When there's no time to craft ...

For the last week I've been busy juggling some work assignments, which have totally eaten into my crafting hours. But since I enjoy my work, I don't mind entirely. (The days when I can do both, however, are truly the best.)

And, wouldn't you know it, when I finally stole a few moments to cut out my purple fabric so I could begin sewing my new skirt, I discovered I had bought way too little of the fabric. Like a quarter to a half a yard less than what I needed. Eeesh! I guess I should be lucky that this hasn't ever happened before, but there went my plans to start my skirt.

Given the work assignments, I haven't had time to get to the fabric store and get some more fabric. Instead of sitting at the sewing machine, I'm spending my crafting downtime sitting at my computer and scrolling through new-to-me sewing and quilting blogs, on the couch flipping through the new issue of Threads magazine and simply daydreaming about all the new things I'm hoping to make.

I know I can't be the only one who finds they don't always have time to craft. So have at it readers:

What's your plan for when you get sew or knit or be otherwise crafty on a particular day? How do you get your craft fix, without picking up any threads or yarn? And what's your favorite crafting blog?

BTW, is anyone else following the sewing contest over at Sew Mam Sew? I can't wait to see what the contestants have come up with for the final round of competition. So far the designs have been outstanding and the quality of the garments superb!

Sewing Spaces

I must say I am not the most organized crafter. I have things in a wicker basket in the living room, in a closet, in a drawer the bedroom. And it's not just items for one craft that I've got stashed away. Since I love doing different crafts at different times I have to make space for knitting needles, threads, yarn, fabrics, glue guns and more.

It's all a bit overwhelming to organize, not to mention take up a lot of space.

Which may explain why I've loved the virtual peek into other crafters design spaces this week thanks to the blog at The Sewing Loft, http://thesewingloft.com. Each day for the last week the website has highlighted three different sewers or quilters and showcased where they make their creative magic happen. Some of the crafters have full rooms dedicated to their art, others make do with makeshift spaces that do double duty as dining rooms or bedrooms.

I've got some great ideas for what I'd like to do with my own craft space at some point, but for right now I'm content with having spent a day organizing my supplies, putting fabrics and yarns together, and finding homes for most of the accessories that go along with crafting.

And in case you looking for some ideas to organize your supplies, particularly small items, I'd suggest you hit the back-to-school sales. Plastic school boxes and sliding pencil cases make great storage bins for packs of sewing needles, cable holder, stitch counters, embroidery floss and more.

Do you have any good storage or organization tips for crafters? Share them below.

Quilts, Fittings and More

I spent much of yesterday -- craft-wise -- doing two things, sewing on the binding of a quilt I was working on and trying to fit a muslin for a blouse I want to make. The first came out great. The latter, well, not so much.

The colors in my quilt (Ooh, do I get to give it a name? ... .How about Ocean Summer because of the blues and yellows??) were dictated by one small piece of fabric that I had saved over from another project that I absolutely loved. While some might question the color choices (I did get a bit of look from the quilt shop workers when I was trying to find the sashing fabric -- aka the green border toward the edge of the quilt and the picture below), I love the way it turned out.

As for the muslin fitting, which is a first for me, that was a bit more complicated and not quite as successful. I had to make a number of adjustments to both the front and back of the shirt pattern, and every time I thought I'd figure it out, well I'd put it on and have to go back and try again. I know that the shoulder seam was too long for my shoulders, but I was also having a problem at the neck edge. And that's where I kept getting tripped up. Should I adjust for slopping shoulders? For square shoulders? How could I tell the difference? In the end after much trial and error, I ended up making the armhole a bit lower and raising the edge of the shoulder seam. I think this should work... We will see soon enough as I am anxious to start sewing my blouse.

I've also got some other projects in the works. Namely a Jewish-themed quilt. I'll give you a sneak peek here:

Let me know what you think!

Fall Sewing!

One of the best things about August, aside from all the fun school and office supplies that are on sale, is the release of the fall pattern collections from the big four pattern houses. It's my time to sit down, evaluate the trends and start planning what I want to make. I've decided to focus on clothes that will allow me to make the most of this year's hot fall colors, while still keeping cool during the daytime heat.

So what's first on my must-sew list? A short sleeve blouse with a slightly gathered neck edge and sleeves and a straight pencil skirt. I'm going to be using Simplicity 1692, a vintage 1940s pattern for the top. The skirt will be my first attempt using a Burda pattern from their magazine. (Wish me luck, just following the cutting lines was a job in itself!)

To make the outfit feel more fall-ish, I'm going with purple fabrics. The skirt will be made in a solid gabardine, while the blouse will be from a sheer polyester printed fabric in purple with hints of teal, mustard and winter white. Both of the fabrics are from Joann's and I can't wait to start sewing.

