I Have A New Obsession - Sleep Socks

It all started a few months ago! I kept seeing the Sloffen Slipper Socks on Instagram. They’re a simple ankle sock design from The Kitchen Sink Shop.  What made them even more appealing - besides the fact it was March and my feet were freezing - was that they’re knit in DK weight so I knew they’d also be a quick knit. Toasty toes were within my grasp!

I chose to knit them in some sock yarn held double. Sock yarn that had previously been cursed! (The curse is now unbroken obviously). When I say cursed I mean that over the years I’d started no less than three or four times to turn this yarn into socks and somehow something would go awry every single time. This yarn is at least 15 years old so it seemed as good a time as any to get it made up into something.

The yarn is snuggly and warm and perfect for slipper/bed socks. It’s Estelle Arequipa in the Scarlet colour way and is a blend of wool, alpaca and nylon.

I was correct in the speediness of the pattern. I knit my socks and were wearing them to bed in under two weeks!!

Emboldened by my success and new found love of bed socks I decided to knit a new pair. This time using Lichen and Lace sock yarn in the Rosewood colourway and the stunning Saltwater Socks book (both were given to me for Christmas by my daughter and son in law!) I chose the Nighty Night Sleep Sock pattern of course!

These have taken considerably longer to knit being in fingering weight - they took one day shy of two months, although the second sock only took nine days for me to complete. I finished them last night and I’m so pleased with how they turned out!! I did lengthen the ankle by ten rows just to have a slightly longer pair of sleep socks!

I’m now without a project on my needles which is rather disconcerting so I’ll need to remedy that quickly. I don’t like having nothing ready to work on. I’ve been going through my pattern library trying to narrow down what to choose next, but so far haven’t pinpointed anything at all. It’s a decision paralysis of sorts I guess. Being spoiled for choice makes it hard to narrow it down.  So we’ll see what I come up with!

Algarve

Well holy smokes. It’s been awhile. Life has been busily flying by on me these last few months! I’ve been getting lots of projects done which I always love because I’m always glad to spend time with my creative pursuits. I’ve been knitting on and off and sewing lots of things. When I’m not actually knitting or sewing I’m definitely plotting and planning projects.

I have really scaled back testing patterns and try to be really discerning when choosing which ones to do. Well to be honest I’m trying to be a bit more discerning about what I choose to make in general. Not just diving head first in on the next new shiny thing. (That’s not to say I don’t occasionally fall off my noble project planning wagon - I have some hot pink boiled wool sitting newly in my stash that would definitely go against any and all discernment. Lol)

Anyways I was starting to talk about pattern testing for a reason. I decided to do the Algarve* test - it’s the latest pattern to be released from Itch to Stitch. I had fabric in my stash and I’m in dire need of some new tees this summer. A lot of the tees I have were made several years ago and are definitely getting a bit worse for wear. I had the time and felt it would also be a fairly simple project, so it felt like a good choice.

I’m glad I did test this one! It’s bound to become a TNT pattern for me. It’s neckline is somewhat boat necked with a from and back yoke that help to form a grown on sleeve. The back falls straight from the yoke while the front gathers along the gently curved seam. I Made mine in a size 18 regular and blended to a size 16 at the hips. I also added 1 1/2” of length.

My first version is sewn up in viscose spandex. I’ve had this Lady McElroy Mademoiselle print for several years. (I’m think I was still in the parts room at Gen Mills when I bought it and I’ve been gone from there for six years now) I love the fancy vintage ladies on this fabric but never quite knew what should make with it until now!

My second version is just an inexpensive “fibre content unknown” jersey from a bin at Fabricland. I think I’ve had it tucked away for at least a few years too!

I had fun sewing both versions and am pretty excited to have some fresh new tees for spring! The Algarve pattern is, of course, available as part of the extensive Itch to Stitch pattern collection.

