Catching up...

Hi, everyone. I have been away for quite some time. Actually, my day job ramped up considerably after my last post. I was working more nights than not and more weekends than not. I also had to work July 4th and part of Labor Day. Between work, the fam, and taking care of basic needs, that left little (no) time for sewing.

I did manage to start quilting the t-shirt quilt. However, I was about 2/3s done and then had to shelve it because I had no time to sew. The little bits of time that I had for my hobby were spent organizing my space. I finally hung up my peg board and realized that I needed another 2'x4' panel. Well, I already had white panels but now WalMart only has black. Bummer! However, I think I can wait until they start carrying black again.

I did start a cowl-necked blouse for a wedding that I needed to attend in Sept. Arianna had a perforated eardrum the morning of the wedding. Needless to say, I didn't get a chance to finish the blouse let alone go to the wedding. The top is now a UFO for the time being.

I did make a dress for my MIL to wear on her cruise to Hawaii. She chose New Look 6866 View B. I cut a medium top and graded to a large for the hips. I also had to take 1 in from each shoulder and take 2 inches off of the back width. Another mod I made was to make the front panel a single piece instead of 2 since the bow accent was not going to be used. After struggling with the shoulder construction and the facing, I decided that next time I make this dress, I will omit the interfacing and top stitch the neck line and arm holes. Due to the interfacing and the shoulder seam changes, the armholes ended up being a little snug.

I have been adding to my pattern and fabric stash. I also have another new addition to my sewing equiptment: a Viking Huskylock 936! I found it on Craigslist for $800 from a very nice lady. She bought the floor model a few years ago and only used it a handful of times. She decided that she needed to part with it since she was not using it to its full potential. It serges like a dream and the coverstitch is great. I was seriously considering getting a Janome CP-1000 and some sort of serger to go along with it. I thought it would be great to keep each machine ready to go. But I always wanted the Viking so I went with it. I absolutely LOVE it. I have tried the coverstitch, the differential feed and the 4 thread overlock. I know I am going to love sewing with knits now!

I have to finish the quilt if I can manage to stipple more than a 6-in section at a time. However, I have to shelve it again since I need to make costumes for the girls. Angielee wants to be Sleeping Beauty and Arianna will be a panda. I have all the materials and now, I have to cut out the pattern and the fabric and start sewing. Hopefully I can manage to get them done well before Halloween since I have to make Fiona and Shrek costumes for Wayne and I.