The Holly-Anna- A By Hand London Mash Up

Tags

Anna Dress, By Hand London, Holly Jumpsuit, International Anna Party, jumpsuit, Mash Up, sewing, sewing a jumpsuit, Sewing with knits

Yes- I disappeared for a while. I have a tendency to do that and have been thinking a lot about why. And I think I have it figured out.

1. Picture taking- Most of my pictures are just plain crappy. I want a beautiful location and someone that will be patient enough to take several hundred pictures so I can throw most of them out looking for those few gems!

2. Picture taking- I make lots of things for my kids. But rounding them up and getting pictures is impossible. I SWEAR it was easier when they were little. NOw they have lives. 😦

3. Picture taking- HEY- I see a pattern here. To take pictures you have to brush your hair and slap makeup on and make sure the lighting is good and you know what? That just takes time I rarely have. PLUS, you have to have someone available to take those pics. Sigh….

So, lets get to the reason I am here today- to blog about my Holly-Anna as I have dubbed it. I LOVE it. I LOVE it. I LOVE it.

First off- I have made THREE By Hand London Anna Dresses.

Because I can be somewhat of a lazy sewist I decided to avoid LOTS of fitting by using a knit for my first one. (You can read about it here) I loved it so much I made the Black and White Anna from knit for my class reunion and the all black Anna to wear with cowboy boots to a Country Fest.  Knit all around- comfortable… easy to fit… and knit just works for me and my lifestyle. PLUS- size wise I have a little extra movement when using a knit so I appreciate that!

When Laura Loves Pugs announced she was having an International Anna Party to celebrate her birthday I decided to join in. I LOVE the Anna dress and had been wanting a new one. As I was planning my dress I realized I wanted to do a Mash Up. I have never done one and it sounded intriguing. I have been wanting a jumpsuit so in a moment of genius (if I do say so myself) I grabbed my Holly jumpsuit pattern and traced the trouser portion. And boom- my Holly-Anna was born.

Hey guys! It is raining in California!

Initially I was going to use a different fabric for the bodice. As a matter of fact I made the WHOLE thing with this pink fabric but as I was ruminating over the result ( I do a lot of “sewing thinking” as I try to fall asleep at night) I realized I really did not like to wear pink. And I really did not like this fabric on me.

See? Pink. Not me. And I loved the look of the jumpsuit so much I needed to find a bodice fabric I would be happy with.  I dug through every piece of fabric I owned unable to find something I wanted until on top of my washer I found my leftover Easter Dress fabric. What a happy result!

Pardon the wrinkles. Guess I have to learn to stand up straight! I do not look very thrilled to be taking the picture either. (SIGH)

This was not a difficult mash up. My bodice pieces had already been cut to accommodate using a knit so that part was done. I took my measurements (waist and hips) and traced the appropriate pant size. I also measured my thigh because unfortunately I am a “spoon” shape- small up top and a very round spoon bottom. (OK- pear shaped and VERY pear shaped!) I widened the trouser leg to fit my hip measurement.

I used a ponte knit – a lighter weight Maggy London one I picked up at Fabric Mart (Oh how I love Fabric Mart!) and it worked well. I shortened my bodice a touch because I knew the weight of the bottom would pull it down a bit. You know what? It worked!

I am either celebrating here…trying to beat off a big lizard… or doing a rain dance! (serious drought here in CALIFORNIA)

For the bodice I used binding for the sleeves and the neckline because facings and trying to hem knits are not really my favorite things to do either. I think it looks quite nice and finished!

When I attached the bodice to the trouser portion it was a perfect fit. Possibly because they were both BHL patterns? I am not sure but the two pieces went together beautifully. Another plus? Using the knit meant I could eliminate inserting a zipper. WIN! 🙂

Holly- Anna. I highly recommend it! Quick and easy sew and jumpsuits are in right now!

Maybe I will see you again soon? I made an adorable Star Wars dress for D1 and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle dress for D2. Now if I could just rope them down for some pics!

xoxox ~Laurie

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Baaaaaaaaaaackkkkkkk…

Tags

By Hand London, clothing, daughters, dress, fabric, fabrics, Fall Sewing, Family, projects, quilting, sew exhausted, sewing, vintage pattern

Hey Peeps… Long time, no chat. And long time, little sewing!

