Top 5 Sewing Goals for 2013!

Happy New Year! I had so much fun sewing in 2012… and learned that for me, rules take the fun out of creating, so I’ve deliberately made these goals achievable and practical!

Here’s goes: 

1. Make a basic dress sloper. 

Inspired by the techniques in the new Craftsy course, "Sew the Perfect Fit", I’m attempting to make myself a well-fitting dress sloper! In fact, I’ve already started… I’m trying so hard to follow all the precise steps for once to get a really great fit! I’m using the Colette Truffle as a basic starting point (minus the ruffle, of course!). I sadly lost the version I had traced and fitted over the year, so I’m starting fresh… and already realising that part of the trouble I had fitting Colette bodices is because I was using a size or two too big! Once I’ve got my sloper ready, I’m looking forward to drafting all kinds of variations for myself!

2. Learn more about the fibre content of knits. 

Great knits are hard to find in my neck of the woods, so I’m always tempted to order online… but when I look back over my web purchases, I realise that I’ve almost always been disappointed by what arrives! I need to pay more attention to what I like in RTW clothing and knits that I touch in person, and use that to make more informed purchases online. (Also, if you have any recommendations for great online retailers, let me know in the comments!) 

3. Make Leggings!

They only cost about $8 in stores, so I’ve been content enough buying leggings until now… but I’d love to get over my fear of sewing for legs by making some leggings! Maybe something a litle more colourful or fun than I can find in stores? My grade 1’s will like that, even if I do end up looking like a stripey-legged witch! ;) 

4. Give it away! 

Now that I’m sewing with knits more than wovens, it’s so fast and easy to finish projects… and I just don’t need that many clothes! Rather than change to more complicated and slow sewing, I’m just going to make sure that I pass on a steady stream of t-shirts and dresses to my mom, sister, and sister-in-law. For starters, I finished a 2nd Tiramisu in half a day, then realised that the bodice stretches to me a bit long for me… so I’m going to find it a new home with someone more endowed! 

5. Take the Seamless Pledge. 

I’ve always admired the idea of Elena’s Seamless Pledge: To avoid fast fashion by promising to make or thrift all new clothing. I wasn’t quite ready to join this past year - After 3 years of being to big for the biggest size in Japanese stores, I was pretty excited to be able to refurbish my wardrobe here in Canada! I have more than enough clothing now though, so I think it’s almost time. It’s partly about frugality for me, and partly about sustainability - both of my sewing output and the environment! 

There we go! I think these goals reflect that fact that I love sewing “cake” - no coats or fancy event dresses for me. Instead, I’m excited to see the me-mades continue taking over my everyday wardrobe!

ps. Can you tell that I’m LOVING doodling on my new iPad? That thing is so fun! 

Bloggers that inspired me in 2012

Wow. This post was much harder to write than I expected! Like many of you, I started worrying that complimenting some people would hurt the feelings of others… Which is obviously not the point! I’m open to suggestions for how we could change up this topic next year to make it easier! 

Nevertheless, here goes… Some of the bloggers that inspired and motivated me in 2012!

The Colette Sewalong ladies: Sarah at Rhinestones and Telephones, Erin at Miss Crayola Creepy, and more recently, Rochelle at Lucky Lucille. And for good measure: Sarai at Colette Patterns for drafting cute dresses that even a beginner could make!

Thank you for hosting the Sewalong. The flickr group offered amazing support as I first started sewing. I checked it every day - I met new bloggy friends - I got all kinds of help, support and encouragement. Thank you. I hope you know that you’ve made a big impact on my life as a sewist! One day I really hope I can dream up a project that will do the same for other would-be-crafters!

Sew Busy Lizzy: 

Thank you for your bubbly personality that comes out in all of your posts, tweets and comments. I know this was a stressful fall for you, but you always take the time to encourage me and heaps of other bloggers too! Thank you for that! Thank you also for being a true Sewaholic-aholic: I thought I had made a lot of Tasia’s pattern, but you take the cake! I love seeing patterns made up in many different ways, and you do it very well!

