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I was able to get the top and bottom sewn together for the Megan dress:
The Megan Dress The Front 1/14/2020
It looks super big and it’s not pressed. But the back is not yet sewn together so it’s falling open.
The Megan Dress
The Back
1/14/2020
Here’s what it will grow up to be.
I think I want to put pockets on it. But I can do that when the dress is done. I’m ready for my next class…
~happy sewing!
Melanie
I got this book eons ago. I can’t remember when. One of my favorite podcasts at that time mentioned it and I jumped on Amazon and bought it. One of my goals some year(s) ago was to work my way through this book. I got through the first few patterns up to the skirt featured in the above picture and learned how to put in an invisible zipper. The skirt ended up a bit too big and I should have gone down a size but I didn’t ever do it again. I really should because it turned out super cute.
I stalled out because the next pattern was the Megan Dress:
And it was a bit overwhelming for me. At my sewing class last Sunday, I already had traced the pattern onto fabric, cut all the pieces, and transferred all the registration marks. I learned at the class how to sew darts and I started putting the pieces together. I got all the way to the point where I pinned the top to the bottom but didn’t actually have time to sew it all. I hope to do that some time in the next two weeks before the next class. And, I hope I’m able to take a picture for you.
~happy sewing!
Melanie
Margot Pajamas
Still not done…
I’m still working on my pajama pants. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the next steps and was unsure as to how to proceed. I just followed what was written even if I didn’t truly understand what it meant and whether I was doing it right. ;0
And I didn’t take the best pictures. I sewed the pant legs together. First I sewed each back piece to the front pieces to get 2 separate single pant legs. Once you’ve pieced them together, you’re supposed to do a zig zag stitch. I don’t have a serger so I did the zig zag stitch. I don’t know if I did them correctly. 
The instructions said we could press to the back side or press open. I’m not sure how I could press this open so I just pressed it to the back side.
Then I sewed the right leg to the left leg by sewing the crotch part together. I left an opening for the drawstring but for some reason in my head I needed two openings so in the end I had one in the front and one in the back. I realized what I had done and then sewed the opening in the back closed.
The last thing I had energy for was to sew a rectangle around the drawstring hole to reinforce it. It’s not the best work but this is just practice so it is what it is. 🙂
I have to sew the top, put the drawstring together and then sew the bottom. Then it will be done. I hope I get this done before I head out to my parents house in a couple of weeks.
Happy stitching!
~Melanie
Here’s my learning lesson this weekend – look at next week’s project when I’m done with this week’s project. That way I can gather my materials before the day I actually want to work on the project. Again, I needed 2.5 yards of fabric for the pyjamas and again I didn’t want to dive into my stash to find 2.5 yards of something. This time, I actually trekked it to my LQS. I considered going to the big box store since I didn’t want to spend the money on quality quilty cotton but I decided to spend the money. I love my LQS and while I don’t have a lot of money, I was feeling generous and have a bit more burning a hole in my pocket. I look at it as donating the funds to keep my LQS open. Obviously, I can’t do this all the time. But when I can I will.
I wash my fabric before I use it. I’m not going to into whether I should or not. I know a lot of people don’t and it probably doesn’t matter one way or another. But I choose to wash my fabric so before I can use it I have to put it through the wash. So I spent my sew day this weekend looking for fabric at my LQS, washing and prepping it. On Sunday, I was able to get some things prepped but I didn’t actually get to any sewing –
Of course, I forgot to take pictures until the very end when I packed everything up for my next sew day. Which I hope will be this upcoming weekend!
I fell in love with this owl as soon as I saw him peeking at me at my LQS. The pattern called for 2.5 yards but I wanted to make sure I was able to fussy cut the owls and foxes perfectly so I purchased a bit over 3 yards. Here’s where I diverged from the instructions detailed in LAFS (Love at First Stitch). The pattern wanted me to cut on the grain which would have been had the length of the pajama leg parallel to the selvage. If I followed this, my owls would be sideways on my legs. Not the image I wanted. So I cut it from selvage to selvage. Since I’m short – just about 5′ – this was fine.
I had big post it poster paper that I used to trace over the pattern. This time around I cut with scissors on the line and the fabric. There were three options listed in the book. The second option was to use the pattern to trace on the fabric and the third option was to use tailor’s chalk or something on the fabric and then cut with that. I think I’ll choose the third option next time.
Here are the front of the legs. I have the back cut too.
I’ve got a bunch of bits to add to my stash and use in quilts and other projects.
Very important – I labeled the front legs and the back legs before I put them away. If I didn’t do that I would totally forget which was which and I would spend time trying to figure it out.
~ Happy sewing!
~Melanie
I started reading Love At First Stitch (LAFS) the night it arrived. My goal is to work through the book and I hope by the end I’ll feel more comfortable with garment sewing. I have no plans to do more at the moment but I hope to be able to make myself dresses, skirts and tops that fit appropriately. I have a short torso and I often have to take dresses in for alterations.
The first project is the Brigitte Scarf. Immediately I hit a snag. The fabric requirement was 60 inches in length. That’s a bit under 2 yards. I’ve got a pretty large fabric stash (as compared to myself really). I consider it large only because I have no more room to have more. All my bins are stuffed full and I need to use it before I can buy more. 🙁 AND I can’t buy more bins because I would have no place to put it. 🙁 I say this because I should be able to find something in my stash but I don’t have a lot of fabric that’s over a yard. When I go to my LQS I generally buy one yard of something if I don’t already have a project in mind. So, that’s my first dilemma. I know I have fabric that’s 2+ yards but that could be anywhere in the bins. I wanted to use fabric I loved but I didn’t want to hunt through my bins wasting valuable sewing time. I went through a stack of fabric that I had recently washed and placed aside (remember no room in the bins) and found an older piece of fabric that seemed thicker than a yard when folded up. I unfolded it, and it was enough! I didn’t love the fabric. It wasn’t one I bought. If you remember, I was gifted quite a few yards of fabric from a lady in my mini group whose mother passed away recently. It was one of those. I decided to use it. I may never use this scarf but the goal of this project is to start and learn the techniques so I can move on to the next project. I do not want to get stuck in my sewing room with piles of bins around me looking for the right piece of fabric.
