gleek.net : the big one!

the big one!

only two more days and the peanut will be ONE YEAR OLD! holy crap. we managed to make it through her whole first year without any fatalities. amazing. i’ll have photos to post after this weekend. tomorrow we’re heading upstate to my parents’ place for some R&R before the big party on saturday. KP’s hoping to golf with my parents and i’m hoping to get a little knitting done. we’ll see. it’s a whole new house to explore now that she’s crawling.

mobile!

here she is in action. i can’t stop her now! good thing i ordered a baby gate from amazon yesterday.

in honor of the peanut’s big day, i made myself that skirt. the drafting turned out pretty good and i got to work last week on the actual sewing. had some problems with the zipper, of course. i guess you can’t install a regular zipper like an invisible one like i thought i could. lesson learned.

skirt done!

here it is! it fits reasonably well and it’s lined with the cotton sheeting that i used as a template. check out that blind hem stitch! i used this tutorial to figure it out. in the end, my zipper looks passable.

my zipper install

but here’s what i’m going to do different for the next skirt.

install the zipper along the center of the seam. i used this video tutorial to install it and she had it placed to the side of the seam. well, it didn’t turn out that great and i think that my stitching would be straighter if i placed it on center. if anyone has any tips, please pass them along.
i’m going to make the rise the same in the front and back. currently, my pattern has an extra .5″ rise in the front and 1.5″ rise in the back. this is what my measurements said to do but i think that i can cut it back to .5″ on both the front and back and just use one pattern piece.
i’m going use this technique for hemming a curved hem. MY GOD i wish i had seen it before i tried the first time. my first hem was ATROCIOUS. so much so that i ended up hacking off the damn curve along the bottom. i made the hem straight and, while it doesn’t look bad, i think that it would look better curved.
still gotta cut out a little more on the hips. man this patterner’s got HIPS!
i’ll make the next one a little shorter.

so all in all, a good experience and i like the outcome. now what? i think it’s time to cast on for the second sock. this one’s a little lonely.

in randomness, one of my favorite authors, arthur c. clarke, died this week. i distinctly remember reading childhood’s end and rendezvous with rama as a teenager. ah, summer reading on our sun porch back in michigan! these two books really ignited a spark in me for great science-based fiction that has yet to die out. i really loved this article at wired about him. he was a truly great man and will be missed.

Mary McK

The Sew U book has a great section on installing zippers. It transformed my whole sewing universe. Thought I have to admit my zipper installing techniques were pretty sub-par to begin with so it didn’t take much.

Mar 20, 2008 @ 8:26 PM

jess

Happy 1st Birthday to the Peanut!

I love your skirt! There was a good zipper tutorial in the Betsy Ross pattern I used for one of my skirts, but it doesn’t seem to be available on their site yet (but there is a placeholder for it).

I love that turtle fabric

Mar 20, 2008 @ 8:50 PM

Carrie

I love the skirt! It turned out so cute! Zippers seriously scare the crap out of me. I have the Sew U book, though, so maybe I should check the section in that.

The Peanut looks so adorable in that picture. She looks like a little person!

Mar 21, 2008 @ 12:56 AM

carrie m

have a great weekend! i really wish i could make it to the party, but i’ll be sending you happy birthday vibes instead.

Mar 21, 2008 @ 8:40 AM

Gina

Happy First to Peanut! Great job on the skirt.

Mar 21, 2008 @ 9:45 AM

colleen

The zipper looks great. Thank for the link to the tutorials. The only tip that I can say about zippers is that (as with all things sewing) practice makes perfect.

Mar 21, 2008 @ 10:27 AM

Veronique

Wow, the Peanut has a full head of hair! Amazing.

Yes, blind hems are awesome!! Once you figure out how to use that weird-looking foot, it’s hard to go back to hand hemming… Love the turtles by the way

Mar 21, 2008 @ 10:29 AM

Sarah

Even if you don’t think it’s perfect, the kissing turtles make me really happy!

Happy birthday to Little Miss C.! She’s going to think all the Easter folderol is just for her!

Mar 21, 2008 @ 11:57 AM

Kim

Wow, a year already!

Happy 1st birthday, Peanut!

The skirt’s adorable, too. Not as adorable as the Peanut, but it looks great.

Mar 21, 2008 @ 12:00 PM

laura b

The time goes by so fast, doesn’t it?! One year already! Happy birthday, Peanut!

Hope you have a great birthday weekend!

Mar 21, 2008 @ 2:52 PM

Octopus Knits

Happy birthday, peanut! Great skirt : )

Mar 21, 2008 @ 3:57 PM

melissa

give the peanut my best, sorry I can’t make it this weekend!

cute skirt – and your 1st attempt at an invisible zipper looks about 10 times better than mine was!

Mar 22, 2008 @ 12:59 AM

stinkerbell

happy happy birthday to the peanut!!

and love the pattern on the skirt

Mar 22, 2008 @ 8:51 AM

femiknitter

The skirt looks wonderful! I don’t see any of the problems you point out! I’ve that fabric, too.

And, of course, happy early birthday peanut!

Mar 22, 2008 @ 9:32 AM

georgia

happy birthday, peanut!!!

Mar 22, 2008 @ 1:38 PM

schrodinger

The skirt looks great in person!! So sad about Arthur C. Clarke – I, apparently, live under a rock.

Mar 22, 2008 @ 10:19 PM

alison

She’s one now! I hope you all enjoyed her birthday. xo

Mar 23, 2008 @ 12:14 PM

sarah b.

I can’t believe the peanut is already a year old! It goes by so fast!!!

Mar 23, 2008 @ 5:09 PM

yaiAnn

Happy Birthday P-nutty!! That skirt, adorable and perfect for spring and summer!

Mar 24, 2008 @ 1:19 PM

Marie

Happy Birthday Peanut! That skirt is adorable – I Love the turtles!

Mar 24, 2008 @ 2:36 PM

Casey

The skirt looks great! I hope peanut had a fabulous birthday!! What a big milestone!

Mar 24, 2008 @ 7:31 PM

HEJ

Happy Birthday! Hooray for one year olds!

I’m sad about Arthur C. Clarke. I read Rendevouz last year and loved it. I am on the second Rama, that one is not so good. Should I keep going? Have you read the series??

Mar 25, 2008 @ 1:02 AM

claire

one whole year!!! yay peanut!

the skirt looks great! i love that fabric

Mar 25, 2008 @ 5:26 AM

brenda in toronto

happy hugs to the peanut! and curved hems = one reason i rarely sew anymore

Mar 25, 2008 @ 10:06 AM

mamie

happy birthday, little one year old nut. i feel as if it was yesterday that i came here and saw here announcement picture. how are you doing, lovely skirted mama of a one year old? feeling okay?..i know i am already starting to trip out that the twins are going to be one in a month. wow.

Mar 25, 2008 @ 11:30 PM