I accomplished yet another of the projects on my priority list today. The dogs now have some nice mats for their crates. They are even personalized! They were very quick and easy to make.

Materials:

One yard each heavy denim and polar fleece. This is enough to make two mats approx. 35”x28”. I just cut each yard in half down the middle to make two pieces 36” by 30”. My two fabrics were quite the same width so I did a little trimming to match everything up. If you want them to fit perfectly into the bottom of your crate just measure the bottom pan size and add an inch to get a 1/2” seam allowance all the way around.

How To:

If you want to personalize it, hoop your denim and stitch out the name. Because this denim was so stiff I didn’t put an stabilizer in the hoop with it. I did Maizey’s first and some of the stitches weren’t as nice as I’d like them to be so when I did Cas’ I slipped a piece of Heavy Cut-Away under the hoop before I started stitching and that worked great.

Lay the denim piece out flat right side up and place fleece right side down on top of it. Smooth everything out, matching edges, trim any edges that aren’t even.

Round off the corners. I marked them with a chalk wheel and used my magnetic pin cushion as a guide. I chose to round them off to make turning them right side out easier. Pin both fabrics together. Stitch around edge, leaving an opening for turning. I used my walking foot because the fleece likes to stretch under the foot while stitching. I also lengthened my stitch length and made sure I had a jeans needle in the machine.

Turn right side out and clip excess fabric from curved corners and notch seam allowance. (I forgot to take a picture of this step.)

Topstitch approximately 1/2” from edge. Be cure to tuck in the edges of the opening so they get caught in the topstitching.

All done in a couple hour’s work. I like that they are lightweight and easy to wash. No stuffing for the dogs to chew apart and get all over the house. The fleece gives a little cushioning and the denim is durable.

Miss Maizey looks a little less than thrilled with her new digs but that is partly because I moved her crate today from one corner to another and now Cas is in the same room. She doesn’t like change.

In reality the dogs don’t spend a lot of time in their crates. Just while we are out of the house. They are still spoiled and get to sleep on our bed at night. And with my part-time hours and how early the girls get home from school they are rarely crated for more than a few hours at a time. But Cas does like his crate and will just go hang out in their for periods of time. He is also a bit of a hoarder and we will find random things hidden in there. Like the time my friend stayed over to dog sit and after we got home I was cleaning it out and found her bank card still in the envelope from the mail in his crate.

Also, does anyone else think it is weird that two Michigan State Spartans have a dog named MAIZEy? I didn’t ever realize the awkwardness until I embroidered her name in bright yellow on a blue background.

We are having a Swimsuit Sew-Along! Please join us. How you ask? Well for one how about you start by deciding to try your hand at sewing your own swimwear? Then you can follow along as I and my fellow blogger-sew-alongists (it IS a word, okay maybe not, be we can pretend) jump into the deep end and make this thing happen. If you are a blogger that would like to join along you can grab the above badge and add it to you blog and kindly link back here and to any of the other blogs that are also participating. (Please ‘right-click-save as’ the image above and download it to your computer and then upload it to your own photo site or whatever you use to insert images into your blog. No bandwidth stealing please!)

Let me first introduce you to your other lifeguard. Swimmers meet Stephanie. She blogs over at The Petite Sewist and agreed to join me for Adult Swim. We met over on PatternReview.com. If you’d like to join our discussion pop on over to the Discussion Board and introduce yourself.

Now to get us all off the block and into the pool I’ve started to compile some helpful links. I’ll try to add to this list as time goes on.

Tutorials and Tips

Creative Chicks Blog – They have some of the best tips with photos I’ve found yet. After reading through all their pages of sewing tips even the most novice sewer will feel confident to give this a go.

Ten Tips for Sewing Swimwear Fabrics – Straight and to the point. All good things to know and remember.

Kwik Sew Swimwear Tips – Good basic advice from Kwik Sew

Burda Style DIY your swimsuit – inspiration, a few tips, and links to free patterns.

Sew Mama Sew – free pattern and tutorial.

