Kicking up my Heels in an Anna Dress

Tags

Anna Dress, By Hand London, Country Fest, easy sewing projects, fabric, fabrics, McCalls 6401, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity, Simplicity 1538

I made an Anna dress for Countryfest. AND Frocktober!… This is actually Anna #3 for me. I have to say I have more than gotten my moneys worth from this By Hand London pattern. And I can’t promise you this is my last… because I LOVE it just as much now as my first one.

Anna Dress #3

I made this one in about 3 hours for Country Fest- a country music concert that features 5 artists/ bands and LOTS of people, food, alcohol and fun. I had gotten some snazzy new boots (I love birthdays) and wanted something other than boring old jeans to wear with them. An Anna dress with a thigh high slit seemed like it would fit the bill AGAIN! It would be comfortable, a little sexy and show off those boots!

I used a black polyester I had in my garage. I don’t now EXACTLY what type of fabric it is but it has raised embossed roses on it and is light weight enough to make a good maxi. (Too heavy of a jersey pulls the dress down when you make a maxi). The best thing about Anna #3 is I had to draft a new bodice. A size smaller. 😀 The length is a tad short I think but I used every inch of fabric so it will have to do.

As I was driving up to the rodeo grounds where the Fest was held I saw that 98% of the female attendees were wearing snug jeans or denim shorts and a plaid shirt. At first I thought I was sure gonna stand out. But then I decided I was comfy, happy, felt pretty darn cool in my dress and wasn’t going to worry about it! And you know what? It was all good! I never once felt out of place. I actually felt pretty darn special.

Frankly you have all seen pics and read my previous Anna posts, so, I decided to share with you my Country Fest experience instead! (Ok- I also was having so much fun I neglected to take pics!) And if you have NOT seen my other Anna dresses you can see my Anna that broke all the rules here and my Anna with a twist here!

My middle daughter Holly and her boyfriend Earl attended too. I made Holly’s shirt dress out of a purple cotton plaid she liked that matched her hat. I even put pearl snaps on it! 🙂 I used McCalls 6401. It’s a really cute pattern. Because I don’t have good detail pics (SORRY) I will just tell you the shoulders are gathered with a ribbon tie.

That belt she is wearing was my mom’s when she was young. Pretty sure it dates back to 60 something!

My friend Cheryle also attended with us and I made her a shirt in a nice Southwestern print cotton. Again, I used pearl button snaps. The pattern is Simplicity 1538. It is pretty much your basic button down L/S blouse pattern! She likes it enough she wants me to make more!

Again I am sorry I did not take better pics of the clothing! But I was too busy taking these pics and listening to music. (And of course drinking a few beers!)

The artists that we heard were John Pardi, Jana Kramer, Aaron Lewis (of Staind), Uncle Kracker (Woo hoo!) and Josh Turner. Lots of fun and I can’t wait until next year! (All the artists listed are linked to one of their songs in case you want to check them out!)

By the way- a year ago I hated country music. I am a Rock N Roll girl… I love Elvis, AC DC, Depeche Mode, practically everything 80’s, Frank Sinatra, and a whole lot more… PLUS I have a love for Alternative music as well- Blue October, System of a Down… and I sure love to listen to Beastie Boys too. But how I came to love Country music is a whole other story I will leave for another time. 😀 I guess I have eclectic taste in music!

Take care ya’all… and Happy Sewing!

~Laurie xo

Too Many Plans… Too Little Time

Tags

Anna, patterns, Robson, sew, sewing, sewing patterns, sewing plans

My pattern stash is huge and sometimes I wonder if I will ever get to them all. Okay- I don’t wonder. I know DARN well I will never get to them all and some day someone else will hopefully be enjoying some of those patterns. Because it is a given that my pattern stash will just grow as super cute patterns I can’t live without are released.

That said, I decided to go through my pattern stash and my fabric and gather up my Fall/ Winter plans. I have to admit I get so excited seeing them all stacked up waiting. And I hope I can actually get to them all! But the fact is I probably won’t for a variety of reasons. But the top 2 reasons?

#1- Too little time. I work full time and even though my girls are older I still have mom responsibilities. Which I would not give up for the world as I LOVE being a mom! So if Juliette needs help with her homework I am there for her. If Holly wants me to go see the latest school play she is in I am sure going to be there. And if Kadi is dancing somewhere I am not going to miss it! And then again there is housework, and hanging out with my friends, and blogging and twittering and facebooking! What ever time I have leftover though I WILL be sewing!

