Not Your Average Sewing Mom

I felt the need to say...

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Tue, 04 May 2010 04:42:00 +0000

........... I'm an absent blogger.

I'm sorry. Don't hate me.

I got a new job. Okay, well. I got a job. Woooo! Yay! Fun for me! Let's all be excited and pee our pants a little bit!

Seeing as how my new job came about some time in March, I'm pretty sure I'm considered negligent right now in the blogging world.

I have seriously not sat down to sew since I got my new job. I don't know what it is, but I just feel like I "don't have the time." Of course in reality, I do. I only work at night, so during the day - I have all the time in the world. I'm just making excuses to NOT do what I love to do.

So here I am, working in a restaurant (yet again...) trying to avoid the sewing machine. (Maybe that's a good thing?)

The sad part is that I purposely bought MOUNDS of fabric in hopes to start my own sewing business. I have such an amazing stash right now, it's ridiculous. Stripes, prints, and colors - OH MY!

Listen though, if you love me, you'll wait this out. You'll wait until I find that amazing part of me again that wants to sew. Cause soon - maybe even tomorrow.

Okay, maybe not tomorrow because it's suppose to be 87 degrees and beautiful outside.

Either way, wait for me. Because I WILL wait for you.

Mommy and Me Bathing Suits

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 03:23:00 +0000

Stop laughing.

Seriously, it's really cute!

Okay, I know how lame it sounds to have matching bathing suits - but people do it with aprons, so what's the big deal!?

I haven't started mine yet. I did finish Kayla's today though. It's pretty stinkin' cute. Aside from the fact that you can see her tiny little boob. I made it one strapped and was super pumped that she was going to be so stylin'. Well, I apparently didn't add enough to the top, or didn't take it in enough on the sides - and you can definitely see her little tata when she stands up. So I either have to add a tiny strap to that side, or take it in on the sides with hopes that it will not dip down so low. I'd show a picture, but i'm pretty sure that that is sort of against the law or something.

So tomorrow I'm going to fix hers and hopefully start on mine. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully mine doesn't make me look incredibly fat.

So close to the end!

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:59:00 +0000

I am ---->this<---- close to being done with the gift bags. I really have GOT to stop being such a slacker. I've been so obsessed with eBay shopping for fabric that I am constantly distracted. I think that once this huge project has been finished I will feel more at ease. I like to have multiple projects going on at once. I don't like to make the same thing over and over again, like I thought I would. It proves to be pretty effin boring.

So I have a few more bags to do, and voila! Next project! I think I want to make a new dress for my girl to wear this weekend at a birthday party in Richmond that she is going to. Something relatively basic. I do have a pattern, which is good, but I'm going to have to figure out how to alter it, because I want it to be a little different than what it is.

Damn that wetbag - it will never get done.

Mom bought me some patterns for bags today though, which is awesome. I can finally make a messenger bag! Yay! But I really need to find some lightweight canvas to work with. Any ideas on what I should look for or where I can find it?

TaDa!

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:41:00 +0000

I present to you.....

pants!

Poorly made, I must say. First of all - the fit is not anywhere near what I had in mind. I forgot to measure the rise on DD, so because of her cloth diapers, they barely go over her butt! The bottom cuffs are bad a well. I'm not sure where I went wrong or what I could have done differently, but the edges point out where I ended the zig zag stitch. I also kinda sorta left a hole. Oops!

They definitely fit like leggings. So much for parachute style baggy sweats!

I like how the crotch and her cloth diaper make it look like she's packin' up front. *sigh*

I'm still working on those gift bags. I ran out of regular ol' cotton black thread. So I have to take a trip up to wally world to pick up some more. That and I need more 3/8" white, grosgrain ribbon.

On the plus side, I got in a bunch of great fabrics today! I will have to take some photo's of it in the morning and post them. I got some cute Amy Butler, Michael Miller, and some other misc. cotton quilting fabric. I'm thinkin bags - or maybe something fun like a dress. We'll see!!!