Supplies

Spandex World -  the name pretty much says it all.

Spandex House – I guess if you are not ready for the whole world, just go with the whole house for now.

Fashion Fabrics Club – This e-retailer has gotten some bad reviews on PatternReview but I will say that I just purchased some swimwear fabric from them and it came as ordered in a reasonable amount of time. Your mileage may vary.

Fabric.com – I order from way more often than I should. I’ve never had a problem. One time they sent me the wrong Kwik Sew pattern and when I called about it they immediately sent out the correct one and let me keep the mistake.

Sew Sassy – I’ve never ordered from them but I’ve heard and read very good things about them. Looks like a great place for bra cups, swimwear elastic and other related notions.

Paragon Patterns – If you can get past the poor web design, this site has patterns and notions for sale in addition to tips and tutorials.

Well I think this should be a good start. If you want to participate or have more resource links to share post them in the comments and I’ll add them to the list here. Also post a link to your blog in the comments and I will start to compile a list of participants so we can all stop over for a visit and splash around in your kiddie pool.

If you are local (and hey, even if you aren’t and want a reason to come to IL in March!) come see Cripple of Inishmaan at the Albright Theater. Even though I’m not in it (and probably because I’m not) it is a very interesting script and will definitely be a great show. I was at auditions and can tell you this is a GREAT cast and the director is very passionate about this project and I know will bring the best to the stage like always.

The Missoni Knit top is also done. (Vogue 8597) This fabric wasn’t as difficult to work with as I had feared. I serged the entire thing except for the hems. I was going to cover-stitch the hems but decided to just zig-zag them to save time. This photo was taken before I hemmed it. Like the green version, this one is really comfortable and went together super fast. Like less than 2 hours fast!  Between this pattern and KS 3658, if I needed a top to wear one morning I could sew one up between dropping the girls off at school and leaving for work if I had the right fabric in the stash. And lord knows I have the fabric in the stash!

Anyway, that’s what I did today. What about you?

Also, it looks like I might be starting a Swimsuit Blog Sew Along on PatternReview.com very soon. This of course has led to even more research and blog reading. Phwew! Watch this space for more information. If nothing else, I’ll try to compile all the links and resources I’ve come across in a future post.

So let me show you what I’ve added to may stash recently:

First of all I ordered this book. It has basic patterns in the back in a large range of sizes. The styling and fabric choices in the photos is dated to say the least, but the information is good and some of the patterns have a lot of potential. The only style really missing that I would like is a racer back tank. I don’t like halter top suits because of my neck issues and spaghetti straps always seem to slip off my shoulders. But I think if I need to I can use these patterns as a starting point and modify them to suit my needs.

This lovely Wonder Woman number is one of my favorites. Not that I’d ever make it but it is good for a laugh or two. In all honesty I do like the bra top style and may use it to modify one of the one-piece tanks to a more flattering style for myself.

The book gives really good instruction for making the bra top and I know that Emma prefers bikinis so I may use it for a suit for her too. She’s more of a Batman kind of girl than Wonder Woman though.

These are some of the fabrics that I purchased. The first set is a black with pink and purple dots and a solid black. I think these will be used for something for Emma. But there is enough black there for at least bottoms or a contrast for another suit. The second photo is a multi-stripe and solid navy. I ordered the stripe online and ordered the royal blue in the last photo to go with it. But the online photos didn’t depict the colors well and in person they don’t match at all. Plus the royal blue is very shiny, maybe I’ll put it aside until I find red stripes and make that Wonder Woman suit after all. The navy in the second picture is from Joann’s. I originally bought it with the idea of making a modified version of the Alison Suit from Burda Style. But when the blues didn’t match in the online purchased fabrics I changed my mind. I’m also on the lookout for a copy of Kwik Sew 2500. If I find it I will make it in purple to replace my favorite Lands End suit.

