Sewing Buddies meet again

So far the making of our Crepe dresses is slow going. I am not sure what the trouble is. But I am having a hard time "helping" Pearl with this dress. Part of the problem is that I am making this dress for the first time as well and we both chose more difficult fabrics. And another part of the problem is the weird shape of the sleeves. I decided that since the sleeve shape is so weird that I would hand hem my sleeves.

 This is what the inside of my bodice loos like right now. All I have left to do is finish putting together the skirt, attach it to the bodice and hem. I have decided that I am going to make this dress again. But when I do it will be in cotton and I will trim the whole thing in bias tape, I think if I did that it would be a beginner dress. The dresses Pearl and I are making are turning out to be not so beginner.

Here is Pearl ironing her skirt. She is further along in the dress than I am and is nearing the finish line. However since we were lazy and did not make muslins she is having some fit issues.

Additionally she has had a fair bit of trouble with the facing for the neckline and the sleeves. One thought I have is that we used interfacing that is too heavy for the fabric and should have done a self facing of the fabric for the neck and sleeves. It is sort of tempting to have her cut it all out and do a new one. But she might flip out it I suggest that to her.

So here she is in her dress. It is pretty darn cute. But it is not perfect. As you can see the sleeves are big and weird. The bodice is loose but she prefers her clothes loose so that is not really an issue. She cut a size 4 and we already took in the side seams 2 inches. Oh to have such troubles!

But I think that the waist and sash are fitting nicely and it is hanging alright. Just needs a little tweeking. All in all for her first dress it is not bad. Anyone have any suggestions on how we could have done better?

Thanks!
Peace Out - C

Was the Easter Bunny good to you?

 I must admit that I am the Easter Bunny ("EB") at my house. My sweet husband earlier this week said to me, "oh yea, Easter is a present holiday for you".  Um.... what holiday is NOT a present holiday? How long have you known me? When would I say no to a gift of any kind? So I am apparently getting an Easter gift sometime next week, it was ordered.

Even though good old EB forgot about me we had a great Easter. As you saw in my last post I got an Easter dress done for Miss Marion in time. And she LOVES it and wore it Saturday and I washed it Saturday night so she could wear it today. She even got her picture taken with EB at the mall on Saturday in her fab new dress. This is her jumping up and down in the yard in the middle of an egg hunt with our neighbors.

Saturday was the first egg hunt of the weekend. Friday night fellow EB Megan and I got the eggs ready and we had a super fun time on Saturday with the kids.

I am happy to report that I did also manage to finish a new Easter skirt for myself. It is in a fabric that I initially bought for my little business. But I decided it was too cute so I made one set of napkins to sell and also made myself a skirt.

I was short on time so I made a pretty simple no pattern elastic waist skirt. It is just two big rectangles for the body of the skirt and 4 smaller rectangles, 2 for the bottom band and 2 for the waist band.



I did use a pattern piece for the pockets. But hey if it ain't broke don't fix it. I knew these pockets were the right size and shape for what I wanted.

Basically you sew together the main skirt pieces on one side, then you do the same with the bottom band pieces and the waist band pieces. The you sew the bands to the top and bottom of your main skirt piece. So it looks something like this (on right).

Then you fold in half and sew the other side seam, now you have a tube starting to resemble a skirt. Next you press down 1/2 inch at the top and bottom. Then you fold each band in half and sew in place. But when sewing the waist band leave yourself an inch or two to put in your elastic. This way you do not have any unfinished edges.

Once you have pulled your elastic through sew your opening shut. I attached the pockets last, I just was not sure where I wanted them. You could easily add an in-seam pocket or leave the pockets off all together. I just like pockets.

And then there you go an easy breezy little skirt. If you want more specifics about measurements of what I used let me know. But you would need to base it on your waist and how poofy you want it to be. Mine turned out a little poofier than I would have liked. But I wore it today and got several compliments so I guess it was not so bad.

Today was egg hunt number 2. We went to my cousin's house full of kids and chaos and for once I just sat back and enjoyed it. I usually get exhausted by all the kids and craziness, but I am mellowing. And actually have a kid in the mix makes it more fun. I think today is the longest we have ever stayed over there. And Marion loved playing with all the other kids it was great.

I also got to see a long lost friend. Well she is a friend of my cousin's really but I had not seen her and years and it was really nice to see her I have always liked her. I need more girl-friends.

Looking ahead to this week I am hoping to get some work done on the dresses I am making for myself. My sewing buddy Pearl is coming over tomorrow and I want to get ahead of her on the dress so I can be any help at all to her on hers! So we shall see. I am already feeling a little tense about the week because I am way more scheduled up than I would like to be. But I am going to try and stay calm and just take things one task at a time.

Hope you had a great Easter and you are looking to a great week ahead.

Peace out! C

Ohhhhh Yea, Easter is this weekend!

Last night we were playing in the driveway with the neighbors. Another mom (my buddy Megan) and I realized that Easter is Sunday! And a couple of weeks ago we had talked about doing an egg hunt! So we put together a plan. She and I have a meeting scheduled with the Easter Bunny and some wine for Friday night to prep for Saturday afternoon's hunt!

