The "Something Blue" Dress

Check out my latest sewing creation on The Sew Weekly!

Fabric: Blue floral cotton print from stash (4 yds.)

Pattern:  Simplicity 4343 (vintage)

Year:  early 1960s

Notions:  Invisible zipper, Hook & eye (all from stash), Double fold bias tape (3 packages!  $3)

Time to complete:  3 hours

First worn:  February 2012

Wear again:  Maybe

Total price:  $3

This is the first dress I've sewn with the vintage patterns I bought.  The fit is off, and the fabric isn't my favorite, but I wanted to just give the pattern a try to see if it was close to my fit.  It's also my first attempt at sleeves and bias tape, both of which were successes this go round!  I'm going to keep practicing (and hopefully buy a dress form to improve fitting) and start making this vintage patterns fit a more modern wardrobe.  I'm also buying a petticoat to go under these full skirts to make them look a little better.

The "Lilly" Dress

Check out my latest sewing creation on The Sew Weekly!

My inspiration came from Lilly Pulitzer... the dress isn't perfect, but I love the print and lace!

The Facts

Fabric: Amy Butler Modern Midwest II Fresh Poppies (Sky), $8.98/yd x 2.5 yds. from Fabric.com
Pattern: McCall's 5882 (Dress F, without contrast)
Year: 1960s style
Notions: Invisible zipper, Hook & eye (all from stash), Lace trim (eBay, $6.99)
Time to complete: 4 hours
First worn: Plan to wear for Savannah Philharmonic's Afternoon Adagio in February!
Wear again: Yes!  Once I fix the crooked lace and maybe fit it better.
Total price: $30  (a real Lilly would cost $200!)

Inspiration

The "Red Satchel" Dress

Check out my latest sewing creation on The Sew Weekly!

Not the best thing I ever made (had zipper issues!), but I love the dress pattern and will make it again!

The Facts:

Fabric: Cotton print (2 yd.) from Walmart, $4.44/yd
Pattern: Butterick 5450 (Dress C)
Year: Contemporary
Notions: Invisible zipper, optional blanket binding from stash
Time to complete: 4 hours
First worn: January 2012
Wear again: Maybe, if I fix the botched zipper job!
Total price: $10

The Sew Weekly @sewweekly

Yes, another sewing post... stop reading here if you're annoyed. 

I can't remember how I found The Sew Weekly.  I think I was Googling 'sewing blogs' or 'how to sew and not screw it up completely' when I stumbled upon this gem.  And now I just can't get enough!  I mentioned it in yesterday's post, but I felt the site itself deserved its own recognition.

On The Sew Weekly, there is a weekly sewing theme/challenge, which is meant to inspire you to create 52 wardrobe pieces in a year.  There is the Sewing Circle, which is a great forum/community for people to support each other and ask for/give advice.  There are also great articles with sewing tips, general information, and photographs of all the items that different contributors are making.

One of my favorites features, which I discovered via Pinterest, was the Make This Look thread.  Taking looks from stores like Modcloth and Anthropologie, they find similar patterns and fabrics so you can make your own apparel inspired by current fashion.  I love it because it opens my eyes to the possibilities of what you can do when you sew your own clothes; you don't have to be a Grandma to own a sewing machine!

Inspired by the women who contributed last year, I signed on as a contributor for 2012!  My goal is to be one of the five featured contributors at some point throughout the year, but I'm happy to be one of the many posting.  Let's see if I can keep it up, and learn more about sewing along the way.

P.S.  My next mini sewing project?  Preserving the patterns I love with fusible interfacing.

My first contribution!

"When Life Gives You Lemons" Skirt

Fabric:  Cotton print/solid from JoAnn's

Pattern:  McCall's M5591 (Skirt A)

Time to Complete:  3 hours (fabric was already cut)

Yesterday, I realized I'd been a bit of a bum over the long New Year's weekend.  The only time I'd been out of pajamas was to have a delicious (and fancy!) birthday dinner at 700 Drayton with BC and LD, so today I made myself productive.  I did my chores, then took a look at the different sewing projects lying around the office...

I recently joined the Sewing Circle at Sew Weekly, and I anxiously awaited my first weekly challenge of the year... but nothing popped up until the evening.  Nonetheless, the comments on my past projects inspired me to do something about it.  And when life gives you lemons (or a citrus-printed fabric!), you make a skirt, right?

This was my first apparel item with pockets, as well as my first skirt ever.  I'll be the first to admit that there are flaws all over the place, it's too tight because I cut it for my size a year ago (hello, New Year's Resolution!), and the inside is hideous.  I didn't understand the directions for the yoke (waist) or the band, so I kind of made things up along the way.  But in the end, for three hours of work on an easy day off, I'm pretty happy.  I definitely feel like I'm back in the (sewing) game!

In other news, so long as I can keep up, I am a registered contributor on The Sew Weekly!  I'll be posting most of my sewing projects there, but I will post photos/links here once they are published.  Check out my introduction post.

I changed out of PJs just to take these photos... no makeup either.
But cute shoes!