Knit-Knac

Happy New Year and Hello 2012!!!

2012-01-02T10:50:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year!! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday. Things have been really crazy over here in my world and I don't see them calming down that much any time soon but I'm trying to get a handle on things and maybe 2012 will be a little better. Let's just say I don't have control on everything, but I'm trying. My mother had a heart attack at the end of October and since I am her only child, there is a lot to handle. She is stable now and came home in the beginning of December, but can not be left on her own for long periods of time. We're all managing okay and taking one day at a time.

Anyway, the guys and I played and sang our hearts out New Years Eve and it was a blast. Of course, you know I had to have a new dress for the occasion. I never thought I might make this dress but I love it and want to make it again.

On Friday I knew I wanted to make something but I wasn't sure what. Since sparkle is in, I was thinking sequins and you know that out of the 10+ containers of fabric I own there was nothing there. Don't worry I've put myself on a fabric diet again for 2012 until PR Weekend in New York. Anyway, I stopped at Jomar on my way home from work in the hopes that I could find something there. I found a sparkly wine stretch knit that I was going to go with first but while I was standing in the checkout line I spotted this lace knit on the designer remnant table for $3.99 a yard. There was only two yards but hey, that was all I needed. I also picked up some tricot while I was there for $1.60 a yard.

On the way to my mother's house I stopped by Joanns to pick up a zipper and saw that McCall and Vogue patterns were on sale. I purchased a few patterns and also picked up Vogue 1267 by Tom and Linda Platt. I purchased this pattern before but wasn't sure I'd have time to pull it out so I purchased another copy to play it safe.

Here's my review:

Pattern Description:

Close-fitting, lined dress has decorative shoulder and side darts, lingerie straps and invisible back zipper.

Pattern Sizing:

8-24

I cut a 14 but scaled down to a 12 because of the stretch lace knit.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

I think so but the lace knit fabric hides the darts so you can't really see them.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

The directions for this pattern are fantastic and very easy to follow. Also, this pattern is seven pieces. You have to cut out each individual piece separately and I have to say this pattern is made so well that you can't make a mistake.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I did not dislike anything about this pattern.

Fabric Used:

Stretch lace knit that I purchased at Jomar.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Because the dress had enough stretch in it, I was able to omit the zipper.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I definitely plan on making this dress again. I think that the detail of the darts was lost on this version and I want to make it again in a woven so that the darts can be featured. If you have a wedding or special occasion to go to, don't pass this dress up. I was able to sew it up in about two hours. Cutting and marking time took a little over an hour but it was so worth it.

Conclusion:

This was the last garment I sewed for 2011 and I love it. I got so many compliment New Years Eve on this dress and someone actually wants me to sew for them and she went as far as to give me her phone number and email to stay in contact with her. I'd say that's a win win.

Costume Sewing and McCalls 5954

2011-10-23T14:03:00.010-04:00

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments you all left me about the rabbit dress that I made my little friend. I’m very impressed with my NY stash additions as well. So much so that four pieces were washed and are in rotation for upcoming garments. One piece is done and I will blog about it soon so stay tuned. Tiny, in my last post you asked me if I made my labels. The answer to your question is no. I purchase my labels from Namemaker.

I’ve made my final decision on the lace for the skirt project. It will be in the works soon, but I have a few things I need to finish up first. A co-worker asked me to make her daughter’s costume for Halloween. The costume is Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. Picture is courtesy of www.chasing-fireflies.com

I used McCall 5954. I started on this project last weekend and worked on it this past week to deliver it this past Friday. 22 plus hours of work later and that's with a day job that's very demanding. I delivered a finished costume to a very happy mother. This project and I mean project took some planning and shopping for trim, because let me tell you, this project was not a walk in the park and there were a few scary moments. Below is a mini diary of my escapade. I hope you enjoy.

On Thursday (Oct 13th) the Mother tells me oh, my daughter is in a contest next weekend and we have stuff planned for her the following weekend. I think to myself (OH Sh.., she finally brought me the fabric last week and I haven't started this project yet. OMG!!!) Nothing like her telling me at the last minute that I didn't have another week to get this baby done. Hello!!! (Why did I take this project on? Project Runway here I come.)

Thursday night I started cutting fabric and did the markings.

Friday at lunch I started basting the bodice during lunch, so far every things looks pretty good. I also used Wonder Under for the first time. It's webbing that you attach to fabric if you want to make it an applique/iron-on. For those of you that don't know it, it's like stitch witchery or steam a seam, but it comes on a bolt like fabric. I’m not crazy about my client’s fabric choice, but hey, I didn’t buy the fabric. I feel that there should be some crushed velvet in here somewhere, it would make the costume look a little more richer and this kid would be a lot warmer. I’m trying to pace myself on this one because it’s so elaborate, but I also want to get it done. I want to work on my own stuff.

Tuesday ( Oct. 18) When I accepted this job, I knew that it would be time consuming and involved, but I didn’t realize how INVOLVED it would be. I sewed on Saturday morning for about 4 hours before I had to head over to my mother's and did some handwork over there in the middle of doing stuff for her. Sunday I did not sew anything. Took the day off to rest. I did go shopping at Joanns Saturday for a heart charm to make her choker. All I found were 2 fairly large red heart buttons. I think this will do with some Mod Podge and red glitter, the ideas are endless. Sunday I glittered the buttons. They look fantastic. My brain is flying all over the place. In the time it took me to make this costume, I could have made at least 3-4 new pieces of clothing for myself or a new blazer or coat, by now, and don’t let me get started about the sleeves and the painstaking slowness that I had to take to get them attached to the bodice. If you ever have to do sleeves for a 3 ½ year old, attach them flat. I followed the pattern directions and realized afterward that they don’t fit on the sleeve arm of my machine because they’re TOO SMALL/LITTLE. I can say that I was questioning my skills on getting this one done, and so far I haven’t had a problem. I guess I just needed to know that I could do it. Every time I look at this dress, I’m like Wow, I did that, and I’m loving the trim I picked out. It’s really made this costume. (Note to self, run over to Jomar and get some more of that trim, I need to incorporate it into a project for myself. I love it.)

Wednesday (Oct 19) Through trials and tribulations, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. All the hard stuff is done with not too much mishap. Last night I finished sewing the other sleeve on to the bodice and this one went on a bit quicker as I knew what I was doing. I also added the peplum. I have to say, this is some of my best work yet and I’m still amazed that I can do this. I’m still not use to sewing for others and it freaks me out a little bit. I’m always afraid that something will go wrong like getting grease stains on the white portion of the skirt while machine stitching on the hearts. Tide stick and baby wipes are a beautiful thing. I woke up this morning and the stains were gone. I almost had a heart attack just thinking that I might have to start part of this project over.

Thursday (Oct 20) Last night I sewed the back of the skirt on, attached the skirt to the bodice. That was not easy. With all the gathers in that skirt it was crazy trying to attach the skirt to the bodice and peplum Stitching it was not too hard. When I went to serge everything to make it look clean, that was another story. I thought at one point I broke my serger. The dag on fabric was just too thick and bulky. Bias tape is a beautiful thing. It hides things that you just don't want seen and can clean up a garment like nobody's business. I called my knitting students last night because I am going to need tonight to finish up this baby. This morning before I left the house I cut out the striped fabric for the choker a striped piece for the back of the collar, ironed on a piece of interfacing and sewed both pieces before walking out the door. When I talked to the mother earlier in the week, I told her I didn't need the striped fabric. She looked at me and asked, is there anyway you can fit it in anywhere on the costume. I don't want the fabric to go to waste. (Is she freaking crazy? I've been working on this costume till 12:30 every night this week. I'm holding my eyes open with toothpicks here. Oh, and did I tell you, Mr. D. hit a pot hole in the wildlife refuge near our house while riding his bike Tuesday night and flew over the handle bars? I had to clean him up when he made it home.)

Thursday night I installed the zipper to the dress. Did all the hemming and attached snaps to the collar and dress. I was going to add striped fabric to the hem of the dress per her agreement, but now looking at it, it would ruin the dress and since I'm the designer here, it's my show and I don't want this dress to look tacky. Also made ring to match choker. Every queen must have her accessories.

Friday, delivery of dress on schedule, my mini project runway is over and I'm exhausted, but I do have one happy customer/parent.

By the way, major shout outs and thank yous go to my girls Sheila and Cennetta for keeping me on track and sane this past week.

My September Recap

2011-10-09T11:30:00.007-04:00

I apologize for my absence but as they say, I took a blog vacation. I didn’t mean for it to be so long, but time got away from me. I have been a little busy though. I even met up with a few of you for the shopping day in New York. Here’s the loot to prove it.

This is what I got from Metro Textiles.

From the top row, the corduroy is from Mood, the two knits in the top row are from Spandex House. The bottom two fabrics are from Elliot Berman.

Sorry I didn’t take any group pictures, but my main reason for going was to buy lace for my skirt project that I talked about in my last post. Let’s just say trying to find 6-7 inch black woven lace is not one easy task. I was a little discouraged as I wanted to start on my skirt right away and then realized it had to go on the back burner. Anyway, I was able to find two different designs at Pacific Trim, and one oddly enough on Etsy.

It’s recycled but I don’t care. I think it very pretty. Here are my choices. The 2 on the top on Pacific Trim and the one on the bottom is the reclaim lace.

Let me know which one you like the best. Here is the picture of the skirt again.

To take my mind off of the skirt I decided to design a dress for my four year old girlfriend who lives across the street from me. She told me she wanted purple and I said okay. She even came over and helped me mark up her dress. Of course I marked it first and she went over the lines I had already made. I had the idea of making a romper so I purchased Simplicity 5489 which is a basic romper pattern that I picked up at Joanns. The corduroy fabric is from Joanns as well.

I decided that I wanted to place a bunny rabbit on it. That’s when the wheels started turning. Instead of placing a patchwork type shape of a rabbit on the dress, I decided to make it a pocket.

I found a picture/outline of a rabbit online, blew it up, traced it on to tracing paper and then outlined it making it bigger because it wasn’t big enough to use as a pocket. I cut 2 pieces of fabric, interfacing one of the sides to make it sturdy. After attaching the rabbit pocket on to the dress, I thought it looked a little plain so I added a ruffle to the top of the romper.

Since my little buddy is still getting use to buttons, I tried to make it easier on her since she is dressing herself and gave her snaps to close the romper.

Now to complete this outfit, what rabbit would not like something to snack on between feedings. Let’s just say the dress was a hit and my dear little friend ran off to go and play with her dress.

In knitting news, I did finish my sweater and got a chance to wear it before the cold wave set in.

It was a hit and I got a few offers but I stayed strong.

This baby is for me, and I love the yarn I used.

Up next, some more knitting for others and a new dress, McCalls 6118 to dance my butt off in.

I didn't float away!!!

2011-08-29T09:29:00.010-04:00

As you all know by now we had some major crazy weather in this part of the country over the weekend with Hurricane Irene. We lost power Saturday night, but it came back on Sunday morning. The only damage was to our vegetable garden. We're going to have to pick our corn early as the stalks have fallen over.

I originally was going to go to New York for Elizabeth and Robin's PR shopping day, but that was canceled. To make up for that, I made sure I stopped in at the 50% off sale that Fabric Warehouse was having, and I did behave myself. I walked out only spending $30 and got this lovely loot.

After that, I pretty much got my house and my mother's home ready for the storm by putting all the lawn furniture and items that might get blown away. Absolutely no sewing got done, but I did get time to think about what I wanted to sew next. I have planned that the cream and stripe fabric will become this skirt from Twinkle Sews.

I probably won't use the pattern from the book and will use one of the skirt patterns I already have used before like McCall 3830.

I've made this pattern up before and like it. It's my go to TNT pattern and I feel comfortable playing with it. The only thing I am missing now is the lace that I would like to use as the overlay over the cream. I will probably go to Joanns and look and see what they have. I might also check out a few sites online. A six inch lace should do it.

I'm thinking of using the Aztec like fabric for Vogue 1258.

The green and black fabric will become a top. I'm not sure which one yet, but we will see. I haven't designated a pattern for the red and black fabric yet, so that will sit in my stash for a while.

On the knitting front I got to work on my Chiton Pullover from Winter/Spring 2011 Knitscene.

I've been working on it off and on this summer and thought I better get cracking as summer is almost gone, and I'd like to wear it as least once before the cooler weather gets here. I'm knitting it with a yarn that I picked up at Maryland Sheep and Wool. It's cotton, bamboo and silk I think and I LOVE the colorway. I finished the drape neck front yesterday(I just love a drape neck) and I'm working on the back of the sweater now. Hopefully I can get that completed in the next week.

I'm off today and originally it was suppose to be a resting day for me, but I'm not to sure about that now. I might be moving my mother in as she has no electricity and PSE&G is saying services won't be restored till Sept. 4th. Oh well, back to the real world.

Happy Crafting everyone.

Jackson's Favorite Treats!!!

2011-08-21T21:32:00.005-04:00

This weekend I decided to make doggie treats for Jackson. I made treats years ago when Byron was around and I forgot how much they both really liked them. Scratch that, LOVED them. I was going to try this new recipe last weekend, but got to it this weekend because the cookie jar was running low.

For those of you that are interested, here's the recipe I came up with from viewing other recipes online.

Preheat your oven at 350 Degrees.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup oats
2 tbp of Canola or Olive oil
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 hot water

In a large bowl mix all the dried ingredients together. Then add the oil and peanut butter.

Next slowly add the water and mix your ingredients together.

With a rolling pin, roll your dough out till it's 1/4 thick. With a cookie cutter, cut your doggie cookie shapes out and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Place the cookies in the oven for 40 minutes. Take out and cool.

I'll leave you with this parting shot.

I was trying to take the cookie away from Jackson. He was not having it.

If you liked this post, let me know. I'll post other treat recipes in the future, as I test and try new ones out.

New Looks on Sale for $2.99

2011-08-19T07:21:00.002-04:00

Hey Ya'll. I just thought you would like to know that New Look Patterns are on sale on the Simplicity site for $2.99 until 8/22. I got the email this morning.

It's Maxi Time!!!

2011-08-15T19:56:00.009-04:00

Believe it or not, I haven't sewn anything for the past 2 weeks, but I was thinking about this fabric,
and the maxi dress that would come out of it the whole time.

Now that I think about it, it might even be more like two weeks that I've been thinking about this dress. Isn't that sad? I think so.

I purchased this piece back in June at Spandex House. When I saw it. I t was screaming/whispering to me that it wanted to be a maxi dress. Anyway, I got busy doing other things and then when I had the time, I either thought about something else or looked at other patterns. I was also trying to figure out what pattern I wanted to use. I have a few tank top patterns that definitely fit the bill but in the end, I narrowed it down to Simplicity 2189. What helped me with my decision was that I didn't want darts in the bodice, and I wanted a no brainer as I was sewing this baby up after work Friday night for my company outing on Saturday afternoon. By the way I didn't look at the directions, I just did my own thing. Plus the dress is simple enough that you really don't need them. By the way, excuse the hair in these pictures. It's looking a hot mess. These pictures were taken after my job's summer outing and the weather was not the best. Let's just say Saturday was the precursor to Sunday's torrential downpour.

