Finished Objects: Stuffed Doodles!

Cartoonist Husband and I recently (well, two months ago) made it out to our first post-baby cartooning convention, the East Coast Black Age of Comics Con in Philadelphia. I wasn't exhibiting my own cartoons, so I decided to sew up some little softies with Masheka's drawings on them since I had already designed the fabric for Z's Blue Doodle Hoodie.

They're really simple--just upholstery fabric, stuffing, etc. But they are ACTUAL SEWING. Here they are in progress:

They sold quite well, though some folks thought they were cat toys--maybe next time we'll put catnip in them. Family shots:

P.S. Been meaning to post these for a few months, but better late than never. Since I work full time, I pretty much get home and it's all Baby Z all the time (well, Toddler Z--she started walking at 10 months, nearly 3 months ago) until she finally succumbs to the warm bath/bedtime story/dark room/nursing marathon and falls asleep, at which point I collapse into bed as well. Because at that point, it's generally like, midnight. REALLY. (And she still nurses at least twice during the night too.)

Except last night, when she actually went to bed at 8:30, and I sat up for an hour hand-hemming two baby dresses I had started sewing when I was still pregnant. Hope they actually fit her--we'll see tomorrow! They were 12 month size but seem to run big...

Unfinished Object Overload

If this has never happened to you, you're either inhumanly perfect or lying.

I am currently down with a major case of UFO Overload. I pride myself on completing every project I start--unless it's a total wadder--but in the past few weeks my sewing ambitions have so far outpaced my snail's-pace finishing methods that I'm in real danger of drowning in mid-stream muslins, partially-traced patterns, half-sewn hems and seductive-but-totally-unsewn sketches.

Clearly this cannot be my fault. The real blame obviously lies with:

• My mother's sewing machine. It just had to develop tension issues while I was visiting her. Coincidence? Hmmm...
• Pattern Review. Who told this evil website to host a spring mini-wardrobe contest at the same time I was starting my intensive childbirth classes and tying up the loose ends of my political cartooning career? Or to host online classes on facings and underlinings that I could not possibly resist signing up for, despite their overlapping schedules?
• Cartoonist Baby. Without a doubt her distracting kicks to the ribs are the reason I sewed that armhole facing on inside out and those baby pants together upside down...
• Cartoonist Husband. Sure Masheka has been doing all the dishes and laundry and vaccuuming and litter-box changing since I've been pregnant (not to mention massaging sore pregnant-lady legs and bringing me water and cooking and grocery shopping and itty bitty things like that)... blah de blah blah. Does that give him the right to make me go to bed at 11 p.m. just because my midwife said I need more sleep?!

So who are these UFOs stalking my dreams and laying siege to my sewing peace of mind? For the purposes of this exercise, I shall only count projects that have been cut, traced, muslined, or otherwise progressed beyond the pattern-buying, fabric-acquisition or wistful daydreaming stage. From oldest to most recent... (and I realize that since I only started sewing again this January, my definition of "old" pales in comparison to many of yours).

The freezer-paper-stencil whale onesie

• The dream: Create fabulous one-of-a-kind silkscreen-like Ts cheaply and quickly!
• The reality: I can't mix stencil paint to save my life.
• What's done: This was the first garment I ever made on my serger when I got it out of storage two months ago, and it was so plain and boring I decided it needed embellishment. The onesie is (badly) serged, the snaps are attached, the stencil is cut, I have the paints and brushes...
• What's not: The actual stenciling.
• What's stopping me: Fabric paint failure. I've done several tests with the Jacquard opaque metallic fabric paints and a variety of brushes but I always seem to thin the paint too much (resulting in bleeding under the stencil edges) or too little (resulting in cracked paint when the jersey is stretched).
• Urgency/guilt factor: Low. Cartoonist Baby will not go naked due to my negligence. And it IS wearable in its unembellished poorly-serged state.
• Status: On hold.
• Hope for eventual completion? Low.

The Pinup Girls Turquoise Lace Bra

• The dream: Large-busted gals can save big money by and avoid over-priced bra specialty stores by learning to make their own supportive, custom-fit bras and swimwear. As I've gone up several cup and one band size in my pregnancy (from 32E to 34G), I have had to buy more and more ridiculously overpriced bras--I'm talking $127 for a piece of fabric with some wires in it.
• The reality: Bra-making is hard and the supplies are expensive and hard to source.
• What's done: I ordered the pattern, fabric and notions from Bra-makers Supply in Canada. I ordered Lee-Ann Burgess's self-published Making Beautiful Bras and Making Beautiful Swimwear book and DVD set from Australia and read/watched them repeatedly. I bought all kinds of fancy laces from Daytona in NYC. I bought a presser foot that sews precise 1/4" seams. I traced the 34G pattern and... cut out the left cup pieces.
• What's not: I haven't even tried to seam them together to test the fit.
• What's stopping me: Bad timing--while waiting for some of the supplies to arrive I began work on my orange silk floral maternity dress.
• Urgency/guilt factor: High. Those books and supplies were not cheap, and while I was procrastinating, my cup size went up AGAIN and I had to make another trip to the overpriced bra shop.
• Status: On very temporary hold.
• Hope for eventual completion? High. I will learn to make my own bras. I've calculated that, not counting pattern or books, each homemade bra would probably cost about $10-$15 in materials and probably much less if I can do some clever sourcing.

