Closet Shopping! Huge Score!

I was so excited to have a free weekend and finally get some time to sew.  But for some reason (maybe it was the pile of junk on my cutting table from the last 6 weeks of un-use?), I was drawn to my closet and decided to start decluttering.  I made a pretty good dent, and one of my best finds was a box of UFO's (unfinished objects), and oh my goodness, what a box!

First, though, I'll share some of the pants I discovered (in the same closet) shortly after I reached my weight loss goal.  I haven't been able to wear these for years, so I was pretty stoked.  I've already gotten a lot of wear out of all of them.  Yay!

First up is a pair of funky cotton pants.  These ones have surfing frogs on them, and they're the only pair that I ever put a cargo pocket on.  I wear them to the gym a lot.

These are a pair of grey poly/twill cargo pants, but I love the fact that they look like dress pants.  Now that I'm "managing" the upholstery shop, I'm trying to dress a bit nicer (but not so nice that I can't get dirty, right?), and these I really like.

I made them from this pattern.  I made the version with the higher waistband, and once I got them to fit, I played around with several pairs, and they all have different cargo pockets, etc on them.  They were my TNT pants back then.

I love these blue hawaiian ones.  They are made out of the thinnest cotton, and they're so comfy, they feel like I'm wearing nothin' at all!  I wear these to the gym, too, and I wore them a lot when we were camping.  I shrunk out of almost all my shorts and capris, so I decided to wear cotton pants like I used to, and by golly, they're pretty darn comfy!  They were all I used to wear in the summer.  You may also recognize these from Get Your Dance on 4 Hope.  Orange and blue are my favourite colours to put together.

As you get to know me better, you'll discover that I love camouflage.  These have 2 cargo pockets, and they are the darndest thing for wearing to work.  So handy!

My favourite grey ones were in the wash today when I was modelling all the other ones, so I grabbed this pic from the "sign hanging" episode.  I wear these pants more than any of the others.  They're light enough to wear in the summer, and they fit me just right.  They also have 2 cargo pockets.

These are my favourite pair of jeans that I have ever made.  I was absolutely over the moon when they fit me again!  I've washed and worn them so much, they have the genuine wear lines like all RTW jeans have.  When you sew your own, you know it takes eons to get that look.  These are also from the Alice & Olivia TNT pants pattern.

 That's it for the pants I found a few months ago.  Now we're digging into the totally awesome box of super cool UFO's (and some that are actually finished).  This skirt matches those jeans.  I think I made the skirt first, and then did the same pocket design for the pants.  These have never been washed or worn.  I don't think I was happy with the way the A-line skirt hung.  But you know what?  I don't really care anymore.  I think it's a cute skirt, and I'm going to start wearing it.  

This is what the pocket design looks like "freshly sewn".  I kinda like the way stuff looks when it's brand new.  Not to mention that I did a pretty darn good job on the topstitching.

This is the pattern I used.  In the photo, it's the red skirt, in the drawings, it's the orange skirt, view F.  I also really like View E, the blue skirt.  I'll have to make that someday.

I did made the belt loops, so I suppose I could wear a belt like this with it.  But it's likely that you'll never see the waist of this skirt, so why bother?  A lot of times I'll omit the belt loops for that reason.  I don't like wearing belts.

OMG!  You'll never guess what I found in my super awesome box!  70's bell-bottom jeans!  I am in love.  These are the coolest things I've ever put on.  I don't know what my problem was back then, but I'm assuming I gained a bit of weight, cuz they fit perfectly now!  All that's left to do is put on a button, and hem the bottoms!

There is a bit of gaposis at the back, but the hips fit so nice, and the waist is high enough, that I really don't care!  I might just stitch a piece of 1" elastic inside the waistband and call 'er good.

My dad always says I was born in the wrong decade.  I love the 70's.  And I love the way these fit!  The hips are nice and snug, and the waist hits just below my belly button.  Love, love, love!  

