Knitting Jenny

Rustling Leaves Beret

2012-02-18T05:29:00.000+01:00

I took a boatload of photos today for this blog, my gardening blog, and Etsy. I went to download them this evening and realized there was no memory card in the camera. Please tell me I'm not the only one who's ever done that! Usually I notice after the first photo or two.

Anyway, here's a little something that requires no photos. Tonight, I put the final stitches on a hat from Coastal Knits. I bought it at a local yarn store near my parents' house and really like the book. The beret photo is below. The yarn I used is a bit grayer and hand dyed. It's really lovely. I can't wait for it to block tomorrow! It may not be the most practical knit for Florida, but it was quick and easy and I'm smitten.

Lacey Sweater Knit Cardi

2012-02-17T03:24:00.000+01:00

Voila, my Karyn Cardi! To cut it out, I morphed my TNT tee pattern with a purchased cardi I have. It was very simple to make - the only challenge was working with the sweater knit. I sewed one seam at a time and quickly zig-zagged the raw edges to keep it from ravelling.

It's been very comfortable today and is a great Florida spring cardi... yep it's spring here.

Sweater Knit Cardigan

2012-02-16T04:19:00.001+01:00

I'm back from a visit to my parents. I had taken a bunch of photos to make some posts while I was away, but left my camera! I very well may not have made the posts anyway, though (I have a habit of going into total hybernation at my parents'). So here are some details of a little cardi I made with Sawyer Brook's Karyn. It posed a challenge as the fabric is a lightweight, open sweater knit, but once we understood each other, it came together quickly.

Vogue Pattern Picks

2012-01-28T14:54:00.001+01:00

Time to add in my unneeded two cents! :-) From what I've read, it looks like some of my picks are quite different from other peoples'. It seems like usually most people want the same 5.

As I say every time I pick patterns, I need another cocktail dress like I need a hole in my head, but 1286 is singing its siren song. I guess it's not really a cocktail dress, but it is a bit sexy for daily wear. I'll lengthen it a few inches to balance all the skin up top. I think it will be fabulous in a stable doubleknit. I'm thinking it would be fun with a print for the dress and a solid for the straps, but would that look dated?

Come to Mama, 1287. Another jersey dress? Yes, please! I think the slip is included not so much for see-through dresses but because the loose neckline can flop around a bit. I'll just wear a cami I already have. I think I've finally worked through all my print jerseys, so this dress gives me an excuse to look for a new one!

If I'm invited to any weddings this spring or summer (as of now, the social calendar is empty...), 1289 is it! Are you kidding me? Gorgeousness! It's not on the suggested fabrics list, but I think it would be so classy in a lightweight, washed linen, if I could find one with some pretty good drape.

I think view E of 8787 would make a lovely Easter dress. I could probably cobble together this dress from patterns I already have, but why not use the pre-made version. So feminine in tropical wool or linen/cotton. I have some pretty linens in my stash, but probably not 3 yards of them. Maybe if I make the skirt a bit less swingy...

8799 intrigues me. I really like the elbow sleeves, square neckline, and seaming of the top. Also like the sleek white combo they show of the top and pants. I also like the skirt, and I like parts of the jacket - but not the elastic in the back. I think the elastic sleeves would annoy me, too.

The boatneck version of 8789 is really cute, but I think they messed up the line drawings at the bottom. I'm confused looking at those. You cut this dress on the crossgrain, so a border print (as they show in the drawing) would be stunning.

8790 is cute but I'd change it a bit. The super low waist and long length makes it look really dragged-down to me.

So there you have all my thoughts. Thanks for reading. :-)

Off topic: I thought we were moving forward on this issue, but what is with all the body bashing of the cover model? Sheesh. Lay off, people.

Better things to do than sewing tonight!

2012-01-26T03:00:00.000+01:00

I've started a little trumpet skirt for a quick project, and as much as I'd love the finish it up tonight, I think I'm going to head to bed. I have to get good rest tonight so I can drive the boys and me to Animal Kingdom tomorrow morning. Just a day trip during low tourist season. Gotta love living in Florida!

Vogue 1271

2012-01-21T03:20:00.003+01:00

Here is my Vogue 1271, with LOTS of photos.

Voila! First, let me say it is a smidge snug in the midsection. Noticing a pattern after my last post? Maybe it's time to up my cutting size. That or I could go put on my running shoes. Anyway, it's no fault of the pattern, just mine for not making a muslin.

I really like this design. It's a bit more interesting than my usual with these sleeves, but it's pretty mellow as far as trends go.

You even get to see the kick pleat in action thanks to the wind.

I was planning to wear this to church, but it's a bit too short for me to feel comfortable there, so it will probably just be a going-out dress. I've already informed hubs he needs to take me out for dinner.

I didn't have a buckle to sew on the belt (it's just decorative anyway), so I pinned my favorite pin from Scotland on there and I think it looks quite nice.

My dress looks lower cut than the model's. i dont' think it's because it's too tight. There's definitely room for ease in the bodice.

I also carried the belt detail around on the back, which the pattern didn't do. They just have the midriff on back.

Close up of the sleeves. The fabric is Ruby Flannel from Sawyer Brook. It's a bit too soft to hold the sleeve folds, so I stitched them on the inside of the pleats. They still open a bit, as you can see. I guess I could use some hand tacks to keep everything in place.

There you have it! My newest dress I wll only wear a couple times a year. :-) Time to get back to sewing sportswear and home dec.

Simplicity 2181

2012-01-21T02:54:00.001+01:00

So I finished up Vogue 1271, and it's waiting to be blogged, but first I wanted to throw this up. :-) I am in LOVE with this top. I took about an hour to cut it out last night to get the placement and symmetry just right, and then it took less than two hours to sew! I had the idea at 8 pm, and before 11, it was all finished and ready to wear today.

This is Simplicity 2181, which I just bought this week. I'm quite certain this will be the perfect Florida spring top. It is so loose and airy. It's pretty low-cut, but not gaping.

The fabric is poly jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics. Do you remember it, fellow bloggers? It was everywhere about 2-3 years ago. It was the must-have jersey. I missed out on the first batch and snagged some when it was back in stock. Then it sat and sat and sat because I was scared of the print. How to place the white? How to use the border? I can't explain this top other than to say that inspiration struck last night.

It doesn't even make me look pregnant like some gathered tops can. It doesn't exactly make me look busty, but we can't ask it to perform miracles. I made a size 10 and the only thing I changed was taking up the hem, and that was just because it was a bit snug around my bum and made the belly bag out a bit. If, no when, I make this again, I'll add a little width to the hip area and keep it tunic length.

This would be so easy to modify for maternity, too, not that I'm thinking about that.

New Simplicity Patterns

2012-01-18T03:17:00.002+01:00

I was at JoAnn's yesterday for some zippers, and I stumbled upon the 99 cent Simplicity patterns. I have quite a bit of self control these days, so I came home with only 5. :-) Looking at the website now, I realize none of my picks are from the newest batch. Hunh. Here they are:

2451 is a pretty gored skirt (view B) that I think may be the best skirt shape for me. I really like the waist detail, too.

4032 looks like it might work for the red boiled wool I've had for too many years now. I like the green version, D.

2181 looks like a perfect short sleeved, airy blouse for Florida summers. I think I'll be making this one up soon. In fact, I bought some blueish gray jersey at JoAnns for this, view A.

2245 is defnitely different than my usual sillhousette, but the model looks so cute n the dress, and love the idea of the tunic and maybe even the pants. I don't know. I just fell in love with this one.

2365 looks like another cute, cool summer top, this time for a woven. I'll definitely be making view B with the cute cap sleeves.

I wish they'd come up with a pattern for mid-rise, fitted pants. I've had good luck with the fit of Simplicity's pants patterns, but there just aren't many I want to try. 1918 caught my eye, but "sits at natural waist" made me put it back.

Brave

2012-01-16T14:53:00.000+01:00

One of my favorite blogs is a home blog called The Lettered Cottage. It has nothing to do with sewing or knitting, but I have many and varied interests (just ask my husband who deals with the fallout of half-completed projects all over the house and yard... but I've already gotten a lot better at that).

Last week, Layla posted her word of the year, Up, and invited others to do the same. It sounds like a fun idea to me. After all, I don't have to resolve to exercise or eat right or anything crazy like that, just work on my mindset a bit. After a little bit of thinking, I've decided mine is BRAVE.

Here's the thing. Instead of the "nothing ventured, nothing gained" mantra, mine is more "nothing ventured, nothing lost". Ok, not totally, but it does pop up from time to time. I also hate, HATE making phone calls. I have no idea why, but I've always been that way, with the exception of immediate family. I put things off like calling repairmen, making appointments, and coordinating things wtih friends. My poor friends are so neglected because I just hate picking up the phone. I've decided it's not just procrastination, it's some kind of fear of the phone and saying something wrong.

So I will be more BRAVE this year. I've alraedy risked total failure by opening my little Etsy shop and starting a new gardening blog. I'm off on a brave foot. I also vow to take a deep breath and pick up the phone and get stuff done. I'm going to be brave this year.

McCall's 6084

2012-01-14T04:44:00.000+01:00

Here is my latest creation. I like a lot of things about it, but my overall feeling when looking at these photos is meh.

The pattern is McCall's 6084. I used 2 yards of some poly-rayon something sweater knit from JoAnn's. I actually like the fabric a lot. I just wish it wasn't so static-y when sewing it. I don't notice static being a problem now that it's finished.

I had to shorten the cardi due to fabric shortage, and I think that was my big mistake. I think you need the extra length with this sillhouette. Even with this length, though, I think I'd be happier with the photos if I'd paired it with a longer top and not-white jeans. Bleh. This is just a proportions nightmare!

I'll definitely make this again in the correct length and wear it with dark jeans. :-)

The thing I'm ecstatic about is how the narrow hemming turned out! I used my new walking foot (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and it worked beautifully. I've not used a walking foot on knits in the past, but I think it'll be my go-to foot now.

In other news, I cut a few inches off my hair and gave myself bangs. :-) I think it's a fun change. I feel more modern.

My next project is Vogue 1271 by Kay Ungar. I'm not crazy about the satin used in the envelope photo, but I'm loving it in my Ruby Flannel from Sawyer Brook. Ths fabric is actually quite lightweight and doesn't make me think of flannel at all, but the weave is brushed and very soft.

I'm moving right along with it and hope to finish it this weekend. Hubs has to work this weekend, though, so we'll see.

Circled Fleur

2012-01-12T23:55:00.002+01:00

So I have joined the legions on Etsy with Circled Fleur.

It is entirely possible that my shop will be an unloved, unshopped page in cyberspace, but I'm giving it a try. :-) My big New Year's resolution is to be braver, and here's a step.

My products so far are mostly pillow covers and zippered pouches, with a few mug cozies thrown in for diversity. My plan is to just be creative, have fun and see what gets the most views and sales.

Gardening blog

2012-01-07T03:18:00.003+01:00

One of my new "things" this year is starting a separate gardening blog. If you have any interest in gardening in Florida, please check it out. :-) I am the Florida Garden Grasshopper.

Color block tee

2012-01-07T02:41:00.000+01:00

Thanks for the sweet comments on my jacket. I'm waiting for the temperatures to dip again so I can wear it! :-)

I whipped up this tee shirt during a few stolen hours yesterday afternoon and this morning. I was inspired by this from J Crew, which is of course now on sale. Whatever.

Th two fabrics are from Sawyer Brook: dill jersey on top and cypress jersey on the bottom. They turned out to be a great match, both in color and hand of the fabric. The pattern starting point was my usual OOP Butterick 3344.

I split the front and back pieces straight across right under the arms so the line runs right over the bust.

This tee is sooooo soft and comfy, I have a feeling it will be a weekend staple.

Here is a lovely underarm shot where you can see how the change of fabric runs.

Not long after I took these photos today, I cut my hair (and touched up my roots, ahem). this is the first time I've had bangs in over a decade!

McCalls 5759

2012-01-04T21:19:00.000+01:00

Here is my finished McCalls 5759. The fabric is a tweedy, chunky jacket novelty from Sawyer Brook. It's really lovely and exactly what I was hoping for.

It doesn't work so great unbuttoned, but it's so warm it's definitely outerwear, so that's not a problem.

The buttonholes are created between the front piece and the band that runs around the edge. Very clever and easy for this bulky, easily-unraveled fabric.

I showed you this before. I added single welt pockets under the decorative pocket flaps included. They aren't big enough for my hands but will hold keys or cash or small toy cars.

For the lining, I cobbled together some pieces leftover in my stash. Gotta save up for the next jacket fabric, know what I mean? It worked out fine. I had enough in the right blue family, even if the sleeves and body are different fabrics.

