2021 Completions

One of the most exciting things to come out of 2021 was my three new nephews: a local pair of twins, and then a new cousin in Colorado.

But closer to home - and more relevant to me and my sewing journey - was my new sewing room! Technically it's not a new room - just new a wall that separates my sewing area from the dining area. And it's also not a dedicated sewing room, because I share the space with the Kids' entertainment center. But it's still a closed-off, private space for me to sew, with doors I can close to keep distractions out. That's pretty exciting. 

2021 also had  lots of sewing for gifts; babies, nephews, even my mom, dad and brother got in on the action. I also dipped a toe back into the water of quilting, although starting new quilt projects was still shelved for the time being.

That said, here my completions for 2021:

Firefly Cardi (link)

Completed: Feb 2021

Pattern: Halla Cozy Wrap Cardigan

Fabric: Kammie Lou Lou

A Selfish sew with Fabric from Kammie Lou Lou.

Firefly Baby Set (link)

Completed: Feb 2021

Pattern: Simple Life Pattern Co Hampton Leggings

Fabric: Kammie Lou Lou

For my newborn niece!

Mandalorian Cousins set (link)

Completed: Feb 2021

Pattern: Max & Meena Max Raglan, Tie Dye Diva Zee's Tee

My kids loved baby Yoda, and with a three-panel set there was enough left over to get their cousin in on the action.

Sonic Sweats (link)

Completed: Feb 2021

Pattern: Apple Tree Bunny Bottoms

More fun for my local Nephew, with a grow-with me flair!

Happiest Place Trip Set (link)

Completed: March 2021

Pattern: Peekaboo Patterns Violet

Stash-busting for the Disney-bound daughter of a friend!

A Few Sus Hoodies (link)

Completed: March 2021

Pattern: Max & Meena Max Raglans

My kids love hoodies and Imposter, so when I saw this fabric... a natural combination!

Runaway Railway (link)

Completed: June 2021

Pattern: Peekaboo Patterns Yukon

Getting Back on Track with another shirt for my Dad

Pride Rock Bowling Raglan (link)

Completed: June 2021

Pattern: Cole's Creations Jerry Raglan

Making use of a Toddler Topper in Cotton Lycra.

DC Hero Capsule Wardrobe (link):

Completed: July 2021

Pattern: Peekaboo Patterns Body Suit, Cap, and Shorts. Apple Tree Bunny Bottoms and Classic Cardi 

A set for my newborn nephew in Colorado, using one yard and one panel set

Best Friends Rescuers Tee (link)

Completed: July 2021

Pattern: Tie Dye Diva Zee's Tee

Rescuers fabric is hard to come by and my local nephew is a big fan, so when I saw this I had to!

Patronus Jammies for Me (link)

Completed: July 2021

Pattern: Patterns 4 Pirates Essential Tee, Pattern Niche Portlander Pants

A low-stakes way to use fabric I loved and try out a tempting pants pattern on me

Here for the Snacks Tee (link)

Completed: July 2021

Pattern: Patterns 4 Pirates' Favorite Tee

A Last-minute gift for a friend headed to Disney!

Journey to the Nether (link)

Completed: July 2021

Pattern: Create Kids' Couture Haven Hoodie (modified)

A Last-minute gift for a friend headed to Disney!

Bob's Burger Baby Capsule (link)

Completed: August 2021

Pattern: Apple Tree Bunny Bottoms and Classic Cardi, Peekaboo Patterns Baby Cap

A gift for my Pregnant SIL in CO!

Where the Wild Things Grow (link)

Completed: August 2021

Patterns: SLPCo Isla, Peekaboo Patterns Chikka Bum Bums, VFT Lelani Headband (modified)

A gift for our Expectant Pastor

Beware of Hitchiking Blankets (link)

Completed: August 2021

A gift for my Stitch-Loving Niece!

Journey to the Nether II (link)

Completed: August 2021

Pattern: CKC Delaney

I flubbed this one by using the back neckline for the front, but it still turned out cute!

DBZ Bed Set for the Twins (link)

Completed: Sept 2021

Pattern: Stitched In Color Tutorial, Apple Tree Bunny Bottoms & Classic Cardi

Bedroom set and matching outfits for my twin nephews!

Princess Bride Set for 2 Princely Nephews (link)

Completed: Sept 2021

Pattern: Peekaboo Patterns Chica Bum Bums

A hospital gift for my twin nephews, frantically sewed shortly before the delivery.