Châle Saison

Hello, hello! What an exciting time we’ve had since I last popped on here! On February 16th our little Grandson was born and let me tell you I have had the hardest time focusing my brain on anything besides updates and photos and baby snuggles! He is the light of our lives without a doubt and we are all completely smitten with him!

In much less exciting news, I finished my Châle Saison shawl out of some absolutely beautiful yarn from Cog Yarns that my eldest son and daughter-in-law gave me for Christmas!  The colours are absolutely beautiful and the yarn is so very soft! I used two full skeins to make the shawl.

I cast on my shawl straight away on Boxing Day. Châle Saison is a free pattern on Ravelry by the designer Laine Poudrée. I was quite impressed with both the pattern - it’s so straight forward - and the speed in which I was able to knit it! I actually finished it February 8th despite pausing to knit a few things for the baby in January (booties, socks and a Puerperium Cardigan)

I finally took the plunge (or my shawl did in any case) and I gave it a good Euclan wool wash bubble bath and blocked it out this weekend. 

My timing was impeccable because winter hit again yesterday (we had another extreme weather closure day which made it two closures in as many weeks! You won’t hear me complaining! Lol) I was able to bundle up in my shawl today to ward off the chill as I headed to work. My shawl cuff is from Knox Mountain Knitting Co. in case you were curious. 

I’ve got some other knitting finished in the last week too - both projects that have been in my WIP basket for awhile but I’ll save those for another day. I also cast on a pair of socks last night. It would seem my knitting mojo has returned with gusto!!

The Boalsburg Top

Hello, hello!  I'm back again!

I've been pattern testing for Itch to Stitch* again and this one is such a good one! Ok - I've pretty much loved every pattern that I've tested for Kennis.  I do realize I'm probably a broken record on that subject, but they just always fit me so well.  I've made so many of her patterns over the years and I don't think I've ever been disappointed in any of them.  Some of them maybe my fabric choice has led to me feeling kind of "meh" about them, but certainly not the pattern's fault.  It's as though she creates her patterns just for me! LOL!

So let me introduce you to this newest pattern.  Boalsburg is a dropped shoulder beauty that allows for either colour blocking or a single colour sweater with some interesting seam details.  My favourite thing about it is the fact that it's allowed me to use up some randoms bits and bobs of fabric in my stash that weren't big enough for any single project.  

Stash busting is one of my goals this year. Obviously not one I'll stick to rigidly. I'm not about to sign up for the Last Sewist Standing Challenge or anything like that.  I'm still going to get new fabric and not feel badly about it - I love being part of the Minerva Ambassador team, so I'll have new fabric coming to me through that, and sometimes a project just calls for something that I don't have readily at hand.  But my thought is, that if I have something suitable, I'll try to use stash fabric first when possible.  I'm going to see if I can take the stash down at least a bit this year, because my sewing room is slowly being taken over by it.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand.  The Boalsburg.  My first one was a wearable toile basically.  I didn't finish any of the seam allowances and didn't worry too much about my thread not matching well because I wasn't terribly sure how I would feel about it.  I felt a bit iffy about my fabric choices.  Now I'm thoroughly annoyed with myself because I love it and wish I'd taken more care in the inner details. Thankfully no one but me can see those minor details and because the fabric is jersey, it's not going to fray at all, so no need to worry there.

As I said, this first version is jersey and made entirely from fabrics from the Fabric Snob's Luxe Solids line.  The Thistle coloured one was leftover from my Sunday Romper I made a few summers ago.  The black from my sweater knit/jersey Lamma Hoodie and the grey I can't remember what it was used for.  

For my second version, I dug through my bins of fabric and found some sweater knits all of the same weight and gave that a go.  This time I used matching thread and finished off all the seam allowances with my serger so that I'd be just as happy with the outside as the inside of my sweater.  

The dark grey fabric was from a Blackwood Cardi I made for my daughter several years ago, the blue from a Blackwood I made for my mama for Christmas this year and the light grey from my Coimbra Wrap Top that I made last winter!

