Drapey Shirt

I made a shirt. With knits. Again. I think i am a glutten for punishment. I am DARN set on figuring out this whole knits thing. I think i need to get seam stabilizers BUT that is beside the point.

I followed a Mccalls pattern and when i was done it was about 2 sizes TOO big. Yikes! It looked terrible. So i started pinning, and sewing and cutting and this is what i came up with.

Still not perfect. A little to big in the neckline which makes the sleeves fall off, but for what i started with? It's amazing! I am pretty happy with it, though i plan to draft a pattern from an existing shirt i own to see if i like it better. Then back to Halloween costumes..... i just had leaving something not perfect. *though i really am not a perfectionist* i just want to figure out this whole "sewing with knits" thing.

So here is my creation. It reminds me of a shirt i saw at Anthro not too long ago. Excuse the pictures, i wanted to take them quick because hubby had a football game and i knew we'd be out past sun down.

Twirly (Waves) Skirt Revisited

So I am officially re-naming the twirly skirt the WAVES skirt. teehee. Get it? WAVES and winks? Much more appropriate.

I finally decided after wearing it for a few hours today that it was too short. Tisk. So i set out to fix it without making it look too "i-made-a-skirt-too-short-and-need-to-fix-it." I'm really happy with it and i feel like i succeeded. I only added about 2" but man oh man what a difference it made!

I really like the lace detail. I i still love the waves. It seriously is one of my favorite skirts! And now i am modest (even when picking up the babies) :o)...

P.S. I had a major flop of a time with the Tee for Two pattern today. I will try again though. I just need a heavier weighted knit!

Lucy VanPelt Costume

Can you guess who i am being for Halloween?.... If the title didn't clue you in....

I'm Lucy VanPelt from the Peanuts gang. I was totally nervous to make the costume, but i think it turned out pretty well (it is only a costume!). I made it in one sitting, and it was done completely free handed without a pattern. Scary!

My darts are too high (only second time with darts... i have learned lots) and it's a little off in places, but i am so happy with it! The fabric is a dreadful polyester poplin i got from fabric.com. Yuck. It smells, it feels weird, and it makes me yearn for cotton or bamboo or rayon. BUT it was less than $4 a yard. So i will take it!

I'm super super excited about it and i can't wait to break into the boys fabric for their costumes!!!! YAY!

*i used to HATE Halloween and now i am obsessed. I don't like the scary stuff, but i LOVE the happy stuff! It's so fun with kids! This year will be our FIRST year TRICK-OR-TREATING! I can't wait!

Leaves Are Falling Skirt

I made a new skirt! I am finally making a good dent in the fabric my mom gave to me for Christmas this last year. I loved this fabric and originally it was supposed to be a dress, but i thought the print was a bit too much for a dress. But i love the skirt.

It's just a big flowy Maxi skirt. I love wearing it. It is super comfy. I made a lining for it also, and an elastic waist so it really is just like a pajama skirt! It was my first time ever really working with knits, so i have a HUGE learning curve. My machine doesn't like them much, but my serger was a miracle worker! :o)

....and tomorrow is my birthday! woohoo! i'm *almost* 25 years old. A quarter of a century....

Cottage Skirt

I made another skirt. It almost was a complete disaster. I accidentally cut into my skirt while sergering (the woes of sergers) but i was able to fix and and you would never know. I think it look really good. Just a nice casual happy skirt. The fabric is my Riley Blake, I believe. I cannot remember the collection for sure. It was part of the mass amount of fabric my momma bought for me for my Christmas. I cannot tell you know that we are on a budget how nice having all that fabric is because otherwise, i would have *almost* nothing to sew. One more immediately planned skirt to go!

It's just a simple tier skirt with pintucks on top and an elastic waist back. It's a little big, but i am really making it for a maternity-ish/post-maternity/fat skirt. No, i am not pregnant. Trying, but not pregnant. I just can't stand to make all these clothes that won't fit me in *hopefully* a few months and will then only fit me again for a few months a year later!

The pictures aren't as crisp as normal because they are taken from an iPhone. We hiked 30 minutes up a super steep hill only to realize--the battery to the camera was in the wall. Darn it! Oh well, Nick had his camera and saved the day!

Swirly Skirt

For Christmas last year my parents bought me mainly fabric and sewing books. Up until now, i had not touched the fabric my mom and dad had bought me. But now i have. And i made a skirt. Yay! I am very excited! I really like it. I mixed two patterns very roughly together (Vogue 8560 & McCall 5631).

The skirt was the Vogue and the waistband was VERY roughly the McCall. The skirt was supposed to have a hem band, but when put on it hit right at the knee and ruined the flow of the skirt. So i took it off. It made the skirt a little bit too short for me (i'm 5'10") but i still really like it. For the waistband i increased the size and added elastic to the back. I wanted it to be able to fit maternity since my husband and i are yet again ttc and i already have a closet full of skirts i can't wear.

I added embroidery in a wave-swirly pattern along both the front and back of the skirt. I really like how it turned out. I am a firm believer in that embellishments make the outfit. So yay! I have two more skirts to make and a shirt too. I am excited to be sewing for myself, but it is definitely more nerve wracking than sewing for my kids. They are easy (and they aren't picky)!

Looking at it again i'm starting to wonder... should i length it? Maybe a-laMake It Love It?
hmmmm.......