Christmas Makes: Finlayson Sweaters, a White Russian Sweatshirt

Eating, and eating, and more eating!

I had a wonderful holiday, I got to go home for two weeks and spend a bunch of time with my family. It was great to get away from work and things in CO for awhile, but it is nice to be back. There's a few weeks before the semester actually starts back up again so I have time to get back in the swing of things here, and do some recharging. Before I left for break I did quite a bit of sewing. I made both of my roommates By Hand London Sabrina dresses (which I'm not going to post today because I only have one subpar picture). Both dresses fit great considering I didn't make muslins of them as I wanted them to be a surprise. I ended up hemming one by about 4 inches and taking the other in just a wee bit on the sides.

Fabric: Black Ethnic Diamond on White Cotton French Terry Blend Knit Fabric - Girl Charlee 
             2 x 1 White Cotton Solid Rib Knit - Girl Charlee
Pattern: Finlayson Sweater Pattern - Thread Theory Designs, Inc. 

I've never made my brother, dad, or grandpa anything I've sewn so I thought this Christmas I'd gift them all with Finlayson Sweaters. This was my first time using a Thread Theory pattern and my first time really sewing any menswear. I thought the pattern instructions were clear and organized and very well written, and all three of my sweaters turned out fantastic. One thing I really liked about this pattern was the different ways you could customize the sweater. I chose to make the version lacking the hood and front pocket, but I was still able to add details at the collar and back of the neck. I think the collar is my favorite part of this sweater. I love how it folds over and how the use of a contrasting fabric really stands out. This sweater was for my brother who's 23. I thought this print was really fun and 'young' and I was hoping he'd like it a lot.

 

My brother modeling! It fit him great, he even wore it as his Christmas outfit

The fit on this ended up being great, it was a little bit loose in the arms, but I think that's due to the fabric having a lot of stretch. Hopefully once it's washed it'll tighten up a bit. 

Fabric: Deep Forest Cotton Modal Lycra French Terry Knit & Sandalwood Cotton Modal Lycra French Terry Knit -
          Girl Charlee

I unfortunately didn't get pictures of my dad and grandpa wearing their Finlayson's, but they fit them both great as well. I made my dad the Forest Green one and my grandpa the Sandalwood color. I think they were both surprised that I had made them sweaters. It was fun to see the looks on their faces when they realized that, yes, I really did make them! For these two I didn't use ribbing on the cuffs or hem, instead I just used the terry knit fabric. Girl Charlee didn't have ribbing in matching colors and I thought white or black would stand out too much.

Fabric: Koala Gray Cotton Jersey Sweatshirt Fleece Fabric - Girl Charlee
             Black Cotton Solid Rib Knit - Girl Charlee
             Black Piping - JoAnn Fabrics
Pattern: White Russian Sweatshirt - Capital Chic Patterns

Last, but certainly not the least is a gray quilted White Russian Sweatshirt that I made for my mom. I've made two White Russians before ( one quilted and another appliqued ) and loved the way they both turned out. My mom had previously mentioned wanting a quilted one, and boy did I pull out all the stops on this one. I loved the way it turned out so much I wanted to keep it. I used real ribbing for the cuffs, hem, and collar which makes it look more like a RTW item. My favorite detail besides the quilting is the black piping I added at the raglan seams! I'm not going to lie, I was inspired by the piping on this fabulous wool top that Katy from Katy & Laney made. All in all I think it was a successful, but a little stressful, handmade gift giving season.  Next year if I make clothes for my family I want to start much much earlier that way I don't have to cram it all in last minute. I'm planning on posting again later today or sometime tomorrow on all of the upcoming projects I have planned. Can't wait to get back to my sewing machine now that I've had some time away.

Eating, and eating, and more eating!

I had a wonderful holiday, I got to go home for two weeks and spend a bunch of time with my family. It was great to get away from work and things in CO for awhile, but it is nice to be back. There's a few weeks before the semester actually starts back up again so I have time to get back in the swing of things here, and do some recharging. Before I left for break I did quite a bit of sewing. I made both of my roommates By Hand London Sabrina dresses (which I'm not going to post today because I only have one subpar picture). Both dresses fit great considering I didn't make muslins of them as I wanted them to be a surprise. I ended up hemming one by about 4 inches and taking the other in just a wee bit on the sides.

