A $5 dress

Don't you love these projects that come in at crazy cheap prices?

I bought this fabric at the weirdest store in my parents' town.  They have the most random stuff.  Gift bows, dishes, tinsel, tools.  I don't even know what to call it.  But my grandma told me I should go there for fabric.

I didn't have a ton of luck.  They did have a lot of old fabric, but I felt like for the most part their prices weren't great.  Once I went to get the two things I did find cut, I figured out that the prices are merely a suggestion.  Also they're terrible at measuring.  I told her I wanted 5 yards of this but I would take whatever they had.  She said they had under 3 yards and charged me like $1.50/yd for it.  Grand total $4.50 plus tax.  But after making this dress I still have over 1 1/2 yards.  I think it probably was closer to 5 when I started!

Anyway, as soon as I saw this dress I knew what I wanted to do with it.  Well, I knew I wanted to do one of two things.  Either a vertical striped bodice with a horizontal circle skirt, or a bodice cut on the bias.  I decided to try the bias since this fabric was so cheap, and if I couldn't figure it out, so be it.

Well, it took me quite a bit of time, mostly because these stripes are not totally consistent and don't match exactly.  But after an hour or so I had the bodice pieces cut.  The funny thing is, I was looking and looking for a pattern that would work, and I thought I would have to really alter one I already had.  Then I noticed my halloween costume balled up in the floor of my closet and realized this pattern was PERFECT.  It was made to be cut on the bias, and I love it.  This made the cutting a lot easier for me, although there was still a bit of work to do to match up the stripes.

So here it is!  I was happy when I looked at the weather and realized it would be perfect for today.  I didn't line this as I wanted a cool, breathable summer dress.

I am having some unfortunate issues with dart bubbles, which is usually not a problem for me.  I'm going to try to fix it tonight.

Check out those perfectly lined up stripes though!

The back is also a vee, which is really cute.  I love how this pattern sort of slopes off of the shoulders.  It's perfect for this fabric.

I only used the pattern for the bodice, and just did a dirndl skirt.  The pattern also calls for a dirndl.  But it's LONG and FULL which I wasn't looking for.  This silhouette is much nicer for me.

I'm trying to decide what to do with the rest of this fabric.  It's pretty distinctive so I'm not sure I want another real piece of clothing.  It's SO soft though.  Maybe pajamas?  Or I might say fuck it and just do a shirt.  Everyone knows I sew a lot of my clothes anyway, so it wouldn't be a shocker.

I'm a big fan of this dress.  Weirdly, none of the stripes are colors that I particularly love (or love on me) but I'm really drawn to it as a whole.  Brett said it looks like a grandma's couch.  "Not your grandma, but A grandma." I like how he clarified because he knows my grandma is too cool to have a couch like this.  I'm not sure he's converted yet.  But he'll have to get used to it, because I can see myself wearing this a LOT this summer.

Project:  Bias stripe dress
Pattern:  Vintage Vogue V8789
Fabric:   Some old soft cotton?
Notions:    thread.  It calls for a 12" zipper at the side.  I eliminated this because there's enough ease to pull it over my head
Skills involved:  Cutting on the bias, matching patterns, gathering, putting in a zipper if you're not shaped like a triangle!
Changes made:  Eliminated zipper, self drafted (too strong a word. I cut out some rectangles) the skirt to eliminate some fullness.  I was originally planning to put the zipper in the back, so I split the skirt in the back and sewed it all together with the back open, which I think made the gathering of the skirt quite a bit easier!
Fuckups:  I originally sewed the skirt on inside out.  That was fun to unpick!  Other than that, no mistakes!

Lighter than Air

This is another garment that I am just so proud of. Because this didn't really have any new skills hat I haven't used before, I really focused on quality and finishing. There were times when I would see the end of a task (ironing pleats!) in sight and get so excited, only to realize I had to do the same thing to the lining. Argh!

But! All of the hard work was definitely worth it. This is the first thing I've made that to me, doesn't feel home-made. And it actually feels pretty expensive!

When I found this fabric, I thought it looked familiar. Then I came back across this dress on modcloth and realized why. 

It's adorable. It's $80 and it was sold out in my size.