Fabric chosen for Brigitte Scarf
5/13/17
Dillema #2 – the instructions have me cut a paper pattern that is 25 1/2 inches in length. I do not have paper that is that long. I ended up using freezer paper that I had on hand. Sidenote – I’ve used the same roll of freezer paper for the last 10 years! Those things go a long way! And it worked fine!
Mistake #1 – I was supposed to cut 25 1/2 inches. I actually cut 25 inches. I’m pretty sure in garment making that 1/2 inch would matter but in scarf making, I didn’t think so. However, I’m reminded that that’s why we check twice, thrice and sometimes 4 times because once cut, you can’t do anything about it but find another piece of fabric and cut again. Since I’m making a scarf, I’m going to leave it. 🙂
Note – step #3 has us put right sides together long wise but the instructions are a little confusing. I think it’s because I’m a quilter and had I not been a quilter but a real beginner the long instruction given would have made more sense. In addition I think I could have skipped the step of cutting the paper pattern. I have the tools (ruler, rotary cutter, cutting mat) to figure out how to cut the fabric without the paper pattern. However I never know when I can skip a step or not so I will continue to do all the steps as I learn. I love how the writing is geared towards the beginner sewist because a lot of times these kinds of books assume the reader knows things that they may not necessarily know and cause confusion and heartache.
LAFS: Brigitte Scarf
I would call this a headband than a scarf but the book is written by a UK sewist so they must call it a scarf there. I love it and even though I don’t love the fabric so much as a scarf – I prefer brighter colors for a scarf- I think I would still wear this.
~ Happy sewing!
~Melanie
Karen Van Den Brink
Who was the featured artist of the show.
A week has gone by and I never got a chance to show more pictures from the show. Karen Van Den Brink was the featured artist and I love the quilt above. It is reverse applique and very simply quilted. If you could see, it’s just straight lines diagonally across the quilt from corner to corner of each solid block of fabric. I told her how I liked her choice to quilt it simply and she laughed saying that she quilted it herself on her domestic which is why it’s so simply quilted. I thought it was a design choice and thought the simplicity really made the complexity of the blocks stand out. I liked it!
We will Never Be Royals
Dottie Cincis
The Shaman
Marty Boles
Golden Rain
Victoria Crayne
There were so many beautiful quilts at the show and I am extremely grateful to be part of a guild with the talent that was exhibited at the show. I’ve taken note of my favorite quilters and I’m hoping to track down the ones who still give classes. Some of them do periodically at the quilt shops around here. I personally love the applique and the hand quilting. One day I plan to start working on practicing hand applique and quilting on smaller projects. I generally make big quilts and hand quilting a big quilt takes too much time. I do not enjoy that process. I’m already hand quilting Raining Cats and Dogs and I barely touch that 1-2 times per month. I hope I can get to it more. Now that basketball season is over for my Clippers I’m going to have to find an evening each week to spend some time quilting that project.
On the personal side: The hubby is back from the Philippines and we’re having friends and family come over today to welcome him back. I hope to get some crafting done before they arrive. I’m still having trouble staying motivated and working on things. Knitting is easy because it’s small and travel ready. I’ve picked up a copy of Love at first Stitch by Tilly Walnes. It’s all about garment sewing for the beginning garment sewer. I’m familiar with my sewing machine and quilting but have not ever done anything on garment sewing. I’m intrigued by the #memademay movement and I’m inspired to start on the path of dressmaking. I’ve struggled to find the right fit and the right look at commercial stores and pretty much only wear t-shirts and yoga pants on a day to day. I hate shopping. If you don’t know about Me Made May it’s all about wearing something you’ve created every day in May. It’s meant to encourage crafters to use their handmade items more regularly and incorporate it into their daily wear. I don’t have much of anything to actually wear so I’m just watching from the sidelines. It’s a wonderful concept and I’m looking forward to trying out garment sewing.
The problem with starting is that I’ve got a backlog of other projects that I haven’t finished up yet. To be honest, it’s like a weight around my neck. I don’t want to start anything new but I can’t find the motivation to finish anything. I have an idea of a new quilting project and I want to get started. I’ve had the book The Civil War Diary Quilt forever and I’ve always wanted to work through the book and make each block. But I haven’t for one reason or another. I woke up one morning with an idea to just start with some colors in mind. I’ve been gathering the items I need and have finally gotten the background fabric I’ve decided on. I was getting stuck on this and I decided not to get a lot of fabric. I decided to just do one block at a time and see where this takes me. There are 121 blocks in the book. I do not know if I’ll make all of them. But I’ll start with one and I hope to get at least 1 done every week. That’s about all I’ve got for right now. This is very different than how I normally work. Normally I have a pattern or a plan and I follow it to the bitter end. This is the first time I feel I’m winging it. I’m kind of excited about this.
Those other unfinished projects… they’re going to have to remain unfinished. I need to get my sewjo back and I hope to get that by starting this new project. If you’ve worked on the Civil War Diary Quilt, any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
~Happy Crafting!
~Melanie