Shopping for Personal Supplies

I spent $23.66 (including tax) on personal supplies.

I was only going to buy 1 package each of foundation sponges and cleaning pads.

However, they were having a sale.  I bought 3 and got 2 free.

Since these won’t spoil I decided to go ahead and pick them up to put aside.

The brush is to replace an old one.  

The cream hair remover is a different brand than I normally use, so time will tell if it was a waste or not.

Chapstick is for my daughter.

I did do one impulse purchase.

These were reduced to $1.89 so I picked one up to toss in my purse.

Travel Friendly Cardigan

One of the items on my list of 13 is a cardigan.  I opted for a travel friendly fabric -- one that doesn't seem to wrinkle despite me tossing it in my bag.  I used an old pattern from the 1990s.

The fabric was a new experience for me.

It took me several tries to figure out what stitch length and machine foot were necessary to make this fabric go through the machine without puckering and waving like crazy.  

I think if I had to do it over again I would add some simple ties to the top.

However, it actually hangs well as is and if I want to fasten it, I'll add a brooch.

Sew a Long Challenge

The Facebook sewing group I am a member of does contests/challenges.  The challenge for this quarter is sew 2 items from a list of 13 wardrobe essentials in May and June and then 2 more items from the list in July and August.  The rules are you can choose any two per month divide, but cannot overlap categories.

The list is a pretty good list:

1.  Cocktail dress -- AKA the much esteemed Little Black Dress
2.  Skirt
3.  Shirt/Blouse
4.  Trench coat
5.  Blazer
6.  Dress slacks
7.  Jeans
8.  Dress
9.  Night wear or lingerie
10.  Work out Clothes
11. Blazer
12. Cardigan
13.  Accessory

There aren't really many rules past that.  The patterns can be old/new/self drafted, etc.  Reasonable interpretations are allowed.

I've been planning my list of attack.  I'd really like to make as many of the items as I can simply because I am working on expanding my skills set and each of these items offers a great opportunity to learn something new.

Amusingly I have on hand fabric and patterns for everything but the jeans.  I actually have a pattern, but not the fabric I would need.  The accessory might be an issue, too.  I'm kind of up in the air about it.

I requested permission to do a dress style shorts for the dress slacks.  I'm kind of retired and it is totally too hot in the South for me to want to wear dress pants.  Thank goodness I can get away with a nice "dressy" shorts.  So that is first on my list.

I've also planned a dress that I'll share some about tomorrow.

Indulgences

A few years ago I lost a lot of weight and I passed on most of my sewing patterns to someone who could use them.

I was perusing Ebay -- a dangerous pastime to be sure -- when I found a huge lot of various patterns.

Careful inspection of the photos showed them to be in my size and in similar styles to what I will wear.

There was also a variety of children's patterns mixed in, which I appreciate very much because I like to sew for my nieces and nephews.

How I managed to open the box upside down is beside me, but I did it.

Even more amazing is that she had packed all these patterns in this box.

I couldn't get them all back in.

I pulled through all the patterns and separated them according to gender/age.

I found three that I am passing on to my mama.

The rest all went into my sewing room.

There were a few crafting patterns, some girls and boys patterns, a couple of men's patterns, and a slew of women's patterns.

My biggest dilemma is deciding what to make first.

I've actually ran a test on a pair of knit summer capris.

I used fabric and thread I had on hand.

My daughter is calling these my 70's pants and says she isn't sure she'll be seen with me.

I've reminded her it is a parent's job to embarrass their teenage daughter.  :-)

The Final Countdown

We're entering the final countdown of craziness to get the last few tax returns out.  This has been a weird season for me because I have only been working weekends.  That is changing this week and I'll be working pretty much daily right on up to the deadline.  However, we are cutting off on April 15th.

 I spent my last day of freedom (only answering phone lines) today.  I took advantage of it and worked on one more summer dress.

 This one is a crinkly cotton.  (I'm woefully ignorant of whether it has a proper name or not...sigh).  This was the first time I worked with it.  In all honesty, I like the pattern and the way the directions are written.  However, I would do some things differently the second time around if I were to use this fabric again. I'd double my facings, rather than try to use interfacing.  I'd also use French seams.

The fabric tends to want to fray a little.  I think those things would have made for a better finished product.

Ironically, I don't think I'll use this fabric again.  I wasn't thrilled with how it sewed and I dont like not being able to truly press things when I sew. Having said all of that.  I do like the color(s), and it does fit well.  

Take Two

This is take two of my summer dress.

I altered the neckline to a soft v and added facings.  

The original pattern has you just fold over and hem.

Again, this fabric was from my stash and we have deemed it my "Parisian Print"...lol.

There are actualy cats on it, too.

Not sure why I didn't photograph one.

Half Price!

The doctor recently adjusted my daughter's medication for Crohn's Disease and the inflamtion in her body has gone down so much that she has dropped a pants size or two.  She loves to wear jeans and is slightly taller at 5'9" , and we have the best luck finding her jeans at Old Navy.  We had no choice but to get something for her to wear -- her pants were literally sliding off of her more than I could easily take up.  So waiting for a sale wasn't an option for us.

 We had to run errands and Old Navy was on our list of stopping places.  We spent a while trying on different styles and sizes until we finally stumbled upon the "perfect" jeans.  I'm trying to remember being a teenager and how the "perfect" jeans were so important.  She was upset and frustrated because they only had them in one shade of blue.  Being older, I said we could just buy several pairs of the same color.....what was I thinking?  I'm pretty sure based on the look she gave me that I must have been speaking in tongues or have grown a second head....either way that was not a winning suggestion.

 While she put back a couple of pairs, I wandered through the clearance section.  I hadn't been going to go through it because I honestly don't need anything.  I am so glad I did!

