Challenge complete with two days to spare

Well, my peeps, my January Challenge is complete! I made BurdaStyle 109 from the January 2015 issue.
I have 2 1/2 years worth of issues and this is the first one I actually traced, sewed and completed! I first forgot to add seam allowances! Doh! I caught that pretty quickly.

At first, I was not crazy about how they fashioned it in the magazine. Evil snow queen?

It reminded me of something...?

But when I saw a few ladies' reviews, I was psyched to try it! This skirt even has more detailed instructions in the magazine. Bonus!
This skirt sews up pretty quickly, every piece fit together perfectly. I hemmed the skirt flounce side pieces before attaching them to the first layer. Here's how I hemmed it... Serged the edge and folded it up 1/4" and sewed. So easy, it's like cheating!

The fabric is wool, gifted to me from a ladies old stash. It comes with a little musty smell to it.
It's been ages since I put in an invisible zipper, since I've been sewing with knits so much. I referred to Sunni's Craftsy class "Mastering Zipper Techniques", which is invaluable! She's an excellent teacher and this is a free class!

Sorry for the dark pictures. My goal is to get better at photography. (Or sweet-talk my sweetie to!)
I put on heels for the photo, because my road-salt-stained boots didn't look too great. We just had a major snowstorm here in New England. I was close to the seacoast for work this morning, so spent some time with  my son and his girlfriend walking around in the quaint, historic town of Newmarket, NH. They had about 30 inches of snow there! It was a beautiful day, with the brilliant blue sky and white snow!
Thanks for reading!

Burda Challenge 2015

I'm jumping into the Burda Challenge 2015.

I love the concept! I'm choosing something I'd never gravitate to in a regular pattern. Thank you, Dawn, for coming up with it! She has already made this skirt, #109
I got a late start, and just cut out a muslin.

I had a really busy week at work, but managed to sneak in a hike up Piper Mountain.
This is part of the Belknap Range in central New Hampshire, which includes Gunstock Ski Area.
It's a great 2.6 mile hike, and if I have a couple hours to spare, I enjoy a quick lunch on the summit, then head back down. It was an overcast day, but still well worth the effort! Clears the mind!

Well, back up to the sewing room. I love Saturdays!!!!

Stash busting Chiffon with New Look 6303

I fell in love New Look 6303, went to my stash and pulled out this lovely cotton/silk.

.....and then the fear struck.

What if it doesn't fit??

What if the style is bad for me??

So back to the stash I went, found 2.5 yards of Crinkle Poly/Chiffon (also from FabricMart... $1.99 a yard...WoooHooo) to use as a wearable muslin. No fear now, cause I'm not a chiffon-kind-of-gal!

I made view B with the elastic back.

Chiffon is really sheer, so I decided to underline the back using the self fabric.

What I learned about chiffon is...Life is too short to sew chiffon! Ugh

I even cut it on tissue paper. Pretty stretchy.

The underlined piece and the back piece didn't line up too hot. Chiffon, you're a jerk! I averaged them together and sewed away.

As it turns out, I love it! The sleeves are one layer, so kinds sheer... which makes a nice contrast. The back is a little short, therefor I can't bend over without showing some skin. Next time, I'm going with View C. 

I'm also going to grade up a little from size 14.. maybe it was the fabric..?

The instructions were fine. I hand sewed the neck binding down, which was a great choice. It looks nice without the line of machine stitching.

The front flip is so cool, which makes this a real winner in my book!

To further add to my stash busting effort, I made a scarf with the chiffon for Bailey.

See you next time! 

The Team Color McCalls 6996

This is the third time making M6996, View C, but the first make of the year. Go me!

 This Ponte Knit was from FabricMart. Oh man, do I love this stuff! It's made of Poly/Rayon blend. When I opened it, my boyfriend remarked that it looked like team colors, which of course stuck in my head. I muslined a pull-on pleated skirt with it, and realized what a dream it is to sew. I had plenty left for this cardigan. Oh ya!

The fit of this is great. I brought the shoulder seams in about 1/2". The arms are tight (I forgot to widen them, Doh) so it'll be worn with a tank. Not sure I like how the band gets sewed to a pre-sewn hem. If you have to take in the shoulder seam at all, they won't line up!

To remedy that, I pinned the band on the body and tested how they lined up. I had to sew the bottom seam deeper. Then I served the band on, nice and neat!

Here's the first two, View C in a striped burn-out knit, and view B in a wavy textured knit. All from FabricMart. I can't resist their sales!! The front lefts look droopy in these photos. Hmmm, gotta check that out!

Have a great day!

Hello and Welcome!

Hello and welcome! This is the first post at Backpacks and a Bernina. It's kind of intimidating, but I'm just going to jump in and learn along the way. I've been reading blogs (mostly sewing) for years and get so much inspiration and enjoyment from the talented seamstresses out there! Maybe a little too much inspiration! I see a garment I get excited about, hurry up and purchase the pattern, then something shiny goes by and gets my attention. The first pattern gets put into the stash and forgotten. So goes the cycle! Oh well! I love my stash and my time spent sewing! 

This blog is also about hiking. I want to document my hikes and my sewing projects. What better time to start than the first month of a new year!!