Beaded Forest

My recent sewing projects

Here's what I've been up to, sewingwise:

The shirt is my adaptation of New Look 6621, and the skirt is self-drafted.  You can't really tell from the picture, but the skirt has inside-out French seams, making nice vertical lines down the mid sides of the front and back (I got that idea from a Vogue pattern).  The shirt is a bit brightly colored for me...I usually go for earth tones...but I had the material and was feeling ready for spring!  It's a stretch cotton so it fits really comfortably and wrinkles less.  I like the pattern and will use it again, now that I've made all my adjustments on it.  The two pieces weren't necessarily meant to go together, but they teamed up nicely for the picture, I thought.

On to other subjects...Harry's in big trouble!  Turns out he's been stealing from the neighbors.  We were aware of a few mishaps..."borrowed" gardening tools and the like...but we got a call from a neighbor last night that Harry had chewed up his baseball mitt, and two of his bicycle helmets were mysteriously missing.  One of the helmets was discovered this morning, its condition, shall we say discretely, a bit worse for wear.  So...he'll be getting some new helmets and a mitt on us, and Harry will be a bit more supervised outside!   

Pattern adjustments

I just finished making some adjustments in my pattern for the blouse I showed off in the last post (the first blouse listed)...there were some fit issues that needed some work, and hopefully I've figured them out!  So I'm gonna give it another go-around and see how it turns out this time.  I really do like the pattern, and it's worth fiddling around with for the perfect fit.

This is pretty much all I've gotten around to this week.  We were out of town for a few days, so that threw everything off!  But it's always nice to get away and do something different. 

I'll document my progress as the blouse comes along...

What I've been up to

I've been doing a bunch of sewing lately, squeezing it in when I have time.  I've been thinking of Spring/Summer tops!!!  The main project I've been working on is this one:

It's from an out of print Vogue pattern (7999), and I should model it on myself...it's looking kinda bedraggled here, worse than it looks in real life (also, it's not finished).  I actually love the pattern, which is very flattering on me.  Emphasizes my waist and glides over problem areas!  There are a few problems with this rendition, and I need to make some adjustments to have it really fit right, so I'll fiddle with the pattern and make it work.  I'd been looking for a pattern with a side zipper, a style which has always worked for me, and this one fit the bill.

This is KwikSew 3419, and I've made it a couple of times.  Once again, it's fitting kinda funny on my dress form...I've got one of my bras on it, but there's still something off in the boob area.  Don't know what's up.  But it's a flattering style on me...has that nip-in-the-waist-and-glide-off-the-hips thing again.  I had to raise the neckline, because the first version I did was a bit too revealing!  Just like the Victoria's Secret top below:

I added the stretch lace inset for modesty purposes.  Who can wear these super-low-cut things, and where are they going in them?

This camisole (with an underwire bra attached!) is from Sahalie, but it was a little too long to fit right.  So I hemmed the bottom, something I've never done on a store-purchased knit.  It ended up a little wonky, but I think some additional steaming with the iron will help.

So, those are my sewing adventures for the week!  I'm going on a little vacation this week, so no sewing time...boo hoo!  But yay vacation!!! So it balances out.    

I'm back!

After a long creative dry spell, I think I'm back!  Or at least headed in the right direction.  I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't get myself to do anything craft-related for a month or so.  I managed to get a lot of eBaying done, which was an accomplishment (I've got lots of stuff sitting around that someone else could have more use for than I do, so I feel it's my duty to get it into their hands!  Makes more space, too!), so that's a positive.  There's still more eBaying to be done, but finally I feel motivated to get out the sewing machine and scissors and start doing something fun! 

I started out with a project that totally flopped...more on that another time...but now I'm doing some t-shirts using a TAT (tried and true) pattern, so they should work out fine.  I think I'm getting in the mood for warmer weather! 

And I ran across this gorgeous fabric while surfing the net:

Please click on the picture so you can see the detail...I love it!  It's a William Morris cotton from Waechter's Silk Shop, and I had to have it.  It has no assigned use just yet, but its proper place will become evident at some point!

I also have to remark on David's cooking of late...it's been terrific!  He made this fabulous shepherd's pie which came out of the oven so lovely I had to take a picture:

And delicious too!

