Cutting out garments

For the past week, I have been cutting out garments. 
Winter is good for laying out lots of yardage on your extended dining table.

I've cut out nightgowns and p.j. pants, some waffle shirts, and a jacket out of silk.  I have a laundry basket now full of garments stacked all cut out and ready to go, and I found that if you fold all the pieces on themselves, then tie with a ribbon (like a package) you can layer all the tied packets, together with their patterns, and then I will just pull one off the top when I go to sew and all the instructions are there, and the pattern picture reminds me what I cut out.

This beats the alternative which is two small boys snatching the pieces and spreading them all over the room for you to pick up!  Ah well, and it is also much better than the trash bag I used to group that pieces from the last garment I cut out.

The weather has been ideal for doing stuff around the house, and I am getting a jump on my spring cleaning.  You can only clean so long before it is time for fun, so we cut out Valentine's Day hearts and taped them up on the wall, I taped, little boy put them on the wall.

I have been checking out embroidery designs on the web (love these line type designs), making chicken noodle soup, and in general staying inside out of the rain.  It surely helps one get to the bottom of the laundry pile as well.

I've been trying to learn to use Lightroom 4.  So far, I'm operational, but there is so much more to learn.  Thank God for YouTube, or it would be going a lot slower.  It does make a lot of your really bad photos look almost passable, which is nice.  And maybe eventually I will get them organized.

My machines are due back soon from service, so hopefully I can get all those packages of ready cut garments sewn up!

Pics

Winter Inspiration

"You can make something useful, functional, and fabulous from absolutely nothing, so save your money for purchases that you cannont make, such as vintage beaded fabric..."

 -pg. 92 Where Women Create Book of Organization by Jo Packham

 

Funny how life throws one pieces in order that seems ludicrious.  Like winning an auction for embroidery thread, and THEN your machine refusing to embroider.  This all could make sense, if only humans could see the future, but we write our story every single day, without heeding the possibilities of the next day.

 

So I hit upon thoughts of how to use embroidery thread without a embroidery machine.  Decorative stitches.  Yes, and I use those on hems, and neckline, and omit the lace on nightgowns which actually should have lace as it seems so everywhere right now.

 

If one could pintuck the present and the future, I think they would still find themselves confused.  I read books on sewing and I find myself thinking. 

1) Reading the book on organization should help you.

2) I'm glad I only just read about that project, now I    don't have to do it!

3) There are always techniques that seem obvious but you haven't done, and lightning hits, e.g. folding and then serging the fold, and triming against the seam.  Where was I all this time? 

 

I have been engrossed in a studio redo, and inbetween that my sewing has largely been comprised of mending.  Sheets, jacket zippers, etc.  I have completed some nightgowns and flannel p.j. pants.  However, nothing lately that speaks to my soul.

 

For my sons quilt, of course I pick a block that takes an hour to complete, and I mean an HOUR of stitching and ironing all ready cut out pieces.  Sailor's joy, yes, but I was not expecting it to take that long.  It is done in Civil War repros and yellows/blues with poision green backgrounds.  That said, I am improving my technique vastly with inset Y seams.  Maybe that will serve me in the future.

 

My Christmas present was some cubbies for the sewing room, and also some glass for my camera.  I have the cubbies in and almost filled, but they still need to be arranged neatily. 

 

My thread is arranged and sorted by color in drawers now, which I have found works the best for me in my small space.  It blocks the dust, and if you need a green, you can pull out a whole drawer take it with you wherever and find the right one.

 

I ponder my goals for a new year.

 

1) Mermaid art quilt on my design wall, IS coming together this year (then I can use all that thread I just bought).  It

 

2) My son's quilt.  I made him a duvet cover, but know he needs his big boy bed quilt.  It will come together easy once all the block are done, and I will send it out to be hand quilted.

 

3) Quilt some quilts already! I am a sewist who loves to quilt, but just seem to sew more than quilt.  I was halfway through the micro-stipling before I blew up my machine again, so I think I am at a machine crossroads.

 

4)  More embroideries...

 

5)  Print some pictures on fabrics and get my son to paint on fabric more.

 

6)  Finish the quilt for my couch and make some pillows to go with

 

7)  Try to blog once a month

 

 

It has been a mild winter here.  The boys are constant entertainment.  My oldest helped me sort the embroidery thread, and he wanted only to open all the new in plastic ones (so like me) and he snuck a couple but I made him stop.  He helped me "finish the job," and I love it.  He really likes his quilt.  I took a pause on it over the holidays and am resuming this week.

 

Life is full, and I am expectant that this new year will bring sewing adventures that stretch my creative talent and widen my ambitions.