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Finished Summer of Basics Garments

Summer is already almost over. And I'm happy to announce that I finished my three Summer of Basics garments last weekend. This is my second round participating in this project and I really love that it pushes me to actually tackle those more intimdating projects.

Here are my three finished garments:

JAMES SWEATER by Amy Miller

Yarn: Lang Yarns Baby Cotton
Size made: 36
Modifications: To avoid getting a too A-shaped sweater I made less increase rounds to the body.

This sweater is my new favorite sweater! I really see why so many people made this. The fit is perfect and the cotton makes it a super soft garment. I'm already planning another one in a different color.

 

SCOUT TEE by Grainline Studio

Fabric: cotton gauze
Size made: 6
Modifications: I used my favorite rtw shirt as a pattern for the bottom of this tee. I added a round hem and lengthen the shirt.

I hoped to replace a shirt I had in my wardrobe for quite a while but was a bit too small around the bust. I really like the fit of this shirt. The round hem is okay, but not really perfect and I don't like how it sticks out. I will definitely make this pattern again, but next time I'll make the original one with the straight hem.

 

EMERSON CROP PANTS by True Bias

Fabric: Linen mix
Size made: 6
Modifications: none

So, these pants. They are the true star of my three garments. I already wore them several times this summer. The fit is perfect and they are so so comfy. The instructions are very clear and they came together super fast. With a thicker sweater or cardigan I can definitely wear them in fall as well. And I love that I can dress them up or down.

The three garments don't fit together really well, because the shirt is too long and looks odd under the sweater. But the pants and the sweater are a great match.

Summer of Basics 2018

 

It's the second time I participate in the three month long make-along called "Summer of Basics". The idea is to make three basics (and that could be anything) in three months (June-August). Last year I sewed a skirt and a camisole and knitted a sweater. I still love those three items and wear them a lot. So that make-along was a huge success.

I appreciate to be part of a community where there are so many people making something all over the world. This is really inspiring and it also helps me to stay on track. Knitting is easy for me, because I can do it everywhere and all the time. With sewing it's a bit more difficult to find the time. You can't do anything else while sewing. You have to sit there and work on your project. I guess that's the main reason why I don't sew as much as I would love to.

So for this round I decided to make the following three garments:

James Sweater by Amy Miller
I knit it in black cotton yarn. This project will fill a gap in my wardrobe because I don't have a black simple sweater in it. This project will be my comfort project. A simple pattern with no special techniques.

Scout Tee by Grainline Studio
I love the patterns from Grainline Studio. They fit me well. So I'm excited to try something new. I will make the tee in a pink cotton gauze fabric which I bought at my local fabric store. I modified this shirt a bit (I wanted to have a round hem) to replicate a favorite shirt I had but which was a little bit too small. 

Emerson Crop Pants by True Bias
So this project will be my wild card. I'm not 100% sure I will wear these pants but the look so great I have to give them a try. I bought a navy blue linen blend fabric and I'm super excited to give them a try. True Bias patterns are another favorite around here, so I'm looking forward to see how well these will fit and if I will feel comfortable wearing them.

I bought all the supplies and already started with the James Sweater. For the Scout Tee I printed and cut the pattern and also made my adjustments to it. For the pants I still have to print and cut the pattern (I always get the pdf patterns) and decide which size to make. But I'd say I am on track...

Week in the Life™ 2018

This past weekend I finished my Week in the Life™ album. This time I didn't wait too long to work on my album after the actual documentation happened. It definitely helped, that I did the same thing like last year.

STEP ONE // The first step was to make a plan. I followed the page formula above. Each day started with the transparency divider. Then I added my text and if I didn't write enough to fill the back completely, I also added a photo there. Then came one page protector with four 3x4" pockets. Into the pocket on the top right I added a see-through element (most of the times I used the transparency hexagons from the main kit). After that I used the two 4x6" pocket page protector where I made two 3x4" pockets on the top with my sewing machine. On the last page, into the top left pocket I added the 3x4" journal card from the main kit where I wrote down, what I loved about that day. 

If I had too many photos from that day, I used an insert between the two page protectors.

STEP TWO // I had more words than last year so I went with a full page (mine is 6.75 x 8.25" big) where I added a chipboard sticker on the top. Because I wrote the words each day during the actual Week in the Life™, this didn't take very long. I adjusted the text here and there but it stayed pretty much the same.

STEP THREE // was all about the photos. I took more photos than I could use in my album. So I picked the ones that represented the day in the best possible way. I didn't need three photos of me sitting on my desk at the office on three different days. One was totally more than enough. The same goes with everything else. I resized the photos in Photoshop Elements, printed them at home (I use an EPSON Sure Color P400 printer) on A4 paper (I use Canon Semi-Gloss Photo Paper) and cut them out.

The next step was to add a date stamp to each photo. I love this one from Ali Edwards.

STEP FOUR // And then came the fun part (well that's the part I love most). Adding embellishments to almost every photo, picking transparencies for the one pocket on the top right and bringing it all together.

 And it goes on the shelf with my other four albums. I love this in-depth documentation of our life so much. It really shows what we are doing and what's important right now.