More Painting

My project for the next ?? days is to paint the master bedroom. Because of my fibromyalgia, I have to work in small sections, so it takes me longer than most people to complete these types of projects. I'll try to take some pictures along the way. See you on the other side!

Butterick 4811

I finished this blouse last week and wore it to church this past Sunday. I never thought I'd need to make a muslin, but I should have as the fit was very poor. I ended up tapering the shoulder seams, and entirely reworking the side seams, and there's still a gap on the back armhole on one side. Additionally, the armholes are cut very low, necessitating the wearing of a tank top or camisole underneath (which is probably what the designer intended.) Another change I made was to use very wide (1") bias tape for the casing, and sew it to the inside, then make buttonholes for the tie to come through. The pattern called for a self-fabric casing to be sewn to the outside, but I felt the fabric demanded something a little more dressy. There were also some problems with the under collar markings not matching up, but that was fairly easily dealt with.

There's a long sleeved version also, but it uses the same pieces for the bodice as for the one I made. I wonder how it would fit?

Will I make it again? Maybe. But I'd make a muslin first and try to get the fit correct.

Update on My Hubby

The Bargain Shopper Lady asked about my husband. Back in July - and bear with me if I posted this before - we thought that his test results were a fluke, so the doctor ordered a re-test. No fluke; the numbers from the re-test were higher than those taken when Phil started chemo back in April. Bummer. So he's back on chemo every week, but his platelets are falling, a common side effect of the drug he's getting, and we're not sure how low they can go before the doctor holds treatment for a week or two, something we're not anxious to have happen as we're afraid the cancer will gain ground.

Despite the fatigue, which is growing worse, Phil maintains a positive attitude, and his faith in His God holds steady. I'm sure it helps that he does the dishes several times a week. Right?

1st Christmas

Image courtesy of Lizzie*Kate

Although I hadn't planned to, I sat with my husband last Friday night to watch most of the Olympics Opening Ceremony. I can never watch TV without doing something else, so I pulled out "1st Christmas" by Lizzie*Kate. I am making the baby one for friends who are expecting in November, and have about a ten more stitches to put in; I cannot personalize until after the baby is born as the parents are not telling the gender or potential names. (I was hoping to at least chart the possible names . . . but I can put in the year, so up that stitch count.) This is such a quick stitch that I may make one for my niece who was born earlier this year. It's the kind of project that could be kept on hand, competed except for name and year, and given as a quick baby or wedding gift.

I spent this evening kitting up some projects - as if I need more to do! It's nice to be able to pull something out when the urge strikes to start something new.

Both my 18-year old, Grace, and I had appointments with the orthopedist yesterday. Grace is going for an MRI next Tuesday to see if she has torn cartilage; I was offered a partial knee replacement! That's not an option right now, since my hubby is still undergoing chemotherapy, so I opted for a cortisone shot for my badly arthritic right knee; if it doesn't do much, we will submit paperwork to the insurance company to see if they will cover the viscosupplement Synvisc. I find it sad that at 2-1/2 months out from age 48, I am a candidate for a partial artificial knee, but I had knee surgery twice in 1981, and had developed arthritis by age 32. All this to say that I'm not able to move around too much, so a few projects are in order, right? Hopefully the knee will start to recover from the injection tomorrow.

Sunsuit - It's Finished!

It's completed! I stayed up late last night, sewing on snaps and buttons. The only functional buttons are the two for the snaps; the others are simply stitched on top of the snaps. Nice look without the trouble of making buttonholes. (My sewing machine makes beautiful buttonholes, but they can be difficult to execute in tight spaces.) And yes, as I was thinking of doing last night, I decided to put snaps on the crotch; I used different buttons there than on the rest of the sunsuit.

This is the front:
And the back:
Finally, a close up of the front.
Alas, Grace informs me that the little one who will receive this later today is going through a growth spurt! I can only hope it fits . . .

Pleated Sunsuit

This is my version of "Baby's Pleated Sunsuit" from Issue 119 of Sew Beautiful magazine, which I am making for a little girl at church. If I don't get it completed soon, it'll be too late for her to wear it before the cold weather arrives again!
Here's a semi close-up of the front bib. I think the embroidery design is from a Husqvarna Viking disk; I'll have to look it up!
I still have to sew the buttonholes on the front of the bib, sew a snap and button on one side of the "bloomer" section (I'm cheating - the pattern called for two buttons/buttonholes on each side, but I'm making it easier for mom by using snaps; tiny buttons can be difficult when dealing with a squirming baby!), and decide how to close the "bloomers" - snaps or buttons. I'm leaning toward snaps. What do you say, Mom Erin?

There are some problems with this pattern. I couldn't figure out the faux pockets, so I did faux-faux pockets! And the directions said to put aside the straps if they were to be buttoned in the back, but never told you how or when to stitch them onto the back waistband if buttoning in the front. There was also a problem with the crotch placket - the front placket was too short to make the placket the same size as the back, so I spent a lot of time figuring that out. I will visit the Martha Pullen message boards again to see what other people might have done about these problems.

The pattern is sized for 6, 12, 18, and I think 24 months, and can be used for a girl or a boy. Despite the frustrations, this is a cute pattern, and there are many possibilities for embellishment, making it fun and interesting.

Another Award

San at AngelSan Creation nominated me for this award. Thank you, San!

The rules:

- Put the logo on your blog;
- Add a link to the person who awarded you
- Nominate at least 7 other blogs;
- Add links to those blogs on yours;
- Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

I am going to deviate a bit from these rules, but I would like to nominate these four blogs:

Musings From A Proverbs 31 Wannabe
A Gardener's Gazette
Sarah's Simple Stitches
The Picture Effect