I cut out the size 14. I cut the neckline lower by about 2 inches because I wanted a lower neckline and added about 10 to 12 inches to the bottom flaring is a tiny bit. In the end I removed 3 inches from the bottom of the dress. That worked out perfectly because I used it for the armhole bands.

For the neckband I cut a long strip of fabric about 2 inches wide.

I sewed one shoulder seam leaving the other one open and attached the neckband to the dress before sewing the other shoulder seam closed.

This fabric was a little on the thin side so I lined it with tricot.

Overall, I'm very happy with this dress and would make it again. Here is my pattern review which goes over in detail what I pretty much just summarized.

Pattern Description:

Misses' & Plus Size shirt, pants and knit dress or top.

Pattern Sizing:

I sewed the 14, View A.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes and no. I change the length of the dress to make it a maxi dress.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

I really would not know. I did not look at them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

This pattern looks pretty good so far and there are a couple more items I may make from it. I picked this pattern to achieve a look I had in my mind for a tank maxi dress.

Fabric Used:

Rayon Lyra from Spandex House.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I cut the front neckline deeper by 2 inches and the back neckline deeper by about 1 inch. I also lengthened the dress pattern by about 10 to 12 inches, but then removed from the length about 3 inches. 2 of the 3 inches I cut off I recycled and used for the armbands. I did not use the pattern pieces for the neckband and armband from the pattern. I just winged it.

In putting the neckline and neckband together, I sewed one shoulder seam closed. I left the other one open and pinned the neckband to the neckline, right sides together. Once the neckband was on I serged it, then sewed the open shoulder seam closed. This technique enables the neckband to lay flatter and I like the look much better than sewing both shoulder seams then attaching the neckband.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes. I want to possibly work on the neckline a little bit more and possibly go for a racerback look next time. Yes I would recommend this pattern to others. There are a few more items in this pattern that I want to try.

Conclusion:

I'm pretty happy with the outcome of how my dress turned out. I was winging it and had a vision in my head with what I wanted. I got pretty close to it. The dress is very functionable for those lazy days of summer, and I looked and felt comfortable and chic at my job's summer outing.

Almost A Wadder

2011-08-14T10:49:00.004-04:00

I have had New Look 6729 (OOP) in my stash for a couple of years but for some reason felt intimidated by the pattern. Why? I don't know because I was able to put it together pretty easily. I purchased the fabric from Fabric Warehouse about 3 or 4 years ago.

There was barely a yard of it, so I knew I had to be careful with how I cut the fabric. Anyway, I was in a rush to cut the fabric out because I wanted to wear it on Saturday and decided to cut and sew it on a Friday night before I ran out the door to go to the hair dresser to get my hair done. (I made this top in June by the way. Well, in my rush to cut out the fabric, I didn't check to see which way the stretch was and cut out the back. Of course to my horror I realized that I had cut the back out with the stretch going lengthwise. I freaked for about a minute and forged ahead, because there was no way I was throwing this fabric away. I liked the print too much. I cut the front piece out and made sure I had enough to cut it the correct way, sewed it up and left the arms and hem undone before leaving to get my hair done. When I got home I hemmed the sleeves and top then tried it on. In doing so I realized that the bottom of the top in the front was drooping in a weird way. I assumed that that was from me cutting the back out wrong.

I wish I had taken pictures to document my fudge up, but, of course I did not. (Mental note to self, start documenting everything. You never know when you may need this information again, or it might be helpful to someone else.) I put the top on Lola and messed with pinning in the sides a little, and it did the trick. I was able to get rid of the hanging droop in the front of the top.

Pattern Description

Pattern Sizing:

14, View C

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once
you were done sewing with it?

I think so.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Pretty much. I didn't have any problems with them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I liked the style of the pattern.

Fabric Used:

Rayon/Lycra Knit purchased from Fabric Warehouse.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

None.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes and yes.

Conclusion:

This is a nice top to add to your wardrobe and would look good with slacks, a skirt jeans or a suit. It is a top that can be dressed up or down. Definitely a keeper.

P.S. I made updates to my last post on how to make the laundry detergent for those of you that are interested. (Serenity, Sheila, Karen).

Hey Mom!!!! I Made Detergent!!!

2011-08-08T21:30:00.004-04:00

First off, I want to thank all of you for the wonderful comments you gave me on my dress in the last post. You guys are the greatest, and if you ever want honest opinions or are not sure if something is working for you, you all give just the right advice. It helps a lot, especially for someone like me who sometimes second guesses myself. Anyway, not to change the subject, but I am. Let's talk soap.

Never in all my years did I ever think I would make Laundry Detergent, but I took the plunge yesterday and did it. I use to make handmade soap years ago and loved it but stopped about 5 years ago. I've been thinking about doing it again, it's just a matter of space, and time. Anyway, one of the reasons I decided to try making my own laundry detergent was because I have a problem where certain detergents make my skin breakout after I've washed my clothes in them. The liquid detergent I have been using for the last few years is the Arm & Hammer for Sensitive Skin with no perfumes or dyes. I have problems with finding this detergent on the shelves sometimes and usually have to buy it in bulk when I see it on sale.

I came across this recipe and cross referenced it against this other recipe the other day for making your own natural laundry detergent and figured, "hey why not give it a try". It's free of toxins and dyes which is not only good for you, but also good for the environment. Once everything is mixed up, you let it set for 24 hours and you are good to go.

I used a bar of Ivory soap. You grate your soap up with a grater and place it in a large pot with 4 cups of water and melt it on the stove. Once the soap has dissolved into the water. Turn the pot off;

you take 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda and pour that into the soap water. Stir until dissolved. Next you add

a 1/2 cup of Borax. Stir until dissolved.

Take a large size bucket and add 6 cups of boiling water hot water to it. Add your soap mixture next very slowly and stir as you go so that they blend nicely. Then take a gallon of warm to hot water and add to your mixture. Once all the water is added and stirred. It will look like this.

(stirring all the ingredients up)

The next and final step is to add the the essential oil. This is my favorite step because I get to scent it with whatever essential oil or oils I like, so basically I decide what I want my clothes to smell like and it's natural.

(What the detergent looks like after the essential oils are added)

For this first batch I decided on lavender and orange. Let's just say, it smells heavenly in the container. This is what it looks like 24 hours later.

(Detergent24 hours later after it sets.)

I saved two loads of laundry so that I could try it out tonight. I have to tell you. I just finished folding the first load. I made sure I had some of Mr. D's clothes in the load because his clothes can be pretty funky sometimes. These clothes came out unscented which is fine but, they are clean. This stuff really works and these are all ingredients that you can purchase at your nearby grocery store. If you can't find all the ingredients there, check out Amazon.

Vogue 8724

2011-08-01T15:53:00.004-04:00

It has been a while, but with me these days, you all know that's no surprise. This heat has not been helping either. I was going through a dry spell for about 2 weeks where I had no mojo and then a little birdie by the name of Cennetta tweeted in my ear by calling me up and telling me to get stepping "Just cut something". I went through the motions and cut out Vogue 8724.

The fabric is from Spandex House which I purchased in June on one of my excursions to NYC.

This baby is a lot more colorful than I'm use to but, I've been trying to put more color in my life. When Mr.D first saw the fabric he was like "wow babe, I don't know." After all was said and done, we both liked it. The back of the dress consists of 3 long pieces. The center back and 2 side pieces.

That for me was different but I like how it turned out. The pleats in the center were a nice element to the design of the dress. In sewing them I had to do a bit of tweaking but it worked out okay.

The different cup sizes were a nice bonus to the dress pattern as well. For an added touch, I added a large button to the center of the pleats. Originally I picked out the button in the photo above but I wasn't crazy about the size so I went bigger.

Pattern Description

Close-fitting knit dress with custom fit cup sizing in two lengths with overlapping front pleats.

Pattern Sizing:

I made the 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once
you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

The instructions were very straight forward and I had no problem with them. This particular pattern has different cup sizes for you to choose from. I cut the B Cup. I did have a slight issue working the center pleat, but I worked it out and placed a large button in the center for embellishment.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I actually do not dislike anything about this pattern. The dress is very comfortable to wear. The way this dress is designed it hides my flaws pretty well.

Fabric Used:

Rayon/Lycra knit I purchased from Spandex House in June.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

None. I worked it straight out of the pattern envelope.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, I want to sew this one again, if not just to work the 2 center pleats out better than I did this time. I would recommend this pattern to others. The dress is very flattering on.

Conclusion:

I have worn this dress several times now, and each time I get a compliment. It is definitely a keeper.

Vogue 1250

2011-06-19T14:30:00.000-04:00

My last and final dress for the Stay Cool Stitch Up A Dress Sew-a-long is Vogue 1250.

Now, there are many reviews on this dress and I figure, what's one more.

I love drape necks in blouses, dresses whatever. I think it's a flattering look on anyone. When I saw Carolyn make this dress, I ran to Joanns and picked up the pattern. Hey, the woman's made 4 of these dresses already and all I can say it, I right behind her. I have another one planned in a solid teal color. I have been dying to make this dress up for over a month but I was being very particular about my fabric choice and the print because I wanted something very summery looking. I purchased this fabric from Fabric Warehouse a couple of months ago and thought it fit the bill. Let's just say I'm Very happy with the outcome. If you don't have this pattern, please go out and get it. IT IS A MUST HAVE (Sheila, Karen are you listening?) The pattern consists of 2 major pieces and a facing for the back neckline and sews up in roughly 2 hours. The pattern drafting on this is genious. It gives the illusion of being tight fitted, but it really isn't. It just conforms and drapes around your body,

and it also helps that the dress is very, and I mean very comfortable.

Here's my review of the pattern:

Pattern Description:

MISSES' DRESS: Close-fitting dress.

Pattern Sizing:

6-20. I made a size 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes, the directions were very easy to follow.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I LOVE the construction of this dress. It has two major pieces and a facing piece for the back neckline.

Fabric Used:

Cotton Lycra Knit which I purchased from Fabric Warehouse.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I added two inches to the length of the dress. I also finished the sleeves by hand as sometimes depending on the fabric you use when you hem sleeves in knit, they sometimes get a ripple look from serging them and then sewing them. Doing it by hand took care of that problem for me.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, I"m going to make it in a teal blue. I think everyone should have one of these in their closet.

Conclusion:

This is an awesome dress and I really love it.

Butterick 5147

2011-06-19T09:06:00.006-04:00

Hi Everyone!!!! Happy Father's Day!!! I hope you are all having a wonderful day. I made sure I got up bright and early and made my phone call to my Dad!

Thank you all for the lovely comments you left me about my ruffle dress. I wore it last Saturday night when I played for a golf outing dinner and it was a big hit. The guys loved it and said I reminded them of Tina Turner. Let's just say I was shaking my thang and having a good time.

Dress #2 for the Stay Cool Stitch Up A Dress is The Blue Hawiian Dress a.k.a. the dress that almost wasn't. Last year I started this dress and after I cut it out, I realized that it had a fade mark going down the full length of the front of the dress. I looked at it and pressed on thinking hopefully that I'd be able to fix it. The lining was attached and all I had to do was put the zipper in and sew the sides up.

Discouraged, I put the dress away and it became a UFO. Now, during this time I spoke to Sheila and she suggested possibly using a Sharpie marker might do the trick and I agreed but of course I would have to do a spot check to see if it would work first. Fast forward one year later and Faye (Linda) has a sew-a-long for summer dresses which I join. I had no intention of finishing this dress but hay, I was straightening up/organizing my sewing room a little(it's a work in progress) and I came across the dress.

I thought to myself, "I went this far, I might as well finish it and tryout the marker. Last weekend after I installed the zipper and sewed up the sides, I put the dress on and went to town with my blue sharpie. What do you know, it worked. I am one happy woman because I really like this Fabric.

Pattern Description:

MISSES/MISSES PETITE JACKET, TOP, DRESS AND SKIRT: Jacket A has front and back darts, collar and three-quarter length sleeves. Top B has front and back darts, side zipper. Slim fitting dress C has front and back darts, back zipper and back slit, length is 2" below mid-knee. A-line dress D has front and back darts, back zipper, length is mid-calf. Slim fitting skirt E has front and back darts, back zipper and back slit, length is 2" below mid-knee. A-line skirt F has front and back darts, back zipper, length is mid-calf. All garments are lined.

Pattern Sizing:

8-24. I made a 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes, and I love the directions to install the lining.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

The one thing that I would change for next time is the lining pieces. Unfortunately, the lining pieces are the same as the main garment pieces. When I make this again, and I will, I will make the lining pieces a little bigger so that the dress itself will not pull. With the pieces being the same size, the dress can not flow the way it wants to and it pulls in a few places.

Fabric Used:

Cotton Twill that I purchased from Karlin's in Philadelphia last year.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

None, but, for my next version, I plan on making the lining a little bigger. Also, I will not use this lining fabric again. It was horrible. I wore it to work and when I got home, one of the seams frayed. I have a funny feeling I might have to change the lining in the future.

Lesson learned.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, and yes.

Conclusion:

This is a fantastic wardrobe builder for anyone's closet. Sheath dresses can pretty much work for anything, work, special occasions, or just a quiet night out. I say it's all in your fabric choice. Up next is Vogue 1250.

Ruffle Tunic Dress

2011-06-08T20:37:00.006-04:00

Thank you so much for all the great comments on my little pretties and my anniversary wishes. Rachel and Linda, take the plunge and make some, you will not regret it. I have a few patterns but I haven't tried them yet. I like Antoinette's tutorial because you use an old pair of underwear that already fits you great.

Last summer I purchased a yard and a half of some ruffle fabric from Joanns clearance section in the hopes of making a tank top or something for work. The more I thought about it I wanted to make a tank dress but I wasn't sure I had enough fabric to accommodate that. It also doesn't help that I'm 5'9. I had the day off on Friday so I decided to see if I could work or at least start to work it out.

I started with the tank from Kwik Sew 3740.

I made the cowl so much this past winter I was comfortable with the fit of the bodice. I figured that the tank should probably fit the same way. I drafted out a skirt adding it to the bodice and angling out to make it a little more a-line than straight. I wanted a more tunic/shift look than a sheath dress.

It wasn't hard keeping the ruffles lined up as long as I took my time and sewed slowly. The hardest part were the armholes. Sewing around in a circle had the ruffles going in two different directions. There were a lot of stop and go moments. I really like how this dress/tunic turned out and I wore it to work on Monday with capris as I thought it was too short for work, but I can possibly see myself wearing it out on a date night or possibly to gig in. Oh, and yes my friends, the dress is fully lined (sorry no pics, I guess I was in a hurry). There was no way I was going anywhere in this dress as sheer as it is.

My Little Pretties and Some Dinner - A la Escargot

2011-06-04T10:00:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday, May 25th I celebrated my 3rd wedding anniversary to Mr. D. In celebration of that, I can proudly say that I finally made my first pair of little pretties. I think they turned out pretty nice, and they are very comfortable. I used Antoinette's tutorial as per Kyle's suggestion. Thanks for the push girl!!! I can see more of these in my future especially since it's a great use for leftover scraps of knit fabric, and these days, I am just not liking the quality of underwear that is sold in the store. I'm not giving out any brand names, but I'm sure some of you know who I'm talking about. Now, I know I can be cheap at times, but when I put my money out for something, I expect it to last for at least a year. After a few washings, I've got threads coming undone or the fabric starts to ravel. I had one pair of pretties that I think I wore twice and the next thing I knew there was a hole in the lace.

