2011: A Big Year - 2012: Even Bigger

2011 was the year I began sewing for myself
I have tried to go back and count, but I wasn't great at documenting (maybe a resolution for 2012?) and I counted 25 me-made clothing items.  I still wear about 18 of them and the others were worn only a couple times and then ditched.  I didn't count bags for myself or refashioned or resized clothing in the number of me-mades so that adds on quite a bit more sewing.  And then there's clothing for my girls as well as my first baby quilt.
I guess I didn't realize how prolific I had been this year!  I always think of the Sew Weekly ladies as super incredibly amazing (and they assuredly are), but for me to make one garment every two weeks impresses me.

I'm kicking off the new year with a trip to Hancock Fabrics.  I already have a list made and my $10 off coupon in my bag, as well as some swatches for matching and some patterns for referencing.

New Things for 2012:

-I've turned over a new leaf in my sewing.  I have two muslins (gasp!) cut out and ready to stitch up, and more planned. I read the Colette Sewing Handbook almost cover to cover last night after it came in the mail yesterday and I'm pumped to become a more thoughtful, more "serious" seamstress.  I like Sarai's general vibe.  She really relaxes me about tackling new projects and especially about altering muslins.
-I have two or three vintage patterns on my short list - still a scary thought for some reason, but I keep buying more.
-I am working on blocks for a bed-sized quilt.  My first ever.
-I plan to make myself at least one, maybe two coats.
-I plan to make... drum roll, please...... pants.

My next post will be some details of pattern/fabric pairings.  I did a little stash shopping and pattern planning and I'm really excited that I finally made some decisions and my fabric will finally get used.  I have about 15 projects just using patterns and fabrics I have on hand and I'll be buying fabric for 3-4 more patterns tomorrow that I didn't have a match for at home.

So, let's see, that's almost a full year's worth of sewing (by last year's standards) that I already have lined up for myself.  Wowzers.

Pantone for Spring

from www.theperfectpallette.com
I noticed this morning that the Pantone colors for Spring 2012 are official.  I like to use my own likes and dislikes to guide me when I'm buying fabric or planning some sewing, but I think it would be a fun exercise to attempt some pairings or even some new sewing with these colors in mind.

First things first.  Let's find out what is already in my wardrobe that attempts to represent these colors.

Pictures are pulled from all year and are varying in quality.  Most are me made, but a couple are not.

You'll notice that Margarita and Cockatoo are my comfort zone (and apparently Amy Butler's too, since her fabrics are where you'll see these two colors below).  

Margarita, Cockatoo and Tangarine Tango

Margarita-ish

Margarita, Tangerine Tango, Cockatoo, Cabaret, Sodalite Blue (wow! little did I know what a great color investment this skirt would be!)

(This is a dress that is in the refashion-into-a-skirt queue currently) Sodalite Blue, Cabaret

Cockatoo

Cockatoo, Margarita, Sweet Lilac

Driftwood, very soft Tangerine Tango and very soft Cabaret

finally, some Solar power and a little of almost everything else too!

Tangerine Tango

Sweet Lilac

Margarita, Cabaret, Cockatoo

Looks like I could use some more of the colors at the top of the list, huh?  

I love Solar Power, but I don't know how exactly to use it so it compliments my complexion.  

My very fave nail polish is OPI's Done Out in Deco, so I'm glad to see I'll be right in fashion wearing it this Spring since it's pretty much the same color as Bellflower.

No other thoughts right now, except that with a quick look-see, I'm not really finding anything in my fabric stash that would build very well on these colors.  Oh well, I've got a pretty good start.

Missoni Makeover

Warning:  These are all iPhone shots.  The mirror has not been cleaned since who-knows-when.  My skin is blindingly white in the "after" shots.

Proceed at your own risk.

I almost always check out the clearance racks whenever I am in Target.  I've seen the Missoni stuff from their fairly recent and much talked about release slowly popping up on the 30% and sometimes 50% off racks, but with the original prices being what they were, I still wasn't willing to pay the clearance prices.

A couple of days ago, while perusing the Target clearance section, a beautiful knit print caught my attention and there it was, this lonely, sad looking droopy thing on a hanger.  I brought it into the fitting room to give it a closer look and see if there was any potential.  

