Second Verse, Same as the First! The Monthly Stitch April Challenge - Sewing Double.

Hello Monthly Stitchers

So happy to be here and a part of your monthly challenges. This is my first post ever at the Monthly Stitch and am so excited I was able to get my Sewing Double garment completed before the end of the month. I joined the facebook group first and have been trying to work my way through Wordpress to get things going. 

There sure is a lot of inspiration on the fb page.  Yesterday, I spent some time visiting many of your blogs. So impressive, all the sewing skill out there! I have a lot of catching up to do.

Last month I sewed up this linen blouse. This blouse is super special because the linen fabric was given to me by my Mom many years ago. Often I have thought about using it for a pillow or curtains or some type of home dec project because it is a mid to heavier weight linen. So glad I never did, because it made a cute blouse that is super comfortable

Polka Dots. Love.

The pattern was a resale shop find. 

Blue dot means it was 50 cents. Score!

I think the pattern may be out of print now, I don’t know. How does one tell how old a pattern is aside from the picture? Do they have dates on them somewhere? 

Anyway, this blouse was my first Simplicity Pattern. I have always kind of been afraid of Simplicity Patterns. I guess I thought they were harder somehow than the other big pattern company patterns. Well not this one, the directions were very clear, and it had simple steps and lots of options for different styles of blouses. I just love it and will be making the V neck version for sure later this summer.

So…today I made my double from some quilting cotton in my stash. 

Fabric is quilting cotton from Dear Stella.

The second time around the blouse got even easier and everything went quick, which is the point, right?? This time I took extra care with each step and made the inside look all purrrrrty.

One thing I will probably change when I make it again is to remove the ease from the sleeve cap. I was poking around on the internet the other day and saw a tutorial for that. But, I would love suggestions from any of you as well as to what is the best way to remove that ease.

Now, off to dig through my knits for next months challenge.

A New Sew-A-Long to go with the Old Sew-A-Long

Well, I am a glutton for punishment. Or something like that.



Just after finishing up my November GOM

It is not too late to join us!

and whilst in the midst of the Cooper Bag SAL, I joined another SAL today.

BUT, I do have an excuse. Or something like that.

This SAL is NOT for me because it is horrid (hehe) how I have been selfish sewing these days. This SAL is for my dear husband who, aside from the occasional pillowcase, I really don't sew for....ever. He has been asking me for ages to make him a padded laptop bag so I decided to make him a flannel shirt!

Confession: I am not being entirely SELFLESS here. There is the most outstanding pattern languishing in my sewing patterns for a women's classic tailored shirt. But, I fear it. It looks hard and there is not as much fudging with woven's like you can with knits. It pretty much has to be perfect or it looks, well you know, "homemade" in the bad sense. Plus my recent passion with bepoke garments and a propensity for perfection means I want to get it right.

Kelly, the hostess of the Flannel Shirt SAL appears to have what I call SSSS or the 4 s's. Some Serious Sewing Skill. And she has graciously made herself available for helping those who get themselves in a jam. 

In preparation all the cotton or wool flannel fabric in my stash was hauled out. The problem though, I never really bought any of that fabric for a guy shirt so my husband wasn't all that excited about it. Besides that he told me, he finds flannel shirts to be pretty warm unless he is outside working or hiking and this shirt is for the inside. So, back to the stash I went a few times resisting the urge to purchase shirting from somewhere. Then I happened upon this old post from SewMamaSew discussing possible fabric sources for a man's shirt and Eureka! I remembered a nice neutral linen I purchased earlier this year.

This passed Hubby inspection! Yay!!!

So, today we are off to our "flannel" shirt SAL! It is a quick one so at the end of 2 short weeks or so, I hope to have a nice gift for my husband to put under the tree...or something like that. Wish me luck!

BTW...Art Gallery Fabrics is giving away a fat quarter bundle. Check it out!