lining in progress

ivory lining and main fabric

what's this? fabric and lining! i took the leap! 

yes the lining was more expensive than my cheap-o on-sale exterior fabric - which is probably a poly blend - i have no idea. the lining is some kind of poly blend as well. i know everyone hates on poly, but i don't have a lot of choices locally. couldn't find any of that bemberg rayon that everyone raves about. not at hancock fabrics anyway. and i didn't want to wait for something ordered online. so this is going to have to do! i didn't buy it from the "linings section" those felt stiff and not at all what i wanted. so this fabric was hanging out somewhere else and it felt a lot better. so it came home with me. and it will have to do.

here's the front after i got the darts in. i held it up and so far the fit looks decent. we'll see once i get further along… the only change i made was to lengthen the bodice (as always!!)

front bodice piece in main fabric

here's the lining and the facings. after some debating, i decided to do both. i read that the facings would add a little more stability and i had enough extra fabric, plus if the facings curl outward slightly then it won't be as noticeable in the same fabric, whereas the ivory lining would be very noticeable at the arm or neck holes. do you ever do both a lining and facings?

actually this pattern doesn't call for a lining, i'm just doing my own thing. fingers crossed.

lining and facings laid out flat

here's a close up, because i was super impressed with how neat and tidy the insides are (so far).

close up of lining and facing

and then i laid the main fabric on top with the wrong side facing out. next step is to sew up the neck hole and the arm holes…

main fabric wrong side up, laid on top of lining and facings

hope it all works out in the end! and i hope you don't mind work in progress posts because if i waited til i was done, it might be a month between posts! i. am. that. slow.

but at least i'm enjoying myself, right!

any more tips, tricks or words of warning about linings?

still enjoying…

well hello there! i feel like i haven't written in a bit. my focus on enjoyment sewing re-sew-lution has spilled into the other aspects of life. i'm just trying to add more enjoyment in general. i think it's more about the mindset than anything else. 

thank you to everyone who responded to my last post and to everyone who linked up and posted their own list. I really enjoyed reading what you wrote and i might copy some of your ideas!

besides sewing more, i also want to make time to work out more (did that once over the weekend, so that counts for me) and read more. and i don't want to feel guilty about spending time doing any of those things while i could or should be doing other things. it's all about balance too. anyway so i popped by my local library (which i love love love) and checked out 2 books on serging and 1 other book, Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, which Every other blogger seems to have read, so i had to see what all the fuss was about. not what you'd think i'd pick for focusing on enjoyment, right? sounds more like a downer. but it is an interesting read. i may or may not write a post about it when i'm done. we'll see. but did i mention how much i love love love my local library.

it was nice over the weekend to sit on the back porch (when the weather wasn't too chilly) and just read and not worry about anything else for awhile. although in the back of my mind i couldn't help thinking, "i could be sewing right now!" ha ha ha, but i tried to silence that. i squeezed in a little bit of sewing as well. we enjoyed a 3 day weekend.

this is not what i was working on, i actually did this a week or so ago, but hadn't posted it. actually even wasn't sure if it was worth posting, but whatevs… my red sofa and loveseat i bought about 5 years ago came with these pillows that were plain red on one side and this funky pattern on the other side. the funky pattern was never my taste and doesn't go with the livingroom rug At All. i would always turn them over so the patterned side didn't show. but they always bothered me. OCD much?

so i finally ripped them open, trashed the old stuffing, threw them in the washing machine, and used the red material to make 2 new pillows that are red on both sides with new stuffing. (there were 4 pillows and now i have 2 pillows.) i think it's an improvement. i also decided not to keep the piping and made them a little boxier instead.

and then since i was on a roll, i ripped open the khaki colored faux suede pillows we also have, washed them, added new stuffing and stitched those back up too. much better. thinking about making some new pillows, but for now, just giving my old pillows a facelift was a big improvement.

are you asleep now? that was pretty boring right? i have also finished my 3/4 sleeve knit top, but i'm not super excited about it anymore. i took some photos, but they aren't that great. how often do you do something and you're super excited about it in the beginning, but then it drags on or it causes problems and then by the end you're just glad to be done with it and don't even really like it!! ha ha. well at least it was a learning experience. but darn it that fabric wasn't cheap. 

so i'm working on my new dress right now and it's coming along very slowly. but i'm having fun with it and that's what matters. and it's getting a lining!!! my first! and it's my 2013 Sewlution for Did You Make That? - to do something with a full lining. any tips, tricks or tutorials that are helpful for linings?

join in!

i whipped up a little icon to remind myself of my 2013 sewing re-sew-lution. see previous post here. thank you for all of your feedback! i thought it would be nice to spread the enjoyment around, so if you'd like to focus on enjoyment too, please take a copy of the image above for your blog and post a list of what you'll do to focus on enjoyment! leave me a comment with a link to your blog too!

how will i focus on enjoyment?