Embrace Your Dreams (link)

Completed: Sept 2021

With 3 Nephews whose parents are crazy about Final Fantasy, I couldn't resist making the blanket twice!

Mickey's Not So Scary Raglan (link)

Completed: Oct 2021

Pattern: Cole's Creations Jerry Raglan

A Halloween Make for my Mickey-Loving Brother, slid in just under the wire!

Christmas Train Ladies Shirt (link)

Completed: October 2021

Pattern: Patterns 4 Pirates' Favorite Tee

A Last-minute gift for a friend headed to Disney!

Thankful Grateful Selfish Sew (link)

Completed: October 2021

Pattern: Halla Amanda

Fabric: Kammie Lou Lou

I'd hoarded this fabric for years before finding the perfect fabric (and occasion) to sew it up!

Chokobo Tee (link)

Completed: November 2021

Pattern: Tie Dye Diva Zee's Tee

Did I say I had 3 nephews with FF-loving parents? Turns out I have 4!

Sewing Room Wall! (Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4)

Completed: November 2021

A wall to separate my sewing area from the kitchen, complete with french doors and new lights!

Frozen Sister Set (link)

Completed: December 2021

Pattern: Simple Life Co Isla

Twirly Dresses for two Frozen-loving sisters, using fabric I could not resist!

Santa is Sus Sibling Set (link)

Completed: December 2021

Pattern: MegaMax Raglan and Pattern Niche Dublin Dolman

The logical (and festive!) successor to the March Impostor shirts

Multiplying Gremlins (link)

Completed: December 2021

Pattern: Tie Dye Diva Zee's Tee & Peekaboo Patterns Lullabye Baby Bodysuit

One good turn deserves another for last year's Do Not Feed After Midnight kiddo, who is now a big brother x2

Silent Night Dolman (link)

Completed: December 2021

Pattern: Pattern Niche Dublin Dolman

Fabric: Kammie Lou Lou

A quick Selfish Sew with some delicious Kammie Lou Lou Fabric!

Quilting:

Christmas Traditions FMQ (link)

 Quilting Completed: June 2021

Dragged this one out of the mothballs and quilted it on my Mom's Handi-quilter. Next up, binding!

Stats:

Garments: 40

Woven vs knit: 39 vs 1 (!)
Kids vs Adults: 33 vs 7
Garment Sets: 12
Non-Quilt Blankets: 8

Quilts: 0, but I made progress on Christmas Traditions!
Other projects: 1 (Crib Sheets)

WiPs without any progress in 2021: Star Wars II, but Christmas Traditions still moved forward!

Christmas Dolmans

Once I tried the Santa Is Sus Dolman, it was love: both for me, and my daughter. I appreciated the ease with which it came together, and my daughter appreciated the loose, comfortable, not-too-frilly style. So next up I made one for me:

And I forgot to take pictures before I sent it, but I also made one for my niece in Colorado with a "Miraculous" theme. The gathering on the Silent Night Dolman took a bit (and I had to hunt down the right kind of interfacing for it), but the one for my niece came together super quick!

Do Not Sew after Midnight

Speaking of recreating past hits, this year my local nephew became a big brother - to twins. Last year, I made him a "Merry Mogwai" sweater, and this year an updated version of the print ran! I ordered it July, and with 8 days left until Christmas, I managed two Lullabye Line Bodysuit Lap Tees from Peekaboo Patterns.

Then for Big Brother (who I suspected might have outgrown his sweater) I followed up with this adorable Zee's Tee:

And because I still had another panel left, I was even able to make another Zee's Tee for their cousin, who lives out of state.

We didn't manage any Christmas Day Photos, but my BIL and SIL sure got a kick out of this set!

Santa is Sus

One good turn deserves another! After A Few Sus Hoodies turned out to be a hit in 2021, I couldn't resist another Impostor print, this time Christmas themed.

For my son I created another Max and Meena Max Raglan - always a hit - and for my daughter I went with the Pattern Niche Dublin Dolman.  

This was my first time making the Dublin Dolman - I was inspired by a creation from the Inky Bluebird, and this shirt came together SUPER fast. It's up for debate whether banding the sleeves is faster or slower than traditional hemming. But not having to set the sleeves in (or even attach them, as with a raglan) is a pretty big time saver. I was very pleased with how the shirt turned out, and the relaxed look was a nice (and kid approved!) departure from most of the skin-tight knit patterns out there. 

