29/12/2015

2015 Christmas Party Dress

I'm back home after a quick Christmas visit with our families.  Hope you all had a great Christmas as well :)  Thankfully, we made it home before the snowstorm hit!  Ottawa woke up to a good 20+cm of snow, with more falling throughout the day today.
Since I'm stuck inside for the day, I'm finally back to some blogging!

For the past three years I've been making my dress for the office Christmas Party, and this year I had an idea in mind - and I managed to make exactly what I was imagining!

#BestNine2015

22/12/2015

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!

I hope you're all enjoying the holiday season so far - even if there isn't any snow on the ground yet! Here in Ottawa we've only had a bit of a dusting... so it'll be a green Christmas for us this year.

During the holidays, I'll be taking a short break from sewing & posting (if you haven't noticed already!) but I should be back with some more clothing items in the new year!  I have lots of things lined up to sew. I'll also get around to sharing the details of my Christmas Party Dress for this year, and show of the dresses I made for the past two years' parties as well!

Here's to hoping 'Santa' fulfills all your sewing wish-lists this season :)

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to all my fellow sewists!!

03/12/2015

Knit Skirt: Hollyburn/ Mabel Mash-Up

Once again, another clothing item that is like wearing secret pajamas!  This was a super simple combination of the Sewaholic Hollyburn Skirt (sans pockets) with the waistband coming from the Colette Mabel Miniskirt pattern.

02/12/2015

Not Clothing: Grainline Portside Duffle

Mid-November I attended a 3-day conference for work.  As I was figuring out what I was going to wear, and if there was anything I needed to sew, I realized that I don't really have a great mid-size travel bag.  I have my huge 60L camping backpack and a small ratty carry-on rollie-suitcase, but nothing that fit right in the middle.  So obviously, I figured I would pick up some fun canvas and make my own duffle bag!  The Grainline Portside Travel Set caught my eye, and I headed off to IKEA to pick up some fun canvas.

30/11/2015

Colette Moneta - 3/4 Sleeve in Burgandy

Secret pajamas I tell you, this dress is like wearing secret pajamas to work!  The Colette Moneta Dress is a fantastic pattern, and it is super easy & quick to stitch up!  This is actually my third Moneta (I'll share the other two eventually) but the first one I've made using my serger.  I actually made this dress in early October and it's a regular in my work wardrobe, I just haven't gotten around to taking pictures of it until now.

28/11/2015

#SaturdaySewing

Carolyn Pajamas - Shorts With Some Serious Cattitude

These shorts are totally the cat's pajamas!  From Closet Case Files, the Carolyn Pajama Pattern is perfect for sewing up a classic matching pj set.  I'm not really in need of a new matching set (nor do I have the perfect fabric for one yet), but I did have some of this adorable knit called 'Cattitude' by Lizzie House.
Seriously adorable.  My husband definitely thinks I'm turning into a crazy cat lady... ah well!

27/11/2015

Sewing Level-Up: First Ever Zipper Fly!

As a part of this project, I wanted to push myself to try some sewing techniques that I haven't yet, and learn some new skills.  I figured Grainline's Moss Skirt was the perfect way to learn how to sew a zipper fly.

Source: Grainline Patterns 32001 - Moss Skirt Instructions
(see my result after the jump!)

Unintentional Hiatus - Whoopsies!

Gah!  Sorry about that everyone.  It's been a busy few weeks here, and I've had very little sewing and blogging time!  I was away at a conference for work, then we had friends visiting, and now - I'm home sick from work.  So, I'm writing this snuggled up on the couch with the cats.  I've got some pictures saved up from a few of my recent projects, so the posts should start flowing again very shortly.

Hopefully this weekend I'll get some time to start on my Christmas Party dress, since it's only 2 weeks away!  Yikes!  I have all the fabric, pattern, and a plan in mind - I just need to get sewing!  I'll be sure to share some progress photos here.

After that, I'll be busy with holiday plans, so posts might get a bit sparse again.  I'll have some old projects to share, and will hopefully get some posts queued up so there isn't too long of a stretch without any updates.

15/11/2015

So Much Sewing, So Little Time!

Ahh!  Its a busy weekend for sewing!  I have a conference for work coming up next week, and it calls for business casual.  I've been a bit lazy with getting work outfits sewn up since my office can be pretty casual, but now I can't be wearing jeans!  Yikes!  I have a couple skirts and a dress lined up to sew today, so I should be all set for this week.

