Who steals a minivan with three car seats in it?

Last night such an individual did exactly that while we all snoozed softly in our beds. A Toyota Sienna Minivan might be about the most uncool vehicle imaginable that one could steal. However mine is a snazzy apple red which might have been the enticing factor.

Here's a recap of my life at this very moment...My house is for sale, My husband is in Seattle (Mukilteo really), I have been single parenting for 8 weeks and now, My only vehicle has been stolen with the car seats in it and we have about one cup of milk left. Oh! and yesterday my less than a year old Electolux vacuum died. You need a working vacuum when your trying to sell your house. You also need a car so that you can get out of your house for showings.

I really feel like sitting down and having an ugly cry...the kind where my eyes get huge and puffy red and snot runs out of my nose and loud wailing noises emanate from a deep hidden spot in my gut. But I can't do that yet because I am waiting for the insurance people to call me back.

S~

Finished ~ Studio Style Camisole Dress

I will try and post some better pictures while my hubby is home over the weekend. I was so excited to be finished that Soren & I tried our darnedest to get one decent picture. Failed, but here it is anyway!

(Please excuse the no makeup and undone hair. I'm not going to lie to you....that's how I normally role.)

Sizing: I cut out a medium per the books sizing chart. I am 5' 10" 130 pounds and wear a size 4. My measurements are Bust 35 Waist 28 Hips 36 . I think I could have cut out a small mainly because this dress lacks the stenciling and applique. The more stitches you add to the dress the less give the fabric has. I have some wrinkling in the back (not sure is cutting a size small will fix this) and a little room in the bust. I can see where you want a snug fit as this dress is heavy and the fabric will stretch as you wear it.

Assembly:  This dress goes together just as it should.  Mrs Chanin you are my hero!  Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to see pattern pieces fit together so nicely.  This is a time consuming project but totally suitable for the novice seamstress.  I would also like to mention that I used 75 yards (spool and a half) of button thread.

More pictures at my Alabama Studio Style Flickr Set .
Happy stitching!
S~

Sewing Update ~ Studio Style Camisole Dress

I have rounded the bend folks!  The dress is officially wearable but not done.  I need to bind the bottom of the dress yet.  I feel ever so HAPPY to be so close to completion!  I will save all my gushing for this dress after I can be photographed wearing it.  In the mean time here is a little glimpse.

This is the most amount of time I have spent with a sewing project in hand ever.  I have a bruised tailbone from sitting and stitching.  Worth every ache and pain I tell you.  I have decided to leave off the spirals and the beads.  I am a stay at home mom of three.  I love the dress so much just as it is. I want to be able to wear it all the time.  Not just on the rare occasion that Jon and I go on a date to someplace swirl dress worthy. 

I have a little tip for you!  If you ever need to make jersey binding like this dress calls for, make sure that when you iron your strips in half that you leave them to rest (cool) for several minutes before you move them.  See this photo below...

The top strip has been left on the ironing board for several minutes.  Seriously, I answered an email while it cooled.  The second strip is one that I moved after I ironed the strip all the way to the end of my ironing board.  I picked the strip up and moved it down to finish ironing the strip and it quickly splayed open.

It is worth the wait, as it is much easier to manage the binding of the dress if your strip looks like the first one.

Happy Stitching!

~S

GO fly a....

My Dunn burns through the knees in jeans like only a 5 year old boy can. He's a real professional and it kills me. $35 dollar gap jeans last maybe a month before the knees are a tattered faded mess. He performs this operation to multiple pairs at once mind you. And yes I am fully aware that I could by him less expensive jeans. Have you seen boys in Gap jeans? To stink'n cute to pass up I am afraid. So what is a mom to do? Patch them I say. We have about another 6 weeks to solid shorts weather and I need these jeans to hang in there.

I am on a mission to patch 4 pairs of jeans over the next couple of days. Here's tonight's victim.....

The other knee is ready to bust through but I couldn't decide what should be flown.  A spaceship?  A plane?  the obvious Kite?  Or something that doesn't even fly.....like a bulldog?  What do you think would be funny?

Dunn was so excited that I was making him something that he put them on right away.  I never make the poor boy anything.  I feel happy and guilty at the same time.  The JOY of Motherhood.

Boys happen to be difficult to photograph because they don't hold still much.

I could go on with the boy pictures but I will spare you the download time.

How To:

Fabric:  Natural cotton duck

Stencil:  Cut on my circuit personal cutter using freezer paper instead of card stock.

Paint:  Ha Ha got to use some of my Jacquard Neoopaque in black from my Chanin project

Fusible web:  Pellon for applique

Stitched:  With the button tread from my Chanin project as well.  Notice I left the knot's exposed on the outside?

Simplicity 2596 Finished

Don't you just love finishing a sewing project?  I wore this right away today under a little pink cashmere cardigan 'cause it's still cool here.  You can see more pictures HERE in my Flickr.

