I finally got around to making this vest. This is 2/2008 116 from Burda WOF. I tried to make this back in February and got too frustrated by the pockets. It sat for months getting dusty and then finally I pulled it out the other day. The first was just muslin so this time I decided I’d finish it faster if it was fashion fabric. This is cotton shirting and rayon lining from the thrift store (yay for thrift purchases!). I omited the pockets this time around. I think the ruffles are what really make this vest exciting. I tried to jazz it up with the mismatched red buttons and the slightly hidden lining (not fully lined, tho).

Next time I think I’ll make it fully lined. The only problem I had this time was the armhole. I didn’t really read the directions… Burda tends to make me more confused with their directions, which seems to be a universal problem. And if I make it fully lined next time, I won’t have the same armhole problem. Word! And I will definitely make this again — it fits me very well.

P.S. I snipped a little V in my thumb, hence the bandaid in the pictures.

I’m way late to jump on the Polyvore bandwagon. But better late than never, eh? I’m using it come up with outfit ideas. This way I can imagine I own $400 boots and $300 sweaters, then make it work inexpensively. I’m all about a good bargain!

Vogue 8550

Simplicity 2764

I am taking a pants class and learning how to make jeans. So far the most challenging issue is fitting. Isn’t it always? It would be helpful to have a dress form that fit my body, but barring that I am not sure how to solve the problem when sewing for myself. Anyway, I’m halfway done with the class and have been enjoying it. I chose a dark denim with a bit of lycra in it for stretch since these are relatively form fitting. My other projects have been on hold lately, but I think I’ll be getting back into the swing of it in the next week… maybe!

I finally got to wear my dress and pretend to be Jane Austen. I made a little bonnet to go with it and cover up my short hair. Chris was a hobbit. I made his cape using this tutorial I found on the interweb. The vest was also made by me, and it started out as a tunic, but he thought it was more beggar than hobbit. So into a vest it was. Our costumes worked well together and I alternated as Jane Austen and hobbit wife. My outfit worked for both :)

I used leftover upholstery fabric to make these slippers. The green velvet was an estate sale find. I used grippy fabric from JoAnn on the bottom and two layers of a felted wool blanket for the inside cushion. They were so easy to make I think I will be making many more! I used Kwik Sew 2387, which I think is out of print. The pattern is simple and will make it easy for me to change it around to make some really neat designs. The question is how many slippers can a person own before it gets ridiculous? Hm…

Some bias binding:

After tearing up this sheet making prototypes, I had all these scraps leftover and decided to make some bias binding. I’ve got about 6 yards of it. Not really sure what to do with it, but now it’s something potentially useful instead of in a landfill. What does one do with leftover scraps that can’t be used?

And here’s a new pair of pajama pants I made from sale fabric. I like the dancing people on it. The seams are all French, which got me in trouble again because I wasn’t thinking and sewed two legs together (AH!). So there was a lot of seam ripping involved, needless to say. The bottoms have a red cuff and the drawstring is also red. After seeing some silk pajamas at Anthropologie, I would kind of like some… So maybe if I can find some silk on sale I’ll do that. But it’s definitely one of those things that’ll sit around in the back of my brain for months which I’ll suddenly realize I don’t really need. Maybe.

So I have been productive, hurrah!

I finished this dress yesterday (Simplicity 4055). My friend is having a costume party in a few weeks and I decided to be Jane Austen. There were a couple of snafus, the biggest was inserting the front skirt upside down to the back. Unfortunately I didn’t realize what I’d done until I’d already sew it in with French seams and hemmed it. So I didn’t take it out, just gathered the top (formerly known as the bottom) part when I attached it to the underskirt.

The dress is made from fabrics I picked up at Goodwill awhile ago. The floral fabric is cotton lawn and the white fabric is some sort of cotton blend. It looks like linen, but is definitely not. Too itchy. It is the same fabric I used to make this jacket and shirt.

On the back of the dress I sewed a few mother of pearl buttons from my stash. They are non-functioning buttons. The dress slips over my head easily.

Right now I’m working on a Spencer jacket to go over the dress. I really want to use the same type lines I’ve seen in Pride & Prejudice and other Regency period movies. After checking out several books from the library, I found a technical drawing similar to what I’m going for. I am almost done drafting the bodice pattern. This is kind of hard without a mannequin. I have to sew it up, put it on, pin, and try again. But I’ve got it almost done now.

I just found this ingenious invention! How have I not heard of this before? It looks like a miracle to me.

(Seam tracer found here)

I’m back! I had a nice vacation last week on the Atlantic coast with my family. I forgot how humid it is in the south. Boy am I glad to be back in Portland sans humidity. After two and a half weeks away from sewing I’m ready to get back into it. I’m going to try to get that dress tutorial up in the next few weeks and start preparing some Christmas themed items for my etsy shop. Christmas? Yes, never to early to start thinking about gift giving. Okay time for me to start brainstorming…

This bed cover has been a long time coming. I found a lot of these linens, mostly runners and napkins, at thrift stores and estate sales. A couple were ones my grandmother had. I laid all of these out last September and then rolled them all up and stashed it. This past weekend I decided to take it down and sew it, finally.

