A Bit of a Sewing Catch Up

Well hello my lovlies!  I'm back with a post I've been meaning to write for a few weeks now!  I've been busily posting my projects on the new Minerva site.  

Now it's no secret that I LOVE Minerva and they're one of my first stops when I'm looking for fabric, even though they're based in the UK, so shipping is sometimes a bit of a wait (but if we're being honest, where isn't a bit of a wait these days?  I'm currently waiting on things from the city only an hour away, so...).  Their  new site is AMAZING!!!! It's a "one stop shop" - a fabric shop, craft shop, and social media platform all rolled into one.  Have you checked it out at all yet?  You absolutely should if you haven't!  

You can follow fellow makers, see what projects have been made from fabrics you're looking at and search hashtags.  And buying fabrics is as easy as it ever was (And don't worry!  Customer service is still top notch too.  I know, because I already have ordered fabric from the new site.  LOL) 

First things first!  If you want to follow me, just click here and it will take you to my profile.  Next, I want to give you a few glimpses of what I've been posting lately .  Some of these projects I've had in the wings for a bit and others are brand spanking new, straight off the machine a few days ago.  Fun! Fun!!

Let's get down to show and tell without any further rambling from yours truly.  I'll link the projects to my posts on Minerva so you can read all the details!

First there's my Helen's Closet Pona Jacket!  I love how this turned out! I'm definitely planning another version of this for next spring!

My next project was a two for one deal.   I made a Sew Over It Emma dress and then had enough fabric left over to make a Halla Patterns Agnes dress.  Win.  Win!

Next up was a super fun collaborative project I did with the boys.  Having them so involved with the project was awesome!

Then there was the Paper Theory Zadie Jumpsuit.  It is as good as everyone claims.  Seriously!!!!

And the list goes on...  my next make was a project that honestly turned out to be my favourite dress this summer and fall!  It's the Itch to Stitch Anza Dress* and there WILL be another version made.

Which brings me to my two most recent makes!  The Closet Core Patterns Amy Jumpsuit was supposed to be a sneaky last minute summer project, however, one thing led to another and I just finally got the finishing touches done and the jumpsuit photographed the other day.

And last, but certainly not least is my brand spanking new Suki Robe from Helen's Closet.  It is glorious and I love it!  I feel so fancy swanning about the house in it!

So there we go!  Thanks to those of you who are still with me at the end of this very long list.  I'm excited to have all my projects up now and am working away on a new one as we speak.  It's such an honour to be part of the Minerva Makers "team" - a huge thanks to Minerva for generously providing all of the fabrics for these projects!  I can't wait to update you on my newest project when it's finished! 

Until next time, stay safe and healthy and happy crafting!

New Summer Staples

My Helen's Closet Suki Robe finally got made in May!  A couple posts ago I was telling you how I had purchased the pattern and ordered some embroidered cotton from Minerva almost immediately after and then I sat on it for the last few years.  Like so many projects I have NO idea what took me so darn long to make it.  I was obsessed with the idea of a shortened Suki as a summer cover up for over tank tops and tees after seeing Helen's version on her blog. Really, it's a bit silly to say, but the thing that held me back was deciding on the length I needed to make the robe.  (Told you it was silly! How do I let things like that hold me back?!?!).  

 
This spring I took the fabric back out of it's pile it had been languishing in and put the pattern pages together - oh yes. I'd even printed it out as soon as I bought it.  My ridiculousness knows no bounds.  Ha ha!   It was such a quick sew once I got started.  And I was so happy to have it done!  I'd planned to wear it during Me Made May but alas.  I had absolutely nothing that looked good with it.  My love of florals can sometimes be a problem given almost all my tops are in some sort of bold floral print or another.  I really wanted a solid coloured top underneath so that the embroidery on the fabric could really shine.

Took me a few weeks more to get around to getting some solid coloured linen-look black fabric and whip up a modified ITS Crystal Cove Cami, but I got it done eventually - not in time for Me Made May of course, but whatever.  My Suki is done, I love it, and I certainly don't need to wait for an occasion or event to wear it.  I'm going to sew up a pink Crystal Cove as well so I can have a couple colour options to wear.  I bought a metre of it as well when I bought the black, I just haven't got around to actually making it.

Oh! And all that fear I had about the length?  Well - actually it turns out I cut it too short really.  Ooops!  But the world didn't come crashing down on me, nor did the gods of sewing punish me, so I guess it's alright. Ha ha!  I just used some really wide 2" bias binding I had in my stash and created a facing type hem instead and made a note on my pattern to add a bit of length for my next one.  Did I mention how much I love my shortened Suki Robe?  I might splurge on some pretty fabric to make a full length robe for lounging at home too down the road, but I've not had anything catch my eye just yet.

My other project that I am super happy I got made is another Helen's Closet pattern, the Ashton Top.  I sewed it up on the last day of Me Made May and immediately put it on for the rest of the day. I definitely need more in my life because it is getting a bit embarrassing how often I wear mine.  I hadn't sewn anything with linen in so long that I'd forgotten what a joy it is to work with and how amazing it is to wear, especially in the heat of summer.  The Ashton Top was another pattern that I've sat on forever.  I think I got it last summer when Helen started talking about "Ashton August" and all the hacks she was planning for it.

