The End of My Sewcation

So it's late Sunday evening and I've been sewing since Friday, May 25th...and it's all I've been doing.  I didn't take pictures.  I haven't posted here to the blog because I just wanted to sew and sleep late.  Mission Accomplished.  

Here's a peak at what I made this week ~

Some pieces still need some finishing, buttons & buttonholes and one is a downright failure but I enjoyed the experience and learned a few things.

One ~ 
I love shirtdresses but not shirtdresses with a waist seam. No matter how much I want to love this style, it doesn't love me or my body.  This was the last time I'm going to try to make one work.

Yes that's the Warriors/Cavs game playing in the background!

Two ~ 
Sewing one new pattern per break is about all I can handle. After weeks of waiting for the sewing break to come, all I really want to do is sew...not fit and sew.  So while one pattern worked - one did not and I was happy to move onto a TNT pattern where I could just figure out what embellishments I wanted to add to it and sew.

Three ~ 
I have a style, don't deviate from it for something shiny and new...as in patterns. Cause not all patterns work for my almost 60 year old body!

Four ~ 
I love to sew TNT patterns and when I can just sew, I'm the happiest.

I'm headed back to work tomorrow and I want to thank everyone who followed my journey on Instagram. While I didn't share a lot of photos, cause really I just wanted to sew, there were several and quite a few new followers. I appreciate it and thank all of the new followers.

I sewed up until the end so photos will be taken next weekend. I'm really thrilled that I added three new dresses, a new top and a maxi skirt to the wardrobe. Those pieces will be photographed alongwith the two Simplicity 8612 wrap skirts and a new sleeveless TNT shirt.

BTW, I'm happy with what I accomplished. I wasn't trying to sew a record number of garments, I just wanted to sew for days at a time without interruption. The patterns I didn't use during this week will make an appearance during the summer. 

Finally ~ a fabric in/out wrap up for May  
I've purchased 14 yards of fabric during the month of May and I've sewn 19 yards of fabric. That amounts to - 4 dresses, 2 tops, and 2 skirts. This leaves me with a 5+ yard overage for May...except I was 7.5 yds in the hole at the start of the month.  So I'm still 2.5 yards in the hole.  Hopefully I can do better in June!

The good thing is that I'm attending the Baltimore Destash that MissCeliesPants is holding at the end of June - details here. I plan on donating 20-30 yards of fabric which will help lower my totals! Yes...cause I need some fabric relief! *LOL*  Even my oldest daughter who hadn't been in the Sewing Cave in months was like "fabric overload!"

As I said earlier, the posts for the finished garments will be up after next weekend...

...as always more later!

Sewcation Eve

When the seasons change...when the earth reawakens after a cold winter...or when the season turns to the days of darkness...I have a yearning to spend quality time with my sewing machine...making new garments for the coming season.

At that time I have soooooooo many ideas fighting each other in the creative area of my brain that I almost feel like I'm drowning in ideas to sew.  I make lists. I buy fabric. I make plans. Anything to release some of that creative pressure...especially since I have a day job and am unable to just sit and sew until there's a release.

That's normally when I schedule a Sewcation. It allows me to get some of the garments out of my head or off the paper and into my closet. It's like a gate opening, things flowing out, relieving some of the pressure and allowing a release of the creative build up.  

I don't know if this happens to anyone else but it definitely happens to me every season...for as long as I can remember. I mean I used my Summer and Christmas breaks in high school and college to just sew. Even in my married life, I bargained with my husband, one week of being alone to sew.  It's just something I've always needed to recharge and refresh my creative batteries.

So we've reached that time of the year when I need 7-10 days just to sew. I have a plan. I've picked some pieces to sew that are a little complicated to intrigue me. However, there are a few pieces that are easy sewing to quell the fast, faster, fastest part of me that still lives in the dark recesses of my creative soul.  And most importantly I've tried to be realistic with my list...no long list of garments to be sewn that will frustrate me.

Here's what I've chosen to sew ~

Butterick 6333 - View B

Butterick 6551 - View B

McCalls 7404 - View B

...cause I love a good high/low hemline

McCalls 7470 - a straight shirt dress

I want View D with some short sleeves 

& View C again with short sleeves

I've pulled together some fabrics mostly new (hangs head in shame - NOT!) that have been prewashed and are ready to be cut. There's a theme here and just to let you know blue is my favorite color. 

I've also gone through the notions & buttons stash and picked out what I need to complete each garment. So everything is prepped and ready and I sit here typing up a post...anxiously awaiting for tomorrow to occur when I can go in.

I may or may not have a post before the "show you what I made" posts go up. I may also put a few in-progress pics on my IG account. So follow me there if you aren't already.  Well that's everything...

...as always more later!