Happy Thanksgiving, World!

As I'm waiting for the gluten free/dairy free pumpkin pie to finish baking, and hoping it will be OK made with coconut milk, I started thinking about Thanksgivings we celebrated when I was a kid.  My Dad was an only child, so my Mom's family, which was a large one, just added my Grandparents to the fold and we all celebrated the holiday together.   They weren't the only ones adopted into this huge, extended family.

Thanksgiving was the one time the entire clan got together with the location rotating from year to year, and everyone who could drive the distance came.  The house was filled with aunts and uncles and cousins galore, and since my Mom was an aunt twice before she was born, my cousins ranged from younger than me to older than my Mom.

The weather was unpredictable, at best.  It could be a balmy 70 degree day or it could be snowing.  We had a time or two when it even had to be postponed due to a blizzard.  It was a day we all looked forward to, and the adults in our lives worked to prepare the goodies we considered traditional.  Each family had certain things they always brought, no matter what.  My aunt made the best popcorn balls anywhere.  She had big canisters she used each year to carry them in and we loved to help her bring them in from the car.  My Mom's treat was always fudge, and I mean multiple batches of fudge.  She'd make fudge early and freeze it, and of course once we figured out where it was in the freezer and get into it, she'd have to make more.  I think my chocolate loving Dad probably helped us make it disappear, but he never admitted to it.  Another aunt made the red velvet cake--mouthwatering.  One of my cousins brought a raspberry jello salad with a cream cheese-marshmallow topping.  Having the sweet tooth I still possess, but try to control, you can see what traditions I remember best. :)

Whoever hosted the event got to fix the turkey, or sometimes two.  If it was at your house you got to help clean to get ready for the event, and then Mom would prepare the stuffing and get the bird in the oven in the wee hours of the morning so the 25+ lb bird would be fully cooked for our noon-ish celebration. We had a double oven, so we could fix two or sometimes cook duck or pheasant if someone had been lucky hunting.  If you traveled, you had to come two and a half to three hours to get there.  Most of us were from big families so the car rides were crowded, noisy affairs.  The trunk would be filled with food and suitcases, because we'd usually spend the night.

Kids ran everywhere.  There was usually at least one person your age, although I had the dubious distinction of having boys who fit that category.  My one girl cousin my age lived in California and rarely made it back in November.  As I got older and the gender thing became more of an issue (cooties, you know), I started hanging around the kitchen more with those preparing the food.  Everybody helped.  You could peel potatoes, clean finger vegetables, get tables set or any number of other chores that had to be done.  It was an orchestrated madness that was such a kick to be a part of.  When the turkey was finished and carved, the potatoes mashed, and the gravy made we all gave thanks and then piled our plates high and stuffed ourselves till we could hardly move. 

As we've all grown up, had families of our own, moved across the country and our elders have mostly gone now, those wonderful Thanksgivings are just memories.  My immediate family still gets together to celebrate the holiday and with the grandchildren, our circle has grown.  There's still turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry jelly and green olives, but no fudge or red velvet cake.  The pie is generally sweet potato, although not this year.  I've had to learn to bake gluten free, and every recipe is an adventure when you have to make substitutions for dairy, but we're still thankful on this day of Thanksgiving for our many blessings.  I guess I'd have to say the traditions are evolving, but the spirit remains the same.  Thanks Be to God!

Work Gets In The Way!

This post is a bit of a whine!  Don't read further if that disgusts you.  You've been warned. 

What this weekend was SUPPOSED to be was one where four of us got together and measured each other and made up pant patterns using Connie Crawford's measurement  methods to draft the patterns.  What it turned out to be was one where I got to sew very little and had to work at my job stuff most of the weekend.  Bummer! 

Turns out Maggie has a bulging back disc.  She has to lie down flat until she sees the doctor next week.  Sorry my friend.  Turns out Jane's son was in the hospital.  She couldn't come.  My sister is just learning so she isn't much help with measuring and making patterns yet.  I can't measure myself, and at least half the point was to get to work together to do this.  Bummer!

So what did I do instead?  Real office work.  I will probably appreciate it next week when I am a little ahead of the game, but there's still a big pile on my desk and it just seems endless.  Bummer!

I did sew a little to give myself a reward for working.  Got the binding on some Halloween place mats and put rolled hems on six napkins.  It wasn't my new pants pattern, though.  Bummer!

Labor Day Sewing Retreat, Part 1

I love holiday weekends--especially when I get to stay out of the traffic and crowded restaurants!  Jane and Maggie joined Kris and me for another weekend of sewing, and sew we did!