 Guess what I found?  4 pairs of jeans in varying shades of blue....in her size...in the preferred fit...and 50% off!  They were new with tags, but because they had been bought online and returned they couldn't sell them at full price.  They were an online only kind of thing.  Three pairs were tall sizes, yet too long, and I will be hemming them.  The fourth oddly enough fits in length.  So I paid (with tax) $65 for 4 brand new pair of jeans for her!  I'll gladly hem three pair of pants for a $65 savings....in fact, if I can find a job hemming them at that rate I may take it.  It will take longer to thread the machine.

Clothes Shopping

For Christmas I received a gift card of $50 for Forever 21.  We do not have one of their stores near us, but since I knew I would be traveling to a town that does I saved the card.  

 I really didn't have anything special in mind, but I decided to look anyway.  I always hear about gift cards sitting and never being used, so I make an effort to use them up.

Most of the colors in the store seemed to be "not me."  I found one top for myself, but I found three tops that I thought would be perfect for my daughter. In order to make sure I do not leave any money on a gift card, I always go armed with a little extra cash and deliberately spend just over the amount on the card.  I spent a total of $57.22 with $3.62 of that being tax.

I bought this blue gray top for me:

  For my daughter I bought a long sleeved button up shirt and two short sleeved print t-shirts.  I know short sleeves seem kind of odd for February, but she can layer them under things or she can put them aside for spring, which isn't far away.

 

Sweater Complete!

This camouflage sweater is for my grandson.  The simple shape is great for layering over little boy clothes.  The yarn is machine wash and dry.  I also added a little extra length to the body and the cuffs so that perhaps he can get two seasons of wear from it.

This is the ultimate "hoarders" project.  I found this yarn in my stash -- leftover from the last camouflage sweater I knit for my son, when he was a pre teen.  Yes -- I used the leftovers from years ago to make his son a sweater.  Kind of made me nostalgic thinking back to all those years.

I actually have enough left that in a year or two I should be able to knit him a vest as well -- if I do not find another project before then.  (Especially since my nephew is hinting that he really likes camouflage, too.)

Shoes

One of the issues I have is that I do have arthritis.  My hips and knees often hurt so I try to be careful about what kind of support I wear in shoes, but I hate to simply wear tennis shoes.  I ordered both pairs of these from Amazon, which does have an excellent return policy.  Both fit perfectly and will carry me through the fall and winter.  They both have excellent padding and non slip soles, which are a must in my mind for day to day shoes. I went with black for both pairs and each have a print that adds some detailed interest to them.

I don't do a lot of online clothes or shoe shopping for myself, but I was quite pleased with the price, the speed I received them, and the fit.  These were my first "deliberately planned" pairs of animal friendly shoes and I love them. 

Refashioning a Man's Shirt into a Blouse

I started with a long sleeved dress shirt that was my husband's.  The collar and the cuffs had begun to fray and it was beyond repair.  However, the rest of the shirt was in excellent condition.  He's quite taller than I am with me being far closer to 5 feet than his 6 feet plus.....so the shirt was perfect tunic length for me, but swallowed me whole so to speak.

I cut off the collar (being careful to save all the extra buttons for my button jar) and rounded the neckline.  A quick turn under and seaming finished it off.  I chopped the sleeves to sit just below my elbows...this length gives me the most year round wearing out of a top.  A quick hem and some tucking to shape them worked wonders there.  Now for the body I did two things.  I cut the shirt just below my natural waist to allow for seaming.  I did some slight shaping to the top.  I then gathered the piece I had cut off and reattached it.  The portion of the sleeves I removed was used to help make a tie belt for the back.  Then I pulled some clearance lace from my stash.  I had a partial spool left from a long ago project.  I added a lace that has a crocheted feel to the neckline and the sleeves.

This is really cute with a pair of skinny jeans and ankle boots.  It looks a lot more feminine than a t-shirt and given how low pants are designed to sit now I much prefer a tunic length.  The fabric is already soft from repeated wearing. 

The cost was $0 and a little bit of my time.  Not bad for a fall wardrobe addition.

Sewing for the Queen

We always lovingly refer to my daughter as "The Queen" and she is at an age where it is harder for me to sew for her.  She and I picked out a tunic style top pattern at a pattern sale some time ago.  Today I made a wearable muslin out of some "t-shirt" fabric that had been given to me some time ago.  I have a nice piece of charcoal gray that she has requested one in.  I didn't want to cut it until I was sure the pattern was what she wanted.

This is the trial top.  I will share the gray one when I finish it.

Sweater Coat in Progress

My husband and I are planning an anniversary trip for early October.  I don't think it will be cold enough for a heavy coat, but still cooler than what I will be comfortable in. I think a sweater coat will be the perfect piece.  So after pulling through all my yarn stash and looking through my patterns I settled on a yoked, chunky weight sweater jacket.  The yarn is an expensive yarn I bought years ago and gave to my mama.  Neither of us liked the original planned pattern and sent the yarn back to me recently.  I think it must have finally aged enough, because I am liking this sweater.  It also helps that I love the mix of the red, burgundy and purple.  I'll post more progress as I go along.  Basically, as far as I am concerned this is a free sweater coat for me....lol.  She decided she didn't want the yarn and all I am out of these 8 years later is my time to spend crocheting it.

PInterest and Leaving the House Every Day

One of the hardest things about leaving the house everyday is that my t-shirts and sweats just don't feel appropriate.   I love Pinterest and I am always pinning outfits.  I decided to finally copy some...only rule was I had to use what I already had in the closet.

Since I am in the lab the second rule (from others) is that shoes have to be close toes.

Both outfits were comfortable and I felt pulled together in them. Tomorrow I have the day off and I intend to do housework..but my goal for the rest of the week is to continue with inspired looks.