Well the 2 week resolutions didn't last too long, but I have made some progress on other projects. After a wonderful PR weekend I was inspired to start sewing a bit more and picked up this Jalie pattern (2921). The demo that Jalie did at the weekend was great! I had some fabric in my stash that I picked up in New York last year, and thought it had marinated long enough in the cupboard and it was time to give sewing knits again.

I noticed that Deepika had used this same fabric sometime last year to make up a top and had mentioned the problem of bullseyes due to the circles. I kept this in mind when selecting the top and fabric choice and thought well I won't make that same mistake and carried on. I only had 1 yard of fabric so I just made sure that no circles were in the bust area and started cutting hoping for the best. It was only when I finished the shirt and went looking though old blog posts did I realized that I had also picked the same pattern. If I had realized that in advance I might have been saved the trouble.

Let me just say I would trade for circles on the boobs versus what I ended up with. I really should have cut everything single layer and perhaps I would have avoided this problem. The shortage of fabric prevented any pattern matching, but I thought random squigly lines would be fine... If only!

Here's a pic...



Why wearing the shirt with the bow model is not an option : Though I'm not happy with the owl's eyes above the bust, it might be possible to wear it with the buckle. Must go and pick one up. (Excuse the bad photo, it's a bit hot in the house at the moment) On the positive side, I'm really happy with the fit and shape of the pattern. It went together really well. I love Jalie! I just wish I would pay more attention to things like this. Next time I do this pattern it'll definitly be with a solid and not a print. I've learnt me lesson on shirts with a centre front seam! I've also developed a bit more confidence for sewing with knits and rayon jersey in particular. I just love this fabric. It is so soft and confortable. I need to finally make up the hotpatterns wrap dress I bought ages ago! I just hope that I'll have better luck with pattern choice! I'm learning slowly I swear!

I have quite a few other finished projects or ones that are nearly done that I really must write about, if nothing else it keeps a nice log for me.

Two-Week Resolutions 1 week 1 (2WR1-1) - progress

Well so far things are going well...

To recap the goals for this fortnight are :

• Toe-up socks
• Fit my blouse
• only take the stairs

I have made good progress on my first toe-up sock. This is actually my third attempt, but first working with a real pattern. I bought Socks from the Toe-Up by Wendy K and things finally fell into place.

The yarn is by Lorna Laces that I bought in Toronto almost 3 years ago. Now I'll be able to use up all the wool and not have any leftovers.

I tried working on fitting my blouse pattern (jalie 2322 - hmm, can't find a link on Jalie's site - is it out of print?) today and got as far as taking out all but 1cm of the broad back increase that I had done and basically stalled when it came to making a 1 inch sway back adjustment, on top of the 3/4 inch adjustment that I had already done on the pattern. I was a little concerened that this was changing the sides of my pattern and that it just wouldn't work.

Back to the drawing board. I have succeeded in gaining about 10 pounds since September and it is probaby time to simply go up a size. I took my measurements and I am now a Size S (according to Jalie). Also thanks to a post on patternreview.com to check the postion of the waist. It appears that my waist is 1/2 inch higher than the pattern. I'll probably still have to do a small swayback adjustment (as this was required on a skirt I did in my sewing class) this may make the pattern a little bit better, that and lower the bust dart 1/2 inch

Honestly, I'm a little discouraged to start all over again from scratch, but thankfully I stumbed across Sew-4-fun's blog and one of her posts where she mentioned that it is nearly impossible to get something perfect on the first go (especially for newish sewers), so I'm going to start with that, sew up the blouse and work on perfecting the blouse in the future incarnations. I will succeed in having a well-fitting blouse by the end of this year!

As I've already cut out the top, I think I'll just try cutting out a new and larger back and fit it to the front that seems to fit ok as it. That and I don't have enough fabric to recut everything.

New Years Resolutions Two Weeks at a Time

I heard a neat idea on the radio this morning of making resolutions for two week periods only. Most of what I want to accomplish this year is project based and therefore working in two week sprints I might actually finish some of my projects.

Here is v1.0 of the things I hope to accomplish by picking one or two to work on during the fortnight. Obviously some are much longer than others, but as long as have accomplished a few tasks of the project I will consider it a success.