For me along with the bunnies, chicks and candy Easter also means new clothes! In particular you have to have a new Easter dress, right? (Notice no mention of any sort of religious affiliation with said "holiday"). I admit I am a "secular" celebrator and am not affiliated with any religion.

I do not normally add trim or any fuss to dresses that I make for Marion. But some how this one ended up with a bias tape band and ties as well as a little daisy chain detail. It actually sort of makes the dress and takes it from every day attire and elevates it to a dress worthy of being Marion's "Easter Dress".

At first I was worried that the butterflies and the color would make it more of a Summer dress than Spring. But I think in the end I made some good decisions and it turned out nicely.

I did a rolled / napkin serged edge on the little flutter sleeves, neckline and hem. The pattern called for the neckline to be turned down to create a casing for the elastic but I decided to just use the finished edge to create a ruffle look at the neckline. I used this technique on a shirt for myself recently and it just creates a nice detail.

The back tie is simply bias tape sewn folded. The yellow belt brings out the yellow detail in the butterfly that is more apparent in person than in the photos.

Hopefully I will get some good pictures of her in the dress this weekend. There has been talk of even going to the Mall to meet the Easter Bunny. When asked if she would like this Marion's response was "and I get to meet the Easter Bunny? and hug and kiss the Easter Bunny? And talk to him? because he lives at the mall!"

So Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus and Yes Marion the Easter Bunny may indeed live at the Mall!


Peace Out!
- C

First Day Working at Home Grown Today!

Today is my first day actually working the store st Home Grown Decatur 1:30 - 5:30! If you sign up for their newsletter you get a $5.00 off coupon.

If you are in downtown Decatur swing on by and say Hi!

Peace Out - C

New stuff in my Etsy shop today

Hi Guys!

Finally got some more stuff done and posted in my Etsy Shop. Stop on by and buy something fun today here is a coupon code for you: FRIENDS15OFF and you will get 15% off of your entire purchase.

Yesterday I turned this pile of napkins.....

 

Into a something much more organized and appealing. But I do admit that as I am working I make a big pile by my machine in the interest of saving a little bit of time.

Do you think it violates child labor laws that Marion thinks it is super fun to put the tags on? She also likes to "fold" the napkins but us slightly less successful at actually helping.

The cassette tape fabric is just um... SUPER AWESOME! Why is it that the memory of cassette tapes is so good when their quality is so bad?

And I love these.... 

I am also working on some new zipper flowers. All the ones that I got made last go round are over at Home Grown. My first shift working will be on Monday! 1:30 - 5:30 if you come by I can get you a $5.00 off coupon good only for Monday!

Peace Out - C

Super easy fix for the too bulky bandana headband!

 I love the look of the bandana headband. I especially love it for days I am wearing casual clothes and / or working around the house.

There is something both retro and timeless about this look.


I used to take a full handkerchief / bandana and fold it into a headband. But it would always be just a little too small and not want to stay on my head sort of felt like it was always about to pop off. (I found this pic on-line, don't you just love Google?)

So I started wear two bobby pins at the sides of the headband above my ears and that works but was a little annoying. One day it finally dawned on me, "why don't I just sew the headband the way I want it?'

Now I just take the bandana fold it in half, right sides together and simply serge at the width I want for my headband.









You could do this with a regular machine and then just use your preferred method for finishing the edges, such as pinking or zig zag stitching to avoid fraying. I wear these a lot for working out so they get washed a lot and therefore serging was the most practical for me.

 Then you just turn your headband right side out and you have your bandana headband ready to go all full of cuteness minus the bulk. Go forth and wear it with pride knowing you made something mundane just a little more useful.

I just thought this picture was funny.

Peace Out - C

New Spring Dress

Today I am laying in bed catching up on computer stuff. I think I have a touch of food poisoning or something along those lines and am not feeling well at all. So sad! Since it is amazingly beautiful out today.

But the good news is that I did get to go outside a lot over the weekend and enjoyed a fun dinner out last night.

Last week I spent lots of time making stuff for myself. Some of it was more successful than others. But I did learn a lot which is part of the whole process right? I am still working on getting things to fit me. The biggest challenges I have fitting are that I have tiny shoulders, a large chest, a medium waist and large hips. I decided to try this timeless basic easy dress pattern, Butterick B443. I used view C which is the yellow dress in the picture.

I made myself a plaid dress. It was meant to be both a muslin for the pattern and practice in matching plaid. The fabric is shirting that I got on sale for $1.95 a yard. The nice thing is that I was not worried about messing up the fabric. The cruddy thing is I loved the dress on my dress form. And it was super comfy to wear but looking at this picture I am not sure it is entirely flattering.

I am hoping it looked better in person and just a bad camera angle but the bodice of this dress was tough to fit me. I cut a pattern size 18 because that is for sure what I needed in the waist. And I made all sorts of adjustments to the bodice because well it just did not fit at all.  I left the waist as is and adjusted the bodice seams and armpits. Maybe what I should do is cut a smaller bodice and make the waist bigger. Essentially the opposite of what I did.