Kirsty from Top Notch and Inna from Thewallina: 

I love reading both of your posts to see just what you’ve made next. Your clothes are never boring, and always just a little more “out-there” than the average blogger… but you still come up with very wearable, very gorgeous clothes! On top of that, you are both really kind and supportive - Thank for that! Inna, I loved doing a swap with you this fall… and Kirsty, I’m determined to make myself at least 1 Liberty garment this year! 

Liza Jane Sews, Andrea from Four Square Walls, and Morgan from Crab and Bee: 

Ladies, you make everyday “Cake” look so stylish! All three of you sew the kind of clothing that I’d want to wear everyday - and you are kind and generous to boot! Liza Jane, I’d dearly love to come hang out in your garage and do some screen printing and batik… and hey, if you could teach art in my classroom, that would be great, too! You bring art and creativity into sewing in a very unique way. You are going to make a great mama! Andrea, keep up the inspirational pattern hacks and fabulous knits! Morgan, you’ve really nailed your personal style this year - I can’t wait to see what you make next! Thank you all for the comments and encouragement!

My sister Anne, from AnnieBeeKnits
I’m so lucky to have a crafty family! Anne is a perfectionist and a talented knitter and knit designer, who is also really active in her local guild and knitting community. Luckily for me, she’ll also wear anything I make her! Thanks, Anne! 

Last but not least: Want to know who else inspired me this year? Go look at the list of people joining in the the Top 5 listmaking, because WOW! There are some phenomenal blogs and personalities out there!

Thank you to everyone reading for all of your support and encouragement this year. Its amazing to see so many people learning new skills, pushing themselves, and building connections all over the world. Give yourself a pat on the back - You are a wonderful group!

From Fail to Win!

Remember this disasterous unfinished dress? Clearly I should have waited for the Tiramisu to be released, instead of making this McCalls pattern. It’s been balled up in the corner of my sewing room for a month, haunting me… so this morning it because something new! 

A Renfrew! I managed *just* have enough fabric, with a centre back seam from the original dress. I’ve made this pattern a million times, so it was a nice brainless project. 

To make it a bit more fun, I added a bit of lace on the shoulder before sewing all the pieces together. It curves down under the arms a bit, like my Two-Toned Sorbettos from the summer. This is a very basic shirt, but wow, it felt so good to get that ugly UFO out of my sewing room! 

PS. I’m so enjoying reading all the fabulous Top 5 lists going around! if you are joining in, don’t forget to put a link to your blog in the comments here so that other people can  find you! :) 

My Blogger Kit!

The very first blog post that I ever wrote was a thank you to my husband for clearing out the basement to make me a sewing room. He’s always encouraged me to sew, blog and sew some more… so it’s fitting that his Christmas gift to me was all sewing/blogging-themed! 

First up, a gift card to Needlework, my favourite local-ish modern fabric store. I spent a lovely craft night there the other week, and I’m so excited to go back and splurge on fabric!

Next up: A pink polka-dot bathrobe that I helped pick out, and… omg, omg, OMG,  A MUG WITH MY BLOG HEADER!!!!!

Squee!!!! Jamie snuck down to the sewing room and took pictures of my fabric from the boarder, and used some pictures from the blog as well. I’m so touched that he thought of this! It will be a great reminder of this blog for years to come!

And then… *jumps up and down* AN iPAD!!!!! 

Complete with a stylus that fits on a Sharpie. (Because Sharpies are the best!) I’ve been wishing for an iPad for a few months, but I never though I’d be able to get one. A huge thanks to J’s family for helping make this possible! Wahoo! I’ve barely put it down for two days since I got it. I can’t wait to use it for school, sewing, blogging and fun! 

On top of all of that, my Dad went into a sewing store and asked the women there to pick out all kinds of sewing essentials - the kind of useful things I might not buy myself, like a big thread box, pins, thread, and more. Plus, my mom bought me a flexible ruler for drafting. Sweet! 

