HST update

So, here (again) is the block I'm working on...

The pattern

... and here is what mine is going to look like...

The fail

Notice something? Yeah, me too. *Facepalm.

To too disappointed though. It is still pretty and will make a nice mug rug. On to the next attempt!

I Challenge Myself - to half-square triangles!

This blog post was the last straw for me. In a good way, in a good way. Sarah at Habibti at Home blogged about making half- square triangle blocks by sewing two squares together around the outside edge, and then cutting them apart corner to corner in an "X". OK, I said to myself, that's it. I have to do something with half-square triangles!

But what? Well, I know I have seen so many beautiful things done with them in the various blogs that I love to peruse. Should I search those blogs? Should I go look in pinterest? Run to the fabric store for a new book or magazine? Wait! I HAVE quilting books. My Mom left them to me. So, I pulled this one off the shelf...

Thanks, Mom!

And I found this inside...

shouldn't be beyond my skills...

I don't remember seeing anything like it recently, and I thought it looked interesting on it's own, and that several blocks put togther should also be interesting.

The next step is fabric... what should I use? Then a bag of hand me overs (a friend of mine passed some piecing to me that her uncle sent to her after picking it up who knows where) caught my eye in my craft room. Hmmmm, I thought, I KNOW there are half square triangles in there. It isn't filling the challenge of creating them though, I countered myself. BUT, I responded, it IS using up what is already here, and it IS practicing making the block(s). Practice on them, and then see how that goes, then work on cutting and the rest. Well, I just had to agree with that, and I pulled out the bag, and found some cute little squares.

two inch squares

I picked some that were pink and yellow, and I also found some blue and yellow, green and yellow, and - I think - blue and green ones that I thought would work together. I ironed and trimmed the pink and yellow ones and then cut some solid yellow for the longer strips. Now for the sewing and the first block!

Of Taste, Style, and Asthetics

Summer is upon us, and I am ready for some summer crafting. I really want to do some sewing, and especially some quilting/piecing. I look at some sewing blogs, and quilting blogs, especially it would seem those with a "modern" asthetic. The quilts are pretty. Gorgeous, even. I've been thinking about what it is that makes them "modern" though. Many of the patterns are not new at all. Some have been tweaked, which is cool, and interesting (and not a new thing, really, either). When I look at the pattern books, and magazines I admire the beautiful quilts but I wonder are they really all that different from the patterns in the books I inherited from my mother? What is it, then, that makes them "modern quilters?" I think what mainly makes them "modern" (besides their recent creation, which one might think was enough) is the fabric choices.

I wonder if - even though I really enjoy their work and creativity and craftsmanship - _I_ am a modern quilter. One of the things that I have learned in my sewing and crafting is that materials DO make a difference, and better quality materials help produce a better quality of finished item. Still, I find these bloggers, and their designer name dropping as... baffling? unnecessary? (something, but I'm not sure what) as I do that of the fashionistas. I mean I understand that the fabric dyes in a collection will come closer to matching each other than random fabrics off the shelf, and when you are trying to put the prints together that color agreement is important. I also understand that part of the reason at least some of them do it is for sponsorship. I don't think that is a bad thing, in itself. Good for them to get that sponsorship and valuable, and beautiful fabrics. But it isn't me. Partly because I find it baffling, and partly because I find it elitist.

So does that mean I'm not a "modern" quiltist? Perhaps it does. I know that I'm less concerned with following fashion and more concerned with being able to incorporate some style into what I make. The style thing is something I've had to work on, though. It hasn't come easily to me, as evidenced by some of the things I've made in the past (but just try to find the evidence, I dare ya). I'm still working on developing my asthetic. Pondering and considering it. And I'm really not done with that, and truly may never be.

Does anyone want to weigh in on their asthetic, or how they found it? How they knew it was there? Is my taste really all in my mouth?

Then, because I don't want to post this with out some kind of picture, here is the book that I'm pulling pattern ideas from this summer:

legacy from Mom

Sorry it is such a fuzzy picture.

Kids clothes Week - Pajamas

What!?! It was my birthday yesterday, and I was busy not posting. So, OK, I'm a day late, but the pajamas were finished in good time. Even if they do need to be tweeked. Sigh.

Soft summer lightweight knit pajamas in a fun print were on order for this week. Special order. From Raine. So here we go...

Which pattern to choose?

Well, I dug through my pattern box(es) and found this one, um, these. Pretty close to what Raine asked for. pull-over, v-neck, long shorts, short sleeves. check! Notice something else about the patterns? Took me a while to notice (and no telling how long I've had these, although the Butterick one is evidently a thrifted one, since it is, as the note mentions, cut down to size 12). Here, let me give you a closer look.

twins? You decide...

Yes, the fabrics on the garments the models for the patterns are wearing are the same. Similar style pattern, identical cover fabrics. Hmmmm....