This is the softest, snuggliest sweater ever!  I'm so impressed with how it all came together. And will get lots of wear out of it.  It's a nice light weight so perfect for the days where I want to wear a sweater, but nothing too heavy.  

I've thought about making a single colour Boalsburg.  Several testers did, and they look fabulous, but I feel when a colour blocking/stash busting opportunity presents itself I should take full advantage of it!

The Boalsburg will be on sale for the release week over on the Itch to Stitch website if you're wanting to pick up a copy for yourself.

A Wooly Catch Up

Well hello dear reader!  How are we already into February? It's shocking how time flies lately!  Is it too far into the year to wish you all a Happy New Year?  I hope your 2024 has started out well.

Anyways, I thought I'd pop on here to share a project I fully intended to share as soon as it was finished.  An honest to goodness knitting project!  If you follow on Instagram, you'll already have seen it a few times, but for those of you who don't, may I present my Lately Pullover!  It was a new pattern release last summer from the talented Shannon of Very Shannon Knits.  

As soon as she released it, I was OBSESSED.  I was also completely obsessed with knitting it in my cranberry coloured Estelle Eco Shetland Worsted yarn that I'd purchased a year earlier at Wolseley Wool during a sale. Unfortunately I didn't have enough yarn.  I knew I would be at least a skein, possibly even more, short.  I checked Wolseley Wool, but of course they no longer had any in stock.  So I started scouring the Internet for the more yarn, because I just couldn't let go of the obsession of using that particular yarn for that particular pattern.  I found some at Purlin' J's Yarn Emporium in Ontario and decided to order another two skeins, busily trying to plan the best way to combine what would obviously be two different dye lots.

Imagine my surprise when my yarn arrived and it was the exact same dye lot!  What are the chances of that happening?!?  Two different stores, from two different provinces, bought a year apart.  I couldn't believe my luck!  Obviously my Lately Pullover was meant to be.

I started knitting it mid-July, crazily thinking that maybe I could get it done so I could wear it during our Newfoundland trip in August, but alas, of course I didn't get it done.  I knit quite a bit of it through football practices, but it's hard to knit a wool sweater outside in the blazing heat of summer.  So I changed my deadline and decided that having it done before the freezing cold of winter would be good timing.

I did it!  My pullover was finished in November.  It took me about a month to actually block and unfortunately it's not got as much wear as I thought it would.  Not because I don't love it.  I do.  I absolutely do.  It's because this winter has been mostly a non-winter. El Nino has definitely put a damper on wearing warm wool sweaters.  I mean, it was +5C in Manitoba in January last weekend.  That's absolutely crazy - not to mention not just a bit disconcerting environmentally wise!!!!

But my pullover is at the ready for when the temps dip and I do want a cozy, warm layer.  (At least there's been a few times I could wear it and not be at risk of sweating to death, but certainly not as much as I had envisioned!)

It did kick off a renewed love of knitting again and I've got several projects on the go currently and finished quite a few as well.  More on that another day... Right now I've got to get myself off the computer and down to the sewing room.  I have a few things on the go there too that I really want to get working on!  I'm taking part in the #FinishItQal over on Instagram hosted by Village Bound Quilts this month and I'm not going to get anything finished if I don't get at it!

A New Skirt for All Seasons

 Hello, hello!  I’m back here again today with a super quick drive by post to tell you about another new Itch to Stitch* pattern! I sewed it up a couple of weeks ago for pattern testing, but it’s just been released today.

This is the Quebrada Skirt. It’s a gored A-line skirt with a total of 11 panels (five in the front and six in the back). It has a center back zip and waist facing. The pattern also comes in two lengths but really you could easily make it whatever length you wanted.

I made mine out of a medium weight cotton twill. I figure i can wear it with a sweater, tights and boots in colder weather and with sandals and a tank or tee in warmer weather!

I keep eyeballing my leftover denims thinking it would be fun to do the panels in different shades of denim like one of the testers did. Or like Kennis, the designer did, maybe repurpose some of those old jeans that I have hung on to for so long. 

