New Year, New Start, New Announcments

Sorry for the lack of posts for the second half of 2014.  I started to travel for work a lot and all of a sudden it was the holidays and now it's 2015.  During my absence I was still able to sew some projects and those will be written up in later posts.  But since it's the beginning of the new year, I figure this is a good time for me to have a fresh start on this blog.

And since everyone likes to have a new beginning, I'd like to set my goals for this year:

1. Sew and make something at least once a month and maintain consistent activity on the blog.  (This is a big commitment for me since I work full time and have two active toddlers)
2. Organize!  The house is a mess and it stresses me out.  I'm hoping to purge what we don't need and use what we have (including my sewing stash).
3. Eat healthier and lose weight.

Pretty simple goals and by documenting for the world to see, it gives me extra motivation to work towards these goals.

As for upcoming sewing projects, I've already signed up for the 2015 Secret Valentine Exchange.  It is now in its second year and I've already received my recipient's information.  I participated in the first SVE last year and it gave me the courage to start this blog.

Kids Clothes Week has officially been set.  The theme is Upcycled and I'm looking forward to it.  I tend to create things with clothes laying around the house that my husband and myself no longer wear or fit so it's great that I can participate in this season's theme.  Be on the lookout for a project during this week. =)

And one last bit of happy news..... THE Ohio State University won their game against the Oregon Ducks and are the National Champions!!!!!  It was one of the most nerve-racking games I've watched in a while.  In case it wasn't known, I'm Ohio State Alumni and graduated around the last National Championship.  It was my last year of school and the win was the icing on top.

image courtesy of www.osu.edu

So another national championship makes an excellent start to a new year. 

KCW: day 6 and 7

It's Kids Clothes Week Challenge Spring 2014 edition and I actually participated this round!  The first 5 days I couldn't participate actively since I was out of town for work but used some half sewn garments from the last KCW challenge.

The first item I made was a pajama top for J using the Made By Rae's Flashback Skinny Tee Pattern.  I used size 4 and added a little more width since the husband thought the first couple attempts at this pattern look too tight on him.  (Little does he know this is the "skinny tee" pattern.)  I also made the neckline a little larger too since I think J has a larger head than most kids.  I added cuffs for the first time and they go so nicely with the neckline ribbing.  I didn't sew the bottom hem since the material won't fray. 

Shirt Details:
Pattern: Flashback Skinny Tee

Changes made: Increased width, wider neck

Size sewn: 4T

Fabric: Purchased at Joann's, clearance section

The second item I made for J is a pair of pajama pants using the Parsley Pants Pattern, another pattern from Made By Rae.  This pattern is so easy to sew and a great way to make a new pair of pants.  The fabric is from my former pair of A&F pajama pants which finally started ripping in the crotch area.  I saved the logo to use on the back side of the pants and used the original hemlines for the bottom hem.  I think I made the size 5 so he could grow into it and use the pants for a few years.    

Pants Details:
Pattern: Parsley Pants

Changes made: increased length

Size sewn: 4T or 5T

Fabric: Upcycle from my A&F pajama pants

This concludes my participation for KCW April 2014.

Next up, a few more upcycled clothes for the kids and another birthday gift.