I deleted my last post but want to thank EVERYONE for the kind thoughts, advice, and reading material! They were all treasured. Guess every now and then it is nice to see that others DO care! I deleted it mostly because I was interviewing for a new job. I made it through all 4 “cuts” but did not get the job in the end. I was happy I made it that far. (Well I would have been HAPPIER had I gotten the job but…!) Anyway, it was for the Executive Asst position for the ceo of WordPress. And I thought it was better if my last blog post had not been one about the stress of my life and a panic attack! But I DID appreciate all the comments! xoxo So hugs to you all.

That said, I am still stressed and still working on making some changes but I seem to be handling things a bit better at the moment! I am hoping for a good job in Houston OR a higher paying job here in San Diego.

So, what’s back? I think my Sewing Mojo has been rekindling itself. I made a Fall List! I got pretty excited going through my fabric stash and choosing some things to make over the next few months. I am calling it my Fall Sewing List but I doubt we will get much of a Fall Season. Bums me out too because I sure would like to wear some long sleeves and tights! And maybe a scarf now and then. But alas it is 90 degrees as I write this. And on Monday it is supposed to be 103! YECK!

Anyway- here it is. My list in progress. I have more Christmas items to add to the list and who knows what else. But I think this is a pretty good start! By the way- the list is NOT in order. Except the top item happens to be almost ready to go! So, without further ado… My Fall List:

Whenever I think about the Lady Skater pattern by KitschyKoo I start singing “He was a Skater Boy.” Avril Lavigne. Totally not even my era of music but my girlies used to sing it. Well, I am going to have ME a Lady Skater in this realllllly awesome floral medium weight knit from Purple Seamstress Fabrics. Despite the sweet flowers I can feel a little rebellious wearing those skulls. LOVE this fabric! And I think I am going to have enough left over to make a 2nd Burda Sweatshirt. (Up next is going to be my first Burda Sweatshirt!)

I just loved this pattern in the most recent Burda magazine. Sadly it is my last issue. Happily this will be the first thing I have ACTUALLY made from the years worth of issues I have. This knit is a lighter weight slinky knit. I am going to use a similar solid black for the sleeves. If it turns out well I am going to use the leftover floral/ skull knit from above for a 2nd one. YAHOO for lightweight sweatshirts!

Ever since I bought this pattern on Etsy I have been dying to make it. I was just lacking some eyelet fabric! Then at the LA Bloggers Meetup I attended a few months back someone was graciously giving this one away. I snagged it knowing this sweet little 70’s number would finally get to be made up. It is for Holly- because that girl wears EVERYTHING I make her. All the time! Love sewing for someone who WEARS what I make! 😀

I bought this denim in Los Angeles when I was shopping with some fellow Sewists. At $3 a yard it LEAPED into my arms! I already have a lovely jade green lining in my stash AND I bought the zipper quite a while back as well. So this baby is ready to Rock N Roll. I am excited and nervous at the same time. It seems like a BIG project!

I know! I KNOW! It is FALL and I am making a swim suit? This is California, people. And she has been waiting PATIENTLY for a swimsuit all summer long. I NEED to get this made for Holly! (And now that I think about it I better go dig out the orange fabric Juliette got for HER swimsuit!)

I made this pattern already and LOVED it. I have yet to blog it- but will get to that soon. This black and white Aztec print is another knit I picked up from PURPLE SEAMSTRESS FABRICS. (She has GREAT knits- and if you follow her on FB you can be tempted DAILY! LOL) I am actually waffling between this Simplicity pattern and another BHL Anna dress. I have 3 of those already though. But I want ALL the Anna’s… so I may change my mind!

Speaking of BHL– I plan on making the new Holly jumpsuit for my Christmas outfit. Ya, here in California Christmas day is usually a lovely, sunshiny day. Blue skies and upper 70’s. So I thought- jumpsuit? Oh YA! (Watch we get some freakish weather this year and my lovely jumpsuit has to stay in the closet! lol)

Speaking of Christmas– We already have Holly’s dress all picked out. OK OK… I confess… This was supposed to be her dress LAST year but I never got to it. THIS year, IT”S ON! And I have everything I need! Boning- CHECK. Zipper- CHECK. Lining- CHECK. She is going to look darling in this! I have informed Juliette and Kadi that they better pick their dresses out SOON! I want them to be done PRE-DECEMBER. (So unlike me- usually my sewing machine is running the night before holiday dresses are needed!)

