Spring Ruffle Top

My last top for Spring Top Week. I was originally going to do Simplicity 3750 with this material, but as I was reading reviews for this pattern there seemed to be some complaints about the bust part being small. So my arm was twisted and I made Rae's fabulous Spring Ruffle Top. I like it! I shortened the strap by about an 1" but only because the fabric remnant of Amy Butler I was using was just a bit too short. I used Anna Maria Horner's Social Climber for the main part. I love this fabric. It is so pretty. I got it for an incredible deal at Fabric.com too. I think it was only $4.19 a yard! Crazy. I also took in the sides by about 3" as well for a better fit. I still need to make my Lotus cami, but I think it is going to wait until the summer, since...

I am going to be working on my first quilt! I am so excited. I have been reading, reading,reading, and I have finally gotten the guts to go try it. I bought some beautiful Neptune fabrics by Tula Pink. It is all washed and pressed and ready for cutting. I want to do something simple first so I am going to try Amy Butler's Brick Path pattern. I will let you know how it goes!


Also, some beautiful Flower Power by Jennifer Paganelli from Sew Love Fabrics. Total impulse buy. I am thinking skirts for the girls. It is just so pretty.

Last but not least, check of Philigry for a great giveaway of Amy Butler fabrics!

Once a week...

I do my house cleaning on Mondays. I find I lose motivation every day as the week goes on, so I just do all the major things on Monday. I am rested (usually) from the weekend and ready to start the week off right.

Monday to do's:
sweep
mop
vacuum
clean bathroom
dust
clean top of stove
organize papers and bills
laundry

I have other stuff for the rest of the week, but if it doesn't get done it isn't as big of a deal since I know the "basics" are accomplished.



I have been listening to the music from "Once" while cleaning. If you haven't seen this movie, you must. The music is the best and the characters and story are charming. You will not be disappointed. This was definitely my top movie from last year. I love that the actors in this movie had never acted before. It really brings a real feel to the film.

Gifts

I have been in gift mode-a-rama lately. First up are these sweet little baby shoes (from this tutorial). I love this Amy Butler print. I think it is my favorite from her Daisy Chain line.

The Margaret Sling Bag by Oh Fransson!. I have been wanting to use this pattern since she came out with it at Christmas. Yay, finally! I am really pleased with the outcome and it was an easy and straightforward pattern. I might make the cross body strap longer, if I was taller person though. The only thing I did differently is that I interfaced with Decorbond (my favorite bag interfacing) instead of using flannel like she suggests.

Last, but definitely, not least is a Notetaker from a pattern by Pink Chalk Studio. I have made several of these as gifts and really enjoy the great result you get with this pattern. I usually carry this pattern in my shop, but it is currently out of stock at the moment. There are several patterns for things like these, but Kathy's way of inserting the heavy weight interfacing through the center and having a separate strip of interfacing down the middle I think sets it off from the others. This version is the small one, but I have made the large as well which is just as easy. This would make a great gift for teachers (seeing as the school year will soon be coming to a close!)

I also think the cell phone holder pattern that I am currently carrying would make a great teacher gift!

Also, check out See Katie Sew for an awesome giveaway!

Kimono Jammies

I love the Oliver + S pajamas pattern, but this is definitely one of those patterns I knew I could do with already owned patterns and tutorials. I used the Britches and Bloomers pattern that I already owned. I made them with the cuff and no pockets, since I was making them for pjs.

For the top I used Habitual's kimono top tutorial. It was very easy and the hardest part was making the binding. I hate making binding.

Here is the recipient in her new pajamas! Doesn't she look like a little lemon drop? I made them in yellow to satisfy all her yellow desires. For some reason she kept standing on her tip toes when I said I was ready to take the picture. Looks better that way, I guess. ;0)

Also, I am having a FREE shipping sale on all my patterns and tea wallets in the shop! This will end Saturday night! I carry lots of great patterns! Check it out!

Birthday fun and giveaway winner!

I received some lovely birthday presents. I received my first Japanese sewing book, and I am in love! Isn't that elegant?

I am really digging both of these as well. I like the little tissue holder pouch that goes with the bag on the right.

This is the one I have fallen in love with though. I love messenger bags, and I think the little tie idea for the strap is genius!

Here is the front cover. I love the piping on the top and the ruffly look on the bottom one. My mom got this book for me from etsy seller PinkNelie. She has really lovely looking books!

My mom also made me a gorgeous Paris Traveler Bag. I carry this pattern in my shop. I love these Amy Butler prints, and I am so sad they will not be making this fabric anymore. She also made me a little laundry bag. I can not wait for my next trip!

Also, *drumroll* the winner of the giveaway was #7- Melina! Congratulations! I will be contacting you for your address!

Summer Blouse

I finished my second blouse for the Spring Top Week Sewalong. This is the Summer Blouse from Weekend Sewing, but I changed it so much that it doesn't really look like the original at all! I am really pleased with the overall shape and fit of this shirt. I really like the fabric too, but I am starting to wonder if it doesn't look a little Hawaiian shirtish. Maybe I should have used a simpler pattern- a solid or stripe. What do you think?

So on to the modifications! I started off wanting to make something similar to the Film in the Fridge version. I had the sleeves all cut out and everything, but it gets so hot and humid here in the summer that I just decided to chop them some more. I like the sleeves. The v-neck was a little bit harder because I had to refashion the placket completely, but it wasn't that hard. I am just lazy. ;0p I also added two inches to the length and think it is a much better length. I traced the medium but past the bust darts I cut off about 1/2" on each side and made it less of a bell shape.