When will I get to all of this? I have no idea. But I did buy a yard of lycra lining fabric, swimwear elastic and a few types of bra cups at Joann’s last week too so I have everything I need when the mood strikes me. But for today I need to get back into my sewing room and work on yesterday’s list of priorities. I got quite a bit done on the Theater Aprons yesterday afternoon and evening, an hour or two more and they should be done. Then it is on to the Missoni fabric top for Saturday. If that goes together as fast as it should I might be able to start embroidering the dogs’ names on the denim for their beds.

I decided it might be best if I document them all here and make a list to prioritize what needs to get done first and what I want to get done next. I need to throw a couple in there that if I don’t do them now while the idea is fresh in my mind, I will put aside and they probably will never get done.

Project 1: This little project must be put at the top of my list because it is for the theater. My friend is directing a show now and needs two old fashioned aprons for two characters. And even though I auditioned for the part and didn’t get cast, I’m still willing to make some costumes pieces for him. That’s how much I love him and this theater. I should be able to knock these out relatively quickly once I get the pattern traced and the fabric cut.

Project 2: This is one of the “need to do before I lose my motivation” projects. I got the idea that the dogs needed some kind of mats for their crates this winter. But I knew that if I put anything with padding or stuffing in there they’d just tear it up. Plus I wanted something easy care and washable. I got the idea to get a heavy denim and machine embroider their names on it and then “quilt” it together with a fleece and bind or serge the edges to finish everything off. I wanted to do it before our trip last weekend but didn’t get time. I’m hoping that if they have warm, cozy blankies in their crates they’ll get off my bed, but who am I kidding?

Project 3: This top kind of needs to be made by Saturday so I can wear it to work. We are having an Event at the store and I am giving a Power Point presentation on Trends in Garment Sewing. Of course I am trying to promote the apparel fabrics that we sell, etc. so I want to make a top out of this fabric we carry and wear it with my jeans. I know this pattern can be sewn up really quick and I already have it traced off so I should be able to whip it up some night this week. This fabric is also perfect for making Infinity Scarves, which I did out of the black/grey/silver color of this fabric.

Other Projects and/or Stash Fabrics: I added a bunch of miscellaneous cuts of fabrics that may or may not get sewn into something anytime soon. How’s that for non-committal? Here they are in no particular order.

This is more navy than it appears in the photo. Just a misc. jersey knit I grabbed on sale. Will probably become one of my TNT knit top patterns before the winter ends.

This sale knit is still in my stash from late summer. I now need to decide which of the DVF inspired wrap dress patterns I’m going to use to make it. Both get mixed reviews on Pattern Review. I had hoped to make it to wear in Florida but didn’t get it done so now it goes back onto the shelf for a while until I get time for it. This will pretty much be a hopefully wearable muslin unless I get really lucky with fit. It was super cheap fabric so no harm, no foul either way. Any readers have experience with either of these patterns and want to weigh in with an opinion?

More super cheap single knit from Fabric.com. No plans for this, just wanted to see what the fabric was like since it was so cheap. Will probably make a quick draped neck sleeveless top out of it for summer at some later time. I’m sure the fabric won’t hold up to much wear so I’m not investing much time with it. The color is a really pretty apple green anyway.

These are both polyester ITY knits. The print on top is cool but what doesn’t show up in photos is that it has a “sparkle” to it. I don’t have any set plans for it. I’m sure once warmer weather gets here the colors will inspire me to make something fun out of it. I bought 2.5 yards of it so I have enough to make a dress, maybe another DVF inspired wrap if I am successful with either of the above mentioned patterns. It would also work well in KS 3658.

The deep burgundy ITY is very nice and I’m sure it will become either a dress or top. The two fabrics do coordinate so I’m thinking I may make simple tops and elastic waist A-line skirts that I can mix and match as separates or wear together for a dress look.

The last pile of stash and new projects deserves a post all its own. I have another sewing Mt. Everest to climb and that is Swimsuits. I’ve been stashing patterns, books and fabrics of the lycra variety lately. Stay tuned for that! But right now I’d better get actually sewing, or at least tracing and cutting or I’ll never get through all these projects!

