Monthly Roundup: January 2014

Well, here we are at the start of 2014. This month has been kind of awesome, both on the sewing front and on a personal level. I hope 2014 continues to be great!

So, I sewed...
1) Jalie 2908 jeans for me
2) McCalls 6232 dress and coat for Barbie
3) LouBee Hosh Pants for Myra
4) Sewaholic Renfrew for me
5) Ottobre 05/2009-5 top for me
6) Jalie 2908 pants for me
7) Simplicity 8333 top, pants and jacket for Barbie
8) Burdastyle Magazine 04/2011-105 blouse for me
9) Sewaholic Renfrew for me
10) Ottobre 04/2004-12 dress for Myra
11) Deer and Doe Plaintain tee for me
12) McCalls 6232 gown for Barbie
13) Kitschy Coo Penny Pinafore tunic for me

That adds up to a huge (for me) total of 18 items! I'm so thrilled! I sewed up a 28.5 yards of fabric. Now, I bought a bit of fabric and won a fabric contest before I made my pledge, so I did have a bit of yardage in - 25 yards. But that means I'm actually still negative for the year stash wise, which makes me pretty happy. Next month I'm going to try for a fabric no-hitter. I have not given  myself a pattern or notion buying restriction, so that's keeping the shopping demons at bay.

Here is a little collage of my makes for the month. I'm pretty pleased with the variety overall. I made a lot of tops, but both knit and woven. I also made several pair of pants and a couple of dresses. I used some much beloved patterns, like the Penny Pinafore and the Renfrew, but also tried some new ones. You'll also likely take note of my newest obsession - Barbie clothes! As many of us did, I sewed for Barbie when I was a kid, and for some reason I've picked up the desire again. Barbie clothes are really fun! They're small, so they use teeny scraps of fabric, and since they aren't worn by humans, finish work is pretty minimal, so they're super fast to whip up. And Myra loves them!

For next month, I'm looking forward to the Sewcialist Blue February theme! I really love these theme months. They give me a focus, but allow enough creative freedom to do what I want and need to do. Speaking of themes, the Stashbusting Sewalong also has a great theme for February, which is Sewing for the ones you Love! This is a great theme, as I enjoy sewing for my loved ones. In fact, I already have a piece cut that fits both themes. Woo-hoo! Getting February off to a fabulous start!!