keelysews... sometimes

Why is it that the day before uni starts back the mojo also comes back? Today I was thrown back into the insanity that is full-time study ( this time post-grad. Gosh I love saying that. Post-grad, , post-grad, post-grad.... ) so, of course, Saturday I had a " what am I going to wear " attack, which of course led to emptying out the wardrobe.... That took care of Saturday. Along the way my linen cupboard also got reorganised which had nothing to do with my wardrobe, but did desperately need doing. And I wonder why I have nothing to wear. Sheesh. Anyway, yesterday I felt I really should do some sewing. I fell back on the trusty Ottobre gathered neck tee ( Ottobre 02-2007-04 ) which seems to be the backbone of my wardrobe. Well, the stuff that gets worn. Because we've had hot weather lately, I made short-sleeved tees, thus guaranteeing the rain and cool temperatures today. Both came from stash and snuck in at being sewn before the fabric reached the 2 year mark. The first ...

Since I saw the new Jalie patterns, I've wanted the Pleated cardigan , as well as others. Unfortunately, the cost of postage combined with the exchange rate can inflict some serious damage to the wallet. It can also lead to funny looks as you rush out every day when the postie pulls up, but that's probably a whole 'nother story. After all, why would he be at all curious about the contents of large envelopes after a slightly crazed-looking woman rushes out each morning to watch him, then grabs the envelope before he even puts it in the box....? One day I should really open one and show him the Ottobre/patterns just so he knows it's all legit, lol. But I digress. Where was I? Oh yes, unfortunately... scary costs etc. That leads us to the ' Fortunately' . Fortunately, Patternreview is having a 20% off sale for FOPR members until the end of January. I knew there was a reason I renewed (apart from not losing the catalogue of all my patterns. Believe me, after the t...

Finally I have stopped procrastinating and finished DD2's red Ottobre jeans. This is another pair using Ottobre 06-2007 #32. (The first pair I blogged about here .) I think I cut these out about 5 or 6 months ago and in the meantime DD has grown. These are a size 140 width lengthened to 146 and DD is now 144cm (she's grown 2.5 cm in the last 5 weeks!). The length is perfect, the width... let's just say thank goodness it's stretch denim. I think I've finished these just in time if I want DD to get any wear out of them. Strangely, this pair gapes at the centre back. This can be easily fixed with a small dart in the waistband (or a belt), but it is not an issue I noticed with the first pair. I'd also forgotten that I meant to skim in the legs below the knee to make them more 'skinnified'. I used a lightweight stretch denim from Spotlight and topstitched in red. I had huge problems with the topstitching tensions about halfway through the jeans. I changed ne...

The weather has been atrocious this 'summer'. Perfect for sewing. Also perfect for curling up with a good book, watching dvds, or playing video games with the kids (are they still called video games?) . Despite all the other distractions, I have finished a spare pair of cricket trousers for DS. He's off to sunnier and warmer climes in Brisbane for a few weeks for a cricket tournament and needed a second pair. Reluctant to spend much on what is essentially a back-up pair of trousers, I went a-hunting in the stash and came up with 5 metres of white bengaline. I like bengaline to wear normally, but this is white . What on earth was I thinking when I bought it? Oh yeah, I remember - it was $2m on a clearance sale at Spotlight. :) I haven't sewn trousers for DS in a few years so the next problem was finding a pattern. I settled on Simplicity 5362 . By measurements DS just made it into the adult Small, but I've been burned by the Big-4 patterns and their sizing before so ...

Cold, snowy days remind me that I need a winter coat. Of course it's officially spring, the plum trees are covered in blossom, and we've had a few weeks of lovely warm days to end winter on. But today is cold and raining with hail and snowy stuff at times, and did I mention cold? I know that some of you have colder, like if you live in Alaska (Hi Dawn !), but I'm a wuss and I'd let the warm weather lull me into a summer mentality. So I'm declaring it officially cold here. :) In the latest Ottobre Woman are a couple of lovely coats. I love this coat and I think it would be lovely out of the navy wool cashmere I have in the stash. But it would need a "little" bit of fit adjustment which requires time. In the same issue is this coat, which looks like it would be a quicker sewing project. And the sizing is closer. I even found melton at Spotlight. And in purple. It's so tempting..... but it's $39.95m and this coat takes around 2.6 metres. Maybe I sho...

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...

Well, my holidays are over and I don't seem to have got any of the sewing done that I'd planned. It seems my mojo packed and went on holiday too. So, in an effort to kickstart a sewing spree, I started to tackle my DD2's woeful lack of clothing. First up was to use a piece of Mickey Mouse themed sweatshirting I had acquired from my mother. This was apparently purchased in the mid to late 80s, so it was certainly time it was sewn into something useful. Everytime I looked at this fabric all that came to mind was those really baggy 80s jackets. I started with hoodie pattern #36 from Ottobre 04/2007, added extra length to the body and sleeves and used the ungathered pockets, sleeves and hood from #34. I made a size 146 so there is plenty of growing room. Next up was the 'Emo' sweatshirt as it has been titled in our house. I had a small remnant which was not big enough to allow the hoodie DD2 wanted. A bit of digging in the stash and we came up with some white sweatshirt...

