Still chugging along....

Here's my most recent output. Broken finger is still annoying, but over the last week or so, I managed to sew up five pair of knit pants for Thing 2, who had very little to wear once the weather turned cool. I have four pair pictured, but I made two of the firetruck sweatpants, mainly because I had an "oops!" moment while cutting and started off cutting two pieces facing the same way. That wasn't going to work, so I then cut two more going the other way (I have TONS of this fabric - I bought 15 yards on eBay a few years ago) and just made two! I'll keep one pair at daycare as the emergency back-up pants.

There are two more pairs cut out already - a navy blue and a brown - plus there's still the fabric from my retail therapy last month. That, plus a couple of pairs of woven pants, should take him through the winter, I would think. But I do foresee some knit PJs for Christmas. :) I have some knit train fabric that he'll love!

Slow sewing

Yep, the broken finger is still slowing me down. :( Oh, well...it's not the end of the world. I followed up the amazing success of the Jeff Gordon nursing pads (wow, that sounds creepy!) with another set of 4 pairs, this time totally in tasteful white. This is a gift for a first-time mom whose baby shower is coming up in just a couple of days. Hopefully I'll make it there to give these to her!

I also finished the second pair of Halloween pants last night, but Thing 1 has not yet tried them on. These were cut from the KS 3042 (pajama) pattern. I want to see how the fit compares to the KS SFC ghost camo pants, and I'll probably post pictures. At any rate, I was glad to finish them in plenty of time for Halloween (though I'm sure Thing 1 will wear them after Halloween).

This time I cut and sewed the outer and lining pieces separately, then put them together to sew the leg hems and waist elastic. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I think I'll do this again! Not that every pair of pants I sew for Thing 1 needs to be flannel-lined, but he'll probably outgrow some of these so fast that it's not a bad idea. And then the only serging I do is the waist and hems, prior to turning down and sewing. The rest of it is lined, so it doesn't matter.

I still need to work on the new shoes for Thing 2, and I've got more pants on tap for both of them.

A UFO completed

Contoured washable nursing pads, customized for the recipient with an inner layer of Jeff Gordon fleece (leftover from the trim for this blanket). I had cut these out to have done for the baby shower last April, but didn't have time to finish sewing them then so ended up just leaving them as they were. I really felt that the cut pieces had been mocking me, so I took a few minutes to stitch them up last night. And it really only took a few minutes. Grrr....why didn't I just stay up a little longer in April and get them done? These are so quick and easy, and other than the fleece or the PUL (and lace, in my version), you can use thrifted materials for the absorbent inner layers and still be able to give them as great gifts! And the outer layers are small enough to potentially be scraps from other items!

This is a Make Them Yourself pattern, with two sizes of pads (I made the larger size) and a free bonus of an added delicates washing bag, which I have not yet made. Now that I've seen how easy it is to make these, I think I'll make a set or two for the baby shower that is coming up at church later this month!

Trying to sew....

But a broken finger is getting in the way. Oops! At least I was able to get my wedding ring off my finger before the knuckle swelled too much - I was afraid that I was going to end up in ER to have it cut off. Thank goodness for slimy obstetrical lube!

I am still sewing, but I'm taking longer than I would want. Oh, well...what do you do? I just cut out another pair of Halloween pants for Thing 1, and I want to cut one for Thing 2 as well. We'll see if Thing 2's pants happen in time. But hopefully I'll be able to show pictures of the jack-o-lantern pants and a new pair of shoes for Thing 2 by the end of the weekend.

Halloween pants

I bought this ghost camouflage fabric at WM last year but didn't get around to making it up in time. So instead I used it this fall to try out the KS SFC size S pants pattern. I also spray basted the fabric to white flannel from an old sheet, as it is starting to get chilly some days and the camo fabric is thin, then cut the pieces and sewed them with the fashion fabric and flannel as one. It worked well, but I have to say that the KS SFC pants pattern is too poofy at the hips and too tapered in the legs. I may have to just go back to the KS 3042 PJ pants pattern. Maybe I'll try morphing them first. I have another Halloween fabric that would work well. Oh, well....at least Thing 1 loves these!

New pants! (And retail therapy)

Thing 2 is in need of long pants that fit for cooler weather. I made two pairs over the summer, to try out the sizing of two different patterns, and so I went back to the KS SFT knit pants. The blue pair on the right is size T1, made over the summer. Thing 1 can still definitely wear them, but I was concerned that they may not fit throughout the winter. So I decided to try out size T2, which is the orange pair. Well, he is swimming in them! In fact, I have to roll the cuffs up twice just so that he can walk around without being annoyed by the length. So I think that the next pairs will be T1 with maybe a 1/2 inch added to the length. That should keep them wearable now but usable for longer.

In other news, I had a rough week at work last week (including a very painful kick from a cow - I'm still limping!), and I decided on my way home Friday (at 8 pm!) that I needed some retail therapy. Well, in my world, retail therapy is best accomplished at a fabric store or book store. And I wasn't in the mood for a book when the library might still be open, so....

On the left, the colors are (from top to bottom): navy, gray, hunter green, brown, and black, all cotton interlock. The prints on the right are ones I fell in love with. So Thing 2 should be well ready for winter when I'm done! (Though of course I'll still make a few pairs of woven pants, too.) Only the black and navy interlock has been prewashed, but I'll take care of the others this weekend. I bought enough of the solids for 1 pair of pants each plus a little leftover for cuffs and necklines (you never know when that might come in handy!), but I bought enough of the prints for pants and a matching shirt. What can I say? It was a rough week, and knits were 40% off!

Finally, some sewing!

When I get the okay from Misty of Make Them Yourself, I'll post my review. I think that she'll have the pattern up on her website soon. Suffice it to say for now that Thing 1 is ecstatic, and Thing 2 will likely be thrilled when he wakes up.