Surprise

Of all things I never thought I would love, I love cleaning up my fabric cubbies. My cubbies come from Ikea, like so many other sewists. I never bought the fabric bins because stacking it all on top of each other would be fine right? Then all of a sudden I can’t find anything. Things are falling behind other fabrics and falling out the front. This doesn’t include my curious kittens that like to pull the fabric out and then walk away. Finally I decided to pick up the bins on a recent trip to Ikea. This meant cleaning!

I rolled all my fabrics into happy little treats of color. I found so many fabrics I didn’t realize I had so much of. I decided make something out of one of them! Shopping my fabric stash like a pro!

What to make out of it? Hmmm… maybe a Colette Sorbetto? Woot woot!

I didn’t have enough of the fabric to cut it outright. I decided I would do tiers. It took a bit of thought to how long I wanted the tiers and how to lay out the fabric. It’s a pretty wild pattern so I had to put a lot of thought into it.

I put the whole damn thing together and put it on and “yuck!”. What could I possibly do to make this better? Sorry no before shot but trust me. No bueno!

I remembered a shirt that I saw on MimiG. It was a sleeveless top that was pulled in at the waist. A little flounce on top and some flowiness on the bottom. That was exactly what this needed. I had some extra elastic lying around and put it to use. It did the trick! The shirt is now acceptable to wear!

I feel like I need a pair of khaki shorts and head over to Hawaii. Or I’ll just sit out on my patio and have a drink in the sunshine. Just as good right?

My sewing process:

“Sometimes I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.” – Michael Scott

TNT Florals

When you love something you just love it right? There’s no rhyme or reason. You two were just meant to be. That’s how I feel about Butterick’s 5526. I’ve made way too many of these. Here’s a few:

• Jack of All Trades
• Pirple Blurple

This time around, it’s a navy floral from JoAnn Fabrics. I went for another popover because they’re super comfy and a little bit classier than a T-shirt.

I drew out the sleeves on this one a bit longer than I had in the past. Cute little baby sleeves. I sewed mini little hems on them.

The same goes for the bottom hem. Little baby hem to help keep the length. Plus it kept me from making bias tape for the curves.

I also skipped the serger and completed French seams. It’s super easy on a cotton so why not?

I dug in my stash and found a few clear buttons. They’re great because they don’t draw your attention but they do their job!

I made this one in an afternoon. I needed a good palette cleanser after the coat. A shirt is a nice quick make, especially when it’s a dear old friend of a pattern.

I’m just as happy with this one as all of the past ones I’ve made.

Coat Me

I’m going to come right out and say it, I MADE A COAT!

This has probably been over a year in planning. I couldn’t find the right fabric for the longest time. I knew I wanted a brocade but everyone I looked at never spoke to me. Thankfully I follow FabScrap on Instagram. Every so often they have these flash sales and advertise some thing they have on their site for sale. That’s when I found the most beautiful brocade. It’s floral and is just a sea of beauty.

I already knew what coat pattern I was going to use. During my first round of #sewmystyle, the coat that was included was the Yona Wrap Coat by Named Patterns. It’s shown as a wrap coat but has an option for 3 buttons. I was going for the buttoned version. I was concerned about the straight sides of the coat. I have a butt and it needs roam to breathe.

I did make a muslin of this coat as is. I was completely right! The coat and my butt did not get along. I decided to flare out the bottom to make more of an A-line style coat. I added 3″ to the bottom of the sides of the front and back pieces. It gives it enough room to make me super happy.

Putting the outside together wasn’t too bad until I got to the collar in front facings. I didn’t really understand the direction very well. The thing about Named is that their instructions do not have a lot of pictures or written instructions. They’re not made for beginners. I sat and pinned for a while until I felt confident to sew it in place.

I changed up the pockets. They are supposed to be patch pockets. That was not classy enough for me. I wanted welt pockets. I’ve done double welts before so a single welt pocket was super easy! They look fab!

I was in no hurry to complete my coat. Especially since this was my first one. I went to JoAnn’s to check out their linings. Unfortunately they did not a have fun purple that I was shooting for. I did find the type of fabric I wanted. A 100% Rayon that has a bit of slip to it so I can easily get the coat on and off without it wanting to grab my clothes. I searched online and found what I needed! Stone Mountain Fabric had Bemberg lining which is the same stuff as JoAnn’s but with all the color ways!

I decided I wanted to make bound button holes. Never completed them before and didn’t practice! I went ahead, fearlessly, and hacked at my coat. They didn’t turn out perfect but damn am I still happy with them. I knew I wanted metal buttons and they look classy!

I bagged the lining of the jacket. My first time out for that too. It turned out so pretty! Way easier than it looks so I totally recommend it to anyone thinking about completing a coat. Stitching the hole in the lining was the last task before a final pressing.

LOOK AT IT! It’s so springy and happy. The jacket has 3 buttons but I really only use the top button. It makes it easy for the coat to open when I sit and it makes the front flap open to see the pretty lining.