Super Hero Comic Book Dress – POW… SHAZZAM… OOF

Tags

Comic Dress, DC Comics, fabric, fun fabric, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity 4432, Super Hero Dress, vintage pattern

Oh wait... That was old school Batman. Who was MY Super Hero growing up. I adored Batman when I was a little girl. When I was a growing up we were allowed to watch ONE TV Show a day. And we had to NAP! (eye roll) My one show was Batman- on at 4:30 PM. I never missed an episode! I still adore Batman!

 

My girls have different Super Heros. (I am not sure WHAT is wrong with them.) Juliette thinks the sun and moon shines on Spider Man… Holly thinks Superman is the Bee’s Knees… and Kadi- hmmmm… She has never expressed any Super Hero Love. Although she thinks Thor is pretty nice looking. She prefers Picachu overall though I think. Haha…

But this post is all about a dress. A bunch of Super Heros.. all on one dress!

I love to sew for Holly. (My middle daughter) She wears it all. She is not afraid to wear her comic dress to college classes… In -N-Out… park day… the Dr’s office. If she feels like wearing her comic dress on it goes! And boy does she get the attention when she wears it. She is ALWAYS stopped and then people are in awe when they find out I made it.

I feel kinda bad about the awe. Frankly it is just a simple little dress! I guess in this case it’s the FABRIC that makes the dress. 🙂

 

Just look at Thor and Friends BURSTING out of her chest. 😀

I used my favorite vintage pattern for this dress. I first made this dress for Holly last October and it is still at the top of my pile to use! (You can see it here.) It is Simplicity pattern #4432. I love it and it is a perfect little summer dress pattern.

 

 

I did View 3 because we like the sleeveless look. Holly can add a cardigan for those chilly California days! Everything was just as easy last time. Except I was careful in my placement of “super heros” and comic print.

 

I lined the bodice and put a nice long zipper in the back. Lengthwise she prefers it right above her knee. Not too short and not too long in my book! Just right! I did not line the skirt of this one because the fabric was heavy enough without! OH! I used the DC Comic fabric from JoAnns. I bought it on sale (because that is the only way I buy ANYTHING) and Holly could not wait until it was finished.

 

I promise we didn’t actually PICK the neighbors lemon! We just sang “Lemon tree, very pretty, and the lemons smell so sweet…” 😉

Holly has worn this A LOT! Which I love. So I immediately knew I could buy MORE fun fabric and make her more dresses. (The kids at the school she works at love when she wears a cool print dress.) Last week I blogged about her Pacman dress. And I bought some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fabric a few weeks ago to add to her collection!

 

And that is the Super Hero Dress. Took a while to hit the blog but better late then never right?!

Lots of sewing has been happening in my little space. And I have lots more to do! I think sewing is a never ending fabulous way to spend most of my spare time. 🙂

Laurie

xo

 

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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

 

 

 

#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

Sew For Victory- Late but complete…and made from a sheet!

Tags

1940's vintage pattern, easy sewing projects, fabric, Family, patterns, projects, retro, sew exhausted, Sew For Victory, Vintage, vintage dress, vintage pattern, vintage patterns

I finished. Late. I do not know what I was thinking. I KNEW April 1, but it did not click that April 1 was passed. Ah well. I am finished with my blouse, and I am pleased with it.

My pattern was a 1940’s blouse pattern I bought off Etsy from Vintage Girl. It came to me all the way from the UK, but I had to have it… I fell in love with the sleeves! Initially I was going to make the long sleeved collar one with the great cuffs, but the more I looked, the more I wanted to do View 3. And so I did!

I had a lot of trouble getting started. Mainly because I could not find a fabric I wanted. And when I finally found an aqua poplin I liked at Fashion Fabrics, it was time to pay the rent and I could not spare the cash. So in true #SewForVictory spirit I spotted an unused purple sheet in my garage and BINGO! It became my blouse!

See? Aren’t those sleeves great? Although, oops, they seem to require a bit more pressing! I am wondering if I should add the shoulder pads. I KNOW they were the thing in the 40’s… and 80’s… Hmmm- do you think they will be back any time soon? I think the shoulder seam would be in the perfect spot WITH the shoulder pads. I may try it out!

The pattern was pretty easy! I was surprised, because I admit I was very hesitant to begin. I looked at those completely blank pattern pieces with punched holes scattered throughout, and ONE page of directions for several days before I even got the courage to start… and finally I just dived in! And it wasn’t bad at all. As a matter of fact the manner in which they did the collars was very simple! And despite there being quite a few darts, once I had marked and pinned them all they went in easily! And I really like all the darts and tucks. They add a nice fit! So feminine!

