Self- drafted tee - final results & new pants

This is the final result of the self drafted t-shirt pattern, after altering 3 patterns, I decided I would go with a v-neck, instead of a scoop neck, I like v-neck's better anyway.  Well, the first pattern I drafted the armholes were too big, and its was too snug for me.  The second pattern I drafted was a still too big in the armhole and not as fitted as I like.  Well, I drafted the third pattern and it was smaller in the armhole and back to being too snug! UGH!  I will eventually get it right, because I'm not giving up until I do!  But I do like the v-neck, although it isn't exactly centered, you can't really tell unless you look real close.
 On  the bright side, I bought this denim looking knit that I intended on making jeggings, well....let's just say,jeggings are not for me, it's a good thing I thought this over before actually making them.  But I did find this cute pattern, I especially like the detail around the knee  - two pleats in the front and a seam in the back of the knee, it includes two back pockets and a yoke in the back and the best part.... elastic waist ....right up my alley!!  Because the knit is so thin, I decided I would underline them and give some weight.  I'm glad I did, I think it made all the difference in the world.  And they're so comfy!

Sew-along T-shirt draft

I joined a Sew-along at Sew Country Chick, in hopes that I would improve my sewing skills.  Sew-alongs are so much fun, you always learn something new and if you have problems hopefully someone has some ideas as to what went wrong, at least I hope that's the case here.  I drafted my pattern of the project for this week and made a muslin.  It fits like a glove everywhere but the sleeves and I can't figure out what I did wrong.  I have posted pictures but unfortunately my card was full and I didn't take any with my arms down.  When I put my arms down I get wrinkles across my chest, when I put my arms out to the side it feels like the arm holes are too big and it pulls up on the t-shirt.  Does anyone have any ideas as to what I did wrong.  I was having trouble with the sleeve cap, I kept increasing it in 1/4 " increments until it was big enough to fit in the armhole, which makes me think one of those measurements were wrong.  Thanks in advance for any advice.

Asymmetrical Leopard top

I love leopard prints I've seen in stores lately, but I've come to realize, all leopard print tops are not created equal, for example, the one I recently made for myself.  I fell in love with this print at the store and I thought I'd found the perfect pattern for it, turns out I was wrong!  This is what the top is suppose to look like:

This is what the top I made looked like:

Trust me this is as good as it gets!  I was laughing so hard I couldn't take a decent picture.  What's wrong with the top, you ask?  Well let me tell you, IT MAKES ME LOOK FAT!!  It feels like its twisted, I think partly because it has no front and back, the back and front are cut from the same pattern piece, and the asymmetrical sleeves gives you feeling like you made a mistake and cut
one sleeve shorter than the other.  After making this top, I read the reviews for this pattern and found a lot of people had the same problem with it feeling like it was twisting on you, had I read the reviews first, I probably wouldn't have wasted my perfect leopard print on this top, but oh well, maybe I can pass it on to someone as a X-mas gift!  ha! ha!

It's my birthday!

Guess what I got today?!  Ok, you'll never guess, so I'll just tell you.  I got a serger for my birthday!  Yay!  I've been wanting one forever, I got one as an early birthday present.  I"m  so excited, I really wasn't expecting anything so I was really surprised when my husband and I went to the store today and he told me to pick one out.  I have the best husband in the world!  I can't wait to put it to use, but I'm going to have to figure it out first.  It's a little intimidating  but it will be so nice to figure out how it works and what all I can do with it.  I can't wait!!

Kimono Tee

I recently ran across a free pattern for a simple Kimono Tee and it's quickly becoming my favorite. I rarely come across a pattern that is simple, free and I absolutely love, and it's the type of clothing item that I actually get a lot of use out of , in that I wear tee's almost every day.  I like this pattern so much, I made  three tee's.  I am contemplating making another one using color block, just to differentiate from the other three, but I still have to find colors that look good together.  I made this tee, with a stripe front and solid back, I was thinking of adding a solid pocket to the front to kind of tie in the colors, but couldn't decide out how big to make the pocket and the placement of it.  It was way too many decisions, so I decided, I would simplify the matter go without a pocket.  Some of the stripes are black so I figured that was enough.

Do these things only happen to me?

This post doesn't have anything to do with sewing, recycling or refashioning, but it does have to do with bitching!  I promised I would to that every once in while.  It all started with a recipe for Instant oatmeal mixture that I found on http://frugallysustainable.com.  First of all I have to tell you, this recipe is amazing, I will never buy individual flavored packages of oatmeal again. I have made it before, but this is one batch I had mixed for my daughter and hadn't given it to her.  I ran out of mine, so I thought I would eat one 1 bowl of hers (she would never notice).  At first it taste, I noticed something different, so I took a second bite.  This time it burned my mouth.  I knew instantly what went wrong.

Does this sort of thing happen to anyone else but me?!  I had the containers facing the wrong way in my cupboard, and I can see how I could easily have grabbed the wrong one.