I contemplated using my birthday coupon this year and thought twice about it. To the sewing machine I went. At least I know the quality of the fabric I purchase, and I think these turned out really good for a first effort.

Now I know it's a bit off to talk about food and underwear in the same post, but I'm going to go there anyway.

In celebration of our third anniversary, Mr. D and I went to Bistrot La Minette.

It is a french restaurant at 623 South 6th Street I believe between South and Bainbridge. If you get a chance and you are in the Philadelphia area and want french cuisine, check them out. The food is delicious and the staff are on point. This was our first foray into french cuisine and we loved it.

They were celebrating National Escargot Day on May 24th and 25th and we were celebrating our anniversary, what better mix could there be. We had never had escargot before and it was something that we both always wanted to try.

To start us off while we waited they brought out cheese puffs and warm bread straight from the oven. I could not get enough of the bread it was so good.

Escargot is a french delicacy. One of the main foods that snails eat are grape leaves so they are most often found in the wine producing regions of France. While escargot is normally served as an appetizer in France, this restaurant decided to feature it as a four course dinner to wet our appetites and treat us to smells and tastes that had you wanting more. And I really mean that. When we finished, we both felt we could have done the dinner all over again for a second time.

The first course was Escargots de Bougogone

It is six burgundy snails, garlic herb butter and croutons

The second course was Escargot en Papillote

This course was Escargots, mussels, sardines, spring vegetables in a broth

The third course was Escargots Avec Boeuf Braise

Which is slow-braised escargots, beef, red wine, puff pastry and glazed carrots

Our final course was Tarte Aux Fruits Rouges

A dessert of berry tart, meringue and wild strawberry sauce.

They topped it off by bringing this beautifully garnished plate of sweets out to end our evening.

All in all it was a lovely evening that ended with a stroll down South Street before heading home.

PR Chicago (I know I'm late!!!)

2011-06-03T08:05:00.013-04:00

It's been a longggggg time and I promise you that I have been trying to write a post since I got back from Chicago, but life has gotten in the way. I have so much to write about but so little time, and now I'm trying to play catch up. I know you heard it from everyone else, but PR Chicago was a BLAST!!!! If you weren't there you missed out. I got to see some friends I met last year. It felt like I just saw them yesterday. I also got a chance to meet Tanya who I've been blogging with for quite some time. But, guess what, there is always next year, and that is one weekend you don't want to miss out on. Deepika,Congrats on Pattern Review's 10th Anniversary. I know you never thought it would come to this and be this big. All I can say is Thank You, for Pattern Review.

I could not have asked for better roommates, Connie, Karen and Touran. Ladies, you are beautiful inside and out and man, did our personalities mesh well. I love like minded people.

Tina and the other Chicago ladies including my buddies Cennetta and Robin outdid themselves and made one enjoyable weekend that I will not soon forget. I was so busy talking my head off about everything and learning that I realized on my way home I didn't get the pictures I wanted of my outfits except for the stock market outfit, which by the way was a hit.

I tried to process everything I saw and learned. I was having a hard time writing because believe it or not, I am still processing everything. Angela Wolf is something else and she got the rusty pipes in my head pumping and churning. I think I still need some oil to help the creaking out. The lectures with Angela were AMAZING!!!!!! She was engaging and a wealth of information. She makes one really think and she's got my mind going in so many different directions.

Her garments are beautiful and she does wonderful work. I was in awe when I found out she was self taught and learned everything pretty much from reading. She is a no holds bar woman and tries anything and everything with her sewing. For those of us that took lessons and the teacher said "no, you can't do that?" ERASE IT from your memory. They were just holding you back. Experiment, Experiment, Experiment. You just might come up with something new and amazing.

I still need to take pictures of my wonderful fabrics from the trip , but that is forth coming.

Kyle , you are one awesome lady and it was a pleasure seeing you again, and I have something for you to see in my next post.

Burda Love - 9/2007 #102

2011-04-22T21:23:00.001-04:00

I love myself some Karen right now. A couple of months ago she gave me this fabric along with a couple other pieces.
When I saw it, it immediately reminded me of Spring and I knew I wanted to make an a-line skirt with pleats in it. I also knew it would not be living in my stash too long because I was in love with the print on the fabric. Very retro, 70’s I think and I LOVE IT!!!! Anyway, I flipped through my Burda patterns and tried to figure out what pattern would work as I only had a certain amount of fabric to work with. I settled on BWOF 9/2007 #102 .
When I started making this skirt, I didn’t realize how much I would love it.

It was my first time sewing pleats, and they turned out really good I think, but you can let me know.

When I wore my skirt to work, I got so many compliments. I’ve started to learn not to say anything like, “oh I made it”.

One of my co-workers actually went there though and said, “you didn’t make that did you”, I of course beamed and said yes. She in turn gave me major kudos and told me how nice it was. I can tell you now that I will be making this skirt again, but possibly in a solid color.

I’m not sure yet. Oh and I did break down, I know I said I wouldn’t buy any clothes until after May but Jones of New York was having a sale and the button down shirts were $14.99 to $19.00. I couldn’t pass that up and I needed a couple of things to get me started for Spring so, I broke down. The white tuxedo blouse I’m wearing with my skirt in these pictures is one of the blouses I purchased. I am happy to admit, I didn’t go overboard, I only purchased 3 tops. I don’t think that’s too bad and I’m not going to chastise myself for it. It’s so not worth it. Now as for fabric buying well, I tried and I did pretty good for about two months until I ran out of knit fabric to sew tops. It was down hill from there. I’m finding that if I stay out of the fabric stores, I’m fine, and if I go to Joanns, I make sure it’s on a day when it’s all about the pattern sales. That’s been holding me of late. Plus I’ve been doing a little organizing in the sewing room. It’s a real eye opener when you find out you have a fabric store in your house. I’ve been having some fun getting re-acquainted with some old friends I forgot I had.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Up next, Burda 7866.

Spring is definitely here!!!!!

2011-04-17T12:23:00.008-04:00

I can see it. April showers bring May flowers. I don’t know about you, but we have been having plenty of rain lately. Friday was our first break of sunshine in a couple of days, and last week we had a day that hit over 70. Since Faye was having the 15 day Over the Top sew-a-long, and yes, I’m apart of it, I figured I’d better get moving. Last Friday night(that's right a week ago this past Friday) I worked on 2 tops. One isn’t that Springish, but hey, I already had it cut out and I can wear it right now with the weather the way it is, so I worked on it. In fact, I wore it to work this past Thursday. Here is my final cowl for Kwik Sew 3740 .

The fabric is from Joanns, which I purchased back in the Fall before I put myself on a fabric diet. I’m also thinking about using this pattern to make a couple of t-shirts. I really like the cut. I also worked on Simplicity 2283, a mix of views A & D. A few people have done this pattern on PR. If you haven’t checked this blouse out yet, please do. It’s a little time consuming with all the pleats you have to sew in, but the reward and outcome of the blouse is awesome. The fabric I used on this one is remnant that I picked up at Jomars. It’s from Marc Jacobs. Yes I broke my diet for this one. When I saw it, I had to have it. It also didn’t help that it feels like butter. I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to yet and now Faye's doing a Bottom's up sew- a- long for the rest of the month. I figure, I can still get a few tops done and work on some pants as well.

On a totally different note, I want to thank all of you for the comments you left me in my last post. I really appreciate all of you and enjoy going to your blogs. Rachel, Myra and Monique, the shoes are Aldo from last Spring. Carolyn, even though it may seem I don't listen, I do.

Tricia(aka Ms. Clio), Thank you, thank you, thank you. I received the pattern(Kwik Sew 2935) in the mail along with the beautiful charm. I can't wait to work it up for Mr. D. In fact I think we've may have a problem. He asked me the other day even though I already have fabric picked out, if he could go in search of fabric on his own for this pattern as well, and he's asking about jeans, go figure. I barely have time to sew for myself. Oh well, my hands are going to be busy.

Going Green with McCall 3830

2011-03-21T20:26:00.005-04:00

This skirt pattern is slowing starting to become a TNT pattern for me. When I want a basic pencil skirt, especially if I only have a yard of fabric to play with, I've been turning to it.

Last Thursday was St. Patty's day and I wanted to show my love. Most people wear their green tops or sweaters. I didn't want that. I looked in my stash and found a yard of green cotton stretch twill fabric. To jazz it up, I sewed a panel of lace on it. The skirt was a hit. I got quite a few compliments at work. It is amazing how one small change can make such a big difference.

The top is a solid color version of BurdaStyle 1/2008 #106 which I made back in January for Karen's wedding. Yes Carolyn, I took your advice and made another one. I love this top.

Did anyone get a chance to walk outside and see the moon Saturday night? It was gorgeous and so bright. I've never seen anything like it before. Mr. D took this picture from outside of our home.

In other news, I joined Sherry's RTW sew-a-long in the hopes of moving my butt along on finally making a spring coat for myself. I just finished gathering everything I needed on Sunday. The hardest thing for me to find was the sleeve head wadders. I finally found them at a tailor shop called Charles Zarit on 5th Street in Philadelphia. If anyone is still looking for supplies, check him out. He also takes orders online and is very helpful by phone as well. Tell him the woman that stood in his doorway because she had a dog with her sent you. Yes, he(Jackson) hopped in the car and refused to get out. What's a girl to do. That was his first venture to South Street. I have a funny feeling it won't be his last. Next time we'll have to take Mr. D with us so we can shop more freely.

Do I live in a bubble?

2011-03-09T21:34:00.003-05:00

I took my sewing machine in for it's yearly service a little over a week ago and picked it up last night. I had a big grin on my face when I saw all the machines on the floor that had come in during the day for servicing. I thought it confirmed to me that sewing was alive and kicking. When I mentioned as much to the repair guy, he said to me "Oh, most of these machines are owned by quilters. Isn't that what you do?" I said no, and that I make clothes. He was actually surprised, thought it was cool and then proceeded to tell me that not too many people did that anymore.

So my question is, do I live under a rock or or are there shades over my eyes?

I have connected with so many people who like to do what I do, but I keep forgetting that in comparison to the big world out there, we are a very small community. It's only through the internet that we have been able to find each other and bridge the gap, making the miles and distance between us seem so small.

I was talking to Sheila last night and we talked a little about this. What we like to do, our hobby is not a normal one, I know we all think differently, but my friends, it is what it is. Nine out of ten times you'll get someone asking you, "where do you find the time", or "Wow, I could never do that". For me, I tend to not sit in front of the television in a vegetative state. Don't get me wrong, I watch what I want to through the internet (Hulu, Netflix, etc..), but I'd rather spend my time creatively.

So my friends, weigh in and tell me about it.

Vogue 1179

2011-03-06T10:54:00.003-05:00

The first time I saw this dress was on Eugenia blog, and I thought to myself, "I like that". Then, she went and made it again, and then I was like, "I want that." Originally, I wanted an all black version, but I didn't have enough fabric to complete the dress so I opted for what was in my stash and went with a gray herringbone with black. I love this dress, and let me tell you, on the days I feel like wearing something loose, this wardrobe piece fits the bill. Plus, it doesn't hurt that there are only 3 pieces to this pattern, and it works up really fast. Here's my PR review on the dress:

Pattern Description:

DKNY, very loose-fitting, pullover dress, above mid-knee length, has pleated front, cowl collar and wide stitched hem.

Pattern Sizing:

6-12 or 14-22.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

This is a very easy pattern, and a good pattern for a beginner to work with.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

It's a DKNY pattern. Anything designer is good.

Fabric Used:

Sweater knit in a herringbone pattern that I purchased from Fabric Warehouse a couple of years ago.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

The pattern called for a drape type knit. I was a little worried about using a sweater knit, but I used 1/4 seam allowances instead. I probably still would have been fine sewing 5/8 seams, being that this is not a fitted dress.

I jumped right in and made this dress before reading any reviews on it. A few reviewers had complaints of the armholes being a little tight or snug. I would agree with that, but it's okay. I am working with it, and I know for the next dress, I'll just cut the armhole slightly a little larger.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, I plan on making it again for Spring/Summer in a much more slinky knit.

Conclusion:

I love it, plus I'm wearing a designer piece for mere pennies of what it would have cost in the store. You can't beat that.

On a closing note, these pictures were taken at like 2 am in the morning, hence the shiny makeup, plus I'm really tired. The little boy(one of Jack's various nicknames) was missing me and had to get in on the photo op. Or more like just wanted some loving.
Happy Sunday everyone. More reviews coming up!!

Claudia Statler Pants Take 2

2011-01-23T20:00:00.001-05:00

As they say, if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it. For the past few months everyone and their mother has been trying to accomplish the perfect fit when it comes to pants. Now I haven't tried Simplicity 2700 which seems to be a big winner, but I did start working with my Burda patterns more, and so far, with minimal tweaking here and there, I have been able to get a really good fit. I know that some of you are not big on the tracing part when it comes to Burda patterns, but if you can get past that, it's actually not bad at all. I wasn't crazy about it at first, but I think of it as if I were a designer working on a pattern that I want to make. It makes the tracing out part go a lot easier and faster. Plus, it's so worth it in the end. I get a much better fit from their patterns than the Big 4.

The one thing I LOVE the most about Burda pants is the length. I am 5'9 and I only have to add an inch to the length for hemming and that's it. With the Big 4s I usually have to add 4 inches. Not a plus. Anyway, back in November I tries these pants, and really liked them. So much so, I have made another pair in charcoal gray gabardine. The fabric I purchased about a year or year and a half ago from Walmart. Let me say now, that I am really missing their fabric department as I purchased this fabric for $1 or $1.50 a yard. It sewed beautifully on my machine and the feel of the fabric is so nice. The difference between both pairs of pants is in the first pair I made, they had stretch, these do not. That may account for the slight pulling I'm getting in the front of the pants, but hey, I'm not going to complain, I've seen worse, and these pictures were taken close to the end of my work day, so I think they held up pretty good. If I could change anything right now, I might take the waistband area in just a tad because it is a little loose but otherwise everything else fits pretty good.I have enough fabric left over for a jacket and possibly a skirt. The jacket I have chosen is OOP McCall 5597. If there is enough fabric left over I might try my hand at BurdaStyle 2/2011 #103. By the way, did you notice that I paired my pants with the top I wore to Karen's wedding? I'd say my Gray Days Collection is off to a good start.

Next up are my velour sweat pants.
Stash busting - 4 garments (2 tops, I didn't show black 9/10 Burda Turtleneck, skirt, pants)
2011 Fabric purchases - 0.

Momma use to say!!!

2011-01-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Growing up my mother taught me to be practical when I purchased items to wear. She always would say "don't go for the trendy, but signature pieces that will stand the test of time". She also taught me that when you are buying a garment, remember what is always in your closet and make sure whatever you purchase will at least go with something you already have.

I always kept that in mind when I purchased a garment. I can't say that I've always done that in picking out my fabrics. If I saw it and liked it, I bought it. Well, 2011 is a new year, and my sewing will hopefully take me down some new roads this year. So far, my year has started out with a bang. First of all, I am putting it out there so that you all can help me if I fall which I haven't so far, but this past weekend was a challenge. I have put myself on a fabric diet until PR Chicago. That's right I can't buy any fabric until May 13th.

