It was my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary this October, and they had an anniversary supper in Manitoba to celebrate. We decided that flying was too expensive so we drove from our home in the southern interior of BC all the way through the mountains and across the prairies to my parents' home province of Manitoba...
View Fall 2010 Road Trip in a larger map
Here is a map of our route!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Self Stitched September Lite - Extremely Lite!
Here's a few photos from the first week of my Self Stitched September experience (the lite edition since I don't have enough self-made clothing to participate fully and don't have time at the present to remedy the situation):
September 1 - My self-made yellow blouse, with wide-legged denim capris (store-bought a few years ago).
September 2 - Self-made sweater.
September 3 - Self-made tunic, leggings from Forever 21, and Aldo shoes borrowed from a very chic friend.
September 4 - Self-made jeans, my favourite vintage bunnyhug that I've had for 10+ years.
Summer Sewing Projects - Summary!
As an avid follower of numerous sewing blogs, I have decided to try and follow Zoe's Self Stitched September. When I was laid off work for two months earlier this spring, I became extremely spoiled with tons of time to do all sorts of sewing and managed to create a fair amount of clothing. However, since the end of May I have been working full-time (yay!) and am currently working at a full-time job and a second part-time job; needless to say I don't have much time to sew. Not to mention that this summer was incredibly busy - full of fun things though... camping trips, family vacations, ball tournaments and ultimate frisbee, etc. etc. etc...
I managed to finish this yellow blouse in time for September 1st. It's from Simplicity 9872 (circa 1980) which I found at the thrift store (big surprise!). I used a lovely lightweight cotton-eyelet fabric which was on sale for 70% off earlier this spring. I was originally planning to use it to make a JJ Blouse, but decided that a simpler pattern would show off this pretty fabric much better. 
This was the first time I've ever used French Seams (a method for encasing lightweight fabric safely within a seam so it doesn't fray. This is a good tutorial on how to do them). The selvege at the bottom of the fabric is a very beautiful scalloped edge, so I didn't need to hem the bottom at all. I very narrowly avoided turning this project into a Fail by not paying proper attention when I was cutting out the fabric (sheesh, will I ever learn?!?!?). I accidentally cut two right sleeves and didn't have enough fabric left to cut a left sleeve. Luckily I managed to find the last remaining bit of the fabric in the remnant bin at Fabricland but it was now $5.50 for 0.8m!!!! I had only paid $3/m a few months earlier - argggg!!!! Oh well, hopefully this will teach me a valuable lesson? :-D
This last photo just cracks me up. My in-laws live on a lake in the Okanagan region of British Columbia and a huge swarm of gnats had just come up from the lake and tried to fly up my nose!
I actually spent a good portion of July and August doing a bit of sewing for our friends' wedding. The bride asked me to do the bridesmaid dress alterations as well as making some sashes for the flower girls' dresses to match the wedding colors. My camera wasn't working the day of the wedding, but here is a photo of my handiwork (all except for the bridesmaid second from the left). The best thing that came out of doing these alterations was the discovery that my 1970s sewing machine does blind-hemming!!! Of course, in typical fashion I didn't discover this until I was nearly finished hand-sewing the hem of the fourth (and final) dress! Oh well... Now I know for future projects, right?
I also did a bit of up-cycling for my hubby. In these tough economic times, his office has decided to save money by not using air-conditioning (which, if you've ever spent any time in the Shuswap during summer you know how hot it gets!). N was lamenting the fact that he had no shorts to wear that were office-appropriate, i.e., not board shorts, so I took him to Value Village and we got a couple pairs of pants that I was able to turn into shorts. These grey plaid shorts are my favourite of the two; they used to be a pair of rather tight, skinny pants that I would imagine some trendy Asian man wearing in Vancouver and looking fab. To accomodate for my non-trendy, tight-pant fearing Interior husband, I had to use some of the extra fabric from the lower portion of the legs (and taking care to match up the plaid) to widen the legs. He says he likes them a lot, and I'm sure of it since he wears them at least 4 days a week! Great success!
I managed to finish this yellow blouse in time for September 1st. It's from Simplicity 9872 (circa 1980) which I found at the thrift store (big surprise!). I used a lovely lightweight cotton-eyelet fabric which was on sale for 70% off earlier this spring. I was originally planning to use it to make a JJ Blouse, but decided that a simpler pattern would show off this pretty fabric much better. 