My first project was to put borders on this Christmas quilt.  It has been sitting around for about ten years stored away for the minute I had an inspiration to finish it.  The reason it never got finished was because I lost one of the four border pieces I'd already cut and I thought surely I'd find it someday--not to be the case.  The original border was cut 5", so I got the idea to cut it in half to use as the binding, then that motivated me to get the rest of the fabric I needed so Miss V could actually sleep under it when she comes for Grandma Camp in December.

This quilt top was probably the third or fourth one I ever pieced.  It consists of 9" nine patch blocks on point with 1" nine-patch blocks making up five of the nine inside.  I saw it in a quilt store and fell in love with it not understanding just what it would take to do it.  I still like it a lot, and I've ordered red/green variegated thread to have it quilted with.  Once it's all done I'll post another picture.

Serging with Polyarn

I recently finished another project--another set of place mats for my Mom.  The fabric was a gift from a friend who had made her husband a quilt out of it and I got the leftovers.  Pretty good leftovers, wouldn't you say?  Thanks, Maggie!

My sister pieced the squares, then I quilted and bound the place mats and serged around the napkins.  Instead of using Wooly Nylon, I had gotten some Polyarn from Superior Threads I wanted to try, and am I ever glad I did.  I used it in both the upper and lower loopers, and regular sewing thread in the right needle.  It is so much easier to change to a rolled hem stitch on my Babylock Imagine Wave serger than it has been on my previous two.  The results are pretty good, too.  I think there will be more Polyarn in my ordering future.

Peasant Dresses and Tops and 3-Piece Lined Patch Pockets

There seems to be a trend with my sewing for the girls lately that leads directly to the peasant dress/top.  Older entries show pictures of a dresses for all three granddaughters made in this style.  I used Kwik Sew 3665 for the little girls and Simplicity 2377 for V.   I liked the fit so much that I decided to use it to make a top for V for school as well.  This is fabric she picked out a year ago that I never made up, and I'm glad I waited.  She absolutely loves the denim capri pants and the top made from fabric she picked out. 

To make the top, I just used the bodice, sleeves, and first section of the dress skirt pattern.  I sewed all but one of the side seams.  I left it open to add the bottom ruffle.  To do this,  I cut two widths of fabric 3.5" wide and sewed them together, serging the seam and one of the long edges for a finished hem.  Then I used my gathering foot on my sewing machine to make a nice, full ruffle.  I attached this to the red fabric at the bottom of the peasant top with my serger, which automatically finished the edge.  Then I sewed and serged the side seam shut.  The last thing done was turning the serged edge at the bottom of the ruffle and sewing it up to finish the hem.

I wanted to do something special to tie the top and pants together, so I decided that the patch pockets I wanted to add to the back needed to have both of the top fabrics included.  I wasn't sure how to do this at first, so I went to my Wild Ginger Child's Play to see what kind of pockets they included.  They have one that is similar to this, but is just one layer.  I wanted a lined pocket so the inside wouldn't catch on little fingers.  I devised my own out of three pieces that works really well. The directions follow.

1. Decide on a size for your pocket.  I made mine 4" squares, and I used 1/2" seam allowances on them.  For each pocket I cut two print  rectangles that were 5" X 4" for the bottom section and one red polka dot rectangle that was 3" X 5" for the top section. 
2. I sewed the one of the print pieces to the 5" side of the polka dot piece, and then sewed the other print piece to the opposite side of the polka dot piece.  Press open the seams. 
3. Turn the pocket so the right sides are together, matching the seam lines on the two sides. 
4. Sew one seam from the folded edge to the bottom.  Press it open and trim triangles off both top and bottom. At this point, two sides of the pocket are open--the other side and the bottom.  
5. You will turn the pocket right side out at the bottom after the second side is sewn, but you want to mark the hem before you sew the second side.  I like to use my machine's longest stitch length (6 mm) to put in basting where a hem is to be turned, so at this point I set up my machine to do this. Through a single layer of fabric, I put a row of basting stitches 1/2" from the bottom edge and press it up so it is easy to turn it after the other seam is finished.  
6. Then I can sew the second seam (using my regular stitch length, and yes, sometimes I forget to change it back), press it open, and trim the triangles from top and bottom.  
7. Turn the pocket to the right side, turn up the bottom hem, and place it on the pants where you want the pockets to appear. 
8. Sew the pocket to the pants.  I like to use an edge stitch foot that has a bar down the center to help me make a consistent edge seam.  I simply move my needle over about 1.5 mm, which gives me a secure pocket seam width. 

