Saturday, December 26, 2015

Yes, Simon gets another sweatshirt

Another stashbusting project completed. I have to say that Jalie's 3355 pattern is really getting mileage. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to sew, with laundry and kids running around. So it is a simple easy project.

We had bought a lot of fabric for Simon to make himself sweaters but he never had the time. So I have taken it upon myself to rid us of the fabric. Plus he could use some sweaters.
Brown and red striped
He requested that I made him a sweater using the "Freddy Cougar" material.We have 3 red striped fabrics, but this one is the closest.




I think I lined up the stripes well.I pinned them prior to sewing so the stayed in place. 


You see the stripes line up, yippee!








Thursday, December 24, 2015

Yet another Jalie 3355

Well, I am on a roll! I made another Jalie 3355 sweatshirt for Simon. This one took a tad bit longer as I had kids running around screaming, throwing things, generally causing Chaos! No worries, nothing was broken and miraculously no kids cried.








I used more fabric from my Tonitex stash, a nice lightweight checkered knit and a lightweight black rib. It went well, nothing special. I am now an expert at this pattern.





Jalie 3355 - Thomas the Tank Sweatshirt





So here is another version of Jalie's 3355. I made it with the flannel and white rib we bought at Tonitex. This was origanlly slated for a PJ top but we don't need another PJ.













It was a super quick and easy sewing project.














I love quick and easy.




I am running out of labels so I decided to use Thomas' face. When kids dress themselves it is always useful to have tags to help them identify the front from the back.



Here you can see my topstitching details.



I am loving how easy it is to attach rib.


Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Jalie 3355 size "I" for Sam

Construction flanelSo I decided to sew a sweatshirt for Sam with the tool fabric we got from Tonitex. I originally wanted to make PJ's with this fabric, but Sam has more than enough PJ's.We also got this amazing sturdy grey rib from Tonitex as well.

Sam was a screamer this evening and he did not want to go to bed. He finally did, and I had enough time (and motivation) to sew him a sweatshirt - from start to finish.



I used Jalie 3355, size "I", which corresponds to a child's size 5. This is a fun easy pattern. Let's hope tomorrow morning Sam will enjoy his new sweatshirt. I told him he had to go to bed so that I can sew. The last time I went to settle him down he told me that I should now go sew!




Jalie 3355 Sweatshirt



http://lh3.ggpht.com/-uvLJ6bl-hzE/U7eQegNVq8I/AAAAAAAAKnE/uItdEeAb6Co/j_3355_1_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800I had bought a nice soft sweatshirt fleece from Tonitex. I wanted to make Simon and the boys a nice fizzy sweatshirt. The problem was I did not have a pattern for Simon.  That is where Jalie 3355 comes in. I could NOW justify buying another Jalie Pattern.. YIPPPEEE!



I made the boys sweatshirts and now it was hubby's turn. The inside of the fabric is all soft and fuzzy. Super warm and comfy, or so I am told. I made myself a pink sweatshirt.

There are 3 items to this pattern. Sweatpants, sweatshirt or a hoodie. I used the sweatshirt pattern, sized "Y" for Simon. I did not make any pattern adjustments, for once!

By now I am used to sewing sweaters with cuffs and a ribbed neckband. I did not need to look at the instructions, but I did anyways. I am on vacation and the little one is not here today, he's at daycare. So my mind is open and clear! Why not take the extra 5 minutes?




Now I usually make one small mistake. It was going so well, then I realized I only cut out one arm. OOPS! Good thing I was frugal with my pattern placement. I had enough fabric.
One thing that I like to do is I mark which piece is the back. Sweatshirts can kinda look all the same when you are sewing, so I have gotten into the habit of sewing a small piece of string onto the back piece and writing down String=back as a reminder.

Another tip I use is when I know I will use the pattern again I tape the areas where I pin the pattern. This protects the paper and stands up to numerous uses.










The only changes I made were extra steps. I serged the edges of the rib after I sewed them on and then I topstitched it in place.

















Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Completing Holiday sewing - all for Moi!

Today was a great day for sewing! I finished version 2 of my hot yoga outfit, I lined the back of the pink hot yoga outfit and I sewed another version of the Kwik Sew Sweatshirt. I made an extra small in the long version. I find the short version too short for my comfort. This is comfy sweatshirt and I wanted it longer than the brown version. So I guess third time really is the charm!
I found this soft pink fabric at Fabricville. I was there to buy thread to hem my pants for Scouts and I needed to buy something else so that I could use my interac to pay. This jumped out at me. It is nice and soft. The perfect color and texture for a sweatshirt.

The band is made from ribbing that I also bought at Fabricville. I like this rib as it is sturdy and thick. It will stand up to many wears! I tried finding this at Tonitex and Club Tissus... NO luck. Only at Fabricville, hence why I purchased a membership there. I am not a fan (AT ALL) of Favricville. Their material is a lesser quality and their customer service is pitiful! You ask a simple basic question and they stare at you like you just asked them a quantum physics question. Then they point to the other side of the room and say it may be over there. Basically they are useless!

 I added some topstitching, it was not mentioned in the instructions, but I like extra details, and I like the cuffs to stay in place.


With this type of style you really need a marker for the back, On my Pink one, sized small I did not sew one in and I am always putting it on backwards!

Hot Yoga outfit #2

When we went to Stretch text we bought 2 materials for hot yoga outfits. What I learned from the pink one is that I should a) sew the bra inserts in before construction and b) I should line the back as well as the front and c) it is a work in progress learning the CoverPro machine.

I liked the placement of the cups from the pink one so I followed those. I sewed the cups onto the lining. From my Lululemon bras I HATE HATE HATE stuffing the cups into the top. So Sew them permanently it is!

I had my concerns on how to sew the cups to the lining without it shifting in weird ways. Pop the cups upwards. This way they stay in the proper place. Then you cut the lining around the cups after they are sewed in so that they lay properly. 

 I then sewed the elastic and then the powermesh as I did in the pink outfit. I then sewed lining on the back.

I kind look like a pool liner! 

Here is the outfit all sewed together. Looks kinda cool, n'est pas?


I am learning how to use my CoverPro machine. It is about time I say! A few years sitting idle and now I am ready to face my fears. It is not perfect...yet! But the fun is in the learning process. No one picks something up for the first time and is perfect. 



Here you can see the powermesh, liner, elastic and cups all sewn together. 



I like the shape of it. One thing I got a tad wrong was in this spandex I should have used a size up, as the stretch is less than the peachskin material. I hope it will be ok, I will have wriggle quite a bit to get out of this after a hot yoga class. But I will be all limber after the class! 


The back has a really nice scoop to it. 



And the best part of this outfit? I don't have to wear a bra and my ya-yas are held in place and covered up!