A huge thanks to everyone for a wonderful Christmas… and three cheers for my family who are all so supportive. As for Jamie, who just *happened* to get HIMSELF an iPad Sharpie stylus to go with my iPad… well, I guess I’ll just have to share! ;) 

I’m a lucky, lucky, lucky girl. I think I might just go thank everyone again!  

Enough sappiness - I’ll leaveyou with something silly instead! This doofus: Dexter, my In-Law’s English Bulldog! 

Top 5 Reflections on a Year of Sewing

A year ago, the thought of sewing clothes from a pattern was completely intimidating. I finally decided to dive right in at the end of January, and made a Sorbetto… folowed quickly by a couple of Peonies, and then the Colette sewalong… and in 4 months I had enough clothes to join in Me-Made May! In fact, it’s pretty much been a me-made year ever since - It’s a rare day when I’m not wearing something handmade!

It’s been a whirl-wind year of sewing - Here are my thoughts looking back!

1. Looking back, I’m really grateful for all the support from my friends and family, and most particularly my husband. He’s always believed in me, and valued the time I spend sewing. (Bless him, he’ll roll over in the morning with eyes barely open and complement whatever me-mades I’m wearing!) He’s a nerd himself, so he understands the all-consuming focus and joy of exploring a topic you love. For him it’s comics, music and games, and for me it’s sewing and blogging! In fact, his Christmas present to me was a “blogging kit” - More on that in a day or two!

2. I can do this. I was so nervous when I first began sewing clothes - I’d sewn since I was young, and I’m pretty confident wth a machine, but clothes just seemed way more difficult thank pilows or bags! The most amazing revelation this year was that sewing clothes is just like knitting - the end result might look complex but each little step is simple! At some point I’ve moved from a beginner to an intermediate sewer, confident that I’ll be able to sort out a pattern as I go. It’s a great feeling!

3. I like simple projects. I LOVE the process of sewing: The whir of the macine, the zen of fitting the next peice. I *don’t* love fussing with instructions or trying things again and again until they are perfect. As a result, I’ve made almost every pattern I own more than once! I get more joy out of my 10th Renfrew whipped up in an hour than I do from plodding away at a more complex dress that haunts me for a week on the dress form. (Yeah, for me a week is a UFO!) Sometimes I’ve felt guitly this year that I’m not more a technical perfectionist… and wondered how my closet will ever fit my wardrobe if I continue to crank out new stuff! It’s been a stressful year though, and I’m so grateful for the stress relief that sewing offers. For now, simple sewing is the key to happiness!

4. Confidence and style. After a lifetime of wanting to “fit in”, sewing has been a revelation. I love my clothes now, and I never waste any time wondering if they are fashionable. I feel like I’m developing a personal style for the first time, and now my clothes make me happy every day. I’ve always been a little bit dumpy - short and round, and I can’t say I ever felt very pretty… but looking at hundreds of pictures of myself and learning to sew for my figure have both laid those old fears (mostly) to rest. (Hey, no one’s perfect!) And of course, this goes back to #1 - Thanks to my husband for thinking I’m beautiful and brilliant! 

5. Last, but not least: YOU. Bloggers, you have made my year better in a way that I never could have predicted. Our sewing blog world is such a tight and supportive community that I forget it is a tiny slice of the internet and pretty much unknown to the average person. I wouldn’t miss you guys for the world though - in fact, I could kick myself for not starting to blog earlier when I was feeling isolated and alone in Japan! Silly me. Thank you. Thank you for every comment, for every encouragement, and for posting such wonderful writing that brightens every day. You rock. 

The next topic in the Top 5 list is Inspiring Blogs and Bloggers. For me, this is the big one - the topic that is about recognising other people instead of simply navel-gazing! (In fact, when I first was thinking about this Top 5 project, I toyed with the idea of making up a new blog award as a way to “pay it forward”!) It seems almost impossible to narrow down all the wonderful blogs you write to only 5 that inspire - so I, for one, am going to go over 5 on this list! 

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful Christmas! Happy sewing, and happy blogging!

