The business end of things

My husband and I are early risers.  Our days start at 3:00 a.m. Every.Single.Day.  See, we have a small dairy and also raise chickens and sell their eggs.  I'm not complaining about the time we get up, because that is what non-corporate farm life is like, and that is the life we have chosen to live.  And besides, on the weekends, we take naps to make up for lost sleep during the week.  I love to nap. :)



Molly - our Jersey girl



Mom, please stop with the pictures



And stop looking at my butt!



This is the business end of things.
This is what a bag/udder should look like - clean of manure.
You will not find that on corporate farms - promise!



Molly is due to drop a calf any day now.  Her bag is big in the picture above, but it is so much bigger today.  Before she drops, it will be so dang tight, it would make any woman cringe.  I am cringing now thinking of it.

Are you done humiliating me yet?  Thank you.



This is Minnie - Molly's daughter.  She is hopefully preggers now.  We will find out in a about 20 days.



We have 32 hens and 2 roosters.  They free range our land.  It makes their eggs nice and rich.



Captain Duke - Our Welsummer rooster.  Our other rooster is name Burl Ives.



Starting seeds for our garden.



We also grow most of our veggies on 1/2 acre of land.  That is alot of land to grow!  Gardening is my least favorite thing to do, and my husband agrees with me, but again, it is a life style choice we have made. 

Have a good day.

Take care and God bless.

Jalie Cardigan

From the first time I seen this on Mushywear’s blog, I knew I wanted to make the cardi, and when I spotted the sweater knit fabric at Hancock’s I knew what it was destined to become.



Excuse the firewood and ash bucket!

I love the jacket.  The pattern is very easy to put together.  I cut a size 11 and used ¼” seams.  It fits great, and goes well with many of my clothes.   I especially love the length of the jacket.  While Spring is just around the corner, I will still get some wear out of this jacket before the temperatures get too high.

Let me just say that this is the first time that I ever had a knit stitch option on a machine, and I love it.  It keeps the fabric stretchy.  Oh how I love my Janome.

I am all about jazz hands this a.m.!

I want to make at least a couple more of these jackets – one in grey/grey mix, and another in a navy/navy mix.

Take care and God Bless

New Look A6106 Skirt & Simplicity 2285 Jacket

The skirt pattern is very simple and straight forward.  I didn’t use the instructions.  I cut a size 16 and by the time I did the French seams, it was give/take size 13/14.  I added 3” to the length of the skirt.  I used a dusty purple denim that I purchased from Gorgeous Fabrics.  I love it, but it may be too much purple at once :)  I love the fact that the zipper I installed turned out fantastic.  I am embarrassed to say that it has taken me years to install zippers to my liking.

The jacket is another easy project, but I did use the instructions.  I cut a size 14, and it ended up being a size 12.  I did quite a bit of topstitching on the skirt and jacket w/ my twin needle on all seams.  I wish I would have taken the time to figure out a way to line it.  It would be more polished, although, the only person IRL who knows it is not lined is me.  I used 1” diameter black buttons and used the wrong side of the denim for the shoulder epaulettes.  I eliminated the epaulettes on the wrist area.  I didn’t like how they looked, and added wrist bands instead, which gave me extra length as I didn’t care for the short looking sleeves.  Oh, the collar is suppose to be a stand up collar, but it is so tall, that I turn it down.  It looks good turned down, but mercy, it looks completely silly standing up.



See the zipper!  Nope, you really can't!  Success!

All in all, the garments turned out pretty much like the pictures, and I will certainly use the skirt pattern again. 

One of these days I will get better pictures of the clothing, and hopefully of me LOL.  I always seem to look ticked off in photos.  I guess I need to smile more, huh?

Take care and God bless.

