Pleated, Pressed Flowers

It’s time once again to get rid of some of my stash that I have hanging out in my cubbies. This stash buster is from one of my favorite dresses, Flower Maxi. I’m actually surprised at how much fabric I have left. That was a massive maxi dress!

No pattern used for this one. I kinda had an idea of what I wanted and took different aspects from other items I’ve made in the past.

First stolen idea: I wanted a pleated front and back that allows for a more fitted top at the bust but then opens up to feel more flowy around the hips. The pleats I’ve done in the past on my Kitty Dress.

Snip snaps to hold the back closed.

Second stolen idea: The back was going to be a split placket in the back with a snap to close it. The split placket, I’ve made on the Granny Shirt.

That’s really all there was to this top. I wanted to try to add petal sleeves too but those turned out like shit. I’m not even 100% I like these ones but they’ll do for now.

You can see the room I have at the bottom. Super light and airy. Good for hot days in the AZ. What you can’t see because it really was a stupid addition on my part, was a fancy stitch on the hem. I used navy thread that blended in. Absolutely pointless.

End thought: I don’t know if the front pleats or the back keyhole is my favorite. It actually turned out just as I expected. When does that ever happen? Can I get a “hell yeah”?

Pepto Flower Bag

Still not in garment sewing mode here. I have a few projects that are partly done but I’m just not feeling their next steps. Lately when I’ve been going in my sewing room, it’s whatever seems like the best thing to work on. So what was the best thing to work on today? A rather large clutch/crossbody bag.

I’ve made bags in the past but usually without a pattern. It’s kind of a crazy free for all. What do I need in the bag? Lots of pockets? Do I need to carry my whole life in it? Do I want it large or small? These and so many more thoughts go into my bag making. Well LBG Studio just made it a lot easier for me. They have the Lexie Foldover Bag pattern. It can be a clutch or crossbody bag. Do you want it large or small? Well they have that option. Do you want extra pockets? Zipper pockets? Accents? A whole butt load of pockets? YUP! They have all those options in this one pattern. It’s really unbelievable!

When I sat down to determine what I wanted for my bag, I decided I wanted it all because why not? I chose:

Large Size

Front Accent

Front Pocket

Front Welt Zipper Pocket

Internal Pockets

It’s really crazy how many options you can have with this bag and I have to say the instructions are awesome at illustrating them all. Also, I’m horrible at reading instructions. I just don’t. I figure I know what order things should go in since I’ve been sewing for so long and that is so not the right thing to do with this. I started by sewing pieces together that shouldn’t be so I had to rip them apart and that was all I needed to realize that I don’t have a damn idea of what I’m doing. Even after this realization I kept trying to skim the instructions (I don’t like instructions) and kept getting lost and confused. Every time that happened and I actually read the instructions it quickly got me back on track.

Let’s take a closer look at the bag!

Here’s two pockets in one shot. The welt, zipper pocket that always seems so intimidating but never as bad as it seems. The other is a deep front pocket that you can see the majority of my hand going into. It goes to the bottom of the bag. This bag is serious when it comes to pockets.

I couldn’t get a good shot of the inside pockets. Probably doesn’t help that I have a bunch of stuff in the bag. I started using it right away! On the left side of this pic, there’s a set of two pockets. They’re made from one panel of fabric so the pockets are side by side. Good for small stuff like a mirror, chapsticks, three lip glosses and other random things that usually run rouge in your bag.

I did choose the adjustable option for the strap. I got this little slider for $.25 at a local fabric store. I’m happy I chose that option because I change the purse from a crossbody to a shoulder bag. It’s nice to be able to have a choice.

You can see on Gert that when I open the whole bag up it’s really tall. I can fit a bunch of stuff over and fold the top over. It doesn’t have to necessarily make it down to that magnetic snap. Everything in the bag is secure though. You have the zippered top so no worries of anything falling out!

This pattern is truly amazing! The options alone are worth the buy. I’m already planning on making this bag again in denim. I have a lot of leftover bits here and there and I think it would be super awesome and versatile.

Tumbling Keyboard Cover

It’s time for me to try something new! It’s good to expand the sewing horizons right? I have this fascination with Mister Domestic. He’s primarily a quilter and a makes some amazing things. I love to watch his weaving videos. He does beautiful quilts that are made from woven strips of fabric. I’ve been wanting to give it a go and on a small scale is totally the way for me to try it. I wanted a keyboard cover for my Logitech keyboard that I use with my iPad.

Lots of prep goes into this fabric weaving. You need to cut a ton of strips of fabric. I cut mine at 1 1/2″ wide and there’s no need to cut it on the bias so that makes it a bit easier to cut. I cut three different fabrics for mine. I’m sure you don’t need to but if you want the block look, you’ll want three. Even though you’re not cutting the fabric on the bias, you’ll want to finish them like they are bias tape. I didn’t use a bias tape maker to iron them out. I took the edges and pressed them towards the middle. I wasn’t too worried about them being perfect.

I spent a lot of time staring at the videos that Mister Domestic made of this block pattern to figure out when is the next over or under. There’s a certain pattern to the whole thing: two under, one over or is it the other way? I’m not 100% sure now. Needless to say, his videos are the best and can teach any bonehead (me) how to weave fabric.

Mister Domestic uses some sort of board to pin his strips to. I’m not that spiffy and instead I used the foam interfacing that I had for the keyboard cover. It worked rather well. It holds the pins tight and you need the iron on interfacing to press the strips onto. It’s what holds it all together.

