Lake-Blue Linden Sweatshirt

I wish I could drape myself in this fabric forever.  The feel, the colour, the stretch, it's just the BEST. So I figured it should be made into a comfy-cozy Grainline Linden Sweatshirt that will likely get worn year round.  The weight of the fabric is perfect for cool summer evenings, and for winter days. The other day I even layered it with a patterned collared shirt along with jeans for work.  It was seriously the most comfortable, yet still stylish and (casual) office appropriate.

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Felt-Food Vegetable Garden

I shared this on my instagram a couple weeks ago, and then promptly forgot to blog about it. Surprise, surprise!

Aaaaages ago, I spotted this adorable little felt-food vegetable garden on pinterest.  I saved it, with hopes to one day make one for my (future) babies, or friends' babies.  Dear friends of ours had a little boy last year, and I thought this would make the perfect first-birthday present!  This was a really fun change from my usual sewing of clothing for myself, and was a good way to learn some new hand-sewing skills.  

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Stripey Hudson Pants

I'm back!  After a bit of a posting & sewing hiatus...

It took us a little while to really get settled in the new house, and I haven't really been sewing that much until recently, no have I had the time (or light!) to take photos of the things I've made over the last couple months.  Most of the things I haven't blogged about I actually made well before we moved... and then my "Year of Sewing" project ended and I needed a serious break from keeping up with the blog and instagram.

So I'm finally back - it's a long weekend here in Ontario and after getting a bunch of chores done yesterday and this morning I can finally plop down and hammer out a few blog posts.  First - another pair of Hudson Pants!  I love this pattern so, so, so much and I don't think I'll ever tire of it.  It is super easy and quick to sew up, and can be used with a variety of knits.  I might actually try to sew up a woven version this summer.

Anyways!  I bought this fantastic navy & teal stripped knit from imagine gnats, and paired it with some navy cotton jersey I had leftover from a pair of Hudson Pants I made for Matt last winter. When I spotted the fabric in the imagine gnats shop, I KNEW it had to become some Hudson Pants.  I actually bought 3 yards of the fabric, since I figured it might make a good Linden sweater or a heavier weight tee or tank.

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#SaturdaySewing

Cutting out an #aldershirtdress, getting started on the first of my #2017makenine ☺️ #SaturdaySewing

A photo posted by Kallie A. (@kalliesews) on Feb 11, 2017 at 9:10am PST

#2017MakeNine

Well then - we've made it through 2016 (well... just a few more hours to go here)!  It was one heck of a year with lots of ups and downs... and lots of sewing!  I haven't really sewn much over the past couple months due to our big move, but I do have lots of sewing plans for the upcoming year!

Over on her blog, Rochelle New has a wonderful way of looking ahead to sewing projects planned for the new year with her #2017MakeNine series.  She started it last year, inspired by the instagram "best nine" posts that everyone was posting.  I don't know why I missed out on participating last year... so I'm jumping on it this year!  Click on through for my list of to-sew projects for 2017.

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Top 5 Projects of 2016!

Holy crap - how on earth have we already made it to mid-December?  Someone on Monday mentioned that we're less than two weeks from Christmas and I almost peed my pants.  It just completely snuck up on me!  I feel like this happens every year... but this year especially as there has been so much going on lately!  First we bought a house, then I got my Professional Engineers License and all that comes along with that, and then we moved in this past weekend!  Wee!

Anyways!!  Gillian over at Crafting a Rainbow (holy crap if you're not following her get thee to her blog!  She's absolutely delightful!) has a wonderful series summarizing her best (and not-best) projects of the past year.  I think it is a fantastic way to look over the things we've all made and be proud of what we've learned and accomplished with each new project.

So, without further ado, hop on past the jump to see my #sewingtop5 for 2016!

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Life Update - Professional Level-Up!!

