How many things have you sewn this year?

I just added a new poll in my sidebar. How many items have you sewn this year? I had to go through my blog to remember everything, but I came up with 53 items. That averages 1 a week! I am actually very surprised considering it has been so dismal here in the month of december with my sewing. Tell me, dear readers, how many items have you sewn?? Take a minute to reflect and then pat yourself on the back! You are a creative soul! I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope you eat well, and visit with your loved ones until your heart is content. Happiness to all (and to all a good night)!!

Happy 4th Bday!

My youngest dd's bday just passed. She turned 4, feels like only yesterday I was bringing her home from the hospital! She had a great time at her party with all her friends. We had a string art project, pin the paw on the puppy, pass the puppy ( a version of hot potato), a freeze dancing game, and a pinata. All the kids seemed to have a great time. There is the birthday girl! The pinata didn't make it through all the batters!

The kids are looking for my koi! The fed them my whole jar of food! They won't need feeding for awhile!

This was the dancing game...

It is always hard to plan a birthday party in the middle of all the christmas hoopla! I don't want to cheat her though. After she opened her presents from us (after the party), she turned towards the christmas tree and asked to open more. I told her she had to wait. Like she didn't get enough ??!! She was a good girl, though. She got two zhu zhu pets (the new hot toy this year) from her friends and she decided to give one to her sister without a thought to it. Her sister was thrilled!

I am in a sewing void. I would soo like to be out of this void. However, I have presents to wrap, christmas tortillini soup to make, family to visit with, and kids to take care of!! After christmas........ (I did order one of the new jalie patterns.)

I am jealous of all of you out there sewing, I just get to type!

Christmas is in the air

I cannot believe how quickly the month of december is progressing!!! I am not even close to being done shopping, or baking, or maybe getting a sewing project in!!! We did, however, get to go to Christmas on the Prado, which is a cool event that goes on here in San Diego every year. It is down in our Balboa park. The museums are all free during this event, there is live music at the amphitheater (pictured below), and lots of food at all of the international houses! We ate our way around, then listened to some music, and went into some museums ( the train museum is one of our family favorites....), and then back for some more food and music. It was fun and very christmassy. That is going to be my christmas card picture this year!

Last christmas, my best friend got me a gift certificate for a mani and pedi together. We just got around to using it this past weekend. I added some paintings! The guy doing my nails did an awesome job on the pictures! I got a christmas tree and a snowman on my thumbs, then a christmas tree and a snowflake on my big toes (I am way to cold right now to photograph my feet - they are staying in my warm socks and shoes...hhmmm wonder if anyone will see them?).

I am really craving some sewing time. I washed up my new fabric purchases and keep thinking that I would like some yoga style pants (notice that I said "yoga style" because I don't actually do yoga or even exercise to the point I need exercise wear) to lounge around in at night. I looked up on patternreview and saw a lot of people made kwik sew 3115. I was looking for something with a little more detail like a front yoke . Anyone have any good patterns for pull-on close fitting pant with a more boot or straight cut leg?

What is everyone sewing? My dh actually asked me for some sweatpants. I will have to dig into stash and see if I can come up with anything appropriate. Most of my sweatshirting material is pink.

Ta ta for now! Hopefully I will have some project pictures next time we chat!

More fabric for stash

Like I need anymore?? Oh well, sometimes I just can't resist. This is my latest shipment from the evil fabric queen at Fabrics & Notions. I got a whole load of knits. Most of these will end up pajamas/nighties for the kids. Yes, my kids have lots of sleep clothes! They love them, though and that is what makes sewing fun (and they are quick and easy to make!). The pink camo one may end up on me. The black is rayon poly blend bottom weight knit which will make some nice stretch pants for me and the girls. The blue one is a juicy couture print with juicy couture written on it in a gold metallic. The grey one is more of a furry raised ribknit, could be pants, could by a top, could be a jacket. Not that I seem to have even an iota of time to sew right now! I have all of my time planned until christmas! So, since I have no time to sew, I ordered more fabric online today! HA! When I run out of money (hopefully never), I will have fabric to sew with for years! :) So, what are you asking for that is sewing related for christmas? I asked for an invisible zipper foot (a whopping $13 purchase). I think I have everything else.....I can't think of anything else that I would like to have (beside apparently more fabric that I won't have time to sew with...). Is there some great tool or machine that I don't know about that I must have? Let me know so I can get it on my list! I have been very good this year! :)

Done with the denim!