• dedicate myself to one project at a time
• quality over quantity
• no crazy deadlines
• be less critical of finished projects
• take a break when i'm not feeling it
• sewing with friends
• a glass of wine, some gummy bears, or chocolate while sewing - why not? and they make great pattern weights too!
• rock out to pandora radio while sewing. dance breaks are allowed.

once you've written your post, let me know and i'll add a link to your blog so everyone can check out your ideas! remember, everyone's lists can be different! 


are you focusing on enjoyment? these sewers are!:

• Jenny Sews 2
• Aft Agley
• Tailoring my life
• A Little of What You Fancy
• hugs & kisses
• dreamingofavonlea
• tybalt: king of cats
• the curious kiwi
• iMake2
• Costumes from a Shoebox
• Dixie DIY
• JillyBeJoyful
• Sewing Cafe
• puu's door of time
• Judi Pinkham (no blog, but joining in as well!)
• did i miss your link? please let me know and i'll add you!

2013 re-SEW-lution: focus on Enjoyment

i didn't really do a 2012 wrap up post, although i enjoyed reading everyone's top 5 lists. i'm going to just move forward. 2013. i'm not big on making new year's resolutions. but i decided it might be a good idea to help me refocus. so i did a little self-reflection. new year. new outlook.

sewing is my hobby, not my job. (although if i could make it my job, that might be a fun change of pace…) anyway. so hobbies are supposed to be fun and not stressful. i read about other bloggers making 1 garment every week and i start to feel the pressure. and then i get overwhelmed by ideas. so we're going back to basics. i like the concept of project monogamy that's floating around. (although i guess i could say that i have one project that i've gotten a divorce from, and another project where we're separated, but we alternate who gets the kids on the weekend…) hehe. so putting those project/relationships aside. i'm starting something new and i'm just going to focus on it until completion. i'm focusing on quality, not quantity. and most importantly, i'm focusing on Enjoyment.

(repeating my new sewing mantra to myself) focus on Enjoyment. focus on Enjoyment. focus on Enjoyment…

much better. 

shout out to my four new sunday sewing buddies (oh wait they don't know i blog). i've recently met some in-real-life sewing friends and that ups the enjoyment factor. sewing alone is fun. but sewing with friends…

much better.

so here's what i'm starting on now…

Style 2325, sleeveless dress in the center (yes it's the middle of winter, but the weekend high is in the mid 70s [F], not that this will be done by then). this pattern comes compliments of Nothy in the Patterns and Postcards Swap. (thank you Nothy!!) the fabric was super duper cheap, on sale for about $6 total for 2 yards, so no pressure. easier to focus on enjoyment!

i did throw my name in the hat for Karen's 2013 Sewlutions. i wrote that i wanted to make something fully lined because i haven't done that yet. am i lazy? am i scared? am i just being frugal because lining means buying more fabric? i'm not sure. but probably yes to all of those. so then i was thinking "i have the whole year to worry about getting that done, so i can just do it later…" well, waiting to the last minute makes me stressed. and we're focusing on enjoyment over here at so i sewed this. so why not start now!!

this dress is going to be fully lined! or should i restate: i'm going to attempt to make this dress fully lined! so tonight i'll be headed back to the fabric store to pick out some lining fabric. i'm sure i'll be a tad annoyed if i spend more on the lining than on the main fabric. but i'm expecting that to be the case, so no annoyment, only enjoyment!! 

ya know what else helps with the enjoyment factor (esp. during the sometimes tedious process of cutting out a pattern)?

my new favorite pattern weights…

yes that would be gummy bears, a glass of wine and pandora radio

made my day

this package made my day. it had been a really crappy day actually, because that was the day my car got vandalized. (it's still in the shop, getting 2 new doors on the driver's side and i should get it back on wednesday. i have a rental right now. anyway.) so this was definitely a bright spot.

i big thank you to Abby at Sew Get Dressed for her fabric giveaway and all of the bonuses she threw in!

look at all the goodies! first off is the fabric! it's blue plaid seersucker. (i'm a girl who loves blue!  read abby's last post about gender expectations. i think when i was a little girl my favorite color was red. never pink. although by definition pink is just a tint of red… but i always loved blue as well. and now blue is one of my go-to colors.) now if you had to pick one fabric that represented your city, seersucker would represent the city where i live. it's so hot here in the summer and seersucker is very popular. it's even common for men to get married wearing a striped seersucker suit with matching suits for his groomsmen. and bow ties. and flip flops. and sunglasses. no joke. (we didn't go that route though. my husband wanted a traditional black tux.)

