Before I show you my new (and rather fantastic, if I do say so myself) Kwik Sew maternity top, I thought I would share a photo of my new and massive pillow.

As you can see, it takes up a whole side of our king size, so if you have to share a small bed, you may have some placement issues. Otherwise, it's fantastic - it's like being wrapped in a big hug all night! When I'm not sleeping with it, Taylor has decided that it makes the perfect pillow to lounge on while watching t.v. - at least I'm getting my money's worth with this item!

Now.... to the new top!

Typically when I make a garment for the second time, it goes a lot faster. However, I spent so much time fiddling with the contrast fabric (getting it to lay flat enough to sew, finding the right stitches that wouldn't eat the fabric, etc.) that it seemed to take forever. Thankfully, that was only a small part of the sewing and the horse-bit jersey was a dream to work with.

Now who says maternity wear can't be stylish? I feel so trendy in this top, I just love it - in fact I can't wait for it to warm up some so I can wear this out without freezing!

Repeat after me - "Never use cheap fabrics." I broke that rule last night and now I've got headaches as payment. I had decided to break up some of the horse-bit jersery in latest version of the Kwik Sew maternity top by adding a white contrast band and ties (let me note, that the horse-bit jersey is not cheap and is very cooperative to work with). I had picked up this white jersey on he $1 table of Walmart and I've realized, there's a reason it was only $1! Right after cutting the material, the entire piece curled into itself - no matter what I tried I couldn't get it to lay flat. Finally, after numerous applications of spray starch I got it to lay flat enough that I could work with it (but it immediately curled once it cooled and I picked it up). I've never worked with something so stubborn in my life. What I would love to know is how do factories deal with this problem? How does someone sew up material when it curls this badly? I'm guessing this is the reason why you can purchase the same shirt in the same size, but get two completely different fits.

While I figure out what to do next, enjoy some fun links:

Speaking of knits, Ann wrote this great article for BeSewStylish.com on tips and tricks working with them.

Looking for a new book to add to your sewing collection? Adorn is giving you the chance to win a copy of Plush You! just by leaving a comment in this entry.

Taylor has decided to take up guitar so I think that she'll love if I decide to make her this guitar shaped bag. [link via Craft]

The best patterns of 2007 have been released. If you look very closely, you'll notice that my photo of the 2682 Jalie top is included in there!

Spring is in the air - Vogue patterns as well as McCall's and Burda have released their new styles.

I've inherited several quilts that belonged to my great grandmother. I'm seriously contemplating purchasing Retro-Clean to clean and brighten them up. Anyone have experience with this product? [link via Craft]

Well, after a long day of errand running, I managed to come home and finish my Kwik Sew Maternity top. What do you think?

I'm really pleased with the way it turned out - it's cute, stylish (well, as stylish as what you can get in maternity wear), and so comfortable. The construction of this top went together pretty easily, however, I managed to make one mistake.... It seems to happen every time I work with a cross-over look - I reverse the way the bodice crosses. Normally, it's not a big deal, but when you're adding ties that meet off center, it does (i.e. the bodice should have the right over the left with the longer tie on the right so that when it is tied it gives the illusion that the tie and the contrast band are 'one')! Unfortunately, I didn't notice my mistake until after the ties were inserted and side seams sewn. I fixed it by snipping off the longer tie, folding under the raw edges and sewing across the bottom. Next time, I'll check and then double check which way I cross the front!

I'll be making another version of this top once I can decide which fabric to use next!

After mulling over my measurements, looking at the finished garment measurements, and remeasuring myself again, I decided the best thing to do with my Kwik Sew maternity top is to trace the pattern. I had hoped just to cut right into it and get started, but I'm thinking that I may need to tweak this pattern in some areas or I'll be eventually going up another size before my due date. So, I spent the afternoon tracing all the pieces and cutting out the fabric, so I'm ready to sew!

In the mean time, I stumbled across this Naea Amanda hobo. What makes this bag so special? I already own this fabric - it came as part of my free fabric bundle from Fabric.com this summer! If I find the time, I may actually knock off this bag using Vogue 8466. After the pattern and orange lining I'll have saved at least $225!

After much deliberation, I've finally decided on my next project - Kwik Sew 3487. This is a pattern that I purchased awhile ago, never got to, and almost forgot I had. It looks to be a good basic pattern that I can see making several times before this pregnancy is over. For my first version, I've decided to go with the long sleeved version (although I like the look of the short sleeved better, but we still have lots of cold weather to come) in the new polka dot that I picked up from Needle Nook. Now to get to tracing - in the mean time, I've added this new project to the sidebar.