Sewing for Myself

When I first started to sew, I was a perfect size 12 pattern and could go to the fabric store, buy a pattern, and sew it up over the weekend to wear to work on Monday.  Of course this was before kids.  I did have to make alterations to pants because I have short legs, and I had to take out at least 4", but there was a line on the pattern I could fold and just take out the amount I needed and be done with it.  That was 35+ years ago, and it doesn't work that way now, unfortunately!  I've become a bit shorter and much rounder, so sewing is much more of a challenge.  Enter two things--patterns that are sized for more realistic bodies and pattern making software.  We've come a long way, baby!

I've tried several programs that let you put in your measurements and get a pattern printed, and keep coming back to Wild Ginger's products.  I have four of the products: the original, Pattern Master Boutique and the sleepwear/undergarment/exercise wear program, Curves, the new Pattern Master Knits, and Child's Play, the program for sewing children's clothing.  I really, really love these programs.  The original learning curve is steep, and because they are updated quarterly you might have to go through the fitting process with a sloper again, but they payback when you get it right is amazing.  There are many style pieces to pick from, so you really do enjoy designing and the best part is the tweaking you can do to accommodate some body areas that don't exactly conform to the standard measurements.  I even use these when I make pants for Miss V--she needs both front and back crotch extensions for shorts and pants to fit her well, and we've hit on the perfect numbers so her shorts, pants and capris fit like they were made for her! :)

A recent find has been the Today's Fit line by Sandra Betzina published by Vogue.  A friend  made one up at the recent retreat and we all tried it on.  I was truly impressed by the fit, even though it was snugger than I liked, I purchased Vogue 1085 and sewed one up for myself and one for my sister, and while we have different body types, it looks great on us both.  I had to make a minor adjustment taking up the center seam of the sleeve (two-piece sleeves) about half an inch on each side to get the fit I wanted in the shoulders, but it will make a great fall top.  As soon as I get around to the finishing touches (hemming and putting the binding on the neck), I'll post a picture.  I've just ordered more of these patterns and will keep you posted as to how grandma body friendly they are.

July Sewing Retreat

I really love to sew for kids, and it's so neat when they get to have a say in what is made.  Miss V and I went to Hancock's recently and she picked out three dress patterns for herself, and a couple for her doll.  When I saw her first choice I immediately knew what fabric I wanted to use, and when I showed it to her she got pretty excited.  I knew we were going to have a hit.  The peasant neckline meant there would be fewer fitting issues.  Usually she's a challenge because she has a size 3 chest and needs a size 6 in length, but with the elastic around the neckline we didn't have to worry about it.  I inserted a generous piece then tried the unhemmed dress on her and was able to pull out the slack to get a really nice fit.  At our July sewing retreat I put in the hem, and when she came to visit the next week I finished everything.  She wore it to our jaunt to her favorite doll store the next week.  The fabric is from www.banberryplace.com and it sewed up beautifully.  Wheat you can't see is the pair of shorts made out of the green fabric underneath the dress--figured she should have matching shorts for school.

More placemats were on the agenda next.  I quilted six for my niece that my sister pieced, then pieced another set to be given as a gift for the holidays.  Got those quilted and they just await the binding, but the binding is made so when I have a little time I can get those finished.

I do have three granddaughters, but it seems like Miss V gets the lion's share of the kid sewing I do.  The other girls have so many hand-me-down clothes that I think they could go a month without a repeat, but nonetheless, it was their turn.

The four fabrics these outfits come from have been in my stash for quite some time.  I don't really remember for sure where they came from, but I really love batiks and just liked the four together.  I had decided who would get which one as the main fabric, but took them to show the girls and I was 100% wrong!  Good thing I did as now they can feel like they've had a chance to pick out stuff like their big sister.  Miss E chose the one with the animals--a future vet?  Miss E picked the starts, suns, moons & comets--a future astronomer?  You never know.

As you can see, the peasant neckline continues.  I actually had this Kwik Sew pattern picked out for the twins way before V picked hers out.  They all turned out so cute, though.  I can't wait to see them in the finished outfits.  When I went to try them on so I could adjust the neckline, I didn't think I'd get Miss E's back.

Our July retreat was attended by two friends and my sister.  My friend, Jane, sewed mostly on knit tops.  I am so glad she did because we all got to try some of them on and discovered some designs that looked pretty good on us.  As a matter of fact, my sister Kristine, friend Maggie and I all bought Vogue 1085 so we could make tops from it.  That will be the next project and I can't wait!