Navy and Lace Top

  I've been playing around with alternative ways of adding lace texture to things lately, and not many of them worked. Lace as a stencil with fabric spray paint made too soft of a texture, and with fabric paint pounced or brushed on the details were too muddy. I bought this set of silkscreens at Michael's the other day though, just to try out. I wasn't sure if it would work at all since it is marketed for use on glass and ceramics, but look!

  The small butterfly is from another set. I did have to play around a lot to get the fabric paint I used to the right thickness... too thick and some spots have missing paint, too thin and it seeps underneath the silkscreen and ends up muddy. And I know, the painted lace on the yoke is crooked. On my first attempt at that yoke the paint looked great at first, but spread as it dried and ended up being solid white. I had to wash the fabric out completely (which took a while!) and dry it before trying again... and apparently I didn't line everything up right the second time. The silkscreen piece was a lot narrower than my shoulders, but it worked out alright to line up the edges and add the paint for the second half next to the first, even though there isn't a good repeat to line up. =)

   I added a couple butterflies on the back... the one on the shoulder is missing some spots from too-thick paint.

  Also, I accidentally painted the back of one sleeve instead of the front, and didn't have enough fabric for a re-do so I cut the painted piece off and sewed it back on in the right direction, then sewed a seam in the other sleeve to match.

  I used MadMim's tutorial to draft the tee from my measurements... mine didn't come out perfectly the first try, so I was glad I'd used scrap fabric to sew it up. This tee is after a couple small alterations. I used knit leftover from this dress, and it was a real stretch getting enough pieces out for this shirt! In fact, I had to use the pillowcases from the set and unpick their hems to get pieces long enough. =)

  I didn't end up using a knit binding around the neck because I had some pretty picot elastic that was too perfect not to use... I just stretched it slightly while serging it on, then top-stitched with a twin needle. I used another rolled hem to add some sweetness to the bottom of the shirt, stretching it slightly for a lettuce-edge. Overall I'm pretty happy with this shirt, in spite of its imperfections! And I'm happy to have the lace silkscreens to use on other projects. =)

Gratuitous Blinking Bump Photo!

  I already have another knit shirt for myself planned out, but I need to test out some more pattern alterations first. =) I should sew more knit stuff for the little people, since most knit projects are so quick and easy... I have a feeling I'd get a lot more sewn for them if I did.

 Speaking of little people... it's a girl! Daughter number three is due in August. =) And from her ultrasound, she is adorable!

  And more big news, we will be moving to a town about 30 miles away sometime in the next month... so I have a lot to do!

Thanks for stopping by!

Strawberries and Chocolate Shirt Refashion

  I had time to sew something this week! It was a  quick, simple refashion, but sewing nonetheless. I've had this lovely pink shirt for a while now, but I've only worn it once since I picked it up at the thrift store.

  I'm not a huge pink-wearer, but I love the tiny ruffles on the yoke and cuffs of this shirt.

  The main reason I didn't wear it was that it was just too short, and that made it really unflattering. I had a few ideas about lengthening it, but couldn't decide what color fabric to use, since I didn't have any extra of the original. I finally decided on chocolate brown, because what goes better with strawberries than chocolate? =) And because I love my sweets, I added some pretty white lace trim for whipped cream.

  So first, and my main mistake while refashioning this shirt, I chopped the shirt in half. And yes, I tried it on first to see where a waistband should sit. =)

   It worked, and it ended up looking all right, but I should have folded it with the front of the shirt on one side, and the back on the other, side seams touching, and cut my line slightly higher at the back than front, to account for the bust curve.

  Next I cut some chocolate fabric about 2 inches longer than the circumference of the opening, and two pieces of trim the same length. I cut the fabric 4 inches wide, for a finished height of 3 inches. (Which added 2 inches total to the length of the shirt, when you include the shirt seam allowances.)

  I sewed a 'placket' on one side of my fabric by folding the fabric over twice, to the same width as the shirt placket, and top-stitching on either side.

  Then I put the waistband piece face up with trim pointing toward the center of it, and set the shirt right side down on top of it, matching up the plackets:

  I pinned a lot and sewed the seam, then sewed the lower half of the shirt on the same way.

  I finished those seams by serging, then finished the end opposite the placket by tucking it under twice and top-stitching down. Then I pressed all my seams really well and top-stitched along the top and bottom of the waistband, and added a buttonhole and button.

  I managed to get my buttonhole lever sensor working, but I still had trouble with the width of the stitches and the thread breaking. I ended up having to pick the buttonhole stitches out several times, which is NO fun, but I got a not-bad one in the end.

  Here is the finished shirt:

  And here it is on me, with my triple ruffle skirt:

 
   I know this outfit looks completely edible, but I kind of love it. =)

 

  
  My husband was super-nice and took these photos for me. =)

  And wow, I didn't realize that my belly had grown so much until I saw this photo!

 I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, but having only small, high mirrors does make a baby bump a little difficult to see sometimes. =)

  Thanks for stopping by!

My Signature Look: Incomplete

  So remember how I had almost 3 whole weeks to work on this signature look for Project Run and Play? I didn't think I'd be able to complete all 5 of the items I wanted to make... but I was hoping to finish at least 4.

  How many I actually finished? 1. Yep, just 1. I'm sure you all know everything frustrating that can happen while sewing, or attempting to find the time to sew, so I'm not going to list everything that happened here... but it did. Here's the lone finish:

  To be fair to myself, I came this close to finishing the sweater:

  I know, it looks finished. It's not, the buttons aren't sewn on and there aren't any buttonholes. The sensor for the buttonhole lever on my machine appears to have quit, meaning I can't sew regular buttonholes, and I didn't have time to fight with a satin stitch today.

  In a way, this incompleteness is my Signature look right now... I haven't finished anything in quite a while. Life just hasn't worked with sewing lately. I'm still sad that I didn't get done what I wanted to. However, since I already have all the fabrics, I think that every piece I planned will eventually get done. It may just take a few months, and I'll probably finish some other projects in the middle. I'd love it if you checked back in a while to see the pieces. =)

  Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Strikes Again

  I had lovely plans for the Project Run and Play Challenge this week. This week's theme is Love is in the Air. Now I'm not a big Valentine's Day celebrator, but this seemed like a really versatile challenge, and as I said, I had lovely plans. Here is the stack of fabric I had to work with:

  Plenty of lovely greys, some sweet hearts, and a little bit of pink to round things out. I started with plans for: a grey corduroy jumper with heart cutouts along the hem, and the pink heart buttons down the back; a pettiskirt; grey fleece boots with big pink fabric covered buttons; a simple pink elastic-waist underskirt; and a cozy grey hooded jacket with the grey hearts for lining.
 Like this (not the best illustrations, but I think they convey the idea well enough):

 Here, I colored in the pink areas for you (the heart cutouts are pink because the underskirt would show through at those points):

 Anyway, those were my plans. However, you may have seen my post last week. That not-yet-here bump caused all kinds of trouble this week... I was so tired that I only finished one thing: cutting the strips out for the pettiskirt. Luckily, this entire grouping will also fit perfectly into the Signature week challenge, so you may see several of these pieces then, providing the impending bump cooperates.

 My bump apologizes for the lack of posting lately. =)
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I'm Sure You Have Noticed...

...That I've been more than a little absent lately. Here's why:

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Ruched-Side Top

  I've mentioned this shirt I was making a couple times now. It's been finished for a while now, but I've been putting off posting about it because I'm not really sure if I like it, or the way it fits.
 Here, see for yourself... the lone photo that came out all right:

  I started off with a white knit sheet, cut out my pattern pieces (I lengthened my basic tee pattern and altered the armholes a little), and dyed those pieces what was supposed to be cranberry red. It looked close to what I wanted until I washed it, at which point it faded to a bright orange-y scarlet. I was going to try painting a pattern on top in a darker shade of red to mellow it a little, but I didn't have enough red paint left for a good pattern, so I left it off.

  I originally cut the sleeves two inches longer than wrist length, so I would have plenty of room to hem them, but even though I pre-washed my fabric the sleeves shrank by several inches when I dyed them. Now they are an awkward two inches above the wrist, which is why they are pulled up in the photo. Oddly, the bodice pieces didn't shrink.

 When I altered the armhole, I failed to alter the sleeve to match, and ended up with a sleeve that was too wide. Rather than cutting it narrower to fit, I ended up gathering the cap of the sleeve... another thing I don't really like. Gathered sleeves look cute on everyone else but I feel like I have linebacker shoulders when I wear them. Granted, they look fine in the photo... I just don't like them in real life.

  The ruched sides were simple... I just cut the bodice longer than I wanted it to end up, and stretched and sewed a piece of elastic on the inside to gather it up. I should have played with my pattern pieces a little more there though too, since I needed the shirt to be a little wider in the hips and bust, and a little narrower in the waist.

  The one detail I love about this shirt is the neckline gathers, which are the main idea that led me to make this shirt. Again, it was just a small piece of elastic stretched from point to point and sewn down. I tried it on and did a little pinching to check the placement and length before I sewed.

  Besides the neckline gathers, there is one thing I'm happy with about this shirt and pattern... the back armscye now fits properly.

  At any rate, I'm glad that I used inexpensive fabric for this one! Here's hoping I like the next top I make a lot better.

Thanks for stopping by,

 

Project Run And Play: Pattern Remix

  Have you heard of Project Run And Play? It's a fun blog-based sewing competition. I'm not a competitor, but there is a sew-along for every challenge. This week the challenge is to remix the Party Dress Pattern from The Cottage Home... I wasn't planning on entering this week, since I forgot about it until Tuesday, and was still feeling pretty sick. But then, I had a remix idea that I just couldn't pass up. In spite of the time constraints, I just had to sew it! Here's my version:

  I put the button placket in the front and made it asymmetrical, added a floral-inspired set of reverse appliques, added flat piping, and removed the sash. I kept the full, gathered skirt, the contrast band, the covered buttons, and the button loops. Since I made the dress out of dark, stiff denim, those gathers were really difficult!

  I think Booper likes it! =) She is at that lovely age where she wants me to sew things for her... every time I sit down at my machine she asks if I am sewing her a dress. And she is also happy to wear it all once I've made it. I really love it! =)

  I am actually a little surprised that this dress is finished... after working on it all day Tuesday, most of Wednesday, and all day today, it was starting to feel like I would never be done! I had some trouble getting the flat piping to lay just the way I wanted it, but I'm glad I added it.

All of the pink is some knit that I initially bought for hoodie linings, but I found something else I'd rather use for that. The denim is leftover from the first maternity skirt I ever made... back when I was pregnant with Booper! It looked a lot like this skirt, but had a stretch waistband instead of the snaps.

  The back of this dress looks a little plain... I'm kind of wishing I had kept the sash and just sewed it into the side seams so the back would be more fun. Next time! =)

  And that is my entry into the Project Run And Play Pattern Remix sew-along!

Thanks for stopping by,

PS: I know I said I had plans for a shirt for myself... It is cut out, but I'm not liking the color. I think I'm going to add some paint to it before I sew it up. At any rate, it won't take too much longer to complete.

Christmas Gifts: What I Received

  Sorry it's taken me so long to post this! I've had another nasty cold, and haven't done much but sleep for the past few days. Anyway, I wanted to show you the sewing-related gifts that I was given!

First up, this lovely collection:

  I've needed a sewing box for a very long time now... All of my things have been stuffed in a not-so-pretty cardboard box. Isn't this one beautiful? And it's big enough to hold quite a bit, although I've left my collections of buttons, bindings, and fasteners in a separate box, since I have so many of them.

  And look at that adorable teakettle pincushion! It's so cute I'm almost afraid to use it. =) And the buttons look like crochet! The pins were really needed too... all of mine were either very short or very wimpy. All of these pretty gifts are from my sister-in-love. Thank you, H!

 And this is what my husband gave me:

  He had actually already bought me a gift (and gave me that one too =), but when we saw this serger secondhand, it was just too good to pass up. The lady who previously owned it said that she didn't have any accessories for it, but she was really nice and included the white thread cones. Guess what! It did come with the accessories, they are just in a hard-to-find drawer on the side. =) Needles, thread covers, a spare blade, machine oil, a cleaning tool, hex tool, screwdriver, and a rolled hem plate. I am really, really excited to have a serger that is full-size, has 4 threads and a differential feed, doesn't clank, and can serge faster than my sewing machine can sew!

  Remember my peplum shirt? When I first made it I left the peplum edges raw, in spite of my dislike for raw edges, because a regular hem seemed like it would be too heavy, and trying for a regular rolled hem on a curved, knit edge didn't seem like a good idea. Then I washed it, and I really didn't like how the edges curled in some spots and frayed slightly in others. So that was one of the first things I did with my serger... a rolled hem on both of the peplum layers. I like it SO much better now, although you wouldn't be able to see much of a difference in photos.

  Now I'm gearing up to sew an entire shirt with this serger... I just have to find the time and energy to cut out my knit pieces! =)

Thanks for stopping by,