Sewing Vortex

Let's just get the bad news for this week out of the way...I spent 6 days this week working on a project that I can tell you nothing about. I had an unexpected opportunity to test a soon-to-be-released pattern and jumped at the chance. The details and results have to remain a big fat secret until the pattern is released, but I CAN tell you that once it's available, I'll have another piece for my SSW1 collection. The pattern test was an easy excuse to continue procrastinating on starting the Fari Coat. It's all about the fabric, you know. Worried I'm going to choose to cut it the wrong way. But the good news is that Sunday afternoon I pushed myself to dig in and cut the 6 main pieces. I carefully laid out each piece checking and double checking fronts and backs to achieve the best flow of color around my body. It's a titch off at the side seams, but no one will notice, as it's not that obvious. I also had to make a decision about wh

I'm certain that keeping focused is going to be a theme for me during this whole challenge. Seems like instead of plugging along at the sew list I made a few weeks back, I'm thinking, "Oh! I want to make that. How can I fit it into my Seasonal Sew Wardrobe?" I suppose I should have expected. I know I'm not the only one... How many of us will have stuck to our plans and how many will create a whole new plan as we go? It will be exciting to see where we all end up at the end of the challenge. Last Week: I finished both pairs of jeans Friday morning, and wore them all weekend. They came out exactly as I wanted, which makes me very very happy. I find it interesting how I can cut using the same exact pattern, stitch in the exact same way yet come out with 2 different fits. Fabric really does make a difference!  This Week's Goals: I'm returning to the Fari Coat this week. I've been putting off cutting it out because I'm scared to mess it

Well, I've already hit the first of (I'm sure) many slow sewing plateaus I will encounter in this long wardrobe challenge. If you are one of the many who has yet to finish your first item, fear not..neither has this host. Last week's goal list was a bit too ambitious for the limited sewing hours I had. Additionally, I spent some of those few sewing hours distracted by side projects. Oh well, that's me, no apologies! So what DID I accomplish? Last Week: I finished my pockets and attached the back yokes. I also stitched in my zippers. That's it. Just a few more slow steps on these and they will hit the Quick To Finish point. Here are my plans for this week: I'm going to keep it all about the jeans because I'm more than ready to be wearing them. But, I'm going to to keep it light because I won't be around Fri/Sat/Sun to work on them. Finish the fly opening (Fly shield, topstitching, shield-to-front tacking) Finish the back constr

I'm terrible when it comes to sticking to a plan, but I think I did well resisting the New and Shiny this week. In fact, I think writing out what I want to accomplish each week is a good idea to help me manage this long term sew-a-long. What about you guys? Do you need a plan to stay focused on the end goal, or are more of the Wing-It type? Last week: Cut my Fari coat muslin (blue). The pattern does not have shorten/lengthen lines, so I made my own by drawing a line perpendicular to the grain in an area that didn't mess with the hems, pockets or darts. It was pretty easy. I ended up removing 4.5 inches from the hem length and 3.5 inches from the sleeve length. My third change was a 1/2 inch forward shoulder adjustment so that when the collar is closed, the shoulder seam follows my body line. The white muslin is where I tested my pattern changes to make sure they were correct. I interfaced the collar on the white one and it helped the shoulder seams stay in place. The

Seasonal Sew Wardrobe is officially underway as of today! We've all got lots of work to do over the next four months, and if you are anything like me, you want to do it all right now! I'm going to try to keep myself organized and on track by taking each week as it comes and figuring out what I want to accomplish.  **I think it's important that I stop here for a second and say something very clearly: It's OK if you are in a different place than I am. Maybe you are still planning. Maybe you just discovered us. Maybe you need to think about one piece at a time. Maybe you can't start just yet. Don't worry! The whole idea is that we can each move at our own pace, so please do that. You can always come back and re-read the posts when you are ready. There will also be a document with all the post links in the files section of our Sew Alongs &  Sewing Contests Facebook Group Page . Over the weekend, I did a little prep work:  Printed and traced my pat