A shirt! Yippee!

 

This is the shirt I made. It's light grey, it fits and I like it. I only had to use two sewing machines to make it. I'm glad that we have two so that I could do it. I had to take the pictures of myself so it isn't the best picture but you get the idea. I'm pretty excited to make another one. I bought some purple fabric when I bought the grey. Because I had to drive to said store that was 15+ miles away, so I was all "what the hay, I'll buy two colors! 

I really am trying to come up with a design for the jelly roll... I have a bunch of drawings, mostly I like to draw so it gives me something to do, but it really shouldn't be that hard.. I would like to do something simple, but then I look at the ones that are more intricate and I think "Oh, that would be so cool!" But remember I have a talent for making things difficult. Do you think I could put that on my resume? "Proven ability to make simple tasks more complicated and time consuming than they need to be". Some how I don't think that would put me to the top of the pile.. 

Guess I'll just have to keep at it. Maybe I could comprises with myself and do something simple for now and then the next one I make can be a little harder. I mean I don't have to go all out right away..right? Even thought I really really want too.. The easier it is, the faster it will get done and I'll be less likely to get bored with it.. The last quilt I made took me a year to finish it. I went full speed ahead and got the top all done and had everything I needed for it and then I just got bored and stopped working on it! I did get it done though and that's all that matters...right?? 

I think that's all I have for now! Hope you all are having a great week so far!!

Projects and stuff..

It's been a while since I've blogged and I have no excuses.. Just haven't felt like it, plus I haven't really made anything. I was obsessed with making this shirt over at Noodlehead. Anna makes such great things. I wanted to make this shirt so bad. So I got out all my pattern making supplies and found a shirt to use and did all that. I made a pattern... Then went to the fabric store, found some fabric that was 95 cents a yard (does it get any better than that?). It would have been cheaper because I had a coupon but I didn't use it, even though I'm super cheap and could have added it to my list of great buys.. And I got 2 yards because my sister also liked the shirt. Then I started the hunt for a "twin needle" if you don't know what that is it's like one needle shaft with two needles. So I had to call ALL over to find the thing, they had it at the local sewing machine shop BUT I thought it would be more expensive there, so I drove 15 miles (one way) to another shop where I could use a coupon and bought it. It was like $2.50 (plus the gas to drive 30 miles to get it). I get home and the thing will not work in my machine, I mean it works but not how it's supposed to.. Ho humm.. I started to think that I was not meant to make this shirt.... But I worked with it.. Sorry that I have no pics of any of this, I like to see other peoples pics, yet I hardly take any of the process or what things look like.. Yesterday I decided to try my hand with this.

My Mom bought this serger to make dresses for my sister's wedding, that was like 8 years ago. She used to make the dresses and then put it away. I really never had a desire to use it until about a year ago. I decided that I needed to get it out to finish the shirt, since I was having problems with it. I cleaned it and threaded it (only took 20 minutes, while looking at pictures and the color coded front) then I used it. Oh, baby!! I really know nothing about sergers, other than that they can cut while you sew. I didn't use the knife. So anyways, this is the finished shirt. I didn't use the twin needle, I just made two rows of straight stitching (which was kind of dumb because it doesn't stretch)

I know it's not the best picture, but it was windy. I guess from a distance it looks OK. And it's really not that bad but the arm openings are to small, this was a measurement error, which I noticed as I was cutting the pattern so I made it as big as I could. Now If I would have spend the time (like 15 minutes) to see if the twin needle worked in the old sewing machine (it does) I could have used it. The neckline is wonky, it flips out... I think it's a little low, I mean it isn't on me but just for the material. I'm a little sad about it actually, the fabric is really nice and buttery soft, I can take or leave the color but I like it enough. So I'm thinking of what I can do to make it wearable.. I really don't want to take the stitching on the sleeves out, but I might I guess I could just cut the stitched part off and re do it.
Last night I spent some times re working the pattern, made the arm holes plenty big this time, and changed the shoulders and the neck line. Plus, I have sort of conquered the serger so I'm a little more excited about making another one! I haven't decided on a pattern for the jelly roll quilt yet, but I did buy the grey Kona cotton. I was happy because it was on sale for about 4 bucks a yard. This feels like a really long and boring post, so sorry for that! Thanks for hanging on through all of it!!

Completed Projects!

So, at 9 am I declared "today is going to be a productive day!" Now, you're thinking "So, was it or not?" and by golly it was.
Earlier in the week I took apart my green skirt that I am going to refashion. I had to take off the waist band, take out the zipper and take the two pieces apart (which I could have left and saved myself a step, but I like the long way..). The I had to make a thread run, because even though we have a ton of thread we did not have any that matched the green skirt. After that I was ready to go and I sewed that baby up lickety split! I used the waist band described in the pattern for this skirt and it was not bad at all. The only problem I had was because my sewing was a little wonky and the casing was tight. But not a biggie, I just had to dig out a tiny safety pin to get it through. I'm declaring it done because all I have to do it sew up the elastics.
Last night I cut out the fabric for my test run of this shirt.
Next up, I finished up this little beanbag game thing that I made for my nephew.

It has 4 bean bags, the mat and the little bag to keep it in. The bag was actually one that was supposed to be a lunch bag but never got completed...I just put a drawstring in it. What a pain in the ass time I had with this. Here's why: first I put the button holes thru both layers of fabrics- fail! SO I had to take out 4 (x2) rows of tiny little stitches. Then when I put them in again one worked fine and one got hosed up because the fabric got bunched up between the buttonholer and the little foot thing that comes down. So I had to take what was done of that one out. But I had experience with it so that wasn't a biggie. Then I get them done and then I sew up the casing and then I realize that the button holes are on the INSIDE .. supposed to be on the outside. Oh well, it was done and it works so it's OK. The mat it really more like a tiny little quilt. The point of the game: you pitch your bean bag and try to get the most points. The center is 3, the spaceships are 2 and the green is 1 point. I'm thinking that it should have 3 bean bags tho- two seems kinda weird.. but.
In case you are keeping track that is 2 projects done for today. I'm hoping that I can get the starter shirt done tomorrow. All I'm going to do is sew the hems up and then sew them together. I'm not going to shir the bottom. Unless I'm in love with it and I HAVE to do then I might.
Over the weekend I bought some fabric to make the "real" shirt and I also picked up some more 60/40 knit. It's dark gray like a gunmetal color. I got a good deal on it, it's $4.99 on sale for $2.99/yd. And i had a coupon for the other one so not to bad. I love coupons by the way. That is a whole nother post there about me and my coupons... <3 them!
Tomorrow I'm going to post a pic of the skirt because the camera is out in the car and I don't really feel like going out to get it. I really try not to sew (or craft) after 9 pm. But I should be able to whip up the hems on the "test" shirt. OH and I have tendonitis in my elbow. Never had that lucky you. It bites and it hurts. And there really ain't jack squat you can do about it.. Ice and rest. Well, I like to be able to USE my arms..
That's all I gots for now! See ya'll later. Tomorrow is Memorial Day, so thank soldier or a veteran. They rock!