Absent minded- in a way

I have been absent lately from the blogs, the message boards and the studio. My husband has suddenly become quite ill. We have had an ambulance here twice in the last week. The stress and busy-ness of this has taken up a fair bit of time.
On a more positive note, his episodes may have resulted in a diagnosis. Any news is better than
"We don't know what it it, so go home and don't drive until you see the heart and stroke clinic in June." No answers about medications, exercise, diet, etc.
It has been a frustrating time. Sorry Liana if I seemed unappreciative. You actually made my day!

Kreativ Blogger

Thanks Liana for giving me the Kreativ Blogger Award.

Rules:

1. Copy the award to your site.

2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.

3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.

4. Link to those on your blog.

5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.

I will search for some blogs I frequent that haven't received the award and update this post later.

Birthday creations

Maisie's third birthday is coming up in February. When asked what she would like, she always replies, "A purple cake with candles and Smarties." With Christmas just past, I don't think she really expects to get any presents. That leaves it up to us to figure out what she would like and would play with as well as what we actually have room for in the house. We don't need any more junk, clutter or any toys that aren't used.
Something she loves is to dress up. Any kind of a costume will do, including her brother's katate gi and sparring gear and anything that seems like a hat.

So I have decided to make her a costume collection and not only because it appeals to me. Over the last year I have tucked away a little sheer ribbon skirt and a pair of fairy wings. She will need a princess dress (who doesn't) and, of course, a cape. I am waiting to get some more fabric for the dress, so I cut out and sewed the cape. When her brother comes home from school each day, he checks in with me and I show him my progress. He even picked out the trim for it: a sequinned pink stuff that was chosen for it's contrast, sparkle and comfortability. He even tried it on for me so I could check the lining. He really is a good big brother.

I always ask him not to stand behind me and read over my shoulder when I am on the computer. I ask this, not just because it drives me crazy, but also because I might post something like this:

What a good sport!

Teal jacket and Ashy top

The Vogue 2923 jacket is finally finished and has been worn out ot my January book club meeting. I was a bit overdressed compared to everyone else, but dont really care. I gave a soft press to the ruffle to hold it in place, but it does what is wants anyway. That is probably better.
The fabric is a wool knit I purchased last year. I threw 1.5 yards of it into the washer and dryer to felt it a bit. I used the unfelted wool for the ruffle and faced it with a silk from Gorgeous fabrics. The jacket is supposed to have a lining in the front, but I couldn't get the knit and woven to play nicely and gave up on that plan. Because of this the seams had been trimmed and topstitched and could no longer be serged nicely. However the fabric does not fray or lose fibre, so I just won't show anyone the inside! I used bias to bind the sleeve hems and decided I liked it enough to use as the finish. The texture contrast is pretty. There are three buttons and thread loops holding it closed.

Underneath is a rayon/cotton/lycra knit top from EOS in a colour Linda called "ashy". It suits the colour, not really brown, not really gray, but a heathery mixture of the two. I did a neckline treatment that I saw on RTW and liked. I cut the top from a pattern I made from RTW, cut 2" off the neckline and sewed a 2" band back on. The band was cut to the size of the opening and had a CB seam. I left a small part of the CB seam open, inserted 1/4" elastic into it and adjusted the length until the neckband was gathered up slightly and laid flat on my neck. You can just see the gathers at the neckline in the pictures.