I love remnants

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:21:00 +0000

Every time I go to the fabric store I always hound the remnants. I scour for good finds and good deals because 9 times out of 10, they're 50% off the markdown price.

Last time on my trip to Richmond, I actually picked out two remnants, not realizing that they were 50% off and checked out. I spent $4. After it hit me that they were even CHEAPER than I expected, I raced over and grabbed mounds more. I can't help myself. I spent $24 more. *sigh* I could have just walked away, but who can resist????

In that crazy lot of random fabrics, I picked up some black sweatshirt material with these random gray lines all over. (SWEET!) I've never sewed with that sort of material, so this was going to be a new adventure for me.

I decided tonight to make a pair of awesome sweatpants for my daughter. I probably have enough for a pair for me, but hey - it's easier to make them for her vs. making them for myself. :) I created the pattern, cut it out and cut my fabric today. If I did this right, they should (after being put together) sit on her calves. You know, kind of like parachute pants? I'm not sure why I opted to make them this way, but I just thought it would be super cool and she would look like a rockstar.

I attempted using the serger again and that thing is a piece of crap. Okay, it's not. It's me. I have no idea how to use it and since it was a freebie from my aunt, I lack a manual. So I have NO IDEA what I'm doing or how to thread it. I've tried countless times and failed miserably each time. So I'm just going to go with a straight stitch and a zigzag stitch to prevent fraying. (Does sweatshirt material even fray???)

Alas - I am not done. I'm going to work on them tonight though after I put the munchkin to bed. Then I'll be back to post pictures of the finished product. Don't be surprised if they suck.

I have absolutely too much time on my hands...

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:55:00 +0000

My aunt came down for a visit a couple weeks ago and taught me how to crochet. I learned a few stitches and was on my way. My first project was a hat for my daughter. It turned out okay, but I tried again and it came out MUCH better. This is causing a frenzy in my brain. I printed out 10 different patterns to get to work and try new things and of course none of them are something simple like a normal scarf or a blanket. What can I say? I'm ambitious. So far I have made a wrap around cowl neck scarf (sans pattern), a cowl neck scarf that connects with buttons (super cute), another cowl neck that just slides over the head, two sets of gloves (one which is much better than the other - again sans pattern), and an ABC block. I just got a massive lot of yarn off of eBay to go crazy with too. The only problem I've run into thus far is the fact that I only have two hooks. So I am limited on what patterns I can do unless I buy the appropriate sized hooks.

Check it out....

Aside from that new adventure, I've been sewing here and there. I volunteered to make gift bags for my best friend's daughter's 2nd birthday party. It's a Mickey/Minnie theme, so the bags are turning out super cute! They're normal drawstring bags. Here's what I have thus far....

The boy bags are red with black interior and white buttons. I apparently sewed the buttons on wrong though. They're supposed to be side by side. *sigh* So 11 bags to go for the boys.

I've also taken on a project for myself. I have this great idea in my head for a shirt and no pattern. So I'm going rogue yet again and just figuring it out. I have the shirt itself all put together, but I want lots of ruffles around the neck and a small wave of ruffles at the bottom. Here's a picture of my design, and a picture of what I have thus far. I need to figure out this ruffle situation. That's where I keep getting stuck!

Per my brother's request, I have put thumb wholes in his jacket. An easy project to say the least. I just ripped out the stitching, and zigzag stitched the two sides together.

And if I haven't already bored you with the many projects I've been working on/finished - here is another one. An adorable little purse that will be a gift for my friend's daughter on her birthday. I'm thinking about making a matching coin purse or wallet or something similar. Not sure yet. Any ideas? Oh! And I used the Lindie Bag Pattern for this little masterpiece.

Okay seriously, the wet bag. I'm going to do it as soon as these gift bags are done. Enough dragging my feet!

I've been lazy...

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:39:00 +0000

I know... I know. Where have I been and what have I been doing?

