2011 Year End Tally

Of course, I still have 4 days, and sewing *will* happen - I already cut out a t-shirt for myself tonight.

But, here's the projects I did this year, in numbers...

Quilts/quilt tops:
1. Moda Sanctuary top - December 27.
2. Woolen scrap quilt top - completed sometime in December.
3. T-shirt quilt - completed sometime in December.
4. The Very, very Red quilt top
5. Pink and yellow baby quilt top
6. Black & white quilt-along quilt top (collaboration with my mother)
7. Gender-neutral baby quilt
8. Pink zig-zag baby quilt

Random other sewing: (I probably did a lot more in this category, but I don't generally bother blogging about it...)
1. Two tote-bags

Tops:
1. Flowered shirt - BWOF 06-2011-106
2. White top - BWOF 06-2011-106
3. Jason Wu-inspired grey t-shirt (variation of Simplicity 4020)
4. My beer t-shirt refashion (BWOF 02-2011-114)
5. Plaid shirt (McCalls 6035)
6. Camouflage top (McCalls 6400)
7. White shirt with McCalls 6035
8. Brown dotted top (Simplicity 2594)
9. Mustard t-shirt (McCalls 5105)
10. Purple turtleneck t-shirt (BWOF 09-2010-121)
11. Blue flowered knit top (BWOF 12-2008-113/114)
12. Black solid knit top (McCalls 5890)

Toppers:
1. Blue cardigan (BWOF 08-2011-117)
2. Grey cardigan (McCalls 5890)
3. Black cardigan (McCalls 5890)

Skirts:
1. Black skirt - McCalls 5817
2. Graphic black and white skirt (Simplicity 4047)
3. Woolen mustard skirt (Simplicity 4047) (Or could this have been finished in 2010?)
4. Brown plaid with side pleats (BWOF 08-2010-135)
5. Green plaid skirt (Simplicity 4047)

Pants:
1. Dark green Simplicity 2700 pants
2. BWOF 04-2010-120 jeans (utter failure!)
3. Black knit pants (McCalls 5890)

Dresses:
1. White, black & blue knit dress (McCalls 6112)
2. Blue swirl version of Vogue 1250
3. Red Vogue 1250
4. Blue stripes version of Vogue 1250
5. Wide blue stripes knit dress (BWOF 11-2008-118)
6. Pink tie-dye knit dress (BWOF 11-2008-118)
7. Cream and blue batik dress (Simplicity 3803)
8. The How I Met Your Mother/Santa Claus dress (utter failure) (McCalls 6200)
9. Black knit dress (McCalls 6243)
10. Pink ruffled dress (BWOF 04-2010-112)
11. Light blue dress (Simplicity 2963)
12. Yellow and red plaid summer dress (Simplicity 2444)
13. Cream, blue and brown flowered summer dress (Butterick 4443)
14. Deep pink Vogue 8110 sheath dress
15. Blue knit birthday dress (BWOF 09-2010-122)
16. Printed blue knit dress (McCalls 6200)
17. Black and white print knit dress (BWOF 12-2008-113/114)
18. Inspired by Proenza Schouler dress
19. Rust knit dress - McCalls 5890
20. Black and white gingham frankenpattern dress

That's 52 things! Apart from this, I know there's atleast another dress that I made and never blogged about, and also a skirt (same thing...) That's a lot of sewing!

In 2012, I'd like to increase the pants-sewing, increase the lined winter dress sewing (I have very few winter-suitable dresses) and sew as few summer dresses as possible. (I have a ton of summer dresses, I really, really don't need any more!) Let's see how that plays out!

Sewing on the go means more quilting

I've brought a couple of clothing projects to sew in Mrytle Beach, but it's amazing how much equipment I take for granted when sewing at home - large cutting mat, weights, pins, etc.

An easier sewing-on-the-go project was at hand, a Moda Sanctuary pre-cut pack. My mom had bought this early spring at the Creativ festival. Before we headed out, I quickly cut up strips of sashing. I asked my mother if she wanted to sew it, but she was too busy being in 'vacation-mode' - and so I got to work. (I don't get this kind of gift of time in Toronto, what a perfectly lovely vacation - plenty of time to sew!)

I'm hoping to actually be able to quilt it up on vacation. My brother's two cats are weirded out by the sewing machine though. They aren't used to the noise - and spend a lot of time just staring at me. Plotting to take over the world, I'm certain. Either that, or eating me when I'm asleep.

In use, two quilts

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I'm sure you are tired of reading about these quilts, dear Readers, I'm certainly a little tired of writing about them. But, I don't think I showed a completed picture of the t-shirt quilt, plus, I like my blog to be a record of all the projects that I do.

And so, pictures.

My brother Madhav, readying himself for a post-meal nap.


The t-shirt quilt, held up by my brother Keshav.


Keshav's pretending to be Yoda?

Another version of BWOF 06-2011-106

So easy to make, another version had to happen.

This top was inspired by an Anthropologie top that I can't find on their site anymore. Basically, the fabric is a white print with a coloured border. I cut the front on the bias using the border, and the back is the printed white, cut on grain.

