kimono tank

my lack of blogging has nothing to do with a lack of sewing. i've got the sewing bug lately, and have a lot of projects to catch up on posting.

this is a tank top pattern from twinkle sews and i used a kimono that i bought at a yard sale (for $1 or $5 i can't remember). the fabric is not at all what is recommended by the pattern, but i really wanted a tank top with this fabric.

i'm happy with the straps and how this looks with aidez but i'm not entirely happy with the pattern writing and the fact that several times my iron burned a nice yellowish stain, including on the top right front. mmhmm.

the fabric is quite stiff and i need to take the straps in more, so the top sits a little funny, but for some reason i love it with this sweater, so it works for me.

more to come.


** update** i always forget to post modifications.

1. when i traced the pattern, i added 1/8" so i could make french seams.
2. after sewing it together, i chopped a bunch of fabric off the back because it was too full/baby doll in the back for my taste.
3. i added that little horizontal piece in the middle of the bust because i liked the contrasting stripes.
4. i only lined the top (lined with the same fabric).

ok i think that's it. duh. kind of the point of posting is to learn something.

the babies are coming

two important friends are having babies any day or month now. like a good faux-aunt (or, faunt, if you will), this is probably the first of many baby projects. i used this mama makes stuff's rockin' baby gown tutorial for this swee' pea gown.

i surprised myself with this one and sewed with jersey without it coming out wavy and woggly and stretched out funny. in fact, the tutorial prepped me for this possibility, and i prepared to be frustrated, and lo and behold, it worked.

not as nice of a result for the sushi roll changing mat and wipes holder i made - i didn't realize that i didn't take pictures before i gave it away, and i wonder if that was accidentally on purpose. i used batting in the changing mat and pretended that if i didn't quilt it it would stay in place, and i washed it and it didn't, and the wipes holder is crooked. i gave them to her anyways so maybe they can be a back up to her back up.

a few things.

in one weekend i finished a wiksten dress (the dress version of the wiksten tank) and the aidez sweater. i realize that sounds impressive until i admit that i started the aidez sweater a month and a half ago.

the wiksten dress was quick to whip up, and i added a lining because i used a gauzy linen - i did not think i would be able to do the lining well, but it ain't so bad! i love this vintage fabric (which i got for exactly $1 at a yard sale) and i have some more to play with. my only modification was to use the hem of the medium (the dress is a small), which basically added about 1/2" because i am tall.

the aidez sweater, while a relatively quick knit, took me longer because i knit the back all the way up to the armhole decreases and realized it was TOO SMALL. i stopped, put it in time out, and knit the two fronts the next size up. then i ripped that back out (all the while bitching about it, lucky ben), and knit it up again. thankfully cascade eco wool is nice and thick and knits quick.

modifications:

• because my gauge was too tight as always, i followed the directions for a M to end up somewhere between an XS and S.
• because that meant my row gauge was bigger, i modified all the armhole decreases to decrease a little faster so the armholes weren't too big (and i have small arms). here are the modifications: follow the bind off sts as written, then knit one row even. at the first k2 and/or ssk decrease, do two instead of one. then when there are 6 decreases left, do two again. then when there are two left, do two at once again.
• i kept the live stitches on needles at the top of the two front pieces and kitchener stitched them together.
• this isn't really a modification, but i knit the sleeves at the same time and i looovved it. i hate finishing one and having to start from scratch with the first one and i always forget any modifications i made because i never write them down. so.... i am starting a pair of socks two at a time now too!

that's it for mods, folks. a really good pattern and it ended up fitting well - i didn't even add length. each sweater i knit so far i like better than the last one! and here is the sunwashed picture i like the best, unfortunately it really doesn't show you what i made...

knitting needle case

i finally made a knitting needle case for my straight needles (after i've been using a circular needle case for all my needles for quite some time. i did not know that there was such a thing as a circular needle case when i got it). i love this tutorial from the bbbcraft sisters for design*sponge and i LOVE using a drop cloth canvas for the material. this was a super-quick project.

i found mine for $2.99 (benny's!) and used bias tape for the edges, and a vintage ribbon of my grandmother's to tie it all up (that's what i call it but i think it might be old school bias tape or hem tape or something). i wish i had stamps for the numbers, but i might just have to find something i can write them with.

hippo stash-killer

i made a little hippo for a 2-year-old birthday gift, and took care of some extra yarn stash too. i made the hippo from susan anderson's itty bitty toys. the only modification was obviously the stripes, which i used to offset the fact that i only had two skeins of debbie bliss baby cashmerino, and as usual lately, i came to within inches of the yarn left. the stripes are some type of boucle that i don't remember the name of. i was inspired by this hippo by tentenknits because it has the sweetest face, which i tried to replicate, but....

if you can't see the smile, it has demonic white eyes..... yikes.

my first craft hope

i finally completed my first project for craft hope, which i've meant to do for a long time. craft hope is an awesome charity that coordinates crafted donations, giving specific instructions for an identified cause. project 11 was a birthing kit for Konbit Sante in Haiti. the "crafting" part was a stuffed animal (see my creepy bunnies below) and a tote bag, as well as an optional receiving blanket, which, due to my procrastinating i unfortunately did not complete. i made two birthing kits.

the unbelievable part of this is the non-crafting contents. look at the list that i had to pack:

• 1 bar of soap


• a 3'x4' piece of plastic sheeting


• a 24 inch piece of clean string


• an alcohol wipe


• hand sanitizer


• latex gloves

and with that, a baby is born. WHAT?! one in every TEN THOUSAND Haitians has access to a doctor. Konbit Sante trains birthing attendants (not midwives), and these kits are for them.

sometimes facts like this make us go "ohmygosh" and move on with our day. i think we quickly reference a movie or a photo or maybe a news report, but if you try to imagine yourself as the pregnant woman in poverty, even homeless, in the heat and dirt, about to give birth, on a plastic sheet, with woman armed with a razor blade and a piece of string, it makes you stop a little longer. really imagine it. you can't. you cannot imagine what that is like. or at least, many of us are lucky enough to not be able to.

given that, i am disappointed in myself for procrastinating and scrambling to make mediocre kits. i hope this will make me remember to re-prioritize and exercise patience when i have a dozen projects i want for me, me, me.

better days

oh, i can't wait.