Simplicity 3961

The above skirt was made from approximately 2 yards of fabric I have had in my stash for at least 2 years.   I used piping to break up the front and back skirt panels since the fabric is so busy.   I inserted a lapped zipper and used snaps at the waistband in lieu of buttons.

The skirt is a little big on me since I have lost some weight and did not take that into consideration.  It can still be worn though so that is all that matters to me.

Take care and God Bless

Francis revisited my way

I swear, both sleeves are the same length :)

Hello.  I've been away for a while due to a very strange mystery illness that had me down pretty good.  After several thousand dollars worth of tests, the doctors could not come up with a diagnosis, and slowly on my own, I started getting better.  Thank you God!  He is the great healer.

Thankfully, I did still manage to work during the 4 months of being ill, and when I was feeling okay, I did a bit of sewing and some knitting.  The above sweater is proof :)

The pattern is Francis Revisited that I found for free on Ravelry.  I did change the pattern a bit.  I knitted it longer, did rib knit on the sleeve edges and bottom, and added a turtle neck to it.  I knit it on size 10 needles and used a wool/mix blend from Berroco.  I bought the yarn a long time ago, and I cannot remember the "name" of it.  I knitted a medium size, and it fits great.  It is a long, tunic length that will look good w/ skinny jeans, straight skirts, and other slacks. 

I love knitting sweaters.  They take me a while, but the end result is worth the time and effort.  I want to knit a pretty lace-weight shawl out of some Kid Silk Haze that I have had for quite some time.  I just need to find a free pattern on Ravelry to utilize.  I am also knitting a basket weave scarf for the guy who does my hair.  It will be a late Christmas present, because I know I will not have it done in time.

Next on the blog docket is a pretty skirt that just needs the snaps placed on it, and the hem done.  I also have two refashions that I did in September that I never got to blog about.

I pray everyone is doing well!

Take care and God Bless.

Merry Christmas!

God's Blessings to Everyone!

My Fabric Fairy Find

Two weeks ago, I entered my name in to win one of several gift certificates to online fabric stores on the Sew Mama Sew website.  Lo and behold, I was one of the winners.  I won a $30.00 certificate to the The Fabric Fairy.  It didn't take me long to place my order.

I got two yards of this lovely bamboo linen.








And, two yards of this pretty gauze knit


I am so excited that I won, and very appreciative of The Fabric Fairy.

Thank you!!

New Simplicity Jacket

This is a cute little jacket that I made about 3 weeks ago.  I used a Simplicity pattern.  The jacket was meant to be unlined, but I added an interlining.  I finished all the inside seams with lace.

I added piping along the front of the jacket and end of the sleeves to make it a bit more professional looking.  I also added a frog closure.  I pondered a moment about adding a black frog closure, but in the end, I thought I would keep the colors matching.  About the piping, this is not only the first time I have used piping with sewing, but I made my own!  Whoop for me!

Top stitching was done around the front, shoulder seams, and the princess seams.  I top stitched this using the triple stitch on my sewing machine.  It looks awesome if I do say so for myself.

The pattern is an easy sew, and by adding a few minor, but professional details, it gives the jacket a WOW factor.

Pictures were taken after I worn it all day, so it is a bit wrinkled.

All fabric was stash, along with the thread and lace.  The only thing I bought for this jacket was the frog closure.

 I have a skirt to post about in the next week or so.  It goes with this jacket nicely :)

Take care and God bless.

Hot Patterns Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company Shirt

This shirt was a long time in the making due to machine issues, the heavy jean fabric, and all the top stitching that I did.  The pattern itself is not difficult one, and the pieces matched together perfectly.  This shirt is made out of my husband's old Levi denim jeans, and I sewed/top stitched all seams with heavy duty thread.  The under collar, cuff and placket lining is made out of  scrap flannel fabric I have had in my stash a long, long time.

The shirt/jacket has actually been done for about a month, and my husband had his first opportunity to wear it this week while going on the ATV to bring our girls in for milking.  He really likes it, and that always makes me happy.