I sewed Simplicity 2596 using both views D & E in a size 10. The pattern suggested a size 12 for my measurements but I probably could have cut a size 6 or 8 because I am thin and the cut is blousy. I love this top!!! It's not very often that I truly love something I sew for myself but this was a winner. The fit is cute and relaxed. Perfect with a pair of jeans or shorts. I felt really pretty wearing this and will definitely make a couple more. The next one I think I will do just the elastic at the arms and a regular hem. I like the top without the elastic at the arms too. Yea!!!

Recap from previous post:
Pattern: Simplicity 2956 view D/E
Size: 10  (I wear a 4/6 normally)
Fabric: Dotted Swiss from Joann
Trim: Crocheted from stash
Buttons: Vintage

Simplicity 2596

For the last couple of days I have been playing around with fabrics and patterns in an attempt to get something sewn up for Spring Top Week.  This is what I came up with.

The fabric is an ever so sweet Dotted Swiss cotton with a vintage floral pattern.  Purchased at JoAnn's last week.  I bought a couple prints because like I said...they were ever so sweet!  In fact while they were being cut I just kept lamenting on how cute they were.  Dotted Swiss just screams SPRING.

The little crocheted trim is left over from sewing the girls dresses a couple of years ago.  The buttons are vintage from one of my button jars.  I have cut and sewed Simplicity 2596 view D/E.  I still need to add the elastic to the bottom hem. With any luck I will get a picture taken of the finished top today and then I will be back with a pattern review.

Blog Inspiration Sunday

I have found so many wonderful sewing blogs as of late that it would be remise of me not to share.  For the next several Sundays I will feature a blog / blogger that is providing me with much needed sewing inspiration.  First Up:

Sinje Lübbke
Hamburg, Germany
blogging at HausMaus

One of the things I adore about Sinje's sewing and blogging is that she models what she sews and posts the pictures.  Not only does she model her sewing but she seems to really enjoy doing it.  Pumping life and vitality into her creations, giving a true sense of what the garment would look like in everyday activity.  I must admit that she is sewing on my dream machine (Bernina 75 Anniversary Edition) and there are pictures of this beauty mid stitch.  It's like porn for the seamstress!  What keeps me coming back for more is the variety of clothes and acessories that she is wipping up.  She also sews in knits frequently, and this is a fabric that I am trying to gain more confidence in working with.

Sinje writes on her blog in German however her flickr pool is labeled clearly in English.  She does a fantastic job of labeling her pictures with the pattern number and other important information.  I love it when sewers do this as I frequently look up the patterns for myself and take note of them for future projects.  As an added little something extra Sinje also contributes to the Bernina Corporate Blog. I think this is quite the accomplishment at the age of 28!

I hope you find inspiration in Sinje's sewing style...Enjoy~

The Wild Woven Tree

Soren's school does not have an Art Teacher. I know, crazy right? They do have lots of outside professionals that come into the classroom to teach pottery and fine art. I participated this year in the Art Adventures Program through the MIA (Minneapolis Institute of Arts). I was a Poster Person for Soren's Kindergarten classroom. There are two other moms in the class that are doing it too which has made it very fun. As a Poster Parent you take posters of items currently on display at the museum into the classroom and discuss them with the class. Then you create an art project related to the pieces of art for the children to complete. For our first project I bit off more than I should have. I think big and complex when it comes to creating. Our first project was a woven tree. Yep, a whole life size tree. Did I mention it was woven by 5 & 6 year olds.

Twenty four 5 & 6 year olds! It turned out spectacular and was worth all the hard work. It will be a wonderful focal point for this Kindergarten class room for many years to come.

Oh a moment of pride!  That is my lovely Soren up front with her finger very close to, if not inside, of her nose.  I am hoping she was just scratching!

For the base of our tree we used a roll of chicken wire.  The children then wove strips of fabric willy nilly in and out of the holes.  I am still surprised at how long they stuck with this.  I am also surprised by the number of children this was difficult for in the fine motor skills department.  After the fabric weaving, the remaining holes were filled with crumpled brown kraft paper. 

It took several more visits to her classroom to make all the brances for the tree.

I created branches out of the chicken wire wrapped into a cone shape. I crumpled the cones a bit for interest and added smaller branches to each limb. The children then wrapped the wire branches in kraft paper strips using watered down white glue. They loved this part as it was quite tactile and gooey!

To assemble the tree in the class room I wrapped the base of the tree around an exposed pipe in the corner. using zip cable ties. The branches were attached using zip cable ties as well, after removing the weaving from the areas where I wanted the branches to go. After they were attached I woven back in the fabric and paper to hide the ties.

With spring coming, the tree will soon be sporting leaves and wildlife created by the children.  I can't wait to see all the ways Soren's Teacher comes up with to use the tree!

Not the best start

So, I spent the first two days of my Alabama Studio Dress project hunting for my massive roll of Butcher Paper (freezer). Butcher Paper is what I use to trace and draft patterns. I love the stuff! Apparently when I was clearing up my sewing area I packed it away thinking that I wouldn't be sewing until I moved. Wrong! I went to two grocery stores and couldn't find it. This is one of those moments where a Walmart is required. People who shop at Walmart are more likely to butcher their own meat. Target people not so much. So, Saturday I trekked to the Lake with the kiddos and stopped at the St. Croix Falls Walmart for a new supply. Sunday I managed to trace the pattern. Most of Monday I stewed in indecision. I couldn't figure out if I loved the circles. I have decided that indeed I do love the circles. What I don't like is the tie dye look of the washed black stencil used in the book. What was I going to do instead? More indecision.... and some samples were made.

