I'm baaaaaccckkk!
Wow, it has been a looooong time since I blogged! Where has that time gone?!
If anyone is still out there - hellloooo! *waves madly* I haven't disappeared, just been busy with life. A few years ago I heard someone describe life as steamrolling over them and I think that's a perfect analogy for the last decade of my life! I might write in more detail eventually, but briefly, since last posting I have started and been working on a PhD, as well as teaching and researching, gained quite a bit of weight, started losing weight again, got a much better haircut, had some family health scares, and had some personal challenges, all of which has made life a bit hectic to say the least.
Consequently, apart from the odd bit of mending, I haven't really got near the sewing desk - in fact for a while there it was buried under PhD papers and marking! But just lately I have started doing a bit of sewing again, mainly as a stress relief as I come into the final stretch of my PhD. It probably seems a bit backwards to take up a 'hobby' again when I should be at my busiest, but over Christmas I rediscovered some of my sew-jo and the joy of wearing a me-made project. I even finished 2 simple garments over the break! Admittedly, my New Year's resolution of sewing for 15 minutes per day has already failed, but frankly 15 minutes a week is 15 minutes more than I have been doing, so it's still a win :)
I also joined Instagram over Christmas, which has led to some classic overthinking about how I'd post there. The result is that I'm now running two accounts. One for my sewing side [@keelysews] and one to continue the pics of flora, fauna, scenery and sunsets [@keelyb_1].
In progress currently with my few minutes a week is a floral version of the Helen's Closet York Pinafore.
This will be my second version of a pinafore - the first was one of my finished garments and I love it which is saying a lot for a someone who usually lives in trousers. My trial run of this pattern was in a red mystery polyester fabric that was cheap at Lincraft. I figured if it was wearable, at least it would be bright. That held up until I read a comment online where someone commented they were worried they'd look like they had a teletubby butt. At that point, I looked at my red fabric and realised it was decidedly Po coloured. Ooops. Or should that be uh-oh. Nonetheless, the pinafore was cut out, so I went ahead with my trial.
That neckline is an example of why you should not cut corners - in this case, why you should not forget to understitch the bias to the seam allowance - as with wear the binding has rolled to the outside slightly. But I'll still wear it, so lesson learned.The pockets are wonderfully big and it's perfect for when I have to be a bit tidier at work than jeans, but want to be comfortable. About the only issue I have is that my waist obviously expands when I sit and I found that the fabric bunches a bit more around the tummy area. It's not uncomfortable, and I think adding more ease at the waist will solve that, or perhaps lengthening the bodice pieces so that the armhole scoop sits a bit lower and gives more ease? I'd already cut out the floral version before I'd worn the trial version for a full day so haven't changed the fit, but the fabric has a slight stretch which should help. I might, just maybe might, have to play with a third version :)
If anyone is still out there - hellloooo! *waves madly* I haven't disappeared, just been busy with life. A few years ago I heard someone describe life as steamrolling over them and I think that's a perfect analogy for the last decade of my life! I might write in more detail eventually, but briefly, since last posting I have started and been working on a PhD, as well as teaching and researching, gained quite a bit of weight, started losing weight again, got a much better haircut, had some family health scares, and had some personal challenges, all of which has made life a bit hectic to say the least.
Consequently, apart from the odd bit of mending, I haven't really got near the sewing desk - in fact for a while there it was buried under PhD papers and marking! But just lately I have started doing a bit of sewing again, mainly as a stress relief as I come into the final stretch of my PhD. It probably seems a bit backwards to take up a 'hobby' again when I should be at my busiest, but over Christmas I rediscovered some of my sew-jo and the joy of wearing a me-made project. I even finished 2 simple garments over the break! Admittedly, my New Year's resolution of sewing for 15 minutes per day has already failed, but frankly 15 minutes a week is 15 minutes more than I have been doing, so it's still a win :)
I also joined Instagram over Christmas, which has led to some classic overthinking about how I'd post there. The result is that I'm now running two accounts. One for my sewing side [@keelysews] and one to continue the pics of flora, fauna, scenery and sunsets [@keelyb_1].
In progress currently with my few minutes a week is a floral version of the Helen's Closet York Pinafore.
This will be my second version of a pinafore - the first was one of my finished garments and I love it which is saying a lot for a someone who usually lives in trousers. My trial run of this pattern was in a red mystery polyester fabric that was cheap at Lincraft. I figured if it was wearable, at least it would be bright. That held up until I read a comment online where someone commented they were worried they'd look like they had a teletubby butt. At that point, I looked at my red fabric and realised it was decidedly Po coloured. Ooops. Or should that be uh-oh. Nonetheless, the pinafore was cut out, so I went ahead with my trial.
That neckline is an example of why you should not cut corners - in this case, why you should not forget to understitch the bias to the seam allowance - as with wear the binding has rolled to the outside slightly. But I'll still wear it, so lesson learned.The pockets are wonderfully big and it's perfect for when I have to be a bit tidier at work than jeans, but want to be comfortable. About the only issue I have is that my waist obviously expands when I sit and I found that the fabric bunches a bit more around the tummy area. It's not uncomfortable, and I think adding more ease at the waist will solve that, or perhaps lengthening the bodice pieces so that the armhole scoop sits a bit lower and gives more ease? I'd already cut out the floral version before I'd worn the trial version for a full day so haven't changed the fit, but the fabric has a slight stretch which should help. I might, just maybe might, have to play with a third version :)
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