The "easy-to-sew" Simplicity 3765 baby dress trio (blogged here)

• The dream: While in Massachusetts visiting family, I'd whip up some baby outfits on my mother and mother-in-law's respective sewing machines in no time! My mother-in-law was impressed when I said they'd be done in a day. Oops.
• The reality: I got a bad cold and my mom's sewing machine had to be taken to the shop.
• What's done: All three dresses/outfits are cut and bundled, and the first two are mostly sewn.
• What's not: The skirts and fastenings.
• What's stopping me: I got to the part where the directions said to sew on the back closure button and make a thread chain and had to look up the latter in my Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. Then I realized I should be working on my mini-wardrobe contest sewing instead.
• Urgency/guilt factor: Low. These things are so over-sized she won't be able to wear them for at least a year yet. Though I do want to show them to my mother-in-law.
• Status: On hold.
• Hope for eventual completion? High. I can't let a little thing like a thread chain stop me!

All four pieces for my mini-wardrobe contest entry

• The dream: I can whip up an entire stylish maternity mini-wardrobe from four patterns I've never sewn before and which all require extensive maternity alterations in just one month while taking childbirth classes and two online PatternReview classes. And working fulltime and blogging and... NO PROBLEM.
• The reality: I don't have a single finished piece yet. Crap. And April 15 (or is it 14?!) is not far away.
• What's done: I've made some lovely sketches and color choices, acquired all the patterns and fabric (except one fabric that's on its way) and most of the notions, ironed a big pile of muslin and traced the patterns that needed tracing.
• What's not: Um... EVERYTHING? I need to alter the patterns, make muslins, and construct all four garments. Er...
• What's stopping me: It's been a hectic few weeks. And I was in desperate need of more skirts, and one of my fabrics was missing, and the circle skirt pattern wasn't working and I'm behind on my Sencha blouse for the facings class (see below).
• Urgency/guilt factor: High! It's not just the deadline—I'm running out of time to sew for maternity and I really need spring clothes.
• Status: Full steam ahead!
• Hope for eventual completion? I will not be defeated... or maybe I will.

Sencha Blouse Maternity Modification

• The dream: Just because I have a GIANT PREGNANT LADY BELLY doesn't mean I can't make a fabulous vintage-style button-backed blouse.
• The reality: It may be "loose-fitting" but I still have to add at least 5" to the bust and 12" to the belly.
• What's done: I did the aforementioned FBA and tummy adjustments to the pattern and made a muslin.
• What's not: More FBA and belly adjustment is needed to the muslin before I can even attempt to cut my slippery silk fashion fabric. And I need to redraft the neckline to a scoop.
• Urgency/guilt factor: The online facings class I'm making the blouse for (the exercise is to make a simple blouse, redraft the neckline and make a new facing pattern for said redrafted neckline) ends Sunday and I would like to finish in time to get feedback from the instructor.
• Status: What else would I do on a Friday night?
• Hope for eventual completion? I'm slightly concerned.

That makes ten pieces in various stages of completion (eleven if I count this muslined BurdaStyle magazine top, but I'm wearing the "muslin" right now). How many UFOs are haunting your sewing space?

Update: Just so I don't scare anyone away from the fabulous pursuit of bra-making, I actually HAVE made two cute well-fitting maternity bras that I love and adore and are way better than RTW, but they are non-underwire sleep/nursing bras, and no good for everyday daytime support. I won't show them on me here, but trust me that they fit perfectly and look great:

Fabric Execution, Part 2: The Slaughter Continues!

They die so other fabrics might live!

As you recall, in part one of my cruel and ruthless fabric purge I attacked my jerseys. In the end I managed to send seven knit fabrics of various yardages off to swim with the fabric fishes, making just enough room to squish all the knits into one drawer (save one that is going to be used this week for the mini-wardrobe contest--so it doesn't count as stash anyway, right?)

The wovens, as I suspected, were harder--even the tiniest and least garment-appropriate woven scraps could become part of a lovely quilt someday, right? Not that I do much in the way of quilting, but I did take an improvisational patchwork class with the awe-inspiring Denyse Schmidt not so long ago, and I have been known to make a pillow/potholder/stuffed animal or two:

But every scrap of fabric I destash makes room for more amazing fabrics to come into my life. Plus I need space to store the 67 cloth diapers my amazing mom has sewn up for Cartoonist Baby's fashionable little butt.

And as I told myself when carting bag after bag (seven? eight) of clothing to the Goodwill for donation this past year, if it doesn't make me feel AMAZING and DELIRIOUSLY HAPPY, why wear it? So if a fabric, however fine and serviceable, doesn't inspire me to fits of delight and imagination, WHY SEW WITH IT?

After the jump--a few candidates for woven fabric execution, of the seven I have so far convinced myself to part with:

Fabric Execution (with cartoon!)

(No, I would NEVER really axe this lovely polka dot fabric!)

I discussed digital fabric stash "management" earlier this week, but physical stash "management" is a whole other beast, especially for apartment-dwelling Brooklynites trying to declutter to make room for a baby. Ahem. Due to a few recent impulsive (if fabulous) purchases, my fabric stash began to overflow its three designated drawers and impinge on my sock and underwear drawers (which raises the fascinating philosophical question: does one REALLY need socks?). Then it crept onto the guest bed and the chairs...

Clearly a ruthless purge was necessary. I tried to do it this morning before attending a meeting of the fabulous Brooklyn BurdaStyle Sewing Club but I was running late and just brought a few patterns. And then there was a beautiful silk charmeuse B&W print in the giveaway pile just begging to taken home...

I had reached a stash crisis point. No mercy could be allowed. So I started with the knits. After the jump are a select few candidates for execution: