12 Unfinished Projects - #2

 At long last the white polka dot skirt is finished. It wasn't a difficult project but it was definitely time consuming, and while I'm reasonably happy with it I'm not sure if the time spent made it a whole lot better than if I'd used a simpler pattern. I do like the length of it though and the high waistband is perfect for accenting with a belt.

 This is the pattern I used. I found it when I was cleaning out my craft room. I don't remember how I came to have it, but it's from 1974. It had a instruction sheet which was fairly self explanatory, although I had to refer to some other books for help with the zipper. It only took me 3 attempts to get that in, and it's just a little wonky! In the end the skirt was a little snug around the hips and a little loose in the waist. I could probably spend a bit more time fixing it but you know... I'm kind of over it now. If I find some great fabric I may make another one and I should be able to do it a lot quicker! 

 According to the pattern this skirt is 'mini length'. I must say I like this length a lot better than today's mini skirts, which are almost indecent a lot of the time. Seems to be the only length available in many shops too. All the more reason to sew your own.

 I made several skirts over the summer, starting with this super easy one that turned out to be my favourite. It's from Issue 16 of Mollie Makes magazine, which they excerpted from Sew What You Love by Tanya Whelan. Basically you just cut out a simple skirt shape, sew up the side seams, then machine stitch shirring elastic round and round the top until you have about 6 rows to make your waistband. (Here's a basic video that shows sewing with shirring elastic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWYHh_hFT98)

For this skirt, since it was a practice one I used a sheet that I'd bought at the op shop. It turned out to be lovely and soft and light to wear, perfect for summer... and it hardly cost anything.

After that I made this polka dot number with a cute ruffle at the bottom. I have plans for more skirts of different lengths with bigger ruffles, pockets, lace trims and ribbon trims. But for now of course, I have to get going on March's unfinished project which is going to be the rag doll. (I'm planning to sew her a mini shirred skirt!)

Do you sew any of your own clothes? What's your favourite pattern?

12 Unfinished Projects - #1

It's the end of the month and I've finished my first project of the year. This is my Row of Hearts cushion. I started this late last year and it must almost be a world record for me to finish it so soon after starting!

 Originally I wanted to recreate this beautiful pastel cushion, from the September issue of Country Homes & Interiors. I love the rows of colour, and it would work great as a granny square. I still intend to work out the pattern some day, but in the meantime I came across the heart pattern via Pinterest. Here is a link to the pattern at Dutch blog CharAmi - if you scroll to the end of the post there is a great diagram.

 This is a rectangle cushion. It's a really good size for when you want to tuck a pillow behind your back. I also like not having all cushions the same size and shape.

 I used buttons from my stash in a random mix of colours that match the yarn. In hindsight I'd add an extra button and have less space between them, because it gaped a lot more than I imagined it would. To make the buttonholes I just single crocheted up the edge, doing 4-5 chains to make the loop and joining with a slip stitch at the base of each loop. (Make sure you secure the ends really well when sewing on buttons, as they are quite prone to working their way loose otherwise!) I sewed the cushion inner from an op-shopped pillowcase, and cut open another cushion inner (also op-shopped) to stuff it.

 As a bonus, here's a granny square cushion I made a year or so ago but never got around to showing here. The pattern is one my mum saved from a magazine. I never quite liked this cushion until recently when I put a bigger size inner pad in it, and it suddenly looked much fuller and nicer! It was a bit saggy before.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the couch, someone was making himself comfy. Who needs a cushion when you have a kitty for a pillow?

My next unfinished project to tackle will be the polka dot skirt. See you back here in a month for the big reveal...

2013 - the year of unfinished projects

I spent some time this summer cleaning and reorganising my craft room. It's not finished yet, unsurprisingly, and I also came across many unfinished projects strewn around the room. Some I've discarded in a huff, some are just taking their sweet time, and one or two I don't even remember starting. I realised that for the sake of being organised I need to either throw these things out or finish them, so I decided to make a list here and attempt to finish them off at the rate of one a month. I'm not good at finishing projects for some reason - I seem to get three quarters of the way there and run out of steam, or interest, or supplies, or something. So that's my goal and I'll see how I go. The trouble is that exciting new projects are always coming along and capturing my attention, so hopefully I can squeeze those in as well!

So here are the 12 Unfinished Projects of 2013:

Ripple Blanket of Doom

Started in October 2009! It's an easy pattern but the problem is that I've made it much too big and it feels like I'm not getting anywhere with it. Also, the sage green yarn I was using has been discontinued so I either have to find a replacement, or cut my losses and just finish off the blanket as is.

Summertime Patchwork Quilt blanket

Started in September 2011. I still enjoy working on this from time to time but blankets are just so slow if you want them a decent size!

Rose necklace

This was fun at first but then I got bored. I have to make one more ball, one more pink flower and one more double sided rose, then string them all together and embellish with beads.

Rag doll

Nearly finished, I just ran out of stuffing! And I might make her some clothes.

Happy Things embroidery sampler

I like working on this, I think I just put it aside to work on something else.

Little Embroidered Christmas Tree ornaments

I remember making a big batch of these for a swap in 2009. I fully intended to keep one for myself but I also used them as Christmas presents so the one for myself never quite happened.

Polka dot skirt

I made some easy elasticated skirts over summer and now I'm trying one with a pattern! Well, it was getting late that particular night and I was tired so when the cat decided to wash himself in the middle of the cutting station, I quickly agreed to put this off till another day.

Granny Square Skirt

I started this one as a bit of fun in March 2011. I now have absolutely no idea where I was up to in the pattern.

Fuzzy Fingerless Gloves

I don't remember starting these, but it will be good to finish them by winter.

Row of Hearts cushion

Well, this one hasn't been abandoned, but I might as well finish it so I can move on to the next thing!

ATC display frame

I have to be in exactly the right frame of mind to sit down and draw or paint. We'll see about this one.

Wooden birdhouse

It just needs a coat of paint and something interesting for roof tiles. I can visualise this one in my head but I haven't gotten round to bringing it to life yet.

So those are the projects in no particular order! I'll aim to post about them at the end of each month. The first will be the Row of Hearts cushion, because the end truly is in sight for that one.