#2- Too many plans! I have SO many things I want to sew. And daily I come up with MORE ideas! (I am sure you all suffer from this malady!) Regardless, I am going to do my best to get to them… some day!

Anyway. Here are some of things I have in the works!

A black Anna dress- by Saturday I hope as I want to wear it to Countryfest with my super snazzy new boots. (I have to finish my friends blouse and my daughters dress for Countryfest FIRST though!) This is terrible lighting but I wanted you to see there is a pattern- The fabric is a solid black knit other than those slightly raised roses.

A red denim jacket- In a perfect world I would have this done by Saturday too… BUT realistically? Well, It IS Friday. So, I will leave it at that! Either way it HAS to be done by the end of October- for #RedOctober 🙂

A cotton voile and lace vintage nightgown- Despite the fact it is now Fall and this is more of a spring/ summer nightgown I CAN’T wait and am going to make it within the next month. This is a beautiful aqua cotton voile- very soft. It will be a bit wrinkly but I don’t care!

A red plaid dress- This is a silk cotton blend red plaid. I am beyond excited to make this. It will be my holiday dress. I have not made myself a holiday dress in… well- never. I always made the girls clothes and never me. 🙂 This year I get red plaid! And SILK! (My first silk make!)

Olive and black sweater knit made into the Sol Hoodie. I LOVE LOVE this pattern by Jamie Christina. I have already made 2 out of ponte knit that I need to blog. Now I want to try making it out of a sweater knit. 🙂

Batman Kindle cover- I LOVE Batman. (It was my first word as a matter of fact) And I need a Kindle cover- so why not? 😀

2 long sleeved striped knit tops- One for me and one for Juliette. I made this top before and it was awesome! So awesome that Juliette stole it from me. (nothing really new in that- she is always stealing everyone’s clothes. Must be nice to be the baby of the family!)

Lilac gabardine Robson trench- Oh yeah… I am gonna make me a trench coat! Sorry about the messy looking photo- getting this at the right angle to show the color at it truest was a challenge! This is pretty close but I think it is a tad lighter.

And I have all these patterns that I would LIKE to get to- But that I don’t have the perfect fabric for yet… So, we shall see!

Disclaimer- I reserve the right to change my mind… add other projects… subtract projects… make something different than I originally planned and overall make a new plan if I so desire. But I think these are pretty set in stone! Although, I WILL most likely find another project that MUST be done and that’s ok too!

Now that I have written my disclaimer, I would like to throw out there that I would LOVE to participate in the Sew Bossy Initiative if anyone is so inclined. (Just let me know in the comments) I have not been on Twitter enough to grab a partner and I have seen a lot of people already team up… I would love to participate as I think it sounds like fun!

I have some more makes to blog and they will hopefully be up soon. Picture taking can be agony though! Take care my friends…

Laurie

xoxo

Sewing Swag WINNERS!

Tags

blogging, Giveaway, patterns, project, projects, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity, vintage patterns

I would first like to start out and just thank everyone again who entered for reading Sew Exhausted and thank you all for all the wonderful comments! I have enjoyed reading every single one of them. They sure make me smile! 🙂

And now to the good stuff…

I wanted to rent out Catja’s kitty but he seems to be booked pretty solidly so I asked my eldest daughter Kadi if her birds- Akua and Milo would like to play along.

Meet Milo…

This is when he was a baby. He was only 2 and a half months old! (He was still in the store in Texas where Kadi fell in love with him and HAD to bring him home!) Milo is a sweetie!

And Akua has been with us a few months longer. She is about a year old and Kadi adopted her from another family. She is a brightly colored conure!

And here are some pics of Akua and her mommy!

ANYWAY… I bet you are ready to see who our little birdies chose!?

I actually was very concerned about getting them to WANT to play along but she had a very clever idea. A and M LOVE sunflower seeds. So we took pieces of paper and wrote the name of everyone who wanted to enter on a piece of paper. Then we set them all out in a neat circle with a sunflower seed on top. (I did not set in any order or know who was where. I just randomly set them down!)

If you had just commented without choosing a number you were eligible for all 4. Otherwise if a # was stated it went to that person- (hope that makes sense!)

At first they just sat there… Then Akua tried to “escape” the circle. We put her back and after a minute or 2 they realized there were SEEDS there! 😀

And here are our winners…

Giveaway #1 The winner is Anne W! Anne takes home the lovely floral fabric and the pattern size of her choice!

Giveaway #2  The winner is KSGentry! Three fabulous patterns to add to her collection!

