A Few Small Projects

It's been a cool and rainy month here in Albuquerque, so I haven't had much of an opportunity to take pictures of my most recent projects. Still, "happy for the rain," as you will hear almost every New Mexican say. Warmer and sunnier weather is inevitable, so hopefully I will be modeling some garments soon.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few smaller projects that I've been making. This weekend was the biannual Fiber Arts Fiesta, at which I volunteered, bought a few things from the vendors, and also made some items to sell to benefit the Fiesta's charitable cause. Enlace Communitario was this year's beneficiary. Its mission is to work to eliminate domestic violence in the Latino immigrant communities of Central New Mexico and promote healthy families through comprehensive domestic violence intervention services, preventative community education, policy advocacy and leadership development. I made some bibs that the booth could sell for this fundraiser.

They're made from scraps left over from some other projects, not particularly childlike prints, but I figured that they might appeal for that reason. Sure enough, none were left by the time I went to the Fiesta on Saturday. I'll be making some more of these for baby gifts in the future.

You may have seen these on Facebook or Instagram already, but I also made some more rolled-edge napkins for the house. These were made of leftovers from some of the pillow case projects I made in the past. What's different about this set is that they are double layers of fabric. DH likes them better than the original ones because they have more heft. We've had time to run them through the washer and dryer and they're holding their shape pretty well!

This weekend I made another nightgown from Simplicity 9505. You've seen these before (here and here). I needed another one and it's a fast sew that I was able to make in a couple of hours. The fabric is from Santa Fe Fabrics.

Yes, it's a dress form print!

I'll have another project to show you once the intended recipient has gotten it. But that's a post for another day.

And it's raining. Again.

This and That

I'm in between major projects right now, but still keeping busy in the Cave.

DH talked me into alterations and mending on a couple pairs of his motorcycle pants. One pair done, and one to go. The alterations consist of adding some room by adding a wedge of fabric to the center back (both are the same style). Mending is fixing a zipper on one and replacing the hook fastener on the other. Only for my husband!

I cut out a couple more pairs of the TNT pajama pants (McCall's 2476)  late last year and have sewed up both of them as of this weekend.  Here's the pattern, which is out of print, I think. However, there are lots of pajama patterns out there and all of them are similar.

Here's a photo of the latest ones. Yes, folded. You know what pajama pants look like, so this is more to show the prints.

I used "quilter's" cotton for these, which is a nice weight for lounging and sleeping. I used to make flannel ones, but they're too warm to sleep in. These sew up pretty quickly because I've made so many. Instant gratification and a good way to use some of the wilder cotton prints I have. I think both of these came from Nob Hill Fabrics. If you're visiting Albuquerque and looking for souvenir fabrics to take home, Liz's store is a good one to look into. 

I also just completed a crochet project. I don't pull out the hooks often, but it's nice to make something from time to time. Plus, I can work on it while hanging out at home without having to be in the Cave. I learned how when I was in junior high with guidance from my grandma and one of my teachers (thank you Mrs. Penn!). This latest project is a scarf that I found on the Moogly blog, called the Chevron Lace Infinity Scarf. The yarn is just Red Heart, but I loved the Monet color scheme when I saw it. The photo below shows it looped twice around the neck.

I'm pretty happy with how it came out although I found the instructions a little hard to follow. I'm thinking about making the matching fingerless mitts too (so I guess the pattern wasn't that hard to follow!).

One of my latest projects is the result of the Ugly Fabric Challenge sponsored by the ASG chapter here in Albuquerque. My fabric is a beige stretch cotton bottom weight. Let's just say it's not my best color.

There's a lot of it, so I'll be muslining pants and attempting to compete one "real" pair.  I'm currently trying to narrow down the patterns I've pulled from my collection. Any leftover fabric after the challenge will be used for the First Day of School project that we've done for the past couple of years. The fabric is heavy enough for kids' pants.

Another of my latest projects is also related to ASG. We are one of the sponsoring guilds of the biannual Fiber Arts Fiesta, so we need to make some little goodies for a charity fundraiser at the event. I have been going through my Pinterest and the pattern collection to come up with some ideas for quick and cute things to make. I know, charity sewing, but my "selfish sewist" goal is to use up many of the scraps that are taking over my sewing space.

Random Thoughts

I've been trying to put together a "real" post for a while but nothing has come together yet. In the meantime, here's another edition of Random Thoughts.