Just a quick departure from the usual sewing updates!  In addition to recently buying a house (and moving in this past weekend!) I've had some pretty exciting things happen!  I recently received my Professional Engineering License!  If you're not familiar with the whole thing, to be able to practice as a Professional Engineer, and legally call oneself a Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario, one must be licensed by the Professional Engineers of Ontario.  Here's a blurb from their website:

Ontario professional engineers are part of a community of more than 80,000 PEO licence and certificate holders committed to enhancing the quality of life, safety and well-being in the province. The P.Eng. designation represents high standards of engineering knowledge, experience and professionalism. To become a professional engineer in Ontario, you must be licensed by Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO).

[...] PEO has governed its licence and certificate holders and regulated professional engineering practice to serve and protect the public of the province.  [...] PEO also raises public awareness of its role and of engineering as a licensed profession. Only a PEO licence holder can take responsibility for professional engineering work in Ontario; only a PEO Certificate of Authorization holder can offer or provide engineering services to the public. 

So, to become licensed, I have had to work in my field (water resources/ stormwater management) for 4 years after graduating and prove through a Professional Practice Exam and through my experience as and Engineering Intern that I am qualified to be licensed as a Professional Engineer.  So, not to toot my own horn (totally tooting my own horn) but I'm pretty dang proud of this accomplishment.  And what's a blog for if you're not going to brag about something cool you accomplished every once in a while?  So there you have it!  Just a bit more about me, and what I'm up to when I'm not busy sewing ;)  I sadly didn't wear any me-made items to the certificate ceremony this past Thursday as all my clothes were packed up for our move the following day!

Grey Herringbone Elmira Wrap Cardigan

Well hey there!  I'm finally back to it with some sewing!  I actually have 4 or 5 other makes that I've been to lazy to blog about, and will hopefully get those posted once we're all moved in to the new house.

I made this Elmira Wrap Cardigan (from Seamwork) a couple months ago, mostly to go with my Cat-Lady Emery Dress and other sleeveless dresses so I could wear them in the colder months.  I used a grey herringbone knit I bought from imagine gnats (amazing shop - you should check it out!)

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Ahh! We Bought a House!!

AHHHH!! Seriously, I am SO dang EXCITED!  We bought a house in October, and we'll be moving in this week.  The best part?!?  I GET MY OWN SEWING ROOM!!  (second best part being we don't have to put up with a shitty neighbour across the hall!)  Ohhhmygoodness I am so excited to have my own little space to keep all my sewing stuff and ongoing projects.

The new house is a late 1950's bungalow that was for sale by the original owner.  It's in an up-and-coming neighbourhood, so we were happy to get in before the house prices sky-rocket (it's no Toronto, but houses ain't cheap in Ottawa!)  The place is in really great condition, but needs some updating and a new coat of paint.  The yard is a blank slate with lots of room for gardening, and I'll have a great backyard to take blog photos in!  It even has a nice big window over the kitchen sink - one thing I always loved about the house I grew up in!  We're just so darn excited to settle in and make this place our own.  We really do love our current apartment (it's served us well for nearly 3 years) but it was time to branch out and have a home of our own.

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Blog Updates

Well hey there!  Long time no see!  I've obviously taken a break from blogging (and sewing a bit) over the past couple months.

While I've been away from the blog, my husband and I bought a house!!  Ahhh!! I'm going to have my very own sewing room and I'm just so dang excited.  At the time of posting, we have only 10 more days to go until we move in.  

I've been collecting ideas and figuring out how I want to decorate my new room once we've moved in - but most of all I'm just looking forward to getting back to some sewing.  All of my sewing-stuff has been packed up for the past couple weeks, and I'm just itching to dig it out and get back to making things.

Also, you may have noticed that my blog is looking a little wonky... I'm currently trying to re-vamp it and move away from the "year of sewing" theme to just a regular sewing blog, and the HTML stuff is a bit slow-going.  I tried an esty-bought blog template, but I really didn't like the lack of customization, so I'm going to try to figure the stuff out on my own.

Anyways!  Figured I would just pop in with a quick update (I'm home sick from work today with the cold that has been making the rounds) and let you know that I'm still here and I still plan on blogging about my sewing!