More Knit Talk

The reason I never did texture was because my knitting was backwards. This is my mother's term.I taught myself to knit in college to show her that cables were not too difficult. My Godmother made me a cardigan when I was a child. It was hard and scratchy and cabled. My mother ooohed and awed about it and I asked her (not in front of my Godmother) what was so special. She replied that cables were very hard to do.Some years later, while I was in college, I stuck my finger through a cable and realized how they were made. I had figured it out. Now all I had to do was learn to knit and I could show my mother how it was done! I got a book, and yarn and borrowed some needles and got to it.The funny thing is that no where in the book did it mention to change hands. By this I mean they never said to, once the row was complete, take the neeedle with the work on the right and put it in the left and start over. Being ambidextrous, I just knit back again from the right to the left. I knit each row and just could not figure out garter stitch. Someone finally clued me in and I started knitting the regular way.I was self taught with no one nearby to tutor me and I only knew the basics, but I was fairly prolific. The only problem was that I always wrapped my yarns wrong. So I went home to visit and my mother tried to show me something, she would have to take each loop off, turn it and put it back on the needle. If I tried to do any texture work, the slants were always in the wrong direction. Yarn overs were hard. I just didn't bother with them. I did a lot of Fair Isle instead.This year I decided to learn how to knit correctly. I got out some books to see what was what and knit a few scarves in basic stockinette and garter to practise. As usual all has gone well as long as I kept to knit and purl. I forgot one thing: I don't know how to count.

Teal jacket and other UFOs

My teal jacket is nearly done. I have to bind one armhole and add closures, which will be either button and loop or hook and loop.
I tried it on for my husband and pointed out that it is not too ruffly. His reply was "Oh, no. That jacket is all straight lines and angles." Now, you have to understand that he dislikes anything ruffly and nothing about me is straight lines and angles, so I am not sure how to take it. I just figure it is a good "girl's night out" kind of jacket. That way he doesn't need to look at it.

I am trying to knit every day and so to create some beautiful sweaters, scarves, dishcloths, whatever. This is not stash busting, but stash using. Some yarns I purchased specifically for dischcloths. Marji discusses her view on stash busting here. I have to say that I agree.

I have pulled out several works in progress. There are three little sweaters started for my daughter. One sweater that might still fit my son if finished soon. I even have one I began for him as a baby. He is now eleven. Most of my friends have finished having babies. I am sure some little guy will need this before I have grandchildren. I used to do a lot of colour work with nothing but basic texture. I think I got sick of weaving in the little ends. This one just needs the ends woven in and the front bands knit, then to be sewn together. The shoulder seams are sewn and the neckband is knit. I even have a little hat knit. This one will get done soon. I swear it. I am getting low in the gift cupboard anyway.

Not sewing, but still fibre

Needle felted teddy bear for my son. It is about 1 1/4" high.

This is my first 3-D needle felted object and I think it turned out kind of cute. I wasn't sure how to do this, but you can learn a lot just by trying. For example- keep your fingers out of the way.

I think I am going to like this hobby, but not as much as my son is!

Needle felted hat

This is my new hat. It is my first attempt at needle felting. I like it, but keep wondering if I will look back on it one day and cringe at my workmanship.

I eyeballed the design, did the needle felting using fleece from Vogue Fabrics and sewed the hat up.
Afterwards I decided to add some embroidery. This was NOT the correct order to do the embellishment, believe me.
I did a blanket stitch around the top seam of the crown and added some fly stitches to the little trefoil design that goes around the crown.
The hat is a teal boiled wool type fabric (wool/rayon blend) with the underside of the brim in a black/brown faux Persian lamb fabric. The lining is a lightweight polartec fleece.

Pattern is McCalls 3400

Coat finally finished

I had hoped to get it done before New Year's, but just finished up the coat today while Maisie napped and the boy brushed the cats.

Here are a front view with the front open, a 3/4 view and a close up my son took which shows the colour and weave better.

I had a set back when I decided to interline the lining with flannel. It is very warm, but snugger than the mockup was. It doesn't help that I have gained about 20 pounds recently. I almost gave up on it, but really wanted it out of the sewing room. In the end it fits fine, even with the flannel.

Christmas morning

No pictures yet.
My daughter opened the package that contained the t-neck and fleece pullover I made her.
Her words? "Look, fabwic! Sanks mama." She didn't realize they had been sewn into something.

The Great Coat Sew Along not all wool coat

Indecision keeps me from completing many things, so while I have been contemplating design alternatives, I have been working on the "real" GCSA coat instead of the trapunto one.