Overall, I am really pleased, and I am tempted to make it again in a simpler fabric. A nice white linen? There are so many things on the to do list though. Maybe later in the summer. I am about to start on my Lotus Cami next. Then I am done with shirts...

Don't forget to enter the giveaway! It ends tomorrow at noon! Thank you for all the birthday wishes!

Nothing like a birthday giveaway!

So I am having a birthday. One year closer to thirty. *grin* What better way to celebrate than a giveaway?!

I am giving away
Peppermint, a little monster pattern by Melly and Me.
Lots of scraps! Everything from big to little of some of my favorite fabrics! Perfect for scrap quilts, fabric flowers, applique!
A curvy clutch made by me in linen and some pretty Amy Butler!

To enter please first visit my shop and then leave a comment about what your favorite pattern or item is and/or what other patterns you would like to see me carry!

The giveaway will close Tuesday, April 21st at noon EST and will be announced that evening!

Thanks and good luck!

Everything Tote

We are slowly making our way back into routine after Spring Break, so I am slowly able to get back into sewing. I have the hardest time sewing during the day. The girls are all over me as soon as they see me sit down at the sewing machine. They know. That is okay though. My job is to be their mamma, and nothing is more important than that.

I got to make an Everything Tote from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing. Wow. This is a HUGE bag. It really can carry everything. I used some Wonderland fabric by MoMo in twill for the outside, and I just think it is so pretty. I love the feel of the twill. The inside is just a light green cotton.

Regarding the pattern...
Things I liked: I love the shape and overall design, and it was pretty easy to put together.

Disliked: I did not understand her instructions about the binding at all. They didn't make any sense, and I just ended up doing it my own way. I accidentally put the handles on wrong too. Bother. I am not about to rip it all up though. They will work okay.

Changed: She has you lay the pattern on a fold, but this is a directional print (so one side would end up upside down) so I cut them out separately and just added a 1/2" seam allowance to the bottom for when I sewed them together. I also lined the pocket on the inside because I like lined pockets.

Also, be aware she says you only need 1/2 yard in the book. Heather has changed it to 1 yard, but I think I used more like 1 1/3 yd. for this bag.

I have more pictures of this bag on my Flickr.

Happy Easter!

I hope you all had a happy and blessed Easter! Christ is Risen! I decided at the last minute to crochet the girls some Easter hats. Sometimes it is nice to take a break from sewing and do a different kind of creating. It is nice how simple crocheting is. Just some yarn, a needle, and a couch. I used this pattern. The girls got to wear their Easter dresses from The Miss Lily pattern.

Hopefully, your family members were a little easier to take photos of in their Easter gear.

Modkid Patterns by Patty Young are in the shop!

I just received Patty Young's new patterns! They are just as beautiful as they look! Get them while they are hot! I will closing up shop later tonight until after Easter to celebrate with my family.

Smashing smock in a vintage linen...

I made my first top for Spring Top Week, which of course was not on my list of ones to make. I wanted to start on the summer blouse, but was getting stuck at a certain part. Rae mentioned the Smashing Smock from "Seams to Me" as a possible easy pattern. It was. I made it out of a vintage sheet because people had mentioned that the pattern ran small. I followed Anna Maria's instructions for enlarging it though, and I think it fits pretty well. I put the front yoke an inch away from the fold and added an inch to the back yoke pieces as well.

Otherwise, it was smooth sailing. It went together really fast. Too cold for a sleeveless shirt here in the Midwest, but I like it with this green cardigan!

I also added some pretty vintage linens to the shop (including the one I made my shirt out of. ;0p)

Easter Dress for Me

So, I have made my first dress for me. I wanted something simple. Something that would turn out well. So I went with the ever popular Built by Wendy pattern- Simplicity 3835. I have made a shirt from this pattern already and knew it would fit.

Overall, I am pleased. I did the elastic from the shirt part to erase the hassle of a zipper. I also cut the back on a fold so I wouldn't have to sew a seam down the middle of the back. I used a lovely dusty pink linen/rayon. I added some little pearl buttons to the pockets. (The pockets were probably the hardest part!) Then I put on one of my origami flower pins, so I could submit it to Sew Mama Sew's Flower Power Contest!

I like the dress. Now I just need to lose those last eight pounds.

Pincushion Organizer Set

Can you believe I didn't have a pincushion until two days ago? It is true. I never wanted to buy one because I knew I could make my own super cool one. However, the project always got pushed to the bottom of my to-do list. I even started Anna Maria Horner's cool Pincushion Caddy, but I wasn't so crazy about my fabric choices, and it is sitting in the bottom of my "unfinished drawer" and haunting me. *grin*

Then Elizabeth from Oh Fransson! came up with this awesome Pincushion Organizer set, and I knew I had to make it. I loved the tool organizer and thread catcher. We have green carpet, and the threads stand out at me screaming "Vacuum!" Plus, I can never find my seam ripper when I need it. I always lose my seam ripper. Always.

I used my first and only Japanese fabric that I got while in California at Strawberry Patches. If you ever are in CA or live there, you must go to this store. It is heaven. All the beautiful fabric, beautiful patterns, beautiful notions, and beautiful Berninas. I paired this cute Japanese fabric with some old Anna Maria Horner and Robert Kaufman's Pear fabric. I cut the pears sideways for the tool organizer. Bummer! So pay attention if you have directional fabric!