I'm a bad, bad blogger :(

I've been playing with my blogger settings, and I seem to have missed 13 comments!  I apologize to everyone who has commented and I haven't contacted yet.  I love comments, and I try my hardest to email each and every commenter.  Somehow in the process of changing my comment settings, I'm no longer getting emails from blogger!  Boo. :(

Now I need to figure out just what setting I changed so that I can change it back!  And I promise to email each and every one of you, hopefully in the next few days.


Things have been pretty quiet around here.  So quiet that I think even the crickets have packed their bags.  I have all sorts of excuses...Matt has been in and out of town, we've had lots of house showings, I broke my camera, I've been sewing like crazy and not blogging like I should...  We just invested in a dSLR camera (which is FABULOUS!!!), and I'm trying to make a conscious effort to blog more.  Please be patient with me. :)


And since I'm on the topic of blogging, I've had a few requests for tutorials.  I'm going to try working on a placket tutorial soon.  In the mean time, let me know if there are any other tutorials that you'd like to see, and I'll add them to my to do list!

Thanks for reading!

Almost famous!

My gathered bag was on the Noodleheads blog today!

Check it out!

Some Good Folks love

Remember this tie?  I had a really hard time cutting into the fabric, but in the end I was glad that I did.  I couldn't have picked a better print for that project!

Because neckties are cut on the bias, I ended up with some odd scraps.  I didn't want to cut into them for the scrap bins, so I folded them back up and stuck them with the rest of my stash.

So when I was searching for the right print to make into an ipad cover, I knew that my Good Folks would be just right!  It's one of those fabrics that I can look at over and over again without getting tired of it.

I used the dimensions that Quilt Dad specified in his Moda Bake Shop tutorial and added a velcro closure with a raw edge flower.  I also pulled out my bias binder to attach the binding at the top of the sleeve-once you get over the learning curve, it's a great tool!

I'm waiting on fabric to make Mat a similar sleeve, and I think I will cut down the dimensions next time.  There is a lot of wiggle room in mine, and I personally prefer a snugger fit.  Overall I love how it turned out, and with the velcro closure I think the fit will be just fine!

The Far, Far Away dress

Now that the Far, Far Away II fabric has hit the stores, I'm finally getting around to using and blogging about my Far, Far Away I!

This dress started off as a shirred sundress.  I wanted to make something for myself, and I read some really great reviews for these simple dresses.  Not wanting to mess up, I thought it would be wise to use a pattern for what was supposed to be a super easy dress.  Lucky me, I found the Mendocino Sundress pattern!

I printed the pattern, stared at it for awhile, and held my breathe as I cut into the fabric.  After I had the pieces assembled and all of my edges serged, I started sewing with the elastic thread.  16 rows of stitching later, I held the dress up.  Wow, it looked tiny.  But it's supposed to be tight, right?  Well, kind of.  I could get the dress on, but it certainly didn't look cute.  I searched all over the internet for tips, when I stumbled on some comments about printer settings.  Oops.  My pattern pieces were probably half of the size they should have been!

There wasn't any chance that my purple double gauze would even be transformed into a shirred dress, so I compromised.  I added some 1" elastic at the top, thin little halter straps, a gathered piece under the bust, and a tie.  The gathered piece is only sewn down to the dress at the top and bottom, so they form a nice channel for the tie.

 

It's soft and comfy, plus it has fun pockets.  Overall I think it's the best fabric save I could manage with the pieces that I already had cut. :)

The Anna Tunic

I love this dress!  I'm really glad I took a chance with this floral print, because I think it makes the entire dress.

Pattern: Amy Butler's Anna Tunic
Fabric: Amy Butler, Love line

Alterations:  After reading reviews, I took 1" off the bottom of the armscye to enlarge the opening.  I think I need to take another 1/2" off for comfort.  I omitted the lining, and I added 2" to the hem line by adding 1" to the pattern and sewing a 1" hem rather than a 2" hem.  Because I didn't line the dress, I had to finish the bottom edge of the armscye-I used bias binding.

 

Details:

 

And with a wider belt:

I don't love the belt from the pattern.  I actually like the shift style with no belt, or the wide white belt.

The pattern was easy to follow and had great instructions.  I might change the construction a bit next time.  And I think the neckline could use some alterations so that it isn't quite as high in the front.

I really like the flower detail, and the construction was very forgiving.  I wasn't going to include the flower, but it really adds to the dress!

Simplicity 2587

This was a project from last spring, but I think it's still worth a blog post. :)

Pattern: Simplicity 2587, view B
Fabric: Amy Butler, Midwest Modern 2 line

Alterations that I made: I sized down a LOT.  I think I went down 3 or 4 sizes, based on the pattern reviews.  I also did a rolled hem, which added about an inch of length to my dress.
Finally, I shortened the bias straps and tacked the bust line closed a bit so that it fits more comfortably.

If I were to sew this pattern again, I would omit all of the interfacing.  It made the fabric harder to work with, and the waist was a bit stiff until it was washed a few times.  I might also line the top-without lining a bra is an absolute must.

 

The pattern was very easy to follow, and the instructions provided plenty of detail.

I've considered taking up the hem.  I usually don't like a short hem on a dress that has a gathered waist, but the gathering on this dress isn't heavy enough to cause the poof that I want to avoid.

Simplicity 2584

I finished this dress back in February, but it took me awhile to figure out how I wanted to wear it.  I like it belted, but that shortens the dress by quite a bit.  It also looks really cute with skinny jeans and ballet flats.

Patern: Simplicity 2584, view B
Fabric: Amy Butler, Daisy Chain line
Alterations: I sized down based on finished garment measurements, left the fold detail off of the bottom of the dress, and added a hook and eye about 1" above the bottom of the front slit.
I also added a bit of length to the dress.  The trendier patterns seem to be running on the short size, in my 5'4" opinion.

If I sew this pattern again, I will omit all of the interfacing.  Quilting cotton has enough body already-and when a facing is included I find that adding interfacing just makes the garment too stiff.  In fact, I might even leave off the yolk facing, too.
I will also bring the slit in the yolk up by several inches.

This pattern was really easy to sew up, and the instructions were very detailed.  I would recommend it-but be sure to check the finished garment measurements before cutting!

  

There aren't any detail pictures of the facing, but that's because I spilled ice cream on it. :P  I wasn't sure if I wanted the yolk to be as pronounced as it is on the pattern envelope, so I was pleasantly surprised when the busy print camouflaged the yolk a bit!

It's too warm for the 3/4 length sleeves right now, but this will make a great fall dress/tunic.