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Top 5 of 2012: Inspiration & Goals
 I decided to knock out the last two topics of this celebration in one post so here we go.


My blog list is always growing.  I'm always reading sewing blogs in awe over what others have created.  I find all of you inspiring and there is no way I'm going to be able to pick just 5 so I'm gonna spread the love!!  I  follow so many blogs that I want to compliment them all and that would take forever and a day so instead I thought I would focus on the blogs I've been following from the very beginning of my sewing journey.  I know there will be some on here you've all heard of and follow so if you see an unfamiliar name I encourage you to click the link and show them some love because they deserve it!  Throughout my year of blogging you've either inspired me or encouraged me to keep trucking along and I am forever grateful to you for that!

A Sewing Odyssey
Amanda's Adventures in Sewing
Bimble and Pimble
Cari Homemaker Deserves a Cocktail
Cuckoo Chanel
Dapper Duds
Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing
Ginger Makes
Handmade Jane
House of Pinheiro
i heart fabric
Julia Bobbin
Kati Made
Kazz the Spazz
Kitty's Drawings
Lucky Lucille
Made by Rae
Making It Well
Miss Crayola Creepy
seamstress: poppykettle
Sew Happy Katy
Sew I Thought
Sewin' Steady
so i sewed this
'So Zo
Stitch and Witter
Tilly and the Buttons

Wow wee that's quite a list and that's not even half of it.  I've discovered so many more blogs through all of the sewalongs I have been a part of this year. You all rock! Thank you!

2013 Sewing Goals...

1.  Sewing for 15 minutes a day.  A couple months ago Tilly and the Buttons did a post about this.  I am one of those sewers who sits down and sews for a long period of time.  If I can't get a lot accomplished in one setting what's the point?  When I get home from work often I'm too tired or lazy so I'll wait until the weekend when I can sit down for the whole day with no interruptions.  Well it's kind of crazy to think that way when I could take 15 minutes (a commercial break) to work on tracing a pattern or cutting it out.  Whatever it is I'm that much closer to getting it done and I'm less likely to stress myself out or think I have to stay up until 2 am to finish.  Which is also a good way to burn yourself out.

2.  Me Made May.   I'm so excited to participate in Me Made May in 2013.  I really wanted to participate this year but I just did not have enough handmade garments.  I don't think my co-workers would of found it amusing for me to wear the same shirt two to three times a week. :)  I want to work on building up my wardrobe so I can participate in 2013.

3.  Stash busting.  My fabric stash has really started to get out of hand.  I'm absolutely addicted to the mystery bundles Fabric Mart offers.  This is not good for my wallet or my sewing room as I'm starting to run out of room to store this fabric.  My goal is to make at least 3 new pieces out of fabric I already own before I allow myself to buy anymore.

4.  Scrap busting.  Along with too much fabric is too many scraps.  I've got a lot of ideas on how to use up these scraps. Just gotta get crackin'!

5.  Must make more blouses!! I keep telling myself that and then turn around and make pants or skirts.  Then I tear up my closet trying to find a shirt to wear with it.  I also find I tend to gravitate more towards prints so I also need to add more solids.

That's a wrap of my Top 5 of 2012. We've taken a trip back through the year and discussed my favorites, fails, what I've learned , bloggers I find inspiring and my goals for 2013.  I hope you have enjoyed reading along.  Thanks to Gillian for coming up with this great idea! I'm looking forward to playing along next year and seeing if I actually stick to my goals ;)

Top 5 of 2012: Reflection
 Well after seeing all of my favorite and failing garments I realized I have learned a lot. Looking back  has been a great way to see how far I've come and all the lessons I've learned getting there.  Sewing has brought a lot of happiness into my world. New clothes, new friends, it's all been great!  So let's reflect back on the year and all that it's taught me.

1.  Rome wasn't built in a day...

Important jobs take time.  I'm very impatient at times.  When I first started sewing I would rush through garments because I wanted to wear them asap.  Don't ask me to show you the inside of those garments because it ain't gonna happen.  Often most of my time was spent fussing over how long the pattern instructions were gonna take me to read instead of focusing on cutting out my pattern pieces properly.  Hastily cut pattern pieces can lead to ill fitted garments.  What I'm trying to say here is slow down, take your time.  Focus on quality over quantity.  We all can't be awesome like Lladybird and sew up 52 garments of perfection for the whole year!!

2.  muslin, Muslin, MUSLIN!!!

If I had to pick one thing I hate about sewing it would have to be the muslin.  For impatient little ol' me I just don't have the time.  So if I think I can get away without doing a muslin first you bet your sweet ass I'm not gonna do one.  And that kind of no can do attitude has bit me in the ass more than one time too!  There are many reasons why one should take the time and do a muslin.  The more obvious reason is fit.  Tasia from Sewaholic states some other pretty good reasons as to why one should bother with a muslin on her blog post here.

