Scandinavian Stitches Pixies

Just like those who leave up their Christmas tree, I find it hard to put away Christmas.

I have several Gooseberry Patch books with Christmas crafts and recipes that I like to take down from the shelf and browse during the holiday season. This past December, I shelved my sewing machine for the month. In the New Year, after I put away my decorations, I looked at my Christmas fabric and what I most wanted to sew was Christmas related.

After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I enjoy the calm and quiet of January. Christmas sewing in January seemed like a lovely idea.

Ten years ago, I made apple coasters from the book by Kajsa Wikman, Scandinavian Stitches, published in 2010 by Stash Books. At the time, I wanted to make the project named Tomte Stuffy before Christmas, but never found the time.

A tomte is a kind of Scandinavian elf or gnome. Kajsa’s version are cuter than the faceless, bearded gnomes that have become so popular. I’m going to refer to them as Christmas pixies.

I sewed one, but couldn’t stop at just one! I knitted a scarf for the pixie dressed in corduroy. I used felt for two of the caps, which were hard to get the tips out when turning. I used linen for the faces and hands, and powder blush for their cheeks. I didn’t change anything about the pattern; I even liked their minimal faces which I embroidered.

I enjoyed pixie production! I already had a bag of fiberfill, so was glad to use some of it. The stuffing of body parts takes time and patience. I found it was best done away from the machine while watching TV.

They were a little tricky to sew. Long legs!

I sewed a felt pocket on the corduroy dress. The shape is halfway between a heart and an apple.

My pixies spent the rest of the month and half of February looking adorable sitting on a chair, giving me some post-Christmas cheer.

Initially, I checked out the book Scandinavian Stitches from the library, but I recently bought it. I especially like the way the projects are organized into seasons. I have a few ideas for more projects, maybe with some changes. I think it will be sooner than ten years. I might like working on a winter project in the summer.

2023 Sewing, Cross Stitch and Knitting Goals

I’m not making the Make Nine List this year. Instead I have more generalized goals. In the past three or four years 90% of my making has been garment sewing, and I want to branch out.

Sewing

Garment Sewing – I will sew some casual pants and tees. I bought two top patterns on sale late last year: the Weekend Getaway Blouse by Liesl + Co, and the Corin Top by Grainline Studio.

I already made one Weekend Getaway top, and plan on making another.

Quilt: I am going to use 10 inch pre-cuts, and try a quilt as you go method.

I also want to sew other home projects – a wall hanging, pillows, etc.

Cross Stitch

I am working again on the cross stitch picture I started in 2019. It’s called Autumn Twilight and is a cross stich rendering of original artwork by Steve French. I looked him up, and found that he was a South Haven, Michigan artist who depicted many outdoor and nature compositions.

I didn’t get very far, and I hated working on it. So what has changed? First, I took it out of that heavy frame! It was so awkward to hold. I washed the dirty fabric and am using the hoop shown in the photo. The second problem was seeing the fabric. I wore a magnifier around my neck and propped it against me which was uncomfortable. I bought a pair of magnifying glasses to wear over my reading glasses, and that is working out better.

With 64 different DMC colors in the design, it’s a challenging piece. I still like the picture, except for the dark blob in the center. The dense foliage makes it hard to see one of the geese. Maybe I can change that. Today, I would look for a design with a focus on one subject that can be seen from across the room. My completed cross stitch pieces have all been small ornaments or motifs. I’ve never completed a larger cross stitch piece for framing. This one is 7 1/2 by 11 1/2 inches.

Knitting

I’ve been on Ravelry since 2008. After two non-knitting years, I started knitting on the very first day of the year and have already completed two projects. They are a doily style decorative cloth made from cotton, and a Boom! scarf from wool yarn. I only had enough yarn for a short version of the shawl.

I started a sweater in February 2020 with Cara Mia Yarn, and abandoned it for various reasons. This discontinued yarn is a soft acrylic/nylon/rayon/angora blend; very nice for a budget yarn. I have about 1,680 yards of Cara Mia, enough to make a cardigan.