Sewing

• Make a proper fitting blouse
• PJs for me
• PJ bottoms for a friend
• Draft adult one-piece PJs for my brother
• Draft and make dress shirt for hubby
• Use one of my hotpatterns and fabric from New York
• Jalie Suit Jacket
• Finish pants
• Use one of my BurdaStyle patterns
• Use some stash fabric

Knitting

• Knit toe-up socks
• Finish Juno (and frog what is done)
• Fix toe on plain socks
• Finish waving lace socks
• Use some stash wool
• Fix hats

General wellbeing and personal improvement

• EA active every two days
• Only take the stairs
• More walks for the dog
• Read a French book
• Do some French homework
• No buy week (except for food)
• Keep the house spotless
• No jeans at work (except for Fridays)

House

• Finish decorating the bathroom
• Plan kitchen modifications/renovations
• Start planning basement decorating
• Plant a garden
• Do some yard work

Misc. projects

• Go to Thailand
• Learn a few key phrases in Thai
• Finish photo books

First up:

• Toe up socks
• Fit my blouse pattern
• Only take the stairs

Hmm, is that too much, time will tell come Monday February 1, 2010! Oh yah, and I must update the blog a little more often for it to keep me motivated.

A New House

Well it seems we can't stay longer than 3 years in any one place, so this spring it was time to move again. My hubby got a new job about 1 hour west of where we were currently living so we decided to move to a small house in the suburbs to cut down his commute a bit and finally buy a house after living in appartment style condos before.

It's a tiny bungalo built in 1954, and though one day we dream of having a bit more space, frankly it's perfect for us at the moment. I really appreciate the fact that it's less to clean as already I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the garden. We're leaving that for next year as we've been fortunate to be blessed with the wonderful flowers the previous owner planted for us. I'm just a little scared that it'll be a mess come next spring due to our neglect.


Our first mission was to bring the stlye up to date and remove the "elderly" feel. The pink carpet had to go! We spent a lovely weekend removing the pepto-bismo inspired flooring so that our contractor could put down some new hardwood and remove the wall the created a hallway leading to the bedrooms. Initally we had planned to simply refinish the original hardwood under the carpet, however as the dining room was previously a 3rd bedroom, there was a bit gap where the wall had been removed and all of the planks were in the opposite direction to the majority of the hardwood. In the end to ensure a better result we decided to go with new flooring. Just as well, as our contractor informed us that the wood had seen better days and was pretty thin.

Here's a shot before:

And after:

I'm in love with our new floors and we just have to get another 2 pannels of curtains for the big window and paint the window boxes the same colour as the wall. Initally I thought we'd leave them white, but they stand out a bit too much. After that just a few more accessories to finish the space off, though I'm so happy with the results already.

Here's the perspective from the other side:

For the moment, you'll just have to imagine a large mirror with some floating shelves along the back wall and a better scaled picture between the two windows.

Here's the wall we had removed to open up the space a bit. The hallway was usefull when the dining room was a bedroom, however it just seemed to cut the space too much. so thanks to our wonderful contractors bye bye wall.

Yep, so in a nutshell this is what has been keeping me from my sewing projects. Well in reality, the fact that Hubby has taken my table and I only just started unpacking my sewing boxes once we finished painting the second bedroom which will eventually become my sewing room.

When Stuck, Start a New Project

So I got a bit stuck on my Jalie pants, but I finished a skirt today. Here as well I was getting horizontal wrinkles so I definitly think that I need to let out the hips on my pants.

This is my second skirt from this patter from Sew U by Wendy Mullen. It went together quite well, and was made even easier by the border print that requires no hemming. In total I think it took me about 4-5 hours, but I'm definitly not a fast sewer and I don't have a serger that is up and running yet, so this is good for me.

I'll write up a pattern review for this baby tomorrow, but for now it's bed time.

Wrinkle Woes and Some Finished Socks

I've been working on my Jalie pants 2561. I really like them so far, and can't wait to finish them up, but I'm a little concerned about the horizontal wrinkles. You can see them here. I guess I should really just try letting out the hips a smidge and see if that helps. I think I've gained a little bit of weight since I first started making the pants. If I raise them up slightly the wrinkles disappear, but I'm not sure if the waist band will really help with that. Perhaps I just need to run a bit and the problem will sort itself out.