The hem forms a nice pleat for wearing ease, and the corner doesn't look too bad, I don't think. :-) Lots of hand-sewing here.

This took so much longer to finish than I thought it would. Like many of my big projects, I sped through the first 70% and then drug my feet for the last 30%. Oh well. It's ready just in time for Florida's first real cold snap!

Debbie Bliss Wristwarmers

2012-01-04T03:53:00.003+01:00

I've been away a few weeks, yes. Nastly influenza, trying to catch up with Christmas, tiptoeing by my 30th birthday (shhh) and thoroughly enjoying a holiday visit by my parents, and December was wiped!

With the illness in December, I didn't get finished nearly as much Christmas sewing as I would have liked. I just packed away the half-finished advent calendar and pajama fabrics for next year and refused to beat myself up about it.

I do have a little something to show you that I've already worn through much of December.

I am totally hooked on fingerless gloves! I wear them around in the morning and evening when typing on the computer or sewing. I wear them while driving if there's the slightest nip in the air (anything under 65 degrees now that I've acclimated to Tampa).

The pattern is Debbie Bliss #1 Wristwarmers, published in Debbie Bliss Magazine, Fall/Winter 2011. I'm pretty sure this is the fastest I've knit something after buying the pattern. It's on Ravelry here. I did most of the knitting on my vacation back in October. Despite the fair isle pattern, they are a quick knit, and did I mention sooooo cozy?

I decided to elevate them from keyboard accessory to fashion statement today and so wore them with jeans, a black sweater and black boots.

You'll notice I didn't go to the trouble of analyzing last year's output or even setting goals for myself. I have something in the works that I'm very excited about, and that's my New Year plan. Hopefully I'll tell all within a week.

Jacket holdup

2011-12-13T23:38:00.001+01:00

Sorry to keep you all in such anticipation to see the jacket, but I'm fighting the influenza virus and can barely move from the couch. I'm on the downward slope now, though, so hopefully before the weekend!

2 projects' progress

2011-12-09T18:40:00.001+01:00

My tweedy jacket is finished! I completed all the little hand-sewing bits this morning and just need to give it a good pressing before modeling.

Here is my next project, because I'm incapable of finishing one project without having the next one half-complete already!

Buttons on my tweed jacket

2011-12-07T04:35:00.001+01:00

My buttons came (yippee!!) and I got them on my jacket. I'm still dawdling with a little hand finishing, but I'm almost there!

Blue Gathered-neck top

2011-12-05T01:32:00.001+01:00

Here is my latest knit top creation, using Spring Tees from Sawyer Brook. This dark turquoise color is now sold out, though.

I started by stitching together a raglan-seamed tee and then traced the front and back necklines on plain paper.

I measured the length and depth of the front and back necklines to make the gathered pieces. I multiplied each measurement by 1.5 to add the extra fabric for gathering.

With those 1.5x measurements, I created the inner curves for each piece and then made the curved strips for gathering 4 inches wide.

I measured a 5" depth all the way around my neckline and marked it with wash-away marker.

I joined the front and back overlay pieces to make a big oval. Then, I gathered both edges loosely. I pinned and stitched the longer side, right sides together, right on top of my marker line.

Then, I flipped the overlay up and trimmed the top edge even with the neckline.

Finally, I cut a strip of fabric about 4 inches wide and doubled it lengthwise to make a sort of binding. I pinned it around the neckline, raw edges togther, stretching the binding a bit - making 2 layers from the doubled binding, 1 layer from the overly, and 1 layer from the tee shirt's neckline.

Finally, I turned the binding all the way to the inside and invisibly hand-sewed it to the inside.

The only thing I would do differently next time is use a light interfacing on the neck edge that is covered by the overlay. It is fine and stays put as is, but it would be crisper with some light knit interfacing. I'm very happy with how this turned out, and it will look great under my almost-finished jacket.

Leapster Storage Pouch Tutorial

2011-12-03T04:08:00.001+01:00

I just finished up two Leapster 2 covers for my boys for Christmas.

I'm so excited to have made them a present I think they'll enjoy. :-) I realize this is really a niche craft, but if you are interested, here's a little tutorial about how I made it.

Materials needed - you could make this from two fat quarters for fabric, one for the main fabric and one for the lining.

Main Fabric - cut 2 rectangles 7"x10" for front and back
                       cut 1 rectangle 4"x6" for pocket
                       save scraps for zipper ends
Lining Fabric - cut 2 rectangles 7"x10" for front lining and back lining
                         cut 1 rectangle 4"x6" for pocket lining
                         optional scrap for embellishment
Fusible fleece - cut 4 rectanges 7"x10" for interfacing/padding
                          cut 1 rectangle 4"x6" for pocket padding
2 zippers - one at least 4" and one at least 8"

1. If desired, add embellishment to scrap fabric. I used my embroidery machine to put my boys' names on theirs so they can tell them apart easily.

2. Fuse 4x6 fusible fleece to pocket fabric. Add embellishment to pocket as desired. I used a blanket stitch to secure my name strip.

3. Use scraps to finish the edges of your short zipper. Put one fabric scrap, right-sides together, on the zipper top. Stitch right below the zipper stop, as shown.

4. Hold the zipper to the pocket to mark where the bottom strip goes to keep the zipper centered.

5. Add the bottom fabric strip in the same manner as the top.

6. Press zipper end strips and trim even with long zipper edges.

7. Place your pocket layers as shown - lining at the top, zipper, and pocket. Flip the zipper down on the top of the pocket, and then flip down the lining.

There are three layers - from top to bottom, it's lining (face down), zipper (face down) and pocket (face up). Line up raw edges at the top and stitch through all layers.

8. Press pocket and lining down and away from zipper.

9. Fuse fusible fleece on to main pouch pieces and lining pieces.

10. Position pocket on one main pouch piece, one inch from the bottom and centered horizontally.

Flip up the pocket at the zipper and make sure it is centered horizontally. Pin zipper in place and stitch, keeping 1/2" at either end free.

11. Flip pocket down and press. Tuck edges of pocket under all the way around and pin in place. Edge stitch twice around thre sides.

The pocket is now complete to hold the game cartidges!

12. To assemble the main pouch, first finish the edges of the large zipper in the same manner you finished the pocket zipper.

13. Refer to step 7 to attatch the zipper to the pouch piece with the pocket and one lining piece.

Sandwich lining, zipper, and main pouch piece.

14. Make the same sandwich with the remaining side of the zipper and the remaining pouch and lining pieces.

Here is the lining side.

15. Make sure your zipper is open. Fold the flaps so that the main pouch pieces match up right sides together and so do the lining pieces.

16. Pin together around the edges, leaving a large hole at the bottom of the lining. Squoosh the zipper ends toward the lining.

17. Stitch the whole way around, leaving that large hole in the lining.

18. Turn the whole thing right side out but leave the lining out.

19. Fold the raw edges at the hole in the lining to the inside. Pin and stitch. You are welcome to stitch invisibly by hand, but I just run it through the machine like that.

20. Push the lining inside and that's it!

This will hold the video game and about four game cartriges - perfect for a plane ride, car trip, or just keeping everything together around the house.

I realize these photos aren't the best, but I'm sure you understand needing to work on these gifts at night! :-)

I did get a lot of construction ideas from other pouches and bag patterns I have both purchased and seen for free online through the years. All of the techniques that I used, I've seen in multiple patterns, so I assume they are nothing new and I'm not giving away any secrets.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

2011-11-29T03:43:00.001+01:00

I'm late on the bandwagon, as always, but Happy Thanksgiving to all! I made this little table c over for the festivities and was super excited to plant flowers in pumpkins for the first time (it's the little things, right?).

This was my first real applique project. You all know I sew mostly clothing, but I'm trying to get a little craftier. The pattern is from a book A Fresh Look at Seasonal Quilts by Julie Popa. It's actually on the cover. I used my embroidery machine for the words.

I like how the author recommended using wool for some appliques to add dimension. I'll definitely be making more from this book!

Striped tee on me!

2011-11-09T04:18:00.000+01:00

Here is my new striped top mentioned here. The pattern I used to start was my usual out of print Butterick 3344. I added the sleeve tabs and buttoned neck treatment myself. I also had a couple more inches taken off of my hair. :-)

Striped tee finished

2011-11-07T02:01:00.001+01:00

I finished up the striped top I mentioned here. The fabric is Ines from Sawyer Brook, and it is a dream. I'm glad I have enough left for a tank top... or maybe something for my little niece. It's time she learned the necessity of the striped tee. The buttons are Ruffle, also from Sawyer Brook. I'll take photos on myself when I wear it tomorrow, but for now, here it is.

McCalls 5759 progress

2011-11-05T23:45:00.001+01:00

I haven't stopped work on McCalls 5759. Just procrastinated a bit because I decided to put actual welt pockets under the pocket flaps provided in the pattern. I finished up both the welts and the flaps today, so next comes the sleeves and then the shell will be finished. Of course, I plan to add buttons to the sleeve cuffs, so that would go super fast either.

The inside of the pockets. Looks pretty messy, but it works.

With flaps:

Striped tee in progress

2011-11-05T02:28:00.001+01:00

Here are some details on a quick striped top I whipped up. I just need buttons for the foldover shoulders and sleeve tabs to finish it up.

Circle Skirt Tutorial and a math lesson

2011-11-02T03:24:00.000+01:00

I made this Circle Skirt right before my trip to Colombia and then forgot to take it (of course!) I modeled it yesterday without really styling the upper half - it's my outfit from here.

It's actually a half-circle skirt, which I prefer. A full circle is just too overwhelming for me, unless the fabric is super drapey.

The fabric I used is one of the Linton Tweeds I got on my trip to Great Britain a year and a half ago. I figured it was about time I sew one of them into a garment!

Here is a little math lesson that will help you make a half-circle skirt.

I had a meter of fabric and wanted the skirt to be below-knee "midi" length. To make a half circle as long as possible, I first folded my fabric in half, selvage to selvage (fold is at the bottom of this photo). Then, I folded one end to the fold to make a triangle.

I used my trusty tape measure like a compass (remember those puppies from 4th grade math??) to measure and cut an accurrate 1/8th circle shape, keeping an even distance from the point at the right of the photo.

So now I have a lovely half circle. Next, I have to cut a smaller half circle out for the waist. This is where the geometry comes in. Stick with me...

Here's my little sticky note of 'rithmetic. Let me break it down:
My waist, where I want the skirt to sit, measures 30".
2 pi R = the circumference of a circle, but I'm only cutting out a half circle, so...
30" = (1/2) 2 pi R
30" = pi R
30" = 3.14 R
30"/3.14 = R
9.55" = R
Any math teachers out there? Do I get credit for showing my work?

So the radius of my half circle to cut out is 9.55", so I measure 9.55" all around from the center fold of the half circle. (The diameter of the circle is 19.1

After that, i just cut a strip about 32" long for the waistband and stabilized it with some iron-on interfacing and grosgrain ribbon for fun.

I attatched the waistband to the skirt and lining (cut exactly the same as the tweed) and added a zipper in the one back seam.

In the end, my 1 meter of fabric wasn't long enough for the below-knee length I wanted, so I cut a strip on the straight grain and stitched it to the bottom of the skirt. After a bunch of steaming and pressing, I think it looks nice and adds a bit of interest to this super simple skirt.

Knock-off of Pottery Barn Mirror

2011-11-01T02:23:00.000+01:00

When I saw this tutorial on The Lettered Cottage, I knew I HAD to make this gorgeous mirror. Almost a year later, it's finished. Actually, it's been finished for a few weeks and it just occured to me to take a photo today. The reason it occured to me was to join this link party.

I opened the front door to let in some more natural light. I also made the wreath by hot gluing a bunch of fallish fake flowers from JoAnns onto a stick wreath. Not exactly groundbreaking, but it's cute. :-)

I don't have much to say about this other than I followed Kevin and Layla's instructions. I had to use a different kind of hanger because this thang is HEAVY. I also used 6 12"x12" mirrors instead of their 12 8"x8"s. It's just the size I found on sale at Target. I also ommitted the little decorative tacks they used. The reflection in the mirror is of the office double doors.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T02:10:00.001+01:00

Saturday, we had a Halloween party to attend. I bought green fairy wings at Target. At 9 pm Friday, I decided to make a Tinkerbell costume. At 10:50, I had this:

I may be the only person to have ever boned a knit dress (maybe, but probably not). Whatever. It stays put AND I didn't have to put in a zipper. The white at the top is a strip of elastic.

It turned out to be a fun costume, appreciated by many... but not my 1-year-old neighbor who also dressed as Tinkerbell tonight. I think I distinctly heard he mutter "Poser" in my general direction.

