Friday, June 28, 2013

Back from the Brick Wall

Pin It    Hello everyone!  M here. I haven't posted in a long time.  I admit, I took advantage of Major Moma's willingness to keep up on the blog....  and got out of the habit  of blogging.

Well what happened?   Well I bumped into one of these:

brick wall



Yes the brick wall....I creatively hit the wall and found myself frustrated.  I wanted to make a simple quilt for a friend. But I couldn't get the colors right, couldn't get the pattern right, couldn't think clearly.... 

It was supposed to be a simple fun quilt to help a friend get better....

so I went simple and just made it simple with simple colors.


square quilt

Cute huh?



then I took a quilt class on a 5 yard quilt...  only 5 fabrics!  that is so weird for me.... 


made this one...
five fabric quilt


then this one,

sheep jumping over fence quilt





now working on these.....

quilt tops in progress

Now I am feeling better....  back on the horse again


horse quiltIf I could only figure out how to rotate the picture.

Now to get them quilted!

What do you do when you hit a creative brick wall?



Monday, June 24, 2013

Burda Style's Girl's Pleated Dress 11/2012 #152

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I (Major Moma) made another version of the Burda Style tunic dress for girls  from the November 2012 Magazine. (Previous versions here and here)

This time I made it without sleeves (I used bias strips to finish the edges) and did not bother with any shoulder closures.  The neckline in these patterns really is large enough to skip all closures.



But I did add a cut-out circle in the back and two hearts linking it together. 


These are pictures from a park that had a fun zip-line that the kids had a blast riding again and again and again.  It was a great break from our temporary living.


The tunic really can be worn as a dress, but she so far has always chosen to wear it with pants.

It is made with linen on the bodice and cotton flowered print for the bottom.  It is a cute pattern and this is my favorite version.  If you skip the sleeves, it really makes the construction simple and actually, the way the shoulders are extended, it looks much better than the other versions.

I love taking the kids to a park like this.  It wears them out and they have such a good time getting some exercise.  Abi always gravitates to things like a zip line.  But my other two can usually be found playing in the dirt.  I sure hope we can find a good park near our new place in Anchorage.

What do you look for in a playground or park?




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Friday, June 21, 2013

Moving and saying goodbye

Pin It Well, I (Major Moma) am leaving Germany shortly.  This has been our home for two years and it has been a wonderful experience.  My son has been fortunate enough to attend German Kindergarten (basically US pre-school).  And we have used our house as a base for traveling all over Western Europe.  


Saying Goodbye to Germany
Last day in front of our house

We have had amazing times and the kids have experienced things I never would have dreamed possible when I was a kid.  


Berlin Dom
Berlin, Germany
Koln Cathederal
Koln/Cologne, Germany
We drove all over Germany.  What wonderful people.  The Germans were so wonderful to our children and welcoming us to their country.  We thoroughly enjoyed the food, sights, culture, and the entire experience.


Lucerne, Switzerland
Lucerne, Switzerland
We passed through Switzerland on our way to Italy.  I really wanted to see the Swiss Alps, but it was too overcast.  But still, it was beautiful.


Pisa, Italy
Pisa, Italy
In Italy we stayed in Tuscany.  Wow, the food and the landscapes!  We saw famous sites, Roman ruins, Etruscan art, and hills covered in olive trees.


Tuscany, Italy
Tuscany, Italy

Livorno, Italy
Livorno, Italy

Volterra, Italy
Volterra, Italy
We traveled to France a few times.  Sometimes a quick trip across the border.  A couple times we went on extended vacations.  

Loire Valley, France
palace in the Loire Valley, France
Surprisingly, I think Amsterdam was my favorite city.  It was beautiful and had a fun energy.  Of course we avoided the seeder aspects of the city.


Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Leaving is definitely bitter sweet.  We all will  be glad to return to the US, a place where I can easily speak the language and go shopping after 6pm.  But, we have made some wonderful friends here.  And I am sad to leave them.  

Thank you for allowing me to share.

What is our next adventure?  As I said on Monday's post, we are moving to Alaska.  We will not have the same international adventures, but the outdoor activities are sure to be amazing.

Where are the favorite places you have lived or visited?



Monday, June 17, 2013

Socks for Alaska

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This last December I (Major Moma) found out that we would be moving to Alaska; to Anchorage, Alaska.  It was not exactly what we planned, but with life in the military, you go where you are told.  And the truth is we were pretty excited about the adventure it will bring.



We currently live in Germany so the move requires all of our house hold goods to be packed up, crated and shipped half way around the world.  So we had it all packed in April.  Well, minus some clothes and towels and bed linens (those went in a separate air freight shipment last Friday.  And we arrive in Alaska next week.


Knowing that there would be no sewing for a few months, my husband suggested that I take up crochet.  My mom had taught me earlier in the fall and I made a couple of silly hats over the winter.  But, since we are going to Alaska, I figure that I will be needing wool socks.

