Skirt week!

As if I need another reason to sew (under pressure, no less), Skirt Week is going on right now!  Clearly, I couldn't resist!  I love skirts and have a job where they are perfectly appropriate, so I get plenty of use out of any that I sew up.

I had purchased several different fabrics for this challenge, but settled on a lightweight linen I had in my stash because I really, really wanted to add some fun appliques.  I drafted the skirt from my measurements (thanks Whipstitch!), so no store-bought patterns were harmed in the making of this skirt :)

I love piping (really, who doesn't?), so I worked it into the design of the waistband and tiny coin pocket.  I considered adding it to the hem as well, but went with another plan (get to that later).

The coin pocket is functional!  I don't think it's sewn as elegantly as possible, since a quick search didn't pull up any tutorials (though I might have to write one now, with all my hard-earned knowledge), but it works.  While the pocket is big enough for a chapstick, I could probably get away with putting exactly a penny in there, since the skirt is a smidge on the snug side!

For me, having a lined skirt makes a world of difference.  They feel more complete, more substantial.  This one is fully lined with some kind of cotton blend I had in my stash.  I hand sewed the lining at the waistband.

For the hem, I took decided to try out an idea I had been mulling for a while.  While shortening the arms on one of my husband's dress coats, I realized that the lining is sewn in such a way to create the hem, but turning the outside fabric inward.  For this skirt, I made the lining using the same pattern as the skirt.  Before sewing the lining to the waistband, I cut about 1 inch off the bottom of the lining.  Then, with right sides together, I sewed the lining to the linen fabric and pressed the seam flat.   The lining was then pinned to the waistband, matching edges, creating a balloon-skirt effect at the bottom.  With some sharp shakes, the lining and linen worked themselves out a bit, and with additional smoothing and fanagling (and copious ironing!), the hem was done!

For the applique circles, I traced a ribbon spool, then hand cut and machine appliqued in place.  The fabric is some kind of silk/cotton upholstery fabric that I scored at the FabMo fabric giveaway here in Mountain View.   The circles continue on the back, too!

Blouses to go with my light sweaters

"Have fun always carrying around a light sweater!", was the line from one character to another on "30 Rock" the other week.  It was mocking a life living in the (San Francisco) bay area, and the reason I'm still chuckling about it is because it is so true!  I live in the bay area, and I do, indeed, always wear a light sweater.  My professional "uniform" is pants, blouse and light cardigan.  And while I have a fully impressive collection of 3/4 sleeve cardigan sweaters, I lack an equally impressive collection of blouses to go underneath them. But I'm working on remedying that:

Using a RTW top in my closet, I rubbed off the pattern to make a cotton version (the original is dry-clean only silk), leaving off the sleeves and ties (there is not much less flattering than a bow hiding under the back of a sweater).  I rarely take off the sweater (unless my lecture hall is toasty), so I found that sleeveless tops work best so the thin-gauge sweaters don't look bulky in the arms.  

I love the elastic smocking under the bust, since not only is it flattering, but it's comfortable!  There is an invisible side zipper, but depending on the ease of the top, you can get away without a zipper if using enough elastic gathers.   While this top looks remarkably similar to my final entry to the Spring Top Sewalong, I actually used two different RTW tops to make the patterns! 

The back is very simple, with vertical darts and a slight sway-back adjustment (a horizontal dart, that is not super noticeable), but with my broad shoulders, I need to find a way to make the back more flattering (although I guess it's unimportant under a sweater!).

I've purchased many yards of cotton voile for tops over the past few months.  I need to get into blouse-making mode to clear out my stash (preferably before summer break, so I can actually use them for work!).  But first up, I have some fabric and ideas in mind for Skirt Week!

Spring 2012 Giveaway Winner!

Random number generator says...T, from Salty Peanut Stitchery is the winner!   Thank you to all of the folks who stopped by for the Giveaway, and for all of the good advice for squeezing sewing into a busy life.  My favorite (perhaps because I had just started to implement it) was from MysticMandy.  She says:

"Here's what I do.  I have trained my daughter to only want Daddy to help her get to bed at night.  That way I can sew and make other stuff while he gets her bath, bedtime stories, jammies, magic water (i.e. fiber supplements) and songs.  Sometimes it's nice to be the second-chair parent ;)".

Indeed!

Spring 2012 Giveaway!

Happy Giveaway Day and welcome to Nicole at Home!

For this giveaway, I'm going to keep it simple (for me, and for you!).  In the past, I have made items to give away, but what I lack in time I make up for in sewing supplies.  Let's be honest, I have purchased way more patterns and fabric than I can possible use, so why not give some of them away to someone who might have a chance at enjoying them?!  (And, as a bonus, I won't feel so guilty seeing these unused patterns in my pattern drawer!)

Up for grabs are two Amy Butler handbag patterns, the Madison and the Kimberly.  Opened, pondered, and vaguely planned for, but never actually used.  They are lovely and project-inspiring, no?