In slightly related news, I wore this today for Halloween. I could swear I blogged this top, which I made like three years ago, but I can't find it in my archives. It's just a sweater knit made into my TNT tee shirt with a wrapover top, kind of like this but without the gathers or the bit hanging down.

No Sewing Today

2011-10-31T00:56:00.000+01:00

That post title is a bit misleading... I did sew a bit today, but not much. I've been way too busy getting to know the newest member of our family.

This is River, our yellow lab puppy (6 months old) that we brought home today. The boys are so excited, but she is super shy. Luckily, she's progressed nicely from hiding between the washer and dryer this afternoon. She's now doing laps around the downstairs, trying to get the lay of the land, I suppose.

I've never had a dog but Hubs has, so wish me luck! I think I'm in love with her already... but I haven't had to do much taking care of her (or cleaning up after her) yet.

Tweed Jacket has begun

2011-10-28T22:40:00.002+02:00

I got home late Wednesday night from an exciting trip to see my brother-in-law's wedding. Picks of the lace dress and Marfy gown in action are on their way...
In the mean time, my most recent project is a jacket using McCalls 5759, the red version in the pic below.

The fabric is a lightweight tweed from Sawyer Brook, recently sold out.

Marfy 1776, complete!

2011-10-19T03:51:00.001+02:00

Hubs, Kiddos, and I leave bright and early in the morning for a South American adventure (primarily to go to my brother-in-law's wedding). So... here is the formal wedding guest dress.

I am quite proud, having made a formal gown and two cocktail dresses in the past month.

The top is Marfy 1776, unaltered. I explained a bit about it in this post, and I showed what a Marfy pattern looks like here. The lace-looking fabric is a novelty, open-weave silk. The solid portions of the top are a drapey crepe (can't remember if it is silk or poly) that I got at Marisu Miranda Moda/Queen's Fabrics in Tampa. The lining is ambiance.

The skirt and top are separate pieces. I originally tried to connect them and keep the two-piece look, but I couldn't get the skirt un-poofy enough. This skirt has an A-line shape that I think is more sophisticated than my first, gathered attempt. The skirt is a bit long in these photos. I have since gotten some higher heels to wear.

Another challenge I am glad I attempted. I'm very happy with how it came out, and my husband seems thrilled. I'm not convinced the halter-style top is a friend to my broad shoulders, but he likes it, and that makes me happy. :-)

I couldn't find a nice, red separating zipper in the right length for the top (if such a thing even exists), but luckily (in this instance, anyway), my bust is a bit smaller than my hips, so I used a regualar invisible zipper and just sewed the bottom two inches closed. I slip it over my head and zip it up. I now consider myself quite skilled at making boned foundations. :-)

Blue Lace Dress

2011-10-18T18:11:00.001+02:00

Thanks for the nice comments on Marfy 2608.

Here is the second fancy dress I've made in the past month. Don't tell the others, but this is my favorite! I had a vision in my head, and against all odds, the finished product is exactly what I had hoped for! I was able to find the lace I wanted and a suitable pattern to make it happen.

I showed some of my construction process, including the lace muslin, here. The pattern I used is Vogue 7852, so out of print, it's not even on the website anymore. The entire strapless underdress was made exactly from the pattern. The lace shell is cobbled together from pieces of that pattern to make a darted sheath.

On the back, I decided to leave the lace unfastened between the top of the lined portion and the neckline. There are hook and eyes at the top of the lace and at the top of the strapless dress. There is also an invisible zipper.

The zipper is the only place where the lace shell and the strapless dress are connected. I treated the lace shell and the outer layer of the strapless dress as one to put in the invisible zipper. Then, I hand stitched the lining, including the foundation, to the zipper. I think it's a nice clean finish inside. I constructed the foundation on the lining, after using a lightweight, woven interfacing in the boned portions. The outer layer of the strapless dress has a cotton flannel underlining on the boned portion, to pad and camouflage the boning from the outside.

Here is a look at how I finished the neckline and armhole edges. I considered hand stitching the scalloped edge (cut from extra lace) to the openings, but in the end, I used two rows of machine stitching, and you absolutely cannot see them in the intricate lace. I'm just glad I didn't have to rip any of those stitches out!

This is probably the most expensive dress I've made - 1.5 yards of lace at $82/yard plus the other materials - but it was completely worth it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dress and it will be my go-to cocktail dress as long as it fits.

Marfy 2608

2011-10-17T03:34:00.000+02:00

Well, I have finally taken the photos of Marfy 2608.

Where to begin? I had planned to make Marfy 1776, my gown, first, but while at my favorite local fabric store, I found the skirt fabric (a nice, thick poly stretch satin) and knew I needed to use it for something! I decided it would make a great skirt for this pattern and got the cooridnating navy for the bodice.

I showed you a Marfy pattern here. I basically just jumped in, starting with the easier parts. I put the darts in the skirt and sewed the skirt together. Ok, don't need directions for that... so far, so good. The top was trickier. I sewed the darts first and then just kind of thought through each step carefully. I was afraid this would require tons of hand-sewing, but I guess I did the order of operations pretty well, because there was very little of it.

My one regret - should have used a navy zipper. I was more concerned about a dark zipper showing on the light skirt, but I didn't think about the white zipper pull hanging down on the navy. I left the scarf thingy free for now. I'm on the lookout for a fabulous buckle or brooch to fasten it up like in the pattern drawing.

Note to self: pull that skirt down!

Inside of the bodice. The shininess on the upper left is a piece of fashion tape I use to keep that section affixed to my chest. Cheating? Perhaps. At least it's not hot glue, a la Project Runway.

I was careful to match the fabric design at the center back seam. It's distorted up higher, where the seam curves in for the sway of the back, but the bottom looks nice. I used interfacing at the all the bodice opening edges to keep everything laying as flat against my skin as possible.

Inside detail. I lined the bodice but not the skirt, since that was quite heavy already. I used bias tape to finish off the inside zipper nicely.

I'm very proud of this dress, both for me figuring out how to construct the interesting design with no directions, and also just because I think it's a pretty awesome dress! I can't wait to wear it out to a nice dinner.

Pattern input please?

2011-10-14T03:42:00.000+02:00

On a totally different topic from gowns and cocktail dresses, I got this fabric from Sawyer Brook for a jacket.

Gorgeousness, amirite?

Anyway, I need to pick the pattern since the Marfy I was going to use has gone AWOL from my pattern stash. I've narrowed it down to these:

Since I took this photo of my options, I've rejected the one on the right, McCalls 5525. I don't want it to be strictly outerwear. So it's between the red version on the envelope of McCalls 5759 - collarless, asymmetrical and a bit edgy... and Vogue 7975, about as classic Chanel-esque as you can get. I've been wanting to make a sweater jacket FOREVER and always put it off, but the McCalls is really speaking to me.

Help!

Marfy 1776 complete!

2011-10-13T16:49:00.002+02:00

Here's a first look at Marfy 1776, complete!

Obviously, I have to finish the skirt to get the whole look. :-) I originally tried a gathered skirt attatched under the top to make it all one piece, but I didn't like how it poofed out right under the top. Way too "princess" for this almost-30-year-old. I've settled on an A-line separate skirt, which just needs a lining and zipper to be complete.

Wow, was this a challenge! I don't think I've ever resewn so many seams in my life, but I wanted this to be as close to perfect as possible. I'll save the nitty gritty details until I have the whole look together. This has been hanging up for a few days and could use another pressing. I also plan to use that special garment tape to tape the cups to my skin. I don't want my strapless bra to peek out, and you can probably tell this is quite plungeing.

The structure I used worked really well: fashion fabric underlined with cotton flannel to camoflague the boning. The boning is underneath, on the interfaced lining. This method of construction worked so well that I'm using the same on my blue lace dress (also almost complete).

Any ideas on a hairstyle? I think I need an updo, but not sure what I'll do now that my hair is pretty short.

T-Shirt Infinity Scarf

2011-10-09T13:58:00.000+02:00

I whipped up this scarf today in 30 minutes and am quite pleased with myself.

I bought this t-shirt last spring, and although I haven't had it more than 6 months, I have worn it a LOT, and it shows. There are some small stains, the neckline is irreparably stretched out, and it has shrunken to a shape shorter and boxier than it was when I bought it. I was going to get rid of it, but I LOVE it - the stripes, the sequined embellishment, the soft fabric! So I hacked it up to make an infinitey scarf.

First, I cut out the embellishment section. Then, I cut the front and back into 2 vertical strips each (sorry, no pic). Next, I stitched the 4 strips together at the end to form a long loop. Finally, I top-stitched the embelishment on using a zipper foot.

Now, I can wear it doubled loosly with a t-shirt or sweater.

Or triple it and wear it under a fabulous white jacket.

10 Minute Fix

2011-10-08T12:58:00.001+02:00

When inserting the zipper in this dress (which I still haven't photographed on me... bad Jenny), I ended up with this, despite using my usual matching technique:

The match between top and botton was off by about 1/8".

I tried to convince myself it was good enough, but I wasn't happy with it. After a few hours of thinking about how much I didn't like it and how much time it would take to fix (hours, I was sure), I bit the bullet and ripped out a 3" section to adjust. I timed myself.

10 minutes, including ripping, is the time it took to fix this zipper.

So go for those little fixes that will make you happier with your projects! I'm pretty sure this applies to cleaning things in my house, too, but I'm not ready to make that leap yet.

Marfy notes

2011-10-06T16:46:00.001+02:00

I wanted to address the comments on my post about Marfy patterns.

      Emily said "I would love to try a marfy...but I'm never sure where to start! Thanks for the post!"
       and Rachel said "Thank you so much for showing this. I have always been scared of Marfy because of having no instructions, but actually seeing one takes some of the fear away."

Yea! That was my hope for that post. I hope you give them a try. I'll walk through my experience with this one. I really think the confidence boost for your first Marfy is to find a similar pattern or patterns in your stash and use those instructions to guide you.

       Patsy said "Wow, I'd never seen those before. I followed your link and looked at some of them. They look 'interesting' and challenging. But since they require a bunch of measurements, they might fit (me) better than some of the other brands. I always end up altering them like crazy."
They do give lots of measurements to compare, and they do run true to their sizing (unlike some pattern companies, where I sew 1-2 sizes down from what my measurements would suggest). One downside I didn't think to mention is that they offer a pretty limited size range for most of their patterns, and grading some of them down or up could be a REAL challenge.

       Lois said "My goodness, Marfy patterns do just about everything they can to keep people from using them!"

I know! That page always cracks me up. I mean, yeah, they have no directions, but apart from that, they're not substantially different from a Vogue pattern.

       Kaydee11 said "That's going to be a beautiful dress! I have a couple of questions about your pattern. It only has the bodice pieces, so where will you get the skirt pattern pieces? Did you know the skirt pieces were not included when you ordered it?"

Yes, I did know I would receive just the bodice. Marfy always sells single garment patterns. There are no separates patterns. The skirt is 1777, but I didn't buy it. It's $14.50 and a pretty simple skirt. I'll either use another skirt pattern I have or just make a simple A-line or gathered-waist skirt. I haven't decided yet.

Marfy 1776 - part 1

2011-10-06T16:30:00.000+02:00

I've started sewing Marfy 1776.

First, I want to show you how I cut it out, since the pattern pieces have no seam allowances. I showed you the pattern here.
I SHOULD trace the pieces onto large paper, add seam allowances, make a muslin, adjust the muslin, cut the muslin apart, and use the pieces to cut out my dress.

What I did:

Oh yeah. I'm a rebel, man. I mentioned before that I've made just a few Marfys, but they've all fit pretty perfectly with no adjustment. I also have a deadline, so I just went for it. I'm using one-inch seam allowances in case I need to make some fitting adjustments. I didn't even trace the pattern pieces, just laid them on the fabric, held them down with cans (sun-dried tomatoes and cream of mushroom soup optional) and used a ruler to guide my cutting.

I've assembled the lining with a lightweight woven fusible, and I just added the boning (one of my least favorite tasks for some reason).

Here is the side that will be against my body:

And here is the boning:

I made the lining first to check fit, which seems good. Now, I need to cut out the flannel underlining (after cutting out the fashion fabric, lining, and interfacing, I stopped cutting) and assemble the outer layer. More to come on this adventure...

Have you seen a Marfy pattern?

2011-10-01T16:29:00.001+02:00

About a week ago, the two Marfy patterns that I ordered arrived, and I couldn't help myself. Even though I have chosen 1776

for my formal dress, I whipped up 2608
in about 4 days. I didn't even make a muslin, which I probably should have. I've had success with Marfy pattern drafting in the past, though, so I went for it, and it turned out great with only minor adjustments along the way. More to come about that dress after I get photos on me today, but for now, here are quick hanger shots.

