Is That Sew?

A wonderful new year is upon us!!

2011-01-03T18:08:00.004-05:00

Happy 2011 everyone!! With the new year comes exciting things... I will be getting my BS in Allied Health Sciences with an emphasis in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology, finally getting an apartment with my fiance, and getting married! That's right, we're engaged! We're planning a late August tiki-inspired wedding. Kris proposed with a gorgeous mystic topaz and diamond ring that he designed himself. I couldn't imagine a more perfect ring, or fiance.

I am sooo excited to start planning the wedding, and to finally see a time so soon that I will be able to start a life with my fiance in the same zip code!

But on to the true purpose of this post... I finished my very first quilt! A while back, Kris had given me over 50 t-shirts that he adored, but no longer wore for a variety of reasons. I divided them into music/concert t-shirts and movie/random fun t-shirts. I came out with 35 of the movie/randoms, so I decided they would make a nice t-shirt quilt. I cut them into 12" squares, 7 down and 5 across, interfaced them, sewed them together, added a 3" border, and brought it to a local woman's house get quilted together. The fee was reasonable and she had it done in just a few days. She gave me some good tips and tricks and was encouraging, which was helpful as a first-timer. I went with a warm and natural cotton batting and black cotton sheeting for the backing. Kris gets super toasty and didn't want something overly warm, so I thought these would be good choices for his quilt. I machine stitched the binding to the front and whip-stitched it in the back. It was time-consuming, but enjoyable.

and here's Kris all snoodled up in his new Christmas quilt :)

I would definitely do another one of these in the future, maybe for myself :)

Does anyone had any ideas on fun projects that I can do with concert t-shirts that will display the front and back? I still have a bunch of Kris's shirts that I would like to do something nice with for him rather than have them sit on a shelf in the closet.

Before I bid you adieu, I want to show off the AWESOME tiki plates my lovely, talented fiance painted for me as an anniversary gift:

He also got me this super sweet calendar that will keep me busy sewing, all year long!

My eyes say it all... Happy Halloween!

2010-11-04T13:22:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had as great a Halloween as I did! Luckily, I was able to get work off for the weekend to travel home for the festivities. And in case I forgot to mention, I now work in a fabric store! Anywho, I was going to be a dia de los muertos bride for Halloween, but felt to lazy as there was practically no effort put into the costume. So in light of recent events involving spiders everywhere in my life, I decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. One afternoon before Halloween, my roommate and I popped Casper into the DVD player, and went to work on our costumes. I assisted her in making her raccoon tail and she assisted me in assembling my eyeball hair combs for my spider costume. My boyfriend Kris was Fido, and his costume turned out wonderfully as well! We bought the patch from Etsy which I just sewed onto his shirt, and he designed the collar himself. He's a crafty man, whether he wants to admit it or not :)

I bought some black crepe that was discounted to $1.97 a yard for having a flaw and I couldn't seem to find, and some felt and plastic hair combs for the eyeballs. This costume was under 10 bucks to make. Seriously. I just made a little body, stuffed some spider legs, and connected them with some string. I also used elastic to attach the legs to my wrists so I could have my hands free for eating and playing games during the evening. Some black leggings combat boots, and fun make-up were the finishing touches! Kris used a grey belt, some metal rings, the metal bottom of two lightbulbs, and a little wooden block to make his Zomcon collar.

We were quite the festive and crafty couple!

He and his buddies also made all sorts of crazy food including a graveyard cake, zombie punch with spooky dry ice fog, jalapeno artichoke dip that looked like brains, bat wings, and other great things. They used (sanitized!) barbie and doll parts as drink stirrers and food servers, too!

This Halloween was fun, festive, and made from the heart!

P.S... I'm planning on making a dress this weekend :)

Happy Autumn!

2010-09-28T01:15:00.001-04:00

It's my favorite time of year. Getting all cozied up under a pile of blankeys with a warm mug of citrus green tea and my new Fall shows couldn't get any dreamier. Well, except that there is a nagging pile of textbooks waiting for me in my bedroom. But that aside, Fall in Michigan is glorious. I loved UP Fall best of all, but Grand Rapids Fall isn't so bad either. I have already broke out my puffy vest and scarf, and can't wait for it to get chilly enough to wear my sock monkey hat that my parents got me for my birthday!

I have a chili pepper red peacoat with buttons down the back that this will complement nicely :)

Switching gears completely, I have something new and adorable to show you:

I've been meaning to make a purse out of this fabric for months, and bought this pattern, Vogue 7889, with such intention, but never got around to it. This pattern came with instructions for 4 different purses, and I had originally planned on view D, but changed my mind at the very last second and just impulse made view A instead. I love it! The outer shell is a Michael Miller fabric the inside shell is Heather Bailey. Here's what the inside looks like, it could almost be reversible:

It fits all of my things really nicely, with room to spare for when I need to throw in my headphones or a pepsi for the road. My last purse didn't have any pockets and was lined with black cotton, the same color as my phone, so I could never find it. This one little pocket is PERFECT for my phone, and is in a nice struggle free reach zone. The top also opens up nice and wide so I can easily scrounge around for what I need.

I highly recommend this style handbag for the fall. Something easy, quick to sew, and casual with spare room for mittens!

Mr. Tiki

2010-06-06T18:00:00.000-04:00

It's been so long! But I'm back with something new and exciting. I embroidered a tiki dude onto a shirt for my Mr to wear to a wedding this past weekend. He loved it! And I thought he looked quite dapper in it, as well. This is my second embroidery project i've completed, and I am thrilled with how it turned out.

And here's a close-up of Mr. Tiki, fresh out of the hoop!

I used the Tiki Freak pattern from Sublime Stitching, with their transfer paper and stylus as well, since it was on a black shirt. The white transfer paper didn't really work that well on this shirt material, so I mostly just eyeballed the pattern and went free-hand. I changed the pattern around the eyes a bit because I thought it was too busy, but otherwise I tried to stay pretty true to the pattern. I love this design because it is colorful, yet still masculine and to boyfriend's taste.

Next on the list: a birthday dress (I hope!). My 23rd birthday is next Friday, the 11th, and I would LOVE to have the time to make a new dress to wear out to dinner and then maybe a drink or two at the voodoo bar. Wishful thinking everyone!!

I'll be back soon!

2010-05-20T18:55:00.000-04:00

Sorry I've been away so long! This past month has been a whirlwind of craziness, and I haven't gotten any down-time to work on anything new. I have so many projects lined up that I want to get started on asap, but other things have to come first. I started a new job as a keyholder at Francesca's Collections, a brand new store that opened last week, so that's been gobbling up my time, on top of being a full-time summer student. My classes will be wrapping up at the end of June so my free time should be my own after that. I will have to squeeze in a little bit of time for a project as my Mr. want's me to embroider him a shirt to wear to a wedding in early June, but that's pretty much all I have time for right now. Hopefully, I'll be back soon!

Lantern Embroidery!!

2010-04-23T22:56:00.000-04:00

I tried my hand at a little embroidery for the very first time last night... and I loved it! I ordered a few patterns and supplies from Sublime Stitching and got right to stitching in the little free time that I could find. It was a good de-stresser, but now i'm looking around my apartment thinking "hmm, what in here could I embroider?" haha.

The patterns that I am now the proud owner of are:
- ChinaTown
- Tiki Freak
- Krazy Kitchen
- Tattoo Alphabet
- Dia De Los Muertos
- Craftopia

I used three lanterns from the Chinatown pattern sheet to embroider my pillowcase.

The comforter on my bed is patchwork that's supposed to resemble a rice bag, and I have little paper lanterns hanging above my bed as well, so I thought that these colorful lanterns would tie in my plain-jane pillowcase nicely.

Not too shabby for my first try, eh? I'm pleased.

Now does anyone have suggestions on things that I can embroider for dudes?

