Sewing Thoughts for the New Year

I gave up making New Year's Resolutions around the 3rd grade.  I realized quickly that I had a list way too long, and most of those wonderful things on that "to do list" were not completed or maintained past the first week of the new year.  So, I got more practical about those kinds of things.

There are things that I would like to accomplish throughout the coming year; I suppose I would consider them goals for the year.  However, I do realize that often life events intervene, and some goals have to be postponed or merely extended.  For example, I had more "plans" for this holiday season, but some of those plans just.didn't.happen.  Three people that have touched my life passed away in this month of December.  I spent more time in funeral homes than I ever expected during this month of December. That is life; I understand all too well.

Nevertheless, I have some sewing "want to accomplish things for the new year."

Note:  these are just a small sampling 

I'd like to sew more of my factory folded patterns--especially those from independent pattern designers.  I have several from Peggy Sagers, Loes Hines, and Style Arc (among others) that are still carefully folded in their envelopes.  I don't want to over extend myself as my regular "life commitments" take up quite a bit of my time.  I hope, in 2014, to sew at least 4 of these "new" patterns.  That won't put much of a dent in my "factory folded indy patterns," but it is a start!  I'm going to try real hard.

I would like to finish up some of the UFO knitting projects I've started at various and sundry times.  I'm one of those that generally starts a "larger" knit project, loses interest, sets it aside and then starts something small - that can be completed in short time - like a chemo cap for my community service collection bag.  Almost instant gratification.  I really.did.like those larger projects I started, so why.don't.I.finish.them?  One of the reasons they get set aside as by the end of the day (when I do most of my knitting), I have few brain cells left to really concentrate on a more detailed pattern;  I NEED mindless knitting - knit 2, purl 2 or knit, knit, knit in the round.  I should set aside some morning time, when I'm fresh, to put some time in on those larger, more complicated pattern projects.  I'm going to try.

I'd LOVE to make a real dent in the stash this year.  While I'm not going to put myself on a No Fabric Buying Diet, I do pledge to curtail the purchasing.  Honestly, I'm running out of storage space.  How long can I go without buying fabric??

To kick this whole thing off, I have pulled out the short sleeved (knitted) partially knitted sweater (the last photo above) and am working on it again a bit at a time.  First trick was to figure out where I had left off.  I finally was able to do that.

I do hope to get off to a good start with my sewing and blogging in the coming year.  AND, I look forward to reading what all of you out there in blogland are doing!

Bad Photos - NL Skinny Pants

are better than no photos.

I wasn't able to get photos over the weekend when hair was done in a presentable manner and make-up on the face, so

after hemming them this afternoon, I took some photos in the ultra messy sewing room.

As you can see, they are slim fitting, but not a legging - well not to me anyway.

After making the black pair, I did lengthen the back crotch about .5" and it worked well for this pair.

And, here you see the booties I finished today.  A baby gift for a young couple at church.  I like this pattern which you can find here.

Skinny Pants and the Weather

We woke up Friday morning to ice covered trees, decks, and fences with the sleet still falling.  Metroplex traffic was a mess with overpasses that could pass for ice rinks.

So far, the deep freeze continues with temps staying below freezing, and THANKFULLY, the power has remained on so we are staying warm and in touch with the world.  *Usually*, if our neck of the woods gets such a winter storm, it is after the first of the year; not so this time.

So, I got to spend some time in the sewing room.  The winter white skinny pants need to be hemmed.  I count these as another success with this pattern getting an A+ from me.  Sorry no pictures yet as the hair and face were not done today.  I hope to get some tomorrow, but you will get to see them, I promise.

I had purchased this lavender/purple knit at J's a couple of weeks ago.  It's actually velvety texture on netting.  I thought it would make a nice, soft scarf.  I purchased .5 yd.  It was about 54" in width.  Wanting a nice long scarf that I could loop several times if I wanted, I simply cut the 18" of length in half and serged two of the ends together making one very long piece.  I then folded in half lengthwise and serged the ends and one, long seam together - leaving a opening (which I hand slipped stitch together to close) to turn the fabric.  

I decided to try this method of tying that was shown on the Stitchers Guild site.  This fabric is not the best for this method, but you get the general idea.  

I have to say I'm looking forward to warmer temps and the great thaw here.

Skinny Pants 2 - Status Update

The winter white RPL pair of pants is now cut and ready to sew.

A winter storm is predicted for us tonight here in the north central Texas area.  Icy roads are expected in the morning with temperatures staying below freezing for several days.  It's OK; we have plenty of dog food and treats, cat food and treats and donkey food.  Oh, and the fridge is stocked well for DH and me.  Yesterday it was almost 80, and I was running the A/C in the car.  This is Texas.,

As long as we maintain power, I plan to spend most of the day tomorrow in the sewing room.  I'm thankful that I have no reasons to be on the roads tomorrow.  This retirement gig is really fun!  Of course, there is the possibility it won't be as bad as predicted.  We'll know tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned....

Skinny Pants - New Look 6110

I've tried on several pair of RTW "leggings" and somehow, I just don't feel comfortable even with the tunic tops.  I suppose they bring back memories of the skin tight stirrup pants.  In my younger days they were either fine or I was fearless and not self conscious seeing my legs outlined perfectly by that stretch fabric.

I like the general look of "skinny pants" but hadn't found the right one for me.  I was reading the Sewing Artistry blog and at the end of that post, she highlighted this New Look pattern.

I thought, Hey, this may just be the pattern for me.  I bought it the next time I was out and about and cut a "muslin" from some heavy interlock I had lying around.  I cut a 16 at the waist and blended to a 14 at the hip to the hem.  By George, I like them!  I scooped about .25" in the bum and the muslin indicated I needed to lengthen the back crotch at least .5"  I altered the pattern and pulled out some nice black RPL.  It didn't have as much stretch as the interlock, and it didn't have as much stretch as several RPLs in the stash.  But, it was a very nice heavier weight fabric - great, IMO, for pants.

I like the way they fit!  No bunches of fabric under the bum, and few, if any, wrinkles in the back legs.  No photo, you know how black is - you can't tell anything from the photos.  I wore them today to our ASG neighborhood Christmas lunch.  For this pair, they still needed about another .5" at the back waist, (more length in the back crotch), but I'm thinking that is just a result of this particular fabric and its limited stretch factor.  Nevertheless, they were very comfortable - all over comfortable.  Skinny legs, but not form fitting.  Not too much, not too little, but just right!

So, I received today via UPS man in brown a wonderful winter white RPL pant weight from Gorgeous Fabrics.  Hopefully, tomorrow (after morning errands) that RPL will become a 2nd pair of these wonderful pants.  Yes!