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Fitting my Wedding Dress: Ava Muslin #1
Construction of my wedding dress is underway and I have completed my first muslin! The pattern is the Victory Patterns Ava and I am very happy with how the fitting is going so far. Fitting the Muslin- Based on the finished measurements for this pattern, I started by tracing a size 8 at the shoulders. Then, starting at the armpits, I graded the pattern from a size 8 to a size 10, so that from the waist down the pattern was traced as a size 10. I’m a bit pear-shaped, so this is typically what I do. The instructions tell you to try on the dress after you attach the lower bodice to the skirt and before…
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Owl Print Folklore Bag
I know, I know, I need to stop screwing around and start working on my wedding dress (and I have since I made this), but it was for my good friend Val’s birthday and I had bought the fabric for her ages ago, so I had to make this. Plus it was a quick make, so there. The pattern is the Folklore Bag from One-Yard Wonders. I have gotten my mileage out of that book! Surprisingly, I haven’t made a lot of bags. I think the first and last bag I made was in home ec in elementary school. I made a monogrammed duffel bag (sans zipper) and I still have it! Anyway, I…
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Sugaring Season- 4 days of Maple Syrup Making
On our recent trip to Vermont, Matt and I were fortunate enough to be there during sugaring season. For West Coast city dwellers like me (or anyone not living in the Northeast or Canada), who may not know what that is, it’s the short span of time where maple trees flow with sap and maple syrup is made. While I still don’t take it for granted, Vermont maple syrup is a staple in our life. We put it in baked beans, use it as glaze for meat and roasted veggies and let’s not forget the waffles. Whether it’s brought to us, or we bring it home from a visit, a…
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Work in Progress- Miette Cardigan: body bound off!
Last week, Matt and I went to Vermont to do some of the planning for our wedding. We kept pretty busy while we were there, meeting with wedding vendors, hanging with family and participating in “sugaring” season (stay tuned for that post). I love Vermont. It is so beautiful and relaxing. Between things, I did get to squeeze in some knitting in Matt’s mom’s comfy sun room. It became my favorite knitting spot while we were there. I was almost finished with the body of my Miette cardigan before we left Seattle and was able to finish the last few rows of ribbing and bind off the bottom while I…
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My Sewing Pattern Organization System
Whether I am gardening, cooking or crafting, I am a big time notetaker and organizer. Keeping my sewing projects organized is partly a necessity, as my studio is on the small side, but I also kind of just love buying office supplies. The notetaking is so I can remember what I did and refer back to it if need be. As with planting the same crops year and after and learning from that, patterns can be sewn over and over again. Once you cut the pattern out and have adjusted it for fit, making that pattern again is a snap if you save your pattern pieces. I found these great…