One wearable, one not. First up, a big THANK YOU to everyone for their help and suggestions as to how I might save my wadd-ette from full wadder status. I tried most of the tips, from belt (yikes, not a good look) to pinning in waist darts as many suggested. That worked to some degree, but didn't seem to go with the 'style' of the cardigan and also seemed to just cause the front to sit open more. However, I think I have it to wearable status. It might never be a favourite, but it's made it to the wardrobe month-long trial that Belinda/Sew4Fun suggested. I left the cardy to languish on my desk while I blobbed on the couch relaxed in front of the television until I had a revelation. Dang it - I am a lollipop shape (I'm thinking ChupaChup here, lol). It's my current body shape and, short of liposuction, I can't think of a way to change that overnight. That didn't mean I was going to settle for the octuplet pregnancy look though! I grabbed the seam-ripper...

...so very close to wearable. I was even up to pinning to determine button placement. Then I noticed something was awry. Sigh, somewhere between the unpicking, cutting, and resewing, one of the front edges has ended up longer than the other. Well that would explain why the front was rippled. More frogstitching to be done :( Next post will either see it in the bin, or on me...

The sewing mojo hit yesterday. Not for the jacket that has been sitting cut out and waiting for sewing time since before Christmas. Nor for the trousers that have been waiting just as long. Nope, instead I decided to ruin start on a new piece of fabric. Without a muslin. In my defence, I thought I was safe because I had checked the pattern pieces would physically fit.... pity I didn't pause long enough to do a style check! I had to size the pattern up -hmmm, perhaps the Ottobre people were right to stop at a 46. So, I present Ottobre 2-2008 #10. With this view I could almost decide to wear it.... a bit baggy but maybe wearable.... then I saw this view - I could be pregnant with octuplets in there and no-one could tell! I'd like to hope that, because the fabric is fluid, there is enough movement to show there isn't. I'd really, really like to hope that. And I do like the fabric, a chocolate Ponti knit. I thought about shaping the side seams more but that isn't goi...

There are a few sneak-peek piccies up at The Wooly Thread . I'm liking that grey jacket, as is DD1. The dresses.... well, I'm not really a dress person, but DD likes the beige. Only 2 weeks to go....

I swear that the clocks all speed up at the end of the year! Towards the end of the year there, I was feeling like my productive streak had worn off and that I hadn't accomplished a lot. The funny thing is that once I started listing it, I realised I have got quite a bit done after all. I think it's the still-very long "to-do" list affecting my perception. There's only one way of fixing that - I'm throwing away the list.... :) One thing I could cross off the list was the Ottobre Hug Tees (01-2008-12) for my nieces, complete with matching leggings ( 04-2008 -2). I was so glad that Meggie Lulu pointed out there was a tutorial on the Ottobre Yahoo group! With pictures! I made these following the Ottobre tutorial, although at some point I'd like to try Mermaids method to have only the one layer in the front. Procrastination does have its advantages as it meant I didn't start DD's version until this year. It can therefore be entered in the Stash Cont...

DD2 has been growing like a weed with the result that her wardrobe is getting sparse. Luckily, Judy loaned me her Ottobre 06-2007 magazine so I could try out this pattern (#32). Where do I start? I looove this pattern for DD. I made these up exactly to the pattern and they fit her really well. I think I could skim in a teensy bit more on the hip and leg for a tighter skinny jean but that is to be expected as DD is size 128 measurements with a size 134 length (I made a 134). I've reviewed this over at Patternreview with a few more details. I used a stretch denim with a metallic pink 'thread' woven through which gives the glitter. This played havoc with my needle, blunting it badly. The metallic thread was also probably the cause of the topstitching thread problems I had. (The thread kept tangling and splitting in this fabric but is fine in normal denim) A picture after DD had worn them all day so a bit wrinkled but it shows the waistband height. The front (oops, somehow I...

Today I put in a seemingly perfect zip on DD1's Ottobre hoody. It went in smoothly the first time. All the pockets and seams lined up. But, just as I was about to start topstitching I noticed one teeny weeny problem.... To quote Homer Simpson -D'OH!!! After some frog-stitching (rip-it, rip-it) I finally got the zip in, the right way round and finished off DD's jacket at last. She seems happy with it. Here she is with her "modelling" pose (and as you can see, struggling to keep a straight face). One with the hood - This is Ottobre 05-2007-19 : Hooded Sweat Jacket. The pattern comes in sizes 34-52 and I made DD a 36 from her measurements. This pattern was well-drafted and went together like a dream, well, except for my mistake (see above). It fits DD beautifully and is the shape and fit that she likes. The fabric is a genuine 1980s sweatshirt fleece which I got from my Mother's stash. I had a very small piece ( see previous post here ) and it required some care...

