Jalie 2921 and Ginger

My latest outfit for summer.  Jalie 2921 and Colette Ginger Skirt.

 I've been trying hard to look at the gaps in my wardrobe and stay focused.  I have a dark denim mini skirt that I wear quite often and thought I could really use one a little longer this summer too.  This is my 4th Ginger skirt, and I'm still tweaking the fit.  This one is a bit lower on my waist and about 3 inches longer, which I probably needed due to my height.

 One of my mom's friends was cleaning out her apartment and had this piece of denim lying around.  It was meant to be! (and free)

This shirt was a long time coming.  Jalie 2921 has been on my wish list for a long time, and it didn't disappoint!  I made this on a Saturday morning while the kids watched cartoons, then wore it out to the park that afternoon.  The instructions for the scarf collar were unusual, but I just followed what it said and it was a breeze.  I also got to practice using my coverstich machine for all the hemming.  
The fabric feels like interlock.  I got it for $1!  Anyone local to Manchester, New Hampshire should check out this store, Fabric Fix!  They have a limited selection, but oh the bargains!  It's hit or miss, I usually swing in once every few months, but I should be going there instead of JoAnn's.  Most fabrics are on wide rolls and are $1-$4 a yard.

I was so glad for a successful outfit.  

Check out this mess:

Poor unfortunate Ginger skirt #3.  I chalk this up to poor fabric choice.  If it shows every lump and bump on my dress form, just imagine someone who has birthed 4 children. 

 Nuff said.

Wiksten Tova Dress

I finally made my Wiksten Tova Dress, just in time for Mother's Day!  It turned out to be a beautiful day (and weekend!), perfect for this summer dress.

Fabric Used: navy and white poplin from Fashion Fabrics Club.  

After searching through the Wiksten Flickr Group for way too long one night looking at all different versions of this pattern, I decided on a short sleeved version with cuffs.

I had previously made a 3/4 sleeve version for my 15 year old daugther, Maura.

I have a feeling I'll be making this dress/shirt pattern again, it's very comfortable!  I can see why it's so popular.  

There was an excellent Tova sew along which I missed, but the posts have all kinds of great inspiration for anyone making this pattern.

the only photo that shows my new Timberland shoes.

Liam and Me

I hope all you Moms had a great Mother's Day yesterday!  We had such a fun weekend.  On Saturday we went to Canobie Lake Park.  Then on Sunday I did some sewing, put a blanket out in the yard and relaxed with the kids, and then had a very nice dinner at a restaurant.

Maura with the first snake of the season, Ronald.  He was tiny!  Maura's wearing the skirt I just finished for her, I can't seem to locate the pattern, but it's your basic See & Sew A Line skirt with a back zipper.

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Next up:  in search of the perfect skirt pattern!  Anyone found it?  Summer's right around the corner and I need skirts.

Don't forget to enter your skirts for Skirt Week 2012!

April Vacation week (formerly known as Kids Clothes Week Challenge)

It's already over, but I did participate in Elsie Marley's Kids Clothes Week Challenge again.  I didn't have as much time as in the past because my kids were ALL HOME for that week.  The schools should know not to schedule April vacation during a sew-along.  Geez.

So with my one hour a day in my sewing studio, here is what I made:

Patterns used: Charlie Tee and Sailboat Pants

These pants are so cute I want to make them in every color.

I also worked on a skirt for Maura, which, as of now, has been devoured by her room.  Will it ever be seen again so I can photograph her in it?  Time will tell.

It's time for Skirt Week 2012!!

I'm so excited!  Crafterhours Skirt week is back! 

This year I'll be helping with the judging!!

You can start entering your skirts right now in the flickr pools!  You can even enter any skirt made between July 1st, 2011 and the last day to enter is June 8th 2012 so there is no reason not to give it a shot.  There are 4 categories and you can enter up to 3 skirts per category.  Think of the prizes!!  Last year I almost died of awesome when those amazing prizes started to roll in. 
Check out last year's skirt week here.

Skirts are my favorite thing to sew for summer,
and I can't wait to see all the inspiration in the flickr pools:

A Line Skirts
Straight Skirts
Full Skirts
Children's skirts

Happy skirtmaking!

Switchin' up my sewing area

Previous sewing area:

On one hand, I loved having my sewing area in this sunny area of my room, as long as it looked this organized, which was never.  Notice my ironing board was neatly put away even! Ha!  This picture was when my house was for sale last summer.

I recently got a new Brother Coverstitch machine (yay!), and that was when my bedroom was officially taken over by my sewing studio.  So I moved everything into it's own room in my upstairs storage room. 

So this is the new set up.

Now at least I don't have to worry about cluttering up my bedroom with all this stuff, and if I'm in the middle of a project, okay several projects, I don't have to look at it all in my bedroom.

I even brought Travis' play table in so we could work side by side.

Storage

This is the dresser where I keep my favorite patterns, to left (unpictured) is another cabinet (a DVD cabinet) where I keep even more patterns.  It's a sickness.

So I've been using this room for a bit, and while I miss the natural light it seems to be working out fine.

Now I just need some ideas for what to do with this...

???