Sew Much, Sew Stylin', Sew Fast

Fall & Winter Wardrobe Plan - revisited

2012-02-15T18:02:00.000-05:00

Back in November, I came up with a sewing plan for what I wanted to sew for myself for Fall and Winter. It was rather ambitious, and I knew I likely wouldn't get to all of it, but I am proud to say that I completed 19 of my planned garments.

I also have no problem saying I am DONE for now with it. I plan to revisit it this summer or around the time school starts - when I am getting in the mood to sew for cooler weather. Then, I will update it and probably get around to making at least some of the planned outfits I haven't gotten to yet.

Do I think this kind of planning was helpful? Yes, I've always bitten off more than I can chew when it comes to projects. I don't really function any other way. Part of the excitement for me is the planning and dreaming part of it which is why I am so in love with Pinterest. I already have a similar board started for both myself and my daughter, plus one for sewing for my boys - all thinking ahead to Spring. This is, of course, in addition to my two design inspiration boards - one for grown-ups and one for the kids.

I have a dress, a pair of capri pants, and a tote back cut out and on the sewing pile, but I think I need to get my sewing wish list a little more organized. I've been knocking out cute things for Gracie, but I need to look at what she needs as far as matching items, etc. I'm also thinking ahead to our August Disney trip. I have some really cute embroidery designs I am planning to use on themed items for the children. Maybe I need to create a Disney-inspiration pinboard...hmm?

I also need to make some bags for my kids. The boys could all use some bags to store and carry their Scout stuff and little Gracie could use a sports bag for cheerleading/gymnastics. (We are signing her up for gymnastics soon...and I have a Jalie leotard pattern on the way.)

It looks like I need to start making a sewing plan for all of these projects. Then maybe I can get some of the embroidery work done while I grade student work...some days I wish I could design and sew for a living, but that would not be financially feasible now. Maybe someday...

In the meantime, I also have all of this to play with - making some new hairbows for my girl!

Happy sewing!

Super Sewing Sunday!

2012-02-05T21:03:00.000-05:00

I think there's a football game on...but let's talk about more important things: there was a 25% off sale at Elegant Stitches. I got there just as it was getting started and selected a large pile of pretties. I picked up white linen batiste to make this dress from Australian Smocking for Easter. I also got some of the new Patty Young "Lush" prints, some cute pirate and jungle theme prints for Disney trip outfits, and some other cute fabrics with project potential...we won't talk about how much I spent.

Then, I got home and finished up a couple of outfits for Miss Gracie-cakes. This is Simplicity 2171 - a very boutique-looking pattern with a girly, feminine sweetness. It's got a lot of twirl going
on, plus the embroidery looks like our sweet tabby Molly.

I also finished up a Farbenmix Olivia dress. I did it in short sleeves and skipped the pinafore. I added a simple pair of pink knit bike shorts for underneath it since this is a play kind of outfit. The hood at the back is so cute - like a little elf hood.

Pinterested for my daughter

2012-01-29T22:03:00.000-05:00

I have started a pin board on Pinterest for summer sewing for Gracie - who will soon be 5 and deserves a wardrobe as colorful and spunky as she is. It's turned into a good place to organize patterns I want to sew. However, what is becoming even more inspiring is a board I have made of kids' fashion - my favorite examples from around the web.

What I find interesting is that I have confirmed my style instincts for children's clothing. When you see all of your "likes" in one spot, it isn't hard to do. These are a few of my favorites:

I like this because it combines knit and cotton woven fabrics, applique, and wacky, yet harmonizing colors.

Gracie loved this dress when we saw it in Belk's this weekend, but I am not paying $60 for it. My version will have an applique or embroidery...

This would be an adorable way to use my awesome stash of knit fabrics from Patsy Aiken/Chez Ami.

I love the wild, fun print mixes on Farbenmix's samples. This is so cute!

Of course, I also like the (only slightly) more subdued Lilly Pullitzer look. This type of look is lovely here in the South.

I'm also collecting inspiration for Disney outfits since we have an August trip planned.

Of course, it isn't just collecting inspiration, I find I am actually following through with it. For example, I pinned this dress from Janie & Jack:

Then I made my version inspired by similar fabric in my stash.

So, there's my style for the girl-child: colorful, ruffled, a mix of fabric, and fun!

Vogue!

2012-01-29T16:30:00.000-05:00

I'm definitely in love with the new Vogues! In fact, I want this dress, V1283, in this color...that is so pretty!

I'm also a big fan of the Guy Laroche design, V1284. I see a lot of big boob forgiveness in that one...

I also like V1285 - but I think I want to make it in a darker fabric. I could see this in navy.

I really like the lines of this suit (V1293) and again would make it in a slightly darker color.

I a little undecided about making it, but this shirtdress, V8785, is growing on me.

V8787 is another cut dress pattern. I'm partial to the fuller skirt versions.

I like the tops in V1291.

I am a sucker for color-blocking - love V8792!

I think V8793 would be interesting with mixed prints.

Overall, I am definitely happy with the Spring offerings, but my only wish is that they would go back to also having the occasional children's pattern. Whatever happened to "Vogue for Me" patterns?

Sewing Organization

2012-01-22T22:49:00.000-05:00

Confession - I have a lot of sewing stuff...and if I don't keep it organized, it will take over my house and it will be hard to know what I have (no shocker, huh?). So, this is how I do it:

Anything I can store in a decorative way, I do. My embroidery thread looks rather charming as wall decor, no? This is hanging in what my husband named "The Scraplab" because it is a small home office on the front of the house...and my scrapbook supplies live here along with my desktop computer and our home files, etc.

My Bernina Deco 340 embroidery machine lives in The Scraplab as well - conveniently beside my PC and under shelves of scrapbook supplies. (I really don't do hobbies halfway...)

I have a folder of my embroidery files sorted by theme and I paid the extra fee for the iconizer in Embird - well worth it so you can easily see at a glance what you have.

On my computer screen is my Google docs spreadsheet of my fabric. I have added image files for as many fabrics as I could and I intend to do that from now on as I purchase fabric. It makes it much easier to browse the stash. The code to add an image in a spreadsheet is =image("http://whatever the url is", 3) . I am linking to a read-only copy of my spreadsheet here. Warning - it's a big file and it is slow to load because of the image links. I like being able to sort if I am searching for a certain yardage or fabric type. I also like that it is in the cloud since I can just take a laptop into the garage with me if need be.

This is a little taste of my garage, aka the fabric warehouse. Oh, we store other things in there, too, but this place has not seen a car in the better part of a decade and probably never will again. I don't care either.

We have this wonderful cabinet in the corner of our living room. It is a major sewing organization spot (although at present, I have a few things not yet put away from my most recent cutting spree). I try to keep some very-soon-to-be-used fabrics on the shelf along with my patterns, books, and magazines.

Amy Butler's Chelsea Bags pattern is perfect for storing magazines. I have a bag for each season of Ottobre since I have every issue I could get my hands on. If it was published in English, I have it. I also have a bag of Sew Beautifuls, one of Ottobre Woman, another of Burdas, Threads, and other European magazines like Knipmode, Patrones, and La Mia Boutique. Not ironically, there is a big bag full of bag patterns.

My envelope patterns are in baskets and bags, arranged by type and split into manufacturer groups as needed. It also helps that I have started using Pattern-File software to track what I have along with image info and other notes. It's a nice visual tool to organize and they should have a mobile app available soon.

I will admit, that sometimes there is a small working pile on a little table between my sewing desk and my couch. My kids know not to mess with this stuff. Under that table is a large storage cabinet with several plastic shoeboxes worth of embellishments - a box of rickrack, a box of lace, a container of piping, etc. There is an Artibin thread box between the table and couch (it just fits there nicely) and several serger thread boxes on the floor under the right side of the desk. Buttons are in zip-lock bags by color for the ones I have gotten in bulk from the Patsy Aiken outlet. I use snap-lock containers for the more unique ones. I keep zippers in their own box and elastic in its own. However, I have had the idea to buy elastic in the sizes I constantly find myself using in bulk. When the cut notions can be purchased half price, find an unopened box of elastic and buy the whole darn thing. It's not that much and well-worth it.

Okay, so my form of organization is not Martha Stewart-perfect. I don't care - I kind of hate Martha anyway. It does work for me and allows me to get a good bit done with minimal frustration. That's the best part anyway - the actual creating. Today was a good creating day: I got the cover dress from the latest Ottobre as well as a Farbenmix frock - Destina - completed.

Happy sewing!

Sew ready for spring!

2012-01-16T17:45:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that my fall/winter sewing plan for myself has been totally derailed by a complete lack of interest in the current season. I want spring, so that is what I am sewing for. At least here in NC, I won't have as long to wait as I would in other locales.

I completed my Colette Clover pants - in love Tango Tangerine sateen that was $1 a yard at Fabric Mart. I still have about a yard and a half of this lovely Jones NY fabric left. I'm thinking my boys will be getting some shorts out of this.

I spent a good hour last night vacillating over what to do with this pretty seersucker print until deciding on McCall's 6327. I've made view C of this previously, but decided view E with the gathered overskirt would be cute. I opted to skip the bubble skirt part. I know it's a pretty cutesy style, but with a t-shirt and some cute shoes, I'd love to wear this in the sunshine at Disney later this year.

I have also started on some spring duds for Miss Grace and have been busy combing through my embroidery files for inspiration. I love the carousel on this floral outfit.

Once I decide on my next project, I hope to continue to add to the warm-weather goodies. After all, I have loads of fabric and patterns just waiting for me. I just need to get off Pinterest long enough to play with them.

Advanced Style

2012-01-15T20:26:00.000-05:00

My mom...in her custom made by me Christmas present!

The pattern is Simplicity 4014, which was her choice when I presented her with a gift certificate for a custom outfit of her choice. I found the fabric for both pieces at Fabric Mart - ended up placing two sep. orders...oh well! She's happy with it, and so am I. I have a decent amount of both fabrics left, so I am strongly considering a dress for Gracie with the pink brocade at the bodice and the floral print for the skirt. There is an Ottobre pattern that keeps floating to mind...must look and see if I have enough fabric for it. Of course, being that she is small, it doesn't take too much!

Next project - Colette Clover pants in "Tangerine Tango" stretch sateen (why, yes, I am picking up on the trend!).

Shopping the stash

2012-01-08T21:33:00.001-05:00

I have come to the conclusion that 2012 needs to be the year of the stash. I plan to shop the heck out of it! I wish I could say I need to buy more fabric (or scrapbook supplies for that matter), but I do not. I just totaled up the yard in my database. and we'll just say I could probably sew my own house with what I've got. It's embarrassing - too embarrassing to publish the number. I'm not doing too shabby in the pattern department either.

My goal is to only buy fabric I genuinely need (like the pink brocade for my mom's jacket) or totally fall in love with (where I get into trouble). In order to get this under control, I am tracking my yardage in and out on Pattern Review (in my signature). I would like to go beyond breaking even and try to use up 3 yards for every yard I buy - or better. So far, I have sewn 6.5 yards, but have 34 yards on order. Not so good, huh?

So how best to go about shopping the stash? Well, I've set out in a couple of different ways. For one, I am using Pinterest to organize potential projects. I am also putting images of my fabric into my database which I have moved from a Microsoft database on a single computer to a cloud format - a Google docs spreadsheet. I had to figure out how to insert an image, so I will share. In the cell, you type

=image("url of image in quotes",3)

The 3 makes it fit your cell. It's not perfect, but enough of a visual reminder to keep me from running to the garage every 5 seconds when I am in planning mode.

I have also decided that if I cut a piece of fabric that is 2 yards, for example, and I have a half yard left, I should find a small project for it. Doll clothes are perfect for this. In fact, I am working on having a stash of doll clothes for Gracie's 5th birthday present (in April). That would use up stash and save money. I don't know if I will be able to hold out on giving them to her for that long, but we will see.

Sometimes I just want to get inspired by the fabric and let it suggest the pattern. That was what happened with this lovely seersucker this weekend. It just begged to be made into Simplicity 2265. Wouldn't this be cute with a lime/turquoise reversible pettiskirt peeking out? The fabric is so fun that it just didn't need any other embellishment.

