Sewaholic Renfrew Delight

Tags

clothing, easy sewing projects, patterns, renfrew, sew exhausted, sewaholic, sewaholic renfrew, sewing

Confession… When I first entered the sewing blog/ twitter/ social media world I saw lots of sewists going on and on about the Sewaholic Renfrew and rolled my eyes. Yes, it is a nice top, but there are LOTS of nice tops out there. And because there is a part of me that does not like to jump on the bandwagon (unless I am one of the first- snicker), I decided I would never buy it. But I kept seeing it and hearing such good things, and because I decided I really needed some well made basics to add to my wardrobe I took the plunge.

I am very happy I did. I love it!

Initially I had this UGLY tannish color FREEBIE fabric I was hoping to use as a wearable muslin. I was going to dye it a prettier color if it looked ok. Well, the first time I tried it on for fit- which was pretty darn good- it itched so much within a minute or 2 I decided I would NOT be wasting dye on it as I would NEVER wear it.

So, I dug around and found 6 yards of this nice black jersey I had and decided to make one for my trip to Texas. A cowl necked one because I was COLD. I started it that evening and was finished within 2 hours. 🙂

I am very happy with it. It is actually PERFECT for me. It is black- which is my “uniform.” When I leave my house, 90% of the time I am wearing black. Black top and blue jeans… Black top and Black slacks… Black top and black skirt. YEP… That’s me. I am gonna get a TON of wear out of this baby! I am double happy because some of my black tops were starting to look a bit ragged after all the washes and wears I was putting them through! Now I have a new black top to add to the rotation! (One I have already worn twice!)

Anyway, here it is.  I would like to mention these are pictures taken in a rush by my 17 year old daughter who decided the tree looked better than me and to make it her focal point despite knowing I wanted pics of my top!

There are a few issues with the pattern I would like mention. (These were MY issues- not to say everyone had them!) I just want to try and be as honest as I can when I do a write up.

The long sleeve- Is BAGGY around the wrist. I need to take about at least an inch in on the wristband piece and taper the sleeve in as well.

The sleeve pattern piece- I was very surprised when I was sewing the sleeves on and I realized the sleeve head did not have a front and a back. In my experience it should? I can fix that though on my next attempt.

The underarm- Wow… I guess ALL my issues have to do with the sleeve! The underarm area seems slightly tight. Possibly due to the fact there is no sleeve front and back? Not sure but I am going to try and fix it on my next one.

Despite my sleeve issues I will be making a ton of these! I LOVE the fit… I love the finish… and I love the way it looks. I will most likely stick to v-necks and cowls as that is what I look good in but I can make all kinds of sleeve lengths depending on the time of year.

Definitely a good, solid basic pattern and one I am happy to have added to my wardrobe! This is the 4th Sewaholic pattern I have purchased. But the first one I have sewn up. Next year I am hopefully going to conquer the Thurlows (insert nervous giggle here). In the Spring I am making my Saltspring dress(Excited about this one). And I have everything for the Robson Coat. SHEESH- I need to get busy on that one!

And that is my Renfrew… Can’t wait to make more- And maybe break out of my “uniform” mode!

Speaking of uniforms these were taken before I left for work… And just for fun I took a pic of my lunchbox. I have a small collection of them and like to use them now and again when I go to the office. Today I carried one of my Beatles boxes. 😀

Laurie xo

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Mrs. Teapot and an OOOPS… #FallForCotton

Tags

challenge, clothing, fabrics, Fall for Cotton, fashion, patterns, sew exhausted, Vintage, vintage dress, vintage patterns

I live on the West Coast, and it is 8:32 PM PDT. I figure I am good to go and will make the Fall For Cotton deadline. Right? I never thought about time differences and just knew I needed to be up by midnight- But midnight my time is good I hope!

