Finished Peony Dress!

I just knew after sewing up the bright yellow Peony dress during the Fall Palette Challenge that I was going to love this pattern!  Sadly, I have not worn the yellow dress once.  I am  going to have to find a way of toning the color down to something more suitable for me.  However, this dress is for sure to get a lot of wear!  The fabric is a gorgeous linen given to  me by mother-inlaw out of her stash.  I never thought to ask her what she imagined making out of it when she bought it - but I hope I did it justice!  The belt fabric is a silk  chiffon I picked up during my trip to Portland - just for this dress.   Since I had made this dress before the construction details were fairly easy.  I can't believe I am going to  admit this next part.  The meringue skirt was the first garment where I ironed all seams  after sewing them, seeing the difference this really makes during construction I ironed after every step for this dress.  The ironing will helps give the dress a more professional  finish.  I guess now it is time to invest in a good tailor's ham and seam roll!

Minrou Sew-Along - My Fabric Choices

Hello Readers!  Are any of you joining along in the Sewaholic, Minrou Sew-Along? Tasia from Sewaholic is one of the best Sew-Along instructors I have seen out on the web.  She provides very detailed instruction with little extra tips and other extras - all in bite size portions.  You can sew a little each night to keep up with  the pace or save-up and catch up when you have time. My fabric choices (shown above) include a lovely Japanese cotton canvas - don't  you just love the polka dots? ... and the neutral colors will look great with just about anything in my closet. Tasia and I must be on the same wavelength  because a few days after I bought my fabric she posted about a  polka dot Minrou Jacket!!  So Lovely!  I also choose a very lovely shade of pink bemberg for the lining.  I will be making a muslin for this jacket and should have pictures sometime late next week on my progress!

Cherry Meringue skirt with Candy Cane Taffy Blouse

What a yummy description, right?  While I am sure those flavors more than likely wouldn't go together, the  skirt and blouse- do!  I finished both of these garments right after I got  the Colette's Sewing Handbook in November, but was a little slow on posting at the end  of the year.   Anyone who wants to learn sewing or even hone their skills should pick this  book up!  The 5 patterns included are all gorgeous and the instructions and encouragement  provided by Sarai Mitnick the author and proprietress of Colette's patterns makes the book  a steal!    Now about the skirt... the material is a bottom weight cotton poplin which was a breeze to sew.   I don't want to give away the extra tips that Sarai provided in the book, but I will tell you that I  used her methods for sewing the invisible zipper and for getting the best finish on scallop bottom  and they both came out lovely.  The invisible zipper is the best I have installed to-date and this task which always disappointed me and made my garments look less finished is now a breeze!  For the Taffy blouse, I made the bias tape for the finish using the continuous bias tape method  for the first time.  I will definitely be using that again!  I wasn't as even with cutting my strips as I would like to have been but once ironed and sewn onto the garment - you really wouldn't know.  Cutting the Chiffon was an absolute nightmare and I was almost afraid the shapes I was left with at the end would not fit but I managed to make them work, and a few days later Sunni from a Fashionable Stitch came out with this great tip for cutting these types of garment.  I am extremely please with the way both of these turned out and hope to make each of them in different color combinations at a later date!

My First Quilting Project

Hello Readers! I know most, if not all of you, are garment sewists but do any of you venture out into quilting? My mother-in law brought me along when she went to several quilting shoes this past year. It was so much fun to look at all the beautiful quilts and of course I picked up fabric for aprons and purses etc.

I know there are many simple and beautiful quilts, but for many reasons I just thought quilting was out side my scope of do-able projects. I have been thinking more and more of making a quilt for my bed. The duvet and down blanket we have is much to heavy for summer and it seems like the color combinations I am thinking are always out of season or style in the stores. I started searching a few months back here and there for a beginner's quilting pattern that I liked, but had not found what I was looking for.

