project sewn: here we go

Ahem. Please pardon my quaking voice and trembling hands, but I'm here to officially announce my participation in a new sewing contest on the blogosphere that's hopefully gonna blow your mind. I, Andrea of foursquarewalls, wee little awkward blogger in a tiny corner of Internetland, am one of the six contestants in the new Project Sewn series hosted by the two talented and fearless multi-tasking women behind Simple Simon & Co. and Project Run & Play. 

If you're active in the online sewing community, especially if you sew for your own kiddos or enjoy reading about other people who do, then you most certainly know about Project Run & Play -- the ongoing series of contests where bloggers sew an outfit for their children based on an assigned weekly theme. Readers vote on their favorite design, and one person is "sent home" at the end of the voting period until there are three designers standing. They've also added on a sewalong, so readers can sew with the themes and post their projects to a link party for a chance of their own to win a separate prize. 

Now there is an adult version! Well, not adult as in that kind of adult, but adult as in, grown women who sew for themselves. I am incredibly amazed and honored (and a little confused, tbh -- I thought they had accidentally e-mailed the wrong Andrea) that I was asked by Elizabeth and LiZ to join in Season 1 of Project Sewn. And my competition is seriously fierce. I am definitely the babiest of bloggers among these creative forces of Internet sewing wonder: 

Jess from Me Sew Crazy

Sophie from Cirque Du Bebe

Terra from Mama Says Sew

Caroline from Sew Caroline

Sabra from Sew a Straight Line

Am I right or amirite? I'm prepared to sew like a mad woman and bring my A-game, though. My sewasaurus rex is aroar. 

The contest and voting officially begins on May 7th. If you're interested in seeing the themes and following (or sewing!) along, head over to the Project Sewn site. And be sure to enter the grand opening giveaway for practically an ENTIRE SEWING STUDIO -- including a Singer sewing machine, adjustable dress form, like a million spools of thread, rotary mat & cutter and some fat quarters to top off this big fat prize. What's stopping you now, geez? 

How excited are you now about Project Sewn? As excited as I am nervy? Wish me luck...

s.o.s. challenge ahoy

Of all the fabric in the online world that I could drop into my virtual shopping cart, what are the chances that I could end up with the exact fabric as one of my familiar sewing bloggers? Is it possible that someone else has as good taste as I do? Apparently yes. I was scrolling through my blog reader earlier this year, and saw a post by Made by Trisha in which she announced her "stashbusting pledge" for 2013. Because she is a good blogger, she also posted a photo of the bust-worthy stash -- for accounting or accountability purposes, I assume. Wait, ooh, something familiar! 

(Trisha's stash)

I spy some fabric in your stash that's also in mine, I commented. Well, besides that gray jersey with the black birds. I DO know everyone already owns that (my attempt at it found here). But that blue and white piece -- is it the blue nautical flag stripe knit from Girl Charlee? Yessiree. This made Trisha's brilliant brain wheels crank. We simply can't pass up this opportunity -- we both own this sister fabric, birthed from the same fabric yardage womb in the same little fabric shop. But if we can't reunite them in person, let's reunite them in spirit! (Let me be clear: this is my dramatized reenactment of our first e-mail exchange, not an actual transcription.)

Introducing our S.O.S (Stashbusting Our Sister fabric) Challenge. Everything collaborative you do in the blogosphere needs a catchy title or else it crumbles away in memory and search boxes. Trisha and I have committed to using our same fabric to make a secret item, then we plan to reveal it to each other and the world on April 2nd. I can't wait to see what she makes with it! We may have similar taste in fabrics, but where will our respective creative processes lead us when it comes to choosing (or drafting...?) a pattern for it? Since our fabric was separated at birth, how similar will their personalities be after all this time?!

