Laptop Issues

While it's not my laptop that is playing up, it is my husbands. Since Atomic Dad's is much more important then mine, as we run most of our business from it, it has meant the my little laptop has been commandeered till a new laptop arrives. This has meant almost no time to blog, read others blogs or just wander through the net.

I do have a few go things I would love to get posted, the finished place mats and I finished my mock up for the men's shirt, as well as my first real men's shirt, and a few other bits. Oh and some great items I've sewen for a wedding I'll going to soon.

Please bear with me while I wait too. Thank for visiting and hope to see you soon.

Sewing Place Mats

I picked this panel up in January and the moment I saw it I knew who would just love it. I don't think they read my blog but just in case I wont say any names.

This fabric is part of the Wine Counrty by Rosiland Solomon, I brought it from one of my local fabric shops and am so glad I found it. I will be making six (6) place mats as a gift to a family member and will be trying a few new sewing technique's at the same time.

Aren't the colours just lovely.

Mum's Fabric

My little brother's (who is taller then I) wedding is coming up soon and for weeks my mother has been talking about me/her/us making something for her to wear. A few weeks ago week got the pattern, sorry I don't have it at hand but it is a vogue pattern. Sunday just gone Mum came over and we cut the pattern out. I just love the fabric she has picked.

MBP Men's Shirt Sew-Along 3, 4, 5 & 6

Step 3.

1 & 2. Pockets - Well I skipped the pockets for my cotton mock up and I am comfortable with sewing pockets, having sewen smaller ones on my little boys shirts. I'm not sure Atomic Dad even wants pockets at this stage, will cross that bridge when we get there.

Step 4.

1 & 2. Sleeve plackets - Since I'm sewing the short sleeve view I wont be doing this step. However I think I might give this a go later, as it looks like a good technique to learn.

Step 5.

Interfacing collar - I have to admit I don't normally interface my little boys collars. This is for two reasons, 1. they get washed a lot so the interfacing doesn't always last as long as I would like and 2. there little boys, they really don't needed or want nice standing collars, a good iron with starch works for me.

I am interfacing the collar and front of Atomic Dad's shirt so here is how I went on my mock up. I have also done the interfacing for the shirt front. Sorry the photo's fuzzy.

Step 6.

1. Stay stitch the neckline, 2. Finish outside edge of facings, 3. Sew front facings to back yoke, 4. Measure and stitch pleat on shirt back, 5. Attach back and back yoke, 6. Attach front pieces at shoulder.

It sounds like a lot but it's not really. See, done.

I have sewen more then this but I'm off to workout my fuzzy photo's before I post some more. I must say tho this shirt is starting to look really easy to do, if I do say so myself.

Sunday Sewing - McCall's 3996, view C

This week my sewing picked up quite a bit. I have sewen two black gaming cloths, half way thought the mock up for Atomic Dad's Negroni 1014 shirt and started and finished McCall's 3996, view C.

First I would like to explain why this outfit and why this fabric? I went to an ASG (Australian Sewing Guild) meeting and ladies may take in scraps of fabric they don't want but are too big to throw and then someone else may take it and bring back what they have made for sow and tell. So the top half of this dress was some fabric I picked up. I just love the pattern and colour and knew right a way what I could do with it. The bottom half is a simple white linen I brought.

What is House Proud?

A month or so ago I was I know that I wasn't very house proud, it was said in passing but I do tend to take this to heart and dwell on them. A week after that and much thinking I went and ask my mother what house proud meant to her. We have decided that it is a mix of being both clean and tidy, and of being organized. (trust me these do not come hand in hand for everyone).

I am more organized then clean and the person who made the comment is far more clean then organized. However there are things in my life that I would rather be doing then cleaning all the time, like playing with my children or sewing. I have a few hobbies that take over a bit and so do the children.

Really running a household is a full-time job and more so the more people that live there, but I know I forgo doing things, like doing the floors every day or sometime the folding, to do things I would like to do, like sewing or reading. I have a Must Do List but I suspect that this Must Do List is bigger or smaller depending on how much importance one puts on them.

So really being clean is not at the top of my list, having a clean kitchen before I go to bed is but I can live out a magazine worth house, it just wouldn't feel like home without a bit of messy from the children.

There are some great post's around the net about cleaning but I not sure how much is house proud, I still don't think a truly clean house is the only thing it takes to be house proud and if I wrong then so be it.

Here are a few posts think are related to this topic,

One Yellow Cottage

The Retro Housewife

Atomic Mum

Now I'm sure there are more out there I just have missed or forgot about, but should you google house proud like me yo will most likely come across lots of cleaning services. LOL so I guess to most people being house proud is all about having a clean house.

How do you feel? What ratio of clean to organized are you? or what would you like to be? Really think about it, I was surprised when my mother said she didn't think I was that house proud either but that she understood why I was upset by the comment. I wonder how much of it is a generational think.

Try to Get Sewing Again

Well my last few ideas haven't really helped much but at least I tryed them. However there is nothing like a deadline to get one moving. I have been asked to make some table covers (not table cloths) to go over some gaming tables. It is easy and so there should be nothing to stop me, I'm not even paying for it. And then there's a birthday gift I have to make for this month. Can't give away too much about that till after the birthday.

So I've started on both the above sewing bits and then got so far and found I was missing things to finish them. What else to do? I couldn't just pop down to the shop as they were all closed for the weekend.

In the end I cleaned up the hobby room, as you can see there is a fare amount of stuff, and cataloged my Australian Home Journals.  It was rather productive and I feel a lot better about getting back into sewing now.

Hope your week has started off well and goes on shining (somebody better be getting some sun as we still have clouds and rain).