3. fabric, Fabric, FABRIC!!!

I'd love to use quilting cotton for everything if I could.  There is such a wide variety of fun prints and colors!  I've learned though that certain styles require a certain type of fabric and that I should pay attention to what the pattern says when it comes to fabric recommendations.  They do know what they are talking about, a little lot more than me!  I'm still learning about all the different types of fabric.  If I was asked to pick out garbadine or cotton voile from a lineup I'd fail miserably.  Fabric types is one thing I hope to become more familiar with in the coming year.

4.  It's a learning process...

Every time I sit down at my machine I learn something new.   It ranges anywhere from learning new sewing lingo (it took me forever to figure out what WIP meant), learning a new way to finish a seam or using a new sewing foot.  There are tons and tons of online resources.  Usually when I'm in a jam some of my favorites places to look are: YouTube, Reader's Digest: New Complete Guide to Sewing,  or The Colette Sewing Handbook.

5.  you, You, YOU!!!

You guys rock!  When I started my blog I had no idea of all the sewing blogs already out there.  I started reading, became hooked and made a ton of new friends.  You are all so supportive.  It's like we have our own little world together out on the webosphere.  You are all inspiring to me and whether you sew/blog or not your supportive comments keep me going.  At times when I feel like I wanna give up I go to a sewing blog to get inspired or I go back and read all of your supportive comments.  I can't say enough to express my gratitude to you all!! I'm am truly amazed that I have followers from all around the world.  It's so freaking awesome!!  XOXO

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!  It turned out to be a white one here in Indiana.  We've gotten up to a foot of snow in parts.  Snow makes for good sewing in my book!  What's the weather like where you are at?

Top 5 of 2012: Fails

Now on to the not so fun part of the celebration, the fails.  The time when I'm forced to blow the dust off my UFO pile and try to figure out what the hell went wrong.  I discovered not all my fails were UFO's.  Some I totally completed and still for one reason or another have not worn to this day.  And let me tell ya there are more than 5 but for sanity sake I'm only gonna talk about 5.

1.  My first dress... Lisette 2060.  I was so excited when I first seen this pattern.  I was in love with the contrasting yoke and belt and had to make the exact same one as seen on the pattern.  Now it doesn't look too bad in the picture but mind you to be comfortable in it I'd have to stand like this the entire day.  The sleeves are just not working for me.  I'm unable to move my arms at all without feeling like I'm going to rip out a seam.  It actually looks pretty cute as a sleeveless but we still  have the bagginess under the boobs to deal with.  Needless to say it looks like a trash bag without the belt.  I have had plans to turn this into a handbag.

2.  My first skirt... Simplicity 2226.  This is where I learned fabric choice does matter and you can't use quilting cotton for everything..damn it!  The quilting cotton was a little too stiff for all the gathering happening in this skirt so it didn't want to lay right.  Standing certain ways it looked like I had a bubble butt.  I did turn this skirt into a handbag see here.  I also made a cuter polka dot version here.

3.  My first UFO... Simplicity 2892: 6 made easy...my ass.  This was my first attempt at a top and wouldn't you know I picked the version with a shit ton of gathering.  Once I got all the gathering done I was lost as to how it got attached to the neckline.  After going through this UFO pile it looks as if I still have more pieces to gather.  I'm sure I'm more skilled now that I could figure out how to attach it it's just that I've kind of lost interest in it and to hell with all that gathering.  This may be one that stays in the UFO pile FOREVER....(gasp!)

4.  The Maxi... Maxi dresses were all the rage this summer.  I wanted to wear this to a wedding and was going for the style on the far right of the pattern.  Not sure what this fabric is but it's really slippery and shiny.  I tried lining the dress as well and the lining was also slippery (it was polyester).  This is what is finished of the bodice.  Some of the seams are puckered and don't want to lay right.  I had the worst time working with these two fabrics.  It's giving me a headache now trying to even think about it.  I'm not sure why it's still laying in my UFO pile other than being a reminder of pure failure.  This will be trashed and the fabric left over I think I can turn into a skirt or tank to wear under cardigans.

5.  My first trousers... Colette Juniper.  I love this style just not on me.  They are a little too wide and a little to long.  These two things are fixable.  Not particularly happy with my fabric choice.  It was a suiting fabric and the kind that shows off your panty and pocket lines. Gross.  My plans are to bring in the inseam and shorten the length to see if I like them any better.  If so I will make another pair with a more heavier weight fabric.

So there you have it.  My 5 most memorable fails.  There are more and I'm sure there will be more but it's all a part of the sewing process and learning.  I've learned patience is important as well as fabric choice!