Simplicity 4760 - Men's Shirt

This is a very straight forward shirt pattern with pockets.  I didn’t even open up the instructions, so I cannot tell you if they are well written and easy to understand.  Version B was made w/o the yolk or side vents.  I used medium weight black denim that I had in my stash and used the black cotton/poly that I made my Thurlows out of for the facing and pocket flap lining because I barely had enough denim to cut out the shirt.  It looks quite nice together.  The pocket flaps was a request by my husband, and I think it would have been better w/o them, but he likes them, and I that is all that matters ;)  I did not need to purchase one thing to make this shirt.  Woo Hoo for stash items!

I did quite a bit of top stitching on this shirt which gives it a more RTW/finished look.    French seams were used on most all seams, w/ the exception of the arm holes, and seam binding was used on them.  I made a little label to place inside as well - "Well made In USA", which may or may not mean anything to anyone but me, but I am so sick and tired of crap items made at strategic overseas locations.  Don't get me wrong, I realize it is not the fault of the worker bees in those sweat factories.  They are just doing what they are told.  Okay, enough about that...

Of course, I have no modeled shots, so the pictures just do not do the shirt justice.  It hangs funny on my dress form.  It really does look pretty dang good.

Take care and God bless!

Lekala Pencil Skirt & OOP Simplicity 9857 Blouse

Let’s start with the Lekala pattern.  If you are unfamiliar with this pattern company, you provide your measurements, and patterns are drafted based on the measurements supplied.  Their website is www.lekala.co

The skirt is pattern no. 5088 (one of their free patterns), which is nothing more than a pencil skirt.  The pattern is very easy to understand and sew.  What I didn’t realize is that Lekala patterns run a bit snug, and I do not like snug garments, so I need to lose a few pounds before I will even entertain the thought of wearing it.  That is a shame, since it is such a pretty skirt.  I cut what should have been the equivalent of a size 12 and allowed for ¼” french seam.  I hand sewed the bottom hem.  The fabric is a navy poly-blend. 

Now let’s talk about the blouse.  I love this blouse.  It is a TNT pattern.  I really cannot count how many blouses I have made with this pattern.  The sizing is pretty much on the money.  I used a cotton/poly blend fabric.  The fabric is fairly thin, and I wish I would have underlined it, but what’s done is done.  I have a nice camisole that will keep my covered.  I cut a size 12 and used 5/8” French seams everywhere except the armholes.  White lace was used to cover those seams.  I hand sewed the bottom hem, and used very dainty, round pearl buttons.  I also hand stitched the continuous lap located on the bottom of each sleeve.  This is a nice addition to my work wardrobe.

Now, if I can only lose those 5 pesky lbs…

You can also find this review at www.://handmakersfactory.com.au.

Take care and God Bless.

Kay

Thurlows - Take 3

The third time is almost the charm.  The waistband still needs a bit of work, but overall, it is pretty close to perfect :)  I am going to make another pair out of a crinkly cotton/poly blend.  I think I will make them into capris, and will really work over the waistband until I get the most perfect fit.  That will be a month or so down the road, because right now, I am working on a denim shirt for my husband, and then I want to make me a t-shirt.

The pants are a size 12, and is made out of a cotton/poly twill.  They do not get too wrinkly by the end of the day.

I am also wearing the Butterick jacket that I posted about here.  I love the jacket, and really want to make a few more.

Take care and God Bless,

Mom's Jacket

The above jacket was made by my mom as a gift to me over 25 years ago.  She appliqued all the pieces both by hand and by machine on a sweat shirt that she cut and made into a jacket.  The sweat shirt is a size large, and has always been too big on me, but I love the jacket to pieces, and wear it once or twice a year.  I want it to last forever :)   My mom is 84, has Alzheimer's, and does not remember making it.

I have a denim shirt that she purchased and hand embroidered a gorgeous peacock on the back of it.  It was a birthday gift from her.  I will have to model it one of these days too.  My mom took so much pride in her work, and it showed then and still does today.

Enjoy the weekend everyone.  I am so glad it is Friday.

Take care and God bless.