I ruined the whole batch of instant oatmeal I'd made for my daughter, but I'm so glad I didn't give it to her and let her find out my mistake.  

So instead of this, I had this

It wasn't all bad, I got to try out my new cast iron skillet, and I must say I love it!

Blanket throw

I haven't been doing much sewing, I haven't had anything to inspire or motivate me until this last weekend.  I 

stopped by Hancock fabrics to buy a zipper for a dress I'll be sewing for a wedding I will be attending later this month, and low and behold I saw this fleece I couldn't leave the store without, you see, I just spent the weekend helping my daughter move into her new apartment, she is a transfer student at U of  M.  I know she is looking forward to attending football games and she'll need something to keep her warm during those cold winter days.  I opted not to do the usual no-sew/tie knots, as I thought this would interfere with the print, so I  did a blanket stitch, mind you, I've never done a blanket stitch, never even heard of one, but I figured, how hard could it be.  Turns out it was harder than I thought, for some reason it took me awhile to figure it out and even then it took all day to do, but I thought it was well worth it.  I hope she likes it.

          

Fit to be tied

 I know I've been MIA for the last few weeks, I wish I could say I lost my mojo, but thats not true, it's summer time and I always seem to have something better to do.   Actually my husband and I bought a new trike and we  seem to be on the go every day.  The only reason I actually got something done this week is because I needed something to keep my hair out of my face and I remembered I saw a pattern for making a headband in SEWNEWS free sewing guides.  It was really cute and  so easy to make, took no time at all.
The trick here, is a piece of elastic sewn in for a perfect fit, easily adjusted to fit any head size , the ties are really just for looks.

80's Romper?

Have you ever looked at a pattern and thought how cute this would look on you?  Me, too!  That's exactly what I thought when I saw this pattern, McCall's stitch 'n save M6533.  I just finished this up last night and took pictures this morning, OMG!  The 80's are calling and they want their romper back!  I feel like Alexis from Dynasty,  all I need is shoulder pads!! Don't get me wrong, it is comfy to wear, but don't be in a hurry going to the bathroom, it's a  b**** to take off in a hurry!    Although I like the concept of a romper,  aside from the gathered shoulders that gives it that dated look,  I don't like the bodice,   it gaps right in the center and leaves you exposing more than you want to expose.  I do intend to make this again, but I am going to attempt to do something I've never done before, I am going to change the bodice.  I haven't totally decided what I'm going to do with it, I was thinking, maybe a more fitted bodice with a zipper in the back.  I don't know if this would be any easier to take off, but I don't like the idea of buttons, I don't know, maybe once I get started I'll change my mind.  Does anyone have any experience/ideas regarding this dilemma, I'd appreciate hearing from you

Post Mark Dress

Does it seems like I've got a theme going here? First, there was the Lost letters dress, now the Post Mark Dress, what next?  Well I promise, no more theme dresses!  Not for awhile anyway.
 I just love this fabric, I couldn't tell you why, it's 100% cotton, I tend to go with the cotton, I think it's more of a casual look.  Anyway, I always thought, yellow wasn't my color, I still think that, but I made an exception, this pattern comes with a unlined short sleeved jacket I could always do a different color, there are so many colors in this dress I am having trouble deciding what color to make the jacket, got any suggestions?
 I used See&Sew B5699, it was fairly easy, my only complain is that I had trouble when it came time to attach the skirt to the bodice, for some reason the sides stuck out, I had to take it in more so they wouldn't come to a point.

How to hem up jeans

Do you have trouble finding jeans that fit?  When you do find a pair that fits, they're usually too long and the ones that are the right length, don't fit around the hips.  Well, you can still buy that perfect pair that fits and hem them up and no one will ever know they were hemmed up. First, you 'll have to try on the jeans and fold up one pant leg, the  length you want it, pin it up, (you might want to use a zipper foot for the next step), sew along the original hem, as close as you can get, a zipper foot will get close to the hem.  A jean-a -ma-jig will work wonders on the bulky seams, but its not necessary to have.  Cut the excess fabric and iron the pant leg. Simple as that!

Lost letters Dress

This probably isn't the best suited fabric for a dress but I loved it when i saw it and thought, why not a dress?  It's 100% cotton, and makes a good casual dress, I just happened to have scrap fabric lying around, and it matched perfectly for a contrast color for the neck binding and welt pockets.  The pattern I used is Butterick 5602, view C.  I did make some modifications, I didn't line the dress, I haven't gotten to the point where I feel comfortable or feel like I'm that advanced a seamstress to fully line anything.  I will eventually work my way there, but for now, I will keep it simple.  I know all the reasons why you should line a dress, but overall I don't think it takes away from the look.

