Butterfly Chair Covers...

My son requested that I make some new butterfly chair covers for Christmas.  I admit that I groaned just a little bit.  I had made one cover a few years ago.  I found the pattern and some fabric but not enough to make a cover.  Here is the post with the picture of that cover.  You will have to scroll down a bit to find the cover.  I was really hoping to find some instructions because I wrote very few notes on the pattern.  Unfortunately, no additional notes.

Oh, the request was also for the same fabric and color combination.  So, I began the search for the black canvas.  I settled on a 9 oz canvas from James Thompson at fabric dot com.  The last cover was a 10 oz canvas that I had in stock at my store.  Oh, why didn't I keep more of the fabric.  Fortunately, I found enough of the gold canvas in the stash to create the stripe.  Yes, stash reduction.

The width of the pattern is just enough that I had to cut each piece of the cover individually.  Yes, this is 4 cover pieces and 4 padding pieces.  This doesn't include all the little pieces that are needed for pockets and support.  So, it was cut, cut, cut, iron, iron, iron, stitch, stitch, stitch.  Here are the covers:

The top picture is the black front with the gold stripe.  The bottom picture is the back where you can see all the pockets.  Each pocket has two velcro strips to place around the poles and strapping to help support the cover on the frame.  I did add an additional support fabric in each fabric in hopes that it will help support the pockets.  The pockets are the weak area of the whole cover.

I hope my son gets a few years of wear out of them.  I do not believe that I will want to make another set of covers.  Hopefully, by the point, he will no longer be a student and have a full-time job.

Happy Stitching!

A Look Back - The 2019 Duds

Looking back over the items that were sewn for 2019, there were a few duds.  No one likes to think that they wasted their time but it happens.  Here are duds:

The Dish Mat.  I think this was a good idea but the execution wasn't good.  I used an old towel as the middle and this was a BIG OLE mistake.  It almost immediately started to smell and it didn't go away.  I have not made another one yet but I think that using a cotton batting will work.  Maybe I will make time for this in 2020.

This is Angel's Bag.  This is a nice bag.  I think it needs a much heavier fabric than the faux leather that I used.  The pattern was written for leather.  The big issue for me was the rivets.  I didn't have much to chose from in my area and I went with a domed rivet.  When applying the rivet, I couldn't get enough pressure for the rivet to attach properly without denting the dome on the rivet.  I was really afraid that the rivets wouldn't hold up to day-to-day use. 

This is Amy's Skirt.  Even though I wanted to love this skirt.  It was too big.  The construction severely limited you ability to make any changes to the skirt.  I will make this skirt again but will change the construction.

Did you sew many duds over 2019?  Did you learn anything from them?

Happy Stitching!

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 26

Week 26 of the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe have arrived.  You can find Week 26 here.  The introduction chart is always a good place to start if you are just now bumping into this series.  Note: as the series progresses, the chart changes a wee bit.  It should be shown on the weekly posting at the bottom. 

Week 26 is a warm dress.  I have a wonderful long sleeved denim dress from Chadwicks of Boston (closed). It's been around a couple years.  Here's a similar dress:

If you have a shirtdress pattern that is already fitted now is the time to grab it and whip out a new dress.  Otherwise, there are many shirtdress patterns available. Pick the one that suits you best.

Here's another option:

This is Butterick 6388.    This is a cute little dress and goes togther easily.  I've made it a couple of times - once as a long sleeved top and once as a dress which I had added a couple of inches to the length (knee length).  I would make it from a heavy sweatshirt fleece.  I may re-visit this pattern and make it short sleeved with or without the collar.  I'll have to think about it but it would be very easy to do.

Have you been participating in this series?  How has it worked for you?   This is the end of the second quarter  or winter.  How does your wardrobe look?  Is it as conhesive are you want it to be?  Have you found this to be helpful?  



Happy Stitching!

Neck Tie Zip Bags...

I always try to make something for Christmas.  This year, my Dad gave me 95% of his ties.  He no longer wears ties.  I decided to make something for the grandkids from the ties.  I found this tutorial for Neck Tie Zip Bags. 

Have you ever taken a neck tie apart?  It is mostly easy but time consuming.  Here are the guts of the ties:

I am not 100% sure what this material is that was used for the tie interfacing.  Only two of the six ties actually had similar material.  It seems to be different than the tie interfacing that I have purchased in the past.  I think I have two precious of the tie interfacing left in my stash.  I did save this tie interfacing.  I am sure some day my son will wonder why I kept this.

Here are the bags:

It was fun picking out the ties for the project.  The bags were fairly easy to construct. 

Happy Stitching!

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 25

Week 25 of the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe have arrived.  You can find Week 25 here.  The introduction chart is always a good place to start if you are just now bumping into this series.  Note: as the series progresses, the chart changes a wee bit.  It should be shown on the weekly posting at the bottom. 

Week 25 is a warm mid-calf skirt.  Oh, this is probably one of my favorite looks.  A longish skirt with boots and a sweater.  I have to admit that my closet is full of this type of skirt.  Unfortunately, the majority do not fit.  However, I did inherit some excessive long corduroy skirts that I may reinvent.  I just need to check the pattern stash and see what may work.  If you have new yardage these patterns would be wonderful:

This is Vera's Skirt #2008 by Silhouette Patterns.  This is the basic skirt pattern by this company.  You would need to add pockets and a waist band it you want them.  Otherwise, this skirt would be perfect for warm winter fabrics.

This is the Seamwork Leonora pattern.  You would need to add length to this pattern and possible either width at the hem or slits..  If you're a Seamwork member, there is a pocket variation available that makes the skirt look a little more like a jean skirt.  Seamwork memberships are half price right now.

