Sunday, August 26, 2012

Secrets

Oh hi! I wish I had something finished to share, but sadly most of my free time lately has been devoted to online classes that I'm taking or the test that I'm studying to take in December. My poor dining table sewing table has been taken over by my studies. I keep my pressing tools and cutting mats out to remind myself that, one day, the table will return to its usual purpose of sewing. Those shirts draped over the chair aren't going to alter themselves!

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I have been able to sneak in some work on a few secret projects that I can't share until the end of this year. That's right: I'm already working on Christmas gifts (mostly on the train ride home in the afternoon). Before you start thinking that I'm crazy, let me explain. Knowing that I'll have very limited free time this fall due to aforementioned courses and studying, in addition to the impending renovation of our entire first floor in the next couple of months (I hope! We're meeting with a contractor on Thursday!), I knew that I needed to start early in order to get everything done on time. I also had to limit the number of hand-made gifts that I'm giving this year, which makes me sad, but I know that it's necessary. So here are a few sneak peaks at what I'm working on.

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I also have a bunch of half-finished projects. Sitting at the bottom of a bag in my closet are a half-made Cambie (which won't be worn until next summer at this point), a finished muslin of Simplicity 2475 waiting to be cut in real fabric, a half-complete muslin of the Lisette Traveler dress, and a stack of finished quilt blocks waiting to be pieced together to make the first quilt that I will keep for myself.

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I'm working on the skirt as part of this session's sewing classes, but I'm guessing that the others won't get finished until I either finish the skirt and continue on to the next project or when I go on Christmas break for a week. Thankfully my courses and test will be over in mid-December, so I'll at least have a couple of weeks to cram in any last-minute gift making before Christmas. Hopefully I'll be back with an update for you before then!