One of the downsides of working from home is that there are a lot of paper copies being generated (at least at our house) – so much so, that I’ve been put on a “freeze” for printing patterns until we can get more paper delivered. So this week, I went back to my pattern stash and decided to sew up a second pair of Carita Joggers (you can check out my previous version here). For this version, I used a fun print – SoSewEnglish’s Love Sewing French Terry and a hot pink cotton that I found in my stash. I really like the way it turned out! Not to mention that they are super comfortable.
About a month ago, I decided that my laundry room needed an overhaul. There wasn’t any storage in that room so I was largely still operating out of boxes and my cleaning tools (like the vacuum, etc) took up a large spot in the room so it had a very cramped atmosphere. So while this isn’t a sewing related post, I had to share my end results:
After painting the wall black, we picked up a wardrobe frame from IKEA (along with a few shelves and a door) that would house all my cleaning tools, laundry supplies, and miscellaneous items like light bulbs, and a couple of wall mount shelves that would be used to hold decorations. Fortunately, I had already been shopping for laundry themed decor well before we were on any type of stay-at-home orders so all I had to do was place them where I wanted.
While I still don’t like laundry, I do like this room so much better! Its also motivated me to (eventually – where things go back to a more “normal” pace) tackle a few other rooms in the house that need a new perspective.
Quite awhile ago (over 2 years!), I tried the Portlander Pants pattern. At the time, I wasn’t a fan of the finished design, but I’ve found myself wearing this particular pair quite a bit lately and I decided I needed another pair.
I “shopped my stash” and decided to use the least fabric from my stash (because who is going to see them) – a checked floral print French terry that I had gotten in a So Sew English bundle (it reminds me of the 1970s). I’m finding that this pair isn’t as comfortable as my previous pair – it could be that the fabric I used as the waistband just has a more snug feel (plus I forgot to reduce the width, again) or it could be the other pair is just old enough that it’s taken on that wonderful “broken in” feel… or that “quarantine 15” is finally kicking in!
I’m sure our life at home is looking much like yours right now. With the adjustment of starting online classes, I’m finding it difficult to always find the time (or energy… sheltering in makes me sleepy!) to sew. One thing I’ve found myself doing more of? Baking… with the occasional ice cream thrown in (hence the Quarantine 15… because we’re going to gain at least that much by the time this is over). So, I thought I would share some of the deliciousness.
First up – french bread. This went well with our dinner we had planned, it was easy enough even Easton could help, and overall, pretty tasty (and the leftovers make for good panini sandwiches the next day). There may be better recipes out there than this one, but it’s a good project you can do with the kids – just leave yourself enough time for all the rising.
If you have an ice cream maker (and all the ingredients), I highly recommend the Salt & Straw cookbook. So far I’ve made the Grand Poppy-Seed sherbet with lemon marshmallow fluff (minus the Grand Poppy because I didn’t have that on hand) and an almond brittle with salted ganache ice cream. While the sherbet was good… the ice cream was even better (not to mention the almond brittle is fantastic on it’s own)! We do have plans to make a Skittle rainbow sherbet over the weekend. I’ll keep you posted.
When I was at the store last (it seems like ages ago now), I managed to snag a couple of blueberry containers on sale. While they were delicious on the lemony sherbet (from above), I decided to use the rest to make muffins. This recipe will now be my go-to… it’s fabulous! I did cut it in half (because that’s all the blueberries I had left over) and it’s a good thing, I could eat all 6 of them by myself.
Did the current paper product hording leave you short on paper towels? If so, learn how to make your own paper towels and even sanitary pads.
If you know how to crochet you can whip yourself up a Covid-19 amigurumi
Chances are you’re spending more time in the kitchen cooking this week. So, why not whip up a new half apron to keep your clothes (on in my case pajamas) clean?
Get ready for the Easter holiday by making a cute bunny wreath for your door.
In the past, fidget toys (like spinners) have been loud and not something we can easily make ourselves. However this marble maze is a quite and crafty take on fidget toys.
These bunny headbands are soft to wear (no hard plastic base) and can fit any size head.
Being trapped at home means I see a lot of people’s projects and get inspired to try new patterns. While I’ve made joggers (or loggers) before, I decided to give another company a try- New Horizon’s Carita Joggers. I picked this one because I liked the cropped version (I know, I could have altered what I already had for that) and thought it might be a fun alternative to wear this spring.
I shopped the stash and came out with a heathered french terry from So Sew English Fabrics. I had originally purchased this to use as a sweatshirt for Easton but found it was a little too thin, but seemed perfect for this project. In order to give it a bit of contrast, I decided to use a purple double brushed poly (the only thing I had on hand that seemed to work) for the bands and trim.
Overall this pattern went together well and was very easy to sew. As for the fit, I think it’s pretty good, but I if I make this one again I’ll to make a few changes. For starters, the waistband is pretty large and I’m not really a fan (you can fold it, but I don’t like the way it feels) – I could easily cut down several inches and it would still be plenty wide enough. I also found that the leg on this one was pretty good around the thigh, but I have some excess material around the knee\upper calf that could stand to be taken out, just to trim it up.
I decided to make a second round of bookmarks (and a snap tab) – again using some of the ones that I picked up from the Off With Their Threads sale. Included in this group is a Pusheen inspired nurse snap tab (for Taylor – I’m sending her a little care package), a couple of Here Lies The Last Page I Read bookmarks (Easton still prefers the Quitter Strip, though), and a Grumpy Unicorn bookmark. I’ll be honest, I really didn’t think I would like a shaped bookmark – it’s kind of small and oddly shaped, but after a few days of testing it out… I LOVE IT! It seems to stay in place well and I like that his pouty face is peeking out from the cover. If I had a reason to make these I would because they are adorable.
It’s the first day of school… again. As you can see we’re off to a great start. LOL. Just kidding, much like everyone else we muddled through figuring out what we needed to do and starting assignments, but I’m sure we’ll have it down before the end of the week.
As for sewing, I’m waiting on elastic (I was lucky and found some online, but have to wait several days for it to arrive) to make masks. I’ve joined a group of Ohio sewists that are making them for agencies (like nursing homes, etc.) and individuals that are requesting them. In the mean time, I’ve printed off several projects that I’ve been meaning to start and may even tackle those valances that I’ve been putting off for months. We’ll see how much gets accomplished while we’re working on school.
How is everyone else doing? What projects do you have lined up or hope to work on?
Yesterday, the facility my mom is at requested masks, but they are not the only ones. Hospitals (and nursing homes) are in short supply of protective equipment and some have begun requesting that those who sew make some. So, today’s post are some of the links you can use to make your own. If you decide to sew for a particular organization, you’ll want to check to see if they have specific requirements as to which pattern (or interfacing – which provides somewhat of a filter) to use.
Deaconess hospital is asking sewists to use this tutorial to make face masks (other hospitals may reference this as well). They also provided a video tutorial to go along with this as well.
This video is not in English, but is pretty clear cut as to how to put it together.
This mask has a pocket to easily remove your filter. I had originally posted this in a Linky Thursday, but have since seen that most facilities are recommending using a non-woven interfacing as a “filter”.
