2017 - the year my sewing hobby exploded

One more catch up post from last year and then we'll get back to mostly current stuff. Good? Good!

I went into 2017 with a renewed love of sewing - so much so that I signed up for a 100 in 2017 challenge. I was ready to sew all the things and I couldn't wait to get started! I continued to explore Patterns for Pirates (P4P) patterns and branched out to a couple of other pdf pattern companies specializing in baby and child patterns, which were perfect for my boys and gifts for family/friends.

There were a series of things that happened over the course of several months, though,  that stand out as game-changers: 

The P4P/Made For Mermaids/Cole's Creation's Capsule Contests
In the Spring, P4P announced a Capsule Contest (in conjunction with sister sites Made for Mermaids and Cole's Creations) - create a 9 piece mini capsule using patterns or mash ups from the 3 companies and post by a certain date. While it looked like fun, I didn't give it much thought because I wasn't making myself pants yet and that seemed sort of key to creating a stand alone capsule.

Skip to a week or so later, and I had sewn up a couple of tops just because I needed them and decided to finally try to make pants. Eeek! I started with the P4P SOS pant (afflink) and used a cut of kelly green ponte that I'd had in my stash for years. They went far better than expected and it was then that I realized I still had time to make the Capsule Contest deadline. I quickly outlined the rest of my projects, found a cohesive theme and the "Black and White, Green and Stripe" capsule was created.

"Black and White, Green and Stripe"

Finally being able to make pants that were flattering and fit me well was HUGE! This was completely new for me and something that opened up a whole new world of possibilities. In fact, when they hosted their Fall Capsule Contest, I completed TWO 9 piece capsules - "Ballet Street" and "Tunics & Boots". I filled a bunch of holes in my closet and the garments I made are some of my biggest wardrobe workhorses.

"Ballet Street"

Accessories

 

"Tunics n Boots"

Accessories

Testing for George and Ginger Pattern Company
I discovered George & Ginger Pattern Co. in the spring when I tracked down their site because I loved the patterns I was seeing people make in Facebook sewing groups. If P4P/M4M is my go-to for solid basics, G&G looked like it would be my go-to for basics with an edgy twist. Kristi, the designer, put out a call for seamstress testers in the late spring and I threw my name in the ring... along with hundreds of others. I didn't think much of it, but a couple of days later, I was invited into the tester group and my jaw fell on the ground. Testing patterns has been so much fun on many levels - I've met an amazing group of women who are passionate about sewing, I've learned so much about how patterns are created/the work that goes into making them market ready and my sewing skills and speed have improved immensely. I am still so grateful that Kristi took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity to test for her. I cannot wait to see what she cooks up for 2018!

Road Trip Bodysuit/Daytrip Skirt

Heatwave Hotpants/Daybreak Top

Sincerely Sawyer Sweater

Slash Tunic

Slash Tunic

Picnic Dress

Winning the P4P Next Top Tester Contest
P4P ran a contest in the early Fall to look for new seamstresses to add to their tester group. They called it the P4P Next Top Tester contest and it was open to anyone - review/edit the pattern instructions, sew up the pattern/look for edits needed, photograph and submit fit and final pictures. Again, I threw my hat in the ring and completed all of the contest steps. I was blown away when at the end of the contest, I was announced as the winner! Not only did I win a guaranteed test spot for the next 3 patterns, but I also won a huge box of fabric and a selection of free patterns. I am still so honored to be testing for the company that is responsible for rekindling my love of sewing and getting me back into the sewing groove.

Walk the Plank PJs with Essential Tank and Cocoon Cardigan

**Wiggle Dresses**

**Ragdoll Raglans**

See, 2017 was BANANAS for me! LOL By the end of the year, I had all but stopped buying ready to wear clothing for myself and was feeling so happy and confident with my clothes and personal style. If someone had told me that the above would have been my year in sewing, I would never have believed them, but I am so grateful for ALL of it.

