Itty Bitty Baby Dress - The Stars at Night Edition

 

I posted last week about the first version of this dress that I made for my cousin (see here). This is the other Texas themed one that completes the set!

The stars at night are big and bright

Deep in the heart of Texas!

Closet Flashback: Kitchen Attire

I admit it...I hoard aprons. I sew them up then forget about them in the back of my kitchen closet. It's sad because they are so fun to wear! I decided to dig one of my favorites out and put it to good use for Halloween cookie making. It's a pattern by Amy Butler from one of her books (I think it's in "In Stitches") and sews up beautifully every time.

 

Here's an action shot :) 

 

 

I like how you can tie this half apron high on your waist or low on your hips depending on how you like to roll...(bad baking pun intended)

 



 

The waist is accented with little pleats.

 

I don't think the mini pocket really serves a purpose but it's cute anyway!

The Whale Super Tote

I bought the Super Tote pattern from Noodlehead a couple of months ago with the idea that maybe someday Meg and I would open an Etsy shop. Last week I decided to get to work and make a prototype bag out of a Whale print, 21 wale, corduroy that I had banished to the back of my stash. 

 

I like to vigorously test out the end product myself to see if there are any quirks that need to be smoothed out in future versions. I'm a stickler for stability and I think the original pattern needs it's interfacing requirements to be beefed up significantly. That's really my only qualm though. Other  than that, the bag sewed up beautifully, I love the size and it has endless possibilities. I have at least 25 other versions dancing around in my head that need to be liberated so I better get sewing!

  

 This picture is just for scale purposes. The finished bag is deceptively huge and holds e v e r y t h i n g with space to spare.

The front of the bag has a large pocket trimmed with white piping.

There is a pretty, pleated gusset detail on the side.

I have to say that the recessed zipper is probably my favorite part. 

There are 4 large, internal pockets with elastic to keep everything in order.

I box stitched the handles for extra stability.

Hemming Jeans

The other day I scored a deal that I couldn't pass up. I was at the Gap and found a pair of 1969 jeans in my size for $6.80! The only problem was that they were extra long and while I'm tallish and wear high heels, they still dragged on the ground. I did some Googling and learned the secret to modifying your own jeans while keeping the original hemline.

 

It's almost preposterously easy and took me about 15 minutes. 

 

Here's a basic rundown of the procedure.

 

1) Find the shoes you'll be wearing with the jeans because they will be dictate how much to shorten them.

 

2) With your  trusty shoes and long jeans on, turn up the hem (the rights sides of denim will be facing each other) until you reach the proper length.

 

3) Measure the "cuff" that you've turned up from the bottom of the leg to right under the original hem (don't include the original hem in the measurement) and divide this number by two. For example, I turned mine up 2.5" so the new number I needed to work with was 1.25".

 

4) Take this new number and very accurately turn up, press and pin the cuff in place based on that measurement.

 

5) Using a zipper foot carefully stitch around the leg opening (the right sides of denim will be facing each other so you'll be stitching on the wrong side) as close to the original hem as possible.

 

6) Turn the freshly sewn line into the inside of the leg and press the new seam on the outside well. 

 

7) Once the new hemline is pressed you may want to tack down the extra material inside on each side seam (I did this so the extra fabric didn't flop around). If you took a lot of length out you may want to serge the extra material off instead. Either way, you're done!

 This is a before/after shot. On the left you can see how they drag on the ground and after they are the perfect length.

 This is what the hem looks like when it's all pressed and ready to go. You have to look really hard to see the line when they're actually on.

This is the inside shot after they are stitched and tacked down permanently.

Constellation Miette Skirt

I have a closet full of dresses. There's nothing wrong with that but I felt like I needed to branch out and expand my wardrobe in a new direction. I have no idea how I happened upon the Miette Skirt pattern from Tilly and the Buttons (http://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/) but I'm so glad that I did...you can buy it here by the way ;)

 

 

I had great intentions of wearing this on the 4th of July and taking wonderful pictures in it with the cows out at the ranch...the skirt is red, white and blue and covered in stars BUT when I walked out of the house that morning cotton felt too hot so I chickened out and wore performance gear instead.

Now that July is almost half over, I thought it was time to finally take some pictures. Nothing quite worked out as intended for these shots but you get the idea.

 

 

One of my favorite features of the skirt and a very necessary one, is the overlapping fabric in the back. It keeps things from getting scandalous when the wind blows which it does all the time here in Texas. Also, the pockets on the front have a hint of ease to make it easier to put your hands and keys or whatever else into.   