I have enough fabric in my house to open up a small store, and I plan on shopping in it. I had a weak moment over the weekend. Fabric Warehouse was having a 50% off sale, and they always have the best knits. I prevailed by shopping through my patterns and picked out a jacket pattern for the pants I made last week(post coming soon on that). I also picked out emerald green velour stretch knit fabric that I've had in my stash for like 3 or 4 years. It's going to be a sweat suit as this month PR is doing the activewear contest. I don't know if I'll get it done in time, but at least I'll have something new to wear for just lounging or working out in.

Last week I worked on a new outfit to wear to Karen's wedding last Saturday. During the summer she came to work wearing BurdaStyle 1/2008 #106. Since I didn't have that issue, Karen was gracious to lend me her's. What better way to show my appreciation than to make it and wear it to her wedding. To complete the outfit, I had enough fabric left over to make a fitted knit skirt. It completed my outfit and although the pieces were separate, the outfit gave the illusion of a dress. This outfit also plays into my theme for this year wherein I shall be making garments that can interchange with one another. This first collection I am working on is called Shades of Gray. Please stay tuned for more. Next up BWOF 10/2008 #132 again in a charcoal gabardine.

On a last note, for those of you that think I've given up knitting or crochet, I've got new for you, here's a crochet tunic that I'm presently working on. It's actually a lot further along than this, but I'm trying to keep track of my progress. I have one more cap sleeve to work on and the cleanup work and it should be finished. I'll have more details on this soon.

Happy 2011!!!!!!

2011-01-01T13:53:00.008-05:00

I am sending out a Happy New Year to all you craft minded savants!!!! I also would like to send out belated holiday wishes. I wanted to blog during the Christmas holiday, but I chose crafting instead. There was just too much to get done. Crazy me decided to make this a handmade holiday, and you know there is nothing like waiting to the last minute. With that in mind, I would like to share all that with you before I move on to 2011 and my goals and such.

First I'll start off with the gifts that other people asked me to make for them to give to others. Two of my co-workers asked for gifts for their daughters and I was too happy to oblige them. The first was a painter's smock.

The fabric is a raincoat type material that I saw at JoAnns and thought would be perfect. I trimmed it out in some bias binding and found a tye-dye in hues of hot pink to make the mini pocket which I embroidered her name on. I got a very happy momma when she saw this.

The second was a hat and scarf set of my own design.

I used Deborah Norville's Everyday Collection yarn I found at JoAnns. The color is Parrot. It was pretty good to work with and it's anti-pill. The yarn was variegated so I worked it up Vanna's Cho ice Baby Yarn in two different shades of pink, Pink Poodle and Berrylicious to bring the colors out. The little diva this was made for likes her garments blinged out so I had to make sure I was on point, so I added the stones for a little extra. I didn't want to disappoint. I heard the 3 year old was shocked on Christmas morning. She couldn't believe the set was for her and loved it.

The next gift I made was for another co-worker who is expecting his first baby any day now. I used Manos Silk Blend for this one. I found the pattern on Ravelry. It's called the Maile Sweater. This was a quick one to throw together at the last minute and they loved it.

We did Pollyannas at work and the person I got asked for wine and a wine glass. I was aiming at giving her two glasses but time was running out and I wanted to do something special so I tried my hand at glass etching. I finally got it on glass number 3. She loved it and the personalization I gave to the gift. I'll do a tutorial for this in the future. If anyone is interested before I finally get to it, here are a few tips. make sure your stencil is secure on the glass. You can use blue painter's tape or masking tape. When picking out stencils and they do have specific ones for glass etching, go with a larger pattern than a smaller one. The smaller it is the harder it is and you will get smudging. Trust me, I learned the hard way. Always use gloves. The etching cream is nasty.

I made a few gifts for the other secretaries in the office. Sticking with the whole handmade theme. I went with earrings. I knew it was something I could do in a night, and boy did I have fun. These are not the greatest pictures(photographing these earrings were hard) and I know I didn't get pictures of everything but this is what I have. Excuse my earrings on the side. Hey, I got home from work took my earrings out and got busy.

I had to make a bracelet for one of the ladies as she doesn't have pierced ears.

I didn't make anything for Mr. D for the holiday, but I'll make up for that by his birthday next month hopefully. I did make a few items for the mothers though. My mom was very easy. Since I was on a role with the Burda turtleneck for the Sept. issue, I knocked out three for her and another two for me. Mine are not photographed here but one is all black and the other is blue and white striped. You know staples for the wardrobe. Anyway, my mother loved them. She especially loved how well they fit. It was really easy to fit her. She can pretty much wear anything that's in my closet. That was a great thing for me when I was younger. I use to raid her closet before getting dressed to go to school. Her pants never fit me, but I didn't care. I only wanted the tops anyway.

For my MIL, I made 2 nightgowns using BWOF 12/2008-114.

She loved both of them, and was shocked when she found out that I made them. Then she told me they looked kind of big. Mr. D then promptly told her, "Hey, they should fit you, she measured it against one you wear now."

After getting all that done, I made mini banana bread loaves for the neighbors and a dress for me for the Christmas holiday. It's BWOF 5/2009-103. I cannot stress to you how much I love this dress. I wore it to my office holiday party and Christmas Eve to church. I received so many compliments. There are a few adjustments that I need to make to it but I'll talk about that later. I do need to do a review on it. Oh and the fabric used was from the August PR Day trip to NY. I purchased the fabric from Metro Textiles for $5 a yard. It was so worth it and the fabric was a dream to work with.

My final dress for the year was a quick and easy one for New Years Eve. I sang that night, and wasn't going to make anything, but crazy me at 2:30 in the afternoon decided to jump up and run over to JoAnns to see if they had any stretch velour to make this cute little number. It's a franken pattern of yes, the Burda turtleneck pattern and I used the skirt portion from my Christmas dress. I figured it looked pretty good for last minute thinking. I received quite a few compliments on this one as well. At the end of the night a gentleman walked up to me with his wife and said, "We love your dress but how are you getting out of it. We don't see any visible zippers. " I smile and started laughing and then explained to him about the fabric being stretchy. I like this dress very much and plan on making it again. I think it will work well for work with a cardi or jacket.

That's it for me right now. Up next. Goals for 2011 and hopefully a small recap for 2010.

Hanging out in Burda Land

2010-11-21T11:40:00.000-05:00

First off I want to thank all of you who left me comments on my costume in my last post. I am so proud of how it turned out. Since I was on a roll with the sewing, and I was, because not only did I make a costume for myself, but I also pumped one out for a co-worker's daughter in literally 3 days. I was crazy because I still had to make mine and only had 3 1/2 days to do it. I was tired after the fact, but it was well worth it seeing the end result.

In other sewing news, I've been wanting to work on a few new pieces for work, with an emphasis on pants, since I tend to wear them a lot during the winter months. Now I know that a lot of you have been working with Simplicity 2700, and I have that pattern in my stash as well, but a few months ago, I traced out my first pair of Burda pants. Now normally, when I work with the Big 4s I have to lengthen my pants by 2 to 4 inches depending on whether I like to wear heels with them. When I made the Dietrich pants, I noticed I didn't have to lengthen anything at all, and the fit was spot on. I could sew straight from the pattern with minimal or no alterations at all. With that in mind, about a week and a half ago I traced out BWOF 10/2008-132, the pants designed exclusively for Burda by Claudia Strater.

To be on the safe side I added an inch to the length, but in trying them on, I didn't really need to. In hemming the pants I took the more traditional way and did it by hand, using a blind hem stitch. I wanted a more professional look.
I contemplated edging the facing with bias tape to give it a more finished/polished look even though I'd already serged it. I so glad I finally did it. It gives the inside of the pants a more tailored look. I also used the interfacing that I purchased from Pam. Now I know what you all were talking about. THANK YOU!!!

I can tell you now, that I see more of these in my future. I loved how they turned out.

Since I was on a roll with Burda, and I genuinely love the fit, I next cut out BWOF 9/2010-121, the turtleneck pullover.

Karen had made a few and I loved them. I had a chocolate brown remnant that I picked up from Joanns about a month ago. I only had a yard, but I figured it was be nice to try this pattern out. The fabric was a tad short for making long sleeves but I was able to make the blouse with an elbow length sleeve. This was another winner from Burda. I loved that it only took me about an hour to make it once it was cut out. I loved it so much, that I went back to Joanns and purchased more fabric for a few more. I completed the leopard print one you see above to go with the Claudia Strater pants I made. There are definitely more of these in my future as well. This is #3 to the TNT pattern pile.

Now, since I have a blouse and a pair of pants made, you know I have to make a jacket to go with it. I liked the blazer that goes with the pants in the design, but I was looking for a different look. Right now I'm looking at BWOF8/2010-114 which is from the tribute to Jackie Kennedy. I think I have just enough fabric left over to pull this one off. Wish me luck. I'm hoping to trace it out in the next few days, or next weekend. I also have a few other tops in mind from the BWOF 9/2010 issue. #109 and #114. My fabric is washed, I only need to trace the patterns out. I don't know, I think I'm starting to like hanging out in Burda land.

In knitting news, I finished up a test knitting project for Knit Picks last month, and they sent me another one which I am currently working on right now. Sorry I can't show them yet, but I have to wait until they are published in their catalogs. I can tell you this much, I love both patterns and plan to make them for myself.

I'm also working on a hat and scarf set for a co-worker's daughter. Both the hat and the scarf are finished. I just need to weave in the ends and put some finishing touches to it. I am pretty pleased with how they turned out. I will show pics later on in the week after I get it completed.

I hope you all have had a very crafty weekend.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T14:24:00.003-04:00

To all of you!!! I had to sing Friday night so of course I had to make something up for the festive occasion. Simplicity 3629. I loved working this baby up. You can see my review below and at Pattern Review.

Pattern Description:

Misses Costume. I made View E

Pattern Sizing:

Dress 14
Vest 16
Cape 14
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes, most definitely.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

I glanced at the directions but did my own thing mostly.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I like everything about the pattern, and was able to make it up pretty quickly.

Fabric Used:

I used a suede type fabric from the costume section from JoAnns for the cape and vest. For the dress, I used a full size bed sheet that I purchased at Walmart for $8.00.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

The cape and the vest were suppose to be lined. Since I wasn't sure if I was going to use this costume again, I didn't line the vest or cape. I did reinforce the middle panel of the vest by cutting that piece out twice because I had to install grommets on it.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I might make the Peter Pan costume next year. Not sure yet.

Conclusion:

I love the way this costume came out and it was a big hit.

Butterick 5147 with sleeves!!!

2010-09-13T18:23:00.008-04:00

Elizabeth, this one's for you. Last month I joined the sew-a-long for the sheath dress from Butterick 5147, but could never get my act together. I showed you all the fabric I was going to use and started it, but to date, it's still in the works. I still need to install the zipper and sew up the sides, but right now I'm just not feeling it. Now, knowing that I still had that to do, I decided to start on Version #2.

I wanted instant gratification and I wanted a new garment to wear to work today, so I thought, knit dress, plus, I don't know about you, but I just have those type of days where I want something comfy cozy to wear. I couldn't think of another dress to try this with except Butterick 5147.

This time I traced it out in a size 12, because I was working with a knit and drafted short sleeves to go with it since it's getting cooler outside. If you want to try this, you can take short sleeves from another pattern or try drafting some yourself. I'd say it was an easy project all the way around and I was able to work it up on about an hour or so and it fit right out the box. Now in hearing about the armhole area being cut a little to low, I did add about an 1" to the lower area when tracing the armhole out and then graded back to the 12 going up to the shoulder area. I definitely see more of these in my future with different types of sleeves and necklines.

I'm already planning another one with a matching sweater jacket I'm going to design to go with it. Wish me luck, I hope it turns out.

By the way, thank you all for all the lovely well wishes from my last post. Have a great night. I off to go finish dinner and get some crafting done.

It's been awhile

2010-09-11T10:51:00.009-04:00

and I don't even know where to begin. In the past month and a half I have been through so many life changes. Just thinking about it is making my head spin. In June I got laid off again. I guess my boss was liking the fact that she didn't have to pay anyone during the summer months. Well, I couldn't handle that and unemployment is so bad, I couldn't live off of that either.

My buddy Karen called me up and asked if I wouldn't mind covering for vacations at her job for 2 weeks. I jumped at the chance. Mind you, knowing that I was only going to work for 2 weeks, I had it in my head that I would start looking for a new place of employment shortly thereafter. Well, 2 weeks turned in to 3, then 4 then, "We would like to offer you a permanent position". You know I jumped at the offer. When I sent the old boss my resignation letter, because I was suppose to go back to work this coming Monday, she promptly called me leaving me a message wishing me well. From her voicemail message, I got the impression that she expected me to work my new job and still work for her. To that, you know I didn't call her back. Anyway, I am enjoying my new job and learning something new everyday as I am now working in the legal field. That was my July. My official start at the job was the beginning of August.

I didn't get any sewing done at all except for starting the Butterick 5147 which is still not finished, but I'm halfway there. I got to hang out with Mr. D a little. He's on the night shift while I work during the day. It's a little hard, but we make it work. Every once and a while we get that morning drive by. We went hiking in Rickets Glen (I'm saving the pictures for another post. The place is gorgeous. I got to see about 20 waterfalls. The hike kicked my butt, but it was so worth it. Let's just say, I started doing Zumba shortly thereafter and have been going strong ever since. I'm going to work up to adding some yoga in this coming week and since it's starting to get cooler, I'll probably add some bike riding in also. I haven't noticed any weight loss yet, but I have started losing inches and body fat.

In shopping new, I know everyone knows about PR day in NYC. I had such a wonderful time. It was great too see some old familiar faces and to meet some new faces as well. I finally got a chance to meet Robin. She and I have been conversing for the last 4 years or so via blog and email. Girl, you are a delight in person. I'd have to say we had a wonderful time in NYC and I'm proud to say I didn't go overboard with the shopping.

I went with a plan for fall and winter garments, because that's just what's on my mind right now. At Metro Textiles I picked up 8 yards of double knit fabric for 3 dresses and 2 pairs of pants (not pictured) and a knit for a cocktail sheath dress. Some leather and a piece of lining purchased at Mood. Trim from Pacific for future project ideas I have in mind and a special purchase from Elliot Berman. The piece on the top is Dolce & Gabbana for a skirt and the other piece is a cotton fabric from Italy for a sheath dress. All in all it was a fabulous day.

Now, this past weekend I'd planned to get a whole lot of sewing done for me. It just didn't happen. Between running around and getting errands done, hanging with family and friends and sewing for other people, it just wasn't happening. On Saturday night I hung out with my girlfriend and did some alterations for her. I also designed and sewed a painting smock for my neighbor's son. He needed it for school and she couldn't find one anywhere. A trip to JoAnn's on Sunday night produced this baby. Please tell me why you can't find cool waterproof fabric for boys? I found plain blue outdoor windbreaker fabric that had a plastic coating on the inside in the discount area, but that was it. When I went to the cutting counter, there was only a little over a yard left, so I had no margin for mistakes or errors. You know I made a muslin first just to play it safe. Now, a 6 year old can not have a plain blue smock. Especially one that's into Ben 10 so I went over to the quilting section to see what I could find to jazz things up. When I spotted the flying saucers and noticed how it matched the blue fabric and orange bias tape I'd picked out, I knew I had a winner. I picked up some plastic for pockets on the front, embroidered he's name on it and we had a winner. To end the weekend out, I did manage to cut out 2 skirts for myself. Hopefully I'll have them sewn together soon. I have too many ideas in my head, and not enough time.