There is also a bit of wrinkling under my butt that I can't figure out. I reeally need to find a good fitting book to figure out what is causing the wrinkles. I couldn't find any info online. I thought this would have been a common problem, but I'm obviously not using the right words to search.

I think I'll be off to the bookstore to see if I can find a good book to find the solution to my woes.

In knitting news, I've finished a few socks and completed the pairs. First up, X-mas socks for my Mother-in-Law, by her request.

Then the window-pane socks (ravelry link) for my Grandma. I actually started these on our summer road trip in September, so I'm glad that they are finally finished.

And some socks just for me: These are the Embossed Leaves (ravelry link again) by Mona Schmidt. I love the pattern, but they are just a tiny bit big because I probably should have gone down a needle size, but once again, I didn't check guage. I even dyed the wool myself for these babies!

I'm a winner!

Yah, I'm so excited, I won the Jalie pattern give-a-way... I'm so excited to pick out another one of their patterns to try. In the mean time, I finished DH's housecoat. It was a week late, but better late then never. I also didn't want to rush it too much and screw it up. That's one thing I love about Jalie's patterns, it's hard to screw up if you follow the instructions. Though I must be careful to get to cocky or karma will bite me in the butt.

DH mentioned that he wanted a house coat for his birthday and I wanted to make him something so I made him this house coat using Jalie's pattern . I'm so pleased with how it turned out. The only slight problem that I had was that the color buckles a bit, but I think that is because my feed dogs were having trouble with all the fabric laters to get through. DH says that he loves it, so I'm happy. The only slight panic I had was cutting it out, I didn't follow the placement for the pattern peices and didn't realize till almost too late that the way I had it laid out I was going to be missing a sleeve. Fortunatly I was able to change a few peices around before too much was cut out and one sleeve was only slightly shorter than the other, which got lost in the sleeve hem. I really enjoyed learning the new techniques that were included in this pattern and will definitly sew this pattern again, though not so sure about the terry cloth experience as it killed my sissors. Perhaps better quality ones would do better?!

Without further ado:

The Green Machine:

The motivation I needed to get some posting done

Well I thought it was finally about time to post some of the things I've sewed in the last little bit, but kept putting it off till I saw this: Jalie pattern give-away. I thought, I've got almost 4 patterns that I've sewed but not review yet at patternreview.com so I finally got onto it tonight and posted the 3 patterns that have been completed. (Must finish DH's house coat tonight though).

I can't say enough good things about Jalie, they are absolutely my favorite pattern company, and I love dreaming about all the new things I can make from them. As a beginning sewer these are the only patterns that turned out for me (ok, with the exception of one, but that is only because I didn't follow the instructions and trie to alter it.). They have great styles that are classic and the patterns fit! They don't need to add 5 inches of ease to everything like they do in the big 4!

So without further ado:

I used the Jalie blouse pattern 2322 and altered it to copy a RTW shirt I saw at RW Connection. I moved the bust dart to under the bust and then cut the pattern into 3 peices, added seam allowances and then added volume to the sleeves to make them puffed. I'm really happy with how this turned out though next time I'll have to move the bust band down just a bit, I find it rides up when I'm wearing it.

Next up in a fleece jacket (Jalie 2319) that was one of my first ever projects, and first project that actually turned out after having frustrating experiences with the Big 4 being way too big. I need to make another one as I really like this jacket. I want to make one that is part of a yoga sweatsuit outfit or something like that.

This jacket has a lot of potential, and I can't wait to sew up another version. This one I just used some cheap cordouroy fabric that I had lying around, though I'm not very happy with my finishing job. This is my fault though. I decided not to do the lining and then the facing got a bit wrinkled and wrapped by how I tried to attach it. Live and learn. I really liked how my welt pockets turned out, and they would be perfect if I wasn't so impatient and decided to you the same fabric to do the body of the pocket which made them really bulky. I've already bought some nicer fabric and I am looking forward to trying this again, but next time I think I'll wait to get a little farther along in my sewing classes.

