Something to Make You Smile!

I saw this very cute YouTube video on Portabellopixie's blog. I loved it so much I had to post it here also, just in case you haven't seen it yet. Enjoy!



Hope that made you smile! :)

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

Until next time...

An Inspirational Movie! 500 Days of Summer

Last night My husband and I went to see 500 Days of Summer (we were celebrating his birthday and mine) with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. This was a cute movie. But the reason I really like it had nothing to do with the story of the movie. I was totally oooooing and ahhhhing over the clothes that Zooey Deschanel wore throughout the movie!

I don't think that I have ever watched a movie and been so inspired by the clothing. I loved every minute of watching her clothes. I would describe "Summer's" style as a bit vintage but classic. I had a hard time putting my finger on it exactly. Today I went in search of pictures on the internet to show you some of the outfits I liked. I found out that they called the style retro-chic. Well named.

I absolutely loved how simply she dressed. The clothing was simple with great detail. Now, let's enjoy some fun pictures.

I think this is my favorite dress! I really want to recreate this one.


This skirt is so cute. I really like the shirt also. Below is closer up picture of the shirt.


Here's another really cute dress. I love the look of the lightweight cotton. They are so springy and fun. The skirt is so flowy and flirty.


This is my favorite shirt. The pintucks are fabulous. The shirt is hip length with a very cute thin tie around the waist. I would love to recreate this one also.


Here is a link to a MTV interview with the costume designer Hope Hanafin. And here is another link to a blog talking about the style in this movie.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Just Checking In

But nothing interesting to say. I haven't had much time for sewing or anything. I have been busy keeping my daughter focused on her homework. I did get my Burda (from July '09) knit shirt mostly finished. I still have the hems to do. I also got a pair of Burda trousers traced out. At this rate I certainly will not finish my wardrobe by the end of November. This weekend is my birthday and I am hoping to get some focused time to sew.

That is all I have to say. Next time I will be more interesting.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

PR Wardrobe Contest Fall '09

I never thought I would be doing something like this. Before I never thought that I would have enough coordinating fabrics to make an actual wardrobe. The other day I decided to read through the contest discussion. I was so inspired by all the fantastic wardrobes. It looked like so much fun. I thought it might be fun to take a peek through my stash and see if I could pull together something that would resemble a wardrobe. Surprisingly, I was found enough coordinating fabrics to make up a fun wardrobe. I got a few of my favorite fabrics in the mix and some that have been in my stash for years. I am very excited to make the Ottobre and Burda pants.

This wardrobe is a huge challenge. Every pattern is new except for Jalie 2804. Even though this is very ambitious I wanted to end up with a wardrobe that I was proud of and very excited to wear. I didn't want to pick easy things just to get everything completed by the end of the contest. I will be so happy with myself if I get them all finished. I am going to try very hard to get it done by the contest end on November 30th.

The requirements:
5 tops
4 bottoms
1 topper

All tops and topper must go with all bottoms.
There must be at least one print.

I think my wardrobe fits these requirements. I still need one more bottom (brown cord skirt I think). I am up in the air with the topper. Burda 8-2009-119 was originally going to be the topper. It will go over everything except the pink fleece. I might go with a brown check wool coat.

I am off to get started and trace some patterns. It all seems so overwhelming right now. I just need to get started.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Ottobre 6-2008-38 Color Me Happy Quilted Jacket Finished (Finally!)

Finally I was able to get a picture of my daughter in her coat. I didn't want to post without her so I waited. All the rest of this post was written on Tuesday just after I finished.

It feels like I have been working on this one forever. I know in reality I haven't but it sure feels like it. I think it turned out very nicely and my daughter really likes her new jacket.

Actually, finishing this one is very satisfying. This is one of a very few projects that was a real need to make. My daughter really needs a fall jacket. This wasn't simply something that I wanted to make. It was a necessity to clothe my family and that makes me feel great about my ability to sew.

This project turned out to be quite tedious. Since I didn't line it I had to finish all the seams. I wanted to make sure that the inside looked very nice since I know my daughter will be tossing it hither and thither. The way I chose to do it, I ended up sewing up each seam three times. Talk about making a project take longer! PHEW!

Here is my full review:

Pattern Description: Ready-quilted fabric with vivid zig-zag pattern inspired us to design this winter jacket for schoolgirls. It is equally suitable for city wear and ski slopes. The pockets are inserted in the panel seams and there is a zipper down the front. The collar can be worn either up or folded down. The jacket is lined with slippery outerwear fabric.