Or maybe I’ll just make some more cotton skirts. The Quebrada Skirt whips up pretty easily and quickly and I have some other cottons in my stash that would be perfect for it!

The Andes Jacket

 Well hello dear reader!  So sorry to have gone missing again for months on end.  We had such a busy summer, including an amazing trip to Newfoundland for ten days in August.  Then we got back and I was right back into the full swing of work and football season.

I've been doing some projects here and there, although not a lot because I have also been really tired. Our schedule was such that I was on the constant move the entire fall.  Home from work, throw some food on the table and walk the dog, then back out the door within 20 minutes to get to the boys to the football field on time.  Football season is done now though and I'm hoping since I'll have more time in the evenings, maybe I'll be able to get back to doing crafty things with more regularity.  I'm always happiest when I have time to be creative!

If you want to see some of the things I've been working on since I last wrote, you can check out my posts on Minerva or check out my grid on Instagram if you so desire.  I usually post my craftiness in one of those two spots. 

I did want to pop on here today though to tell you about a new make that I'm very proud of.  I did have some dicey moments in which I was sure there was no way I was going to finish it, because this week went south on me a bit, but I ended up having a good sewing session on Thursday evening and then another chunk of time on Friday and then finished up on Saturday.  I so often choose projects that are fairly easy and straight forward, but every now and again I do like to do a project that I can really sink my teeth into, so when Kennis of Itch to Stitch* posted a testing call in our group on Facebook for the Andes Jacket I applied right away.  

The Andes Jacket is just the sort of jacket I've been hunting for!  It's made of softshell (here's an example at Minerva in case you're unsure of what that fabric is - I was until I went shopping for it!) so is a waterproof jacket that will be perfect for spring and fall. I've even test driven it on the weekend, when the snow turned to rain, but figure that might be the last opportunity I get since other than today, winter seems to be mostly here to stay.  The Andes has a slim, athletic fit, zipped pockets, a fully lined hood that now I'm wishing I'd put the optional drawstring in - walking east my hood kept blowing off my head on Sunday. LOL! It features a lower hem in the back of the jacket so keeps your lower back and butt warm too. It also has loads of topstitching which I always think elevates a project!

I purchased my soft shell fabric from Marshall's Northwest in Winnipeg and the zippers and faux suede that I made my pockets and hood lining from our local fabric store Faye's Fabricvilla.  I was certain I would have black fabric and zips in my stash that I didn't bother even looking at Marshalls for them.  Regret! Regret!!  Of course I didn't have anything suitable, so I was stuck with the meagre choice in town.  I ended up spending a small fortune on the pocket zips because I had to get ones that were about twice the length I needed.  So annoying!!

If it's helpful at all, I don't mind telling you that I made a size 18C and graded down to the 16 at the hip for my Andes and I feel like the fit is perfect for me.  I also added one inch of length on the upper lengthen/shorten line so that the waist shaping would hit at the right spot.

Anyway, I am rambling on here, but suffice it to say, I'm incredibly happy with my new jacket.  I wish I'd had it on my trip to Newfoundland and it would have been great at the football field!  Oh well, better late than never.  I'll be prepared for next year's football season!

If you're interested in getting a copy of the Andes Jacket pattern you can pick it up on sale for the release week over on the Itch to Stitch site!

Icaria Pants and Reynolds Top Co-ord Set

Well, the day is finally here that the Icaria* pattern has finally been released so I get to show them off properly. I have teased them a few times on both Instagram and Minerva while I’ve been waiting, so you quite possibly have already seen them.

They’re actually a project I did as part of the Minerva Brand Ambassador team, so the gorgeous linen viscose blend fabric was kindly sent to me by Minerva in exchange for review of it.

I was excited to see a woven, elasticated waist pant with a very similar shape to my favourite Samara Pants of a few summers ago when it came up in the Itch to Stitch Testing Group. I have such faith in Itch to Stitch patterns and their consistent fit for me that I cut straight into my good fabric without hesitation. This is definitely not the first time I’ve done that in testing. It’s a pretty bold move, admittedly, but one I’m usually prepared to make, crazy as that may be.  

