What I’ve Been Up To…

It seems like it’s been a really long time since I’ve been here. Prior to Christmas I was working on …stuff. You know, getting ready for Christmas. I was also working on Everyday Explorers Australia (EE-A) for SchoolhouseTeachers. Also attempted was the kids’ school schedules but for whatever reason, yeah, that didn’t really amount to much. I’ve been working on that the last couple of days. It’s going well –when I stay focused!

Right before Christmas, I posted a quick post about Lee completing her first sewing project. It took her a few days to get it all done because she had other commitments but really was quite a quick project. Watching her and helping her some gave me the sewing itch. I haven’t sewn an actual patterned project since high school (and then I think my teacher did most of the work!) so I knew I needed something easy.

With somewhat moderate expectations of receiving a gift card to Jo-Ann’s Fabric for Christmas (*wink*), I started looking online for what I’d spend my money on. I just so happened to receive a gift card to said store from my sister-in-law for Christmas Here is what I chose (B):

 

and this for the top (A- short sleeves) –the pattern says see&sew B5480:

It was very tough to find the fabric for my choices! I was at Jo-Ann’s for 2 hours. No joke. The lady that helped me was very nice since I apparently knew nothing about sewing lol.

Here are the final results of my sewing projects I’m very proud of them (now I want to lose some weight so my skirt will be smaller next time!). I wear a size *ahem* 12 when I buy clothes off the rack. The pattern size: 16. And that was for the waist measurement. The skirt color on my monitor is fairly close to what I see in real life. The inside is double stitched to prevent too much fraying but I think next time I’ll try something else; I just don’t like it much. Oh and I don’t have a zipper foot so I had to do some hand-stitching at the zipper. Silly me, I didn’t bother matching the thread. The fabric is microsuede.

The shirt I chose size medium, which is interestingly what I generally wear for off-the-rack clothing. The color is an off-white, very very light cream color. The closest perhaps for my monitor is the last one. This will definitely be a warmer weather shirt! It is also sheer so I’ll wear a tank top under it. I did French seams for the shirt and am very happy with how that looks. The fabric is… uh, oops. I don’t remember. Those who sew more or have a fabric inclined nature probably know what it is It flows, and doesn’t wrinkle.

And since that is a warm weather shirt, I have to share what other shopping I’ve done. I got a Target gift card from my father-in-law and found this on sale:

At first I wasn’t crazy about the cowl neck (if that is what it’s called- and I’m still not crazy about it) but this sweater is so extremely soft that I don’t care what kind of neck it has! The color is a lot like the shirt I made. It’s a creamy white that has a hint of yellow. The photos make it whiter than it is.

While I was at Target I picked up some smashbook goodies. I’d heard about a smashbook not long ago- it’s a bit like a portable scrapbook- perhaps it could even be like a commonplace book but a bit more fancy. Anyway- my other sister-in-law had given me a great fat notebook (with my favorite color) and purple ink pens for Christmas. I loved them right away. The smashbook additions are just making it even better The pen has a glue stick on one end and a .45 point pen on the other. Here’s a pinterest search for smashbooks or you can see some for sale here.

I also received Amazon gift cards that I purchased an MP3 player (mine broke shortly after moving here) and two sets of 5 Pyrex glass containers. They should arrive in the next few days.

Yesterday and today I’ve been finishing up the week’s work for EE-A and also the kids’ school schedules. I’ve got Lee’s all done, just have to get Fox’s independent subjects plugged in. Tomorrow and the next day I have training at H&R Block for 3 hours each.

And that will mark the end of my break! It’s been a good month and some, that’s for sure

The Girl Can SEW

Oh, not this girl but rather “the” girl. Lee. I’m talking about Lee.

She needed a skirt –long and not clingy. It wasn’t really a tremendous need but it’s nice to have especially now that it’s cold and so dry. Anyway. We She looked for a simple pattern that she could do –mostly by herself, since I don’t know really how to sew (I can).