This was the first time I've ever used French Seams (a method for encasing lightweight fabric safely within a seam so it doesn't fray. This is a good tutorial on how to do them). The selvege at the bottom of the fabric is a very beautiful scalloped edge, so I didn't need to hem the bottom at all. I very narrowly avoided turning this project into a Fail by not paying proper attention when I was cutting out the fabric (sheesh, will I ever learn?!?!?). I accidentally cut two right sleeves and didn't have enough fabric left to cut a left sleeve. Luckily I managed to find the last remaining bit of the fabric in the remnant bin at Fabricland but it was now $5.50 for 0.8m!!!! I had only paid $3/m a few months earlier - argggg!!!! Oh well, hopefully this will teach me a valuable lesson? :-D 
This last photo just cracks me up. My in-laws live on a lake in the Okanagan region of British Columbia and a huge swarm of gnats had just come up from the lake and tried to fly up my nose!
I actually spent a good portion of July and August doing a bit of sewing for our friends' wedding. The bride asked me to do the bridesmaid dress alterations as well as making some sashes for the flower girls' dresses to match the wedding colors. My camera wasn't working the day of the wedding, but here is a photo of my handiwork (all except for the bridesmaid second from the left). The best thing that came out of doing these alterations was the discovery that my 1970s sewing machine does blind-hemming!!! Of course, in typical fashion I didn't discover this until I was nearly finished hand-sewing the hem of the fourth (and final) dress! Oh well... Now I know for future projects, right?
I also did a bit of up-cycling for my hubby. In these tough economic times, his office has decided to save money by not using air-conditioning (which, if you've ever spent any time in the Shuswap during summer you know how hot it gets!). N was lamenting the fact that he had no shorts to wear that were office-appropriate, i.e., not board shorts, so I took him to Value Village and we got a couple pairs of pants that I was able to turn into shorts. These grey plaid shorts are my favourite of the two; they used to be a pair of rather tight, skinny pants that I would imagine some trendy Asian man wearing in Vancouver and looking fab. To accomodate for my non-trendy, tight-pant fearing Interior husband, I had to use some of the extra fabric from the lower portion of the legs (and taking care to match up the plaid) to widen the legs. He says he likes them a lot, and I'm sure of it since he wears them at least 4 days a week! Great success!Autumn Arrives!
Phew! After an insanely busy summer, September has arrived to bring a bit of a breather from all the hecticness of another beautiful Shuswap summer...
I was commissioned by a good friend to make her a skirt, and she is leaving for Switzerland at the end of the month to visit her family there so I only have a bit of time to get things all wrapped up! She wanted an A-line style skirt out of a bluey-green cotton voile so I used this free Twinkle by Wenlan pattern and used white binding tape as an accent. The pattern is okay, but I think that having to print it on 50+ pages is a bit extreme, especially when the pattern could probably utilize folding the fabric at the mid-point. Also, the fit seems a bit small - I made a size 12 for my friend even though her measurements were for a size 10 (normally I find most sewing patterns fit best if you make them a size smaller than what your measurements say you are). Anyhoo, it's nearly done, I just have to finish a few seams, put in a zipper (always a challenge for me) and then hem it.
The second unfinished project is a purse for my husband's grandmother who is turning 90 (!!!) on September 11th. She was moaning a few months ago about how she would like a small purse and how everything these days is just so big. (She is actually one of the funniest people I have ever been blessed to know and I completely adore her, so keep in mind that I am often sarcastic when describing her!). I personally am a fan of the large duffel-bag sized purse because I tend to haul around all kinds of stuff with me on a daily basis which probably explains some of my back problems, ha ha ha... I used Butterick 6856 which I've had in my pattern stash for ages, and used a heavy black brocade fabric as well as notions which I've "harvested" from an old Gap purse of mine which is actually worn out. If you didn't think purses could get worn out - think again! I've had this baby for over 10 years and it's been on numerous trips including a 3-month backpacking adventure around Europe in 2008 (see our blog for more details - be warned it's rather detailed!). I would say it's about 3/4 of the way finished; thankfully it's a long weekend so I will actually have time to get some work done on it!
I am looking forward to a bit of Caramia-time this fall to wrap up a few sewing projects for others, as well as doing some apple-picking and canning / preserving stuff from my garden. I am actually on a bit of a deadline with my non-selfish sewing, so I need to get at it!
I was commissioned by a good friend to make her a skirt, and she is leaving for Switzerland at the end of the month to visit her family there so I only have a bit of time to get things all wrapped up! She wanted an A-line style skirt out of a bluey-green cotton voile so I used this free Twinkle by Wenlan pattern and used white binding tape as an accent. The pattern is okay, but I think that having to print it on 50+ pages is a bit extreme, especially when the pattern could probably utilize folding the fabric at the mid-point. Also, the fit seems a bit small - I made a size 12 for my friend even though her measurements were for a size 10 (normally I find most sewing patterns fit best if you make them a size smaller than what your measurements say you are). Anyhoo, it's nearly done, I just have to finish a few seams, put in a zipper (always a challenge for me) and then hem it. 
