Josephine Sews

Whew - I finished the dress. Amazing what a difference a day and prayer makes (see September 12 post).  I started back on this dress again September 13, 2015 and because of other commitments I did not get to completed it until yesterday.  I re-read the instructions on the collar and yoke piece and realized I had missed a sentence and that made the difference. I still struggled with collar only because I just didn't think it would not fit properly but after basting it onto the dress it did indeed fit.  The dress was quite easy but I struggled with this one for some reason.  I did put the collar on the wrong side but I will live with this design feature. What's interesting is the fit.  It fits me but there is not a lot of design ease and I would prefer a bit more.  I made a skirt from a Lekala pattern and it fit perfectly with just the right amount of ease. I loved this pattern but debated on buying it because I did not think I had the right shape fo...

I have had so much going on lately that I have not been able to do my weekly sewing.  Instead of being my stress relief my sewing has become a huge source of frustration because I can't seem to complete my garments.  I must have "sewers block" right now. A month or so ago I started altering a shorts pattern to make for a trip that has come and gone.  There were 6 huge alterations that I needed to make and I made about 3 of them and quickly realized I would not finish the alterations.  The main problem was it was depressing to realize how many inches I needed to add so they would fit properly.  As frustrating as it is it has not compelled me to lose weight - eventually I will get there too. So I decided  Lekala  to the rescue.  I selected dress pattern 4106 which has a really cute collar design.  I entered my measurements, got the pattern that was made with my measurements, took it to Fedex Kinko's and had it printed for a whopping $18 ( I...

I actually started this project on the 8th (Saturday) and finished on the 9th.  I woke up on Saturday and I didn't seem to have any energy.  As the day went on my energy level stayed the same - low.  I decided I needed a "pick me up" and knew sewing something would make me feel better. I still have the shorts I need to make but have not finished the pattern alterations.  I did not need frustration - I wanted to sew something quick and easy.  I went to my favorite project site and found a  beginner friendly back to school tote .  I know a teacher and decided to surprise her with a quick tote. How I Did It The boundary I set was for myself was I could not buy any thing to make this project - everything had to come from my current stock of supplies.  This is crazy I know but I made this boundary and got mad because I couldn't buy anything new for this project. The fabric I chose to use was a decorator weight denim that has a tri-color strip t...

The last few weeks have been trying.  My body decided that it wanted to show me who was really in charge.  Out of no where I started having pain but not your normal aches and pain.  This pain was disabling and the slightest movement in any direction caused excruciating pain. I don't know what triggered it and that is most frustrating.  I still have pain but I am able do most things now .  Still praying and asking the Lord for complete healing. I managed to get some sewing done but not for me.  I had one client that wanted to have a wedding gift personalize.  I monogrammed 2 face, 2 hand, and 2 bath towels.  I also monogrammed 2 pillow cases and a sheet. How I Did It It was straight forward.  The biggest problem I had was supporting the weight of the items that were being monogrammed.  The monogram technique I used is called "embossing".  This was the first time I tried it and it turned out really nice.  I used a tear away...

A few months back a couple of girlfriends and myself planned a sewing day for Friday June 17th at my home.  I was really excited because I usually get more sewing done when I sew with others.  My plan this past week was to have 2 patterns altered, cut out, and ready for sewing on Friday. It wasn't so.  This past week I truly needed Jehovah-jirah (the Lord will provide) and Jehovah-rapha (the Lord who heals). On Monday June 13th I called someone to service my air conditioner only to find out I needed a new unit and it was going to cost about $2300.  To say I was frustrated is an understatement so I started praying asking the Lord to provide.  On Tuesday my arthritis started to flare up and by Wednesday it had kicked in with a vengeance.  On Thursday I went to the doctor and afterwards to bed to alleviate the pain.  By the time Friday came I was dragging and asking the Lord to heal. One girlfriend made it and I did manage to get some sewing done al...

This past week the plan was to have shorts made but it wasn't to be.  I was tramatized by the adjustments I needed to make.  I finally had to tell myself "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13) and move on. I decided to stop the adjustments, go to bed, and take a day off from frustration  adjustments. I will come back to the shorts later. This evening I decided I needed a quick sewing pick me up so I went back to one of my UFO's.  I started this one a couple of months ago and put it away after I decided I did not like my fabric choice and realized I had put my snap down too low.  Amazing how time changed my perspective on a project that I was ready to toss in the trash.  Today I decided to make it work. How I Did It I got the  fabric wallet with zippered coin pouch  from the Sew4Home website.  This wallet was super easy to make and the instructions are well written.  I used quilt weight cotton...

This past week I did not get a lot done.  I was hosting July 4th at my place so I was busy cooking and cleaning and cooking and cleaning.....  I survived - thank you Lord! I did get some embroidery work completed.  A young lady saw some of my previous sewing and embroidery work and asked if could I put her husband's "logo" on his lab coat.  We talked about a couple of options and she decided on embroidery. I believe we started talking about this I believe sometime in April of this year and late last night I was able to complete the 5 lab coats I was given. How I Did It I asked her for the logo as an svg (scalable vector graphics) file.  I have played with digitizing enough to know you need good clean artwork and svg files makes things go a lot smoother.  I did 4 or 5 test stitch outs before I got final approval of the design. When she gave me the lab coats I had her position the approved stitch out exactly where she wanted and I pinned it in...

I am 6 months late starting this blog but I have finally started.  Sewing is my stress relief and a couple weeks back I was really stressed and needed to relax.  I wanted to sew something simple and uncomplicated that would allow me to "feel good" again.  Bernina to the rescue with "weallsew".  I got an email showing an "in the hoop" mug rug project ( How to Make a Mug Rug In The Hoop ).  It was the week of Father's Day so I decided to try this project for a quick father's day gift.  Here is what I came up with. His Hers What I did different I did not do this in the hoop.  The flower applique wasn't all that "manly" so I came up with my own design using words to describe him (my pastor).  I used Sulky rayon embroidery thread for the embroidery. I added a decorative stitch on top of the seam between the 2 different fabrics.  The thread I chose to use was a 30 wt Sulky Blendable.  I love this thread because it makes a reall...