I finished Holly’s vintage Fall For Cotton dress last week and you can read all about it here. Mine was next (although I squeezed in an Anna dress in between for my class reunion). My Fall For Cotton Vintage pattern came from Vintage Martini and I thought it was a great dress and would be suitable for me. It is Butterick 9499, and when I googled it, I got varying dates so am not certain. It is either late 1950’s or early 1960’s. Thoughts?

I went with a green cotton broadcloth, keeping in with the Fall For Cotton Challenge. I bought this a while back, and paid $1.99 a yard for it- which means this dress cost me about $10 bucks to make. 🙂

Cotton… I gotta say it needs same spray starch and a better pressing than I was able to give it. The dress was ready yesterday, but I had noone to take pics! Hence the barely made deadline!

When I came out in all my glory yesterday my youngest told me I looked like Mrs. Teapot. My eldest told me I looked like the lady who had a bunch of stuff in her suitcase. Ahhh, children! I let them BOTH know I felt like Beavers mother. (And I received blank stares) 🙂

I like the dress for the most part. The cuffs are fantastic… I covered my own buttons for both cuffs. The 2 buttons on the bodice came from my button jar. The belt is dreadful. I am going to make my own belt and make a few changes to the dress. I love the dress but I am not sure the pleated skirt is flattering to my shape. I am thinking about removing the skirt and making it an a-line skirt. I love the bodice and the collar though. And I really like the shade of green. 😀

I do have to confess to an “ooops.” I did not notice it until I was buttoning up the cuffs for picture time! I put one of the cuffs on backwards! Not sure where my head was at that moment but I guess I will have to remove it and see if I can fix it. I may have to make a whole new cuff though!

And this is my Fall For Cotton/ Mrs. Teapot/ Vintage dress. Should I change the skirt out to an a-line? And do you use spray starch to iron your 100% cotton dresses?

OH! By the way, this dress also takes care of one of my Sewlutions from Jan 1, 2013. I wanted to make 2 vintage dresses for myself in 2013… WHEW!

~Laurie

#FallForCotton – A Vintage Dress and a Classic Car Show…

Tags

100% cotton, daughters, Fall for Cotton, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity 4432, Vintage, vintage dress, vintage pattern, vintage patterns, vintage sewing

When the Fall For Cotton Vintage pattern challenge was announced a while back I hopped on board for 3 reasons.

#1- I love vintage patterns and have a ton! (And if you have a ton you should use them if you can!)

#2- I love cotton. It is simple, feels nice, and comes in all kinds of prints, colors and designs.

#3- I LOVE sewing with the sewing community! It’s like an international sewing bee where we get to support and be supported!

And I also decided 2 things. I was going to make a dress for Holly out of a vintage pattern that has been at the top of the stack for ages now… And I was going to make myself one too… Because “The Mistress Demands” that I do. Wellll, actually I made a sewlution (New Years Sewing Resolution) back in January and it involved TWO vintage dresses and a coat. To my chagrin I am not even close to completing that and this year SPED by so fast I am still trying to catch up! I must say though that the “Keeper of the Jar” is a hard taskmaster when you have not started what should have been started. We were chastised just this past week. But I will persevere regardless of the fact I only have 100 days left. (Hey, that actually isn’t too bad!)

But for now, here is a really LOVELY dress if I do say so myself for my middle daughter Holly. I couldn’t resist turning this picture in to a vintage pic!

Holly is 18 years old and just graduated from high school. She is attending the Junior college in our area and is majoring in Theater Arts. She is also taking sign language. She would like to be a high school teacher down the road and teach drama and sign and maybe have a community theater on the side. (Unless she makes it BIG in the acting world and in that case she will buy me the BEST sewing machine there is to buy!)

For this dress I used a vintage pattern in keeping with the Fall for Cotton Challenge. We were able to choose a pattern or look from the 20’s to 70’s. From what I could glean on the internet (and correct me if I am wrong) this pattern is from the early 60’s. It is Simplicity pattern #4432.

