Gotta Love the Stash!

Miss V came for the weekend.  She forgot to pack her capris, so we went upstairs to the sewing room.  First I got her measurements into Wild Ginger's Child's Play and created the pattern.  After it was printed and cut out, I gave her a couple of purple knit choices from my hefty stash.  I actually bought the fabric because purple seems to be a popular color with the girls.  We got it cut and sewn, so we could grab a little lunch. I really love my sewing room's contents!

Taking Time to Play--Pattern Master Boutique Style

Tonight was the monthly meeting of the group of friends who use Wild Ginger's software for sewing pattern creation.  Most have Pattern Master Boutique for women's clothing, but tWild Ginger also hse Child's Play to create children's patterns, Curves for exercise wear, Knits for knitwear and a program for making men's clothing.  I think there may be more, but I have the first four and have used them all at one time or another.  I've probably used Child's Play as I love to sew for my grandchildren. 

The meeting tonight was using the pattern editor of the software to create a pattern based on our own measurements that copied a ready to wear or a commercial pattern.   I worked with Vogue 9079.  It has both dresses and a top and pants.  The thing that makes it striking is the front of the sleeveless top is cut into two parts with one shoulder one color going off into a curve into the other half of the garment and back in an arc to the hem.  You can look at the picture at https://voguepatterns.mccall.com/product-search?ref=Vogue%209079 and to see the top, put your cursor over the dress picture and it changes. 

We first had to figure out what the basic design, and in the PMB software you have a lot of things to pick from. We chose a boat neck, sleeveless top with French darts. The back has a zipper with princess seams.  All of these choices can be achieved with just a few clicks of the mouse.  When you save it, the program automatically creates the pattern pieces you've chosen designed to your unique measurements. 

Next you take them into the pattern editor.  The back pieces were actually ready to cut and sew, as were the armhole facings.  The back neck facing was fine, but the front neck would have to be changed as soon as the final pattern was finished.  The front half piece, normally placed on a fold, had to be duplicated and the two pieces combined to form a single front piece that we then had to place the arc to cut into two very distinct pieces. 

I hadn't used Pattern Editor for awhile, so the exercise was a good refresher course for me.  Sure was nice to think about something other than unpacking boxes!

Relocated! Now to Get It All Organized!

The move itself is complete, but the unpacking  and reorganizing certainly aren't!  It's truly amazing how much I had stored all over the four bedroom house!  I can't really believe that most of it is now residing in an upstairs room (pictured on the left), but what needs to happen now is some severe reorganization. The room started out 18' X 39', but we put in a half bath to the left of the stairs. Right now it's mostly boxes and who knows what else.  Oh, the blue tape was from us marking for the painters things they needed to touch up before we closed.

 I sorted through many things before packing, and gave away fabric, yarn, a small iron, trim, etc. to a soon-to-be art teacher.  She will have her own classroom for the first time next year and was so thankful for everything she received.  I have a feeling she may be getting more before too long!  There were many bins of fabric I didn't sort through, and I know future art students will be excited to work with the items I donated.

It will probably take me another month to get things where I want them, but then watch out!  I have projects to finish, granddaughters to teach more about sewing, and I see a long, fruitful relationship with all the things I planned to do in retirement.

Happy New Year! New Year Crafting Resolutions

Well, it's the 5th of January and I finally finished the next to last gift I had to do.  After the first of the year, I monogrammed towels for my husband's brother's grown kids and finished the hat I was knitting our niece.  Her towel set is actually a housewarming present as she purchased her first home in 2016.  I still have a kitchen towel to complete for my Mom, and need to desperately get busy working on the grandson's sweater jacket for his February birthday.

Since we'll be moving in a little over two months, I've been doing a lot of packing of things we want to take, but don't necessarily need now.  There's a lot of that as well as a lot of getting rid of stuff we don't want/need anymore and don't want to pay to move.  I've donated several sewing and quilting books to ASG already.

My new crafting (i.e. sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery and maybe tatting) room is a lot bigger than what I've had in the past, and I am so pumped.  There's the stairwell and a half bath at one end with a window in between, a storage closet and the closet for the furnace/air conditioning inside parts, and the rest of the 18' X 39' space is mine!  Actually the closet and bath are there for a reason, too, but I just can't wait to move everything into the space.

So here are my resolutions for the next few months:

1. Get everything sorted through and packed.  Take the important stuff (machines in the case of the craft area) and other things we don't want the movers to take and put them in our storage area.

2. Donate what is useable and we don't want and get rid of the rest.

3. Finish the birthday sweater/jacket.

4. Learn to tat after we are settled.

5. Start a crochet project.  I really miss using the hook!

6. Finish projects for other great nieces.

There are probably lots of things I've forgotten, but this is a start.