Grey Wool Trouser Challenge continued...

I had posted a few finished items last week from my trouser re-purposing challenge.  I must say, this has been a lot of fun. When you are limited in how much fabric is available to work with, you definitely need to get creative. Here is another finished item, born of the grey wool trousers...

This artist's pencil wrap was made from the remaining trouser leg. Note the absence of ruffles! This is because I did not make this for myself...this is for my husband-to-be. (Surprise, Sweetie!) He had been asking for one for some time, but I never had any fabric in my stash that was masculine enough. This wool, I think, is just perfectly suited for him.

The interior lining is also re-purposed from an article of clothing destined for the charity bin (a chocolate brown stretch denim skirt). I think the two colours work well together. Keeping with the masculine theme, I opted for a leather cord wrap (instead of ribbon).  One of the many buttons from the orginal garment finish off the closure. Included (at my fiance's request) is a pocket to tuck your eraser into, as well as a loop to hold your pencil sharpener.  There are slots for 12 pencils (24 will easily fit, if you double up) I am pleased with the way this turned out, and I can't wait to present this little gift.

More to come...

For the Love of Pink!

I am doing my first charity run in a very long time. On Sunday, October 4th, I will be at the Toronto run site for the CIBC Run for the Cure, to support the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  I am very excited, and can't wait.  I am part of the Booty Camp Fitness women's team.  I have sponsored many friends in the past, but never physically took part. I am told that this will be a wonderfully emotional event for all participants.

For those of you not familiar with the event, this will be a 5K run or 1K walk at several locations across Canada. I just want to thank all of my generous sponsors for helping me to reach my fundraising goal.  I plan to do this run again next year and as often as I am able to in the coming years.  I have not been directly touched by breast cancer, but I have friends who have. I will be running for their mothers, sisters, daughters and wives that have lost the battle. But I will also be running for the survivors in the hopes that they will continue to overcome the disease and live long, happy lives.

So Long, Booty Camp...For Now

Today is my last day at Booty Camp Fitness (*sniff*).  I probably should have been blogging about this challenge all along, (sharing my progress) but I was on such a sewing rant for the longest while... Perhaps in the new year, I will keep you all posted on my weekly progress when I re-enlist. 

I had joined Booty Camp Fitness back in June and have been faithfully participating ever since. I have always been moderately active, but my exercise really only consisted of brisk walks or boring treadmill and elliptical programs. Sure, I dabbled here and there with a few resistance workouts, but it was hard to stay motivated and I inevitably fell off the wagon. I had no one willing to work out with me and little motivation. Having jobs that placed me in a cubicle for 9 hours a day did not help matters either.

I had seen the poster for Booty Camp Fitness several times on my regular routes around the city. One day particular day in May however I stopped to read the information:  Women's only...outdoor...just 2 nights a week?!   Why not?  I checked it out online and after some thought, I signed up for 4 weeks.  Couldn't hurt, right? If I don't like it, I can just stop going once my sessions are up. I must say, it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made, really.  I am on the petite end of the size spectrum and I am slim. I did not join for the sake of weight loss, but because I wanted to be fit, stronger, and in shape.

My class was every Tuesday and Thursday evening for one hour.  It was nice that it was outdoors, the fresh air pumping through your system... I was unsure about the idea at first, for fear of rain or cooler temperatrures. But I have come to prefer that setting to the smell of rubber and body odour that one may find in a gym.  I loved that I never knew what to expect. Our instructor, Courtney, was awesome! One day we got our derrieres handed to us as we were put through what felt like a sequence of endless (but challenging) lower body exercises. The next day, we were doing a number on our triceps and biceps.  Lunges, cardio, squats, push ups, resistance...you name it, we did it.  I felt encouraged each day and it was great to be surrounded by other strong, positive women. The soreness in my entire body was alarming the first week, but I soon came to look forward to the feeling. It was as if it provided me with satisfaction in knowing that I had put in 110% each class. 

Between sessions, I used my Booty Camp DVD at home (provided to you when you join).  I also managed to include in a few Yoga and Pilates DVD's that I already owned, ensuring a minimum 5 days of some sort of physical activity.  Aside from the active lifestyle, common sense was applied in watching what I ate.  Yes, I treated myself to the odd little treat once a week (shhh!), but I was never overboard.  The way I see it, If I completely deprived myself of any tasty, creamy, sugar filled treat, it was only a matter of time before I would just freak out one day and down 2 pounds of candy in one-fell-swoop.  Why negate all of the hard work by slipping off the rails completely?  I was never a horrible eater in the first place, so it was just a matter of improving where possible.