I know my fabric makes it hard to see the details of the Icaria pants so I thought I’d pop the line drawing from the pattern in here so you could better see what I’m talking about. Did I mention you can make these any length by easily cutting a shorter length or adding length to the bottom. It’s as simple as that! I chose to make mine the longer length of the actual pattern.

I’m all about the faux jumpsuit /coordinating set so as soon as I signed on to test the Icaria I was already thinking about top possibilities. My two contenders were the Itch to Stitch Santorini Tank and the Helen’s Closet Reynolds Top. I decided for such a vibrant print I’d do the Reynolds for maximum summertime vibes.

I’m so enamoured with this set!! If you’re wanting to see more pics or more about the fabric please feel free to head to Minerva - I’ve got all the details over there! If you’re interested in the pattern for the Icaria Pants, it’s on sale right now for the release week over on the Itch to Stitch site. 

Closet Core Sepia Pants

Hello and happy almost end of the school year!!! There’s two days left and the it’s SUMMERTIME!!! I’m just a little bit excited. I have so many plans for sewing and gardening and just plain old recovering from what felt like a long, tough year.

Anyways, enough rambling. I popped on here to show off my new pants! I’ve been on a pants making kick since making my linen Peppermint Wide Leg Pants for #sewfrugal in the spring I’m wearing them lots by the way since the weather turned warm and I quite like them! I did end up running some elastic through the waist because they were a touch too big.

For one of my recent Minerva Ambassador projects I had chosen a really nice mid weight cotton twill. In the time I took waffling over whether I should make the Closet Core Pietra Pants or the Papercut Palisade Pants the May pattern for Closet Core Crew (which I subscribe to) came out. The minute I laid eyes on the Sepia Pants I immediately abandoned all other plans and knew they were the pants I wanted to make with my twill. (You can read my entire post about my project on the Minerva site) 

I absolutely love this pattern! The shape is loose but not sloppily so, and there’s darts at the ankles to bring the fullness in a bit. There’s also a dart at the knee which is a fun detail. The best though is the pockets. The front slanted patch pockets are double layered! It’s such a unique look! And they were so much fun to sew. Ireally took my time making them and thoroughly enjoyed the process!

As soon as I made them I knew I wanted another pair. I really wanted to try the pattern in a lighter fabric so one day after a doctor appointment in the city I popped into  Fabricland and it was my lucky day! Not only had my doctor appointment gone much better than expected but Fabricland had a 55% off sale and I snagged a great lightweight linen/cotton blend for an amazing deal! 

This second pair is every bit as good as my first pair which just goes to show it works well in completely different fabrics! The linen ones are perfect for hot muggy days (like today!) 

These pants really do fit all my favourite summertime pants criteria. Loose fitting, elasticated waist and cropped. Win, win and win!! 

Next week I’ll be back to show you yet another pair of summertime pants I’ve made. I just need to wait for the pattern I used to be released (yes, I was pattern testing again!), although if you’re on Instagram or Minerva and follow me you may have seen a sneak peek. 

Until then I hope you have a great rest of the week and a fantastic start to the summer!

Santorini Tank

Well hello all you lovely people in the “Internet Lands”!  Here I am swanning back in to do a drive by post like I haven’t been gone for a month and a half.  I’ve had good reason though.  I’ve been busy! In fact we just had another family wedding this past weekend.  I’ll have to tell you about that another day because I need to sort through the photos and I want to tell you about the dress I made. Today I’m actually popping in to show you a new top that I made when I tested the pattern for Itch to Stitch* recently.

This is the Santorini Tank. It’s a woven top with princess seams and a cute button placket down the left side of the top.  The pattern comes in the standard Itch to Stitch size and cup range. The only changes to the pattern that I made was to add some length to the upper half of the bodice as I normally do with all Itch to Stitch patterns and instead of doing buttonholes I simply sewed the buttons down through both plackets as non-functional buttons. I did test out first if I’d be able to get in and out of it without opening it and because I could and I knew I would struggle to fasten buttons along my side I opted to do the non functional placket. I’m quite happy with how it all worked out!