I also pulled out some Doodlbug buttons. I tend to hold onto stuff like this, but they are too pretty NOT to use!

On a side note, if you have a sweet girl like my Gracie, you need to check out Princess Hairstyles - lots of fun ideas and surprisingly not that hard to accomplish.

I have a few other cut projects for Miss Grace, including some doll clothes and a doll backpack/carrier - time to work on that while she is asleep. Then, I can see what else speaks to me tomorrow!

Damn You, Fabric Mart!!

2012-01-07T01:14:00.000-05:00

So, I was busy uploading some pictures for my review of B5173, a Maggy London dress, and I happen upon a little missive from Fabric Mart in my email...I make the mistake of visiting. Now, I needed to buy some fabric for an outfit I am making my mom. I already bought the fabric for the dress, but I found what I think will be perfect for the jacket - a rose brocade from Ralph Lauren. Of course, I ended up spending $78 so I could pass the $75 needed for the free ten yard bundle because those are always interesting...ugh!!

Some evil I cannot resist, like putting Benjamin's silly fedora on Winston the cat, called me to drool over the amazing sale. When did they get all that cool stuff? Didn't I just order the day after Christmas? I found some lovely lime stretch twill that would be perfect for Colette's Clover pattern, an olive sherpa fleece from Marc Jacobs that was dirt cheap and great for a jacket for my older boys (they can fight it out - I'm not making two, we have loads of hoodies all over the house), modal knit...it was evil...

So, I now have one more cut project - a knit top I expect to make up very quickly - and then I think I may switch gears off my fall/winter wardrobe sewing. Gracie is suddenly getting taller so maybe I will start on some trans-seasonal pieces that will work as we move toward spring. After all, winter in NC isn't exactly long.

Once I have the pink brocade, I will spend some time on my mom's outfit. I am using Simplicity 4014, short sleeve dress with hip-length jacket.

Ralph Lauren pink brocade for the jacket and the light tan floral/paisley embroidered stretch print for the dress...

On the border (print)

2012-01-02T22:02:00.001-05:00

I decided to sew up Vogue 8684 for my first project of the new year. I cut the dress a few days ago out of a beautiful border print jersey - of which I was sure I had enough. Well, guess what? I forgot the measure twice, cut once rule and found myself with an issue. Namely that I could either have print sleeves or a print back bodice. I went for the sleeves.

The print actually had two borders. On one selvedge, the print was practically blooming with long leafy things. On the other, a white burgundy band held a smaller leafy pattern. The rest of the fabric had tan flecks. For the back bodice, I cheated with black ITY from the stash (thank goodness for stash!).

I also came up with two really useful shortcuts. One, test the bodice of a knit like this to see if a zipper is really necessary. Guess what? It wasn't.

Also, I dug into my stash of FOE (foldover elastic) and found the best stuff to bind the neckline with. It had gold threads on the half that folded over on a black background.

I have one more dress and top cut and ready to sew. The dress will be next since it is a black thread project. I'm lazy like that! Then, I have a coral pink knit top.

Sew much in 2011 (the year in review)

2011-12-31T02:30:00.000-05:00

I have been looking back over my sewing for this past year and I decided I wanted to recap the year in stitches.

I started the year with some home dec sewing for my living room (which we re-did at the end of 2010).

I love how our living room turned out and these pieces still look brand new a year later. The leather couch you see behind the pillows is awesome, too - I would highly recommend such a piece of furniture if you have a bunch of kids and pets. Leather actually hides wear like crazy. Who knew?

My next home dec project has not held up so well. The boys have been destroying the bed curtains via rough behavior. They have torn a few of the ties. I just haven't been motivated to fix them either.

At least my daughter is a little kinder to her mama-made-mine projects. She adores her name pillow (actually a pillow sham). I often find it dragged downstairs so she can use it on the couch.

Of course, most of my sewing this year has been garment sewing. Gracie is still my dress-up doll. I love this beautiful print and have the yellow version of it waiting to be made into a dress for her next year!

One of my goals this year was to work in more embroidery to my sewing. I do love my embroidery machine (a Bernina Deco). This dress was so cute for the beach and will still fit her in 2012 since it was so big then.

I also tried to sew a little more for the men in my life. I made the Colette Negroni for my husband. This pattern is very likely to resurface in 2012. I could see this in a fun print for vacation...I may have to convince him for that though!

At Easter, I sewed for the entire family - shirts for all of the guys and dresses for myself and Gracie. I kept the palette pastel - lavender was predominate.

There are, of course, a few projects that stand out. Benjamin's favorite by far was the giraffe outfit (which I am confident he will also be able to wear in 2012).

I got a lot of use out of my new favorite purse (but it is too summery to be a year-round bag so it is currently on hiatus). I anticipate making a version of this to taking on vacation to Disney next summer. I will want to go slightly bigger though, but not as big as the previous bag I made from the Taylor Made Designs pattern.

I gave the boys a sewing lesson. They made pillowcases for themselves and their younger siblings.

This dress (Natalie pattern by Sew Beautiful) was actually considered for publication by the magazine. Alas, it didn't make the cut but they did say it was a beautiful dress.

My favorite dress might just be this one. I fell in love with Muse designs and made several different ones, but I always get compliments on it.

My boys love these Star Wars sweatshirts. They are constantly being worn.

I made the dress my daughter wore at the local fair's pageant. She didn't win, but it was fun to make and she loved it.

The best part of the fair was mine - I won a bunch of ribbons for my sewing! I also walked away with enough prize money to fund more...fabric!

Halloween brought Rapunzel to life.

For the last month or so, I've gotten into sewing with a plan for my own wardrobe. So far, I have added over a dozen new pieces to my fall/winter wardrobe and had a lot of fun doing that. I found another great color-blocking pattern in the process. Plus, I made my first really structured lined jacket and successful work-friendly tailored pants.

I ended up spending all night sewing up this nativity-themed Feliz dress, but she wore it 3 times so far and she loves it. I love it too. She's only little once, so why not?

As the year closes, I have 3 cut, ready to sew projects, but I doubt they will get touched until at least Sunday (1/1/12). So, that makes my final project of the year one I can enjoy looking at (and sitting on) daily at work (in my classroom).

Happy New Year, everyone!

Excuse the view...

2011-12-29T01:16:00.000-05:00

...but the pants are a success!!! I have conquered my fear of making nice pants. Now, I think I have enough nerve to try the Jalie jeans pattern...

V1200 made in a cotton-lycra twill...brilliant design on the front inside - the pocket piece goes all the way to the fly, effectively keeping everything a little smoother. After four kids, my tummy is a sad, sad thing so I will take any help I can get.

(Fake) leather trimmed-skirt & the Anne Klein jacket

2011-12-27T16:25:00.000-05:00

Here is the complete look: V1200 Anne Klein jacket + S2152 skirt (view A).

The waistband, as well as pocket trim, on the skirt is made from pleather. I picked up a yard and half of black pleather at G Street fabrics this summer and this was the perfect project for my first foray into sewing with this stuff. I learned a couple of things. One, it does NOT ease. Two, it will sew beautifully with a walking foot. Without a walking foot, you will be cussing...Three, don't pin it (already knew that) and don't plan to rip out stitches if you don't like weird stretching and/or holes.

Yes, I did learn a few things the hard way, but I did it on the pocket trim. Once I had it all figured out, I was able to get the waistband on like a dream.

I tend to be bigger in the waist and smaller in the hips, so I often wrestle with getting the waistband to fit without the skirt being too huge through the butt. I have settled on what frequently works out as the easiest solution: cut the waistband one size bigger than the skirt. This way I don't have to ease the skirt and everything is a perfect fit.

I still have the pants from V1200 left to sew, but they will be from a charcoal grey/almost black stretch twill. I still have some of this boucle left, but it would have been too much pattern to make the pants from, hence I went with the Simplicity skirt. Since I did use boucle for the skirt, I piece the front and two back sections together and then used those pieces as a pattern to cut a lining. I also used the lining on the inside of the waistband. Since the pleather is so thick, I skipped any interfacing and it worked out well.

I really like how these pieces turned out - really cute together or as separates.

Santa brought Mommy a sewing project - storage bag for a Mobigo

2011-12-25T17:41:00.000-05:00

Gracie got a V-Tech Mobigo for Christmas, which means Mommy got a sewing project! I knew she would need a place to keep it as well as store her games. Plus, like many four year olds, she doesn't have the art of organization perfected yet. She needs a little help. Enter Simplicity 3531!

This pattern is for 3 sizes of drawstring bags and all of the ones on the pattern were embellished to a degree and made with cute fabrics so it was easy to envision this as a Gracie project. I chose pink and white dots and a floral contrast fabric and stitched out this cute design on the front. I took some of the bias tubing I used for the drawstrings and made a leash (long enough to be a weird necklace) for all 6 of the cartridges she got. The cartridges all have a small hole in the top that is perfect for this sort of purpose. (That girl got lucky that I hit a BOGO sale on those at Toys R Us last month.)

Gracie can wear this like a cross-body bag as well as use it to store the Mobigo, game cartridges, and anything else - like perhaps a pair of headphones...some of the game sounds are a bit annoying.

This was a really quick project - about two hours including a 45 minute stitch-out on my embroidery machine. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a kid's game system to wrangle. It could be made in a more masculine fabric for a boy if needed.

Last minute Christmas sewing

2011-12-24T16:16:00.000-05:00

Unwrap this! I just made the jacket to Vogue 1200 - all 59 steps of it. I cut the fabric (and the lining, and the interfacing) on Thursday and did all of the fusing. Last night, I got through the basic construction of the outer jacket and the lining. Today, the two needed to be married together. There are really a lot of great details to how this is constructed, but I'm glad I was able to do it at a time when I was actually not super busy with a bunch of other stuff. This takes a lot of attention.

I have the pants from the same pattern cut and ready to sew, as well as a skirt (in more of the same fabric as the jacket) from a Simplicity pattern. I had considered being super ambitious and sewing the skirt also this afternoon, but instead I help Gracie clean up (for Santa) and played some Barbies with her. She keeps wanting to play "cheerleader" Barbie. She is going to flip when she gets a set of cheerleader Barbies tomorrow!

She and Benjamin will also be getting these:

They were so fun to make, except for the massive clean-up required after fake fur and bits of microfleece went everywhere! These are the only handsewn gifts I am giving this year.

Well, I will be wearing my new jacket to church this evening, and Gracie will be rocking the nativity scene Feliz dress again. I hope everyone reading this has a Merry Christmas!

Unexpected benefits of a sewing oddity

2011-12-22T11:31:00.000-05:00

When I sewed up this top, V8151, last night, I had an issue with the facing to the (very long) neckline - I interfaced it with fusible tricot which I really shouldn't have done. This caused the facing not to stretch as much as needed and hence the ruched look on the faced area. I actually like the way it looks though, so it's a happy accident.

I actually had a VERY productive evening and completed an Ottobre dress for my daughter as well. She was very excited when I showed it to her this morning and eager to go out and model for me. We matched 06-2011-18 with red leggings and the cutest red sparkly Keds! I have adorable scrapbook supplies that match.

Then, I cut out fabric for pillows from Simplicity 2198. I am making a giraffe pillow for Benjamin and a pink monkey pillow for Gracie. These should go together fairly quickly this evening. It'll just be a mess to clean up all of the lint generated from fake fur and microfleece! Yikes - I could have shaved my cat with less mess...

McCall's new patterns - love!

2011-12-21T19:37:00.000-05:00

I was excited about the Simplicity Early Spring, but I am REALLY excited about the new offerings from McCall's. I need a pattern sale soon...

I love this fit and flare dress in M6504. I've had a similar style Kwik Sew pattern that I haven't made because I knew I'd have to alter the straps to make it bra-friendly, but this I love! I can't decide which view I like best. I only know that large boobs and chest ruffles are usually not a good combo, but the other views are all adorable.

M6503 is really cute in a retro sort of way. Once again, I'll skip the view with the flouncy chest. I could do the little ruffle on the collar though.

