Connie Crawford B5504 Pattern Review

I've been looking at ready to wear styles similar to this.  I like the style but I was a little reluctant to
use a Connie Crawford pattern.  I tried a Connie Crawford before and didn't like anything about it.  The proportions were terrible.  Too big in the waist and hips, and sharply tapered down to the ankle.  It looked like she was trying to design skinny jeans for someone with very wide hips.  Not a good look.

Knowing this about the last pattern I thought I better make a muslin to see if it was worth it.  Actually they don't look to bad.  I can add a little length and make them into pants or I can shorten them for capris.

It looks like I need to do a knock knee adjustment and figure what to do with the waist.  As you can see I need to remove some of the extra fabric in the front waist and you can't really see it in the back, but there's some that needs to come off there too.  I haven't figured out how to do this and still keep the drawstring casing in tact, or if I should put some darts in put in a zipper fly.  I really want to try and avoid darts if I can.  So I'm kind of stuck at this point.

Sewing Work Pants

I work on a sod farm in the summer and so my work clothes are clothes that I don't mind getting grease, dirt, grass stains, etc. on  Last year I made a pair that got lots of wear and would still have them to wear this summer if they hadn't gotten caught in a piece of equipment and a giant hole ripped in them.  So I decided it was time to make another pair for this summer.  This is the same pattern as last year's but with a few tweeks. The ones I made last year worked really well, but there were somethings I wasn't totally happy with.

The above pics are last year's pants from a patten I drafted myself.  The crotch felt a little low, the legs were uneven (which wasn't noticeable when they were worn long, but when I rolled them up to capri length you could tell they slanted up on the inseam) and the tabs that held the rolled cuffs in place were to long and were constantly getting caught on the shift lever when I rode in the tractor, and I placed the pockets to low (they look to be around knee level).  

Those were the issues I wanted to correct in this pair.  To fix the crotch I took about a 1/2"  off the front waist.  I fixed the crooked inseam by slightly widening the leg and shifting the lower half of the leg toward the inseam by a 1/2".  Instead of buttons, I went with D-ring for the tabs and raised them to slightly above the knee so when I roll the cuffs into capris, the cuff will fall just below the knee and the tabs are just long enough to be pulled though the D-rings about an inch, and because I raised the tabs, I also raised the cargo pockets and used the pockets to secure the side seam tabs.   I'm happy with this pair, although I think they're kind of baggy in the butt (I think I've lost some weight in the hips and backside because I didn't change anything in those areas) and I think I'll go back to buttons for the tabs.  The D-rings are a little hard to fumble around with.

 

 

Next I'm working on this pattern. 

Organizing the sewing room

Sewing room mess

My sewing room is a mess.  To be honest it's a very small area with lots of sewing supplies shoved in there and very little to no storage space, so stuff gets piled wherever I can find room.  I've been wanting to organize it for a long time, but every effort I made just seemed to make things worse.

For some time, I've been perusing Pinterest; longing for a bigger sewing room, but that won't happen for a few more years, so I needed to look into craft room organization.  I ran across this great pin about storing fabrics on mini bolts. 

I started by cutting down some cardboard boxes, but decided it would be kind of pain to have to hunt down cardboard every time I bought more fabric. There are items out there made just for this purpose but they can be kind of pricy. After some research I found these acid free boards in packs of 100 for under $20 on Amazon. I bought the magazine size for cuts larger than 1 yard and the 6.75" x 10.5" for cuts under a yard. The smaller ones (I haven't received yet) I'll cut in half for minibolts and they'll be perfect for fat quarters.

Tagged and serged.  This fabric is ready to use

I also needed a way to identify the fabric content, since I buy fabric and might not use it for months or even years; it's imposable to remember if it was cotton, a cotton/poly blend or something else entirely and the percentages of blends. I solved this problem with those DIY business cards you can buy at any office supply store. Each bolt has an attached card that has the fiber content, yardage, and fabric width written on it. And since I can't remember if I pre-washed a fabric I have a system for that too. Before pre-washing, I serge the raw edges to keep them from raveling in the washing machine. So now when I look at my fabric stash, if I see the raw edges are serged, I know it's been washed and ready to use.

I'm still stuck in a tiny space, but once I get my fabrics organized it shouldn't feel so small. Next I need to work on finding a place to store full bolts. Hubby's working on some sort of system to hang them from the ceiling.

Fabric cabinet organized with lots of room to add more, and I still have fabric in bins that need to be organized

The Leprechaun Tree

I was going through some old photos looking for something and I ran across this photo of what we call The Leprechaun Tree.

The Leprechaun Tree on my parents farm

My parents have this tree in the woods behind their house. 

They went for a walk in the woods with my kids when they were little and my dad convinced them that a leprechaun lived in the hole at the base of the tree.  There was even a little fire pit, table made of stone, a bed,  and some treasures inside the hole of the tree. 

Every time the kids went to Grandma's they would ask to go out to the leprechaun tree and see what treasures he had for them.  Sometimes it was little trinkets, sometimes it was chocolate coins.  This went on for a few years until they were old enough to realize it was Grandma & Grandpa who were leaving the leprechaun's gifts for them to find. 

My kids are teenagers now, and don't go out to the leprechaun tree any more, but he's still there.

Sneek peak at what's coming to the shop

This week has been a busy one.  I spend all day Tues taking photos, and working on descriptions for new items coming to the shop.  I'm adding the listings a few at a time so I don't completely flood out the other sellers on Zibbet.

Here's a sneak peak.  Some of these are already in the shop.  Others will be listed soon.  Stop by and take a look and be sure to check out the other great shops at Zibbet while you're there..  zibbet.com/stitch1stitch2 

 

My first craft show; Lessons learned

So I had my first craft show yesterday, and I'm a little disappointed but I'm not looking at it as a failure.  Lets call it a dress rehearsal.

First of all, it wasn't very well advertised.  The show was in conjunction with a school competition and wasn't advertised to the public, but I thought for a $10 entry fee what do I have to lose. The organization of the event wasn't the greatest.  From what I understand the event planer wasn't even sure if the craft show portion was going to happen at all due to all the rules from the school and liability laws.  Also, my booth and about 7 others were put in a room out of the main traffic areas, which cut our visibility in half.  We did get some traffic but there was never a steady stream of people, and I'm not sure if the booths in the main areas did any better because they were packing up early.  Lesson one: Research the event

Stitch 1 Stitch 2 booth

Secondly, it was me.  Although I think my stuff is pretty darn cute, it seems I was targeting the wrong audience.  The show was during a dance competition, so the things that were selling were very girly girl things.  Sequenced headbands & mittens, jewelry, Scentsy and of course any booth that sold food.  I took baby clothes, mittens, totebags, and some key-chain wallets.  I got a lot of "cute stuff, but I don't have babies to buy for anymore" comments.  Lesson two: Target the expected audience.

But it wasn't all a total waste of time.  I did get to make a few new connections, see some people I haven't seen in awhile, and practice setting up and tearing down my booth.  I'm already thinking of what I can do to make improvements for next time.  Being able to accept credit cards would be one, although it wouldn't of done me much good yesterday because those who did; had trouble getting a cell signal.  A tv tray would of made a nice little table to put the cash box behind the display table or even as an extension of the display table to put business cards and my portfolio.  A framed sign with my name and business info would be nice too, so I don't have to print a new one each time and looks more professional than a handwritten one.  And the last thing, when bringing a mannequin for display purposes, don't forget the stand.  I had a baby mannequin I was going to use, but forgot the stand at home so the mannequin was pretty much useless.

Poor Kitty

My poor cat, Puddle, had to have half her tail amputated on Friday, and I feel just awful about it.  I went to start my car, Friday morning and didn't realize she had crawled up under the hood.  When I started the car, she got her tail caught in something, and lets just say it wasn't good. I rushed her to the vet and they confirmed my concern that yes she did have to have an amputation. 

I brought her home after the surgery Friday afternoon, and we gave her lots of cuddles and attention.  Normally she's an outside cat, so the kids (especially my son) are enjoying having her in the house, where she'll need to stay for 2 weeks, while she heals. I'm supprized that for an outside cat, she's doing very well being indoors.  Saturday and Sunday, she seemed content to stay in her carrier, normally we have to force her in there.  We would take her out to feed her and give her meds and when she was done she would go right back to the carrier.  Even with the door open, she choose to stay in there.

By Monday she was a little more social, and came out of the carrier by herself to cuddle, and we let her visit with the dogs out on the porch for a while.  Our other cat, who refuses to come inside no matter what temperature is, is worried about her; she keeps meowing/calling for her.   She's getting little better everyday, and looks kind of funny with that short little tail, but she'll come out of this just fine.