took the original cargo pocket from the pattern and used it on the side of the leg, adding a zipper opening.

You can see the pocket a bit better in this picture. I was able to match the trim on the pocket to the pant leg so that it looks continuous. 

The original cargo pocket has darts so that the pocket will sit away from the garment. I just ignored the darts, rounded the corners, and added a little to the side of the pocket to accommodate the length of my zipper. 

I plan to wear 1 of the Molly Tees from Pattern Union that I made with the pants. There's a lot of pattern going on, but I love it! 

Cennetta did some fun things with her pockets. On the back, she added a solid color strip to the top of the pocket. The pocket is the perfect size for a credit card or driver's license. 

On the front leg of her pants, she stacked the pockets, the patch pocket on top, a small rectangular pocket with a zipper, and then the traditional cargo pocket with the added darts on the bottom. 

Cennetta also did a fun treatment with a zipper down the front of her pant leg. You can read about it HERE.

A sneak peek at my next cargo project...

I have quite  bit of the red and white striped ribbon, so I will be using it with the white denim. 

As it turns out, I really like the fit of this out of print Simplicity pattern. Just fits so well. But, in the end, it's just a pant pattern. If you have thought that you might like to give a cargo pant a try, just use a pant pattern that you really like, and that fits well, then go pocket crazy! 

I'm off to put ice on my knee :(

Rhonda

Sew Cargo Crazy/Let The Sewing Begin!

Remember me???

Once again, I have been sewing, but no blogging :/

Lots of interesting things happening in my life. In August, I will be taking a 4 day pilgrimage. I'm actually quite excited. It may be a little daunting, but in the end, I think it will be so very good for my soul. I most likely won't share the entire experience, but some for sure. Taking a little time to be quiet, to explore some things that have been pressing on my soul, so wonderful. Even more, I am so very grateful that it's something I will have the opportunity to do. Truly a time of exploration :)

The Mahogany Stylist and I are a day late with getting our cargo challenge posts up. We talked yesterday and decided that it wasn't worth rushing to get it out. We've decided to move our posts to Saturdays.

The pattern that we are using for our July Cargo Pants Challenge is an out of print pattern, but still available on Ebay. Sadly, I didn't find any on Etsy, but I'm sure more will pop up.

For my first pair, the trail pair, I used a stretch woven fabric that I found at a favorite resale shop. 

The pattern calls for a center back zipper. Depending on the style of the pant, I usually prefer a fly front zipper. As I'm cutting out the front, I include the extension for the fly zipper.    

What I end up making is a mock fly front opening as I usually don't include the facing. Works just fine. 

I decided to do 2 of the large patch pockets. I found them to be a little shallow, so in the future, I will extend the pattern by 2". The pattern has the option to add the tab with a d-ring. I thought it was rather fun and added to the whole cargo pant feeling.

The pattern includes a real cargo pant type pocket. I LOVE this pocket! It has darts along the bottom that give it volume. This is a pocket pattern that I will be using again and again.
 

Rather than put a buttonhole in the pocket flap, or add the d-ring closing, I used velcro. I like being able to quickly get into a pocket. As I said in my last post, I love wearing a pair of cargo pants when I am out running errands, grocery shopping, etc. I throw my phone, reading glasses(need those!), driver's license, and a credit card in my pockets and I'm hands free.   

All in all, I liked how the pants turned out. 

She's Alive!!! You haven't seen much of me lately :)

BTW, the t-shirt I am wearing is from Pattern Union, the Molly Tee. I've made a pile! Obviously, I love this pattern :)

I just purchased the new cargo pant pattern from Iconic Patterns. You can find it HERE. I haven't given it a try yet, but I really like how the pattern is styled. 

For next week's addition of Sew Cargo Crazy, Cennetta and I will be using the same fabric, just in different colors. Her first pair of cargo's are up on her blog. Be sure to pop over and check them out. You can see her post HERE. 

And remember...

If you would like to join us, we will be posting at #sewcargocrazy and #sewcargo on Instagram. Hope to see you there!  

Sew Cargo Crazy

Compliments.
How do you feel about compliments? It seems that some are quite taken back when given a compliment, feeling as though it's not given in sincerity. Yes, that can be true, but I think for the most part, we know when a compliment is attached with an expectation, or just isn't sincere.

Last week, I received probably the loveliest compliment...ever. I had flown with a flight instructor whom I had never met. While we were out, it began to rain quite hard, the clouds began to sink, and the visibility was not the best. I've been in situations like this before, so I wasn't uncomfortable, and felt fine about us making it back to the airport without any problem. That night, the instructor sent me a note. Here's a portion of the note;

"Just wanted to reach out and thank you for our flight today. Your experience and professionalism helped me in expanding my personal minimums. You have a calm demeanor, and you fly the airplane like an expert."

What an amazing compliment! So kind, and so very generous. He has no idea of how much it meant to me. I did thank him, but still, he can't possibly understand the gift it was to me.

Last Monday, I did an inspiration post on cargo pants. A few weeks ago, I saw this picture in an email from Mood Fabrics;

  

I really love the pants, and I posted the picture on my Instragram page. My friend, Cennetta of The Mahogany Stylist saw the picture, and then proceeded to give me a call. She too loved the pants, and said that it reminded her of an out of print Simplicity pattern.

  

As we were talking, I looked up the pattern and saw that I could get 1 from an Etsy site. Then I had the idea that we could possibly do a challenge. Cennetta loved the idea, so off we went! 

Here's what we have planned for the month of July.

*Week One: Any view of the pants from Simplicity 5102 using      the pattern without any style changes.

*Week Two: Use any view, but add a personalized detail.

*Week Three: Once again, any view of Simplicity 5102, any view, but personalized to our own taste and style.  

*Week Four: Make a cargo skirt using Simplicity 5102. 

For the first week, I have chosen a very typical cargo pant like fabric. It's a gray/green fabric that has a little stretch. Love that stretch!! 

I think it's going to be a fun challenge, and even better, I'll get at least 3 new pairs of pants out of the deal :) You can see Cennetta's post and fabric choice HERE. 

If you would like to join us, we would love to have you! Post your makes on Instagram using #sewcargocrazy and/or #sewcargo. Be sure to pop over to Cennetta's instagram page and check out the discount that Mood Fabrics is offering. You can find Cennetta HERE on Instagram.  

For the most part, we never know how we touch other lives, what a compliment, or just a simple smile can mean. Be free with your compliments. You never know if that will be the thing that may turn a life around.

Happy Sewing!

 Rhonda