I used 100% cotton of course! It was a piece of fabric I fell in love with on my recent trip to Oregon. It was on the clearance table and another 50% off so I paid a total of $9 for the whole piece! As soon as I saw it I KNEW it was going to be this dress and it was going to be for Holly. 🙂

The inside is fully lined with a white cotton. It actually started out as a light weight car cover my grandma gave to my mom, and my mom was going to get rid of. It was so soft I said NO! I can use that cotton fabric for lining! And I did!

To take the pictures I took Holly to “Cruisin’ Grand.” In our town, every Friday night from April through September the old classic cars gather up and down the street, musicians come out, and people come to look at the cars, eat, and have a fun friday night. I knew it would make a perfect backdrop for Holly’s classic dress!

Isn’t Holly a doll? Haha… She totally got in to the fun of it. While we were taking pictures a woman came up to me and said Holly looks so girly and feminine and pretty! She said it was so nice to see a young person dressed like that and she thanked us for for bringing back great memories of when she used to have dresses just like that! 🙂

As you can see we had tons of fun modeling with all of the cool cars from all different eras. (ha! 20’s to 70’s are allowed! Just like our challenge!)

The dress was very simple. It did not call for lining but I wanted to fully line it so she didn’t have to go looking for a slip every time she wanted to wear it. The skirt is very full and spins! Always a good thing in a skirt! 🙂

This car is from 1963-  probably around the same year as the dress I made!

I will be starting on a Fall For Cotton dress for myself on Monday. I have a pretty dark solid green cotton. Fingers crossed I get it finished in time! This Friday night will be the last Cruisin’ Grand for the summer. Maybe I will take my pics amongst the classic cars as well! In the meantime I will leave you with some more pics of Holly and Grand Avenue on a summer night!

~Laurie

Vintage Pattern Loveliness

Tags

dress, easy sewing projects, fabric, Fall for Cotton, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, sewing vintage clothing, Vintage, vintage dress, vintage patterns, vintage sewing patterns

I LOVE Vintage… There is something about certain bygone eras that speak to my soul. The 1920’s, after World War 1, when everything seemed to change. From music, to dancing, to the fashions! Everything seemed so “relaxed” and fun in the 20’s. Like “Darling, throw on your dancing shoes and long beads and lets go kick up our heels and dance the Charleston!” And did you know that “flagpole sitting” became popular in the 20’s?

The 40’s and 50’s are the years I am drawn to the most. I love how feminine and classy the women were during these years. If you look at any movie star pictures from this time period you see glamour and style. I love the full skirts, the fabulous bright colors that became popular in the 50’s, and did you know this decade brought about the evolution of the bikini! (Although it did not become popular until 1963- but that’s a different story!)

The 60’s and 70’s brought about a much freer and easier feeling. Short skirts, gogo boots, bikinis, and later in the decade (and on in to the 70’s) the hippie movement introduced bell bottoms, batik and tye-dye, and a decidedly more “bohemian” look. I really like that look as well. There is something about those long flowy dresses and drippy sleeves!

That was actually a pretty brief overview of fashion. VERY BRIEF! There is SO much more about fashion and trends that happened during these eras, but if I discussed them all I would not get to share my pattern loveliness with you! So, here it goes. 🙂

I have lots of vintage sewing patterns. Way too many to put into a post. So, I pulled what I would like to make over the next year. (And with my Sewing ADD- which I KNOW is an actual malady, the patterns in my queue can and probably will change)

I recently picked up 8 new patterns from Vintage Martini for EXCELLENT prices. If you like Vintage patterns you NEED to get over there as he has marked ALL of his prices down. I snagged a few 60’s patterns for $1 each!

The 2 on your left are from VM… the other 2 are mine. But I’d really like to make these for my middle daughter Holly. She would look GREAT in them and enjoys this era.

I have to make several more “jammies” for myself before the year is over as it was one of my resolutions. I really like this nightie, the short sleeved one on the left- and am hoping to make it in a soft lace and cotton lawn.

This dress is a 1940’s pattern. I love the clean lines and the detailing. I actually had a dress very similar to this in the 80’s in emerald green with gold buttons. I would love to try my hand at making this in those same colors.

