Summer Dress Week - More from you!

Are you feeling inspired yet? After viewing the pictures from this post, I can't see how you won't be. When I first announced a dress sewalong, I thought only a handful of people would actually play along. To my surprise though, a lot of people joined in. Today I want to feature a few more creations made by you. Click on links below the picture for more information on these beautiful dresses!


1. Peach Dress, 2. my first dress, 3. Vogue 8571, 4. Trapeze sundress, 5. McCalls 5799, 6. McCall 5618, 7. Anna Maria Horner Socialite dress, 8. Juliana, 9. YIP 365.36 :: Spring dress

More to come...stay tuned!

Summer Dress Week - Day 1 - Made by You!

I don't know about you, but when it's hot out, as it has been for the past few weeks, I love to wear a simple summer dress. Comfort and cuteness combined in one garment, how can a girl go wrong? If you're like me and are looking for some summer dress inspiration, you've come to the right place. For day 1 of summer dress week, I'm featuring a few dresses (in no particular order) from the Summer Dress Sewalong flickr pool.



Left: Shear Delight used the Smocked Sun Dress pattern from Heather Ross to make this perfect-for-hot-summer-days-dress. So cute!
Middle: I can't believe the detail and work that Lucky Knitter put into this dress. She knit the top, then dyed it to make a perfect summer dress.
Right: Wowza! Stitch in Dye used some navy linen and Simplicity 2584 to make this gorgeous dress for just $12. Her inspiration dress cost $350!



Left: Costume Divas Dirty Laundry used McCalls 5658 to make this stunner. I love the flower detail on the shoulder.
Middle: Isn't this dress gorgeous! The Real Astrogirl used Butterick 5209 and some batik fabric to make this dress. She even installed the zipper by hand!
Right: What a lucky lady! Her mom, Meg, made this cheery yellow dress for her using the Oliver + S birthday party dress pattern.

More summer dress inspiration tomorrow!

Summer dress week - next week!

This is just a reminder that summer dress week is next week! If you haven't already, please place any pictures of summer dresses you've made in the Summer Dress Sewalong flickr pool. Remember also that you can put pictures of summer dresses in the pool at anytime after next week. I hope it will serve as a great, one-stop source for summer dress inspiration. It has already inspired me! More about that later...

Fabric Scrap Giveaway - Winner!

Wow, where did the past week go? I think I realized at the beginning of the week that my wedding is only a few months away and it's just been wedding, wedding, wedding around here. It's been fun stuff though but I have neglected this space as a result.

First off, I can't believe how many people want scraps! I am going to have to do more scrap giveaways in the future, now that I know they have happy homes to go to. Thank you to everyone who entered. You all had great suggestions! Read through the comments from the last post if you ever need any ideas on what do with those ol' scraps.

Without further ado, the winner of the fabric scrap giveaway is Artsy Momma who said "I am making linen bags for my daughters toys. I would use the scraps for the appliques." Congratulations Artsy Momma!

Fabric Scrap Giveaway!

Someone once told me that they wished they could crawl up and live in my scrap bin. Well, now's your chance (er, sort of)! My scraps are starting to explode out of the large bin I hold them in and it's time to make room for new scraps. Please leave a comment for your chance to win a priority mail flat rate box stuffed to the seams with both large and small fabric scraps (and some fat quarters too!), including but not limited to these wonderful designers:

Anna Maria Horner, Tula Pink, Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Momo, Sandi Henderson, and more!

Leave a comment by May 31st telling me what you would like to make with these scraps: doll quilt? patchwork belt? applique? The possibilities are endless! I'll draw one random winner on June 1st and will ship the scraps off on June 3rd. I will ship internationally.

Be sure to check out the other great giveaways going on right now over at the Sew Mama Sew blog. Good luck!

Scenes from a Tuesday

It's Tuesday already and it's only Tuesday, know what I mean? I hope you enjoyed your weekend, and if you're reading this in the States, your long weekend (for most of us anyways). Living in DC, Memorial Day weekend means a lot of bikers. I wonder if bikers look forward to this weekend every year - riding along side a half million other bikers all at once. I imagine they must. I attended one bbq on Monday and did finish my dress in time. But wouldn't you know, I didn't get any pictures. The dress is Simplicity 3503. I'll write up a full review when I get a picture, but for now let's say I felt very tres chic and plan to make another dress from this pattern.



After the bbq I began preparations for my friend's baby shower this weekend. I decided to make some fabric bunting in hopes that my friend will be able to use the flags later in the nursery (the nursery colors are green and yellow) or for birthdays or other baby events. What a fun project it was to make! Tonight I plan to cut out my fabric for Simplicity 2584 and hope that I'll be able to finish it in time to wear to the shower on Saturday.


