Happy Friday + Randomness

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Happy Friday! This is the unedited and un-styled area that is my helter skelter “workshop” right now as I dash madly into the completion phase of my interior illustrations (I have a little more time to work on the final cover). I’ve been drinking a lot of coffee and experiencing a generous dollop of self-doubt while having the time of my life. It feels a little like the moment I stood at the edge of the bungie jumping bridge in New Zealand, ready to leap. Terrifying and exhilarating and not knowing what to expect. June 1st is the day of reckoning when the illustrations are due, wish me luck! If you’re curious about the paints I use, here’s the 411:

Caran D’ache Gouache

Stockmar Gouache

Angora Watercolors

Schmincke Watercolors

I mix and match and have had these pan sets for many, many years. I have some tube gouache and watercolor paints too, but I’m partial to these types of sets. Some are more of an investment than others, but they all produce beautiful colors. I love them so much!

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Giveaway winner announcement: congrats to sweet Em, you should have received an email from me already! Thank you all so much for all the podcast/tv show recommendations – there are so, so good and I’m checking them all out!!

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K: Mama, if you could have 8 wishes, what would they be?

Me: Hmmmmm….I would wish for these things:

1. Good health
2. Loving and positive relationships
3. Meaningful work
4. Enough money to meet all our needs for the rest of our lives
5. Time to create and read and learn and have fun
6. My own studio
7. A comfortable and inviting home
8. Opportunities to travel often and all over the world

K: Oh. I was thinking pretty shoes or books or a big swimming pool…

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Have an awesome weekend, friends!

For the second week
skipping the Monday Outfit
More free fabric though*

*I won’t be sewing for K this weekend, but look forward to another giveaway!

Me-Made-May 2014: Week 4

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Almost at the end of the month…holy cow, I am so over looking at my mug. The camera has been propped permanently on the tripod, and I’ve been taking snaps first thing in the morning every day, which accounts for why I resemble the undead so often.

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And perhaps because I’ve been so ashen, I’ve felt the need to dial up the color factor this past week. I’ve also felt the need to make something for myself for a change. Over the last couple of days I found pockets of time to pump out this Simplicity 1463. I will always have a soft spot for dolman sleeves, and this looked like a painless pattern to keep my sewing appetite whetted. And hey, it’s part of my summer sewing plans (I’ll be updating that post with specific pattern info soon, by the way)!

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This magenta/purple/amaranthine/claret/berry smoothie color is not my usual palette, but this was meant to be a muslin so I wasn’t too fussy about the vibrant hue or what to call it apparently. My mom gave me this jersey knit, and you can see that she skews toward bold colors. I’m planning on using a dreamy aqua linen knit (I know!!!! Linen knit), but I wanted to make sure this pattern would look okay on me. I’d also love to make this in a striped knit like the envelope version, but I’m all out of thin-striped knits. I’m thinking my fabric fast may be coming to an end very soon.

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I added two inches to both the front and back of the hi-lo hem to accommodate my extensive torso, and I cut a size small but used 3/8-inch seam allowance instead of 5/8. I think the fit is pretty perfect as far as loose stretchy tops go.

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I tried the outfit with the ankle boots for most of the photos, but in the end, I wore my sandals and a scarf to carry out my day. If you look closely, you can see my lazy white-thread-serged seams of yet another pair of skinnified jeans. I washed my other skinnified jeans, and wouldn’t you know it, I can’t fit in them anymore. This newly slimmed down pair is on the roomy side around the waist, and it’s super comfortable.

Here’s the round-up for MMMay Week 4 (aka the week of t-shirts):

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Day 22: Coral Raglan Tee

Day 23: Striped Color-Block Tee

Day 24: Aqua Tunic

Day 25: Brown Polka Dot Washi

Day 26: Scoop Top

Day 27: Blue Floral Washi

Day 28: Magenta Dolman Top

 

2014 Summer Sewing Plans

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It’s another installment of unrealistic sewing planning — one of my favorite activities!

Over the last year or so of sewing for myself, I’ve become enamored with dresses. I just love the ease of slipping a dress on, ready for the day in an instant. And now that I’ve survived looking through thousands of images of myself and have become truly and deeply okay with my “giant squash legs” as K likes to call them, I’m intent on adding a lot more frocks to my wardrobe. I lean toward simple lines and loose silhouettes, but I also want to try some waist-cinching styles in the coming weeks. I also can’t have enough tops, and if I’m feeling adventurous, I might give a pair of shorts and pants a go.

It’s always so fun to sketch clothes, and I get such a kick out of the possibilities of sewing for myself. If I can make even half of what I plan, I’ll consider it an excellent yield. How about you? If you dabble in sewing, do you have summer stitching plans? Or maybe you’re like me and make a boatload of plans but actually wait for inspiration to strike in the moment?

