closing out kcwc: blue jean babies

           

after my massive mid-week roadblock, i wanted to do something simple to tie things up, and be able to make something for each kid relatively quickly.  i bought a few yards of cotton denim on my joann's shopping spree with the intention of making skinny jeans for the kids, only to realize the fabric is 100% cotton and thus not stretchy.  i could cut on the bias...or i could make life easy and make non-skinny jeans.  in fact, i realized that the big boy has no jeans!  he wore one of bean's a few times as an infant, but grew out of them over a year ago.  

and for bean, the simplest thing you can sew, a gathered skirt with a little pseudo bias tape at the hem.  since the skirt is made from a rectangle, the "bias" tape doesn't need to be cut on the bias because there are no curves.  easy!  i have a stigma against skirts and never put bean in them because i find them impractical.  diapers always flailing about, skinned, knees, etc.  as a result, she has about one in her wardrobe which i made knee length.  i meant to do the same with this one, but somehow it ended up mid thigh (i'm blaming exhaustion) as most patterns recommend for little girls but i find too short.  i think its utility will be renewed when it cools down and can be worn over a pair of leggings.  she might get a few more skirts for that purpose.

                                         

of course, things are never quite as simple as they should be...i found myself wondering how many times i will sew a french seam BACKWARDS before i just stop doing that.  i'm still struggling to draft a good pants pattern shape for reese for some reason, when i've had no issue with bean.  the usual bobbin issues--running out, bad tension, messy backstitching, etc.  with the jeans and grey cords i made a super long hem so they can be let out as the kids grow up and hopefully not out, but sewing a 3" cuff is almost impossible to not sew onto it to itself, especially at 12:30am.  

i had plans to embellish the jeans a little more, maybe some top stitched front pockets and a fly.  but when i finished them (those back pockets are actual pockets, not decoration), i thought they looked handsome with a plain front, thinking, he has no dress pants, and the dark fabric and flat waist makes them look more formal.  so i shut down my sewing operation.  shortly thereafter i wondered when in the hell he would ever need dress pants (?!), but i can always make him another pair that's more casual...

so, that concludes my wild week long sewing adventure!  i'm so glad i really dove in headfirst to this, when only a few short days ago i'd as much as decided to skip it.  there really is something special about joining a cause (if you can call it that), a lot of energy and excitement and support to keep going through the frustration and challenges, and the anticipation not just of finishing your own projects, but seeing what others are creating.  

i haven't learned much in the way of technique, but i have become a slightly more confident basic sewer, and am ready now to take it to the next level and try some patterns that will elevate my skill level.  it has been so long, longer literally than i can remember, since i've devoted so much time to actual creativity.  i have done a lot of creating since i started knitting, but mostly as something to keep my hands busy and following others' patterns with little customization until very recently.  this week really forced me to tap in to my artistic vision (or something of that nature), to experience the joy of buying yards of fabric with no specific project in mind, and then to sit and look at it and let the ideas grow and take shape.  and then attempting to execute them.  

very interesting, the creative process, and so much fun.  i'm sure my family is more than ready for the house again to be cleaned, the fridge to be full, the meals to be made (last night's dinner was pasta made with tvp, butter, tamari, and beet stalks david chopped up for compost.  in all fairness, i had to cut the kids off the way they were scarfing it down, so i'm not a total disgrace as a parent/chef!).  but, i'm so glad i had this opportunity for its inspiration and motivation.  it has left me comfortably buzzed with the desire to go on creating maybe beautiful, but definitely love-filled garments for my wonderful little darlings.

update:  bean's skirt tore at the hem 10 minutes into wear today.  whoops.  when i went to mend it during nap/scream time today (we're back to that), my sewing machine announced its own end to kcwc by refusing to adjust its top tension anymore.  it's just done.  i lovingly disassembled it, cleaned it, and changed its parts, but it is still defeated.  we're going together tomorrow to the sewing machine doctor.  grrrrr!  seriously?  it quits after 2.5 months?  that's just not right.  on a more positive note, check out this nice little endorsement from the hostess of kcwc herself:

nice!