The pictures are not that good because I used my phone camera, but you can get the idea.

I made a size XL, and could have went down a size.  The shirt is roomy on my husband, but again, he likes that since he will be wearing it more for a jacket.  If I was to make a shirt out of normal fabric, I would go down a size.

It is nice to refashion something old into something new.  All these years of saving up jeans has finally paid off :)

Take care and God bless.

Simple Envelope Style Pillow

Long time, no posting.

I had trouble w/ my sewing machine, which finally got resolved at the end of July.  Cause of problem:  An incorrect bobbin case was in the machine...Go figure, but it is fixed, and I am happy with it now.

There has been sewing, but have been lazy about taking pictures, etc. 

Finally, I got the gumption up to snap a shot of a pillow I have made for my mom's birthday in September.

It has yellow and brown ribbon roses all over it.  I made a simple envelope style pillow case and used a ready-made pillow form.  My mom loves pillows, so this will be perfect for her birthday. 

I used about 1/4 yard of fabric for this.

Take care and God Bless!

I won! Woo Hoo!

Stepalica  had a give-a-way, and I was one of the winners!

It is a very awesome skirt.   I am thinking of what stash fabric I have that I can use.  I really love how this skirt looks.

If you haven't seen Stepalica's blog, take a look.  She is such a beautiful seamstress.

In other news, my Janome Horizon has been on the blitz again.  The shop called me on Friday, and said it was ready.  They said they had to change out the bobbin case, and they have been sewing with it to test it out, and it is doing good.  Thank goodness.  They want to go over a few things w/ me as well, so I hope when I leave there tomorrow, I will not have to worry about the trouble again. 

I need to finish my husband's work shirt, so I can make the above skirt.  :)

Take care and God bless!

ITY Knit Skirt

Whoa diggity!  This fabric was very difficult to sew.  I almost threw it in the trash, but I am too much of a tightwad to do that, so I kept at it and perservered.  This isn't my best work, but it does look good on me, and I will get lots of wear out of it during the summer months.

I initially started out making a maxi dress, but I could not stand how it was turning out, so that idea got tossed in the trash can.  I took the skirt portion of the pattern and just sewed up a center seam.  Added elastic to the back, and put a couple of pleats in the front.  I made a waistband out of some black ponte knit (I love ponte knit) that I had left over, and attached it!  I hand sewed the hem because, again, the knit was a bear to sew. 

I have enough of this fabric left that I might try to make Renfrew long sleeve cowl shirt for winter, but first I have to get over my issues w/ the fabric first :/
 

Take care and God bless!

Peacock Feather Skirt - Stash Busting

I have a love of all things peacock, so when I found this fabric at Fabric Mart, I knew it had to be mine.

The picture isn't the greatest since I used my cell phone, but it is so pretty, and fits really well.  It is a simple Drindl skirt.  I estimate the size to be a medium.  The fabric is 100% cotton.  Actually, it is a nice quality quilting cotton.  This is probably my favorite skirt length as I try to dress as conservatively as possible.  I have a couple of shorter skirts, but would much rather keep them longer. 

The sweater is thrifted.  I paid a sweet 25 cents for it!  LOL  The tank that I am wearing underneath it is thrifted as well.  I am pretty sure I paid 25 cents for it too.  Oh, and the shoes are thrifted.  They are brand new Naturalizers that I paid $3.00.  Nothing like a deal!

Well this is my first Stash Busting Sew-Along project.  I have another skirt to tackle this month out of some stash knit.

Take care and God bless!

Refashioned Black Skirt

I took a very long black ponte knit skirt, cut it where it was way too short, and then added some lace to the bottom to make it acceptable to wear to work.  I couldn't believe I cut it so short.  Boy, I was ticked, but the lace came to the rescue.  I am made the blue top as well.  Nothing real exciting other than the skirt length.