[UPDATED] Since a few of you asked for specific pattern information, here they are from approximately left to right by garment type:

DRESSES

Butterick 5886: Hi Low Dress
April Rhodes: The Staple Dress
Simplicity 2443: Cynthia Rowley Knit Tank Dress
Simplicity 2550: Cynthia Rowley Spaghetti Strap Dress (modify for knit)
Sew Chic: Dress with Front Tuck (Pattern C)
Vogue 1225: Knit Gathered Dress
Butterick 5612: Long-Sleeved Dress
Simplicity 0403: Yoke Dress
Simplicity 2246: Lisette Traveler Dress (without sleeves)

TOPS

Modified Tova
Wiksten Tank
Japanese Sewing Book Tank with Tucks (Style 26)
Vogue 1357 Tank
Butterick 5610: Pleated Top
McCall’s 6510: Flutter Sleeve Caftan Top
Simplicity 1463: Dolman Sleeves Top

SHORTS/PANTS

McCall’s 5663: Shorts
French Style Book Loose Pants

Also, I didn’t sketch this, but I just found this tunic pattern and love it! Must buy!

Tolerations Update: April + May

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The thing about declaring something publicly is that even if nobody else remembers, I do. I’m talking about my monster list of tolerations, naturally. Those pesky little buggers that would free up so much mental clutter if I’d just hunker down and deal with them. I started bold and strong in January and since then, each consecutive month has seen a marked dwindling of productivity.

I clocked in with ZERO tolerations-busting for the month of April, but I’m okay with this. April was an especially busy month. And so far in May, I’ve only crossed off two items, but at least these were long-standing ones that I’m happy to have accomplished.

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First off, I finally got new glasses. I accidentally sat on my old pair about two years ago (don’t ask) and never bothered to replace them. I’m blinder than a mole, and have been since I was a little kid. I think I read too many books in the dark, way past any acceptable bedtime. I’ve been wearing contacts for at least two decades, and I prefer them to glasses. At night though, up until two years ago, I used to wear glasses to read just before falling asleep.

Anyway. I like these and it’s nice not to have to squint while reading at night. I’ll show you a picture of what they look like on at some point, but I’m especially fond of the colorful case (Kate Spade! So fancy!). Rather stylish, no?

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Also on the semi-fashiony side of things, I have at long last stretched out my beloved Cydwoq boots that I got ridiculously cheap (full story here), but due to my cankles and robust calves, I’ve been unable to zip them up. I tried various suggestions and used a broom handle to add some ease (unsuccessful), attempted to force-stretch them by wearing ’em several days in a row (painful and awful), etc. etc. Since DIY wasn’t producing any results, I dropped them off at my neighborhood cobbler and in a week they came back with roomier ankles and calves. In fact I wore them with my district 12 dress last week!

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So I started out with 108 items on my tolerations list, and I’m down to 68. I’m currently working on re-organizing my sewing area and that’s a big, big one on my list. Let’s hope June is a more fruitful month. I have to say though, overall, working on these tolerations really helps. I feel a lightening, and a sense of increased freedom as I mend, purge, clean, replace, prettify or organize, albeit slowly. Ah, feels good.

Fabric + Patterns Giveaway! [Closed]

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Good morning! I hope you had a restorative weekend, friends. I figured that because I’ve inundated you with photos of K these past couple of weeks, and because I felt the need to take a break from sewing pint-sized clothes while I work on my illustrations, today (and probably next Monday) I have a giveaway! I did a little de-stashing this weekend, and I’m hoping there might be some takers of quilting cotton and I’m throwing in a couple of Butterick patterns.

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I like these fabrics just fine, but I seem to bypass them time and time again whenever I start a new sewing project so I felt sorry for them. They deserve a better home. The cute green floral is Katie Jump Rope by Denise Schmidt for Free Spirit, and the blue and orange cheerful one simply has “Anthology Fabrics” and some numbers on the selvage. 1.5 yards each.

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I got these Butterick patterns at one of those JoAnn’s sales when K was about 3 or 4, and she’s now outgrown them. They are unused. Butterick 5458 (the party dress) is for sizes 2-3-4-5, and Butterick 4842 is a toddler’s “jumper” for sizes 4-5-6.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment with a podcast recommendation. I’ve been way into podcasts lately and love Stuff You Should Know, The Moth, Design Matters and After the Jump. I’m always on the hunt for more — humorous ones are especially appreciated! Or, if you’re not a podcasting sort, a show recommendation would be awesome too. I’ll watch pretty much anything from The Mindy Project to Breaking Bad. I’m a huge sci-fi fan too! International entries are welcome and I’ll keep the giveaway open until this Thursday, May 29th. Good luck!