top

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”?

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

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:

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.