52 Project Challenge, 2013 - Page 2

[Angelorum]

I love dresses!  A great dress is so easy to wear, you don't have to match anything to it but a pair of shoes, and maybe tights.  I have a great collection of dresses that I can't breastfeed in, so I'm really hoping to make some that I can wear for the next year + that I'm still nursing this baby during the day.  I'm now tempted to link a bunch of patterns and ideas for dresses I want to make, but then I'm back to getting caught up in the planning instead of actually making things.  So I won't.  But I promise you'll see a dress or two from me in the following year. 

And I finished my first project of the year!

A cabled hat for my brother.  It's a Christmas present, but we still haven't made it over the mountains to exchange gifts with my siblings, so not technically late yet!

1/52
 

[OkiMom]

For a dress that is easy to make breastfeeding accessible try a wrap dress :) They are pretty simple to make accessible. Or one that has a separate bodice that would look good with a belt :)

[Angelorum]

Great ideas, Okimom. I got a book with a vintage looking shirt dress pattern for Christmas, so I can't wait to make that. I'm also planning a dress or two with a stretchy peasant neckline.

[iowaorganic]

Originally Posted by Smokering 

iowaorganic: Canning meat? Gosh, you're brave! I'm too nervous even to can fruit! (I really should - a woman at church wants to teach me, and even lent me some Mason jars, which make lovely vases, but haven't seen any more productive use...) How does your meat turn out when canned? I can't quite picture it. Do you use it for casseroles and stews, or eat it straight, or...?

That's the spirit! And I hear you on the need for breastfeeding-accessible clothes. I like dresses, and dresses have actually been cute and available for the first time in my life, these past few years... and I haven't been able to wear one of them. Grrrr. I've determined to make myself at least 6 garments this year, to get myself over the "sewing for grownups is scary" mindset.

Smokering-

don't be scared- it is sooo yummy!  I have been canning pork and beef for years.  I raw pack it in about 1" cubes into quarts, add a t of salt and some pepper and sometimes onions.  Add a little water if you want- I always do because I make it into gravy for noodles or rice.  This was my first time with poultry- and that I precooked.  This is my convenience food.  On days I am rushed or disorganized I pop open a jar of canned meat and make some whole spelt noodles and we are good :)  

I did another 19 quarts of pork today- so I am 2/52.

Angelorum-  I would love to see some patterns for bfing friendly dresses...  

Edited by iowaorganic - 1/3/13 at 6:13pm

[rere]

Here are the hot pad thingys that I made.

[rere]

Originally Posted by Angelorum 

I love dresses!  A great dress is so easy to wear, you don't have to match anything to it but a pair of shoes, and maybe tights.  I have a great collection of dresses that I can't breastfeed in, so I'm really hoping to make some that I can wear for the next year + that I'm still nursing this baby during the day.  I'm now tempted to link a bunch of patterns and ideas for dresses I want to make, but then I'm back to getting caught up in the planning instead of actually making things.  So I won't.  But I promise you'll see a dress or two from me in the following year. 

And I finished my first project of the year!

A cabled hat for my brother.  It's a Christmas present, but we still haven't made it over the mountains to exchange gifts with my siblings, so not technically late yet!

1/52
 

Nice hat!

[AfricanQueen99]

Rere - how many layers of felt did you use?  Those are cute!

[Angelorum]

Angelorum-  I would love to see some patterns for bfing friendly dresses...  

 Here is a review of the book I got for Christmas with the shirtwaist dress pattern (scroll down to see picture of the dress).  I love this pattern, and think it would look equally as cute with a little button placket just down to the first seam/piping, for breast access. 

The other dresses I hope to make will be sort of improvised patterns.  I have a great store-bought dress that I want to copy, it's shirred from right under the bust down to the top of the hips with a full skirt.  It's so comfy to wear, and I get compliments on it every time I wear it.  The top of the store-bought one is not nursing friendly, so I'm going to substitute a peasant style top like the short sleeved version of this blouse. 

And I've been planning to copy this dress since last winter. 

I've got fabric and an altered pattern, and a muslin all ready to fit, but I got pregnant right in the middle of the project, so I had to set it aside because my waist was expanding too fast. 

[zebra15]

Does journaling count?  I've been spending a TON of time creating a journal for my shrink.  I need to have it done by Monday.

[Smokering]

Zebra15: It counts if you want it to count! We all tend to create our own rules, anyway.

Angelorum, that checky dress is gorgeous. I love asymmetrical buttons like that.

I don't have any nursing dress patterns, and the commercial ones I've seen have been pretty charmless - as in, there's no way you'd buy one except for its nursing capabilities. You know? I'd rather make clothes that are pretty and just happen to be nursing-friendly (which, of course, isn't as easy as it sounds!). I recently bought this dress from ModCloth, and it's cute, but a bit too short for my tastes. I'm going to try to replicate it - I have some button-up shirt patterns (I think - if not, I have plenty of worn-to-death shirts I could pull apart to use as a pattern). It wouldn't be too hard to stop the pattern at the waist and add a circle skirt and a bow.

