Kwik Sew 3614

Ok, I finshed 3 pair of shorts with Kwik Sew 3614. The first pair was a light weight tan pair that are now too big but great for around the house.

The second pair is from an aqua blue twill from Hancocks and that I also used to practice welt pockets. These were the practice pieces. #1 was using the instructions from a PR online class by Shannon Gifford. I only tried it once and knew more practice was needed.

The second try was from instructions in a post on Gorgeous Fabrics' Blog from Friday, February 23, 2007 http://gorgeousthings.blogspot.com/search/label/Pockets which came out much much better.

Then I made a denim pair of shorts and was scared to mess them up with a welt pocket if things didn't go well, so I'll put the welt pockets in the next pair of shorts - a dark green twill. Here are the denim pair

They are cut 1 size smaller than the first pair and I love the stretch denim. I bought that at Joann's in Winter Springs last month. I messed up the buttonhole when I went to cut the slit and ended up cutting the threads! Drat! I'll have to hand sew around the cut part to keep the denim from unraveling, but since I always wear my shirts out, no one will see it but me.
I didn't do a review of these shorts on PR because they had been reviewed several times already and I really didn't have anything to add.
Next up, the green pair of shorts then a couple of dresses. Hopefully I won't be so long in posting.....

Yes....I'm saying it again...I'm still here!!

Haven't been doing much in the blogging world...but I have been sewing a bit. I made 2 pair of the shorts and I've cut fabric for 2 more. I will post pictures later of both pair that I made.

I've actually been praticing making welt pockets for the back of the shorts. I used Shannon Giffords method that she had in one of her online classes that I took from PR, and boy do I need more practice. I googled and found another way to make them, so that is up next...we will see how well that method goes. I really want to add them to my shorts so they will look more RTW.

I cut a stretch denim for one pair and a dark green twill for the other pair. Both fabrics were purchased on my last visit (end of April) to Winter Springs, FL to visit my daughter and her family. My grandson is a great fabric shopper! He helped pick out the thread and zippers for both pair! I think his young eyes helped pick the right colors for the thread.

I'm still here!

I'm still around...just haven't been sewing or blogging. I was very busy for work lately and am now getting a bit of time for my favorite hobby!
Sunday I made a shorts muslin that I had to tweak just a bit and now I'm ready to cut the fashion fabric. I'm using Kwik Sew 3614.

I'm making the longer version of course! This pattern has a really unique way to insert the zipper and also the waistband. Everything is done flat! Quite easy and intersting. This is the first pair of pants I'm made in many, many years. Stay tuned for the finished project.

The quilt...I'm not done with it, but I've put it away for now. I wasn't able to practice the quilting as much as I thought I would, so I've put it away until I feel like practicing again.

I did get to spend a whole week in my favorite place...San Diego. I was there for work and then spent a few days extra to have fun. The weather was horrible...yes, horrible, but we managed to enjoy it anyway. Sunday, March 7 (my birthday) I had brunch with friends at the Hotel Del Coronado, wonderful! Then the afternoon/sunset in La Jolla.

I've also booked my annual sister's vacation. We are heading to London in July.

Well, until next time...Happy Sewing!

Practicing

The machine quilting isn't going so good. It. Is. Hard. And I'm not good at it. I did try tracing the stencil onto the sticky saran wrap...my BSR doesn't read the fabric well so my stitches in curves are not regulated. So I've traced the stencil directly onto the fabric. I'm. Not. Good. AT ALL! So I may just have to stitch in the ditch...we'll see....practice continues.

Mama's Boy Quilt

I have finished the quilt top and I really like the way it looks.
I went to several quilt shops yesterday looking for a product that has quilting stitches already printed on a sticky back paper so that I can "cheat" quilt. I'm just not that good at stippling, so I thought I would be able to find this product...not so. One of the shops said they could order it, but I can do that myself from a catalog.
But on the way home I had this great idea! I think I might be able to use the sticky back plastic wrap and just stick that to the quilt, then trace a pattern onto that. Then I can do the quilting and just pull the plastic wrap off. Doesn't that sound like a plan?? I'm just not sure how it will work. I'm afraid it might gum up my needle, but I'll give it a test run. Till then....

Burda October 2009 Magazine Dress 115

This dress was easy to sew, however I did take my time. It came out exactly how I wanted it to and the fit was perfect with only small adjustments made to the front princess seam. I took them in about an inch or inch and a half at the bust area on each side. I might add that this is more of a "standing" dress and not so much a sitting dress. If I had made it form fitting as the Burda model wore it,
I would have never been able to walk much less sit! I really had to watch my steps too. The width at the hem was much more narrow that I had thought it would be. When I tried to get into my car...well, lets just say I had to hike the hem up a good 6 inches or so just to get in the car! Here is the technical drawing from the Burda website:

Here are the photos of the finished dress. Excuse the wrinkles....I wore it to work! Here is the front as I wore it. I bought this cardigan from Talbot's to wear with this dress.

And here are the shoes. I bought these with this dress in mind.
Here is the dress without the cardi.
The back.
The lining. I used a technique from the book Easy Guides to Sewing Linings an ebook I downloaded.
I will have to restitch the area around the zipper. After wearing the dress the stitching has come loose in the area across my back. The dress isn't tight, so I'm not quite sure why it came unsewn.

And here is my next project already in the works. A lap quilt using the pattern "Mama's Boy".
I bought the fabric and the pattern from Connecting Threads before Thanksgiving.
This is the completed center strip that I cut, pieced and sashed!

Almost there

I worked on the finishing parts of the Burda dress. It is coming along very nice...except when I was ready to press up the hem of the dress....I tripped the breaker in the sewing room. Not good. It was dark. I was home alone. It scared me! I think it was because I had the electric space heater on, the TV, the sewing machine and the vacuum ironing board. I think the ironing board and the heater were pulling too much power. Anyway, I turned everything off, flicked the breaker back on and then turned the light and TV back on in the room. Then I turned the lights back off and stopped for the evening. I'll finish up tomorrow, since it is MLK day and I don't have to go to work. I think the dress will be perfect!