One last note before I go, be sure to stop by tomorrow as I'll be participating in Sew Mama Sew's big May giveaway with something fun for you to win.

Summer Dress Sewalong - Planning

If you haven't started thinking about a dress you'll make for the Summer Dress Sewalong, don't worry, there's still plenty of time. I'm heading off to Joann's in a little while to take advantage of their sale on Simplicity patterns (5 for $5). On my wish list is:



Simplicity 2584. I've already seen a couple of these made up in solid colors and they're just gorgeous (see here and here). I love the neckline detail.



Simplicity 2586. This looks like a very basic design, but I think the quilted trim on View C is an interesting detail.



Simplicity 2702. I was sold on this dress when I saw it featured in the latest Threads magazine.



New Look 6457. I bought some fabric a few months ago with this style in mind. More on that later though!

Although it's a long weekend, I don't think I'll have a lot of opportunity to get a lot of sewing done. Weekends tend to fill up so fast! I'm hoping to finish one dress that I started earlier this week just in time for a Memorial day bbq on Monday. What are your weekend or sewing plans?

Sewing machine cozy

Back in this post I mentioned that I had plans for all of my fabric. What I meant was that I eventually plan to use the fabric, but sometimes, I admit, I don't have a specific plan for the fabric. I definitely didn't plan on using a charm pack of Wonderland by Momo fabric I had on hand for a sewing machine cozy, but I'm so glad I did!


I love love love the Wonderland fabric line. This sewing machine cozy is the perfect way to show off the gorgeousness of all those prints and I'm pretty sure my machine is happy to be so beautifully covered. How can you not smile at those cute scissors and dots in such pretty colors? Every time I walk by my sewing room now I slip my head in for a quick peak. I know some people just wouldn't understand, but I'm pretty sure you [readers] do.


For the cozy, I simply sewed together seven rows of charm squares, attached two side panels of the some pink and purple dot fabric from Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party line cut to size (measure the width and height of your machine and add an inch or two for seam allowance and ease), and hemmed. Voila! Now I'm happy that I can look at those pretty prints on a regular basis and my machine is happy that it's now dust free.

P.S. Have you taken a look at the beautiful summer dresses in the Summer Dress Sewalong flickr pool yet? Remember, you can enter dresses anytime, I'm just featuring them on this blog the week of June 15-19. I need to get sewing!

Summer Dress Sewalong

So, it must be all of the quilting, but I think my [clothing] sewing block might just be about over. Over the past couple of weeks I've been filled with ideas and inspiration, namely for some summer dresses. Several of you mentioned an interest in playing along in a summer dress sewalong. I hope that by doing so, we can motivate and inspire each other to make at least one fabulous summer dress for our wardrobes this season.



The details: Sew a summer dress (or two or three or four!), post a picture of it in the Summer Dress Sewalong flickr pool, and I'll feature it on this blog the week of June 15th through the 19th. If you don't have a flickr account, just send me a link to your blog post with a picture of the dress. A few additional items: If you've already made a summer dress, it counts, as long as you made it this year! Also, dresses for children count too! Oh, and I'll probably throw a door prize in for a randomly chosen player.

I plan to post pictures of my inspiration and dress sewing process at least once a week between now and June 15th, and I encourage you to do the same. Happy dress sewing!

Fruition

Fruition: 1) Pleasurable use or possession; 2)The state of bearing fruit.



I've been wanting to make a Blossom block quilt ever since I saw this picture on flickr almost two years ago. I wanted one of my own so much that I immediately bought the materials. A few days ago I started the quilt. I've pieced together the top and just need to quilt and bind it. Further proof that I do have plans for all of my fabric, some of those plans just come to fruition quicker than others.

Weekend = Possibility

I love waking up early on Saturday mornings and thinking about all the potential the weekend ahead holds. It's a kind of quiet excitement. Do you feel that way too? My weekend is looking wonderful so far. First on the agenda, a run (as soon as I finish this post). Next, I plan to finish up my friend's baby quilt. I ended up leaving the stripe in; the solid green was just too bright.


What else will I do? A game of golf tomorrow, lunch outside, a dress to be sewn...Speaking of dresses, I've been thinking about hosting a spring/summer dress week at the end of May/early June to motivate us (cough cough - me) to finally check off those dresses we've been meaning to make. Anyone want to play along?

What does your weekend look like?