I am thinking of frogging the bit I knitted, and starting either the Lucia Hoodie by Carrie Bostick Hoge or Blend by Shaina Bilow.

The hoodie is knitted in one piece from the bottom up with raglan sleeves attached while knitting, and the shawl collared cardigan is knit in pieces and then seamed. Both have positive ease, pockets, and a band in which the stitches are picked up and knit.

I also have yarn for a spring shell type top if I can’t get decide what I want to do about the cardigan. I may also crochet.

Thoughts

I have a philosophy that as a maker I should take on more ambitious projects at least once in each craft. I have knitted sweaters, crocheted an afghan, and sewn garments but only one quilt, and have not completed a challenging cross stitch piece. Of course, my main goal is to enjoy the creative process, as well as produce some useful or beautiful objects. It’s not a job, and following a passion is more important than a “should”. My favorite projects are those that I feel inspired to make. So these are just ideas – as the days unfold I’ll see where they lead. As of February, these are the three needle arts I’ve already been working on this year.

As I write, I see my theme for 2023: to pick up the threads of the past, to branch out, and have multiple projects in different needle arts going at the same time.

2022 Sewing

My goals for 2022 were to slow down, to enjoy the process and explore my creativity. I more or less succeeded, and sewed 5 tops, 4 bottoms, 2 dresses, 2 refashions, and 5 home projects.

I also did a few small cross stitch pieces, and a few craft projects. Sadly, I didn’t do any knitting or crocheting. My priority is to keep my hands functional. I can still crochet, but a few of my “knitting joints” are mildly arthritic, which will keep me sidelined for the most part.

Tops:

I sewed the Zero Waste Cropped Shirt by Birgitta Helmersson in a linen blend, 2 color blocked cotton tee shirts, a rayon jersey boxy tee, and a 3/4 sleeve Laundry Day Tee in a magenta light sweater knit. The winter LDT is my favorite item of clothing I sewed this year.

Bottoms:

I sewed a cropped Allegro elastic waist pants in a linen blend and 3 pairs of knit shorts.

Dresses:

I sewed my second Bardon dress in a quilting cotton I had bought many years ago, and a LDT dress in a rayon knit. Both are free patterns.

Refashions:

Both refashions were from my own closet.

Home:

My favorite projects of the year are the rag quilt and the fall wall hanging of my own design. The rag quilt was a big undertaking. I cut 250 8-inch squares and used 50 precuts. I used 99 different cotton prints for the top, and flannel for the backing and filling. I had collected most of the prints throughout many years and was glad to put them to use. The snipping of the raw edges meant yet more cutting. I also made a rag quilt pillow sham in November with 12 more prints. I put my sewing machine away for December to take a break.

I want to make 2-3 more quilts. I will be using precuts I already have, so it should go faster. I plan on sewing more home projects next year since I have enough clothes.

Ten Years Blogging!

Ten years ago I designed a WordPress site and published my first post. I was at the beginning phase of learning to sew my own clothes. I started by mostly refashioning thrift clothes. My progress was slow and gradual. Now, ten years later, almost everything I wear is me-made, and I have achieved my goal.

It would take too long to go through ten years and find the highlights; I’d rather be sewing! But I will share a few examples. Beware: image heavy!

This was the first project I shared (it was close to Halloween):

These are some of the outfits I’ve sewed:

Some of my refashions:

from 2 pillowcases

from sarong

from sarong

Shirt to Kimono Refashion

Big Shirt Resized

Dress to Top Refashion

The main focus of my blog has been sewing clothes, but I’ve also done plenty of other needle arts and crafting.

My quilted projects:

My embroidery:

Summertime Embroidered Towel

I stopped knitting because of carpal tunnel and arthritis issues. Sewing by machine is much easier on the hands.