Here are the jeans! Done! I always forget how much longer it takes to do pants as opposed to shirts. So many pieces, so much topstitching, so many little details like belt loops, rivets, zippers, and buttons.

The good thing, she really likes them! She keeps bending over and meowing at people (yes, with her butt....). The one pocket has a kitty embroidered on it and the other pocket I used hot-fix crystals and made the word "Meow!". I meant for the pockets to be on the reverse "cheeks", but realized too late. Ce la vie!

The length is just right. The waist is actually a little big....I should have done the gaposis fix in the back. Oh well, they don't tend to fall down, and that is what is important. I wanted to give this pattern a try before I used up too much fabric making myself a pair. It was an easy pattern to follow. Sometimes, I was tempted to do my own thing, but I restrained myself and was very happy with all of the results exactly as written in the instructions. I didn't get a pictures of it, but I used a betty boop cotton for the insides of the front pockets. She really liked that!

I think they look rtw! That was the goal (and of course to have them fit......)! Happy Thanksgiving! I made my cranberry sauce and my apple pie tonight. We are off to have dinner with my in-laws tomorrow! I am looking forward to a wonderful day!

It's been awhile.....

Well, it has been quite awhile since I have blogged, so I decided even though I am in the middle of a project, I should get some sort of update out to you all! First off, here is the other nightgown that I made for my older dd. It is a fleece. You will notice that there is no girl in the nightie.....she announced that it was too hot and itchy to wear. Since when is fleece itchy?? I can give her the hot (our cold mornings are 63F in the house), not cold by many standards. I haven't even resorted to turning on the heat in the house yet. By about 10am, the house is in approaching the 70's and quite comfortable. Maybe in another month.....

This project below is the one I am currently working on....

It is the famed Jalie jeans pattern. I am making these for my youngest dd. I have cut them out in the smallest size and added a couple of inches of length.

As you can see, I am still working on the waistband. Then I have the topstitching on that, the button and button hole, and finally the hem. Soon, they should be done soon......

Part of the reason, I have had no blogs for so long, is that I have been busy! Last weekend, we went wine tasting for a friend's birthday. It was fun, she got a bus (there were 35 of us), and we visited a few wineries as a group, had a catered lunch, then set off on downtown Los Olivos to visit wineries of our choice (there are about 25 wine tasting rooms in a 2 block radius). Here is a picture of me below at one of the wineries. That is a jalie shirt (2788 twist top) I am wearing, one of my favorites. I made it about a year and a half ago. I love that pattern!

On that note, I am wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving! Eat lots of turkey, eat lots of pie, and most importantly enjoy your families and loved ones!

Nightie Night!

Here is Ottobre 06-2009-36, this is called the "Mocking Bird" nightdress. I prefer to call it a nightie! I used some fleece that I got from the Yahoo group, Fabric & Notions. It is a big hit! It was really easy to make. I even got to use some techniques that I don't use very often! It called for the sleeves to be flatlocked. I did this on the serger with a wide 2-thread flatlock stitch. Basically, you put wrong side together and stitch. Then you pull on the stitching and the fabric layers pull to lay flat on top of each other (more or less anyway).

All went well, until she realized that San Diego doesn't get that cold this time of year and so the nightie came off, then she got cold and put it back on. Then again it came off, then again went back on. Then she realized she could just pull it way up and not take it all the way off. Got to love kids!

I made another one for her sister out of a different patterned fleece. She hasn't put it on yet, so I will wait for a photo op and do a different post!

As for upcoming projects, I got started on Jalie 2908 (jeans) for the dd pictured. I have such a hard time finding pants that fit her. She is almost 4, and very much on the petite side. Her waist is 18". Even the jalie size F (the smallest one they make), has a waist size of 20". I am trying it though! I have such a problem finding pants that fit her in the waist and length. Even the buttonhole elastic pants don't have enough elastic much of the time. If I buy a size 2 pant with the buttonhole elastic, it will pull small enough, but then the pants are not long enough! During summer I stick to capris, but come winter and she is continually pulling her pants up because they are falling down! (Oh, what it would be like to have that problem..........I probably did like 35 years ago before the booty kicked in!) Anyhow, sewing mom to the rescue! I hope anyway! :)