This little 50’s pattern is one I will hopefully make for next Spring/ Summer. I love everything about it and every article of clothing pictured. The blouse, skirt and shorts are all on my list! They just want me to make a picnic lunch, lay my quilt out on the grass, pour myself a glass of lemonade and relax under a tree with a good book. I see gingham and florals and red or blue in my future!

Here is some more vintage loveliness… and another dress pattern I would like to tackle for next Spring. I love the tiered skirt and simplicity of the bodice. This one will take some grading up but I plan on attempting SewBrooke’s method. If you have not read about her experimenting with grading and ratios you should definitely hop over. You will learn a lot!

And this is my all time FAVORITE pattern that I just received (again from Vintage Martini and for just $6!) I want to make it NOW and will most likely use this one for the new just announced Vintage sewing challenge “Fall for Cotton” put on by Rochelle from Lucky Lucille and Tasha of By Gum By Golly.

I hope I can find the RIGHT fabric to go with it. That is always part of the challenge when sewing up a vintage garment- well, any garment for that matter! Because the challenge is to use 100% cotton, I should have quite a bit too choose from! There are cotton sales all over right now! (Fabric.com has quite a selection for $4.95 a yard!)

I guess I will get back to finishing up my UFO’s so I can start sewing some of these babies up. Hopefully I will see you soon with some finished lovelies!

~Laurie

My Anna that Broke the Rules…

Tags

Anna Dress, Anna Pattern, By Hand London, dress, fabric, ITY Knit, sew, sew exhausted, sewing

I made an Anna dress! And I couldn’t be happier. She is a bit of a rebel… but there is nothing wrong with that- after all, rules are made to be broken, right?

But let’s start at the beginning.

Recently the Anna dresses started popping up all over the internet. First I got a glimpse of ONE of Sew Busy Lizzy’s. (She has THREE fabulous ones) And then I read all about The Amazing Taracats two…  saw a few more here and there, and they looked so stylish and sexy and swingy- and, well, all the things you have to love in a dress! And I wanted one!

By Hand London Anna Dress Pattern

The Anna pattern is the newest from By Hand London. So my pattern winged it’s way across the ocean and arrived Thursday. It is BEAUTIFULLY packaged and definitely a pattern that is meant to be treasured.  I wanted to make one right away but I was not sure if I had any appropriate fabric in my stash. And I could not afford to buy any more fabric right now- so it was stash or nothing.

And that is where the rule breaking came in. The suggested fabrics for the Anna are lightweight woven fabrics and cottons. But, I have had this knit and it has been TRYING to make it’s way in to a Maxi for a few months. I have gone from one pattern, to another, to another, and decided on Saturday morning I was going to turn the Anna pattern in to a pattern for knits. She turned out mighty pretty in my opinion. 🙂

Look! I had help from Milo tracing and prepping the pattern

I tried to give Milo his own pencil but he seriously just wanted the one I was using!

I had to SQUEEZE this dress out of 3  yds of fabric.. And honestly, this knit cost me $9.00 total. In the end I had to cut off 6 1/2 inches in the length so if I had known that prior to starting I would not have had to worry at all.

I finished most of it Saturday morning before heading to the beach for a bonfire.  On her blog post Lizzy said it was a quick make and she was right! Then on Sunday my daughter asked me if I was going to wear it to my sons company picnic so I sat down and focused on finishing it up. I hand stitched the neck facing, used a double needle to hem up the sleeves, and ran out of time. I wanted to hand stitch the slit- (ooo- I LOVE the slit!) So, I did a quick basting stitch to temporarily hold it and will hand stitch it after I write this post!

I love the fit of the Anna… I love the way it swirls. When you wear it you feel very girly and feminine. Nothing wrong with that!