Giveaway #3 The Winner is ElaineOC. Another three patterns! Hope you can use them!

Giveaway #4  The Winner is Kim! I am excited to see what you decide to do with this!

CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners!!! And thank you to EVERYONE who entered! I really wanted to send you ALL something! If you could either DM me your address on TWITTER (SewExhausted) OR email me sewexhausted@ g mail I will get your sewing swag in the mail. 🙂

I am thinking Milo and Akua are very pleased with themselves…

Hugs!

Laurie

Temporary Postponement of Giveaway!

Tags

fabric, Giveaway, patterns, sew, sew exhausted, sewing

Hi All… In my excitement to give some sewing swag away I forgot to check my calendar! Turns out I am at a (work) getaway on Coronado Island… which means if ya’all don’t mind I will conduct my drawing and announcement on Monday. 🙂

I would do it here BUT I had already asked Milo and Akua if they would assist and I do not want to disappoint them! So for those that have entered I ask for a little patience. For those that have not- you get a few extra days to go to my giveaway post and get in on the prizes! (All you need to do is comment and you are in!)

Now back to “work!”

~Laurie

By Hand London- Anna #2- With a Twist!

Tags

Anna Dress, By Hand London, clothing, easy sewing projects, fashion, Jersey Anna dress, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing

My class reunion was last Saturday and I decided the day before I would make something new. I was digging around in my garage looking for something that would strike my fancy and I stumbled on a black and white ITY jersey I had been hoarding. Hmmm… black and white (my 2 fave colors when I am sewing) and ITY jersey will make the perfect dress so in the washer it went.

After making my first By Hand London dress a month or so back I knew I would be revisiting the pattern several more times. When I found the black and white jersey out in my stash, the Anna pattern came out again to grace my cutting table! I cut the bodice (using the same bodice pieces I ended up with after my first foray in to Anna making) and then laid out the skirt. I knew I would be making the long version again because there is something about a MAXI I love! I wear them often, definitely more than I wear a “regular length” dress. And a MAXI with a thigh high split seemed like a perfect thing to wear to a reunion on the beach.

Trying to SQUEEZE on the pattern pieces… But no joy

But HORRORS!! I was 6 inches short! SIX inches! No matter how hard I tried there was NO way I had enough fabric to make the long version and I did not want to make the shorter version… OH, what was I going to do? I posted on Twitter and Laura H. said to add a band but in my head I kept thinking a black band at the hem would cause too much weight and ruin the line of the dress especially since this was a JERSEY KNIT. I posted on Instagram and Rachel of House of Pinheiro suggested putting the band up at the top of the skirt. SALVATION!

I am thinking it turned out pretty great! I removed 7 inches from the top of each of the skirt pieces (added seam allowances), and cut it out in a solid black. Oh happy day! I was so pleased with the finished dress I wore it again on Sunday when I was taken out to The Yellow Deli for my birthday.

Because I was adding a black block to the skirt I decided to add black bands to the end of each sleeve. I really like the look it gave it. I was tempted to do the boatneck but I am ever so fond of V-necks that I again went with the V. I love the V and think with this dress it looks right.

I mentioned earlier that this dress was made from a jersey print like my first one. This is not the recommended fabric but with some pattern adjustments it works. I actually LOVE it in the jersey. It really is comfortable and easy to wear. This one has a thigh high split although I don’t seem to be showing off enough leg in any of my photos.

Using a jersey knit means I did not have to put in a zipper. 😀 Not the most flattering shot of my backside but oh well…

The ANNA is a very easy dress and I highly recommend it. The skirt pieces can get a little confusing- I confess with my first one I had to remove one of the sections because I had put it on the wrong way- but this time I pinned little scraps of paper with the corresponding pattern piece letter and laid them out properly on my floor before sewing them together.

The color blocking is awesome also if I do say so myself. If I had not cut out the bodice I think I would have put it directly under the bust darts in more the waist area- but that can be an experiment for next time! 😀

For my birthday we ate at The Yellow Deli. It is the most adorable little restaurant. It reminds me of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house with a curved stairwell and all kinds of nooks and cranny’s where they have tables tucked away. Or you can sit on one of the many balconies or patios. They have a pretty basic menu but the best thing is everything they use is organically grown on their own little farm. The people work the farm and run the restaurant and live together in a commune. Definitely has overtones of the 60’s but I kind of like the concept!

The Yellow Deli

It’s a great little place to go to for lunch! My girls and I definitely enjoyed ourselves.

