Wine Reduction Therapy

Hi there! I'm actually supposed to be cutting out my pattern at this very moment but instead, I decided to "just get my blog set up and write a little first". Seriously? This is where the reluctant part comes in. I enjoy sewing. Wait a minute...do I? No, no I don't think I really do. What I enjoy is wearing garments that fit me the way I want them to and having more control in that whole area of my life. It's something you don't understand until you put on a top or a dress that's handmade and hits you just right in all the right places. Oh, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout!

THE FUN CRUSHER.

I am NOT a crafter. If I were a character in a comic book, I'd probably be a villain called The Fun Crusher. When my kids were little they would insist on saving little scraps of paper, ribbons, empty egg cartons, etc. "for crafts, Mom!". I was having no part of this. I would wait until they went to bed and throw the stuff away. I know, this puts me high on the list of "TERRIBLE MOMS you know". For all you wonderful crafting moms and grandmas out there reading this, I commend you for your patience, attention to detail and highly giving nature as you lovingly do crafts with the little ones in your life. Don't feel too bad for my kids - I replaced teaching them how to do crafts with teaching them how to properly swear and schedule counseling appointments - let's face it, they're going to need them. I just hope and pray on the daily that I have not passed on this Fun Crusher side of myself. 

I NEED MORE.

I have been daydreaming about writing for a while and finally realized what I wanted to share with our visitors at Sly Fox Fabrics - my love of feeling beautiful in handmade clothes. My mother, Mary Beth, usually whips up something adorable for me to wear each week before I do the fabric reveal videos. But, it's just not enough! I need MORE. I need pants, I need these cute little casual outfits that I've made up in my mind. I need to fulfill ALL my clothing fantasies!!! I can't really put that on my mom - she'd never have time to fill orders.

WINE REDUCTION THERAPY.

As you can imagine, having a small business is a lot of work. I'm usually knee deep in preparation beginning Monday morning right through air time on Wednesday when we do the fabric reveal videos and stockings. I spend the rest of the week playing catch up. By the time the weekend comes, I have plenty of chores to get through at home and I drag work home which I typically put first. I have little time for sewing. Or, so I thought. I began to realize lately that I spend a lot of time watching TV in the evening when I could be sewing. Even if it's just 30 minutes or an hour, I can fit that in. Plus, I need to replace my evening glass of wine with an activity - at least some of the time. 

BACK TO THE BEGINNING.

This brings me back to where we started. I have not sewn in several months, maybe almost a year. I am making the Day Tripper by Shwin Designs. I have made a few of these and really love them. You can throw them on over jeans or leggings. They complement my shape (lumpy pear) very nicely and are super comfy. I highly suggest this pattern for beginners. Ok...I'm going to. step. away. from the keyboard and get to it...right after I make another cup of coffee. 

So...here goes:

Please excuse my unprofessional photos...Mary Beth took these outside our building on a 90+ degree day. I used our Brushed French Terry in Hunter (we now have it in Evergreen) - it's a heavier weight french terry and because it is brushed, it's very similar to sweatshirt fleece. I also chose this fabric because it's made of Tencel and has a silkiness to it that I love! The hood is lined with Olive Plaid in Single Brushed Poly. It doesn't necessarily match the Hunter green color but it does play off the gold HTV from Thread & Grain and pulls everything together. 

To give the top a more finished look, I top-stitched the neck, around the hood and attempted the sleeve cuffs. I am happy with how it turned out - I used needles in positions 1 and 2 on my cover stitch; however, next time, I will try needles in positions 1 and 3 and straddle the seam. 

The sleeves were a disaster! I only tried to do one of the sleeves and it just was not working! It took me about an hour and a half to pull out the stitches. I ended up having to go over the band again with the serger and my fingers are crossed that I didn't rip too much of the fabric. I need to do a little more research on my serger settings to pull this one off. 

I'm all set for St. Patty's Day now - I just need some green wine! I am happy to report that I have made a few more projects since this and my wine intake has definitely suffered because of it! My serger has made itself very comfortable in the dining room where it's going to stay until some of these kids move out. I am dreaming of a home-office/sewing room upstairs where it's quiet! 

Thank you for reading my blog! I hope you'll join me on my next adventure. 

 CONFESSION:  I thoroughly enjoyed making this top. I realized more than ever that choosing fabrics is probably one of the hardest parts of the make. The wrong fabric can make or break how the garment hangs, feels and looks. I also wish that I had included pockets and put a drawstring in the hood. 

 BEGINNER TIP:  The first time I made the Day Tripper, the arms were way too long for me. Now when I make this top, I lay the arm piece down and fold it up to the length of the band piece to get my arm length just right. 

Hi! I'm Katy Kemper, I co-own Sly Fox Fabrics along with my mother, Mary Beth Creque. Sly Fox was born in late 2016 out of her passion for sewing and my love of marketing and bossing people around. I live in Northeast Ohio with my husband and am mom and stepmom to five lovely children ranging in age from 16 to 20, and adopted mom to one very needy 8 year-old three-legged cat.