I made mine from left over linen/viscose fabric from my birthday dress that I made for my 50th almost two years ago. I was really excited because the pattern gave me an opportunity to use up every last little scrap of this fabric that I loved so much! I did have to piece one facing using some left over navy linen from my Brampton shorts but you can’t tell. I did the centre of the facing navy and the rest in the print.

The Santorini Tank has just been released and as usual it is on sale with a bit of a discount for the release week on the Itch to Stitch site.

Now I’m off again, but hopefully I’ll be swanning back in sooner rather than later. (Can you believe I even had a half done post sitting in my file from midway through Me Made May that I never finished? Guess that ship has sailed. Lol!)

The Amador Top

So I do realize I keep saying I shouldn’t do tests when school is in, then I do another test, but sometimes a project is just that good that you want to be in on the ground floor.

Let me introduce you to the Amador Top* which is the newest design from Itch to Stitch. It’s a great top that features dolman style sleeves and a fun front detail with the lower bodice forming a point at the centre front the has some gathering under the bustline. It has a v-neckline that is neatly finished with binding.

I made mine out of ITY jersey. As I finished sewing it up we were under a storm watch and I took the photos on a “snow day” from work. Happily all the snow has since melted - although this being the prairies and all we are forecasted to get up to 10cm of snow over the next day. No thank you!! I’d much rather be able to wear my spring like Amador Top thanks!

As I mentioned I used an ITY that I bought at Marshall’s Fabrics on the city. It’s a super lightweight fabric. It’s a bit slippery cutting out but it wasn’t too awful. It has really good stretch and a good recovery.

The pattern comes in the usual size range of 00-40 with regular or full bust bodice pieces so no fussing with full bust adjustments. I made a size 18 (regular bust) and blended down to 16 at the hip.  No length was added to this one, but I had to get a bit fancy.

Normally I would add length and I think I could have added 3/4” but I blithely went ahead and added my length to the wrong part of the bodice. Imagine my surprise when the under the bust seam was hitting somewhere around my midsection. I couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong for the life of me. I looked at other’s tops and they were fine then looked at mine which was very much NOT fine. Then one of the other testers asked if I’d perhaps added length to the wrong half of the bodice and sure enough that’s precisely what I’d done. I unpicked the whole top, re-cut the top bodice from the original too big one and started over. Thankfully it all worked out! To hem it I really didn’t want to lose any length so I did a one inch facing using a 1/4” seam allowance leaving me with the proper amount to “hem”.

I keep thinking this would make a good “basic but elevated”  kind of top and want to sew one up in a solid coloured fabric. I just haven decided on colour and/or fabric yet. I do plan on sewing another though for sure!

You can get your copy of the Amador Top over on the Itch to Stitch site. As usual it’s on sale with a discount for the release week!

#SewFrugal23

 Hello and happy March 31st!  We've come to the reveal day for the Sew Frugal Challenge over on Instagram and I couldn't be happier to show off my makes for it!  For those that don't know, the #sewfrugal challenge is run by two lovely sewists, Ruan (known as @TheYorkshireSewGirl) and Sam (known as @Frugalisama) and the idea is to make something using a free to everyone pattern and fabric that you already have on hand.  All month long different vloggers post on YouTube with all sorts of suggestions for free patterns and oodles of inspiration!  They've been keeping me company every evening when I'm on the eliptical machine this month and let me tell you that I have so many plans brewing in my head for all the things I could make with my horrendously large horde of fabric!

Anyways, let's get into the nitty gritty of what I decided on.  I went with a theme instead of just picking random things.  I wanted a new outfit for spring, but one that would work well as separates too.  Although as you can see we're a lot of snow melting away from wearing spring clothes just yet...

So I came up with Peppermint Magazine's Wide Leg Pants, Styla Pattern's Reine Top and the Costa Tote from Helen's Closet.  The Wide Leg Pants and the Costa Tote have been on my to make list for ever so long! And when the Styla Reine popped up this winter as a free pattern I was smitten.  Loving a good puffy sleeve as I do, it was right up my alley!

I started with the Styla Reine.  Both fabrics for this top were from "happy mistakes".  The floral french terry was ordered from Prairie Love Knits possibly as far back as 2017 or 2018 (I'm pretty sure I was working for Gen Mills still when I ordered it!).  They accidentally shipped the wrong colourway initially and I decided rather than ship it back I'd keep it (I think the shop offered me a bit of a discount if I wanted to keep it.) But I had no idea what to do with it until the Styla Reine popped up.  The ribbing I used was from much more recent times.  I ordered it in December to go with my pink fleece I had for making my Minerva Brand Ambassador project and I accidentally ordered the wrong pink.  (They have about a billion colours to choose from and I just clicked on the wrong one I guess. LOL)  I figured it would come in handy some day and it sure did!  

Next up in my frugal spring outfit was those pants.  I had lots of choices of fabric - several lenghts of denims of various weights, some floral bottomweights and then this coral linen blend that is from about the same era as the above mentioned floral french terry.  I ordered it from Minerva on sale when it was still their old site, so it's definitely been a few years!  I used a button from my button tin and the zip, while it doesn't match the coral linen - it's tan - is close enough and no one will see it, so I wasn't too worried about what colour I chose so long as it was light coloured!  I LOVE how these turned out!! The pants were pretty much perfect right off the printer (Can't say right out of the package when it's a PDF pattern now can I?  LOL!)  The only change I made was to lower the rise by an inch, and take a small wedge in at the center back.  Other than that they were perfect!  I can't wait to try them in another fabric!  I did do a bit of head scratching over the fly zip, but I think that I was overthinking things and getting myself tripped up because I hadn't done a traditional fly on anything in so long.

Once I finished the pants I had a bit of fabric left - just enough for my Costa Tote.  I found the floral cotton that I decided would be the perfect fabric for my pocket in my "dreams of becoming a quilter someday" bin of fat quarters and other quilt suitable fabrics - it wasn't big enough to do both pockets so I ended up piecing it with the linen for the back side of the tote and then lined both pockets with linen and it worked out just fine!  The lining is from a mystery cotton.  Mystery in that it's a mystery why I ever purchased it.  It's an unfortunate almost mustardy colour, but not in a good way. It's more along the lines of a cross between bile and baby poop.  Shudder! On the bright side?  It doesn't look nearly as bad as a lining for my tote and it gave purpose to an otherwise ugly and unloved piece of fabric! 

I'm so happy with how it all worked out. It feels great to have used up some of my ridiculous horde of fabric and has inspired me to start sewing more from my stash.  I've got grandiose plans of challenging myself to sew frugally, not just in March for the challenge, but throughout the year.  Maybe not always choosing free patterns - because I just had a sort through yesterday of all my PDF patterns that I've printed and it's a bit staggering how many I have.  I should probably impose a pattern purchasing ban on myself for the foreseeable future because I also have oodles of patterns that I've got saved on my computer and have not ever printed out yet to go along with that overflowing box of ones that I have printed.  Anyways, whatever I choose to do with fabric and or patterns it'll be fun coming up with ideas and inspiration!

But for now, I've got a wallet and tote combination I have to finish up for J and C's wedding social in two weeks. (I'm contributing to a "handmade" prize for the silent auction), then I have two garments  that I'm working on as my Minerva Brand Ambassador projects for the month and I just signed up to do a test for Itch to Stitch again.  I behaved myself and didn't sign up for the last one she did and then promptly signed up for the next.  What am I going to do with myself?  I'm incorrigible!  Oh well.  Craftiness is happiness?  (How corny is that?  Ha ha ha!)