The Slippery Pepper

2010-04-22T15:32:00.001-04:00

My boyfriend and his crew like to get together and cook something wild as often as they can. It can get out of control. And now they have started a blog to chronicle those events and tasty, tasty meals! Their first post is very down to earth and subtle for them, but if you have any interest in reading about mind blowing cuisine in the future, I'd suggest you check it out!

A little update...

2010-04-21T17:46:00.000-04:00

I have been mind-bogglingly busy lately between finishing up the semester and job-hunting, and haven't been able to get any sewing in, but I do have a few small updates:

I had an interview this morning for a position in a clothing and gift boutique called Francesca's, and I wore my bird-swing dress for good luck and confidence. I think it went very well!! I have another interview this weekend at Delia*s, and I think I might wear this dress for that one as well. This dress is definitely getting good wear And good feedback :)

I also received a surprise package in the mail today from my parents in appreciation of all of my hard work in school. And inside was an awesome unique bike bell, some candy, and...... some limited edition cheetah print Gingher 8" dressmaker's shears!!!

They are absolutely gorgeous and cut though fabric like butter!! It was the perfect pick-me-up that I've been needing.

My herbs are sprouting like it's nobodies business! It's too cold here to put them outside for some sunshine (there is STILL a frost warning for this weekend!), but they seem pleased as punch in the windowsill. There is something so satisfying about something electric green and full of life springing out of a minuscule dry seed.

I hope to have something summery to show you soon!!

The calm before the storm

2010-04-06T12:51:00.000-04:00

I kicked off the week to a good start, even though I fear it is going to be a perilous week none-the-less (as the semester winds down, the professors realize they haven't taught us anything and really pile it on). It was a gorgeous day in lower Michigan, and my wonderful housemate and I seized the crap out of it! Even though I live right next to Grand Rapids, I rarely go into the city. But there is an amazing (and cheap!) Mediterranean grill called Parsley that has good deals for students, so we decided to head to the big city for a late lunch. It felt so nice to sit out in the sunshine enjoying good food and people watching. It was almost like a little vacation :) We went for a good walk around the city and stopped in an awesome little bookshop (If I hadn't accidentally left my debit card in the pocket of the pants I had worn the day before on the floor at home, I may have purchased everything in the store!).

We still hadn't had enough sunshine when we got home, so we plopped ourselves on our front landing and chilled. Julie was hard at work on her many "lists" of things and I took the opportunity to pot some herbs. I have never grown herbs before, so here's to hoping I get at least one little sprig of something to grow! I planted some Lavender, Greek Basil, Parsley, and planned on some Sweet Peppers, but can't seem to locate the packet of seeds, so I'll have to run out and find some more of those. I was going to leave them out on the landing for some fresh air last night, but took them in and put them on the windowsill last minute... boy am I ever glad I did because we had outrageous storms all night and half of the day so far today! They would have been washed right away!

I also inherited my mom's old "rootbeer" bike that I was lucky enough to bring down with me. It's from 1982, but is in perfect condition. It's a rust-orange-brown color (hence the "rootbeer" bike) with fenders, a nice big seat with springs, big handlebars... the whole bit! I love it, I really do... all it needs is a nice big wire basket on the front and maybe a few silk flowers for decoration. I'll post a picture of it when I get those things. Of course there is rain in the forecast for much of the week so I can't really cruise around that much, but it's a blessing in disguise because I have too much on my plate as it is...

I also found a little bit of time before I went to sleep to cut out a new project, Simplicity 2654, view A (the pants).

I have a job shadow and some presentations coming up very quickly and need some snappy new dress pants. This is my first attempt at ever sewing pants, so any tips or tricks would be much appreciated!! They don't look very complicated, which makes me even more worried, hehe. I hope to have them done by tomorrow evening since I have a job shadow on Thursday, so wish me luck! I'll keep you posted on the process.

P.S.... isn't there something so Zen about cutting out a new pattern to the sound of a thunderstorm and pouring rain??

A little birdie told me...

2010-04-01T00:24:00.001-04:00

that I finished another dress!

I finished this little birdie summer dress today! I think it is my favorite so far, and it fits me to a tee! It's made from Simplicity 2588 with the flared skirt, designer tabs, and neckband options. On the skirt there is a center front pleat, two more on each side of this pleat, two back pleats, 22" zipper, princess bodice seams, and back bodice darts. It went together rather quickly and nicely, until I accidentally cut a big hole in the skirt with my pinking shears. I had to patch it up, but it hides in a fold in the back of the skirt.

Here's a little close up of the green buttons on the tabs:

It was one of the first beautiful days of Spring here in Michigan, so my housemate suggested that we head over to Grand Haven and have a walk on the boardwalk. What a perfect opportunity to break in my new dress!

We took a stroll to the lighthouse:

And then we decided to climb some big rocks down to the beach... which I was not properly dressed for, but conquered anyway:

Unfortunately for the pedestrians around, it was windy and I was bent over maneuvering throughout the rocks. I had to try and tuck my skirt between my legs, but to no avail:

So my new dress went out on an adventure not even an hour after it was completed. I really recommend this pattern to anyone looking for something cute and simple for summer. Its a project runway inspiration pattern so there are a ton of options including a slim skirt, a few different types of sleeves, and a yoke that will suit anyone!

2010-03-29T01:16:00.001-04:00

There I am mingling with my fellow mad men at Sterling Cooper! AMC has this fun little Mad Men Yourself interactive character builder on their website. Its a good boredom killer.

P.S. I'll have a completed dress to show you by the end of the week!

Spring projects

2010-03-20T01:34:00.000-04:00

I'm getting antsy and excited to start all sorts of springy things! I just started working on a muslin of a chef coat for my boyfriend. He loves to cook and requested I make him one, but since we live 10 hours away from each other I knew fitting was going to be a challenge, and I really want it to be impeccable, so that's why I'm doing a muslin of this. This project is a pretty different experience than what I've sewn so far. With the dresses and tops I've done most of the construction is at the waist and necklines, all about shaping around a woman's curves. With this coat, there are no darts or zippers or linings! The emphasis is put on the sleeves and the collar. Its almost a breath of fresh air to sew a straight piece and focus on something other than how its going to curve around the bust and waist and bum! The only adjustments I foresee are widening the shoulders and lengthening the sleeves, which will be relatively easy-peasy (am I speaking too soon?!). I got a good start on this chef coat, and will be working on it off and on when I'm in the mood, but for the rest of this weekend sewing, I'm going to work on a spring purse!

The pattern that I'm going to use is Vogue 7889, view D (in the top right corner of this picture). I want something simple. fun, and retro, so here are the materials I've chosen so far:

The vintage trailer Michael Miller fabric will be the outside shell, while the hop dot Heather Bailey fabric will be used for the lining. I really wanted some fun handles, but for the size and shape I needed, Bamboo or plain plastic handles were my only options. However, I think the bamboo kind of goes with the retro feel of the purse, so i'm not that disappointed. I can not wait to get started!

I also have many spring dresses in mind. I have the fabric and patterns all ready to go, I just need the time!!

Tiki Tiki Tiki

2010-03-18T15:31:00.000-04:00

The Tiki dress is done, and I love it! This dress was initially intended to be worn to Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge in Minneapolis, MN, during a spring break vaca with my lovely boyfriend (a trip that I think I will add a little post on). I planned on finishing during the week of break back home and brought my machine and all of my sewing goodies home, but when I went to set up my things to finish it the night before we were supposed to leave for Suzi's, I noticed that I seem to have left the pedal and power cord still plugged into the wall at my apartment 8 hours away... and it was midnight... so there was no way I was going to be able to finish this dress :( I sulked a little, and Kris and I came to the conclusion that we would just have to have a summer tiki party, and I don't really need a special occasion to wear this dress anyway.

