Month: November 2020

Finally, the Sewing Studio is here!

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The sewing studio Is finally here! This is a major game changer for me! I cannot express how incredibly stoked I am. I have waited and waited for this for so long! Y’all, I’m such a fabric hoarder! My husband who is my number one supporter is always instigating me to purchase all the fabric that I want! He loves when I make him things and obviously knows I love sewing so much. Could I have gotten any luckier? He lives by the saying “happy wife happy life”! Smart man I tell ya! The She Shed, or Sewing Studio has been a dream of mine and he made it possible for me.❤️ Obviously, sewing is something I incorporate into our unique lifestyle of homesteading. It’s another avenue for supplemental income. We have a small home that we absolutely love. So, moving things out of our home is a better option than purchasing a larger home! It just made more sense to get something like this and move my craft studio out of the home.

It’s going to be some time before it’s built out but this is such a huge step! We’ve been waiting for delivery since September.

The cabin has two lofts for storage and a nook where there are three windows. That’s where I plan to set my machines up. It’s just perfect! I still can’t believe it’s here and I’m so anxious and ready to get started on the build out. Ken and I have been throwing ideas around but haven’t settled on anything yet. One thing I know for sure is that the nook is where my machines desk will go! There’s lots of natural lighting and the view is going to be pleasant while I sew.

The nook where my machines will go and one of the lofts above it.

I cannot wait to share the process of building the interior out. If you have any ideas or tips for storage or shelving I’d love to hear them! This is going to be my personal space for my creativity to go wild. I feel so blessed to have this and I think of how far my sewing journey has brought me.

I’ll keep you posted on progress with this! Please follow us for the next blog post and update!

Much love,

Cristina

Calliope Pattern: a comfy cardigan

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Life has been pretty hectic recently. We have a small farm and are transitioning to become full time homesteaders. We also have a lot of outdoor projects we have to get done before winter plus a gazillion other things. We purchased a cabin to convert into my sewing studio so I had to prepare for the delivery of that! All while simultaneously testing this pattern! (Blog post for the sewing studio is here)

Ok, so I tested the Women’s Calliope for Made For Mermaids! It’s a cardigan that has a multitude of options. It’s super comfy and if you choose certain options, you can sew this right up with just a serger! I don’t know about you, but that can be super convenient at times.

This is the cocoon version with banded fitted sleeves, pockets and hoodie. For this version I only used my serger!

I have a ton of fabric for this pattern and plan on making a couple more. I absolutely love this style of cardigan for me. It can be dressed up or down, depending on the type of fabric and options you choose.

In this version I used an animal print Rayon Spandex that I got from Sew So English last year. The brown and white striped version was made using a ribbed knit cotton from Fabric Mart. I think I paid something like $2.50 a yard, so I have 10 yards of it!

This version has relaxed hemmed sleeves.

In both, I’m wearing me made tees. The pink velvet is a modified Mama Mya and the Brothers Osborne shirt is a band tee I purchased at a BO concert and turned it into a Patterns for Pirates “Wiggle Tee”. I have a tutorial that I haven’t published yet on how I made it. The concert was super special for me, as it was a gift from my husband to go with a friend. It was the first concert I had been to since we moved away from Texas (6 years ago). My friend and I had such a great time. I love the way it came out and it’s one of my favorites to wear!

This pattern gives me all the comfy feels. It’s just so cozy!

This was also my first time using my new Juki Serger! And second time using my new Juki Sewing Machine!

Even though I have a cover stitch machine, sometimes I just use my sewing machine for hems. I don’t have much desk space for it right now. I am very impressed by the neatness of this machines stretch stitch! My old machine was very sloppy with this particular stitch and it didn’t stretch very well neither.

This is the best stretch stitch I’ve ever seen!

I hid the serge chain using a crochet hook.

It makes the band ends look neater!

I love cardigans, so this is going to be a new favorite for me. I’ll be whipping up a few more now that the weather is colder! Overall, this is a quick and easy sew. It’s comfortable and warm. It has optional lengths, pockets and hood. The sleeves can be relaxed or fitted, banded or hemmed.

Grab this pattern here! Check out the many options it offers and the beautiful versions the other testers made.