On a sad ending note, I had to put my best friend Byron(Mr. D calls him husband #1) down 2 weeks ago. He made it to the wonderful ripe old age of 18 and I am so proud and thankful to him for that. We had 17 1/2 years together and they were a lot of fun. He had a lot of character and everyone that knew him, thought he was something else. Let's just say he acted more like a person than a dog. Anyway, he will be greatly missed and things just aren't the same around here without him. Jackson, my other dog is missing him and it's an adjustment. He has taken to chewing my shoes up and his eating habits have gotten a little flaky, but we're working it out.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend and enjoying the cooler weather. Have a great weekend.

McCall's 3830, OOP Style 2571 and New Look 6457

2010-07-26T20:54:00.008-04:00

I had seen many reviews for McCall's 3830.

Everyone that has made it had said that it was a fairly easy skirt to put together and a must have for garment basics. Well I'm putting my 2 cents in on this one. If you need a basic pencil skirt, and you only have a yard of fabric sitting around, this is the pattern for you. I love this pattern and it is so quick and easy too. This is definitely a TNT in my book.

I made View C last Sunday with a jacquard print 100% cotton that I picked up from JoAnn Fabrics. Can I just tell you now that I love this fabric, and the texture is just lovely.

I wanted a top to go with the skirt so I looked through my stash of patterns and found (OOP) Style 2571. I've had this pattern since 1995 and I had never tried it.

The fabric I used is a bottomweight that I picked up from Joanns. It's 97% cotton and 3% Lycra. I don't think Style patterns are around anymore. If anyone knows please let me know what happened to them. At one point, I was thinking Style and New Look were the same company.

Now, this past weekend, I think it got up to 100 degrees here. I've been wanting to make a maxi dress for 2 summers now, but I still haven't gotten around to it. I've been wanting to make this strapless dress for even longer I think. Well, I finally did it on Saturday(I've only had the pattern for like 2 or 3 years now). Last minute Andrea struck it rich with New Look 6457.

I love this pattern and plan on making this dress again.

I picked up about 2 1/2 yards of fabric on Saturday during a lovely visit with the planning committee for PR Philly Weekend and Deepika. A great time was had by all and we were able to bear the heat well.

Here's a little taste of what's up next.

I joined Elizabeth's sew-a long for Butterick 5147. I'm calling it the ultimate sheath dress because Sheila has made it sooooooooooo many times.

Before I sign off for tonight, I have to give a major shout out and Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to one amazing woman. Rachelle a.k.a. Knit Machine Queen of Smoking Needles Fame. A couple of weeks ago I had a give away and never expected to get anything back in return. Well, last week I came home to find this lovely package on the mail. My mouth was on the floor and I was speechless. I've had many friends in my life, but I must say that the blogging community is one very special group of people that I am so honored to be a part of. I haven't met all of you in person yet, but I hope to in the future. Rachelle you are one of those lovely ladies I would like to meet in the very near future. Until then, I will continue to read your blog, email you and and leave crazy messages from time to time. You are one sexy, amazing, cool mama that keeps on ticking and roaring down the road on your 2-wheel demon with a vengeance. Don't ever let anything stop you.

BWOF 07/2008-108

2010-07-11T15:49:00.005-04:00

Since I made the Dietrich trousers from the 7/2008 BWOF issue last weekend, I figured, since I had the pattern pieces out, why not trace something else out before putting it away. I always liked 7/2008-108.

I was suppose to make this top last weekend, but never got around to it. My schedule is a little busy this weekend, but I figured why not try to fit it in during my down time.

This tunic went together pretty easily.

The only problem I had was putting in the back darts, since I had no markings for them.

After a bit of tweaking, I think it looks pretty good. I want to make this again,. as this was my wearable muslin. I just haven't figured out yet if I want to make another tunic or the dress version. Oh well, at least I know what I"ll be wearing tomorrow.

A New Hobby!!!!

2010-07-10T11:10:00.002-04:00

Over the last 4 weeks I've been taking a silversmithing class from Ria. It is something that I've always wanted to do, but could never find the time nor a teacher in my immediate area. I was at my local train station waiting to catch my ride to go into the city and found an ad posted on the wall giving classes. Since my boss was laying me off again for the summer, I thought it would be a perfect time for me to start classes.

Week 1: I learned how to saw into metal. Let me tell you, this can be a little dicey. I kept think I was going to cut my fingers while doing this, but I got lucky and didn't. Here's my first project.

It's very simple, but as they say, you have to learn the basics first.

Week 2: I learned how to solder metal at 1300 degrees. Very cool, I didn't burn my fingers off. I made this pendant for Mr. D which is a little too big.

He wants it turned into a key chain of some sort.

For the past 2 weeks I've been working on a ring for myself and I finally finished it Wednesday night. Let me tell you, it was so worth the work and the classes. Ria is an awesome teacher. Here's my ring. I am so very proud of this piece.

Karen took a picture of me wearing the ring but it's a little blurry Here it is anyway.

I also started a matching pendant to go with it, but I have to still set the pearl and polish it up.

I'm taking a few weeks off but hope to finish it soon.

In sewing news, I worked on Vogue 8379 last week.

I wanted this pattern for a very long time, but every time I went to JoAnns, they were sold out of my size. I don't know why I've never made a wrap dress before, but this baby is going in the TNT pile. That's right I said TNT (this is my 1st one for the pile). I love it, and can see more of these in my future. First off, once cut out, it only took about an hour and a half to sew this up. It took longer than I expected but that was because the original fabric that I had chosen went and ran on me when I started sewing. Another bad piece of fabric purchased at JoAnns. I'm so not happy about that. Oh well, back to my stash. I ended up picking a piece of fabric that I purchased from Fabric Warehouse about a year or so ago. Here's the front view back view. Please excuse the hair. Very bad hair day. It looked great when I left the house but once I left the house, oh well. I guess I'm going to have to start using hair spray with this heat. I'm not a big fan.

Over the 4th of July weekend I worked on BWOF 07/2008-117, the Marlene Dietrich Trouser.

The pattern calls for a more light weight fabric like linen, but I went for a cotton twill in a dark blue that I purchased at Walmart for my first pair. I did my muslin on Saturday and learned that I didn't have to add any length to the pants. Major plus for me. I'll start to use Burda patterns more often knowing that. I always have to add at least 2 to 4 inches on the Big 4 patterns. Sunday I cut my fabric out and started working on the pants. I finished them up on Monday. Here are some close-ups of the front, (Sorry for the wrinkles. Pictures were taken after wearing them all day.)

zipper insertion,and my first attempts at using the hook and eye closers that I purchased from Greenberg and Hammer back in November when I went for PR Day. There's nothing better than taking a hammer to a pair of pants if you've got issues on your mind. Once I figured out how to use them, it was smooth sailing. I like the look, and I makes my pants look a little more store bought. All in all, I like the way they turned out, and they are wearable. I really need to make pants more often instead of being scared. Now I need to work on a few PR reviews, I'm so behind with that. What are you working on this weekend. I'd like to start on Simplicity 2648. My fabric is cut. I just need to mark everything and start sewing.

I don't have any pictures yet, but I'm finishing up knitting my short sleeve sweater. The body is completely done and I have the shoulder seams sewn together. I also completed one sleeve during the week and am working on the other one now. I still haven't decided if I want to put the pockets on it yet. Oh well, decisions, decisions. I hope you all have a great weekend. Stay cool. Adelaide, if you read this post, I'm putting my package together for you this weekend for my donation.

And the WINNERS are?

2010-07-02T11:23:00.006-04:00

Because I still do my picking the old fashion way.

Rachelle is now the proud owner of:

Lori, I think you can find a use for:

Lisette, I want to see something from this baby very soon.

Ladies, congratulations to all three of you. Please email me at yarngirl67[at]yahoo.com with your mailing address so that I can get your lovely goodies out to you. Thank you.

Blogoversary #3!!!

2010-06-27T11:41:00.006-04:00

Today is my blogoversary. I can't believe that it's 3 years already. In this time, I have met and have still to meet so many amazing and talented people. Thank you for all the lovely comments and advice that you have given me over the past 3 years. I have learned and am still learning so much from you. In honor of that, I am giving away these 3 items. If you are interested in any of these items, please leave a comment as to which item you would like on this post. There is one catch, if you are not a follower already, you have to become one to be entered in the drawing. Your deadline for this is Thursday, July 1st. I will pick and announce the 3 winners on Friday, July 2nd.

The first item is Contemporary Classics by Jean Moss. It has 24 awesome knitting patterns. Here are just a few to wet your whistle.

Next up is a 3 piece measuring set. It includes a 7" Seam Gauge with Point Turner, 60" Tape Measure with d-ring and a Ezy-Hem" Gauge all in a very nice and neat storage case.

Last but not least is Fashion Illustration Figure Drawing by Maite Lafuente. This book is a nice find and a good place to start if you are interested in self drafting or designing your own sewing, knitting or crochet patterns in the future. Well gotta go, I'm working on cutting out 3 dresses today so that I can work them up during the week. More on that later. Remember, your deadline is Thursday, and I'll be picking 3 people on Friday.

Happy Crafting!!!

Hello Stranger!!!

2010-06-22T20:29:00.004-04:00

As they say in the song, seems like a mighty long time. Or a few weeks. I kind of went on a blog break, which I did not intend to do. But life happens. I hope you all of been well. I haven't done any sewing really in the last few weeks. I've wanted to work on my Burda dress, but at the beginning of the month it was just too hot to go into the sewing room. I purchased a portable air conditioner for the house, but it never quite got the job done on cooling the house off. Don't get me wrong, it works if you're standing right in front of it, but it's not good on cooling off the whole room. I think because it was on the floor and the cool air tended to just circulate around the floor. Mr. D and I finally took it back and for the price we paid, replaced it with a window unit, a fan and a dual flush toilet for the bathroom that we are going to start renovating. Now we feel like we've gotten our monies worth, and the house is finally cooler.

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me to make a baby blanket for her to give to her god daughter who was having her first child. This is what I was able to come up with.

When she received it she seemed pretty pleased.

This past weekend I decided to try and see if my sewing mojo was back. One of my knitting buddies Marissa is getting married next month. We had a shower for her over the weekend at our friend Robin's house. A great time was had by all. And the food was delish. It was a brunch and everyone brought a dish. Here is some of the food.

These first 2 dishes were made by Robin and Marissa. This sausage and egg dish was made by Lisa.This strawberry dessert was made by me, and the cupcakes were made by Laura.

I had been wanting to try Kwik Sew 3554 for quite some time, and since I have really never sewn for anyone before beside family, I thought this might be a start. I traced out the pieces for the small thinking she was a 36. I used stretch lace with a tye-dye floral print. and outlined the bodice with a floral trim. Front View Side View Back Close up of Front. I didn't hem the bottom as I used a wavy blade in my rotary cutter. I followed in Robin's footsteps and did a halter top instead of spaghetti straps. With not having Marissa around for fittings as I wanted it to be a surprise, I figured it would be easier. In doing so, I couldn't follow the directions to the letter. All in all, I love this pattern, everything went together very easily. When she tried it on, it was too big. I took it in an inch on each side, and then it fit perfectly. Ladies, I see this one in my future very shortly(as Mr. D saw this one and asked, "Hey babe, is that for me?"). This was my very first Kwik Sew experience and it will not be my last. I plan on sewing more of their patterns as I have recently purchased and have a few in my stash.

In knitting news, I'm working on wardrobe builders right now. Plain sweaters to wear with dresses and tops. I'm starting with the Short Sleeve Cardigan from Spring/Summer 2010 Knit Simple. It's part of the 1st Lady Flair Collection which were inspired after Michelle Obama. I finished the back, and am now working on the left front. I wanted to do both front pieces together, but the buttonholes are based on the button placement, and since I haven't figured that out yet, I have to do each piece separately. The yarn I'm using is Berroco Comfort. I have to tell you, I love the feel of this yarn.

Myra, I haven't forgotten about the blogger award you gave me. I'll be posting about that next. I also just realized that my blogging anniversary is in a few days. 5 Days to be exact. Stay tuned for a giveaway for that as well. As always, Happy Crafting!!

The Little Black Dress!!! McCall 6069

2010-06-01T14:15:00.007-04:00

Every girl should have that simple black dress for that very special occasion, and being that I needed a new one, I figured sewing one up was better than going out and finding one. You know the saying, if you're looking for it most likely you won't find what you're looking for. It's only when you're not looking for it do you see it. As Sunday was my birthday, and I had a wedding to do, I figured I could kill two birds with one dress and McCall 6069 was the ticket. With the weather being in the late 80s early 90s, it was perfect. The fabric I used was leftover from this jumpsuit that I designed last year. Once cut out, this dress came together pretty quickly. I don't know if it only took me an hour, but I do know it was less than 2. I would definitely make it again but probably in a patterned fabric. I forgot my camera, so my iphone had to work some overtime. The full review can be found here on PR.

2 Years Already?

2010-05-27T17:07:00.004-04:00

I can't believe how time flies, but it does. On Tuesday, Mr. D and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. In honor of this lovely occasion, I googled wedding anniversary presents and found out that the traditional gift for the 2nd anniversary is cotton. Since he's always asking me to make him something I decided to make him a cotton t-shirt. Now before I could start shopping for a pattern, my buddy Karen stepped in and put me on to the Burda Style t-shirt for men. Once I printed out the 22 pages and taped them together(man was that a lot of work), it was smooth sailing. The fabric was from Walmart. The second part of his present was an embroidered hand towel for when he goes to the gym. Yes my friends, I recently purchased a used embroidery machine for a whopping $80. Don't you just love it? I'm still learning how to use it, but I was able to do this much so far. He liked it.

Simplicity 2443

2010-05-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

Or better know as the PR Philly Jacket as some have deemed it. I first saw this pattern when Mimi first posted about it back in January. I think shortly there after I went to Joanns and purchased the pattern. Nothing like building that pattern collection. Then I saw Lori's version in March, and to top it off she made another one in April. Well, that was enough to get me going. I figured I could get it done hopefully for PR Weekend to wear either Friday or Saturday. I cut everything out Wednesday night and started sewing on Thursday. On Friday, I had basically everything done except for the facings, sleeves, and bands. I was determined to wear that baby on Saturday, and no one was going to stop me. During our lunch break I whipped this baby out and finished the bottom band.

(At lunch sewing the band. Picture compliments of Connie)

While waiting to walk to dinner, I sewed the buttons on. I think I was smoking some thread because I didn't get home from the festivities Friday night till around 11pm. I remember talking to my mother on the phone, then speaking to my husband, I took a shower and then got cracking on the sleeves, which finally got done by like 2 am. I'm still trying to figure out how I lasted till 11 pm Saturday night. In the end, all I can say is that I love this jacket.
I will be making another one in a darker color as I wore the jacket not only on Saturday, but I drove over to my Mom's on Sunday to show her, and then wore it again on Monday to work. It is so versatile and can dress a garment up or down. If this baby is in your stash, make it, you won't regret it.