Some knitting and crochet projects:

Some of my favorite posts:

The Dress Doctor Part 1

The Dress Doctor Part 2

Thoughts on First Year of Blogging

What My Mother Wore

End of Summer Leftovers

Sewing During the Pandemic

My most popular post is Easy Fix For Too Small Skirt. That’s a great title! Subsequently, I’ve realized my tutorial is not so easy; I removed and reinserted a zipper. I also removed the waistband and sewed foldover elastic.

I ‘ve never been a frequent poster, but my goal has been to have at least one post every month. I’ve only missed three months in 10 years.

What has changed in 10 years? I’m older, ha! The traffic on blogs has decreased as the rise of the smart phone has changed the focus to apps like Instagram, which are more easily read on a small device. In the sewing world, independent pattern companies have gained a larger customer base, and larger sizes are now routinely included as a result from some heated debates on Instagram. A few of those pattern companies were started as a progression from blogging.

I have a free WordPress account. I am happy with WordPress, and would recommend the platform, although I find it harder to use the new editor. Ads are perfectly fine at the end of a post, but a few times I have seen ads in the middle of a post which I don’t like. I appreciate the free platform, and that my blog will remain up indefinitely without any action from me. After uploading 1,679 photos and publishing 174 posts, I have only used 37% of my allotted storage space.

So should I continue? Most of what I sew is pretty boring – everyday tees, pants and shorts. But the things I make are my story, and I like telling it, so I doubt I will suddenly stop at this point in time.

I’m always excited about the latest thing I’m sewing! Currently I’m working on a fall/Halloween wall quilt. I finished sewing the quilt top, and I will be back with the completed project, and the story about it.

To my readers, I hope you have found something of use or interest in these pages. You probably also know the pleasures of creating with your own hands, and together we inspire each other to make, to learn, to grow.

Seasonal Refashions and Sewing

Two fairly quick refashions from my own closet:

I never wore a jersey knit romper I sewed a few years ago, so I refashioned it into a top for summer. It took a little work because I had to remove the underlining from the shorts portion.

It was worth a try to see if I will wear it now.

The vee back is noteworthy.

I still had the last of three rayon dresses I bought at the same time about 20 years ago that I had stashed away when they became too tight in the bust to wear. I made sleeveless summer tops from two of them.

The print of this fabric has beautiful warm fall colors, so I decided I wanted a sleeve on my new top. I used the cap sleeve from a pattern I had recently printed out, and managed to make it fit with gathering of the sleeve cap.

The blue Hawaiian top pictured, one of my previous dress to top refashions, is one of my all-time favorites and I used it as a guide to cut my new top.

This refashion is not as easy as just chopping off the bottom and rehemming. I have to use the bottom of the dress and cut out new armholes and neckline. I used bias tape to finish the neckline.

I need to make pants to go with this top, or it won’t get worn.

Now for some fall and Halloween sewing! I bought some fun Halloween fabric on sale, and was excited to sew something with it. I made a few dog bandanas for Sparky and one of his friends. I’ve made many revisions to my bandana pattern over the years. This is my current favorite, 2- sided with a curved shape. I used sew-in velcro for a few of them.

After sewing a few bandanas , I was inspired to put aside my garment sewing to start work on a wall quilt with simple piecing of different size squares and applique. I’m making it up as I go and enjoying the creative process.

I hope to finish the quilt top before the end of the month, but may not get the quilting and binding done. In any case, I plan on writing a second blog post this October, which will be a special post.

Quick and Thrifty Summer Dress

The calendar says fall, but the weather still says summer.

I bought a single yard of a rayon/spandex knit fabric with a fun bandana-look stripe for $6.79 online from Cali Fabrics when I bought the fabric for my knit shorts. It is 66 inches wide, and listed as a bohemian stripe with 125% horizontal stretch and 25% vertical stretch. I planned on making a sleeveless and swingy Laundry Day Tee top just like my favorite blue floral one. I decided to make a casual dress instead after realizing I had enough fabric, reasoning that I can always cut it down to a top later.