Now onto the dress itself: I am really pleased with how it turned out. The pattern I used was Vogue 8280, and I was a little worried because I usually make a size 12 for myself, and the only pattern I could snatch up in such short notice had it's largest size at 8... I have slimmed down a bit lately so I convinced myself that it would work. And what do you know? It fits wonderfully, with a little breathing room to spare! It is so comfortable and the cotton is so soft and wonderful. Its print is little hula huts, tiki men, and vintage red cars! The bodice is lined with the same contrasting cotton as the waistband and shoulders, which was a subject of debate. I really loved this contrasting retro fabric, but I was pretty much alone in that. Those that I asked the opinions of said they didn't like it and that a solid would be a better choice. I took their advice and headed to my local fabric store to find something more suitable, but all I could envision was this brown retro fabric. So I just went with my gut and what I truly loved, and stuck with the brown fabric. I am still pleased with this choice. I did a blind hem on the bottom, two little wooden buttons at the sweetheart neckline, and darts in the waist and bust of the bodice and the waist of the skirt (which all lined up perfectly without a fuss!). The contrasting waistband is also detachable. Now, there is supposed to be a 22" zipper up the back, that I am still debating with myself on. I basted the back seam when I was preparing to put the zipper in, and was able to slip it on over my head! So I took out the basting and put in a true stabilized seam. No zipper. I am able to slip it on, with a little fussing over the bust, and a little wiggling and dancing. I really don't mind the process of putting a zipper in, I've got it down by now, but the back just looks so clean and flawless without that pesky zipper. So for now, I'm going zipper-less. I can always put one in later if I feel its too much of a workout to get in and out of.

Now I just need sunshine and fruity drinks to come my way! Unfortunately, there is still more snow in the forecast. Oh, Michigan, we need to have a little chat.

P.S... please excuse my hair in the picture... it was St. Patrick's day yesterday and this picture was taken after we got back from the bar, haha.

letting the leopard loose

2010-02-28T13:32:00.000-05:00

It was my housemate's 22nd birthday this weekend (and we celebrated ALL weekend long, let me tell you!) and we went out for a night on the town! I never get to wear this lovely leopard wiggle dress, since it isn't so appropriate to wear to usual fancy dressed things such as weddings or funerals, so I was more than tickled to be able to wear it out! I went all out... the wooden tiki inspired earrings, the ruby beaded necklace, a bright red flower in my hair, my AWESOME shiny red patent handbag! This was the first time I got to use this handbag! It reminds me of the interior of some awesome bad ass retro convertible. I decided to just top it off with some simple black flats, since there was a night of dancing in store. I go for comfort when it comes to dancing. We didn't end up getting to dance downtown, but we had a dance party right in our living room that was just as peachy.

We went to TGIFriday's for dinner and I got a cosmo that was poured over a cotton candy fluff! It was called the pink punk cosmo!

I also got an absurd amount of broccoli that took up more space than my steak...

This weekend was also a good opportunity for some quality house mate bonding time that I rather enjoyed. Even though we all live under the same roof we rarely get to see each other let alone all hang out.

So Julie, I hope your Birthday weekend was a wonderful way to ring in 22!

P.S... I saved this dress from a goodwill pile! It belonged to my boyfriend's little sister. When she was moving to Chicago she weeded out a lot of her clothes and left them in a pile to bag and bring to goodwill. Luckily, I am a pile raider whenever his sisters get rid of clothes and squealed with unrelenting joy when I came across this gem! It fits me perfectly, too!

Blouse on the town!!

2010-02-25T23:18:00.002-05:00

I wore my blouse out and about today while running around job applications, and it turned some heads! I am going to definitely make a couple more from this pattern, it's just lovely :)

My Favorite Beauty Items

2010-02-24T16:32:00.000-05:00

One of the best parts about being a woman is all of the wonderful products we get to play with to enhance our beauty. I will admit that sometimes I envy my boyfriend when he can just hop out of bed in the morning, or emerge fresh from the shower in 5 minutes flat, and be ready for the day. I take a little (ok, a lot) more time to become how I see myself as presentable. But then I think, his morning look is the best its going to get for him, all naturale, all day, every day! (Kris, if you're reading this, I mean no offense! I love your morning look, it just wouldn't look so good on me :) ) So once I get past the whole getting out and bed and getting motivated bit, I rather enjoy sitting at my vanity and putting on a new look for the day.

I thought i'd compile a few of my favorite beauty items in hopes that one or two might become your new favorite beauty item!

First up is a wonderful blush called "Papa Don't Peach" from Too Faced cosmetics:

It gives the perfect warm glow to the cheekbone, and goes with almost any eye color I wear. There's a light shimmer, but its not to the point of sparkly. And need I even mention the packaging?

Next up is Carbon Black Lineur Intense from L'Oreal:

I actually picked this up on accident and never would have dreamed that it would be the best liquid liner i'd ever tried. I initially thought it was a pen liner, and almost returned it when I discovered it wasn't, but i'm sure glad I didn't. I gave it a whirl and now I will never be without it. Other liquid liners I've tried sweat off into my lid crease, creating a horrific black line halfway up my eyelid, or got flaky and chunky throughout the course of the day. Others with a fine brush were very hard to work with and made creating a simple cat eye quite challenging. This liner has the perfect felt tip to create a smooth thin or thick line, depending on the pressure. It's wonderfully flexible so you can get a good "flick" to the point of your cat eye. I don't usually buy drug store makeup brands, so I was shocked that this is one of the best beauty products I have ever owned.

Ok, moving onto the best face cloth IN THE WORLD! I know, that's a pretty big statement, but I truly believe it. This title belongs to the "Off Your Face" clothes from Soap and Glory:

Soap and Glory products are only available at Target in the US, but i'm there all the time so it's quite convenient. These clothes cleanse, moisturize, and tone your face without leaving a sticky dewy feeling that I have come across with other face clothes. They have a durable, yet unbelievably soft texture to the cloth that clears off your make-up without much effort or time at all. I use a mac waterproof base (paint pot in soft ochre) under my eyeshadow that won't budge with other make-up removers, but with a couple swipes of these clothes it doesn't stand a chance. With other clothes I had to sit and rub my eyes with them, or pull on my lids to get the liner off, and it really worried me that all that yanking and stretching of that delicate eye skin was going to catch up with me one day. A big plus with these clothes is that you can be gentle with these, but still get great results

Next is another Too Faced item from their Quickie Chronicles Collection. This is the Vixen Palette:

I could only find this palette on ebay since these are limited edition palettes, but it was brand new in in sealed wrap. The pigment of these colors and the variety of ways that you can use them together really makes this a wonderful beauty piece. It is by far my most often used palette, and the colors are pretty outfit neutral. I also love how each palette has it's own little personality, and these shadows and glosses do make me feel like a little bit of a vixen ;)

Another beauty favorite of mine is CHI Silk Infusion:

This. is. amazing. I use it every time I get out of the shower, and my hair becomes so silky and sleek that I can't stop touching it! My hair gets pretty damaged from flat ironing it daily (with my CHI flatiron, naturally), icey, drying snow blasts at the bus stop, and my most recent bleaching/coloring experience, but this product makes it feel like the healthiest hair in the world. I don't really like to use products in my hair because they all seem to gum it up, weigh it down, or make it look greasy, but silk infusion does none of those things. It is undetectable in your hair after you blow dry (other than the wonderful transformation to a luscious, silky do). If you go to your local JC Penney Salon, they usually have a really cheap bundle of CHI products. I got a full size silk infusion, a travel silk infusion, and a full size thermal protector spray all for $7.99! So keep an eye peeled for this wonderful product.

Last, but certainly not least, is from my favorite cosmetics brand of all time... Benefit Cosmetics! I have many of their products, but one in particular that really stands out to me is their gloss:

I have this gloss in "Zone Out" which is the perfect gloss to put over any lipstick. It is a thicker gloss, but not overly sticky, and it lasts for a long time. It has a little bit of a gold shimmer to it that I adore. As summer approaches I will probably pick up a few more shades of this gloss to pop on.

ok, that was a long one! But I hope this peaked your interest in discovering some new products!