M6507, a Tracy Reese design, is fantastic in the print on the left. My only concern would be bra exposure at the back. I think I would definitely make a muslin.

I love anything colorful and colorblocked, so this tank tunic (M6511) is so on my must-sew list! I would layer it with a solid tank, but this would be super cute to wear on vacation to Disney next August.

I'm not a fan of M6512's tie front view, but the short sleeve view is really nice. I love their version in the pink.

Anoraks are totally on trend for Spring 2012 and this one in M6531 is nice. I'd love to make up a bright version of view C.

M6519 is a really cute wardrobe. I'd be tempted to make everything here.

For Gracie, the boho chic looks in M6530 would be lovely.

I also adore this Chelsea Anderson (who also designs for Pink Fig) design (M6497). This is just adorable and I love, love, love anytime I can mix cute prints.

M6496 is quite cute, but I may need to check my pattern inventory for VERY similar looks before purchasing.

I have a huge stash of knits from Patsy Aiken's Raleigh, NC outlet that would be so cute made up in M6498.

I may need to buy both size ranges of M6502 and sew up a brother-sister look for Benjamin & Gracie. Everyone loves cargo pants!

I will admit that I need more bag patterns like a hole in the head, but the Laura Ashley bags in M6522 are really pretty and a nice size.

M6527 would make some cute projects for Gracie's room.

Palmer/Pletsch have a winner with M6513 - what a great crossover knit top pattern!

I'm usually not a fan of the Stitch N Save patterns, but M6489 looks like it would be quick to make and flattering.

These Kay Whitt bags in M6532 are seriously cute - I want that fabric on the top bag!

Okay, Joann's and Hancock - get my patterns, put 'em on sale, and let me dig into Spring...yes, I know the odds of completing my winter sewing plan go down by the minute.

Simplicity Early Spring picks

2011-12-20T22:43:00.000-05:00

The irony of the early spring collection being released on the first day of winter is not missed here, but I do see some things I like.

This Project Runway dress has some options that would be cute for work. I like the sketch with the contrast collar in white.

I always been a fan of princess seam dresses. I think this one would be cute in a floral for Spring.

A new knit top pattern - most definitely on my make list! I think all the views of this one are cute.

It's not like I don't have enough skirt patterns, but I really like view B with the color-blocking.

Crops are great for Spring and I love these in a fun color.

Gracie saw this pattern as she was browsing over my shoulder. She liked it a lot. I think it is sweet - another must sew!

This one is another Gracie pick as is the pillow pattern below - she likes the birds!

I like all of these designs!

Here's another fun pillow pattern. Gracie requested the bird one, but we both like the flowers.

Overall, I see several things I would like to make myself, but I am disappointed with the children's selections. Thank goodness for Ottobre!!

Wardrobe progress

2011-12-13T23:43:00.000-05:00

I had hoped to have more projects finished by now, but considering that I interrupted my wardrobe sewing to make some Christmas outfits for my youngest two as well as some baby gifts, I think I am making good progress.

I completed Vogue 1197, a Today's Fit pattern, this evening. I love the giraffe print. It's just so cute! I'm wearing this one to work tomorrow with brown pants.

I have one more knit top cut and ready to sew, then I need to knock out a cover for this stool/chair I bought from a local used furniture shop. I'm sitting on it in this picture. It was $20 and will be wonderful in my classroom, but it needs a nice cover. I made a pattern from newspaper, but I haven't gotten to sewing it yet. I hope to complete the project this weekend so I can take this thing to school (and have it out of the house over break!).

I have been updating my wardrobe board on Pinterest with my completed projects. I like to see the visual results of my progress. I don't know if I will end up completing the planned pieces before I am ready to switch to spring/summer sewing, but we shall see...

Here are a couple of Christmas outfits I knocked out for Gracie. Both are big enough that I think she will have no issue wearing them next year. The candy cane outfit is an Ottobre top with a Farbenmix Insa skirt. That was quick to make.

I went a bit overboard, I suppose, with this next piece. It is the Feliz dress, done in bamboo corduroy with loads of ruffles and a sweet embroidered nativity scene. This took forever to stitch out and I stayed up all night to finish it so she could wear it to church the Sunday the preschoolers sang, "The Friendly Beasts." She loved that it had the animals from the song on it. I think she was very sweet-looking in this. I know my husband thought I was nuts staying up to finish this, but how precious is this little girl? She's only 4 once, and this was too perfect!

I want it all...

2011-12-06T22:53:00.000-05:00

I have to confess: I would like all of this fabric. It is so cool. I know my local store (Elegant Stitches) just got a little of it and I can't wait to see it in person...Gracie will be getting some new duds from these pretties.

This was my brief peek at fabric...I stitched out an embroidery design, but I spent HOURS this evening executing the design of the yearbook cover my students came up with. They had better like it. ;-)

Pinterest-ing!

2011-12-03T21:34:00.000-05:00

I have a new obsession...Pinterest! I've been able to indulge my OCD side while organizing what I want to sew and inspiration from around the web. I've set up several boards including one for my fall/winter wardrobe plan as well as one for possible spring/summer sewing for myself and for Gracie. It's a great way to organize...waste time, etc. ;-)

I'd tried using Polyvore for inspiration, but that was a lot more cumbersome and didn't work with as many sites. Pinterest is a definite improvement. It was also a great way to kill time at the car dealer this morning while I waited to have my van inspected.

I have been pinning pictures of my completed projects from my sewing plan to my board. Here are the next two to go up!

I have two more Vogue tops and an Ottobre (all knits) ready to sew. I have one more top with a similar color scheme to these planned, so I may cut that before I switch threads for the other three tops. It's definitely more efficient to do it that way.

Festive Fun-wear

2011-11-27T12:41:00.000-05:00

All we need is some cooler weather for Gracie to rock this festive fleece coat. It's got a lot of twirl factor, and even dolly matches.

I couldn't leave Benjamin out of the fun, so I finished up his new Christmas shirt.

I also sewed up the Kate skirt from Style Arc patterns. I love it! This went together like a dream and fits very well. Plus, it made up really cute in this grape corduroy.

Thankful for my sewing machine

2011-11-24T22:52:00.000-05:00

I ran my own Thanksgiving Day sweatshop... First up is this adorable Daisy Kingdom coat in red anti-pill fleece. It needs buttons and I want to buy a spool of black velvet ribbon for trim. Otherwise, it is done.

I had just a teensy bit of fleece left, so I made this:

Gracie's doll will look so cute in a coordinating coat! It also needs buttons, but I'll sew them on when I do the ones for the bigger coat.

I also made a new outfit for Gracie from Fabrenmix's "Nadya" pattern - it is too cute! I was inspired to sew this for her after making up a baby/big sister pair of outfits for some friends of mine due with their second daughter in a few weeks.

These are both Ottobre patterns, but the appliques on all three are Designs by Juju. I just love the combination of the print and stripe. I started with two yards of each and made all of these outfits PLUS Gracie had a onesie out of the stripe when she was one and I still had enough of both fabrics to make a receiving blanket with stripes on one side and the print on the other.

Along with all of those adorable Patsy Aiken/Chez Ami fabrics, I also am working on this (from more of these great knits) for Benjamin: I will be placing an applique/embroidery design on the front - haven't decided which one yet, but something fun for a 6 year old boy.

Gracie is all ready to wear her new outfit out shopping at Joann's tomorrow - 25%off your whole purchase before noon. I need some things - like thread and a seam ripper (just broke mine yesterday). I refuse to go out NOW to hang out at Walmart or Target or the mall. That is just nuts. My shopping is done (;-P) and I figure I made my own Black Friday deals. Plus, when I ordered 13 yards of fabric from Fabric Mart today ($40 with shipping!!!), no one had to leave their house to ring me up.

Grey...great!

2011-11-19T19:28:00.000-05:00

I've never been a big fan of the color grey - it lacks too much color for my tastes.However, I have just completed two dresses using a lovely pewter grey ponte knit and I like them both very much.

McCall's 6432 has great lines and was very easy to alter for a large bust since it was a cup size pattern. I got a lot of compliments when I wore it to work, too!

McCall's 6395 turned out even better than I imagined it would. It felt a little risky mixing two different weight knits, but by lining the bodice, it made a big difference. I know the zipper and the lightweight jersey didn't play well (hence the puckering, but I don't care). I'm happy with it.

The zipper details on the sleeves as well as the exposed one on back drive up the project cost a little, but they are great details.

Up next, a couple of holiday fashions for the young'uns and then back to my wardrobe.

Addicted? Yes...new patterns!

2011-11-12T09:44:00.000-05:00

So, yesterday I was out shopping and found myself stuck at the dreaded mall play area watching kiddos #3 & 4 run amok with the other little kids and I pulled out my smart phone. I was b-o-r-e-d...checked email...what was this? New Buttericks??? Of course, I discovered this just as I was calling the little darlings over to retrieve their shoes so we could keep moving. I ended up walking through the mall while trying to peek at patterns on that tiny screen.

Here are my faves (now that I could actually see them in some detail without pushing the image around my tiny screen):

B5708 is really cute and would make a lovely summer dress.

I like the tops of B5709 - except for the one with the asymetrical hem. I haven't been a fan of that trend.

I enjoy a good sleepwear pattern that I can use with my extensive stash of Patsy Aiken knits. It's fun to sew something for myself in a print that would be too cute for anything else.

Can you have enough bag patterns? I think not...plus, I really like the smaller items in B5728.

Overall, I maintain one complaint from the last few catalogs: where are the kids' patterns??? No, the robe and the baby bunting do NOT count.

Winter Wardrobe - the little black and grey dresses

2011-11-10T23:48:00.000-05:00

I just completed piece #2 - McCall's 5924:

I love this printed ponte knit fabric (G Street - last piece!). I especially like how it looks hemmed with this black ponte as a contrast. While I was planning my wardrobe pieces, I went through my stash of ponte knit (thanks for the sale last month, Fabric Mart) and got inspired.

While I have the knit out, I plan to cut McCall's 6432 with basically the same color combo as the sketch (but my grey is slightly darker - more of a pewter grey).

Then I will take the remaining pewter grey and use it for the skirt of McCall's 6395. I plan to combine the contrast view with the long sleeve view. My version will also have a lighter grey top portion, but mine will be out of a print. I do plan to do the decorative zippers on the sleeves. I like how that looks.

Once I get these three dresses finished, I will likely tackle a top or two.

Fall & Winter Wardrobe Plan

2011-11-07T21:22:00.000-05:00

I was cleaning up some patterns and fabric yesterday when I got the notion to sew with a plan for myself for fall and winter...and thus began the obsession. I have trouble doing things on a small scale, so before I knew it, I had a selection of patterns matched with a selection of fabrics from my stash database (yes, I have a database...it's that ridiculous).

I made the plan in Microsoft OneNote and added yardage info for the garments I wanted to make. I then printed it out and sat down with my fabric database (and a little old-fashioned fabric fondling too) and decided on matching fabrics with patterns. I started to do this on the computer with the Modkid Madeline skirt and some Amy Butler fabrics (see top right of first image), but quickly realized that would be a headache.

At the moment, my plan includes:

14 knit tops
4 jackets
6 pants
8 dresses
11 skirts

I might make a wool coat, too, but that is the only thing I don't have fabric for in my stash right now.

Some of the highlights from the fabric stash include a lot of lovely knits - mainly ITY jersey and ponte knits. I have a fabulous velveteen for the Vogue Today's fit jacket. I also have some nice corduroys and twills for pants as well as a pair denim jeans and a denim skirt with an interesting yellow pinstripe to the fabric.

The first of my planned wardrobe items, the Modkid skirt, is now complete and already reviewed!

Me! Me! Me! I've finally finished some projects for ME!

2011-11-06T00:57:00.000-04:00

A top, a dress, and a nightgown...all for me! I don't remember when I last did three projects in a row for myself, but it felt good. I think I might just have to continue this streak.

New sewing books & fabrics

2011-11-05T19:11:00.000-04:00

Today was a great sewing day (in the acquisitions department). My favorite local sewing store is having their anniversary sale (Elegant Stitches - link on the side of my blog) and everything is 25% off. I picked up some lovely fabrics including:

I got the last 3 yards (40% off!). ;-)

I love this pretty line pique - will make a cute summer outfit for Gracie.

