The one where things are listed

Super LtothAtotheMtotheE right?   Right.   I’m doing it anyway.

• Summer.  Can you believe it is almost OVER?  Two weeks from yesterday and the kids will be back in school.    As always I have mixed feelings about this…too many to list
• Knitting.  Been working on lots of things…too many to list.  Here are my favorites.  Join Ravelry to learn more….
• Bad/sad news.  Really world, I’m quite sick of it.  Please knock.it.off.   Whether it is people getting sick, passing away, or having generally junky stuff happen, it needs to stop.   Hear me???   Again, really too much to list.
• Sewing.  I’ve been doing some sewing.  Found some AWESOME sheets at Goodwill–a sheet set from Tommy Hilfiger  and just another neat one.  The TH ones became summer play clothes for Sunshine daughter and a dress.   The other sheet is waiting patiently to become new PJ pants for me.  Using the sheet to become pants, is the most awesome sewing trick, b/c there are NO HEMS at the bottom of the pants!  Yeah!!!
• I’ve been reading AND logging the books with the HP Library book club.  Total geek.  Favorites so far: Once upon a Marigold & Eat Pray Love.   I’ve been hitting the Goodwill and buying way too many books and STILL going to the library for more books.   Man I do love to read….
• Running.  Wish I could say I was breaking speed records….I can’t.  I haven’t run in a long time.   Hoping the weather cools down a little or I start hauling my fat keister out of bed earlier so I actually get out and run.   I’d feel better, so why am I not doing it?
• Kids.  The kids are crazy and loveable all at the same time.  All are healthy (thank God!) excepting allergies.    Sunshine sons are going into third grade and Sunshine daughter is going into Kindergarten.   They alternately got on each other nerves and were playing wonderfully.  We didn’t do much this summer and that is OK.  (No, really it is.)  Money is tight and frankly, I’m a bit sick of camping, so we stayed home.  We went to the Sunday concerts and did a whole lot of nothing.   For the boys it might be the last summer of nothing.

Bullets, love ’em or hate ’em, they are useful.   I know, its still LtotheAtotheMtotheE.

Dressed up and no place to go!

I finished my Easter dress just in time for Easter (unlike the last time I was planning on sewing a dress…let’s not talk about that, ok?).  

Here is the Easter dress, freshly home from its debut at mass Sunday morning.   Sunshine son #2 took the picture, which explains the loss of hubby’s head (thank goodness he doesn’t have any hair up there anyway!).

Pattern:  McCall’s 5579 Version C sleeves & bodice with Version A hemline

Fabric: Hobby Lobby brand 100% cotton (totally not what the pattern called for)

Thoughts:

1. Can I tell you how depressing it is to make the size I made?   I don’t buy this size in the store, but apparently, pattern makers don’t give a whit about my vanity.   It certainly is a wake up call to know I am not the size Kohl’s has led me to believe.   I guess that is a rant discussion topic for another day.
2. McCall’s patterns truely do suck.  I don’t really appreciate McCall’s patterns.   Who writes these directions?  If the directions are clear, the diagrams are not.   Thankfully, only once, did the written directions and the diagrams not make sense at the same time.   I followed the directions, but let’s just say it took a few tries to understand them and move onto the next step.
3. My sister-in-law told hubby she like my dress.   I’m not sure what that says about the dress, my taste, her taste or any combination.   I guess I’ll just take it as the compliment she meant it to be. 
4. Overall, I like the dress.   I won’t use the pattern again, but it was a learning experience.   Hopefully the dress gets more wearing time than just the 45 minutes for church every few Sundays. 

Things I’ve learned:

1. Installing a zipper.  Yeah!!!! What power. 
2. Slipstitching?  I’m not into that. 
3. Patience and doing things right actually make a difference. 
4. I’m sure there is more, but I didn’t write them down. 

Stay tuned for some knitting FO’s.   I do have a couple.    Ravelry has been sucking all my time.   I’ve been surfing people, projects, groups, favorites, etc.   Death to blogging (at least mine). 

BOO!!!

My kiddos have been counting down the days to Halloween.    Last night they headed out to beg for candy like a homeless child  Trick or Treat.   Here are the pcitures to prove it.   I should have taken pictures of their haul.  It was amazing.   Sunshine Hubby went to work today armed with a LARGE bowl filled with the peanuty treats (allergies). 

Firefighter, princess, and cowboy all pose for the obligatory Halloween shot.  

I made the costumes. Here’s a breakdown:

Firefighter:  Goodwill ROCKS!   Pants & shirt from there.  Yellow felt from Hobby Lob.   The neck was fiddly, but I love the pants.   The jacket needs something, and I realize today, it needs little fake buckles down the center.  Oh well.   Hat and gloves we own.

Cowboy:  Goodwill for shirt and hat.   Felt from Hobby Lob.  I’m not a fan of the rick rack or the medallion doodads, but hey, he likes it.  Bandana and jeans we own.   

Princess:  Fairy dress from Christmas last year.  Tights and shirt we own.  The wand came from the mother’s morning out dress up box.   The crown, I KNIT!!!   It was a cute and quick freebie from Interweave Knits.   There is a boy and girl version and I don’t remember how I found it.  I started it Monday night and it was finished the next morning.   We added some bling and there it is.  I love it and am tempted to knit more just because they were so fun and quick.  I held my yarn double and knit of US 8s & 6s .  It looks more substantial than the pattern. 

The costumes are now permenant residents of the “dress up box”.   I love how they came out.   I love how they turned out.  Everyone was happy, which is always important.   Now the trick is to keep myself from raiding their Halloween bags!  

