Sew Much More than Just a Knitter



When I start to get restless with my knitting because it isn’t coming along as fast as I want, I turn to sewing. It’s like crafty gratification in one-third the time. I haven't given up on the knitting, I'm just sort of crafti-tasking right now. I’m still working on the CEY Medallion Tunic, and I’m getting closer to starting the medallion pattern on the front side. No watching British television dramas this time—I’m not going to have another whoopsie moment like I did on the back panel.



Anyhoo, last year, two of my local Jo-Ann Fabric stores closed, leaving me to either travel 30-40 minutes to the next nearest one or put a hold on my sewing. Unfortunately, I chose to do the latter. But, much to my excitement, Jo-Ann decided to open a new (albeit much smaller) store just right down the road from me. Being the craft nerd that I am, I was there on opening day and bought a pattern for a new skirt and a couple of sale knitting books. I love skirts. Easy to make, easy to wear, and the pattern I chose had pockets! Oh pockets, you are the keeper of all things good.

I also whipped up a couple of Zumba slip-ons for my shoes to make it easier to move the balls of my feet around for some of the dance moves. Back in February, the ladies at fitbottomedgirls.com published an article about a company called Slip-On Dancers that makes fabric/elastic slip-on accessories for your shoes. The purpose of these little wonders is to eliminate some of the knee pain that people were experiencing during Zumba and other aerobic dance classes. After taking a look at how they were made, I decided to make it a little DIY project. I won’t publish my personal pattern here, as I know others are trying to make a living by selling similar designs. I don’t want to take away from that, but I will say this … if you have basic sewing skills, you can do this project in about 30 minutes or less. I bought a yard of 2” elastic for less than $2 and used up some leftover non-stretchy fabric with matching thread. I still have plenty of elastic left over to make at least two more pairs.

Rocky loves photo shoots.

One last bit of sewing news to report … I came across a blog recently called Grosgrain and it is super fantastic. I’m am in complete awe of the level and magnitude of creativity out there. Amazing. One of Monday’s tidbits featured the most adorable bandana dress pattern for babies age preemie to nine months from Jame. It kind of grows with the baby converting from a dress to a skirt once the removable straps are, well, removed. Jame is offering the pattern free this week (week of July 25, 2011). Definitely check it out.