I was so proud of how well the large piece came out that I made another little one with the scraps that I had. So cute! I decided to use it as a pocket on the front. Do I need a pocket on the front? Nope! It’s too adorable not to use plus it gives it a bit of pizzaz to an otherwise boring front.

There’s a flap on the top to keep the keyboard inside the cover but it’s not really necessary because that sucker is in there tight. I added a bit of Velcro to keep the flap down.

And there you have it! That’s my first little toe into the world of fabric weaving. Damn proud!

Yikes, Stripes

Do you ever sit down to write a blog post (if you have a blog) and everything sounds horrible? Why would I start out with this? That’s not exciting or enough to capture someone’s attention. I’m having that moment right now. I’m going to keep typing and we’ll see if we find ourselves in the end.

I had leftover fabric (again) from another project I made. That other project was baby clothes. No, I’m not pregnant. (yuck!) The clothes were for a friend of mine. She’s a fellow cat lady and this is her second kiddo. It’s a girl and who wouldn’t like to make a mini sized dress? Mini stuff is so cool. Expect mini humans… yuck…

I guess we could talk about the baby clothes first. I mean, why not? I seem to be meandering through this post anyways. Let’s get sidetracked!

I found a few free patterns for baby stuff. I’m a little wary about free patterns because sometimes they are just a hot mess. I know nothing about babies so if it comes out the complete wrong size, I’m not going to know any better. Having said that, these patterns come from Brindille & Twig . I chose the Ringer Tee and the Bummies. Which I don’t like that name “bummies”. What does that even mean? I called them scootie pants. I’m not even sure if that’s any better… So my thought was to take the ringer tee and expand it to look more like a dress. Pretty much like making an a-line skirt.

The shirt was easy.  I extended and expanded like I planned. I even cut a little strip to add at the bottom for a ruffle.  Also, quick planning on my part. If this kid comes out a boy, that’s okay because we’ll just chop off the bottom.  None the wiser, ya know?

The scootie pants, I made as is. You need something to cover the diaper right? I don’t know… I just assume you wouldn’t want to see that. Wait I lied. I didn’t make them “as is” because there’s a little drawstring.  I didn’t add that. These are so small that I can’t imagine needing to strangle the baby’s mid-section with a drawstring.  I know I don’t like that tight, chubby feeling.  I’m sure it’s the same for babies.

Okay, now onto the real reason I was writing this post. I made a shirt for me. The fabric I bought for the baby stuff was so cute that I couldn’t pass up making myself something from it too. Let me tell you, that I really squeaked this one out. Btw, fabric came for Joann Fabrics and yes, I had a coupon.

The pattern is the Briar Tee from Megan Nielsen Patterns. The thing I do not like about this pattern is the super low scoop neck. I feel that it flops all over the place and it pisses me off. I bend over and lookie! There’s my bra. No, just no. Needless to say, I always change the neckline of this pattern when I use it.

I think I was still vibing off the baby ringer dress that I ended up making myself a ringer-tee too. I do love ringers though so it’s not super big surprise that’s where my brain went. I made the bands for the arms a little smaller than the width of the fabric and it gave it a little bit of poof. Not intended, but I’m not mad at it.

There really isn’t much more to say than KITTIES!!!

To finish off a post about kitties, here’s one of mine: Freckles aka Fluffy Tail.

Revenge of the Cinco

I hate when I have to many projects planned and for some reason I decide to work on a completely unplanned project. For some reason, those planned projects don’t have the same appeal as an “on the fly” project. Probably because those planned projects have the whole planned element. I thought them out so perfectly and when I make them I expect perfection. On the fly kind of projects are completed with the “let’s get it done” mentality.

Okay, that was a lot to explain that I’ve been working on “on the fly” stuff rather than planned. I’m proud to say this post is about one of those neglected planned projects. You’re probably wondering what finally got my ass into gear. Well it’s Revenge of the 5th my friends. Yesterday was “May the 4th” and I realized I have the perfect project to complete for the following day.

Last project (Sleep Shirt) was my first try with an appliqué. Granted, it is not fun to sew those guys on but I’m not one to be deterred. I decided to cut an AT-AT Walker from the remaining Star Wars fabric I have from JoAnn’s. For non-nerds, the AT-AT Walkers are used by the bad guys and they look like big mechanical animals.

I drew up a tank top. I decided not to use a pattern. A simple tank should be easy enough to create.

I used more leftovers as the top of the tank. I didn’t want a full black shirt with an appliqué. I wanted something with a little more matching. The front and back both have the Star Wars fabric at the very top. I had to get creative for the back since I was using leftovers. I used four pieces to create the back. I don’t think it’s a big deal and it looks fine. I also cut strips of the fabric to create a trim on the arms and the neck for a nice clean look.

The bottom is a soft rayon/poly blend that I also picked up from JoAnn’s. I cut from the outside edge of the top pieces and down at a widening angle to the desired length to make the bottom nice and roomy. The bottom is also rounded and the front is a tid-bit shorter than the back.

I ironed my appliqué on the bottom and then stitched around the edges. It’s not perfect because there are so many angles around the Walker. Still no big deal. The thread blends pretty well with the fabric.

That’s it! I have a new Star Wars tank top. Pretty comfy and quick to make. I need to quick dragging my feet on things! lol