SAHM Style and how I found my way back to sewing

After having my first son in 2011, I decided to stay home with him permanently. Even with a very rough newborn + infant period, it has been a great decision for our family and I'm so blessed to have been given this much dedicated time with my boys. My wardrobe, however, needed to change to reflect being home instead of sitting in an office. 

I didn't sew all that much for myself after having my oldest, mostly due to time, but also not finding the kinds of easy, but stylish knitwear patterns I wanted to make. While I had some great skirt and dress patterns that were perfect for the office, I needed easy separates that could look put together, but made sense at the park, parent group, etc. I wanted to sew basic t-shirts, tank tops, tunics, cardigans - things that were cute and comfy, but I just wasn't excited about the patterns I was finding. I did make a couple of knit maxis that I liked, but that was about the extent of sewing for myself. 

Self-drafted maxi from a Target skirt

McCalls 6567 (fit pre and post pregnancy)

After having my second son, I sewed a few things for them here and there, but in the summer of 2016 I really felt the urge to start sewing for myself again. Frankly, I missed it. 

I tried a couple of Kwik Sew top patterns because I had good success with their knit dress patterns, but they were just meh. Even after fiddling with them, I wasn't happy with the finished garment. I had never really found shirt patterns that I liked, even after trying several from different pattern companies and I was pretty frustrated. 

Around the same time, I discovered the world of custom knit fabric - holy moly! - and was re-introduced to PDF pattern designers. Indie pattern companies were just starting to take hold when I stopped sewing much in 2011 so this was quite a new thing for me. I kept seeing Patterns for Pirates (afflink) mentioned on the Facebook sewing groups I had joined and decided to check them out. I started with their Slim Fit Raglan (afflink) pattern with really low expectations. I graded to my measurements, dug out some knits that had been in my stash for months and sewed it up. 

Y'ALL. It. Was. A. Perfect. Fit.

I was completely gobsmacked! I had finally found a basic t-shirt pattern that I loved. I made a couple more because I still couldn't believe the pattern fit me so well and then started to look at their other basic shirt patterns. Suddenly, I had a whole bunch of me-made shirts in my closet that I loved, that fit me well, that made me feel good. It was the kick that I needed to start sewing again regularly and it's why P4P will forever have a special place in my heart.

Raglan in bamboo knit (and some silly children)

Raglan in cotton french terry

At the beginning of 2017, I was like a woman on a mission! LOL I had at least one pattern company that was designing the types of silhouettes I wanted to sew and I was excited to really jump into the world of PDF patterns. Little did I know that I would continue to refine my SAHM style and my sewing hobby would kind of explode.

Happy New Year!

Tap tap - is this thing still on? So, it's been a minute since I've updated this blog of mine. A new year brings all sorts of new goals and resolutions and 2018 feels like the year to revive this space. Since it's been almost 5 years (wow!) since I last posted, I thought I'd give a very fast update on what has been going on:

• My oldest son is now 6 (!), in Kindergarten and just lost his first tooth. He is my mini-me through and through. He is a great kid, talks our ear off and wants to learn about everything.
• I had another son in fall of 2014 who is now 3. He just loves life and attacks it with vigor! He started preschool this September and loves school and his teachers.
 
My "babies" in mama-made shirts 
• My husband and I celebrated 12 years of marriage in September (17 years together) and still really like one another! Lol With the help of some very generous grandparents, we still get out to Vegas 2x a year for some couple time and it's a great way to still feel like adults while raising young children.
   
  Christmas 2017 (in me-made shirt/skirt)
  
• My sewing hobby took a backseat for a couple of years because having babies is not for the faint of heart, but I started sewing again with some purpose in summer 2016 and my sewing hobby completely exploded in 2017. More on that in a future post. ;)

So, I'm back!! I'm going to mostly keep this sewing related though I'm sure my family and other life stuff will bleed over from time to time, too. I'm geared up for an excellent 2018 and I hope you are, too!

Simplicity 3503: The non-maternity version

So, yeah, who knew that raising a baby was so much work. ;) Needless to say, after my last post, the roller coaster of having a new baby continued on. We had some highs and some very low lows. While I don't think I ever had true post-partum depression, there were some really rough patches, one of which caught me off guard as it hit when J was about 5 months old - after I had felt like I was finally get my feet back underneath me.

J just turned 10 months old this week and we have been in a good place for several months now. I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and am fitting back into all of my old clothes (I didn't realize how much this was a contributing factor to my rough mood) and J is just a lot of fun. He's sleeping better and fighting me less on eating, so our day to day routine just feels more relaxed and less frantic. I am so in love with my little man and thank God every day for blessing me with such a dear child.

I did start taking time for myself early in this motherhood gig, but sewing just felt like too much work at the beginning. Getting to the gym to work out my ever evolving set of emotions or sitting down to a book were much more attractive activities when I had some spare time. It was only when J turned 7 months that the sewing room started calling my name again. And holy smokes did I pick a humdinger of a project. LOL Nothing simple for my first garment sewing project in months. No way, no how!

I really wanted to make a casual version of that ever popular Simplicity pattern 3503 - the one that I sewed to death while I was pregnant (3 versions - 1 floor length, 2 short - in all). However, there were some serious fit issues to work out. Namely, the smallest size bodice was a good fit when I was very pregnant (aka - pregnancy chest was in effect), but shrinking back to my normal bra size, I knew that I would need to make it considerably smaller.

To complicate matters further, I chose a beautiful ITY jersey from my stash that screams summer, but is quite a busy print to work into a dress. I knew it would require lots of single layer cutting and playing around with where the print would fall on the dress. I bought it from Mood 2 years ago and I've been dying for it to become something that would live in my closet instead of a stash bin, but had never really matched up the right pattern for it. This marriage of pattern and print felt right though.

I ultimately used the full width of the fabric border for the midriff band, becoming more of a full stomach band. The border was also used for the neckline.

I then arranged the bodice and skirt pieces over the main print of the fabric. It was a total pain to get all of this to match up and it's still not perfect, but I'm happy with it.

It took me a solid 2 months to complete this dress. I worked on it in fits and starts, but it held my interest and was actually a really good project to get my creative juices flowing again. I've already worn it twice and I love it. My inaugural outing in it was to Beverly Hills for brunch and it was perfect. It has a summer resort feel and I felt like a chic woman in it, not just a mom. While it's completely impractical for my new role as a stay at home mom, it makes me happy nonetheless.

I've already got another dress and 2 skirts just waiting for hems and a 3rd dress on the cutting table. See, this project really helped me find my sewing mojo!

And for making it this far, here is a picture of me and J from the 4th of July. Love this little guy so much!

One month

I have no idea where October went, mostly because I've spent the entirety of the month in that lovely new mom fog. ;) Our little peanut arrived late September, on his due date, and he has been keeping us on our toes ever since.

My pregnancy was fairly uneventful and labor and deliver was also great. 9 hours from the start of timeable contractions (and only 10 minutes of active pushing) and we were able to meet our son, who came out with a few loud screams and then quieted down to start taking in the world around him. All the while, holding my finger in his hand. Precious and amazing doesn't even begin to describe it.

After all of that, it didn't seem all that surprising that the other shoe had to drop. Little J had a couple of issues in the hospital, ones that threatened a NICU stay, but thankfully that never came to fruition. Being typical overly-worried first time parents, Jim and I barely slept in the hospital and the first couple of days that he was home with us.