Here is the pattern she chose (D):

And the fabric (a cotton blend with metallic accents):

And yes, she made the skirt almost entirely on her own. I did help some and was there for support when she needed it. Here is the final product (she was moving- notice the hair lol):

She did quite well and we are both proud of the result.

I’ve since been thinking about the sizing on the patterns. It seems to me that they are not in correspondence to clothing you buy premade. The size she choose to use for this pattern was 8; she doesn’t even wear a size 6 in clothes! The skirt is nice and loose but fits quite well. How is that a size 8?

Now, can I mark that off for school?

Dress Into An Apron–With Photos!

The kids and I went searching for a Goodwill in our area (I know there is one- somewhere) but came across a Salvation Army store first. I found a pretty dress that there was no way I was going to wear. I felt it was too short for my liking and it gathers too much in the front, making my already somewhat pudgy middle look even more pudgy. I love the colors though and like the sash and bow on the front. Here’s a photo of the dress before I hacked it up cut it and ‘redesigned’ it.

I love the colors of this dress! I like pastels anyway but this reminds me of … Beatrix Potter lol. And the sash, although I’m thinking the color does not come through correctly on the screen- is a peach color. I bought this dress for $6.45 (with tax). And since I had no pattern to follow, just what I thought it should look like, it took me many hours to repurpose. I’m thinking that it takes more experienced sewers much less time to do these sorts of things. Eh, perhaps I’ll get there  
So first I cut up the side of the dress to separate the front and back. It had a zipper up one side, so now I have a zipper should I need one for something else. Apparently I took no photos of cutting it apart. I did leave some of the top of the back, so that the apron has a loop to put over the head and rest on the neck while wearing. It was a little low, though, so I shorted the shoulder straps.

The dress has two layers that are separate and I wanted to keep that for the apron but have wondered if I should sew them together after all.

I also had to tuck in the front where it went under the arms. I was trying to get it all straight and even. One side, though, had that zipper and I had to cut farther in than the other side. I’d forgotten that when I was trying to make it straight and trying to make sure to have the same amount on each side. Wasn’t happening. Figured it out eventually.

These pins were just to tuck the sides. Later I cut them closer to the edge and turned them under to sew (hem?). So then the pinning began. It took forever –it seemed. The fabric is thin but somewhat stretchy and apparently cut a certain way, when I tried to line it up and pin it, it kept looking ‘wrong’.

I also had to find cloth for the ties for the sides. I didn’t really have anything that went great with the colors in the fabric but decided on a creamy yellow –pastel and light; goes well enough. I pinned both strips and narrowed them at the end that connects to the apron.

I won’t show you the actual stitching for my apron because well…it’s sad. I used what I had for thread, which is a dark brown. The color isn’t a problem other than it is such a contrast to the fabric of the apron. What is the problem? My sewing is atrocious! Also as you’ll probably be able to see in the photos below, the fabric now has a scallop effect on the sides –probably because of the type of fabric, right? I’m tempted to sew the panels together to keep it from being quite so noticeable but really don’t know if it’ll help.

These photos are almost exactly the same. One is closer than the other. It is terribly staticy (which the computer says isn’t a word) and I am wearing fleece pajama pants. My lounge pants… If I had some little weights to sew in the bottom of at least the inside panel, I think it’d help keep it from sticking.

I did forget to get a photo of the tie in the back. The straps cold have been a tad bit longer. I can make a small bow with them and it works fine but I’d have preferred longer.

All in all, I’m happy with my apron. I still have the back portion of the dress so I could make a second apron –perhaps a half apron –if I wanted to. Lee says it’s so pretty it’s a shame to get it dirty, to use it like an apron. Not me! I want to bake something now!

Another Skirt & A Chili Recipe

I got up early – like usual 6:30am –and did all my online stuff. Then I just got the itch to make that second skirt I’d talked about in my post yesterday. This took me just as long as yesterday but I think I did somewhat better. I put the ‘panels’ in the front and back, not the sides.

Here’s the finished skirt –I love it!:

The back:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Front:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the side (only one photo lol):

I like that this one doesn’t make as much noise as my other. That’s simply owing to the different materials, nothing I did. I also like that this one isn’t quite as long as the other is. The only thing I do not like, is that there are no front pockets.