Bold Blouse

2010-02-24T01:11:00.004-05:00

I present to you my version of the oh-so-popular Sencha Blouse! I made a hybrid of versions 1 and 3, using snaps with buttons sewn over them instead of buttonholes. It seemed more practical for me at the moment. And I can always change snaps to buttonholes, but not buttonholes to snaps. Here's the back:

All in all I think it turned out as I had envisioned it to. The keyhole necktie is my favorite bit. It looks so clean and finished, too!

I also did a catch stitch for the first time on the sleeves. The thread color was a bit challenging on this blouse because if I used a white thread it would be very obvious on the black, and black would stand out on white. So I chose the lesser of two evils and went with white. I tried to make my catch stitch as small as possible, but still substantial enough to hold everything in it's proper place. I think it's mission accomplished. Here you can't really see the stitch where the white is:

And here you can see it a bit where the black pattern is, but I think i'm the only one who will notice only because I know its there:

I'm going to wear it soon when I go run job applications out and about, so I'll snap some pics before I go!

P.S... this blouse is super slippery and doesn't like to stay tucked into a skirt. Does anyone have some tips on how to keep it in it's rightful place??

Blouse Bandwagon

2010-02-19T00:29:00.003-05:00

It seems everyone is sewing the Sencha Blouse lately, and I am no exception! I had a lovely lazy evening free tonight so I got started on it. I got it cut out, marked, the tucks sewn, and the shoulder seams done. I am doing version three with the key hole tie at the neck. Here's just a little progress shot, I'll be finishing it tomorrow so I'll post completed pics then! So far I am LOVING the way this blouse is shaping up :)

(Sorry that it's a little blurry...)

Itty Bitty Stash Committee

2010-02-17T14:34:00.008-05:00

Since I am new to the world of sewing, I don't have much of a fabric stash, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to share what little I have!

I really like cotton prints because I can use them to make light and airy summer dresses, and I can wear a long sleeve top underneath them in the winter without a terrible amount of bulk. I am a big fan of a fun thermal shirt, tights, and a cute summer dress in the dead of winter, and I live in Michigan where we get a true winter, so I need a little print and color in my life when everything is white and brown.

I am most excited about this first one. My lovely boyfriend purchased it for me for Valentine's Day! I keep checking the mailbox feverishly, as I have the perfect pattern waiting so patiently for it. I feel like tomorrow will be the day it will arrive, which is perfect because I have decided to dedicate a good chunk of the day to sewing. It's called "Owl by myself" by Michael Miller. Goodness he has cute designs.

Okay, okay, so not much color to it, but those little owl eyes will just pop so brilliantly! The pattern is just sparse enough to be appropriate for a little summer dress.

The next one I found on a clearance table at a locally owned craft shop. It was love at first sight! I have been looking for a unique pattern to make a tiki dress, and all I could seem to find were things with palm trees or surf boards on them. These didn't suite me. This one has so many great elements to it!

Kris and I are planning a little trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota over our Spring Break to visit Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge, so I'm hoping to have this made up by then.

Also on the Clearance table was this amazingly soft mango print that just caught my eye. It has a vintagey feel to it, don't you think?

I went to Field's yesterday to pick up some notions and to browse at the new spring patterns, and this other Michael Miller number caught my eye. I saw it online a while ago and loved it, but never expected to find it in a store. I'm starting to brew some ideas for these little love birds.

This last print I have had since before I began sewing. In my bedroom at my parents there is a large window that looks into our breezeway that was added after the house was built. For insulation and decorative purposes, fabric is stretched across and pinned to foam insulation and then fitted into the window sill on the breezeway side, so the view from my room is a lovely decorative pane that I can change at a whim. This fabric was for one such whim, but clashed horribly with my wall color. I later chose this Alexander Henry one and it really adds a lot of charm to my room.

I have just a couple other apparel fabrics, but they aren't too exciting. I have a black and white speckled dress pant fabric and a silky light gold blend with black vines and leaves on it which will be used for the Sencha Blouse.

Hopefully I will have something exciting for you soon!

Ruby Bliss

2010-02-17T14:09:00.002-05:00

Just a little hair update, mostly for my mother :)

Within two washes, the fire red that was in my hair was almost completely gone and left in its wake a weird rust/orange/pink color. It was so strange looking... something had to be done. I was home for Valentine's Day this past weekend so I stopped in to see my stylist there, and he gave me a wonderful color called Sangria that would tide me over until I could get an appointment with him while I'm home for Spring Break. So Monday afternoon I applied the color, and a rather scary shower cap, and proceeded to wash the floors and vacuum the rugs for a good hour while the color settled in. I went to open the blinds and was fussing and yanking with the chord (all the while cursing with furrowed brows and the god awful shower cap on) only to realize that my neighbor was outside about 15 feet away from the window smoking a cigarette and staring at me like I was a creature from a strange (and highly unfashionable) planet. My housemate and I went to dinner later where I told her the story, of course acting out every bit of it, making big yanking motions and the whole bit, and talking about how scruffy our neighbor was, when her eyes suddenly darted behind me... and of course there he was, also eating dinner! I slowly turned around, horrified, and then my housemate and I burst into such uncontrollable laughter we had to leave! But at least he saw that I had beautiful hair ;)

So anywho, I have pretty ruby sangria hair now. This picture doesn't really do it justice, its still vivaciously red.

My hair is on fire!

2010-02-04T23:27:00.004-05:00

Ok so, where do I begin...

I got a hair cut and color today. It has been a very long time since I have had either, so I thought it was time; my hair was beginning to look quite drab I found a cute little rockabilly retro hair salon called Moxie, which I didn't expect to find in Grand Rapids, but was very excited about! And my hairdresser was wonderful! She had lovely blonde Marilyn Monroe hair in short, luscious curls, cat-eye glasses, and colorful tattoos. She seemed very professional, too. I wanted an all-over color of a dark, vivid ruby red, something very different from my black/brown. I found the perfect shade in the color book and explained to Caroline what I wanted. She said that she didn't recommend doing what I wanted to do, because she would have to bleach my entire head, and that rather she would bleach and color red highlights throughout that would give a similar effect. I was a little deflated, but agreed. She foiled and bleached sections of my hair and I sat and processed for what seemed like an eternity (which it was, I was there for almost 6 hours!) and then she washed it and gave me a complimentary conditioning treatment, and then moved onto the ruby hue. She started to do some of the bleached spots with it, but I noticed her keep nervously opening the foils and staring at them... then finally she said what I'd been dreading... the color wasn't processing correctly. Apparently it was a brand new color that the salon had gotten an amazing deal on, so it must have gone bad or something. She said if worse came to worse that she would just use the FX red on me, but that it is crazy vibrant, and of course worse came to worse. I wanted like a rich ruby red, and I got firetruck red-orange. I also wanted it to look like an all-over color, and I have VERY distinctive chunks that I am really not fond of. It makes me look 5 years younger. After all these disappointments I still loved the salon and the stylist. She tried her hardest and really put a lot of time and effort into my hair, I just had a big order to fill and she had to get creative after the color I chose failed. She also gave me an AMAZING deal... I spent 6 hours in the chair with a bleach, red foil, conditioning treatment, and a cut, and she only charged me $60 total and gave me a coupon for 30% off any service for next time. I could tell she felt awful about the color malfunction and it was out of her control. I might just buy a boxed burgundy dye and try that on top of everything in my hair... I'm thinking it would "ruby up" the orangy-red and give a nice over-all dark red to the rest of my hair to make it look a little more uniform and cohesive. Has anyone had any experience with this? If I put more color on my hair will it all work out or will it fall out??

