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!

I DID IT!!!!!!!

YIPPEEEEE!!!  I made it a whole damn year sewing almost all of my own clothing!!  Holy crap you guys I'm pretty damn proud of myself.  I did cheat a few times (whoops!) and didn't quite get everything I was hoping to get done, done.... but I managed to sew myself a fairly substantial wardrobe!  If you're new to the blog and wondering what the heck I'm talking about, head on over to this page and see my original goal.

Here's a quick breakdown of what I made (for a full list, hop on over to this page!)

• 8 tops
• 9 dresses
• 7 skirts
• 5 pairs of leggings/ sweats
• 1 trench coat
• 1 duffle bag
• 1 set of PJ's and one pair of PJ shorts
• 3 bathing suits
• 1 robe
• 3 bras

That's 40 items total!  HOLY CRAP!!  On top of these, there are also a few items I just haven't gotten around to blogging, or totally forgot to blog about in the first place... so I'm thinking the grand total is actually closer to 45 or 50.  That's nearly one item a week!  There were definitely times where I wouldn't sew for a week or two, and then blitz things in one weekend (I think the record is 4 completed items in one weekend), but for the most part, I was fairly busy with sewing non-stop.

Now... the cheats!  I bought a total of 7 t-shirts.  Mostly roller-derby related, and one the other day because I really wanted it (ha! terrible impulse control, much?)  I also had to buy "golf clothing" to wear for my company's annual golf tournament, as I decided to attend somewhat last-minute and didn't have time to source fabric or patterns for something appropriate.  Underwear and bras don't count, and I did restock on those throughout the year.

There were a few items I had been meaning to sew before the end of this project, but just didn't end up getting to.  I had hoped to have a pair of jeans done (I seriously need to get on that soon...) and I was going to attempt some underwear.  I had thought about sewing a few cardigans, but I don't have a button-hole function on my machine, and the right sweater-knit is really hard to find.  I never got around to sewing some camisoles... but I imagine that would actually be a huge pain in the ass.  And of course, there are all the other dresses, skirts, pants, and tops I have swimming around in my head that I just didn't have enough time for!

As for the blog... I learned something important about myself.  I really don't enjoy it as much as I thought I might :/  In starting this project I was really excited to put myself out there and share some stuff on the internet!  I had no idea how much work it can be to regularly pump out blog posts.  Good gravy!  Mad praise for those of you who keep regular blogs... OOf!  I think the hardest part is just getting nice photos of my makes done.  I never built up the confidence to got take photos of myself outside, and getting the right lighting in my apartment can be tricky at times.  Also, usually when I have time and the lighting is right, I'm spending the weekend in my sweats and don't feel like changing into outfits and making myself look nice!  I much prefer sharing my makes on instagram where it can be a quick on-the-hanger shot.  Heck, maybe I'll just switch to that for sharing photos here on the blog.  I will from time-to-time keep updating here (after a bit of "re-branding" perhaps?) but don't be surprised or upset if posts really start to slow... Or who knows!

Anyways!!  I'm calling this project a total success!  I've developed a totally new love of sewing, learned a TON of new skills and techniques, and I've really enjoyed following along with the online sewing community - you're all absolutely delightful!  Thanks to all of you who followed along with my little project  😍

Mermaid Sophie Swimsuit

Capping off what turned out to be a bit of a swimsuit week here on the blog with my Mermaid suit!  I had about a metre of this fabric leftover from my Mermaid Leggings, and I knew it needed to be turned into a swimsuit this summer.  Thank goodness for the Sophie Swimsuit pattern!  

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Geometric Print Reno & Dakota Bikini

Well well, it's bathing suit week here on the blog!  The second suit I finished up is the Reno & Dakota Bikini from Seamwork.  They released the patterns as two separate pieces (personally I think this is stupid but that's fine) and with two names.  Reno is the top, Dakota the bottom.

Both pieces have a bit of a retro look to them, but since I used a fun, modern print, I don't think the retro-ness really shows through.


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(Less Than) One Month To Go!!

HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS!!  I can hardly believe it is already September, let alone the last month of my year-of-sewing challenge!  I really didn't think a year would go by so quickly and I figured this challenge would be a lot harder than is has been.

I'll be sure to do a year-end wrap-up post at the end of the month, but I just wanted to acknowledge how far along I am in this "challenge".  I have had SO much fun and have learned lots, and I'm excited for a new season starting up and an already too-long list of fall and winter sewing to get started with.

I still have a few pieces that I haven't blogged about yet, and a pile of failures that I've been meaning to do a post on.  I had also intended on sewing myself a pair of jeans by the end of this year, but the way September is shaping up (so so busy!) I don't think I'll be able to find the time.  I've also been meaning to do another wardrobe cull, since there are definitely some pieces that didn't get as much wear as I though, as well as some RTW items that have been pushed out by me-made items.

I think I'm still going to continue with the blog after the year, but I might make some title-changes and I've been thinking of cleaning things up and giving a different platform a try (anyone have a good experience with wordpress or squarespace?)  We shall see.  Anywhoo... I best get back to some sewing!

Black & Gold Dot Sophie Swimsuit

TaaDaah!  I made a swimsuit!! Well... I actually made three this summer - but here's the first one I finished. When Heather Lou of Closet Case Files started teasing her new swimsuit pattern earlier in the summer I could hardly contain my excitement! I had been wanting to try my hand at sewing a swimsuit, but I wanted a pattern with cups. Lo and behold - the Sophie Swimsuit! A great pattern for those of us looking for a bit of support in our swimwear.

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Polkadot Chambray Baseball Skirt

I'm still alive!  Don't worry!  Sorry (again) for the hiatus!  I was away on vacation for a week and a half, and after a week back at work I'm finally starting to get back in the groove of things again.  I have a really quick post to share of the Sew DIY Baseball Skirt I sewed up a little while ago in the last bit of that polkadot chambray that I made both a Fen Dress and a (failed) Hayden Tee out of earlier this summer.  I wish I had bought more of this fabric because it is so comfy, and so easy to sew with!

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Wax Print Scout Tee, and Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation

Another Scout Tee!!  Can you tell that I love this pattern?!  It makes the perfect light, airy, but still structured shirt - and it goes with almost anything, especially jeans.  It's a perfect casual Fridays staple.  

Matt and I have some friends who lived in both Senegal and Tanzania for a while, and when we got married (nearly 2 years ago now!) they gifted us (me) with some gorgeous wax-print fabric (also known as Ankara fabrics).  I have been hoarding it since then, not sure what to do with it yet.  Enter, the Scout Tee!

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Oatmeal Linden Sweatshirt

Ohh you guys, I don't know why I waited so long to try out this pattern.  Well, a good (and not stupid expensive) french terry is hard to come by!  I found this beautiful oatmeal-coloured light french terry from Blackbird Fabrics earlier in the spring, and bought it specifically for this top.


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