FAIL - McCall's 5271

Here's the first FAIL of 2010 - McCall's 5271 and also a fabric from the bin.

The cowl hangs super low which is okay because this can be remedied with a tank underneath. But something else is wrong, there is just too much fabric that causes tons of ripples and waves down the front. The fit in the shoulders is also off causing the shoulders to hang incorrectly and slide off when I move a lot. It does not look that bad on my dressform but on me --Ehhh!

What I do like about this pattern is the fit in the back. I usually have issues with the back being to large or droopy. I also like the way the front and back are sewn together to hold the cowl in place. The top still needs the band at the hip (View F) and hemming at the sleeves. I will try to salvage this garment but not now. I'll pack it up and move on.

I'm eating ice cream and apple crisp right now. I know it is 10 pm but I skipped dinner - LOL.

Made IT! Monday - Cowl Neck Tunic

Butterick 5247 has been made by many with great results. I thought it would be a cute dress to throw on and go. I originally wanted to make View D but didn't have enough fabric. I tried to pull it off with the 2 yards I had by putting a seam down the back but I didn't like the length. I chopped off a few inches and made it into a tunic to go over leggings. I like it much better this way. I didn't like the way the sleeves tapered down either so I shortened these as well. I plan to wear bracelets so the length doesn't look too odd. I cut a size 8 and graded it up to a 12 in the hip based on the pattern measurements. The pattern is very straight forward and a quick sew. Great for a beginner. This is fabric from "the bin" and I haven't a clue when I bought this but I know it is at least 7 years old.

Front & Back View - Hmm...I wonder if I have a swayback?

My Hubby caught me in between poses.

It's wet and cold but I am trying to pose.

My handsome photographer aka Hubby

Happy New Year

I hope you all had a great time bringing in the New Year. I certainly did. I am really excited about 2010 --it sounds so futuristic. I remember imagining what I would be doing in 2000, 2010, 2020 and so on. It sounded so far away but it is here and now! WOW!
My One Bin Fabric Challenge officially begins today - again (LOL). I have swapped out a few pieces of fabric and actually cataloged what is in the bin. If you've made a resolution around buying less fabric or reducing your stash, join me. I am using the bin as a measuring tool because I need a tangible focal point and that's what I store my fabric in. If everything in the bin gets sewn that's great and if not a dent has been made in the collection. I've already cut a few pieces out from before and have a FO or 2 in the bin as well. Time to sew! Happy New Year Sewing Sisters!

Extension PLEASE!

Happy Holidays to you all! I hope you are enjoying the season.

It's been hectic in our household but hopefully it will be settling down soon. Most of the cards have been sent with our family newsletter that has highlights and pictures from our year. That bad boy took way too much energy but hooray it is done. Now - a little yummy baking. The Hubby is the baker but I can do a little something.
The One Bin Fabric Challenge.....uhhh silence. I have done next to NADA. I've traced patterns and cut fabric but little to no sewing has been going on. I think the frequent water in the my sewing area has been stealing the mojo. It's a pain moving stuff around to get the water up and my area is pretty unorganized. I will be addressing that soon. We are getting estimates now for water proofing- the first one took my breath away. Did you just say__thousand dollars. Yikes!
So...I am giving myself an extension, since it is my challenge I can change the rules - LOL. I am changing this up to a new year type of thing.

One Bin Fabric Challenge will be January 1 - February 15

I doubt if I will sew much this year. So if you don't here from me again have a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

CRASH & Crochet Ruffle Scarf

I was put out of blogging commission for a little while due to our hard drive crashing. I know - BAD! The good news is we have mostly everything backed up on an external drive. Right now, the IT department aka My Hubby is getting everything up and running. He's transferring data, loading software, and defragmenting drives. Whew - I didn't know so much was involved when your system goes down. We appreciate the IT department and so happy we didn't lose everything.
On to the fun stuff! A few months ago Gold showcased a cute crocheted ruffle scarf and I knew I had to make one. Here's mine.

I really like this scarf. You can download the pattern for free from the LB website. It is called the Belle Scarf. I had this skein of homespun for a few years and finally used it. Very easy and quick pattern. I wore it today and people wanted to touch it because it looked so soft. Yikes --with all the germs out there you hate to have folks touching your personal effects. Enjoy your weekend.

Disclaimer - The photos may be a little off - just realized that my photo editing software is missing. I'm not sure what device it came with. I also have crazy shadows dancing across my face. Oh well! I'm off to sew.

Made IT! Monday - 11/2/09

As you know Halloween was the past weekend and of course I had to make a costume. My daughter wanted to be a fairy and my son kept changing his mind, so I made my daughter's costume and my son wore Batman PJ's. I didn't make the wings but bought them from the dollar store and embellished them. I know they don't match and they are gaudy but hey I was being cheap! I did have to go to the fabric store to buy material for her costume but since I sewed it up I am still true to my One Bin Fabric Challenge. I have some things cut out that will be sewn soon.
Her birthday is the day after Halloween so she is too excited. We typically celebrate the week after so she can be the star! Her party is this weekend so not much sewing going on but after that - it's on!
Here's my little fairy enjoying Halloween.

One Bin Fabric Challenge

I've blogged before about the water that sometimes gets into our basement when we have heavy rains. When we got the super heavy rains, that caused severe flooding in some parts of GA, we had more water than usual. We don't get a ton in our basement, but just enough to be annoying. During the last clean-up a thought popped into my - what if my fabric got ruined! Yikes - the very thought made me shudder. I keep it in storage bins so I'm sure it is fine, but what if.....There was sweat and tears and of course money put into my collection of fabric so losing it would be devastating. Then it occurred to me that maybe I should put accumulation on pause for a minute and turn those flat pieces of fabric into wearable items or at least attempt to transform them.
So with the help of my 3 year old, I started filling a new storage bin with fabric that I want to sew and of course it was easy to fill. Then I thought it would be fun to do my own challenge or contest. I will challenge myself to eliminate 1 bin from my collection (you see I am not revealing how many I have - yep intentional) by December 31st. I know this is an impossible challenge for me - you see my rate of production but I love to challenge myself. If I just clear half a bin I will be happy. I think this is a great way to bring in the new year. The bin has cotton, fleece, flannel, wool, polyester suiting, etc. and I've selected my patterns to correspond. I only have two guidelines: 1. If I decide I want to work with a new fabric I can add it and remove something else 2. If I need fabric for a project that I will sew immediately then I can purchase it. Wish me luck! I'll feature my finished projects on Made IT! Mondays. If anyone else wants to lighten their loads as well please join in with me!

My adorable and very active little helper

The Fabric

I leave you with a parting shot of our adventure today. Our family went to a state park and observed this spectacular view.

Amicalola Falls State Park