I joke that this past winter was the "Winter of Elliots" because I made and wore the Elliot so often - actually I just realized I'm wearing an Elliot tee as I type this!  I'm thinking I may have to dub this the "Summer of Ashton" because I continually wear it... see comment above....  It's just so easy to throw on with jeans, or shorts, or palazzo pants and it's cool and comfy and if it wrinkles I do not care because it's linen and that's what linen does.

I'm currently putting linen in and taking it out of my cart online because I know I shouldn't actually buy fabric.  I don't need fabric.  But I want fabric darn it.  I've even braved going to the fabric store specifically to look for linen.  (Didn't find anything I loved for an Ashton so it was kind of a disappointment - although I did find a great bargain on a linen blend for some floaty, breezy Winslow Culottes...) What I do think I might do, is take apart a dress I made forever ago when N graduated from high school and use the skirt of it for an Ashton.  It was a black and white linen blend print that I loved but lets face it.  I'm never going to fit into the dress again, so I might as well enjoy what I can of it!

So that's been my two - well I guess three with the Cami - new sews for summer that I'm going to be living in.  If you see me wearing either of them on constant repeat, just pretend you don't notice.  I'll try to at least make sure they're clean...

Oh and as for Me Made May?  My pledge was :

I challenge myself to wear at least one me made garment each day and to assess what the holes in my me made wardrobe are and to try and fill those holes by sewing some new garments.

Well, I did wear at least one me made garment each day and as it turns out, without a single repeat.  Which tells me I have a heck of a lot of clothes and not a whole lot of holes in the wardrobe.  Although, I did notice it was tops, tees, cardi's, hoodies etc.  Other than a few pairs of me made shorts, I haven't got many bottoms to go with the tops.   So I guess if I'm meaning to fill holes, that should be where I start.  I mentioned a pair of Winslow Culottes, but I also want to make a pair of cropped Lander Pants and I have fabric put aside for the Arden Pants as well.  We'll see how it goes though.  If nothing else, I tend to be pretty fickle with my sewing plans.  "Oooh look at the shiny new thing... I want to make that instead!"

Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other.

Me Made May 2020

Well here it is, already May 1st, which means its time for Me Made May!  I've been kind of hit and miss with my participation in Me Made May over the years, but I thought this year I'd give it a go!

My challenge for myself is pretty simple :

I challenge myself to wear at least one me made garment each day and to assess what the holes in my me made wardrobe are and to try and fill those holes by sewing some new garments.

My hope is that with my challenge to myself, I'll get back to creating. As I mentioned in my last post, I've found it very hard to focus over the last month and a half on things, and while I know that I always feel much better when I am giving myself the opportunity to flex my creative muscle whether it be through sewing, knitting or another crafty and creative outlet, I have found that I often don't have the energy to actually do so.  Perhaps being more thoughtful about what I need in my wardrobe will give me the gentle nudge to go sit down and do something.

As it stands right now I have about twenty projects swirling around in my head - I should sew tee shirts! But then maybe I need pants more.  Oh but then there's that Zadie jumpsuit that would be a good thing to wear this spring.  But it's chilly still somedays.  Maybe I should sew a hoodie. Then again summer is coming and I need a new bathing suit...

So it goes on.  Nothing gets done.  Heck nothing really gets started.  LOL  But!  If I can use Me Made May as a catalyst for figuring out what I need to start with maybe it'll help.

I did put together the PDF for the Helen's Closet Suki Robe the other night and do plan to start with that.  I'm going to make it as an alternative to a cardigan for spring in an embroidered cotton.  Both cotton and pattern were purchased when the pattern was first released and I've even had it printed out since then!  I was still working in the parts room back then and because my wardrobe consisted of jeans, tees and sweatshirts at the time, it got shoved to the side.  I think its high time to make it a wardrobe reality though.

Anyway, this morning dawned chilly and cloudy and very much threatening to rain, so instead of wearing something nice and springy for this first day of Me Made May I reached for a pair of ready to wear jeans and a me made hoodie.

The hoodie is my Tami Revolution Hoodie from New Horizons Designs that I made early last fall.  It's made from a heavier weight cotton lycra from Prairie Love Knits out of Alberta as I'm pretty sure its safe to say it's my favourite hoodie I've made to date! Yes.  I am wearing my moccasins.  It's a work from home day for me. Don't judge me.  Slippers are totally acceptable footwear. (They're from Manitobah Mukluks if you're curious, which is an Indigenous owned local company that I'm pretty much obsessed with because they have great products and fantastic service! My husband always cringes when I casually start a sentence with, "So... I saw Manitobah Mukluks is having a sale..." LOL)

I plan to document my me mades on my Instagram account this year so if you want to see what I'm up to you can pop on over there to have a look.  And watch this space!  I'll be back, hopefully sooner than later with that new Suki Robe!

Until then keep healthy and well!