Anyways, my kids were crazy for these shirts, and although I didn't finish them until about 2 weeks before Christmas, they were still a festive (and timely!) addition to all the Christmas fun.

Frozen for Construction

Literally the night before my sewing room renovation started, I was in there cutting out two dresses for a pair of sisters who are friends of the family. My machines went upstairs to the bedroom, and I was determined not to let the renovation slow me down on my Christmas (and pre-Christmas!) Sewing.

To that, I now say "Ha!" My bedroom wasn't actually a bad sewing setup, but with the holiday and the renovation going on, playing "musical stuff" with all the things that came out of the sewing room - and prepping to move back into the sewing room - actually kept me pretty busy. 

So, these two dresses became the first project I completed in my new (and still kind of torn-apart) sewing room! I had to stretch it a bit to get 2 dresses out of the fabric, but for a Frozen print, a sister set was just too good to resist. 

The girls were very happy to receive their sister set, and I was very happy to be back in business when it came to sewing in my sewing room. 

Sewing Room Construction - Doors!

The main purpose of separating out my sewing room was to have doors I could close - doors to keep people out, doors to keep the mess in, and doors for some small sense of privacy despite the glass panels. To keep with the aesthetic of my house, I ordered two 24" doors, craftsman style. All the window panes were tempered glass, and I was VERY pleasantly surprised at the cost: we live in the midwest and it was less than $500 for the set. 

And again, renovating through the holidays actually turned out to be a boon for my timeline: my supplier was able to build the doors in just under three weeks! They arrived right before Thanksgiving, and spent the holiday tucked away from my nephews inside the sewing room. The following Monday my contractor installed them, and by the end of the day they were framed. Here they are freshly installed, without any hardware:

Hardware was a ball-and-catch mechanism to keep them closed (it doesn't lock, but I can live with that), and stationary knobs that don't turn, but help push/pull the door open when the user passes through. 

It was almost sad to see them stained to match the rest of the house, but I have to admit that with hardware and baseboards, they looked pretty good!

Doors and paint were the final touch, so here's the end product of our sewing room renovation. Here's a panoramic view from the door:

And here's a view from the of the renovation itself.

Now, to put all that stuff back!

Sewing Room Construction - A Thanksgiving Adventure

In November 2021, contractors were hard at work adding the wall that would eventually separate my sewing room from the dining area. We'd lucked out, and the electrician (typically the long pole in the tent) came and went the weekend before Thanksgiving. We had lighting:

new outlets, and a dimmer switch: 

But the inner walls were still bare, leaving plenty of exposed electrical. 

This wasn't anticipated to be a big deal: We'd just move Thanksgiving to my MIL's apartment. We have other family in the area, but typically they visit *their* in-laws on T-day, leaving our Thanksgiving to be a cozy 5-6 person affair. Well, not *this* year.

3PM on Wednesday before Thanksgiving - as I was taking my kids to to local library for some unstructured play time - my husband got a call from his sister. Having just had twins 2 months prior, she confessed that she wasn't feeling up for the long drive to her husband's family with three kids in tow. So, she wanted to see if they could join our family's celebration instead.

Of course she could! We certainly weren't going to turn down an offer to celebrate Thanksgiving with her and her family (did I mention baby twins???) but... My MIL's apartment was *not* going to accommodate all of us. Soo... back to the drawing board.  

Or more accurately, cue epic panic.

My SIL's son was 3 years old. The sewing room had exposed outlets, and no doors. There was paint, and ladders, and construction supplies and random sewing implements EVERYWHERE in our dining area. Remember, the sewing room is right next to the dining room.

My husband called me, and I rounded up the kids to go home. The first thing we did was send my MIL to the grocery store for an extra ham, but then the next thing we did was tackle the sewing room. 

Fortunately, we had a pet gate that we usually use so we can leave the front door open without letting the cat out: it was JUST wide enough to cover the opening to the sewing room. Phew. 

And then, we had to get everything that was OUTSIDE the sewing room into the sewing room: here's how it looked when we were done:

Thanksgiving that year was lovely - and with the lights off in the sewing room you could barely even see the mess that was in there. But oh boy, was that a memorable holiday, and not just because of the twins!!!