Vogue 1224

As promised, here is last night's disaster, which looks a little bit better in the light of day than it did in the mirror last night.

 Maybe if I got rid of the giant bow...

I'm just not feeling this at all.  Such a disappointment after my fabric excitement.  The pattern is Vogue 1224, which I don't blame for my failure here.  I know others have had great success with this pattern.  I think I just don't like the gathered neckline and big sleeves.  It's just not me, especially when paired with the cute print. 

If there was any doubt in my  mind that this will not be worn, it was laid to rest when I showed Hubs. 
me: "This may be the ugliest thing I've ever made."
him: "Well, it's NOT... pretty..."

He just calls 'em as he sees 'em.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this.  The frontrunner right now is cut strips and make a breezey scarf.  Any suggestions?

Big Mess

This pattern

plus this fabric

equals the ugliest thing I have ever made.  :-(  Pictures to follow tomorrow just because it's so comical.

Vogue 8379

I'll be honest, I was doubting whether I'd ever finish this!  This is my Vogue 8379, made from Sawyer Brook's carboncino sweater knit.  Oh, and with the addition of hours of decorative hand stitching.

It was a windy day on Sunday, but I managed to get some acceptable photos.  My sweet pup wanted to play!

 I lengthened the bodice pieces about 2 inches.  I made no other changes.  I wore this to church without a cami and had no trouble with gaping.  Perfect!

 Here you can actually see that edge stitching.

Simplicity 2365

Here is my completed Simplicity 2365, first mentioned here.  I wore this yesterday for my big guy's 5th birthday party - see the Spiderman banner and bounce house cord in the background.

 Hubs says it looks like a maternity shirt but assures me I do not look pregnant. :-)

 The fabric is cotton voile from Gorgeous Fabrics several years ago.

 I took these hanger photos after wearing the top all day - hence the wrinkles.

 Buttons for the sleeve tabs are from JoAnns.

 I made a narrow machine hem on the machine - very easy.

This top wasn't too difficult. The trickiest part was trying to make all the tucks at the front even.  I used an eraseable marker to mark the folds.  I used silk organze to interface the collar and sleeve tabs.  I didn't interface the sleeve cuffs to keep a really relaxed roll.

I'm very happy with how this came out - light and airy and perfect for the coming summer.

Off the Fabric Wagon

Yep, I fell off the wagon with my self-imposed NO MORE FABRIC rule (except emergencies, of course!).  I had successfully been avoiding unsepeakable temptations every time I opened my email box, and then I went to JoAnn's today for some buttons.  I came home with these cotton lawn cuties.

for a loose, flowy top for fast-approaching summer

for a loose, flowy dress for same summer

probably a good thing I didn't see this at my store, or it would be with me as well, destined to become the cutest (most likely age-inappropriate) skirt ever.


I do now have three (yes, three) completed pojects to show off as soon as I get in a photo shoot - this, this, and a knitted sweater rescued from the UFO pile!

Simplicity 2365 started

I haven't given up on this hand-stitching dress but I needed a little break and cut out a top.

The patter is Simplicity 2365, view B, and the fabric is cotton voile from Gorgeous Fabrics several years ago.  A continuation of my quest to sew down the stash.  This fabric is a classic purchase of the "gorgeous-but-I-have-no-plan" variety.  It is beautiful and floaty and slightly sheer but I feer it will wrinkle like the bejesus.  We'll see.  So far, so good.

Oh, I think I'm going to modify the neckline, too.  I've learned that I just don't really like shirt collars, even the banded collar variety. They flap around and drive me nuts. I think I'll give it a subtle V-neck above the slit and leave off the collar.

Hand-Stitching Madenss

Why is this taking me so long?

1.  Those ties are long - that's quite a bit of extra stitching.
2.  Picking out my red guide stitches is taking forever! 
3.  I have about a one-hour limit before I go nuts and move over to knitting, which I can do while watching TV.  I really have to watch what I'm doing with the running stitch.

Just the hem to go, and I'll be finished!

Baby Girl Sewing

Not my baby girl!  No buns in this oven.

For my niece's first birthday, I decided to make her a few little outfits from fabrics I had laying around.  I'd tell you the patterns, but they're mostly mashups of RTW tracings and various "Big4" patterns, with measurements taken by my sister to help me along.

As with all baby clothes I make, I worry if they will fit.  It seems so hit and miss.

First is a little purple dress and diaper cover.  The "dress" is super short, and apparently the princess' thunder thighs don't look so hot with just a diaper cover, so maybe she can wear this with some little khaki shorts.  :-)

 The machine embroidery is from Designs by Juju.  I made the neckline a bit scooped to make getting it over her head easier.  I didn't bother with shoulder snaps or anything.

 Next up is a little sailor tee with anchor embroidery and matching shorts.  This is the one I worry won't fit over her noggin.  This embroidery is also by Designs by Juju, which I consider to have the best kids' embroidery designs at awesome prices.

 The shorts look pretty high waisted, so we'll see how those work out.

 Last up is a little crossover top with embellished slim skirt.  I hope this doesn't accentuate her thighs too much, but she's starting to walk, so maybe a little cardio will do her good. :-)

 Embroidery is from, you guessed it, Designs by Juju.

 I attatched shorts underneath to avoid any accidental diaper flashing.

 This little tee (clearance at Target) was the starting point for the tops, and got my creative juices flowing.

Versatile Blogger Award

Diana nominated me for the Versatile Blogger award.  Aw, thanks!  I've been blogging for about 5 years, and I think this is my first blogger-nominated award.  I think that says something not-awesome about my blogging dedication.  :-)

To accept you follow these rules:

1. Add the award to your blog;
2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you;
3. Mention 7 random things about yourself;
4. List the rules;
5. Give the award to 15 bloggers;
6. Inform each of those 15 bloggers by leaving a comment on their blog .

1.  I was in the Army for four years after College.  I am proud to be a Veteran, even though my jobs never took me to the Middle East.

2.  Thanks to the Army, I lived in Germany for almost six years.  After my contract with the Army was up, my husband got a job there, so we kept living there.  If you've been reading my blog longer than a couple of years, you probably already knew that.

3.  Just like Diana, my Catholic faith is very important to me and becomes more central to my life with each passing year. Hopefully it will get right to the center, where it should be.

4.  I'm the middle sister of three girls (no brothers).  It cracks me up when friends tell me they don't want to have three kids because the middle one will inevitably be screwed up.  Multiple friends have told me this through the years, most of whom didn't realize my place in the line.

5.  I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up.  I love being a stay-at-home mom, but I don't think I'll want it when my sweet boys are in college. 

6.  I played club rugby in college.  Yes, I'm little, but so was the rest of our team.  We regularly got clobbered physically, but when we broke away, we always outran the other teams.

7.  My Dad is my hero.  I'm pretty sure he doesn't read my sewing blog, so I'm not kissing up.  :-)  He's a self-made man who has always shown the highest morals.  He is just an incredibly good person.


I'm only going to pass it along to 5.  As Diana said, life is too short.  :-)

Amanda's Adventures in Sewing
Fabric Cake
Made by Trisha
Miss Celie's Pants
Less Reading More Doing (my big sister)

Wrap Dress Progress

Here is the progress on my gray wrap dress.  I decided to add a hand-stitched detail to the edges to help keep the facings in place and add a little pizzazz. 

 I used red thread in the sewing machine to make a guide row of long stitches.  This is working out great.  I plan to remove the red stitches when I'm done with my running stitches.