It’s Mother’s Day here in the States. Because it’s my first I wanted to mark it with something special. I whipped up my first garment of the year (crazy, right?) and made Ollie a matching bow tie.
The fabric came from a lovely shop in Edinburgh during a meetup there. I was stuck with not knowing what to use it for. But recently it hit me: circle skirt. And it proved to be the best project to flex my sewing foot. Now I won’t be too nervous about approaching my other projects.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Hello, hello, hello! Oh how I’ve missed the sewing community. Let me start by saying thank you for your thoughtful words on the birth of our boy. He’s four weeks today! Can you believe how fast time flies? I am definitely taking the advice of soaking up every minute with him.
Two weeks old
But I am also planning on taking advantage of the time he spends asleep. I’ve found that with all my maternity sewing I didn’t make anything that’s nursing friendly. Not a thing. And how many things do I own that are nursing friendly? Two, maybe three, if I feel like wearing a bright wrap dress (not really). So here I am planning a nice nurse-friendly wardrobe. I sometimes get distracted by shiny objects so no promises I will keep to this list. But I will use it as a guide.
I snapped up this pattern as soon as it was announced. I had been trying to decide on a button up pattern and this one looked perfect. The ruffle in the back is such a great feminine touch.
Grainline Studio’a Archer Shirt
This has been in my stash for far too long and needs some attention.
Colette’s Violet Blouse
Oh Darling, I was so close to getting it right. Now with a bit of grading experience under my belt I’m ready to make this one up…again. In Chambray.
I’ve been craving this dress for ages. It’s time for it to be made.
View A, B or C. I’m not picky.
And these two from Cake Patterns.
And I can’t forget about my promise to complete a sewlution for the year. I’ve been desperate for a nice fitting blazer/jacket. I’ve decided to go with Colette’s Anise pattern.
I bought the companion booklet and I’m hoping that it will get me through the making of my first outer garment. For practice sake I’m going to make a mini blazer for little dude. Working in miniature should make it less intimidating, right 
?
First up, Archer…
Ollie Lucca joined us Thursday, March 7. He weighed 6.5 pounds and measured 19.5 inches. We are completely smitten.
-Photos taken by my awesome, wonderful husband.
*Tick tock*
Baby can arrive any day now. I’m 38 weeks and super excited to meet the wee mister. But I have to admit that there’s still a bit to do so I’d appreciate it if he arrives any time after the last week in February.
So what’s a girl to do while she waits?
Make the baby some crib sheets and a sling.
Explore the coast, Half Moon Bay.
Hunt down the perfect macaron. Success!
Unpack the stash, even if not in an orderly fashion.
I’ll be honest, I’m not great at waiting (I’m the person that arrives to places early). But luckily there’s quite a bit of distractions in these parts. That reminds me, I must distract myself with more macarons!:)
**Instagram friends, sorry these pics are repeats from my feed. A camera phone is so much easier to use these days.
When I found out I was pregnant I felt fortunate to know how to sew. As a plus-sized woman it can be difficult to find well-fitting, fashionable clothes. Since learning to sew I’ve come to feel good, real good, in the clothes I make. And still do, eight months into pregnancy. I accept the numbers on the scale, those one the measuring tape and just go from there. I made some great pieces that proved to work well throughout my pregnancy and I can’t help but breathe a huge sigh of relief. Only one maternity dress didn’t make it into this stage of the baby-making process (looking at you, Simplicity 1998 ). With a combination of previously owned ready-to-wear pieces that still fit, my me-made maternity wear and a few maternity pieces I bought on sale I’ve had quite a fun time with maternity fashion.
When I found out I was pregnant I was determined to show the positive energy I was feeling in my appearance. The bright colors and flirty fashion choices continued. And here are the me-made winners that have made it with me into the third trimester.
Purple Babydoll dress from Sew U Home Stretch.
Pregnant or not, make this dress. It’s so cute and über comfy.
Red/Navy Babydoll Dress from Sew U Home Stretch
Self-drafted Circle Skirt and Colette Jasmine Blouse
Feeling sassy? Make a circle skirt and sashay about. You won’t regret it.
Refashioned Colette Ginger Skirt
I’m glad I was able to save this skirt from the donation pile. Adding a tummy band quickly made it wearable.
Stripey Skirt based on an existing maternity skirt
This skirt is my jam. I love it so much.
