Technology Meets Sewing

For me, technology and sewing go hand in hand. There are two critical devices in my "sewing room". (Who am I kidding? I sew at my kitchen table). The first most critical item is my macbook. I love sewing with my laptop! I place it on the table to the right of my sewing machine and I push it back a little bit so there is space in front of it. I use my laptop while I sew to watch movies, episodes of Sex & The City or whatever I can find that will inspire me. Along with all 5 seasons of Project Runway I have also watched Project Runway Canada, Project Runway Australia and Project Catwalk (think Project Runway UK). I LOVE watching these shows while I sew.

Also, if I run into an issue my Macbook is right there ready for me to google around for some advice. Yesterday I had a nice surprise when my mom rang me for a video conference and we had fun chatting at my sewing table while I showed her some of my projects that are underway and she showed me her new piano music. My family lives 1,500 miles away from me, so it was a really fun time.

She also showed me her new Roomba, which brings me to the 2nd most critical technological device in my sewing room. I LOVE my Roomba. I got it nearly 3 years ago. It is the best ever for cleaning up bits of thread and fabric residue in the area I've been sewing and cutting fabric. It is a total lifesaver. Of course, I have to pick up any real bits of fabric before I get the roomba out, but you would be surprised at how much it can pick up! The best part is that when it starts to run out of battery it's smart enough to go find its docking station and charge itself. I love you Roomba. :) It really does keep the sewing mess down in the house!

As an honorable mention, I'd like to say that my Blackberry also accompanies me while I sew. But of course, it is with me WHEREVER I am so I don't know if it counts as "sewing technology".

I have often considered moving my sewing to my office or to one of the empty bedrooms upstairs. Right now I actually use my office for work, though. My team at work is located in Chicago and NYC so all of our interaction is over the phone, email, chat, so working from home is an option that I take advantage of once or twice a week. And the bedrooms upstairs just feel so lonely, so I always sew at my kitchen table. Maybe once I am married or have kids I will need to move the sewing elsewhere to free up the table for its real purpose. I'd be curious to hear from all of you who sew. In what room do you sew?

Auld Lang Syne

Happy new year! 2009 is sure to bring great things. I wish all of you the best in this new year!

For me, personally, this new year brings much joy and excitement as 2009 is the year Bryan & I will be getting married. That will surely provide me with some sewing projects! I already know that I'll need to make a veil and a rehearsal dinner dress. We'll also need to make a flower girl dress, although my mom may help out with that one (thanks mom!) We'll see which one of us has more free time when the wedding comes closer. We already have a general idea of what we want to do. I need to hit up the craft stores and see if I can find some silk rose petals for the flower girl dress that don't look too fake. If I can't find nice petals then we may have to reconsider our plans! This weekend I'm dragging Bryan to a bridal event in hopes that we can get a lot of work done for the wedding. Hopefully we can get in & out, find a minister, photographer & price flowers all in the same day. That would be great.

I downloaded a beautiful version of Auld Lang Syne from Amazon.com's fab mp3 download feature. Many of the songs are less than a dollar and they're high quality in mp3 format. I'm a mac fan but I don't like the proprietary audio format and protection that the iTunes store uses. So check this beautiful song out at Amazon.

We spent NYE with our friends, Jen & George at Jen's cousin's house. George's brother/sister-in-law Adam & Stephanie also came into town. So that's why the picture of us includes Jen and a guy who sort of looks like George but isn't George. :) George was behind the camera for this particular shot!

We were a little late for the party because I was trying to finish up my new brown jacket, that I am SO in love with. It is my favorite thing right now. I had to make some adjustments to make it fit right but it worked out. I did not, however, finish it in time for the party! That's OK, though, at this point I just need to sew on buttons and snaps. Then I really need to start sewing some more practical items, warm pants & tops to wear around the house. That's where my wardrobe is really lacking right now.

Part of the reason I didn't finish the jacket in time is because I sewed the lining sleeve in upside down! It's a novel idea if you're going to a concert or something where you would need your arm in the air for several hours. :)

It's hard to tell exactly what this jacket is because of the brown quilted facing in the front and the off-white lining. And the fact that only one sleeve is sewn in and it's upside down :) Eventually this will be a funnel-neck brown quilted jacket. I will definitely finish it today and then maybe I can get some pix taken & posted.

