The Millenium Falcon Dress

I just had to call it that- because… well- when I posted THIS pic on Twitter Ann “thought” that was what I was creating. In reality, I was creating a really sweet sundress for my youngest daughter Juliette. But seriously, this bodice piece sure makes you think of the Millennium Falcon!

For 3 evenings I toiled over this little delight. But it was worth every minute spent! She loves it. I love it. I am not sure I could improve on anything! Well, I suppose it is not perfect- BUT the entire inside is lined, I hemmed by hand and did plenty of other hand sewing, the fit is just about perfect. She loves it. I love it!

In all honesty, I could have redone a few of the darts. It wasn’t till I had done a few that I discovered THE way to do darts- as in no backstitching- Just make a “tail” of thread at the point and hand tie a knot. I love learning little tricks! And this little trick ensures you don’t have any awkward “puckering.” I think learning is always going to be part of the process… no matter how good I get! I am most definitely not there yet! But some day I hope to sew as good as The Great British Sewing Bee winner- Ann. That woman has it down to a science! Patient, steady and fantastic results- Someday….)

I used Simplicity Pattern 2250- By Cynthia Rowley. I actually chose it thinking it would be simpler than the other dress patterns Julie chose but the bodice piece negated that! So much for trying to pick something easy. But decided to forge ahead and tackle each step one by one. Yes, I READ the directions!

I used a piece of fabric Juliette had picked about 11 years ago. Obviously the pattern we picked was not going to be appropriate anymore- She was 5 back then and is now 16. But this pattern seemed perfect for it. I have no idea WHAT it is- must be a cotton w/ some man made poly because of the shimmer. But it has a nice hand and feels soft. I can wash it in the washer too! It will need some iron touch ups though when it gets out of the dryer. I really LOVE the sparkle this fabric has.

I did an invisible zipper. I have avoided them since my last catastrophe but with the help of Twitter and 2 tutorials (Gertie and Collete) I made it through! Whew!

I hemmed with some hem lace and stitched the bodice lining closed. I love hem tape. I love the way it looks inside the garment. And This matches but I think using a red tape on a black skirt is eye-catching- Well to the wearer anyway as I assume noone else will see the inside of a garment. But making the inside nice really ups my sense of accomplishment!

As I said- three days later it was ready to be worn. If you remember Juliette was the one daughter I had not really sewn for- she is a trifle quite particular and needed to play a part in the process. And that is A-OK with me! I am happy to have her pick patterns and fabric, make sure everything is a good fit, and see her wearing something she is happy to be in.

And that folks… Is The Millenium Falcon dress.

Last week I lost my Sewing Mojo… I did 30 minutes. Kerrielee amd I hit the Fabric store yesterday and hope that will help us get back to business this week! We will keep you posted!

-Laurie

Me Made May 2013

We pancaked- I mean waffled back and forth on whether to do Me Made May or not to commit. It wasn’t that we don’t fully support making and wearing our own clothes. We do! (I have not purchased a single item of clothing since I made my Seamless Pledge.) It is just that because we have just returned to clothing sewing we did not feel we had enough to make it through the month! Frankly these kids keep us busy. “Would you make me a dress?” “When are you going to make my skirt?” “Mom, how come you didn’t make my shirt today?” “Is it done yet?” It is enough to drive you mad!

Our US sewing is constantly interrupted and as a result I know I do not have enough to make it through an entire month. BUT we wanted to participate, and so we came up with this. Our PLEDGE for Me Made May 2013.

We, Kerrielee and Laurie of Sew Exhausted, pledge to have ourselves or one of our family members sporting something made by us every day through out the month of May.

I think this is something we can handle! Even though, to be honest, most days I am dressed in yoga pants and a tee. Actually, this Me Made month is going to be difficult for me. I work from HOME and start at 5 AM… Some days I don’t even brush my hair until 2! This means I have to actually put on some clothes and brush my hair so I can take a pic!

But for The Cause, I shall persevere.

Both Kerrie and I started the month out right yesterday and dutifully posted our pics on Flickr. I confess I am sitting here this morning still pondering what I am going to put on today!

I wonder how many things we will whip up this month the night before in desperation? Well, if anything that in itself will help us grow our Me Made wardrobes!

Laurie and Kerrielee

“Panty Round-Up” and WHOA- Look at those Hours!

We did it. Not to the extent we would have liked BUT we have a nice start on refilling those “drawers” for Spring. In total Kerrielee made 8 pairs of knickers and I made 7. I confess I was imagining 21 pairs… but alas, I did not even figure out my sewing machine settings until mid month. I was in complete and utter despair after my first pair was completed. They were a MESS! My zigzag does NOT like knits and was constantly skipping stitches. Instead of being the researching sewist I should be I put the machine on straight stitch and made them that way. And it worked! And they still had enough stretch! YAY!

