Mini Photo Dump; A Little Sewing

First, a little Target snoop shopping...I love their jackets and think they're reasonably well made but can't do the $35 price tag. Especially since Target puts their clothing on sale so quickly. I'm sure it'll be marked down 30% soon and maybe even 50%...

Perfect piece for spring!

Ignoring my dirty entry way (hey, it's still winter!)...My daughter's distressed jeans went into fully ripped at the knees. If you look closely at her right leg you'll see a vertical seam where I repaired them before! I think she's going to have to hang these up soon :) But in the meantime; she got a cool polka-dot patch job.

I was being a total hooligan and had a couple of completed items that needed hemming. My mom's cardigan is one of them. M6996 in an animal print jersey from Fabric Mart. 

We're pretty close in size and I've gifted her 2 of my M6844 cardis so this one should fit just fine. I have some "unselfish sewing" in the works for her to round out my February sewing.

What do you do when your husband asks you to make a blanket for a pending new baby in his extended family...and then tells you the baby is due "this week"?

Fleece! lol!

I took a yard of fleece and the JoAnn "minky" (it's called cuddle dot or something or another). I cut it down to 34" x 52" (FYI Husband: babies grow and still need blankies when they are no longer tiny) and put wrong sides together and bound it with the polka-dot fabric (I am getting major mileage from this cut of cotton!) 

The burp cloths are from the Cloud9 free pattern & tutorial (here). I love this little pattern. You can get 2 'faces' from a fat quarter which makes it really easy! I buy solid white flannel to back mine. I saw a great tip about backing it with terrycloth but that was WAY too thick. 

This cute little set is heading west! On it's way to California :)

Randoms

There's no limit as to how many times you can post "Randoms"! :-)

We had a super busy weekend but I managed to get back in the cave - yay! I have lots of plans milling about the brain but decided to start with the 'easiest' task first; a slew of cardigans.

One for me, TWO for me, one for younger daughter, one for mom

First I cut the blue one out because wool jersey. But I turned around and the serger was loaded up with grey/cream thread sooooooo...(I know I'm not the only one whose sewing is sometimes dictated by serger thread!!)

I had plans to make the grey stripe with the front band but 1) those are different pattern pieces and: lazy and 2) I had nowhere near enough fabric for that front band anyway. I had to cut everything single layer not just for stripe matching but for conservation of fabric!

(matching across the fronts)

The elbow patches look really wonky but they aren't - promise!

I had big plans to match the sleeves (haha) but cutting single layer I cut the second sleeve incorrectly and just found a scrap big enough to recut the sleeve. WHEW! Love that peplum! 

The grey stripe just needs hemming.

The navy is cut out and ready to sew.

Mom's is cut and partially constructed (she wears the same size as me).

DD's pattern still needs to be traced out.

Saturday we were going to go play basketball (I'm not a basketball player; don't worry...but I am competitive so we go out and play sometimes). The private school where my husband works was packed with kids so we went to Hancock instead. :-D Majorly good trade off, no?

1202, 1201, 1198

2592, 1544

I went for notions; specifically an awl and wash away wonder tape and I decided to get more jeans needles. Then happened upon the Simplicity pattern sale. 

My husband picked out the top 3 patterns :) I am becoming an apron pattern collector and then he picked out that shirt pattern because I promised him I'd sew him one this year. It was SO hard to convince him to ignore the fabric choices and that it's a 'regular old shirt pattern'. He reluctantly agreed to get it :)

This trip was made sweeter by him buying my goodies - so it doesn't have to come out of my sewing budget dollars - YAY!!!!!! 

Then I was at Target -- if you follow me on IG you would think I lived at Target! Thing is, this is Target territory and I have like 18 Target stores within a few miles (not 18 but really like 6...all within a 10 minute drive)

On my last trip I saw these plaid blazers and really liked them but they were like $24 on sale and I was all, NOPE, too much.

On my last Target score, I'd been in there, saw jean jackets for $30. Told myself, "it's Target. They'll be 30% off in a week and 50% off 3 days after that...". The next time I went in they were 70% off. Score.

So last night the blazer was 70% off and I had an additional 20% off with the cartwheel app. So I paid $8.40! Woot!!

I was proud of their stripe matching across the front, the lapels, and the side seams but dang it the sleeve stripes don't match!

Other yumminess about this jacket:

*bright blue under collar :swoon:

*fully lined with hand stitching of the lining to the facings!

*real working welt pockets

*a back vent

*real working sleeve vents

*understitching in all the places where it belongs...ahhhh...

I might change the button; it's kind of cheap looking. But I will proudly wear this $8 blazer! I've wanted a plaid one for so long but haven't had the patience yet to start one.

And finally, a funny I pilfered from Instagram :)

Have a fun-filled sewing week and don't forget about the giveaway!

Review-a-Palooza: Simplicity 1945, McCall's 6996, McCall's 6078

Due to general life business and traveling for work, I haven't sewn a stitch since Saturday. And won't have time to sew today, or tomorrow, and probably not until Saturday evening if I feel up to it.

I am twitching and tweaking and the bigger problem; planning. Now there are like 8 projects on my "MustDoNow" list. OY!

While the blog is quiet I may as well get these reviews done. I am gonna be a lazy lazy pants here and just lump 'em all.

Simplicity 1945

It's a Khaliah Ali pattern so it goes up to size 28 - yay! And it's not a pattern full of boxy mess. There are super cute tops!