Fabric: Black Ethnic Diamond on White Cotton French Terry Blend Knit Fabric - Girl Charlee 
             2 x 1 White Cotton Solid Rib Knit - Girl Charlee
Pattern: Finlayson Sweater Pattern - Thread Theory Designs, Inc. 

I've never made my brother, dad, or grandpa anything I've sewn so I thought this Christmas I'd gift them all with Finlayson Sweaters. This was my first time using a Thread Theory pattern and my first time really sewing any menswear. I thought the pattern instructions were clear and organized and very well written, and all three of my sweaters turned out fantastic. One thing I really liked about this pattern was the different ways you could customize the sweater. I chose to make the version lacking the hood and front pocket, but I was still able to add details at the collar and back of the neck. I think the collar is my favorite part of this sweater. I love how it folds over and how the use of a contrasting fabric really stands out. This sweater was for my brother who's 23. I thought this print was really fun and 'young' and I was hoping he'd like it a lot.

 

My brother modeling! It fit him great, he even wore it as his Christmas outfit

The fit on this ended up being great, it was a little bit loose in the arms, but I think that's due to the fabric having a lot of stretch. Hopefully once it's washed it'll tighten up a bit. 

Fabric: Deep Forest Cotton Modal Lycra French Terry Knit & Sandalwood Cotton Modal Lycra French Terry Knit -
          Girl Charlee

I unfortunately didn't get pictures of my dad and grandpa wearing their Finlayson's, but they fit them both great as well. I made my dad the Forest Green one and my grandpa the Sandalwood color. I think they were both surprised that I had made them sweaters. It was fun to see the looks on their faces when they realized that, yes, I really did make them! For these two I didn't use ribbing on the cuffs or hem, instead I just used the terry knit fabric. Girl Charlee didn't have ribbing in matching colors and I thought white or black would stand out too much.

Fabric: Koala Gray Cotton Jersey Sweatshirt Fleece Fabric - Girl Charlee
             Black Cotton Solid Rib Knit - Girl Charlee
             Black Piping - JoAnn Fabrics
Pattern: White Russian Sweatshirt - Capital Chic Patterns

Last, but certainly not the least is a gray quilted White Russian Sweatshirt that I made for my mom. I've made two White Russians before ( one quilted and another appliqued ) and loved the way they both turned out. My mom had previously mentioned wanting a quilted one, and boy did I pull out all the stops on this one. I loved the way it turned out so much I wanted to keep it. I used real ribbing for the cuffs, hem, and collar which makes it look more like a RTW item. My favorite detail besides the quilting is the black piping I added at the raglan seams! I'm not going to lie, I was inspired by the piping on this fabulous wool top that Katy from Katy & Laney made. All in all I think it was a successful, but a little stressful, handmade gift giving season.  Next year if I make clothes for my family I want to start much much earlier that way I don't have to cram it all in last minute. I'm planning on posting again later today or sometime tomorrow on all of the upcoming projects I have planned. Can't wait to get back to my sewing machine now that I've had some time away.

Easter 2013 ( Part 2)

How was everyone's Easter? Mine was awesome, we celebrated by having Easter dinner on Saturday and everything came out phenomenally. The ham was perfect and the lemon vinaigrette on the potatoes was really good, I can't wait to make those potatoes again during the week for dinners. The vinaigrette was also delicious as a salad dressing and I had a head of romaine in the fridge so I pulled that out so it wouldn't go to waste. Easter morning we were out in Breckenridge and I woke up with a gigantic Easter basket in front of my face! Corey, the Easter bunny, surprised me. I didn't think we were doing Easter baskets this year since we have so much candy left from Christmas still, but now we have even more. We spent Easter day snowboarding at Keystone and it was the perfect day, blue skies, warm, and spring snow. Monday was April Fool's Day, also known as Gaper Day on the mountain. A gaper is typically a new snowboarder or someone who has no idea what they're doing and just gets in the way of the people who do. Everyone dresses up like a gaper, in 80's snow gear, or in crazy costumes and just parties all day. All in all it was a great time hanging out with the Breckenridge family, it always feels like a mini-vacation when we go out there. My friend Kenzie, who's an amazing photographer took a bunch of pictures of everyone and the dogs so I'll have to post those when she sends them to me.