I'm not as far along as I had planned to be in the Top 5 of 2012 postings.  I decided to move my sewing room from the basement to a spare bedroom upstairs so I've been frantically painting and rearranging.  Maybe I'll do a sewing room tour once it's all done.

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!  Hope Santa stuffed your stockings full whether it be with coal or sewing notions.

Top 5 of 2012: Favorites


Let's get this celebration started with my top 5 favorite creations of 2012.  See original post here if your wondering what all the celebrating is about. 1.  New Look 6110 - This has to be my most worn to date.  I made this back in April and it was my first top.  I entered this in Made By Rae's spring top sew along.  I was super excited to have it chosen as a finalist.  I didn't win but the fact that it was in the running was winning in my book, considering it was my first top ever!  I love this print so much. I wish I could find more of it.  I've worn this shirt so many times it's shrunk a couple inches.

2. Sassy Librarian Blouse - This is one of the funnest tops I've made.  This was a Craftsy class taught by Christine Haynes.  I learned how to do pin tucks and buttonholes on this top.  It was so nice to have someone in front of me teaching me rather than trying to translate a sewing pattern.  I totally recommend this class!! I plan on making another one of these tops come next Spring.

3. Colette Macaron - My most loved by others.  I made this for the Sew Colette 2.0 sew alongs and was honored to have it as one of the featured dresses.  I also posted it on Burdastyle and it was chosen as one of the best of September.  I'm telling you it's the cute ass vintage kitty print.  Who can resist?! It almost looks like a houndstooth print far away but when you get up close to it your smacked in the eyeballs with cute little white and red kitties!!  This was my first Colette and I soon became addicted to Colette patterns after that.  The dress is flattering and comfy.

4.  Goodwill Refash -  Quickest creation.  I became inspired by Marisa from New Dress A Day.  If you follow her you know the deal, she challenged herself a new creation everyday using thrifted finds.  Some of her redo's are just genius!  I found this skirt at the Goodwill and paid only a couple bucks for it.  It was originally a wrap skirt and gigantic on me.  I sized it down and added the buttons down the front because I liked the look of Colette's Beignet.  I've worn it several times to work with tights and boots and I get compliments on it every time.

5.  Colette Peony - My proudest.  I say this is my proudest creation because I thought to put a peter pan collar on it and drafted it on my own with the help of Gertie's awesome book.  It was also a challenge to get a good fit on the bodice and I'm proud of myself for not giving up like I wanted to.  It's also gotten the most page views on my blog.

I'm usually way hard on myself so being able to pick out 5 items and talk nothing but nice and no nit picky is a challenge in itself for me.  It's fun to see how far I've come with my skills and what I've learned as I've went along.    I've been enjoying reading others Top 5 posts as well.  Oh this sewing bit is so much fun!!

Pajammie Time : Butterick 6837

Flannel jammies, one of the best things about winter..buuutt...where the heck did winter go?!? Got my flannel jammies made and the cold winter weather is no where to be found. It doesn't even feel like Christmas. Oh well, the unusually warm weather isn't gonna stop me, I'm still gonna throw these suckers on first thing after I get home from work. I made these using Butterick 6837 and some cozy cotton flannel I got for half off at FabricMart.com. (love that place!)  I also only paid 99 cents for the pattern. Score!  These were pretty easy to make except for the fact that it was my first Butterick pattern and I found the instructions to be lacking in places.  This was a unisex pattern so I cut an xsmall and was prepared for me to be floating in them.  The size really is just about right though.  I'd rather these be big and cozy on me than small and constricting.  There is nothing worse than laying in bed feeling like your pajamas are trying to choke you out! I'm telling ya these are some cozy jammies.  So cozy I could barely keep my eyes open once I got them on. A couple things about this pattern.  First off the length of the top was ridonkulous!  The top went almost to my knees!  I could of just forgot about the pants and made the top a night gown.  I'm sure the fact that it's  a unisex pattern is why it's so long.  I know not everyone is fun sized like me.  I had to cut off about 6 inches.  Also if I pull up the pants to where they are supposed to sit they stop right under my boobs.  I feel like Steve Urkel.  I need to go back and cut the waist down about 3 - 4 inches.  For now they feel just fine if I roll the waistband down a couple times.

I totally screwed up the fly front.  This is where I found the instructions/illustrations to be lacking.  I've not made too many fly fronts so I need all the pictures I can get.   I ended up cutting where I wasn't supposed to causing a hole right in front.  I was able to fix it by doing a zig zag stitch over it.  I don't expect anyone to get close enough to that area to notice it.  Then I started wondering why I was spending so much time trying to get the fly front opening to work.  I mean, I am woman. I sure don't need an opening in the front for any specific reason.  So I just stitched the damn thing closed and moved on.  I also just noticed in the picture above the plaid is not matching across the front crotch.  Good thing my shirt covers this up or it would absolutely drive me bonkers.