In the comments, please give some advice on how you make time for sewing OR some good ideas for sewing with kids.  Or both!  I will give both bag patterns away to a randomly selected someone.  Please make sure there is contact information in your response, or I won't be able to let you know of your win!

(If you'd like to return to the list of Giveaways, click here)

Sit-upon what?

My son's first cub scout camping trip is this weekend (he's been counting the sleeps for a week!), and as a former girl scout, I pulled out the only pre-camping sewing activity I know--the infamous Sit-upon.  "Sit upon what?", my son asked.  For those of you who don't know, a Sit-upon is a mat to sit on while camping, made out of an old vinyl tablecloth, stuffed with layers of newspaper and whipstitched around the edge (at least when I made one, way back when).  We upgraded slightly with nice Mexican oilcloth (luckily, he's a young, carefree little boy, so he didn't balk at the only print I had on hand!) and a couple layers of fleece fabric for the inside.   I punched holes around the outside of both layers of oilcloth, but he sewed the whole thing himself!

He had so much fun sewing the first round, that he went back and added a second color of yarn going in the other direction.

Still excited about sewing after he finished, he spent some time rifling through my fabric bins.  As much as I love the idea of my little guy sewing, I had to overrule him when he pulled out some vintage wool plaid exclaiming that he wanted to make two pairs of socks!  With the summer break coming up fast, I'll definitely have to plan many more kid-friendly sewing projects.

Ready to sit on some wet ground!

Mother's Day sewing

I received the most incredible Mother's Day gift today: uninterrupted time to sew. My husband took the boys to the aquarium for the day, so my day was free.  I did some cleaning and worked on writing a test...even drove into work to check on some bacterial plates for an experiment, but the majority of my day was spent working on these:

Lots of diaper covers

Aren't they pretty?  I just finished up a big (by my small potatoes scale) order of diaper covers.  Until this batch, I always made them individually, but I found ways to minimize the number of times I switched stitches and feet to streamline the process.   Now I might have to always make multiples!

Tutorial: zippered wet bags

We are so fortunate that our son's daycare takes cloth diapers (so many do not!).  At the start of the week (he only goes three days), I provide clean, folded diapers from our service and a bunch of these wet bags, and each day, they give a full bag of dirty diapers back.  Often, I'll get a second bag of dirty clothes, too.  It's like a gift exchange :)

Homemade frozen pizza

Pizza is a weekly occurrence at our place, usually on Friday (like everyone else, right?)  Every week, I have the same dilemma--the pizza crust recipe makes two rounds and we only eat one.  Sometimes I freeze the uncooked ball of dough, sometimes I par-cook the crust and put in the freezer, sometimes it's baked with olive oil as flatbread, but sometimes *gasp* it gets thrown out.  I know, why not just halve the recipe?  (Answer: the dough is difficult to work when there is such a tiny ball.)  My other dilemma is that the sauce I use (a tiny can of Hunts tomato sauce) is also unfinished.  Sometimes we find other uses for it, or it can last until the next week, but it often suffers the fate of other leftovers and gets tossed after it's refrigerator life has expired.

Final entry for 2012

Squealing in just under the time limit, this is my final entry into the Spring Top Sewalong.  Four (actually five) tops for myself in a month (making up for the other 11 months out of the year where I've historically done very little sewing for myself!)  The fabric is cotton voile from the Prince Charming line by Tula Pink for Free Spirit.  

Readers' choice!

Wow!  I am so honored and excited to have been chosen for the Readers' choice selection for the 3rd week of the Spring Top Sewalong.  So many great entries in the field!  Thank you to all who voted, and to the other seamstresses for the tough competition!

Top of the tops, time two!

I had a feeling Rae would post some finalists today, so I excitedly checked her website (after finishing a rousing lecture on DNA replication) and YAY! my "Gauzy summer top" was chosen for this week's Top of the Tops!   So please, go over there and vote!

I can have one more entry into this year's Spring Top Sewalong (4 is the max, with my entries #1, #2, and #3), and I have one finished and one in the works.  The big decision will have to be made soon, though; entries are only accepted until this Sunday. (Here's a view of the finished one--believe me, it looks better on!  The band around the bottom is tight on the hips, with the rest loose and blousy.)

Make it today: Leftover egg and lentil salad

A week isn't too old for a hard-boiled egg, right?  I hope not, since I just devoured one in this lentil salad!  Looking for a way to use up all those Easter eggs, I found inspiration from a few websites to try a lentil-egg salad with vinaigrette.  Most call for using a fried or poached egg, so I improvised my own version.

