Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

I'm still here, I'm still here! December has flown, January is flying (Happy New Year!), and I'm still behind on life. I've got a couple of posts in the works, but I'm so overdue on picking the winner from the giveaway post that I'm just going to stop and do it.

Congrats to Nursebennett!!

Please email your shipping details to me at dcook100 at gmail dot com, so I can forward the info to Trudy and Jeremy at HotPatterns who will be shipping direct to you.

I don't think the Curvy Sewing Collective has drawn the winner yet either, so good luck to all who also entered there!

Thank you again Trudy and Jeremy! You're the best!

Reappearing briefly ... and a Giveaway

First, before we get into this post click this link and enter the CSC giveaway running in connection with my review there of the Hot Patterns Uptown/Downtown Knit dress. It ends at midnight EST tonight. HURRY!

Then, leave a comment on this post to double your chances because Trudy and Jeremy have also generously gifted a second copy of this great pattern for a giveaway here. I will do the drawing sometime this weekend. Probably Saturday, but with Christmas and all, I'm not promising. As long as the comments are still open on this post, the giveaway is still open.

OK, back to this post.

I am SO behind on everything. The Marine (Tyler) arrived last week, unexpectedly, and I kind of just threw my hands up and decided to have fun with him instead of honoring obligations. He changed bases and is now 8 hours closer for the next 3 years. Yay! He left Thursday but he'll be here again this Wednesday for the long Christmas weekend. Double yay! It had been 9 months since I had seen him and it was such a treat to have so many days with him. Plus, Alex was at his dad's in Virginia last weekend which gave Tyler and I some alone time. We did lots of stuff, none of which involved my sewing room. Hah.

But I did reacquaint myself in there this weekend and with my old BWOFs, and traced a couple of patterns to make a "track suit" for weekend wear. I'm sorely lacking in casual clothes at the moment.

Even before starting, I didn't forget what a Royal PITA it is to trace BWOFs, which made me procrastinate throughout the whole process, but both patterns are now traced. And that's all the "sewing" I've done lately. I would MUCH RATHER tape together a hundred PDFs. But, as I was looking through the magazine inserts, I saw so many patterns I want to make. Even TEN YEARS later, many of these BWOFs are fashionable and so much more interesting than most of what's out there in printed or PDF patterns. Sigh. No pain, no gain, right? Looks like I'll need to invest in some Swedish Tracing Paper.

Here's what I'm making, hopefully.

And proof that BWOF/BS loves to recycle ... does this one look familiar? Actually, I think this pattern is older and the one I did trace is the "newer" version. I may get some motivation to lay out my tracing over this pattern sheet and really compare.

Now, go enter the giveaways! I'm hoping to be back here briefly before Christmas, but if not, Merry Merry to everyone!!

Uptown, Downtown Done. (And the Giveaway winner.)

Here's the finished Uptown/Downtown dressed down for casual wear. I walked the dogs in it tonight! The knit is very drapey rayon/Lycra from Fabric.com a couple of years ago. I know lots of you also bought this and other prints when they showed up at Fabric.com and Fabricmart. I think I still have one or two left. It's not a great quality and thinner than I prefer but it will make a very comfortable one- or two-season summer dress.

I'll wear it with this knit cardi and heels at the office. The cardi got a slight makeover this afternoon after I finished the dress and while I still had the coral thread in the machines. It was too big and putting off a frumpy vibe, even for such a vibrant color. I hacked 1-1/2" from the sleeves and resewed the sideseams smaller and shapelier. I've been wanting to do this for over two years. Sheesh. Why do these simple fixes always get put off for so long?

Back to the dress, I ended up removing 1-1/2" from the bodice length and since I used a 5/8" seam allowance instead of the pattern's 3/8" allowance when sewing the waist seam, I effectively used (and should have cut) the medium bodice length, as shown by the pink line below. As I found out, the longest length is REALLY long on the finished dress -- even if it doesn't look like it from the pattern.

Other alterations/changes ... I've finally learned to go smaller than I usually first think with HPs for the shoulders/chest area and for this dress I cut the neckline at 12, the shoulders and upper torso (and sleeves) at 14, and blended to 16 at the waist seam and below.

I also lowered the neckline another 1-1/2" for more of a scoop and pegged the skirt using my TNT Magic Pencil as my template. Because I knew I wasn't going to use the hem band, I also lengthened the skirt 1-1/2" which gave me a nice wide hem allowance.