Top 5 Linky Love!

I’m so blown away by home many people are joining in the Top 5 list-making! I’m really enjoying reading all the posts I can, but I know I’ve missed a few. That got me thinking: If you are doing any kind of Top 5 blog post, why not leave a link to your blog in the comments below?  I love that this project is bringing together well-known bloggers and beginners (my morning squee was waking up to find out we’re being joined by Ms. Put A Cat On It herself, Cation Designs!)  And hey, who doesn’t love to find new blogs to read?!

So go for it: Link to your blog or Top 5 posts in the comments below, and let’s connect and share the love! 

In other news…

(Check out this awesome Lego portrait of my husband and I that he gave me last Christmas! Only a month into blogging at the time, he nailed my sewing machine and laptop. How did he know I’d become so obsessed with sewing this year? )

It’s the first day of winter holidays here, and it *dumped* snow yesterday. It finally looks like we’ll get a white Christmas! I woke up at 6am thinking about sewing. Wannasewwannasewwannasew!!! My brain is tripping over itself with ideas. I hope that you’ve got some quality creative time coming your way too! 

Well THAT didn't work out: My top 5 sewing fails of this year!

Look, most of the time, blogging is a very positive (and very staged) insight into our sewing. Every once in a while, I like to shake it up with a bit of a reality check. Nothing everything turns out the way I hope! (Shocking, I know! :P) Here are some of the finish garments I made that just never get worn!

1. Colette Sorbetto

Guys! Look! This is my very first piece of clothing that I sewed in about a decade. I was so nervous about using a pattern, and so proud when I finished. Sewing this gave me the confidence to join the Colette Sewalong, which in turn made me the garments obsessed blogger I am today! With all of that background, I really don’t care that this top gapes at the neck and is too short. The only thing that makes me feel guilty when I see it in the closet is the cute Echino-covered buttons I added. Maybe I should put them on something else? 

This photo from Me-Made May/Japanese for Crafters is the only pic I seem to have of this top, from one of two times I made myself wear it!

2. Colette Meringue Skirt

This was the second piece of clothing I made when I got back into sewing. Meringue was the first pattern in the sewalong. I’m actually pretty proud of it! It’s lined, I love the fabric, and I think the ricrac trim is cute. But oh man, I just wouldn’t wear a skirt that sits so low on the hips these days! Looking back, I can really see my pre-sewing style about to morph into what I love now, and this skirt just got lost in the mix. I could take an inch or two off the sides and make it sit higher, but it would get pretty short at the same time! 

3. Sewaholic Cambie

Made from a bedsheet, worn for the photoshoot, and tossed on the floor to rot. It’s not me, and it just doesn’t fit well! Fail, fail, fail. 

4.  Sewaholic Alma

Honest truth? I haven’t worn this once. i might dig it out in the warmer weather… maybe. I love the double gauze in threory, but the sleeve cuffs mean I can’t wear it under sweaters, and the stupid neckline and contrasting dickie-effect drive me nuts!  (I do love the pattern though!) 

5. Self-drafted Dolman

This is a much more recent make, and one of a bunch of knit fails I blogged about lately. I had to include it again here though because it’s just that awful! I brought it as a pyjama top to my in-laws last weekend, and was embarrased to wear it! 

Phew! That was harder than I thought! I have some really bad UFOs I could have thrown in… and some slightly=unflattering but still practical garments that get worn… but I guess the good news is that I like most of what I sew! 

Next up in the Top 5 Lists is Lessons Learned… could be profound, could be silly, could be practical tips about technique - depends on each persons interpretation!  Thank you so much to all the people playing along - I’m enjoying your posts so much, and I hope you are enjoying writing them too!

*added later*

ps. If we do the Top 5 lists again next, year, I’m going to change this “fail” topic. I didn’t mean for it to make us sound like we are trash-talking our bodies or sewing skills… In truth, I was just curious which clothes don’t get worn!  Can anyone suggest a snappy title for that kind of category? “Fail” is too severe!