Good News, Bad News

The good news is it was easy to sew and it has pockets.  The bad news is that it looks like grandma's housedress.  I think the problem might be the fabric.  I made this muslin for Simplicity 2004 in more of that thrift store cotton I got on the cheap.  It went together easily but all I can see is grandma's housedress.

The pattern envelope shows the dress with a belt and that does help a bit.

I'm thinking it might look sharp in a navy/white striped seersucker (see swatch pinned to the yoke) but I'm still on the fence.  Do I go ahead and cut in to the good fabric or hold off for a better pattern?  Comments are welcomed.

I Love the Internet

You might remember I was struggling a bit with this simple pattern (Simplicity 1969).   In a fit of desparation I googled the pattern number and happened upon the lovely and talented Beth from the Rusty Bobbin blog who wrote that she had recently purchased the same pattern.  I described my problem and she generously explained what I was doing wrong (as I suspected, it was a case of user error).   She was so helpful and sweet she even went so far as to offer to make up the pattern and photograph the steps for me (fortunately, her explanation was very clear and no photos were necessary). 

I now have a completed muslin (minus topsticthing and finished hems) that actually fits and I'm looking forward to sewing up a new top.  I've added a link to the Rusty Bobbin blog in my blogroll.  If you are interested in garment sewing, I highly recommend keeping up with her blog.  Did I mention she knits too?!

Summer Sewing

I finally sewed something that I would actually wear in public! I made this skirt using Anna Maria Horner's Flirting the Issue skirt pattern which you can find here for free.

I am still new to apparel sewing and hesitant to cut into good fabric so I opted for this floral print quilter's cotton. I picked up an entire bolt of it at the thrift store for $6 so there was plenty of room for error. The pattern calls for a lightweight cotton fabric, like a lawn or voile, but the quilter's cotton worked well enough. The pattern is fairly simple and basically requires the ability to measure your waistline, cut a rectangle based on that measurement and sew a few straight lines. It was a bit of a challenge threading the several rows of elastic through the casings (a beer helped) but overall it's a good project for beginning apparel sewists. I don't have a serger and I didn't want to spend the time on complicated seam finishes for this project so I just used a simple pinked seam. I'll see how it holds up after a few washings and decide if I want to to attempt a different technique on future projects.

The print would not have been my first choice but it's growing on me and paired with a tie front blouse, cardigan and my favorite bow necklace, I feel a bit like I'm channeling style icon Emma Pillsbury.

O Christmas Tree

My husband and I have a tradition of adding a personalized ornament to our tree every year. We take turns each year selecting our ornament and try to do something unique. Last year my husband added a lovely hand painted ornament featuring our cats Sophie & Max. This year it's my turn and I was inspired by this lovely print from Spanish artist Blanca Gomez to make our ornament.

I cut the basic shapes from inexpensive craft felt and attached them to a sheet of white felt using wonder under. I added detail using embroidery floss and then to add heft I fused it together with a piece of heavyweight interfacing and backed it with a second sheet of white felt. I cut around the figures and finished the edge with a blanket stitch.

I think this technique would also make great gift tags, sadly there are just not enough hours in the day. Maybe next year...

Let's Go to the Movies

I've been hesitant to post this project because I haven't been able to get a decent picture. I guess these will just have to do.




My cinephile husband has turned our extra bedroom into his very own movie theater complete with blackout shades, a giant screen framed by red velvet curtains and a popcorn machine. He lovingly refers to it as "Cinema Zyberdiso." In celebration of his movie palace I made this pillow for his captain's chair.

It features vintage movie monster fabric I found on Etsy. I created a logo and embroidered it using glow in the dark thread I ordered from here. Although I wasn't able to get a good photograph of it, I love the glow in the dark thread. It was easy to work with and the effect is just what I was looking for.

Not a fan of competition, Max shows he can glow in the dark too.

Drab to Fab

I picked up a classic folding knitting basket at a yard sale a few years ago and had been using it to store my embroidery notions and pattern books. Sadly, one too many books and the thin cotton fabric gave out.