I purchased a wool blend fabric from Emma One Sock last year. It looked gorgeous and I ordered quickly. As many people know, she who hesitates is lost when ordering from some websites. Small yardages can sell out quickly. It wasn't until I received the piece that I realized two things. That the fabric was not all wool and that there was a metallic fleck to it. I wasn't sure what to think. However the fabric has grown on me and matches a few things I have. OK mainly fabric I have, but a few garments as well. I cut out and began the same pattern as below in the single breasted version, but shortest length. All went swimmingly for a while. I got the pockets done and was working on the side seams when I noticed that one of warp yarns was working it's way out of the fabric. On the not-on-grain side seam and sleeve seams it looked like little caterpillars were growing out of the fabric. The funny thing is that this thread was synthetic, with a metallic yarn through it, so exactly the part that I liked least about the fabric. I tried to ignore it, but I ended up needing to serge the entire coat, which had now been more than half sewn. Retro serging, I call it. I had even double stitched the sleeves in, but I still had to serge them. the seams were really shredding and I was afraid it would fall apart.

Give me all wool anyday.

Trapunto revisited

The second two photos show the as yet "unstuffed" length of the knotwork. I drew the design on Warm and Natural batting, then sitched the unders and overs in a straight stitch through all the layers, backtacking at each stop. To make the section leading onto the fabric (as opposed to the edge) I used a stitch on my Janome that is straight on one side and a multi width zig zag on the other. I had hoped that the stitching would give enough dimension, but decided to add yarn to create more. I trimmed the rest of the batting away close to the zig zag stitching.
For the trapunto, I opened up the start of each line with a seam ripper and pulled acrylic yarn through to the end of that line. I read somewhere that acrylic is better than wool or cotton. It doesn't pack down like wool and lose dimension, nor is it hard and high to sew through like cotton. I used two strand of a worsted weight.
The result has a few puckers from the amount of shape of the design, but this is such a soft wool I hope to be able to press them out to some degree.
I am making the same style coat in another fabric first and then will get to this one. Practicality won out and I am making the warm one first.

Christmas presents

Using different binding/edging finishes on Simplicity 3802 aprons!

If you look closely you can tell by the chocolate stain that the Christmas tree apron has been worn already. The black print has tiny neon kitty heads on it. I am saving the kitty one for a Christmas present.

Also made: bathrobe, mock t-neck, fleece pullover.

Robe from Kwiksew 3509, top pattern taken from RTW.

To finish: scarf, head wrap and apron for Mum, purse for Mum, apron for DB apron for DSIL, lots of jammies.

Hats Off for Charity!

There is a local charity that helps out women who live on the streets. It provides them with an occasional meal, a bed to sleep on during the day if needed and clothing. Many street women have a mental illness and really need all the help available.

I have been making hats and scarves to donate to them. Our local chain fabric store used to have a stamp card programme that gave you a gift certificate after you had spent a certain amount of money. I used the stamps to purchase polar fleece fabric and made some basic pillbox style hats with an additional band for warmth. The clips on the three lower ones denote a smaller size. I will need to get some stickers on there.

I also knit a few basic beanie style hats in Paton's Soy Wool Stripe yarn.

This is a hat in boiled wool leftover from a jacket last year and trimmed in faux fur as well as a few velvet and faux fur scarves using B4882. I was at an open house at the weekend to sell some products in order to donate the $, so I made a few other styles also. These are what is leftover and they will also go to the charity.

The hats are a modified version of M3400

Finished Trapunto

I joined the Great Coat Sewalong earlier in the year and am no where near completion on my coat. I have changed my mind about what to do so many times. I finally decided to use some soft black wool twill from stash and put a celtic knotwork design down the centre in trapunto. Well, I have the trapunto stitched with batting and stuffed with acrylic yarn for some more depth.

Now to cut out the coat! It is a OOP Vogue pattern # 2449. I plan to do a long single breasted version, with a bit of flair in the skirt. Fortunately it is a timeless style and will still be wearable in years to come. However it won't match the scarf I knit in the summer.