For my foray in to panty making I used SozoWhatDoYouKnow’s pattern and really liked it a lot. It was easy and quick and the fit was great! Side note- even though I have an overlock machine I did not use it!) My first pair was this one. Yes! I have a matching skirt… LOL… I just wanted to use up my scraps and this knit has such a soft feel and a nice amount of stretch.  And anyway, who doesn’t want a paisley pair of knickers trimmed in orange??!!

I left that pair half done forever- what I am not showing you is that one leg has been finished with a messy zig zag stitch- and the other leg is my nice neat straight stitch. I suppose I SHOULD take out the zig zag and re do it… But I don’t wanna!

All in all I highly recommend this pattern! It is free for you to use! (And you can even buy her a cup of coffee in thanks!)

Kerrielee used the Cloth Habit Rosy Lady Shorts pattern.

This pair was also quick and simple to make. They are comfy and “stay where they are supposed to stay” if you get my meaning! (Nothing worse than a pair of undies that journeys to places it should not be! )

And check out this striped pair. (SoZo’s pattern) Kerrie has a matching top- another “scrap” that didn’t go to waste!

All in all, although we wanted MORE, we are happy with what we got made. Pretty much one Saturday and we each had 6 new pairs in pretty prints and laces! And we spent a whole lot less than we would have if we had gone shopping instead. We will both make more. From now on when there is a leftover scrap from a worthy knit, it will be made in to a pair of undies!

Speaking of Saturdays, and sewing… Look at our HOURS total for APRIL!!! I made it! 102.5!! And Kerrielee- well she put up a valiant effort and in all honesty she accomplished something greater than me. She has so much more to do every day with those 5 kids, caring for her mother (which currently includes pic lines and administering meds after her recent surgery), and cooking meals and a hubby… She ended up at 92! Very impressive and my hat is off to her. (I better step up my game!) We will blog about our HOURS challenge and share with you all the grand stuff we made in a few days! And Guess what- We are gonna do it again for MAY!

Take care friends and happy sewing! ~Laurie and Kerrielee

Surprise Surprise!!

Well, it was not a complete surprise- as I was expecting SOMETHING but I had no idea what coolness I would be surprised with!

In March, Sparkly Supernova announced she would be hosting a Sewing Surprises Swap. Of course I jumped on board! What could be better than giving a gift to a sewing blogger and receiving some goodies as well!?

Last week it arrived. I LOVE getting things in the mail. (Who doesn’t?) I confess when I was growing up I had many penpals. From all over! Just so I could get mail and write letters. Now, most of the time I just get junk and bills… sighhh…

BUT, last week I returned from picking my daughter up from school and what was residing on my front porch? A BOX! My heart rate sped up, a smile reached my face and I ran the last few steps to the door! YES! It was for me! I hugged the box to my chest, bolted inside, demanded Juliette get me a knife and was sitting on the couch enjoying all my surprises within a moment or two.

Happiness… My swap gifter was Becky over at Sew and So Blog… And I loved everything!

See??? Everything was perfect! For reals! I wanted to work on perfecting my button holes and Becky sent me a nifty little tool to try! And what sewist doesn’t need a cute new pin cushion? The pattern was on my list but alas, when I went to JoAnns they did not have one.  BUT happiness to find it included in my surprise box! The tote bag is “totes adorbs…” It is lined with SHOE fabric!!! I LOVE SHOES! And finally, a little selection of chocolate. YUM… gone within 24 hours.

The swap was lots of fun and I am so happy with my “loot.” Thanks a mil Becky!

-Laurie

Two Quilts!

We did it… We each made a quilt this month. From start to finish! And now we will each blog about our quilts! The funny thing is we both designed our quilts around footwear.

I (Laurie) like to call this quilt my Boot Scootin Quilt. I realized my good friend’s birthday was coming up. She loves cowboys and country music. I admit I have made her other quilts for gifts. She has a Charger quilt (fave football team), a Winnie the Pooh quilt (she LOVES WP), and a daschie quilt. (Yes- she has a dachshund!) I know, I know- I have heard it before- “how many quilts can you have?” Well, I think you can have a lot! I have quite a few and I use them ALL! So, I made her a cowboy boot quilt!

I found a free boot template. (Link here). I cut 12 boots using 3 different types of fabrics, and then I mixed and matched the boot, heel and the tab. The block is a 10 inch square. I ironed the pieces on with Wonder Under, and then used a zig zag stitch to applique the boots onto the squares.

After the boots were all made I added simple sashing and borders. I used fabric from my stash- even the backing was a pretty green fleece I found while I was digging around. This quilt was simple, quick to make, and made the receiver very happy!

“These boots were made for walkin”… “Boot scootin’ boogie”…”What a great big star I’ll be in a pair of cowboy boots…” I guess you get the point!