Now, on to the new acquired stash.
I knew what I had at home, and that I wanted to curb what I purchased on Saturday so, overall I think I did pretty good. My first stop was Maxie's Daughter for some vintage patterns. I'm very interested in making belts right now, so my next stop was Albert Zolls for some belt buckle kits. I also picked up some wide elastic to make some expandable belts. A stop on 4th street to me means making sure I stop at PA Fabric Outlet. As usual, I was not disappointed. I'm always in the need for more trim and buckles. I also picked up these 2 pieces of fabric.
Next up was London Textiles in Cherry Hill, NJ. I have never been there before, and let me tell you, I do plan on going there again. The abstract and beige brown floral I am reserving for dresses. The other 3 will be for shirts I think. I'm still up in the air about the dotted fabric with the cherries. It may become a dress too. The last stop was Jomar. I picked up 2 knits, 1 shirting and 2 pieces for lining fabric.

I have a few more reviews to do as I've made a few things but never did the reviews for them. As to what I'm sewing right now you ask? I just prepped this beauty for BWOF 5-2010-105.

PR PHILLY!! Take 1

2010-05-18T16:11:00.003-04:00

They came. They saw. They concurred!! And I think we might have even overwhelmed a few of those stores Saturday on 4th street. But, all in all, PR Philly was great, a blast!!! I so enjoyed meeting all the ladies that came for the weekend. It was awesome seeing all that crafty goodness in one spot and to be amongst all of you talented ladies. Auntie Al lyn, I apologize for stalking you over the Vogue 8659 dress, but you did look fabulous. Audrey, Simplicity 2633 is already on my list of patterns to buy next. Jaeng , I am now more determine to make Vogue 1099 after seeing your version on Friday. Cla udine, I have no words, but I do aspire. I admired you from afar through your blog, but to see the work that you do in person? I am in awe. I enjoyed our walk on Friday and dinner Saturday night. Thank you. Carolyn and Meg, I am so glad I got a chance to meet both of you. I had a blast on Saturday, and yes, we really do like you, A LOT!! To the ladies I had lunch and dinner with on Friday and that I drove to the train station on Saturday, thank you. You are all beautiful inside and out. Sheila, Sista Girl, I have no words, you know I'm always happy to see you. To my co-partners who worked hard to make this weekend come into fruition, LADIES, (Karen, Lee, Mimi, Annette, and Elaine)I think we pulled this one off. Whew!!!!! As I wipe the sweat off my brow. A special thank you has to go out to Connie, for loaning us her van on Saturday. You're the best.

Kenneth King was awesome, I just wanted to take him home. His banter was as good as his the embellishment class. I plan on using this technique very soon, so stay tuned.

The private collections at the Art Museum on Friday was really cool. It was great being able to see all those garments up close and personal. Some of the techniques I've never seen before, and it would be nice to try and replicate some of the finishing. I especially liked the hook and eye plus snap closures on the lovely dress from the 1950s.

(Photo compliments of Trena)

Friday night after dinner was the show and tell/fashion show. LOVED IT!!!!! My pattern list is getting longer just thinking about it.

Saturday's shopping spree was a free for all. I loved all the stares and scheming going on, as some of us looked on with envy, in the hopes that some of you would put some of your pieces down so we could grab it. Hey, I know I'm a guilty party.

On Sunday I picked up Jacqui from the hotel since her flight wasn't until 5:30 pm and we hung out at JoAnns for a little bit. Then I drove her to the airport.

In the end, a great time was had by all, and I want to do it all over again next year. I hope we find out where it is soon so that I can make sure I have the time off.

That's it for me. Next up the PR Weekend Jacket Post!!

(Photo compliments of Connie)

Loop Neckline T-Shirt Tutorial

2010-04-30T17:27:00.016-04:00

I wanted to make one more top for SMOT since it coming to an end. This would make top #4 for me. I was trying to figure out what to make when I came across some inspiration from the LOFT.

I really liked the way the top was embellished and thought to myself, I'd like something like that but in a basic top/t-shirt. Since I didn't have a pattern for the basic t-shirt, I decided to come up with my own. Now, I did promise a tutorial of how I've been coming up with the self-drafted tops I've been making lately. I didn't want to disappoint anyone so, here's a little look see of how I've been doing it.

I started out with a t-shirt that I've had for quite some time. I liked the neckline and cut of this shirt. From there I place the shirt on my drawing table/workboard. I lay my tracing paper over it and place drafting tape at all 4 corners. From there I use my blunt edge tracing wheel by Clover(If you don't have one of these, get one, they're great). I then trace the outline of the top front and back. It looks a little something like this when you're done. Next, draw the lines in with a pencil. I then double check what I drew by folding the top in half and laying the drawing up against it. I start making any corrections there. Lastly, I lay the back and front pieces against each other to make sure they match, if they don't(which they normally don't), I make any necessary corrections to make sure that they do. From there, I drew in my seam allowances and cut the pattern out. I then sewed my top together. For the neckline embellishment I cut 2 inch strips 60 inches long, or however long the width of your fabric is for bias-tape trim. Fold the strip in half lengthwise and iron. Open the strip back up and then fold the edges in to the center fold and iron. Now fold the piece in half again and stitch it closed. At this point you are now ready to start pinning your bias stripes on to your blouse. Make sure to finish off your neckline first, even though you don't see that in these 2 pictures. I tend to work backwards sometimes. If you have a dressform, use her. If not, lay your blouse on a table or your ironing board, it's just as good. That way you can get a sense of what the blouse will look like as you go along. Pin the edge of the bias stripe to the blouse then fold the bias strip in a zig zag formation forming a loop and pinning as you go. The first row should be about a quarter to a half inch from the edge of the blouse. When it looks the way you want it, baste the strip to your blouse and then take it to the machine. Do the same thing again, but this time, make sure that the bias strip is covering the edge of your blouse. Pin, baste and then stitch it to your blouse permanently. That it. Enjoy, and Embellish to your heart's content.

Easy Breezy Fun and Easy!!!

2010-04-26T17:47:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday morning, I got up real early and finished by overlay top I talked about in my last post. I'm putting all my information together on how I drafted it. So, more to come soon.

I've been on the Amish Friendship Bread kick for about a month now. One of my friends gave me a starter a few weeks ago, and I've been making it ever since. This batch was my third. The one on the left has raisins in it, and the one on the right is plain. I've also made it with bananas and chocolate chips. Very Yummy. I like eating it for breakfast with a cup of tea.

Last Monday night I started working on this baby. Sista Girl Sheila gave me this pattern about a year ago and I thought it was about time I worked it up. Plus, who wouldn't love an easy breezey top every once and a while. I know I do. It went together pretty fast so I made another one. This second one is a bit longer. I can wear it as a mini dress or hike it up even more and wear it as a tunic with leggings. I plan on making a few more of these. Last night I did some tracing. I'm hoping to get a bit more done tonight, We'll see.

So, last night I finally caught up on the last 3 episodes of Project Runway that I needed to see. In my opinion, I believe that Seth Aaron deserved to win. Some of his garments are a little over the top for me, but man, can he tailor. He does beautiful work. Emilio produced a beautiful line, and I agree with the judges, it was very commercial which is good, but I expected a little more from him for the runway. I wasn't too crazy about Mila all season, but I love what she produced for the runway. Did anyone see the Reunion Show? Who else wanted to slap Jay Nicolas besides me?

SMOT #1 Update - Self Drafted Pattern

2010-04-15T13:00:00.006-04:00

First off I want to thank all of you for the lovely comments you left me about my jacket. As soon as I wear the whole outfit which also includes the Vera Wang skirt, I'll get pictures. Rachel, to answer your question, I based and sewed the jacket and lining pieces during the week. On Saturday, I sewed in the sleeves and took care of all my fitting issues.

In my last blog post I said that I was going to try and replicate a top or top overlay that I saw on a woman I passed the over day walking down the street. Tuesday night I cut my drafted pieces out, and last night I got a chance to work on the top a little. I still have a little tweaking to do. The back neckline is drooping a little. I have it pinned in the picture so that I know what needs to be taken in. I figure I can take the shoulders out to a point and then re-sew it pulling the back neckline in. I also need to do some maneuvering on the sides where the front pieces overlap. They are drooping a little to and also need to be taken in. Other than that, I think it looks good so far. I'm hoping I can finish it up by or on the weekend. If anyone is interested, I can do a post on how I drafted the top.

Jacket Love!!

2010-04-13T16:40:00.005-04:00

Can I just start off by telling you now that I'm loving my Simplicity Jacket. I could not have picked a better pattern to work with for my first lined blazer. I'm sorry that this pattern is an OOP because it is a very well drafted pattern and the directions are pretty well written.
On Saturday morning I got up and headed straight for the sewing room. I proceeded to gather the sleeves and ease them into the jacket. Upon trying it on, I realized that the jacket was to big for me and there was some major gaping going on in the back. I have broad shoulders, so I had cut out a size 16 for a more comfortable fit. As usual like pretty much every Saturday morning, Ms. Sheila and I were doing our morning catch up. I told her my issue (more like she heard me cussing while we were talking and she then asked me what was wrong. She then told me to fold the front in by about an inch on both sides and hopefully that would take care of my problem. As I had already sewn the leather trim on the jacket, I had some major ripping out to do. With fingers crossed, and teeth mashing I dove in. I was able to get the trim off. It is so delicate and I kept thinking I might rip it. I then moved the trim over a little more than an inch and then folded the fronts in. I tried the jacket on again, but I still didn't like the fit, so I then pinched the fabric between the back and side back pieces on each side and started pinning. I tried the jacket on one more time, and the fit looked pretty good. From this point. I made notes of everything and did the same adjustments to the lining. I then installed the lining in the jacket, attached the trim to the sleeve cuff area and slip stitched the lining to the sleeve cuff area by hand. This view of the pattern has ties that you attached to the front of the jacket. Because of the trim I decided to use, I thought that the ties would take away from the jacket so I decided to go with a hook and eye closure. Originally I thought about using just regular metal ones but upon looking in my stash, I found some brown hooks that I must have taken off of an old jacket of mine. The weird thing was that I couldn't find any eyes. No problem I decided to try my hand at making one with thread.

For my first attempt I sewed both the hook and the thread eye at the jacket edges where the ties should have gone. I didn't like it very much because it left a gap. I then went in a little on the inside of the jacket and did the thread eye there. This did the trick. It now closes much nicer. I still have to hem the bottom of the jacket, which I plan on finishing tonight hopefully. All in all, this baby is a winner, and I can't wait to wear it.
Next up, Spring Month of Tops. I am so behind. I already have 4 patterns cut, 2 of which are for my mother (Mother's Day is right around the corner). I just have to pick the fabric out. I also am going to try my hand at designing a top. I was with Mr. D on Sunday walking back from the museum and we passed this woman wearing this really cool looking top. I loved it from the start. I've been thinking of how to reconstruct/recreate it since then. Yesterday at lunch I sat and drew pattern pieces using one of my t-shirts as a template. I'm going to try and see what I come up with tonight and tomorrow night. Hopefully, it will work out. I got a box of goodies in the mail yesterday, but haven't tried anything out yet. More to come.

Tonight is Glee!!!! I can't wait!!

I'm in Jacket and Lining Land!!

2010-04-07T17:11:00.007-04:00

It is always still amazing to me when I purchase a piece a fabric, bring it home and then cut all these cool and different rectangular or oval shapes out. After doing that, I, take a needle and thread or the faster version (machine) and put everything together. End result, a nice garment to wear outside of the house. How cool is that? Sometimes I take that skill for granted, by not remember how cool it is, and then I get reminded by one of my awesome neighbors. Like yesterday, I was in the house and my neighbor Danielle stopped over for like a hot minute. I was working on my Simplicity 4256 jacket. I tried it on and then walked over to her house. I was like, "what do you think?" She then looked at me as if I had 2 heads and said "wasn't that in pieces a minute ago? That's crazy, but I love it. I think it's so cool that you can do that." Well ladies and gents, I think it's cool that we all have this skill/talent whether it be sewing, knitting or crochet. It's even cooler when you walk outside and know that no one else is going to look like you, because you put your own spin on things.

I finally cut the lining out for my Simplicity jacket over the weekend and I marked it up on Monday during lunch at my favorite hangout spot. The Bellvue Food Court. I ate a quick lunch and got busy with my thread and chalks. I had a ball. Yesterday while waiting for my mother, she had a doctor's appointment, I basted my pieces together to check the fit. I can happily say that everything is going well so far. Last night I pretty much sewed the jacket together except for the sleeves. I also pinned the trim (it's a faux leather with cool roping around it) on that I'm going to use. I wasn't sure about putting the trim around the collar area, so I tried it out and then took it off. I thought it was a little too much. I do intend to put it on the bottom of the sleeves though. I hope it give it a nice added touch.
This will be the first jacket that I've ever done with a lining. I'm feeling a little apprehensive about it. That's probably why I've taken so long in making this jacket. This is also the first pattern that I'm working with that has the different bra cup pieces to pick from for your cup size. I have to tell you, I like it, and the fit is nicer.

I did finish hemming the Vera Wang skirt this past weekend. I don't have any pictures yet as I'm waiting till this jacket is complete. I want to wear it with it.

I have been working on some knitting designs and I'm nearing the end on 2 sweaters that I have been working on for quite some time. Hopefully soon I'll show some pictures.
Today I ordered these lovely items from Mary Jo's Cloth Store. Point Presser and Clapper $16.49

Ham Holder $13.49

I don't know how good they are, but the price was right for me. I also purchased a seam roll at JoAnns. They were 50% off if anyone is looking for one.

If anyone is a Christian Siriano fan from his Project Runway days, check him out on Bravo. He has a new how that came on called Christian Siriano, Having a moment. Thanks Victoria for the link. The show is great!!

Crisis Averted!!!!

2010-04-01T12:32:00.007-04:00

Everyone I know started getting their April Burda issue last week, but my copy was no where to be seen. I had purchased my subscription through Amazon, and you know I wasn't happy. I spoke to my buddy Karen and she agreed with me that I should check things out because I didn't get a renewal notice and she stated that she didn't think Amazon did renewals. Well my friends, I was freaking out by Monday. I checked my subscription and it stated that it wasn't expired until May 2010. I put an email in to Amazon, who then transferred me to the magazine company that handled my subscription. On Tuesday I received an email back on my inquiry and I was a little upset. I found out that my subscription had been fulfilled with the March 2010 issue, which meant Ms. Andrea was not getting an April issue. Well, we couldn't have that now could me. I was on the phone yesterday morning with a quickness. I found out that Amazon does NOT send out renewals for subscriptions (bad, bad, bad BADDDDD), THANKS Karen for the heads up again. I was able to renew my subscription directly through the magazine company and they assured me that I will now get renewal notices on a yearly basis. I have also calmed down because I was able to get my April issue, so hopefully I'll see that in a few days.
In other sewing news, I finally cut out Simplicity 4256. View C. It's the beige jacket to the far right at the top.