As I mentioned last post, the dress pieces go together like a dream. And the instructions are good too, not that I really needed them for this easy dress ... but I always like to read pattern instructions so I can report on them. This is a good pattern for beginners and, well, anyone. And with so many sizes, it's also good for lots of bodies. As usual for me with HP, no FBA done or needed.

I did deviate from the instructions for the waist elastic. I never sew a joining seam such as this at the same time as applying the elastic. Too fiddly. ;-) Instead, I sewed with a 5/8" seam allowance (1 below), then used a narrow ZZ to sew the seam allowances together close to the raw edge (2 below), leaving an opening to insert the elastic. After the elastic is inserted, sized, and adjusted evenly inside the "casing," I use a 3-step ZZ (3 below) while stretching the elastic and fabric flat, which holds the elastic in place and prevents it from twisting.

The neckband is just a straight band, which works OK even for my more scooped neckline, but I think a shaped neckband (a la the Sunshine top) would be better. Next time, I will try a morph.

The sleeves are also finished with straight bands, which adds a little more somethin' somethin' than just a hem.The bands work well here and I like the look.

Now for the Giveaway announcement ... I asked Alex to pick a number and he chose 17, which is "L".

L, please send your info to me at dcook100 at gmail dot com and the Primavera pattern will be on its way to you.

Driving Down That Good Intentions Paved Road

I really thought I'd be back earlier in the week to show my finished dress, but I ran into a speed bump on that road. More on it in a bit.

As many of you guessed, the dress I'm making is indeed the Hot Patterns Uptown Downtown.

As soon as I post this, I'm going to close comments on the last post and tomorrow announce a winner for this Hot Patterns dress (below), the Classix Nouveau Primavera. I ended up with two, one I bought and one which was gifted. So I'm paying forward the gifted copy, which is uncut, but the envelope has been opened and the little flap on the back with fabric details is smudged. But you can get that info from the HP website.

So back to my current make ... The pattern goes together like a dream, but I cut and sewed the longest length for the bodice section and as soon as I sewed the seam, zigzagged a casing in the seam allowance, and threaded my elastic through, I decided it's too long and needs to be shortened. Yeah, I should've basted, and my (over)confidence did me in. The thought of ripping all that out of the fine rayon knit put the brakes on the project for these past weekday nights. But I've now been staring at it for DAYS (and wishing I could just wear the darn thing already) and I've decided I can lose the tiny bit of skirt length from the top after all so I'll just cut the zigzags away and then do a proper frog on the main joining seam. All of this will be done while plopped in front of the tube tonight and hopefully by the time I announce the giveaway winner tomorrow, I'll also finally have a finished dress to share.

And speaking of Hot Patterns ... OMG ... after getting Trudy's teases on my phone for the last couple of days, I've just tonight seen the updated Pussycat. And. I. Want. This blouse is so me. I will definitely be saving my pennies for this one.

Guess Your Best (Giveaway), a Tip, and a Peek at the Sewing Room

Above is currently what's up in the sewing room. I expect to finish it tonight, or mostly finish, but I need to take a break and get to the grocery store. I thought I'd post a sneak peak while I'm out and make a little "contest"/giveaway. I have a duplicate all-sizes (different) dress pattern from the same indie company as I'm currently sewing. So, if you guess what dress pattern (yes, dress) the above is, your name will be entered into the giveaway draw, winner to be announced next Saturday. I'll mail the pattern anywhere, so this is open to everyone. Once I post the finished dress and identify the pattern (tomorrow evening at the earliest), the contest will close.

I spent some time yesterday organizing the sewing room a little more. I still have a LONG way to go! One of the things that was bugging me the most was not having my thread organized and handy so I got my thread racks hung and loaded. This reminded me of a little tip I picked up somewhere years and years ago, and I thought I'd share it here for anyone who hasn't heard it before.

You'd think with FOUR thread racks, I wouldn't run out of space. Hah! While there are some empty spots at the moment, that's only because I haven't replaced some used up spools yet. Usually, it's bursting with spools.

To make more space, get thee some plastic straws. Cut them about 4" long and slice/cut them lengthwise. This slice lets the straw curl tighter to fit into the spool hole easier. Slide the straw onto a spoke on your rack and double or triple your storage-per-spoke, depending on spool height. Obviously, there are no strict rules here and you cut your straws to whatever length works best for you.

