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

Ahoy!

Avast ye...thingy! Walk the plank! Arrrgghhh and stuff!

Um, yeah...sooo...this was my pirate costume this past Halloween. Nothing like timely posting :) Actually, it is more like timely picture taking...and posting.

This costume gave me some headaches. The vest did anyway. This is the second one. The first got all wonky. I think it was simply a too stretchy fabric for the pattern. Now the fit, well, as you can see, it was not big enough to wrap around to button at the center front.

But I loved my solution so much better than a simple button. The larger skull and chain are a necklace. I attached the skull on and simply hung the chain over the smaller skull on the other side. Those smaller skulls are earring I found at a costume shop. Pretty neat find!

The flappy shoulder pieces turned out great. I was a little worried at first. It seemed like they were not going to fit. Thankfully it was not too bulky.

The top was super simple. I am glad I was short on time and left the edges raw. The fraying and loose threads is a great look for a rough pirate like myself. Don't believe the rough part huh? Me neither. But it was Halloween, I could go with it.

I also strapped a piratey pistol to my thigh with some of the red vest fabric. Since my dress form has no legs, I could not show that part off. But you can see it in this quick snapshot from an earlier post. (Not the most flattering pic...I will blame it on the angle)
Oh, and the sword too. You can see it there. That one did not live long enough to get photographed. The boys got a hold of it...and not the 6 year old...the 16 year old & his buddies. Goofballs! Gotta love 'em!

Alice'ish

 I say 'ish because it was by no means a traditional Alice costume. But she did inspire it. Too bad it did not turn out nearly as good as I had hoped. The satin got so crumply looking around the lace ups. AT least on it was not so noticeable.

I did like the peplum waistcoat and the poofy sleeve ends though. Comfy :)

The skirt was, well, waaaayyyy short. So I decided to lengthen it by using two different blues. That I did like. Gave it some pop. Oh, and the darker blue is sparkly...not that you can see it in the pics.

And the lace trim, so sweet.

The vest was much too big. But an easy fix. I just need to shorten the straps hat cross behind. I did not bother then since it sat under a closed coat.

Wordless Wednesday

Black and Blue

....and Godets too :)  I don't remember which pattern this one started as, but I will try to find it. It was supposed to be a dress. But like that last dress I started, it was just too much print. So i just added a waistline and made it a skirt.

This was also my first time with godets. I love them. It gives such a nice fullness. You can kind of see them here. With this print, it is not easy to spot.

Cherry Denim

Denim with teeny embroidered cherries on them that is. This skirt is perfect for work. The length is work worthy...meaning I can move around without flashing any unsuspecting victims. Although, it is only good because I extended it from the original length. I used some grosgrain ribbon on the border of the 2 denims. I did not have enough of the cherry left, so I used some plain stuff I had lying around. It worked.

Closer up on the ribbon border...

And you can see the pockets here....very useful at work.

This is the pattern I used, Vogue 1247...

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:

Wordless Wednesday

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

Pirate Arrrggg

Here is another costume...a pirate this time. Now this view...not so hot, but you get the gist. I will take some pics on the manni to show it off better. But without the sword since it broke when the boys were sword fighting. And not the little kids...the big ones.

And the winner was...

Us :)

I had so much fun making these costumes. I wore his to work on Monday and mine on Tuesday. It'll be worn again Sunday so I can show a couple people how it turned out. It is even being photographed by some students and the local college for their final project. Fun!

I'll get a better pic later and show it with the other costumes I have made recently.

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 :)

A Dress

And because I like to change things up...and hone my sewing skills...I have been making clothes for myself. The making has been going well, the photographing...not so much. I had to rely on a mirror - in a dark'ish room - at an unflattering angle. Good thing it's not me, but the dress, that matters :P

So this is me trying to take pics of myself in my newest dress...which I love. I think they show it well enough for here. I used the Vogue 8380 pattern...and without too many adjustments.

And what do you think of the the new cropped 'do?

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.

Where's Tilt?

That makes me think of Where's Waldo....so does this pic...

Needless to say - it is hard to find, well, anything!!! I would like to blame it all on the basement and it's wonderful puddles which led to the squooshing of supplies into one small space (btw -the result of the wet is going to be tearing up our front yard & basement floor)....but I can't. Not fully anyway. I need to do a clean out. Which may be good for anyone looking for some good destash fabrics. And even better for those looking for a sale. Yup - SALE!!!

I need to go through all my stash & supplies, thin things out and decide which things I will continue and which I will not. Either way - all my bags will be going on a big "I am not sewing for a while" sale.

Stay tuned for details. And if you are a sewer, particularly with quilting fabrics, I will be posting a folder on Flickr of all the fabrics I will be willing to part with :)

Old Too Big Tee into a Shrug

I was browsing blogs last week and ran across this fun tutorial on Trashn2Tees. She took a tee shirt and turned it into a fun spring shrug with a lettuce edge.

I just so happened to be going through my clothes later that week and nabbed a couple tees of my own for this fun little project. It turned out pretty good too. I added some lettuce edged strips to one side for a little pop & ruffle.

I opted for a shorter sleeve...same edging.

The biggest bump was the back neckline. The tee was too big to begin with and the new line behind and around the shoulders is a tad too wide to stay on well. Although a different top underneath may be all the difference it needs for a fix.

I am considering adding another strip or two around the neckline area but with some elastic thread to gather it in tighter so it will stay on better. We'll see. If nothing works - it's no loss since the tee was in the to be given away pile anyway.

Any other ideas?

Wordless (kinda) Wednesday

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*