So Much to Knit, I Sew!

I am battling a case of start-itis. Knitting-wise, I cannot justify starting another project, even though I have a new project, the yarn, and the recipient all picked out. I've still got my May socks on the needles (working on the heel flaps right now), I've got a baby blanket in progress (and I can't even remember where I am in the pattern - not a good sign), swatches for a new design almost finished, and a sample that needs to be knit ASAP. Yet I want more.

Last night, I decided to sit down at the sewing machine and work on Robert's button-down shirt. I was working on it yesterday during naptime and got rudely interrupted by children mid-collar topstitch. I finished setting in the collar ... and wow. It looked ugly. Really bad. Really. Bad. I tried to iron out the ugly, but it wasn't working. I couldn't even take a picture to show you; it was that bad. So I ripped out the topstitching around the edge of the collar, which also hid where the collar facing attached to the shirt, and reset it. It's still not perfect, but it's better. It was very traumatizing though, so I decided to do something fun and cut out pieces for my first quilt! I got half of the pieces cut out last night and did the rest today during naptime. Here's a picture of all my squares-to-be laid out:

The Pooh fabric (the two prints, the yellow and the tan plaid) was a fat quarter bundle that I bought at JoAnn Fabrics back before my twins were born. I haven't seen any there for a while. I had actually bought a few of these bundles, intending to make quilts for the twins, but a wonderful friend of mine offered to make the quilts for me. Here's a picture of Caitlyn's quilt so you can get an idea:

Robert's quilt is the same strippy pattern, but bound and backed in the blue that you can see in the long strips here. I like the fact that their quilts match but are different, but I wanted to do something completely different for the new baby. This is the pattern I'm using. Since I tend to hoard fat quarters, if this goes well I can make Robert & Caitlyn their own also.



Of course, I've already made mistakes design adaptations :) I chalk that up to 1) being pregnant and losing my mind and 2) cutting the fabric at 11:00 PM. There are supposed to be two squares of each fabric that are 5 1/2" by 6 1/2", but the first few I cut were 4 1/2" by 6 1/2". Oops. So I cut all the rest that size. Also, the long rectangular strips (which I didn't photograph, but you get the idea from the tutorial picture) are supposed to be 2 1/2" by 14 1/2", but again I cut mine 1 1/2" by 14 1/2". Thankfully I have some wide-ish scraps leftover, so if the quilt top is really lacking in width I'll just add something around the outside edge.

The other fabrics, the blue print and the green semi-solid, I got at Quilter's Corner in Chadds Ford, PA. I wanted to give them a shout out, because they are extremely helpful and nice! I first stopped in searching for fabric for Caitlyn's Easter dress. Not only did they help me, but the woman laid out the pattern pieces on the fabric to make sure I had enough and explained how they should be laid out and cut. This past time I was there, the owner and another employee (I'm so bad with names, I can't remember any of them!) were there and again, the customer service was fantastic. I had taken some fabric I had in mind for a short set for Caitlyn to match up, and they again laid out the pattern for me. I didn't have enough for what I had in mind, so I bagged that. I also took in the Pooh fat quarter bundle, and they helped me pick out the other two prints (I'm using the green as the backing also) - even though I didn't buy the Pooh fabric in their store. They have a beautiful selection of fabrics that I can see using for both quilting and sewing. I think at least for now, it'd be better for me to buy fabric in person as opposed to online. I'm so glad I found this shop!

Anyway, I feel sufficiently restored from cutting these pieces and am now ready to move on with Robert's shirt. Except that the next step is to make buttonholes...and I don't have a buttonhole foot for my machine. Maybe I'll attach the sleeves first... I'll keep you updated!

New F(S)O and a Sneak Peek!

As promised, here are some pictures of my latest F(S)O - Finished (Sewing) Object:

This is the 'Charm Pack Skirt' from "Stitch by Stitch: Learning to Sew, One Project at a Time," sized down from the smallest size (I think the smallest was a 3) to fit a size 18 months. This is the third sewn garment I've made (all for Caitlyn so far, but I'm working on a shirt for Robert), and the first project from this book. It's written to be followed from the beginning so that you learn fundamental skills and build upon them, but I had an itch to make this so I just jumped ahead.

The pattern was well-written and almost every step was illustrated. The only complaints I have with it are things that were my own fault! It's written to make use of charm packs (hence the name), but I didn't have any. I did have a bunch of coordinating fat quarters though, so I did a lot of cutting to get the 5" squares. That part wasn't fun, but I wouldn't have had to do it if I'd just used the charm packs.

The other issue I had was with the gathering foot on my machine, but that's just me getting to know my sewing machine.

Overall, I'm very pleased with how this turned out. I love the fact that they are getting old enough for me to make them clothes without worrying that they'll be outgrown before they're worn. Plus, neither of them have opinions yet on what they want to wear (or if they do, they're not sharing yet), so I might as well make them wear what I want them to before I lose my chance! I had originally wanted her to wear this skirt with the Child's Ruched Yoke Tee (Ravelry library link because I shamefully haven't taken a picture of mine yet...one of these days), but it's still gigantic on her. I made the smallest size, which is a size 2 to fit a 21.5" chest. She'll be 2 in just under a month, but she's still in 18 months with a 19" chest. I think what I may do is sew in the garter ridges of the yoke with some elastic thread to help bring it in...or I might just keep trying it on her. At least it'll look cute in the fall with a long-sleeved tee underneath. :)

And now, your sneak peek at the next Domestic Knitter Design!