keelysews... sometimes

Wow. It's been a while since I posted. Christmas is nearly here and life is busy, busy, busy. I finished the Burda shirt dress finally and it has been worn a lot, so I guess it passed muster. The sleeves are normally folded up when DD wears it. DD also hasn't decided on where she wants the belt loops set, as she has worn the belt at both waist and hip level. They will probably never get done. :) After the shirtdress was out of the way, I turned my attention to a project for the junior classes at school. In the past, I have made quick calico stockings for the 5 and 6 year olds to decorate and fill as gifts for their parents. Usually I take the easy way out and straight stitch everything and turn through, with absolutely no inside finishing. This time, I decided to overlock/serge the edges instead. All those curves were interesting, to say the least. Thank goodness for Debbie's tip on serging inside corners. After the time put in, 60 stockings didn't seem to make a very ...

First up - a big thank you for the kind comments and support after my last post. I guess my 'Mommy' panic gene kicked in big time for a bit. But, once I caught up on some sleep, had another chat with the doctor and been sent a whole lot of stats by a friend who works in oncology, I was much calmer. Now we're just waiting and seeing (and crossing fingers etc). Today I discovered why some people (namely, me) should not be allowed to own modern technologies like mp3 players. To understand why, you have to know some background - for instance, that I am tone deaf. Can't sing for peanuts. No really - I'm awful. Just ask my family. If I busked, people would pay me to stop. (In fact when I sing at home, my kids do ask me to stop - once they've stopped laughing). On a funny aside - I was in the school choir for years. How you ask? Well I'm also a dab hand at lip synching. :) Anyways, I like singing along with songs on the stereo,..... and the radio,........ and my mp...

Well, okay.... this post has been sitting, all typed up waiting for photos, for 2 weeks now. So, lets just call it 'Last fortnight....' :) Week 1: What does 15 minutes at a time get you? The sleeves got sewn into the check shirtdress. When DD tried it on I found it was a bit tight across the shoulders so I let the back armscye out a smidgeon to provide a bit more ease. It's still sitting on the desk waiting to be finished... Oops, you can tell this has been sitting 'folded' on my desk for a while. It still needs the hem done, belt loops, belt, and buttonholes. All those buttonholes. I dug out and hemmed a UFO - Jalie 2682, to wear out to dinner on Thursday a week or so ago. (Sorry, the photo quality is a bit rough. That's what happens when my photo helpers are all tucked up in bed.) This top was sewn over a year ago and I blogged about it then. When I looked at it I realised that I'd shaped the sides after I'd taken the original photo. It only took me...

As I've alluded to before, I'm studying full-time. On top of family life this means a lot of my time lately seems to be timetabled. Not rigidly hour by hour; more in a structured must-do list type of way. Along the way, as I feel stretched every which way, things get shoved to the bottom of the list. I've realised lately that two of my joys in life (and sanity savers), my special group of friends and sewing, have been getting ignored. Shame on me! So, having had this insight, what's a girl to do when her husband generously shares his tummy bug and it leaves her unable to focus on academic readings over the weekend? Well, I was selfish enough to keep my bugs to myself, lol, but I did risk a bit of sewing. Rated 'Easy' of course - no point in pushing my luck. The sacrificial garment in question is a shirtdress for DD1 in checked 'poly rayon stretch suiting' from Spotlight (and which melts impressively to the iron if you let it get too hot....). Both the pa...

It looks like winter has decided to make it's prescence felt with a vengeance this week and while I have a practical, warm coat, I'd like a 'nice' coat. It seems everywhere I go, coats are calling my name. Today I saw a lovely jacket and I was tempted to buy it but, it was a short jacket, not a coat. Then there was that voice saying "I could make that.... it's only a simple jacket.... that denim jacket pattern I've got at home would do....". (At least I don't say it outloud, lol. Well, I don't think I do...) I also saw a really lovely fabric made into a coat shape. I hesitate to call it a coat with it's unhemmed, overlocked edges. Hmmm, it would look good for all of about 5 minutes, then the fraying and pulls would start. So, I need to think about making a coat. Although thinking about it isn't the problem. Making it however is another story. :) In my stash I have navy cashmere and a satin lining put aside for a longish coat. I don'...