So I snapped up some of the fabric (from superbuzzy.com), and thought about what to make. I chose a fairly simple knee length dress with a pleated skirt and cap sleeves.  The pattern called for a lined bodice, but I also lined the skirt because this was a pretty light fabric. 

So, here it is!

Love it, love it, LOVE IT. 

It's so comfy and flattering and adorable. 

The first time I wore it, the clerk at the gas station asked me if I was a teacher. Um, are you trying to imply that anthropomorphic hot air balloons are anything other than professional, sir?

The sleeves have this really adorable pleated detail that gives them a little volume, but not too much. 

But really, what I'm most proud of is the finishing. 

The inside is almost as beautiful as the outside!

Look at this encased zipper!

The seams in the bodice are all stitched and pinked. The skirt seams on the lining are French seams, and the skirt seams are all bound with bias tape. The hem of the lining is bound and the skirt hem is finished with grosgrain ribbon.  All of this gives it some nice weight and will make it last if I take care of it. 

I am really so proud of this dress. And it's shown me that if I am patient and take my time, I really can do this.

Project:  hot air balloon dress

Pattern:  Simplicity 1873 (by Cynthia Rowley)

Fabric:  Balloon Ride in Garden (bought from superbuzzy.com)

Notions: 22" invisible zipper, I used 2-3 packages of bias tape for the seam binding, one package for the lining hem, and probably 2-3 yards of ribbon (this skirt is heavily pleated and it has a really long hem).  But that is all optional. 

Skills involved:  placing an invisible zipper, fitting a bodice, pleating
Changes made:  I fully lined the dress, instead of just doing the bodice. And I also eliminated some of the pleats on the sleeves because I wanted a little less volume after I did the muslin. 

Fuckups:  I didn't pay enough attention while cutting and the layout wasn't meant for one way designs, so I ended up with two upside down panels. Luckily they weren't too far off square so I was able to flip them and just trim a bit. 

Truly adorable!

Follow your Arrow (but not in this case)

This skirt sucks.

I wrote a big long post about it, but dude.  It sucks.  So that's what I'm going to say.

I'm kind of upset about it because this was the first item that I had a real clear vision for when I got my new machine.

I love arrows, and I loved the colors in this fabric.  And I knew I wanted a skirt with a border of them around the hem.  So I ordered the arrow fabric and a coordinating solid from Spoonflower, and got to work.

I used a new pattern and didn't do a muslin because I'm dumb.  So the skirt is a little tighter than I would prefer across my hips.  I can easily fix that next time, and it's not the real problem with this skirt either.

The problem is the fabric.

It's the cotton poplin from Spoonflower and it was 20 freaking dollars a yard!  But I liked it so much I was okay with paying that.  I chose the poplin because it was suggested for skirts.  But it sucks.  It wrinkles like CRAZY.  Which I could honestly deal with.  I have an iron.  But it also sticks to everything.  Tights, underwear, even my silk top.  It just grabbed everything and would not let go.  Which made the back zip a bit of a challenge.

My main issue with the fabric was first that it wore so easily.  I noticed this on another skirt I made with the same poplin.  But when I washed it once, the color was wearing away on any edges or seams.  After ONE wash, on gentle, and being hung to dry.  And when I pulled out this fabric to make it, I noticed that where I had folded it when I washed it, the printing was wearing away from the folds.  Just from being folded and sitting in my craft closet for a few weeks.  It's really ridiculous that this is what I got for $20 a yard.

Another huge issue was the fact this it shows needle holes so easily.  I mean, look at this where I took out some basting stitches.  I don't expect it to completely disappear but this is ridiculous.  Holes from pins look the same way.  It's not leather, it's cotton!  It shouldn't require this sort of care.

Anyway.  It's the worst, and I'm sad about it.  I'm going to try the pattern again.

Baa Baa

I love this dress!!

It's actually a good thing I made this right before the arrow skirt because I was still on a high and not TOO upset about how horrible that turned out.

This one is all about the fabric, for sure, but I also love the button front bodice and the silhouette.  I had used the skirt part of this pattern twice (on the bird skirt and another one I haven't posted, and might not ever. It's quite a bit too short!).  I liked it, but didn't feel it was super flattering with the uneven pleats.