The fabric is cute, yes, but the design lines and large scale stripes have given me pause. It's languished in my stash for this long (almost a year) because I don't know what to do with it! It's a ponte knit, so slightly heavier weight than other cotton jerseys I've bought from Girl Charlee. I love it dearly but am afraid of making a bad style choice for it. Of course I did my Pinterest research:

Consensus seems to be a figure-hugging dress with simple lines. Naturally I'm more drawn to the Ruche dress (far left) that actually has a waist seam and some ease through the hips. But my fabric may be too thick to imitate that drapier style.

What do you think? What would YOU do with this fabric? Wait, do you already own this fabric? Hop on over to Trisha's blog to see her announcement of the S.O.S. challenge, and watch our spaces in April for the final products!

jim jams

YEP I'm wearing my PJs on the Internet (hello, employers of the future). After some waffling, I finally decided to join Karen's Pyjama Party. What good is a pajama party without waffles, anyway, right?

I wasn't planning on participating at first because I didn't think pajamas were a priority wardrobe item for me. But then I decided to truly assess the situation and I came to a very different conclusion. Also, I felt left out; there's like 10,000 bloggers in on this craziness.

The past few winters, I've made do with some size XXL Old Navy men's red flannel pants with a polar bear print. I don't really remember where these even came from... I think my best friend gave them to me? Why? Anyway, they have elastic in the waist but they're so big as is, the elastic is nonfunctional for me and I have to forcefully yank the drawstrings together to keep them up: 

I used to think the print was funny and cute, but it's kind of a sad image when you think about it... endangered polar bears stuck on tiny floating blocks of ice, lonely and starving:

I have a weak heart for cartoon PJ bears. Anyway, when it's not freezing at night, I usually wear some knit yoga pants that have paint splattered all over them from a long-ago apartment makeover. They also have holes in unfortunate places. I used to staple the crotch together to hide the holes. Staples, people. Staples create even more holes in fabric, did you know? I haven't even bothered to fix them now that I do actually use a sewing machine regularly. Does anyone else do the same nonsensical thing -- where you have existing clothes that need basic fixes, but you'd much rather start a whole new garment from scratch? Not like these pants are worth fixing anyway: 

Wow, I AM A TRUE SLEEPING BEAUTY.

Okay, fine, these just cannot do anymore. I need new jim jams! Karen's PJ sewing party came at a good time because my boyf and I are (currently) out of town this weekend and I really needed something that's not enormous or torn to shreds to wear overnight in someone else's home. And I have a reunion of sorts with some college buddies in a lakehouse this summer, which will basically be one long PJ party (there will most definitely be waffles -- the waffle iron was promised). I must have something decent to wear when we're all sipping espresso on the screen porch in the late mornings. Must! 

Surprise, they're blue. And plaid, which I matched halfheartedly so the print is kinda asymmetrical. I bought this 80s fabric from Etsy awhile ago. I underlined it with white cotton. There's an elastic casing. What else is there to say? 

I will say that I am perplexed by the amount of patterns out there that are supposed to be "sportswear separates" but are just pajama pants! I looked in my stash and I already had these: 

I think I only bought that second pattern because I thought the model had cool hair. 

But, seriously? Does Simplicity expect us to wear these elastic waist/drawstring cotton pants with a blazer to the office?: 

The 21st century power suit. 

Well, at least I didn't have to buy a new pajama pants pattern for this sew-along. I decided to use New Look 6013 because of the wider leg. I made em pretty long. 

And because I don't have enough humiliating photos in this post, I must leave you with the following. Only I could find a way to botch up the simplest thing there is to sew in the world. Somehow I sewed the side seams incorrectly the first time around. I couldn't stop cracking up last night when I realized my Oompa Loompa mistake, and I had to model them for you: 

I sewed the side to the side instead of the front to the back, or something, so they were upside down and all roundabout. A+ seamstress right here. That's what I get for trying to watch TV while sewing... how do people do it? It's obviously a bad idea for me to keep looking away from my sewing project to watch the screen. Please tell me I'm not the only fool who's accidentally made Hammerpants while distracted by reality shows.

spring top sewalong - top of the tops!