The real purpose of this post is to show you what a Marfy pattern looks like. You may have read the description on the website, which includes in large type

"Alert! These patterns are for experienced sewers only. Expert level sewing skills are recommended for those interested in sewing with Marfy sewing patterns.
HOW DO THEY DIFFER?
MARFY PATTERNS:
• Do not have cutting layouts
• Do not have seam allowances
• Do not have hem allowances
• Do not have instructions for assembly"

I have to say that I think my sewing skills have progressed into "Advanced" territory, but I wouldn't consider myself an expert. There are still so many things I don't know how to do, or have read about but haven't tried, but I am telling you, Marfy patterns aren't that hard! Each online pattern description gives you a rough idea of yardage requirements and suitable fabrics, and the only other obstacle is no instructions. You just need to have enough experience sewing to know the general order of construction. Past that, you can use books and other patterns to help you, if needed.

Ok, on to the photos. This is the other pattern I ordered, 1776. Only the bodice is included in this pattern. You would need to use a separate skirt pattern. The pattern arrives folded in a nice little rectagle, bottom left. That's all you get. :-) I store each of my Marfys in a Ziploc bag with a printout of the drawing from the website, so I can remember what they look like.

I had already opened this pattern before taking these photos, so I refolded the pieces. It gives you a general idea of what you'd see. If you have any individual pattern pieces large enough, a big one will be used as the "envelope." For instance, in my Marfy 2608, shown above, the "envelope" was one of the skirt pieces. For this bodice, no pieces are large enough, so the "envelope" is just a rectangle of paper.

Here are all of the pattern pieces unfolded.

I've zoomed in on one piece to show you all of the markings. They don't tell you what this piece is. All they give you is some letters to match up between pieces and a few cryptic instructions in four languages. The bottom and top instructions say (in English, on the third line) "fold inside" with a line.

To help myself visually see where everything goes, I fold along the lines per the instructions. Once seam allowances are added and sewn together, you can see this will actually be a tube.

I always lay out my Marfys to see what's going on. This helps me know how to cut everything out and what kind of seam allowances to add. By the way, the instruction "whole half-front on the grain" means "cut on the fold." "Whole" in this instruction is a verb. You are supposed to "make whole" this pattern piece which is "half of a front." Clear as mud?

Here are all of the pattern pieces laid out, letters matched. The piece I folded above is laid on top of everything so you can see all of the pieces...

... but it actually goes here, forming the lovely little bust shelf. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not really the right term.

The point of this is to show you that Marfy patterns aren't that different from what you're used to. They just don't have instructions and you have to add your own seam allowances. I love Marfys for their interesting patterns, and the challenge they can present. Go on - check them out. They are more expensive than $4 Vogues at JoAnn (which I love as much as the next seamstress!) but I think it's worth it for some variety.

Just in case you're wondering, this isn't any kind of ad to get you to try Marfy. I don't get anything for you checking them out. Marfy has no clue who I am. :-)

Vogue Pattern Picks!

2011-09-30T21:12:00.000+02:00

It's new Vogue Patterns time! Woohoo!

1271 looks quite a bit like another Kay Unger pattern I have (and haven't yet made), but I do like the sleeves on it, too, so I'll be getting this at some point.

1267 is my top pick. Come to mama! Enlarge it to look at the interesting seams. I want to make this TODAY. I have the perfect green wool fabric. This looks like the kind of pattern that gives you lots of wow factor for you sewing energy.

8775 looks like a cool coat that would be pretty easy to sew. I have a black and white herringbone that would be nice in this pattern.

That's it for me! I've gotten a little more picky with my pattern purchases since I organized mine and realized how many I have. These are the ones that I like and will actually probably sew... at some point.

Black cropped pants - finished!

2011-09-25T21:33:00.000+02:00

Finally, here are my finished cropped black pants, last mentioned here. You may recall I had button problems - bought the wrong size and couldn't find the right ones in stock then. Anyway, I eventually gave up after checking for the buttons three separate times at the store. I decided I don't care if the pant leg buttons don't match the waistband buttons.

I could call these the cursed pants (because I don't want to call them the I-kept-screwing-up pants). Very near the end of the process, I somehow broke the zipper. I briefly considered ripping out all kinds of fiddly fly seams and finally decided a button fly was in order. :-) I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. These are really not my best pics. I think it's time to enlist Hubs' help for the photos instead of doing them myself.

Another problem is my contrast waistband facing and pocket bags. I was trying to be all cool with the contrasts, but they show in some places. :-( Most annoying is the rear pockets. The floral fabric shows a bit at the pocket opening, and not in any kind of good way. You may also notice the contrast in the first photo, at the center waistband. Luckily this isn't really a problem when I wear a longer top like the one above (pulled up for the photos).

Well, there you have it. I'm really happy with the fit, which I perfected in the Sawyer Brook sew along, but not 100% thrilled with some of the execution. However, all the bad stuff is camoflaged with a long top, so you can guess how I'll be wearing these pants. Expect to see another pair soon so I can redeem myself!

Baby Quilt

2011-09-23T13:43:00.000+02:00

If it seems like I'm jumping from one project to another without actually finishing much, um, you're right. What can I say? Old habits die hard and I want to try out everything my new machine has to offer. Wednesday was our one month anniversary together and we're getting along swimmingly. I even had my first class about my new machine last night, and that was so much fun! I pretty much never meet fellow seamstresses, so it was cool to meet some other ladies, too. I can't wait to have the next one next week.

Here is a baby quilt top I made with a specific recipient in mind. I pieced it together a couple of weekends ago, and it went really quickly. It's about time to put on some borders and quilt it if I'm going to have it finished before someone's big arrival! I'm going to dabble in a little free-motion quilting as well as copious amounts of stitch-in-the-ditch. I always thought free-motion quilting sounded impossibly difficult, but we did just a smidge of it last night and it's not that bad. Just takes practice, and I doubt the baby will mind if I use his blanket for that.

I used my embroidery module to do the applique embroidery parts, and I strip-pieced the 9 patch squares. I used a pattern in a book, which I'll tell you about when I finish this sucker.

Braid-Embellished Tee

2011-09-21T20:04:00.000+02:00

I finished the quick top I alluded to yesterday, and I wore it today. I'm not sure if it's the color or the style, but I received quite a few compliments! I think it's a keeper. The inspiration was a top I saw at Target but can't find online.
Oh, and I got my hair cut a couple of weeks ago. :-)

I really like this bright, royal blue color. The fabric is a linen/cotton knit from fabric.com I purchased at least a year ago. I just had to wait for inspiration to strike.

Here you can see I continued the neck treatment around the back. Simple to do when you're making your own.

Here is a closeup of the neckline treatment. I just slapped it on a neckline of my usual OOP Butterick 3344 tee shirt, after machine-stitching a quick rolled hem to finish the raw edge. The neckline consists of two steps: 1 - a strip of fabric about 1.5 inches wide that I pleated and pinned on and then machine stitched in the middle all the way around, and 2 - a braided piece of trim which I hand-stitched on top of the pleated strip. The hand stitching took about an hour, but I was watching TV and didn't really mind.

Navy Lace Dress Progress

2011-09-20T17:10:00.000+02:00

Thank you for the comments on my dilemma. :-) For the moment, I've decided on swooshier one (1776) because I have a lovely fabric for it already and can't think of another occasion when I could make this dress. I'm sure I'll get the short, sleek one made up soon, and maybe I wouldn't like the proportions of it were long... at least that's what I'm telling myself.

Lois, I really like the striking black and white version of 2608 but wouldn't choose those colors for a dress to wear to a wedding. I do think I'll keep the color block concept but maybe go with subtler colors.

In the meantime, I've started work on my navy lace dress, which I'll wear to a dinner before the wedding. I made a muslin out of some inexpensive blue lace. My starting point is Vogue 7852, which is out of print (and my mom used as the starting point for my wedding gown). The pattern isn't up on the Vogue website anymore and when I googled for a pic, Erica B's was the first to come up. :-)

Here is my muslin, which I neglected to photograph on me before cutting apart.

I only had to tweek the neckline and shoulder seems, which is pretty awesome considering I cobbled together a lace bodice with a princess seamed strapless dress to make this darted sheath shape.

I cut the darts apart on the seamlines, too, so they'd lay flat and open.

I laid my pieces on top of my nice lace, took a deep breath, and cut, leaving a 5/8" seam allowance to make French seams down the road.

For the darts, I used red thread to thread trace them. This was super easy and pretty fast since the darts were open. If you squint, maybe you can see the red thread in this photo below.

I have since stitched the darts in my dress and then decided I needed a quick tee shirt project, which I'll finish up tonight. If I keep needing quick little projects in the middle, I'll have trouble finishing this and my gown in a month! Not to mention the 15 other things I'd like to make for the trip. :-)

Marfy Gown Patterns

2011-09-08T16:01:00.000+02:00

So, you can imagine my excitement on finding out that a wedding I'm going to in October requires Formal attire! I plan to use the navy lace in this post for a knee-length dress (which I'm working on muslining) but I'm told full-length is the way to go for this wedding, so back to the drawing board for that. With Hubs' help, I narrowed down the pattern possibilities to two Marfys, both of which are on their way to my hot little hands.

2608 - I would need to do a floor-length skirt obviously, but I love the top of this one. If I don't go with this pattern, I'll definitely be making another much-needed (ha, yeah right!) cocktail dress from it.

1776 - Again, I'll need a different skirt (this is actually flowy pants - yikes!) but I'm digging this top. The only part I'm not sure about is the halter strap. It's not the most flattering for my broad shoulders, but I could always change that to regular straps in the muslin stage.

So please, please put your pick in the comments. Sophisticated and sleek or fun and pretty? Or do you hate them both? Feel free to pipe up with that as well. :-) Thanks!

Either way, I feel a downtown Tampa fabric shopping excursion in my near future.

Embroidered top

2011-08-30T21:53:00.000+02:00

Here is my newest top for me! I had to try to make a top for an adult using some embroidery from my new machine.

I put on three coordinating designs, including one on the back for funsies. The pattern is my usual Butterick 3344 top, which is now so out-of-print that they don't have it on the website anymore. I modified the front to have crossover pieces at the top. I had to be creative to use the pieces of this top, which was ruined in the wash. :-( I was so sad when that bit the dust that I stuffed it away for two years before cutting it up. :-)

I've started a fancy dress for my mom, so expect some half-finished progress pics of that. It will take me at least a few days to make, but I am LOVING it so far. The fabric is the red shown in the middle of this post.

Amy Butler Birdie Sling

2011-08-29T20:21:00.000+02:00

I promise some day soon (tomorrow), I'll show an adult garment again, but for now, it's another bag. The pattern is Amy Butler's Birdie Sling bag. I used the same fabrics from my Lazy Girl Designs Miranda Day Bag.

Here's an inside view. I had to piece together one half of the lining since I was running out of fabric. I also only had enough fabric for one pocket inside.

The directions for this pattern are excellent. Very, VERY detailed, so great for a beginner looking to make a bag or someone unsure about the bag-making process. Amy Butler patterns get my vote now, and I'll be looking to add more to my pattern stash.

The shape of the bag is a bit odd, so I'd never chose it for my everyday purse, but it's the perfect size and shape to be my new music bag for choir and hold my binder, pencil, and water. Plus, I'll be super coordinated for choir between this and my new purse.

In other news, I finished this dress for my mom! It's actually a wearable muslin for a more special occasion dress I'm cutting out this afternoon. I asked my sweet mommy if I could make her a dress to work on my fitting and alterations skills, and after I did said alterations, it took me a while to get my booty in gear and finish it. Now it's in the mail to PA. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be seeing my mom until December (unless her sewing machine envy brings her here sooner), so unless she sends me a pic, I don't see any modeled photos in the near future. The pattern is McCall's 2401 and the fabric is linen/cotton from my local Hancock Fabrics store.

Lazy Girl Designs Miranda Day Bag

2011-08-25T21:31:00.000+02:00

I finished my purse and used it today. It's Lazy Girl Designs' Miranda Day Bag. I've had the fabric and pattern in my stash for about 2 years and don't know why it took me so long to make it!

I love it and only made a few modifications. It calls for batting and interfacing to provide the structure. I used one layer of fusible fleece, and while it does stand up on its own, if I make it again, I'll use the recommended structure materials.

It has lots of inside pockets and easily holds my wallet, phone, checkbook, sunglasses, pens, and various other little bits I feel the need to tote around.

Another change I made was to sew the side seams a little bit to hold them in. Make sense? You can see it in this top view.

Here's a look at the velcro closure and the fabric-covered acrylic base, also from Lazy Girl Designs. I bought everything at a quilt shop, but they also sell online. The main print fabric and the blue is from a Moda holiday line, but these particular fabrics don't read "holiday" to me. The green is a mystery quilting fabric that coordinated nicely.

If I make this bag again, I'll use a magnet snap closure, add a zipper top, and do the recommended interfacing, but other than that, this pattern is the perfect everyday bag for me!

Paul wanted to show you the velcro tab.

He also thought I should show off my work. So thoughtful.

Atkinson Designs' Cash and Carry

2011-08-24T19:58:00.000+02:00

So here is the little pouch I mentioned earlier. The pattern is Atkinson Designs' Cash and Carry. I bought a kit with enough fabric and a zipper to make one of the pouches, but the pattern actually includes instructions for four different designs. I made the Pocket zip to hold store discount cards and punch cards, which are exploding out of my wallet. It's the perfect size for that.

The only thing I don't 100% love about the pattern is that while it is lined, the inside isn't finished super nicely. It's fine for it's purpose, but it's not exactly beautiful inside. Still, it's a very cute, fast pattern with excellent instructions, and I am sure I'll be making more.

Here is a sneak peak of my current project, a purse, which became much more fun once I could monogram it. I still haven't technically finished the black pants, but wouldn't you know, the store is out of the buttons I need now, so more waiting.

First day of school shirts

2011-08-24T06:08:00.000+02:00

I made both boys shirts for the first day of school, even though only one was actually going to preschool (much to the little guy's disappointment). As I ran back in the house to grab my coffee (gotta have that for the drive to preschool every morning), big brother decided to get started with the photoshoot and snapped a bunch of pics of little brother. Then they both scrambled in the car and refused to come out when I was ready, coffee in hand.

So... photos were taken in the school parking lot in front of this lovely white truck (not mine).

The pirate-themed embroidery designs are from Designs by Juju, about which I have nothing but good things to say: the designs are great, the customer service is great, the prices are great. The fabric for the shirts is an old purchase from Chez Ami fabrics. I still have a bunch (bought it on clearance $3.50/yard), which is great. It's a great stripe knit for boys tees. The ribbing is plain brown from JoAnns.

Both boys were really proud and happy with their shirts, so I'm just enjoying that and not thinking forward to the day in the not-too-distant future when they'll no longer want mom's shirts. :-)

NEW MACHINE!!!

2011-08-22T16:53:00.000+02:00

Oh my GOODNESS!!! My awesome husband surprised me with an anniversary present of... wait for it... a new sewing machine. Not just any sewing machine. The sewing machine I have coveted for years. A Bernina Artista. Sorry to brag, but you know how it is.

I've only done a few things on it. It makes uber-beautiful automatic buttonholes.

Sews on buttons easily (technically, I guess I could have done this with a zigzag on my other machine, but whatevs)

More buttonholes. If I hadn't gotten too many of the wrong size and too few of the right size buttons, these pants would be finished.

This is the first thing I made on the machine, the night I got it. It's a kit I got at a quilt shop in Delaware. I'll post more info on it in a bit.

And, of course, I've been fiddling with the embroidery module. I'm totally going to be one of those people who embroiders something on EVERYTHING... cause I can. This is the first thing I stitched out on my own (after the in-home demonstration) and it was too pretty to throw away, so I put that sucker on an old kitchen towel. Instant cute kitchen. My house will be a sea of embroidered flowers shortly.

Baby outfit and late Jeudi de Jardinage

2011-08-19T18:33:00.000+02:00

I made this little outfit for my sweet niece, Elizabeth.

I just traced the pieces of a cute outfit she had and did a little freezer paper stencil demonstration for my sisters, then added a little ballerina skirt to the stenciled dancer.

The skirt has panties attached for modesty. She's sitting up now and who knows when she'll be crawling around!

Now I have to get this outfit in the mail quickly before she's too big for it!

I took these photos yesterday for a Jeudi de Jardinage post, but extenuating circumstances (naughty kids) kept me from downloading and posting them.

When I returned for several wonderful weeks of vacation, my flowers required, and still require, a bit of work. I used some lovely blue ribbon to tie up some vines because they kept getting mowed when they fell outside the fence. I've been meaning to do this for, oh, 4 months or so. I put it off until I remembered to pick up some twine, but yesterday, I decided some blue grosgrain would work just fine for now.

My gorgeous red roses are growing like crazy. I've bought some other rose bushes at big garden centers, but nothing comes close to this beauty I got a local nursery. Mulching this bed and making it pretty has also been on my to-do list for at least 4 months.

Here are the fruits of my rose-growing labors. They make me smile every day. I have a pretty steady stream of red roses this time of year. The sad looking houseplant on the plant stand is a source of much angst for me. It was the first plant I bought when we moved to Florida a year ago. I promptly killed it... almost. It was down to 2 leaves but it is determined to come back. It's still not looking exactly nice, but I'll keep watering it as long as it keeps making new leaves.

My Peace Lily was looking really sad when I came back from vacation. I think it'll pull through, though. Despite the brown leaf tips, it starting perking up within a day of watering.

That's it for today. I can't wait to show some more productivity from the sewing room.

Self-Drafted Maxi

2011-07-23T18:55:00.002+02:00

I feel like a total poser calling this self-drafted. It's a couple of rectangles stitched together. I've had this fabric for over a year. It's from Gorgeous Fabrics, and I love the border print. As is sometimes the case when I don't have a clear vision at purchase time, this sat around because I didn't know what to do with it. The dark colors don't scream summer to be, but the lightweight rayon knit doesn't offer warmth for winter. Two nights ago, I came across it and inspiration struck. I was going to use a pattern for at least the bodice portion, but in the end, I just wanted a simple V-neck top to show the lovely fabric.

I left the hem and sleeve edges raw. I just cut the hem to length. I may need to go back and hem the sleeves, though, as they have a tendency to curl up.

Big-guy had to get in on the action. The pics aren't great quality - I used the self timer from the counter across the room. It's a lazy Saturday morning, after all.

I like it best with the definition of the belt. Without the belt, the elastic I put at the waist can stretch a bit and it's not so form-fitting, and starts to look a bit sack-like.

I've also toyed with the idea of using elastic to gather up the cut-on sleeves to make it sleeveless, but I think I'll just keep the little sleeves. What do you think?

Something about this maxi seems a bit more formal to me. I don't know if it's the dark fabric or the belt with it, but I took it off after photos since I felt a bit overdressed for a lazy Saturday morning with the boys. :-) Now that it's done, I'm having a tricky time deciding where I'll wear it. Maybe I'll wear it to church tomorrow.

I've gotten a few kind comments lately on my hair. Thanks! :-) I've been letting it grow out. I've been highlighting and cutting it myself for a few years, and I decided to get it done at a nice salon yesterday. I just asked the stylist to trim it, add some long layers, and highlight it so the roots match the ends. She did just that, and, um, I feel like I stuck my head in a bottle of bleach. I guess I didn't realize how light the ends had gotten from the combined years of home-highlighting. Oh well. I'm getting it chopped off in six weeks and maybe we'll add some lowlights then to bring it back to a more natural color. Until then, I'm definitely ready for the beach!

McCalls 6078 - version 2

2011-07-18T23:29:00.002+02:00

I'm finally getting around to posting my second version of McCalls 6078.

This is another knit from Sawyer Brook - Robin's Egg Jersey. It is a very thin and drapey rayon knit that was perfect for this shirt. I have enough for a second top, so we'll see what that becomes. The armhole bands on this version are made from leather scraps. I'm definitely digging this version, too.

McCalls 6078

2011-07-13T02:35:00.003+02:00

My latest creation is McCalls 6078.

I love this pattern! It's a sleeveless top, but the straps are plenty wide to cover my bra straps without adjustments, and it's not skin-tight, which is nice for the Florida heat. I like the little tubes of fabric on the straps that add a little interest. I decided to use the regular fabric for those tubes on this version, but the second one (that is almost finished) has contrasting leather loops.

The fabric is a rayon jersey from Sawyer Brook which appears to have recently sold out. I am getting much better at sewing fabric as I get it and curbing my purchases when I have a backlog, but I still need to work a lot to sew down my older stash.

Vogue Pattern Picks - Fall 2011

2011-07-12T15:52:00.004+02:00

Hey, you guys! Ever since I got my Vogue Patterns magazine last week, I've been chomping at the bit to show you my picks (because I know you're on pins and needles to find out my faves). This fall catalog is filled with awesome Vogue patterns that look fresh and new! You can imagine my excitement when I got the email this morning, heralding their arrival on the website.

I don't have a lot of occasion to wear tight little dresses (although this is actually a top and skirt, which might be more practical), but I am so making this one:
I have a fun fall vacation coming up and I plan to make the most of it, chic-sewing-wise.

This one is lovely, and slightly more practical for every-day wear.

Another dress that could work casually. I like the sleeves!

Anther pretty knit dress I can see myself wearing more often than to church.

I like the lines of this jacket with the high collar.

I might try this version of the skirt with swooshies on the sides (technical term)

My TNT pants pattern is a Vogue, so I think I could make these without much fitting drama.

So there you have it - my favorites. Thanks for checking them out. :-)

I have a top to show off later today if I can get my pint-sized photographer to cooperate!

Vogue 2907 fly and special fabrics

2011-07-02T18:32:00.005+02:00

Here is the progress on my latest version of Vogue 2907 pants, made from Railway black cotton from Sawyer Brook.

I lined the pockets and fly area with a contrasting cotton. I've seen lots of bloggers (and RTW pants) do this, and I always think it is so cute.
The fly construction. I used directions from Jennifer Stern, which were awesome, and yielded the best fly zipper results I've ever had. I'm definitely going to try some of her patterns based on these fly instructions.
Inside view of the fly.

Audrey, thanks for the back pant leg suggestion. Jennifer suggested something similar - taking in the outseam a bit and letting out the inseam. It helped a bit but not a lot. Since the front looks fine and it's just the back pattern piece that must be crooked for my shape, I ended up altering the back leg piece as she suggested and leaving the front as printed.

Amy, thanks for the suggestion I should put on the waistband. I think that definitely would have helped asses the fit. Too bad I'm so lazy!

In other news, I had the morning off from Mommy-duties yesterday thanks to a babysitter, so I went to the two nice fabric stores in downtown Tampa (that I know of), Couture Fabrics and Design and Queen's Fabrics.

From Couture Fabrics and Design, I purchased this really unique open-woven silk, enough to make a dress for my mom and a dress or top for me. The color is actually a rich red.
I also got this cute polka dot silk chiffon for an airy blouse. I can't resist polka dot silk. I was very sad when the owner told me that she is closing shop very soon. She's just not getting enough business. :-( The only good part was both fabrics were 25% off.
At Queen's Fabric, which is located in the Marisu Moda design studio, I found the perfect navy lace I've been wanting for a dress for a wedding this fall. Of course, no sooner do I get home than I see these photos of Jenny-wannabe Mrs. Prince William sporting navy lace. Guess my vision is not as unique as I thought!
Finally, I went in Hancock's in downtown Tampa - the closest one to me and not the nicest Hancock's I've been in. They had quite a bit on sale, and I picked up some things for my mom (I'm about to attempt to sew her a few things, obviously) and myself.

For my mom, a skirt from the left poly chiffon-type fabric and a top from the right interlock.
Then I saw this open cotton sweater knit stuff for $3/yard and thought I'd try it out. I also got some white interlock since it was on sale and felt nice.
Finally, I got this dark purple linen print for a skirt for mom or maybe a loose dress. I didn't see any off-white beefy knit for a top, so I'll look for some at JoAnn's. My mom said she trusts my judgement to pick some fabrics and patterns, so we'll see how this goes. :-)

Voge 2907 muslin

2011-06-28T04:12:00.005+02:00

I just made a muslin for Vogue 2907. I must have made 5 versions of these pants, but Jennifer Stern Haseman is doing a pants Sew Along at Sawyer Brook, so who am I to deny free advice!? I'm always up for improving. Here she is:
I think a small crotch curve scoop is in order to take care of those folds. The back looks fine to me, but are the wrinkles under my booty due to some type of twisting? I'm quite certain I cut on grain. Plus, some of my other versions of these pants do that too.

Speaking of other versions of these pants, here are few of mine:

McCalls Fall 2011 pattern picks!

2011-06-22T19:27:00.003+02:00

McCalls' fall patterns are up on the site, and there are some I really like! I'm sure I'll be picking these up:

6402 - I especially like the softly pleated views.

6408 - I wore this shape cardigan a lot last winter. This would be perfect if only I can find some nice sweater knits or beefy interlock.

