Because I know I am! This has been a monster long week on the work side of things, leaving very little time for that never-ending, self-generated to-do list I have in my head. Here are a couple of my mini accomplishments to check off that list….
First up, that darned vest! Revisited and conquered! If you recall, I had made one before and was so rooster proud of myself for having made it, only to then find it was too small on my son. I decided to adjust the pattern myself, first going with the 5T size and adding another ½-inch around all of that, oh and lengthening it 2.5" as well.
I also decided to practice making buttonholes for the first time on my new sewing machine. Luckily I had test strips galore thanks to messing up twice on the prior vest attempt’s collar, so I joyfully began test-driving the buttonhole option. I hate reading manuals and after pressing just about every button combination I could come up with and wading through the paragraphs and pages of said manual, I finally sorted out the exact type of buttonhole I wanted. I also sewed a button on for the first time using my machine. My MACHINE!!!! Isn’t that crazy? I used to sew buttons on by hand. By HAND! Wot? Wot? Wot? Yes, those things at the end of your wrists! Unbelievable, I tell you! It’s all just wacky and makes me punch drunk with pride!
So here’s the final vest beneath the first version I made. Ummmmmm, a tad different in size, no? My mom is convinced the small one can be made into a double-breasted number for my nearly 5-month old to wear. Like I need another excuse to make that many more buttonholes and buttons. Yes, please! I’m on in it, Mom!
As you can see from the model shot (which I was just lucky enough to get as *somebody* was incredibly ornery post-nap and having nothing to do with my vest excitement. He wouldn’t change shirts for me, so you’ll just have to imagine this over a nice white tucked-in dress shirt), the larger size fits perfectly. I wasn’t able to make the back striped as I ran out of fabric, so although the original pattern combo isn’t what I ideally wanted, I’m fine with it. We’ll be getting peanut butter all over its silky goodness in no time anyway.
It’s just DONE and it FITS and THAT makes me happy! I also made a pocket handkerchief for my husband to wear to the wedding as well. So now all men in the house are taken care of; I just need to sort what I’ll wear!
In addition to this, I have a couple of gifts to make and I was happy to squeeze out enough time to get one of them done. Enter, the Chefalopod!:
Firstly, ignore the bad scissors. All my scissors seem to be gummed up from cutting too much sticky stuff like duct tape or who knows what else, that I’ve resorted to using my husband’s office scissors because, wait for it, they actually still cut, unlike my darned pairs.
I’ve only sewn up one of my Chefalopod aprons before for myself and I did do a couple things differently this time, like line the measuring cup pocket before stitching it on; I also made this apron lighter with quilting weight fabric versus the heavier linen I used for mine. Although I like mine heavy, I’d guess not everyone else is so inclined and the recipient lives in warmer climate, so that’s what I went with. Here’s the bad boy finished up in all it’s glory, lined in a nice orange:
With many of my fabrics, I’m lucky enough to get great photos from people who have finished projects using them. The Chefalopod has proven to be particularly popular. Here’s an assortment of Chefalopod aprons (upper left is mine) out in the wild. They make me laugh and I especially love young Aaron who received his very own Chefalopod apron from his Aunt Connie for his birthday recently. She tells me that she added white sheeting fabric as a backing and used a black satin binding trim. She also repurposed the word ‘Chefalopod’ from the yardage kit by using some Wonder Under and sewing the name onto the bottom skirt area on the reverse side. Love it!
Oh, and lastly, recall my scissor dilemma I mentioned before? Solved. And I’ll gladly use my crappy scissors to break into this plastic confinement and set you free, you shiny Fiskars, you. Come to Mama! Happy weekend everyone!
