Batik Dress

Let me start by telling you how glad I am that I am able to blog this. Why you ask? Well, my last computer went fizzle fizzle clunk clunk crunch. I have found that they operate much smoother with a workable hard drive. Imagine that.

On to the dress.
This was another model garment for work. I am beginning to love these :)

These shots were taken at work after it was placed front & center...such a thrill to see it there when I got to work :)

It may not be easy to spot at first, but the print has a border. It is easier to see from the backside. The background "stripes" diminish until all you have are the flowers.

Pardon the fuzzy pic. At least it fits :) Me that is, not the mannequin. It only fits her thanks to the wonder of pins. Wouldn't mind if it fit me this tiny. It'd cost less fabric wise :P

Green Steam

I finally got my costumes on the dressform for a little photo taking. The background, well, just ignore the TV and stack of old VCR tapes. 

The color did not come out as good as it looks in person...which is unsurprising given the fabric type. But I think you can still get the idea. Oh, and the cami under the coat...mine. I ran out of time for the bustier and this top I already had matched so well, I just went with it.

 I couldn't find a way to show the fullness of the skirt, but the piece below the ruffle and trim, well, there were four and each was about 4 feet long...and took a half hour, EACH, to attach. But so worth it :)

The lacing on the back was a great touch....which I forgot to lace up for the costume party...ugh. Still looked good without though....and comfier to sit. I went with brown to match the trim on the skirt.

The ruffle neckline was awesome! And it was a good thing it was there since the top of the coat was so wide that my bra straps would have shown without the poof of the ruffle.

The little cap over the sleeve top added more to the look than I would have thought.

And I got to play with the new serger lots on this piece! And with metallic gold...fun!

Mmmmmm...Marimekko

Love Marimekko. I was not so sure about this print as a skirt at first. Horizontal stripes...never good at a larger size. Well, almost. I think this one works because while the strips are horizontal, they are askew and different tones.

This is the fabric itself:

And this is the skirt I made with it:

And the pattern...Burda 8090:

Watercolor Skirt

I love this print. It looks like a watercolor painting of flowers. It is getting a little chilly and wintery to wear it much longer. But I did manage to sneak in one more wearing yesterday when it was a tad warmer out.

The fit is pretty good, although it will be better with the loss of a couple more pounds :P The top band is a tad taller than I envisioned. This one was made without a pattern, so it is more like a trial run that wound up wearable. Gotta love those!

It doesn't fit so well on the dress form. If I pull it down further to fit her like it does me, it just looks odd...odder anyway. But you get the idea.

Drawing Room Skirt

Drawing Room...that's the name of this fabric by Ann Marie Horner...not where you wear the skirt. Although, I suppose you could. Personally, I wear it to work :)

Please excuse the fit of the skirt on the dress form. I can't seem to get the hip area smooth...and smaller. Something went sproing and no longer twists. Bummer.

In case you are wondering, I used the New look 6030 pattern, minus any pockets and belt loops. I never wear belts. They only accent the width...yick :P

Circles Skirt

Yup. Circles. Plural. It's not a circle skirt as in shape, but in print.

I have had this fabric for quite some time now. It's an embroidered linen. I added a poly print for the lining for some fun. Yes, I find fun in small places.

I need to unload my dressform so I can show you some of my new skirts, but for now, you get it on a hanger :)

Finally Sewing

I may be having a "I am taking a break from sewing" sale, but I have been sewing....just not things for the shop. Things for me. About time, I know.

I am actually hoping that sewing something different will help rekindle the spark needed for the shop. Worst case, it doesn't & I just stick to the embroidery for the shop. While increasing my

wardrobe :)

This skirt actually started off as a dress. This dress, McCalls 5619:

The dress itself turned out just fine...but looked horrid on me. So I whittled it down to this skirt:

This next one looked much, MUCH, better on me. But alas, no one around to snap a pic. On the plus side, it does mean that I have gotten smaller since it fits me but is too tight on the dress form. Time to refit her.

I used the Vogue 1236 pattern for this one.

The fabric is a seersucker that I have had lying around for ages. I figured if it did not turn out, no big loss. But it turned out just fine.

