So I created this palette and mood board as a guide in the insane process.  Luckily I will soon be armed by my new Colette Patterns.

As for the Self Stitched Challenge.  I plan to upload several days’ worth of documentation every few days, so you aren’t bombarded with posts.

I’ve said many times, I have not met a Colette Patern I didn’t like.  They are well planned, user friendly, and VERY Flattering.  BUY THEM, BUY THEM ALL!!!!

The last time I made jam was when I was 8ish, maybe 9ish …and it was strawberry which is easy, no pits (unlike the accursed jelly palm fruits) AND my job was easy. I had to mush the strawberries into a jam like pulp. I honestly suspect my husband A) had no idea how labourious a project this would be…B) is just INSANE…C) is secretly a sado/masocist…D) all of the above.

Pete was a trooper, and pitted all of the fruits. Then we set about cooking them into a jam like puree. I learned two very important things. Jelly palm fruits are tough little buggers and don’t take kindly to being “cooked down”. Second point, an immersion blender is God’s gift to jam makers. There wasn’t a recipe (that I could find) online for Jelly Palm Jam. There were several for Jelly (Pete wanted JAM) and several for Wine (Miranda lobbied for Hooch). So we used stunning combination of a recipe for “Plum Jam” and trial and error.

5 hours over a hot stove and one tiny 20 minute lecture on botulism and WHY the JAR RIMS MUST BE CLEAN lest we kill our friends with food borne illness, and we are left with 24 tiny jars of amber colored jam like substance that may or may not constitute an acquired taste. And I have found myself bitten by the canning bug, which is why I signed up for the Urban Harvest Food Preservation and Safety Course.

*Yay…It’s Punny!

I’ve got my work cut out for me.  September is exactly 2 weeks away and I’ve got some serious holes in my self stitched wardrobe.

An inventory of my closet reveals:

• 3 work skirts
• 2 work dresses (one which needs to be mended)
• 3 work blouses
• 1 casual dress

The fates of sewing are on my side.  Lo and behold, this morning on Gertie’s Blog for Better Sewing, a blog post appeared to me and cemented the ideas that I long suspected.

You CAN turn your home into a little piece of sweat shop heaven!  I call it “Better Living Through Efficency”  I recently started cutting multiples of the same garment.  Which is why I cut out 4 Colette Sencha blouses, and 5 “swirl style” dresses, last time I sat down with my roatery cutter. 

Currently in my UFO box I have:

• One Sencha that needs buttons
• One Sencha that needs alot more work than just buttons
• One Sencha that hasn’t even been touched yet
• Five Swirl Type Dresses that also haven’t been touched

I hope to finish the lot by August 31st.

Also on the sewing list-

• Series of Skirts-Mostly Burda and Colette patterns (There is ONE vintage skirt in the group though)
• Several Sorbettos-I was inspired by the Week of  Sorbettos that Mena from Sew Weekly produced.  I have some really great vintage cottons left over from other projects.
• Sweater updates-I love wearing cardigans.  I have several thrifted sweaters (and some oldies from my closet) that could use some altering.  I tend to wear things at my natural waist and most sweaters (already too long for my stumpy torso) are tend to look funny with high waisted things. 

 As the Apartment Cure is winding down, and I have a clean and newly organized sewing room, I am very excited to finish some UFOs and start on some new projects. 

Stay Tuned!

 

I, Miranda of www.mirandafern.com, sign up as a participant of Self-Stitched-Sept ’11. I endeavour to wear garments and accesories (other than undies, socks and shoes) that are either entirely self constructed or upcycled or modified garments from my own closet or thrift stores, each day for the duration of September 2011.

• Since I can’t knit past scarves, thrifted sweaters are permissible IF they have been altered in some way.
• I must also make my own jewelry, (save my wedding and engagement rings obviously), belts, and hair accessories.  Since the bulk of my purse collection is thrifted, I’m giving myself a pass  on handbags(although I might attempt to recreate the DARLING Album Purse from Tuppence Ha’Penny.  I’m thinking of experimenting with some 45s to see if I can’t make a clutch as well.
• Undies, Bras, Slips, Socks, Stockings and Shoes-I need them…I have them…don’t want to make them.  Enough said.

Since this is my first  “Self Stitched/Me-Made Month” I’m not going to raise the ante, like Zoe who is striving to eliminate repeated outfits.  If I can get through September, following my very simple criteria I will be proud of myself.

New Sewing Machine table cost me about $40 because I found the table top in the As Is section of the store.  My upcoming  and in progress projects are bagged, tagged, and living in that black and white stripped box.

Stash is nicely contained in two basket sets.  And i have a work table for other crafts, cutting out patterns, etc.

Patterns and bolts of fabric have found a home under Indy.

With my well organized new workspace I think I will be far more productive than I was before!

Last month our new neighbors noticed that their ceiling was leaking water.  The source of this water was our bathroom.  After replacing various parts of our tub, it was decided that they must attack the plumbing by way of the access panel in the Pit’s Closet.  We had to drag EVERY thing out of the closet, so they could get to it.  So EVERY thing that was in the closet, is now in the pit.  Rather than shoving it all back into the closet willynilly, I am trying to be good, and organize and edit the stuff before it goes back into the closet.  All this, while clearing a path so that Pete can get his stuff OUT of the pit, so that there is more space with which to work.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how one looks at it, Pete has had an extremely busy week (that didn’t involve air hockey).  So aid in projects has been kind of limited.

• Monday night, he always goes to the local pub for an open mic
• Tuesday was date night (after which he had to make a client house call)
• Wednesday night  was a paid gig
• Thursday (tonight) he’s going to hopefully move his stuff so that we can get his old work station out of the apartment (heavy trash pick up is tomorrow so he has to hurry)
• Friday (tomorrow) he has another paid gig
• Saturday, I’m at a loss…I’m sure something will come up between now and then.

 I’m really excited about having a dedicated sewing room, as I used to spread all over the apartment with sewing stuff.  I’d like to participate in So Zo’s “Self Stitched September.”  But I’m going to need to fill some wardrobe holes to make that possible (Lord knows that my stash can support such an endeavor). 

Hopefully progress can be made tonight.  Stay tuned!

In the mean time, I am starting on my new sewing room, formerly known as “The Pit.”  I’m really excited to finally have work space.  The room will still house Pete’s wall mounted guitars, but it will be mostly mine.  As much as I would love to paint it a bright aqua, it will stay it’s original green and brown, as I don’t want to paint around the guitar hangers. 

I’m investing in a few items to improve various aspects of my work space.

• A corner table for my machines, my current table will be used for cutting, and general work space (A true cutting table would probably be larger, but I’m happy with what I’ve got.) -$48 
• I have bought some new wire drawer sets for storage. -2 for $40
• A new bookshelf-$70
• Storage rails and hooks-$7
• Tool storage cups-$30

Total-$195

Tonight will be spent assembling wire racks, and organizing, so that I can actually see the floor in there .

Since this room has a strongly defined purpose, it should be easier to clean.  It SHOULD BE.  We’ll see.

Stay tuned.