Stitch 2 Stitch

Still not giving up! At least for a darn good reason too. ^.^ This is my 3rd attempt trying to perfect the Fano simply because I really like the style and I can see myself sewing this up to make up my almost non-existent wardrobe. Hence, I wont stop until I get it right and happy with the outcome.

This time around, I tried the short sleeves with no gathers. I think I prefer it with a bit of gathers but the fit is not sitting perfectly with me although I would have no worries wearing this in public.

Hhmmm…..I wonder if its because the fabric weight of both the solid and pattern is not really the same, is what is causing it to be like that. The solid is viscose (or was it rayon? I cant remember, just something off eBay) and the lovely cotten knit is from CM. I wish I bought more of this so that the girls and I could boria (wear matching garments) but I think it may not be enough to make full tops, however the scraps would do nicely if I wanted something small to make a contrast, etc.

I reckon I should give it ONE more go….next up, perhaps short sleeves in stella grey marle! With gathers.

I tell you, sewing for myself is a fast and fantastic way to bust my stash!! >.< While it is good that I am able to reduce my stash, but because I need a LOT for myself cannot and should not sound good.

Determined to get this pattern right, I decided to try again but this time, with viscose and while the fabric is slightly slippery, it didn't put me off at all. I am very determine to succeed! I couldnt decide between contrasting off the sleeves with either black or red but a quick question put to Ted help me decide. He picked red and so, red it was.

Definitely looks a whole lot better but still no ‘there’ yet. The gathers are STILL not happening for me so I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong! The fit is really nice and comfy, however the neckline is a wee bit low. Anyhow, never say die….

I’ve already cut up ANOTHER Fano but this time, I’m going to do the short sleeves without the gathers and see how it works out. They say 3rd time lucky, we’ll see how it goes! *fingers crossed*

I thought that it was about time to sew something for myself, for a change. Since I started sewing, I hardly ever sewed anything for me until just before Brandon was born. I think I’ve since sewed 3 tops for myself! lol Compared to the stuff I’ve churned out for the kids, I have nothing.

I decided to sew up a Fano top that is so my style. But because I am a bit of a scardy cat, I decided to test the waters by using some cheap knit instead of my slightly more expensive knit. While it was really easy to sew up, I think it didn’t turn out as nice as I expected it too.

There is suppose to be gathers in the middle but somehow it ‘disappeared’. And at this moment in time, it looks pretty daggy to me.

I think mainly its because of the color I’ve picked. Too olive and plain! I’m glad I used a slightly contrasting neckline band (Thank you, Aida!) and not a solid colored one. I’ve not given up hope just yet. That is the whole idea of me testing the waters. I’m going to give it another go with this fabric :

And hopefully the result will be better.

My second attempt at making the Quaira, not so much for practice but because I cannot stand one kid having it, while the other looks on. Plus I needed to find something for those cute Sesame Street iron-ons!

KR’s Quaira with Cookie Monster & Big Bird

Look Mummy!!! Cooooooookie Monster…..

O, Mum…are we done yet? I wanna go sleepy byes….

TFL!

After a slow start, I finally got a move on my sewing. I meant to sew this in snuggly velour knit for these cold months but since it’s a new pattern for me, I decided to test it out with some cheap knits in my stash. I must say that the reason I finally got to this pattern (I’ve had it forever!) was seeing it being made up so frequently in the CM forum. Every garment looked so snuggly and well…just perfect!

While the pattern is easy to sew up, I’m glad I tested it out first before hacking into my yummy velour! I think this pattern, without any modification to the neckline is not suitable for my boof head girls. lol Then again, it could be due to the quality of the fabric that I used this time around – the stretch factor sucks big time! So I’m hoping that this will be sorted out with some other better quality knit fabric. Anyhow, I’ve finished Arianna’s top and should be finishing KR’s tomorrow.

Since it’s a plain fabric, I used contrast colors and added just a little trim on the sleeves with iron-ons.

Cheesy pose being modelled

This is her “I’ve had enough” and running away! lol

TFL

Like the weather, I’ve been feeling blah all week recovering from a cold. It’s rainy and cold, and windy….tons of laundry to fold and looking after sick kiddies, I’ve really got nothing done in a LONG time.

Both my knitting and sewing has suffered. But not totally a goner. The cardi that I decided to frog…well, after sleeping over it (Thanks Ira for that!) and having a look at the pattern once again, I decided it would be silly of me to frog the WHOLE thing so I will only frog the one piece that’s giving me hell and go from there.