Happy Stitching!

(This post contains affliliate links.  I will get a small reimbursement at no cost to you should you purchase something.)

It's a Mystery...Are you Frolicing?

We've been gallivanting around and it has slowed me down a bit.  I'm also in the middle of Christmas sewing which also prevents sewing on other projects. 

You can find all the information about the Mystery Quilt called Frolic here.  It looks to me like I'm three weeks behind.  Are you working on Frolic?  How is it going? 

Off to work on various projects.

Happy Stitching!

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 23 and 24

Weeks 23 and 24 of the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe have arrived.  You can find Week 23 here and you can find Week 24 here.  The introduction chart is always a good place to start if you are just now bumping into this series.  Note: as the series progresses, the chart changes a wee bit.  It should be shown on the weekly posting at the bottom.

Week 23 is a textured neutral top.  I picked another sweater.  This will replace a similar sweater that I have and loved to death.  Here's the top:  

This is a cabled sweater.  It will get worn a lot as this is my favorite type of sweater.  I also purchased a similar sweater in a teal.

Week 24 is a 2nd layer in a neutral or an accent color.  Oh, I dearly need a 2nd layer for those days where it's not warm enough for a coat but you don't want to go out without something.  I did an inspiration post not too long ago that is perfect for this.  I think that I also purchased fabric to make a cardigan.  The fabric is in a navy or gray but I will have locate it.  Here's a view of the pattern:

This particular pattern is a favorite with Silhouette fans.  It's Hugo's Favorite Cardigan #915 by Silhouette Patterns,

We shouldn't be off gallivanting around for the remainder of the year.  I'm hoping that I might be able to get a little of sewing for myself before the end of the year but it is the busy time of the year and I will have a guest for three weeks.   

Are you following along with this series?  How are you using this to help with your wardrobe?  Any additional helpful information?

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration... Striped Modern Tee

T-shirts are a fairly easy item to make.  Let's make a few:

This is the Lafayette 148 New York Mini Stripe Short-Sleeved Modern Tee. Price tag: $298.00.  Details:  mini stripes in cotton knit, relaxed silhouette, crew neckline, short sleeves, pullover style. This is a pre-order and I'm not sure of the delivery date.   For a closer look, go to the Neiman Marcus website.

Don't you think we could make a whole wardrobe of t-shirts for the price of this one?  Go grab your favorite t-shirt pattern and get to stitching. Hope you're inspired to create something beautiful.

This will be the last inspiration post for 2019.  Enjoy your holidays.  Spend quality time with your family and friends.  Have safe travels.

Happy Stitching!

It's a Mystery...Let's Frolic

It's that time of year again when Quiltville does a mystery quilt.  It's been a couple of years since I participated so I decided to stitch along this year.  I have no doubt that I will fall behind because I just do. 

The Frolic introduction call be found here.  This is all the good stuff - needed yardage, colors, etc.  Part 1 of Frolic can be found here.   There are some interesting instructions here.  I don't know how much of the fabric I actually have in the needed colors but let's see if I can get started anyway.   I hope you enjoy frolicing.

Happy Stitching!

A New Pallet Project...

From time to time, I share my husband's crafty projects.  He's not crafty with fabric but he is with wood.  Here's the latest project:

This will be decorating our patio area.  I think he did a wonderful job. 

We have a local business that puts pallets out from time to time for free.  He will pick up a couple pallets whenever that happens and does this kind of stuff.  The last project that he made for me was a book shelf.  You can see it here.

Happy Stitching!

Black Friday Sales...

Oh, yes, I got involved in the early Black Friday Sales at Bluprint.  Everything is on sale.  The knitting category was my downfall.  Here is what I picked:

This is the Ledberg Cardigan  knitting kit.  I would have loved the charcoal version but it wasn't available.  So, I chose a navy yarn.  I'm really looking forward to completing this item.  I also purchased some circular needles in the recommended size and length for this project.

This is the Holiday Trees Highland knitting kit.  I chose evergreen and ecru yarns for this kit.

This is the Santa Claus Cones knitting kit.  I chose cardinal and ecru yarns for this kit.

I need to check the needle stash to see if I have the correct needles for the decorative needle kits.  I suppose I should have ordered them when I ordered the kits but I really don't want to many extra needles in the same size.  The decorative items will not be ready for this year's Christmas decorating but they will be ready for next Christmas.  That gives me a little over a year to complete.  I can do it!

I'm a very slow knitter and I expect I will play around a little bit before starting any of these items.  This is so I can figure out the correct tensions and just get a little practice in.   I haven't knitted in a while and it can be obvious when the tension on the stitches isn't quite right.

So, did you indulge in any of the crafty Black Friday sales?  Did you pick up anything good?

Happy Stitching!

(Affliliate links are included in this post.  I will get a small commission on anything purchased at no additional charge to you.)

Inspiration...Button-front Jacket

This jacket would a great every day type jacket.

This is Lafayette 148 New York Nidia Travelers Cloth Button-Front Jacket. Price tag: $598.00.  Details:  Spread collar, button-front, long sleeves, yoked seamed back, relaxed silhouette, straight hem, bemburg lining, cotton.  This is a pre-order.  For a closer look, go to the Neiman Marcus website.  This seems like it would be a spring jacket.  It is suppose to ship mid-December.

This jacket is a classic shirt jacket.  I was unable to locate a similar pattern in the big 4 patterns.  Pendleton has re-released a 1949 jacket pattern that is a similar silhouette.  I believe you have to call to order the pattern.  You could get a 1950s vintage pattern or perhaps a 1970s pattern.

Let's make a jacket and save some money.  Hope your inspired to create something beautiful.

Happy Stitching!