I'm very happy with the side view, although my face doesn't show it.  I took so many pictures today, I didn't bother getting "perfect" ones.

And I love the back view!  I did awesome topstitching on these, too.  I must have been on a roll back then.  I think I sewed most of this stuff between 2002 and 2004, after college when I was living at home.  I don't know what pattern I made these from, but I have two 70's pants patterns in my stash, and I'm going to figure out which one made these!  I think they were plain pants and I drafted all the jean stuff onto them.  I'm so excited!  I can't really wear them right now, because we finally got our summer heat wave, and the humidity is crazy.  But once it cools down, I can see myself wearing these all the time.  *squeal!*

Next in the box is a pair of jeans that does not fit so good.  I've had some bad luck over the years finding good pants patterns, so I'm quite thrilled that I fit into my Alice & Olivia pants pattern again, because I need a TNT.  These, however, are awful.  I know it doesn't look that bad in the photo, but scroll down.

Baggy, shapeless, old lady pants.  Yuck.

I should have gotten a clue from the pattern photo.  I'm much more savvy now.

But they make those drawings so darn cute!  Oh well.  You live and learn.  Never make a new pants pattern without a muslin.  Or you'll end up with a wadder.

Like, gag me with a spoon.

Thankfully there was only one wadder in the box.  Anyways, onto better things!  I found a onesie!  I have no idea what size it is, but it's for a toddler.  I'm going to finish it off with ribbing at the cuffs and neckline, and give it to my friend's daughter, and she can wear it when she grows into it.  Cute!

I made a penguin sweater!  The sleeves are too short, and the body is a smidge too big, but I can fix both of those with ribbing.  

I'll probably wear this around the house in the winter, or as a layer under my winter coat.  The yoke line at the chest is way too high, and the zipper is so short, I can barely get it over my head.  Probably why I didn't finish it.  But I'll finish it and wear it anyways.  I love penguins!

Does this look familiar?  These fleeces are from the same leftover stash that I made my colour-blocked Jalie hoodie out of.  This one isn't quite as awesome, though.  The body fits better than the lime green/penguin one, the sleeves are a little bit longer (but probably will still need ribbing), and thanks to the hood, I can get this one easily over my head.

I'll for sure wear this one around the house.  I wear hoodies all winter, so I'm happy to have some extras!

I found another finished object!  This vest is pretty cute.  Albeit, it's too short and too big for me, so I'll find someone appropriately sized and give it away.  It has pockets, as you can see, and another cool zippered pocket on one chest.

Look what's inside!  More penguins!!!  

Boy, I was creative and productive back then.  I was working for dad in the shop at home, and I made a couple things out of upholstery fabric.  First, we have a garment bag.  This is another finished object!  Score!

And a drawstring backpack.  It has a big pocket on the outside, and the bottom is a circle with piping so it holds its shape fairly well.  I am so wearing this when we ride our bikes to the farmers' market!

UFO: vest for dad.

UFO: bright orange linen bell-bottoms!  I hope these are cut from the same pattern as my 70's jeans.  I guess I'll have to sew them up and find out!  Saweet!

UFO: long straight camouflage skirt.  I'm positive I didn't finish this one cuz it was too tight.  The fabric has some stretch, but not enough that I could get away with it until now.

With side slits!  I think this one kinda screams 90's, but I don't care.  It's light and airy and perfect for summer.  I just have to attach the waistband facing, and hem the slits and the bottom.

UFO: denim messenger bag.  I think I ran out of red bias tape, cuz that's all that's left.  

I was just thinking about making a sling bag.  How perfect is this?

But look!  I cut one out in denim and orange camouflage!  I originally intended to use the orange camo as the lining, because I can see the tracing lines for the inside pocket.  But I'm totally putting it on the outside.  Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!

UFO: denim shoulder bag with pink hawaiian piping.  This is probably the only thing I remember that I put in the box.  I've been wanting to finish this thing for ages.  I'll have to sew most of it on the upholstery machine, because of the piping.

