Although I don't have much to show for it on the blog lately, I actually have been spending a fair amount of time on creative projects. Perhaps not as much as I would like--between my return to the working world, and my frequent weekend trips out of town--but I'm still plugging away.
I've been knitting a placket neck pullover from a 1950s pattern, that just so happens to match my couch. Never mind putting away my knitting, I've now trained it to camouflage into its surroundings.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSosGp9HGZm_0blUSFmrDjWpGxKyn3F8I0lGy6D7btK30sklkzxRY1l8jiMKJEGNHQhi3hYSys9qhV4ose6UClN_kz72IJOMXQu4uBgVGhvYfWhtSXScS7KZNNXI_f7mQBjnPche4U-Pw/s400/IMG_7264.JPG)
I've also been sewing. Having unpacked my fabric stash, I'm a bit unhappy with how large it has become--the same goes with my pattern stash. So I'm weeding things out, and have come up with a plan to sew through several things in the upcoming months. I tried out the following two patterns this week, but both ended up as failures-- for the time being.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuPEUbTKn2H7DaVtFtYqXTb2VqOuOv-uJTxU8PFHZg3B-W7hCTlerSd-MkS0BEY1eYTPIXg5QtiJHxyfEFjzQYAtlJ4toG44WwDnuE59nkpLikEIsBfvCXLEyDc6niMK_ma5xE7cCqw8/s400/2593-1.jpg)
I started to make this Cynthia Rowley top out of some gingham I bought for super cheap in Thailand. When I bought it, I was pretty sure it was 100% cotton, but now that I looked at it again, it was clearly a synthetic blend--probably like the poly/cotton gingham they sell at Joann. I'm terrible at working with synthetics at this point (and knits, too, for that matter). I just don't have the skill or patience to deal with things that unravel or change shape. So, this top didn't work out this time, but I still plan on making it again in a natural fiber.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZTTWgN8Yc-eXjjTu9x2q5ah_TyD_edIXOVfkup92dWyRxS5sPzS_NGco2FVAsO9X4Es1XzduZo7aqQfOUh3bKV4K2IM6Cpj9Lkii0EIObjOAz_kJPPRqygaQLaPpguqvbWaEGLs8nhw/s400/B4790.jpg)
I then finally broke out the famous 'walkaway' Butterick dress. I had 5+ yards of uninspiring quilting fabric that I bought for about a $1 at an estate sale. I remembered that I don't like Butterick since they don't print any of the finished garment measurements on the package. And, because of the unique construction of this dress, I found it difficult to determine exactly how I could cut/alter it to get the best fit. After making up most of the dress (which was super easy), I determined that I wasn't going to get a great fit without a lot of tinkering, and quickly decided that I wasn't excited enough about the dress or the fabric to continue.
While it might sound disappointing, this is all progress! I was able to say goodbye to two stash fabrics, and one pattern. On to the next!