Just last week I received a free class offer from Craftsy (and I just love Craftsy's classes). This is perfect for me! You make two blocks each month through October and then the final months of the year you do all the finishing. You end up with a throw size quilt - which is perfect for a beginner, but according to the course overview suitable for experienced quilters as well. If you are interested leave me a comment below Craftsy is allowing us to forward the FREE sign-up link to friends. I''ll update you with my fabric choice and progress as we near the end of the month!

Happy New Year!

Hello Readers! Happy New Year!

I am very excited to be starting 2012 and have set some pretty fun goals for myself! But first...

A look back on 2011... in early 2011 I was making purses and other mini-accessories, but in early Spring I participated in A Fashionable Stitch's Ginger Skirt sewalong using Colette Patterns Ginger Skirt pattern. I was hooked - and it was onward and upward to the Fall Palette challenge and beyond.

I am guessing by now you are wondering about my picture choice. That beautiful craft table is my birthday gift from MR and it is on its way to me as we speak! I love it! It is the perfect size for my little craft room and I am looking forward to a real table to work on when sewing.

Now my goals for 2012...

** Main goal is to add garments and accessories that I not only love but make a cohesive and stylish statement **

1. To participate in both the Spring and Fall challenge
2. To make my first Jack and first coat. *Note I will be participating in the Minrou Sewalong at Sewaholic Patterns
3. To make my first quilt *Note I will be participating in a FREE Craftsy class on quilt making
4. To knit my first cardigan


That is it in a nutshell - but it promises to be a BIG year!

Image source Home Decorators: http://www.homedecorators.com/.

New Fabrics

I recently went on a trip to Portland for work, and I was so excited to have a few hours in the evening to search for some new fabrics.

I intended to search for some wools for pants and coats and warm wintery things like that. However, the wools this time of year didn't catch my eye. Most were in neutral tones beiges, browns, off-whites, blacks and navy, and I was in the mood for color!

However, I came home with some very nice silks and my luggage thanked me for not being overly heavy! My find of the trip was a gorgeous floral linen that I'll have to photograph and post.

The fabric pictured above is a fabric I had trouble locating on my trip. I had it in mind for some time but I couldn't remember when I got to the fabric store who made it. It's Line Dance by Kaffe Fassett and I have to say even prettier than in the photo. The yellow and green tints are just a bit more subtle and the fabric so soft. It is going to have to be part of my Spring Palette - maybe a beautiful Chantilly or Parfait from Colette patterns!

Final Post for Fall Palette Challenge

The Fall Palette Challenge was not completely successful for me. I finished 4 out of the 5 garments, but produced one that I will never wear.

My lessons learned from the challenge were plenty! First, I was not totally open with myself on what I would wear vs. what I wouldn't. I wanted to stay on a budget and use fabric I already owned. I ended up using a very bright yellow that I bought through an online purchase that I knew wasn't what I wanted.

I was constantly waiting on patterns or waiting on fabric which resulted in me either being way behind scheduled or way ahead of schedule. Then work got too busy and I just wasn't able to concentrate on my sewing as much as I had liked. I ended up working on and finishing some items that were not part of my challenge but then did not complete the entire challenge either.

The positive side is that I made several fall items that I have already worn again and again! I got a lot of practice in tracing patterns and making adjustments to the patterns to fit my body and practiced finishing my garments nicely. All in all I am ready to attack the Spring challenge when it arrives with even more enthusiasm.

The cream corduroy clovers pictured above were the final item I made towards the fall challenge. They are super comfortable and I can't wait to make more clover pants!

The construction was a breeze especially since I left the pockets out. I keep searching for them - so, the next pair I am definitely going to add them back in. I can't wait to make the Capri version for Spring and some wool version for the cooler months!

The top is an Ice blue Georgette Pendrell blouse that I made in between the challenge items. It was my first time sewing with silk and it took a lot longer to put this blouse together than my previous cotton version. This is another item I would love to make again and again!

Later this week I'll be posting my first completed item from the Colette Sewing Handbook!