Wishing all of you the best for this new year.

My Favorite Fleece Top

Has anyone noticed that this is my 3rd POST TODAY?!!! Here's why... I'm new to blogging and I just want to get some content out there so I can feel like my blog is more legit. I am not known for my patience so I decided to post a lot of content all at once. Good thing I've been sewing a bunch lately! Trust me, I am usually not this prolific.... and I usually don't finish like 8 sewing projects in one day unless I've had way to much caffeine :) Here is my last post for today. It's all about my absolute favorite fleece top. I love this top and I plan to make 18 hundred of them.

Pattern: McCall's 5520 Out of print, but you can still find it at the stores & at McCall online
Fabric: 1 3/8 Yards polar fleece
Description: Pullover tunic, loose fitting through the bust, has neckline variations, dolman sleeves with stitched hems and raised waistline.

This top fits so great in the bust and shoulders. The drama from the sleeves makes the waist look skinny too.... although it's not totally showing up in this picture :) But... this was taken right after Christmas and we know what impact the holidays can have on us. Elliptical machine, here I come. This pattern technically calls for a stretchy knit, but the fleece worked just fine. I have to tug a big to to take the shirt off due to the lack of stretch, but it's not bad at all. Not at all.

What do I wish I would have done differently on this pattern? Not much. It is a cinch. (Ooh, that would be a great name for a blog, eh? Sewing Cinch) (-: As I mentioned in my last post, I just got a new rolled hem foot, so that is one improvement that could be made. The narrow hem on this shirt is a bit sketchy in places.


This is the technical drawing for the shirt. It is just four pieces. I think it would be really cute and flattering to do the bust/sleeve part in a horizontal stripe and the waist part in a vertical stripe. That would be great. I may try to find some coordinating knits or fleeces to make this shirt again.

Red Wrap

I love to be cozy around the house. However, I don't like to spend a lot of money on things that I'm just wearing around the house. Isn't that crazy? Why do we spend the bucks on clothes that we will wear around co-workers and strangers but when we're in our own homes around the people we love the most we wear rags? I'm standing up & making a change! I'm on a big kick to make cute clothes that are still warm and comfortable.

Pattern: Vogue 8463
Based On: Cute Loungewear from Victoria's Secret
Fabric Used: 1 3/4 Yards of knit
Description: Wrap cardigan has extended fronts to tie in front or drape over shoulders.



I really like my new red wrap. It only took a couple of hours to make. When I'm sitting on the couch I like to drape the front of the cardigan over my shoulders like a little blanket. It is SO COZY. I'm tempted to make this top in fleece for added warmth or in cotton cashmere as was used in the Victoria's Secret top.

The picture below is the look it has when it's not draped. Not as cute, but it does has its advantages. For example, when the sides are not draped up, they are much less likely to catch fire while cooking. :)



The Vogue pattern suggests tying the fronts at the waist. I don't know about that, seems kind of odd to tie knit. I am very happy with this top, it was very quick to make and it is so snuggly. What would I change about it? I just bought a new rolled-hem foot and I think that could make my edges better. Other than that, I'm very happy with it.

New Grey Coat

I finished my grey coat, in time for Christmas. I wore it out with the girls right before vacation too. I love how swingy the bottom is. There are a few things that I'd like to change, but let's start with pointing out the positive :) Ha ha.

Based On: Giorgio Armani
Pattern: Vogue 8305
Fabric Used: 4 3/4 Yards Grey felt, Double-Lined with 3 3/8 Poly Lining and 3 3/8 Grey Fleece
Notions: 3 Toggle buttons
Description: Lined, fitted jacket has asymmetrical collar and front closing, princess seams and shoulder pads. Jacket hem falls mid-knee.

What did I love about the jacket? THE NOTCH! I love details like this.



I also like how swingy the coat is at the bottom, and the length of it. I'm tempted to make a black tulle skirt to show out the bottom & give it a little more swing for fancy events. I have worn it with a thick black belt as well, I liked that.