I will be doing circles in cream with the leaf stencil from the first book. I am also going to assemble the dress before I applique. Mainly because I am not convinced that this dress is actually going to fit me. I wear a size 4 normally. And in this pattern that is a size medium. I still think it's going to be too small. My measurements are 35-28-36. I am 5'10 and weigh about 130 pounds. It's the waist measurement that's going to get me I think.

Here's my stenciled fabric:

On with the rest of the info......

PATTERN: The length of the dress pattern is broken in half at the waist which annoys me. I know Chanin was trying to save paper but come on. Really? If you have no adjustments to make to the pattern then the pieces wouldn't bother you. I need to add two inches to the bodice length to accommodate my height. Probably should have added another two inches to the length as well. However I think I want this one to come just to the knee. Piecing together the pieces with a two inch gap between the registration marks takes patience to get just right. There are a total of SIX pieces that I need to do this to. Outside of the piecing, the pattern pieces seem to fit together beautifully.

FABRIC: The rest of my cotton jersey from Fabric.com arrived on Friday. There is a big difference between the Fabric.com Organic Cotton Jersey and the Alabama Chanin Organic Cotton Jersey. Chanin's is much thicker but looks piled and worn right from the get go. Fabric.com's has a much smoother finish but alas is much thinner. I was torn about which will work the best. Since the dress is completely self lined (same fabric on the inside as outside) I was worried that the Chanin fabric might be to thick. When your hanging on to six yards of the stuff it's very heavy. After cutting out the dress I have decided thick is good. It is what gives the dress body, allowing it to skim over the flubber without to much hugging going on.

PAINT: After much deliberating at my local fine art store, Wet Paint, I am choosing to use Jacquard Neopaque Acrylic Textile Color. Picked mainly for the amazing range of colors that there were to choose from. I looked at Speedball Ink but the color choices were limited which meant I was going to have to mix the right shade myself. Jacquard colors require heat setting after a 24 hour dry time.

FOE: The dress project does not require FOE. There is a skirt in my future however so I wanted some. Well let me tell you that tracking down 1 inch FOE is no easy task. I was unable to locate a US source so I ordered mine from HERE in Canada. I received my package hyper quick! Like in 4 days. I have no experience with FOE but am looking forward to giving it a go.

That's where I am so far. Hopefully I am over the hump and can make some progress this week.

Inside The Box

Don't you just love the sound of a package being dropped on your front porch? I can hear the UPS truck coming from the end of the block. It squeals to a stop outside and I can see Mike (yup, I know his name) get up from his seat and head to the back of the truck. I try and act nonchalant (like I haven't been waiting all morning for his arrival) by not going out to great him. Instead I open the door just as he's walking away. Mike always turns around and gives a wave when he hears the door open. Did I mention Mikes hot? No? Let's put it this way....I don't mind the UPS shipping charges when I order online because I know that along with my order comes a visit from Mike. My UPS Man.


So what's in the box your wondering? Not the green sewing machine from my last post. I do own a version of that machine but it's not a Three Kings. I am not sure what brand it is but it is identical. It was my grandmother’s sewing machine and is in perfect working order. Having been sewn on my grandma for more than 60 years I think she's worth saving. It was the first thing she bought herself when she was working in a Seattle chocolate factory during World War II.

So what's in the box your still wondering?

Natalie Chanins new book and 6 yards of her organic cotton jersey in Blue Slate. Yummy!!!

I have picked the Spiral Applique & Beaded Camisole Dress as my first sewing project.  More organic cotton jersey will be here this week from Fabric.com.  Chanin's cotton jersey is $18 a yard.  The pattern I am sewing requires 6 yards as it's completsly self lined.  Ouch...do the math!  So I ordered more from Fabric.com at a fraction of the price to compare quality.  I'll let you know what I find out when Mike brings it on Friday.

I am a little concerned about lining this dress.  The Blue Slate Jersey seems quite heavy to have two layers.  However, since Chanin is a accomplished clothing designer, I am going to follow her lead for the first project. 

Thursday I will be tracing the pattern and cutting out the dress.

Friday I will stencil my applique fabric.

Saturday I will cut out the appliques

And on Sunday I will start a stichin.

I will photograph each step of the process with a blog post outlining any changes or choices I have made.

Wish me LUCK!

Let's get on with it...

It's March. I can not take anymore. 6 weeks of non-creation have passed by and I am going to crack if I can't sew something soon. So I have decided to just get on with it. "It" being making stuff, because that's what I do. I sew and craft and create. This house selling business has really put a kabosh to all that fun stuff on the account of everything needing to remain perfectly composed. March is bringing an end to that. I have tons of spring clothes to sew for the kids and myself. I want to SPRING up the house, I want to paint in the sunshine. Well, I just want to get on with it. Wednesday, a box will arrive delivered via UPS that will beckon in some new creative mojo. Can't wait to share it!