So this February, I picked up some wool blend sock yarn.  And it took me 6 weeks to make my first sock.  Now, I was not crocheting full time yet because we still had stuff.  I still had my sewing room.  But, after practicing on that first sock, I got better. 

wool crochet socks
The first one is a little bit longer


And during Spring Break I crocheted in the car and made the second sock.  And it only took a week!  So on to the 3rd sock.  It took more than a week because I was not spending hours driving around southern Germany.

And one more.

wool crochet socks


Two pairs of wool blend socks.  They are super comfortable.  I used Colorful Crochet Socks pattern I found through ravelry.  I was looking for one labeled easy.  I think it still was pretty ambitious for someone who only crocheted two hats.  But each sock looked better than the last. 



I am pretty proud of myself.  And when it is cold, I am going to wear these socks.

 Have you been to Alaska?  Do you have any tips? 

 

P.S. If you subscribe using google reader, then as of July first, it will go away and you will not see Without Directions.  Here are two tutorials to help you switch over to a new method of following us.  Here and Here.  I have also added a link to follow us on bloglovin.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

One more time, Simplicity 4020

Pin It  I (Major Moma) made a bunch of things in the mad dash before the movers came to pack up my house hold goods (If you had not read, I am moving.) so that the blog would not go quiet when I wasn't sewing for months on end.

This, like all the non-crocheted items, is one of those projects.  When the pictures were taken, it was just barely above freezing!  I was so cold, but I was determined to get some good pictures on a rare sunny day.  It was the coldest, darkest winter in Germany since at least 80 years ago!


Simplicity 4020 view C

This tank is yet another version of the ever versatile Simplicity 4020 which I have posted about here and here.  This time I made view C in a slubby knit that is just a tad sheer.  It is nice and light weight and now that the weather is warmer, I will get lots of use out of it.


source
It has gathering at the shoulders in the front but flat in the back which makes a nice interesting detail without adding a lot of volume or bulk.  The neckline is faced and to me, it is the perfect depth.

I really like the treatment of the 'sleeves'.  They are not really sleeves but rounded strips that are sewen a bit like a binding.  It allowed it to have the feel of a tank but give my fair skinned shoulders a bit more protection from the sun.  It is also a great shaping detail for someone like me that has very small shoulders.

Simplicity 4020 view c, backSo, this will likely be the last Simplicity 4020 in a while, but, you never know when I might try another version.

Do you sew clothes for the next season?  Or when it is cold, you strictly sew cold-weather clothes?














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Monday, June 3, 2013

The Go-Anywhere, even castles, Dress

Pin It I (Major Moma) love to pattern test.  So, when I saw Andrea from Go-To Patterns calling out for testers of a new dress, I threw my name in the hat.  But alas, the slots filled up for size 10 and I was not selected.  A few days went by and then I received an email from Andrea that one of her testers was unable to complete her dress on time and could I fill in? 

Of course.  Well, now I had only a couple of days to make the dress (because of the last minute pinch hitting) and I was starting to pack up my sewing stuff for the big move.  (I have mentioned the move a couple of times but without real explanation.  I suppose I will blog about that soon, but not today.)

go to patterns' anywhere dress

So, I sifted through my fabric on hand and picked out some knit that would work.  And as for time, really not much is needed to whip up this dress.  Minus the printing and taping of the pattern, in total I spent 1 hour 45 minutes cutting and sewing up this dress! 

anywhere dress at Burg Thurant
Burg Thurant, Germany

A large part of the reason why it was so quick was it's simple and clean lines.  There is a lot of room for embellishment here, but if you just sew it up, the dress is just a wonderfully simple t-shirt dress.

Go To Patterns Anywhere dress

Another reason it sewed up so fast was Andrea's clear and precise instructions.  Now, I had the beta version and I found one typo.  BUT that is the point of passing a pattern out for testing.  The current version available for purchase is now perfect.  And still, only one typo... that is pretty darn good.

Go To Patterns Anywhere dress
a castle on the Mosel River

If you are someone who does not like to fiddle with a ribbed necking, or you like the look of a facing better, this is certainly the pattern for you.  I actually decided I like a ribbing, so I may add one instead of the faced neckline next time I sew it up.


Anywhere dress at Burg Eltz

And will there be a next time?  Definitely yes.


Because this was the last thing I sewed before everything got packed up and the weather in April was not above freezing much, this last weekend was the first time my daughter really got to wear it running around Germany.  She is very happy with the look and comfort of  the dress.  And she definitely feels like she can go just about anywhere in it.

Anywhere dress at Burg Eltz
Berg Eltz, Germany

Even to castles.

Do you like a ribbed neckline or a faced neckline better on knit tops?


P.S. 
Check out our Inspiration Point for June! It is a picture from inside the courtyard of Burg Eltz.  What could you create based on that image???

And, I am not an affiliate of any pattern store or designer.  I just like reviewing them.  But when I pattern test, I do get the pattern for free.  I am not against affiliates ... I think it is a great system.  I just have not chosen to join.



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