Rainbow stash-busting

Well, after almost 9 months, it's finally done!

As usual, it's far from perfect, but I don't care, I love it!

I've talked about this a couple of times in the past, but it was inspired by this beauty:

[Hope Valley quilt by Jolene Klassen]

For once, almost all of the fabrics I used were from the stash, woohoo! I only bought 1/4 yard for this project specifically. All of the colored fabric was stuff that's been sitting around for quite a while, and the white on the front and the blue binding were recent stash acquisitions as part of a HUGE quilter's auction. 

I think Will (my new kitten, yay!) approves, don't you? 

This was definitely a labor of love, and impatience. While I certainly see a lot of flaws with this quilt, no one else seems to, and I did learn quite a bit. I'm already eagerly looking forward to making another...my Pinterest board is overflowing with ideas. I just can't decide where to start. What do you think?

A win and a lose

First up, the win: another pair of Tania culottes, of course!

Honestly, though, these were almost not a win at all. This fabric (picked up at the Textile Discount Outlet for $3.50/yard) is suuuuuper slippery, and since I can't find a blind hem foot for my machine to save my life, I had to stitch that slippery sucker down twice and hope for the best. Thankfully, I think it worked out in the end.

Cute print, no? Unfortunately, it wrinkles more easily than I thought, but...eh. Good enough for who it's for.

Now for the fail: 

This is the bodice of Simplicity 4070, with some adjustments made after fitting it the last time, and a little self-drafted gathered peplum flounce added on in place of a skirt. It's not terrible or anything, but why oh why did I think that sewing a peplum top would be a good idea when I've hated literally every other peplum everything that I've ever tried on? Don't get me wrong, they look good on some people but I...am not one of those people.

I was inspired by ModCloth's Third Street Promenade top and couldn't resist giving it a go myself: 
 

 

I think the Simplicity bodice is a really great match for this, don't you? Too bad it's not my style.

I made this out of some quilting cotton stolen from my mom's stash, so yay for a semi-successful stash bust on this one at least, right?

I got really tired of the straps on the other one falling down, so I decided to make these crossover straps to avoid that (and also provide a little visual interest). 

I'm not ready to throw this completely into the fail pile - I'm still hoping to make it into something slightly more wearable, probably by removing all of the gathers and making the whole top a bit more streamlined. Time will tell if I can get around to that, though - I've got a crazy-busy month coming up!

What do you think of the peplum trend? Temporary fad, or here to stay? And would you/do you wear them?

Sewing plans

As always, my eyes are bigger than my stomach (or in this case, my plans are more ambitious than the time I have to finish them), but I have been seriously lusting over some outfits lately. The first two are indie patterns - the By Hand London Anna dress, and Megan Nielsen's Cascade skirt. However, since I'm on my self-imposed stash busting diet, I kind of feel guilty shelling out the cash (and adding to my stash) for these two patterns. I thought maybe I could recreate some similar looks for this summer, and once my cash flow is a little better, support both of these indie designers with some other pattern purchases. 

For the Anna dress, I'm thinking some good substitutes for the bodice might be: 

New Look 6156 (View A)

Pros: Similar shape, boat neck, solid back
Cons: No sleeves (but shouldn't be too hard to extend them, right?)

Butterick 5880

You can't really tell on this line drawing, but when it's sewn, the bodice actually looks really similar to the Anna bodice. 

Pros: Sleeves, boat neck (minus those little cutouts), similar overall shape, solid back
Cons: Different bust darts

Butterick 5605 (View C)

Pros: Sleeves, somewhat similar bodice/bust shaping (in the pictures of the made garments)
Cons: Now that I look at the line drawings, the bust shaping isn't all the similar, and it doesn't have quite the boat neck that the Anna does. The cutout back and the sleeves would also have to be redrafted a bit.

Now that I look at this one a bit more...what was I thinking? It's definitely not a contender.

I think I'll try #2 for this one and see how it goes. If it sucks, well, lesson learned, right?

I'm thinking (crazily) of trying to self-draft the Cascade skirt...or, you know, just shell out the $12, I haven't really decided yet. (That being said, I DID just get an offer accepted on a house, so every cent counts!)

