A Dress for a Wedding

In the past I have read about many people who have had a wedding to go to and therefore made a dress. Before reading these blogs the thought wouldn't have crossed my mind to make a dress for a wedding. Plus, I don't go to too many weddings. Most of the people I know are already married. Well, recently a co-worker of my husband got married and I made a dress for the wedding!

This was a huge step for me. I have never made a dress for myself. Shirt, yes. Dress, no. I used a fairly easy pattern. Butterick 5206.
I read the reviews on Pattern Review and was pleased to find out that most really liked the pattern and the finished results. I think they all said that they had to take in a few inches and this really helped me decide what size to make. My pattern only went up to a 14. This was fine for my bust but too small for my waist and hips. After reading the reviews I felt confident that I could just cut a 14. I did add an inch to the back after measuring the back bodice piece because I have a wide back. I also added a bit to the neckline because all the reviewers felt the neckline was quite low.

The pictures aren't the greatest. They were taken inside at night and there is quite a bit of shadow. I tried to lighten them up a bit so you can get an idea of how it looks.I have to say that this is the boldest print I have ever worn over my whole body. I cannot believe I made it for myself. It is very daring but I kind of like it though.

Pattern Description: Mid knee length dress has close-fitting mock wrap bodice, flared skirt, contrast binding, side zipper, two sleeve lengths and tie belt.

Pattern Sizing: 8-14 I measure 14-16 in the bust and 16-18 in the waist and hips. Since I had read other reviewers had to take the dress in about an inch or so I decided to cut out a 14. This worked great for me. I did add an inch (total-half inch to each side) to the bodice back because I have a wide back and after measuring the actual back bodice piece I realized that was needed.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes very much like the picture.

Were the instructions easy to follow?Very easy to follow although I didn't really use them too much since it was easy and I wanted to do things a little differently. I but the top together before doing the binding on the top. I wanted to make sure the top fit well before going through all the trouble of binding the edge. I also set the sleeve in flat rather than per the instructions.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the simplicity of the pattern and the result didn't look simple. I think that I must not have attached the waist very well because it looks messy. This is completely unnoticeable under the belt.

Fabric Used: probably a polyester knit from Michael Levine Loft

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
1)I didn't have quite enough fabric so my ties were not as long as the picture.
2) I did the binding a bit differently. I cut it on the crossgrain because this direction had a comparable amount of stretch as my fashion fabric. I stitched the binding on the garment right sides together. Then I folded the binding over the seam allowance to the other side and stitched it down using my coverstitch machine. This gave a nice finish to the wrong side. Since my fabric was black you can barely see the stitches on the wrong side of the tie. This was a very easy application of the binding. I would have rather used a binding attachment for my machine and done the whole thing in one step but since I don't have a binding attachment yet I had to do it in two steps.
3)Eliminated the zipper per recommendation from other reviewers. It slips over the head just fine.
4)Bound the arm and hem. It was easier to bind these edges instead of trying to turn and stitch them down.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I am not sure. I love the dress and love how it looks but I am not sure that you can have many of this style in one closet. I might make it in a solid. I think that would look different enough from the print.

Conclusion: I would definitely recommend this pattern. It was easy to sew and to fit. This is a great first dress and a nice beginning pattern for sewing knits. I really like the belt as it covers a multitude of mistakes.

I took pictures of putting on the binding but since it is black it is just too dark. You can't see anything so there is no point on having pictures. Sorry about that.

If you are looking to make an easy dress that is quite nice give this pattern a try. I think it is a great knit dress. Oh, I think that it is a bit low too. I have it pinned but I think next time I might wear a tank underneath.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Alaska Quilt Block #1

Twelve days ago I made the commitment to make one quilt block a week. You are probably think that I already messed up. Well, I didn't really. I didn't get the Thangles (which is necessary to making the blocks) until last Saturday. Since it has only been a week since I had all the supplies I am right in my time frame.

Let me tell you about Thangles first. They are quite interesting. Since my blocks are 2 1/2" finished I will used these measurements. You start with 3" strips. Then you pin on the Thangles 2.5" strips. The strips are 3"wide paper strips that have triangle lines marked.

