1 Year!

Yes! My blog is 1 year old today!

And to celebrate - although modestly - I've made a pair of Quick Garden Gloves because that was also the first project I posted about exactly a year ago! And also because it's a nice introduction to the next theme starting  very soon on this blog!

This time I added little loops so you can hang the gardening gloves. And I think it really gave them a nice little extra detail which is also very useful! What do you think?
The fabric is from a children's top from a second hand shop. And, as usual, I like using contrasting thread.

 Although I don't normally use gardening gloves when I'm gardening it's so fun to sew your own and to have them hanging there where you can always look at them and feel happy!

 Gardening gloves in action on my balcony! 

Hint to the next few posts! ...

* * *

Now, back to the blog business. Many times I feel I should just stop blogging as I have enough things going on anyway. Many times I'm not even sure why I blog. But when these questions pop into my head, someone drops in a sweet comment, or someone sends me a gift, or someone commissions something... and then I feel that maybe there is a point with my blog.

I have met so many creative and kind people. Some of you I've now even met personally! And the positive and constructive attitude of all the bloggers I've come across has in itself been one of the biggest sources of inspiration.  It's been wonderful to get the support of those who pop in for a look and a read.

So thank you so so much for your company! And I hope you will continue to visit me! I have definitely enjoyed having you all around!

And although today is Friday the 13th I'm sure this is the start of a new and very happy and productive year!

Yard Sale Skirt in Vintage Fabric

Finally, a year after sewing it, here is my Yard Sale Skirt from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross! 

It took a year to get some photos of it!

Although at the very beginning of my sewing phase, it was an excellent item of clothing to sew:

1. It was a skirt, and I love skirts, all year round. 
2. It didn't require a zip
3. It had just enough challenges that both made it accessible and took me a step further in my sewing. 
4. It taught me how to do a french seam (look here, for example) and gave me plenty of practice on how to do it 
5. It gave me one of my favourite summer skirts!

I found the vintage fabric (60's?) in a flea market last year, here in Sweden. It was sold as a large table cloth and the minute I saw it I knew I just had to have it! I loved the yellow and the leafy pattern on it and after saying I was a student I got if for a great price!
So, with the perfect fabric I got a fresh and very practical summer skirt which I've worn a lot both last year and this year. I like the casual feel of the wrap around and it has a lot of twirl perfect for busy playful summers with my children.

Yard Sale Skirt

With my lovely L. giving me flowers 

in the Caldas da Rainha market in Portugal

Now, I wasn't aware of the errata for this book until much later, after finishing the skirt... When I had problems understanding how to sew the waistband on I thought I really should not even have dreamt that I could sew my own skirt, so I just did it how I htought it could be. And it works. But after coming across different customer reviews I realised that maybe it was really the instructions which weren't so clear... And luckily enough I didn't need the extra 7th panel which is really reccomended for the Small size.

So, if you plan to sew this skirt I reccomend you read through the errata and the customer reviews first.

But, I can still say I am extremely pleased with my Yard Sale Skirt in vintage fabric!

And for the book, I still highly reccomend it for its varied and inspiring projects, which you can actually do in a weekend! And use them and enjoy them for a very long time!

Everything Tote - It Sure Is!

This is my Everything Tote, from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing.

I made it almost a year ago and finally took some photos of it this summer, during our holiday in Portugal. And I was very pleased that my very sweet Godmother - who is a professional seamstress (so it was a bit nervwrecking having to show her the bag I sewed...) - accepted modelling it! She was very funny with whole thing and of course there were lots of jokes about vegetables...! We had a great laugh! Thank you Gina!

I know a lot has been written about this pattern, and the erratas in the book, and yes I did have problems with the handles, but in the end I got a great tote which really carries EVERYTHING! This summer we've used it as a beach bag, a market bag, a "mum" bag, a shopping bag.... And it just holds so much! And as a user, lover and dependent on big bags this was definitely a great project to have done. And I will do more of these, I'm sure!

The outer fabric is from Åhléns, from last year's collection. The lining fabric is deep pink cotton, from a local fabric shop.

Finally for the Boys - Shorts

"Keep Moving"

Shorts

Fabric: "Traffic Jam" by Allison Jane Smith

People (my sister) have been wondering why I never sew anything for boys. I have two sons, my sister has two sons. So it would be more natural to sew for boys. But I do get caught in the flowery universe of the somewhat more feminine fabrics (to be really stereotypical here...).

But finally here are some shorts for one of my boys, which he wore for his birthday party yesterday.

I called these shorts "Keep Moving", which is not the name of the fabric, although it could be, because of the motif but also, and especially, because little children are hardly ever still!

The pattern I used is the same one I used for the other pairs of shorts I made for my boys last summer. The patter for Pajama Trousers in Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing. But I cut the leg bits shorther and added two pockets on the back.

It's a very easy pattern which you can make really quickly!