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Here is the quilt I (Kerrielee) made for my moms best friend. She has recently been diagnosed with cancer and I wanted her to have something she could either take to her treatments with her or just to have when she was at home resting on the couch. Laurie had actually made me a larger version of this quilt years ago for Christmas, and when my mom’s friend saw it she was in love with it, so I knew I wanted to make her a version of the flip flop quilt. This is what I came up with

I found the free applique pattern here at Craftsy.com

I used rick rack for the……you know, the part that goes in between your toe and holds the flip flop on your foot  (WHAT is that part called??)! I auditioned some buttons to add on, but didn’t like any enough to take the extra time to put them on (ya, I’m lazy!)!  Then I just added some sashing and a border. I backed it with a soft cuddly fleece.

It is now at it’s new home and I know it will be well loved. Isn’t that the best!? When you make something for someone and you just know that it is SO appreciated!

Laurie and I enjoyed making our quilts so much that we have come up with a new challenge for ourselves (like we don’t have enough challenges already!) We have so much quilting fabric waiting in our stashes that we thought we would challenge ourselves to make from start to finish 1 new quilt each month for the remainder of the year! Dang! that will be 8 new quilts by the end of the year (9 if you count the one we each made this month!)

Happy Sewing ~Kerrielee and Laurie

FINALLY Something Juliette will wear…

Whew… I did it. I, Laurie, mother and sewist (somewhat) extraordinaire, finally made something Juliette, my youngest daughter likes and actually wore to school! She also wants a few more. After the Christmas dress debacle I have not made her anything. WELL- I DID make her a pair of hip hop pants WHICH she wears!

Juliette is a clown… and she LOVES the camera. Trust me… From the time she was a little girl she has enjoyed her picture taken. She is always posing and always looking in the mirror. One day a few years ago she flipped the visor mirror down and stated, “Quick mom, give me your phone. I look really good right now!” (Camera phone- her FAVE possession!)

Here are her Hip Hop pants- I need to make her more because she takes several classes a week and really likes these. These are like the animal print ones I made Kadi for Jungle January. No pattern but super simple!

When I made her a dress for Christmas she dutifully wore it… once. You can see it all about it here. But at least she wore it! Since then I have dragged her in to the fabric store several times asking her WHAT she would like me to make her. And last week she picked several- including 2 swimsuit patterns. (YIKES)

I immediately set about making this McCalls 6751…  

Super simple. Super cute. She wants MORE! SUCCESS!

This is quick and easy- one yard of fabric and a package of bias tape. I used a cotton but am going to try a knit as well.

I should have trimmed and pressed the keyhole opening better but other than that? I still feel I have reasons to celebrate… Isn’t the back great?! I plan on making her several for summer… and some shorts! And a sundress… and the (drum roll) swim suit, which I already have the fabric for (bright orange!)

I feel pretty good now! Summer wardrobe for Juliette is on it’s way!

If you look to the right- you will see that Kerrielee and I are doing GREAT on our 100 hours of sewing in the month of April pledge. I have a feeling we will BOTH make it and have lots of projects to share. Both of us started and finished an ENTIRE quilt already this month. We will photograph and blog those next week.

And our panty parade? Well, we are finally under way. I was having trouble figuring out the settings and what to do on my machine and was getting a bit frustrated but last night I finished a pair and finally worked out my process. I plan on making a few more tonight and we will blog about those as well. If you joined us, how are YOU doing??!!

That is all for now! Must get back to our machines to make the 100 hour mark!

Laurie

Sewing for my boy!

Kerrielee here! I have been doing so much sewing lately,  2 of my boys have recently asked me to add them to my list of peeps to sew for (right now I mostly sew for myself and my daughter with a few quilts thrown in here and there!)

Son #1 is 18, what the heck am I going to sew for him that he is going to think is “cool” enough to wear!? Any suggestions? I have looked in the McCalls pattern book but was not impressed by anything.

Son#3 is 7 and loves to wear a button up shirt, unbuttoned, over his t-shirt. I can do that! I knew I wanted to make him one with a skull print, he is really in to skulls right now. So I found some pirate skull fabric at Joann’s and picked up a discontinued pattern at Yardage Town, McCalls 3416 .

There were a couple projects that needed finishing before son #3′s shirt, but I finally got started Thursday and in about an hour I had his shirt finished! I did not add button or buttons holes because he keeps the shirt open, so I figured why waste buttons or my time, and for this time around I adjusted the pattern to short sleeves. I am so happy with his shirt and so is he. He wore it (and posed for these pics) Friday to school, Saturday around town, and wanted to wear it again this morning but it was dirty and stinky in the laundry pile! I told him I would have it ready to wear tomorrow! Guess it’s time to order him some more fabric and whip up a few more of these shirts.

Projects for the rest of the month include more panties (I have only 2 pairs done so far!), a bathing suit for the daughter and a couple outfits for our Palm Springs trip coming up in May. Oh and of course I will be on the look out for the perfect pattern and fabric for son #1!

Happy Sewing! Kerrielee