As you can see in the picture there are multiple diagonal lines. The middle one is solid and the two on either side are dotted. You stitch on the dotted lines. This one strip will make 4 triangles. This is a picture of the backside and you can see the stitched lines.

To make the triangles you cut on the solid lines.

Last you take off the paper and you have a very nice square.

Sorry I don't have a picture of one finished square. I do have a picture of my finished block. This block kit came from Seams Like Home here in Anchorage. It was pretty easy to get. :)

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

Until next time...

To Go Cheap or Not to Go Cheap? That is the Question.

I rediscovered an Ottobre yahoo group recently that I subscribed to long ago. All of the messages were going to my yahoo mail that I never check and boy have I been missing out. I set it to go to my regular email and now I will be able to keep up. This is not the reason for this post though.

One member of this group posed a question to the others. She wanted to know an average price for making different garments and if it was possible to sew for less than you can purchase clothing a stores such as Target or Children's Place. The discussion got quite interesting with people sharing why they sew and what quality fabric they use. Some members sew to save money and strive to make garments for the least amount of money possible. Other members bought the fabrics they loved regardless of price because they wanted to make one of a kind outfits. There was also many responses in between.

I thought this was a very timely question. Something I have been pondering lately. When I began sewing 8 years ago I couldn't wait for JoAnn's 50% off clearance fabric sales. I loved getting fabric for $2 and $3 a yard or even less. I could make outfits so cheaply. I did quite a bit of sewing with this type of fabric. I didn't even go to the independent fabric store because I couldn't imagine paying those prices.

After a while I started going in to our local fabric stores and would find fabrics I really liked that were on sale. I bought a few cottons for $5 and $6 a yard. Thus began my love for high quality cotton fabric. I noticed immediately how nicely it sewed up. It would press beautifully. It didn't come out of the dryer a wrinkled mess.

Then I decided to make a wool skirt for myself. I wanted nice fabric so I went to my local store and purchased some nice wool. It was a delight to sew and I loved the result. My love for nice fabric was just beginning. I still couldn't bring myself to pay a lot for fabric on a regular basis so I worked on finding good deals when I could. I would go to Denver Fabrics Annex when I could. I stocked up on some nice fabrics when I went to the Sewing Expo in Washington and found some for good prices. I would get cottons twice a year when the quilt stores had their sale day or get it from their clearance bin. All the while I continued getting cheaper stuff also.

Now in my stash I have an assortment of a few nice fabrics, some decent fabrics, and quite a few cheap fabric choices. Every time I sew with my cheaper stuff I have great difficulty. It just doesn't sew up as well. It doesn't make sewing fun for me. It just becomes frustrating and the results are often not exactly what I would like. Take for instance the three polka dot dresses I just made. I purchased the fabric from JoAnn's. It wasn't clearance fabric. It was their regular stuff for about $6 a yard which I got on sale. This was fairly decent fabric. It sewed up alright but when I finished they just didn't have the crisp look I was going for. It just seemed like the fabric was never completely pressed. While these dresses are cute I wish I would have purchased nicer fabric. I would have gotten the result I really wanted.

I just made two garments from fabric I purchased at the Denver Fabrics Annex and from Michael Levine's Loft-nice fabric at less expensive prices. I was very pleased with how both sewed up. One of the garments was a knit. My knit experiences to this point have been less than great. Recently I made a knit shirt for my daughter. The shirt material was from Michael Levine's Loft and it was fairly nice to work with. It needed contrast and binding fabric and so I purchased some from Joann's. I had great difficulty with this fabric but it just might have been because it didn't have as much stretch as I needed. With the garment I just made I also needed fabric for binding. This time I got it from my local store. It was a little more expensive but it was a joy to work with.

So, through this fabric journey I have learned a few things. Sewing is much more fun when I use nice fabric. Nice fabric might cost a bit more but in the long run it is worth the extra expense. I am happier with the result and am more likely to wear (or encourage my daughter to wear) the garments that I make. Using nice fabric just makes sewing more fun.

As a result of this ponderings I have made it one of my goals to purchase more quality fabrics for my stash this year. Now, I still have a very frugal side so this will be a challenge but one I think I am up for. It is just going to take some savvy shopping.