		KS3315: Stretch Jeans VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I apologize up front for not having any photos of me modeling these yet. I have worn them a few times since completing them but never seem to have enough light or a willing photographer about to help me take them.

This is my second go at making this pattern. The first time was for a store sample at work and I made them in the XS size and also have yet to find anyone to model them for me. On those I also did some machine embroidery on the leg and next to the front pocket. Not my personal style, but very hip and cute anyway. I wanted to make myself a pair so I could test out the fit of this pattern. It is designed for stretch denims and like most Kwik Sew patterns, it does tend a bit large. I did cut and sew the XL per the measurements but next time I will probably either sew them with a deeper seam allowance or go down to the Large. They fit fine but after a bit of wear they do stretch out and are a bit roomy. I didn’t put belt loops on this pair but I may go back and add them so I can cinch them up when needed. I also added almost 2” to the length and ended up not needing it. The pattern says it only has a 30” inseam and I was afraid to go that short in case they shrunk (I did prewash this denim!). I ended up cutting off what I had added before hemming them.

I took my time on the details to make them look as RTW as possible. This meant that I did true flat-felled seams on the yoke and side seams and then went back and top-stitched with a triple straight stitch. The back seam I did a mock flat-fell seam by serging with a 4-thread overlock and then pressing to the side and then top-stitching. In the future I will probably just do mock flat-felled seams to speed up the process. I looked at a couple of my RTW jeans and that is how they are constructed. But I did have to do the “real thing” at least once so I can say that I did. I also top-stitched all the pockets as well as added decorative stitches to the back pockets. Since I’ve made these and the sample at the store I’ve had many people (seamstresses and non) comment on how hard it must be to make jeans. But really it isn’t any harder than any other project and simpler than many others. It is just a matter of taking the time to do the little details that take your project from “Home-made” to “Hand-made”. Imagine what how impressed people would be if you told them you only wore jeans that were, “hand-made exclusively for(by) me”?

Please excuse the wrinkles in the above photos. I wore them to Florida last weekend and just pulled them out of my suitcase this morning to put in the wash. I have to say that I usually hate traveling with jeans. They are never comfortable for wearing for car rides or on an airplane but take up too much room in the suitcase. These broke all of those misconceptions. They are super comfortable and yet still look good when you get where you are going. When I packed them to come home they rolled up nice and tight and took up no more room than my other slacks.  I made these from an “Indiana Denim” we carry at the store. I’ve never heard that term before so I’m not sure what it means, Google wasn’t much help this time around. I can tell you that it is a nice soft, lightweight denim with a bit of stretch. It also has a slight, almost pin-stripe texture to it.

My overall impression of this pattern is favorable. I will probably use it again in the future. As always Kwik Sew directions are clear and easy to understand. I would like to make the straight leg version next and maybe go down a size for a more “skinny jean” look. Today the UPS man delivered a box from fabric.com (No matter how hard I try I can’t ignore those sale emails!) and in it was my very own copy of the ever popular Jalie 2908 jeans pattern. After I made the Kwik Sew jeans I was so excited I wanted to make the world jeans (I’m over THAT notion now!) But I was humbled when Emma asked if I could try making her some jeans. Seeing as she is very hard to find jeans for that are slim enough but still long enough, I told her I’d give it a try. As most teens do, she prefers a low-rise waist so I thought that the Jalie pattern would be better suited for her. Plus I read many (not all, I’d never have time to actually sew if I tried!) of the reviews on Pattern Review and was impressed by the results so many had with this pattern.

I have now conquered jeans and am moving on to other sewing challenges. Wait until you see what I have to post next. I have so many projects lined up I need a Snowmaggedon to have time to get to it all.

Except that I got my original braces off when I was about 14. That was 30 years ago.  And I couldn’t wait until that day came. But here I am again with a mouth half full of metal. I had braces put on my top teeth yesterday. I may or may not get them on the bottom eventually but for now I wear my TMJ appliance on the bottom at night with rubber bands pulling my bottom jaw forward. The plan right now is that I will be in braces for about two years and when it is all said and done I should be able to close my mouth with my teeth meeting properly in the back and my jaw in the proper position so I don’t continue to have jaw problems. He’s actually gradually pulling my teeth down and growing bone so my teeth meet properly. Sounds kind of painful doesn’t it? We’ll see.