anyway, so this blue seersucker is going to make a really cute sundress! haven't decided on the pattern yet. any ideas? maybe one by colette?

and the bias tape is from her grandma's stash - how awesome is that? and maybe i can make a button up sundress. the pearly white buttons are too cute. also from her grandma's stash is a point turner and i think it doubles as a "jean-a-ma-jig" with 2 different heights (see where the 2 notches are). it can raise the back of your presser foot to help sew over thick seams. it kind of works like a shim. correct me if i'm wrong.

and lastly, check out what she crocheted! how amazing is that! it's so tiny and intricate!

ich liebe dich!

i'm blushing! thank you sabs for the Liebster Blog Award! Sabs blogs at Tybalt: King of Cats and we found out that we share a few things in common, including getting married in 2012, getting a sewing machine as a gift after our weddings and our new found love of sewing!

i'm going to just copy her here:

"The award was set up way back when and has undergone a few changes from what I can see from my research. Its purpose is to bring blogs that have less than 200 followers into the limelight and increase their readership. It has definitely morphed since it first started (as has the logo in fact!) and the most current rules are:

• Post 11 random facts about yourself
• Answer 11 questions that your nominator (is that a word or have I just made it up?) asked you
• Nominate up to 5 other blogs for the award and ask them 11 questions of your own"

and yes, nominator is a word! i looked it up because i'm nerdy like that…

----

so, without further ado, 11 random facts about me (this is going to be super tough to decide what to write):

1. i began sewing last year and it's starting to take over all of my free time, but i love it

2. i have always lived in the same state in the US

3. i used to have a pet rabbit named oreo. she was black and white and adorable

4. my favorite ice cream flavor is lemon custard from baskin robbins (they only have it in the summer and yes it sounds weird, but it's amazing)

5. i work as a graphic designer 10am-6pm M-F

6. i have never been to the west coast, but i've been to europe

7. i love tomatoes but hate mushrooms

8. i have never broken any bones and i have never had any cavities

9. i graduated from an honors college summa cum laude 

10. i have a very hard time thinking of random facts about myself (this is taking forever)

11. i took german in high school and college, but now it's fading due to lack of use

----

and my answers to the 11 questions from my nominator:

1. If you could be any animal, what would you be and why? being a bird would be interesting because of the flying, of course. but i'm not down with eating worms, and seeds would get boring. maybe i could be a dog for a wealthy family that feeds me human food. i wouldn't want to be any animal that has predators, that's just too much stress - worrying about something else eating me, geezzzz

2. What colour are your eyes? blue

3. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up and have you become that? i wanted to become a cake decorator when i was in elementary school. it combined 2 things i liked: art and cake, so what's not to like? i had seen a news clip about an old man who was a cake decorator and he said he never worked a day in his life because his work was his passion, so it never felt like work at all. that's what i wanted. i am not a cake decorator. sadly.

4. What was your favourite childhood toy? when i was little i had a stuffed bunny rabbit named bun-bun and i used to hand sew her little outfits including felt shoes and hats

5. Dresses or trousers? i would love to say dresses, but i end up wearing pants more often

6. How many hours a day or week do you spend looking at other peoples' blogs? my blog list on bloglovin.com is out of control. i try to keep up and i love seeing what other people are sewing (i only follow sewing-related blogs), so i'll read blogs during commercials if i'm watching something on tv or during breaks at the office or right before bed

7. If you could timetravel back to the past and change one thing, what would it be? i'd start sewing sooner! think how amazing i could be by now if i had started 10 years ago!

8. What have you always wanted to do but were too afraid to try? any drastic career change or move somewhere far away

9. What crafting experience (ie something you've made) are you most proud of? hmm, i really loved that first baby bib/apron i made because it looks store bought (i think) and i'm proud i conquered the cuffs and buttons on my last alma blouse, and it had all french seams, which i love

10. Which day of the week do you hate the most? monday

11. Daddy or chips? i think i don't get this one because i'm not from the UK. my favorite type of chips are kettle cooked chips, the ones from lays or from krunchers

----

and my 11 questions for the new blogs that i'm nominating (this is a lot to write!):

1. what's your day job when you're not sewing?

2. what's your birthday (you don't have to include the year if you don't want to)?

3. what's your favorite fabric to sew with?

4. what's the best sewing tip that you could give me?

5. what's your favorite notion?

6. what's your favorite project you've sewn (and include a link if you posted about it)?

7. what's a pet peeve of yours?

8. what are your favorite tv shows or movies?

9. what's your favorite type of music (name specific bands if you'd like)?

10. why did you decide to start blogging?

11. why did you decide to start sewing?