Me and my girlies…

And that is Anna #2… I am thinking about making a tropical print one next. But Fall has arrived… I live in California though so maybe I can squeeze a fun tropical dress in to my fall sewing. I may even go really nuts and make it out of a cotton or challis like I am supposed to!

If you haven’t entered the SewExhausted giveway be sure and do so before Thursday night the 10th!

At The Yellow Deli in Escondido.

Cool! A Giveaway!

Tags

blogging, easy sewing projects, fabrics, fashion, Giveaway, patterns, projects, sewing, vintage patterns

I have so many things to celebrate this month.. A year of it being just me… a year of blogging… a year of getting back to sewing and finding that sewing is definitely MY thing… a year of finding more of myself… a year of creating and getting excited about something again… a year of making new friends… and dang I could keep going but I will stop there!

I told myself when SewExhausted hit 10,000 views we would have a giveaway. Well, that time has come and here I am with even more to celebrate! And actually in the last week or 2 we have shot well over the 10K mark so I am lagging! But it seemed like a perfect month for it to land. We started the blog 3 years ago but it was pretty much ignored for 2 of those years. Last October though we got going “for reals.” And here we are! 🙂

FIRST.. THANK YOU to everyone who has ever read one of Sew Exhausted’s posts. I could not have this giveaway with out you! I truly enjoy writing and sewing, and being able to share what I create is just pretty darn cool. (This is where I thank the internet! lol)  Just being a part of the blogging world has been a joy. I LOVE to read blogs and see what you are making. I also get ideas and feel challenged to do better with my sewing when I read what you are up to, or cheer you on, or learn something new from you. Seeing you on Twitter, or Facebook, or Instagram makes my day! Joining in with you on various sew-alongs and challenges is great fun too. I finished TWO vintage dresses this last month because of you guys. 😀

Here is what I have for you. And if I could ask one thing it would make it all the grander. (I saw this recently on someone else’s blog for their anniversary giveaway and really liked it!) If you would like to be in the drawing, when you comment, please tell me one thing you like about my blog, and a suggestion on a way I could improve. (I know there is ALWAYS room for improvement!)

And now to the giveaways.

Giveaway #1- I have this fabric and pattern from Simplicity. 3 and 1/2 yards will do up ANY of these views in any of the sizes. (Just let me know which pattern size you want me to mail you if you are the winner!)

Giveaway #2 Three patterns in sizes 6-14. I love the flowy dress on the right. It would make a pretty spring dress or something pretty for a special occasion. The pattern with the skirts has some great options!

Giveaway #3 Three patterns in sizes 8-18. The middle one I have carried around for years but still never used it. I adore foofy skirts… but realize they just don’t look good on me. But I know they look fab on quite a few of you!

Giveaway #4 One yard of this plummy Marc Jacobs quilted suede. It is 60 wide so if you are in to vests it would make a GREAT one- or maybe a pencil skirt? It for sure will make a great suede bag. That is what I am doing with the other yard! You can use the pattern I included or use on of your choice if you are the winner!

Leave your comments and let me know which giveaways you like. If you want to be in for all 4 that’s good too! I will be drawing next week on the 11th so be sure to check back after that. I will also ship ANYWHERE.

OH- and another thing. Most bloggers I know love comments, and I am no exception to the rule. I get really excited when someone takes the time to leave an idea or suggestion, a compliment or an observation. I try to always respond. 🙂 To date I have 746 comments- of course half of those are mine but I really wanted to give one of my “comment makers” a gift as well. Those comments sure can make your day when you have posted something new whether it’s an epic fail or a fabulous success or even a cry for HELP.  🙂 My top commentor is Gjeometry! She has commented 38 times on my posts!

I’d also like to thank  SewingForFun  who comes in at 23 comments, Pretty Grievances  and my flicker sewing friend Shar who come in tied at 21 comments. Thank you so much ladies!

Whew… giving stuff away is fun and exhausting! And I have not even done the drawing yet!

Finally, I wanted to mention something else. For those of you that have been a reader for the last year you may wonder where Kerrielee (my sewing partner in crime and cousin) has been. You also know she is a momma to 5 kiddos 2-18 years old. Welllll… she and her hubby are in the process of adding #6 so she has been taking a break. I hope she isn’t too busy to come back, and I hope I will suffice for now!

xoxo Laurie

PS… I think I will do this EVERY October… it is MOST fun!

PPS. I have another Anna dress finished and an exciting new project. (Well, it is exciting to me anyway!) I will share soon!