And holy crap, I made my own bias binding!  I just noticed that now!  Woot woot!

Here is the pattern.

It will eventually turn into view A.  Cool, huh?  I also like B and C, but I'm pretty sure I'll never have time to get to them.  I've been using the same little purse since 2004, so it's not like I need a bunch of different bags and purses.  I don't like the word "purse" anyways.  If I finish this one, I'll use it as my purse, er, backpack.

I can't get over how many cool surprises I found in this box!  Last but not least, a penguin quilt made by my mommy!  I might use it as a lap quilt, or if I can find enough wall space somewhere, I'll hang it up.  This is like Christmas and birthday and every special occasion all wrapped into one!  I should declutter more often!

This was not in "the box".  It was in a big bag of perfectly good towels and sheets, all of which I washed and am going to use again.  I love to crochet, but like many other things I love to do, I don't have time for it right now.  I think I made this in the summer of 2001, before my second year of college.  I remember having this on our couch in our townhouse.

I would love to make a granny square skirt someday.  I think these squares came from a skirt pattern, actually.

I need to make a pillow and finish this one off.  These are made from the same square design.  I call this one Fire and Ice.  Fire:

and Ice:

Wow, what a lucky girl I am!  I feel like I gave myself a time capsule!  Stay tuned as I will update the UFO's as they become FO's.  I don't mind that I didn't get any sewing done this weekend.  My closet is clean, and I got a whole bunch of presents!  *big smile*

Mel's PJ Pants - McCall's 2101

This past Christmas, I had grand intentions of making 16 pairs of PJ pants for gifts.  As it turned out, I only managed to make 5.  I plan on getting the other 11 done throughout the year, and yes, some of them will probably have to wait until Christmas this year.

This is my very first project after finishing the 4 onesies.  I hope you like simple things, because I intend to blog about everything that I make, including 11 mundane pairs of PJ pants.  Mwahahahahahaha!!!

On a seemingly unrelated tangent, I'd like to introduce you to our new kitty, Lucky.  He was born in July 2011, so he's still a kitten.  Actually, he thinks he's a puppy.  He likes to bite and wrestle, and he loves to chew paper.  I took this photo back in February.  He's a little bit bigger now, but he pretty much looks the same.  He's got the cutest big buggy yellow eyes!  He's hanging out at the foot pedal of my industrial sewing machine.  I love having a cat to hang out with me in my sewing room.

Except when they do this...

All I kept thinking was, "Thank God it's just PJ pants, and thank God it's just a pant leg!"  Needless to say, I managed to straighten it out enough to cut the pants out.  I'll fix it and trace out a new pattern later.


Here is a close-up of the flannel.  Isn't it adorable?  It totally matches Mel's personality.  As soon as she saw her pants, she said, "Owls! I love owls!"  I love it when people have a distinct style, because it's easy to find things that suit them.  I constantly see things that I know she would love.

I can whip up a pair of PJ pants in about an hour and a half.  I can do them quicker if I'm doing several, assembly line style, because I have to change my serger to coverstitch to finish the elastic waist and hem the bottoms.

This has got to be one of the most useful places to put my label.  If you don't have a label, you can't figure out which way goes front, and which way goes back.  Oh yeah, and I didn't even have to change thread.  I still had orange left from the onesies, and since it matched so nice, I went with it!

Mel loves her pants, and I'm proud to say that they fit her perfectly!  They have about 2" of ease at the hips, and I cut them an inch longer than her waist-to-floor measurement to allow for shrinkage.  Poor girl was wearing old plaid PJ's that were several inches too short the last time I visited her.  Now she has new, longer ones!

