Adrift In Crafts

I got wind of a granola recipe from a friend and was going to prepare it, until I realized I preferred my granola in bars. It’s nice sprinkled and mixed in with oatmeal but if I’m going to eat it by itself I’d rather have it in one piece. Enter the granola bar. I looked around for a recipe and found this one by Alton Brown.

Mmmmm:

This is after attempting to cut them. I should have tried cutting them while they were still a little warm, instead of waiting til they were cool, as per the recipe. One change I made was to use cranberries instead of the mixture of apricots, blueberries or cherries originally called for. Also, I didn’t have a 9×9 pan so I had to use my 8×8 instead; no biggie there. I do wish I had a ‘half-sheet’ because scooping the oat mixture into the pot on the stove was a little wonky. I got 95% of it into the pot with no problems so I’m not complaining.

Overall, it’s a good snack recipe and it was very easy to do. Being accustomed to store-bought packaged ‘granola’ bars, I had to get used to the texture of these and the obvious wheat germ taste. After a few bites, it grew on me and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to prepackaged. Even littlest Beanlet complimented the taste. I bet the kids won’t mind their oatmeal now.

TTFN!

Though I’ve been deep in a sewing binge I felt I needed to stay connected to knitting. But I wanted something small and simple to avoid another project where things just seemed to take so long, that I found myself not finishing(coughsweaterscough). I found this cute little rib knit slippers pattern and finished them in less than 24 hours.

These don’t look as cute as they probably should but they’re oh so comfy! I can walk around in them all day and sneak up on the kids when they’re acting up–previously they could hear me flip flopping down the hall and know I’m coming…

I thought about using acrylic yarn for the wash-ability but I knew it wouldn’t feel as nice on my feet. The pattern is really easy and it’s great train-and-appointment-waiting knitting. I could truly see myself making more pairs like this. It really ‘knit’ the spot!

TTFN

Last night I started, and today I finished Kwik Sew 3710. It’s another pattern I’ve had simmering in my stash for a long time. It’s a dressy-casual type of dress but I used some lounge wear knit fabric I got at the Save-A-Thon.

This was a quick project. I got to use my serger for the majority of it, only referring to the sewing machine to do bust darts(which again I don’t think I need). Over all I had fun with this and I have more fabric like it in hot pink so I’ll make another. This one is going to be a house dress. I goofed and didn’t think about the big line of mashed up flowers going down the middle of the fabric when I cut out the pattern. Oops. Also, the armhole and neck are WAY too big and I need a shirt under this. I’m thinking it was a bad choice of fabric for this particular design. There’s too much stretch. I’m thinking when I do it again, I’ll use one of the smaller band sizes

I also need to work on understanding the tensioning on the serger. I got a lettuce edge effect on the bottom of this, which I like, but wasn’t really the intended effect. It was supposed to be topstitched or blind hemmed. The serger can actually blind hem, but I was desperate to get this finished and put it on. I guess that means I need to work on my PATIENCE too.

For the most part, I enjoy the simplicity of Kwik Sew patterns but I’m beginning to not like their approach to plus-size sewing. While I fully understand that getting your clothes to look right means working on getting the best fit, it still irks me how designers seem to think all round women are TALL. I am so NOT tall. 3710 comes with two views. I was thinking of view B until I opened the pattern and saw how long view A was. Yeah, exactly. I wound up using the armhole and neck lines from B but the length of A. (B is sleeveless which is what I wanted.) So, while I like Kwik Sew’s watered down techniques I’m going to have to go with something a bit more fitted. Something more along the lines of these:

Joann’s had a sale on Simplicity patterns. For $.99 I couldn’t pass it up. These bad boys usually go for $15 so this was a deal even if they don’t work out. But I’m hoping they do. It’ll be a learning experience, that’s for sure.

As for knitting, I’ve finished the pieces for Basic Black and it’s on the blocking board as I type this:

forgive my half-ass blocking. I know Big Beanlet will be glad it’s done. I’m a little upset with myself for taking so long with it. I just have been preferring to sew more than anything. And with the Spring and Summer coming I’ll probably let knitting go by the wayside again this year. It’s easy to do when you see how much faster a sewn garment is compared to a knit(or crochet!) one.