----

and, i would like to pass this Liebster Award on to the following 5 blogs:

Jenny Sews 2

Dinosaur Girl

Made By Trisha

Road To The Heart

Sewing Through The Motions

ich lese gern so viel blogs! nur fünf ist wirklich nicht genug. ich liebe dich! (i apologize if my german spelling/grammar is poor. it's been awhile.) check out those 5 blogs if you don't already follow them! and let me know in the comments if there are other blogs you love reading that i should be reading! thank you Sabs for the award!

playing catch up

long time no see! i am back at the office today and back at the computer. i have been keeping tabs on your blog posts via my little ipod while on vacation and i loved reading everyone's 2012 wrap up posts. now i feel like i need to catch up!

i'm going to start by complaining, but then i'll move on to some more positive news, promise! not sewing related, but this is how my new year started: we rented a car to drive to florida to visit some of my family because we didn't want to put all of the miles on our cars. and when we got home on sunday night, we found out that both of our cars had been broken into. so my vacation ended with talks with the police, the insurance, taking my car the to shop, and picking up a new rental car. what fun! they didn't really take anything. the only thing of value in my car is the stereo and they didn't take that. but now i have to get a new car door. the insurance covers it, but i do have to pay my $500 deductible. and we found out that they hit the entire street because some of our neighbors were also vandalized. at least they didn't break into our house.

anyway. so. i haven't bought my new laptop yet. i was hoping for an after christmas sale, but the price looks the same. (i was looking to get a macbook pro.) i did get a threads magazine for christmas! yay! but i didn't get any gift cards for fabric like i had hoped. i guess for my birthday i need to not be so subtle with my requests =)

but, completely out of the blue my sweet husband bought me this… (drum roll)

a serger!!!! yayyyyyyy!!! i didn't even ask for it! so i signed up for a class on serging. i've used one several times before, but i still need to learn more. very exciting =) and i need to go buy some white and black thread cones because it comes loaded with rainbow colored thread. i wanted to whip up a top right away, but i don't really want rainbow seams inside. i'm sure the colors help with figuring out how to rethread…

now it's time for a wrap up of the rest of the christmas gifts i made:

the robot pot holders!

those were a lot of work. i re-did the bias tape several times to get it to look good on both sides. the problem was with all the layers. it was pretty thick. i was happy with how they turned out and my husband wanted to keep them for us. but i gave them to my brother anyway. not sure if he really liked them. he's hard to impress. ah well. i tried. i probably won't be sewing gifts for others anymore unless someone actually asks for something. except baby aprons! those were easier and well received. so i might still make those. my cousin is expecting in june, so i'll make her some =)

not sewing, but i did make earrings for my sis-in-law, brother's fiance, and mother-in-law. the colors in the photo just didn't come out well. the top left pair are magnesite (?), the middle pair are jade, so they're actually a dark green color, and the top right pair are amethyst, so they're really purple.

back to sewing. i made 2 clutches for my best girl friends. i haven't had a chance to give them to them yet. so i'm only hoping that they'll like them. i picked the fabric when i noticed one of my friend's iphone case was grey chevron patterned. but then the next time i saw her she had changed it to something else, so i hope she still likes grey chevrons! ha ha! and my other friend likes yellow and i thought the teal zippers were a nice contrast.

i got the idea from the pattern runway tutorial, but then i didn't use their tutorial at all because the size of theirs wasn't exactly what i wanted, so i just made my own, and then i just finished it the way i wanted based on doing another zip pouch.

i used the same fabric for the insides. i was going to use a teal to match the zipper, but i didn't want it to show through to the white on the outside. i did line it with heavyweight interfacing (or maybe it was medium weight?) but i had enough chevron fabric (just enough) that i did the insides the same as the outsides.

check out my first magnet snaps! they were easy-peasy. just be sure to attach them before you finish sewing in the lining. and on the website for the snaps it says to push the back prongs inward, but another book said to push the prongs outward, and i think outward it more stable.

and check out my stripe matching on the sides. yeahhhh! i don't think my friends will even notice, but whatev

and here's some close up zipper action. i thought it looked pretty sweet. =)

in other news, i received a really awesome package from Abby at Sew Get Dressed! i'll be doing a separate post on it. it really was a bright spot on that day because my neighbors were checking our mail and they brought the package over to me when we got home, which was after i had just found out that my car was vandalized. anyway, be sure to check out her blog, but you probably already do!

andddd, the lovely Sabs at Tybalt: King of Cats nominated me for a blog award, so i'll be posting on that soon too. i just need to think up answers and everything! she has a really cute blog, so be sure to check her out, but again, you probably already do!

hope you all had a great holiday and a wonderful new year! i'm looking forward to seeing all of your 2013 projects! what are you working on this month?