I still need to cut the lining out. I'm hoping to get that done tonight. Then I just need to mark it up and do some thread tracing and I'm ready to go. I'm hoping to get some sewing done this weekend. We'll see.
I finished the Vera Wang skirt except for hemming.
I plan on finishing that up by the weekend as well. I think I might serge and then prick stitch the hem. I haven't done prick stitching on a hem in a long time. I need to bone up as they say on my hand sewing skills.

I also finished the chemo hat that I was working on for a friend. Sorry it's not modeled but I'm sure you can understand. I can tell you this, the hat is sharp when it's worn. My hairdresser saw it Friday night and now she wants one, and personally I like it too, so I guess that will be hat #3 in the works.

I started working out again a couple of weeks ago, and I'm still going strong. I've lost about 6 pounds. It's a slow go but I'm trying. On Tuesday night I took a Zumba class for the first time, and LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE it. I am totally hooked. It kicked my butt, and I was crying for the last 15 minutes as I wanted to quit, but there were these 2 older women in back of me, I'd say around the age of 65 and older. I wasn't quitting if they weren't. Plus the class was packed. I didn't want to leave my corner.

Improvised Vera Wang Skirt

2010-03-25T13:28:00.008-04:00

Do you ever start working on a pattern, cut it out, and then just not feel like finishing it? Well, I'm there right now with Vogue 8941. Sad part is that it's probably the easiest dress to do. And that I'll probably love it when it's finally done. With that in mind, and my growing urge for instant gratification, last night, I started something new. I had about a yard left of the Vera Wang fabric after cutting Vogue 8941, the above stated dress, and thought it would be good for a simple a-line skirt as long as the front and back were the same. Since I didn't have a pattern for that, I went into my closet and pulled out my gray charcoal skirt that I like. I've had it for years. I literally laid it on my fabric and cut the fabric out around it leaving room for a seam allowance. I then drove to Joanns after realizing that I didn't have an invisible zipper to match(thank goodness it was 8pm and they were still open). As of this morning I have one side completely sewn up and the zipper installed. This is how she looks so far.

By Saturday, I hope to have both the front and back facings done, and then I will attach a lining to the facing. Thanks to Ms. Adelaide B over at Pretty Sweet, I was introduced to Gertie's Blog. She has a tutorial for making vintage inspired slips. As a woman who grew up in a household were you didn't leave the house unless you had a slip on under your dress or skirt, I'm loving Gertie's blog. I especially love her scallop edge slip. I'm going to try the scallop edging out on the lining of my Vera Wang skirt. I think it will make an nice inside finish to the skirt.
By the way, I have to thank Karen for taking the picture of me yesterday in my new faux leather belt. It's so nice when sewing buddies work so near each other.

I also want to thank So NGLaLALa for sending me this lovely journal. I will use it for something awesome. This was the very first blog contest I've ever won.

A short time ago, I was awarded this by Eliana. If you haven't read her blog, please check it out. She is an amazing knitter/crocheter. I'm always amazed by her beautiful hand work. She does an amazing job.

Now, with this award, I'm suppose to tell 7 things about myself and then nominate 7 other people to do the same. Here goes:

1. I'm a last minutes person (Yes, Rachel, you were right about me.=)

2. I work well under pressure.

3. I don't like getting up early in the morning. I'm definitely a night person.

4. I love double decker peanut and jelly(it has to be grape jam) sandwiches on wheat toast with hot chocolate.

5. I love out of the dryer warm and cozy sweats on a cold rainy day.

6. I just got Netflix recently, and I think I'm addicted.

7. When I was in High School, I started writing a novel, but I never finished it.

The 7 people I nominate are:

Sheila
Rachel
Robin
Tanya
Melissa
Susan
Faye

What's going on and some INSPIRATION!!

2010-03-23T18:30:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday was the 1st day of Spring. It was just a few weeks ago that we sat and witnessed major snow storms and prayed for warmer weather. Well it's here, and so is the rain, but I for one am not complaining. I took advantage of the great weather yesterday and took a short bike ride with Mr. D. Saturday, I slept in really late and then ran my weekly errands and did laundry.It's been a slow go, but I finally got the dress for Vogue 8491 cut out. I still have to cut the jacket for Simplicity 4256 out. I also have the pattern pieces for Simplicity 2406 cut. I have to wash the fabric for it still, but hopefully I should have that done before the end of the week. I'm using one of the Silk Dupioni fabrics that I purchased from Jomars last week for $1.00 a yard. I also purchased denim from Jomars for the Jalie 2908 sew-a-long. I purchased the zipper over the weekend at JoAnns and ordered the rivets and button today from ebay. Can I also tell you that I think these will be the cheapest pair of jeans ever. I got the stretch denim for $3.20 a yard. Since it was so cheap, I purchased 2 different weights. I think one might be a 9 lb. and the other possibly a 12 pound.

On the knitting front I'm still working on some personal designs that have been a slow go, but I like what I'm seeing. I've only been working on them for about a year. There's no rush right?

Over the weekend I casted on for the Not-Just-For Chemo Reversible Cloche by Mary Keenan.

I finished the linen stitch for the brim and am now working on the hat portion.

It's tedious but I like it. I'm making it for another friend, who's wife just started chemo. While I'm on the subject of knitting for other people, I have to tell you that the red slippers were a hit, she loved them. My friend/band mate couldn't wait till his anniversary to give his wife the slippers from my last post. I heard that she is wearing them, and that I'm her favorite person right now.

Until next time, here's the belt I made last night, and wore to work today. I hope you like. I've also been looking at a little inspiration. I see some color, ruffles and embellishment in my future.

I could walk a mile in these babies!!!

2010-03-08T17:23:00.005-05:00

I finished the slippers I've been working on for my friend Saturday morning. I think I might have to make a pair for myself as they are so comfortable. I tried a new trick on them. I put puff paint on the bottom of the slippers in the hopes that it will act as a non-sliding agent. Soon enough I should find out if it works or not. Either way, it looks cute on the bottom.

Saturday afternoon, my wonderful husband and I hung out at the gym and we finished our workout with a swim. He's got me doing laps. Let me tell you right off, I am not a lap swimming girl. It's really hard. I swim really well, but my breathing technique is for the birds. Hopefully by the summer he'll have me going the distance since he swims like a fish.

Yesterday I started making headbands. I finished these 2 so far.This morning my neighbor let me borrow her daughter for these pictures. I owe her a yellow one to go with her Easter dress. Isn't she cute!

Now I really need to buckle down and get some major sewing done. There's a dress and jacket that needs to be seriously worked on.

Eliana I have forgotten about the award. And I just found out I won my first giveaway. Yippee!!

Getting Back to Nature

2010-03-01T17:15:00.009-05:00

I have to admit that I got absolutely no sewing done this past weekend. On Saturday I did buy some Donna Karen fabric from Jomars. It's sad, I just can't seem to stick to my fabric diet. I went to the Norristown store to pick up one more button for my MIL's sweater that I was changing the buttons on. I couldn't resist. I got some blue fabric for a $1 a yard. I think it may be a shantung to work up a muslin of my Easter dress, by the way, for the dress portion of my outfit I'm going to go with Vogue 8491. Now, I'm having issues over fabric choices for my Easter outfit as I picked up this DK beauty for $2.00 a yard. The color in these 2 pictures is very off. The fabric is a mint green with chocolate brown. I also got this plaid fabric for $1.60 a yard for this jacket that I previously talked about. At Jomars they think it's either Nine West or DK. After that excursion I stopped at JoAnns and picked up a few patterns. I thought when I got home I could get some sewing done. I finished sewing the buttons on my MIL's sweater and then Mr. D kindly informed me that we were going on a winter hike as he needed to record some outdoor sounds for a project he was working on. We took a ride over to The Willows in Radnor and went for a walk in the woods. It was awesome trekking through the snow. I forgot my camera so I tried to capture a few of the scenes I saw with my iPhone.
I also got a picture of Mr. D wearing his new cable hat which I finished last week in time for his birthday.

On Sunday, we went skiing with friends at Spring Mountain. I've only been wearing berets of late and I needed a fitted hat to wear. What's a girl to do but crochet one up on the ride to the mountain. I used scraps leftover from recent projects. The next knitting project that I've been working on are bootie slippers for a friend. These pink ones belong to his wife. I think either her mother or grandmother made them and they are worn out on the bottom. Their anniversary is coming up and he wants to surprise her with a new pair. It's been great trying to recreate them as I don't have a pattern to work from. It's been a great learning experience. I'm working on the second one now and it's about halfway done. I hope she likes them.

Weekend Highlights!!

2010-02-22T12:48:00.005-05:00

I did not get much done in the line of sewing or knitting this past weekend. I did work a little on my new sewing space compliments of my husband. Once it's finished, I'll take pictures. We are sharing the spare bedroom in our house or more like I'm sharing a room with his containers and my sewing and crafting containers.

Saturday was errand and washing day. Saturday night I went to a fundraiser. A good time was had by all. I made the cable hat in black for a friend, but stupid me forgot to take a picture. Fortunately, I'm making the same hat for Mr. D in some Noro yarn, so I'll have pics in the future.

Another friend of mine has asked me to knit slipper booties for his wife. He's given me the pair she has now so I'm reworking a pattern from them. I'm hoping they turn out as I am in the dark right now.

Although I got no sewing done, yesterday I did take a little drive. I needed my phone re-wrapped against scratching so I took a trip to the King of Prussia Mall for that. Since I was in the area, I drove to Norristown in search of Jomars. I usually go to the one off of Delaware Ave. in South Philadelphia area. I had heard that the Norristown store had awesome designer fabric. I am trying to find a stretch plaid for the Burda jacket. I didn't find any, but I did stock up on buttons. You would have too if you were told it was $2 a cup. I got 116 of them. I also found 6 1/2 inch wide stretch lace at $1.09 per yard minus 20%. In the end, I walked out $20 lighter. I wasn't upset with myself as I'm trying to keep to my fabric diet. I'm trying to work from stash first, and then if I can't find anything, I'll then go on a hunt at the fabric stores. Now I can work up my underwear patterns with the right fabric/lace. I see some dying in my future as I want different colors other than white.

I have to Thank Carolyn for blogging about this book.

I purchased it on Friday night and I was not disappointed. The clothing designs are FABULOUS and Mrs. O's style is impeccable. If you haven't seen this book, check it out.

On a last note, here is my current inspiration. Thanks for the link Rachel.

52 Katherine

New Projects and a Review

2010-02-17T10:17:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite things right now is the Chalk Cartridge Set put out by Dritz. I've wanted a chalk pencil like this for quite some time. I saw a similar one in a Threads magazine a few years ago, and said to myself I want that. Well, when I was in JoAnns a couple of weeks ago and saw this baby in the Quilting Section, I grabbed it. I tried it out on my outfit this past weekend, and it's a keeper. I'll be adding this to my wonderful collection of chalks (Love Them) that I got from Greenberg & Hammer. What are some of your favorite tools to work with?

As promised, here's a picture of me in the Valentines outfit from this past weekend. You can read my PR review here.

I've been trying to get in the mood for Spring. With that in mind, and today also being Ash Wednesday, I'm thinking about Easter and what I'll be wearing. Normally I pick out a pattern first and work from there. This time I picked the fabric first. I settled on this recent Vera Wang purchase of 2 yards. I'm hoping it's okay for Spring as the colors are a little Fall-ish.

At first I thought about making a skirt with a matching blazer. I settled on Simplicity 4256 for the blazer. It was either yesterday or maybe the day before that I figured with 2 yards, I could make a dress, so I'm now deciding between Simplicity 2658 View B and the dress from Vogue 8491. I'm leaning toward the Simplicity dress, but my decision isn't final yet. What do you think?

The other project I want to start is pants. I've decided to go with a Burda Pattern. The two that I'm looking at are 4-2009-188 and 11-2009-124. I know I'll probably make both, I'm just undecided as to which pair to make first. I'll probably go with 4-2009-118 first because I keep looking at the picture and I also want to make 4-2009-116 from the same issue and I think they'd go well together.

Happy Valentines Day and Vogue 2980 and more t-shirts!!!

2010-02-12T18:59:00.011-05:00

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!!!

It has been a while, but with all this snow, I've been a little incognito. Don't get me wrong, I love snow, but come on, I think enough is enough. This is what our place looked like when the storm was starting to calm down on Wednesday night. Can you even see Mr. D in the first picture? I think snow totals in my town of Ridley Park were around 79 inches. I'm thinking it should melt my the end of March, maybe. At this point we're all at a lose, and no one knows where to put it. The best part is that we're suppose to be getting more tomorrow. Anyway, I've been kind of lazy lately, so I haven't worked on much. I did finish a hat for one of my neighbors. I hope he likes it.

Last night my band played a Pre-Valentine dance at a club. We did this dance last year, and it was lots of fun. Last year we gave out roses to ladies in the crowd. It was a big hit. This year we did the same thing but you all know how I'm on the t-shirt stenciling, painting kick. Well, I have now added iron-ons to that list. Mr. D helped me with the graphics, as I am not a pro with photo shop yet. A little scanning, and maneuvering, and we got this. Which after a little trimming and cutting out becomes this.For the iron-ons I used this, which I purchased at Dick Blick.
We gave them out to some of our regulars as a thank you. They turned out to be very popular, I actually had a couple ladies come up and ask for one.

Yesterday, I worked on Vogue 2980. I think everyone and their mother has done this top. If you haven't tried it yet? Put it on your list. The top is 4 pieces. Aside from figuring out which size to make for yourself, some minor pleating on the bolero part of the top, it's very easy and it makes for a nice staple in your wardrobe.

I originally was going to use stashed fabric that I had for another dress, but at the last minute I ran to JoAnns Friday night and picked up some Sew Classic Knit. I think that's was it's called. Sheila please correct me if I'm wrong, cause right now I'm drawing a blank. This fabric looks great at first sight, but be careful if you use it. I used the polyester rayon blend. The one you can put in the washing machine and dryer. Well, as you start sewing, sometimes the fabric likes to have runners, like the ones you get in pantie hose when you catch them on something. The other problem, is don't rub up against too many objects or things either, the fabric pulls. Aside from that, it's great. Here are preliminary shots as I forgot my camera last night, but I'm suppose to get a pic by email sometime today. I sewed up a pencil skirt to go with it to give the illusion of a dress.

Burda 1-2010-128

2010-02-01T12:52:00.007-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Except for a little craziness on Saturday night and the unexpected snow, mine went pretty well. Now, I know I was suppose to be working on my suede skirt knock-off from Newport News, but I couldn't get Burda 1-2010-128 out of my head. It also didn't help that my fabric from fabric.com arrived. Can I tell you that the fabric from the Vera Wang collection is like butter. All the pieces I received are beautiful and from this first piece so far, it's really nice to work with(aside from the wrinkles of course). The satin twill fabric is of medium weight and that was a little concern of mine since the pattern called for a light weight fabric. After talking to Sheila, Karen (thanks ladies!!!) and my mom, I went ahead and made the dress as the weight of the fabric would be perfect for this time of the year.

I traced the pieces out during my lunch hour on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday night, I headed over to JoAnns to pick up a zipper. Let me tell you, I had the hardest time finding a Chartreuse colored invisible zipper. In the end I went with a Spinach color, and I like it. The contrast in color looks intentional on my part, and works nicely with the fabric.

