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...

Burda 7-2009-104 My Plaid Shirred Dress Finished!

I was determined to get this dress finished to wear to church this morning. Last night, at about 11 PM, my husband came in and asked if I was going to be finished soon. I told I thought I would be finished soon. Silly me! I finished 5 hours later. Guess I not a very good judge of how long my projects take. I really enjoyed this project. I learned a lot. As I said before there were many parts that I had never done before. I thought I would take you through how they went.

1. Shirring-I used elastic thread and zig zagged over it. I really liked my plaid fabric. I was able to follow right along the line which made it very easy. I was pleased with how easy this was to do.

2. Welt pockets-These went pretty well. I used "Sew any Set in Pocket" by Claire Shaffer to help. One of my pockets looks pretty good (picture below) the other one overlapped a bit at the end. I liked how the had me construct the inside of the pocket. Burda's instructions were understandable for someone who hasn't done it before (me).

3. Flat Felled Seam-Boy, did I have trouble with this one. For some silly reason I had great difficulty getting my head wrapped around this one. Finally, I remembered to look in "Shirtmaking" by David Page Coffin for some help. After a few attempts I finally got something that resembled a flat felled seam. This was definitely the biggest stretch on this project.

4. Collar with stand-I referenced "Shirtmaking" for this also. Understanding the pictures took a bit but finally I got a collar that turned out really well. I really liked this method. My edgestitiching actually looked pretty good on the inside doing it his way.

5. Blind Hem-Just as I was about to hem the dress I decided to do a blind hem (about 3 AM) that I had never tried before. I consulted my sewing book by Simplicty to find out how to do it. It was so easy! I had no idea. It looks great on my dress.

So, here it is. My plaid shirred dress: Burda 7-2009-104.

Front of Dress

Back of Dress

Pattern Description: What an enchanting, feminine shirt-waister! With roll-up raglan sleeves front button fastening and lightweight fabric it's sure to become one of your favorites. Elastic shirring at the sides gently sculpts it to your waist.

Pattern Sizing: 36-44 My bust measures a size 40 while my waist and hip measure size 44. I decided to make size 40. I didn't want there to be too much fabric since I was using a heavier fabric than suggested. I really like how it ended up fitting.

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

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were kind of easy to follow. I liked the pocket instructions (I did use other sources for the actual welt part). Now that I am looking back at them they are quite sketchy. They are fine if you know how already to do the different parts of the construction. Since I didn't know how to do the welt I looked at another source.

Welt Pocket

I also used Shirtmaking by David Page Coffin with pictures for constructing the collar.

Collar with Stand

I was able to easily construct the dress (with a bit of extra help) so the instructions were easy enough.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked so many parts but my favorite is the waist shirring.

Front Shirring The raglan sleeves were very easy. This pattern is drafted very well. All the pieces fit together perfectly.

Fabric Used: Cotton woven plaid. I really liked using the plaid. This really helped keep everything on grain. I was able to match the front and the top arm seam. I also matched the collar and stand.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't change anything.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? This is a great pattern. I really liked the finished result. I probably wouldn't make a second of the same design though. Another great thing about this dress is that it can really look different in so many ways. Check out Christina's version and Dawn's version to see two other very different looks.

Conclusion: Great dress! This was a fun challenge to make. I hadn't done shirring, welt pockets, or flat felled seams. I have made shirt collars before but not very well. This was my first try with Coffin's method. It turned out well for my first try. I am very pleased with this dress. I think it will become one of my favorites just like Burda said.

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

Until next time...

It's Been Slow Goin'

Just thought I would check in. I was able to spend some time on the Plaid Shirred Dress on Saturday. I was able to get the shirring and the welt pockets completed. The both look pretty good and I am happy with how they turned out. I haven't had a chance to work on the dress since then. I am hoping to have some time tomorrow. I need to get it finished soon because my daughter is very anxious to have me make a fall jacket for her.

Hopefully, I will have something to show you soon.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Burda 7-2009-104 My Plaid Shirred Dress in the Works

I love reading other sewers blogs! I have been inspired so many times by what other people make. They will make up patterns that I saw but didn't pay any attention into something fabulous. That is exactly what happened to me with this dress.

When I saw it in the magazine I didn't pay much attention to it. Then Christina made it and I thought her version was very cute. Then Dawn made up her version and hers was great too. So I decided to give it a try.

After I decided I was going to make this dress I had to find some fabric. Since I wanted to pull from my stash I decided on trying a plaid that I have had for a while. I have always really liked it but haven't had any inspiration for it. This one is not too heavy with nice body and drape. I have seen a lot of plaid lately so I think it is still in. I also figured that If I didn't like it for this dress the pieces are big enough that I could refashion it into something else. I draped it over myself to get the effect of the dress and I liked the initial look.

Now, there are many things about this dress that I have either not done before or am not very good at. This will be a real skill builder even if it doesn't turn out right.

Have not done before:
1. Shirring
2. Welt pockets (Christina and Dawn didn't do them. I would like to try. It depends on how the pocket placing falls on the plaid.)
3. Flat Felled Seams (Now I will finally take the time to try out the flat fell foot I bought a while ago.)
4. Raglan sleeves (I don't think these will be any problem. I am good at sleeves.)

Things I am not very good at due to lack of experience:
1. Shirt collars with stands
2. Pockets
3. Matching plaid

So this project will definitely be an experiment and a fun challenge at the same time.

I cut it out of muslin already to see if I even liked the style on me. I cut size 40 because I didn't want tons of gathered fabric. The shoulders and bust fit beautifully. I did have to take an inch out of the length so that the shirring was at my waist. But that is it. I am off to cut it out.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great Saturday.

Until next time...