The one sock parade...

I've actually been fairly busy with projects, but haven't got around to posting them, or even finishing them. I think I have officially been diagnosed with OSS (one sock syndrome), though I may be on the mend. I have just about finished one pair, but there are still two other pairs looking for mates.

First up, the (almost) finished pair that I think I'll be giving to my Grandma when I go back home. Window pane socks. They came together quite nicely, and it was fun to practice my fair isle knitting. I really like the colours, but wished that they had a bit more contrast. I hope my Grandma will really like them, as she loves bright colours.

Next up are two singletons from Favorite Socks. I made the embossed leave socks from some yarn from knitpicks that I dyed myself with food colouring and vineagar. It was my first attempt, but I was quite pleased with the turquoise colour. I love the pattern on this sock and can't wait to have a pair so I can actually wear them. The yarn is a bit rougher than I would like, it's Perevian Highland wool, but the colour makes up for it.

The other half-pair is made from some wool that I picked up from my LYS Ariadne I can't remember the name of the wool, as the ladies there were nice enough to wind up the yarn for me, but I forgot to grab the lable. It is a wonderful colour and so soft. I used the Waving lace pattern from the same book (Favorite socks). It was a easy pattern to memorize, and it was here that I finally figured out how to read lace patterns. So simple, yet I was making it so complicated!

And finally as a bonus is a picture of the hat I knit for friend's baby finally being modeled. For this I followed the the modifications listed on Anny purl's blog for the shedir pattern. I used knit picks Shine Sport for this. I had a little trouble understanding the decreasing, but eventually figured it out.



To the had I also knit a pair of little booties, but unfortunatly don't have a pic of those, as the baby grew out of them too quickly. The Saartje booties pattern I used is really easy and so adorable, I'll definitly be making more of these.

Well, that's a bit of what I've been up to knitting wise, I'll soon have to update my finished sewing projects. I've been taking some sewing classes, hoping that some of the things I make will eventually be wearable outside of the house. It's starting to come together, and I have a few things to finish up.

Time for an update

So it has been a really long time since I posted anything. I have been busy. Ok, well continuing on with old projects and starting with some new ones. I finished the sewing classes that I was taking, and am kind of glad they are over. I loved all that I learned, but I'm not sure that I like being forced to sew in order to get the most out of the process. I need to feel the vibe, and with the structure I loose the craving to sew.

Well it is back with advengence, but now I want to be back in my classes so that I can get the help I need. I'll definity need to sign up again in the fall I think. I still have so much to learn.

I finished a skirt in my sewing class that I'm very happy with, and have worn a few times, but I'll have to wait till hubby gets back home with my camera to post some pictures. in the mean time, here's a pic of a shirt that I finished alongside my sewing classes. Guess I was trying to proove to my teacher that I could sew, so this one I didn't have any help with!

My biggest problem with sewing is fit, and I was starting to get so frustrated with sewing the Big Four is how big they are. This shirt is from jalie , and I am totally in love with these patterns. The actually fit right out of the package! I'm still learning how to alter patterns, but with Jalie, I can actually get something I can wear!
Here's a pic of the front - Jalie 2322:







and one of the back:



And now for a detail shot of my first attempt at barrel cuffs:

I'm really please with how it turned out, though, the button holes are a bit tight, and the bust dart is too high. Not sure if I didn't just trace the wrong dart line. Next time I make this pattern, I'll move the dart down.


Coming up soon, working on my first complicated Burda world of fashion pattern, a shirt dress from may 2007 issue, I'm quite please with how it's turning out, I just need to add the collar and it'll be done.

Comng up... Some pictures of the socks that are on the needles, but those deserve their own post, and I must run to take my little pup out before bed!

Update on the knitting Front

My goal is to make a dent in my stash that got a bit large after x-mas. No more buying till I clear at least one of my drawers, ok, maybe not that much, but definitly to get a few projects down! That doesn't mean I can't accept gifts though! I have been fairly busy since x-mas, and have actually completed some projects rather than casting on new ones.

