Half way!

Just checking in, I am officially half way through my chemo treatment! Yahoo!!!  Let me just say, chemo is not for sissies. A tough bunch we breast cancer survivors are. (-;   I spend most of my time recovering, resting, spending time with family and visiting my favorite sewing blogs. The sewing bug has left me for now, (As has my hair!) ) I look forward to the return of both. Take care and have a wonderful Christmas holiday. Hug your family tight.

Stay happy

Keep sewing

And if you can't sew

Enjoy a beautiful tree!

Bumps

All roads have bumps, journeys have detours, apples have worms.  Ok, so maybe not all apples have worms.  My journey has had a few bumps.  My pathology report changed from triple negative to HER2 positive when the actual mass was removed and biopsied.  This meant a change in chemo plans. Next, another surgery as I got an infection and had to have the spacer on my right side removed and the cavity cleaned.  So now I have my port a cath installed on my chest (no IV's yay!!) and have healed from all surgeries, and am due to start chemotherapy on Monday, 10/19/15. (TCH+P is the lovely name of my chemo cocktail) I will have treatment every 21 days for 5 months, followed by a year of just the P portion of the cocktail.  I am looking forward to getting this next phase rolling and dreading it at the same time.  If you have any extra positive thoughts, please send them my way. 

Stay Happy

Keep Sewing

and if you can't Sew

Go walking in the woods with your best friend.

 

Healing

Triple Negative Stage 2 Invasive ductal carcinoma.  Such scary sounding names.  Breast cancer.  Double Mastectomy.  Surgery went well.  Healing is going well.  Chemo will be next.  I am looking on the bright side....this means I will need all new tops for next summer, once I finish reconstruction.  So I see lots of sewing on the horizon!  Thank you for the positive thoughts and well wishes!! 

The Big C

It's been awhile.  Not really sewing.  Fighting a big battle.  I plan to be back.  Wish me well.

Vogue 8451 replacement of favorite T.

 

I Love this T.  It is Vogue 8451 with a much altered sleeve.  I made it in 2009.  I still wear it, but the fabric has seen it's better days, so now it is just a weekend T.

 

 

I decided to replace it. 

Vogue 8451, but I used the Sewaholic Renfrew sleeve, as the Vogue sleeve has a ridiculous amount of ease, so I went with something I knew fit the way I liked.

 

You would think I would have at least thought about large target placement!  But with only 1 yard, I did not have much choice in layout.  I think the resulting starburst on one breast is kind of hilarious, and has not stopped me from wearing it.

This neckline has an actual facing.  I used the facing on the original T shirt, and it layed beautifully and still has never stretched out, so I thought why not give it another go.  So this neckline too is faced.  I interfaced the facing with a light knit fusible.  Once it was attached and understitched, I just serged it of to be the width I wanted and the did a double needle topstitch from the outside.  It does not lay perfectly flat.  I think washing and drying may fix it.  If not, it does not really bother me, so I will enjoy my new shirt anyway!

Stay Happy

Keep Sewing

and if you can't sew

build a shed with your hubby

 

Already out.....Woven jacket

Since my TNT jacket pattern was already out on the cutting table, I thought I would give my 'Morris'd' version a try in a woven fabric.  I had a beautiful piece of stretch denim, grey, white and black flowers.  Only a small piece though, so once I determined I could at least cut the fronts and sleeves out of it, I rummaged my stash for something to use for the back and facings.  I found a remnant of black stretch denim!  Perfect.  So here is my version of My Morris'd TNT in a stretch woven.

The fact that the flowers appear to match across the fronts is amazing, I could only fit them on the fabric in one way, each front edge was originally the selvage edge!  I could not match the flower layout on the sleeves, but I like the randomness of it. 

The back, cut on the fold, has 2 darts for shaping.

I did not have enough of the flower fabric to extend the lapels like on my first version.  So these ones fold open much less.  Which means I had to redraw the facings, which you can see below, I didn't quite make them deep enough!  I remedied this by putting buttons on the flaps as they were folded out.  This kind of holds everything together and keeps the minimal facings in place.  Well that and I top stitched the facings down!  I did no front closures, because I like the casualness of it just hanging open.

