Wednesday, November 13, 2013

WIP Wednesday: Time, Time, Time

Life with two kids under three is pretty much kicking my butt. Lila's naps are consistently short. Like, thirty minutes. By the time I confirm she's actually asleep and decide what I want to do, I have about twenty minutes to myself. It's really hard to get much accomplished in twenty minutes! This is why my blog posts have become few and far between. Given the choice between blogging or sewing, sewing wins every time.

In spite of the above, I do have WIPs and even FOs to share.  You may recall my recent lament regarding the lack of commercial patterns in my size. I discovered a pattern company called Cake Patterns that designs modern clothing patterns to fit a very wide range of sizes. I ordered two patterns (which actually results in three skirt and three top patterns!). So far I've completed the basic Hummingbird skirt.
I made size 45/38 (hip/waist) and it was far too big but the pattern is designed to be taken in mid-construction. I took in an inch from each side seam and increased the back darts by a quarter inch each. After wearing the skirt twice, I realize I should have made it even smaller, but I can't be bothered to remove and reattach the waist band. I actually had some difficulty with the waist band because it's quite narrow and I found the instructions confusing, but I made it work.
To correct the size issue, I'm making a second version in a stretch denim! I cut the same size, but reduced the side seams (front and back) by an inch and increased the back darts. I'm including piping in this version and so far it looks awesome! I hope to finish it this week, if Lila will allow it.
Levi's daycare requires the kids to use mitten clips in an effort to keep track of them all. There was a discussion on our Facebook page on where to purchase them. They can be hard to find, so I decided to make them! Here's the link with more details. I've only sold a few so far, but I spoke with the Assistant Director of our daycare today and will hopefully be putting up some flyers around the centre. I'm not looking to make a huge profit; I mostly want to make it easier for the other parents to find clips!
My quilting progress has completely halted, save the mini quilt I entered in the Blogger's Quilt Festival. To read about my process, check out this link.
 I have a long list of WIPs that need attention:
  1. Tova 2.0 - the sleeves are ready to be attached. I'm not loving this top, having struggled with the placket.
  2. Stacking the Odds quilt - finish quilt back and send out for quilting
  3. Tula Modern Circuitry quilt - finish fmq and bind
  4. Lush Uptown pillow covers for my mom (must complete by end of December)
  5. Marcelle Medallion - I've stalled on border four
  6. Toe up knitted socks - almost done sock one
  7. Farmer's Wife sampler - I miss working on these blocks
  8. Diaper repairs - Lila is almost in size 2 diapers and so is Levi which means the stack of dipes awaiting new elastics needs attention stat. Blech. I've been avoiding this chore.
  9. 3x6 plum chartreuse quilt - ready to be sashed
  10. Lucky Stars BOM -April - present
And just for fun, here are my other WIPs that won't be getting attention anytime soon, if ever again!
  1. Sew Intertwined quilt 
  2. Flora Charm Quilt
  3. Levi's Growth Chart
  4. We Bee Learning Bee/Levi's Bed Quilt 
I also have some fabric stacks that I'd love to make into quilts including a Briar Rose bundle, a huge stack of Tula Pink charms, two Comma mini charm packs, a Sew Mama Sew layer cake and an adorable FQ bundle of kid prints in primary colours that's begging to become a baby quilt.  Plus, I have some chambray and railroad denim to turn into skirts.

So, that's me! What about you?

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced