Skirt Simplicity 2451

Here is a skirt I made to try out the pattern. I am happy with the way it turned out, although I will change a few things next time. I have to say, sizing of patterns drives me nuts!! So inconsistent!!! Glad I got that off my chest. This skirt ran a little small and I had to tweak a few seams. Overall, I am happy with it. I used vintage buttons from Grandma's resale shop (the awesome-est...both the Grandma and the resale shop!) The fabric was again, a nice quilter's cotton from the clearance sections: $2/yard! I am planning on making this again soon.

Cosmo Bag

This is the finished Cosmo Bag and unfortunately, the pictures do not do it justice. I was having technical difficulties which I suspect are from user error not equipment malfunction :) Anyway, the bag was easy to sew up and is huge. The yoga mat is in there for scale because it's hard to tell the size just on the pictures alone. I've made enough Amy Butler bags now to know how to change the interfacing to my specifications so this bag is lined more heavily than is actually called for on the original pattern. I would definitely make this bag again and will be using it for weekend trips, yoga or the grocery store.

P.S. I forgot to mention that this is yet another bag from Amy Butler's book "Style Stitches." I am certainly getting my moneys worth out of that book :)

A Shirt For My Girl

I just finished this shirt for my daughter. She is happy about it, which means I am happy about it too. I think I will be making more of these, with a few variations. The fabric was a nice 'quilters cotton' that I found on the clearance shelf at JoAnns. The buttons are some older ones I had in my stash. Each time I find the perfect buttons for a project in my stash, I feel justified in my button habit. :)

Corduroy Pants

I made these pants last night for my littlest rugrat. He is a skinny little guy and doesn't fit into any of his pants. I've now made these enough times that I can whip out a pair in just over 30 minutes. That is what you call instant gratification. The fabric is corduroy I got on clearance for $2/yard!! I added the cuff so that they will fit him for a while.

Silhouette Update

A while back I did some fabric silhouettes for my living room. I liked the fabric, but didn't love it. After seeing fat quarters on sale, I decided there was no good reason not to slap some flashy new fabric up there. The fusible web I used for the silhouettes is such that it doesn't really fuse permanently, a trait that would be highly annoying in any other application. However, it made it very easy to peel them off and iron them on to the new fabric. I still don't think I have found the 'perfect' fabric, especially the middle one, but for now its new and different.

Polka Dot Dress

Here is a dress I finished this week for my daughter. (The turtleneck is not part of the dress, but it was only 19 degrees this morning) The main fabric is baby-wale corduroy and the neck ruffle and sleeve trim are made from my sister-in-law's dress refashion. (*See below*) I cheated on the sash, and used a wide black satin ribbon. I must say that while I love the dress, I am not a fan of the cape. It's cute, but it doesn't drape well and I think she looks sort of like a nun. Also, I have come to the conclusion that anyone who is able to take nice photos of their children wearing beautiful handmade things is either using tranquilizers or lots of candy to keep their kids still. :)

**Since I keep talking about it, here is a photo of the dress, after we hemmed it. The section we cut off has since provided me with enough fabric for three projects!

Post-Christmas Burnout

After Christmas was over I pretty much just creatively flatlined. Nothing was inspiring me and then the new year started with a surprising series of intense events so nothing was getting sewn, pasted, painted, etched or printed! Slowly but surely though, the itch to work with fabric is coming back. Unsurprisingly, Amy Butler's Cosmo bag from "Style Stitches" is what brought me back :) I've been wanting to make this bag for a while now because it's about the size of a kitchen sink which is perfect for all my yoga stuff or beach stuff or groceries, etc. Right now, it's a work in progress but soon I'll be back to post the finished project!

Catastrophe Averted

It seems that every time I make my daughter a cute dress or two, she outgrows them in no time. Which, quite frankly, is not the worst thing in the world. Sewing for a little girl is pretty darn fun! I am currently working on a winter-ish dress for her, and I got it in my head that she just had to have a fur cape to go with it. Now I don't really know my arse from my elbow when it comes to fashion trends, so I thought it was quite funny that I started to see these capes everywhere after I started making this one. The thing is, I have never sewn with fake fur. In fact, I have a prejudice against most fake fur. It usually looks cheesy, and, well....fake. I decided, however, to take the plunge and purchase myself some faux fur. I waffled for a while in the aisle of the fabric store, knowing that it could very well end up a catastrophe. The last thing I want is for my beautiful blond daughter to walk around looking like she stole the hide off a llama! To make the cape, I busted out my old-school compass and a big sheet of scrap paper. I drew up a simple pattern, and went from there. In process

The lining is from the dress that keeps on giving! It closes with a frog closure. The brooch is made from a technique I have seen all over the web lately. I have wanted to try it for some time and finally found the chance! Basically, you cut out circles of synthetic material (like polyester) and singe the edges. Keep water handy because the fabric is pretty flammable. I kept waiting for my husband to come in and ask me what in the world I was doing. :) The button in the center is a vintage button my Grandma found at her awesome second hand shop.

Runs In The Family

Our Mom also shares our slight obsession with aprons. She made this apron for her friend. The fabric is from a store called Obie's in Lancaster. I hear this place is crammed with fabric, and I can't wait to check it out. Mom sewed the lamb buttons to represent her friendship with the recipient. The pattern is from One Yard Wonders.

Easy Kids Craft

Here is an easy craft I did with the kids before Christmas. It could be easily translated into a craft for any season. I saw a similar idea here and used that as inspiration. Begin by cutting the desired shape(s) out of construction paper. Cut a sheet of contact paper the same size as your construction paper. Peel backing off and adhere to one side of the page. Using strips of tissue paper, fill entire 'window,' pressing down to make sure they stick. We added glitter and sparkly yarn to ours too. After the space is filled, cover the back with a layer of contact paper. Hang in the window and enjoy!

Half Apron

Rachel made this awesome apron for me for Christmas! The pattern is Amy Butler, and the fabric is AWESOME!! The turquoise trim makes it even that much more fantastic. (Can you tell I really like it?) I have gotten to the point where I have relegated some of my 'old' aprons to the garage, because my apron collection is pretty, uh, robust.

Child-made Christmas Present

This year the kids made a few handmade gifts of their own. For this, my son drew a creature on plain white fabric with colored Sharpie markers. Then we cut it out and I sewed it together. He stuffed it all by himself. He was pretty proud to give his little brother something he had made himself!

Ruffled Clutch

Here are two clutches I made for my sister-in-law and Mom. I saw something similar in a Macy's ad, and decided to use it as a springboard to make my own. After looking again at the store bought one, I think it looks pretty cheesy, not to mention that it costs $58! The black one is made from scraps I had from a previous project: my sister-in-law had a floor length gown that we turned into a knee-length dress. That left a lot of material to play with. The green one is made from a tablecloth I found on clearance a while back. The embroidered part was a border around the tablecloth. Both close via magnetic snap, and the brooches are actually from Michaels. I am planning on posting the measurements/instructions for it, as I am working on a third one right now.