If you didn't know it, Rae of Made by Rae is currently hosting her annual Spring Top Sewalong -- a contest for which seamsters submit tops they've made for themselves beginning March 2012. Now, I made a LOT of tops in March (see here for a few examples) but one of my favorites was the Hello Yellow Top, which I didn't make with my OWOP pattern. I entered it at the beginning of Rae's contest, and the esteemed judges voted it as one of Week 1's Top of the Tops! Amazing! I'm so thrilled and honored.

The final contest winners are ultimately determined by reader votes, so I encourage you to stop by her Top of the Tops post and check out the 13 top tops this week. There's definitely some tough competition -- lots of lovely pieces, for sure -- so please vote for your true favorite! If it happens to be mine, I'd love to have your vote! I'm letter K, for Keen, Kind and Knowledgeable Kool Kid with Killer bow-tying sKills. Right? Okay, there's my gentle nudge. Thank you!

Voting for Week 1 ends this Friday the 6th at 12 noon (EST). And YOU can still enter your adorable tops in the contest until April 22nd, and then kindly nag me to vote for you when your top becomes top of the tops one week. Remember to check out Rae's blog for the next three weeks' features, if only for the sewing inspiration. I've discovered some new and interesting blouse patterns I want to try out eventually. Wait, I said blouse. Do we have to revisit the "top" versus "blouse" issue again? Fashion's so complicated, you guys. 

Number of times the word "top" appears in this three-paragraph post, even with my attempt to edit some of them out = 21

minoru sew-alone

Oops, I made a Minoru.

How'd that happen? I fully intended to participate in Tasia's Minoru Jacket sew-along, which begins on the Sewaholic blog on Monday the 16th. Darlings, I know that a sew-along means sewing along with your bloggery buddies so you can learn from one another and share your progress and, for once, not wallow in sorrow about how lonely it is to be the only one in your social group with a weird domestic hobby for grandmas-of-yore. But I just couldn't take the wait anymore. Sew-along I didn't; sew-alone I did.

I bought this pattern when it was first released two months ago and I found an appropriate fabric right away, so I've been waiting forrrrrrever to start on it. As the date neared I thought, "Okay, I'll just get myself prepped, take my sweet time and approach everything with care." I did, too! (Meaning, I traced the pattern pieces and read the instructions ahead of time). But next thing I knew I had a finished jacket.

I shortened the collar by about two inches, so it wouldn't stand as tall or flop open quite as wide when the jacket's unzipped. I also added exterior pockets since the pattern doesn't have them. I didn't think it through, though, and just used scrap fabric that was already shaped this way. Kind of weird-looking and not the most practical fit for my hands, but it'll do! There are two extra interior pockets, too, to hold even MORE stuff (most likely candy).

I'm almost afraid to show you my lining because it is SHINY and BRIGHT CHERRY RED. Garish, you could say. I used flannel-backed satin for the lining, even though I'm pretty sure that's a fabric meant for bath robes. It feels luxurious, though, and adds a bit of warmth. I also like blinding people with it.

The jacket fabric is another thrift store score: 4 yards of 60" wool in a tiny baby houndstooth pattern for $8. I think houndstooth looks more like the state of Texas than an actual hound's tooth, but you know me: always analyzing fabric in weird ways just to get a good Google Image out of it.

What do YOU think?

I didn't realize the zipper I bought was the two-way type. How is this possibly useful?:

I actually really like this jacket. I say "actually" because unfortunately I've haven't really liked too much of what I've sewn since I started this blog (with a few exceptions). But this thing is great. It sewed up like a dream and I miraculously didn't make obnoxious mistakes like I usually do, though there are definitely imperfections. The sleeves look too long but I think they're supposed to be like that, if you look at Tasia's version:

The pattern instructions seem to assume some experience on the sewer's part but I was never confused about anything. My first fully lined jacket and I hardly blinked an eye. The elastic waist was kind of tricky to mark, place, weave through and stretch to fit, but it came out okay.

Detail shot of the inside of the front exterior pockets. I lined it with the cherry shiny stuff, too.

