On the sewing table...McCalls 6650

I've had this organza fabric for quite some time. I love the color combination in the print.  Originally I was going to use this fabric to make a dress, but after some thought decided to make a top instead.

So, this is what is on the sewing table this week.

Hemming

My boyfriend and I were talking over the weekend and he mentioned he had a couple of pair of his work coveralls that were looking "raggedy" because they were too long and the hem was starting to fray.  I'm like, just bring them with you when you come over and I will fix them. 

He's seen some of the stuff I've sewn but has never actually seen me in action.  So while we are waiting for dinner to finish up.  I have him try in the pants so I can see how much they need to be hemmed.  Marked my hem line and headed toward my sewing room. 

So he's sitting in there with me, looking around in awe at all the gadgets and what not.  It was kinda funny because he reminded me of a little kid getting a peek into the forbiden room...you know, "look but don't touch!"  Less than 10 minutes later I have both pair of pants hemmed and ironed.

"Wow! These look professionally done!"  I just smiled and him and replied "They were!  I will send you my bill"  I love my man!

Pattern Review: McCall's 1 hr Cardigan

Here is my review for McCall's 1 hr. Cardigan.  I am currently participating in two challenges.  One of which is www.patternreview.com pattern stash. This is a pattern I have had in my stash for a loooonnnngggg time.  I tend to be cold natured and I thought this is the perfect project to have to lounge in. So this morning when I got up I decided to sew this up real quick

Pattern Description: 1 hr Cardigan
Pattern Sizing: ZZ (Lrg-Xlg-XXlg) I cut the XXL because I wanted this to lounge in. I like to wrap up in stuff.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Somewhat.
Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? It was easy to cut and sew. Just two pattern pieces. Was not pleased with the overall shape of the completed project.
Fabric Used: A light weight knit I had in my stash.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: None
Would you sew it again? No, probably not.
Would you recommend it to others? No
Conclusion: Not quite what I was looking for.


 

Fabric + Inspiration = Fabulous Dress

I saw this dress on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago...LOVE IT!  It's part of the Louis Vuitton, Fall 2013 collection.  The mix of the plaid and the lace is what I love the most about it.  So this morning I'm looking through my Style board where I have this picture pinned and it hits me!!!  This fabric is just like one of the fabrics I scored at Walmart last week, at a whopping' $1.00 per yard!

Thinking of using Vogue 8069 View A and making a jacket to go with it. This is an OOP pattern I had in my stash.

Cheers to the freakin' weekend!!!!

Yeah, its Friday!!! You know what that means....MORE TIME FOR SEWING!  I'm so glad I moved my sewing room, it has made a HUGE difference...I have my mojo back!  I have been coming home every day and heading straight to the sewing room.  Good thing it's just me at home, because no one would be eating or getting any kind of attention.  My focus has been totally on sewing!  And I am loving every minute of it. 

I'm getting re-aquinted with my sewing machine and dusting out the cobwebs on my sewing skills.  I even got inspired enought to take my degree off the bookshelf, frame it and proudly hang it on the wall.  Goodness...just think of where my skills would be if I had really really done more sewing when I got out of school.  But anyway...its never too late.  Everything happens for a reason, in it's own due time.

This weekend I am going to concentrate on finishing up the projects I have cut out and partially sewn up.  So hopefully before the weekend it out I will have some pictures up.

Happy Sewing!!!

Fabric Haul

...from Walmart of all places.  I went over to the fabric section looking for ribbon for another project (no luck) and decided to check out the fabrics they had.  I plan on making simple pencil skirts to add to my 2013 Wardrobe Challenge.  So I got 9 yards of frabric for a total of $16!!! WINNING!!!

These two fabrics are winter so I won't be able to wear them just yet.

You can't tell from the picture, but the one on the left is a lemony yellow.  Very sunny and happy!  I will be sewing up a couple of things for spring with this one.  I got 5 yds of it.

