December MAGAM project, a funky giraffeneck top finished, and my sewing finds from vacation

December MAGAM project

I am delayed in determining and posting my December MAGAM Challenge, but finally - here it is.  With a theme of "December Dreaming" I couldn't let this opportunity pass me up to make yet another pair of pajamas.  These however, will become my new traveling pajamas.  After our recent trip to the UK, I discovered that the pair of knit pajamas that I took with me took way, way too long to dry in the dryer.  I think it was because of the facings, collars, and pockets on my pj's that were adding extra fabric layers and causing them to take forever to dry.  So - I decided that a pair of travel pajamas were in my future and with only a few days left to cut out and finish the project, this should fit quite nicely into the last few days of December.

I'll be using this really crappy knit that has been in my stash for quite awhile.  I really can't remember where I purchased the knit, but it has no spandex or lycra in it, so I'm sure my pj's will stretch out while I'm wearing them, but I really don't care.  The "hospital tunic color" might cause me to add some embellishments to the front somehow so I am not accidentally mistaken for a patient in case I'm seen taking out the trash or something.

I'll be using my usual McCall's 3017 for the pj bottoms, but I'm going to use my 2-hour turtleneck pattern (minus the turtleneck portion and the cuffs) to make the top.  Remember, I'm aiming for as few of layers as possible in order to speed up the drying time - so that means no pockets, no facings, no cuffs - actually, this is going to really be quite a boring garment for me!  With that said, I'll show you a recent top I made from the same 2-hour turtleneck pattern that is far from boring!

How do you like my Giraffe impression??

Yes, if I were really cold, the turtleneck portion of this top could double as a balaclava - if only I had put eyeholes in it!  Does this shirt make my neck look long?

Both of the fabrics in this top were leftover from other projects.  The turtleneck and sleeve portions of the top are cut from a nubby knit and the polka dot portion for the front and back are polar fleece. Rather than doubling the turtleneck piece, I only sewed one side to the neckline, leaving the other side to drape nicely around the neckline.  I added some beaded trim to the neckline as well that was left in my stash from yet another project.

Much better here when I'm not trying to impersonate a giraffe.

Back view.  Nothing to exciting here. 

As you can tell, most of these pics were snapped while I was still on vacation in the UK.  Oh - how I miss being there!  

While on vacation, I seek out fabric store and magazines too.  Here I am at Truro Fabrics.

And look at the goodies I purchased:

A black and gray knit, two viscose prints and a new Christmas stocking panel.....completed just in time for Santa to fill it with - of all things - an inversion table!  Just how Santa fit that in the stocking, I will never know - but it's being delivered on Thursday!  Stay tuned for posts while I'm hanging upside down practicing to be a bat!  

I also picked up 6 sewing/crafting magazines.  Why is it that UK craft magazines always come packaged with an extra goodie inside like a free pattern or kit?  Do other countries do that too?  Our US magazines don't have goodies in them!  Who can I complain to about that? 

I collected 4 free patterns and two kits in these magazines.  I make a point of not opening the magazine packages until I get home so as to try to "prolong" the vacation feel a little bit longer.  And, these are fun to curl up next to the fire and have a read.  

Time to add to the stashbustin total. 

Yardage for the Giraffeneck top = 1.5 yards

Yardage for the lining of the stocking = .75 yards (notice, I'm not including the outside of the stocking, just the lining fabric that was from the stash.

Total for both projects = 2.25 yards

Total YTD = 103 yards!  

That's it for now!

Happy sewing everyone!

Star

November MAGAM Challenge Done!

I'm just a bit behind with sewing, but I have a good excuse.  I was on vacation for almost two weeks around Thanksgiving in November so my sewing time was shortened.  We ventured to the cold of Quebec City and Montreal and had a great time.  Here's a pic from Quebec City of me doing my best interpretation of an Eskimo!



Ok, on with the sewing update.  My November MAGAM Challenge is complete - a rather simple garment this month.  I made Vogue 8854 out of a polka dot fleece from my stash.  The pattern has three different version - a sleeveless top that I made, one with sleeves and a pocket in the front and another with a hood.  Due to my limited fabric - the sleeveless version was my only option.

I think it turned out quite cute!  I trimmed the armholes and the hem with some matching lycra I had in my stash.  The collar pictured on the pattern envelope stands up like the one below, but I just figured that would get in the way too much, so I didn't sew on the 4th snap near the top because I thought I would more likely wear it with the collar turned down as pictured above.

I trimmed the collar seam by sewing some soutache braid along the seamline.  A subtle element, but I think it adds a little something unexpected.

Here's a close-up of the armhole binding.  I lowered the bottom of the armhole 1" because it was just a bit snug.  I will be wearing this over another top, and I didn't want it to bind up under the arm.