The second unfinished project is a purse for my husband's grandmother who is turning 90 (!!!) on September 11th. She was moaning a few months ago about how she would like a small purse and how everything these days is just so big. (She is actually one of the funniest people I have ever been blessed to know and I completely adore her, so keep in mind that I am often sarcastic when describing her!). I personally am a fan of the large duffel-bag sized purse because I tend to haul around all kinds of stuff with me on a daily basis which probably explains some of my back problems, ha ha ha... I used Butterick 6856 which I've had in my pattern stash for ages, and used a heavy black brocade fabric as well as notions which I've "harvested" from an old Gap purse of mine which is actually worn out. If you didn't think purses could get worn out - think again! I've had this baby for over 10 years and it's been on numerous trips including a 3-month backpacking adventure around Europe in 2008 (see our blog for more details - be warned it's rather detailed!). I would say it's about 3/4 of the way finished; thankfully it's a long weekend so I will actually have time to get some work done on it! Two of our friends have very recently had babies (i.e., within the past week and a half), so I have a bit more baby clothes to finish up. So far I have made a pair of pants for little M using the leftover fabric from an up-cycle I made for my hubby. I haven't had a chance to sew anything for little S but I am soooo excited to make some baby girls' clothes since everyone seems to have been having boys lately! Oh well, I will add it to the ever-growing To Sew list... I hope you all have a wonderful September and that all good things come your way!
xoxox,
Caramia
Friday, June 4, 2010
Sewing Fails...
Unfortunately we all have them... I think that's what prevents people from becoming avid sewers - one bad experience to sour what could be a wonderful hobby (or more!). I'm definitely still a novice, although perhaps "intermediate beginner" might be a better term. I can follow a pattern, sew many types of fabric, and even am getting the hang at putting in a zipper (!!!), and most of the time I can actually wear the garments I create (ha ha ha). That being said, I don't believe the majority of us are above The Sewing Fail.
My latest Fail (yes, it gets a capital F) was when I tried to create my own version of American Apparel's Le Sac dress. It looked like, well, a sack. (Please excuse the bad hair and lack of makeup - it was early morning but the light was nice).
I had all sorts of visions of a stylish dress that could be worn in oh so many different ways - perfect for when I go on backpacking trips for weeks/months at a time. However, reality doesn't always equal your plans... This was the first thing I ever sewed out of jersey fabric, so I didn't realize that I should use a stretch stitch on my machine. Also, the fit was waaaaay too big and super un-flattering. Luckily I was able to salvage the fabric out of it to make a romper (more about that later).
My latest Fail (yes, it gets a capital F) was when I tried to create my own version of American Apparel's Le Sac dress. It looked like, well, a sack. (Please excuse the bad hair and lack of makeup - it was early morning but the light was nice). I had all sorts of visions of a stylish dress that could be worn in oh so many different ways - perfect for when I go on backpacking trips for weeks/months at a time. However, reality doesn't always equal your plans... This was the first thing I ever sewed out of jersey fabric, so I didn't realize that I should use a stretch stitch on my machine. Also, the fit was waaaaay too big and super un-flattering. Luckily I was able to salvage the fabric out of it to make a romper (more about that later). Hopefully you all have more sewing Wins than Fails!
Spring Sewing Projects (Part II)
Back in April I made this top using Simplicity 3964 (another Built By Wendy design - gosh I just love her stuff!). I 
didn't have any problems with the yoke, but the top is too balloon-y for me... I still need to take it in several inches on either side - hopefully will get to that soon. I also added a tie bottom just in case I wanted to cinch it up rather than just wearing it loose. I might also keep the volume in the top as we are thinking about starting our family soon-ish and it would make a great maternity top... hmmm...
I made some comfy, stretchy straight-leg brown pants from the 
Built By Wendy: Sew U book. These were actually a muslin for my False Religion jeans, but I ended up finishing the jeans first because I wanted to wear them on a trip to Saskatoon. They were a great learning experience and I will definitely wear them, but the belt loops need a bit of fixing and the crotch kind of looks weird I think... I definitely prefer the jeans.I like to follow the trends 
somewhat, although I think I will be giving al
l the new pants with front pleats a miss... 
