Sick Day= Sewing Day!

So, a few weeks back, I had to suddenly cancel all plans for the day because my 11yo started throwing up just before she was supposed to leave for school. And since she was home for the day, I thought that I might be able to get some sewing done of my own. Not so much. Instead, my daughter got some sewing done!

Several months ago, she expressed an interest in learning to sew and I found the Simplicity "Learn to Sew" line. And she picked some really cute flannel to sew a pair of pj pants. We washed the fabric and I showed her how to measure herself and select her size and cut the pattern.

And then... we moved cross country from DC back to UT! And the project was packed and forgotten by me. But, apparently not by a sick child who decided to follow me into the sewing room (dungeon) and start opening drawers and totes until I dug out the project and handed it to her.

 Before I knew it, my project was forgotten and her sewing machine was set up, threaded and I was anxiously watching over her as she pinned and cut her fabric. I tried to go back to my project, but I ran over at her every call and got nothing done.

But- the day was not a waste! Not a waste at all! I have a proud daughter with a finished pair of pj pants that she just loves! And I have created a monster! She is already planning her next project!

 I have to say that I highly recommend the "Learn to Sew" line from Simplicity! They had clear instructions that were easy for my 11yo to follow, even though she double checked everything with me. And she was able to complete the project in just a few hours.

Here she is in her pants! I waited until she was better to take photos because I refuse to make my kids pose when sick. :)

And the back-

And the side-

You may notice that they look a bit long, but 1. They are the right length when she actually has the waist band at her waist, but she never wears pants that way no matter how I try, and 2. They are PJ's, so who cares?

Sew Serendipity Three-Fabric Skirt

So, I finally got around to trying one of the many really cute patterns included in Kay Whitt's Sew Serendipity that I reviewed here. I chose the Three-Fabric Skirt.



I used fabric from the Fandago collection by Moda from fabric.com. One of the things that I really like about these patterns is that the sizes included run xxs-xxl. That's quite a range!



According to the measurement chart, I traced off a medium and quickly sewed up a muslin. The only change I needed to make was to lower the waist at cb for the sway back adjustment and add that measurement to the hem of the skirt to complete the alterations. The instructions seemed really well written and would be easy for a beginner to follow and the book has lots of pictures and diagrams.



I don't know what kind of zipper the pattern calls for, but I chose an invisible zipper and was pleased that I have gotten good enough with them again that I was able to install it right the first time while on the phone with my husband! Yeah me! (I just love wash away sticky tape!)

Overall, this project should probably have taken me just a few hours, but Oh! the interruptions! And then, to top it off, I ran out of thread! I thought I would just run into JoAnn's, grab the thread and get out. But, I was derailed again! Simplicity patterns- .99! So, that quick trip turned into over an hour. (Future projects featuring said Simplicity patterns will be coming soon to a Blog near you.)

One tip that I want to share- I tried the skirt on in different stages and one issue that I noticed was that if I put my hands in the pockets, when I pulled them out, there was a fold left in the upper corner where the pocket is sewn into the side seam. It straitened out if I gave it a tug, but I don't want to have to worry about that, so I placed strips of interfacing over the side seams from the waist down just past the pockets. Problem solved.



This also works to keep the side seam smooth if you have a hollow in your hip.

Some other things that took up a lot of time on this project: lots of ruffle gathering (I am going to get a ruffler for my sewing machine), deciding to line the skirt instead of just facing it, and top stitching. Lots and lots of unnecessary top stitching. But hey, at the time.... Well, it looks good.