I also made some pleats at the neckline on the front and the back because the neckline was huge. The shoulders where like a mile apart. I was hoping that it would be a cute effect that looked like it was part of the design of the dress. Now I am not so sure.

The skirt part fits great and the belt is super cute. I just don't think this is the right dress pattern for me. Or maybe I just did not make the right adjustments. I am not sure I will try this one again. Thank goodness I got this pattern on sale for $1.00. I just don't really know how I could make this pattern work for me? Except that I totally can use the skirt pieces to make myself another skirt because I think it hangs perfectly and is the right length. I am sure I will be able to wear this plaid number as a casual day dress. But maybe not my best ever. I am sure I will get it eventually just have to keep trying.

It was perfect for our Saturday, day trip to Warm Springs GA, where we enjoyed a little festival.

Marion Loved it she told me in the car on the way to school today that she liked: "eating a hot dog and chips, getting her face painted, getting a (temporary) tattoo, and eating cookies while listening to the music".

On Saturday in the car on the way home from Warm Springs I was in a bit of a funk because I was hot and hungry. But looking back on it I am glad I got to spend the day with my cute little family and that Marion had such a super fab time.

Life is all about trying new things and working on figuring out what you want and what you are good at. As soon as my stomach stops hurting I am going to go try and work on this stuff myself.

Peace Out - C 

Another day, another skirt

Over the weekend our friend Merrie came to visit from the frozen tundra known as Rochester NY. We went and did all sorts of Atlanta-y things that I don't often get to do these days. We went to 2 different parks and spent tons of time outside since the weather was lovely. We ate at the Flying Biscuit twice and had dinner at Watershed, it was delicious as usual. However they have a new chef and if you don't eat pork your dinner choices are even more limited than in the past. And while it was delicious and I love eating at fun restaurants I spent part of this week in a bit of a funk.

What has me down? Well I need to loose some weight and I just cannot manage to figure out how to make it work. I joined Weight Watchers a few weeks ago and now weigh more than I did when I started. And because I am feeling chubby I am having trouble making and fitting clothes for myself.

On Tuesday I made this skirt....  from the New Look 6843 pattern.  I did view A which is the pink one on the top left here. It says it is a 1 hour easy skirt. And honestly it would have been if I had just trusted my initial instincts and picked a size and stuck with it. After opening the envelope and looking at the tissue I decided to make the skirt bigger.

The short version of this story is that I finished the skirt and then spent quite a lot of time making it smaller. I think I took it back in - to the size it would have been if I had just cut it in the size I decided on in the first place!!!!

I am so peeved at myself. I think that part of the problem is that I recently made something and it is too small. I really think that I gained 5 lbs after I started on the stupid shirt. And now the buttons are pulling a little. So basically I am utterly frustrated with myself!

It is fabric that I love and have been wanting to make something for myself since I got it a few weeks ago. It is peaceful graffiti on fabric and is super amazing.

And even though I feel like I wasted tons of time puttering with this silly skirt, I am glad I made it and looking forward to wearing it.

I woke up yesterday feeling better and like there was hope that I am capable of making things for myself no matter what I weigh and that I just need to focus. This week was supposed to be some time to make stuff for me but not if it going to make me feel so bad and like a crazy person!

I did try my hand at another invisible zipper, my 2nd ever. And it is way better than the first one I did. This one is almost close to invisible. You can see just a tiny sliver of blue peaking out but not too bad. I am sure I will get better with practice. I have in the past been terrified of zipper.

Maybe all I need to do is keep trying. There is always tomorrow and the day after that...and the day after that..... All we can do is keep keeping on. And in the mean time I actually have a decently cool skirt to wear out into the world. I tell my sewing students all the time, "If sewing were easy, everyone would do it". I guess I just need a dose of my own advise.

Peace Out - C

Just needed an easy project.

Do you ever have one of those days where you just need to be able to get something done that will work and you know it will work and not have to stress about it too badly? Well that is exactly what I needed yesterday. I made a second version of a shirt I have already made.

The pattern is from the book Sew Liberated by Meg McElwee. You may have heard me sing the praises of this book before but she really does have a great design aesthetic and her patterns are wonderful.

This is the first version I made back in early March...

It is your basic little peasant style blouse. It is comfortable and I think quite pretty as well as versatile. These are all reasons I made another one.

This fabric is left over from my Birthday Dress that I made for myself back in august. I am very sad to report that right now the birthday dress is too tight! And I cannot squeeze myself into the stinking thing! But my goal is for it to fit again by my birthday!

But for now I can wear this shirt and still get to enjoy the lovely fabric. I made some very slight changes in the way that I made the shirt. At the neck and the sleeve I did a rolled edge and then sewed the elastic on about half an inch below the finished edge.

On the first version above I made a more traditional casing for the elastic. I thought that since this is the same shirt pattern that I should make some small changes so I don;t end up making the exact same shirt all the time. However it is a great shirt and it is easy and it fits. You should not be surprised if you see more versions of this shirt in the future.

Peace Out - C