6391 - Is it wrong I love this shape skirt so much... even though it's for little girls? I can still buy it for ideas, right? And there may but a lucky little girl acquaintance in my life.

6393 - I like all the pieces of this for my boys. This will be first on my list to hunt down.

6410 - I really like the messenger bag/briefcase!

Anything cute I overlooked?

White Michael Kors Dress

2011-06-17T01:27:00.003+02:00

Must make this dress by Michael Kors! (that color-blocked dress is the closest I could find on the MK website)

I even found the perfect fabric from Sawyer Brook:

RTW Contest

2011-06-03T03:09:00.003+02:00

If you're a member of Pattern Review, go vote in the Knock-Off Contest!
There are 39 fabulous entries, including my own humble submission. :-)

As a sidenote, I'm on a little vacay with my parents in PA, so I won't have much to blog about for a week or two. Promise you'll wait for me!

Jammies

2011-05-27T02:57:00.003+02:00

Early on Saturday, I'm dragging the boys in the car and starting the drive to PA to visit family. Between now and then, I have to finish packing, take the cats to the kennel, wrap presents and have a little party for my giant 2-year-old, clean up the house, consolidate houseplants for watering, etc, etc, etc...

So today, I made little boy jammies! A totally appropriate use of my time.

All of the fabrics are from good old JoAnn Fabrics, and each set took about an hour including cutting. The boys picked out their own prints and are super excited to have these. I didn't use a pattern but traced jammies they already have, adding a bit for growing room. My big boy's fit better because he was more cooperative with the trying on process than my crazy baby, who is very much the 2-year-old these days.

I asked for a model pose and got this. Such a ham!

Butterick 5486

2011-05-24T14:56:00.002+02:00

Here's the great reveal of the Blah Dress briefly mentioned here.

I don't think my displeasure is due to the pattern, Butterick 5486, but more about the size I chose and the style on my body. This pattern called for for a knit with moderate stretch. I used a stretchy bamboo jersey. That, coupled with the fact that my last knit dress was a tad roomy in the size 10 made me cut the size 8. It's just too small all around. Straining around the armholes, too high-waisted, and too short for this style (I didn't have enough fabric for the full skirt length anyway). I also don't like the shape of the straps on my shoulder. This mid-width makes my shoulders look mammoth. I think I need thin straps, or a wide one to my shoulder.

I tried to justify keeping this dress. Though it won't work for the Baby Shower I'd envisioned it for, it would make a nice beach dress. I like the wrap style, and in theory, I like the full skirt. I don't think it looks as bad in the photo as I feel it is in person. But in the end, I just don't love this dress at all. It would probably sit in the back of my closet for a year or two until I could bring myself to get rid of it.

So this morning, I hacked off the skirt, which has a lot of gathered fabric in it, and I'm going to try to salvage it into this top.

To give you an idea how the tie flap thingies come out of the side seams:

I've been quite productive these past few days. I made some tiny baby jammies for the aforementioned baby shower. I just need to buy some more snaps to finish that project and post a pic. I've also almost completed a black dress for a funeral. :-( Hubs' sweet grandmother passed away a few days ago, so I'll be taking the boys up to Ohio for the memorial service in about a week. When I sing at funerals at my church, I usually wear a black skirt and dark gray sweater (long or short-sleeved), but I thought a black doubleknit dress would be nice to have in the closet and will be easy to pack. I already have this one, but it's a bit too va-va-foom for a funeral.

PR Knock-Off Contest - Kate Spade blouse

2011-05-22T02:57:00.007+02:00

Well, I said I was going to post about a letdown dress, but I can't help myself. I made a blouse in less than 24 hours and can't wait to share. The loser dress will have to wait.

The Pattern Review Knock-off contest got my wheels spinning and I decided to attempt this gorgeous Kate Spade blouse I stumbled upon last week. I had some polka dot silk habotai from several years ago at Gorgeous Fabrics, and even though the colors are reversed and it's a smaller scale, I'm all about stash-busting this year.

My neck ruffle is slightly smaller in scale (mostly because I used up every last scrap of fabric), but pretty much everything else is the same. I don't believe the original has any darts at all but mine has triangular bust darts for a little shape. I used New Look 6849 and just didn't make the back vertical darts. I can slip it over my head easily without a zipper (and without those back darts).

Neckline close-ups:

How I made this top:

Start with the basic shell (I used French seams for all of the seams), and cut a slit center front almost to the level of the bottom of the armholes.

To finish the slit, I used a strip of fabric that bordered on the selvage to avoid turning under a fiddly little allowance on the inside. Stitch the strip, cut edge even with the slit edge, with a 1/4" seam.

I've recently come to appreciate hand basting. While I used to abhor hand-stitching of any kind, I completely see the appeal now. The control you get is unmatched with pins, and if you count extra time you'd spend fixing mistakes, it takes no longer than pinning. Anyway, I pressed and folded the selvage edge behind and basted everything in place.

Edge-stitch on the right side, very close to the fold, catching the selvage on the inside. Remove basting stitches.

For the thin band around the outside of the neck, I used a strip of Steam-A-Seam for sturdiness and to ensure a perfectly uniform strip. The length of the SAS matches the measurement for the neck edge of my blouse. Again, I used the selvage. I ironed my strip of SAS close to the selvage, then cut out my rectangle around it.

Here's the beauty of the Steam-A-Seam: Just fold over the allowances on the long edges, putting the selvage side on top, and iron down. It gets top-stitched on to the neck in a bit.

Two parts I didn't photograph were making the ruffle for the neck and the ties. The ties are just narrow tubes turned right-side-out and attached on the inside of the neck edges at the very end. The ruffle is just a rectangle of fabric. Original dimensions of the rectangle are twice as high as the finished ruffle height by 1.5 times as long as the neck edge (plus seam allowances on all edges). Fold in half lengthwise and stitch around to make a tube, leaving one short end open. Turn and finish raw edge by turning them to the inside a bit. I didn't even stitch this closed since it's held in place by the gathering stitches in the middle, but you could hand-sew the end shut. Gather through the middle with a running or machine stitch and adjust to fit the neck edge. Baste onto the neckline.

Pin (or hand-baste) the center strip on top of the ruffle's gathering and basting stitches, turning raw edges under. Edge-stitch all the way around. Stitch ties on underside of neck edges.

To finish, hem armholes and bottom with a narrow hem. Side note: this is the best my narrow hems have ever turned out. No waves or puckers. Practice does indeed make perfect.

≈I'm SOOOOO pleased with how this came out and entered my pattern review in the contest. :-) I plan to wear it with white linen pants to a baby shower next weekend.

A little Friday inspiration

2011-05-20T19:50:00.002+02:00

First, thank you so much for the kind comments on my last dress. Like pretty much every other blogger out there, I love the feedback. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

On another note, I bought a top this week.

When I saw it and said "ooh ahh" and tried it on, I thought "wow. I've never been big into the shoulder treatment trend, but this is so soft and unique... it fits so well... love the color..." That familiar home sewist's thought of "I could make something similar" briefly ran through my head, but the price was very reasonable, and I like to support a smaller label as much as the next guy, so it came home with me.

Plus, although the shape is simple, the embellishment is unique. I couldn't do this would serious pattern alteration and muslins. Aint happening.

Maybe I can use this as some inspiration to "fix" the lackluster red dress I have almost finished... more on that tomorrow, most likely.

McCalls 6032

2011-05-17T03:51:00.005+02:00

Here is my McCalls 6032 dress that I introduced here.

It was very straightforward to put together. In this view, the twisted belt piece covers the detail that I showed in my last post. I omitted the zipper and added an identical belt on the back of my dress. This pattern can be used with either knits or wovens. If you used a woven and needed the zipper, you couldn't add the belt like I did. This dress turned out a smidge big, probably because of the woven/knits combo pattern, and I used jersey. I made a 10 with no alterations. If I were to make it again (and I think I will make one shortened to a top), I would make an 8.

The fabric is a rayon jersey from Ressy's Fabric Co-op. It's easy to join the co-op, but Ressy is on a hiatus right now and there's no fabric available.

I wore this dress to church this past Sunday with a cami underneath and a cardi overtop. The front and back are low, but just high enough to not show my bra. I could wear it without a cami somewhere other than church. :-)

Close-up of the front bodice and belt. I finished the armholes with narrow, soft elastic for stability with stretch.

View of the inside. There is a facing for the whole bodice that has an elastic casing at the bottom. I have to adjust it when I first put on the dress, but after that, it stays put.

I didn't match up the floral when I cut. They are so big that I thought they'd benefit from being broken up a bit.

I did a pattern review here.

Beadboard Backsplash Tutorial - Part 1

2011-05-16T04:22:00.007+02:00

I've not been sewing much this past week because I've started a new project (or 3). This definitely falls in the Home Improvement category and not in the Sewing or Knitting ones, so feel free to click away. My feelings won't be hurt. :-) However, maybe this will help someone out, so here goes...

We moved last summer to Florida, into a brand new, perfect home (yea!). It has no "backsplash" in the kitchen except for the 3" Corian counter lip thing. After painting the kitchen walls BRIGHT green, the kitchen was feeling a bit dark, and I wanted some sort of backsplash. I got the inspiration from The Lettered Cottage, and decided white beadboard was the way to go. Hubs left 2 weeks ago (he'll be gone for work for 4 months), so I figured there's no time like the present! Here is my beadboard backsplash journey....

I used pre-primed panels that lock together. They were a very manageable size to install myself. It would have been cheaper to get a huge sheet of un-primed beadboard, but I could have never gotten it cut accurately and nailed up by myself.

First, measure the height of the backsplash area you want to cover and cut some pieces that length. I used my miter saw and needed to flip the pieces over to cut the whole way through.

It probably won't take long for you to come to an outlet. Remove the plastic cover and start marking. If your outlet will fall between two sections of board (easier to deal with), hold up a board and mark the tip and bottom of the outlet. It's always better to err on the side of too small an opening. You can always make it a bit bigger, but if you make the hole bigger than your outlet cover, you've wasted a board.

To mark the vertical edge of the outlet, you can measure or use my very unscientific method of laying down the board where it will ajoin the next one and using a straight edge to find the mark for cutting.

Here is the rectangle I need to cut out:

Using a jigsaw, cut the two lines intersecting with the edge.

Then, you'll have to take out the rectangle in two chunks as shown.

Wash off the saw dirties with a damp sponge.

Cut the other side of the outlet the same way. Maybe you'll get lucky and have it also be the edge of the counter bordering the refrigerator...

After cutting this outlet, I realized I need to cut them big enough to clear some screws that protrude a bit from the outlet, so back to the jigsaw I went.

Much better

Here is one that I had to cut in the middle of a board. I marked the rectangle first.

To use your jigsaw to cut out the rectangle, first use a drill with a large bit to make some holes big enough to slide your jigsaw blade into.

Then cut out each corner separately.

What I neglected to show was how I attached my boards to the wall. I've read that you can glue and nail, but I found nailing to be quite sufficient. I like to know I could remove it if I really want to without the drywall coming with it. I would dry fit 4 or 5 pieces and then nail some in before continuing. This project has given me the practice to be quite confident with my nailing skills.

Thus concludes part one of my beadboard saga. Future installments include covering a wall including baseboard and cap rail, raising your outlets to beadboard depth, and decorative moulding and finishing. Who's excited? :-)

Interweave Knits Summer 2011 picks

2011-05-09T03:47:00.005+02:00

My knit dress isn't finished yet. We've had a couple of nights of difficult bedtimes. Anyway, as a diversion, here are my favorites from the Summer Interweave Knits I just received yesterday:

This isn't my favorite issue ever, but there are some intriguing designs, even if I wouldn't want to make them up exactly as designed. Clicking on any photo will take you to its page.

This first one just looks really cool. I like the pleat at the bottom and the stitch pattern around the bust.

I'm not usually crazy about knit skirts or variegated yarns, but the combo here is inspired. I may just put this in the queue.

Finally, I think this is my favorite. I love a cute hat, and this airy pattern looks perfect for Florida.

Of course, I still have a half-finished, short-sleeved, red cabled turtleneck in need of some attention, so I won't be starting anything new yet (all family members will be glad to hear).

McCalls 6032 construction

2011-05-06T00:47:00.002+02:00

I started making McCalls 6032 for myself last night, and I thought I'd share the construction of the front gathered feature.

It actually might be a bit difficult to see, but it's pretty cool. You sew a square of reinforcing fabric (I used silk organza) at the end of the darts on the front pieces. Here is the square in the middle of the photo:

Here is the right side view. All you can see is the white stitching of a curve in the middle of the photo.