This morning I washed some lace edge fabric for kitchen curtains. It’s a thin cotton/poly blend(I think?) and it’s probably already dry. All I need to do is cut the width I need and sew up the sides and make a casing. No pattern needed. I think I hear it calling me.

TTFN

Behold, my first adult button-down shirt!!

This was one heck of a trip. In my previous post I talked about jumping into the wilds of garment-sewing, via this shirt. I plum forgot about those graduation dresses I made last year!! But still, I think what made this harder for me was that the intended recipient is ME, and that makes trying on as I sew, more difficult. I keep thinking I want a dress form, but I hear they’re a hassle to work with sometimes. And they’re $$$. At some point I’m going to have to get on the ball and make one of those duct-tape forms. I’m sure the Mr. will love wrapping me in tape.

Anyway, On with the show. Let’s go down the list of shirt highlights and things I’ve learned/become annoyed with:

First off, the collar stand. See that? It’s supposed to reach the edges of the button bands and it doesn’t. I double checked the pattern piece and I did indeed cut the right size.. This one issue makes me not want to make this shirt again. I’m debating if I want to just get a different pattern or try messing with adding length and extra seam allowance to this one. That’s another issue I had: seam allowance. Pretty much everything else I have sewn garment-wise involves 5/8″ seam allowance. At the very least, they were always more than the 1/4″ I was allowed on this one. Pressing seams open was a bit of a problem when I barely had enough fabric to hold down. Combined with this slightly stretchy fabric, the small seam allowance caused me to have to resew some seams because they’d come apart! Part of me wants to serge all the unfinished seams but with such small area to work with I might accidentally make the shirt too small. So I’m leaving the insides just as they are.

Buttonholes! Aside from the collar, another of my big fears was the buttonholes. I was so afraid I’d mess it up. Part of that was because I thought the buttonhole foot would also open the hole, so if I messed up I’d ruin the shirt. But that’s not the case, and once I practiced on some scraps I was good to go. All I had to do was cut open the hole with my friendly neighborhood seamripper. (Mr. Seamripper and I have become very friendly lately.)

Lastly:

Bust dart! At first I wasn’t sure how to sew this part. I’d never sewn one before. And based on this photo I’m thinking I didn’t need it. I never paid much attention to where the darts are on purchased clothing, but then that rarely if ever fits me correctly anyway, so it’s anyone’s guess. I’m thinking, next time to leave the dart out somehow. At least until I actually do have a form to try the shirt on. I have some dress patterns that I think have darts too, but I might just leave them out if the fabric is busy enough.

All in all, not bad. I could have made the visible seams straighter but I don’t go too many places so this is good enough for home and such. I got over the major hurdles: buttonhole, darts and figuring out how to attach the shoulder seams to the back yoke. That there was a doozy. One other frustation I had was sewing the curves of the bottom edges. Actually the sewing wasn’t the issue, it was the pressing flat. I might just draw in a square bottom; should be simple.

Though this pattern put me through some ups and downs I’m not giving up sewing. It’s not perfect, but at least I know, it’s made in America!

TTFN

Inspired by Karen to brave the wilds of garment-making, I set out to sew my first button-down shirt. I’ve had the pattern in my stash for at least a  year, along with two pieces of fabric but I was always too chicken to actually do it.  I chose what I thought would be a really easy pattern from a brand I like a lot(Kwik-Sew!) but I still had a few issues. I managed to get through the shoulder seams, confusing though they were, only to really fark up and wind up with what you see above.

That’s right. I sewed the sleeve on the wrong side. After pinning and repinning that section and finally seaming it, I was all kinds of YAY and then realized I’d boo-boo’d. Sigh. The seam ripper and I are on drinking buddy terms right about now. Not that I’ve actually BEEN drinking–I suspect that had I been the screw-up would have been worse!

This isn’t going to stop me from making more shirts, though. Though I’m still too chicken to go for long sleeves, I do look forward to sewing a few more projects from this pattern. Summer’s coming and I sure could use them.   As I type this the sleeve needs fixing, and then I can seam the other, then all there is left to do is seam the sides and sleeve bottoms and *GASP*… buttonholes! *nailbiting* Luckily there’s plenty of scraps left to practice buttonholing with.

TTFN

I Can!

