The Sleep-Deprived Sorbetto

 Back in 2010, a friend asked me to make her a green skirt.  I misread the instructions and ended up making her purchase way more fabric than was necessary.  So I decided that I would make her something else "someday" as a surprise!

So Many Babies, So Little Time!

As the second half of 2012 is almost upon us, I'm frantically trying to finish 6 (!!!) diaper bags for my girlfriends expecting babies in the latter half of this year.  Including 2 sets of twins - yahoo!  Both sets of twins are due in late Sept, but could come a bit earlier, obvi.  Otherwise the timeline for the other babes is: late June, late August, late Sept (x 2 - or 4!), late Oct, and late Dec.  I've got my work cut out for me.  I'm planning to use the same diaper bag pattern and tutorial that I used for our bag.

Spring is Sprung?

Phew, we just got back last night from a wonderful holiday to Saskatoon (and beyond!).  In typical prairie style it was sunny and +15 on Saturday, and then -5 and snowing on Sunday - ha ha!  Nova did amazing on her first flight(s) - and the West Jet staff was amazing, they even gave her a little "My First Flight" sticker.  So cute!

Havin' a time in her Exersaucer!

Baby O's Bathrobe

I thought I'd better post a bit more about the baby bathrobe I made for my friends' preemie daughter last month...  I used Simplicity 3711 and some fabric I'd found at a thrift store to make an adorable little bathrobe for baby O.  I ended up making size XS - 0-3 months, but since she was born at only 29 weeks it might be a little while before the little darling can fit it.  No matter - both her parents said they love the bathrobe, so I'm hoping it will get lots of use once she's big enough.

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 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

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!!!

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!