We had a few bumps in the road with nursing, though thankfully those have been resolved. And then the screaming began. Oh, the screaming. This child was never just awake and happy, he was either eating, asleep or screaming. It was brutal. A call to the pediatrician and a quick check and they think the poor little guy has silent reflux - no spitting up, but the acid is still backing up into his throat and making him pretty uncomfortable. Add an insane amount of gas and GI discomfort and he was making his pain known to us in a big loud way. It was damn near impossible to comfort him, which will make you feel like the worst parent in the world. I hit rock bottom when he was 3.5 weeks old - sobbed to the nurse from the ped's office when she called to check in on us, was horribly snotty to my husband and really wasn't feeling very fond of this new little person living with us either.

Thankfully, things started getting a little better the next day and have been generally better since then. He's easier to comfort when he cries. The screaming is less. He has these stretches where he is alert and happy. He's trying to coo and I swear he's working on smiling, though I know at this point it's very likely just gas. Whatever, I'll still take it!

I've loved him from the moment he grabbed my finger in the delivery room, but I'm starting to like him a whole lot now, too. I think he's going to be a fun kid and I'm feeling pretty lucky to be his mama.

I'm sure there is still plenty of rough stuff on the horizon, but we survived the first month with everyone still intact. That feels like a real win at this point and I'm happy to celebrate it.

The nursery

Not that you would know it from the lack of posts on this blog, but I've actually been a sewing maniac the past few months. I've even nicknamed my sewing room Amber's Sweatshop. Unfortunately, life has been hectic and I haven't carved out time to actually post about the projects here. Who knows if I'll ever really catch up, but hey, I'm going to at least try to get a few things posted.

Waaay back when we first told our parents that I was pregnant, my mom and I were chatting and she mentioned that I should sew stuff for the baby's room. I immediately shut her down, saying that just sounded like a ridiculous amount of work for something that I could easily buy, etc.

I mean, we all know how this ends, right?

I looked for weeks for a gender neutral set that I liked, but nothing. The stuff that I thought was priced right didn't appeal to me and the stuff that I thought would be cute was so stupid expensive that it just made me angry.

So yeah. After trolling a few online fabric shops and picking up a fairly classic pattern for a crib skirt, I started putting together a plan to make a lot of the stuff myself. Let's just say my mom has been quite good at not gloating too much. :P

The baby room overlooks the backyard, which features a lot of blues and greens. That plus my recent obsession with orange formed the color scheme for the room. I found a Kaufman fabric that featured the colors I liked and felt a bit retro. I matched it up with a solid orange and an embossed aqua print for the crib skirt. I was able to find solid aqua and orange coordinates from Carousel Designs so that I wouldn't have to tackle sewing drapes or crib sheets. I also knew I didn't want a traditional bumper due to SIDS concerns, however, I saw a great tutorial for adding a little umph to a breathable bumper, which helped to tie the whole set together. Lastly, my friend sewed an adorable blanket for one of my showers, which fits the room perfectly.

After getting the crib finished, my sewing projects weren't done yet. I also whipped up two minky changing pad covers, two cotton/minky boppy covers, 2 stroller blankets, a 6 pack of burp cloths and coordinating size dividers for the closet. I found some adorable prints for the wall from Children Inspire Design by way of Zulily and metallic frames in aqua, orange and lime. Jim's cousin also designed two ridiculously cute prints for the room that we were able to use as well. A slew of fabric bins from Target in aqua and lime are being used to store all of the baby stuff. Lastly, we added a whimsical animal rug that helps to pad the hardwood floor and continues the defacto animal theme we have going on in addition to the color scheme. Oh, and I have a really comfy neutral glider in the corner.

But, enough talk. Pictures, yes?

Changing Pad Covers

Boppy Covers

Stroller Blankets

Burp Cloths and Closet dividers

It was all a ton of work, but I'm so happy with the way it came out. I find myself making up excuses to hang out in there and I know that I'll enjoy hanging out in the room once our little guy arrives. I can firmly say though, that if I never have to sew another crib skirt, it will be too soon. ;) That sucker was such a pain in the arse to sew and while I love the finished product, I have no desire to ever make another. Home dec sewing is really not my thing, I'm much more of a garment sewing kind of gal.