Shorts that FIT!

I have such a hard time finding walking shorts that fit but that don't "squeeze" the thighs. I used McCalls 6361, and I'm really satisfied with my result:

Baby Shower!

Awhile back my friends and I planned a baby shower for another friend, the first in our group to have a baby. I've been so busy sewing Christmas presents (see my Black Friday post) and then celebrating Christmas that I never had a chance to post pictures.

It was a "mocktail" party and featured lots of book themed food paired with actual books for baby. My less Martha-esque friends braved lots of crafting to help pull this off, they claimed that their fingers bled...

And last Thursday, the baby arrived! Ava Nicole was born around 4:30 in the afternoon, and I was lucky enough to hold her two hours later. That baby has lots of "aunties" who love her already!

Black Friday!

I was so stressed about Black Friday that I could barely sleep last night! Instead I got up and cleaned my sewing room so that I could welcome all the beautiful new fabrics into a clean room! An outline of my day is over at Martha Saves, so I won't repeat it here. It was awesome! So worth my time, and only took 2 hours total to get everything I needed. Next year I'll be back for sure and probably get there about 15 minutes earlier! Here is my haul from JoAnns and Target combined.

Oscar de la Renta Suit Jacket - FINISHED!

Here is the suit jacket finished! The skirt is cut out, but I haven't sewn anything past the waist darts. Soon enough!

Colder Weather = Baking Time

I think my body is subconsciously trying to put on weight. I've been cooking and baking like crazy the past few weeks, which Andy loves. I tried "flooding" cookies as a frosting method, and the results were great. I'll definitely be repeating this when it's time for Christmas cookies!

Then I tried a homemade chicken pot pie with homemade pie crust. I just used Betty Crocker's crust recipe, which I've used before, but I wasn't thrilled with the results. It tasted fine, but it didn't look quite right to me. It got glossy like it was supposed to, but I don't know about all the puckers on the surface. I expected smooth and shiny. Also, I probably overfilled the shell a smidge. Oh well, Andy loved it so much that it didn't last long!

Two nights ago I made homemade oreos from the Smitten Kitchen. I didn't take a picture, but they looked exactly like the pictures on her blog. As she suggested, I reduced the sugar, and in the future, I'll use less filling. These babies are sa-weeeet.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/05/my-kingdom-for-a-glass-of-milk/

Garden Clean Up

I decided awhile ago that this fall, I would have to tear everything out of the garden and start over fresh. New soil, plant food, and some crucial plant dividing and re-arrangement.

I divided my daylilies and irises, which took a bit of work. I moved the peonies into the sun, the hydrangea out of the sun, rhubarb into the sun, and daylilies out of the sun because, let's be honest - who cares if they even bloom? Not me! They aren't my favorite among the flower species that make their home in my yard.

(L-R): lilac in the back, daylilies in front, tons (!!!) of irises, balloon flower, more daylilies, and an azalea that isn't in the picture.

Rhubarb on top and daylilies in front, along with my random little "tomato that could." I just couldn't rip him out yet.

(L-R): daylilies, hydrangea, rose, irises (100?!?!), rose, peonies, lilies of the valley, and lilac.

This all took me about 8 hours. I can't move my body.



How to Sew From a Pattern

I've had a friend repeatedly ask: How do you SEW something? How do you even know what to do? As a result, here are some general steps that I follow, much abbreviated, for Kathy.

Step 1: Select your pattern and fabric.

Step 2: Pre-shrink your fabric. This means that you put it in your washing machine on the final "rinse" cycle, so you get it wet and then also rung out. Then dry it in the dryer. Unless it's formalwear fabric, silk, or some other dryclean only creation. This dress is cotton, so we'll proceed. This step will make my garment washable, so it won't shrink wierdly after it is assembled.

Step 3: While your fabric is pre-shrinking, determine which pattern pieces you'll need, and cut them from the pattern tissue. Take note of how many you'll need of each piece.

Step 4: Lay out your dry fabric, and figure out the best way to lay out the pattern pieces. This may or may not be the way the pattern directions tell you to do it. I usually review their suggestion and then do my own thing. Now that you're sure you'll have enough fabric to cut out all of your pieces, just cut them out, following the shape of the pattern.

Step 5: Read the directions start to finish. Go over each pattern piece and mark them as noted. In this project I'm using hot pink thread to mark my pattern, since it contrasts well with turquoise and is easy to find. Then go back to step one of the directions and begin sewing. As you go, be sure to iron every seam so that your finished garment looks crisp and tidy.

Step 6: Continue sewing as the directions state, or sometimes I decide that I know a better way and use that instead. Make sure to use enough pins so your fabric doesn't slide as it enters the machine. A person should really remove their pins as they sew, I'm bad about this. Once you've sewn a seam, press it. Periodically, try your garment on your mannequin (and yourself) so that you can ensure that each side is even and that everything is fitting correctly. I ended up taking this bodice apart and taking the sides in so that it fit better. It's easier to fix while you go along than when you're finished.

Step 7: Continue all steps until the garment is finished. Try it on to make sure it zips!