I have finished my Thurlow capris, and will dye them this weekend.  I was going to color them to an olive drab, but after I priced how much it would cost to achieve that color, I just decided on a dark brown.  LOL  I am very cheap.

Next thing up for me to sew is a maxi dress. I hope it will look good on me.  I will try to get it cut out this weekend and possibly even sew some on it. 

Take care and God bless!

Maggie Mae Turns 2

Miss Maggie Mae is already 2 months old!  Time really does fly.  She is such a doll, and her coloring is quite a bit different from her momma and sister.  Now, Miss Maggie's color will start changing around 4 months or so, but I believe she will still maintain that classic fawn Jersey color.  When she makes noises now, it actually is starting to sound like a moo.  Up until just lately, any noise she made sound like "berrp".  LOL  Jerseys are a quiet cow by nature. 

When Maggie turns 4 months, we will put a weaning butterfly ring in her nose.  It doesn't hurt, but it will break her from nursing.  She will wear that for about 3 months.

Maggie continually learns all the big cow things from her momma.  It is just sweet to watch.

That is it on the bovine front.  I love our girls.  They are much more than income providers.  I consider them all blessings from God.

Take care and God bless!

Refrew Take 3

I made this in a size 12, which is perfect for me!

The material is a thrift store find.  See I have been poppin' tags before poppin' tags was cool! :)

There wasn't enough fabric for sleeves, and I really do not like all of my arm to show, so I have to wear this w/ a jacket.

The stripes all match, and I am happy!  Not much else to say, but yay!  I love this top.

I am working on my hopefully last "test" pair of Thurlows.  I can wear all the others I have made, but the pattern could still use some tweeking.  I *think* I may have it where it fits me just right this time.  Should know for certain next week.  I am making this pair capri length out of a cotton crinkle cloth that my mom had in her stash.  The fabric is off white, and I am going to get some Rit dye and color it hopefully as close to olive drab as possible.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Take care and God bless.

Knit Argyle Skirt

The above skirt was made about two weeks ago.  It is a pencil design made out of ITY knit.   I took a dress that I got at a thrift store and started chopping away.  I didn't use a pattern so I am guessing it is a size 12/medium.  It will be cute to wear w/ my black flats this Spring/Summer.

I am almost finished w/ another Renfrew top, and then I will need to get to work on making a pair of capri Thurlows.  The capris will hopefully be the last muslin I will need to make.  I really want to get cracking on making more pants.

I wish I could have particpated in Made Me May, but I do not believe I have enough self made clothing to get me through the month!  Next year will be a different story though.

Weather-wise, it is suppose to be in the 30's tomorrow night, which is crummy since my garden is all in the ground.  So far, it hasn't done so well due to the extreme weather changes that have been going on the past few weeks. 

Have a good rest of the week and awesome weekend!

Take care and God bless!

Renfrew muslin, a doxie, soap making, and tulips

I have made three Renfrew's now, and the muslin below is the best fitting one.  It is unfortunate that the fabric is so hideous, and I didn't try to match any patterns :)  I cut a size 12 and it could stand to be a smidge larger, so I will make a tiny adjustment on my next one.  Other than that, this pattern can now be called a TNT.  This top will be good to wear around the house.  I am going to remake this top in a boring white knit because I need a white top to wear with my summer skirts.



My little Sisal Pig.  She is my sweet doxie.

 I make our own bath soap, along with laundry and dishwashing detergent.  It saves a lot of money, and I believe it is much better for you.



Soap curing.  It takes about 4 - 6 weeks before it is ready to use.



 My mystery tulips.  A lady I work with gave me a bunch of bulbs last Spring, and she thought they were Surprise Lilies.  Well!  Surprise!!  Most all of them are tulips, which is funny, because I have never been able to get tulips to bloom before.  They are so pretty.

 Have a great rest of the week.

Take care and God Bless!

Gardening and sweet moments

Below are pictures of our veggie garden spots.  Most everything is planted and now we hope and pray for a successful gardening year.  Has anyone seen the movie  Faith Like Potatoes?  It is an awesome movie, but I love anything that demonstrates God's love and faith to us.  We are such unworthy recipients of His grace.

