Sunday, September 7, 2008

First Place, Baby!

That's right ... first place! I participated in the Lillian Optimist Club's "Run for the Mullet 5K" on Saturday morning and earned a first place medal!
OK, first place woman.
OK, first place, woman aged 50 - 55.
OK, there was no 2nd or 3rd place winner in my age-group.
OK, my 15-minute miles are the slowest for the entire field, BUT, I did finish the race in a record 47 minutes.
OK, this was my first race, so I can only get better, right :-)

I had fun, I kept my heart rate at 85% of max and lived to tell the tale. I plan on doing more races this fall. {Grin}

Monday, June 30, 2008

More Short Sets for Sean

I had fun this weekend making 2 short sets (Simplicity 2907, size 4) for Sean. I bought the twill helicopter fabric shortly after the last issue of Australian Smocking & Embroidery came out. I found it at Peanutbutter-n-Jelly Kids. Such a cute print and perfect for Sean. AS&E had the shorts paired with a top that had a helicopter smocked on an insert. I just don't think he is a smocking kind of guy, so I found the helicopter applique at The Purple Hat. It worked out very well.



"Swingwing Pilot" is pilot slang. An airplane is considered a fixed-wing aircraft, and since a helicopter doesn't have fixed wings, it's a swingwing aircraft :-)

For this set, I made the shorts first, and couldn't decide what to put on the navy shirt. After searching through designs, I found the Batman symbol and it seemed to fit.



Hopefully Sean gets lots of great playtime out of these 2 outfits. I'm also sending another book on tape recorded by me. Just have to decide if I want to read "Where the Wild Things Are" or "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good,Very Bad Day"!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Sunsuit & Diaper Bag

I made this sweet little vintage-styled sunsuit for Miss K. Grandpa wonders if the child ever wears anything but pink :-). I guess I'll have to work on that.

Pattern Amanda's Playsuit by Bonnie Blue. It was pretty straight-forward, but I'll make some changes next time. Less hand stitching, a few other minor changes. The bonnet instructions were really funky, so that will require a major redo!

Miss K wears size 18m in ready-to-wear, but I heard that these patterns run big, so I did it in a size one. Fingers are crossed that it fits. I do wonder if Miss K will sit still long enough for mommy to put this on her ... it buttons on with 2 back buttons and 2 front.


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I also made this cute set for a friend at work who just became a grandmother. The style of the bag is called a "Sunday Diaper Bag" ... just big enough to take along a few necessities. Inside the bag I included a flannel burpie with a Stud Muffin design and a portable changing pad.

This was a fun set to make, and I hope to make more as more of my friends discover the joy of grandparenthood!


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Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting


Sunday, May 18, 2008

Weekend Sewing Projects

Last weekend was a totally Sean weekend.

First, a short set with a Gecko theme:

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The pattern for the shorts was Simplicity 2907, size 4. Thank you Nikita for finding the pattern! I am a little worried that these shorts won't fit --- I'm thinking I should have gone all the way around with the elastic instead of flat front like the pattern called for. You can't see it, but on the side is a little safari pocket with a velcro flap - too cute! We'll see what Mr. Sean says. He's the boss!

The design on the shirt was a free design but I don't remember where it came from.

Next, I found this cute motorcycle fabric at Walmart:


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For this pair of shorts, I used Butterick 5565 size 4. This is the pattern I used for the froggy Christmas PJ's and I know they still fit. I added the pockets from Simplicity 2907 because a guy's gotta have pockets! I also lined the pockets, which made them much easier to construct. I planned on doing the little safari pocket too, but these shorts ended up being too short for it. The design on the shirt came from Land of 1000 Stitches. The design is perfect for these shorts.

Sarah said that Sean loves cooking for her with his play kitchen, so i decided he needed a guy apron and chef's hat.


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I bought the apron at JoAnn (with 40% off coupon - yay), and made the chef's hat from directions posted on About.com. The "Next Playfood Network Star" design came from Digistitches, and I used Hyperfont to digitize "Ahoy Matey" from Boys R Gross font.

This weekend, it was Katherine's turn. Unfortunately, the pattern I ordered from Peanutbutter-n-Jelly Kids has not arrived yet, so I only got one outfit finished for her:


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This little seersucker romper and hat are McCall's 3607, size XL. I'm disappointed that McCall's only lists height and weight for measurements. I don't have those measurements for Katherine, so I guessed that the XL was close to size 18-months. It'll probably be too big! I was very disappointed in this pattern --- the next time I make it, I'll have to adjust the sides of the bib so that they taper down to about 1 1/2 inches between the seamlines. I also will add fullness in the bottoms. Or, maybe I'll just find a better pattern LOL.

But, I love the little hat --- next time I'll serge the seams, but no other changes needed.

All in all, I've had a couple busy weekends and I'm pleased with the results. Maybe next weekend I'll do some cleaning. Nah ... I'll have another new pattern by then!

Thanks for reading ... See you again next time.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Shirt for Sean

This weekend, I made a little shirt for Sean. I had extra fabric left over from last weekend's Lezette Thomason workshop (the red/white check from the lining) and we all know that Sean's favorite color is red ... what else was there to do?






I used Kwik Sew #1971, size 5. I picked up the discontinued pattern at the Waterfront Mission for a quarter - what a deal! I pretty much stuck with the pattern, except for topstitching. I didn't do any topstitching on the collar or yoke - that seems so outdated. I also didn't have any 1/2 inch buttons, so used 9/16. They're too big. I'd say even smaller than a half-inch would have been better. Oh well, it's done.

