The beginning of the DaGMT project...

Never done two posts in one day, was hard enough doing one a month for the 2014 Make a Garment a Month challenge, but since my first challenge for 2015, the DaGMT, only lasts for one month, I'll have to write here more than once in Feb.!

The first step I have to take in my attempt to finally complete some of my quilt UFOs is to go through my things and make a list of just what needs to be finished, so I brought one of the sweater boxes where I store some of my UFOs (once thought having them out in plain site would help, but that obviously did not work) downstairs from my sewing room and plan to look at it this evening.

From a quick glance, though, I can see that there is part of one of the Craftsy Block of the Month classes I started working on a while ago as well as the fabric and instructions for a repro Block of the Month class that I began in a local quilt shop that no longer exists, and I think there is more under that. Boy, do I ever have my work cut out for me...

Third Annual DaGMT event

"I, Sue Mc, owner of too many UFOs and/or more fabric than I can hope to use up in my lifetime, am joining Quilting Hottie Haven's third annual DaGMT event, and pledge to quilt for at least 20 minutes every day of the month of February, 2015. 

In doing so, I hope to complete some of the quilts (have lost track of how many, but that list is first thing on my agenda!) that have been languishing in boxes for far too long, and I think Beth Helfter is brilliant for coming up with this concept and inspiring me to join."

More info  http://www.evapaigequiltdesigns.blogspot.com/p/drop-and-give-me-twenty-2014-is-almost.html

November Garment of the Month

Clothing this time of year needs to be warm, so when my sewing guild's theme for our Nov. meeting was "cozy" garments, I decided to finally finish a fleece jacket that I started back in 2010 and I actually met the deadline, the only thing that seems to get me to complete projects.

This jacket was made from a piece of reversible fleece from JoAnns that had been bought by a non sewing friend of mine to make a hooded scarf until she decided that that project was beyond her abilities, so she was kind enough to pass it on to me.

JoAnn's fleece isn't the greatest quality, though, so I decided to use it for a muslin of a new (at the time) jacket pattern I had bought from the same company who makes the Little Somethin jacket pattern that is so popular.

The pattern I used is called Start After Breakfast Finish Before Lunch, which was obviously NOT the case for me since it took years to finish but it really is a simple pattern that I will probably make again, adding the back pleat that I decided would not work with fleece.

I couched yarn along all the outside edges to finish the jacket, but the yarn was too thin to work properly, however it was also in my stash so that's what I went with. I would have liked to have used 3/8" wide strips of fleece that I stretched to make yarn, but didn't have enough left over since this was only enough fabric for a scarf to begin with.

At least I now have one less thing in my UFO box, though, and something I can wear to keep warm on those cold winter nights and at the moment need for daytime wear, too!

October MAGAM/fashion show garments

Having not only the deadline of the October Make a Garment a Month challenge, but also the fashion show for my sewing guild's annual meeting and the Artisan's Square 6pac Autumn challenge that I recently joined, made me do a LOT of sewing the past couple of weeks, but I got everything done the day before our annual meeting, something that's actually quite early for me!

I first wanted to show and describe the silver knit shell that I modeled since I think it fits October's MAGAM challenge to make something "shiny" quite well and also coordinates with the other garments I made, so is now part of my 6pac autumn wardrobe, something I now only need one more garment to complete.

This top was made with a piece of slinky like knit that I picked up on the free table at a sewing guild neighborhood group meeting and a Cutting Line Designs pattern called Pure and Simple which is unfortunately no longer in print. I used my Sure Fit Designs bodice pattern to determine the cutting lines to use and also to add a larger dart that the CLD pattern called for.

I also modeled the jacket I just completed on Friday made from the Fit for Art Tabula Rasa pattern and a piece of rayon/poly fabric that I recently purchased from Vogue Fabric's online store in hopes that it would coordinate with the brown pants that I made earlier this fall from a piece that I purchased from the Vogue Fabrics booth at the Worcester Expo in 2009 and the Sure Fit Designs pants pattern that I am still trying to get to fit properly.

The other outfit that I modeled yesterday was a gray knit top that I also finished recently made from a piece of sweater knit fabric from my stash and my Sure Fit Designs shirt pattern, the first time I used that pattern so it still needs a bit of work.

I wore a pair of gray knit pants that I just made this week with that gray top using a piece of "performance" fabric from JoAnns (which I guess means it has four way stretch since it was with the swimsuit fabric) and a pattern that I made some time ago from a pair of commercial one seam pants that I liked the fit of.

I wore a scarf that I recently made from a rayon sarong and instructions I found on the web with my gray outfit to "spice" things up a bit, but since my 6pac wardrobe is supposed to be garments that are "basic and boring", that is neutral colors and simple patterns that can be mixed and matched and hopefully coordinate with other garments that I have in my wardrobe, nothing I modeled yesterday was very exciting, but I think will be clothes that I will wear over and over again, unlike some former fashion show garments that were more for "show" than practicality.