Detail shot of the hanging loop on the inside back.

Minoru, you won't be able to handle this 18 degree weather, but I think we'll be alright friends in the end.

If you haven't joined the sew-along but think you want to, there's still time. Tasia plans to have it wrapped up by mid-February, so even if you don't start on Monday I bet you'll be able to finish it by the end. This took me three evenings (and three bobbins - be warned, there's a lot of topstitching). Here's her page with all the Minoru tags so you can see all the related posts.


Oh, and this is important: can someone tell me how to pronounce Tasia? Is it just Ta-sha, or is it Tah-zee-a? Does it rhyme with Asia? Sorry, Tasia.*

*UPDATE: Mystery solved, guys. Tasia stopped by in the comments to clarify; it's pronounced Tass-e-ah. How beautiful!

a mustard skirt, to match my blog title font

I'd been pining after (and pinning) mustard-colored skirts all fall. 

So, naturally I wait until the first (second?) official day of winter to make one. 

 It's more like gold, I guess, or honey mustard. Or Colonel Mustard, sans monocle. Wikipedia describes him as a "colonial imperialist." Sounds like someone I'd love to invite to my mansion parties.

I used Simplicity 2226, one of those "learn to sew" patterns. I'm trying to pump out some simpler patterns while I gear up to make the Colette Negroni next on my list. Menswear, yikes. Matching plaids, yikes. Continuous laps, yikes. Sewing something fitted for someone else, yikes!

I like how the pattern model is entranced with the instructions, even though she's already wearing the skirt she just made. She's like, "Now, how do I post pictures of my boring skirt on Blogger?" Girl, I'm on it.

I took two inches off each side of the back pieces to eliminate some fullness in the gathers. I've learned my lesson about Teletubby bums.

The blogger Noodlehead recently held a sew-along for this skirt. Even though I missed it at the time, I referenced her instructions along the way. Her linky party's still open for another day, so I'm going to toss this on up there.

scallop tote bag sew along

Sweet simple scallops, so splendid and stylish. 

(photo source)

So, (sew), last week, Kate from See Kate Sew posted the pattern and tutorial for her self-designed "sweet scallops tote." She then invited her readers to participate in a sew-along and make one for ourselves. I've never been a part of a sew-along before, but it's a good opportunity to show and tell (sew and tell), and take a gander at what other people made right along with me. Plus I haven't made a bag in awhile, so I thought it'd be a nice change of pace from the skirts upon skirts upon skirts I keep making and not wearing. None of my close friends sew, nor do they really care to watch me sew or have me explain it to them, so I thought this could be a way to join a community of people who enjoy the craft like I do. 


Here's mine:

A'ight, I expected the bag to be pretty cute but THIS cute? C'mon!

I knew from the start that I wanted an "ombre" effect, and went with blues because blue is just so bleu-tiful.  Kate's original intention for this project was to use up some of her scrap fabric, but my scraps are limited, mismatching in a bad way, and mostly apparel knits. So I ventured to the fabric store for quilting cotton solids, and felt bad for hauling six bolts of slightly different shades of blue to the counter to be cut into quarter-yards. The employee said, "Feeling indecisive?" 


I did recycle some items for the tote bag base and lining. I sliced off the back of two beige linen Walmart pillows I never used, and cut the lining from a blue-striped sheet I bought at a thrift store this weekend. I have many more projects for these sheets, just you wait.

 


Kate's free printable pattern:

Times six. I think she used seven and layered hers more closely.

 Stitched,  turned right side out and pressed:

Fast forward a few steps of attaching lining and stitching sides, and here we are:

I didn't have enough of the beige linen to make the straps as long as the pattern instructed, but the bag itself is pretty small (12.5" x 14" before sewing) so I was okay with shorter straps. I attached some leftover blue to the back of the beige, stitched together, turned right-side-out and top-stitched:

 Attached them to the bag on the outside and top-stitched little squares. Done:

Thanks, Kate!

Click here to join the sew-along.