I chose this cardigan because it has two pieces. Lazy. And, either I have longer monkey arms than I thought or this photo is inaccurate. These sleeves are nowhere near as long as they appear in the pic.

I hemmed and hawed over sizing and settled on a 14. I used a light sweater knit from Fabric Mart (that I got for $1/yd previously!).

Just throw the directions in the corner. It's fairly intuitive to put together but some crazy person at Simplicity decided they'd make you go crazy like them.

There is a facing for the back neckline which makes NO sense as that entire front is finished with a double-turned hem. And they way they have you finish it is mind boggling in a horrid way.

cut on sleeve awesomeness

The back length is perfect for me so if you're longer through the torso, take heed.

McCall's 6996

When this pattern was released I was all, meh. I have 6844 and this is the same.

Except it isn't.

I can't quite articulate the difference but one DOES exist. Now, how's THAT for helpful?

I opted for view A (view B is 3" longer at the back), in a medium. I did a 1/2" narrow shoulder adjustment, which is typical for me.

This was quick and easy to sew up, no directions needed. The back neckline has that slight gather to it which is cute and makes it hug the neck nicely.

I love it and it is 3 of the 7 want-to-make projects listed above (one for me - with leather elbow patches!, one for my mom and one for my stepdaughter). My mom now owns two of my M6844 cardigans and wants one of these.

Again, never mind that she sews... ;-)

no fabric pooling at center back! swoooooon

The peplum is MUCH less dramatic than that of M6844; I like.

McCall's 6078 (oop)

I don't know what those models are doing...

maybe they're just feeling extra happy with their awesome tops?

Gotta admit, I passed right by Making the Flame's declarations of love for M6078 during OWOP. But now, NOW I now why she loves it so!

Those pleats at the shoulders are really beautiful when stitched. And the cowl is so soft, and falls just right, and isn't low at all. And the neckline finishing is brilliant. I think I've seen it on another cowl neck but can't remember which pattern and thought it was brilliant then too!

While a medium is the right size for me, I need a little cheater FBA on this one. My only other adjustment was shortening it via taking a deeper hem. You can see it's kind of long on the model and I didn't want it hip length on me. Plus, I love deep hems on knit tops.

I think I need a few more of these!

So I got a mini wardrobe and some new TNT patterns out of this experience; totally worth it!

**Aside from the 3 cardigans, my list of things I *HAVE* to sew:

Another pair of SA Sandra jeans (waiting for the jeans contest on PR)

M7100 (bomber jacket - the pattern isn't showing up on McCall's site. Weird)

B5966 (view B if I have enough for the length, otherwise view A)

B6130 (jumpsuit)

January Burda project. Except there's nothing I reallllly want to sew. So I might cheat and skip out. I wanted to sew the cover coat but I can't find any fabric thus far that doesn't scream robe or blanket...

I went to pattern review and saw Tiger Feet's version of the colorblocked slim fitting jacket

YOWZA!!!!! I must have one!!

Revised Staycation Sewing Plans

I had it all planned out, I was going to sew and sew and SEW!! But my parents are coming!!!!

I only get to see them once a year -- maybe twice if I'm lucky -- and they will be here for 4 days over Christmas - YAY ME!!!! I'm not a 'mama's girl' or a 'daddy's girl', I'm just my parents BABY GIRL and I am so happy when they are near. Ahhhhh...

So I decided I need to get some things started sooner. I cut out all of the new-to-me patterns while catching up on Hell's Kitchen with my daughter, and on Friday, I muslined the Vogue top.

Well, this is what really happened:

Self #1: hmmm...do I REALLY need to muslin this?

Self #2: remember all those recent revelations about you and the tops you've sewn...

Self #1: yeah but look at how straightfoward this is...and the finished measurements look good.

Self #2: I don't know... it has that odd construction AND raglan sleeves...how will that work?

Self #1: Meh. It'll probably be fine.

Self #2: But you REALLY love that teal jersey...

Self #1: Ugh. FINE.

So into the knit scrap bin I went!

(sorry for the toilet)

Bleh. LOL!

I don't dislike it, but there isn't enough room, Something funky is happening at the front raglan sleeve (too tight across the bust?) and in the few minutes I had it on I must have adjusted that cowl like 13 times.

I think I would love it a size bigger, with a rayon type knit, and tunic length. So I might make it again.

PLUS, I did not like the idea of it with cardigans. And that made me rethink the tops I chose and how they would layer. Minnesota = layering. Period.

So I changed things up a little bit. And chose a different cardigan with a "collar" and another shell vs. a top with sleeves. I need more solid colored shells anyway.

Same color scheme because I really like it

M6996 in animal print

M6078 in mustard

B5493 in teal

S1945 in the black/gold sweater knit

Belle: Still in white challis

Sandra: Still in denim

V9032: still in black suiting

I am still quilting the quilt. It needs to be complete by Thursday morning. I did NOT quilt on Sunday and instead decided to start the "easy" knit projects.

Well, they went so fast! (YES L! THEY as in multiple! lol!!!!)

I was going to "sew the major seams" of M6996, M6078 and B5493.  And ended up finishing the cardigan and the mustard top. B5493 still needs finishing.

I WILL muslin the Sandras this weekend.

Sneaky peeks, reviews of patterns to come!

here the cardigan is unfinished

finished!