I finally made something without consulting/following a pattern. I just went with what I remembered from viewing various other needle roll patterns on the internet. There were some lessons learned and I left out a step(I was thinking of putting in a layer of batting and forgot), but overall it was a simple process. I also forgot about a top flap, but with the roll closed I didn’t experience any danger of the needles falling out. This isn’t something I planned on taking places with me so that doesn’t really matter, but for next time I will remember to incorporate that feature.

Another oops was that I should have used a doubled over piece of fabric for the pockets. Next time I also plan to sew the pocket seams from bottom to top and back again, to eliminate the thread ends sticking out. Finally I should have gone very slowly to keep the lines straighter. In a hurry, that’s me.

All in all, not a bad deal from stash fabric and trim. I actually sewed two fat quarters together to get the outer fabric and pocket section but wound up cutting a lot off. I couldn’t seem to wrap my head about how long the roll needed to be. That alone has me a bit worried about the roll for my circs. Perhaps I should come up with something else. I also have crochet hooks to get in order but that should be much easier.

This is my fabric stash. Any questions?

I am officially F-SABLE, or Fabric Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy. Actually, if I live to be 75 I might be able to use it all for something. But it’s still a lot of fabric. There’s no set amount one should be able to use within a year, but whatever that criterion is, I’m past it.

I figured disorganization is part of what’s been keeping me from using the stash. I didn’t know what I had and I’d go buy more. I’ve yet to buy the same print twice without knowing it, but I keep finding new stuff, only to get home and find I’ve got something similar, or which would be just as good for a project in mind. So, to help put an end to that, get a better idea of what I have, and fall in love with my stash again, I set out to ‘organize it’.

I put the word organize in quotation marks because, well, organization for me is futile at best. Mainly because I lack the space I’d really need to put it all away the way I’d like

This is my cotton yardage so far. I’ve got a bunch of scraps I want to put to use at some future date in another bin of its own, which also houses my many fat quarters I purchased when I was in a fat quarter-buying haze. Also not pictured is a bin with stretch knits and stuff I want to make clothes out of. I think I went a little overboard buying knits for my new serger. Crazy that I bought it near the end of the Summer last year and figured I’d stop with the T-shirt making because it was going to be Fall soon. We see how that turned out! I could have just kept going. Hopefully I can get a head start for the Summer THIS year.

Lest you think I’m not knitting:

“Basic Black” is coming along. I got over the hump I was stuck behind in regards to the shoulder shaping of the fronts. After I finish this, though, I MUST do something with the Heather Hoodie Vest before it gets too warm. I’ve decided to just keep it with no sleeves. I should be able to do the hood and button band with the three balls of handspun I have left. I can’t wait!! I’ve been reading the hood has been turning out extra big for some knitters so I will have to keep an eye on when exactly to accommodate for that. That should leave me with more yarn for the rest of the project.

The only thing bugging me about the Basic Black is the yarn is 80/20 Acrylic/wool. It was a gift to me, so I can’t complain. I just hope the blocking goes smoothly with what little wool content it has. Otherwise seaming will be a doozy!

As for actually sewing, Nashe challenged me to sew a knitting needle roll-freehand! I’m up for the challenge but I’ve got some cleaning to do for guests this week and getting the fabric under control took a lot more time than I’d hoped for(it lives in the livingroom, so I had to do something). I’m typing this during a cleaning break. I’m almost done and hopefully I’ll have tomorrow while the kiddies are in school to catch up with the needle roll. I do desperately need one. Or two, or 3! (DPNs, circs and crochet hooks)

I guess that’s it for now!
Later gaters!

I’m always on the internet looking for sewing inspiration. I’m finding it, too. Blogs aplenty showcase home-sewn fashions, accessories, and decor. And each time I see something I really like, I say to myself, “I’m going to try that!”. Sometimes I actually get the materials/supplies. And then, I blank out. I don’t know WHAT to do. It drives me bananas seeing others sew these awesome outfits and stuff, and I can’t seem to get my ass in gear. And I think I know what it is. Fear.

Fear of messing up lovely fabric. I know, I know. The solution to that would be to just get a crapload of fabric I don’t really care for and work the pattern with that FIRST. But believe it or not, it’s so hard to see any fabric as something I don’t really ‘care for’. Oh sure, there’s prints and such that I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing, but I’m thinking the issue with this is.. Two different fabrics won’t drape the same, so making a muslin with a cheap fabric might lull me into thinking I’ve done the right thing. Then when I use the ‘real’ fabric, everything goes wonky and Oh SHIT! I spent all that money. I’m afraid I’ll be relegated to wearing my muslins. (To be fair, I’ve seen some really nice ‘muslins’ out there, so someone’s getting it right the FIRST TIME).