As a child growing up in the 90's I committed some horrendous crimes of fashion involving front pleats and I still can't move past it, so I'm not about to try THAT trend... However, a fun 80's trend that I'm loving for spring/summer is all the rompers featured in the latest fashion magazines. I made this romper for myself out of some jade green jersey that was rescued from a sewing fail. I found the pattern at the thrift store for $0.25 and altered it to make it a bit longer in the crotch as I am quite long in the body. I totally love it! I wore it as a bathing suit cover-up when I went boating with my in-laws the other day - it was perfect!
somewhat, although I think I will be giving al
l the new pants with front pleats a miss... 
As a child growing up in the 90's I committed some horrendous crimes of fashion involving front pleats and I still can't move past it, so I'm not about to try THAT trend... However, a fun 80's trend that I'm loving for spring/summer is all the rompers featured in the latest fashion magazines. I made this romper for myself out of some jade green jersey that was rescued from a sewing fail. I found the pattern at the thrift store for $0.25 and altered it to make it a bit longer in the crotch as I am quite long in the body. I totally love it! I wore it as a bathing suit cover-up when I went boating with my in-laws the other day - it was perfect!
My best friend is expecting her first child in just over a month, so I figured I better get cracking on the handmade portion of her gift (I found some adorable outfits at the thrift store already that are going into the gift package). I used some leftover cotton blend fabric from a dress I made for myself to create this ridiculously adorable jumper for the little guy. I used Simplicity 6948 (circa 1975), which actually looks a lot like this Oliver+S pattern... Seeing how I paid only $0.25 for my pattern at the thrift store, I'm fine with any differences between my finished garment and the lovely Oliver+S playsuit! Since Gavin will be arriving in late July, I figured size 6 months wouldn't be big enough (since he would be 6 months old in late January and Newfoundland winters are anything but mild), so I had to size it up a bit. I'm not sure if I was too zoned out watching the World Cup game while I was cutting out fabric, but I forgot to increase the size on the back and front facing pieces - oops! So I had to insert a small piece of extra fabric to make the facings fit with the main part of the suit... le sigh... Oh well, it was worth it. I love soccer (or football, heheh).
My sister-in-law is visiting from the UK for a 
few weeks and she made me some iron-transfer labels for my finished garments. She is an amazingly talented artist, you can check out her stuff here. So I used a large one in Gavin's playsuit and a very small (hardly noticeable) one in the lingerie bag I made for my friend's shower gift. I think they look nice and add an extra personal touch to my creations. Spring Sewing Projects (Part I)
It's been a little while since my last post... I have been so busy with work that I haven't had time to take pictures of all my latest sewing accomplishments, never mind writing about them!!!
I used both parts of the Jane pattern to create some jammies for myself as well (these were actually a
muslin to test the fit of the Jane pattern). The top was actually an upcycle from an old, old nightie I received for Christmas nearly 20 years ago. I should try to find a photo from Christmas 1993 just so you can see the nightie in it's shining glory (plus it would be a good laugh I think!), but here is a photo of it in its well-worn status pre-upcycle.
I've got a few more projects to blog about, but those will have to wait until I can get my hubby to take some photos! So that will give you something to look forward to!
First of all, I used the Jane pattern from BurdaStyle and the free Madeleine pattern from Colette Patterns to create a lovely satin lingerie set for a friend for her upcoming wedding shower.
I used both parts of the Jane pattern to create some jammies for myself as well (these were actually a
muslin to test the fit of the Jane pattern). The top was actually an upcycle from an old, old nightie I received for Christmas nearly 20 years ago. I should try to find a photo from Christmas 1993 just so you can see the nightie in it's shining glory (plus it would be a good laugh I think!), but here is a photo of it in its well-worn status pre-upcycle.
I ran in the South Okanagan Wine Association's first annual Half Corked half marathon with a few friends the other weekend. What a blast! The route was 17.5km along the beautiful wineries and vineyards between Oliver and Osoyoos. I entered with a few friends and we opted to do a Disney theme for our costumes. With my short, dark hair and pasty white complexion, Snow White was an obvious choice (lol). I recently got a job where I work 4 10-hour days and then get Fridays off, but needless to say I don't accomplish much during Mon-Thurs. I wanted to make my costume from scratch but didn't have enough time... I borrowed some yellow shorts from a friend, and then embellished a navy tank top with some baby blue jersey sleeves and a white satin collar. It turned out pretty good and was easy to run in (although I did get a heat rash on my legs though...that sucked).
I've got a few more projects to blog about, but those will have to wait until I can get my hubby to take some photos! So that will give you something to look forward to!
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