1st up, Rob my sweet brother gave me some yarn for my birthday I made up a pair of socks in the self-patterning yarn. It was my first pair of socks that turned out so well! I used the pattern in the knitter's handy book of patterns, that my parents gave me for x-mas! Such a great book!

After that I cast on the jay-walker pattern from Grumperina's website. I'm in love with this pattern and the wool that my parent's gave me for my birthday from Knitpicks. I've finished one, just need to graft the toe, and made it down to the heel on the other one, just have to finish turning it. Hopefully I can finish them in the next couple of days. The foot seemed to go fairly quickly.

Next up, still working on my socks using the jitterbug I picked up at my Local Yarn Shop (LYS). I bought this over a year ago. I have started at then frogged this sock about 3 times trying to get it just right. This photo was also frogged, but I have since reknit it using the same pattern for the self-patterning socks. It now fits perfectly. This one was just a tad too big in the toe and foot. The added bonus with making it smaller, is the pooling you see in the back had now disappeared.
The next two pictures are a gift I made for some friends who had a baby in december. I'm really pleased with how the booties turned out, I think they are super cute, and I will definitly be making more in the future!! They are Saartje's Booties, and the pattern is available on her website. This is the best pattern for using up left-overs, and especially helpful, as there does seem to be a major baby boom around me at this point! Found out that four people I know are pregnant this week alone. The only problem is that I don't have a decent photo of the projects, hopefully the parent's will send me one soon.

The hat is the Shedir pattern from Knitty. There are some much better pictures at annypurls site, Though I promise, mine does look just like hers!

And finally my Clessidra socks, because I don't believe I ever posted a completed photo. I'm quite please with how they turned out, but I definitly need to get some elastic to ensure that they stay up!
Wow, I'm actually caught up! I just started a sewing class last week, so I should have some more sewing projects to post soon, for the moment, trying to knit like a maniac!

In order to keep biking in November

Well to keep biking to work, I needed some new warm fleece pants! I picked up the new Burda World of Fashion and there is so much that I want to make from it, the only problem is the lack of instructions, and my sewing knowledge, but these pants were really easy to put together, and were really warm for biking on a chilly November morning. ok I shouldn't complain too much, it is still above freezing!



Anyway, here is the post I made on patternreview.com



Pattern Description: These pants feel comfortable due to wide legs and a non-constricting broad waistband. Recommended fabric: Jersey/knitsPattern Sizing:Burda sizes 34-44



Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes, but the bottoms seemed a bit wider than the photo.



Were the instructions easy to follow?



As a beginner sewer, and having made a few pj pants before, I thought this would be no problem, but I had a bit of trouble figuring out how the waist band attached to the pants. In the end, I sewed the ends together, then folded the waist band in half and attached right sides together to the pants waist, stretching a bit to make it fit, then I folded it again, and enclosed the seam within the waist band.



What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?



Very comfortable workout/yoga pants.



Fabric Used:2-way stretch FleecePattern



Alterations or any design changes you made:



The only change was to use fleece rather than a knit, as I wanted a really warm pair of pants to bike to work in. They are really warm, though the bottoms are too wide for biking, I'll have to take them in a bit. Also I should have used a jersey waist band of matching colour, as the band is a bit thick, and my machine had a lot of trouble coping with 4 layers of fleece. It is also a bit thicker than I would like, but for biking they to the trick.



Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?



Definitly recommend this pattern to others, and I can't wait to make the other items that went in this section.ConclusionDefinitly a well drafted, flattering pair of pants. I'm having trouble taking them off, they are so warm (in fleece). In total they took about 4 hours from tracing the pattern to cutting to sewing. Very quick.



And now for some pics:

PS, my socks are done, I just must get around to taking some pics.

Practice makes perfect!

I started making a baby sweater for a friend of mine who was expecting her first child. I was making good progress, and thought for sure I would have it done in time for her baby shower. Well as I was folding it up after weaving in all the loose ends, and sewing up the sides, I realized that it was 2 inches shorter than it was supposed to be. Stupid guage! So I added some more ribbing onto the bottom to save it. Then just as I was feeling a sence of relief and satisfaction for having completed the sweater on time, I noticed that one sleeve was much wider than the other.

