February: One Garment A Month Sew Along Result

For February, I decided I really needed some warmer pajama bottoms, so that is what I made.  Pajama bottoms are a great project for beginners, as well as, an easy gift to make for others--so no excuses, anyone can make some!

For this one I used Butterick 4038 for my pattern.  I made view F, the full length pant in a size S with adjustments for length.  (Eventually, I'll go back and make the hooded top.)  I used some leftover fabric from the backing of a denim quilt I made my brother one year for his birthday.  It was from a plush minkie fleece blanket I found on sale at the local Fred Meyer store, queen size.  So, after the quilt there were these fairly narrow strips of fabric leftover, just the right size for the pattern pieces.  The plush fabric is a burgandy color and much thicker than the cuddle minkie you'll find at stores like JoAnns, so I'm quite pleased at the snugglly factor in these jammies.  (Seriously, its like walking around in a cuddly blanket--I may never wear jeans again.)

Nice, right?  (I went outside for photos as it is currently nice and sunny out there, but it does make the pjs appear more reddish than they really are--that or my camera's on the fritz again.)

I serged all the main seams and the edges at the waist and hem (the later to finish off the fabric edge and stop it from shedding all the little red fluffy bits).  I also made a small stitch in the seam with embroidery floss to mark the front.  While I was sewing I marked the front pieces with a pin to keep them straight from the back pieces which look almost the same.  This makes it much easier once you start attaching fronts to backs and sewing the crotch seam at which point it is so easy to end up with a very messed up project (which is always frustrating, but especially so on such an easy pattern).

This pattern has an elastic waistband instead of a drawstring.  One word of caution about the pattern.  It tells you to take the measurement of your waist and add an inch for the amount of elastic.  Ah, hello?  Elastic stretches, you don't want it larger than you already are or it won't hold the pants up!  So cut your elastic this way:  measure your waist and subtract an inch or two (depending on how stretchy your elastic is).

For the waistband, I folded the serged edge under and then folded to the fold line shown on the pattern.  I then topstitched with a straight stitch around and, because this fabric is so plush and I wanted to be very sure it was sewn down permanently, I also stitched with a zigzag stitch over the folded edge after I'd inserted the elastic.  This is a very comfortable waist--no pinching or sagging.

For the hems, I just folded under the serged edge and topstitched it down.  Easy peasy.

Cost: 
Fabric:  $0 (leftovers from another project)
Elastic:  $1.37 (but only used some of the package)
Pattern:  $1.99
Thread:  $0 (leftovers from another project)
Total:  $ 2.30

January: One Doll/Softie a Month Challenge

Okay, I've been working on some softie patterns of my very own.  Here is one line that I designed this December--I call them Mojo Dolls,  although my brother says I should call them Weirdies.  So, at the end of this post, is a poll--you can help decide the name of this softie line!

I made six different ones ( the prototypes were tested in December) in January, all from the same pattern, but due to materials and the nature of anything handmade, each is just a bit different--I really like that about handmade toys.  These will end up in my etsy shop later (after their official photo shoot)--kind of sad to see them leave though.  I'm considering making the pattern available for those DIYs out there, just need to write up the instructions with step by step images.

Warning:  These are just snapshots, so don't expect the world's best photos.  (Sorry, I just had a few minutes to grab some images so you could see that I met the monthly challenge.)

Green Softie

Orange Softie

Yellow Softie

Pink Softie

Blue Softie

Fuschia Softie--I had a had time getting a good photo of this one.  The fabric is a lovely fuschia/pink stretch velvet (so soft!) which has a luster to it that was just giving my camera fits in the lighting.  Can't wait to set up the correct lighting and make it look as good in the photo as in real life.

What should I name this line of Softies?

January: One Garment a Month Sew Along Result

Okay, because I decided to join the Pattern Review sew along the last bit of January, I decided to finish an unfinished project instead of trying to start a new one from scratch.  I finished the dog coat for my beloved borde collie/Australian shepard mix, Stars.

Pattern Used:  Butterick 4226 (read my review by clicking on the My Reviews in the right column)
Size:  Large (I wanted extra coverage for the cold.)
Fabric/Notions: 
Outer fabric is a medium-light blue denim
Lining is a baby pink lightweight sweatshirt fleece (soft fuzzy side sewn out)
Binding:  1/2" single fold bias tape in bright pink
2" wide white sew-on Velcro
Coats and Clark Dual Duty thread in bright pink
Cost:
Denim  $2  (with extra for another project)
Fleece  free (a garage sale find given to me)
Binding  2 packages @ $ 1.67 each (JoAnns with a 40% off coupon, only used about 1 and 1/3 packages)
Velcro  16 inches @ $ .09/inch (JoAnns by the yard with 40% off coupon)
Thread  $1.30 (JoAnns during a 50% off sale)
Pattern $1.99 (JoAnns sale)
Total:   $8.96

And what did I get for the money?  One very happy border collie. 