In my first 8 weeks, I had only dropped about 2 pounds, but  lost 1.5" off my waist, and a whopping 3" off my hips. That was major to me!  I also went from 23%  body fat down to 17%.   My arms, legs, shoulders, back--all incredibly toned and in the best shape I can remember.  I have not been in this sort of shape since I was in high school!  No sessions were held in August, but our awesome instructor held running clinics 2 nights a week for those that were interested. I surprised myself here as well. Not having run since high school, I expected to fizzle out after the first 2K. On our first night, we ran 5K, and I was able to keep up with almost no trouble.  As the weeks passed the distance increased as far as 8K and I managed quite well. Again, my level of fitness catching me off guard.

Aside from the incredible physical transformation, I have been able to push myself far further than I imagined. Push-ups were my least favourite thing to do because of my chicken wing arms that provided zero strength.  I can now easily churn out a series of 100 on my toes before dropping to my knees. I can hold a plank for well over 2 minutes and my endurance over all is surprising.  I also make an effort to run a few days each week.  There were only a couple of day on which I was unable to get a workout in (outside of Booty Camp), for whatever reason. I was really surprised to see that I felt so guilty for missing out. I am hooked!

Classes began again in September and I was happy to see that I was able to more or less maintain my progress from the previous sessions.  I had actually lost another 2 pounds in the 4 weeks since the last class.  Today being my final class, I am really going to miss it.  I am anxious to see my results thus far and I want to do my best to at least maintain it.  Booty Camp runs through to the end of October and officially breaks until January, at which point it is held indoors until the Spring.  The reason I am not attending the final 4 weeks of classes is simply due to the fact that I am starting a new job next week.  My schedule is such that I anticipate missing too many classes in the next little while. That said, it would be wasteful to join and I will not be able to manage make-up sessions, not now anyway. I will only be short-changing myself in the end. Once I figure out my groove I will re-join for the next available sessions for sure!

Will I just pack up the workout gear and slide into a vegetative state for the next 3 months? Absolutely not!  I will continue to use my DVD's to keep the momentum going. I will get creative. I have already drafted a schedule to get me through the holiday season. Perhaps we will see what I can find in the way of drop-in classes at my local Pilates/Yoga studios and community centres.

Is it possible to become addicted to exercise? Who would have thought?

Grey Wool Trouser Challenge: a few results...

Last week, I had challenged myself to incorporate a more earth-friendly approach to my sewing.  Don't get me wrong, I am usually quite conservative when using my fabric and I do not care for waste. Measuring twice...cutting once...  If you recall, I had decided to repurpose a pair of grey wool trousers (destined for the charity bin) into as many new items as I could conceive.

The process was actually quite fun, I began carefully ripping away at the seams and making well thought cuts in order to yield as much fabric as possible.  Thus far, I have been able to produce a number of items (four, to be exact). Today, I will share two of them with you.

This scarf was made from the better part of one trouser leg. I lined the back with some soft brushed cotton fabric featuring a lovely botanical print in an autumn colour palette. Ruffles were added (of course!) to the ends of the scarf.  I used three buttons from the original garments waistband to embellish the edge and to give it what I think is a more distinguished look. It am quite pleased with the way this one turned out! It is on the shorter side for a scarf, but it is perfect for my fitted jackets, when I don't want to have excessive bulk tucked in at my chest. Though, I would not want to ever tuck it in and hide the super-girlie ruffle action!

This wristlet was fashioned from the bottom quarter of the same trouser leg.  It is lined with the same cotton fabric noted above.  Inverted pleats were added to the centre to create some visual interest.  Once again, this features some ruffles to create a matching set (why not?!).  There is an interior pocket to house a cell phone, lip gloss or keys.  I added some felt floral embellishments, using one of the many buttons as the flowers centre. I am pleased with this creation as well. I can't wait to use it on my Saturday morning walks with my sweetie-pie, when we go out for our weekly chai latte.

 More to come, stay tuned...

Now Read This: Weekend Sewing

Another book borrowed from the local library...  Weekend Sewing , More Than 40 Projects and Ideas for Inspired Stitching, by Heather Ross.

I have to say that I somewhat am on the fence about this one. This is actually a very nice little book.  The projects are quite lovely and can satisfy the novice as well as an advanced sewer. It offers a little bit of everything from sewing for the home, accessories, as well as apparel.  The projects range from very simple (drawstring travel bags, aprons and dish towels), to slightly more complex projects (pajama pants, shirt dress...).  The book offers inspiration on setting up a sewing space in your home, which I enjoyed thoroughly.  You will find basic sewing terminology and techniques as well as some recipes. It's a neat little mixed bag of everything. If you wish to live creatively and aspire to make something, this book would definitely appeal to you.  The projects are nicely photographed, have clear illustrations and instructions and are very pleasant to look at.