Like I said, putting this together is very easy. Just pay attention to when you are putting your skirt panels together. I got a little excited when the bodice was done and didn’t pay attention, so I “mis-sewed” one and had to switch it to the other side. I  did not put in a zipper- I did not need to because it is a knit. And I did not hem it because my machine does not like to hem knits, although my sleeves turned out nicely with the double needle. I also overlocked this one because #1 Kerrielee’s overlock machine was at my house for some hip hop pants making (thanks Kerrie), and #2 because I did not want to add any bulk from french seaming the knit.

The neckline is lovely. I chose the v-neck for this dress. Mine is a bit of a rounded V- I believe due to the fact it is a knit. But I like it anyway.  I did the obligatory spin and ended up on the ground. But trust me, Anna swirls quite nicely!

Did you notice my knee was a little red in that picture showing off my slit? That is because me and my Anna dress went on an adventure. At my son’s company picnic there was a mechanical MAD bull, and I thought I could tame it…. I realize these photos are DREADFUL, but I have become a much braver person so I will share them with you!

I lasted a whole 8 seconds. (That’s PRO status right??) BUT, I can now say I have ridden a bull… and I’ve lived to write about it. BTW- Anna held up quite well, and my children were VERY impressed that I even made it ON that bull. As a matter of fact they all now have blackmail videos on their phones.

Here we all are- having fun. I love it when my kids are all together. It makes my heart happy. ❤

And that is my Anna dress. 🙂 Very highly recommended! All my girls want one. Kadi is all set to run out and buy me some fabric for hers. She wants a black one- and because she likes to change everything, she wants me to add a lace cutout to the back of hers. Honestly, I can’t wait to get started on MY next one!

Oh, and I think I want to make a short red denim jacket to go with this one for when the weather gets a little chillier. 🙂

~Laurie

 

Those wild kids of mine showing me how it’s done.

Sewing Camp

Tags

clothing, dress, easy sewing projects, fabric, fabrics, fashion, patterns, project, projects, sew exhausted, sewing, Vintage, vintage patterns, Vogue 8577

Camp… Do you remember going to camp as a kid? I was only able to go a few times during my childhood but those few times were awesome! When I was 14 I went to camp and focused on Astronomy for a whole week. I learned all about the constellations, took night hikes to view the stars and had a grand old time bonding with my fellow Astronomers. Fun times for sure!

As an adult some times we just don’t get to do some of those fun things we enjoyed as children. Mainly I suppose because we have so many responsibilities. Work… kids… households to maintain… Sometimes life can get a bit overwhelming! Well, a few weeks ago I realized I had 192 vacation/PTO hours collected. And upon doing a quick search of my employee handbook, and realizing I was going to start losing some of them if I did not use them,  I put in a request for a week off.

With no place to go, and funds being a bit too tight for gallivanting off to all those dream places on my list,  I decided to enjoy a blissful week at home. And because my 3 daughters are of an age where they do not require me to keep an eagle eye on them, I get to focus on me and what I enjoy doing.

And what could be better than a week of sewing?

I am just starting to come off a dry spell sewing wise. I found myself having trouble dredging up enough energy to sit at my machine and make something- and frankly that feeling lasted for close to 2 months! But, today I  finished a  little halter sundress for Holly- It is quite pretty if I do say so myself! And I am chomping at the bit to start on something new!

So, tonight I started choosing a few more “I have to make this” projects I have wanted to make. I have high hopes I will be able to finish all of these during “Sewing Camp.” AND I have high hopes I will be able to enjoy some time at the beach, walking and hiking, drinking some beers with my friends, and spending some quality time with my girls.

Up first, and I confess I already have it laid out and the pattern pieces ready to cut, is this little number for Juliette. I think this color is going to look amazing on her! I plan on doing the short version of C and can hopefully find some pretty white daisy buttons for it.