Right now it’s almost done. I’m going to add a king size sheet to the back and then hand sew large circles all over it. So it will be lightly quilted, but without anything sandwiched between layers. I’m not sure what I will do about binding it. It’s very soft and comfortable, and definitely will never lay flat. I had some trouble keeping everything situated while sewing. I think next time I’ll take a picture of how it should be and just go in sections.

I’m motivated to finish it because it’s so light and summery feeling. Just like Portland is right now. Yes! I am so happy that summer has made it here.

I made this shirt pretty quickly yesterday. Although it was easy to make, the binding sticks out a bit and is kind of a waste of fabric. The pattern picture doesn’t show the binding to appear the way it turns out, instead it’s kind of vague. Other than that, it’s fine for a tank top. I think if I make it again I will lengthen it to accommodate for my long torso. This pattern isn’t showing up on Butterick’s website, so I’m guessing it’s either a glitch or it’s now OOP (out of print). I bought it a few months ago. The tank as it is is very plain, so I made a long ruffle out of the scraps and added it to the chest. I used French seams, as I am trying to do on all the things I’ve been making. I don’t have a serger, and I like the way the French seam looks.

I’ve been working on that dress tutorial, but it has been really slow going. It makes a lot more sense in my head than when I try to explain it. So it’s going to take a while before I get it up and running.

My cousin’s 16th birthday is in a few weeks, so I decided to make her something kind of special. I drew up an idea for a sack dress. She’s a skinny so it will look good on her. After writing my own little instruction sheet, I set to work on making the dress. There were a few snags along the way, but I did it slowly, and I took pictures the whole time. I might put up a tutorial for it eventually. (I didn’t add the pockets because there’s only a back seam and no side seams)

I am pleased with the way it turned out.

The dress can be worn cross-backed or not. I made three buttonholes spaced out to allow for different lengths. Since I didn’t have her exact measurements I felt I needed to add some elastic in case it is too small. She sews herself, and if it’s too big she can always put side seams in. As it is, there is one seam in the back.

I like the little orange vintage buttons.

Chris gave me these beautiful flowers for our anniversary. He also picked up a bunch of berries. We had a large bowl of berries at our wedding, but I didn’t get to eat any, and I love berries. So it was a really nice addition to the flowers, which were also to recreate the ones from my bouquet and the reception. Now everything around here smells really nice. It was a very happy anniversary!

(L: Butterick 5186 R: Anne Klein Tie-Front Linen Shirt)

I have seen this jacket/shirt around on a couple of blogs. So I decided to try it for myself. The jury is still out on this one. The sleeves are kind of… HUGE. I don’t ever wear anything like this and so I’m having a hard time figuring out what to think. I also don’t like the collar to lay out like it does in the Anne Klein picture (the AK shirt can be found at Macy’s). So I’m wondering if it’s a little too Samuri meets Liza Minnelli.

All in all, it wasn’t a difficult sew. The pieces are a little unwieldy and rather strange at first. I went slowly and it turned out just like it should. I finished all the seams and the inside looks pretty nice. This is fabric I got at the thrift store a while ago and I think it is a linen/cotton blend.

I’m thinking about putting three buttons on it, so that the collar comes up a little more than it does the way I’ve styled it. I have some antique seashell buttons that would look nice with it. But the sleeves! I’m just not so sure.

Ever since I went to the Bead Simple event at Powell’s I’ve wanted to make some earrings.

I got around to it today after sitting on the materials for a while. I cut some thin slices of leftover leather and used some old jewelry material I’ve had for ages, as well as some from a local bead shop (can’t remember the name– it’s on Hawthorne).

They’ve got a bit of an earthy vibe, which is cool with me. The last thing I need is another crafty interest, but maybe I could use one more pair I made myself.

Yay! Chris surprised me with this green shuffle yesterday. My old iPod Photo has been dead for quite some time. A year, maybe two years. Learn this lesson while you can: do not place your iPod on a washing machine while it is still in motion. It immediately died and I figured that the nice Apple people would charge me just as much to fix it as a new one (it was kind of old and not under warranty).

I am very happy with this new musical appendage. Now I can clip this little baby on and go. I also like the green.

Thank you, husband!

I just saw these two new Built by Wendy patterns. You can see more about them here. They look comfortable, but not really flattering for fuller figures. Though, the top pattern would be a really comfy nightgown.

I think this one looks a bit too much like a sack, it’s so shapeless. Maybe it’s just me. Hm…

Once again Goodwill did not disappoint. I got 10 yards of this beautiful striped fabric for $10. It has a cotton/raw silk feel to it. Nice.

Later on, I got some ikat fabric and this neat brushstroke fabric. I’ve been wanting some ikat for a long, long time. I’m going to use it to make bandeau summer top. The brushstroke fabric is gonna be a skirt. The stripes… I’m thinking it’ll be that vintage dress I just made out of a sheet. I think it’ll look really cute. No sewing til next week, though. The machine was due for its one year check up. That’s okay. I’m planning on tracing patterns and cutting out fabric so I can sew up a storm once I get it back. Until then, I’m outta here!