Merry Christmas, Mel!  Tee hee!  :D

Four Onesies! - McCall's 6251

As I've been perusing the online sewing world, I've noticed a trend among my fellow seamstresses.  Hardly any of you sew for other people!  Well, aside from gifts for family and friends, and clothes for your immediate family.  I'm talking about sewing as a side business.  I can only think of a couple who do it.  I can see why you keep your sewing to yourself.  When you get wrapped up in deadlines and don't have enough time to finish other people's projects, let alone have any time to sew for yourself, it kinda sorta sucks the fun out of it.

Random bed-head from a glorious weekend of staying home sewing, Saturday and Sunday!

Since I finished wedding season last June, I've been working 4 days a week at Dad's upholstery shop.  We have been absolutely swarmed with work, and have even hired a few extra hands.  It's crazy busy, but I absolutely love my job!  I would work 5 days a week if I lived a little closer.  That might happen later this year, but for now, I'm driving 45 minutes to work every day, and since it's summer, I'm coming home every night, instead of staying overnight like I do in the winter.  I guess that would also explain why I don't have much sewing time.  If I was home every night and close enough to work to not have to spend an hour and a half driving, I would probably sew a little bit every night.

In other exciting news, we will be moving the upholstery shop to a new building in a matter of weeks.  Stay tuned for all the excitement!  I'm super pumped about it.

Tracing out individual sizes of Onesie patterns

Anyways, enough chattering.  On to the matter at hand: Onesies!  Several months ago, (was it December, or January?) I got an email from the sister-in-law of Ken, who I made the Batman onesie and Superman onesie for last year.  She asked if I could make 4 onesies for her gang, and if they could all have hoodies, bum flaps, and feet.  I said, sure!  How 'bout I tackle those in February?  Hardy har har.  I should know myself better by now.  By the time March rolled around, I realized I didn't have any time to sew on Fridays or weekends, and since it was Birthday Season, I gave myself a break and didn't even bother to try.  It was very liberating to give myself permission to relax!  I finally decided to get back on it and pinned down a deadline of May 18, the beginning of the Long Weekend in May.  I finished them midday that day, (after an all-nighter that lasted until 3 am!) and now that it's 5 days later, I'm finally getting around to blogging about them!  Here we go!


First, I needed to decide where to put the bum flap.  So, I stuck a piece of paper to my onesie, right above where the crotch curve flattens out, and voila!  I made the pattern piece a smudge bigger than the piece of paper, and I had my bum flap pattern.

I used the collar and hood pattern from my Jalie hoodie.  I added an extra inch to the neckline, since the necks on these things are huge!  I cut all the hoods the same size.  Oh yeah, sizes.  There are 4 onesies, for 3 girls and 1 guy.  They are slightly adjusted versions of an XS, S, M, and L.  This time around, I was smart and traced out each size onto its own pattern paper.  So much faster.  Fleece doesn't take very well to a tracing wheel, and that's even when I slide a quilting ruler between the 2 layers so it's not so thick!  The pattern tracing went so swiftly, it inspired me to trace out more of my frequently-used patterns to save more time in the long run.

They chose this awesome leopard print and deer camouflage.  The 2 leopard print onesies are Small and Medium, and the deer camo are Extra Small and Large.  Pretty easy to figure out between the deer ones.  The other two I had to mark with sticky notes so I didn't get them mixed up.

Collars with Labels

Here are all the bum flaps.  I chose big buttons out of Mom's Jar 'o Buttons.  The guy in Large gets chrome/metal buttons (lower left).  I figured they were the most "masculine".  But they're still on a bum flap, so it'll be cute regardless.  I sewed little squares of flannel into the corners and sewed the buttonholes diagonally.  I also put velcro in the middle of the 3 unattached sides, by request of the wearers.  They wanted them to be functional (in front of a real bum flap hole!), yet very secure, with no gaping!

Here we are before the very last step, the attachment of the feet.  I've gotta say, assembly line sewing is brilliant.  These sewed up much faster than I expected.  Total time spent on each onesie was less than 7 hours.  If I made only one, it probably would have taken closer to 10.  Once I figured out each step, it was so easy to grab the next one and the next one and just whip them together in no time.

