Simplicity 2367 - Completed

I sewed these pants last week:

First I have to tell you that they turned out great. They were nicely constructed, have some lovely details, and they fit well... They fit SARAH well. Sarah is the only woman I can think of who is a size down from me. She has benefited a few times from my sewing mistakes, and she scored another pair of pants this past weekend.

What I don't understand is why they didn't fit me! After my last pair of pants turned out a bit snug, this time I was careful to measure my hips and compare it to what the pattern envelope listed as the "finished garment measurements" for the hip. When it matched up with a size 10, which is my usual sewing pattern size, I was sure they would fit. Not a chance.

I am a bit heavier, but my other clothes are fitting me just fine, and I don't look any different to myself in the mirror. Sarah says that maybe I've gained muscle weight and my glutes are bigger since I've been running more lately. I choose to believe her. :) I mean, wouldn't you?

She tried the pants on this weekend, and they fit like they were made for her. So I finished them up and hemmed them for her and will give them to her at her New Year's Eve party. Lucky woman - the pants are really cool! I'll take pictures of her in them and post them when I can.

In the meantime, I'm dropping the whole pant idea and decided to try out a button-down shirt. I haven't made one of those since I lived in Portland! I found Simplicity 2339, which is a "But wait! There's more!" pattern that includes a lot of fitting instructions and tips. I'm doing View B.



I'm making a (hopefully) wearable muslin from a fairly wild print cotton from Joann's. The goal is to get a perfect fit and then make it out of some beautiful lawn or voile fabric I saw at Selvedge on the hip strip. Wish me luck!

3 Reasons

Reason Number 7 to love Missoula:

I live two hours closer to most of my family. You wouldn't believe how long that last leg from Missoula to Helena is when you're on your way home from Portland. A 9 or 10 hour trip is SO much nicer than 11 or 12!


Reason Number 8 to love Missoula:

The Mountain Line. It looks like my schedule for Spring 2011 semester includes a class that will prevent me from picking Hannah up from school two nights a week, and since we are out of the Hellgate district, she can't ride the school bus. So, Hannah and I took a trial run of the public transportation here in Missoula. It takes awhile longer than driving, but is pretty convenient and will cost her a grand total of 35 cents a trip. Once school starts for me, I'll be riding the bus quite a bit. It runs right by our front door and straight to the U, AND I can ride free with my student ID!

Reason Number 9 to love Missoula:

Traffic Circles. Missoula has a lot of them, and they are fantastic. There's one on the corner of Higgins and Beckwith that definitely solves what could be a traffic nightmare. No matter the time of day, getting through that busy intersection is a piece of cake.

Simplicity 3796 - Completed

I sewed up a pair of pants from start to finish yesterday. I even hemmed them! I'm really happy with the way they turned out. So much so that I would put my tag on them and sell them or give them as a gift.

I only made one change. The top edges of the pockets were supposed to be finished with bias tape, but Joann's didn't have the right stuff. So, I found a fun cotton in my stash, and lined the inside of the pockets with it. It's just a cute little surprise that no one but the wearer should notice.


I did all the topstitching in a heavier thread I bought for that specific purpose. I had to change the thread, bobbin, needle, foot, and tension setting (and back again) every time I needed to topstitch - about 8 times! Logistically and unfortunately, I couldn't do all the topstitching at once. But it was well worth the effort - it looks a lot more rtw with the heavier thread. Rtw is sewing lingo for "ready to wear", which is another way of saying that it looks like it came from a store. Hopefully a store like Macy's or Nordstrom, not Wal-Mart or Shopko.

So, one thing. I'm not sure about the fit. I sewed my usual pattern size 10, but it seems a bit... well, you decide: Too tight or just right? Leave a comment, please!

Tea Tablet

I can't usually show gifts that I'm making for Christmas, for obvious reasons. However, the recipient (my sister-in-law) doesn't read my blog, so standard rules are excepted in this case.
Last winter, I introduced Kristin to Morning Thunder tea, and now she is just as hooked as I am. So, I took the lid and bottom of a box, laminated them, and then had Kinko's bind them into a notebook. Love! I'm glad I had one made up for myself, too. lol Now I have something small, but sweet to send her.