I plan to use these two prints (one is Michael Miller and the other Moda) together on this dress: Modkid - Addison

I also got another Modkid pattern on clearance:

There were a couple of other fun finds on the end-of-bolt table as well.

I think this new Lila Tueller pattern is just adorable and will be making it for Gracie next summer.

I also hit the Patsy Aiken outlet where I score some great deals on their wonderful fabrics including quite a few knits. They just started putting out excess fabrics from their Fall '11 line so I did very well on the clearance shelves.

I hit Joann's for a few zippers and needles - it was nice to hit my phone for a 25% off coupon (sign up for their text alerts!).

Finally, my sewing shopping was rounded out at Barnes and Noble. I picked up the latest issue of Threads which includes an interesting tutorial on how to make better pants pockets.

The best find, though, were these two books:

I have been eager for both of these to come out!

Now, I just need to finish up my Vogue Tracy Reese knit dress and then I can dig into some new fun - with an extra hour this weekend to sew!

Fall wardrobe for Gracie - completed!

2011-10-29T20:15:00.000-04:00

Here is Gracie's Thanksgiving Day look...Ottobre shirt with Burda pants. I got the fabric for both of these at the Patsy Aiken outlet. I love that place!

How long has her hair gotten?? The pink pants are a nice basic.

While the purple top looks great with the pink pants, it really goes well with the Hello Kitty skirt. She just loves Hello Kitty.

I thought I had the owl dress done, but I decided it needed something and I went back and added the orange layer under the geometrically cut portion at the bottom. I think it gives it needed visual weight.

Gracie just can't stop with the cheerleader poses - lol. This outfit is from the 1/2008 Ottobre. (The tee is from Old Navy.)

I substituted snaps for buttons...set 11 sets of snaps for the whole outfit!

The vest is lined in a raspberry pink interlock.

Of course, the best part of this is that I can now sew for ME!!!

Sleeping Beau...uh, Rapunzel

2011-10-26T22:05:00.000-04:00

A preview of Rapunzel (Ree-ANN-punzel as Gracie calls her)...more details and a review coming soon, but this is what you get when late night Mommy needs a model fitting after bedtime. After all, the preschool party is tomorrow!

I adapted the dress so there is no zipper needed - not easy, but worthwhile!

Like Kadiddlehopper noted, the hair directions are a mess. I'm going to just out her hair up and make it work.

Mommy, I'm tired!!

Sewing guilt, mommy guilt

2011-10-23T13:30:00.000-04:00

I have a couple of projects for Gracie in progress. I had intended to make a few things for fall for Benjamin. I ended up just hitting some sales yesterday for him. Work has been exceptionally crazy and it bothers me that I haven't been able to get the things I wanted to do for my own children done.

I really want to work on a few new pieces for my own wardrobe. I have a lot of lovely new fabrics calling my name, but again...mired in work. Arrrghhh!!!!!!!!

Maybe once we get past Halloween I can clear the backlog in a number of places. I have to confess that the only Halloween costume I am making is Gracie's Rapunzel outfit. I have the hairpiece done, but need to cut and sew the dress - that is on tap for later today.

Someday soon I will hopefully have some new things sewn to post...

Sew much fall sewing for Gracie!

2011-10-15T11:06:00.000-04:00

This top is from the cover of Ottobre - Spring 2011. It has been on my must-sew list for awhile, but living in the South, there was no need to make it for Spring. I think it makes an adorable top for Thanksgiving, though!

Patsy Aiken fabrics - esp. the knits - are some of my favorite fabrics to sew with!
Farbenmix top, Ottobre skirt - no a match, but modeled together for sake of efficiency...lol. This is Gracie's cheerleader pose.

Farbenmix's Josephin is a really cute dress - the belt was fun to make.

I love the Vida dress - this is the 3rd time I have made it! The top is a from a McCall's pattern.

Farbenmix Rachel - need to make some leggings to go with this one.

Some more fall goodies - and a winter dress!

Owl be seeing you this fall

2011-10-02T21:23:00.000-04:00

What will the stylish four year old be wearing? Owls of course! I have been working on another outfit with an owl applique in addition to this cute top which is a perfect match to a clearance denim skirt I found at Gymboree this weekend!

I still have a big pile of Gracie clothing in progress, but I wanted to share a few of the completed pieces she has yet to model. (She wasn't feeling terribly cooperative after I got these pictures.)

Not necessarily meant to be worn together, but they are both cute in warm fall colors. The print on the top was from a scrapbag at G Street Fabrics.

All McCall's patterns & Patsy Aiken fabrics here.

...and an embroidery close-up.

I can't wait to see this one on her - the turkey turned out so cute in soft velour applique!

I have a matching yellow top in progress to this Farbenmix Vida dress.

I still have quite a bit left to sew and then we will play dress-up with Gracie!

I am officially a cool mom...

2011-10-01T11:47:00.001-04:00

because my daughter Gracie is featured in this article at nymag.com about Street Style Outliers

The dress is from an Ottobre mag pattern!

Winter Vogue picks

2011-09-30T19:35:00.000-04:00

The Winter Vogues are up and here are the ones topping my wish list:

First up - this jeans pattern V8774 - I still haven't made the Jalie jeans, but why should that stop me from wanting to try these...

This Today's Fit pattern, V1275, is really cute.

V8764 is another custom cup size pattern - cute, too

V8771 looks quick and easy - cute, too!

My princess and the fair

2011-09-24T11:44:00.000-04:00

This is Gracie wearing the dress I made for her pageant. This is also how she wore her hair at the pageant...I refused to go for the Toddlers and Tiaras look that a number of the girls had. Did she win? No. Did she have the most beautiful and original dress? You bet. Was she the only little girl that listed "computers" among her hobbies? Sure was. Did she get compliments on how cute she was? Of course

...but most importantly, she had confidence in font of an audience and did better than her brothers did in public situations at that age. Poise and confidence matter. I know she felt pretty because "Mommy made mine" as far as the dress goes.

These are just a few of the little girls in the pageant, but I don't need a judge to tell me which girl is always the queen of my heart.

You can see her looking out and not being fussy about her appearance or nervous about the large gathering of people. That's my girl!

(And I do think that dress is darn nice!)

Here are a few more fair highlights:

I had every intention of entering the NC State Fair, but due to some crazy-busy-ness at my job, I didn't get to it in time. Oh well!

I have sewn up 4 (now almost 5) garments from "the pile" since 10pm last night. I'm off to do some scrapbooking this evening and then hit some more sewing tomorrow.

Now the pile has shifted...

2011-09-23T21:35:00.000-04:00

First of all - update from the fair: I won 17 blue (1st place), 4 red (2nd place), and 3 white (3rd place) ribbons (and $126 in prize money!).

I have been working through my pile of cut outfits and I have now embroidered or appliqued on most of the things I have ready to go for Gracie. So the pile is now ready to sew.

My most recent Fabric Mart order has arrived - plenty of ponte knit in lovely colors (not the polyesther ponte, the nice stuff). So I have a pile to sew and a pile to cut...

The growing pile

2011-09-11T19:58:00.000-04:00

I just can't do things on a small scale. I dropped off my entries for the local county fair today - I had 26 of them (all separate categories, of course). Nobody seemed to want to get in line behind me and my laundry basket piled high of sewn entries. Now I get to wait until Tuesday to see how many winners there are! There is a cash prize for each ribbon and I could walk away with over $100 if I am lucky.

I also can't cut fabric on a small scale. I started cutting items for Gracie's fall wardrobe yesterday. I have lost count of the final tally, but I have a fairly large shopping bag FULL of cut patterns & fabric. My plan is to do embroidered embellishments while I tackle grading papers (a necessary evil in the life of a teacher). Then I can sew the items based on thread/needle changes in my machines. That does make things more efficient and there is a bit of a color story running through the clothes. Gracie will be wearing a lot of bright pinks, brown, oranges, purple, and golden yellow with some turquoise thrown in.

So, now, I just need to get motivated to clean up the area around my sewing machine. I had to cover everything hastily as we had some unexpected ceiling drips in its vicinity last night thanks to my children not being proficient toilet flushers. Hopefully, that stage will pass soon.

Satin and roses

2011-09-04T21:33:00.000-04:00

Friends, this is what I have done all day (or at least 5 hours worth of it):

I have been stitching out what will be five roses on the front of the skirt of a satin dress I am making for Gracie to wear at the local county fair's petite miss pageant. I have to confess that I am entering her in the pageant because I wanted an excuse to make a fantastic dress, but she was very into the idea as well. She likes to strut around...it should be fun. I may enter the dress in the state fair as well the following month.

I am using the straps from the top with the dress. I appliqued a piece of embroidered organza on the top band after deciding to switch up from my original plan of using the organza as an overlay. I have shiny, soft glitter tulle to use for a pettiskirt under the dress. I think it will be really pretty on her.

Of course, I am a biased mommy and any dress I make her will only be gilding the lily. ;-)

For the pattern, I am using "Summer Separates" by Sew Beautiful.

Lattice Shower Curtain

2011-08-31T23:46:00.000-04:00

I finally got this one finished...got a little bogged down with the first five days of the school year and trying to finish watching "The Tudors" on Netflix (good series!).

The fabric is "Summer House" by Moda (layer cake) and a jelly roll of bright blenders (I skipped the red, purple, and orange pieces). The pattern can be found on the Moda Bakeshop site.

I love how bright and pretty the finished product looks. It's lined with a plain white flat sheet I picked up at Target. I left off the top border because, as you can see, my shower bar is not installed too high.

McCall's Winter patterns

2011-08-26T19:52:00.000-04:00

I'm excited - some nice patterns in this batch. M6432 has some nice lines. I'd like to make this in a ponte knit.

This maxi is reminiscent of Pippa's bridesmaid dress (but not a style for me). I do love the short sleeve dress with the side pleats. (M6433)

This dress would also be cute in a ponte knit. (M6434)

I like the two-tone t-shirt, but I don't see myself making the sheer version. (M6435)

I'm glad to see more cup size shirt patterns like M6436:

I like this Palmer/Pletch zip front jacket (M6441):

How cute is M6442 - love it!

M6429 is a really sweet pattern I would definitely make for Gracie:

There are two adorable doll patterns as well: M6452 and M6451

Now all I need is a little more time to sew...

Twice a-MUSE-d by Butterick

2011-08-15T21:19:00.000-04:00

I bought three new Buttericks this weekend (the three I blogged about) and I have now made TWO of them. I've already made one Muse dress before which I really like and these two are just as much fun. B5677 is the dress that has the amazing colorblocking:

I love the effect of the red and cream. I almost did it in grey or black with cream, but the red is more me. I also added one of those great fashion zippers instead of the heavy duty sport one the pattern called for. (I was inadvertently pulling the dress when my husband took the pic.)

Here are a few more views. The effect of the design is really cool.

I also made B5676 in a navy ponte knit. It's hard to see the details of the dress in this picture (not the world's most flattering), but it is a really cute dress as well. Both of these will be great for work...which I go back to in a couple of days. ;-)

ACE-ing things

2011-08-13T11:54:00.000-04:00

I have been a rather haphazard blogger this summer while I complete my master's degree in educational technology through the American College of Education.

I have been very impressed with the rigor of the program and the efficiency in both time and money. As of today, I am completing my final, final, FINAL!!! grad school paper and that means I will have more time to sew (and a little more income soon as well).

Of course, I am finishing this just in time to go back to work for the new school year...but I have a few sewing projects in mind for that new year. I just finished one of them, Vogue 1013, out of a really cute grey leopard charmeuse.

I also have been busy reupholstering a couple of chairs (desk chairs that my dad bought in the early 1980's). They were structurally okay, but the upholstery was ugly. You can see one of the completed chairs in this picture.

Ottobre t-shirt to dress modification

2011-08-04T21:08:00.000-04:00

I have a sick amount of patterns, plenty of which are for my daughter, but I didn't have a pattern for a basic empire t-shirt top dress with a gathered skirt. That, however, was easy to remedy.