I lined just the back.  I did this by just making 2 back pieces, one of outer fabric, one of the lining. Once the darts were sewn in both pieces, I serged them together, wrong sides facing, along all edges except the bottom 3" on each side and along the bottom.   Then I just treated them as one piece.  Leaving the bottom and bottom edges open, allowed me to hem the back and the lining separately.   When I cut out the lining, I extended on the side that was cut on the fold by 1", which gave me 2" extra to form a pleat in center back for ease of movement. 

 

I am loving my new jackets.  Just about everyday in the office involves either a cardigan or a light jacket. 

Stay Happy

Keep Sewing

and if you can't sew

Enjoy some pretty flowers!

Not quite a Morris....

I really like the Grainline studios Morris blazer.  Most of it anyway.  It is a bit boxy but still, it is cute.  I decided to 'Morris' my TNT jacket pattern.  The red is my self drafted TNT jacket pattern, modeled off of a Target jacket from 2013.
 



My "Morris'd TNT

My TNT

I decided, since I love the way this one fits, why not just alter it to have the styling of the Morris?

 

I am not exactly positive of the fabric, I bought it at JoAnns.  It said it was a bengaline, but I am not sure.  It is a pretty stable knit.  I raised and extended the front center of the 'lapels' so they could be folded back.  Below is what they look like when NOT folded back.    

 

 

 My jacket does not have an real collar like the Morris that extends all the way around the back, mine is collarless.  I used a fusible knit interfacing, but only interfaced the portion of the facing that would not show as the lapels when folder over, and interfaced the actual front lapels, where they are now the underneath of the lapel fold over.  So in essence, I only interfaced layers that would NOT be the exterior fabric layer.

 

Where my front darts run from apex to hem line, I just extended the dart lines to end in a point like the Morris. 

 

 

I kept my back darts for shaping, cut the back on the fold, and shortened the center back about 3/4"

 I love my new jacket!!  I love that a few tweaks of a TNT is all it took! Well that and the style idea of Jen from Grainline! 

Stay Happy

Keep Sewing

and if you can's sew

Bring some spring into your home!

 



 

Remakes, more Target clearance rack finds!

I love a woven tank top, and the Scout woven tee pattern is a great  base to start with.  I have redrafted the upper portion for a tank top, with narrow shoulders and slight racer back. 

Below is my Scout front and back pieces, with the upper portions folded out of the way, and my 'tank' upper versions pinned into place. 

 

This blouse was XXL and just a large square with seams along side about 2/3 of the way up.  Beautiful fabric, but not a good look on me. 

So I unpicked the two seams, and laid my pattern pieces as below, using the original beautiful blue crepe area and the hem line.    I cut both pieces on the fold, so this was a quick make.

 

I was able to reuse the binding that was already on the neck edge, with just a little unpicking and then splicing back together. 

My second tank is also  a remake from Target clearance rack.

This was a 3X top that was almost square as well, but it had the hi lo hem. 

 

I bound the neck and arms with binding made of batiste.  I added a cute little pocket, just for fun.

 I kept the original hems of both front and back.

And this is how I styled it to wear to the office!

I LOVE remaking clearance rack finds. 

 

Stay Happy

Keep Sewing

and if you can't sew

bake some brownies

 

 

TNT Jacket

This jacket was based upon a jacket I bought at Target in 2013.  This red linen version was my first
muslin in 6/2013.  http://kellyssewing.blogspot.com/2013/06/crazy-busy.html.

 

I decided I needed a black one.  This is a black linen blend from JoAnns. 

 

 

 I used hook and eye closures this time instead of snaps.  I never wear it closed, and yet felt I had to add them!

 Instead of a partial back lining, I lined the whole back, with a pleat for ease of movement, since I sit at a computer all day.  The lining is a light weight crepe also from JoAnns.

I created a little tab to hang it from in the office.

 

I love my new linen jacket.  It is perfect over tanks, as the warmer it gets outside, the higher they seem to run the AC indoors!!

 

Stay Happy

Keep Sewing

and if you can't sew

Plant some maters with a cute boy.