 

Once I got the blue dotted stripe fabric home I decided I wanted to make some pants out of it as well, so since I only purchased 2 yds of it, I went back today and got 3 more yards.

Gotta have a plan...

So I have been thinking about the "Sew Your Own Wardrobe" challenge trying to figure out how I am going to tackle this.  At first, I was thinking....just sew outfits.  But I could not quite rap my mind around that one. 

Then I started to think back (realy think way back) on how we had to do our projects in school.  So I decided to do "colllections" or mini-wardrobes. That way I can maximize on my wardrobe potential and have pieces that can coordniate with each other within the collection as well as inter-mix with other collections.  This concept is also called "Sewing With A Plan" (SWAP).

So here's my SWAP...I'm thinking the base for each mini- wardrobe collection will consist of 5-6 peices:

A)

3 - tops

2 - bottoms (any mix of skirt, pants or shorts)

B)

2 - tops

1 - bottom (skirt, pants or shorts)

1 - dress

And then add in a light weight jacket or cardigan for the spring/summer or a coat for the fall/winter.  Plus what ever other outfit, dress, shirt, pants or what every I get inspired to sew through out the year.

2013 Wardrobe Challenge

Melanie posted about the Sew Your Own Wardrobe Challenge that is hosted by Pattern Therapy and The Fearless Seamstress and I knew...this is the challenge for me!I need to build my wardrobe and work on sharpening my sewing skills. The challenge begins on April 1, 2013 and runs until March 30, 2014. Participants commit to twelve months (one full year) of sewing their own wardrobes and not purchasing ready to wear clothing. I'm going to try my best to stick to this plan, which in actuallity should not be to too hard, because I hate clothes shopping.

I am so excited about doing this.  With all the pattern sales that JoAnn's, Hancock Fabrics and Hobby Lobby has had in the last few weeks, I have plenty of outfits to choose from.  I am going to start however with trying to use up some of my fabric stash so I can make room for new fabric.

And soooooo...the challenge begins!

Graduation Outfit

My son graduates next month from basic training.  So my mom, my other son and I will be headed to South Carolina for his graduation.  I am super excited!  But I must find the perfect outfit to wear!  You know mom has to look cute!   There are a a lot of unknowns about this trip.  Being in the south already, I know that weather most likely will be hot and balmy.  And I also know that the graduation will be out doors, weather permitting (translation as long as we don't get hit with one of those crazy summer rain storms), so I need something that is suitable for out door weather.

Last month I picked up a lot of really cute patterns from Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's when they had their sale.  So last night I started flipping through them in hopes to find the perfect dress to sew.

I decided to sew the Simplicity 2178 Cynthia Rowley dress - I am of doing View A minus the strap and the shoulder tie (just a seam).

Here is the Cynthia Rowley Resort 2010 version of the dress (Below). I love the color blocking with the coral and the white.

There a a few reviews of this pattern on www.patternreview.com that will be very helpful when I sew this baby together.  It seems a few people had some little issues with how the bodice, waistband and skirt attach together.  But I don't think I will let that deter me...I love this dress!

Ironing Board Table

I needed some storage in my sewing room as well as a larger ironing area.  So I decided to build an "ironing board table".  I used a combination of a workbench plan and a bookshelf plan I found at www.ana-white.com .  I found the totes at Family Dollar. The larger totes were $3.50 and the smaller ones are shoe boxes that were $1.00.  They hold my interfacing, lining, fabric scraps, zippers, buttons and misc. notions.  In person, the green is not as bright.

The ironing board is 4 1/2 ft long, whcih is about a foot longer than a regular ironing board.  I covered  it in quilted ironing board fabric I purchased from JoAnn's and stapled to the MDF board.  I then picked out a grey damask broadcloth I found at Hobby Lobby to give the table a more decorative look.  The damask fabric can be removed and laundered if necessary.

 

The table is also deep enough were I can place my cutting mat on it and cut out smaller projects.  Although the table is not perfect, it will do for what I need it for.  Now on to finishing getting the rest of my sewing room organized.