Trying something new

Today I've got TWO projects from my fall sewing list to share with you! How's that for productive? :)

First up, the Sierra bra by Madalynne. It's available as a free download - there are no instructions, but she's got a great sew-along up on her blog. 

Mine isn't a lacy pretty one like she makes, but there are a few reasons for that. A) The pattern is intended for ladies who are much smaller than I am (in band width and cup size). I didn't want the hassle of fiddling with lace for something that was never going to fit. B) I wanted a cute but comfy bra for lounging around in. I bought this fabric last year with my allowance for one of the Stashbusting Sewalong challenges. And C) ...I swear I had something for this. :-/

For a first bra, this isn't too shabby. I added some length in the back (4", maybe? I need to transfer the changes to the pattern), but didn't think to add length on the parts that wrap around to the back. The fit is okay overall but the cups are a bit too small. I'm debating whether I want to try to making them bigger, or whether I should move on to another (soft) bra pattern (I'm not quite ready to try anything with underwires yet). 

[Yep, I took these outside. We've had so little sunlight this week that it was a struggle, and there was no way I was going to get a decent picture inside. :-/]

I had about 1 2/3 yards of this fabric (I probably ordered 2 and it shrank?), so with the rest, I traced off the skirt of a RTW dress and made a simple a-line skirt. 

I definitely had fun walking around at the corn maze with my friends, but even with a slip, this fabric is pretty clingy. I'd love any tips for making it less so. But at least I can cross off items 3 and 8, woohoo!

What are your favorite fall activities?

Notes from Istanbul

So remember my long list of fall sewing/knitting/crafting plans from last week? Welp, I just realized that I didn't *actually* follow the rules to enter the contest, so...if anyone knows of any other contests I could enter to keep my motivation up, I'd appreciate you sending them my way! That being said, all of the things on my list *are* things that I still want, and I've finished several of them already, so...let's hope that motivation continues!

Before I get into showing off those projects, though, I wanted to share with you a few pictures from my recent trip to Istanbul (all fabric-related, of course). 

Before I went, I (obviously) looked up what kind of good fabric shopping there was (that's one of my first priorities when planning a new trip these days). The Selfish Seamstress, Dibulous, and Clio and Phineas all indicated that there were some places to be found in the Grand Bazaar, as well as on one magical little road between the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar. I decided to look for the latter first, so my friend and I started wandering along the cramped, busy streets of Istanbul. When I found this guy, I knew we were going in the right direction:

I stumbled upon this great store with a beautiful purple floral print that I got for about $5/yard. I'm planning to make a spring dress with it, I think. I'd also heard about the great silks that can be found in the city, so on our last day there, I went hunting for it in the Grand Bazaar. This proved to be kind of difficult, because A) that place is HUGE (seriously, I didn't quite realize how big it was, and probably still don't, but it's SO easy to get lost in there), and B) even the people who work there, who know almost everything about what there is to find, looked at me blankly when I asked for the fabric section. Thankfully, we eventually found it!

The first place we went was nice, but a little more than I wanted to spend (and you can almost ALWAYS find a better bargain at another shop in the bazaar). We eventually stumbled on a good one willing to deal. Though they didn't quite have all of the choices that the other places had, I found a blue ikat and knew it would make a great robe. Unfortunately, with very narrow (15" wide?) fabric, I had to buy 5 meters of it at about $15/meter, but...once it's made, it'll be a really great, long-lasting souvenir of my trip! As Selfish describes it, it's more of a twill weight than a chiffon, so it should be a great weight for a spring/early summer robe in which I can luxuriously lounge around the house. :)

 

I also couldn't resist going back to the first fabric shop to get some more great deals on our last day there. I ended up adding the fabric on the top, and the blue colorway of the purple fabric that I originally fell in love with (more florals, of course. I am seriously in love with those two prints). 