So my poor friend received only this picture of the sweater at her shower, as I proceeded to rip out most of it and recalculate the measurements of the sweater.

The sweater is from Debbie Bliss' book - Special knits, and is the ribbed sweater seen on the cover. My main beef with this pattern is that she only gives you the number of rows to knit, and not how long it should measure. These simple measurements would have saved me a lot of work, because my guage appeared to be alright, but I guess my row count was just a little too far off! The only modification I made was to add a button hole, as the picture just seems to have a broach pinned on it. I don't think my friend wants her baby stabbed by accident!


I also had almost 2 balls of wool left over from what she recommended, so I knit my friend's little girl a cabled hat from Cable's Untangles by Melissa Leapmen. I was quite pleased that I was able to figure out the modifications to make the hat for a baby from the adult pattern. It is just so cute. It appears to be about the right size for a one year old (been knitting for the future!), I figure it will fit her eventually.

I'll continue on with my Clessidra socks, the first one should be finished soon, the second one, well hopefuly I won't be aflicted with SSS. At the moment, though, I'm starting to develop a craving for sewing again. So many people are making great things out there!

Oh, I almost forgot, here is a picture of the socks I knit my mom for her birthday, though I'm not sure if she has even worn them yet. Grandma, you'll have to get after her for me! At least my puppy thinks they're delicious!

Finally success is mine!

I started making a baby sweater for a friend of mine who was expecting her first child. I was making good progress, and thought for sure I would have it done in time for her baby shower. Well as I was folding it up after weaving in all the loose ends, and sewing up the sides, I realized that it was 2 inches shorter than it was supposed to be. Stupid guage! So I added some more ribbing onto the bottom to save it. Then just as I was feeling a sence of relief and satisfaction for having completed the sweater on time, I noticed that one sleeve was much wider than the other.

So my poor friend received only this picture of the sweater at her shower, as I proceeded to rip out most of it and recalculate the measurements of the sweater.

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today was the day before I got married. My dearest friends, and my aunts Debbie and Jennifer (under Jen's wonderful direction) were busy preparing the flowers for my wedding. Personnally I think I had the most gorgeous flowers ever, so I big thanks goes out to my Aunt Jen, for her amazing talent. This was the only part of the wedding that I got around to blogging about, and you can see that post here - flowers.

This day one year ago, my grandma threw us a great party to welcome all our out of town guests.

the food was amazing, and it was so enjoyable to have a relaxed party with those that mean the most to Martin and I.

Truely the best part of the wedding, was not all the details that I had worked so hard to plan over the previous year, but rather having (almost) everyone I love and cherish in the same room to celebrate our love.

Here are two of my favorite photos from the wedding, The first Greg took, it's a bit blurry, but I think it sums up how I was feeling that day.

The second, is one that I hope to enlarge one of these days to put on my wall, I love how I can look at all these people and a flood of memories come to me for each stage of my life, how without them, I would not be where I am today. Thank you to all of you!

Now the big question, how are we going to celebrate our first anniversary? Well, first thing, I should do, but haven't done yet, is sell my wedding dress, perhaps next week, it's taking up too much space in the closet, and I don't really have anywhere to wear it again. That I think it would be too depressing to realize that it no longer fits!

We are planning to have a nice fondu dinner at home (as prepared à la Martin). For my contribution, well some fresh sugar peas, that are currently residing on my balcony...

Some fresh salad is in order as well, a nice spring mix... Perhaps a goat cheese and arugla salad? I'll have to come up with a special reciepe! I can't tell you how excited I am about lettuce! Goodnes, I'm a bit of a dork, though the novelty will wear off soon I'm sure!

The peppers will have to wait till later on in the season, I think I started them a bit too late! I'll know better next time.

I have finally discovered the joy of gardening, as things are really starting to take off, and I'll be able to enjoy the fruits ("vegetables") of my labour this evening! I definitly felt like we needed a special occasion to enjoy the first harvest. I started all my veggies from seed in april, and this is where I have gotten to! I'm quite proud of my little container garden! I must send out a virtual thank you to Gayla for her wonderful gardening blog, for those of us who know very little about gardening!