JanMade Labels

I have had this little project spinning around in my head for a few years. I've googled, and pondered, and analyzed, and tried to decide what kind of labels I need for my sewing projects. I knew that I wanted the labels to match the font on my blog header. I also wanted them to be simple. I finally decided to create a sheet of labels on Microsoft Word and print them on fabric sheets. I experimented with spacing so that I could fold the labels and insert in a seam, or, press the edges under all around the label and stitch directly on my sewing project.

I used June Tailor Sew-In Colorfast Fabric Sheets For Ink Jet Printers. They were about $10 for 3 sheets at Hancock Fabrics and I used a 40% off coupon. That is over 100 labels for $6! There are instructions included for making the labels colorfast. 

I did a little stash-busting and made my son-in-law a pair of shorts with the fabric he picked out last year in Hawaii when I promised to make everyone something if they would let me stay a while in the fabric shop. I inserted my tag in the back of the waist. The shorts haven't been laundered yet. I'm hoping the little tag doesn't fade.

An Aloha Shirt for Hubby

Last summer, my family took a trip to Honolulu to show my daughters where their Dad grew up. He was born and raised in Honolulu but hadn't been back to visit for 30 years. We visited Pearl Harbor, North Shore, Blow Hole, and all the must-see sights of Oahu. We had a small Memorial Service for their grandparents at Hawaiian Memorial Gardens and took the girls to Punchbowl to locate their great grandparents' graves. We went to Leonard's Bakery for malasadas and W & M Burger for teriburgers.We found all of the nine houses that my husband lived in while growing up there.

Now this is a sewing blog so you know where this story is going. I asked my family if I could make a quick stop at Fabric Mart. I knew this would not be a quick stop. Thousands of rolls of fabrics! I bribed them suggested to them that if they would each choose a fabric, I would make everyone a garment to help them remember Hawaii.

They were agreeable and this is what we came up with. Shirt for hubby, shorts for son-in-law, blouses and dresses for my daughters and myself.

I bought the Hawaiian Classics aloha shirt pattern from the Victoria Jones Collection at Fabric Mart for my husband's aloha shirt. He likes the authentic aloha shirts. He also likes his aloha shirts made wrong side out for a more muted appearance.

Patternreview Link

There are lots of great tips included in this pattern. For example, the pattern not only suggests grading certain seams, it also indicates which seam allowance to cut wider and which to cut narrower. There is also a tip for preventing the undercollar from peeking out.

I used Pro-Woven Shirt-Crisp from Fashion Sewing Supply for the front band and collar and Pro-Woven Super-Crisp for the neckband. This interfacing is great! I probably would not be making shirts had I not discovered this interfacing.

 

I think my favorite detail of this aloha shirt pattern is the side vent. It is an overlapped vent and makes the shirt look very authentic and classic.

The instructions for this vent are very good, but just to be sure that I understood them before I "clipped to the dot" on the real thing, I made a mock-up with a scrap of nonwoven interfacing.

Now that makes one finished and six more to go from my Hawaii stash. This project was the most detailed of the seven so the rest should be a breeze!

Welted Fingerless Gloves and Shear Madness

A couple of years ago in Savannah, Georgia, I found this beautiful merino/silk blend fiber at Wild Fibre Yarns. It was very easy to spin so I spun it up pretty quickly and added the yarn to my stash because, as usual, I couldn't decided what to knit with it. I have always had my eye on the Welted Fingerless Glove pattern by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. In my destashing frenzy of 2014, I matched up the yarn and pattern and, after a few evenings of knitting, ended up with these warm and cozy mitts.

Ravelry link

My first Ebay purchase many years ago was an assortment of 1200 small pearl buttons! I used 10 of them to sew onto the welts of the mitts.

If you are looking for some knitting or spinning inspiration, check out Shear Madness on National Geographic about a city girl turned sheep farmer with her husband and five kids. It just started last Saturday night. I missed it but caught up watching On Demand. I don't watch a lot of TV but this is pretty interesting stuff for knitters and spinners.I had to turn my head in one scene - a little more animal science than I needed to see!

Stashbusters #3 and #4

Okay, I know it's February and I should have at least 4 stashbusters posted. I really have been sewing and knitting every night but I just can't get outside to photograph because it's always cold, raining, or snowing.

Stashbuster #3 is a dress for charity from one of my underwear factory remnants. I added a bit of rick rack and little heart buttons to the pockets.

Stashbuster #4 used up a seersucker remnant for two more little dresses. I already had bias binding and elastic so I didn't have to purchase a thing!

Coming soon is my entry for the Patternreview Little White Dress Contest. The deadline is Saturday and I got a late start because my daughter and I couldn't decide on fabric and a pattern. I've always wanted to enter a Patternreview contest and the timing was great on this one. Daughter needs a dress to wear to the Kentucky Derby and this just might be the one!

2014 Stashbuster Totals
Yarn - 295 yards
Fabric - 3 yards

Handspun Boot Toppers

It's January so, once again, I'm making one New Year's Resolution and that is to do a little stashbusting. If I knit or sew just one project a week, that's 52 projects a year and I should make a dent in my inventory. Right? And that is a conservative estimate. Surely, I can make more than one project a week. I do realize that this challenge also requires me to stop buying fabric and yarn so I vow to only buy what is absolutely necessary that I can't find in my stash.

This brings me to Stashbusting Project #1. I bought a spinning wheel in 2008 and taught myself to spin. My first yarns were a little, actually a lot, on the chunky side, so I stashed them away. I ran across this boot topper pattern on Ravelry from Homespun Living which requires chunky yarn. I was a little short on yardage but adjusted the pattern and made it work.

Ravelry Link

Both of my daughters love to wear boots so I have plans for lots more boot toppers for my handspun and other skeins with minimal yardage.

Coming soon....my first fabric stashbusting project which is actually finished but getting my daughter to pose for pictures requires some convincing, bargaining, and sometimes a downright threat that I won't ever sew for her again!