Here's the before:

And here's the after:

Simplicity design contest- my drawing woes

2010-02-03T18:22:00.002-05:00

What a cruel joke it was to be graced with a creative and ever-working mind, but to have no way to communicate it to paper. I have so many good ideas and beautiful things that I envision, but lack the neccessary (well, any really...) drawing skills to get it down for the rest of the world to see. There is a wonderful design contest going on by simplicity that I would love to get in on. I have a few of the project runway patterns that they have put out, and there really isn't much to them. I think it would be a piece of cake to design something for the collection. All I'd have to do is enter a submission inspired by project runway, which I think I could easily do. I always have ideas swimming around, so if only I could easily catch one and play with it on paper, see it come to life a bit. I'm going to try and take a drawing class this summer at my university, but you have to be an art and design major in order to enroll in them, even the intro level ones, so we'll see if I can give the puppy eyes to a professor and weasel my way in.

The Red Woolingbone Dress!

2010-01-29T18:36:00.009-05:00

It is complete! My very first dress. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. I tend to be hard on myself when things don't turn out perfectly, but then I remind myself that if it was perfect, it wouldn't be hand-made. I need to cut myself some slack... this was my first dress for Pete's sake! Take it down a notch! When I first started this little sewing journey I expected to be fumbling aimlessly a lot more and a lot longer than I have been. I think i've been doing darn good with no one teaching me except myself! I have gotten myself to where I'm at, and I MADE THIS BEAUTIFUL DRESS!

It's called the Red Woolingbone Dress! It's made out of this light-weight red/natural mix herringbone wool-blend, hence the name.

The pattern I followed was Butterick 5316, and to be honest I ditched the instructions about halfway through! They weren't hard to follow or anything, I just liked my way of doing things a little better :)

I think it fits my body beautifully, it really balances out my features. I'm relatively busty and the bodice of this dress fits nicely over "the girls" shape, but keeps them from stealing the show. It pays tribute to my hour glass with darts at the waistline in the front and back, and pleats in the front of the skirt. I have done darts before, but these were my first pleats. They were easy peasy. This was also the first garment that i've lined, and boy was that a pain in the butt. I don't think it would have been as bad if it had been paired with something thinner and less stretchy than this wool-blend, but I think I am going to skip the lining from now on and just make a nice versatile slip to wear underneath my garments. The lining restricts the movement of the dress as well. The stretch in the wool means nothing with the lining attached. It's just a lesson of preference and choice, I suppose. This was also the first blind hem I have done. What a useful skill! I watched a video on youtube, read the little excerpt in my machine's manual, attached the foot, and away we went! I will definitely be doing this on many of my skirts in the future, especially my pencil's. And yet another first was setting in the cap sleeves. This was pretty easy, too, yet the illustration in the pattern instructions showed them going in upside down... like the part that was notched to attach to the shoulder was shown being the bottom edge of the sleeve. Luckily, I ignored the picture like I tend to do and put them in how I thought they should go.

A back view of my beautiful zip and a little peek at the ruby lining (in the sleeve):

I think this is my best zip yet!! Hand basting it in first made a HUGE difference in how it went in.

But lets go back to the hem, shall we? I love the length and shape of this hem now, but it caused me much frustration. The combination of the stretchy wool and the taut lining made for no picnic when trying to sew just a plain ol' rolled hem. It started off smoothly, but when I got to the end the wool had stretched, so I had a lot of excess all bunched up on one side of the slit on the back of the skirt. I started to rip it out, but it only tore the lining and made small holes in the wool that stretched open to make big holes. Man, it was a mess. I thought the dress was toast. I spent a good hour and a half ripping out the hem, and only got a couple of inches free of thread. There was only one solution... I had to chop it off and start with a clean slate (and a substantially shorter dress!). So that's exactly what I did, and am I ever glad. I really pinned everything together good, measured everything exactly and tried to keep some of it's length intact. This also gave me an opportunity to try the blind hem, which proved to be a much better choice for this particular dress. I was a little worried that it might be inappropriately short, but its really the perfect length. It doesn't come in nice and sharp toward the knee like in the picture on the front of the pattern (because I hacked that part off!), but I think it still looks to be a good combination of classy and flirty.

All in all, this was a wonderful dress to start with. It had a lot of good basics and firsts for me. I can't wait to wear it tomorrow!

A few things for a few people

2010-01-11T22:53:00.004-05:00

Toward the end of my Christmas break, I completed a few projects for family and friends. I made some basic curtain panels for my boyfriends mother, and they turned out splendidly! I didn't take a picture, as they are just burgundy curtain panels and I believe you can imagine for yourself what they might look like.

I did some patching on the sleeves of my boyfriends favorite sweatshirt, which was pretty shredded. It was a pain in the butt, but it made him happy :)

And finally, I made some cushions for my parents ride to Florida! My mom's Honda CR-V is still pretty new so the seats aren't broken in yet. Even my young tush gets sore from a long ride in it! It's about a 24 hour drive to Florida from my mum and dad's, so they requested I whip them up a little something to make the ride more comfortable. I had some 2" high density foam from my chairs left over, so I made removable covers for two 20x20 inch pieces of the foam. I just kind of did my own thing and made up the design as I went along, and I think it was another success!! I picked a nice cotton fabric that is easily washable and light. I made a zipper panel on the side of each so the foam can be replaced/removed for washing of the casing. I think these are my best looking zips yet!

For christmas, I recieved personalized labels to put on my creations, and at my parents request, these cushions were no exception! Aren't they fabulous?

They were huge! I tried to tell my dad they might be a little large and in charge, but he insisted in a "full coverage" cushion, haha!

And miss Zowee wanted to get in on the photo shoot!

Ok, so now that I am back at school, I am going to start sewing for me again! With my new dress form in tow, I am going to finish my little herringbone wool dress this weekend! I'll post pics when it is finished :)

A Crafty Christmas!

2009-12-25T21:37:00.006-05:00

Merry Christmas all! I hope yours was wonderful, I know mine was. Lots of food, gifts, and family... what isn't to love about that? I also have some finished projects to show you! None of them are sewing projects, but side things I wanted to finish.

Yesterday, my dad helped me upholster the set of dining room chairs I found at a Goodwill downstate.

Here's the before:

And here's the after!
And here's me enjoying the two inches of new foam padding and pretty upholstery fabric!

I think they turned out beautifully! They will have a whole new life! We only had enough fabric to complete two of the chairs. Since I bought it downstate where I go to school and am now home for break where we don't have a fabric store that I can simply run to to pick up a couple more yards, the other two will have to wait just a smidge longer. But they are stripped of the old fabric and the foam is cut, so they will be a breeze once I get more fabric.

Ok, moving on to the next project on the list: Kris' warm woolies! I finished these Christmas eve as well.

Here I am hard at work!

and the completed warm woolies!

Here's Kris modeling them:

Aww, doesn't he look handsome and cozy? And the hat was a homemade Christmas present from his Grandma! He just has handmade love from head to toe :)

The woolies were really easy to do on the Knifty Knitter loom, but my joints in my hands get really sore from the tedious loom work, so I had to do them in increments. They turned out nicely, one a little longer than the other, but when they are stretched onto his feet you would never know. Now his toes will be nice and toasty for the long, cold (last!) winter semester at Michigan Tech in Houghton, MI!

So those were my two Christmas eve projects, and they were both successes, I think! Now moving onto some sewing for the new year. Santa was a dear and was somehow able to fit my dressform down the chimney ;) I love it! I don't have it together yet, as today was a whirlwind of a day, but I at least took the bodice out of the box, and I love it!

(I don't get dolled up to open gifts Christmas morning, I just roll out of bed, so don't mind my not-so-fresh morning look haha)

And a quick shot of our beautiful tree!

Next on the list are some small curtains and tie backs, and then little wool herringbone dress, here I come!