I did do a muslin of the bodice for this, and pinned it to the bird skirt for fitting purposes.  This fit me almost perfectly as printed.  I just needed to take a little bit of length off the shoulders, and take it in at the sides slightly.  This wasn't unexpected as the bird skirt was a bit too big.

I cut the skirt pieces for one size smaller than the bodice, but I didn't pleat them.  I gathered them instead and just spread the gathers to fit.  I wanted it to be a bit less full than the last skirt and I think it was perfect.

I loved, LOVED this fabric from the minute I saw it.  It was not cheap ($18/yard), but I just loved the print so much.  This light mauve color is one of my favorites to wear, and the adorable sheep and sheepdogs was just right up my alley.  It also washed wonderfully, and it has a great weight and feel.  It's probably my favorite fabric I've ever used, no joke.

Because it is a little cutesy though, I wanted to stick with a somewhat clean, classic design.  I think this pattern was spot on for that.  The button front gives it a bit of interest, but there's not too much detail and it's a very simple silhouette.

I took these photos immediately after I pulled it on this morning (because I am somewhat triangle shaped, I generally can pull dresses on without unzipping.  Am I the only one that does this?  It just makes it easier getting dressed by myself in the morning), and it's pulling to one side.  Dangit.  It doesn't do this all the time, I promise!

The bodice is not very fitted, which I really like with this style.  It's so comfy!  I do think I could stand to do a slight small bust adjustment next time, but it really does fit well.

All styled up for the office.  Side note, I got upgraded so a corner suite with tons of windows this week, so I couldn't resist using it to take outfit photos.  We also start work a bit later at this office, plus it takes me like 5 minutes to drive to work from my hotel.  It's such a nice change to go to work when it's already bright and sunny!

So, the breakdown

Project:  Sheep dress
Pattern:  Cynthia Rowley for Simplicity 2215
Fabric:  Sheeeeep by Cotorienne, bought from superbuzzy
Notions:  9" invisible zipper, 4 7/8" buttons
Skills involved:  placing an invisible zipper, making buttonholes, sewing buttons, fitting a bodice
Changes made:  I gathered the skirt instead of pleating, and also did a full lining on the skirt.  The pattern calls for 1 yd of lining, but that's just for the bodice.  I think I used roughly 2 yards of a 60" width lining.
Fuckups:  somehow the bodice back ended up longer than the front on the zipper side.  It's not a really visible error, but it was pretty funny the first time I noticed it (photo below!).  I also should have finished the hem of the lining better (I just pinked it but that's not really suitable for the fabric at all).  I might cut it off and do a bias binding to give it some weight.

Whoops!

It's a new year!

And it's going to be a tough one for me.  Work wise, mostly.  I am still commuting to Houston each week, and will be doing that for a few months.  At which point, we are hoping to sell our house, find a new house in New Orleans, and move down there.  Then I'll be working half time outside of New Orleans and half time outside of Baton Rouge.  I don't know why I can't pick a role that just keeps me in one place...

On top of that, I'm transitioning into a new job with a lot more responsibility and leadership.  It is exciting, but it will be hard.

So, with all of that in mind, my goal for 2014 is to remain focused on what is important.  My job is really important to me.  I love it and it brings me a lot of satisfaction.  So that's on the list, but it's not the most important thing.  I also need to keep focusing on my health and my family.

One of the things I want to do that I think will really help in this area is to eliminate clutter.  Both physically and mentally.

I started this year with a huge clean out of my closet.  As my husband pointed out, I do this occasionally, get rid of a couple of bags full, and then go shopping and cram it all in again.  Which is totally true.

But as I went through my clothes I was really thinking about focusing in on what I need.  I got rid of SO MUCH.  I used to have my side of the closet completely crammed full.  Zero room (and I use the huggable hangers so I'm already maxed on usable space.  I should have counted my items before I started!  But I had about 6 feet of linear feet, plus another hanging bar with another 3-4 feet.  Just full, and full of things I never touched.

Now, I've eliminated the second bar, put in a little hanging shelf unit for my sweaters and workout clothes, and have TONS of additional space.  It's absolutely no trouble finding stuff.  It's so much easier now!  I would estimate that I probably got rid of 100+ items.