Here is what I saw. (The t-shirt is there for modesty purposes.)  It turned out to be an XL knit romper with adjustable shoulder straps.

I took a $10 gamble, hoping I could take it from saggy baggy elephant to something cute and wearable.  

I cut the adjustable part off the straps completely since they were still way too long even at their shortest adjustment.  I sewed the straps permanently at a good length for me and took in the side seams by a good 5 inches on both sides.  I shirred the back at the waist since I really wasn't diggin' it with a belt, but it still needed some help in the shape department.

Much better!  I don't know about wearing it out as is, but I think it would be cute for pj's or beachwear.

:)

Lark!

(Arg!  The dern spacing is off and I can't fix it!  Alright, you can read now.)

Merry early Christmas to moi!  I have admired these two particular prints from Amy Butler's Lark fabric line ever since the pre-order phase on Fabric.com.
When I saw it on the bolt at Bernina Sewing Etc, a quilt shop near Jackson, I was overcome and could no longer resist the chance to wear these amazing prints.
I made my third gathered skirt.  It's so basic, just one yard of fabric cut in half from selvage to selvage and then sewn together at the short edges to make a ginormous tube.  A quarter yard of coordinating fabric, also cut in half from selvage to selvage and sewn together at the short ends. Fold it in half to make a band and sew to the bottom of the main fabric.  Take some gathering stitches around the top (I did three rows this time after seeing the Snippet email Collette recently sent out about how much more even the gathers are), gather, and stitch to elastic with a zig-zag stitch, stretching the elastic a bit as you go.  It's pretty basic, just tedious.

I love the idea of a full skirt, very vintage, but I find them a bit fussy to wear because I'm so particular about how the fabric falls.  I think this skirt needs pressing to tame the poofiness up top and I'm also hoping it will relax some after washing.

In past versions I haven't had pockets. since they are pretty easy to add and I certainly enjoy them when I have them, I thought I should put in the extra effort for this one. Of course I love them.
It probably needs tights to fully winterize it, but I think this skirt may just become a year-round favorite.

Lola Goes Shoppin'

Here is my finished Lola Goes Shoppin' bag (pattern from Izzy and Ivy designs) inspired by a bag from Ness.  I mentioned the inspiration back in this post.

I used some very thin plaid shirting from Fabric.com for the outside and Michael Miller's pennant fabric from the Mini Mikes line for the interior.  The scarf around the bag is purchased.  I wished when I received the shirting fabric in the mail that it wasn't so thin.  This is the very reason I don't buy much but quilting cottons through the mail.  I used two layers of sew-in interfacing to bolster it a bit, but another layer of interfacing or some decor weight fabric between the layers wouldn't have hurt.
The construction was straightforward until I got to the bias binding around the curves.  I couldn't, for the life of me, get the bias tape to curve around without making the fabric curl.  I don't know what I missed in the instructions, but I ended up squaring off the corners on the straps and completely cutting off the binding covered by the tabs that hold the rings to the purse.
Even though the step I thought would be quick and painless was the most frustrating, I'm glad to have a special bag for winter.  It's unlike anything else I own and pretty darn cute if I do say so myself.

Recent Sewing

I finally have a moment and the desire to post.  Here's a short update and three mini pattern reviews.

I made dresses for myself and my two daughters for our Christmas pictures this year.  (Maybe next year I can make something for hubby too!)  We had a fun photo shoot and just got the edited pictures back yesterday.  This is the Miss Kitty pattern by Pink Fig and I am completely smitten with the way it turned out.  I have to admit that I veered from the pattern fairly significantly, some purposefully and some by accident.

I ignored the directions for the waistband and for the elastic in the neckline and armholes.  I also omitted the ties in the overskirt and the tiny apron.  I'm still not totally certain, but I think I may have cut the skirt pieces twice the width they were designed to be, making the skirt extra, extra full.  She loves it because it's flouncy and twirly which is fine by me.

My younger daughter was the inspiration for my first try at a vintage pattern.  It's a size 1/2 Simplicity pattern from the mid 70s. 

Look at the inset on the front of the bodice, similar to the Miss Kitty bodice, no?  I was tickled that I could find two different patterns with a similar vibe.  The shape of the inset on the bodice was really supposed to be trim sewn onto the bodice in that shape.  I just used the pattern markings to trace the shape onto a separate fabric and made it a separate center section.