I pulled apart the somewhat dated original fabric and used it to make a pattern.

Now my knitting basket is sporting a new look with my favorite echino print and a sturdy canvas lining.

New car smell

My car needed a little pick me up so I was excited to find this tutorial on DesignSponge.

This was a quick project and I had most of the raw materials at home. The only trouble I ran into was trying to find dried lavender. After being told by the salesclerk that they did not carry it, I took a look around and finally found some in the soapmaking aisle of a major craft store chain. A small package was less than $5 and was enough to make 2 sachets with plenty left over to make one, possibly two, more.

Adventures in quilting

I was excited to be invited back to the Thimble Pleasures quilt guild's annual getaway. It was fun but I fear I exposed my quilting incompetence. More on that later but let's start with the pretty pictures, shall we?

I finally quilted the lovely vintage quilt top I got at Brimfield last year and it looks like it's a hit with the both cats.

There are so many pretty and colorful fabrics in this quilt it was a challenge to find just the right fabrics for the back and binding.

I finally opted for blue birds for the back and a pretty red and white polka dot with tiny blue flowers for the binding. Against the advice of the expert quilters in the room, I used simple straight lines and red thread for the quilting. It's not perfect, I'm really happy with the look.

Finally, I suppose I must share this picture as well.

Yes that's me with my quilt sewn to the tablecloth. Not my finest crafting moment but I'm thankful that at least it wasn't my shirt.

If you are in the area this weekend and want to check out some truly beautiful quilts be sure to check out Thimble Pleasures quilt show. Details can be found here.

Sock it to me

Finally, the set is complete. The socks reached their destination and I've been told they are hanging on the mantle with the rest of the set.

Since I didn't put names on the stockings I personalized them in other ways. Mom's stocking features gingerbread and her famous Italian cookies. Dad's stocking has a nod to his favorite baseball team -- the Red Sox, of course.

Now all that's left is to wait for Santa. I certainly hope everyone made the nice list this year.

Sneak Preview

You might remember these stockings I made for my favorite kids last year. There were supposed to be stockings for Mom & Dad too but they never quite got finished. I'm happy to report the set is finally complete and they are on the way to join the kids' stockings on the mantle just in time for Santa. I don't want to spoil the surprise but I can't resist sharing a sneak peak of my favorite details:

Good Grief

It's that time of year again and since my office has a big Halloween party I figured it was a good excuse to practice my limited apparel sewing skills. After much deliberation I choose to go with the classic style of Lucy Van Pelt.

Using only 3 blue t-shirts and a few stray buttons I managed to make a pretty decent approximation of Lucy's iconic dress. It's a very simple design but since I was working without a pattern it did present a few challenges and the end result is far from perfect. That said, I'd say the quality is as least as good as the costumes you can buy at the local party store. I added a black wig, leggings, bobby socks and mary jane inspired sneakers to complete the look. And, just in case, a Charlie Brown stuffed doll.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to the pumpkin patch to wait for the great pumpkin.

Still Sewing

A new hobby means new things to sew. I raided my fabric stash to whip up some helpful knitting accessories.

First up a basket to corral all that yarn.

Next a bag to tote supplies for knitting on the go.

Complete with lots of pockets for needles.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

I was feeling really good about my latest project yesterday. Today not so much.

There is a serious flaw in the pattern. It seems Step 26 will not make any sense if you sewed step 12 backwards. Time for some un-sewing. And maybe a drink.

Question

Does anyone else have this problem?

Dreaming of Elephants

This baby quilt is for the current Craft Hope project and will soon be on it's way to India. I wanted to do something that was graphic and gender neutral. I chose bright colors that reminded me of the beautiful saris I've seen in Bollywood movies.

Since this is only my second quilt, I was a little unsure how I wanted to do the actual quilting design. Fortunately, my friend Junie happens to be an expert so I turned to her for some advice. Check out her blog for a great tip on how to preview a quilt design before taking it to the sewing machine.

This is my second Craft Hope project and I love that they give me a chance to experiment with new patterns and techniques while supporting a great cause. The deadline for the India project is July 25. I'm contributing a blanket but they are also looking for other items like hats and booties. Check out their website for more information. You can even sign up for their newsletter so you'll be the first to know about upcoming projects.