A couple of things I noticed as I was going through.  The vast majority of things I was getting rid of fell into the "fast fashion" category.  Target, Old Navy, Gap, H&M.  LOTS of Target stuff.  I liked things and bought them, wore them a couple of times and moved on to the next thing.  Most of my higher quality clothes (Anthro and J. Crew purchases mostly) were held onto.  The ones that I did let go of, I'm going to try to sell online, because they're still in great condition.

Also, I got rid of barely any shoes.  2 pairs of worn out house shoes and a lone black ballet flat that didn't have a match.  I made a decision a couple of years ago that I would spend the money on quality shoes that would last.  I think that shows that I need to extend that thought to the rest of my wardrobe.

The only real gap I noticed was the lack of basic solids.  I wear a lot of prints.  I love prints and I don't see that as an issue, but I do need some more basic pieces to mix in.  I think this was a really good exercise because now I know exactly where to focus my efforts in my sewing projects.  The problem is, I have 12 projects planned (and have material bought) and all of them, every one, are with prints.  I know I need to mix some solids in there, and I am definitely going to make that happen.

Taking the giant (seriously GIANT!) box to goodwill was such a good feeling, just to be rid of it all.  I am excited to extend that feeling to all of the areas of our house, as well as my life.  I think this will be a good year. :)

See ya later, alligator

The Christmas sewing is done. I hadn't planned to do any sewing past that this weekend, but my husband is sick and spent yesterday evening in a niquil coma. So, I was happy to get a couple of projects cut and ready to go.

After I got home from the office today, he had fallen asleep again! So I took advantage and did a quick little project.

I can definitely see myself using this pattern a LOT since I've figured out the fit issues. I read a lot of reviews of this one online, and heard that it was extremely boxy, with way too much ease in the waist. So I kept those thoughts in mind and compared the pattern to a shirt I had that fits me well. I ended up cutting roughly two sizes smaller than what I measured in the waist and bust. In the hips, I stuck with my normal size, which I think worked really well. 

I also lengthened the sleeves a bit. I cut them the same, but I just did a very short hem so they were a little bit longer. 

I think my favorite thing about this make was that it used facing to finish the neck opening. I like the clean look here, and I think it works really well with the style.  The sleeveless versions of the top also use facing instead of bias tape. 

The star of this project is really the fabric. It's from spoonflower and the designer is andrea_lauren. She has her shop set with limited selections right now, but she has some really lovely designs. I am totally crazy about the color here. 

This is the first project I've made that ended up exactly as I envisioned it. I think a lot of that is due to the fact that I really planned out my steps, took my time, and paid attention. 

I absolutely love it. And I am super psyched about the rest of the projects I have coming up!

Project: Alligator woven tee

Pattern: Simplicity 8523

Fabric: Alligators by andrea_lauren on Spponflower, 2 yds

Notions: nothing but thread! You will need a tiny bit of interfacing

Overall, I really enjoyed this make and will definitely use this pattern again, maybe with a different neckline?

The plan

I'm quickly closing in on two+ weeks of time off from work, and I'm trying hard not to make unreasonable plans.

There will be at least some relaxation time, of course.  And I'll spend a few days at my parents' house.  Plus cleaning, there's always that.

But I also have a lot of sewing projects in the works, and I'd like to knock some of the biggies out.

This is not even all of the fabric I have washed and ready to go!

My first priority are Christmas gifts and resizing some pajama pants I made for us (waaaaay too big).

But that should take like a day max.  And then I'll be free to work on things for ME.

I have so many things in the works.  But here are my thoughts on priorities.

1. navy skirt with scallop hem - I wear a lot of prints, and I need some solid basics to mix in with my separates.  I'm starting here.
2. alligator tee shirt - I have a couple of yards of some amazing fabric from spoonflower, but it is loud, and I think I need a really basic shape so I'm doing a woven tee
3. taupe egg blouse - I'll be using that taupe fabric near the bottom of the pile in the picture above to make a button down blouse.  This is a (hopefully) wearable muslin for the next project, since I've already made the skirt from that pattern before.
4. sheep dress - This light mauve fabric with herds of sheep (and a few little sheep dogs) is probably my favorite fabric in the queue.  I'm going to make a knee length dress with a button front bodice and a little collar.  

I've got a ton of other projects up my sleeve, but I'm thinking that if I give myself room to take my time with these and not stress, then things will go really smoothly, and I'll have some great stuff to wear when I go back to work in January!