They turned out really well.  I love the hoodies.  I would add a hoodie to my next onesie.  Wouldn't that be so warm if you were camping in a tent?!  I would add a bum flap only if it was decorative.  It would be so much faster to attach a flap and stick the buttons in the corners.  Sewing the hole and adding the extra velcro was a lot of work.  But they're functional!

I'm not a big fan of the feet.  The concept is novel, I'll admit, but I don't think they're entirely practical.  For one thing, you have to get your length exactly right, so your slippers don't drag off your feet..  Besides that, they just take a long time to assemble and attach.  Each pair of feet takes at least an hour to put on.


I love the leopard print onesies.  One has a red zipper, red buttons and hot pink cuffs, and the other has a green zipper, silvery/dark grey buttons, and lime green cuffs.  One girl liked hot pink, the other liked lime green.  I managed to get ribbing to match, but I used the zippers and buttons I had on hand.  I'm quite pleased with the resulting combinations.  The deer onesies have orangey/red zippers and orange cuffs.  I got all the zippers at Davey Fabrics for 75 cents apiece.

Cuffs!  I couldn't find actual ribbing in bright enough colours, so I used spandex.  It works really well.  I also adjusted the differential feed on my serger to finish them off, and they weren't as wavy as they usually are.  Quite chuffed with myself!  I didn't press these at all.  In fact, there were a lot of things I didn't need to press on these onesies.  The only things that are essential to press are the flat seams.  Everything else looks great just the way it is.  That also helped speed up the process.  I had so much fun with all this fleece that I'm temped to dive into my next hoodie right away, even though I'm in dire need of several other garments first!

Another thing that sped up the process was using orange thread for everything.  Black or brown or even red would have matched the leopard onesies better, but I wanted to do them all at once.  The fleece is pretty thick and I don't think anyone is really going to notice.  You can tell where I put the velcro on this bum flap.  The buttons are so cute!

I absolutely love the Jalie hoodies.  They lay so nicely on your shoulders, and when you put them up, they fit over your head so snugly!  Love, love, love!!!  I'm getting warm just looking at these!

Before I packed them up and gave them away, I had Tyler try on the Large.  I would have tried on one of the girls', but they were all much shorter than me!

Thanks darlin!  I know you don't like being a model, but I'm happy you do it for me anyways.  I think you look pretty cute.

So, there's the end of my last sewing job!  I'm so thrilled to be able to sew whatever I want, whenever I want!  The trouble is, we're well into the Spring season, and life is pretty darn busy!  If I get a spare moment to stay home, I can't wait to start sewing!  I haven't even decided what I'm going to do first!

Liebster Award

Back in the beginning of April, I was pleasantly surprised to see that CJ from the blog mystitchnbitch gave me a blogger award!  This is my very first award, and I'm so thrilled!  Thank you CJ! 

I can't remember how I first stumbled onto CJ's blog, but I think it was around Halloween last year.  She made the most incredible Looney Tunes costumes I've ever seen!  She also made a bacon and eggs costume, and an omelette costume, just like the one Justin Timberlake wore on SNL.  Unbelievable!  Check out the madness!  

Since then, I've enjoyed watching her sew all kinds of dresses in lots of fun prints and colours.  I recently found out that she lost her dad earlier this year, and after some soul-searching, she decided to start living life to the fullest, and went skydiving for her 30th birthday!  Way to go, CJ!

The rules for the Liebster award are:


Thank the person who gave you the award and link to their blog.


Choose 3-5 blogs with less than 200 followers and pass it on.


Display the Liebster Award somewhere on your blog.

I have been following Joy from 21 Wale for quite some time.  

She has 5 kids, and she sews all their clothes, and all of her clothes.  She also follows my blog, and I love how we comment on each other's blogs.  This is how bloggers become friends!  She is a master of cargo pockets.  She's also drawn to some of the same things that I love, such as bellbottoms and sporty design details.  I have so much fun watching her kids grow up!  I can't believe how big Molly is now!  Speaking of Molly, check her out in this absolutely super cute vintage romper.  I love it so much, I want one in my size!