Spring Top Sewalong #3

Entry number three for the Spring Top Sewalong!  I had a gauzy top from H&M that had seen better days (I don't even want to photograph it, it's so dingy!   See below for the side-by-side comparison!), but I love the shape and feel of it, so I decided to use it as my template for a new version.  Not that I'm ever going to wear it again (in public), but I didn't disassemble the shirt; instead just traced parts of it on Swedish tracing paper.  Unfortunately, parts like the button placket, banded neckline, and even the sleeves were not really "traceable", so those bits I recreated on my own (and the neckline and sleeves more than once!).   I eye-balled the tiny pintucks (there are some on the back, too), but I wish I had put in a few more.

Since I had never sewn one like this before (let alone create the pattern), the button placket was the most challenging part.  I used this tutorial to draft and sew the one piece placket.  And it only took one try!

I wrangled a rounded hem, adjusted the sleeve openings at the shoulder and, as usual, took in the sides to make it less boxy.  In the end I love this top. LOVE IT.  I can picture it getting as "well loved" as the original.

 Fabric is crinkled gauze, purchased at Fabric. com for an absolute steal (like $4 a yard, if I remember correctly).   This gauze was fun to work with and extremely forgiving.















Okay, by request, I have added a photo of the side-by-side comparison!

My top made the finals!

I'm so excited and honored to be among the "Top Tops" this week.  Even if you don't vote for mine, go vote and be part of the action!

And to think I almost didn't submit this top to the Spring Top Sewalong!

Spring Top Sewalong Top #2

When we went to Tokyo 2 years ago, my souvenirs of the trip were four pattern books (two women's clothing, a children's clothing and a handbag book).  Since then, I've occasionally pulled them off the shelf to browse the pretty pictures, but other than some adorable monkey pants for my baby, I hadn't made anything yet.  I've admired the interesting neckline detail of this one and decided to give it a try for the Spring Top Sewalong:

Spring Top Sewalong 2012!

As I'm wrapping up my quarter teaching at the college, I don't have a lot of time to spare.  But with the Spring Top Sewalong starting last week, I just had to squeeze in some sewing time (thanks in large part to my husband for taking kid duty during the day!).  

Magnetic blackboard for the kitchen

With a large, open wall space between the kitchen and dining room, I had a vision of a large (2' x 5') blackboard on which to write notes, the week's dinners, to-do lists, etc.  But I also wanted it to be a magnetic board.  I had my heart set on it.  After fruitlessly looking online and in stores, I decided to make my own.  I had a vague idea how others did it (paint sheet metal with chalkboard paint), but I wasn't sure how to finish it with a frame.  No matter!  I started the project without a finalized plan when I found a pre-cut piece of galvanized sheet metal at our local hardware store.  It wasn't the exact size I wanted, but at 2' x 4' and no cutting involved, I was willing to adapt.  There were a few options of sheet metal in the store, and since I hadn't thought to bring a magnet, I wandered down to the kitchen aisle and grabbed magnets to make sure they stuck.

Kitchen done (now quite a while ago)

Clearly, a full kitchen remodel (and the first time I've attempted such a project), starting back to teaching after a year+ maternity leave, moving into the new house and having two young ones proved a little too much for me to be able to keep up with my blog!  The remodel went great, the kitchen is beautiful and functional, and we've even remodeled a bathroom (!) since my last post.  Without further ado, shall we recall what the kitchen looked like before?

 

And the glorious after!

  

From the other angle, looking at the old eat-in dining area:

And the new, pared-down cafe table at which the boys eat breakfast:

We went with tile floors after we were unable to find a reasonable match for the engineered hardwood, but in the end I am infinitely more happy with it.  It's a great pale gray 12 x 24" tile in a brick style, with grout to match (hard to see in the photo).  The counter is Caesarstone in "Nougat" and the appliances are Bosch (save the fridge, which is Kitchenaid).  The only thing we kept from the original kitchen was the giant stainless steel sink (30" wide!). Here's a photo of the other side of the kitchen, where the fridge and walk-in pantry live (clearly taken before we moved in):

Okay, with the New Year mere hours away, I feel content having finished this cliff-hanger!  I'm not big on resolutions, but for this year, maintaining a better work-play-family balance is a high priority.  Hopefully, I'll be able to report on more projects in 2012!

(P.S.  There are many in-process photos, but I decided to skip to the fun end.  If any one wants more details or info about the process, message me!)

The things I'll do for an externally venting range hood

We knew that there wasn't an existing exhaust vent in our kitchen when we purchased the house.  It seemed a trivial thing to install--run it between the floors in the ceiling out the back or front of the house (giving us some options!).  Unfortunately, the construction of our townhouse is crazy, and there are random perpendicular, load-bearing joists in all directions from our range, so literally no access between the floors for the exhaust.  Our contractor confirmed this when he opened the ceiling, ending the email with "Guess you'll have to get a recirculating hood".  No!  I will NOT have a recirculating hood!  I had a brilliant (foolish?) idea while in the shower to build a soffit to house the ductwork, but since we already had our cabinets, the ductwork has to make a convoluted path from the hood, up into the ceiling in the kitchen, dropping down into the soffit in the dining room to finally exit the back of our townhouse.