• I've worn the new T and like it very much. Sorry, no pictures yet. But it passes the wear test.
• I did spend a weekend in Chicago with a great group of friends! A wonderful girls' weekend featuring the Haute Couture Club's annual fashion show and a visit to the Ebony Fashion Fair exhibit at the Chicago History Museum. 
• I didn't plan to fabric shop, but it was impossible to resist the lure of Vogue Fabrics in Evanston. More on that soon.
• Material Girls was last weekend. Much tracing and cutting of patterns. It's nice doing sewing related things with a group. We all work on our own projects, but it's a nice opportunity for conversation. I got some advice on what size to sew for the First Day of School project from one of the ladies. She sews for her little nieces in Puerto Rico. As a result, I cut a darling little peasant top out of a fabric remnant that's ready to sew up. Should be quick and fun. I'm planning on making some linen pants to go with, so some little girl will have an outfit. 
• I experimented with a free HotPatterns download from Fabric.com yesterday. It's almost complete but I still can't tell if it's going to fit and exactly what it's going to look like. A try-on with the proper underpinnings is in order.
• I submitted my entries to Fiber Arts Fiesta on Thursday. Interesting moment--the sewing competition is run by a long-time ASG friend. There was some confusion when I walked in because she couldn't find my name on her sheet. Well, she was looking for my former name! Yes, and we see each other pretty often and she knew I was married. Too funny!
• DH and I are getting ready for a trip to the Tri-States next week for his college reunion. Other than that, we're still planning out some of the details (we're staying with family so that makes it easy). We will be seeing a Broadway play--we have tickets for the Motown show. 
• Time to get up, more sewing today. I am hoping to sew up new pair of TSW Hudson pants for our vacation. 

Random Thoughts

What to do when there's not enough material for a full blog post but there are things to say? Yep, bullet points and links...

• Seems like everyone in the sewing blogosphere is watching the Great British Sewing Bee online. I'm no exception. I hope someone will bring it to America--without the Bravo/Lifetime style drama, please.
• Not much sewing going on here at Casa DaQ, due to work and tax prep. I'm proud to say we completed our filing today and have received a net refund. Yay!
• Back spasms have also popped up recently. I'm feeling fine today, but spent yesterday afternoon and evening with a long soak in the tub, heat pad, Aleve, and finally a Flixoral. I really do need to look into getting a massage therapist.
• Retail therapy. I have a few packages coming due to on-line shopping. Coldwater Creek (meh, but good for basics and work) and Gorgeous Fabrics (had to jump on the black linen Ann showed on her blog). There's also a bauble coming from Wendy Brandes, who designs lovely jewels as well as writing hilarious blog posts. 
• The St. Michael Vestry thank you dinner is tonight, and I'm one of the honorees! It will be a fun time. And in other church news, I'm in training to be an altar server.
• I just received news that my submissions for the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta have been accepted! I submitted this jacket and this ensemble.
• Warm weather finally appears to be here in New Mexico (again). For a while, I hope. It's hard to figure out what to wear when temperatures fluctuate between 20 degrees and 80 degrees in a 24 hour period.  Plus, our backyard is designed for outdoor living, and so it will be nice to have that space available to us again.
• And hay fever season seems to finally be at an end. I can wear contacts and can breathe again! Both have been factors in no sewing. 
• We had Jeans Week at work last week as a Heart Walk Fundraiser. We're having another one this week. I'm guessing our site manager really likes life in the West after being on the East Coast for most of his working life. Whatever, I will not look a gift horse (so to speak) in the mouth.
• Mad Men is back! As is Game of Thrones!!

TSW Stella Top and Eureka Skirt

So here is the project I worked on all day yesterday--a Stella Top and Eureka Skirt  from a mystery knit that's been aging in the stash. It has a cotton-y feel but I'll bet there's some poly lurking in it too.  And the color is an even darker shade of purple than in the photograph.

The skirt is a fabric hog, but it came out nice. The skirt has an attractive drape to it, and the hem dips at center front and back. The guide sheet had specific instructions on how to assemble and trim all the seams, which was helpful as both pattern pieces were trapezoids.

This is the third time I've made the top and it was an afterthought that I cut in the afternoon and finished in early evening. You see, I have a friend who is on the committee for Fiber Arts Fiesta and she's really pushing hard for entries. As a top and skirt, it fits into one of the categories.

I'm still looking for a couple of other items to enter; we'll see what I can do "for the cause."