I started cutting out the dress on Saturday afternoon. Nothing like waiting to the last minute. I am so glad I made a muslin first, as for me, I think the tunic/dress runs a little snug in the hip area. I added about a half inch to that part of the dress, and it was fine after that.

The dress by far is pretty easy in construction. I started reading the directions but stopped about half way through. I think it was my short attention span. Here is a front view of the completed dress. Here's the back.

A close-up of the front. A little of the inside construction.I was going to actually do buttonholes but opted to just sew the buttons on as I could slide into the dress pretty easily.

This final picture is with my friend Chrissy. She's a local designer in the Philadelphia area. She had her fashion show at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Saturday night. I slide all over the highway getting there, but thank GOD, no one hit me. And no, I wasn't speeding. There was black ice all over the road. Cars were hanging out in ditches all over the place. I was one of the lucky ones.

Stenciling is My New Thing!!

2010-01-27T16:50:00.005-05:00

Okay, I know I'm suppose to be sewing, and yes my fabric did arrive from Fabric.com minus the Navy Boucle fabric and the Steel Chiffon(You know I wasn't happy about that). They were sold out of the boucle and sent the wrong item for the chiffon. Oh, well, what's a girl to do? I order the cotton faille in dark navy blue and a couple of other pieces of which I then receive an email today, and they tell me that the designer woven jacquard circles in green is also now not available. I am not even going to touch this subject right now. Especially since they are now not allowing you to make substitutions. You have to place a new order.

I cut the pattern pieces out to do the muslin of my skirt, but I haven't worked on it.

Today's another day and hopefully I'll feel motivated to do something tonight.

Now, I wasn't all that lazy last night. Recently I've been interested in trying my hand at fabric painting. I purchased some fabric paint cans to try spray painting, I have some puff paint to do the 3-D stuff, and I also picked up some regular old fashion fabric paint. I decided to try that first. Since I didn't know what I was doing, I purchased a cheap long sleeve t-shirt, a couple of stencils, and I had a few stamps on hand and this is what I came up with. Except for a couple of very light smudges, it didn't turned out too bad. I think there will be more painting in my future, plus I want to make my own stencils. My husband saw this, and he already told me he's got plans for me and a few of his shirts.

Have any of you tried something new, and/or want to try something new in the crafting department? Let me hear it?

I've Been A Bad Girl!!!!

2010-01-18T12:51:00.010-05:00

and I owe it all to Rachel. I put myself on a fabric diet until May, and I couldn't resist buying fabric from the Vera Wang Collection over at Fabric.com. I mean come on, $1.95 a yard? That was temptation at it's best. I did give myself a limit, and I couldn't go over $40. I just made it, as my order came to $37.98. I got a total of 17 yards from the collection and another 2.5 yards of a Stretch Matte Jersey Knit in Tomatoe which cost $1.93 per yard. This top I think will be for another Vogue 8597, but my version. I checked out the sweater material I had this past weekend, and found that it wasn't enough fabric to make the sweater, so right now I have another piece in my stash in mind, but I have to check the yardage. This one here, might be a present, not sure yet. Here's what I purchased from the collection:

5 yards of Polyester Boucle Suiting in Navy. Sorry this picture is so small, but the bigger picture of this fabric was taken off the fabric.com sight before I could capture it. Anyway, I have this designated for a Suit. I'm just not sure which one yet.

3 yards of Printed Brocade Floral Lavender/Black. This will be for a dress, I think.

2 yards of Printed Brocade Floral Amber. I have this in mind for a cute knee length skirt.

3 yards of Satin Twill Chartreuse. I'm thinking of making that popular tunic/dress from Burda 1-2010-128. I figure if it doesn't work out, or I don't like it, I can turn it into a nice blouse.

2 yards of Polyester Chiffon Steel. I'm interested in making some ruffled flowers and maybe a layered scarf for the Spring. Something with Cream Chiffon, Tulle and pearl beading. We'll see.

2 yards of Techno Taffeta Navy. This piece will be for a matching blouse for the Polyester Boucle.

I didn't get any sewing done this weekend, but I did manage to do some crocheting for a friend. She's trying to raise some money for the drama group that she's involved with, so I told her that I would donate a few items for them to raffle off the night of their fundraiser. I'll blog about that later as it's coming up early next month.

Did anyone catch the Golden Globes last night? I didn't watch it, but I did make sure I checked out what the girls were wearing today. Here are a few of my favorites.

I'm trying to decide what my next sewing project is going to be. Right now I'm thinking about replicating this baby. I figure I can accomplish that with Butterick 5421and a few minor adjustment/alterations. I also might try my hand at Vogue 1053, but I'm not sure yet. I'm afraid I think.

Vogue 8597 #1

2010-01-13T23:39:00.002-05:00

One down, one more to go. Please excuse the hair!!!

Hanging with the Cowls

2010-01-13T17:11:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I was blog surfing and saw Meli88a's cowl neck sweater and thought to myself, I like that and want one. She made her's using a pattern from 2005 Burda issue. I started searching the Big 4s and found Vogue 8597. I figured with a few minor adjustments to the cowl part, it could work. Vogue and McCall patterns were on sale two weekends ago at JoAnns. So you know I drove over there and picked up the pattern right away. I decided to try View A. In drawing out the pattern pieces Sunday night I lengthened the cowl part by about 15 inches, and gradually widened the cowl by about 3 to 3 1/2 inches. I'm hoping this will give me the the depth and length that I'm hoping for. In checking out PR for the pattern, I came across Violet's version and her inspiration. I was hoping to get more done this past weekend, but, as we all know, life sometimes gets in the way of our crafting, plus, I've been having a hard time with my sinuses the past 2 weeks. I'm using a matte t-shirt jersey I picked up at JoAnn's for my muslin, and for the actual sweater I'm going to use this lovely sweater fabric that I picked up at Jomar's last month on my little excursion with Karen. I cut the fabric out this morning for the muslin before getting ready for work this morning. I'm hoping to sew tonight, if I'm not too tired when I get home.

Back in the beginning of November Knit Picks had asked me to so some knitting for them, and I received my new Jan/Feb catalog yesterday. I was flipping through the pages and a big grin came across my face when I saw the Stained Glass Hat and Mittens I knit for them. It's from the book All New Homespun Handknits by Amy Clarke Moore. I loved making this hat set, but of course I had to give them to their rightful owner. Now I have to put this pattern on my list, to make a set for myself .

Yesterday I finished up the final hat that I needed to make for my bass player. I gave it to him last night at practice. Let's just say he was a happy camper. He requested the Jamaican colors for his hat.

I have to send a big shout out and THANK YOU to Adrienne. Back in June she posted about the Suave Giveaway and I went over to Suave and signed up. Last night when I got home from work, this was in the mail. I can't wait to try this out. It smells wonderful.

Hopefully, I'll have pics of my cowl neck blouse tomorrow, but for now here I am last Thursday night at the yarn shop wearing my Deep V-Neck Sweater With Collar.

First FO of the Year !!!!

2010-01-04T12:32:00.007-05:00

So, I hope you all had a wonderful and uneventful but crafty weekend. It is so cold here. Let me tell you, layering right now is a must. Right now it's 31 degrees and it's suppose to go down to 23 tonight.

Last weekend I was browsing through JoAnn's and I came across this awesome crochet book Contemporary Crochet : 37 European Designs, by Sys Fredens. I had to have it. I don't think there is one design in this book that I don't like, and everything is pretty basic. On Monday, I started my first crochet sweater ever(I have done a tank top before), and finished it yesterday. I guess you can call it my rollover sweater. It's the Deep V-Neck Sweater With Collar. I love how this sweater turned out, and I love the colorway of this yarn. I also love that I got it done in a week. The yarn is Jo-Ann Sensations Rainbow Boucle. I purchased it on sale for a whopping $5.99 on sale last weekend. Now I just need to weave in the ends and find a cute matching tank top to wear with it. If you are new to crochet, this book is definitely a winner if you want to get your feet wet. Here are a few of the other designs.The Lovely and talented Ms. Faye awarded me To accept the award, I need to list 10 things about myself and then award it to 7 other bloggers.

1. I grew up an only child.

2. My parents divorced when I was 25 after 29 years of marriage.

3. Most people automatically think that I'm spoiled, but my parents always made sure that I worked for everything that I received. They also taught me that as long as I had money, I could purchase whatever I wanted.

4. I love doing outdoor activities like hiking/trail walking, biking, swimming, etc.

5. I have a dream of one day having a wardrobe of my own handmade creations.

6. I need to be more goal oriented. I start things, but I don't always finish them.

7. I would like to travel more.

8. I would love to read at least 50 books this year.

9. I would like to sew/knit/crochet mainly from my stash this year. I have entirely too much fabric, and yarn.

10. I'm outgoing, but a real home body at heart.

The 7 women I'm going to nominate are:

Sheila
Rachelle
Rachel
Elaina
Karen
Robin
Marissa

Holiday Highlights and My Year in Review

2009-12-30T12:26:00.013-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful holiday season. I know I am. I didn't get a chance to finish all my sewing projects, but I'm still working on them. I was able to finish 8 turn-a-square hats, and they were well received by my band mates and my BIL. I also got two of the bathrobes done.

My girlfriend loved hers, and so did my mom. Here's a picture of my mom's.Sorry I was rushing out the door for work, and this is pre-iron/steaming. I didn't get the night gowns done for my MIL, but I did make a handbag for her. Sorry, no pics on this one. I forgot. I gave Mr. D his boxer shorts and he loved them. I plan on cutting out the Hefner robe hopefully by next weekend.

I didn't ask for much this Christmas, but on the craftier side, Mr. D gave me an organizer with trays to either hold buttons, beads, etc.. My mom gave me the rolling tote that I previously blogged about, so that I can travel with at least one of my sewing machines. Have bag, will travel.

I had a chance to sit down this week and reflect on this past year and review the goals that I had set for myself. Overall the year was good. We had a few scary moments in the past few months, but we were able to get through them, and so far, everyone is doing very well. My MIL's aneurysm is shrinking so the doctors are waiting to shoot the coils in. My mother is now home, she had one last test a couple of weeks ago, and she does not have to get a defibrillator installed for her heart.

In reviewing my goals for 2009 , I found that I didn't do too bad:

1. Organize and catalog my knitting stash. I didn't do this, but everything is in containers.
2. Organize and catalog my sewing stash. I started this, but it's not done.

3. Design more with a structured purpose. I want to see if I can come up with a collection and in a timely manner according to the seasons. I did start a few new knitting designs (3 in fact. I finished one, but haven't written a pattern for it yet) during the course of the year, but they are not finished yet. I also started working on a crochet collection about a month ago and so far, I am loving the creative process, and I love what I am seeing. I want to design something every month or every other month, experiment with yarn more. I guess I've experimented, but I sure didn't do it every month.
4. Sew more. I did do this. Challenge myself by making a whole wardrobe. I have not done this YET, but I'm working on it. Learn new techniques. I learned french seams and buttonholes, I also started working with leather (stay tuned). I purchased a Serger this past year, and love it. I also designed my first garment, even though I used pattern pieces from different patterns to accomplish the design. I don't want to be afraid of trying something new. I want to try a BWOF pattern. I only have like 4 of the magazines. I actually have a subscription now. I made 2 BWOF patterns. I plan on doing more.

I never posted this picture, but I did try my hand at draping and shirring even though the project was simple. This baby got a lot of wear during the summer.

5. Educate myself more in knitting and sewing. Go on design excursions, maybe take a class in sewing. Visit NY. Read more again.There weren't any local classes for me to take, unless I actually signed up for some college courses. I have purchased quite a few new books which I plan on getting into in the next year. There are so many techniques that I have to learn. I did go to NY for PR Day, and got to hang with an amazing group of people.
6. Workout. Drop 1 more dress size. YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH, this did not happen. I did workout a little.

7. Start spinning again. I did start this, but I still would like to do this more.

8. Cook more. Have fun in the kitchen. The early part of the year was a bust on this one, but in the last month, I've been in the kitchen, and enjoying it. I cook for my mom now, and my husband are experimenting on the vegetarian thing so, food had been very interesting in our house.

For 2010, I want to keep it a little simple and easy.

1. With the scares that we've had in our family, My #1 focus I think will be family. They have to be cherished, there just isn't enough hours in the day.

2. I need to carve out some free time for me, and then everyone else.

3. Create, Create, Create

4. Educate, Educate, and then Create some more.

5. Get my sewing, knitting, and crochet on. Sew a little more for my family. I think I did pretty good this year.

6. In General Read More. I did pretty good this past year, but I know I can do better.

On an end note, I just received this picture

in the mail from Mr. D's cousin. Back in March, I made this outfit for Baby S. Isn't she beautiful.

I want to thank all of you for stopping by this past year. You have given me inspiration and friendships that I never dreamed of, and your advice has been very helpful. Thank you.

I wish all of you a Wonderful, Happy and Prosperous New Year. May it be filled with love, family and many days, nights and weekends of crafting. Walk on Motivate and Creative!!

Weekend Plans and a New Book!!

2009-12-18T10:18:00.007-05:00

First of all, I want to thank all of you for all the lovely comments you left me about my gown. I had fun making it. I'm just glad it turned out nicely. There's always that feeling of nerves when I make something for the first time, and there are a few unknown issues involved. Like, never working with this type of fabric before, no info on the pattern, and I wasn't too clear on the pattern sizing.

So, the holiday season is definitely in full swing and Christmas is only like what, 6 days away? I'm almost ready. I have quite a bit more sewing to do. I'm hoping that I can accomplish quite a bit between tomorrow afternoon and Sunday. We're suppose to get a snow storm this weekend. They're calling for 8 to 12 inches. I'm planning to take advantage of that if I can. I figure I can get the errands out of the way first (if I can get out), and then put myself on lock down for the duration of the weekend. I finished my girlfriend's robe last night. I just have to tack the collar down. I almost had a crisis, with the collar, but I was able to salvage everything without a problem. The original robe only went to the knee and I knew that she would want it longer so I added 3 inches to the length of the robe. This robe doesn't have a collar just a band that goes around the robe. Well, when I cut the band out, I forgot to add the 3 inches to it. Hence, the robe was longer than the band.

I went to sleep Wednesday night thinking I'd have to make another stop at JoAnn's since I didn't have enough material to cut another band. Yesterday I woke up with the light bulb turned on. The original band for the pattern has a seam at the back of the neck, but the back of the robe is seamless. I cut the original band open cutting off the seam I had sewn and added another piece of material making it long enough matching the 2 new seams at the shoulder seams where the sleeves were sewn in. Sorry, I haven't taken any pictures yet, but I can tell you that I think it's really pretty and I like it much better than what the pattern had me doing. Next up is my mother's robe, then I have to cut my MIL night gowns out and put them together. Mr. D will be last because he's in the house and I have time. He already knows he's getting it.

Last week I purchased Design It Yourself Clothes , Patternmaking Simplified. I just started reading it, and all I can tell you is that this book is fantastic. I've only read a few pages but it's got me hooked. After the new year, I have plans with this book, another book of mine, paper, pencil and a few rulers. I can't wait. If you'd like a more in depth review, check out Liesl Gibson of Oliver + S Patterns review.

Have a great weekend, and please, stay warm. It's 28 degrees here right now.