Robot Shirt!

For Valentine's Day (yes the one this past February) I gave my hubby yet another coupon for a new custom made, by me, shirt. He picked the fabric and I used my tried and true pattern, Simplicity 5581 (click here to check out a past shirts).

 There was some debate over which buttons to use. In the end the dark green ones where the winners.

Aside from button choice and pockets or not? There is not a lot you can do to a man's shirt. Well I guess there is some you can do but Eric likes plain and normal but funny. The shirt is a wee bit too long. But the nice thing about that is if he decides it is too long I can hem it. Whereas some of his shirts are a wee bit too short and there is not a whole lot I can do for him, he would look silly with a ruffle on the bottom of his shirt.

So what do you think? Is it too long? I think that the color is nice on him. But he is one of those people that makes a funny face and stands shlumpy when he knows you are taking his picture. He really is more handsom in person.

Hope you are having a great Friday!

Peace Out - C

In a small space being organized is key

My studio used to be our spare bedroom in our house. As I got more and more sewing supplies the spare room was lost and a studio gained. It is a wee bit of a pain when we have visitors but the everyday use of this room is so much better and productive than I would have every imagined.

I continue to squeeze more and more supplies into my little room. My latest acquisition is a serger thread rack. I hopped on Etsy and searched for a serger thread rack. And low and behold I found a local couple with an Etsy shop and they make thread racks. Crazy pants, right?

Their shop is called Butterboo's Crafts. And since they are close to me we met in a parking lot near by, which was way easy and very sweet of them. 

I took it home and hung it, and filled it up.

 Super cute, I know! And I was able to hang all this thread up on the wall and freed up a shelf for other things.

 All this serger thread is for my very own one woman sweat shop. Right now I am getting ready for GreenFest in Decatur Square on Saturday May 11. What am I making?

This is a pile of cut napkins.  GreenFest is a festival that focuses on "green" products and companies and such. Reusable stuff made a mile from the Square is about as green and local as it gets. Ok so I guess I should have grown the cotton and spun the fabric myself. But I do what I can.

This is a pile of snack bags, sandwich bags and some matching napkins. I still have to cut the linings, but these are next up to be sewn after the big pile of napkins. You know more green products for GreenFest.

Lots and Lots more sewing to be done. Also I do need to finish the rest of M's Spring / Summer line.

Alright back to the machines.

Peace Out - C 

New Easter items for all!

It has become a holiday tradition to put the camera on a timer on top of the TV and set it to take a picture of ourselves in our matching holiday clothes that I have made for us. I need to remember not to sit so shlumpy, I bet that this outfit was much cuter in person than in this picture but eh....

We each got a new wardrobe item for Easter. I got a skirt, Eric got a shirt and M got a dress. Some were wildly successful, some where eh... 

Ok let's start with my skirt. Which really started out as a dress. The picture below was the inspiration. 

M and I LOVED the style of this dress but thought the color was boring. And I made the pattern and the dress and went to try it on again and somehow it was 3 inches too big!! What did I do? Where did I go wrong? Well I did not have time to figure all that out on Saturday. So I made a last minute decision to cut off the top and make it a skirt just so I could have something. I think the problem is that the above pictured dress (from JCP) is in a stretch fabric. My fabric was not a stretch and when I tried to take in the waist the boob area when all wrong. Well any way I think I relied too much on my dress form and not on me. And it just went wrong. I am going to save the pattern and try again in a knit and see what I can come up with. 

Eric's shirt was much more successful. The only apparent flaw in it is that one of the button holes is WAY too tight. Making it hard to button. Well that is an easily solved problem. I just need to open up that button hole a wee bit more and done! I think he was a rather good sport with the pink pocket and collar stand. And he looks quite handsome.

However the most successful look, as always was for Miss M. She looked divine as always. And more importantly she loved the dress. She also got to wear it to go see the Easter Bunny. It is so fun that she is old enough to be really into things like the Easter Bunny! However she did ask me several times if the Easter Bunny really is real? Yes, Yes he is! Was my answer and I am sticking to it. 

M is the one who chose the color scheme for our Easter duds this year. I think I steered her towards gingham. But she chose the colors. I was hesitant but I think I made it work.

All of March I kept saying April will be better and easier. I am not sure that it will be better or easier, but it is going to be different. I am hoping to be able to get more stuff sewn for Stems and for us! M's Spring line is not finished and craft show season is upon us so I really need to shake a tail feather! I am going to paste a smile on my face and fake it til I make it.

Hope you had a nice weekend and that your feeling a little spring in your step. Happy April!