New top and fabric

I don't usually post my fabric purchases, mostly cause I figure no one really cares, but I do have some to show today after my new experience - a fabric market here in Germany.  But first, a new top:

The pattern is New Look 6655, and the fabric is from Sawyer Brook.  I have to say something about Sawyer Brook - the fabric isn't cheap (this cotton print was $14/yard), but I've never been unhappy with a single thing I've bought there... and in the hit-or-miss world of online fabric ordering, that's saying something.  I'll do a review of the top when I can model it (hopefully within a few weeks).  This baby just seems so ready to come out, but he can't quite bring himself to do anything about it!

Now, the fabric!  After reading a post by Uta, I decided I had to check out these Dutch fabric markets.  Apparently they travel around the Netherlands and Germany.  I drug a friend of mine to one in Mannheim this weekend and was not disappointed!  

The most remarkable thing to me was the knits.  Tables full of knits - prints and solids - quality stuff at serious discount prices.  There were lots of beautiful prints, but in the end, I guess none of them were exactly perfect.  I did come home with FIVE cuts of solid knits - cream, blue, and yellow for summer, and pumpkin and brown for this fall.

I did buy one woven fabric.  This is a beautiful blue and yellow cross-woven linen.  I had to say no to lots of beautiful linen.  I wonder if they'll be back in the fall with more wintry fabrics...

This was a total impractical purchase - flower printed dotted voile and pink linen for an outfit for the little girl I don't have.  My first sister or friend to have a little girl is getting a blouse and jumper from this.  They had so much adorable fabric for little girls at this market.

I got everything I showed above for 35 Euro, which is incredible.  At the local fabric store I go to, I'm lucky to get two cuts of fabric for that.  And as I said, this isn't cheap fabric.

Finally, "the precious" - two yards of blood-red boiled wool for a jacket this fall.  Mmmmmm...  Photos cannot do this justice.
My only regret is not buying some denim.  They had lots of really nice denim for 5-8 Euro/yard.  I don't think I'm ready to try jeans yet, but I could use my TNT pants pattern and make some nice trouser jeans.  Maybe next time...

Baby clothes

I haven't made any progress on my son's shorts because I need to get some elastic to do the waistband.  Then, I'll just have to hem them.

Instead of getting the elastic this weekend, I worked on the outfit for the baby and was surprised at how quickly it went together!  Now, this is complete except for snaps, which I also need to get at the local fabric store sometime this week.

Awwww, it's so cute!  It does look a bit big to me.  I made the smallest size, but it's 3 months, not newborn.  The pattern is Burda 9756.  It's supposed to be a baptism outfit, but I obviously modified with my fabric choice.

Here's the back.  I think I'll use snaps instead of buttons up the back for ease of dressing a newborn.

Here's a look at the inside.  I like the way the collar facing looks.  I also used french seams everywhere to give it a finished look inside and hopefully make it comfier for baby.

Hopefully I'll be able to update soon with pictures on the little model once he makes his appearance.  This morning, I was thinking maybe the real contractions were starting, but they went away when I took a nap.  Now, they're back again, but not as painful as they were this morning.

I did a pattern review here.  Has anyone else been having trouble with the "clickable links" function on the site lately?  It used to work for me, but not anymore.

and now for something completely different

I bought this little sweater on clearance online (from JCrew) and, boy, is it an ugly color.  I thought it would be a nice yellow, but it is seriously "highlighter yellow."  Falls in the realm of "no wonder it's on clearance."  Anyway, it's a perfectly cute cut and fabric (cotton), and wasn't returnable, so I decided to try and bleach it.  

I love it when these crazy plans work out!  Now it's a really light, lemony yellow.  Very pretty!
My backup plan was to dye it after bleaching if I still didn't like the color or it turned out splotchy, but I'm just going to leave it at this point.

Shorts update

Here's an update on shorts for the little man.

I love the little pocket flaps on the back.
They look really big, so I'm going to try them on him and maybe take in the sides a bit.  I'm also going to put elastic around the whole waistband instead of just in back.

Next projects

Well, my SWAP is over, and I'm surprised that my sewing motivation is still going strong.  I was afraid that all that planned sewing would burn me out, but not yet!  

Next in my plan are a few pretty quick (I hope) projects...

I cut out matching shorts (for my toddler) and bubble (for the baby still cooking) to make the kids good and dorky.  :-)  I think I'll start sewing up the shorts tonight.  They are a Burda magazine pattern.  The smallest size is still a bit big for him, so I'll have to alter as I go.  I hope the proportions aren't way off.  The back pockets are as big as his little butt cheeks!  I'm leaving off the side cargo pockets.  The pattern I'm using for the baby is also Burda (though not the magazine).  The fabric I'm using is cute navy/white seersucker striped with little red embroidered crabs.  I have a simple white polo for the big boy, and the romper will have white sleeves and collar.  

The other project I got started on today is drafting a knockoff of this sweater.  The fabric is a fairly thick pinky peach rayon jersey I picked up at a local fabric store when I got buttons for my pink jacket.  The fabric almost feels like a fine-gauge sweater knit.  I had it in mind for this dress, but I really want that sweater!  The only thing I'll have to change are to hem the bottom and sleeves instead of having ribbing.  I think I'll also add a hook and eye closure.  I was going to modify a tee shirt pattern I like, but I decided to try to draft it myself for the Pattern Review contest just for funsies!  I have plenty of fabric to screw it up once.  

SWAP photos

If you want to see all the SWAP contest entries, they are all posted here.  Check it out.  They are all really different and inspiring to me.  

I finished my SWAP!

Woohoo! I finished my SWAP.  Am I in love with every single piece?  No.  But I finished!  I'm proud of me!!  

I find it amusing that of all the contests I've planned to enter, this one, requiring 11 pieces, is the first one I completely followed through with, finished the requirements, and entered.  I guess I figured once I got through a few pieces that I really owed it to myself to finish.  

The one piece I really don't think I'll wear much is the jacket.  It fits ok, but it just doesn't seem flattering to me, and, quite frankly, it's not very well constructed.  I think I overestimated my skills to put it together without using the directions (in German, and still indeciferable with the help of online translations).

Here are the photos I submitted.  You may remember the first one is from February (wow, my hair grew!), when I first completed the skirt and top.  Um, yeah, I can't button that top anymore.  Everything else, I can wear reasonably well, although the white pants won't button, the skirts won't zip the whole way, and some tops are a bit snug.  All the other pictures were taken this week, though.

Next up, I really need to get to making coordinating shorts for my little man and a bubble for the baby.  He's supposed to pop out in 3-4 weeks (my due date seems to change with every doctor visit), and I'm having contractions like mad already, although they're not really painful, thank goodness!

New spring jacket

Here is McCall's 5525. It still needs a good pressing.

I am still a bit jet-lagged from a 2-week trip to the States, and I was laying awake last night and decided to put the buttons and buttonholes on this jacket and finish it up. Probably not the best idea at 1:30 am, but I don't think I screwed anything up!

Here it is on me, with my photography assistant. Naptime is usually my photography time, but today, I needed to partake in naptime as well. Please excuse the 8-month pregnant belly. I can't tie the tie at the moment. Hopefully in a month or so, I will be able to!


I love this new jacket and am actually a bit happy for our chilly weather so I can wear it this week (without the belt, of course!).

The fabric is a kind of roughly-woven cotton from Sawyer Brook.