Tiki Piki

2009-12-20T16:01:00.005-05:00

This is just as a little side post that has nothing what-so-ever do with sewing... I just wanted to share an awesome photo of my loved one and I decked out in our tropical attire for a tiki party!

Kris's shirt is great, no?

Long time, no blog!

2009-12-20T15:34:00.005-05:00

Hi all! Sorry I have been away so long. The past few weeks have been filled to the rafters with academic ickiness. But Fall finals are over and I am officially on Christmas break!! I haven't had any time to even think about sewing... until now! I have a few things lined up for the upcoming weeks:

-I just cut out the pieces to make a little red herringbone wool dress, it will be my first! Hopefully tomorrow afternoon I can get started constructing it.

-I am finishing some warm-woolies for Kris for Christmas (even though I have been slowing making them since Halloween hehe).

-Some small curtains are in order for a friend, so those should be a breeze.

-I would like to make some warm lambswool-lined mittens, but we will see how much time I have! I know the end of break is going to come too soon, as always.

-I am also planning on finishing these chairs from my December first post. My wonderful father pulled out all of the old staples and fabric so they would be ready to go when I got home. Thoughtful, right?

I also pre-ordered 2 lovely colette patterns that I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of in the mail:

The Sencha Blouse

And the Rooibos Dress

For today, I am feeling lazy and might work on the warm-woolies a bit, but I just need a little time to do absolutely nothing after a hellacious semester. So stay tuned as I post these finished projects in the next couple of weeks! Happy Holidays!

Professor Plum

2009-12-03T22:03:00.006-05:00

On this very snowy evening, I have finished my "Professor Plum" skirt! I have had this wonderful plum wool-blend for a while now, but finally got to make use of it. The pattern used was McCall's 5523, view C. I left off one of the ruffly bits, added some buttons, and took up the hem a bit, but other than that no alterations were needed. I had taken this pattern out of the package and tried to make sense of the instructions about a month ago, as I was planning on this being my first project, but quickly got overwhelmed and put it away. I went back to it last night and the instructions and construction were easy peasy!

Here's the front:

And the back, with a little gathering and some cute buttons:

A close up of those cute little buttons:

And a SUPER close up :)

And a side view:

I call it the professor plum skirt, well, because it's plum, and because I made it to wear for a final presentation in my Public Health class that I wanted to look professional for (but still cute!). I think this mission was accomplished!

A Collection of Little Thoughts

2009-12-01T19:22:00.007-05:00

I was pretty busy over the Thanksgiving holiday, so I don't have anything new to show you, but I will soon I promise! I just have some snip-its that I've been meaning to post. First off, my wonderful parents are getting me a dress form for Christmas! I had gotten a 50% coupon for Jo-Ann's in my email, which made the cost of a dress form a little more reasonable for a Christmas present, but the site and phone lines were jammed up all weekend! How frustrating! I eventually found the same dress form on the Target website... for half the price that it was on the Jo-Ann site and with free shipping... mind boggling, right? Its the singer 150 adjustable dress form with 12 dials in a shnazzy rad hue:

I can't wait to unwrap this beauty on Christmas morning! I have a feeling it will making my little sewing world an even better place :)

On a completely unrelated note, I'm going to have a little jump up onto my soap box. People, curves are back, and they are sexier than ever. The new Colette Patterns were revealed last Friday, and as I sat oogling them for the first time, I naturally showed each one to my boyfriend, who was less than interested but tried to act excited for me. When I did my rounds in the blogosphere yesterday and read Gertie's latest entry regarding a comment made by some fellow regarding the Colette models, my feathers were a little more than ruffled, to say the least! Apparently, these are HUGE women, and the clothes would look better on "skinny" models:

These women are a size 4/6 and an 8/10. I hardly think that women in these categorizes of size are huge. Immediately after reading Gertie's Blog about it, I called up my boyfriend to see what his thoughts were when he first looked at these pictures with me. I knew he would be honest, and I wanted to hear a true mans perspective. I must say that I was a bit surprised when he admitted that he too thought these women were "a little bigger" than usual. He said it very cautiously, as if I might explode into bits and start screeching at him, but I didn't. I just hmmed and hawwed and absorbed it. He said that he is just used to seeing models be super skinny, and that it is just part of our American culture to think that skinnier looks better and sells more. I can see what he is trying to say, but at the same time, I thought a curvier look was making a comeback. I must have been mistaken. I am a size 4, I have curves, I like it like that, and so does he. Right after reading Gertie's entry about this, an I love Lucy episode came on called "The Diet" in which Ricky will finally let Lucy be in his show if she can fit into a size 12 costume:

This is just the first part of the episode. If you want to see the rest you can find it on youtube, but she starves and steams her way to a measly size 12, performs with Ricky, and then is promptly diagnosed with malnutrition. Just a side note, the performance they give in the end of this episode was one they used to do together in a vaudeville act.

ok. Hopping down from my soap box.

Here are the fabulous chairs I found for 8 bucks at Goodwill! I purchased some awesome black and white retro geometric upholstery fabric and some 2 inch foam that I am going to re-purpose them with, and then I will probably paint them a bright red. I'm hoping I can get this done over Christmas break with the help of my dad's staple gun (and maybe my dad himself hehe). So here's the before, and I will soon post the after!

For now, I'm starting a different project. I have a final presentation in my Public Health class next week, and I want to make a cute, professional looking skirt to feel and look confident. I am going to use McCall's 5523 pattern and create view c:

I have had this gorgeous light-weight royal plum wool for a while, and I think it will be perfect for this skirt:
Well, I'm off to get started on my skirt and to watch the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show!

There's a Blouse About the House!

2009-11-23T01:19:00.007-05:00

It is finished! Here is my very first blouse!

Well, I'm not sure if its exactly a blouse, but the word just sounds so fancy! I followed the Amy Butler pattern for the Lotus Cami. There was an option to add sleeves which I had full intention of doing, but then liked it so much without them I just left them off! I also dropped the neck a little lower than on the pattern. I tried it with the higher neckline, but with my chest size it just looked wonky. I made it in a size x-small, which is the equivalent of a size 4, which is my normal clothing size. It fit perfectly everywhere, except around the bust. Its fine in the front, but those poor little back buttons that have to bear the brunt of the bosom! The cami version called for 7 buttons up the back, but I put 8 for just a bit more security. Making the buttonholes were a bear; I am just not a natural at making nice pretty buttonholes. I also added some clear nail-polish to the inside edges of the buttonholes to give them a little more stability and to help with the fraying of the cotton. I interfaced them, but they still frayed a lot. Once the polish dried and I snipped away some of the fray, it was loads better and more neat looking.

For the record, this is really hard to put on by myself!! But I managed so I could show you guys how it looked. It is a different look for me, usually I prefer blacks and reds, but this fabric was just calling to me, and it does really give it that nice lightweight spring look. Too bad the snow is about to fly so I'll only get to wear it with a thermal underneath!

Here's an up-close of the pattern on the fabric, since you can't really tell what it looks like in the picture:

Isn't it cute??!

So there were a few firsts in this project:
-first darts
-first "real" buttonholes
-first time following a pattern
-first blouse

All in all, it went well. It was a lot more time consuming than the skirts I made, but still enjoyable. The pattern instructions were pretty easy to follow, though I'll admit about halfway through I stopped looking at them and just went for what I thought should happen next. I did a few things a little differently, but no one would ever know except for me. This was also the first pattern I actually paid (almost) full price for. Luckily, I would make this again and there is a dress version and a tunic version included, both with zippers (I don't have to fuss with those buttons again!) so I can get a couple projects out of the pattern.

I am taking a little break from sewing this week, as it is thanksgiving break and I will be home with family and my boyfriend, so I am going to spend time with them rather than my sewing machine. I do plan on re-purposing a set of dining room chairs with the help of my mum while i'm home so I should have an update sometime this week. I hope everyone in the states has a good thanksgiving, and that everyone else has a happy week!