Pattern Sizing: 128-170 I made a size 128. I did make the shoulders a little wider since my daughters shoulder measurement was quite a bit wider than the size 128. I also lengthened the sleeves.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? It looks very much like the picture. Were the instructions easy to follow? I only used the beginning of the instructions for the shell since I made it without a lining (I didn't have any). They seemed pretty straight forward.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The construction of the pocket was explained very well. I was able to get some nice looking pockets without any trouble.

Fabric Used: Polyester quilted/embroidered fabric from Joann's

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't line the jacket. Instead I finished all the seams. I used a mixture of trims because I kept running out of stuff. I had quite a few yards to begin with but you need a ton to do this. I think I had 5 yards of teal FOE, 5 yards of woven foldover and still had to bind the hem with fleece.

Inside Front
Inside Back

Finishing all the seams was not too difficult but it was tedious. Every seam ended up being sewed three times. It took a while but the result was nice. To do this I: 1. Sewed the seam. 2. Sewed the FOE (flattened out) right along the very edge on top of the seam. 3. Folded down the FOE and the seam allowance and stitch right along the very edge of the other side so the seam allowance was completely covered. I also "bound" my zipper (and pockets) with woven foldover. This was simple. I just sandwiched the fabric and the zipper in the foldover.

Bound Zipper


Topstitching

My other alteration was to take out 1" from the height of the collar. I didn't think that my daughter would want it up past her chin. By taking out some height it became a length that was more comfortable for her.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would recommend this pattern. I think it turned out very good. I may or may not sew this again. It was a nice pattern and it is not so distinctive that you would know it is the same thing out of different fabric.

Conclusion: I am pleased with this jacket. It was tedious because of the way I constructed it. But even the instructions have you topstitching most of the seams. It is simple yet striking.

While I feel like this jacket took a lot of time it really was quick to sew up as far as making jackets goes. I am very happy with it and so is my daughter!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Ottobre 6-2008-38 Color Me Happy Quilted Jacket Sneak Peek

I thought I would give you a sneak peek of the jacket I am working on for my daughter. She would like it to be done before we go to the state fair tomorrow. I'm not sure that will happen but I will do my best.

Ottobre 6-2008-38 Tellu Quilted Jacket (pictured below in pink)


According to the pattern this is a fully lined jacket. I didn't want to do any lining (originally my daughter wanted this to be reversible) so I had to figure out how to finish the seams so they looked nice on the inside. I decided to cover them with FOE (unfolded). I think it has turned out nicely. Below is a picture of the outside of one side front (black) and the inside of one side front panel (pink). The teal covers the seam. The black binds the pocket to give it a finished look.


I am really happy with how it looks so far. My daughter is very excited to wear it. Better go get working!

Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. Have a great day!

Until next time...

What to do? What to do?

I am supposed to be starting a light fall jacket for my daughter. I'll get to it as soon as I am done with this. She is very anxious for me to finish/start it. I bought some really cute embroidered quilted fabric from Joann's last year that I am going to use. I think she has reminded me about this coat everyday as she leaves for school.

What have I been thinking of instead of making her coat? Let me share.

I was reading over at pattern review about the wardrobe contest. Never before have I even thought about doing this as even a remote possibility. I have quite an assortment of fabrics that I couldn't possibly find enough coordinating fabrics for 5 tops, 4 bottoms and one extra. As I was pondering the wardrobe contest I mulled over my stash. Guess what! I think I would have enough to coordinate. It would be an interesting mix of brown, denim, burgundy and pink. I'm still not sure if I will try but the thoughts are there.

Why wouldn't I try? Three months should be long enough to get the garments finished.

Well the other thing I have been contemplating is overhauling my house (upstairs living area that has been the same since we moved in more than 11 years ago). This would include new flooring, painting kitchen cabinets and replacing wood panel with glass, tile under cabinets, repainting whole upstairs, and, what the whole process hinges on, reupholstering my living room furniture.

I have never upholstered. I really have no idea how to do it. I saw a basic tutorial and it didn't look too hard. If I am able to redo my furniture I would want to redo the rest of the upstairs. If I can't then we wouldn't. I have a chair I was thinking of starting with. I am very nervous to try. What if I mess the chair up? Then I would be out one chair. If I am successful then the whole chain of events start. Are we up for it?

Has anyone out there tried upholstering furniture (other than simple chairs)? Can anyone suggest good books or tutorial videos? I would really love some helpful advice.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...