Welcome to the Jungle…

Tags

easy sewing projects, fabrics, ITY Knit, jungle january, Maxi dress, sew, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity 1623

Whew- Talk about cutting it close! I had high hopes to have this finished earlier in the month and a second make as well but my month did not turn out that way. I have been sewing, but it has been “stuff” for everyone else! Currently I am working on four flower girl dresses! But I did squuueeeeeeeze in this little number for ME for Jungle January! I could not miss joining Ms. Anne on her annual trek in to the fantastic, crazy, deep and mysterious jungle.

Simplicity 1623

I had this beautious piece of ITY Jersey Knit that I purchased from Fabric Mart. I had already decided that using it for a full on maxi dress could possibly be a little too much for me and my demure nature 😉 so decided to use it just for the bodice. I had Simplicity 1623 floating around and loved the MAXI dress. I ALMOST used a solid black knit for the skirt but upon reading the entire fabric recommendations realized the skirt was not a knit so I went out and bought some black challis from JoAnns with my trusty 50% off coupon. I briefly considered making that fabulous off the shoulder sleeve but thought it would be too much with that wild print!

Simplicity 1623

It took my 3-4 hours to make this dress- and most of that time was spent on the bodice! I did not do a “muslin” and I confess there are a few minor fit issues. But nothing that will prevent me from wearing it!

First off, I did not want to miss out on using the cheetah border print so I cut my sleeves against the grain. This made them a leeeetle snug in the arm because there was not as much give. I should have cut them a tad larger! (Or used a smaller seam allowance) But I LOVE the sleeves and am glad I did it.

Simplicity 1623

I also have a very small amount of bunching around the waist. I understand how to do a sway back adjustment on a “normal” bodice but this pattern needed it on the skirt pieces. My mind could not grasp HOW to do it. Anyone know of a good tutorial?It is difficult to see it because the skirt is black but I promise it’s there. Maybe it will disappear when I lose another 5-10 pounds?

Another thought I had was that I should have matched up my print a bit better on the front. There were so many shades of purple- from dark to practically white- and the bodice front was made up of 4 pieces. But I was reassured it looked good!

Simplicity 1623

I love a maxi. I have 5 of them now. I am considering cutting this dress shorter but am afraid. What if I don’t like it shorter?! But I am also afraid it won’t get much wear at this length. I mean seriously… where would I go in this? Hello Keanu Reeves- looking for a date any time soon?

Simplicity 1623

I for one am really sorry Jungle January is almost over and I will have to wait 11 more months to go on another trek! I have so enjoyed looking at all the makes, meeting new bloggers along the way, and being led through the jungle by our fearless tour guide. I gotta say it has been a fabulous journey! But I also understand I don’t have to refrain from using animal prints the other 11 months of the year. There are SO many awesome prints to be found right now!

~Laurie xox

~Working on flower girl dresses

~Listening to “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns & Roses (because it seemed appropriate!)

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Fabric- Oh, How I Love Thee

Tags

fabric, Fabric District, fabric remnants, knits, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Fabric District, sew exhausted, sewing

Shall I count the ways? 😉 1, 2, 3…99,100,101…

AMAZING FABRIC PILE!

I have been pretty busy this year but have still found TWO days to take a trip up to Los Angeles to hang out in the Fabric District. The first time we went it was New Years Day and frankly MOST of the shops were closed but I still managed to find what I went for- bright yellow fabric to make costumes for my daughters hip hop class. And I also managed to find a big bag full of fabric treasure to take home! Then last week we took a trip back thanks to some Hip Hop pant sales I made in my shop- I needed to make more!

The LA Fabric District is home to the largest selection of textiles and notions in the United States.  I did my research and found there are close to 200 stores! They sell everything from fabric and notions, to beads and trims. You can buy apparel fabric or home decor fabric and prices start at $.99 cents per yard.The stores are literally next door to each other over several blocks square. Heaven for the Sewist and Fabric Junky. 😀

Do you SEE that PILE of fabric?! It is so huge my daughters climbed up ON it to rummage around. LOTS of junk- I admit it… But lots of treasure too and well worth the hunt! That piece of teal knit I am holding in the first picture? I paid a buck for it. One dollar! At those prices my daughter Kadi built up a fabric stash she can be proud of and I added to mine. Again I want to stress that there is a lot of junk but I am also willing to dig around for some good deals. I found lots of knits and sheers. They had some denim. And the store also houses PILES of buttons, zippers at 5 for $1, lace elastic and notions galore. Like I said- HEAVEN!

That was not the only store I went to. We wandered in to more stores than I can count and they have it all. Do you need lace or ribbon? Check… Do you need buttons or zippers? Check. In the market for some camouflage panty elastic? Check.I bought an entire roll of black 1″ wide elastic for $5. There are over 20 yards on that roll!

I dug around in that button box and found 12 of these little babies- for a jacket I have almost finished. Paid $1 for ALL 12. Well worth the time spent!

We had lots of fun! (Holly wants to know if you need feathers?)

And here is just a teaser of what we came home with!