Belated Halloween & Weekend Project

2009-11-21T01:27:00.005-05:00

This is a little late, but I just wanted to share a picture of my Halloween costume I created this year. I made a cute, yet comfy, skeleton costume!

There is just something refreshing about a flattering, yet non-bare-all costume. It seems that Halloween has become an excuse for girls to let it all hang out, and while I'll admit I have had a scandalous Halloween costume or two in my teens, the past few years have been about being festive and comfortable, and people still seemed to really enjoy my costumes without me baring my cheeks or chest! And I think this costume made my legs look fabulous! It cost less than 15 bucks to make, and with a little construction help from my roommate Julie, it really was a breeze to put together. An old black shirt, a $5 pair of leggings from Target, a roll of that "fake blanket of snow" that people put in their Christmas villages, and a can of spray adhesive, and I was good to go. Kris was "El Superbeasto." It's a character from a movie not even I have seen.

On a totally unrelated note, I am working on a blouse this weekend from the Amy Butler pattern for the Lotus Cami. I cut out my pieces and marked everything tonight, even completed a few darts, but then I somehow misplaced one of the back panels I was working with. I never left the room, but it somehow disappeared. So I took that as a sign to call it a night and do another mad search in the morning. Hopefully I will have something amazing to show you by the end of the weekend!

Also, I picked up some wonderful Waverly upholstery fabric this evening, as I found some wonderful chairs at Goodwill that I am going to re-purpose over Thanksgiving break. I will post before and after pictures in the upcoming week as I complete them!

Soap and Glory

2009-11-15T20:18:00.006-05:00

This post has nothing to do with sewing, but rather Soap and Glory products. I have been an avid Soap and Glory user for over a year now, and am still in love with every product I have bought by them. I thought I would share them with you since they are vintage inspired, and since lot of you found my blog through sew retro, you probably share a love for vintage. Soap and Glory is only sold at Target in the US, and is relatively cheap for how great the quality is. Each item is adorn with a vintage black and white snap-shot of some retro beauty and a cute tag-line.

Every time I go to Target the first thing I do is rush over to the soap and glory aisle to see if they have any new products, and they usually do! I was thinking the other day how fantastic it would be if they made a deodorant, since the rest of my body usually smells like their signature scent because I use their body-wash, lotion, and hair products, and low and behold they started making deodorant! They must have gotten my wishing vibes :) It is called One Pit Wonder, and smells dreamy. So what I am trying to say is that I love these products and you should, too. They have character, they smell and feel amazing, and they won't break the bank. What more could a girl ask for?

Some of my favorite items that would be good starter products for those who are new to S&G are the Clean on Me body wash, the Great Shakes hand cream, the Hair Supply glossy conditioner treatment, or the Off Your Face wipes. My absolute favorite product is the Calm One Calm All bubble bath, but I don't have a bath tub anymore, so its been tucked away under my sink. Go pick up one of these great products, you won't be disappointed!

The Day of the Dead Party Skirt!

2009-11-15T14:30:00.003-05:00

So it was another late night last night when I couldn't put my project down, once again. For my second project of the weekend I made this day of the dead party skirt!

For the detailing on the waistband, I sewed some silk flowers onto lapel pins so they can be removed for washing, and to tie in the colors and flowers from the hem fabric:

I love everything about this skirt, except that it is a little billowy on my frame. But I don't really have any skirts that are like it, so maybe its not so bad to have a tea-length big billowing skirt in my wardrobe. I'm on the fence, what do you think? Should I take it down a notch? Tell me your thoughts!

P.s. I entered this skirt in the fall party time competition over at Sew Retro! So far, people are liking it!

Its that time of year again!

2009-11-14T14:08:00.003-05:00

The time of year when I start to panic because I have no Christmas ideas for anyone on my list! Usually I have a few items thought up, or even purchased by now, but not this year. I am really hoping that my new found sewing skills can help me out with this and I can make some fun personalized gifts for the main people on my list. Now, that adds a whole new complication in the mix: what projects make good gifts? Especially for men! Gertie's latest post got me thinking about the men in my life and what I can do for them this Christmas. I'd like to make my dad something, but he's verrrry picky when it comes to Christmas gifts. One year, I made him a tie blanket out of a fleece that looked like birch bark and that was a huge success, but I am at a total loss for this year. And I thought about making a cotton zombie print chef coat for my amazing chef boyfriend, but he lives 10 hours away so I couldn't really fit it to his body. Plus, I am having an impossible time trying to find a zombie print cotton. I didn't think it would be so hard!

so now I turn to you, my 9 followers (:-}), and ask, what are some wonderful Christmas gift projects? If you have any ideas at all, throw them out there!

On a side note, have any of you heard of Fabricworm.c om? They have amazing prints. I have ordered a few prints from them, and all were just so fun! Here are some I am drooling over at this very moment:

Monkey Around

2009-11-14T00:59:00.002-05:00

First project of the weekend: COMPLETE! Tonight I decided to make my sock monkey sewing machine cover:

I have been eying up this cute fabric for a while, but could never really think of anything I could make with it. So tonight when I was perusing Field's Fabrics for something to make into a machine cover and ran across this again, I could envision nothing else!

I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. It adds some inviting playfulness to my little sewing corner.

I hope you like it!

Looking forward to a weekend of projects!

2009-11-12T18:32:00.004-05:00

I have a whole slough of fabulous ideas cooked up for the weekend! Usually, I lose a whole Sunday to physics homework every weekend, but not this weekend! So that gives me a whole extra 24 hours to do as I please, which will be to sew. I don't know if I will have the time (or finances) to get everything I want done, but here's what I have in mind:

- Give the retro 52 butterick pattern in my first post a go
- Make a cute sewing machine cover
- Make a poppy/button broach for the lapelle on my houndstooth coat
- Paint some dining room chairs I found at Goodwill retro red and pick-out some geometric black and white fabric to re-upholstery them over thanksgiving break
- And if I have time, I want to try this little jacket from the book Design-It-Yourself Clothes by Cal Patch:

I want to get started on all this asap, but I have some studying for a physics exam tomorrow evening that calls for my attention for tonight.

On another note, does anyone have some good Christmas gift project ideas? I want to get started on those asap as there isn't a fabric store in my hometown, so I will be out of luck once I am home for the Holidays.

Holy Gathers, Batman!

2009-11-10T16:25:00.006-05:00

I was about to write an email to a seamstress down the street asking if I could bring my machine by for a looksies, but I figured I would try to solve it's issues myself one last time, and that apparently did the trick! I have no idea what was it's deal or what I may have done wrong, but I re-threaded the bobbin, re-threaded the top thread, made sure everything was squeaky clean and running smoothly, dials properly adjusted, and we were in business! I jumped and screamed and did a little dance. My roommate even came over to join in my rejoicing! I had tried all this about 1o times before, but the 11th time's the charm in my case, apparently.

Unfortunately, it was 11:30 at night when my machine was resurrected, and I couldn't help but start sewing when I should have just gone to bed. So the result today is one very tired girl wearing one very fabulous skirt! I was up until 4:30am putting it together, being a bit obsessive over the details, as it was my first "real" project and I wanted to get it just right. But it was so (sew) worth it! I wore it today and already got compliments! I followed the instructions that Gertie had on her wonderful blog. Thanks Gertie!

Here is the unveiling of the "retro bubble" gather skirt, as I call it!

A close up of the gathers:

My first zip!