I love pockets but not with this light, stretchy fabric. That made this dress a quick make with only the bindings taking a little time to get right. I made them shorter than recommended to avoid floppiness and drooping.

I used the free Laundry Day Tee by Love Notions again, but I believe I slimmed it down a bit. The fit is good. I especially like the way it hangs in the back. My bust makes the stripe pull up in the front, but I’m probably being nit-picky or maybe I can change that to knit-picky, ha! Note to self – avoid horizontal stripes.

It goes really well with a short denim wrap top I bought at a garage sale a few months back for 1 or 2 dollars. My denim purse was also thrifted several years back. Added comfy velcro sandals, sunglasses, dangling silver earrings, and I’m ready to go!

Knit Shorts Times Three

August is a HOT month. I love the navy ponte shorts I sewed late last summer so much, I decided to sew more knit shorts. With fluctuations in weight, I no longer wanted to wear my previously sewn shorts with a fly and button. I sewed three pairs of shorts with three different types of stretchy knit fabric.

French Terry is a stretch terry cloth fabric with a smooth side and a looped side. The terry I used is a polyester/rayon/spandex blend. This was my first time sewing this fabric. It’s usually used for cozy garments, so it might not be a great choice for summer, but I can also wear the shorts in the spring and fall. I sewed the elastic waist Allegro pattern by Love Notions, even though the pattern is for woven fabrics. I sewed the shorts with the smooth side on the outside. After inserting the elastic, I had trouble distributing the gathers evenly. I added a button embellishment just for fun on the mock fly front.

Next I sewed the Mama Bear Jogger shorts by Patterns for Pirates with green scuba. Scuba is a polyester/spandex mix with a good drape and a sheen. The website says it resembles an apparel weight version of neoprene. I had never sewn with scuba before, and my needles had problems sewing this fabric: I experienced skipped stitches, and even though I had selected the zigzag pattern the machine was sewing straight stitches instead. I changed from a stretch needle to a ballpoint needle, and that helped. I’m wearing the shorts with a woven rayon top that was a refashion from a dress. I like the top but needed shorts that go with it.

Next I sewed a pair of shorts in the same style with double knit ponte fabric in a powder blue. This ponte fabric is a heavy weight polyester/rayon/spandex blend. I have sewn with ponte before, as I like both sewing with it and wearing this fabric for knit pants. The ponte I previously used was a rayon/nylon/spandex blend, which is a nicer and pricier ponte. I’m not usually a fan of polyester as it can get sticky.

I sewed these shorts with the Itch to Stitch waistband from another pattern. It’s a beautiful curved waistband that fits me well. I added another inch to the waistband length and the elastic for added comfort when sitting down. I hate a too tight elastic waist! It’s a double waistband with the elastic stretched and sewn to the seam allowance. I sewed a wider seam allowance to use 3/4 inch elastic. I also tweeked the fit a little adding more to the crotch point in the back. When I made changes to the pattern earlier I had removed too much.

I sewed the seams with a zigzag on the sewing machine, finished the seams on the serger, and top stitched the pockets and hemmed the shorts with a zigzag stitch.

All three shorts have generous front pockets which I use. Part of the pocket piece is visible on the outside, and a lining is sewn on the main shorts front and turned to the inside before being joined to the main fabric pocket piece. I used a different slinky fabric for the pocket lining.

I love this swingy Laundry Day Tee Tank so much for summer! I think it looks much more flattering than the traditional Hanes tank that is tight in the hips that I’m wearing with the terry shorts. I bought some more rayon knit to make another, but might make a dress instead. I can always cut it down into a top later.

All three pairs of shorts were sewn with 1 yard of fabric each bought online making them inexpensive; two were under $10 and the scuba was under $7. I like ponte fabric the most as I found the terry snagged on my nails, and the scuba was hard to sew with.