I got about 3 yards of the chevron knit and paid $2 for it all… the striped was $2 also- I have  a little over 2 yards and hope to be able to use it as a lining… that navy blue is a really cool muted stripe in various shades of blue and is a VERY soft knit- almost flannel like but still a knit. I paid $1! And the floral is a stretch knit that I also paid $1 for. And frankly these are just a FEW of the bargains I found. I have 6 yards of this amazing light blue sweater knit I paid $3 for! Lark cardi here I come!

More of our delights!

Kadi and I rolling in our stash. I would like to add that Kadi is just starting to sew. And she is well on her way to building a nice stash of fabrics. (A girl after her mama’s heart!) She is already chipping away at it too. She has made herself a casual pair of drawstring pants, she finished her Lark Cardigan last night (she paid $2 for a sweater knit from “The Pile”) and is working on a gorgeous kimono jacket from one of the satins she bought. The kimono jacket is from fabric that was not from “The Pile” but was still a good buy at $4.99 a yard. Her make will be about $10. and super cute!

I plan on hitting LA once a month. It means I better get busy and SEW because we made a pact NOT to buy more fabric until we have sewn 10 items. For me that is very do-able as I have a lot knits that will become tops. 😀

Let me know if you are ever in the area! I am an hour and a half away but MORE than happy to drive up for a day of Fabric Heaven.

xoxo

Laurie

PS. In case you are wondering what I am currently working on- I just finished 9 pairs of super cool hip hop pants for a competition team, have 4 flower girl dresses to make and a woman wants me to make TEN blouses for her. Oh! And last night I finished my Jungle January make which I hope to get pics of soon!

2014 Goals- From Sewing to Beer Drinking… :D

Tags

2014, Goals, quilting, sew exhausted, sewing

I love new books… I love turning that first page knowing I am embarking on a new adventure. A story that will pull me in and make me a part of it. I love the smell and the crisp edges of each page as I turn them. A new year is like a new book. Brand new pages to turn. 🙂

I used to scoff at resolutions. After all we can make commitments to ourselves any time of year. But now I realize there is something about starting the New Year out with 365 clean, fresh pages. Brand new pages that I get to fill! And what better way to start the New Year then with an outline and a fresh set of goals to fill those pages.

My goals are not all sewing related. Some I am carrying on from last year because dang if I did not completely succeed YET. Some are easy. Some will be more difficult. But here they are nonetheless.

LIFE GOALS

1. Do some form of exercise every day- even if it is just one loop around the block or running up and down the stairs 10 times.

2. Eat right MOST of the time

3. Clean out my garage so I can park in it!

4. Read at least 2 books per month. I am already compiling my list! I used to be a huge reader but have not made the time for it in several years. I love to read and am looking forward to enjoying some great books.

5. Once a month disconnect from everything electronic for the evening and just hang out with my girls. My girls are on board with this one- We already tried this once. We didn’t even use electricity! We sat together and played games and talked by candlelight. Fun times!

6. Be a better blogger. I counted 12 projects I never blogged about! One Archer, a red denim jacket, 2 Maxi dresses, a maxi skirt, one tank top, one dolman sleeved top, 3 Sol Hoodies (I am going to blog these in January), my Carnivale costume and a sundress for my middle daughter

6. San Diego now has 82 Craft Breweries. If you didn’t know I am a lover of craft beer. And I plan on having visited ALL 82 by the end of the year. I confess I have a head start. My brother was here last week and we knocked out 11! And I started a blog to document it- http://www.82SanDiegoBreweries.com. Hopefully I can keep up with it!

SEWING GOALS

1. Sew more items I will wear every day- Renfrews, Thurlows, a few maxi skirts, and another batch of undies! I am also thinking I’d like a denim skirt, a Robson, a Saltspring dress, and more!

2. Sew more thoughtfully. What I mean by this is I do not want to just sew to sew. I want to sew the things I have in my head and not “settle.” When I settle for a fabric or get distracted by quickie projects I am never happy. From now on if I buy a pattern and have an image in my head instead of settling for something else I would rather wait until I do find the fabric I need.

3. Properly fit everything I sew. If this means making up 6 mockups of a pattern in my quest for the perfect fit, then so be it. I want my clothes to hang right and fit right.

4. This one is pretty specific but I am making it anyway! I want to make all 3 of my girls a silky, beautiful robe and matching PJ’s this year. Ideally I would have these done for Christmas! Hey, I have 360 days!

5. I have a box full of clothes I would like to refashion. I figure if I make a goal of one refashion a month I can probably succeed at this.

6. This was one of my goals from last year. I did not do it in 2013. I managed to buy 3 different sizes of needles and some yarn but I never actually started the project I had picked out. I REALLY want to learn to knit.

7. More quilting in 2014! I used to ALWAYS quilt. I have at least a dozen quilts in use at my house- (HEY- it’s winter!) And I have fabric for at least 6 more hanging out in drawers. Top of the list is my Snow White quilt. I also have a Yoda quilt and by hook or by crook I am going to have a BATMAN quilt to snuggle with by years end.

8. Last but not least- I want to sew something beautiful out of silk. Without ruining it! I know exactly what I want it to be… but I think I will keep it to myself! (The toughest part of this goal is that I need to have enough cash to buy the silk AND I need to find exactly what I have in my head.)

WHEW! I am gonna be busy! But keeping busy is good. I always tell my kids it keeps me outta trouble!

Happy New Year and make it a great 2014!

Laurie xox