I'm still here, just been snowed under with 'stuff'. On a good note, at long last the stash stats are going in the right direction! :) and I am finally in the negatives for the year. Friday, I took the day off to get a bit of sewing done. I had planned to make myself another top, or two. Unfortunately 'mommy guilt' kicked in and the sight of my youngest in trousers that were threatening to become capris was enough to change the focus. All up, I made 3 pairs of trousers and 2 long-sleeved tees. Trousers #1 - Burda 9867 , sized up to a size 8, in purple polycotton sweatshirt fleece. Top #1 - Kwik Sew 2893 , size M (7-8), view A. This is the last of the knit that I used to line the hood of DD's jacket in January. I lettuce edged the cuffs, hems and neck binding with hot pink. Top #2 - also Kwik Sew 2893. This time view B. I shortened the short sleeves and made a false long sleeve to attach underneath. Trousers #2 - Burda 9867, green velour with 'mock coverstit...

Yesterday morning we woke to this - Quite aside from the portent of bad weather, there is something that just fills you with awe at such a sky. Everything was glowing pink. This photo was taken about halfway thru as it started fading. Of course, hubby was carrying on about a red dawn meaning blood would be spilt this day. Men! Following on from my last post, I had a think about my "wardrobe plan" ( snort, such as it is ). It still needs work i.e. I still need to do an actual plan, but I've started thinking about it which is, at least, a start. :) So far I've come up with brown and teal/blues for the new pieces. I've also let myself be persuaded by Aless who thought I should go get the lace. It didn't take much arm-twisting. Today I went to Fabric Barn to see if it was still there. If it was, I planned to buy 2 - 2.5 metres. There was a much-depleted roll and when I nervously took it to the counter, heart pounding, palms sweating, there was just over 2 metres...

I had to pop into the fabric store the other day and of course something had to keep me company on the way home. (Obviously my DD wasn't with me, lol) Looking at these I realise that I need to look at doing a SWAP. Or at least go through and plan my wardrobe a bit better. I haven't narrowed down colours or made a plan. Unless you count 'black' with other colour. At Uni I tend to wear jeans or black trousers and a top -one of my Ottobre tees or one of the few RTW shirts I have. The most obvious gap is in the top layer - cardies, jacket etc. They're all black. Yep, I have a uniform. I think I will have to take some time and work out what I have and what I need and maybe introduce a bit of variation. On that note, I still haven't been back to get that lace. I like it. I really do like it. But I slept on it and have decided that it could wait a week or so. I only had a vague idea what I could do with it and I'd have been buying it for the lifestyle I want rathe...

I finished the pinafore for Em at last. This pattern is from Topkids 49 #12. Originally the pattern looked like the sketch. I didn't want to do the teddy head so I squared the front bib. Here's the front - And here's the back - It looks very wide so I hope it fits. While I was banging away on domes, I finally got around to putting the domes on the jacket for my other niece. This has been sitting buried on my desk an embarrassingly long time waiting for the domes. I haven't put any domes on the mock pocket flaps as it just looked too much for a wee jacket, especially with the embroidery. If DSis wants them after all, I can always put them on. After waiting so long, I think she'd be too scared to risk it though. :-) Lori already has the trousers that match. This is Burda 9749. I still have to put the band on E's top. That's a job for tomorrow night.

Back in, ahem, November, I had a cutting out binge. I had this vague theory that, if I only had to pick up a project to sew, it might actually speed up my sewing (hahaha). Well, some did get sewn but I'd been left with a couple of bags sitting on the shelf and they were starting to bug me, so I decided to clear up the UFO's. Of course, the whole best laid plans etc... I really should know better by now. Last week disappeared in a whirl of work, activities with the kids and DS breaking his arm. Finally, on the weekend, I managed to get near my sewing machine. I finished up a pink hoody jacket for DD2, did a bit of mending (blech! I hate mending!) that was sitting around and finally finished putting the elastic in the waistband of a pair of capris, also for DD2. Plus... I gave hubby a haircut and made fudge with my 11yo DD1. The haircut went well, the fudge failed to set properly. That's what happens when you try a new recipe and don't follow instructions, oops. It did ...