More to come...I'm back in the swing of things, I can feel it!

Experiments...

This is the general state of my work area.  Chaos.  I've been experimenting with various things, and haven't come up with too many finished projects to show off.  Some of my experiments are paying off, though, so I'll hopefully have some fun stuff posted soon!

In the meantime, I just found out yesterday that Rockland Center for the Arts wants teachers to display/sell some items in their new display cabinets, so I came up with a couple of new things to put in there:

A couple pairs of earrings, and...

...a Spring scarf.  Guess I'm into the blues, pinks, and purples right now!

More scarves!

I made a couple new scarves for gifts.  I hope the recipients like them!

I've been so busy!  I got a few computer programs (iWork '08, Photoshop Elements, and LineForm), and I've been teaching myself the basics and playing around with logo ideas.  I've got so many things I want to get off the ground, and learning these programs and getting basic business stuff together (like a logo, business card, etc.) are the first steps.  A friend of mine was recently shopping in a little boutique in Nyack, and the owner/designer got all excited about the scarf she was wearing...a gift from me!  She wants to see my "Spring line"...uhh...I've got some work to do!  I know the shop also carries jewelry, so who knows, I might bring by a few jewelry ideas as well.  I'm not sure when I'll have time to do all this, what with that full-time job I have (what a bothersome time-stealer!), but I'll try to pace myself and see what I can accomplish.

I think I got this one right...

I think I've finally got skirt-making out of my system for the time being!  After my experience with the last skirt, I needed something more of a sure thing.  The material is a neat embroidered wool blend, and I've added a slight flare on the bottom (not a ruffle!) and a little trim.  It's the length I wanted, it fits, and will do great with a sweater and boots.   Yay! 

Now, what to do next?  I made a list of possible projects, but none of them are singing out to me.  I was going non-stop on projects before Christmas, and now it seems my creative juices are moving a bit sluggishly.  Does that mean I should take a break?  Or just keep plugging along?  Any suggestions?

I'm not sure about this skirt...

This was the skirt I started before the Dragonfly Skirt, but needed to embellish.  This poor skirt went through so many changes from the original idea!  I had bought the material to compliment another material I wanted to use, but it somehow just didn't work out.  Then I had an idea for the bottom edge, but I didn't have the amount of fabric I needed, so I ended up with this ruffle.  It looked so...hmmm...Little House on the Prairie-ish, which along with the Amish austerity of the grayish-green color, wasn't what I was going for.  I thought a little trim would fix it up, so I stopped by the local JoAnn's, which is closing...this means there are great deals, but limited selection.  I ended up with these two trims (one for 50% off, one 75% off!), and I'm just not sure about the result.  It's better, definitely better than it was, but, well, not what I wanted.  The length is a little funny and not the most flattering (oops, almost typed "fattering", which I'm afraid it may be!), and the whole effect is some strange combination of cutesy and somber.

Maybe I'm being way too critical.  I'll give it a chance and put it together with an appropriate outfit, boots, etc. before I make a final decision.  I have yet another skirt in the works (if I can muster the proper enthusiasm after this experience), and hopefully that one will turn out perfect!

Giveaway winners selected!

I used a random number generator at random.org to pick the two winners of my fabric giveaway, and they are Sarah and Stephanie.  Congratulations! Thanks to all who entered...it was a lot of fun to see your comments and to check out all your great crafty blogs!

Dragonfly skirt

Happy New Year!  I'm starting it off a year older (it's my birthday today), and with a nasty cold.  BUT, I managed to finish making a skirt with this lovely dragonfly fabric, from JoAnn's, of all places.  The close-up shows the color more accurately.  I love long skirts, especially in winter with boots, and it's always great to have another to add to my wardrobe.  Once again I had guidance from the Sew What? Skirts book, although I've tweaked the instructions a bit to work for my measurements, and I think I've finally got the perfect base pattern.  This one's pretty basic...just a little rickrack on the bottom...but now that I have the right measurements, I'll play around more.

I made another skirt this weekend with a ruffle on the bottom, but, well, I ran into a few difficulties along the way and it's seriously in need of embellishment before it's ready for its closeup.  I'm looking for the perfect ribbon to go between the main skirt and the ruffle, and maybe even a trim to go along the bottom.  The right thing will come along sooner or later!