Our FI Nest

I bought this fabric from l'oiseau fabrics   during their last spring sale and have been procrastinating with it ever since. I sewed up a Lisette skirt back in February which I quite like, but haven't actually worn yet. I keep hoping for warmer weather. Then this past weekend I sewed up the majority of what I had left of the black and roses using Jalie 3245 . The neckline is a bit wider than I hoped, mostly to being stretched out as I sewed it, but I'm hoping it'll relax bit with it's next washing. Over all I'm really happy with it and the pattern just makes me happy. Other thing that makes me happy... Having a full me-made outfit, including jeans, shirt and coat. I've really been focusing on sewing for me this last little bit, filling some holes in my wardrobe left from a shopping ban of roughly 2 years so getting to the point where I can wear so many of my own makes (and actually like them!) is really gratifying.

This year I've been really trying hard to conquer my fear and tackle some of the projects that have scare me. Mostly because I'm afraid of wasting money spent on fabric. I bought this softshell  (not the same colour) from l'oiseau fabrics last year, planning to sew up the Jalie City Coat I likely bought around 2008. So finally sewing this up checked off two boxes, fabric languishing in the stash and the pattern I'd never used. I decided I needed to make a muslin before cutting into my $50 fabric (most I've spent for a single garment) and was happy when I found this ponte (I think it's ponte anyways) on the fabric clearance wall at fabricland. Before starting I added an inch in length to the upper bodice (my usual modification) and cut it out. The pockets were gaping a bit so I added about an inch to the side seams to give myself a bit more room in the hips and tummy and then nervously cut out my softshell.  My frugal self did regret buyi

A common theme I've noticed amongst women my age (nearing in on 40), is that we tend to be seeking to find meaning in our lives. Figure out what we want from life. Where are we going?  What gives us purpose? Those are hard questions. Questions that I think put way too much pressure on us. Pressure to do something amazing with life. To continue to attain high reaching goals. There is nothing wrong with that, unless that pressure is causing you to feel anxiety, guilt or that you are not enough. Instead, I prefer to focus on what makes my best life. What do I need to feel content? What do I need to keep myself on that path? What do I need to avoid? This has shifted me to focusing on the present rather than the future which I've done for most of my life. I believe everyone is going to come to these reflections from different places in life. Whether it's because you're coming from a place of privilege where you have reached your main life goals and are now trying to figu

Can't quite say that spring is here, but my eldest son has switched over to only wearing summer PJ's and unfortunately only has one pair. Time to whip up an extra pair for him. Hunted through the fabric stash and found a shirt I'd picked up at a second hand store to re-fashion and it matched some fabric I had actually transferred to the donation pile. After re-measuring my son it was time to trace off the size up. I sewed him up a Nico for the top and a pair of Gerald 's for the shorts. The neckband is a bit more stretched than the normal Nico as the fabric did not have as much of recovery. Mental note that cotton lycra really is the best, and to always use it at least for the neck band. I also did an exposed waistband rather than the covered to give a little extra length to the briefs as the green fabric didn't have the required lengthwise stretch. Then to get a bit of extra wear out of the shirt over the course of the week and because my son is