Uhhhh nothing. I wish I had a better excuse, but I don't. I have done some small sewing projects here and there though, so I will post pics of those hopefully this week.

And no, I have not started the wet bag project. :)

SOON!

Our satellite internet is down and we're resulting to using the dial up back up tht we have, so I haven't been on in days. I have a MILLION projects that I'm working on right now, so I really need to get my butt in gear and start putting some updates and tutorials on here!

I promise, this week - I will do just that. Since I'm 86 a job right now, I have no good excuse to NOT be keeping up with this blog.

Weekend break

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:19:00 +0000

I just wanted to pop in and say that I'll be gone for the weekend. I'm heading out of town to visit some friends and will be back to my sewing station on Monday. :)

Stay tuned!

Art by Wicks

Repairing Elastic in Cloth Diapers

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsay) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:33:00 +0000

First of all, I have to show you this fantastic link.

How to Repair Shot Elastic in a Serged Diaper

Now you should know, that I literally just stumbled upon this about two seconds ago. THIS is why I make mistakes. I fail to do my research before hand. After glancing over her tutorial, I have come to the conclusion that I made this process incredibly difficult for myself.

*sigh*

My gracious mother purchased some Swaddlebees, One Size, Fitted Diapers from eBay for my daughter. I believe we got twelve of them for about $70. We thought this was a steal seeing as how they're over $20 brand new. Well, we definitely should have asked questions about their condition before we decided to go for the gusto and win the auction. The elastic was completely shot in each diaper around the legs, as well as the back. Not to mention, you could definitely tell they were old. The feel of the fabric was super crunchy and not in very great condition. Oh well, I can handle that. I can even handle the staining (that again, was not mentioned). Realizing that there was no way my toddler could wear these without replacing the elastic, we decided to take on the project. She ripped out the threading from the legs (because they were serged on the inside) and I would be the one to tackle the sewing part.

(Remember... I had no knowledge of the super easy link that I provided you with above.)

This is what I started with after the seams were ripped out.

First, I cut my elastic to size. I stretched it from the point I wanted it to start, to the point I wanted it to end, pulled tight and cut.

Then, I placed the elastic where I wanted it to start, on the inside of the diaper and sewed a straight stitch back and forth to make sure it was secure.

I then did the same thing to the other side.

After the elastic was secure, I started sewing the the two outer edges of the diaper back together. I folded both sides slightly under and did a straight stitch all the way down.

After I stitched together (or maybe its, "hemmed") the outside of the diaper, I stretched the diaper on that side out to stretch the elastic on the inside so it would rest against the edge of the diaper. While holding the beginning end tight, I placed it under the foot of the sewing machine and secured it in place. I then created a "casing" for the elastic, by sewing on the opposite side of the elastic.

I repeated the same process on the other side. Only this time I messed it up. Either the fabric was stretched or I wasn't stretching both sides evenly, because I ended up with a small bunch of fabric at the end on one side.
Oh well, I just sewed over it.

The last process was putting the elastic at the top. This proved to be a bit trickier for me, but I made it happen. I basically did the same process as stated above. I secured the elastic on both ends, pulled tight, and sewed over it. I did NOT create a casing at the top because I had limited fabric to work with. Due to the sewn in soaker's position, I had to basically fold the fabric over the elastic and do a zig zag stitch to secure it.

And here is the finished product...

I have finished 4 of them and have what feels like (and looks like) a million more to go. It's too bad all of the stitching is ripped out already, otherwise I'd use the tutorial at the top to finish them.

So what is my lesson for the day?

---- Do your research prior to ripping apart your project.

Definitely a Sewing Fail on my part, but they are turning out okay. I just wish my daughter would grow more. She's so freakin' tiny that even on it's smallest setting, it's still too big and it's a one-size!

My next project (after these diapers are done) is ripping out the stitches in an unfinished wet bag that my mom accidentally sewed together the wrong way - and then fixing it. The last time I tried sewing with pul, I destroyed it and just tossed it aside. Maybe THIS time I'll do my research and get it right this time.