I was kind-of surprised that using the vintage pattern wasn't much different than using any other current Simplicity pattern.  I don't know what I thought it would be like, but now I've broken the ice and I'm not afraid to try more.

The little one pictured above turned two today and a few days ago, on a whim (seems like I sew on a whim a lot), I decided she needed a cute, but sophisticated coat.  I searched back through my emails over the last two years to find the Heidi and Finn patterns I purchased before I even had my youngest daughter.  I found the Swing Coat pattern, printed it and went to work with some soft denim that had been laying in a pile of fabrics on the floor beneath my sewing table.  

It went together FAST.  I loved the simplicity of it.  I'm sure my skills gained by sewing more complex patterns made this one seem easier.  It sure was nice not to have to sew the sleeves on after the body of the coat was sewn and it sure was nice to just cut 7 pieces for the outside of the coat.  And it was really nice to be able to sew a LINED coat in just a couple hours, start to finish.

I used a big square vintage scarf I picked up at an estate sale for the lining.  I think it turned out to be a perfect match for this pattern which already has it's own vintage feel.

I think my almost-4-year-old will be getting one of these come spring.  There are so many more fabrics that would look darling made up in this pattern.  You could lengthen it and make it in laminate as a rain coat.  You could make it in velvet with a voile lining for a special occasion.  And how cute would it be in kakhi with a fun cotton print on the inside, buttons all the way down the front and a tie as a playful version of a trench coat?

Good stuff.

Self-Stitched September Run Down: Part 2

Just three more highlights from SSS '11 to share with you.

First of all, I have to admit that this particular picture, although taken in September, was not actually showing how I wore it, but how I COULD wear it for a date night that never actually happened.  I did wear it once with a tank top and cardi, but that picture doesn't show the skirt as well.  

This skirt was a refashion on the fly of an empire waist maxi dress that stayed in the closet and was rarely worn.  I was challenged by a neighbor to make a maxi skirt and it jut clicked that the dress needed a new life as a skirt.  The original dress just had a plain straight hem.  I used the elastic at the original empire waist as the waist of the skirt, which meant that there was a pool of fabric at my feet when worn at my natural waist.  I had to cut some off, so why not cut it in a curve to be more interesting?  and then why not sew it right back onto the skirt to make a ruffle?  There really was no planning ahead, I just went with it.  I love the result and now this beautiful purple knit has a new life as a skirt that will actually be worn.

This is Michael Miller interlock knit made into Simplicity 2364. I used the suggestions from Christy (www.flickr.com/photos/54638955@N04/5688903017/)  and followed her blog for details.  I've worn it several times, but it's rather fussy.  I think the interlock is too thick.  It's too bunchy under my arms and I keep wanting to take the top part off as if it's a shrug.  I like the way it looks, but not so much the way it feels.

Here is my second Anna Maria Horner Socialite Dress.  The key fabric is a Premier Fabrics home decor weight and, just like my first Socialite, this one was easy to make and is easy to wear.  It's rare that I want to make more than one of such a distinct item, but I am very glad to have two of these in my closet.

As for what I am doing now, I have a long list of sewing to accomplish before Christmas.  I have already completed Simplicity 2584 in plaid (my first plaid sewing!) for myself, Pink Fig's Miss Kitty as a shirt for my 3-year-old and a Simplicity pattern from the 70's for a dress for my almost-2-year-old.  These three frocks were first on my list because they are all for Christmas photos being taken on the 5th of November.

I want to make ruffled capris for my little girl to wear to the pumpkin patch this Saturday.

I need to finish up a pouch for the Pretty Little Pouch Swap and mail by November 5th.

I have committed to make 15 zip pouches for some volunteer appreciation baskets by November 15th.

I need to make my almost-2-year-old her birthday dress for her party on November 19th.  

I am also considering participating in a holiday market on the 19th and would need to make some inventory for my shop.

I want to make both girls Christmas nighties.

I have scarves to make for presents and I'd like to make my older daughter pj's and my younger daughter the Lion from Bit of Whimsy Dolls as presents.

I'm probably forgetting something, but I'm getting overwhelmed, so I'm stopping now.