That being said, it's going to be another couple days until I get another outfit post up on the blog.  So sorry about that!  I'll probably have some more downtime in the evenings after the conference this week, so I hope to get some more posts queued up!

07/11/2015

One Month Down!

Hurray!  I've made it one whole month (nearly two! - I kinda started in September) with my project.  The only clothing-related items I've purchased were some boots (totally allowed) and some tights (also totally allowed)!

I've learned a couple things along the way too - first of all being to have a plan.  I've been pretty lazy with the planning side of things for this project, and it's kind of slowing me down at this point.  Instead of carefully planning out my wardrobe, I've been sewing things kind of willy-nilly, not taking into account what I really need.  It's also a bit daunting getting started on a project, or picking one to actually start when I have a bunch of ideas and no direction.

I have also been meaning to get down to the numbers and sort out my budgeting for this project.  I had originally intended to share the amount of money I spend each month on fabric and compare it to what I spent last year on clothing.  Well... when looking at the numbers I realized that I spent way too much money this month on fabric and I'm not entirely comfortable with sharing that number with strangers on the internet (sorry!).  I'll hopefully be able to break down what I spent on each project since I haven't used up all the fabric purchased in the month of October.  That number will probably be a bit more manageable and easier to share :)

The past week or two have been a bit slow sewing-wise, sorry I haven't had much to share lately!  Work has been really stressful, and I just went under for gum surgery yesterday.  Looks like I won't be getting much done this weekend either!  Work things will hopefully calm own soon, I'll get myself organized (for real this time) and sewing things will pick up soon.  It's also kind of a nightmare trying to take pictures of myself outside.  Guess I'll just have to get more comfortable with it, or get my husband to give me a hand.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them below!  It's been great finding all sorts of other sewing bloggers around the internet, and I have been so inspired by all the amazing work out there.  It is super cool to be a (small) part of the growing sewing and slow fashion movement, and I'm excited to see where things go!

Happy sewing!

31/10/2015

#SaturdaySewing

Happy Halloween!

Happy halloween, fellow sewists!  I didn't get around to sewing a costume this year, and just ended up wearing my roller derby stuff (skates too!) to work on Friday.  So, I'm sharing last year's costume!

Last year I stumbled across some fantastic water droplet printed cotton, and since my job revolves around rain and water, I figured dressing up as Ms. Frizzle from the water cycle episode would be perfect.  I whipped up a dress, wore it over a white button-up, and made a school bus + Liz out of a kleenex box and some construction paper.

28/10/2015

Hollyburn Skirt

Finally!  Some a-line/ flared skirts to add to my wardrobe.  After finishing off those dang pencil skirts I probably won't wear any time soon I had to add some more fall-appropriate flared skirts to my wardrobe.  Sewaholic's Hollyburn Skirt fit the bill perfectly.

25/10/2015

Seamwork Astoria Top

I've been meaning to post my first Seamwork Astoria Cropped Sweater for a little while now - I actually sewed this one up a few weeks ago - I just keep forgetting to get some pictures of it!  The weather is kind of crummy today and I'm not really in the mood for taking pictures of myself, so here are some pictures of the top on my dress form.

18/10/2015

Colette Mabel Knit Pencil Skirt

Ugh, you guys.  Every fall I trick myself into thinking that pencil skirts are flattering on me.  Every fall I realize that they really are not.

Maybe I'm just wearing them wrong?  Maybe I actually need to wear heels with them and not some shabby flats?  Who knows.  Anyways, I sewed up a couple of the Colette Mabel pencil skirts, and they'll probably just hang in my closet for a bit.

17/10/2015

Follow Me on Bloglovin'!!

Woop woop!  I've had this set up for a little while, and it makes it soooo much easier to follow all my favourite sewing blogs :)  If you read lots of blogs, it's a great way to stay caught-up all in one spot.

More Lark Tee's!

Ah!  Finally getting back to posting about the clothes I've made recently.  I've been busy trying to get some pieces done so I could stop wearing jeans to work everyday (whoops!) so I haven't had a ton of time to get out to take photos when it's light out, and to write about the things I've made.

Anyways, I received some fabric I ordered from Hawthorn Threads last week, and managed to whip up two new Lark Tees from Grainline Studios.  I started with the boat-neck 3/4 sleeve version (you can see that one here), so I figured I would make two long-sleeve versions.  One with a crew neck, and one scoop-neck.  I've never sewn anything with a neck-band before, so I was a bit nervous getting started.  Once I got going though and made sure everything was pinned properly, sewing on the neckband was easy!  I am really loving my new serger for sewing with knits, I was able to whip up these shirts in about an hour each.