Right now the biggest pain is that the insides of my cheeks are all raw from rubbing against the brackets. I guess I’ll have to put that gross wax over everything for a few days. But the best thing about this time versus the first time; I’m not in marching band anymore. I think playing a brass instrument with braces should be considered a form of capital punishment. Also my skin is a lot better now and I’m not wearing a pair of super thick eyeglasses with tinted lenses.

That’s me with  my Mom & sisters,, I’m the one closest to Mom. (I made that suit!) My sisters were already past their awkward stage, me not so much. And what’s with my hair? Looks like I slept on it funny or something. This was either Easter morning or someone’s graduation. I’m guessing it was Pam’s graduation because she was wearing Raider Red.

But this is where I started. Just look at those jacked up teeth! That’s what thumb sucking for way too many years will do to a face. That was not a home-sewn blouse but I remember it. I think it was from Montgomery Wards and I thought I was the shit in that thing. And those glasses, good Lord those glasses. I was hipster before it was hip.

For some reason all copies of the year I had the really bad perm, braces, big glasses and a permanent scowl on my face are missing. I’m sure one of my sisters has them locked away in a safe for future embarrassment.

This is one of the feet Steve got me for Christmas. (I think I wrote down the wrong number when I gave him my list, I really wanted the #71 which is wider and for denim but I’m not complaining, I’ll buy that one myself and still get use out of this one.) This isn’t a foot I’ll use often but like so many Bernina feet, when you need it nothing else will do the job quite as well or as precisely.

I’ll show you step by step how to use this foot. Also the above link to the Bernina website has a great little video showing the foot in action.

Step 1: Align your fabric WRONG sides together with the bottom fabric 5mm beyond the edge of the top fabric.

Step 2:  Fold bottom fabric over edge of top fabric and place under the foot.

I use the point of my seam ripper to carefully poke the top corner of the folded fabric under the foot and needle. I then take a stitch or two and stop with my needle down to hold everything while I maneuver the folded edge of the fabric into the foot the way I want it.  

Sew down the seam keeping the bottom fabric folded over the raw edge of the top fabric.

The finished first seam. The raw edge of the top fabric is wrapped with the bottom fabric.

Step 3: Press seam and open it out, I don’t press it flat though. I find that it helps to get it under the needle and then take a few stitches and stop with the needle down so I can rearrange the fabric and get it placed in the foot properly. This also where having the Free Hand System (knee lift) comes in really handy!

Sew down the seam. The foot will fold the edge over and stitch exactly along the edge giving a perfectly top-stitched finish.

This sample was sewn with bright green in the needle and grey in the bobbin. This sample was sewn with bright green in both the needle and the bobbin. My bobbin stitching doesn’t look as perfect in this sample as the above one because I didn’t have it threaded perfectly. Usually the two rows of stitching will be exact and perfectly parallel like they are in the above sample.

The result is a perfectly finished seam with no raw edges. Where would you use this technique? This narrower one would be perfect for sewing side seams in lightweight blouses instead of a French seam. The advantage over a French seam is that this type lies flat. You see this seam finish in men’s dress shirts. This type of seam is very strong so it is good for seams that get a lot of stress. The most common use of a wider flat-fell seam is in denim jeans. I made a pair of stretch denim jeans for a store sample this fall and plan on making myself a pair soon so I will be going back and getting that #71 foot. I love the way this seam finish looks, so professional. I’m at the point in my sewing career that I want my home-sewn items to look as good if not better than store bought and this is just another way to achieve that goal.

At a later date I will share with you a couple short cuts you can use to achieve a flat-felled look in fewer steps and less time. Because we all know that I also like to get projects done fast!

