Archer Appreciation Month - A plan!

So, I'm a little bit late to the party, but I'm in for Archer Appreciation month hosted by Lucky Lucille and Miss Crayola Creepy! After purchasing this pattern within seconds of it being released back in February, I'm finally getting around to making it up.

Spurred on partly by the release of some new season Liberty at Tessuti and one in particular that I hope will make a very cute Archer (I'll know for sure when it arrives next week) and second, well, right now I feel like I need the discipline of a sewalong to get me out of a rut and to keep me calmly sewing through the Christmas season instead of panic sewing.  Oh there will be plenty of panic present preparation and a little bit of panic Christmas sewing, but I feel like I need this to keep me sane.

Unlike Amy, who managed to sew her fourth (!!!) Archer up in a day (eeek??!!)  I'm just planning on having this done by 31 December (ok - I'll probably try and rush it earlier but let's start out with a realistic date given I'll be away from the 23 - 27 December) just in time to make the Archer Appreciation deadline.

I've set out steps in line with Jen's sewalong that she did earlier in the year.

1. Assemble Pattern Completed Friday 13th! 
2. Cut Muslin
3. Sew Muslin
4. Make changes 
5. Prepare fabric
6. Cut fabric
7. Interfacing
8. Make button bands
9. Pockets
10. Assemble Back 
11. Attach yoke (method 1 or method 2)
12. Sleeve plackets
13. Sleeves and side seams
14. Collar
15. Cuffs and hem
16. Buttons

Mmm, 16 steps by 31 December 2013 in amongst Christmas mania?  Do-able I think.

Are you managing to sew for yourself while also prepare for Christmas? 

Btw, does anyone know how to watch the Liberty of London 4 part TV show in Australia?

FINISHED! Vogue 7600 Archipelago Visor

I've had Vogue 7600 in my pattern wish list for some time but it was only over the weekend that, feeling a bit lowly towards sewing and needing a quick - yet different project, that I decided to give it a go.  I love a visor and used to have a Helen Kaminski rafia visor that I wore all the time until I lost it somewhere..  so of all the patterns it of course view C has always jumped out at me.

I would have liked to make this up in a chambray but I didn't have any.. so the next best thing, some Liberty leftovers.  You may recognise this as Archipelago (from the Spring Summer 2013 Tresco collection), which I used to make my first Mathilde.

The pattern was straightforward and easy and now that I've worked out how to install my quilting foot on my machine top stitching was a pleasure. I made one tiny mistake.. sewing the visor with a 1.5cm seam allowance instead of a 1cm seam but as I made up the small the slight difference in the visor size is not too noticeable.

 

I've tied it a bit messy at the back which suits me more than the way it is on the envelope with the large flap 'hanging out'. I do need to practise this a bit though.

I like this hat and hope I get lots of wear out of it. I think there is definitely a chambray version in my future.

The 2013 Family Photo Book..

Gosh, an annual family photo book sure does take a long time. What with weeding through hundreds of photos and then organising them into order - it isn't far off the time required to sew something really great. Alas, no sewing around these parts while this annual chore has been taking place, but... I can happily report that it is now done and ordered.  One for us, one for my Mum and one each for Ben's Mum and Dad.

I first started creating photo books when I put all of my Dad's slides into a photo book.  I then made up a book for our trip to France in 2011.  I followed up again last year. It's lovely to think that even as all the digital photos seem to become lost in the cyber ether we have a book on the shelf ready to flip through.

While making this I came across an ad for turning blog posts into a book. Not a bad idea for the future. But for now... I need to get back into sewing after my dismal effort with the spotty bomber.  I have a few things in mind so stay tuned.

Do you do an annual photo book?