SEWmuchKNITting

I've been spending my time at home in isolation during the CoVid 19 pandemic working on projects on my to-do list.  I had purchased this pattern for the Sew Together zipper bag last year, and had an enjoyable day at my sewing machine yesterday making it up. The pattern is by Sew Demented, and the construction details are very clever! I sewed along with the YouTube video by Margaret Leuwen , and that made it very straightforward. I decided to choose a fabric that I had used last year when I made my Finch Bucket knitting bag. Many years ago I had purchased a large lot of zippers from Zipperstop , and they came in all lengths and colors. This was such a good purchase for me, as I always seem to have exactly the zipper that I need!  I made a few changes from the photo above: changed the colors of the zippers, and used a more stable fusible interfacing without adding the batting and quilting that I initially thought I would do. I love my cute little

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might have found the headline to today's post a little confusing as I have noted in the past that I am a ardent University of Michigan alum and fan. (My blood runs "just a little" Maize and Blue!)  But my dear son-in-law is an Iowa alum, and I wanted to make him a quilt of his own. Although I live in Michigan, I was able to source the Iowa Hawkeye fabric online from Joann Fabrics before we all went into isolation. And this was the first project I focused on: The pattern is called Triple Treat, from the book Happy Hour by Atkinson Designs. The front is pieced using cotton fabrics, and I used flannel on the back: so snuggly! The quilting is a large meander done on my domestic Juki TL-2000 Qi (love that machine!). This book also has a pattern to use the off-cuts from the block piecing to make a table runner, called Second Helpings: I would have loved to gift this to him in person, but with the

Today is the big reveal for my entry into  #thegreatmodulesewalong on Instagram, hosted by Whitney @tomkatstitcherycarmel and Carla @carlamayfield5 Back in January, after hearing about the Module Sew Along on Whitney's You Tube channel , I started to give the whole idea some thought. I pulled fabrics from my stash, purchased one or two, and started to think about pairing the fabrics with patterns. I was able to use patterns from my collection as well, with the only exception being a pattern purchase from Megan Nielsen Patterns: the Tania Culottes. I  had already purchased this pattern for the January Sew My Style challenge. If you look closely, not all fabric in the pile was used, and not every pattern I had initially pulled  was used either.  I've never been as organized and and considerate in my choice of garments to sew, and I really liked this approach!  From left to right: Simplicity 9020 : a loungewear set consisting of an oversized

This project is my final make for #thegreatmodulesewalong! I decided that since I mostly sew clothes that are appropriate for my office job, I really needed to sew some lounge wear. Having recently purchased  Simplicity 9020 , I went ahead and cut it out using this lovely Italian knit that I had purchased years ago from Mood Fabrics. Trust me, I DID read the pattern notes re sizing, but this pattern is VERY oversized!! I cut my usual size LG for the top, and cut an XL for the bottoms for cozy comfort, and had to take both pieces in substantially.  I kept the side seam pockets on the pants (of course!), but left off the small back pocket which I knew I would never use. Adding cuffs to the sleeves brought the arm fullness in a bit, and made the top a more practical garment. The result: wearable, but still oversized. It was so fun to add some text to the very plain gray knit, using my Silhouette machine and some heat transfer vinyl. I enj

I've been sewing along on my Wardrobe Module for The Great Module Sewalong , and recently  put together  Simplicity 8529 , the Toaster Sweater which is a collaboration with the Sew House Seven pattern designer company.  This is a very popular pattern in the sewing community, first with Sew House Seven and then again with Simplicity. It's clean lines and of-the-moment design makes it fun to sew and to wear. I must say, I really like the high funnel collar: not quite a cowl, and not quite a turtleneck! I purchased this lovely ivory knit from  Beautiful Textiles , and it sewed like a dream. Well, the fabric was lovely to sew, but my serger decided to act up!! I guess I've been walking a fine line with needing new cutting blades, so off it  went to the repairman for a spa date! New blade(s), clean-up and tune-up and soon I'll be back serging again. (my machine serged fine with a test piece-I ALWAYS do a test serge first-and se

I am participating in the Great Module Sewalong with Whitney from TomKat Stitchery and Carla from Stay Stitching , both on YouTube. The Module is to consist of 6 coordinating pieces: 2 bottoms, 3 tops, a topper (could be a cardigan, blazer, jacket) and I will add one extra, a dress.  This is my topper, the  Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet , which I have made twice before! This is the perfect pattern for an open cardigan, so why mess with a good thing!  I found this leopard print sweater knit at Hobby Lobby, which was a fun surprise since I rarely shop there for garment fabrics.  I make absolutely no alterations to this pattern, sewing it right up out of the pattern envelope, and have been happy every time. But I have to say that this one is my favorite! Next up is a Sew House Seven/Simplicity pattern toaster Sweater, that I hope to squeeze out of an ivory knit.  I am enjoying the motivation from sewing along with this Module Challenge!

I used to do a lot of Christmas knitting.....but then our family started growing by leaps and bounds!  It made more sense to me to transition to Birthday knitting, which is much more fun as it is spread out across the calendar year. This includes the adults as well as the kiddos! I use this blog as a journal where I keep track of my makes, and when doing a 2019 review, I found that I hadn't documented many of those Birthday projects from last year. So, to catch up: Jolene has a July birthday, so I knit the Melissa Tank for her out of Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima , which is a 100% cotton yarn. As you can see she looks so cute wearing it as a vest, or can be worn like a tank in warmer weather. Emersyn turned One (!) in September, and knitting up the Bellarose shrug for her was lots of fun! That shade of purple in another Cascade yarn: the  220 Superwash Aran  is so pretty on her. Desmond and Rose are siblings, with November birthdays that