My favorite and most loved, the Lace and Liberty 1970 Maternity Dress
I’ve really enjoyed sewing and dressing for my ever-changing body (refashioning jeans came in handy!) and I wouldn’t do anything different if I can do it again. A good mix of RTW and me-made pieces helped me until the near end. I never overexerted myself to make more. But now, with 4 weeks to go, I’m tempted to make a few more pieces . But the logical thing to do is stay content with what I have and call it a complete maternity wardrobe. And make baby stuff instead
Let me begin with admitting that there hasn’t been much sewing going on around here; a refashion here and a baby blanket there. It was hard to get inspired in a mostly bare sewing room. And today we received our sea shipment made up of 60 boxes. Half has been unpacked and nothing organized. So now with most of my sewing stuff here, I find it hard to sew because everything is out of place. Gah! Send me a fairy godmother quick! Sooo, I decided to share my going-ons of late as a way to procrastinate the inevitable. I mean, why not? It’s been a while.
Last week I had a great visit with my best friend. We headed into San Francisco (I’m living in the burbs, y’all) a few times and did quite a bit of sight-seeing.
No visit to SF can go without visiting Britex. Quite pricey but quite inspiring. I don’t see myself shopping here unless I had a very specific, fine project I was working on. Maybe best to go during one of their big sales?
During another visit to the city we walked along Fisherman’s Wharf, nipping into stores here and there. It was a gorgeous day so the walk was quite pleasant.
My friend Linds is a barista so stopping into some of SF’s best coffee shops was a must. We hit Blue Bottle Coffee. The constant long queue reminded me of Monmouth Coffee. But sadly Blue Bottle Coffee didn’t hold a flame to it (Monmouth forever!).
We nipped into a Tcho chocolate factory. It smelled gorgeous. I resisted buying any but I did get to try a bite of some dark chocolate and it was delicious. Must go again! Maybe even give the factory tour a go? Hmm…
We carried on until Pier 39, home of a colony of sea lions. So so cute, and so so smelly.
I knew another 2 mile walk would take it out of me so we headed back on the light rail. The tram was super cute and quite a nice way to get around in the city.
Over the weekend we decided to be adventurous and drive to an overlook and see the Golden Gate Bridge. Quite the adventure when you (well, my husband) are driving a manual car on steep hills. Greg grew some grey hairs on that trip. But we made it!
And that pretty much sums up what I’ve been up to in my neck of the woods. I really enjoyed having my best friend around. You can probably imagine how boring it can be, moving to a new city with no friends. Linds saved my sanity last week (come back!).
I guess I should go tidy up the place. Maybe…
Until next time! Hopefully I’ll have something cute to share (other than a baby!).
2012 Me-Made Stuff, a set on Flickr.
I’ll keep this brief. We have boxes of furniture we have to start putting together. Blergh.
I had quite a productive sewing year. Considering a year ago I was afraid to cut into fabric I’m quite happy with the results. They are not all great but quite a few winners in there.
I can’t get enough of my pajama bottoms and my maternity dresses. They have been saviors during this bump-a-licious period. But I think best prize definitely goes to my Windmill Colette Hazel.
I definitely want to revisit some on my failures (never got that fit perfect), like Darling Ranges , the Juniper trousers, and Jasmine blouse.
This sewing year I felt adventurous, less fearful, and didn’t let mistakes keep me from finishing a project.
I thoroughly enjoyed making sewing friends offline and online. I can’t begin to tell you the amount of wonderful you added to my day-to-day (here’s a clue: LOADS).
No guarantees that I will be as productive next year, with a baby on the hip and all, but I’ll try to make things as well-made as I can. Here’s to learning and improving our sewing skills!
Happy New Year!
In my previous post I forgot to thank everyone for their thoughtful comments and well wishes on a safe journey. I didn’t have much time to comment to each and every one so figured this would do: Thank you! Group hug!
We made it to San Francisco. My brain is a bit mushy so I’ll update you the easy way: our week in pictures.
Goodbye sticky toffee pudding.
Goodbye Southbank.
En route.
Hello American breakfast!
The spread! We only left behind one pumpkin pancake.
Unlimited coffee; as it should be.
Baby bump in my me-made stripey skirt.
My niece makes a friend.
Finally. At the hotel along the bay.
No machine means crochet time.
And that my friends was my week. Now we are waiting to hear back on an apartment. We only have a few details to sort out so we may very well have a place to live before Christmas. Huzzah! Nesting can finally begin!
We are crossing the pond Monday morning. I’m feeling sad, excited, and a bit overwhelmed. Sad to leave the beautiful city that has been our home for the last two years and eight months. Sad to leave the wonderful community of sewing and expat friends that I made.
But totally excited to start nesting and discover the west coast. Excited to meet new sewing bloggers and discover what fabric shops San Francisco has to offer.
I’m overwhelmed at all the change that we are experiencing but luckily the excitement keeps me from stressing. Having my husband to hold my hand helps loads too. We never do anything small. We always go big and there’s no one I rather take giant leaps with.
So I’ll be in touch once we get to the other side of the pond. Be assured I’m reading blogs if not leaving comments. I love staying in ‘the know’.
Ta for now!