Finally, here's a little peek into the "new" space. It's pretty tight in here even if it looks roomier than it is. The fabric is mess. Some rolled, some flat. All just stuck willy-nilly wherever in the cubbies. I thought I wanted it rolled, but have decided against that. The thought of getting it all organized makes my head hurt so I'm just dealing with it as is for now. There's also still more fabric in bins/boxes in various places throughout the house. It's a mess.

Speaking of hanging stuff, have any of you used the Command hooks and/or Velcro-ish hanger thingies? Those things ROCK ... as long as everything doesn't come crashing down in a couple of months. ;-)

And The Winner Is …

Congratulations Mary Sue! Please email me at djc at cedesign dot com to claim your Ooo Rah Wallet pattern download and to provide me your mailing info for the fabrics!

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Unfortunately, with this happy news comes some rotten news. Apparently another Etsy wallet pattern seller has gotten a bee in her bonnet that I have copied/stolen her pattern. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think those of you who've been around my sewing and blogging for a while already know that. I'm still new enough on Etsy that I don't know how they act on such complaints, so if the pattern suddenly disappears from my Etsy shop, you'll know why.

Ooo Rah Wallet Review & Giveaway

I'm writing this the night before so I haven't seen Melanie's post or review yet, but hop on over to The Crafty Cupboard and we'll look together. Thanks Melanie! I can't wait to see your wallet.

Then come back here and leave a comment if you'd like to be entered to win a FREE copy of the Ooo Rah Wallet Pattern and the fabric needed to make the wallet shown in the lower right of the pic below (2 Fat Quarters and 1 Fat Eighth).

I'll be drawing the random-number generated winner next Friday night (September 23, 2011). Anyone anywhere in the world can enter.

Edit: I'm home now and I've seen Melanie's adorable wallet and wonderful review! Thanks so much Melanie. :-)

Speaking of Friday night … don't forget to sign up for the September Friday Night Sew-In and then lock yourself in your sewing room tomorrow night and sew, sew, sew! I'm hoping to make another skirt. At the very least, I'm going to clean up the disaster that currently resides where my sewing room used to be. Click the FNSI graphic below to open up the sign-up page.

A Little Housekeeping

Remember waaaaaay back on August 3 when I offered up a spice collection as a Giveaway? Well, August has literally FLOWN by faster than I realized and I'm finally getting my slug-self around to posting the results:

Congratulations Sewfast! Please contact me at djc at cedesign dot com with your mailing info so I can get this box off to you (and off my kitchen counter!).

In other Giveaway news, Mareen — I've also FINALLY sent your Fabric.com giftie on its way via email so check your inbox!

* * * * *

I made it to Joann's for thread and made some progress on the cammie purse yesterday, but not as much as I wanted. So finishing that is on the sewing agenda for today. This style is the same one I drew up a pattern (and made numerous muslins) for the cammie purse I carry. Except this one is turning out SO MUCH NICER due to better interfacing choices. I can see that I'm going to have to re-make mine, and possibly turn this pattern into another for my Etsy shop cuz if there had been a pattern like this one when I was making that first cammie purse, I would've bought it. So I'm thinking maybe others are also looking for a similar bag style (sans cammie, probably!).

* * * * *

And in interview news — I had my second interview this morning. I left 90 minutes beforehand to allow myself some traffic congestion, and I was there in 20-25 minutes. So I sat in my car for a while and read a book I brought along (Dreams of My Father by Barrack Obama). This firm has two locations, which are not really close to each other and on opposite sides of Tampa. Last week's interview was at the main office. Today's was at the "satellite." Both are gorgeous spaces, and the one where I'd actually be working is where I was today, with the shorter commute. I got there at 8:51 AM (parking garage stamped the time on my ticket!), so I was driving pretty much during actual peak time.

It went well. After the initial "sit-down," I was walked around and introduced to everyone (and you bet I was noticing what they were wearing - kind of everything from business casual to full business). I take that as a good sign. I also take it as a sign that I may have some serious shopping and/or sewing to do.

* * * * *

And in other completely unrelated-to-anything news — I switched my car insurance from my current and long-time provider and will now save over $200 per year with the new one. Here's a shout-out for USAA. Wooot!

Lots of This and That - And Yet One More Giveaway!

I'm back! The trip was great. So much nicer to fly direct for 1 hour and 40 minutes than to drive for 11+ hours. And now that I fit into an airline seat so much better these days, it's not even too uncomfortable especially since I lucked into an aisle seat each way.

My mom picked me up at the Norfolk airport on Friday. By the time we got to her house (near Williamsburg), Tyler was already at my sister's house (near Richmond) and working on replacing the transmission and clutch in his new-to-him car. By the time mom and I got to my sister's Saturday morning, the car work was done and so we all just hung out for lunch and dinner. 

My mom left after dinner and my sister, her husband, Tyler and I hit the town. OK, we hit one place, but it's a nice one. The Tobacco Company in downtown Richmond/Shockoe Slip. There we had some cocktails (not sayin' how many!), listened to a live band, and people-watched.

Marty & Lisa Feeling No Pain

Tyler, Also Feeling Very Little Pain

Sunday, we all headed back to mom's for some boat time for the oldsters and tubing for the Marine.

Now You See Him …

… Now You Don't!

Shark Bait

Tyler and Marty manned the fishing poles and caught about 30 croakers, most of which were thrown back but 5 or 6 were keepers for dinner.

Not a bad sized fish

I did manage to get some sewing time in over the weekend. First, Tyler arrived in Virginia with 8 pairs of work coveralls — 4 worn pairs which needed old unit/name insignia Velcro removed and 4 new pairs which were the recipients of the re-used Velcro. Plus, I had to sew all the new pockets shut (for safety around jet engines) and remove all the beltloops. They may move out and join the Marine Corps, but they still always want sewing repairs! Honestly, I was happy to do it for him and feel like mom again. And he had warned me before the trip so I was prepared with my favorite seam ripper and the right color thread.

Then on Monday, I gave my mom her serger lessons so she could finally use the new serger that's been collecting dust for over a year now. In addition to basic serger functions, I taught her how to thread it both from scratch and tying on. And then I cut the threads and laughed as she panicked. ;-) But she did fine. We had a refresher a couple of hours later to be sure she really did get it, and she did.

(Speaking of projects and being "needed," my sister also sent me home with 4 more shirts to embroider for her husband's towing business.The first ones were a very big hit!)

* * * * *

Today, it was back to normal and running some errands. Here's what I wore, both refashioned RTW pieces. The skirt is now too big and I'm not ready to give it up, so I'm going to rip it apart yet again down the back and take it in some more. This time, I'll need to move the back pockets since they will be touching if I don't.It's worth it, though, since I have been LIVING in this skirt.

Ignore the belly and look at how much room is in the waist.
The skirt now nearly falls down before the day is over.

While I had the tripod out, it was time to document the green jeans again. They're still tight, but I can now zip them up which means that while the belly is slow to disappear, it is getting smaller. Yay!

On the left below is what they looked like on me a month ago (the pic on the right is when they were new in 2004).

* * * * *

Before I left, I thought I had two more Giveaway winners to announce but it was actually only one — the winner of the Fabric.com $35 Gift Card. And the winner is …

Congratulations Mareenchen! Please contact me at djc at cedesign dot com by Monday, August 8, 2011. If I don't hear from you by then, I will pick another winner for this prize.

All other prizes have been claimed and will be mailed by Friday.

* * * * *

Finally, one last Giveaway for a while. This one was popular the first time and I have more jars than I can use before they get stale so I'm sharing again. Twelve new bottles of organic spices (2 of Oregano, but the others are all different). This Giveaway will be fast and I'll pick from a random number on Saturday, August 6, 2011. If you want to be entered, leave a commment by Friday night.

* * * * *

Parting Shot: Tyler is off to Yuma AZ for training this week with live ordnance (bombs). His shop mates have a little "initiation" for the newbies, which involves clippers and creative hairstyles. Here's the result. (What's with that scary Full Metal Jacket face?)

Drive By

I know I still have 2 Giveways remaining to announce, but life kind of blew up this week. Nothing bad, just busy, busy. I'll catch up on everything when I get back. I'm off tomorrow for a long weekend at mom's and to see the Marine and my sister/BIL.

I did finish the USMC purse for hire and it's going in the mail on the way to the airport. Here's the finished product (name blurred to protect the innocent still at boot camp!!):

See you Tuesday or shortly thereafter. Semper Fi!