Sigh. All I ever heard growing up was, ‘if it looks to good to be true, it probably is. And so I take that into my sewing psyche. Yeah the dress LOOKED simple and blammo! I farked it up. Like that “One Seam Convertible Dress” I made a mess of about 3 years ago. I’m half crazy enough to try that again with a fabric I’ll WEAR in the street. But messing that up really stung me. I almost didn’t want to sew again after that debacle.

Yet, I kept at it, and came forward to my favorite pairs of pajama/lounge pants, and the two awesome graduation gowns I made the girl Beanlets. We got a lot of compliments on those dresses; they were my proudest creations. But with the beginning of a new year, I’m starting to get afraid again. I’ve got fabrics and patterns and ideas calling out to me and I hide. Combine a fear of screwing up with procrastination and it’s a wonder I get anything done!

But I’m working on it day by day, and I hope I can create things I’ll be excited to share(and wear!)

TTFN

Back in the saddle again. It’s another new year upon us. It seems like I was saying this sort of thing about 2009, just yesterday. Onward, and upward.

Last post I mentioned a simple biscuit recipe I found through a friend. But something was missing, and I decided they needed to be buttermilk biscuits instead. I looked for an easy buttermilk recipe and thought I had everything I needed. Turns out the store down the road doesn’t stock buttermilk(what?!?!), and I hadn’t paid clear attention to the ingredients list, because it also called for self-rising flour and I don’t keep that in the house. But Google IS my friend(or at least is willing to help) and I was able to find recipes for subbing for these ingredients.

Who knew all you had to do, to approximate buttermilk was to add an acid to regular milk? Well, I wouldn’t drink it like that(but then I don’t drink buttermilk straight either), but it worked well enough. Once I got everything figured out I basically combined the two recipes and was on my way. The result? They were a hit! Of course, they were such a hit, they were gone in a flash and I have no photographic evidence. Well, I have two left but who wants a pic of two lonely biscuits?

In crafting, here’s the last FO of 2009.

Finally made those matching mittens I was supposed to make for littlest Beanlet. She loves them! Everyone else is pretty much good with handwear for the winter, except Mr. Beanknit who hates gloves and won’t wear them. I’m now on the fence about which colorwork mitten pattern I want to use for my next pair of handwear. I’m so used to working with prescribed amounts of commercial yarns, and combined with the issue of my handspuns not always being the weight I think they are… I’m headed for sure insanity when it comes to substituting yarns. We’ll have to see how that goes.

As for WIPs, I’ve got a Basic Black(Ravelry link) for big girl going now. Had a temporary issue with the shoulder shaping of the front, but I’m just gonna go with my gut on this. There’s so many projects I want to start, like Citron and a totebag from Yarngeek’s first sewing tutorial, but I have a stack of stuff I keep saying I’ll finish. Procrastination is sooooo easy when you only have two hands, huh?

TTFN.

I could bore you with the sordid tale of my laptop falling in the hole(TWICE!) and my camera pretending to be broken and me almost FedEx-ing it to BFE for nothing, but I won’t. Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?

Between getting my system fixed and the camera working again, I bring you this!

The solid burgundy was done first.

I’d been wanting a nice, simple slouchy hat for the winter. I didn’t seem to find what I wanted in knitting, so I browsed crochet patterns and found one that worked well. Just wish I could remember where I found it. But here’s a similar one.

I had to rip the multi-colored one a few times because I forgot how many increase rounds I did before continuing on even and it kept getting too big. Way to record-keep Bean! Anyway, I got it finished and I’d like to make more of them. I had one going in the second pattern out of some handspun wool/silk from my stash but no matter how big a hook I use I’m not getting the drape I’m looking for. Methinks I need to use a different yarn. I’m also seriously considering making this next one a knit. I like the looks of this hat. Sigh, so many patterns, so little time.

I’ve been in the kitchen again too.

I got wind of these awesome biscuits from Yarngeek and had to try them out. The process was really quick and simple. That’s always a plus with me. As good as they are, though, I’m thinking I prefer buttermilk. So that’s next on the list one of these days.

That’s pretty much it for now, til next time!

TTFN