The sewing hasn't gone as fast as I would have liked the last week fortnight. Where has the time gone? It seemed as fast as I made plans for a day, children or fate stepped in and intervened. However, - I've managed to catch up with Judy and the twins a few times and spent an entire day playing (and fulfilling any clucky needs, lol) with babies last week. We also managed to squeeze in a 'girly' day, which is good because we were at risk of needing name badges soon! (Ja, we'll have to do a Friday soon! If we wear a red carnation we should recognise each other...) I spent a morning weedspraying around the property. This included the quick dash (in spraying clothes and gumboots) to the hardware shop a few kilometres down the road for more weedspray. These are the times I'm really glad our community is quite casual. :) This weekend we hope to get them all pulled out. The weeds that is. I've got my vege garden all dug in and planted. It took me 4 hours and despi...

I've managed to fit in some sewing-related activities over the past week around everything else.. I traced, and cut out a hoodie jacket for my DD1 from an original 1980s sweatshirting- white with fluoro yellow smiley faces printed on. It was a squeeze. I started off with less fabric than required for the pattern and then there was a corner cut out as well, but I got it all on in the end. It just requires me to dig out a white zip. Somehow, I don't think I'd have much luck finding a fluoro yellow zip. ;) Today, I went on a stash dive for specific knits. It was helped by 'the map' of my stash cupboard but it still required moving 14 boxes (possibly, just possibly, I might have a bit too much stash). Naturally, one of the boxes I needed was in the very bottom back corner. Then I traced out Ottobre patterns while the fabric preshrank. I've got tops and leggings to make for 2 nieces and a set for my DD2 for summer. That was as far as I got but at least everything is ...

Last week the number of sewing machines in my house doubled. First up, my parents gave my DD a second-hand machine for her 12th birthday. It's an old one - a Brother 803 (in fact I'm sure it's the same model I had in sewing classes when I was 10) and it doesn't have a manual, but it's simple and easy to work out. DD is very excited to have a machine of her own and has set it up in her bedroom. This did necessitate furniture reallocations and shuffling, but hey, this is encouraging another sewer/sewist and I need help getting that stash down. :) Then came another second-hand old machine. A Husqvarna 6440 which, according to the original warranty certificate, was bought in 1977. This was on Trade-me and I got it for $26. Apparently the main cam is broken. I've phoned the repair place that looked at the machine for the previous owner (that's the advantage of a small city - there are only a few places to check) and I can expect a bill of about $90 to fix it. Ev...

I've been terribly neglectful of my blog. Uni has been keeping me busy, but I've now handed in my (42 page!) research report. I'm slowly recovering from the effects of typing that much (RSI and, ahem, the effects of all the nibbles necessary for such an undertaking) and now I've just got a couple of exams to go this year. Then it's 8 weeks holidays, so I'll be getting some sewing done then. :) Because I can't wait to do something sewing, I've been busy stimulating the economy. First up, I decided to get those Ottobre magazines I've been thinking about before the dollar dropped too far. Winging their way to me are: 4/06 1/08 and 4/08 So when they arrive I'll have no excuse not to be inspired. But it's not just magazines I've been buying. ;) Yesterday, I 'forced' myself to head along to Spotlight's 20% off sale and liberated some fabric. (There goes the stash stats!) Brigitte brown/stars jersey knit; Sweethearts jersey Blue k...

If so then I get to add making a cheerful, smiley hearts sling for DD to my list. :-) As it is: Hug rugs for school done - Check. Nightie for me - On hold. Ottobre Jacket - cut out and sitting in the general vicinity of the sewing desk. I really need this but it's waiting on some spare time (if I can ever remember what that is). I'm making Jacket 17 from Ottobre 02-2006 but I'm using a Ponti Roma knit instead of a woven and I'm not going to line it. I have a mental image of what I'm aiming for, so we'll have to see if reality matches. ;-) Meanwhile, any faint hopes I had that a broken arm might slow down my youngest DD have been abandoned. I got a phone call from school last week to say she'd banged her head not just once, but twice, and wasn't feeling too good. Understatement of the year! White as a ghost, nauseaous, dizzy and double vision, on top of the fact that she'd had concussion only ten days before, meant we got to see another 5 hours of lif...

The new Ottobre Woman Magazine is up on the website - here . A few designs I like straight off. Although I usually find that I like more when I have the magazine in hand and can pour over it. Life has been hectic the last month with uni, kids and associated chaos. To top it all off, DD2 was kind enough to give me the flu. She had it and bounced back in 3 days but it's taken me out for a week. Luckily the Olympics has been on because I've spent a lot of time just sitting dozing in front of the tv. Back to somnolence and the Olympics....