At the last minute I sewed a funny label into the waistband thus the double line of red stitches on the bottom. It makes me laugh every time I see it.

 



I think what really pulls the skirt together is the red piping along the pockets and the red top stitching. As it was all coming together I kept catching myself giggling because I was smitten with the color/pattern/piping combo and knew it was going to turn out perfectly!

 

 

The skirt is very easy to sew, doesn't require any buttons or zippers and sizing is forgiving. I've been looking for a wrap skirt like this for years and I LOVE how my first one turned out. My serger made finishing the seams quick and easy and the only modifications I did was to make a narrower hem on the edges and bottom of the skirt. This pattern is worth every penny! I think my next version will be in a dark denim or light chambray with redrafted or inseam pockets. 

 

 



Inside Out Bag

A couple of months ago I found this tutorial for the "Inside Out Bag" over at the Purl Bee (click here for their instructions) and loved the simplicity of it. I finally got around to making it and I think it's going to be a perfect summer bag. I used a really nice canvas that I've been hoarding for over a year and some Amy Butler fabric that caught my eye recently. This is an easy project that doesn't take a lot of fabric, webbing or bias tape.

Zippy Wallet with Marimekko fabric

I found the tutorial for this project a few years ago (find it here on Noodlehead) but never got around to making it. I'm traveling soon and suitcase/purse real estate is limited so I wanted to make something that could stash the essentials and fit inside a SMALL crossbody bag.

I used a piece of Marimekko fabric that I scored a couple of years ago at a Crate and Barrel outlet.

 The zipper is from one of my mom's yardsale adventures that resulted in copious amounts of vintage sewing supplies.

 I used a 14mm sew in snap that I got as a free sample....sweet!

Birthday Gift #2

Birthday Gift #1

I love Marimekko fabric. It's funky, bright and a nice weight so I decided to make a reusable grocery bag for my sister. Really, the intent is actually for it to be a farm share bag because it's easy to wash! The bag has french seams, folds up small and is bound with homemade bias tape.

Quick Travel Bags

I had some leftover home dec fabric from Ikea so I made some quick and easy bags just for fun. The nerd in me likes to travel organized!

Birthday Bows

I don't stash wrapping paper or bows in my house because extra storage space is in high demand in my apartment. As a result, I try to go a bit green by using things like paper bags and newspaper, etc. A while ago I ran across this awesome bow tutorial that uses a single magazine page to create the bow. I decided to use it for my sister's birthday presents this year and I LOVE how they turned out. I only have food magazines so everything is made of pictures of arugula pizza or kiwi or bacon which makes me smile. If you have a big pile of old magazines lying around, I highly recommend this tutorial as an easy way to make the most of them!

Easy Summer Purse

I came across the pattern and tutorial (it's free!) for this purse from the blog "Prudent Baby" which you can get here. It's a great beginner project and it finishes quickly. I just used some scraps that I had lying around and I made the bias tape which I love doing. I plan on making a few more of these for the summer because I like to have a lot of random bags lying around to change things up. Plus it's a good project to get some scraps used up.

Quick Project

Here is a zippered pouch I made last week. I used scraps from my stash, and a zipper and lace from Grandma's awesome thrift store. I used french seams so that no raw edges are showing. I haven't had much sewing time lately, as I have been working on getting my garden up and running. I am, however, working on a quilt for my oldest son, and it is coming along nicely. I'll post pictures soon of the progress.

Mom's Potholders

Here are some funky potholders I made for my momma :) I really like the red, white and blue one!

Summer Upcycle 2

I've had this linen dress in my closet for years but it was a strange length. It fell a couple of inches above my ankles and it made my short legs look even shorter which was no good. Anyway, I loved LOVED the detail of the fabric and wanted to utilize it somehow. So, I chopped it in half, hemmed the top and added elastic to make a skirt. Now don't judge me and the elastic because I tried various pleats and any other detail just added too much superfluous texture...plus, elastic was just easier and gets hidden by whatever top I wear with it!

Summer Upcycle - Dress to Top

I found this paisley dress stashed in my packed up summer clothes. I wasn't thrilled with the fit as a dress anymore so I chopped several inches from the bottom and finished it off with a rolled hem (which makes me feel smug). Now it looks really cute as a light summer tank top! As a bonus, the seams were already serged so it looks like I actually bought it this way :)