Ottobre Woman 5/09

I'm becoming more used to the idea of tracing.  I have a bunch of thin paper, but not quite tissue paper, from a package I got from Sephora that I'm using up little by little as I decide on the next Ottobre pattern to tackle.
I have a friend in Europe who is completely used to tracing and had some tips for me.  I also did some reading.  This go 'round, when I decided it was time to trace off the Bohemian Tunic pattern, I used a green Sharpie to go over the green pattern marks I would be tracing and then I taped my giant Ottobre pattern sheet on a glass door.
It was nice that there were only 4 pieces to trace.  This is a sweet little piece that can be worn layered or not and would be really cute a couple inches longer with leggings and boots.
I gave it a try in some purple velour since it is still chilly and I was feeling like I needed cozy layering pieces.
I don't like it with jeans, but I wasn't feeling the leggings vibe this morning.

I think this pattern is a great candidate for the dressy loungewear idea that seems to be circulating.  You could make it from sweatshirt material or even a micro fleece and have cute, cozy and comfy while totally skipping frumpy and boring.  It would even be a cute alternative to the velour pant and jacket set.  You could even use an cotton/lycra for the top and make a matching yoga pant to have a cute activewear outfit.

If I made it in a jersey knit and was wearing it unlayered, I might belt it or even shirr a few lines in the lower back region.  There is no seam in the back and therefore no allowance for sway-back adjustment.  That means, if I bend over or sit and then stand up straight again, I have to tug the back hem down again or else it will get stuck wrinkled on top of my derriere.

Speaking of my derriere... I made knickers!  This pattern is also from Ottobre Woman 5/09.  I made a muslin and then tweaked a few things and here is my second pair.

They really FIT me.  

Such a fist-pumping moment for me, let me tell ya.  This is just something that was totally off my radar until Zoe made it seem completely possible and even normal to sew one's own knickers.  I still wasn't very interested, just a little curious.  When I saw the underwear pattern in this magazine (which was not at all why I bought it), I thought it was probably time to just give it a try.  They fit better than I ever expected straight from the pattern, so I was game to try to make a few tweaks.

I wore this exact pair all day yesterday and was just so proud of myself.  I know, they are just panties, but they were something I have had an irrational fear of sewing and I'm glad to conquer it.

This also means, I have a great basic pattern to work from if I want a great fitting bikini bottom.  I have swimsuit fabric on the way to me, so you never know...

Embroidery and Lillestoff

I've been having some fun with my new embroidery machine. :)  Big sister wanted a lava lamp too.

I am splurging on a few Lillestoff European prints from this shop and enjoying the unique prints and quality knit.
I made a little shirt and skirt set for Eden.

Last night, I added a strawberry felt appliqué and now it's perfect.

The girls are totally taken with the new machine and are asking for more embroidery and even hubby thinks is pretty neat.

Coming Down the Line

I've got several things going on at once, which is not at all unusual.  I thought I'd share, partly because you might find it slightly interesting and partly because it might help me stay on task.
For instance, I don't want to leave these awesome purple corduroy Ottobre Tulip pants unfinished much longer.  Only the waistband, zipper and hem to go.

I have a couple new additions to my sewing space.  Some purty organization/storage for my fabric (which was previously stuffed in drawers and piled on a shelf in my laundry room) that doubles as a home for my new embroidery machine!

I was surprised how easy it has been to jump right into some cute designs.  I was afraid I would be stuck with block letters until I read some textbooks about how to do other stuff.
I am so excited I saved all those fabric scraps!  And so excited to finally have a use for them!

Quite a while ago, I traded all the plain buttons on my favorite cardi for big, fabric-covered buttons.  I enjoyed that for a while, but I couldn't button it up any more and I got tired of that.  A couple days ago, I bought some new buttons and I'm thrilled with the new life they have given this old sweater.

Aren't they adorable?  I find myself reaching for this more now, if that's possible.

I got some beeeeeeautiful fabric in the mail from Fabric Mart.  This gorgeous stuff will become the dress I wear for my hubby's graduation dinner/ceremony.

And I'm preparing myself to venture into new territory by getting some clearance tees at Old Navy with the purpose of making some cute upcycled dresses.  We'll see....  The upcycled look really isn't my thing.

Renfrew: The Sixth Incarnation

Have y'all ever gone and drooled at the Spoonflower website?  I have, but my goodness, it's a little cost prohibitive.  I can see splurging on a design you couldn't live with out and had the perfect pattern for, but I haven't come to that bridge yet, so I'm not going to cross it.

Spoonflower ran a promotion in October for a buy one, get one fat quarter.  I had some extra $$ and thought it would be fun to try a couple knits.
I bought the Organic Cotton Knit in these two designs:

Feathers Scattered on Navy
and
Arrows Scattered on Cream

I was planning on making bodices for dresses for my girls, but then I got selfish.
I played around with the Sewaholic Renfrew pattern a little.  I traced it, cut it up and raised the neckline.  I had the two fat quarters, an XL mustard colored men's shirt from Goodwill and an Old Navy coral ladies t-shirt.

