12, 12 and 12 in Twelve

12, 12 and 12 in Twelve

What the heck am I on about?

I'm hoping to have twelve quilty, twelve sewy and twelve knitty finishes in twelve months.

My aim is finish up some UFO's as well as start AND finish some new things each month.

I'm not going to be overly strict with myself, I'm just aiming to get things done. For example I have about four quilts that just need the binding sewn down - I'm only going to count them as one finish as they were nearly finished last year. Each new clothing sewing pattern will be one finish - eg if I make three pairs of pyjama pants like I did today, it's just one finish, not three.

Wish me luck and feel free to join me!

I really want to make a dent in my clothes fabric and pattern stash. I seem to be very good at buying the fabric and even better at buying the patterns but not so good at actually sewing some clothes.

I needed a break from the Swoon quilt - I made a few frustratingly stupid mistakes yesterday so I decided the universe was trying to tell me something so I put it aside and got out my kids PJ pants TNT pattern, the 'Snug as a Bug' pattern by Make it Perfect.

I made a pair of shark PJ shorts for Harvey - all sharks are called Bruce the Shark in our family so these will be his Bruce the Shark jarmies. 

Lachy got some long foxy pants. The majority of his clothes are hand-me-downs as the boys are born at the same time of year, all of Harvey's old clothes are the right size in the right season. Even though he has heaps of jarmies, I figured I should still make some just for him.

I also made some Bruce the Shark PJ pants for my nephew. He too will be enjoying many hand-me-downs pre worn by my boys so he definitely deserves some new duds too.

Due to being a somewhat selfish sewist, I have also been making for me.
I made my first 'Saltspring' dress, a pattern by Sewahaloic

Like most people who have made this dress before me, I didn't bother with the zip in the back.
It's really pretty and feels lovely and swishy to wear. It's a cotton voile from Spotlight and lined with some plain black voile. I accidentally ripped one of the back straps when wearing it yesterday but it won't stay on the mending pile for long because I love it and want to wear it again.
So much so....

That I made a short version.

Once again some Spotty voile. This time I just self-lined it as it can be a bit see through.

I went a size down from my first one and made the lining shorter so it's less blousey.

It almost seems like I know what I'm talking about with this clothes sewing malarkey.

I don't.

I do enjoy reading sewing blogs and sewing pattern reviews and I feel like I am learning heaps which hopefully help avoid some novice mistakes.

As for my knitting...

 I knitted the sleeves on this little number.
It's far from perfect as I decided to alter the pattern and when I started it I knew at lot less than I do now. Anyway, I'll stash it for a while...just in case...or gift it to a tall baby with a thin neck.

So my 12, 12 and 12 in Twelve is going bloody well so far.

I should have a few more finishes before the end of the month so I am definitely on track for my goal but then again, it's early days.

Emails were bouncing back but I think I've managed to fix it - if not, thanks for reading and commenting, it's good to be back!!
Abbe

I thought she sewed quilts?

I haven't been able to ignore the clothes sewing urge.

It's something I have always wanted to do and sewing simple items like pants for the babies has satisfied me for a while but now I want to take it to the next level and move on from slightly oddly shaped pajamas.

The only downside is the same thing I discovered with the knitting lark - where the hell do I squeeze in the new stash???

After reading a whole lot of new-to-me seamstress blogs I decided to buy The Colette Sewing Handbook. I've had a quick read and confirmed that I have a lot to learn but that it will help.

I made this 'wearable muslin' as a first try at making a top.

I'm fairly happy with it. It was the first time that I had done french seams which I quite liked. The top itself is too wide across the back which I didn't realise until after sewing it all together.

Lesson learnt to measure myself properly and to have a better look at the shape/size of the pattern. Using my seamstress expertise....I made a small pleat in the back which is fairly well hidden in the busy fabric. I shortened the length so it sits nicely with jeans and I just have to hem the sleeves and it's done. I'm not overly eagre to make it again but we'll see.

Then I decided to bite the bullet and sew with knit fabric. I think sewing with knits is going to be a bit like free motion quilting - it seems really daunting and you suck at the start but practice and a devil may care attitude will help you get better. 

I've worn it several times and it hasn't fallen apart so that's got to be a good sign.

I had a quick break from the tricky stuff and made my souz chef an apron (he calls it his smock). This is the 'I just snaffled a corn chip from the bag, stuffed it in my mouth and am trying to finish chewing before you realise' face. He has a lot to learn before he'll eat my chips without me knowing ;-) 

Having gained 'so many skills' making one top I decided that I would make a dress to wear to a wedding. Not one to shy away from a challenge and feeling the need to create some grey hairs I chose a pattern that I could breastfeed in but also happened to have a whole lot of gathering as it was a maternity pattern. I ended up removing all of the gathers with a bit of advice from Jules and Aunty Pam.

I like how it turned out but wussed out of wearing it to the wedding, I felt like it wasn't quite formal enough, probably due to being made of quilting cotton. It looks nicer than in this pic but that's the calibre of photo you get late at night and with an IPhone.

In case you were worried I'd gone seamstress crazy and forgot my quilty roots....

 A triangle (and very wrinkly) quilt top for a friends daughter and an oodle of strips to be turned into binding if I get some sewing time tomorrow.

Happy sewing,

Ab x

2.30AM shopping...it makes you see sideways.

The other night his majesty awoke at 2.30am so of course, so did I.

Fortunately I know to be prepared and take my phone with me.

Bleary eyed and slumped in my feeding chair, I managed to see a sale at The Haby Goddess and bought myself this gorgeous 'Peony' by Colette dress pattern.

The dangers of being a woman and therefore being able to multitask....

Not sure that I'm anywhere near ready to make the dress but as you can see, the magic word Beginner is on the pattern, mocking me.

I also recently bought this book. After reading several reviews I decided it seemed worth the purchase. 

(For some reason blogger has turned some pics sideways grrrr)

I haven't embarked on anything yet but in the meantime it's very pretty to look at.

My lovely aunt Jude made me this cute apple cosy. See how happy and snug that apple looks ;o)

It'll be great when I'm back at work next year, I hate bruises on my fruit.

As for me and craft?

I made this cushion, adapting a pattern by Melly

It was gifted to Harvey's friend Lily, from play group.

It has pride of place in her cot.

(more stupid sideways action by blogger)

I also embarked on sewing a top for me but we've been out of action for the last four days. Harvey Monster came down with a cold on Thursday and as is his generous nature, he gave a fair share of his germs to me.

There has been an alarming amount of snot, much of it wiped on me (unintentionally, I hope) but I think we're on the mend.

I'm so grateful for my IPhone and being able to play on the net during the wee hours. Much more than that, I am grateful for all the blogs and websites. It's wonderful to be able to keep in touch with my hobby while caring for my cherub.

Ab x