Which brings me to my big problem ... Fit! I know all you fashion sewers out there can relate. After several years of not sewing too many garments, I've discovered that patterns don't fit me all that well anymore. I'm pretty sure I'm cutting the right sizes, but a need to make a lot of adjustments to improve the fit and I'm not always sure which adjustments are the right ones to make. For instance, on two different garments I sewed recently the back neck didn't lay flat against my neck. Instead it seemed to pull away from my body. But I noticed the shoulder seams were way to long, so is this all a result of my shoulders being narrower than the pattern pieces or is there something else that needs fixing?

Because I really want this purple outfit to work, I think I'm going to make a test garment first and see if I can't figure out what I need to fix. I've never really done this before, so I'm not quite sure how I take the test garment and mark the changes I'll need to make on the pattern pieces, so I'll be doing some research to figure it all out. In the meantime, if you have any fit tips or advice on working with a muslin sample, feel free to leave them in the comments  section and if you don't sew clothes is concern about getting the right fit one of the things that's holding you back?

A Quilt Show

Over the years I’ve attended plenty of different kinds of conventions – TV fan conventions, book conventions,  work-related conventions – but this wee, I shifted focus and went to the International Quilt Festival, a four-day extravaganza highlighting everything from modern, solid color quilt patterns to traditional hand-pieced quilts, applique techniques, how to embellishing with ribbon embroidery, beads and jewels, and much more.

This was the first time I’ve ever attended a craft convention and like those other cons, this one was full of people passionate about what they do, eager to share their knowledge with newbies and ready to meet people of like minds. They crossed all age groups and even gender (there were several men present) and represented not just a cross-section of America, but the world as well.

 I was only there for the Sunday session so I didn't participate in any workshops, but I did get to walk around the exhibition hall and examine the masterful handiwork of some very talented people. 

If you think that a quilt is just a piece of fabric with batting and a backing, it's time to think again. These quilts were works of art. One featured the Manhattan skyline, another included sequins and tiny beadwork all around the fabric. Then there was the quilt that was made up of several tiny (and I do mean tiny) quilts that had been pieced together by hand.

AMAZING!

Over the years, I’ve heard that interest in quilting has been on the uptick. That was confirmed to me by  convention-goers who said they’d had a record number of people turn out for their opening-night activities and that the hall was so packed on Saturday, some people chose to come back and shop the convention’s vendors on Sunday.

I really shouldn't be surprised. Unlike my first craft love fashion sewing, quilting is more about playing with pattern, design and color -- it's like painting with fabric or discovering a new Crayola crayon color and seeing just how many different designs you can get on your coloring pad.

So what about you? Have you tried quilting? If so, what are thoughts and hey if you have any tips for a relative newbie, share them in the comments section. Thanks!

Finishing the Unfinished Project

With its longer days or perhaps because many people take vacations this time of year, I’ve decided that now’s the perfect time to get back into my crafting. I’ve had a lot of ideas for projects, including some design ideas for Jewish-themed projects. (More about that another time.)

But first I’ve made a deal with myself. As much as I love new projects, it’s time for many of the old sewing, knitting and yes, quilting , projects that have been languishing in plastic bags and bins to finally see the light of day. (I can't possibly be the only person out there with all these half-started projects can I?) I will still sew some new items, like a new cotton blouse and a deep purple outfit I've already bought fabric for.

My goal, rather, is to try and find a balance between what I’ve already started and made progress on, and the shiny, new project. Because, honestly, who can resist buying new fabrics (especially now that Joann's is stocking up on their fall selection) or a great new yarn (have you seen some of the new patterns)?

Given the time that some of my projects have spent in bags (think years, not months) my original plans for some of them have changed. Take, for instance, this planned cable-knit sweater that I started about two years ago.

 

It looks OK, right?

I actually got pretty far into the project before I put it down, got busy with other things and  forgot about it. Unfortunately, the sweater doesn’t fit quite the same way it did when I first started knitting it. That’s why I’ve decided to make some modifications to the design and refashion it into a cable-knit vest with two side-ribbed insets and a rounded neckline. So far it’s progressing pretty well as you can see.

 

I’d love to tell you what kind of yarn this is, but I’ve long since lost the labels. I bought the skeins – quite a number of them I may add - many years ago on a trip to Israel.  The first thing I made from them were a pair of socks. I used the socks so much I wore right through the fabric and no longer have them. (I know I probably could have fixed them, but I didn’t think so at the time.) 

After the socks, I used some of the remaining yarn to make a sweater that completely didn’t fit. A total fail with no hopes of re-imaging as another project.

Will my plans to alter this version of the sweater work? I sure hope so, otherwise I will have to reimagine this yarn yet again. Pillows, anyone?