I did topstitch the neckline, which was not called for. If I make this again, which I may, I would use a lighter fabric & leave it "free" so the pleats look like they flow up & over the neckline.

New Tee

It is official. I do not like to sew knit. I just finished up a new tee using Simplicity's pattern 4076. It is not that it was particularly difficult, just a pain in the patookie. Actually, it's just the hems. Any tips from those that sew with this material?

And now to the top...

The center took a little finagling to get the twist through part right.

The view I went with was "F", which did not have sleeves. I am not a no sleeve person. Simple fix - take the sleeves from one of the other views :P And viola...

And now I need to get back on track and cut out some bags. Cutting was on the agenda for yesterday...until Snowapalooza hit and the kiddos were home for the day. Large tables with harsh corners in the middle of the room and scissors snipping willy nilly is not a good mix with shorties that zoom all over all day. So - this tee was born instead. Be back in a day or so with some bags :)

Pink Gingham Shirt

I did it. I got around to making some clothes. I won't embarrass myself by telling you how long ago I cut these pieces out. But I did finally sew them together. It even fits. Alas, no pics of it on me. It's not easy being your own photog.

The sleeves are full & fun. I am not a fan of tight sleeves. Nor do I care for my arms exposed. Maybe in a few months after some more strength training, but not just yet.

The sash is not attached, so it does not have to be worn. Plus, no loops left to stick out if you decide to go without.

The pattern I used was Simplicity 4112. Well, minus the collar. It was missing that piece. So I had to wing it...and won :)

The best part - the buttons. I found these in my stash. I think they are from Grandma. Notice the price. If only it still went for that.

Next up clothing-wise...a skirt.

Winter in Style

Winter in STyle

Curated By: tiltcreations

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

I Hate Sewing Silky

Okay, I started my clothes sewing with the material I dislike the most. Why? I don't really remember anymore. Maybe to get the ickiest out of the way first.

I have the gather gathered & many of the hems hemmed. But poorly, It is just so slippy. And ironing the hems just does not do much. Anyone work with this stuff that may have a pointer or two?

This is what it looks like currently....before I set it aside for some tooth fairy pillows.

Still looks like it did when I first cut out the pieces. Unless you look close, then you can see the poor excuse for hems.

I won't let it discourage me from continuing with the clothes. I hope to get rolling a bit more on them next week. Unless I wind up prepping for paint. At least for the kitchen since the countertops will be ready soon. I find out later today when the floors can get started on. I hope. *crosses fingers*

Up Next - Clothes...for me!

I need to change things up a bit. This summer is going to be difficult creative-wise. With the little guy home and naps out the window, time to sew went ppfffhhhttt. I still have a long list of what I want to make - pillows, quilts, runners, coasters, backpacks, fancy clutches, fabric baskets...see, just a few - but the list is going to move verryyy ssslllooowwwwwlllyyy.

So what do I do? Throw on something else :P Sounds weird, but they are for me, so no time limits. I was spurred on when I had to go shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding. Nothing fits well. Which also spurred on a better focus on losing weight - but I won't get into that here. That will be for my other blog.

I went shopping last weekend and picked up some apparel fabric. I have tons of fabric, but not for clothes. Some of these prints are rather wild, but fun. Everything was on sale so if I goof up, it's not a big loss. This is the fabric goodness:

I am starting with the purple and mustard silky print on the center bottom of the pic above for the A top below - the sleeveless green in the lower right...

My Son and Duct Tape

Manly crafting at it's finest. I'd say it's just a guy thing...but duct tape rocks! If I were to be stranded on an island, I would definitely want some. Although, if it were a warm island I may sweat too much in his shirt. Yes, I said shirt. Of duct tape. It even has a zipper.
Where did he get the notion to make one? No clue. I am not even sure if he knows. It does have some tweaking to be done...he is already planning the next one. He has allowed himself the help of his mom who had reminded him that she may know a thing or two about constructing a pattern :P He did do an awesome job for winging it though I must say.



And because he found purple plaid duct tape and just couldn't wait to use it....a belt. Which he has worn the past few days. It seems to hold up quite nicely. Looks cute too. Okay, not cute...he's a 14 year old boy, let's call it ruggedly chic.