The One Seam Rectangle Skirt by Rhonda Buss

For the past year I have enjoyed reading Rhonda Buss’ blog, Rhonda's Creative Life.  She is one sweet lady for sharing her talents with us every week. Her hobbies range from sewing to knitting; cooking to piloting a plane (Amazing!!!).  If you have not had a chance to check her out, please do.  And did I mention she even gives out cooking recipes on Sundays?  Hello!!  Anyway, every Friday she gives you Fabulous Free Pattern Friday.  For the longest time I’ve wanted to try one of her patterns and the list is getting longer with every Friday that passes.  

There was no time like the present, so I decided to start with her One Seam Rectangle Skirt.

                                                       This picture is courtesy of her blog.

Rhonda’s patterns are very simple to put together and she explains and gives directions in a way that it's easy to follow and you can’t go wrong.  

I enjoyed making this skirt up and when I tell you, I think it only took an hour tops from cut to finish.  Did I mention I made this whole outfit with 1 5/8 yards of fabric which I purchased from Fabric Warehouse I think a year or year and a half ago.  It's a sweater knit. 

I have paired the skirt here with McCall 4517 (OOP).  

 I definitely see a few more of these skirts in my future, especially during the summer months as it can be worn as a coverup and/or with a tank to keep cool.  

If you've been thinking about trying one of her patterns, please do.  You will not be disappointed.  I wasn't.  I know for a fact I am going to try a few of her other patterns in the near future.

Costume Sewing and McCalls 5954

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.

Going Green with McCall 3830

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.

Claudia Statler Pants Take 2

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.

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

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.

The Little Black Dress!!! McCall 6069

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.

Labor Day Weekend Update!!

This is a warning. This post is very picture heavy. Saturday was our lazy day. We hung out by the Sckuykill River with our new toy.

It was a beautiful day. The weather was great and we had a nice time. It was my first time riding a jet ski.

I also started a new project. I've made socks before, but never one from the toe-up so this is my introduction to that. I'm using Berroco Sock 50% Nylon and 50% Acrylic which is actually very nice to work with. The pattern I'm using is The Humble Sock Goes Toe-Up by Nikki Burns. I found the pattern on Ravelry. I had to make a few alterations as for the size because it was too big. I casted on for the smallest size but worked up to 46 stitches on #2 circular needles. I also learned a new technique which was the Turkish Cast-On. The sock seems to fit me fine so far. I'm almost up to the heel flap part.

Yesterday I finished Sursa. I think she turned out really nice and should keep me warm on those chilly days like today. All that's left to do is to weave in the ends. I pretty much followed the pattern. The only thing I did differently was the ruffle. I wanted instant gratification so I decided to crochet the ruffle instead of knit it. It took 10 balls of yarn and 2 evening sessions in front of the television but it's done.

Last night I casted on for a blanket. It's a Christmas gift so I can't say who it's for. I don't have any pictures yet, but I hope to have it done in time.

In sewing news, I went to JoAnn Fabrics yesterday and had a field day. McCalls, Vogue and Simplicity patterns were all on sale. I thought at first that my visit was going to be a bust. When I got there, I wasn't finding what I went for but then the boxes started showing up for restocking and the nice girls at JoAnns let me go to town. 11 patterns later, I walked out a very happy camper. Here's what I purchased. I have to thank Amanda of Amanda's Sewing Adventures (great blog) for mentioning over the weekend that McCalls had listed some new patterns. When I saw this Laura Ashley pattern 5972, I had to get it. I love the ruffles on View C. I was afraid that my JoAnns didn't have it yet, but like I mentioned earlier, they had just received the new shipment with the new patterns.5929. Even though I've been sewing for quite some time, I've never sewn a button down shirt. I figure it's about time, so here's one of the blouses/shirts I'd like to tackle this coming year.

Every girl needs a sweater set in their wardrobe and I thought 5978 would fit the bill. What I like about this pattern is that it has a set- in sleeve on the sweater. That's great for me because if I want to change the sleeve design it will be easier for me to do and it opens up quite a few options.

I purchased 5975 because I just liked it. Plus I do like all the dress options.

I can see myself making at least 3 versions from 2504. I love Views A, B, and C.

There's not much to say about 2508. I think it's a definite must have. I love all 3 versions.


Getting in the holiday mode. I picked up these 3 patterns. Simplicity 2739, 3696 and McCalls 5248. My mother asked me for a bathrobe for Christmas so I think pajamas and bathrobes will be in order for her and my husband this year.

Robin has made this one a few times. Because of that, it has become a must have in a sewer's collection. I figured it was time I picked this one up before they discontinue it.

I saw 2665 the last time I was at a Simplicity sale. I decided to pick it up this time. I like the vest and pants from this pattern. It's the vest and pants version of Vogue 1053 which is already in my collection(jacket and pants). The fronts of the jacket and vest on these 2 patterns are very similar.

That's about it for me. I want to sew something today, or at least cut something out. I just need to pick a pattern out.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their Labor Day!!