Then  I have this marvelous coat. Yes, it is from the 90’s era and I just adore it. The shorter coat in the top right is the view I plan on using. I got this pattern and a few others from the wonderful Katie at Kadiddlehopper thanks to a Twitter conversation we were having one day. She mailed them to me when I expressed interest. THANKS Katie! The fabric is a light weight plum colored wool/ rayon. Because I live in California I do not need thick, heavy, warm coats. But I LOVE coats and think this will be a nice one that I will actually be able to use in the “dead” of a Southern California winter. 😉

This pattern also came from Katie. I have a pretty floral challis that I think will be perfect for it. Ooo- I am so excited to have this skirt! I had a similar pattern way back in the 90’s I loved- and wore a lot. It has a solid black background and I’d like to find a short sweater type pattern that buttons in the back to make in black to go with it. (The one with the pattern shows a little skin and I am pretty certain I need to keep my skin covered!)

Vogue 8577 has also been lurking up at the top of my pattern pile waiting for it’s turn. I have a few shirt dress style patterns but want to try this one. I am not 100% certain it will look good on me. Those pockets are located right at my biggest problem area- But I am going to give it a go anyway. I have a very nice olive colored broadcloth and plan on adding red buttons. Yes, I can guarantee I will be sporting a pair of red pumps when I wear this dress. And I am breaking out of my little self imposed box with this olive dress. I have always liked the color but never owned anything olive. Olive and red… makes me smile! 😀

Finally, I have this ITY print in a dark navy, off- white and red that has been at the top of my fabric pile. If all goes as planned I hope to have a maxi dress accented with a red solid hanging in my closet by the end of Summer Sewing Camp.

I have more I would like to do but I did not want to overwhelm myself. The whole point of vacation is to relax and have fun. If I finish all of these and have time to spare I will gladly start on another project. After all, I have PLENTY waiting in the wings!

Take care! ~Laurie

The Great Style Adventure

Tags

challenge, clothes, dress, fabric, fabrics, fashion, patterns, projects, Seamless Pledge, sew exhausted, sewing, Stevie Nicks, style, style over 40

I am a studied contradiction when it comes to style. Currently, I don’t consider myself to be very stylish OR have a style of my own. I want one! Honestly, I LOVE clothes. I would like a closet full of them. Up until now though, I have never really focused on it.

*(I googled SLOB Images and basically came up with heavy older men in wife beater shirts with a beer in their hand so decided NOT to add a sloppy, fashionless pic here- but you get the idea right?)

I am not even close to being stylish, not for lack of desire- more for lack of cash AND because I have been in that era of my life where I was focusing on other things. Like my kids and surviving! I had a brief few years where I worked in retail. Millers Outpost (The Fashion Answer at that time- lol), I was single and 18, and a nice chunk of my money could go to dressing myself. Alas, it didn’t last long because I was married a few years later and welcoming child number one. My brief spell of shopping and wearing cute clothes was over for me. And never lasted long enough to develop ANY sense of style really.

Well, my kids are all practically grown up (here is me with the 2 eldest), I have started sewing again, and I WANT a wardrobe. I want a stylish, fun, classy, wild wardrobe. Not black on black or black on denim which is what most of my wardrobe consists of.

And if you noted the adjectives I used to describe the dream contents of my closet you may see one of my problems.

The fact is I cannot determine my “style.” I cannot figure out what I should focus on and frankly where I should even begin! Two things I DO know.

1. As I pledged to NOT buy ready made cheap clothing (or even ready made expensive clothing!), I have to MAKE this “stylish, fun, classy, wild wardrobe.” (Or thrift it!)

2. AND, I need to figure out WHAT my closet is going to be filled with. And that seems to be my biggest issue!

To accomplish this I started combing the internet. (Key words- Stylish women over 40… What not to wear at 45…. etc) I DO know what I like. But now that I am in my later 40’s (cringe), can I still sport some of those styles I am attracted to? There are so many young looking clothes out there that are FAB but should just be worn by my oh so beautiful, cute, trendy daughters. Not me. 😦 Frankly, I think the above picture pretty much shouts- LAURIE- Do NOT wear this! The below picture? Ooo- I  LOVE the skirt! But I should stay away from the midriff baring lace top.