I thought the bright pink binding added a nice touch of contrast with the denim and especially helped the collar to become a more noticable design feature.

I used bright pink thread to attach the binding and to sew on the velcro.  When sewing the velcro, I used a zigzag stitch--the stitching was going to show, so why not make it part of the design, right?

The contrasting soft pink lining is not only beautiful with both the denim and the binding, but by sewing the soft fuzzy side out, it is very cuddly and warm.

I used two strips of the Velcro per band.  Stars often runs through the plants, jumps, and rolls, so I did not want to chance an end of the bands poking out and catching or tripping him.

Stars is very proud of his new coat--when I put it on him, he goes around and shows everyone how good he looks.  The first time he was outside wearing the coat, he laid down and went to roll--I exclaimed, "Stars, you'll get your coat dirty!" and he jumped right up and tried to inspect his coat for dirt!  (Don't worry, I explained to him that it is washable, and he now happily sits and lays outside without worry of dirt ruining his fabulous fashion.)  He did however let me know when he was done modeling for the camera.

2009 Dolls

Before I begin showing my creations from the sew along challenges, I thought I'd really quick show some dolls I made last year--you know you want to see them!

Here is my very first Edith Ackley Flack style doll--Angel (because she's so lovely).  This is from the To Greet a Little Girl doll pattern designed by Edith Ackley Flack.  I made her almost completely from my stash--I did have to buy yarn for hair (around $4) and some faux leather for the shoes (around $3).  All her clothes are removable (hook and eye) and she has a little slip, chemise and pantaloons with lace and pintucks.  Hand embroidered face too.  Isn't she lovely.  If you haven't made one of these heirloom style dolls, you really should.  They're a bit of work, but oh so wonderful when finished.  I'm working on a second one for the February month of the challenge. 

Here are two of the little Raggedy Ann style dolls I made from patterns designed by Dee over at Oh Sew Dollin.  They are made with tea-dyed muslin, hand painted eyes and legs, hand embroidered face (and heart on the body).  Aren't they just adorable--love their hair!  I did purchase the 2 fat quarters for each of the dresses ($5 per doll), the hair ($5.99 per skein), the tea bags ($1.99), giant rickrack trim ($1.50) and the buttons ($1.50 each).  I don't normally go buy everything to try out a new doll pattern, but these were so cute that I just couldn't resist.

This one was made with the My Annie pattern.  (This one became part of my mom's Christmas presents and is now carefully guarded in her room.)

This one was made with the Long-legged Annie pattern.

The Price of Fashion

Been shopping for clothes lately?  If you have, then you may have also noticed the price tags and, unless your idea of couture is Walmart, you would have also noticed that decently constructed, quality clothes cost a bit more than a few shiny pennies.  I'm not even talking Armani or Dior here.  No, I'm talkin' regular ol' department store types like Ann Taylor, White House Black Market, Gap, and Abercrombie.  Over a $150 for a dress--are you kidding me?  $98 for capri's--yeah, right.  (And no, the sparkle isn't worth the extra $50.)  Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm all for stores making profits, employing people, and marketing their products (and I do love some of their products), but if you're feeling the pinch in the pocket book, then you understand exactly how I feel--like highway robbery is occuring.  So what's a girl to do?

Well, going naked is definitely out--there's just some things no one should have to see.  So that leaves you with three main options--pay their outrageous prices, give up and buy from less expensive sources, or get your talent on and make your own couture!  Now, you know I'm not about to pay those prices.  There's just no way--not with my budget (I'm funding my eternal collection of fabric and my border collie would disown me if I stopped the supply of biscuits). 

Less expensive sources can include thrift stores (find the ones near richer areas, better stuff), discount stores like Walmart and Target, eBay (look for NWOT--new without tags) and clearance racks (watch for those 60% off lowest prices days).  Of course, if you're like me and not an average sized individual in some way, you may find it tricky to find well fitting, classy and inexpensive all at once in the same garment.  I love eBay for this purpose--quickly search for specifics without dragging yourself all over town and a huge selection which is really nice when you live in a small town and the thrift stores are limited.  Of course, with some basic sewing skills your options are much greater.  You don't need to be able to construct a handsewn silk wedding gown either.  Simple skills like sewing buttons and knowing how to do proper hems can open opportunities in what ready-to-wear (RTW) will fit and look good, and it only grows from there.  Imagine finding pants that fit perfectly in the waist and hips, but they're too long (it seems like all pants are made for the women's basketball team).  Suddenly those hemming skills come to the rescue.  My mom found brand new jeans at Christopher & Banks for $9.99 and with a 1 inch hem adjustment, they'll fit perfectly.  And who can argue with $10 jeans--you'd have a hard time making a pair for that!