I feel like this is a great time to tell one of my favorite "Istanbul hospitality" stories. As described above, we basically stumbled around the shopping district of the city on the first day and happened to find this shop in the "fabric" section. I had no idea how to get back, so I showed a random shopkeeper the picture of me and the fabric statue, hoping that would at least get me in the right direction. He didn't know, so he asked several passers-by. He eventually found an elderly man pushing a heavy cart who knew where it was, so gave directions, which the shopkeeper interpreted for us. We started on our way and, about halfway through...got lost. As we were standing there scratching our heads, the elderly man with the cart happened to be on his return trip, saw that we were lost, and exasperatedly (but good-natured-ly!) shook his head and enthusiastically gestured in the right direction. We didn't end up finding the statue again, but did walk right to the fabric store I wanted! Phew, that got kind of long-winded, but we thought it was one of the most adorable things we'd seen, so I had to share. :)

I wish I'd had a bit more time to explore the fabric and notions in Istanbul, but I'm really happy with the souvenirs I did get. What's your favorite fabric-shopping experience been?

My long-awaited return (and some Fall goals)

Hmmm, maybe it's only been long-awaited by me. :-/ Sorry for the unintended hiatus. I don't really have a good excuse, either - there's just been a general lack of motivation (mostly lacking the motivation to take decent pictures, but more generally as well). I'm always on the fence about whether I should be kind to myself and not try to force things that I'm really not feeling, or whether forcing myself through things will be better for me in the end. Do you ever struggle with that problem? How do you approach it?

Despite said lack of motivation, I do have a backlog of projects to blog, and some WIPs I'm hoping to finish sometime soon. I'm also currently in the midst of planning (slash over-planning...slash achieving?) my fall sewing list (more on that below), but before it gets too late in the year, I wanted to share one last summer make.

This dress was definitely a labor of love. I picked up that great skirt fabric in Puerto Rico last year (my only sewing souvenir!), but only got 1.5 yards. At first I was intending to make a simple circle skirt to really show off the print, but then started thinking about the fact that dresses are so much easier to wear in some ways (hello, instant outfit!), so I went for the whole shebang. 

For the bodice, I used the same lace I used for this dress (which I sadly have only worn once. I feel like the proportions are off on me? And I definitely need to fix the back.) I carefully basted the lining to each piece of lace, determined not to repeat some of the mistakes I made with the last lace dress. I used some random ribbon for the straps, since the lace+underlining would've made straps a bit difficult to turn. It's hard to tell in this picture, but I used double-fold bias binding around the top edge. 

You can see some wrinkling in the back, which is a common problem I have when working with lace. The bodice is my tried and true Simplicity 4070, which fits me well in general. I guess I'll just have to keep working at it. 

Sadly, I've also only worn this dress once. In part because I finished it just before the cold weather hit, but part of it is also that I'm terrified of spilling something on it. But clothes are meant to be worn, right? I'm sure I'll be itching to pull it back out next spring. 

In other news, I have to thank one of the lovely ladies in the Facebook stashbusting group who told me about this Fall Finish-Along. I hope that having some of these lovely prizes to motivate me will help me get through my rapidly growing Fall sewing(/knitting/cross stitch) list.

Sewing plans:
1. Christmas dress. This fabric immediately caught my eye in the store, but I started second-guessing myself. However, the friend I was shopping with quickly talked me into it, and now I can't get the idea of a beautiful vintage-inspired emerald dress for our fancy work Christmas party out of my head. I think I'll use the bodice of B5748 with a sleeker skirt, though this is subject to change.

[This is a much deeper emerald in real life.]

2. Self-drafted fall cape along these lines: 

The cape and lining have been cut out - now to finish it properly!

3. Sierra bra #1. I plan to try this first in some jersey fabric in the stash, to see if it'll even work for my size (it's intended for sizes smaller than mine, so we'll see). 

4. Sierra bra #2 in pretty lace (assuming the first one works out). 

5. Self-drafted white pleated skirt (this one's been cut out and basted already, yay!):

 6. Wrap top (note: this one's been made, but doesn't work for me. I'll have to figure out how to fix it to complete this item):

7. Denim A-line skirt. I'm thinking something like this, though may use a simpler self-drafted skirt. 

8. Self-drafted knit skater skirt using one of these Girl Charlee fabrics:

9. Another skater skirt, assuming the first goes well.

9. Sparkly A-line skirt:

  10. Cocoon cardigan:

11. Wrap top from men's button-down:

12. Tulle skirt:

13. Coat with emerald green wool (to be honest, this'll probably have to be rolled into next year, but a girl can dream!)

Some of these makes look pretty summery, but I'm all about the layering and can see myself getting a lot of winter use out of them.  

14. Game of Thrones quilt (like my Walking Dead one, but...with GoT). All of the fabrics are bought, and many of the designs are done. You can see them on my Instagram.