This is what I came up with.

Arielle saw me and the camera and ran over. "Mommy. I'll cross my legs like you!"
She's so cute.
Another cute fact about this picture.  She's not wearing that hoodie (which happens to be her older sister's) because she's cold.  I had checked in on my girls a few minutes before this and she had the hoodie scrunched under the faucet in their toy kitchen.  She was moving it slowly past the spigot.  She saw me and said, "I'm sewing a dress for Pinkie Pie!"  They pick all sorts of different cartoon characters to be during their playtime and I guess today was My Little Pony.  (Incidentally, Gertie just made her own Pinkie Pie dress and is selling the fabric she designed through Spoonflower.) The cool thing was that she was pretending to sew!  So then she wanted me to put it on her when she was finished and take a picture.  hehehehe

I need to learn how to pose for back shots.  Slumping over doesn't work as well from the back as it can from the front... ew, that's awful.  I just wanted you to see the arrow fabric in the back.

I'm enjoying working with knits more and more and I'm beginning to wonder why everyone (including me) starts out so scared of them.

My Pattern Stash

Wanna take a peek?  I know I'd love to look through some bloggers' pattern collections.
Here, in no particular order, are the patterns in my stash that I have not yet made and have no fabric matched up with.

Not shown here are the books I have, Sew Serendipity, the Colette Sewing Handbook and Twinkle Sews.

Lots for knits in the Ottobre (4/09), a pretty coat and UNDERWEAR too (which I have actually done a first muslin with!).

McCalls 6318 might be a good one to use quilting cotton for.  I rarely reach for it when thinking of a garment for myself any more, but I hate missing out on all the gorgeous prints.

I have actually muslined that cute Butterick 60's pattern with the collar and tried to make it in my "nice" fabric too, but it turned out a wadder just because I wasn't focused.  :(  I want to try it again but I need to be inspired by another fabric.

Why did I buy that Very Easy Vogue wrap dress?  no idea.

Simplicity 2343 is another one that I tried and wasn't careful enough/didn't measure well.  I still love the look and want to tackle it again.

I have several pattern regrets, some that I may never get to, but just keep around because, well, because I don't know what else to do with them right now.
For instance that duffel bag... Soooo cute, but I didn't realize it wasn't lined and the reviews I've read make me scared to wrestle with it.

Even so, I have PLENTY to work on and a growing list of patterns I'd like to add to these!

One Goal, Materializing

One of the goals I have for this year is to try and sew myself a swimming suit.  Underwear and swimming suits are both in the same category for me: things to buy, not make.

Do I have the perfectly fitting swimming suit, though?  No.  Do I have the budget it would take to find this elusive suit?  No.

My three desires in a swimming suit are butt coverage, a low back and nothing in the front to be nervous about.  I have never been completely at ease in a swimming suit.  I suppose women rarely are, but I feel like the potential exists for me to feel more comfortable in one... and not as the result of the Jillian Michaels workout video that just came in the mail for me today, although that will contribute positively.

I can't even remember how, but I came across this pattern from the 70's several months ago and bookmarked it for whenever I got brave enough to seriously consider making it.

Look at it!  It has the potential to check every box on my list!

Stretch and Sew 1313 is now in my possession and I ordered some fabric today to make a couple of muslins.  This fabric wasn't expensive.  If the suit is awesome, I like the fabric enough to wear it, but if it needs tweaking, I won't cry about having to find another fabric to buy.  It takes less than a yard, which is awesome.

Would you ever consider sewing your own swimwear?  Have you already?  Any patterns you love?

Butterick 5749

This is my birthday dress!!
that I was going to make for my 32nd birthday...
back in June...

Oh well.  I'm glad I didn't let it languish any longer.  7 months is quite long enough to lay all cut out in a bin of "things to sew."

This dress was definitely worth sewing.  The pieces all went together nicely, very well drafted.  I was totally over working with this particularly thin and slippery ITY zebra knit from Denver Fabrics by the time I needed to hem the skirt, but I pressed on and finished the dress.
I cut a straight 8 and the only change I would make is to pinch out about two inches width from the center front of the lining.  The drape of the outside is nice but the lining isn't quite as taut across the front as I'd like.  If you fill this out better than I do, the really nice thing about this draped neck is that you won't be exposed if you lean forward.  The lining fits (or should fit) more like a low-cut t-shirt and won't fall open like the drape will.

I also really like the diagonal midriff section.  I think it's a great way to cut a troublesome pooch in half and have a slimming effect if you've got some junk in the trunk as well.

This is a design is a lovely mix of sexy and modest, which is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for.  I want to look great, but not give away the goods.

Hubby loves it and that certainly counts for something too.