Oh, and it's not really my style - well, I like it, but I have huge shoulders and a small bust and it just wouldn't work on me - but if it helps anyone, I like this dress someone made on Craftster. Cute, no?

I also want to make myself a sailor-style dress... and a wraparound "utility" skirt with a zillion pockets and snaps and loops and zips and things (which, if nothing else, should help me get over my fear of hammering snaps into fabric - I always make DH do it)... and a navy polka-dot 50s-style dress with a buckle alteration for BFing. I have the fabric for the last two items. I also have a fairy dress I started ages ago and gave up on because SHEERS!!!, and I may be too fat to fit into it now, but if not I should get onto it. And I have a bunch of corset-making supplies, which I was going to use to make an underbust corset. I think I got as far as drafting a pattern, but then I got pregnant.

So many ideas, so little time management....

[OkiMom]

You all are making me want to pull out the dress I got for DH's homecoming last year and remake it for nursing. I love the dress and it would be so simple to make it breastfeeding friendly but I have so much to do. DH is taking the children (yes all 4) for an hour-2 hours tomorrow so I can sew myself some skirts. Mine are all falling apart from to much use. Maybe Ill have some done projects soon :)

[rere]

Originally Posted by AfricanQueen99 

Rere - how many layers of felt did you use?  Those are cute!

Just one because it's wool.I tested them out on a pot of boiling water and a tray from the toaster oven and they were fine but for anything super hot they might not work so well.Next time I think I will use another layer of wool.

And thanks!


Smokering,

that craftster dress is such a good idea!I am sooo out of the market for those products but still...

And what about wearing the dress you bought that's too short in a more casual style and just pairing it with a pair of jeans?

[AfricanQueen99]

Smokering - there's an etsy seller (http://www.etsy.com/people/vezanie) that makes slips for under dresses that will make it appear longer.  I'll bet you can whip one up for yourself.  They're super cute.  Alternately, if you like buying from etsy, she's really nice and made some *adorable* skirts for my six year old.

[iowaorganic]

Ohhh you all have given me such amazing ideas!  I should work on something like well one of those.  I am sick to death of my uniform of Bravado tank top and either jeans of jean skirt.  Sick to death.  Anyway- not much sewing is getting done around here- but I am knitting a gap-tastic cowl for myself.  The yarn is Manos and a total splurge especially since I need to go get another ball....

This wasn't on my original list but one of my projects is to make rock star quality whole spelt bread this year.  With that goal in mind I ordered a Bosch universal plus.  Soooo-  that project is started :)  Yes I am counting learning to make awesome bread in my craft list...

[Angelorum]

Tried to post this last night, but it didn't take.  If you're up to knitting a whole dress, I made this one over the summer, and it's been great for the fall/winter.  It's one of the only things that fit me right after the baby was born, since it's nice and stretchy.  I lowered the collar opening by 1" to make sure it was easy to nurse in, but I'm not sure that was totally necessary, the ribbed collar pulls aside really easily. 

[zebra15]

http://noliediy.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-yoga-socks.html

http://www.yarnsandmusings.com/2007/09/crocheted-pedicure-socks.html

I found a couple things to make

My list is growing... le sigh

[Angelorum]

One more:  This pattern is great for nursing, if you can find it.  I think it's discontinued, I snagged a copy of it just in time, and it's great.  I added a little width to the one I made so I could wear it during pregnancy as well. 

[rere]

I finished # 3!

A set of coasters:

Ok,I think I'm done with the felt for a little while....maybe.

Next I should clean my space and get my sewing machine fixed but those aren't very exciting.

[rere]

Woo Hoo!I get to add some fun things to the list.My friend posted this:

2013 Creative-Pay-It-Forward idea...the first 5 people to comment on this post will receive a gift from me some time this calendar year! It will be a fun surprise! There will likely be no warning and whenever the mood strikes me! The catch? Those five people must make the same offer in their FB status.

Fun!

Can you tell that I miss swaps?

[zebra15]

Originally Posted by rere 

Woo Hoo!I get to add some fun things to the list.My friend posted this:

2013 Creative-Pay-It-Forward idea...the first 5 people to comment on this post will receive a gift from me some time this calendar year! It will be a fun surprise! There will likely be no warning and whenever the mood strikes me! The catch? Those five people must make the same offer in their FB status.

Fun!

Can you tell that I miss swaps?

Oh how I love surprise round robin type games.... even more fun with crafty stuff....  

If anyone cares there is a website  swapbot. com that has tons of swaps you can sign up for.  I've never been flaked on  lots of knitters and yarn crafts as well as journal swaps happening over there.