Front Garden



Back Garden.  The plants in front is our herb garden, which needs some TLC.




Sweet moments.  Nothing like a momma caring for her baby.  You can see the milk foam dripping.



Black A-line skirt with pink twist top

Here is my new black skirt.  It is from a Simplicity pattern, which I didn't write down the pattern number, my bad.  I have made it before.  I cut a size 14.  The fabric is a leftover piece from a pair of Thurlows I made in January or February.  I sewed French seams, and hemmed the skirt by hand.

The pink top is a Butterick pattern that I made last year.  I believe I cut a size medium.  I want to make another top like it.   I always gets lots of compliments on the top, and I did receive lots of compliments on my skirt and top.  I think I wore this on Tuesday.



See how fresh I look?  This is early morning, before life wears me out!




See how tired I look?  This is after work!  No hose or shoes.  I am a class act!



Peach blossoms

My peach tree is in full bloom.  I never get any peaches that we can eat, because they are the size of marbles.  LOL  I always think we should cut it down each year, but then it blooms, and it looks so pretty, so it gets another chance!

I am in the process of cutting out a Renfrew t-shirt.  I hope to have it finished by the first of next week.

Take care and God bless!

Molly & Maggie Easter Picture

I just love this picture.  Are they not the most adorable girls you have ever seen? 

Not much sewing going on this week.  I have been way too tired to do much of anything but get by ;p

I hope to finish my skirt this weekend.

Take care and God bless!

Simplicity 2599

Here is the modeled shots of the top I made for my mom. 



Blurry picture!



Cheesy grin, a butt shot and bare feet.  Classy!

I gave it to her this a.m.  She really liked it.  I hope it fits her good.

I have cut out a skirt that I hope to get started on this weekend.

Happy Easter everyone!

Take care and God bless.

Sneak Peak of Simplicity 2599 & Other Things

I will do a proper modeled shot tomorrow, but here is a few pictures of the top that I made for the 2013 Essential Top Sew-along.

The guts.

Back

Front

I have made this top for my mom.  She doesn't know about it, so I will surprise her next week.  I am a bit concerned on how well the flower trim will hold up.  I cut a size 14, made French seams and bound the arm holes.  I hand hemed the sleeves and bottom of the top.  I also cut the excess from the darts and finished w/ a lock stitch.  I also machine embroidered my mom's initials on the inside facing.  My mom is in a nursing home, and the staff always write their initials on the inside of their clothing w/ a black magic marker.  I am hoping they will not do that w/ the top.

While this is a basic pattern, it is very easy to embelish. 

In other news...

Bread with homemade butter!  We grind our own wheat.  It is so much better than the store bought flour.

I will end with two more cute pictures of Ms. Maggie Mae and her momma.

Whoa diggity!  What is the white stuff.

Take care and God bless!

Miss Maggie Mae

Our newest Jersey heifer made her grand entrance on 03/19/13 at approximately 1:30 p.m.

She is named after my mother, which is one heck of a compliment since I love my animals like people love their kids ;)

Okay, how cute is she?  She looks just like a deer.

She is already trying to mimic her momma.

If you could just hear Molly (momma) "talk" to her baby, your heart would melt.

 Miss Maggie will stay on her momma until about 4.5 - 5 months.  At that time, she will be weaned.  We are firm believers of not pulling the momma and baby apart immediately.  We are more interested in the health of the calves over what little extra profit that can be made.  By keeping the momma and baby together, a very strong bond is built,  and the baby learns by watching and not just by instinct, which we believe is much better in the long run.

And, Burl Ives wanted to make an appearance.

On a different subject, above is the pattern, fabric and trim that will be used to make a top for the Top Sew-a-long that Faye's Adventures in Sewing is hosting.  It is all cut out, and I will begin sewing it on Sunday.  I am ready.  I have not sewn a stitch this week!

Take care and God bless.