Sigh. Super big Sigh… Waiting for “my day” means I have missed out on a lot. But I am not ready for polyester elastic -waisted pants and track suits. (Hey! Are black velour “track suits” still in fashion?)

Question for you– Can I have an eclectic wardrobe? If I bounce from Romantic Country to Bohemian to Classy to an edgy (but classy) rocker chick look, can I even say I am developing a style? It seems to me that when you google a person, they tend to be typically dressed in a “look” that suits them. (good plan of course! I want everything I wear to suit me!) And they are ALWAYS in that same look.

But oh! I crave to dress like Stevie Nicks some days. I just adore her free wheeling, lacy, flowing, old fashioned bohemian style. On the other hand I have always adored Jaclyn Smith’s style. Clean, crisp, classic and she is so gorgeous it all looks amazing on her!

How about Country. Lately I am lusting after boots. I would love to own 4-5 pairs. A basic black cowboy boot, a brown suede pair and a fancy pair of wild and colorful ones. (Not to mention a classic pair of black knee high ones too!)

And Rocker Chic. Wanna know a secret? I OWN a pair of biker boots. Black Harley Davidson’s… I feel quite awesome when I put those on with a pair of jeans. Can’t you just see a flowy romantic blouse like this with a rockin’ pair of biker boots and jeans?  OR, should I put away the boots and white lace so I don’t become a cliche. I do NOT want to be a cliche or ever on an episode of “What Not to Wear.”

What about when I want to don a Madmen style dress… or imagine myself in a Steam Punk Skirt or Edwardian blouse? I LOVE those looks too! Isn’t that velvet coat and blouse amazing?!

After writing all this down and combing Pinterest and numerous style blogs and images on the net, I am starting to think my Style is not only eclectic but discombobulated. SHOULD I be wearing a white eyelet country skirt with a pair of boots, or a black top hat and steam punk skirt? Maybe I SHOULD stick to velour track suits?

Well sheesh- I don’t know. BUT I think I want to FIND OUT!

My biggest quandary? How the heck am I going to mix all the above styles to make a style of my own that flatters me and makes me feel great? Can I rock a boucle navy jacket with a white chiffon shell, slacks and spectator pumps one day and a bohemian maxi dress the next?

And even MORE of a quandary? Can I SEW all of this? Where do I start? Not sure yet, but I am going to embark on “My Style Adventure.” Because I need to, and want to. After all, we only have one life to live, and after neglecting that side of me for so long, I wanna get out there and create really cool clothes. Clothes I can wear, and feel good in. Clothes that can fill my closet with awesomeness. AND clothes that will fit my every mood and whimsy! And frankly, if we have just one life I wanna enjoy the rest of it feeling good about myself!

Hahahahaha- I crack myself up sometimes… BUT I AM going to do it. I am going to do my best to sew some classic basics and then start adding in some of the wild fun things I want to wear. And I will keep you posted on my progress!

Take care peeps. I apologize for the break I have taken. Work, life, and several other things have knocked me a bit off the path BUT I am getting back on it and hope to be able to share this latest adventure with you…I have missed you all and will probably need to read 2 months worth of blog posts from each and every one of you to catch up on what you are doing!

xoxo

~Laurie

The Millenium Falcon Dress- Simplicity 2250 Cynthia Rowley

Tags

clothing, Cynthia Rowley patterns, daughters, dress, easy sewing projects, fabric, fabrics, fashion, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity, Simplicity 2250

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!

Simplicity 2250 Cynthia Rowley

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. 🙂

Simplicity 2250 Cynthia Rowley

And that folks… Is The Millenium Falcon dress.

Last week I lost my Sewing Mojo… I did 30 minutes.  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

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challenge, easy sewing projects, fabric, fashion, Me Made May 2013, MMM13, patterns, projects, sew exhausted, sewing

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

FINALLY Something Juliette will wear…

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clothing, daughters, easy sewing projects, fabric, fabrics, Family, fashion, McCalls, McCalls 6751, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, summer sewing, summer wardrobe

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