2014 Happy New Year!

 

 

 

     2014 is going to be a great year! I claim this in Jesus' name! The last two years of my life has been much chaos, disappointment after disappointment. I have been in such a place where I didn't know if I was coming or going. I have had my ups and a even more downs. I've been in a place where I had to make tough decisions and most depended on life or death. Some were good. Most turned out to be bad. All this started June of 2012. I found myself in a world wind of confusion and a discombobulated life. If you weren't part of my 'inner circle', of which I keep very small, you wouldn't have known the wiser. I cried almost everyday. Every night. Trying to hide it from my children who didn't need to be involved in things. Sadly, though, they were. I was talked about by a person who hurt me to the core of my being. My name was slandered by this said person. I was treated like the scum of the Earth by this very said person. I went from having a paid-up home, a ride that was just what I needed, a marriage, a life that was not perfect but was livable and I enjoyed it. I was put into a position where I had to finally stand up, dry my tears, hold my head up, and move on. I am not totally there but mentally, I am much better. I am thinking clearer. I am living more for God (and I thought I was before? Honey, I ain't seen nothing yet!). I am FAR from perfect but I can only work to being better. In a previous post I mentioned I landed a job, the start of my career (I know it), and that is just the tip of the ice berg. This was in November 2013. Today is January 1, 2014 and it will only get better from here!

    

Happy New Year 2014!

 

     Since starting my job, my sewing time had dwindled. I miss sewing so much! I do have a few projects that were left to parish. However, I have gotten into the swing of things and found to make time between times. I am currently working on V8576:

in a deep green knit already being put together.

NL6035:

in a gray suiting left over from a pair of trousers made earlier in 2013. This one was left with the fabric cut out.  

M6076:

in a chambray-like fabric. I love this

and S2508:

in white corduroy. I have yet to decide on the lining. I want to use a stretch sateen because my fashion fabric is stretch corduroy. I hope to finish it well before the spring! So I'd better get to it, huh?

 

     Sew, let the 'good times role'!

Smooches, peeps!

Capering in My Cape & Interview Ready

M5764 vs M5913 Easy Stitch n Save and Vogue 8751

January: cape. (Yes, it’s the middle of February, but hey...)

It is getting cold out! I mean, it is cold outside! So, that means I need new outerwear. I have a black leather jacket that’s about had its wear and a poo - I mean olive green wool pea coat that I wear most often. There’s also my Class A Trench from the Army but, really. I want (need) something new; something different. I got to wondering through the pattern stash and found a LOT of trench, jacket and coat patterns that I want to make. When I pulled out McCall’s 5913,

I thought I’d make a cape. But I mentally traveled back and forth between a cape and a trench. I really wasn’t ready to tackle an in-depth piece just yet, so I settled for a quick and easy cape. That’s the point when I also found McCall’s 5764. Which is OOP now.

Hmmm, these two patterns are the same. One difference though is that 5764 offers “4 Great Looks” with “One Easy Pattern” while the Easy offers only three. It took a hot minute to figure the difference. I found it! The fourth look was a collar variation.

 

I love the longer belted version. It’s just chic to me. I cut the 12 since it’s meant to fit loose. I didn’t want too much of a swing.

The instructions were GREAT. Nothing confusing or fussy. I also compared the instructions to the Easy version. They’re the same with just a few combined here and few separated there.

I used a black wool-like fabric with white-lined plaid that was mistakenly shipped to me. Instead of the company wanting the fabric back they happily replaced it with the right one free of charge. Yay! Win-win for me. And who doesn’t love a win-win situation?

I didn’t make any alterations. I did change the way it closes. I put in invisible snaps instead of buttons. I initially wanted a zipper but I’m trying to use stash items and I didn’t have a separating zipper on hand. So I settled on the invisible snaps. I also omitted the interfacing since this fabric is thick enough by itself and holds its own... even after the wash.

I love that it’s simple, fast and easy. I wore it with a pair of Vogue trouser pants I made for an interview. They were an in between item that I needed. These pants were SUPER EASY. I knew I needed a pair of dress pants a week in advance. My interview was on a Thursday. I cut them out Tuesday night and started construction Wednesday night. ....LATE Wednesday night. In fact I went to bed around 2 then decided to get back up and go ahead and finish them. I was done something to 4 am. I love them. Although I could make the hip area a tad wider. (I tell ya, post baby weight gain is a mess!) Hence the side pocket gaps. Everything else, just great... especially the waistband. I love a wide band. I also made a 2-inch hem. I’m 5’3” if you need a bit of reference.

Trousers: Very Easy Vogue 8751. I guess it’s because I have constructed several pairs of pants. This Very Easy Vogue lives up to it’s name. With taking care of home duties, school duties, and a nursing baby, total these trousers took 6 and half hours from start to finish, excluding pattern cutting. Originally, I was planning to make View A with the belt loops, but I was kind of strapped for time so I made View B.

I cut the 16. I’ve been having to go up a few sizes since having baby Zyan. I have got to get this weight off soon! It’s not me and since I do not trace my patterns, I refuse to have too many patterns cut too large for me.

I used a semi stretch suiting from the stash that was perfect for this pattern and its purpose. I needed some interview trousers - that I could fit - for a medical office.

I like everything about the pattern and pants except that the legs are a bit wide for my liking of this type garment. Had they been a little more flowing and for another purpose, I would love it. I am also a bit short, standing at only 5’3”. And now since I am a chunkster, it makes it worse. IMO. Next time, and I want to make them again, I’ll take off 3 inches of the leg width.

I made a few exceptions and changes. One, Since I procrastinated until the last moment, I did not have time to interface the waistband nor zipper placket. I’d sewn the waistband together and constructed it as one piece. I made a 2-inch hem for the legs. Oh, the legs are wide! And instead of using only 2 hook and eye that the pattern called for, I used 3 to make up for the interfacing that I did not use. It did the trick but only for a little while. As in - for the moment of the interview only. I can get away with that since it’s really due to the extra pull (killing) my belly is giving the band. That will SOON be history.

I had planned to do a little jacket to go with it but since I waited so long to get started that was surely a no-go at my station! I wore it to the interview with my leather jacket. Basic and nothing fancy. It was cold so I let my outerwear serve as my ‘jacket’. The office was cold, too, so I kept that bad baby on!

I pray I get that job. But even if I don’t, I’ll still be happy-go-blessed!

Until my February project,

x o x o

Scheryka