Well, at least it's functional...

We are traveling to two weddings this summer and since the zipper on my cheap dress bag broke ages ago I figured it was time to retire the trash bag I had been using in its place for something a little more stylish. I wanted it to be sturdy and waterproof so I made a pilgrimage to amazing Franklin Mill Store to check out their selection of oilcloth. I instantly fell in love with this beautiful Anna Maria Horner print. It was quite pricey but I had a discount so I decided to buy enough for two projects, the garment bag and a carry along seat both from this book.

Although the pattern instructions were fairly simple, as you can see I ran into some trouble matching the print. I decided to increase the length of the finished bag from 36" to 42" but I couldn't figure out how to cut the fabric in such a way that the pattern would match and I would still have enough yardage left over to complete my second project. I should have been more thoughtful about the fabric choice and picked something that didn't require an obvious match. Live and learn. On the upside the bag went together quickly (especially since I opted to use ready made piping rather than make my own). Once I got over the fact that it couldn't be ironed or pinned, the oilcloth was surprisingly easy to work with. I'm sure there are more expert solutions, but I used a combination of blue painter's tape and quilt binding clips like these in lieu of pins.

In the end it's not my favorite project, but it's functional and definitely a step up from the trash bag. I'm looking forward to taking it on the road.

Goin' to the Chapel

My good friend and "god-husband" (we are the proud godparents of a brillant and talented 12 year old) is getting married today and I wanted to make something special for him and his new bride. They are registered for this beautiful bedding so I used it as a jumping off point to design a pillow with their new monogram.

I selected chocolate brown linen which I backed with a lightweight interfacing to give some stability to the stitching. For the monogram and date I used a simple satin stitch with embroidery floss. The embellishments were done with metallic thread. My original plan was to use only the metallic thread but it was so difficult to work with that I decided to start over with traditional embroidery floss rather than pulling every hair out of my head. In the end, I think it was the right choice because the combination of metallic and non-metallic floss adds dimension and interest. I hope it works with their style and finds a place in their home.

Therapy for Mom

Recently my Mom has been suffering from a bout of costochondritis, a painful inflammation of the cartilage around the ribcage. The good news is the condition doesn't have serious health consequences and should resolve itself in a few weeks but in the meantime it's quite uncomfortable. There's not a lot that can be done, but heat does provide some relief. With that in mind, I stitched up a pretty heat therapy bag using this tutorial from the Sew, Mama, Sew blog.

It went together easily and, remarkably I was able to fill it without spilling rice all over my kitchen. I guess that's a good thing since after my husband tried it out he promptly asked when I would be making one for him.

Inspired

I was catching up on my blog reading and came across this amazing new site that combines two of my favorite things, sewing and volunteerism (yes, I am a giant geek).

The goal of their current project is to provide handmade rag dolls to all the residents of the Casa Bernabe orphanage in Nicaragua. For my contribution I stitched up this cutie using the black apple doll pattern found here. I'm also challenging the ladies of Sew Anyways to contribute a doll.



If you are interested head on over to the Craft Hope blog for details, a variety of doll tutorials and submission deadlines. While you are there be sure to check out pictures of their first project which delivered new handmade dresses to the Pan de Vida shelter in Mexico. And if you can't participate in this project be sure and check back often as they are soliciting ideas future projects.

Sew Hippo

I'm taking a drawing class so I haven't been doing a lot of sewing lately. But when my friend recently had her baby I dusted off the machine to make this stuffed hippo from the February 2009 issue of Sew Hip. I'm a huge fan of the magazine and I love that each issue includes full size patterns for the featured projects. Directions for the hippo were clear, easy to follow and included helpful photos and diagrams. My only complaint is the head/neck piece indicated to cut two when only one was needed.

The magazine is imported from the UK so it's pricey (about $10 an issue) but worth the splurge. It's not carried everywhere but I have found it at Barnes & Noble. And, I recently discovered digital issues are available here for about half the price.