Some UFOs finally done!

Thing 1 loves sharks. He has been obsessed for the last two years - ever since we watched an old (we're talking 20 years or so) National Geographic special on sharks. So when I saw this fabric at JAF last summer, I thought it would be perfect for him for some pants and shorts. I bought it in June and cut the pieces out in October, I think. (It may have been even earlier!) Well, this past weekend, I finally sewed them up. How embarrassing! But Thing 1 is thrilled and has worn the pants twice now - which also means that they need to be washed. :) I did not insert the waist elastic into the shorts. I'm waiting on those until we hit late spring/summer, and I can evaluate 1). whether they'll still fit Thing 1 and 2). what length elastic he'll need. In the meantime, I'm still counting them both as done!

I also painted more Christmas ornaments, but they aren't dry yet, so no pictures. Thing 1 got very excited when he saw me get the paints out - he left his toys and ran right over to "help." :) I do think that, despite the unique color combinations, people like them even better when I tell them that Thing 1 did them with me.

Also working on another UFO - this one from August - an Amy Butler swing bag. I hope to post a picture by this weekend. I serge-finished all the pieces except the straps - figured that might be too bulky. Now I need to start putting the lining and outer pieces together. I don't think it'll take too long once I get to it, but I keep getting emergency calls.

White queue #1 is gone!

The first set from the "white serger thread" queue is done! (In fact, this is the entirety of what I originally considered the "white serger thread" queue to be. I have since remembered a few UFOs that should probably get some attention now, but that's not the point!) Not pictured here are two pair of toddler PJ pants from the same flannel as the middle pair of boxers. I thought it'd be fun for the two little boys to be able to match their father! :)

The $$ flannel in the upper left is another pair of PJ pants, again from Butterick 6887, though without the fly (mock or real). It's for my DSIL, so I saw no point in taking time over a fly. I used to take off the bottom three or four inches of the legs and add a cuff so that she could roll up the legs if desired, but I've heard that she never does, so this iteration is sans cuff. The three boxers are again all from Simplicity 9958, and all three fabrics were purchased sometime this fall with the intent of using them for boxers. Always nice to still have the same vision by the time these things are sewn!

Now I have just two more Christmas gifts to complete, and I'll be totally done! Oh, yeah - still have to get them wrapped, packaged up, and out the door....

Still plugging away....

....at the "white serger thread" queue! I'm down to waistbands and hems, so that's pretty darn close! I hope to finish this afternoon (maybe during naps) and get a picture up later today. I am, however, taking a break to go to the store. I need something to use as drawstrings for the 2 adult PJ pants, and since I'll be out anyway, I think I might buy some grommets to try on the second pair instead of buttonholes for the drawstring. Might as well do something new, right?

I also need to pick up some more quilter's template plastic. I don't use it for many things, but I have transferred certain "well-loved" pattern pieces to the plastic when they were small enough and it seemed necessary. So far I have the back neck facings for each size of my scrub patterns and the fly pieces/markings for each size of my boxer pattern on plastic. I now want to make a template for the pocket bags for Thing 1's pants/shorts. (Quick story: I drafted the original pocket bag pattern from a pair of RTW pants, and it worked really well. Then at one point, I misplaced the pattern. Oh, no! I finally gave up on finding it and redrafted one that wasn't quite right but will work. Before I tweaked the redraft, I ran across the original while looking for something else. It's currently on plastic sheeting, which is my version of pattern tracing material, but I think it's important enough to go onto the template plastic. I just need another sheet or two of the plastic!)

We'll see what else they have floating around that becomes "necessary," but I'm guessing that it won't be fabric. After all, I have good stats for the year so far - don't want to mess that up! :)

Some Christmas presents done!

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm late....I finished all the stuff that was given in person (on time, I might add!), so now I'm playing catchup with the stuff that's mailed out of town. I think I had something in one of my goals about not being behind on this in 2008....

The fabric peeking out in the upper left is from a pair of flannel PJ pants (Butterick 6887, using Simplicity 9958 for the real fly). I found this fabric on clearance over the summer and thought it would be perfect. The others are all boxers (Simplicity 9958, my TNT boxer pattern). The John Deere fabric must be a remnant I've had over a year, since it didn't show up in my fabric spreadsheet from last year. The Spiderman fabric was found on sale this summer, and DH specifically requested boxers from it! (This from the man who says he has way too many boxers and he'll never be able to wear them all out - HA!) The Native American fabric is for my grandpa, who is a big fan of Native American stuff. And the horse fabric is for my DSIL, who loves horses.

So three of these fabrics have been in the stash at least since the summer, and two were purchased in the last month for these gifts. I'm happy with that. After all, one goal is to sew more from stash. I realize that I can't do that all the time, but I have a lot of stash, so I should at least attempt to get something from stash first. This is a good start. And for the moment, since I started a new yardage spreadsheet for the year, I have almost 8 yards out and 0 yards in!

Looking ahead in 2008

A lot of people are talking about goals/resolutions for the year. I avoid resolutions, so I figure that goals are the way to go. Sewing goals are pretty simple, in no particular order:

1. Sew more of my stash. I went overboard on sales this year, and now I have a TON of fabric to sew up.

2. Keep my sewing area organized. My DH installed new shelves in my sewing room, and I got all my fabric out the closet and onto the shelves (pictures to come in a later post). I still need to actually organize it on the shelves.

3. Finish what I start. I have a habit of cutting out a lot, then taking forever to sew it up. I hope that the UFO contest on PatternReview will help motivate me to finish up a lot of the current UFOs.

4. Sew for me! I tend to sew mostly for my boys and for gifts. I need to make time to sew for myself as well. I think I'll start with a pair of a PJ pants and a PJ shirt that I've been planning to make for two years.

5. Stay on top of gift sewing. I did fairly well with this until Christmas. This year, I want to sew for Christmas gifts throughout the year. I have some fabrics earmarked for certain Christmas gifts already, so I can start working on this soon.

6. Use my favorite hobby to help support itself. I've had inquiries about sewing scrubs for money after people have seen friends wearing the scrub shirts I've made for them. It's time to use up some of the fabric I bought for scrub shirts and turn it into $$.

I'll post throughout the year with how I'm doing.