Then, you slash to the apex of the reinforcing stitches and slash out to the curve in a couple of places. You fold those little slashed bits to the wrong side and topstitch them down. Then, sew up the darts, leaving holes at the points, already finished with the topstitching. Then, you sew the center front seam. (You'll see I decided not to match the print)

Finally, you make a little tube of fabric and slide it through the holes, stitching the tube's raw edges together on the back. The extra fabric just bunches up. It looks cool. I can't wait to work on this dress some more tonight after the kiddos go to bed.

I hope this was follow-able. I didn't really photograph enough steps to make it super clear. Hopefully I'll be showing this dress off this weekend!

Butterick 5493

2011-05-01T19:00:00.003+02:00

My latest creation is Butterick 5493, view B. What I think is cool about this top is it looks like a regular cowl neck, but it's actually a basic, straight-grain shell and has an extra little bias-cut collar piece to form the drape. This makes it take less fabric and less headache than a bias-cut top.
My only alteration was to add 1.5 inches to the length.

The gorgeous silk charmeuse is from Marisu Miranda Moda / Queen's Fabrics in Tampa. Um, wow, is all I can say about that fabric store. Incredible, and I could easily blow my savings there. The owner makes custom gowns and designs fabrics - she told me she designed this print and had it put on Italian silk charmeuse. She's my hero. I have some more of this fabric (I think it was a 1.5 yard cut) and am not sure what I'll do with it. I was planning to make a bias cut dress with it but decided I wanted to wear this beautiful fabric more than once a year.

Unfortunately, both I and my small photographer were having an "off" day today and didn't capture the full beauty of this top. Oh well, You can get the idea of the shape. Unless I wear it with very skinny pants or tucked into something, I'll be wearing this belt with it.

I wore it with white pants and a little cardi to church and got several compliments. I love the combination of simple pattern and show-stopping fabric.

That last photo was taken by my baby who is not quite 2. Lucky shot, I guess. :-)
My pattern review is http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/readreview.pl?readreview=1&reviewnum=62681.

Summer McCalls picks

2011-04-30T16:03:00.003+02:00

McCalls has their new summer offerings up, so I thought I'd let you all know which ones I'm really excited about...even if I'll never actually sew one or two of them.

M6346 looks like an easy summer dress I could bang out in a couple of evenings and wear all summer. This will be my first summer in Florida, and I plan to stay as cool as possible. Breezy but not a sack, gotta love it.

M6356 has some cute knit tops, and I can't get enough of those to wear with shorts (and sew up my slightly ridiculous knits stash). The two-tone version is my favorite, but maybe this will be the year I'll try something one-shouldered.

M6362 - Ok, this jumpsuit seriously tempts me. I have nothing against jumpsuits in theory. I just doubt my fierceness and ability to pull it off without looking silly. I kind of want to make that halter-cowl version to wear out for drinks with my sisters at the beach, just to give them something to make fun of me about. The shorts version looks just so comfy and practical for summer, but I don't want to look like a toddler. Any fabric suggestions?

Finally, having a niece has gotten me very excited about making kids' things. I made her a little wardrobe (the evidence of which, iPhoto destroyed) which I sent to my sister. Hopefully we'll get a pic or two when her tiny angel grows into the clothes. M6344 is a little oneie with appliques. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's cute and I know I'll use it, so I'll probably pick it up. I'll probably even use the guitar for a tee for my guitar- and drum-obsessed 4-year-old.

There were some other cute dresses, too, but these 4 are my favorites. Plus, I have PLENTY of dress patterns waiting to be sewn up. Did I miss your favorites?

Jeudi de Jardinage

2011-04-29T02:10:00.006+02:00

It's been an exciting week. We drove (yes, 17 hours each way) to my parents' house in PA for less than 4 days to spend Easter with my parents and two sisters and their families. It was so wonderful to have all 7 of our little ones together. I managed to finish up my boys' knitted vests and pants the day before Easter, but that's for a separate post. I'll just give you a little teaser from my camera here, until I get the (hopefully) better shots from my mom.

In other news, my sweet Hubs left this morning for 4 months in a hot, sandy (but pretty safe, thank God) place. My little guy seems to be taking it pretty hard, since he doesn't really understand why Daddy isn't around for bedtime. It doesn't help that about three days ago, he decided to become a pretty serious "Daddy's boy."

Ok, on to the gardening progress:

Hubs has no real interest in gardening... I think he's pretty pleased that I've selected it as my newest hobby since it's relatively productive, as far as hobbies go, but I also know he fears me growing bored with it and having overgrown flower beds all over the yard. Ah, such is the fate of he who chose to marry me. Anywho, he came home from work one day with two gorgeous blossoms snatched from a coworker's bush and said he'd like to get this. I jumped at that little spark of interest and bought two big gardenia bushes. They are beautiful flowers and very fragrant, and they're supposedly perfect for my zone 9 Florida garden.

I wasn't going to plant veggies this year, but my big 4-year-old really wanted to, so I let each of the boys pick one type of seed. We planted carrots (left) and peas (right). The carrots aren't much to look at yet, but I'm hoping much of the work is being done underground still.

My little rose garden. I'm actually sniffing a few cut blooms here in a vase on my counter right now. :-D Makes me so happy.

Here is the flower bed I first showed here. I've dug a bit further, and they've been shooting up. The daisy bush still isn't blooming after all the flowers being picked off by my boys, but I've read this could also be because the roots are hard at work getting settled in its new spot.

I think calla lilies are my favorite flower. They grow in lots of colors and have such a unique, sculptural shape. Love 'em! I couldn't pass up this pre-planted pot (Costco, maybe?) that is flowering beautifully already.

See? I told you they were my favorites.

Nothing to see here

2011-04-15T13:24:00.002+02:00

Really... there's nothing to see here. I took photos for a Jeudi de Jardinage post, which iPhoto ate AGAIN. Might be time to start thinking about a new computer. Right? Any supporters out there? I guess I could get a serger much cheaper, though.
Why do I never get a serger?? Another curiosity for another post.

Anyway, no photos. :-( I've been working on lots of blah. Lots of simple tunics for my church's Passion Play. A fishing game for the kids, which started out fun but now I'm ready to be finished with (and it's almost finished). I started curtains for the kitchen, and I'm fixing a quilt for a friend. Blah. I'm also in the middle of knitting sweater vests for my little men for Easter and I also want to sew them pants. I just want to be finished and make a cute silk flowered blouse for ME ME ME!!! Anyone else this selfish?

Lampshade Redo

2011-04-07T16:40:00.002+02:00

So... I took photos of this whole process, but iPhoto ate them. Grrrrrr.

Anyway, it's not that complicated. This little project started when I saw a lovely linen lampshade for $30 or something like that. I bought the $7 plain white lampshade instead and brought it home. Then I found some coarse linen in my stash that was rougher than I expected it to be when I ordered it online. I rolled the lampshade along the linen and drew my "pattern, leaving about an inch on each side and extra for the seam. The resulting shape of fabric is kind of like a section of a big circle (this is where a photo would have been nice).

Then I used a good old glue stick to attach the fabric to the cheap lampshade. That's right - a plain old glue stick. It was really simple, not messy, and has held up for the month or so since I made this.

Here's the result:

Vogue 1174

2011-04-05T17:08:00.005+02:00

I can't believe I finished this dress in a week! It was a lot of work, but I was excited about it from beginning to end (and truth be told, it still needs two hooks/eyes and hanging loops). I had some doubts about the fit and whether this style would flatter my (lack of) curves, but I'm thrilled with the result.

Here is my version of Vogue 1174:

I discussed in a previous post that I had to take in my usual size about 2 inches around the top. Other than that, fitting was ok.

I like the pockets, but forgot to really show them in the photos (working with a 4-year-old photographer here). I LOVE how the pleats on the skirt make it stand out swishily just enough to balance out the rigid top half. I think my body-ful linen/cotton fabric helps. It's from Gorgeous Fabrics, by the way, but long sold out.

Excuse the wrinkles, please. That's just life with linen.

I briefly considered attaching the skirt like any other dress pattern (right sides together) instead of this top-stitched on method, but then I decided that's just part of the interesting design and went with it. Sooooo glad I did that. It's just another interesting touch to the dress, like the "piping," which is actually just a strip of folded fabric - I don't think that is technically piping.

Here is my back zip, discussed at the end of this post.

Inside shots. This pattern has what looks to me to be very high-end construction methods with the foundation inside the lining with a waist stay. It's beautifully finished inside (again, just following the instructions).

Here it is, styled for Easter. I didn't plan to wear a belt with this dress, but once I put on the cardi, my waist disappeared, and I think the belt helps define it a bit.

Things are very classy here for photo shoots. I have a photographer AND a photography assistant to direct me.

Some photos of the man behind the lens.

Patter Review is here.

Jeudi de Jardinage

2011-04-01T15:46:00.003+02:00

Welcome to Jeudi de Jardinage (Gardening Thursday)... yes, I know it's Friday, but we had tornadoes and stuff yesterday, so forgive this unceremonious beginning. I've been hard at work in my new garden here in Florida, so I thought I'd spend a post on Thursdays (maybe not EVERY Thursday) posting a little update of my Florida gardening learning curve.

This the beginning of a border bed by the backyard fence. That daisy bush is not doing very well thanks to over-harvesting by two sweet boys who like to bring me flowers. For the rest of the border on the right side of the gate, I'm planting bulbs and scattering a bunch of wildflower seeds from a big bag from Lowe's all around. I was a bit skeptical how this would work, but it's only been a week since I planted this section, and there is already lots of green poking through the mulch. Now I have another stretch to dig, mulch, and pound in that edging (the boys' favorite part, of course)...

In other news, here's the progress on my Easter dress. I'm still a bit concerned about it obliterating the small curves I have, but I love all of the details and the very professional result coming from this pattern.

Plus, I'm super-proud of my zipper insertion. All of the piping matches up thanks to this tutorial by Summerset.

You put in one side, then close the zipper and mark all the match points on the other half of the zipper. The pattern has you put in one side, then close and pin the other side. Same idea, but I can see how the zipper might shift after just pinning and with no visual reference after unzipping

Also, check out my spiffy new header. I'm quite pleased with myself, even though I spent the better part of an hour trying to figure out how to make the photo smaller with no luck. Time to call in the cavalry (techie husband). This is phase one of my blog re-vamp plan.

Thanks for visiting!

Decision!

2011-03-31T05:40:00.003+02:00

Thanks for the input! While reading your comments, I realized I'd really narrowed it down to 2 (and so did you) but threw in some classy sheaths to feel more appropriate. However, there's no hiding that I really want to either go vintage or strapless this Easter!

So, I decided to go with the strapless with the vintage as a backup (since I've muslined the top and know it fits). The strapless dress must fit just right, and I'm not up for big fitting tweaks right now. Plus, I wasn't sure how the style would suit my curve-less figure.

So, I decided to make the foundation first as a sort of muslin. I feel like I'm always railing against the crazy fit of Vogue patterns, but REALLY! By my measurements, I'd need a 12 or 14. I cut my usual 10, and I still took in the center front, back, and sides 1/4" each. Do the math, and I've taken out 2 inches. I guess it's not that much, but if I made the size dictated by the pattern, I'd have a dress that fell down around my hips. That is NOT "wearing ease." Enough grumpies...

Here's where I stand now. I have the full lining constructed, the foundation (minus boning), and the bodice. I still need to construct the skirt, add boning, and put everything together, plus zipper. Doesn't sound like more than 3 evenings' work to me. :-) I love how it's coming out and I'm gonna cry bitter tears if I don't like it in the end.

Help!

2011-03-29T03:18:00.002+02:00

Last night, I was firmly set to have my next project be this jacket to go with my pants.

Butterick 5469, view A (short sleeves). Somewhere between then and now, I decided I MUST make my Easter dress NOW... so I need to make a decision.

I narrowed down my fabric choices pretty quickly, but picking one out and the perfect pattern to accompany it is proving a challenge for me. Many are worthy, but only one will be chosen...

The candidates, in no particular order:
bright blue and white cotton/linen, possibly with Italian lace accents, Butterick 5455. Love this fabric, which I bought in Germany, and love the pattern and lace... a safe option, style-wise

I am digging this Vintage reprint Vogue 1044. Is it "too much"? I muslined the top part a while ago and know that it fits and is ridiculously cute. Or, with Vogue 8648, I could still get the swishy skirt and play with the grain... possibly using that lace again. The fabric is linen from a German fabric market - green and yellow cross-weave.

I've made Simplicity 2473 before and would love one with the short sleeves and collar. I've also made a skirt with this fabric before (which is sadly quite a bit too big for me now).

The final option is a buttery yellow cotton/linen with an interesting texture. It would work beautifully for Vogue 1183, no doubt. But then again, I'm kind of loving it for Vogue 1174... I mean, I really need a strapless spring dress, right? Right? How cute would that be with the little pockets? And I could just throw on a cardi for church.