For some reason I bought 6 yards of this fabric.  I have plenty left to make a pair of pants for the hubs so we can be Twinkies.  I used some of the smaller scraps to make a fabric flower for the collar and a cute little headscarf. I noticed one thing about this fabric..it's not gonna take long for it to be covered in pug hair.  Pugs are horrible shedders.  While I was sewing these up I spent half the time picking pug hair out of the fibers.  But I don't mind.  Doesn't keep me from snuggling with my best bud! Would love to hear what you all are working on or if you've made any cozy jammies of your own.
Catch ya on the flip flop!

Top 5 of 2012 Celebration
 There's a party going on right here, a celebration to last throughout the years..Celebrate good times c'mon!  I don't think Kool & the Gang had sewing in mind when he was singing about a celebration but who cares cuz Gillian from Crafting a Rainbow sure does!  She has come up with a great way to celebrate the past year by writing about our top 5 from the following categories (yaahoo!)...
These categories have got that damn hamster in my head spinning on his squeaky wheel in overdrive!  I've got so many things I wanna do in the coming year that I think this is a great way for me to reflect, regroup and reiterate the lessons I've learned (so hopefully I don't make those mistakes again).  I plan on posting a category a day starting next week.  Gotta give me time to get my flannel jammies done cuz I'm sure I'm gonna wanna add them to my top 5 favorites!! ;)  So if you'd like to join along and I hope you do head on over to Gillian's post to learn more and grab yourself a button for your blog!!

Completed!!! Sewaholic Thurlow Trousers!!!

My Thurlows are done and I think a Craftsy pants fitting class is in order!  These pants are awesome and I definitely want to make another pair once I get said class under my belt.  If you all remember I had some really wrinkly issues.  I got the wrinkles worked out well enough to suit me.  I know some of you said you had the same problems and would be following along to see how I fixed mine so I will do my best to explain my methodical madness. If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen I posted the first picture asking for advice.  Jamie from Such a Strange Girl said an old fitting book she has states this is caused by thin legs and to fix you take an inch from the back inseams starting at the crotch and tapering out to the knee.  I pretty much did just that.  First I laid my pant leg out and pinched a fold of fabric measuring 1/2 inch (total inch) on the back leg only and pinned over to the existing seam.

Instead of tapering out to the knee I took it all the way to the end because I had wrinkles forming  below the knees as well.  Notice in my picture how I had my seams already finished with a zig zag stitch. Yeah! I had to rip all that out. What a bitch!  Once I got the leg wrinkles worked out to my liking I tackled the hungry butt issue.  I let the back crotch out about 1/4 inch and I continued all the way up tapering out at the waist.  This made a HUGE difference!  In hindsight I should of altered my pattern by lengthening the back crotch to a size four and tapering back down to a zero.   But as always I'm too in a hurry to be bothered with a muslin so I had to work with what I had. ugh!  I also fixed a saggy front crotch by taking it in by 3/8 inch.  Again my pattern alteration for the next go around will be to shorten the front crotch depth.  So it was better, not perfect by no means but good as I was able to get it.  I mean it took me all day to get here.  I tried my hardest to get it perfect.  My perfectionism = (pinning + trying on + getting stuck in the ass by pins + basting + ripping out) X 50!!  Fit this equation somewhere between leg wrinkles and hungry butt.

One thing I really find unique about this pattern is how the back seam is the very last seam you sew.  The waistband gets attached then you sew up the back seam.  This is done so you can easily come back and let out your seam if needed.  Like if you eat too many Totino's pizza's and your ass starts growing.  (I seem to be living off those recently)  I hope I never have to make that adjustment but if I do it'll be easy peasy. These are super long, 34 inches to be exact.  I cut off two inches and did a 1 inch seam.  They are a tad long with my Chuck's but I wanted the option of being able to wear a small heel with them if I ever want to dress up and look like a girl instead of the small boy I look like in these pictures.
Even though I prewashed the fabric (stretch denim, btw) I washed them again before wearing and only put them in the dryer until they were about 50% dry.  They did shrink up a little around my butt, BUT once I stretched them out it was okay. I'm pretty happy with these pants and I can see me revisiting this pattern again and again.  The style is classic and they are super comfy!  The welt pockets are pretty awesome too.

Hard to believe it's December and I'm standing outside in a t-shirt in front of a heaping pile of wood my hubby's dying to burn up in his wood stove.  Hey I'm not complaining though!
Peace out! I'm ready for The Walking Dead.  Boo Hoo for a mid season finale! WTF!

 I'm Shannon, a self taught seamstress on a mission to sew my own handmade wardrobe. I've got lots of love for my fat little pug Vito, thrifting vintage goodies, and DIY.
Join me as I share my makes and what I've learned along the way.