Dear readers, this is the top for which I actually bothered to sit and learn how to thread my serger - this fabric is very ravely, and I was too lazy to mess with French seams.

Other things - I changed the neckline from a V to a rounded neck and stitched the side seams all the way down.

I'm off for the next few days to Myrtle Beach to visit my brother. Sewing will happen though - we are driving down, and I'm taking my machine. (Most of my family, afraid of what would happen when I get bored, vehemently came out in favour of the machine going along. I make a very bad bored person.)

Toys...

In shocking news, dear Readers, I've finally taken my serger out of the box. I've spent a large period of time trying to thread it, I finally think I have the hang of it, and yes, eating at the dining table doesn't really seem to be an option any more.

Oh, and since I took a picture, here's the woolen quilt, all quilted up. I actually did my best quilting job ever on this, (not good by a quilter's standard, but I'm no quilter, really).



And I've made another shirt! I'll try to wear it out tonight, and get a friend to take a photo...

BWOF 06-2011-106

Dear Readers, after all the selflessness I've been displaying, surely I was overdue for some me-sewing? I decided that yes, it was indeed time to make something for me. And thankfully, I had a blessedly unscheduled weekend, which actually left me time to sew - love!

I was looking for a low-commitment quickie project to get me back in the swing of things, and so I traced out BWOF 06-2011-106 (a one-dot pattern) and got to work.



My fabric was a bit of thrift-store cotton I've had lying around for over three years in my stash. (I bought it when I still lived in Michigan; I paid 50c for 1.5 yards of fabric.)

I did most of the work yesterday, with some hem finishing things today. What a simple top! Less than 30 minutes of sewing, I did it in 5 minute chunks - I kept getting distracted. Still, super simple. I should have finished yesterday, but didn't... This evening, my parents came over for dinner (my mom cooked, score!) and I should have got one of them to take my photo. Unfortunately, the top still needed hemming at that point, my allergies had been insane all day. Hence, self-taken photos of me, which I hate, really, but ah well.

I was aiming for a feel that was a sort of a cross between artist smock and peasant blouse. I'm not sure if that's the look I got, or if instead I got scrubs. I'm sticking to the former.

That's quite a v-neck, no? Ah, Burda - my breasts actually don't need to be on display when I make a shirt. Next version around, I'll raise the neck an inch or so.

This might be a contender for my SWAP. It certainly fits the 'Sew the Basics' theme.

And now I'm off to cut the next version...

Torn! And other random mumblings...

I'm rather torn at the moment, dear Readers. The last few weeks, I've been using my precious sewing time to finish crafting and quilting UFOs. On the one hand, I miss garment sewing so much! and that makes me slightly cranky. But on the other hand, I'm getting the super-satisfying feeling of striking things off a To-Do list, which is nice.

As in everything, the secret is balance. Which is why, when I finish with the current quilting project on my table, I will get back to my own sewing and make something for me.

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A couple of weeks back, my overflowing crafting closet was getting rather stressful, and I decided to make a UFO-project list, with the intention of working on one UFO each week.

Ahem.

I divided my excel spreadsheet into three tabs - one for quilting, one for general-purpose crafting, and one for garment sewing. I starting listing UFOs, along with how many hours it would take to finish the project. And gulp! my quilting UFO list would take 188 hours to finish.

I think I spend maybe 10 hours sewing each week, which suggests that I'd be spending a good third of 2012 finishing up quilting UFOs. I don't think so. I'm going to hide all my quilting UFOs in my parents' basement instead.

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All kidding aside, writing the UFO list was really good for me. I've already crossed off two items off the list - attaching the binding for this red quilt, and quilting my brother's t-shirt quilt.

Right now, I'm quilting this woolen scrap quilt for my other brother.

My thought is that I'll give them these quilts for Christmas (though of course, none of these quilts were actually intended as Christmas presents, it's just an artificial deadline to help me get them done and out of my apartment.)

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Back in the fall, I'd gone to Creativ (a big crafting/sewing/quilting festival in these parts). I was a bit disappointed by the sewing stuff on display, honestly. (I didn't sign up for the classes though, so maybe that was my problem?) But there was a ton of quilts on display, and they all served as pretty wonderful quilting inspiration.

While inspired, I didn't actually *want* to make a quilt top. Instead, I decided that my mother should make one of the quilt tops I'd seen at Creativ.

(Outsourcing the work? Check.)

So, I pulled fabric for a quilt, started cutting it out, and laid it out all over the floor of my parents' family room, thus forcing my mother to work on the quilt if she wanted to get her floor back and be able to walk around in that room. It worked like a charm! I don't think she's ever sewn a quilt top together as quickly as this one went together.



Pretty, right? I wonder what she should work on/I should cut out next?

What I'm working on...

I'm quilting (badly) my brother's t-shirt quilt.

I will say that quilting is not easier if a cat refuses to move out of the way.

Cat cuteness

Ok, I've no actual blog content (UFO finishing + boring projects + camera batteries dead.) Instead, I give you pictures of the little bear.




Seriously, how cute is that? Right?