McCalls 6713

Here is the result of McCalls 6713.  Blech.  :-(  Too short-waisted for me.  Or, maybe that's a design feature, but it's not a flattering one for me.  It isn't high enough to be empire-waist, but it's several inches above my natural waist.  Plus, it's too short.  Just not a hit. 

Anyway, I've been working on some other things, knitting and sewing, so I'm going to get back to them. :-)  That's all for now.

McCalls 6949 and McCalls 6918

I've been in a bit of a funk since forgetting to enter my SWAP pieces.  I started a dress with a vintage pattern, but it was not attractive, so I just ripped out the zipper and let it go (into the trash) last night. It was an older tweed fabric that was left over from a skirt I made years ago.  Hubs found it humorous I didn't want to part with the $3 zipper, though. :-)

Last night, I still wanted to sew, and not on the little quilted table runner thing that's half finished on my ironing board. I wanted to sew something for me, so I found a bunch of blue jersey up in my stash and paired it with McCalls 6713.  I cut it out and sewed up the bodice and so far so good!

As for Me Made May, I've been doing... ok.  I had two funerals to sing for this week, and I have three, yes, three black dresses I've made for such occasions, but one never fit quite right, and the other two are, um, a bit too snug.  It's seriously time to just get rid of all the things in my closet that are a skosh too tight.  Let 'em go, Jenny.  Other than those days, I've been doing well, but have failed at my photo taking this week.

Today, I want to share some cuties I made for one of my nieces, just because.  Meanwhile I need to make a birthday present for another niece, and I'm thinking I'll use these same patterns (minus the sweater since it's almost summer).

The sweater and top are from McCalls 6949.  I doubled the number of ruffles on the top, and I really prefer this look.  The sweater came together really easily and I think it's so cute.  It's so big, though, that I'm sure it will fit her next winter.  The skort, McCalls 6918, was also easy to make and looks really cute.  All in all, this made for a comfy outfit, all in knits, and I hope she likes it.  If not, I may try to squeeze into it!

Red/white striped tee

I was so inspired by this post by Erica B. that I copied her new top, right down to the fabric and U-neck.  In my defense, I did already have the fabric (from a recent seasonal collection at JoAnn) and was planning to make a summer dress.  Her top convinced me that simple tee was what I needed.

Oh, look!  The fabric is still in stock online and on sale to boot!

The pattern is my usual for tees - out of print Butterick 3344.  My pattern tissue is looking so sad at this point that it's time to trace it on cardboard or something.  I guess I could look for a new pattern, but then again, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My camera took this one photo before going on strike and refusing to work until I charge the battery.  No worries.  I must get back to my sewing machine anyway and finish up the last skirt to complete my SWAP at Artisans Square.  Last sewing day, you know.  This works out quite well with my plan to join Me-Made-May starting tomorrow, wearing at least one handmade thing each day in May.  I have a little backlog to get on the blog, but I'm hoping Me-Made-May will help me with documenting those.  I've only blogged this and this and this.  Together with today's offering, that means I've made at least 6 other garments since the beginning of the year.  Sheesh.

More Baby Clothes

Here is another baby outfit I made recently, this time for my brother-in-law's wee one - about three moths old.

 She lives in Michigan, so I thought a warmer layer was in order.  I came up with a little zippered vest made from the same cozy knit as the pants.  All of the fabric is from JoAnn's.

Red Stripey tee

Here are some bad nighttime photos of a tee I made a couple of months ago.  Not the most exciting thing, but it does get a lot of wear.  :-)  It works nicely on its own or for layering under sweaters.  I particularly like it under this sweater, but my wonderful husband may have told me I remind him of one of Santa's elves.

I just used my usual OOP tee pattern, Butterick 3344, and modified the neckline from there.  This knit has very little stretch, so it is quite snug, but I think it's ok. 

Wrap Dress Progress

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

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