Wednesday, October 8, 2014

30 Minutes a Day for October - Part 1

Main focus this week:
  • Muslin for Pocahontas costume (purple nightie)
  • Style Arc Susan Skirt 
  • Pocahontas costume
  • Honey Cowl

Tracking Tasks:

1st - 30 minutes sewing, 20 minutes knitting
  • Made alterations to Pocahontas pattern
  • Cut muslin 
  • Fused stabilizer to back shoulder seams 
  • Changed machine to OL and rethreaded 
  • Pressed bias strip to stop curling (didn't work!) 
  • Worked on Honey cowl - 2 rows

2nd - 45 minutes sewing, 40 minutes knitting
  • Stitched and topstitched left shoulder seam
  • Applied bias strip to neckline and pressed
  • Overlocked to control curling (worked!)
  • Pinned and topstitched neck binding
  • Stitched and topstitched right shoulder seam
  • Stitched in sleeves
  • Stitched side seams
  • Worked on Honey cowl - 6 rows

3rd - 60 minutes sewing, 15 minutes knitting
  • Finished stitching Honey Cowl - blocked
  • Nightie: Pinned hem and sleeve hem
  • Susan Skirt: Stitched front side panels to front centre panel
  • Susan Skirt: Stitched back to back yoke
  • Susan Skirt: Stitched side seams
  • Nightie: Coverstitched hem and sleeve hems, pressed and trimmed excess hem allowance
  • Susan Skirt: Cut and inserted elastic
  • Susan Skirt: Turned down and topstitched elastic
  • Susan Skirt: Measured and cut hem
  • Susan Skirt: Pinned and coverstitched hem, pressed
  • Wove in ends on Baby Lucy hat

4th - 30 minutes sewing (went away for the weekend)
  • Cut Pocahontas costume out
  • Changed machine to OL, rethreaded all machines in brown
  • Fused stabiliser to shoulder seams
  • Tidied up in sewing room

5th - 30 minutes sewing (went away for the weekend)
  • Sewed shoulder seam
  • Cut binding and applied to neckline
  • Sewed second shoulder seam
  • Sewed in sleeves

6th - 60 minutes sewing, 30 minutes 'knitting'
  • Overlocked sleeve seams
  • Stitched one side seam
  • Stabilised hem
  • Use Vliesofix to attach trim along hem
  • Stitched trim along hem
  • Stitched second side seam
  • Tried on Erin and marked where remaining trim is to go
  • Used Vliesofix to attach trim along marked lines
  • Stitched trim to dress, pressed
  • Made headband from plaited trim (rejected trim from dress)
  • Made and attached pompom for Baby Lucy hat

7th - 30 minutes of sewing (Work Day)
  • Tried on UFO tank and assessed for alterations
  • Tried on Navy tennis skort (rarely worn) and assessed for alterations
  • Unpicked the elastic from the legs of my Navy tennis skort

Review: 
Did pretty well to fit in at least 30 minutes of sewing each day, given that we went away for the weekend and I had to go to work one day. Typically, I don't do ANYTHING crafty on a work day, but because I was tracking, I didn't want to ruin my streak, so I forced myself to do something very low key. Still, it counts!

I think this method has been a success this week as I have three completed garments and have made progress on another. It's been a long time since I've felt this productive!

Next week: 
Need to tackle that Honey Cowl, and get those ends woven in. I've also set my sights on getting that tennis outfit finished and tidying up the loose ends of the Halloween costumes so I don't need to think about them again. Unfortunately, that requires a shopping trip, and I really don't like shopping.