There is a line of stitching in the back that I have yet to remove. I ran out of the color I was using. Oops.

Of course I’ll need to wash it to get the fold wrinkles out still. For the bottom, I didn’t really hem it; I did a simple stitch all around the bottom, twice, then zig-zagged the denim. The navy cotton part was already stitched but I had to cut it because it was longer than the rest. I don’t mind if it frays a bit but not a lot.

I also zig-zagged any exposed edge cloth on the inside; I want this thing to last!

I’m a bit sad I don’t have any other pants to make skirts out of! I think I’ll bug Lee to see if she wants me to chop up any of her pants

Oh, and for the chili recipe part. I am going to be starting some beans for chili for tomorrow today. I didn’t buy any at the store since I still have dried ones in the cupboard. Figured I’d save some money at the store and make them at home. Here’s my super simple recipe (thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law; she gave this to me 15 years ago- I’ve only made it 3 times lol):

Oregon Chili (I can only assume that this is titled “Oregon” because she lived in that state when she made the recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey (I will use chicken this time)
• 1 large can chopped tomatoes
• 2 pints tomato sauce
• 1 large can red beans, drained (this is where my dried beans will come in handy!)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tsp sage (boohoo, don’t have any! I’ll use oregano but it’s just not the same)
• 1 TBSP chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1/4 tsp red pepper (I use flakes)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 small can green chilies, chopped (I don’t have this either but do have a small can of mixed tomatoes and chilies- hope it works- usually I have chilies)

Pretty much this is what I do:

Brown meat with onions. Add in spices. Cook for a bit (not long) to incorporate the flavors into the meat. In a large pot mix all ingredients and let simmer for hours. It’s better the longer it can absorb the flavors. But in a pinch, it can be eaten after it’s warmed up.

I also add salt because otherwise it tastes a bit bland despite the ‘heat’. I don’t mind bland but not if it’s just to be exchanged for spicy! I need that salt to …counter?

I might make some biscuits to go with the chili. Yum. Now I’m hungry and wishing it were done already!

Sewed a Skirt Using 2 Pair of Pants- sorry not a tutorial

I spent some time on Pinterest this morning (before I had planned to take a walk- bad idea) and found quite a few tutorials on how to make a skirt from pants. I have a few pair of pants that are too small, worn out or I simply do not like. But I’ve not gotten rid of them. I’ve been accused of being a pack-rat before.
Btw, that walk…it never happened.
I found two pair of pants- one that I wear when I don’t wish to put on ‘real pants’ that are extremely baggy because they’ve lost their elasticity. I think they have stretch in them. I have another pair of them, same size, different color and they kept their shape (wore those out- still have those, too, lol). I really like the material though of these pants so I’ve never gotten rid of them but rarely wear them. They make me look fat lol.
The other pair were a pair of velour (?) poop brown (lol!) that shrunk after washing –of course. They also have stretch in them and although thicker than the first pair I mentioned above, just a bit. I figured the cream color of the first and the brown (poop or otherwise) of the second would be complimentary.
And just so I’m clear –I don’t sew (well). I love the idea, but I’m not one to follow instructions well. Unfortunately. After just cutting, pinning, sewing and more of the same, here is what I made.

It’s got issues but it’s now my lounge skirt instead of pants I’m happy with it.
Now I’ve got 3 more pair of pants I want to cut up One is a dark blue heavy cotton that I want to pair with a light blue lightweight denim. I think the contrast, like the one above, will be nice. Oh, and here’s where I found my inspiration for this:
http://pinterest.com/pin/137359857356639130/ (or here if you don’t Pinterest)
http://pinterest.com/pin/137359857356639164/ (or here if you don’t Pinterest)
http://pinterest.com/pin/137359857356639155/ (or here…)
There’s lots of other sites with tutorials of course. Just google it.
And that is what I did today. I feel accomplished. Really I read on one of those posts (or a post somewhere) above that it was a quick 30 minutes –it took me hours.