My son Casey has requested a few button down shirts for Christmas. He would like Chargers, Green Bay Packers and a Hawaiian print. I have had this particular fabric in my stash for at least 15 years! (We are talking Quillow days gang!) Anyway, it is going to get USED! Finally! And I should have enough left over for a pillowcase OR a pair of boxers. 🙂

Another item on my list is the McCalls 6966 Maxi skirt. This black and white stripe (again purchased from Purple Seamstress) has 1″ wide stripes. I have been wanting to make one of these for a while now- and it is time. I think I will make a black Sewaholic Renfrew to go with this. WAIT! I HAVE a black Sewaholic Renfrew! Woot Woot! A complete Me Made Outfit!

And finally… I am going to FINISH this Log Cabin Quilt. It was the VERY first quilt I ever made. And it has been languishing unfinished for 18 years or so. This can no longer languish! And it won’t! It is a twin size quilt and I always have batting in my stash so this quilt is going to finally get some snuggling this winter!

I am pretty happy with my list. I have a few hopefuls waiting in the wings. But they do not have fabric yet and the one thing I wanted to do when I created this list was start using up some of my stash. Especially since money is tight right now! But I feel like I have some GREAT pieces and am pleased to finally be making these up.

I also have quite a few unblogged items. A Marvel Comic dress, a Saltspring, a Gabriola skirt, several new tops, an ugly “yellow” dress, a turquoise jacket, a red jacket, a Simplicity Maxi dress… wow. I better stop. I see a long photo shoot in my near future!

Take care friends and Happy Sewing! xoxo

 

 

 

Top 5 Hits of 2013

Tags

Anna Dress, By Hand London, daughters, easy sewing projects, fabric, fabrics, patterns, sew, sew exhausted, sewing, Top 5 Hits of 2013

I have had a crazy few weeks! From Thanksgiving on I feel like I have been a busy girl! Which means I was very lacking in the sewing department. I only managed a few handmade gifts. I guess I need to start sooner! I did make a second Renfrew though. A 3/4 sleeve cowl necked one I wore to work and out for our Company Christmas party. (no pics yet!)

Then more craziness. I decided to do all of my shopping at night after the party and because the girls were actually still up I left everything in the car. Someone broke in and stole it all, including my coat and phone charger! 😦 Don’t leave things in cars! Not even in your own driveway!

Last Friday I went to Boise to see the Potato Bowl game with my brother and drink craft beer at 8 different breweries. (LOTS of fun) And then Christmas week my brother came here to San Diego where we enjoyed 75-80 degree weather and 11 more breweries.

I am back to “business as usual” now and thought I would attempt to post some of the Top Five of 2013 Gillian started so we could look back and look forward!

1. I made this dress for Holly, my middle daughter from vintage Simplicity 4432 for Fall for Cotton in September. I love the bright contemporary fabric in the full skirted dress (that I shortened a bit) and Holly loves it too. Wherever she wears it she gets compliments.

2. The By Hand London Anna Dress With a Twist. I made 3 of these this year, all in knit. And I have worn them all more than once. I love them. They are comfortable, flattering and the solid black one I made I dressed up last minute to wear to a Christmas party. They can be casual and dressy! This one is my blocked one because I was short on fabric! I wore it for my birthday lunch. 🙂

3. Simplicity 2250- The Millenium Falcon dress. I made this for Juliette. She loves it and she wears it which was quite a feat. Great fit, pretty fabric, and fully lined. 🙂4. Jungle January robe and PJ’s. Animal print meets silky satin.I felt very decadent in these!

5. Hip Hop Pants. I have made many pairs of these. They started out for my eldest daughter Kadi who is a Hip Hop teacher/ choreographer/ dancer. She asked me to make her a cool pair of “harem” style pants so I did. And then she wanted 10 more pairs. And then people wanted to buy them. So I have just listed a few pairs on Etsy. I love them because they are pretty simple and look pretty darn cool if I do say so myself! Kadi does not wear them just for dance. She dresses them up with a pair of strappy heels and wears them out!

And that is my Top 5… I looked back and found I did not have that much to choose from and hope that in 2014 I will do better!

Laurie  xox

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

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.

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.