When I saw this cute monkey fabric at Elegant Stitches, I knew Gracie would want it because she loves her little pink stuffed monkey and this has a certain similarity to it. I had just downloaded the monkey applique and thought this would be cute with it.

When I could not find the pattern I wanted in my stash, I made my own by using the Ottobre t-shirt pattern (from 1/2003 issue - basically the same thing as the Creative Workshop t-shirt pattern). I changed the bottom of the tee to end four inches below her armpit. This would leave a nice amount of space for applique and still be an empire style. I appliqued the design before assembling the t-shirt portion. Then, I cut two panels of my skirt fabric to be double the width of the bodice and 18 inches long (since I had a yard of fabric). I stitched the sides, gathered the skirt and then attached it to the t-shirt. In the full length picture, the hem was serged, but not yet finished. I wanted to try it on her to see where I wanted my final hem. I ended up taking a 3 inch hem.

This was very easy to do and I already plan on doing one or two more for fall. I'm getting ambitious for my next one and digitizing a design from my fabric. As I am still learning the Embird design program, that ought to be interesting.

Fall Buttericks

2011-08-03T19:50:00.000-04:00

I love this design from Muse (B5676)

This Muse design (B5677) is also fabulous. I really like the Muse patterns' use of design lines.

I enjoy sewing cute nightgowns and I really like the shape of these.

Not too much else of interest from this collection, and I'm disappointed that the brand seems to be shying away from children's patterns. What gives, Butterick?

Use the force, young jedi

2011-08-03T14:50:00.000-04:00

Ottobre 4/2005 (awesome issue!) has a great hoodie pattern. My little quirky jedi are loving it. They wanted to leave them on. It's hotter than the devil's butt crack here in NC, so no, boys...not today!

Fall Sewing?

2011-08-03T11:00:00.000-04:00

I meant to start sewing for fall, but this was just too much fun to make. It's a Project Runway pattern - Simplicity 2943. It's a knit dress pattern with lots of cut options and a nice big area for embroidery. The kitty ( a great match for our silly Skippy) is from Stitch on Time.

I do intend to get back to some cooler weather outfits I cut, but this was so fun.

Also, I helped my boys finish their pillowcases yesterday. They did most of the sewing, but I serged (they are not ready for that kind of speed) and of course, the embroidery. They did help me design what they wanted on the embroidery. That was fun.

New Autumn Simplicity patterns - sneaky peeky!!!!

2011-07-29T21:35:00.000-04:00

I was messing around in a Joann's today when I discovered some Simplicity patterns I hadn't seen before and a sign with a $1.99 Simplicity sale. They had the new Autumn (not the Early Autumn, but the AUTUMN) catalog, but aside from a few patterns in a display stand, the new patterns weren't out...but I found the box and the girl at the cutting counter was happy to let me paw through it. Look what I got! These aren't even posted on the Simplicity site or Sewingpatterns.com yet. He he he...

An official Disney Tangled dress!!! Gracie loves Rapunzel (calls her Ree-ann-punzel, lol) and was estatic to find out she is wearing this for Halloween. This dress looks like a ton of fun to make.

I also found this great Day to Evening pattern - I love the day dress in blue:

I found a Suede Says tunic pattern I really like:

A Daisy Kingdom mother-daughter outfit (pretty cute!):

And there are now Lisette patterns for girls (Little Lisette - which I need to exchange since I grabbed the wrong size - doh!)

I also got a neat new toy that I plan to use to work on designs for embroidery...a Bamboo tablet. Since I got it installed while I was posting this, it is time to play!

The things we do for kids

2011-07-29T01:05:00.000-04:00

I have been stitching out embroidery designs like a mad fool. I'm so glad I had the sense to put my embroidery machine right beside my computer so I can get other stuff done in between thread changes.

My youngest son, six year old Benjamin, asked for some mommy couture (my words) so this is in progress for him and his older brothers:

They will be hoodies from the Ottobre 4/2005 issue. It was a big pain to merge all that lettering into the designs, but the Lego Star Wars embroidery is so darn cute!

I am also teaching my older two boys (9 1/2 and almost 11) how to so at their request. We are making pillowcases from a Simplicity Learn-to-Sew pattern. To make it fun, they are sewing for themselves and the younger two with fabric they all picked out. They also helped me select embroidery designs to add with their names for the hem bands. Those took awhile to stitch out as well.

Hopefully we will have finished pillowcases to share soon!

Fall Fashion for a Four Year Old

2011-07-24T23:03:00.000-04:00

I have completed the first round of Gracie's fall looks. I think I have hit the entire range of the design spectrum in a few pieces. ;-)

We have jeggings:

complete with a little attitude!

Also two Ottobre knit tops - worn with the jeggings and this Oliver & S suit:

The tops will also go well with this cute little top & skirt which can be worn with a t-shirt for cooler weather.

Finally we have Sew Beautiful's newest envelope pattern - "Vintage Natalie" done in Anna Griffin prints (which interestingly enough, I purchased with a gift certificate won through a contest on Sew Beautiful's Facebook page!)

My next project will be either the shower curtain and valance for my bathroom or some fall fashions for six year old Benjamin. He wants embroidery/applique with Star Wars/Legos/Cars...the typical six year old interests. Most importantly, he wants me to make stuff for him! How can I say no?

Pattern Picks - Kwik Sew & Vogue Fall

2011-07-22T16:23:00.000-04:00

I love ogling new patterns - so many possibilities!

Kwik Sew has some cute offerings for little girls: KS3906 includes a made to match dress for 18 in dolls. KS3905 is equally sweet.

The KS3900 organizer pattern is really cute. I like the way they hung these up:

Unfortunately, the offerings for ladies are rather lacking IMO. Luckily, Vogue has come through with some lovely things:

V1252 looks fantastic when you see the drawing (the print on the made up version obscures the cool draping effect.

I also think this one is pretty nice - V1257.

V8750 is a nice selection of well-cut skirts.

V8742 looks like it would be figure-friendly.

V8743 - love when they do cup sized patterns - makes altering much easier!

Finally V8747 looks like a great button-front shirt.

Gotta love knits!

2011-07-21T00:16:00.000-04:00

With the exception of the black pleather and the voile in the bottom right corner, this is a lovely selection of stretchy fabrics I recently acquired. I love sewing with knits and I love wearing them. Knits forgive a large bust and move comfortably when I am at work.

I have a feeling I will get a lot of wear out of this knit cardigan this winter:

It's very soft and comfy, but the tie front gives it a little structure. I think this would be cute with a knee-length skirt or slim pants (or even over the leggings I just made).

I also love sewing with knits for my kids. I'm really fortunate to live near enough to visit the Patsy Aiken/Chez Ami outlet. I get some lovely things there. While you can order online, they always have more in the outlet than they put on the internet.

The fabric for these "jeggings" came from Fabric.com. While I do not want jeggings for myself (why put jeans details on them when they wouldn't be seen?), they are such a cute idea for my tiny little 4 year old.

Sewing these with all the topstitching (mostly faking the jeans structure) was a lot of fun.

Going all HGTV on things...

2011-07-11T23:09:00.000-04:00

That's what my husband called it when we put up this valance I made in the redone kitchen/dining room!

I had to add an extra swag and one more bell shaped piece to make this fit my double window. The china closet which belonged to my grandma blocks it a little, but I don't care. I'm happy with it.

Here's a close-up of the fabric. The beaded trim was a bit pricey (even on sale for 50% off), but it really completed the look. I thought it would be more obnoxious to sew than it was.

In other sewing news, I finished a project I had started a couple of weeks ago and put aside to work on the kitchen:

It's a cosmetic style bag, but this one is ready to go in my beach/pool tote. I don't want to have to keep using a plastic bag to protect my smartphone, so I laminated fabric for the inside. It's a lot cheaper than buying laminated fabric and pretty easy to use.

I got the laminating stuff at Joann's, cut a piece to fit what I needed, then peeled the backing, adhered it to the front, flipped the fabric over and set the laminate with a pass on my iron. You definitely need to iron face down or use a press cloth.

I was really on a roll, plus I'd stitched out this cute design earlier, so I also sewed up a quick and easy fabric basket (M6372):

I now want to make more since it is the perfect size to line up patterns!

Coming soon...

2011-07-09T00:32:00.000-04:00

I think I might be addicted to home improvement! We are putting the finishing touches on the kitchen/dining room, and I bought a layer cake of this:

It's Moda "Summer House" by Lily Ashbury, and it's gorgeous! It would look lovely in the master bath since my walls are a soft coral pink that I love. I am going to use this free tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop site to create a shower curtain. I also plan to do a valance for the bathroom window and make a few other little items to spiff up my vanity. Now all I need is the yardage to come in at Elegant Stitches.

I think this will be fun, since it is mainly a sewing home dec project. Of course, after tiling the wall behind my stove last night using the best thing ever to get those tiles on the wall (Bondera), I'm sort of itching to put tiles up as a border to my tub/shower. Somebody stop me...

Kitchen now - sewing soon...

2011-07-06T23:31:00.000-04:00

My kitchen started out like this:

and now it looks like this:

Okay, so it's not quite done, but my cabinets have been done, my counters done (both with Rustoleum Transformations kits - English Cream for the cabinets and Java Stone for the counters) and my walls painted with Olympic's "Chocolate Turtle" and "Blue Bayberry" paints. I will be sponging a copper glaze over the lower walls and replacing the electrical plates tomorrow. Then, we can move the furniture back to it's proper location...and I can have access to my sewing machine just in time for my new Ottobre to arrive. ;-)

If my fabric from Joann's arrives soon, I'll be ready to sew the valance and enjoy my updated room, since my sewing machine straddles the dining room part of the kitchen and my living room. Once I get the valance up, we'll have the final reveal.

A slightly different creative project

2011-06-30T14:36:00.000-04:00

My sewing has slowed down for a few days because I have another big project - a kitchen & dining room makeover. We got Rustoleum's new Countertop Transformations and Cabinet Transformations kits. So far, we have transformed our formerly white laminate cabinets to "English Cream" and will be finishing with the glaze and top coat later. Next, the late 90's green marble-ish laminate counters will get a granite look from the "Java Stone" kit. The upper walls will be "chocolate Truffle" (really, more of a light caramel color) and "Blue Bayberry" sponged with copper metallic wash for the bottom walls. We also bought some tiles for the back splash that have shades of cream, brown, and copper. I'm really excited about this. My kitchen has taken a lot of abuse over the last 12 years and this is an affordable facelift for us.

My final kitchen/dining room project will be a new valance - from Butterick 5057 (the one on the bottom right - view B).

I'm making it my goal to get the whole project done before the new Ottobre (and the Knipmode July issue I ordered yesterday) hit my mailbox.

Ottobre preview is up

2011-06-29T00:33:00.000-04:00

Want to peek at the latest Ottobre due out 7/8? http://www.ottobredesign.com/lehdet_js/2011_4/index.html?en

I think there are some very cute things in this. I already have plans to make the long sleeve tops with some pretty Oliver & S knits I picked up today at Elegant Stitches.

Luckily, I should be able to get my big kitchen project done in time for my new Ottobre to arrive and the fall sewing to start.

Little Miss Cheer USA

2011-06-25T21:33:00.000-04:00

Gracie had her first encounter with cheerleaders at a high school football game last fall. She was impressed. When the local high school had a junior cheerleader day, I signed her up. She had a blast. When I found a really affordable cheer class going on this summer for girls 4-6, I enrolled her. She loves it.

Of course, sewing anything for Gracie is super fun, but sewing a little cheerleading outfit was just a blast - lots of fun details. This is her 4th of July outfit since I used patriotic colors and a USA embroidery with fireworks behind it.

We had a photo shoot on our neighbor's trampoline. She was in her element.

I think she likes it...Simplicity 4040.

McCall's Fall pattern picks

2011-06-23T21:58:00.000-04:00

First Simplicity, now McCall's has their new fall looks on the web site. I am equally pleased with their offerings!

Here's what I'm eager to pick up:

6394 has some great lines (and cup size pattern pieces!)