How was everyone's Easter? Mine was awesome, we celebrated by having Easter dinner on Saturday and everything came out phenomenally. The ham was perfect and the lemon vinaigrette on the potatoes was really good, I can't wait to make those potatoes again during the week for dinners. The vinaigrette was also delicious as a salad dressing and I had a head of romaine in the fridge so I pulled that out so it wouldn't go to waste. Easter morning we were out in Breckenridge and I woke up with a gigantic Easter basket in front of my face! Corey, the Easter bunny, surprised me. I didn't think we were doing Easter baskets this year since we have so much candy left from Christmas still, but now we have even more. We spent Easter day snowboarding at Keystone and it was the perfect day, blue skies, warm, and spring snow. Monday was April Fool's Day, also known as Gaper Day on the mountain. A gaper is typically a new snowboarder or someone who has no idea what they're doing and just gets in the way of the people who do. Everyone dresses up like a gaper, in 80's snow gear, or in crazy costumes and just parties all day. All in all it was a great time hanging out with the Breckenridge family, it always feels like a mini-vacation when we go out there. My friend Kenzie, who's an amazing photographer took a bunch of pictures of everyone and the dogs so I'll have to post those when she sends them to me.

Easter Dinner 2013 Part 1

It's hard to throw a holiday dinner for only a handful of people. You want to make all of your favorite or traditional dishes, but sometimes cutting down the recipe size goes wrong, or even if it goes right you're still left with loads of food. Holiday leftovers are always delicious the first day or two after, but by midweek you start thinking along the lines of, "If I never see ham again it will still be too soon." When planning Easter dinner this year C and I decided to keep things small, deviate from our traditional favorite recipes, and only have one dessert. I'd love to make more than one dessert, but there's only us two and C is not as big of a sweets fan as me, and I'm probably going to eat most of the one dessert I do make. We're inviting my friend Danielle, who's also in graduate school with, over to enjoy and feast with us so all in all it should be a good time.

Our Easter Menu as planned thus far (click on the links for the detailed recipes!)
- Glazed Ham with Horseradish Cream
- Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Deviled Eggs
- Broccoli Gratin (we're using mozzarella & Parmesan cheese instead of cheddar)
- Lemon Squares

If you don't have an Easter menu planned out yet here's one that can at least serve as a basis for your meal, if you're cooking for a crowd just add a few more side dishes, appetizers, and desserts and you'll be set for Sunday. I'm getting started cooking early in the morning, we're doing our dinner Saturday night, and I'll be sure to post some pictures of how things turn out.

It's hard to throw a holiday dinner for only a handful of people. You want to make all of your favorite or traditional dishes, but sometimes cutting down the recipe size goes wrong, or even if it goes right you're still left with loads of food. Holiday leftovers are always delicious the first day or two after, but by midweek you start thinking along the lines of, "If I never see ham again it will still be too soon." When planning Easter dinner this year C and I decided to keep things small, deviate from our traditional favorite recipes, and only have one dessert. I'd love to make more than one dessert, but there's only us two and C is not as big of a sweets fan as me, and I'm probably going to eat most of the one dessert I do make. We're inviting my friend Danielle, who's also in graduate school with, over to enjoy and feast with us so all in all it should be a good time.

Our Easter Menu as planned thus far (click on the links for the detailed recipes!)
- Glazed Ham with Horseradish Cream
- Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Deviled Eggs
- Broccoli Gratin (we're using mozzarella & Parmesan cheese instead of cheddar)
- Lemon Squares

If you don't have an Easter menu planned out yet here's one that can at least serve as a basis for your meal, if you're cooking for a crowd just add a few more side dishes, appetizers, and desserts and you'll be set for Sunday. I'm getting started cooking early in the morning, we're doing our dinner Saturday night, and I'll be sure to post some pictures of how things turn out.