#SaturdaySewing

Pattern Organization

Over the past few weeks I've been collecting a bunch of patterns to make up my sewn wardrobe for this year.  I've been printing them out instead of buying the paper patterns, and the organization of all the paper pieces has gotten a bit out of control!  I don't have a huge sewing space, so I can't really have pattern pieces sitting all of the place.  So, I got together some envelopes and a box from Ikea to get everything in order.

12/10/2015

Thanksgiving Weekend Sewing

Well well, that was quite a relaxing long weekend.  Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers! My husband and I usually travel back to our hometown of Guelph to celebrate the holiday with family, but this weekend we decided to stay put and have an easy-going Thanksgiving for two.

With all the free time we had this weekend, I managed to get a bit of  much-needed sewing done! I'll have some skirts and tops to share with you later on this week.

Cheers, and hope you had a great turkey-day!

04/10/2015

The Robson Coat!

It's done it's done it's done!  Oh thank goodness I'm finally done with this coat.  I thought it might never end!  I've finally completed my version of the Robson Coat by Sewaholic Patterns.

First, off here's some 'before' and 'after' photos:




30/09/2015

Sew It Begins!

I am not sorry for that pun.  (I will never be sorry for any sewing pun henceforth!)

I'm posting this on my last day of allowable shopping!  Guess what?  I actually haven't bought any clothes for over a month... but alas, today is the day.  My one full year of sewing (almost) all my own clothing starts tomorrow, and I am really looking forward to what this project will bring.  With this blog, I'm going to keep track of my progress through this year, and post all of the things I make.  I'll be trying a bunch of different patterns, so I hope to have some recommendations and reviews up here eventually too!

I've been super busy sewing up a bunch of things over the past couple weeks (again, starting this a bit early!) since it's been chilly here in Ottawa and my fall work wardrobe is severely lacking.  Luckily my office is pretty casual, and I've been able to wear jeans for most of the week - I don't own any dress pants and none of my skirts are very fall appropriate!  I just finished up a knit dress I can wear tomorrow (will post more on that likely this weekend), so I'm even starting off the project in a me-made outfit.  I'm also in the process of sewing up a trench coat, which I'll hopefully have done this weekend, as the weather is definitely not getting any warmer!

For those of you new to the blog (uh, all of you) check out the goal of this project, about me, and the tools I'll be using for more information!  Feel free to leave a comment or a question below.


28/09/2015

First Fall Make - The Lark Tee by Grainline Studio

Getting a bit ahead of myself here... it's not even October and I've already started sewing parts of my fall wardrobe!  I wanted to give a possible staple a try, and use my serger for an actual project and not just testing it over and over again.

Anyways!  I made the Grainline Studio Lark Tee boatneck & 3/4 sleeve version and I am SO pleased. It's far from perfect, but it's the first real top I've ever made with a knit.  This pattern was so dang easy, and there are so many options (16 in total!) for customizing your shirt.  Do yourself a favour and buy this pattern ASAP!
I will absolutely be sewing more of these... I just need to sort out what colours I need and actually buy the fabric.

The Great Closet Clean-out

In preparation for this project, I went through all (and I mean ALL) of my clothing items to figure out what I really need to sew for myself over this coming year.

This also involved getting rid of anything that no longer fit, didn't look good, things I didn't like, and things I just don't wear any longer.  Since having a regular income after graduating university, I've had a bit of what you might call a shopping addiction.  Yeah, not great.  I would stop by the mall on my way home from work, and more often then not come home with a new clothing item (or three).  It is certainly not something I'm proud of, and my bursting closet was getting out of control.  Apologies for the low-quality photos... it was the evening and I was in a sorting mood - good lighting be damnned!  Here are the before photos with (almost) all of the clothing items I owned pre-purge:

04/09/2015

Still working on it...

I have a couple things planned for this blog for the next couple weeks, but unfortunately I'm super busy in the mean time!

While you're waiting, check out the goal of this project/ blog, more about me, and the tools I'll be using to complete this project.

Hopefully things will get moving sometime next week!

28/08/2015

Coming soon...

I'm currently in the process of setting this blog up.  I hope to be posting regularly soon!!
Stay tuned :)