Which brings me to the last option--make your own clothes.  Many view sewing as some sort of mysterious cult of grandmothers--knowledge passed on secretly to the next generation only when deemed worthy...but really, it's not as hard as it looks.  And, with a little creativity, it's not as expensive either.  Did you know that JoAnn's (a fabric and craft store) puts patterns on sale every month?  I just bought 10 Simplicity patterns for a $1 each.  Most fabric stores also have a clearance area.  My favorite source for the inexpensive is thrift stores and auctions.  Sure, you'll have to sort through a ton of double knit polyester (that stuff will still be around when cockroaches inherit the earth) and most of the patterns are vintage--but, the right vintage is back in and sometimes, in between the orange paisleys and scratchy grandma fabrics, you'll find a sweet deal on some fabric that is worth having. 

Sure, I love high quality fabric--and its worth it for those wardrobe staples or really important outfits that you want to put the time into.  After all, how much would you have to pay for a custom fit and design.  Still, its nice to have some wardrobe pieces that you don't invest too heavily in--such as trendy seasonal pieces or learning items.  If I haven't made a pattern before, sometimes its worth creating a "wearable muslin" or a test in cheaper fabric so that I don't mess up the good stuff.  If it works out, great, another item to wear--and if not, I'm not crying over ruined silk.

So, you're probably wondering if you really can get a handmade item on the cheap--so I'll prove it too you.  (Whenever possible, in the future, I'll list my sources and prices.)  Here's the jacket I made for an online sewing class I took through Pattern Review (it was the Stitch and Flip Jacket class with Shannon Gifford).  People want to know where I bought it.  The key--careful construction and proper pressing equals professional results.  Then wear your handmade custom item with your RTW and it will blend right in, no one will guess.

Supply/Cost List:
Denim fabric, local senior center thrift store, $2.00 (and there's enough left over for a skirt or something)
Floral cotton fabric, mom's stash--traded for taking ebay photos, $2.00 (leftovers for a future project too)
Metal floral buttons, Joann's 50% off, $4.78
Fusible Interfacing, Palmer Pletch, $7.95 for whole pkg, used around 1/4--$2.50 (lots of leftover for future projects)
Thread, personal stash
Pattern, JoAnn's sale, $1.99 (check out my reviews in the right column)

Total:  $13.27

Oh yeah, baby--even on my budget $13.27 is totally doable.  The best part--it fits perfectly!

Sew Along Challenge

Okay, so I decided I needed a yearly challenge (apparently I don't have enough to do already what with running a photography/design business, creating my own patterns, and organizing a week long retreat for 40 people).  Let's face it, we all get busy, what with keeping up with Facebook and all, sometimes we don't get projects completed, or even started.  So, this sew along is really about motivation and accountability.  And well, it's just a good excuse for sewing.  "Sorry Mom, can't help with the dishes, got to meet the challenge."

What is this sew along you ask?  Well, the first one (yes, there's more than one) is with quite a few other sewing enthusiasts from a terrific site called Pattern Review.  (Really, its awesome, check it out.)  They have a section in the Message Board called Sew Alongs.  This challenge is the One Garment a Month Challenge.  The rules are fairly simple:  start and finish a garment within the month (you can also finish a project that's been sitting around for a bit); must be a wearable; can be for yourself (preferrably) or someone else (lucky them); post an image of the finished garment and leave a review of the pattern on the site (you don't have to do this, but its nice for the rest of us trying to decide if we would want to use that pattern).  The point of this sew along is to get you sewing clothing, especially for yourself. 

The second sew along challenge is my own Raggie Girl Challenge.  One blanket or quilt top every other month.  Quilting and binding doesn't need to be completed within the two months (I like to send my really nice quilts to a professional long-arm quilter, so it can take a while and be expensive.) but should be done by the end of the year.  (Yes, lil' sis, I will get the binding on your quilt.)  Alternatively, if you have some almost finished quilt tops sitting around you can do two mostly finished in exchange for one new--unfinished quilts are no good to anyone!  Oh, there's one more rule.  For those of us with extensive fabric stashes,  at least 85% of the quilt top or blanket needs to be from fabric you already have in your stash.  Time to clear out the old (got to make room for new stuff).  If you're new to quilting, go ahead and buy 100%--maybe get some extra to start a fabric stash with.  The point of this challenge is to finish projects and get your creativity going as you try to use what you already have.

The final challenge is another Raggie Girl Challenge.  One doll or softie a month.  You can use any pattern and any style.  That's it.  This one's a simple one, but the point is to get you creating dolls and softies. 

It's far too easy to buy patterns and never use them or pick out materials and start but never finish.  So this year is about finishing!  Join me (yes, I'm talking to all of you, not just my two loyal blog readers) for any of these challenges, I'd love to see what you make.  As for me, I'll be posting my progress right here on Raggie Girls.  You can even follow along with the same patterns if you want!