Finished project! Loes Hinse Europeans with Button Closure

There had been some mention on Stitchers' Guild/Loes Hinse thread about replacing the hook and eye closure at the front waistband with a button and buttonhole.  Loes has sold this style of pant in her Carmel boutique.  I have made quite a few pairs of this pattern of pants and really like the option of having a button closure.  I made these to go with an inexpensive sweater purchased at The Limited this spring.  I found the fabric at JoAnn on sale, so it was a thrifty outfit.  We went to dinner tonight at a local casino.  You always need a sweater year round here.  It can be cold, or it can be Air Conditioning.  I will enjoy wearing these pants for the summer as well.

Where Am I? Tracing patterns, looking at blogs, etc......

We have been having fun visiting and chauffeuring grand kids the past week or so. Still on duty for a couple more days. I brought some Onion patterns with me and have traced them in my size. I also traced a Louise Cutting vest and pant outfit and even bought some fabric ready to cut and sew when we get home. I also traced a t shirt and some pants from the May 2011 Burda for younger DGD. I went to the local JoAnns and got some cute fabric for these too-- even cut them out.

Sewing? Not so much. I did get out DIL's machine and did a few things. DIL does not sew and is usually more frustrated with this machine than anything. DH cleaned out the bobbin race for me and removed some major thread nests! LOL. I bought the machine for her when she showed some interest in learning to hem pants, etc. It is a simple Brother from their online mall. It worked fine for me after a little adjustment. But, I can see that it is a bit temperamental. I started the pants for DGD but came to a point where she will need to try them on. They have a cute finish with a band at lower leg and will need to be adjusted for length before I attach that. I also need some interfacing and hate to buy more when I have LOTS at home.

I do appreciate the sewing room I have at home, but also see that a simple machine could suffice!

Be back soon with some photos!

A little spring color and some LH pants on the side!

Here is the color I see in the back yard, even on the cloudy morning that I woke up to today!

I'm also posting photos of two pairs of Loes Hinse pants I made since the last photos...the darker ones are Euros from the same fabric as the Retro jacket I posted a couple of months ago.  The lighter ones are from a seminar pattern, fuller than the the Euros but with a similar waistline treatment.  Obviously, I still need to hem them.  I'm so bad about photos that I wanted to at least document these garments before they get in the closet and I forget that the reason I started this blog was to keep a record of what I'd accomplished.  Mostly just for me, but to share too!

If you click on the bottom photo you can see people playing golf in my back yard ;-).  LOL  I don't play, but I enjoy the open space that I don't need to mind! 

Sewing?

I haven't done much! I did make the pants to go with the Retro jacket I made in Feb. I have cut out and sewn another pair of tan pants from a LH pattern I traced at a seminar. I need to finish the waist treatment and hem. Just wanted to check in!

We spent last week at our condo in CA with special guests! Our older grandkids 14 and 11) flew down from Reno for 4 days. We spent 3 of those days at Disneyland. We had a blast!

More sewing to appear this week and I will post photos ;-). The weather here is perfect, so being outside is a pull!

Photo Catch Up--Burda and Loes Hinse

I love the striped Perfect Tee shirt--I can make these very quickly, they fit, and they look pretty good on me!  The cream pants I'm not sure about.  They look fine, but the fit is not as comfy as when made from softer wovens or knit fabrics.  We'll see.

Second outfit is the Burda drape neck top from an old Burda Petite magazine.  It is OK.  The fabric is from FabricMart and I usually like what I order...just not sure about this one.  The pants are morphed LH cruise pants that I made with a modified European pant waist and front fly.  Just took a little off of the side seams and added the fly extension to the front of the cruise pant.  Sometimes I want side pockets for my phone or keys and these are perfect.  I will probably wear them with a black or white top for summer.

I made a Sewing Workshop eshrug yesterday too.   (No photo )  I made it from French terry and I think I will like it as a layering piece.  The drafting is great--the sleeves went in without any effort and the sewing took about 30 min start to finish.  Great!

I have some fabric and patterns on the cutting table...wonder if I'll change my mind before I start cutting!

Sewing, Remodeling, Dentists...

Just a few of the activities occupying my time at present.  I made a pair of LH European pants from some of the Casual Elegance linen-look fabric recently posted.  I like them, don't love them.  They may need to spend some "time out" time in the closet before I make a final decision.  I also made a Perfect Tee from a coordinating fabric and LOVE it.  I always know the PT will fit so there is no guess work on this one!  Made a third top from a well-aged Burda Petite magazine.  It is OK.  I was trying out a new style and I'm not sure it's for me.  I'll post photos when I get the camera recharged.

We remodeled our kitchen over the past month--new countertops, a redesign on the previous eating bar, and new fireplace surround and hearth.  Makes the place look updated and that's a good thing!  I am allergic to dust, however, so it has been a bit of a trial for the past few weeks.  DH did the tear down with a crowbar in one hand and a shop vac hose in the other.  Much better than the "pros" would have done.  The granite is gleaming, the new backsplash makes me smile, and it was all worth the confusion.  DH sent me some photos he took of this project, so I will share those soon too.

Finally, I visit the dentist 4 x a year for routine cleaning, etc. and still have constant challenges with my dental care.  Ugh.  I had a crown prep today and will get the permanent one in a couple of weeks.  I have many others to keep this one company, so nothing new.  Just sort of slows me down for a while.

Just checking in to remind myself of the projects I've sewn.  No new jacket this month, but I'll catch up soon!

One Jacket Done--Sort of!

I have had so much difficulty in finishing this jacket that I'm not going to worry about trying to fix these photos too.  The jacket is finished, but not the closures.  Tried to make buttonholes on 2 layers of scrap fabric and neither of my machines can handle the thickness.  So, I am rethinking the way I want to secure the front of the jacket.  It is 82 here today, so I'm not in dire need of a jacket.  I needed to finish this to get it off my list of to do items.

Things I liked about the jacket!  Topstitching!  If you click on the photo you can see the stitching in an enlarged photo.  I also liked the lycra binding trim for pockets and the hem.  I would have preferred a matching color, but black is OK with me.  I think the jacket will be cute with jeans, dress pants, etc.  Any ideas for the clusures?  I'm thinking snaps, but maybe there is another option???

Next on the list is the dress/shorts pattern for DGD.