In answer to the question on the Ottobre group how much I spend on fabric. I guess that would depend on the project. I might try not to spend very much on something that I know is not going to last long (like shorts for my children for a short Alaskan summer). But, I will not skimp on something I want to last a while. I have to remember that the garments I make could not be purchased at cheaper clothing stores. They would be found at the more expensive botiques. So if I spend $20-$25 (I usually spend lots less on nice stuff) on fabric for an outfit I am saving a lot of money compared to the expensive stores where I would like to purchase clothing.

I know that many of you already have come to these conclusions about purchasing nicer fabric. This has been a process for me. Actually this is kind of funny because I figured this out a long time ago with purchasing yarn for knitting. I simply cannot bring myself to purchase cheap yarn. I figure that if I am going to put hours and hours into something I am going to use the good stuff.

Wow! This is a long post. I will leave you with a picture of a typical activity at my house. Thank you so much for reading. Have a great day!


Until next time...

Happy New Year!

Many other bloggers have been talking about their past year and looking forward to the next. Well last year I didn't make any specific goals to look back on now. I will just give you my thoughts on the last year which are a few.

3. My family is healthy and doing well. God has blessed us tremendously and provided for us in so many ways. I am so thankful for His care and concern for us over the past year.

2. I didn't sew a whole lot of garments but I learned a lot by what I did make. I am pleased with this years progress.

3. I finished 3 sweaters. I began 2 of them this year and finished up one started a couple of years ago. This was awesome progress for me. Yeah!!

Now, as for looking forward. I am not into New Years Resolutions. I never keep them. I think I have a commitment phobia. As soon as I think I have to do something I don't want to do it no matter how much I like the activity. I am such a rebel! So instead of resolutions I will nail down a few things I would like to accomplish. But remember there is no pressure here. Since I like to keep this blog mostly crafting I will restrict myself to crafty accomplishments. If I went through the things I would like to work on in my personal life the list would go on, and on, and on.

1. I want to purchase better quality fabric. I have a tendency to gravitate toward good deals. I need to put more quality stuff into my stash that I would actually want to wear. I also want to concentrate on coordinating fabrics and not just purchase things singly that I later have to find something else to match.

2. I want to spend more time crafting and not just vegging out. My main time for crafting is the evening and I am often pooped. I don't want to do anything but when I don't do anything I feel like I wasted a bunch of time. I will still veg out I would just like to do it a bit less.

3. I want to finish sweaters (and sewing projects for that matter) within a reasonable amount of time (not two years). I have been getting better at this and want to continue this success.

4. I want to sew more for myself which would then include increasing my fitting skills.

5. I want to make a chart to keep track of my projects. I really like the chart Karen made and want to borrow the idea. This will really help me see my accomplishments and be a motivator. Then at the end of next year it will be easier to count up my projects and yardage. I would really like to know exactly what I made and how much fabric I used. Oh, and I would like to fill the chart by the end of the year.

6. Lastly, I would like to figure out my camera and learn how to take better pictures. My pictures don't have to be museum quality just better than they are now. I really want to get some good pictures of my kids.

I am sure I could think of more but I will just stop here.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Alaska Quilt Block Shop Hop

Back in 2006 14 different quilt stores across Alaska joined together to create blocks for an Alaskan quilt. I spent the summer of 2006 on a quest for all the blocks. I thought I had them all but it turns out I only have 11. Oh well back to my story. I obtained these block kits through different means and it was a lot of fun. Of coursed I planned to make up this quilt right away. That didn't happen and now almost 2 years later I think I should finally get to it. Wow! I can't believe that I am going to make a commitment to do this. I really want to finish this project and this is the only way I would do it. At first I was going to commit to one a week but I think that might be a bit much. If I do one a week great! But as I am writing this that seems like a huge accomplishment. No! I WILL commit to one a week and I will post my finished block here so you can see my progress. There! I'm going to do it! Now all I have to do is find out where I can get the Thangles that the pattern calls for. This might take me a couple of months. :)

I will leave you with this picture of my kids playing in the trees. They had such a ball.


Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Final Christmas Gifts

Here is my last Christmas gift for my nieces. This was quite an easy project. I copied an apron that my children had. I used some Daisy Kingdom fabric that I got a few years ago at JoAnn's. I love the contrast binding. This is a close up of the embroidery and the binding.