So, I would LOVE it if you'd weigh in and let me know what you think. I thrive on public opinion. Thanks! :-)

Vogue 2907

2011-03-28T03:36:00.003+02:00

Finished my pants. Woohoo!!

The fabric is a wool/linen blend from Sawyer Brook which is now sold out. Sad, because it's a really cool fabric. I was worried that the pants might be itchy unlined because of the wool content, but I've worn them all afternoon in total comfort. I didn't line these pants because I want them to be as breezy as possible. I also pre-washed and dried in the machines so I can machine launder the pants. Gotta love that.

The pattern is Vogue 2907, which I've made enough times to know the pattern number by heart.

P.S. How sad is it that I JUST figured out how to add a photo from the web without first saving it to my computer?

I LOOOOOVE these pants! The fit is perfect, which has much more to do with finding a great pattern that happens to fit me than it has to do with my fitting skills. I like the drawstring waist that I added. All I did was make the waistband a little narrower than the pattern (I don't like how high the original comes up on me, despite what the pattern photo would suggest) and add buttonholes to pass the drawstring between the waistband and waistband facing. The drawstring is a narrow tube of fabric, turned with a bodkin, and knotted on both ends to keep it from slipping inside the waistband. I also added a button and buttonhole behind the drawstring tie for added security.

I hemmed these pretty long so I can wear them with either flats or wedge heels, of which I own quite a few for summer.
The pant legs are quite wide, which is apparently back in style now after all those weird muffin top, tapered-leg monstrosities.

Some more pics:

Also, sorry if you got a post about my kiddo's birthday party in your reader. Put that one up on the wrong blog at first. Worse things have happened, right? :-)

Kid's Birthday Shirt

2011-03-27T04:08:00.003+02:00

My big boy would like you to know he's 4 (see the fingers?).
I made his birthday shirt. For comparison on how big he's gotten, here is last year's.

I actually made the whole shirt this time, instead of embellishing a purchased one. I found two XL black and gray striped ladies' tops at Target for $2 each and snatched them up. (I still have a shirt and a half to fashion something cute for me!) To make the "pattern", I traced a shirt he has that fits well. The neckline came out a little big because I tried to reuse the ribbing from the original tee shirt and was worried about it not fitting over his melon head. I should have just gotten more at JoAnn's. Oh well. It looks cute over the red t shirt here. Maybe I'll redo the ribbing with a wider piece.

For the embellishment, I used the freezer paper stenciling method. I've never used that method before (first stenciling attempt here resulting in this) It was quite easy, and worked really well with all the tiny cutouts I made. Great tutorials for both freezer paper stenciling and editing an image for a stencil are here, on Dana's awesome site.

Obviously, I actually did the stenciling on a separate piece of fabric which I then stitched on top of the t shirt for more impact. With the exception of the neckline being large, I'm really happy with this shirt, and I know my sweet boy loves it. He wants to wear his "drum shirt" every day.

In other news, I finally sat down for 15 minutes tonight to make a buttonhole and hems to finish up my linen/wool pants. Can't wait to photograph them tomorrow!!

Vogue Pattern Picks

2011-03-25T12:59:00.006+01:00

This morning in my emailbox, the new summer Vogue patterns greeted me, and I'm excited. :-)
I'm just including the ones that I like and can see myself buying and sewing (possibly). So, the ones I like the fashion-y idea of (strapless ruffly jumpsuit!) but don't really find a place in my wardrobe, I'm not posting here.

This summer, I'm really wanting some flow-y blouses and dresses. It's my first full summer in Florida, and I'm expecting hot and humid. I'll also be traveling quite a bit with the kids, so I want easy.

It doesn't get much easier or comfier than V1235, a cute knit dress. I like the contrast waistband here - it somehow looks modern when most contrasts are starting to look dated to me.

I probably have about 5 cuts of fabric already for V1236. I love a casual dress.

V1241 is a great little summer church dress for me. It looks a bit like another Kay Unger pattern I have, but it's just different enough for me to covet it anyway.

V1247 is the only separates pattern I chose, and I like both pieces. I'd kind of like to make both pieces in linens or linen/cotton for a breezy outfit. I think this is at the top of my sewing list. The top only takes 1.5 yards of 60" fabric (looks like it should need more).

The last two are a bit dressier than the other picks. I'm not sure if I could get away with 8723 for everyday wear, but I might try. I like the version with trim at the straight neckline. I also like the wide straps. Again, it looks fresh to me.

8728 is the one I'm not sure where I'd wear it, but I love it. Maybe I could shorten it to a top and make it work for everyday.

So there are my favorites. What are yours?

Final photos of my linen/wool pants coming this weekend...

Pants update

2011-03-24T03:42:00.002+01:00

My current project is a pair of pants made from an interesting linen/wool blend from Sawyer Brook. I'm using my TNT pants pattern Vogue 2907, modified a bit to make a drawstring waist. A they need now is a button and buttonhole and hem. I'm hoping I'll get them finished to wear on Friday! This is a a crummy evening photo. The true color is what I would call a rich loden green.

Little Man's Loft Bed

2011-03-15T16:35:00.004+01:00

Hi! Remember me? :-) Totally off the topics of sewing and knitting, here's the loft bed I made my almost-4-year-old little man.

I'm quite proud of my second wood-working project! I built it all myself but my Dad kindly helped me with the painting, and my dad and husband both helped with the final assembly.
The plans are here and my brag post on Ana's site is here.

I still need to paint over the final assembly screws and touch up some junctions, but Paul loves his bed! My next project is either bookshelves for under this or a desk for in a funny spot in my kitchen. Can't decide.

Oh, and I REALLY need to finish his quilt so he can stop using my pink one!

Dusting off my machine

2011-03-02T04:05:00.002+01:00

Whoa, where'd I go? I'm not sure what happened the last two weeks. My parents came for a visit, and then my in-laws stopped by over the weekend. In the past two weeks, my only sewing was a pair of PJ pants for Hubs (since he was left out of the holiday jammy festivities). Oh, and we've had crazy gorgeous weather, necessitating two trips to the beach.

My plan of attack this week was to make some lovely pants from a yummy wool/linen blend fabric, but I just haven't been able to get up the energy to get everything together to cut them out. Tonight, after a jam-packed day of 3-year-old's first dentist appointment, trip to the appraiser's office to file some paperwork, and tax preparation, I surveyed the mess of my house and decided enough is enough... No, I didn't clean up anything. I cut out and started to assemble a sleeveless version of this top. Priorities, people!! Photos to come tomorrow in the daylight and when my hair is less scraggly.

Just so this isn't a photo-less post, check out where the family went last Saturday. :-)

McCalls 6167

2011-02-15T20:32:00.005+01:00

Thank you, thank you for all the input on the pocket dilemma! Opinions were pretty divided (though definitely NO to just one pocket!), so I just went with my original decision, sort of. I had decided (before posting the query) that yes, I liked the pockets. Then, after everything else was done and the pockets were ready to sew on, I had a moment of panic and consulted Hubs. He likes the pockets, so on they went. I'm happy I did it. I think they just jazz up this casual shirt a bit.

Here it is! A comfy plaid cotton shirt, great for a day like today when the main activities are laundry, cleaning, and pillow fights.

The pattern is McCalls 6167. The changes I made were to remove the gathering and tie on the bottom pieces. To do this, I folded out wedges of the excess pattern tissue (meant to be gathered) at the waist, leaving the width at the hips and lower as drafted. This worked out very well and gives a roomy shape but more tailored look. I'm happy with it, anyway. :-)

How's the pocket scale? I didn't make them any smaller, but they do appear so, after finishing the edges.

I also removed about 3 inches from the hem. It still amply covers my butt, and I can still wear it with leggings, but it's less dress-like. Just a personal preference.

Pocket Opinions, Please!

2011-02-12T04:43:00.003+01:00

So here's my shirt as it stands now. Almost finished. Just needs buttons and a pocket decision.

Please tell, do you like no pockets, two pockets, or just one?

I think I've made my decision, but I've been know to cave to peer pressure.

plaid shirt progress

2011-02-11T03:41:00.004+01:00

Thanks for the nice comments on my vest. It was one of those odd projects where a vision came to me of what I wanted with my one lonely yard of gorgeous fabric. Then, everything fell into place from pattern to sewing to buttons, and now I really love the result and think I'll wear it quite regularly. It works for church with a skirt (as it is paired in the photos), and I can also wear it with a brown sweater and jeans for some cozy warmth. It's really unique for my wardrobe. I think I look pretty dorky in regular vests, but the collar somehow elevates it a bit, style-wise.

I have so many sewing plans running through my head... I can't keep up with what I want to do! That's how I like it, though. There's nothing worse than losing the desire to sew and feeling the guilt at all the beautiful fabrics waiting for you and just not wanting to sit down and sew. Anyone agree? That may have been the worst thing about first trimester pregnancy (after morning sickness and constant fatigue, of course... but they're kind of related to having no desire to sew).

So I've been plowing along with my plaid tunic. The pattern is for a tunic anyway. It's one of those empire waist deals, and I took out a bit of gathering over the tummy. If I don't like the length, I'll just cut it off at my hip anyway and we'll call it a shirt.

Here's my progress:

I know exactly why my sleeves don't match up with my fronts as I had planned (and no, I'm not going back and cutting new sleeves even if I have enough fabric). I measured 5/8" in from the front notches and matched those parts of the plaid in my cutting. HOWEVER, I didn't measure in at the correct angles so that the points really do match up. I'll know next time...

cuff

side seam

I had taken many photos illustrating how I matched plaid when sewing. I downloaded those photos, deleted them from my camera, and then iPhoto quickly died on me, erasing the photos. :-( Guess I'll document tomorrow when I match plaids on the lower body sections. Then, all I'll need is buttons, buttonholes, and a hem!

Then, on to a silk shell for me... or hubby's dress shirt I've promised for ages... or his PJ pants... or tee shirts for the kids... or a knit dress for me... or linen pants...

Vogue 7975

2011-02-10T03:04:00.003+01:00

I found the sneaky, hiding buttons for my plaid vest and finished it up with some quick buttonholes. The pattern I used is the classic Vogue 7975, which I bought to make a Chanel-style cardigan. Now that I know it fits well, I'm really getting the bug to make that Chanel jacket again. I also altered the neckline and tacked on a collar from Simplicity 2473.

Without further ado, here's the vest:

The buttons are from Sawyer Brook but are long sold out.

Plaids and knitting

2011-02-04T18:59:00.003+01:00

First off, I've been knitting on and off on a side-to-side cardi of my own design. It's part of my SWAP. One knitted item is allowed. Here it is right now:

I've also started cutting out a plaid shirt for my sew along. Check out details here.

I also did a related little guest post on Barb's Sawyer Brook blog here.

Lots of fun stuff going on. Back to the cutting table!

McCalls 6152

2011-01-31T04:09:00.004+01:00

Since I can't find the buttons to finish up my plaid vest, I had the perfect opportunity for diversion on Friday. I cut out and sewed this little outfit for a neighbor's first birthday. I realized that sewing little girl clothes, while lots of fun, isn't terribly fast. I cut and sewed this all on Friday afternoon/evening (except buttons and buttonholes which were finished an hour before the party) but spent a bit more time on it than I expected.

The pattern is McCalls 6152. It's very cute, but I'm anxious to hear how everything fits. I cut a size large top, pants, and panty/shorts things, which should fit about 25 pounds, but the top looks small to my eyes, and the pants and shorts look enormous. I guess they'll cover a full diaper, no problem. There is one cute review on PR that says the sizing is accurate on this, so I guess I shouldn't worry too much.

I used steam a seam to put her initial on the top with satin ribbon. I didn't want to sew on top of the pretty ribbon, so I ran it through the washing machine to make sure it'd stay put. It did.

Despite carefully measuring my buttonholes, they still look unevenly spaced. Typical. The pattern calls for buttons, but I'd have used snaps if I'd thought to pic some up at JoAnn's. I didn't.

The fabric is cotton knit I won on a Facebook giveaway from Chez Ami (Thanks!). They have really great quality, beefy knits for kids (and some adult-appropriate solids and stripes). Love them! Along the neckline, I used a cute little pompom embellishment I found at JoAnn's.

That's about it. I think this will be my little girl go-to gift pattern. It turned out really cute. I am interested in hearing back about the fit, though.

My Pattern Review is here.

Plaid Vest Update

2011-01-27T02:15:00.003+01:00

This is just a quick update on my plaid vest. I have the bulk of it assembled. Now it just needs a very good pressing before closing the side seams and hemming. Here it is, modeled by my lovely counter stool.