Knitting(/crochet): 

1. Cocoon cardigan (I figure I'll either sew OR knit one - probably can't do both!) If I make this one, it'll be in a chunky purple yarn.

2. Leg warmers (pattern subject to change, but something like this:)

 
3. Boot toppers

4. Katniss cowl

5. Fix Fezziwig sweater. I knit it last winter, re-doing the button band twice. However, it's still not right, so I'm going to rip out the band again and try to complete it for real.

6. Lace shawl (again, kind of summery, but I want it, dangit!)

7. Slippers

Other:

1. Pretty Little Chicago cross stitch (this one's about half done at this point):

2. Pretty Little Barcelona cross stitch:

Phew! That's a lot! I'm sure I won't finish everything, but I like lists, and I like goals, and I like prizes, so...let's see how far I get! Are you participating?

I'm baaaaaack!

So, let's state the obvious: it's been almost 2 months since I posted. I've been kicking myself about it throughout my entire hiatus, but I just haven't found the energy for blogging. In preparation for this post, I took a bunch of pictures of all of the things I've made lately (I have been making things, I swear!), but even then, I wasn't quite sure where to start. 

Since the Refashioners challenge is going on right now, and since I'd really love to win that prize pack, let's start with that project, shall we? When I first started getting into sewing a few years ago, the couple of blogs that I followed were very big into refashioning. I saw so many cute projects made with men's button-down shirts, so I headed off to Goodwill and picked up quite a few of them (at fill-a-bag prices, they were only about $0.25 each!). 

After just one failed refashion attempt, I threw the remaining shirts in a corner and forgot about them...until I saw this picture of a quilt top that Sewaholic had been working on, and knew I had to do the same. 

[It was a windy day, I swear (/hope) it's straight!]

Luckily, the shirts I'd picked out way back when had a very unified color scheme! Cutting the shirts apart was a task, but I plopped down on the floor with some good (trashy) T.V. and set about getting as many usable pieces of fabric as I could. I decided to go with
6" x 6" blocks to maximize fabric. I also decided, kind of last-minute, to keep the pockets as a fun little detail. 

When it came time to do the actual quilting, I was inspired by Handmade Jane's method, and went with complementary blue thread to fit the theme. I also found some random gray cotton in my stash that I decided to use for the binding (very proud that I decided not to go out and buy store-bought binding for this one). 

The layout took me a while, but I like how the alternating vertical-horizontal stripes stripes turned out. 

I had no idea what to use for the back, but I stumbled on some great chambray at Wal-Mart for $1/yard! After washing, it turns out that it's not actually so great (though I shouldn't be surprised at that price tag) - it tears easily, so I'll have to be really careful when using this. I do like the look of the quilting on the back, though!

I have no idea how big this is, but there's a fair bit hanging over the edge of the fence at the top. Maybe a skinny twin? I can't decide if I want to keep this for myself or give it as a gift, but I do know that I love it!
 

Bonus: I've got extra bit all pieced (though I'm not sure how to finish it, because it's really not big enough for anything). Any ideas?

Anyway, hopefully I can get back to my regular blogging schedule soon (although my upcoming trip to Istanbul might throw a wrench in that - I definitely plan to buy ALL of the fabric, though, I'll have to show you when I get back!).

 

Feeling a bit out-of-place

Hi all! I guess it's that time of the year where my best intentions of posting more frequently just fall by the wayside. Oops.

Anyway, a couple of months ago, I saw that Kennis at Itch to Stitch put out a call for testers for her Lindy Petal skirt. I saw the design and thought it was super cute, but that it wouldn't really work for me, so didn't sign up to test. Well, when she released the (free!) pattern a few weeks later, I could resist downloading it and printing it out. And then, in a move that is very unlike me, I sewed it up that same night!

It was a very quick, easy make, which is just what I'd been looking for! I used a (surprise, surprise) floral print mystery stretch fabric I had in my stash. I managed to squeeze all of the pieces out onto the 1 yard I had.

Since this fabric frays like crazy, I overlocked all of the edges. All in all, this only took me an hour or two (including putting together the PDF pattern and cutting out the fabric!)

Unfortunately, this look really isn't "me," and I haven't worn this yet, except to take these pictures. (Note to self: pencil skirts, especially stretchy ones, aren't really kind to people with tummies and flat butts.)