After seeing jadesabre9's incredible swashbuckler/musketeer costume on Pattern Review, I started following her blog, Sew Frustrating!  

She is learning to sew, and I am so entertained watching her progress.  She reminds me so much of myself when I was just learning to sew.  She makes a lot of the same mistakes I used to make!  I'm sure she will progress much faster than I did, because she's blogging about all her projects, which adds a lot more insight, and she's connected to the online sewing world, which has taught me so much more than I ever learned when I took Fashion in college!

I think I discovered Suzy's blog, Suzy Bee Sews, from browsing through other people's blog lists.  

I've been following her for several months, and I honestly can't believe that she's only been sewing seriously since January 2011.  Wow.  I think she's learned more in a year and a half than I have in all my 19 years of sewing, including 2 years of college.  I'm blown away by the couture finishing she puts into each and every garment she makes.  She's also made a lot of pants, which many sewers don't tackle for years because skirts and dresses are easier to fit.  Suzy is fearless.  She has made several jackets and coats, including this purple trench coat, which is her latest.  Stop on over at her blog and have a look!

Swimsuit #2 at WEM Waterpark - Jalie 3134

I really loved my first Jalie swimsuit, but after wearing it to the pool, I soon discovered that it was too short in the torso, and didn't feel very comfortable!  I put up with it for a few weeks until I had time to make a new one.  Or rather, I waited until I had an opportunity to go to the World Waterpark at West Edmonton Mall, and had to make a new one that fit.

 I added an inch to the waist length.  I also omitted the piping.  I used this cute rainbow stripe fabric, and cut all the accent pieces so the stripe would be going crosswise.  I even managed to sew my lining in the right way, and now you can see the hawaiian print when you look at the inside!  I sewed the cups and the elastic in the same way.

 I didn't try on the suit until I was completely finished.  Did I mention that I finished it at 8:00am the morning of the waterpark trip?  We had to be there by 10:00.  It was last minute, but I didn't feel rushed, and I really enjoyed the process.  I love that I can make the whole thing by just sitting at my serger.

 When I tried it on, I was thrilled to discover that 1" in length was all it needed, and it was finally perfectly comfortable!  By the way, I took these pictures a few days later.  I didn't have time to have a photo shoot that morning!

 Even though I pulled the elastic tight at the back of the waist, it still gapes.  Next time, I will take a 1" wedge out, essentially making a swayback adjustment.  And I will still pull the elastic at that spot.  

 I'm very happy with this suit.  Although after making 2 suits with prints on a white background, I've discovered that they don't go well with my pasty white Canadian skin.  I knew that this time, but I wanted to make this suit out of something I had lots of, and wouldn't mind if the fitting adjustments didn't turn out.  

 I still love the way the back band joins the front and swoops down, even though the stripes are perpendicular at the side.  Who's going to see that close under my armpit?

 At the waterpark, my friend brought a waterproof camera, so I borrowed it and got some fun pictures.  This is a really cool shot that shows off how big the waterpark is.  I haven't been here in 7 years.  We used to come all the time when I was a kid, and I have many great memories of this place.  

I rode almost every single waterslide!  Yes, even the crazy loop-de-loop one, and the super steep "Sky Screamer".  On those 2, which are the most extreme, they put you in a capsule and shut the door.  Water runs down behind you, you cross your ankles and cross your arms over your chest, then this automated voice counts down: 3...2...1...then the floor drops out from under you!  The anticipation is scarier than the ride itself!  Man, what a thrill!

I had an absolute blast for 4 solid hours.  I rode over a dozen waterslides, and jumped waves in the wave pool (where I am in these pictures) until I was worn right out.

 I had such a blast, I'm getting some friends together to go back again soon!  And having a new swimsuit that fit made it that much better!