(This has been a little rambly, sorry about that!) The last look I've been lusting over is one I saw on Pinterest a while back: 

 

As with everyone else in the northern hemisphere right now, I'm totally in love with florals. While I would love to find that exact same print, I should probably make more of an effort to keep to my resolutions. I found some navy quilting cotton with a (small) floral print in my mom's stash, so I think I'm going to attempt to make the bodice out of one of those two, using Simplicity 4070:

Maybe view E with some straps? (I thought I had a million patterns with a sweetheart neckline, but apparently that is not the case. This is really my only stash pattern that comes close.)

I know I don't have enough of that quilting cotton for a whole dress in this fabric, so I was thinking of doing the bodice in that and the skirt in a solid navy I have in my stash - I think it's a heavier knit, so a waist stay would probably come in handy here. What do you think, is this a good match?

What're your upcoming sewing plans?

Polo Shirt Refashion

After almost a year of sitting in my UFO pile, I am pleased to announce that this project is finally done!

[My mom, who graciously agreed to take some decent pictures for me, said that I looked like I was ready to go sailing in this outfit. I'd love to!]

I struggled with what buttons I wanted to use for this, and finally decided on some contrasting navy-ish ones.

 

As a reminder, this is what it looked like beforehand (bad lighting and all):

-a super large old shirt of my dad's with a hole in it (I'm not convinced that my mom didn't make that hole herself just so she wouldn't have to look at this shirt anymore...)

 

After a promising start, inspired by Merrick, this one languished for quite a while. First, I couldn't get the neckline to sit right. I finally fixed that and wore this to work (we have a very informal dress code) and noticed that it hit me at a very weird spot and I was constantly fussing with it. My solution?

Use some more of those buttons from the back, and some scrap fabric, to make these cute little whatcha-ma-call-its (seriously, what would you call that?). 

I'm not 100% in love with this shirt (1. I accidentally cut the boat neck too big and 2. I'm not sure it's really figure-flattering), but it does fill a hole in my wardrobe and feels very summer-appropriate. I do especially like the cute but easy feel with the navy shorts, and have been wanting to add some stripes to my wardrobe for a while, as they're very classically trendy (a perennial favorite of Tilly’s). And I stash- and UFO-busted like a champ, woohoo!

What's your favorite go-to summer look?

8 months in the making, but it's finally done!

This has taken an EMBARRASSINGLY long time to finish, but I'm really happy with the final result! Without further ado...

(My mom is under strict orders not to read this blog before I give this to her...) She always used to sing me this song when I was little, and we still reference it from time to time. It brings back great memories, and I know she's going to love it. I've made her plenty of things before, and it's always the ones with the most sentimental meaning that really get to her. 

I used an old pillow I had lying around for the form, and had to double-line the linen so the pattern wouldn't show through. I had 2 remnants, both of which cost about $1, and 1 remnant was enough to make this one, so there's still enough left for another! :)

I originally had a different plant for the back, but found this other fabric in my stash that went so well with the front! About $2.50 for a half a yard (more than I usually pay!), but something I've had for probably 5 years now...So fulfilling to finally cut into it!

Stash busted:

-2 pieces of stashed fabric
-Old pillow that I don't use anymore because it doesn't match my decor and is stained. :)

Bought new: 

-Stencils (about $2)

Easter (?) cake

As you guys might've noticed, I kind of have a thing for rainbows. I've been wanting to make this cake forEVER, but don't typically like to have cakes lying around for no reason: 

 

[Source: IAmBaker]

So, last week we had a potluck for work. I was actually planning to make croquetas, but the weather was HORRIBLE and I barely made it home as it was, let alone if I had made a stop at the grocery store. Thus, I had to work with what I already had in my apartment. I had a million other things to do, so I decided to be lazy and use boxed cake mix and canned frosting, with the hopes of at least making it pretty, if not over-the-top delicious. 

I ended up not having a grass tip, but used another (no clue what it's called) that I thought would provide a similar look. I mixed up some random colors, which all ended up being pastels, hence the "Easter" title. I also ran out of icing and couldn't fill in all of the holes as above, so I had to get creative with a knife and fill in the empty spaces.

Yeah, it really looks NOTHING like the cake above, but...I still kinda like it! It's kind of abstract and just very colorful. I do want to make another attempt at some point, though...I'll just have to make sure to have enough icing on hand next time!

Crocheted rainbow blanket

So, I started crocheting these granny squares last January/February, and actually finished all 70 of them pretty quickly (it was seriously addicting, even though it killed my fingers/hands after a while). However, I just got around to sewing them all together last month...it's so easy for me to start projects, but so hard to finish them! I'm really excited about this one, though, especially now that fall is here. It'll be just one of the 6+ blankets that I'll need to keep me warm through the winter (I seriously slept with 3-4 blankets on my bed last year). 

