Cotton Gauze Blouse

Here is a peak at my current project, a pretty blouse made from this cotton gauze.  I am using the same pattern as my recent plaid shirt but made many modifications.

I started out by making a bunch of little pleats for the yoke before cutting out the yoke pieces.

I made quite a bit of progress the past few evenings.  It's hard to see with the busy print, but tonight, I stitched up the placket and band collar and added the buttons and buttonholes.

McCalls 6696, kind of

I was so anxious to finish my altered shirtdress that I pawed through my mom's button stash last night (I'm visiting her, obviously) and found 9 silver shank buttons that fit my buttonholes. 

So, here is my kind-of-shirtdress, made from Sawyer Brook's beautiful Vieux Carre and McCalls 6696.

 I admit I removed most of the shirtdress details - most obviously the collar, but I think this makes for a more casual summer dress.  I wore it out to the grocery store and lunch today and didn't feel too fancy or retro.  I even got a few compliments!

 I kept the yoke and gathers in the back, which gives it a little bit of shirtdress feel and makes it so airy and comfortable to wear for summer.

 I didn't use the skirt pattern pieces at all since I simply didn't have enough fabric for the full-skirt option.  What I did do is cut my whole piece of fabric (2 yards, I think) to length for the skirt and then cut out my bodice pieces from the remaining white portion.  The skirt is all one piece, buttonband to buttonband.  I just did some simple math to figure how many and how big pleats to make to attatch it to the waistband.

I explained how I did the hem here.

I am really enjoying wearing my new dress today.  I think I have been successful in my attempt to make an everyday dress that is comfortable and cool for summer!

Vogue 1224

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

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

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

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

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

Kid's Birthday Shirt

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!!

McCalls 6167

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!

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

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...

Plaids and knitting

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!