But it was time for a more youthful assistant. A new gal with a more useful (if not necessarily youthful) shape. Meet Bertha. I’m sure Bertie and I will get along famously and she will be a very handy friend to have around. I ordered her from here. Unfortunately I haven’t had any opportunity to play dress up with her yet.

This is the project I’ve been working on this week. A friend of mine and the breeder of my dog, Castiel, asked me to make ribbon quilts a while back. She offered to help promote them at dog shows and among her dog training friends and customers. I agreed but the “business” hadn’t really taken off. Which has been okay with me because I had been plenty busy as it was and to be honest, these aren’t that much fun to make. The ribbons are stiff and difficult to work with. But I’m not one to say no to a challenge and any time I can make a little money using my talents is always welcome. This order came in right before Thanksgiving when I was in the midst of directing a show, holiday work hours, going on vacation (Hawaii! I should share photos!) and general Xmas craziness. I honestly didn’t spend more than a few hours in my sewing room from Thanksgiving until New Years. I made the green wool jersey top and a stuffed owl for my Grand-niece (which the dogs got a hold of before I could mail it and I have to redo) and that was it. So this week it was my main priority and in my usual time-crunch manner I got it done in just over two days and change.

Now I can focus on new project for the New Year. I’m not sure where I’ll start. I’m kind of in the mood to crochet something. I have a friend that really wants a “Roseanne Blanket” and I found a pattern that I really like that will also help in the goal of working through some stash: Wool Eater Blanket. I’m also working on these, When Jack Met Sally Mitts.  Winter is always good for having “lap” projects to work on while watching tv with the family or riding in the car.

What are your new projects for the new year? Did Santa (or UPS) bring you any fun new tools to use in your sewing room? I got a bag full of new Bernina feet that I intend to try out and post about their uses in the next few weeks.

I finally had a little time in my sewing room this week. The show I’m co-directing at the theater (Best Christmas Pageant Ever) opened last Friday night so I’ve had some time to breath. I’m happy to say that the show is going great! It has been an interesting experience to be on the other side of the foot-lights this time. I think we did a fabulous job casting this show and I couldn’t be prouder of how great the cast and crew are doing.

Back to the sewing. About a month ago I opened one of the many sale emails I get from Fabric.com and for some reason went to check out the sale items. I picked up 2 yds of this dark green wool jersey and some bright turquoise ITY. I’ve been in need of some warm tops to wear to work. I discovered that many of the tops I made later this summer and early fall have wide open necklines. That is a problem on two counts; one, some of them are too revealing and two, my neck gets cold! I’ve knit so many little shawls and scarves one would think I’d have an entire wardrobe of neck-warmers and I do in a way but I find shawls too fiddly for work. I cut a lot of fabric with rotary cutters, all I need is for my shawl to fall off at just the wrong moment and get cut in half by my speedy rotary slicing.

Enter Vogue 8597. I don’t remember when I bought this pattern, probably last spring sometime. Things I liked about this pattern:

• Raglan sleeves: easier to sew and comfortable range of motion.
• High cowl neck: doesn’t droop down too low and offer a boob flash when I bend over and covers the back of my neck.
• Optional tunic length: I chose the longer length in this version because I had enough fabric and I thought it would be warmer. I discovered that it would be very easy to add a few more inches and make a nice dress with this pattern and a similar fabric.

I made the size 20 and sewed it straight from the pattern with no alterations. It fits just about perfect. I love when that happens! I’ve worn it twice now, once to the girls’ holiday concert and once to work. It was perfect! It was comfortable, kept my neck warm, wasn’t too hot for when I was moving around at work, cowl didn’t gap or shift or need any fussing with all day. This is a case of perfect match of fabric to pattern. The jersey is 100% merino wool so I will have to be sure I don’t accidentally throw it in the regular laundry. Yesterday I paired it with my perfect fitting Mimosa pants and felt like a million bucks.

Today I’m taking Em to get her braces removed! Then I have sewing for other people to get started. Did someone also mention that Christmas was coming soon? Maybe I’ll get started on preparing for that too…