So, without further ado, here it is!

 

I was obviously far too lazy to block it properly, but I figure it'll all work out after I wash it...right? Also, I have to remember to wash it with one of those color catcher things...I'd hate for the pretty border to be ruined!

It's based off of this beautiful blanket:

 [Image from: The Purlbee]

I didn't quite have the money to shell out for the beautiful yarn she used, so I bought some Sugar n Cream yarn from Michael's/Hobby Lobby/JoAnn/wherever it was on sale. I used about 30 different colors, plus 5-6 (little) skeins of cream yarn, so I figure this project cost me about $45. Stash busted: nothing. But now I've got a decent amount of all of those colors left, so I need to find another rainbow project to use them on. Any suggestions?

Bedroom Makeover, Part 1

Hope you all had a great weekend! I spent mine finishing up some details for my Moroccan/travel bedroom makeover (instead of doing homework, oops) because I was so eager to share this with you! I still have a lot left to do before my bedroom is complete, but just seeing this part of the room finished motivates me to get it all done. 

Here's a view of my bedroom before - long and narrow, with no decoration at all. I looked around at the beginning of the summer and couldn't believe I'd lived like that for a year already!

[Yep, that's a bookshelf holding clothes that wouldn't fit into my closets...]

And here is the after: 

[I know, that painting looks crooked - I think my level is mistaken]

I have been soooooo excited about this dresser! I picked it up at a garage sale about a month ago, for a whole $15! It's solidly made, with thick wood veneer, rather than the junk they make these days. It had good simple lines that would make the perfect backdrop to whatever new theme I decided to give it. As a reminder, this is what it looked like before: 

[It's very....woody, no?]

I ended up scrapping my original idea after I saw this post. I found some of the "reject" paint at Home Depot for $2/quart, and my landlord gave me some leftover primer. I bought this neutral ivory (?) color, and a deep red that matched the fabric I bought for my curtains (which I ended up not using after all).

 [My neighbors were VERY curious as to what I was doing on the porch...]

Originally, I wanted to buy new handles, but after seeing how much the home improvement stores wanted for them, I quickly scrapped that idea and decided to give the original handles some TLC.

[Ewwww]

Then, my mom and I stumbled across some 90% off paint at Menard's. We got several quarts of gold and silver for $3 each, and some other random colors for $2 each. 

[Not so ewwww]

I created a stencil from this plastic paper-stuff I got from Hobby Lobby, then stenciled around it and painted in the gold....which was a huge pain in the butt, but I think all of that work paid off in the end! I'm so pleased with myself, especially considering this is the first real piece of furniture I've made over.

Stash busted: Nothing. Oops.

Bought new: 

• Dresser: $15
• Paint: $5 ($2 for the beige, $3 for the gold)
• Painting supplies: around $15
• Polyurethane: $15
• Hobby Lobby stencils: around $2

Total: A little more than $50 for a great custom dresser. I'd call that a success, wouldn't you? 

Now, let me show you all of the things I've got piled on top of the dresser:

[Garage sale globe ($5), auction globe ($20), and vintage suitcase ($2 - I'm still mulling over what I could make out of that one).]

 [Globe bookends from my grandparents' house and my mini travel scrapbooks and travel journals]

[The lamp that started this whole crazy idea: $3 at a garage sale]

Finally, this painting, inspired by yet another Pinterest find: 

[Image from: CozaMia]

Phew! What a long post! Are you guys redecorating (or thinking about it)? What projects do you have lined up?

Prada knock-offs

When I saw these earrings

 [Image from: Honestly WTF]

I knew I had to have some of my own. I set about looking for some roses at the craft stores, and instead found these teal chrysanthemums:

I also found this earring-making kit in my stash. I bought it years ago at Target during my big-earring phase, but decided the pendants would look better with my chrysanthemums.

Since the flowers didn't have any type of hole for a head pin, I had to get creative with some E6000. (I didn't take any pictures because the back looks kind of wonky, but the front looks good, right?)

I think I might like my version better than the originals. They're a bit more appropriate for everyday wear, no? 

Stash busted:

• Pendants
• Head pins
• Earring posts

Bought new:

• Chrysanthemums: $1.75 on 1/2 off sale at Hobby Lobby

These earrings were just the start of an earring-filled day. Stay tuned for the rest of them! What kind of earrings do you guys like to wear or make?