This pattern (6395) looks really fun and reminds me of a Cynthia Steffe pattern Vogue put out last year.

I'm not usually a jumper person, but this is so cute and would look great with leggings. (and cup size pattern pieces - yes!)

I can't resist Palmer/Pletch patterns for their great fit instructions. 6399 looks like a winner.

I'm a skirt person and these are just my style - 6402.

I like the cut of 6403 - might make the shorts now and the pants later.

6408 is really cute.

6391 will be great for Gracie!

I also think 6389 would be cute on Gracie.

I also like 6386 - would make up quick and easy from my stash of Patsy Aiken knits.

I can get some brother-sister action for my little two out of 6393.

6409 bags are really fun.

I love this quilt (6412) - I want to make it using scraps of fabric I used to make things for Gracie. How sweet would that be?

Okay, now I really need a pattern sale!

Summer style for Mom

2011-06-23T11:55:00.000-04:00

I've reached a point in the summer where I hesitate to sew for the kids (unless it will cross seasons), and that means Mommy needs some new looks!

The bright floral minidress (Joann's cotton twill) is a DKNY pattern (Vogue 1236). I think it needs some red knit bike shorts/boy shorts to go under it so I can play with the kids without flashing!

The blue and aqua skirt is a Cynthia Rowley pattern (S2192) made with Amy Butler twill I picked up at a sale last fall.

The blue print blouse is a Rachel Comey design (V1247) made with a rayon voile by Kaffe Fassett.

The blue geometric print dress is Kwik Sew 3521 made with cotton twill from Joann's.

Simplicity Early Autumn picks

2011-06-19T22:16:00.000-04:00

The Simplicity Early Autumn collection is up and I'm excited. There are a number of patterns I would like to sew.

This would be cute and simple for Gracie - definitely begging to be embroidered or appliqued!

I think the round pillow is especially cute - reminds me of a velvet pillow my grandmother had with this type of really interesting smocking/pleating.

I can't resist Amazing Fit patterns - always looking for ways to tweak the fit.

I really like the lines of this Project Runway dress.

I really like the red outfit on the left.

More cute dresses from Project Runway - including a Kate Middleton knockoff.

I like the Chanel inspired jacket.

I can see making a great lightweight casual jacket from this pattern.

Nice basic skirts - love the contrast details on the gray version.

I particularly like the style of the green top.

More cute Project Runway options for Gracie.

I'm pleased to say that the overall selections are very wearable and not weird - a great trend! Now, I just need a Simplicity sale!

Sweet summer dresses

2011-06-15T12:11:00.004-04:00

I just finished up two dresses for Gracie - both very different, but I don't know which I like better! The first one is Ottobre (3-2010, #20) with contrast panels of fabric. I embroidered a stack of flamingos on there, too. This dress makes me want to go to Florida...

The next dress is a Farbenmix pattern - Williemetje and it is super girly once you add the ruffles. I did a test fit (in which I discovered I needed to adjust how the armholes were stitched) and then I added more gingham in ruffle form.

You gotta love the cowgirl hat as an accessory!

Backpack purse - done!

2011-06-10T20:46:00.000-04:00

How cute is this? I love backpack purses and this one turned out so summery and fun.

BTW - This pattern (see post below) would make a perfect size toddler backpack (with shorter, adjustable straps).

Let the summer sewing begin

2011-06-09T19:25:00.000-04:00

As I have shared before, I am a teacher, and that job gets super crazy at the end of the school year. I am excited to report that the kids left at 12:15 and my sanity began returning at 12:16. This week I gave state mandated ~~child abuse~~ testing, sold OUT of yearbooks for the first time (!), and dealt with the end of year crazies (both in terms of kids and all the end of year stuff teachers must do). I still have to work tomorrow and two days next week, but the pressure is off and I have time to sew tonight!

Last week I cut small backpack style purse from Taylor Made Designs' backpack pattern booklet. I am finally going to embroider and then sew myself a stylish new bag like the one on the upper right cover:

The material I am using is two Kaffe Fassett prints and I plan to leave off the cute button embellishment since I am doing machine embroidery.

Keep calm and sew stuff

2011-05-29T23:55:00.000-04:00

This image represents not only a good bit of my weekend sewing, but two of the most indispensable patterns in my stockpile. The t-shirt (embellished with "Born to cheer" for Gracie) is an Ottobre basic from 2004's summer issue. I've made this several times with embellishment from my embroidery machine. It's a classic.

The bags are Amy Butler's "Chelsea" tote. I love this pattern and have already made 6 of them previously for storing pattern magazines. I have one for Ottobre Woman issues, four for Ottobre (one for each season - I have every issue I could get my hands on), one for Burda, and now one for Sew Beautiful (the green one), one for my other European pattern mags (Patrones, La Mia Boutique, Knipmode, etc.), and the red bag for my Threads/Sew Stylish/Sew News issues. I still need to make one more for my Australian Smocking collection and I will have all of the magazines wrangled in an attractive and protected way. I had fun stitching on these. I especially like the "Be Calm and Sew Stuff" design from Urban Threads. It was kind of my mood this weekend. ;-)

I also managed to knock out the skirt I had in mind on Friday: McCall's 6327. I really like the way this went together. I think I might search the stash for some fabric to make view B with the contrast layer. This version is view C with essentially a square skirt layered over a 3/4 circle skirt. It has an elastic waist and went together quickly, so it is a great beginner project as well as a quickie for an advanced sewist.

Finally, here's the seashell/seahorse dress on Gracie. She looked really cute in it, but she was being a goofy model for me.

I don't know how much sewing will happen tomorrow since we have a number of projects around the house to complete (including that flooring), but I hope to at least do up a back for my Australian Smocking mags and maybe a couple for my scrapbook magazines. I still have some great Urban Threads crafty/sewing designs I want to use!

What to sew next?

2011-05-27T22:16:00.000-04:00

This week has been suck-tastic thanks to end-of-grade testing (or as I fondly think of it, federally mandated child abuse). Combine that with a home improvement project that has eaten my sewing time, and you have a recipe for some serious frustration.

I did manage to knock out one pillowcase dress from a Simplicity pattern I got last summer (not that you really need a pattern for one, but this saves measuring.

In the meantime, we are laying down Pergo upstairs and I had to make room for this awesome cabinet from Ikea (clearance corner!).

So now, I am plotting my stitches for Memorial Day (still need to finish the flooring and my grad school paper first).

I'm eyeing up a Suede Says (Simplicity pattern) or possibly a McCall's skirt pattern for some flowy white and blue floral poly charmeuse from Joann's. I'm also thinking about making a camera bag for my DSLR (Nikon D50). I got a nice booklet with instructions and some great embroidery designs from Urban Threads.

Addicted to ruffles - prt 2

2011-05-20T22:53:00.000-04:00

McCall's 6270...I love how girly and sweet this is. BTW - This is Gracie in modeling mode!

Addicted to ruffles

2011-05-17T20:25:00.000-04:00

I already had hot pink thread in the machines, so I pulled out a roll of chiffon and got busy last night. This is the end result.

I made one of these last year, but I didn't achieve the desired level of gathered fluff and I wrestled with a so-so ruffler foot. This time, I took a simpler approach. I gathered by bunching the fabric as I pushed it under the presser foot. You know what? It worked pretty well!

I put the teddy bear in it late last night so I could get a picture from the top.

I use the instructions from Kari Mecca's Princess Pettiskirts pattern.

The satin for the yoke is crepe-backed satin from Joann's. I hate costume satin - too slippery.

The chiffon was purchased in rolls, and I had so much fun making this I just might order some more...

The Ottobre Woman bathing suit

2011-05-14T23:01:00.000-04:00

This is actually my second self-made swimsuit. I like the first one (made from a Kwik Sew/self-draft hybrid), but I wanted to do even better with the bra. I had two bras that had hook issues but were otherwise okay, and I'd been saving them for just such a purpose...

I had the fabric in my stash for awhile and had been waiting for the right pattern - thank you, Ottobre!

I did the bikini-style bottom and the lower portion of the top straight from the pattern, but I went renegade on the bra portion. This is what I did:

I cut off the hook sections and where the straps connected in the back. I also slit the front center. Since the fabric was very sturdy, I just reinforced the bottom of the slit with a few stitches. I attached plush back elastic to each strap end and to where I trimmed off the hooks. I lined the suit top with swimsuit fashion fabric (the lower part and bikini bottom are lined with nude swimsuit lining). Essentially, the bra is floating in the top of the suit, but it stays in place well since it is connected to the suit in four places and the back overlap and elastic provide a good fit.

I really like the shirring on the side - very forgiving. I need that after four kids!

I'm glad I engineered the bra in this - made it very comfortable and supportive for swimming and playing at Myrtle Beach this weekend!

Speaking of Myrtle Beach, have a peek at my other beach sewing:

All of the boys' shirts are Ottobre with embroidery designs by emblibrary.com.

SWAP progress - giraffes, and dragons, and sandcastles - oh my!

2011-05-06T23:43:00.000-04:00

Benjamin's beach trip ensembles are complete...he just doesn't know that his beach dragon really will get to see the beach!

Next up, I'm going to make some more beach-inspired kids' outfits. My oldest son has given approval on several surf-themed designs. I just need to put the designs and fabric together.

Fabric P@rn

2011-05-03T21:48:00.000-04:00

You may now drool...j/k.

All of these pretties came from the Patsy Aiken/Chez Ami Outlet in Raleigh, NC and they are so nice! They get the best quality stuff and sell what they no longer need at excellent prices ($3-$5 a yard, mostly in two yard pieces although sometimes I score smaller tidbits on the clearance shelf. I also got several zippers for 50 cents each. They have nice trim bags, too, but none that I wanted this time.

My oldest son requested the brown and royal blue stripe and the royal blue twill. ;-)

I also picked up this Moda twill at Elegant Stitches:

This is destined to be a skirt or maybe capris for Gracie - mostly likely a skirt.

On a more serious note, the reason I had a chance to hit my favorite fabric haunts on a Tuesday afternoon was that we were on our way to an education rally across from the NC Legislature. My kids are good little protesters (and got camera time behind the interviewer!): One Voice: Rally for Education

One of the reasons I sew is that I can have nicer things for my family than what my teacher salary buys if I make them myself. It's a shame that education has to fight for funding and teachers have to fight for basic dignity in our jobs. Children have no place in any fight, yet, my kids were not the only ones enthusiastically holding up signs and chanting with the crowd. Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day...kind of ironic.

Thank you for indulging my brief digression away from fabric. We will now return to our regularly scheduled fabric obsession. ;-)

SWAP for the beach!

2011-05-02T20:33:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, I found an offer for my favorite place at Myrtle Beach, SC, and (easily) convinced the husband that we should go. Soon...while the deal was good, the weather is already beautiful, and it's right before the stressful season of End-of-Grade testing, something as a teacher I HATE. (Shhh! The kids don't know we are going the weekend after Mother's Day...)

So, using this as a motivator, I am Sewing With A Plan (SWAP). I already made Gracie a darling beach monkey dress several weeks ago. She also got the surfer girl t-shirt. She may get one more thing, but for now, I am focusing on the boys and me.

First up is Benjamin - he just turned six and he's cute as can be...and I want to enjoy "cute" on him as long as I can. He loves giraffes, so I bought this giraffe print fabric a few weeks ago with the purpose of a summer shirt. I'm doing matching shorts in a brown cotton-lycra twill and embellishing the pockets with applique giraffe heads.

The second giraffe, which I am stitching out as I blog, is mirror imaged so the little guys will be facing each other on the pockets. Both pieces of the outfit are designs from the newest Ottobre. (What the little guy on the left is wearing...fantastic issue, BTW!)

I also have a more beach-y outfit in the works for him. I stitched out the cutest dragon making a sandcastle (from emblibrary.com). The t-shirt is a raglan sleeve (which will be the green and white stripe) and a second layer peeking at the bottom (same stripe). The green rib knit will be used for the collar and sleeve bands. It will be paired with the plaid in a pair of shorts. Both of these pieces are also from Ottobre (different issues) since that's about the only exciting place to find nice things for boys.