On the sewing front, I have started sewing for the first time, a Farbenmix Quaira for the girls. The plan is to sew them in lovely knit velour but before I hack into that those snuggly goodness, I’m testing it out with some cheap knit that I have here. So far, I think this pattern is not for my boof head girls! lol Might have to pick a bigger neckline and hood. I’ve completed Arianna’s and will blog about it later but I’ve got a bit more before KR’s top is done.

After that, I really need to search and revive my sewjo – we need more warm PJs and leggings!!

My friend recently fulfilled her dream of opening an online store. She’s always talked about having her own business but since she isn’t really business minded, she had always put off the idea of actually owning one. It was also because she was still tossing around a couple of ideas of what to sell. She had to narrow down her numerous interests to something that would actually bring home the bacon and after months of deliberation and procrastination, I’m glad that she has decided to open a fabric store!

I couldn’t be happier coz I’m constantly sewing (although not as much as I would like to) and I’m always on the lookout for new shops and sales. I’m sure as her friend, she will give me a good price! *hint hint* That said, one of her marketing strategies was actually to post out flyers which I thought was an ok idea but it was a bit of a hassle to go and get some laser ink cartridges as I had run out, I suggested just making a page on FB.

You get to reach a large number of people within a short period of time, so why the heck not right? Plus it’s free! So, here’s wishing you a booming business Sue!!

Xila is getting married in 3 weeks and the girls decided to throw her a bachelorette party. Needless to say when you have a best friend who is a cheeky little monkey, you really won’t know what to expect until the day of the party. lol

Xila was actually nervous about the whole idea because Nina is a very out there sort of person and mind you, she is not shy at all so its no surprise that Xila didn’t know what to expect. She certainly didn’t want what happened in Hangover (the movie) to happen to her. lol But Nina turned out to be a very good girl – for her bestfriend’s sake and sanity.

The party was great and so much fun – the only naughty thing that happened was a bunch of male strippers who turned up! lol I wasn’t suppoer to mention it but what the hey, it WAS the girl’s last day as a single woman. After the boys left, we had present opening time and my word…some of the things she got must never be even mentioned! lol I got her the most innocent of things – a
honeymoon lingerie outfit that I thought would spice up their first night.

I reckon Jason will be most pleasantly surprised. Heh. ^.^

*sigh* Despite learning my lesson that one should NOT ever knit when they are sleepy, I still end up going it. And because I am so stubborn, I’ve now come to the point when I’ve pretty much ‘killed’ Arianna’s cardi. I had 6 balls of wool and I’ve knitted up 4 and just begun on the 5th. And I’ve also added another color so that 6 balls used (5th & th not much, but still….) and last night I decided that I’m going to frog the whole thing.

Yes, to frog it apparently means to rip the garment or simply undo the whole thing. Or at least that is my understanding since I’ve begun knitting not too long ago. I tried to salvage it by taking a few rows off but I just cannot do it any more. Plus I cheated here and there and I think by doing that, I made it worst.

Ggrrrr…..so pissed and mad at myself!! I was so looking forward to finishing it as Arianna was already asking me about it and now….*sigh* I just don’t know if I have the strength to frog it or not.

Recently, my sewjo has been slacking off and I reckon it’s because I’m totally spoilt for choice when it comes to patterns. I have a ton of Ottobre mags, more than a handful of Euro patterns that are still unopened and not to mention a couple of Enid Gilchrist books as well. So you can see why it is SO tough for me to pick a pattern – I have way too many!

So instead, I’ve been going back and mending things instead. To be honest, I am getting my destash page ready as I think it’s time to declutter and destash. It will be mainly fabric and some knitting items so once I’m ready, I will put it up. So do drop by if you’re interested. It would be great if some of my fabric found a home where it will be used rather than just sit and rot in my overflowing cabinet.

Anyway, while I was sorting out my to-be-destash pile, Arianna saw this cotton fabric and went, “Arianna’s blanket!” referring to the fact that I recently made one for KR. So I told her that I was planning to sell it off but she kept repeating that it was her blanket. So I have caved in and made a blanket for her….sadly, I have broken 2 OL needles doing this because I’m a dodo. :/

So, her blanket is on hold while I figure out if I should actually get proper OL needles or just use SM ones. Apparently you can, so I might give it a shot. In the mean time, I think I should get back to knitting. I havent touched my needles since forever and I really want to finish Arianna’s cardi THIS year. Also I’m planning another Emergency Hat for a friend. It’s a surprise…! ^.^

And because I can, this is KR showing off one of Grandma’s gorgeous knitting. We are truly blessed!