So, why am I on the fence about this one? The sizing of the patterns are quite limited. Yes, you are offered a generic S/M/L range, but even for the large sizes, they seem a tad small, so you have to be adept in re-sizing to fit correctly . I was also able to catch several errors with regards to required yardage. This I realized when attempting to lay out pattern pieces on my fabric for more than one project. Thankfully, Heather has posted some errata pages on her blog.  I highly recommend that you print out and refer to this information before attempting some of the projects. But, like any sewing book I suppose this is par for the course.

My final caveat, the pattern pieces themselves...they come on 2 large sheets of paper, tucked into the dust jacket of the book. The thing is, they are printed on both sides of these sheets and they all overlap. That said, if you want to attempt more than one project you cannot simply cut away. I feel that you really only have 2 options... Get your hands on a tracing wheel and transfer these pattern pieces onto some manila paper, or go to your local print shop and ask them to make several copies of the pattern sheets.

All in all, I do feel that this book is a great first attempt and at the very least is certainly inspiring.

I give this book 3 1/2 pink buttons out of 5.

Grey Wool Trouser Challenge!

While cleaning out my closet last week, I came across this pair of grey wool trousers. They were given to me by a friend, but never really fit me quite right. They were far too big in the waist, yet were extremely tight in the thigh area. I meant to donate them to charity but kept holding on to them, something about them just held my interest. Despite the fact that it is unwearable, I love the texture and colour of the garment.

So then I thought, what can I make out of this? Afterall, there is plenty of fabric to be salvaged from this... In my effort to remain earth friendly, my challenge is to repurpose this garment into as many new items as possible. So far, my ideas are to create a scarf, clutch purse... Well, I won't give away every idea!

Inspired by the Sewing Green book, by Betz White, I am going to make an effort to incorporate a more earth friendly approach to my projects, repurposing where I can.  Stay tuned to see what I come up with. I would like to complete a project each week, but we will see how it goes.

Amy Butler Sew-it Kit

I made this fabric cover for a tissue box today.  I have actually been meaning to get around to it for over 2 years now. It is quite sad really that it has taken this long. I was itching to make something the other day, but was not fully committed to pulling out any bolts of fabric and pattern drafting paper just yet. The edge of the Sew-it Kit caught my eye and provided me with a good enough morsel to tranquilize my urge long enough.


I had ordered the Amy Butler Sew-it Kit at least 2 years ago when I was trying to refresh my sewing library.  It is a neat little box that houses 15 simple sewing projects for your home. It contains pattern pieces, a reference booklet as well as individual instruction cards for each project. And, as a cherry on top, you have the added bonus of  a small sample of Amy Butler fabric and matching thread to create your very own tissue box cover, the very cover that I have successfully created and photographed here.  Note that it is fully reversible (the other side is solid brown in colour).

I like it and I think it turned out pretty well... Personally, I would have gone about the construction a tad differently, as there were corners that gave me grief. I also would omit the reversible feature all together.  In spite of this, it all worked out in the end. Yes, the tissue boxes available today are very funky and brightly coloured or patterned so you may feel that there is no need for this effort. Some even have unusual shapes...but I like this option far better.  You will definitely have the most unique tissue box on your desk at the office.

It was fast and easy enough to do that I was able to whip up a few more (using my own modifications). I will just swap them out with the seasonal changes, or when I grow tired of  a particular colour or print.

As far as the kit itself goes, I was a bit dissapointed. Most of  the projects overlap from Amy's In Stitches book from 2006 and I was expecting a bit more variety. I do like the portability of the project cards however, as it is nice alternative to having to tote around a large book.  The projects are beautifully photographed and the packaging is rather cute.  I think it would make a very nice gift for a novice sewer or anyone that likes to dabble in home decor as a hobby.  I think this is something that my teen-aged niece would find quite appealing.  The fact that you do receive the materials to create the tissue box cover perhaps saves this kit from being a total loss. All in all, I really cannot find anymore fault with the fabulous Amy Butler, as I do love her fabrics!   

I give this Sew-It Kit 3 pink buttons out of 5.

Now, I feel compelled to cover things with fabric. I spent a good 30 minutes staring at boxes, bins and just about any vessel to see what I could cover next.  Come to think of it, I really do need a proper sewing machine cover. I don't like my options out in the stores.  No, the task of making one is not nearly as fun or easy as sewing up bottomless cubes to cover tissue boxes, but it really should be done for once and for all. Perhaps I will finally settle down and make it.