For my two older boys, I also plan to make a shorts and t-shirt set for each of them. I spent time with the ten and half year old looking at some cool surf-inspired graphics (among other things) and now have a short list of tween-boy approved embroidery designs and a request to give some sewing lessons this summer.

I also plan to sew up that awesome bathing suit in the newest Ottobre Woman for myself. I have some pretty bathing suit fabric from Reesy's Co-op group that I have been holding onto for quite awhile - time to use it!

Super Saturday Sewing - 4 complete pieces!

2011-05-01T12:39:00.000-04:00

Saturday was a very productive day! I cut and sewed V1224 (Tracy Reese knit dress), cut and sewed Ottobre 3/2011 #7 & 8 bloomers and Pineapple Whip dress for Gracie (with Designs by Juju kitty embroidery), and sewed a skirt, Burda 7384. After church and lunch, we had a little fun modeling in our backyard. You can see why Gracie needs bloomers!

Crepe - made reversible!

2011-04-29T17:03:00.000-04:00

For my second foray into Colette Patterns, I made "Crepe," a dress with a back wrap and sash, but no other closures. I don't mind zippers and buttons, but this was a fun change of pace.

I love the print - very sophisticated for Fabric Finders. I saw this recently made up in a little girl's dress and I didn't care for it. This one is for the big girls. I was concerned about an unlined white dress, so I decided to line it, which evolved into making it reversible.

I also chose to use black for the sash since it would provide contrast on either side of the dress. While I definitely prefer the print, it's fun to have options.

It wasn't too difficult to make this reversible. I applied the same technique I have used with things for Gracie. I constructed the floral and the lavender bodices, stitched them together along the entire wrap/neckline and the sleeves, then pulled everything through. The seams were then top-stitched.

The skirt sections were joined to the appropriate bodice before I sewed them, with right sides, sash, and bodice on the inside. Once right side out, It was easy to close the final seam during the process of top-stitching. Do this, I have a completely finished garment and didn't have to mess around with all those facings. The only downside is that this dress is TEN YARDS of fabric (when made reversible).

Where the magic happens

2011-04-27T20:31:00.000-04:00

This is where I sew and serge, a small desk between my living and dining rooms that was once in a school classroom and likely held a typewriter at one time. I have some miscellaneous items piled on the end table between it and my couch.

You can see I have some creative use of space here.

The tall cabinet came from the same used furniture place that my sewing desk did. It is chock full of patterns, books, and even a little overflow fabric - often fabric I plan to use in the near future. There are several baskets stuffed with patterns hidden in the lower cabinet. On the floor, my biggest pattern basket has taken up residence.

You may notice in the cabinet behind the pattern basket are scrapbooks. Well, yes, I have another dirty little secret: I scrapbook. I've been an avid (rabid!) scrapbooker for a long while, so let me introduce you to my other creative space: the Scraplab. This small room off the main entrance to my house is home to my desktop computer, my Bernina Deco 340, and my scrapbook stash. You'll notice I still have a baby gate. My kids are not allowed in this room. The baby gate will only come down when we get some French doors installed...

Immediately to the right in the Scraplab is a TV and the tower of paper. That's all cardstock. The white drawer units hold various embellishments.

Next we have the computer and the Deco. I used to scrapbook on this desktop, but when I redid the room last year, I made a new work surface for that. You can see I have loads of paper, ribbons, containers of small embellishments...

Moving left of the computer/Deco, I have a section of countertop and base cabinets that I use with craft projects - esp. hot or messy ones (like heat embossing), a collection of rubber stamps, paper flowers, pages waiting to go into an album or three, and my lovely wall rack of thread. I have an IKEA TV table under the window that houses two mammoth tubs of paper and various other scrapbook supplies.

This shelf/desk combo is from IKEA and holds my idea books, small tools and embellishments, and my main work surface. I keep a large rotary cutting mat as a desk blotter since I often use it for measuring when I create scrapbook pages (or use the surface to hoop embroidery designs). There are two Iris scrapbook carts holding 12x12 tubs underneath it. The cross stitch picture of a cat (along with others that may be visible in random pictures) comes from a previous hobby life before I discovered scrapbooking and sewing.

So where's the fabric stash? Come into my garage. There's a second huge set of these shelves right behind it with an equal amount of stash.

Then I have a little more on a third set...just the bottom two shelves (4 big tubs). Finally, I have a double set of plastic drawers for my small fabric scraps that may be useful in other projects but are too small for a project on their own.

So, that's where it all happens. It may not be the most attractive arrangement, but it's colorful, fun, and MINE!

Finished objects

2011-04-25T21:58:00.000-04:00

It was my last day of Spring Break...screw the laundry; I sewed.

Laundry is overrated anyway...I still have one skirt cut and ready to go for me, but I did have to give in top the lesson plans awaiting me since school is in session tomorrow. Blech!

We do have a trip to Myrtle Beach to look forward to in a little less than three weeks - time to start working on the Ottobre swimsuit from the 2/2011 issue.

Smokin' the embroidery machine

2011-04-25T01:40:00.000-04:00

I spent my afternoon hanging out with my Deco, embellishing these three projects. I LOVE THAT MACHINE!

Here are some close-ups of what I am working on:

a basic tee from Ottobre with this cute Harajuku design (stitchontime.com)

This will be New Look 6041 with the "I believe in Fairytales" design from Embroidery Library.

and finally a Bonnie Blue top and bloomers playset embellished with giraffes by stitchontime.com

I have one more day off before I have to be back at work, so I should get some of this stuff sewn up. None of these are complicated patterns. I also have a skirt for myself cut and ready to sew.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

McCall's summer patterns - a haiku & my picks

2011-04-23T12:18:00.000-04:00

Let me sum up the new McCall's with a haiku...

McCall's new patterns
lots of interesting styles
not too bra friendly

Now, for my picks:

6356 looks interesting for the two-color top in the middle.

Palmer & Pletsch has a couple of nice basic patterns - this one (6361) and a tee/knit dress pattern as well.

How cute is this??? 6373 - aprons for children plus adorable bags, too

If I had a baby girl to sew for (sniff, sniff...my baby is too big), I would love this:

I like the tote and cushion pattern by Tina Givens (6367).

The organizer, 6374, might be one of my favorites of the entire batch.

This is also a cute organizer pattern (6375):

Isn't this pattern sweet? It's 6371.

I have plenty of doll clothes patterns, but I do think this is a nice one - very boutique! (6370)

This is clever - 6369 is a playhouse that is essentially a cover for a card table - what a great, quick, portable idea!

Obviously, my fashion picks are limited since I like to keep the girls in place, but some of the craftier sewing options are fantastic - not a total loss.

Easter finery

2011-04-22T13:32:00.000-04:00

It's the purple people! This represents half of my Easter sewing (shirt and two dresses). I'll get pics with the whole herd on Easter Sunday, but I wanted to share a few pictures since I am so thrilled to have Easter sewing accomplished.

Don't they look sweet (kind of belies the fact that the darling girl is currently whining at me as I type this...)?

This dress was officially a BEAST to put together, but I do like it. It's one of those dresses that looks like crap on the hanger and is barely recognizable during construction, but once you get it on a body, it looks good. And curvy girls, this style is not for the flat-chested. You need to be able to fill this out with womanly curves to make it look good. This is not the most flattering angle in the photo (what happens when you hand the camera off to a child), but you can tell that without appropriate "filling" from the girls, this dress would be weird.

BTW - gotta love the Target dollar spot which is where we found this sweet hat a few weeks ago. When she loved the purple one, my fabric selection was clinched!

Easter's on its way...

2011-04-18T23:38:00.000-04:00

Shirts for the boys...from the summer 08 Ottobre, a classic dress shirt, all in Spechler-Vogel pincord

A shirt for my husband...Colette Patterns Negroni with a self-drafted collar stand added, also in the same pincord in a darker blue

A lovely dress for my girl...from Simplicity 2709 done in a Fabric Finders print

...and for me, to be cut tomorrow, this Donna Karan Vogue dress in a heathered lavender fabric from Hancock's (last year)

If my new Ottobre comes in tomorrow's mail, I should be ready for it very quickly since I am down to just my dress! Thank goodness for Spring Break.

Patterns I'm Getting Excited About

2011-04-14T18:43:00.000-04:00

Modkid patterns by Patty Young has a new version of Kyoko for tweens and misses sizes. I do think I will be picking one of these up for myself.

I also got my first ever issue of Knipmode - good thing I'm building a vocabulary of foreign sewing terms. There are a lot of lovely things in this issue.

I should have my new Ottobre tomorrow, which is perfect since I have the next ten days off from both work and grad school.

I am currently working on Easter dress shirts for my boys - all from an Ottobre pattern. I'm hoping to get all of the Easter sewing done pretty quickly so I can play with these new patterns and some lovely new Fabric.com goodies that came in yesterday's mail.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this - the t-shirt is Ottobre and the embroidery design - "Hanging With My Peeps" is from stitchontime.com. It was just right for the preschool Easter party and an egg hunt coming up this weekend.

Thank heaven for little girls!

2011-04-09T18:08:00.000-04:00

Today is Gracie's 4th birthday. That means I have been sewing for a little over four years since my sewing began in the last trimester of my pregnancy with her. I had only sewn a couple of times (with my mom's help) making a baby bubble for two of my little guys. When I found out in November of 2006 that I was having a baby girl, I was so excited to look for little girl crib bedding. The more I looked, however, the more I realized that this stuff was too expensive and I was really picky. In early January of 2007, I ordered my Kenmore computerized sewing machine. I bought fabric for a crib set, but I decided to start by making flannel receiving blankets. I bought several yards of pretty flannel, cut them square and did a simple hem. Then I tackled the crib set (bumper and dust ruffle). I moved on to a bucket cover/storage basket project in addition to a baptism dress.

Once Gracie was born, I didn't take the sewing machine out for several months, but when she was about three or four months old, I made a couple of outfits. After all, she had a huge wardrobe I had purchased when ~~I lost my mind~~ found out I was finally having a girl. By the fall, I had discovered Elegant Stitches and gotten my first peek at Ottobre. By winter, I was buying fabric for decorating Gracie's room (we didn't finish converting the nursery to just her room until the boys were all fixed up with a double room for the three to share). Her first really fancy dress by mommy couture was for her first Easter, and my sewing really took off from there.

Now, I make more of her clothes than I buy and I also make a lot of my own clothing. I even sew for the guys, our home, and for lots of different projects. It is a true joy to be able to create wonderful things for my family.

Nighttime projects

2011-04-09T00:59:00.000-04:00

I like nightshirts. They are so much fun to sew because I have access to lots of great knits (Patsy Aiken outlet!!) and they don't require major fitting issues. A couple of nights ago, I made my second version of Simplicity 2739. I reviewed it two years ago in a long sleeve version.

This version is made from a Patsy Aiken knit and trimmed with a white ruffle trim I got from an online store. I didn't want to change thread just to sew the trim on, so I used an embroidery stitch to do it. The sleeves and ruffle are finished with a serger rolled hem.

This is my cap sleeve version:

Tonight, I have been stitching out cute little monkeys from Embroidery Library for birthday party outfits for Benjamin (6 on 4/1) and Gracie (4 tomorrow). They are having a joint birthday party in the afternoon. I stitched on a store-bought t-shirt for Benjamin and then decided to make Gracie a simple t-shirt knit dress. I'm currently stitching out her monkey and still need to sew the dress. Oh well, this is what I do...

Rainbow Bright

2011-04-05T22:53:00.000-04:00

Simplicity 2343 made up in a gorgeous rayon-poly woven from Emma One Sock. I fell in love with the fabric, got the last piece of it on sale and had enough for this beautiful skirt plus a few small pieces that I will save for the inevitable someday project.

The top I'm wearing is the Jalie sweetheart neckline top. I think I need to revisit that pattern. I forgot how much I liked it.

For tomorrow's sewing adventures, I have two nightgowns cut and ready to sew. One is from a Simplicity sleepwear pattern with a romantic peasant neckline gathered below the bust. The other was cut from a McCall's dress pattern that I am adapting to my nightgown desires. (Sounds like a steamy romance novel, huh?)