So, now big brother and little sister have matching outfits.




I hope Sean likes his new shirt ... I still want to get a red t-shirt to go under it. Maybe I'll put an Alabama A on it --- just to irritate Justin :-)

Friday, April 4, 2008

I Have an Obsession

I think I need one of those 12-step programs ... I sew for 2 very small people, yet I have over a hundred sewing patterns and 8 sewing machines.

Last week, I saw an ad on CraigsList for a sewing machine. The model of this particular Singer machine was listed but I couldn't find any inforamtion on it. I searched and searched and finally found one picture. It looked like a nice basic machine, so I contacted the seller, and after a few e-mails back and forth, told her I'd meet her to buy it.

So, today after driving almost to Fort Walton Beach, I met her amd got my new-to-me machine. On the way home, I thought, why not stop at the thrift shops on the way home, just for fun. Went to the Waterfront Mission, and they no longer have a sewing section ... how disappointing! I almost always see sewing machines there, but none this time. Then, on to the Goodwill store ... nothing of interest there either. Last stop is the Salvation Army store, where they have an old Singer (well, vintage, but not antique) in a cabinet with no price, and then, way in the back, on the floor, in a plastic carry case, an old Morse. I opened it up and took a peek .. it is old, but looks basically clean. Popped open a little hatch on the top and there was a cam there. Then, as I was putting it away I notced a box full of Morse Cams on the shelf. So, now I'm intrigued. I ask one of the workers what the price is for the old sewing machine in the back, and I'm told, how about $20. Sold I say!

So, now I add 2 more machines to my collection... 7 that work, and 1 that needs only a belt to be in working condition.

My name is Gisaco and I'm a sewing machine-aholic!

Singer Treadle --- I learned to sew on this one.





Basic Kenmore - bought in 1994





Basic Serger. Bought on eBay.



Singer Futura CE-200 Embroidery machine. Great starter machine.



Brother Serger. Sister-in-Law couldn't get it to work, so gave it to me. It's set up to do rolled hems.




Kenmore Anchor. Bought at Waterfront Mission for $25. Used for buttonholes.



Singer Basic. Bought today through CraigsList posting. My new buttonhole machine.



Morse Super Deluxe (LOL). Don't have a good reason to own it, but couldn't passit up!



So, what do you think? Do I have a problem? Show me your machines :-)

Monday, March 31, 2008

Sewing in the Bayou


Last weekend, I traveled to Lockport LA for a sewing clinic. I know --- 256 miles is a long way to go for an 8-hour class, but WOW, was it worth it! I had so much fun, learned a lot, and just enjoyed the camaraderie of sewing with a group of like-minded women.

The clinic was hosted by Shirley, who has a fabric shop in her home. She sells all kinds of beautiful fabrics for making kids' clothes, as well as lots of patterns and smocking and heirloom supplies. Shirley was a very gracious host and I can't say enough about the other people who were at the class. What a fun group.

The class was taught by Lezette Thomason of Children's Corner in Nashville. She taught us a little about pattern re-drafting and measuring kids. I also learned a ribbon folding technique --- basically we made Prairie Points out of a single length of ribbon. How cool is that? I also learned to use a pin-stitch. My 1984 Kenmore doesn't have a pin-stitch, but now I know what it is, what it's used for, and that my Singer does have a nice one. I also learned about whip-stitching rick-rack, which will be a nice technique to use on future projects.

The dress that we made was the Children's Corner Lucy, and we adapted the front to incorporate the folded ribbon.

Now that I've gone to one sewing class, I want more, more, more! This summer, I'm going to investigate holding a sit-n-sew at the Community Club or maybe the Library. There have to be more sewing enthusiasts in Lillian --- just have to find them!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Blue & White Bishop








I like the idea of this little bishop ... absolutely love the fabric, but the smocking left a little to be desired. Next time, I'm going to buy a plate and follow it exactly!

I used Ellen McCarn's Ultimate Bishop pattern, size 9 months. Sarah says that it does fit Katherine --- I'll be anxious to see how well so that I can adjust for the next one. Next time I'm going to use a soft yellow batiste and smock with white. I'd like to put some little flowers in the design as well. Also, I think Katherine needs a matching pair of bloomers.

The Easter Dress













I am happy with the way Katherine's Easter dress turned out. Originally, the collar was supposed to be attached, but the embroidery caused some puckering that I wasn't happy with. so, while I thought on that, I decided to finish the dress, and do a detatchable collar. After all, Katherine is teething, so maybe a detatchable / reversible collar is not such a bad idea!

The pattern I used was Simplicity 7846 in size 1, but Sarah said it was a little big. I am pretty sure I used size 1/2 when I did the handkerchief dress last fall, so Katherine must just be in-between sizes.

Anyway, back to the collar ... the pattern did not call for a detattachable collar, so it did take a little finnessing to get it to work, but the end result looked pretty good. I did an extra deep hem, just because I could :-) and really like the way it hangs.

Next project is the Sweet Juicy Apple dress this weekend. I'm going to a class in Lockport LA taught by Lizette Thompson, who I'm told is a deisgner with the Children's Corner line of patterns. I'm excited ... haven't been to a sewing class ever!
That's it for now --- until next time, happy stitchin'