Oh, well, onward. So I ended up using the Butterick pattern, really because I thought the 14 would be more the right size, but since it had been cut down, I just lengthened it for Raine.

summer pajamas

The shorts fit her great. Looking at the pattern again, I see that they make the top pretty loose, but Raine is just not very big around, and so she is swimming. Also, I might, maybe, have made the top a little TOOO long. Easy enough to fix, and I'm learning about my daughter's changing, growing body. She inherited narrow shoulders from me, and I will have to make some of the same adjustments for her that I do for me.

I also still need work on my lightweight knit sewing techniques. I'm just not happy with the the stretching as I sew on my Singer. I would like to try out some double needle on it, but will have to wair for the summer to build up my confidence to try it. Hope I can get better at them, because I would really like to work with them more.

Kid's Clothes Week Denim Jumper

After about 3 years of reading sewing blogs, I finally get into some kid's clothes week sewing! I've been reading a few of the bloggers, posting about the very cute clothes they are making for their very cute kids. Of course I love sewing for my daughter, but sometimes what I want to make does not go with what she wants to wear. Anyone else have that problem?

I have a stack of projects cut out for her. Since that is my least favorite part of sewing, I tend to cut out a pile, then sew them up at my leisure. Today, I tackled something that had been cut out for a while, and not for my daughter (who wouldn't wear it on a bet).

denim jumper/dress

I like sewing for kids, and occasionally will put together a few basic, versatile pieces to donate for kids who may need them. This time I put together a simple denim jumper dress, with a bit of lace fabric covering the yoke. I found some denim bias tape and used that to face the bottom of the armholes. I think this jumper will look totally cute on its own, paired with a t-shirt or even over tights or leggings and a turtleneck. There is a little bit of gathering of the body to the yoke of the dress, and it is a pretty basic design.

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to get some sewing done for Raine, and have something else to show off for kid's clothes week, this time Raine Style.

A New Skirt for Spring

I like khaki as a friendly, versitile neutral in my wardrobe, and not too long ago a friend of mine picked up a bolt of a khaki twill at a thrift store. She offered me half, and I took her up on it. It was a deal, and not just for something for me, but also I could make Raine some pants & shorts that are school uniform appropriate for school next year. The twill is lightweight enough for warm weather, and after washing was soft, with a kind of brushed side.

I looked through my patterns and picked out this one:

Apparantly, boxy to cover fat once seemed like a good idea

I thought the simple maxi in the top right corner would make a good and useful skirt, and actually looks like it has some shape to it. Elastic waist, kick pleat, easy (only 2 pattern pieces) with the slight inconvenience of no pockets.

So ,it is my first time to make a kick pleat, and mine came out well, although I think I should make another skirt and practice some more...

kick pleat and I matched up the hem on both sides pretty well. yay me!

The skirt fits well, and I'm looking forward to wearing it to school sometime soon. It isn't as full at the bottom as most of my skirts are, so I'm interested in knowing how I'll like it in the long run before I make some more, but I still think my cousin would like one. She wears skirts more often than I do.

tucked in the shirt so the whole skirt would show

Of course the skirt would look more fashionable on some one thinner, but that wouldn't be me. Maybe I should think about styling a little though... put together an outfit like I might wear to work, instead of my tie dye t-shirt that I just happened to have on...

Pattern Adaptation Fail

I've been working with Raine on some summer clothes for her. I've got a pants pattern that she likes pretty well, and looks good on her. I've made a couple of button-down shirts she will/did wear. I've made others though, that she would not. Even some I've consulted with her about, but when the time came to wear them, the answer was "no." Sigh.

This summer she is wanting some pull-over tunic-y style tops. That should be easy enough, right? Well, I couldn't find a pattern in my statsh that was exactly what she wanted, but I didn't let that stop me. It almost never does.

Here's the starting pattern

I dug out this pattern for a girl's top, thinking I could lengthen it suitably. It had a nice neckline detail in view G that I liked.

cute notch in the neckline

The top was  simple to cut out, and quick to sew up. Lengthening it gave it a nice, if subtle, fit and flair shape. I did bias tape facings at the sleeves.

All those dots confused the camera

It came out just as cute as it could be, notch in the neckline and all...

You can ALMOST see it.

The problem? It just doesn't fit Raine AT ALL. The neckline is too big, and reaches from shoulder to shoulder. The shirt is just too big around for her. I could fix that easily enough, if the neckline were better. The neckline didn't look too big until I had it all put together, and then I worried about it. She is my daughter after all, and got my narrow shoulders. Darn it.

Still the top is cute, and I won't throw it away. I will see if it will fit my niece, and if not, donate it to the battered women's shelter. It will fit someone, somewhere...

In the mean time, I have round two ready to go...