Judging by my blog roll, everyone and their mother has now sewn this skirt up...Have you caught Lindy fever yet?

Monthly stitch madness

So my goal for this month was to participate in all four Monthly Stitch Indie Pattern Month contests. I did okay on week one, but on week 2, though my tank top was pretty successful, my skirt sure wasn't. I might try to revisit it one day, but for now, it's in the UFO (aka time out) bin, I just couldn't take it anymore!

For week three (new to me), my plan was to finally make a Gabriola. However, at the beginning of the week, I was chosen as a tester for a pattern company I hadn't heard of before, KZJO Studio. She had three patterns out for testing, but based on what's in my stash, I chose to only test one - the Charlotte Tunic. (I really wanted to try to make Charlotte and Gabriola, but life got in the way, alas. Stupid Chicago flooding...Good thing I didn't commit to more pattern testing!)

To be honest, I initially thought this was a tank top when I signed up to test. Then I thought it was a dress, albeit a short one, and wore it as such, both to a party last night and for these pictures. Now, however, I realize it's really supposed to be worn with pants or leggings! Oh well. The great thing about sewing your own patterns is that it's "supposed to be" whatever you want it to be. I've already got a maxi version cut out, and may even have a couple of stash fabrics that would be good for tank top versions.

I picked up some pretty, slinky poly fabric recently during one of my allowed stash-adding weekends, and I wanted a simple make to show off the pattern properly. This tunic turned out to be just the ticket! For my first version, I cut and sewed as instructed, going with a straight size 16. Since my fabric frayed so much, I used French seams, and since the bias binding shows through on the straps, I went with some pretty lace I had on hand. 

Once I realized this wasn't a tank top, I honestly didn't think it would be very flattering on me, at least not without a belt. It's not my typical fit-and-flare, but...I really like it! I initially had some under-arm gaping, but that's pretty common with all of my makes (I've only recently discovered that this probably means I need a full bust adjustment). Since this was already cut and mostly sewn, I just added some darts, and I think it works fine. 

Pattern notes: Overall, I think the pattern itself is really well-drafted. It's simple enough to be good for a confident beginner (the bias tape might be a little challenging for a true novice), but with enough visual interest to not get boring. The instructions are pretty well written (and are currently being revised before the release to be even better!), and the diagrams/pictures are really excellent. 

What I'd change next time: I'd add at least a few inches so I can wear this as a dress without fear of flashing everyone. :) Because of the French seams, my total seam allowance ended up being a bit more than the intended 1/2", so it was a bit tighter than I'd thought in the bust. I'd probably size up to the 18 next time. 

KZJO Studio is planning to release all three patterns on Tuesday (a racerback knit dress, and a cute summer cardigan, in addition to this tunic), and is offering 15% off until June 30th! What do you think - would you give this pattern a try?

Indie Pattern Month Commences!

Welp, Indie Pattern Month has started over at the Monthly Stitch, and for once, I'm able to participate (just in time!). 

In a departure from my usual style and my usual choice of fabric pattern, I've made the Sonja dress from Salme patterns.

In addition to having a thing for floral, I also really have a thing for lace. The only problem is, lace and I have never quite seen eye to eye. I guess I'm not super great at working with underlining just yet, but with this dress, finally, it came together!

It's hard to tell in these photos, but this is underlined in a mystery drapey green fabric (that also stretched out while sewing and gave me a few headaches, but I think I overcame them). 

Issues with the pattern:
-You might be able to tell from the picture above that there was some gaping near the armpit. I added an extra dart here, and I think it worked out fine. 

[Pretty sure this lays better when my arms are down.]

-I should've read the pattern more carefully before I started, because seam allowances aren't included. That, coupled with the fact that I didn't take proper measurements, meant that this ended up way too small at first. I added a couple of inches in the back, which is hopefully a pretty inconspicuous fix. 
-Like a lot of people who've sewn this pattern, I omitted the facings and went with bias binding instead. I think most of us agree that facings often just get in the way. 
-This is a simple dress that's pretty easy to put together without instructions. That said, I glanced over the instructions, and they didn't exactly seem clear. 

Those issues aside, I think I'll probably make this up again. There are a couple of minor adjustments I can make to fit, but I think it looks pretty good as-is, right? 

Are you participating in Indie Pattern Month? I'm loving all of the dresses I've seen over there so far!