My center front makes you look twice at the different halfs of the dots.  I tried and tried to line up the same color down the front when cutting out the pattern, but I just didn't have enough fabric to do so. However,  I think this adds a little quirkiness to the garment too.

The hemline is a shirttail hem that I also trimmed with the lycra strips.  I shortened the overall length of the garment by 3 inches.  It falls at a much more pleasing spot on my body now.

Here's a better look at the soutache braid along the back.

Just a quick post today as I'm still trying to catch up and get back into the swing of things after vacation.  That's it for now!

Oh - and to add to the Stashbustin total since July - this puts me at 43 yards!  Yippee!  I'm starting to think about my goal for next year too.  I think sewing 100 yards out of my stash is a bit ambitious, but I might think about 80 yards for the year? That sounds kinda doable?  What do you think?

Happy Sewing everyone!

November Make A Garment A Month Challenge Project Determined and a Bonus Project Completed!!

This month's theme is "November nights".  To me - November nights means something warm and cozy and comfy.  So, continuing on my stashbusting quest, I found this polka dot polar fleece in the closet.

I originally wanted to make some pajama bottoms, but I only have a little over a yard so that wouldn't work.  So instead, I'm going to make Vogue 8854 - view A - the sleeveless vest pictured on the pattern envelope below.  I also found some matching turquoise spandex in the stash that I'll use to trim the armholes and possibly the hemline too.  And, that darn turquoise soutache braid that I tried to incorporate into my last project (but didn't work) just happens to match this one too!  I'll see where I can fit it in.

The pattern calls for 4 snaps too and I found some in my stash already covered in black - Score!  The snaps were probably leftover from something I donated to charity, but decided to remove them first (I tend to do that alot!).

Bonus Project!

Here's my bonus project - just completed tonight.  This month as part of our sewing guild's charity commitment, we are making pillowcases to be donated to CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates.  The pillowcase features a drawstring around the end so it can double as a bag.  The idea is that kids can use the pillowcase for it's intended purpose and also, it can be used as a bag to carry out clothes or other personal belongings when a family situation arises and they need to leave their home.

I tried to find some kid related fabric in my stash and found this cute goldfish print I bought a few years ago.  I have no idea what I originally purchased it for, but it seemed to fit this purpose perfectly.  I did purchase the coordinating blue and orange polka dot fabric to match.  The ribbon in the casing is finished with buttons so it doesn't slip thru the buttonholes.  

Here's a close-up of the goldfish.  I just love how they all have their own names!  Hopefully the children who receive these pillowcases will enjoy the fish and come up with their own names too.

Since this bonus project is complete and it was from the stash - I can now add it to my stashbustin' total.  I made 3 of these pillowcases for a total of 2.25 yards sewn, bringing my balance up to 41.75 yards total since July.  I am jammin!

However, we are going on vacation soon and I fear my tendency to buy fabric on vacation will set me back a bit on my quest.  I will try hard though - to only buy things that coordinate with something I already have in the stash.  But, if I do sway from my goal, please don't scold me!

Until next time - Happy Sewing!

Vogue 8778

This jacket is a Katherine Tilton design for Vogue Patterns.  I made this awhile ago and have finally posted it.  This jacket adds to my collection of jackets that are members of the "Big Collar Brigade" - I seem to have quite a few members in my closet.

The jacket is made out of polar fleece and the day I took the pictures, it was about 80 degrees outside and I was roasting, so I tried to take some quick snaps.

The jacket is very loose-fitting with an asymmetrical front zipper closure.  I wanted to do a little something different with the zipper so I combined two different zippers in my stash.  As you can see below, one side of the zipper is white and the other side is black.  Also, after sewing in the zip, it seemed a little plain, so I added some polka dot ribbon to each side.

The black polar fleece was the packing material used in an e-bay purchase of a new sewing machine.  Of course I couldn't throw it away - for goodness sake - it was free fabric!  There was about 3 yards of the stuff and it had various holes and marks so I needed to work around them when cutting out the jacket pieces.

The striped knit sleeve material was leftover from a previous project.
The polka dot polar fleece was purchased at a local fabric store - I can't remember when exactly. Here's the back view - pretty simple from the back.

After completing the jacket, it seemed like it was missing something so I added the pocket to the front.

The pocket material is some cotton knit I had in my stash.  To make the pattern, I used a salad plate from the kitchen and traced around the outside of the plate and then added a seam allowance.  Using two pieces of knit, sew the circles together and turn.  When I added the pocket to the jacket, I decided how much of the circle I wanted to turn back to form the flap and just sewed around the edge of the rest of the pocket.  Add a button and ta-da!  Super easy pocket!  I think the round pocket pulls from the polka dots on the collar and my cute little polka dot button was the finishing touch.

The two collar pieces in front just meet - no hooks and eyes or anything.  I might add some hooks and eyes at a later date.

That's it for now!  Hope you like it!

Happy Sewing!