Oh, my children would like to wish you a belated Merry Christmas and Happy new Year. ( I was attempting to get them to take a nice picture in their Christmas outfits. Not today!)


Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Birthday Dresses

I decided to make matching dresses for my nieces for their birthdays and my daughter. I was inspired by a dress a Gymboree earlier this fall. The Gymboree dress was a simple peter pan collared dress with a belt in a polka dot fabric. I loved the simplicity of the design and that it really showed off the fabric. I thought of making the three matching dress in September but it actually took me until late October to make the committment. Only after finding the fabric did I decide to make the dresses.

For my 2 year old niece I used New Look 6842. I was immediately drawn to the plaid dress. This pattern had the cute peter pan collared dress I was looking for. This was actually difficult to find in this size. The complete review is here. If I copied the whole thing here this post would be way too long.
A close up of the bodice. This dress has banded sleeves.

For my 5 year old niece and daughter I used New Look 6309. Essentially it is the same dress except the the shape of the collar in the back and the ruffled sleeve. The review for this pattern is here.

This is my daughter and my 2 year old niece in their dresses.` My other niece doesn't live near us.
In my reviews I tell how I added the belt. I will put this explanation in my next post.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

My Black and White World

Time for another completely unsewing related post.

I like to take pictures but I am not that good at it. I tried taking pictures of my kids on Sunday but it didn't work out at all and I was definitely rethinking why I try. Today I decided to take some pictures while my kids were playing outside since that is where the best light is.

Lately, I have been looking around and noticing how black and white the world is especially when we have a lot of snow. Here are some pictures I took (that I actually like) that display my world. Just so you know the pictures are actually in color. I didn't post process them to black and white.





I don't think I will quit taking pictures quite yet.

Oh, here are my kids. They had a ton of fun playing.

Then to make the perfect end to a fun time as were were leaving I somehow dropped the key to my car. We walked to find a phone (mine was in the car of course) to have my husband come pick us up. We ended up getting the car towed to the dealership where it is sitting waiting to be opened and a new fancy key made (we only have one key because they are so expensive) sometime tomorrow. What a day! Although it could have been worse the details worked out fairly smoothly.

Hope your day ends better than mine. :)

Until next time..

A Call for Help from a Bad Pattern Reviewer

I thought that I would start some reveiws for Pattern Review so that I could enter some items into the Holiday Sewing contest. Of course I have done a few reviews before (although I am not so great at it) but was slightly confused with the picture thing among other things.

I noticed today on my review page the little part that has a number and a C by it. As I read the page I realized that that meant the number of comments on my review. I was so astounded and excited that people actually read my reviews and found them helpful. Now some of those reviews were written in April so as you can see I am really taking a long time to understand all the ins and outs of Pattern Review. Quite a few of the reviews said that my pictures would not come up any bigger than thumnail. I would absolutely hate to come across a review, be very interested to see the garment review and then not be able to see anything other than a small thumbnail. If any of you have read my reviews and this has happened to you I am soooooo sorry. I guess I need a bit of help. What is the best way to put pictures on my reviews? Do I need to use another site? Should I just link to my blog? I know that many of you are loyal PR's and throughly understand how to do this so I would really appreciate your help.

Thank you so very much!!!

Until next time...

Baby Shower Gifts and My Cute New Niece

I went to a baby shower the other day and I actually made the gift. I made simple burp cloths out of cloth diapers and some leftover Amy Butler Fabric. I made two plain ones and one that was personalized that turned out quite cute.

These are pretty easy. here I how I made it.

First I cut out the correct size for my fabric strip. For me it was 5"x18".

Next you should interface the fabric at least where the name would go. I didn't do this but I sure wish I did.

Then print out the name large and bold in whatever font you would like. I picked something pretty blocky because I thought it would be easier to satin stitch.

Center the paper template on the fabric. You can either pin or use weights to keep the template from slipping.

Cut out the letters very carefully. I used a very small rotary cutter to do this. I am not sure scissors would work as well as the scissors would lift the fabric.

Now place on the diaper and stitch around the edges. Lastly, satin stitch around all the edges of the name.

Then make another one by satin stitching on the letters directly onto the diaper.

Okay, now to show you my adorable niece Aleya and the ones I made for her.