The lining was just some red poly I found for $1/yard. It did the trick though! I had to be really careful with my sewing machine as even having the pressure foot too low would kind of snag the fabric. The grey felt wasn't very warm, so I actually double-lined the coat by backing the red lining with some grey fleece. It added a little bulk to the coat but now it is very very warm. Next time I would just like to find some higher quality coating in the first place :) Great news- I just found a new fabric store so hopefully I will have better selection next time. This grey coating is literally the best quality I could find at my store.



Here is the finished product.



Here are the things I would change if I were to remake this coat:

1) Higher quality material. This coat is great, but the felt was so thin that I had to reinforce the lining with fleece. Hopefully my new fabric store will have more selection for apparel.

2) I would make the collar larger. I don't like that the collars don't touch in the front.

3) I would make regular button holes instead of using loops and toggles. I think buttoning the coat is a bit awkward.

Overall though, I really do love this coat. It seems to attract compliments and the swing at the bottom would make anyone feel very lady like :)

I Heart Home

I always love going to South Carolina but there's something about coming home that makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I love having the comfort of being in my own home, having all of my stuff where it belongs, etc. Something about driving into the city makes me remember all of the great things in my life that I take for granted too often.

Oh, and the puppies were really good in the backseat on the 9 hour drive. They only cried twice, once because they were really thirsty & needed a drink. Another time because they were SO BORED and completely over it. Heh, I couldn't blame them, I was over it at that point too. The rest of the time they slept or chewed on toys, buckled in safely in the back seat. I tried something new this time, which worked out great. I always lay out a beach towel in the backseat because it seems snugglier than the cold leather. Problem is, when the dogs walk around the towel eventually winds up in the floorboard. This time I put a no-slip rug pad under the towel. It didn't move for 18 hours. Sweet. Then I put a couple of more towels back there so the puppies could burrow underneath them. Things like that make them happy, which in turn makes everyone happy because the trip is easier.

Bryan was a fabulous chauffeur. We had a great trip together.

Super Duper Christmas 2008

Yes... this is my first post, ever. I'm really excited about this blog though, I have seen a lot of neato blogs related to sewing and fashion and I'm excited to be in the loop. I plan for most of my posts to be related to my latest sewing projects, whether they be apparel or items for the home. This should be a lot of fun. This first post is just about Christmas this year. I have 4 sewing projects to post but I need Bryan to help me take some pictures. He is currently spending some quality video game time with his brother, Paul. I'm sure most bloggers use a tripod or something for their pix.

I should mention, thanks to everyone who helped me choose a name for my new blog. I finally settled on What's Your Stitch but close runner-ups were:

• Itchin' For A Stitichin'
• Sew What
• You Got The Notion (This was my suggestion, I still love it but evidently people don't immediately think of sewing notions-buttons, zippers, etc...)
  

So, I guess I should get goin' into the real first post. Here we go!

The Christmas season is almost over, which is sad. It's time to start looking forward to the new year, though! Bryan & I spent the holidays in South Carolina visiting his parents. It is my 3rd Christmas with them and we always have a good time. His family is fun, Italian and full of personality. Oh, and they always have really good food! We miss our friends back home though, it's hard to spend a week away, not seeing everyone.

So what did you get for Christmas? I posted pix of a few of my favorites below.

My New Livescribe Pen that uploads my notes into my laptop so I can search them at work. It's also great to turn on the record feature and have it play back the audio as you put the pen down on certain words. It remembers what was being recorded as you were writing certain things. VERY COOL for meetings!



My New Watch:


Vera Wang Purse:


Nifty Platter:


It was a great Christmas. Toby & Newton got along well with Molly, Bryan's mom's dog. Well, they got along most of the time. After midnight they turned into little gremlins and growled at each other a lot. Overall it was very successful. Tomorrow Bryan, Toby, Newton & I will make the trek back to Ohio. Then the real sewing posts will begin.

Sometimes I draft my own designs but my next sewing project will be Vogue 8548 in a chic brown mod quilted material I found. Hopefully I'll have it done by the weekend, so I can start on my next project. I have 5 or 6 sewing projects in queue right now!