I hand stitched the inside of the waistband to the skirt:

A little button for subtle personality:

A view of the inside:

I also had my first experience with interfacing. It went well, except I used some muslin as a pressing cloth, and when I had to get it damp it smelled HORRIBLE! I had to open my window because my entire room smelled like a large family of cats had crept in and peed everywhere. I have no clue what the deal was! I was hoping the smell wouldn't fuse into my skirt as I was ironing the stenchy fabric on top of it, but all was well and my skirt smells fine :) The zipper was a bit tricky withe gathers, and I had to rip it out about 3 times, but I am pleased with it now. The skirt came out to the perfect length and fits perfectly around my waist, yet again. It was quite enjoyable to make I foresee a few more of these in my future. I think this weekend I am going to make a heavier red one, with this fabric around the bottom for a wide hem:

and perhaps some kind of festive embellishment on the waistband. Maybe try my hand in a little embroidery?

After that, I am ready to move on to something a bit more challenging. I am thinking a blouse of some kind so I will have the basics of the bottom and top learned separately, and then combine them to start on some of my dress patterns!

This whole sewing thing is coming to me a lot more easily than I thought it would... what's the catch?

My Machine and I: We are both too tense!!

2009-11-08T14:09:00.003-05:00

I have deduced that I have tension issue, rather than a bobbin issue. The thread picks up just fine now, but when I make a stitch or two it just completely jams up! I am using the same thread and fabric as before, so i'm not so sure why this is happening... I think I am going to email this really awesome crazy sewing lady that owns a shop down the street and see if I can come in with my machine and she will show me how to adjust the tension properly. There is only so much the manual can show you, ya know?

All I want to do is sew my skirt!! Maybe after I finish all of my homework on this freak 75 degree fall day I can watch some videos on how to adjust the tension and see if I can make any sense of things...

A Lover's Spat

2009-11-08T01:08:00.002-05:00

I. Am. Frustrated. I had my fabric cut and pinned and was a few stitches in when I realized I forgot to change the thread from black to gray. So I threaded a new bobbin, threaded the needle, and was all set to go. Well the machine did not want me to go. I spent hours trying to get the needle to pick up the bobbin thread. HOURS! I figured that if I kept trying it would eventually catch, but it never did. I cleaned the bobbin casing, I changed the needle, I re-threaded everything, but to no avail. Sometimes it would bring up a loop, but then the thread would wrap around the bobbin casing and get all jammed up. So there will be no skirt this weekend :(

I really think this is the "almighty-one's" way of making me get all my homework done this weekend. Doesn't he know that I would have gotten to it, after I had a fabulous skirt made?

Has anyone else had this problem? I googled it, but can't really seem to find any solutions other than things i've tried.

Creation

2009-11-07T11:22:00.006-05:00

Have you ever taken the time to watch the original Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein? Well, I did last night, and I must say that I was a bit disappointed in the Bride of Frankenstein. She was barely in the movie at all! And the monster wasn't named Frankenstein, he was called "The monster," even in the credits, so the movie should have been called "The Bride of the Monster!" I do realize that she is technically the bride of Frankenstein, since he did make her, so she is his, but it still bothers me.

Ok, I'll get off my high horse and get to the sewing. I watched these two movies last night as I practiced buttonholes and zippers, and they are both MUCH easier than I ever imagined! I watched some tutorials on youtube and referred to my lovely Dressmaker's Technique Bible for guidance. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick reference of clothing techniques (not just dresses!) to keep close to their sewing machine. I am very much a visual learner and can do something after I see it done (usually) so both of these resources are god-sends for me.

I made a trip down to Fields Fabric's last night and picked up some awesome retro fabric for my skirt!

I actually found many other colors of this fabric and thought to myself, if only they had a yellow and gray print of this, and then tucked away in a random hiding spot, there it was! It's not exactly what I had in mind when thinking about what I wanted to happen with this skirt. I was envisioning it to be white with red polka-dots, with a lipstick red waistband and a chunky 4" hem around the bottom, also in the red. But then I saw this fabric and said, polka-dot and red fabrics are always going to be around. And my mother also said I should go for the "funky" one, hehe.

I am running to the Jo-Ann's Superstore this afternoon to pick up some pinking shears, interfacing, and some other fun fabrics to have on hand. They are having a great sale where you get 20% off everything you buy ALL WEEKEND! Plus I have two 40% off coupons, too, and they usually take all my coupon's together, so I am beyond geeked! I should also share that all threads and buttons are 40% off at Fields, so I might head back there today and pick out a few of each, just to start building my collection.

I know it's not how the usual 22-year-old spends their weekend, but I like to create things and engage my mind, and sewing seems to be just what the doctor ordered to fulfill both of these. Plus, all of my roommates are gone this weekend, so it's just me and my sewing machine!

From What I Can Gather...

2009-11-05T23:13:00.005-05:00

I write to you now as a woman accomplished, currently dressed in a not-to-shabbily constructed gathered skirt! I made use of some of my muslin, mustered the courage, and sat down to start my very first project. It took me about 4 hours, but I have my first wearable piece! I wouldn't wear it out, however, because it is made of muslin, but now this weekend I can make the same skirt (for real this time) with a red and white polka dot cotton... or maybe a houndstooth? It fits my waist perfectly and hits right above the knee. I had to fuss a bit with the waistband, but a little fuss is expected! My bedroom looks like a tornado ripped through and deposited pins and fabric and thread everywhere... but it is worth the clean up. I love my new sewing machine! It has really been a treat :)

And here is the very first Kelsey O'Donnell creation!

It is as bare-bones as you can get, but remember it was just for practice...I've got big plans for the "real" one!

Bringing the Machine to Life

2009-11-03T22:58:00.005-05:00

I bought a good many yards of muslin on sale today and arrived home with a mission. I sat down in front of the machine tonight for the first time, determined to make a seam... and it was a success! I read every word in the manual and followed all of the instructions carefully. Everything went swimmingly! Could this hopefully be a sign of things to come? It may not seem like much, but I felt very accomplished. So far, the machine and I are getting along quite well, but we're still getting to know each other.

This is my very first seam. It may not be pretty, but I am proud!

The stitching:
The lovely inside:

I can go to sleep with a smile knowing I have just taken my first step into the world of sewing. On the agenda for tomorrow: tackling a pattern.

Greetings from a (near) future dressmaker

2009-11-02T22:44:00.002-05:00

Hello all! I've been inspired to start a blog of my ventures in learning to sew. I know that most ladies pick up their sewing skills at a young age from family, but I will break that mold, as usual.
I have absolutely no experience with a sewing machine or tailoring clothing to fit my body, so this is as close to scratch as you can start from! My wonderful Aunt is letting me use a her beloved sewing machine that she has been quilting on for years and years, and I am starting a class this coming Saturday to get down the basics. It's all so exciting! I have been reading the Sew Retro blog for a while now, getting up the guts and inspiration to make a project and join. But I must say that Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing is what really snapped me out of my hesitation. I sometimes go in craft stores to mosey around and oogle the fabrics, dreaming of what I could make with them, but thinking that sewing was for the young, who learned with their mothers, or the old, who had done it their entire lives. I am usually the only 20-something in the store, and feel very much like a "stick in the mud" for spending my Saturday afternoon there. But then I happened across Gertie's blog. She is young, beautiful, tattooed, loves vintage clothing and patterns, and has such an intriguing blog that it is usually the first thing I read in the morning. She is not a stick in the mud at all! I thought to myself, its never stopped me before to go for something that may not be the popular choice of my peers, so why should it stop me now? I love clothing, I love creating things, and I love putting my personal touch on everything I own, so how could I not love sewing? I know it may try my patience, and I know it may boggle my brain, but I really think this will be something I will be doing the rest of my life. I can just feel it!

So here's to a new venture down a path I've been glancing at from afar. And this blog will be my place to share the frustrations, triumphs, and (hopefully) awesome finished projects!

I think this will be my first project:

I fell in love with this dress the moment we found each other. I've been told it will be relatively simple and will look impressive for a first finished piece. So now I ask you this: What colors and fabrics? I want something retro, but something wearable. Any suggestions??