Blocks to get through sewer's block

My absence from this blog was at first do to the warm sunshine that appeared a few weeks ago, but is now only a memory with the week of rain we've had. Then I was busy preparing for the transition to a new job. But now, the excuse is that I have sewer's block. I enter my sewing room, look at my fabric, look at my patterns, and just have no idea what to sew. So, what to do? Why, sew blocks of course.

Here is my contribution to the Pieced Together Quilting Bee for April:


Erin requested rectangles and squares. I think this quilt is going to look great.

I also started a quilt for my childhood friend who is having a baby boy (if the sonogram is correct!) in July. I'm using the Hopscotch quilt pattern from Super Simple Quilts #1. So far it has been super simple, though I think I might substitute the horizontal green stripe fabric for a solid green to add a little more oomph. What do you think?

More blocks to come!

So far

I know I've been a little absent from this blog lately. The truth is, I've been spending as much time as possible outside and enjoying the few days of Spring we've had. Also, I'm starting a new job today (yay!) which has been a very welcome distraction for the past few weeks. That doesn't mean that others haven't been sewing. April is my month to send out fabrics for the Pieced Together Quilting Bee that I'm a part of. I want to make a quilt for my living room sofa, so I decided on blues and greens (and polka dots of course). Here are the blocks I've received back so far:


Isn't it pretty!?

Sometimes...

...sewing projects just don't work out. I haven't yet decided if this one has or not.

It's Butterick 4978. I still need to hem the dress and reattach the neck binding, but I'm not sure I will because I'm not sure I like this dress. Don't get me wrong, I think the fit is good, and I like the style. I'm not crazy about the fabric. I used a satin backed crepe, when I should have used chiffon. The crepe feels, um, a little cheap to me. It's also a little too thick for all those gathers. Of course, I could just have mixed feelings right now because of that bias skirt which gave me more of a headache than it should have (lesson: staystitch staystitch staystitch!). We'll see if this dress ever gets finished or worn. I'll give myself a little time away from it to decide.

Let it be known

I was named Bo first.

Asymmetrical Fold Skirt

A few months ago I picked up the inaugural issue of Stitch magazine. The main reason I bought it was because of the Asymmetrical Fold skirt, though it's filled with many other lovely patterns. I made the skirt right away. However, it's been hibernating in my closet waiting for warmer weather. I'm fully aware that I could rock this skirt with some boots, but for some reason I just didn't feel much like wearing skirts or dresses this winter. Now that Spring is here, I present to you my Asymmetrical Skirt.

I used a light weight dark denim and some Farmer's Market cotton for the facing. I love the contrast of the yellow with the dark denim. I had a few problems with the construction of the skirt, but I think that's more user error than pattern error. First, I cut out a wider back panel and added a few darts since the original back panel was too tight (I should have measured this first!). Then I had a little trouble with the buttonholes. When I measured the length of the buttonholes, I didn't take into account the many layers of fabric that I would have to sew and push the button through. So I ended up having to make them a little bigger than I normally would. Also, instead of using the button markings as called for on the pattern, I tried it on and marked where I thought the buttons should be placed. Other than that, I thought the pattern and instructions were clear and simple.

ETA: Caity reminded me that there are a few corrections for the pattern on the web: http://www.quiltingarts.com/STITCH/corrections/winter08.html. These were easy corrections to fix. Just read them before you make this skirt.

Pattern: Asymmetrical Fold Skirt from Stitch magazine
Fabric: Dark denim and Farmer's Market cotton
Conclusion: I think I'll wear this skirt a lot this spring and summer!

Making a dress

I thought you should know why I've been so quiet on the blog lately. I hope this video explains it all.



I'll give you more details in a bit.

Napkin update

I only need a few more fabrics to complete the collection for my wedding napkins. I keep pulling these out and looking at them sitting all in a row. Ah, happiness.

New Look 6807

The inspiration (from this post):


My version:

A light, swingy top made from some stash jersey and New Look 6807. After reading the reviews of this top on Pattern Review, I raised the neckline a bit before cutting. I'm glad I did, otherwise I think this top would be too low cut for my comfort. I also lengthened and narrowed the sleeves.

I omitted the tie in the back neckline. I like the tie detail on the pattern, but I didn't want to add any more fuss to this busy print.

Pattern: New Look 6807
Fabric: Jersey from my stash (and I still have enough to make another top)
Modifications: Raised neckline, narrowed and lengthened sleeves, omitted back neck tie
Result: I really like this top and will probably make it again in a solid color.

Piece together quilting bee

When Katie announced the Pieced Together Quilting Bee, I jumped at the chance to join. Katie had the first month and requested an improv block that primarily used reds and blues and whatever else went. It was more challenging than I thought it would be to make, but I really enjoyed the process. I hope she likes it.