Wristlets

I've been in a sewing slump lately, I 'm not sure why.  I have lots of ideas, but haven't actually put those ideas to  work, just lazy I guess.  For my post this week, I thought I would feature the projects that first got me back into sewing, and that was making purses, wristlets and makeup bags.  Although I gave a lot of them away as gifts, I still have a few left over for myself.  I started with a pattern from Noodlehead, this is actually called a gathered clutch, to which I added a wrist strap to make it a  wristlet.  This wristlet is very practical, you can carry everything you really need, keys, phone, compact, lipstick, and oh yes, credit cards and money.  I made some with detachable straps, so you could throw them in your tote and use it that way, rather than as a wristlet.
 The other pattern I used, I don't remember where I  got. I use it as a makeup bag, I also put a detachable strap on it , should you decide you don't need it.  I think it's the perfect size for a makeup bag, big enough for all your essentials, yet small enough to fit in your bag.

Sorbetto top

I haven't had time to do much sewing this week, but I did see someone post a Sorbetto top and it made me think about my  favorite Sorbetto top.  I know everyone has a favorite pattern that you've used over and over again .  Well, Sorbetto would be my favorite, I made a few last year, but this one is my favorite.  I think it's the color that I like the most, not to mention that Sorbetto tops are so simple and easy to make and it doesn't take much fabric, that's always a plus!
Do you have a favorite Sorbetto top?

Nursery Rhyme Dress

Maybe I should pay close attention to fabric prints rather than picking fabrics out at first sight.  I bought this fabric thinking it was a blue willow print. Got
home, washed it and it wasn't until I was cutting out the pattern, I took a closer look at the print and figured out it was nursery rhymes!  Oh, well, by that point it was too late and I decided I'd finish the dress.  You really can't tell unless you get close and look at all the different prints, then you can really see the cow jumping over the moon, old mother Hubbard and Humpty Dumpty.  It turned out really nice and its a nice fit.  I will definitely be making this dress again it's B5639, maybe next time I'll pay more attention to the fabric print, but I won't make any promises!

I had to take a picture of the dress, close up, so you can see the cow jumping over the moon, little bo peep ( I think) I don't remember all my nursery rhymes!

Simple dress

I've been looking for a dress pattern with a low cut back, but I haven't been able to find something that  I really liked and I'm not very good at adding or substituting/combining two patterns, hopefully some day I'll get there, but for now, I just have to make do with what I have, which is -  this pattern (M6505) that I'd purchased awhile ago, with the intentions of making something for my daughter.  I used this pattern with some minor adjustments to make myself a dress.  First of all, I didn't use lace at all and I didn't line the dress, I also omitted the sleeves.  I wanted a very simple dress with a low back.  I did, however, add darts to the back, just to give it some shape, maybe I'll add some darts to the front also, I think it still  looks a little boxy. What do you think, should I add darts to the front  or not?

Retro top

Well this isn't really a retro top, but the fabric sure reminds me of some of those wild colors in the 60's and 70's.  The  pattern is  Vogue 1247 and I really  like it, it's a pull over top, made with rayon fabric, so it's really drapes well.  Because of  the bright colors I chose some faded jeans to wear it with, kinda tone it down a bit. Instructions for the top calls for french seams, but I think next time I make this top, I'll omit the french seams and zig zag or use my pinking shears on the  edges.  It tends to get a little bulky right in the middle where all the seams come together.  Other than than I'm very pleased with the outcome.

Dog bone dress

When I bought this fabric, I didn't set out to make a dress out of it, I just liked it, or maybe I liked the fact that it was on clearance, any way you couldn't beat the price.  It's 100% cotton with tiny dog bones print, they're hardly noticeable.
I didn't like the style if the dress I made last week, even though I liked the dress itself, I didn't like it on me. So for this week I went with Simplicity 2424, it's a very simple dress with a 22" zipper and big belt loops on the sides, it's meant to be worn with a belt and cardigan.  I didn't make a cardigan to wear with it, maybe later I'll find some fabric that goes well with it.  I also didn't  make a belt for it, I did try on a belt, but I didn't think it looked good on me, so...no belt for me.  I must say, I do like this style better, its more of a casual dress or maybe its the print  that makes me think that, anyway I  think it fits me better and better suited for my body.  But enough of that, I'll let you be the judge.

The dress that almost wasn't!

I was inspired last week when I saw someone post a dress that I was planning on making.  I thought I'd tackle that dress, since I already had a fabric that I thought would be perfect and I couldn't wait to see what my version of that same dress would look like.  I can honestly say I've never been more frustrated, I almost threw it in the fire, not once but twice!! At one point I gave up on it and just tried to relax with a bottle of wine.  I did manage to finish the dress a couple headaches later.  The collar gave me more trouble than anything, or so I thought until I got to the zipper, invisible zipper I might add, because I thought it would be a good touch, I had never put in an invisible zipper, and I don't know if I'll ever do it again. In fact I don't know if I'll ever make this dress again, I don't know if it's worth the headache.  I am proud of myself for not throwing it in the fire and actually finishing it, I'm still debating on the look though, I just don't think its my style, who knows, maybe it'll grow on me.