Happy Halloween!  

What is this a sewing blog?

Ha.   The title of the post is so hard….  

Friday night…sewing. 

Saturday night….sewing. 

Sunday night….sewing. 

Monday morning…sewing. 

I can now see why people become addicted to making bags.  Wow.  Here are the pictures.   I will keep my mistakes to myself.   Before I do any more, I need to get an ironing board.   Using the table just doesn’t cut it for ironing those pesky seams.

This is the Charming Handbag (Bend the Rules Sewing, ROCKS!).  I stopped by a thrift store on Saturday afternoon.   I was really looking for yarn or a sweater to recycle, but I found fabric instead.   The floral and pink stripe were $1.00 and $1.50 respectively.   There was a 1/2 yard of the floral and 1 yard of the stripe.   It is Waverly fabric–decorator stuff I think.    The velvet ribbon–chocolate brown I got at Hobby Lobby for full price (gasp). 

This is the simple tote (Bend the Rules, again).   This was actually the second one.   It is a gift for my s4 pal, note the little “A”.   Pink Waverly stripe with recycled jeans–one leg and back pocket.   Although it has its own set of loveable quirks (read flaws), it also has a great feature…everything lines up–seams, stripes.   I am so proud of myself.  

Simple Tote.   This was originally for my S4 pal, but I loved it too much, so I’m keeping it!   The flower fabric was a single napkin/hanky found in the thrift shop ($0.50) and the green paisley was a scrap from a totally non sewing related project.   This will be my new knitting bag.   LOVE IT! 

I will be knitting tonight.   I am trying to pickup 144 stitches for Quinn.   I have 132 and I’m not really sure where those other 12 stitches are.   It looks like I have them all….   

What am I going to do with all these bags? 

Sew busy

Yesterday was sewing night here at Chez Sunshine.  

Pattern:  Artsy Clutch from Bend the Rules Sewing

Fabric:  Misc scraps from other failed aborted stash sewing projects.   The outer fabric is a demin look alike 100% cotton.   The inside is a primary colored checks also 100% cotton. 

Accessories: Primary color button from Wally world and hair elastic found near sewing machine.  

Notes:   This was a great beinning sewing review before I undertake the handbag from the book.   The finished project is a little smaller than the stated size because I was too lazy to go and find my tape measure, so I guessed at the seam allowance on the needle plate.   I don’t mind.   I am thinking about making these for Christmas for some cousins.   I think I would change the size alittle bit next time.  

My other sewing project was some pajamma pants for Sunshine hubby.   I bought the fabric and gave it too him for his birthday (cheesey huh?).   I was sick of seeing the fabric around, so I sewed them up last night too. 

Pattern:  Simplicity 9499

Fabric:  Walmart flame fabric. 

Notes:  No modifications.   These were finished later in the night and I had trouble remembering to switch back to the straight stich from zigzag, but other than that, these were easy peasy.  I’ll be checking out Wally world today for some more cheap fabric for more of these pants. 

Back to the knitting

Knitting to Do/Done: 

1.  Mason-Dixon Potholder Rug.   I was checking out some yard sales two weekends ago and I came across a 16 oz bag of cotton potholder loops.   The loops and a hardcover coffee table book about America’s baseball stadiums was $2.00.   The bag of loops sells in Hobby Lobby for $3.50.     I came home and taught the kids how to link all the loops together and then rolled them into a gynormous ball of many colors.   I bought the size US 35 straight needles (and contemplated buying more loops, but didn’t) and started knitting.  It looks fabulous.   It would be better slightly longer, but it is so cute.  Right now it is by the kitchen sink.   

2.  Wallaby.   This is the bane of my existance.   I am almost finished with the hood and will commence the Kitchner to finish it up.   Weaving in the ends is a daunting task, but I need the size 6 needles for another project, so I MUST finish it today.    Then I will wash, block, and let dry and PRAY it somehow transforms to fit hubby’s shoulders.  

3.  Scarf.   Sunshine Son #1 has been bugging, begging, asking to learn how to knit.   We started yesterday.   US 8 needles with superwash wool in a green color.   He is making a scarf for his brother and announced he would make one for his sister as well (pink, if you please).

4.  Retro Rib Socks.  These are for hubby.  I am using the Cascade Fixation for them.  They are working up quickly, but he nubbly nature of the Cascade doesn’t really enhance the pattern of the retro rib.    I hope he likes them.  

5. Quinn Purse.   A cable purse that I am hoping to start tomorrow.   I will be using bamboo handles rather than the knit handle.   This is the project I need the size 6 needles for.   

 Non-knitting to do list.   I am going to try to do some sewing tonight.   I have the following I’d like to get done this weekend:

1.  Pajama pants for hubby.   They are a blue flame fabric.   Pretty basic, I just need to get cutting and sewing. 

2. Pillowcase dress for Sunshine daughter.   I don’t have any ribbon for the it yet, but I think if I can get it measured and sewn, then the ribbon should be a peice of cake.   Now, anyone have ideas on how to get her to wear the darn thing?  

3.  Bend the Rules Sewing.   I purchased this last night with some birthday money from my MIL.   I think a purse and some placemats and napkins are up first.   I am going to look through my limited piles and see what I can come up with for those projects.   If you haven’t checked out the book yet, GO DO IT.   It is a great book, especially for the novice sewer or sporadic sewer.  

That is all the news here.  Monday I should have some pictures of the list above!  Our new camera arrives on Monday.   Have a great weekend!