Once I get those done, I will make sure I have the perfect 4th birthday outfit for Miss Gracie who will be 4 on Saturday, then it's on to the Easter fashions.

I like my size

2011-04-04T23:42:00.000-04:00

Allow my day job to creep out and share a poem with you (I'm an English teacher) - Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman"

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me

I'm 5'4" and a size 12/14 in RTW which makes me pretty darn average - except for my girls because I definitely have an above-average size bust. I used to care that my body wasn't perfect. Then I gave birth to and nursed (for a cumulative total of 7 years) four beautiful, healthy children. Things could be a lot worse.

As a sewist, I have come to realize I have a unique advantage. I'm right at the size where patterns tend to cross size ranges. I just picked up a La Mia Boutique Tagli Fortie because I'm only one size off (smaller than) many of the patterns. Plus, I already know they look good on models with figures more like mine than the size 2's modeling in the regular issue. If I sew it, it's about the final appearance, not vanity sizing. I make it fit me.

Of course, I thumbed through the issue, identified several things I like and want to make and proceded to cut out two nightgowns and a skirt from big four patterns. The fabric for the skirt was Italian. Does that count? LOL ;-)

Pinkness, Cuteness - the epitome of an almost four-year-old girl

2011-04-02T10:25:00.000-04:00

Modkid Emma in some of Amy Butler's newest fabrics - so pink and girly - even added pink princess Sleeping Beauty (an applique from my stash pre-Deco). I can't picture anything girlier!

Here's a bonus shot of the little darling modeling the green dress I finished earlier in the week.

I think she really likes the applique from my embroidery machine!

Fabric P@rn anyone?

2011-03-30T22:03:00.000-04:00

Fun prints, pretty colors...this is one of the major reasons I sew (and also scrapbook). The top dress is Roxy by Farbenmix in coordinating prints I picked up at Elegant Stitches.

The green dress is Simplicity 3512 is a really adorable bright print with contrasting white trim and a little bug applique to keep her garden free of weeds. ;-)

The "peace" tie-dye splash print is a knit from Joann's that I had to have for a nightgown. The pattern I used is not sleepwear, but an easy knit dress - makes a perfect nightie, though! (McCall's 6074).

...and no fabric p@rn posting would be complete without a taste of some of the other lovely fabrics waiting to meet scissors and machines. ;-)

Off to sew up a ModKid "Emma" in some lovely new Amy Butler fabrics!

New Vogues - lots to like

2011-03-26T12:47:00.000-04:00

New Vogues are out, and I'm excited

This is such a pretty dress with the draping and variety of fabrics! (V1244) I'm usually not a fan of the Koos patterns, but this one intrigues me.

This dress is simple, but has some lovely detail to it: (V1242)

as does V1241, another Kay Unger design:

This dress does not say "summer" to me, but the back is particularly lovely: (V1239)

This DKNY dress has some nice controlled draping: V1235

I also like this easy DKNY dress V1236:

Rachel Comey comes through with another cute skirt & top combo V1247:

Vogue Easy Options has a great halter dress pattern (V8727) that has some bra-friendly cuts to it:

This safari style jacket is cute and I love the hot pink they show it in (V8732):

I have absolutely no reason to make this dress, but I think it is super pretty (V8729):

This vintage design, however, is high on my list of dresses to make since it looks very big-bust-friendly (V8727):

This sundress is so cute and has sep. cup size pieces (V8723):

This dress is also from the Custom Fit (sep. cup size) group with a really interesting back (V8726):

Being Vogue, there are a few oddball patterns, but mostly this collection is wonderful. I can't wait to get my hands on some of these beauties!

Embroidering with Whimsy

2011-03-24T22:20:00.000-04:00

Kari Mecca's two books, Sewing with Whimsy and More Sewing with Whimsy, are two of the most creative things I have seen for sewing for little girls - simply breath-taking eye candy. I'll admit that I haven't done as much with them as I'd like to, but have sampled a little from each book.

Last night, I dug into More Sewing with Whimsy and decided to make the square-yoked dress with wavy tiers. Directions for drafting the skirt of the dress couldn't have been easier (even if it does look complicated). I decided to alternate these two coordinating fabrics and embellish the dress with embroidery from Designs by Juju's "Tropical Blast" collection.

I cut the skirt pieces, attached them together and then began stitching.

Tonight I continued by adding the surfing monkey.

Currently, this is the skirt of the dress:

Gracie's little eyes bugged out when she saw the little girl and her surfboard! I'm still deciding what I want to do as far as further embellishment (if I want to do any at all). The print is really bold to begin with and I don't want to detract from the cute characters.

I do think I will construct a pair of bloomers/shorts to go underneath since my little monkey can't get enough of her swingset and I do want her to maintain a little modesty.

Spring flowers

2011-03-22T23:29:00.000-04:00

Ever find fabric you love so much you don't want to cut it? That was this...I wanted to sew with this fabric, but I was afraid I'd end up not loving the final product because I was that into the fabric.

Anyway, I made Simplicity 2892 with this beautiful floral print, and I am pleased to say that I didn't disappoint myself. This turned out even better than I expected. Best of all, I didn't need to do an FBA, and I almost always need to do one of those.

So, now I have a new (yet familiar) dilemma: what do I make next?

I have Easter dress shirts for all three boys and my husband to make, plus Gracie's dress, plus my dress...I think it may be the shirts.

A kick in the pants

2011-03-20T19:57:00.000-04:00

I'm a step closer to my goal of making nice pants I can wear to work (fitted ones - obviously I took the elastic route for these). I made these Marci Tilton pants that are supposed to be cropped, but only if you have much longer legs than mine. Also, if you make these pants and you don't have a super-long torso, you might be like me and end up taking an inch off the top of the pants once you fit them at the waist. Do, I say, do, not get lazy and skip the fitting step in lieu of just making the casing and adjusting the length of the elastic. I almost did that and this might have been a disaster. Instead, I am quite happy with them.

I'm currently plotting my evening's sewing to coincide with the need to grade some student work (ah, the joys of teaching - homework). I think I'll grade the digital work while I sit beside my Deco and stitch out a few goodies. I think it's time for a couple of spring/Easter themed towels.

It's all in the details

2011-03-14T00:15:00.000-04:00

Friends, this is what I made today! I am thrilled to say that it is all for me - not that I don't love home dec, or sewing for my family, but this was for me, and it was a treat.

My first project was this brown skirt from Simplicity 2261. It was a great skirt to fit (no alterations), but the best part is all of the fun details. The pockets, the side tab, and the interesting flap at the waist are all stitched in a decorative pattern. It was a great way to use this nice brown twill and still get a garment with great details. I'm kind of a pattern junkie (in many senses of the word) and the pattern in the stitching satisfied my need for flair as well as my need for a neutral skirt.

My second project today was McCall's 6324 with this neat zipper detail (it gets a bit lost in this photo). I was hoping it would turn out shorter since it was mid-knee on the model, but I forget that I am vertically challenged with or without the cute new shoes I'm wearing here. I found the fabric for this project at Mary Jo's in Gastonia while coming home from Cullowhee last month. The fabric screamed out "buy me!" for this pattern (which at that point I didn't even own, had only seen online). Luckily, my guesstimate of the amounts was dead on and I cut this with almost no room to spare. It was meant to be.

I pulled out a number of fantastic cotton prints that I intend to use for me. They will be going through the laundry tomorrow, so I can start cutting probably on Tuesday. I have some more things in mind for my spring wardrobe. I will confess that I don't always preshrink the fabric for my little girl, but for me...um, yeah. I'm not taking any chances with the amount of FBA's I usually mess with. I think my plan will be to sew up some of these fun prints and then fill in the wardrobe gaps with some knit tops since I have a decent knit stash in the stockroom (aka my garage).

At least I can look forward to a lot of great sewing time this spring and summer while watching my kids play in the backyard on their new swingset (seen in the brown skirt pic - hubby is working on staining/sealing the wood, but we paid someone to custom build it).

The best part of today's sewing projects is that I can't decide what to wear to work first! That's a fun dilemma to have.

Cuteness - it's a house specialty

2011-03-08T21:58:00.000-05:00

We've lived in our house almost 12 years, and I finally have a window treatment for the second upstairs bathroom (aside from blinds). I made these like the ones in the living room (just flipping them over the rod and tying the ribbons). I cut the hems in a wavy pattern using the ruler on the couch in this picture and a rotary cutter.

There is the final product hanging in my kids' "Under the Sea" themed bathroom. I think it looks nice with the stenciling I did back in 1999!

While the fishies on the valance are cute, I thing this is even cuter. Gracie is modeling my go-to Ottobre basic tee pattern with an "If you give a cat a cupcake" appliqué on it. I also made a skirt to go with it out of some cute cupcake fabric I found at Joann's.

Winston, who looks like he's been given too many cupcakes, seems to like it.

Of course, she's cute no matter what she wears, but I'm glad she loves her "Mama made mine" stuff even if we do throw in some cuteness from Macy's along the way:

Cute...it's how we roll.

Negroni - completed

2011-03-02T21:29:00.002-05:00

Negroni -

my offering for the Male Pattern Boldness Men's Shirt Sew-Along ;-)

Collette Patterns' Negroni in black cotton batiste by Spechler-Vogel.

I'm back! And I've been busy...

2011-02-26T22:49:00.000-05:00

After spending five days out of town, I was pleased to hit a few fabric stores as I passed through the Charlotte area and pick up my machine from Elegant Stitches this morning.
I put the machine to good use this afternoon and finished TWO dresses for Miss Gracie!

The first is Butterick 4718, which I made in this beautiful delphinium print I purchased at Waechter's Fine Fabrics in Asheville. The ribbon was a find at Elegant Stitches today.

I then sewed together New Look 6016. I had done the applique (from Bunnycup.com) last weekend, but hadn't done anything else. I've got three more cut projects that just may get finished this weekend.

Sewing has been interrupted...

2011-02-22T17:02:00.000-05:00

by spending time in Western NC...

Now for a little something different...

2011-02-21T22:06:00.000-05:00

I'm at a work-related retreat this week, so I am not doing any sewing, serging, or embroidering. I did, however, pick up some embroidery floss and 28ct even-weave cloth so I can revisit one of my 1990's pastimes: counted cross-stitch.

I bought this pattern a couple of years ago. I think the image is beautiful, and I can re-work the name part so I can include all four of my children's names.

I also got a chance to visit Waechter's Fine Fabrics in Asheville, NC - beautiful as always. If you haven't heard of them, visit the link on my sidebar. They have loads of lovely eye candy and a nice sale going on right now, too.

My Simplicity Wish List - and a beef with Joann's

2011-02-20T01:14:00.000-05:00

I went to Joann's today since Simplicity patterns were 5 for $5 and new patterns have just been released...but not put out at JOANN'S. Dang it!!! Here's what I was hoping to get:

Robed

2011-02-13T20:44:00.000-05:00

I found some gorgeous velour fabric at FabricMart a few months ago and decided it would be perfect to make into a robe for my mom. She likes those really long, zipper front, housecoat-type robes, and velour was the perfect fabric for it.

I didn't have the right pattern in my stash, so I decided to Frankenpattern this:

It's an out-of-print McCall's (5589) with a tucked, loose-fitting bodice. I had purchased it early in my sewing experience thinking it would be very easy to make fit. In fact, I ended up not ever making it because I realized it would be unflatteringly big. So, it languished in my stash.

Fast-forward to this project: it occurred to be that this would be an excellent shape for the type of robe my mom likes. I lengthened view B by about 24 inches (using the lengthen/shorten line). The sleeves on the pattern have tucks , but it made the pieces exceptionally large for the remaining fabric (I had 3 yards of the velour.) so I tucked the pattern piece and used that to transfer the registration marks and draft a new long sleeve pattern.

I followed the directions for construction, altering as needed to include a 30 inch robe zipper closing the body of the robe. It ended up being a slightly more stylish robe than some of the old lady style robes my mom likes. (Sorry, mom!)

I used up almost all of this wild print, but I did have enough left to make a pair of pajamas for little Gracie's doll.