On a side note- No pattern pieces were harmed in the making of this blouse. 😀

Inside I used all french seams. Oh how I LOVE the look of the inside of a garment with french seams. I put up the hem by hand using hem tape (lace)… I think the inside looks almost as nice as the outside!

I was also worried about the button holes. It has been years since I have done any, and frankly using my daughters $80 sewing machine (mine is still broken) made me wonder if my whole blouse would become a wadder once I tried fighting with it. BUT they went in without a hitch! Easy as pie… I covered buttons because I wanted a nice clean look.

When I was finished I got out the dye. The color of the sheet was a wishy washy kind of purple and I wanted to deepen it so I bought purple dye, and added in a bit of blue. I think the color turned out perfect! BTW- Purple is HARD to photograph! It is a deeper purple than the one below- It is more like the first pic of me…

I wanted to look like the girl on the pattern but my hair is too long so I pulled it back… BUT I did add a black ribbon as a tie. 😀 I am very happy with my blouse and absolutely WILL wear it! Probably sans the ribbon tie!

I think this is a blouse I will make again. I would change the length of the blouse- I would add on a few inches I think. I would LOVE to have a dressy long sleeved one made from silk charmeuse… and I am still pining after a pretty aqua cotton poplin blouse- maybe the short sleeve one for a springy/ summery top.

I would like to thank Rochelle of LuckyLucille for hosting Sew For Victory (and apologize for being late!) What a great opportunity for us to peruse all the wonderful clothing, learn about what the sacrifices the women made during the war- like working at jobs that typically men held and holding the families together. During my research just seeing the changes in styles from the early to the mid to the late forties was an education! I definitely have a greater appreciation for my grandma! My grandpa was a soldier in the Marines for many years! I definitely enjoyed this foray into that period of time and plan on participating again next year!

That is my grandad! He was a career Marine and joined up in the early 1940’s… Later on he became a recruiter and recruited my mom and several of his sons! 🙂

And that concludes Sew For Victory… Better late than never I hope!

Tomorrow- I will post my David Bowie inspired blouse… Yes, I have been slightly BUSY!

Laurie

In My Dreams…

Tags

dress, fabric, fabrics, patterns, projects, sew exhausted, sewing vintage clothing, Vintage, vintage dress, vintage pattern

Ah Dear Readers… I thought I would share my dream life… (We all have one don’t we?)

I LOVE old movies… I love old (I mean vintage) clothes… I LOVE the fashions of the 20’s through the 50’s. The 60’s are fun too but I could never carry them off. I see my girls in the fashions of the 60’s… young and fun.

Some day, I am going to have one “dream day.” And here it is.

I am going to leisurely wake up… None of this dragging myself out of bed at 5 Am and starting work. Noo- I want to slip in to my sheer peignoir and my feather mules and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee with my perfectly coiffed hair and ruby red full lips.

In all honesty I am reading a book here- not gazing in to a mirror admiring my “ruby red” lips! Then… I’d like to lay around at the pool… I’d like lunch served at the pool. Yes… and maybe a fancy cocktail… or two!

In the afternoon a little shopping would definitely be in order… I would need to change in to a lovely day dress. Maybe something like this:

I am thinking the lovely pink one would work for me.

Oh Dear! Grocery shopping- NO- and most definitely not with my pet deer… 😉 I think I’d prefer jewelry shopping or maybe a new dress as it seems I sure have to change a LOT in my dream life!

Speaking of changing, I will definitely want to change for dinner. Put on an elegant dress and dine on Lobster and Filet Mignon. And I’d drink champagne cocktails or Manhattans… Cheers!

I will definitely need to end the evening with some dancing.

Ahhh- the life. I am sort of exhausted! Seriously!

The reality? Crawl out of bed, make myself some tea, and wear flannel jammy pants and a sweatshirt. I work from home so I can stay in those jammy pants all day if I want! Eat oatmeal, soup and whatever I can scrape up for dinner. In between I chauffeur one of those darn kids around and maybe run an errand or 2. Oh, and in my free time? I sew! I guess my life has a charm all it’s own!

For 2013 I am compiling my sewing goals. I do have 2 “for sure no matter what” projects on my list that involve vintage… Here is one! The other is at home and I already have a fabric for it… Can’t wait!

Hope you all have a Happy New Year- in case I don’t get the urge to blog again until 2013!

xoxox- L

Ring Out the Old???

Tags

Butterick, patterns, quilting, sewing, sewing vintage clothing, Vintage, vintage dress, vintage pattern

I LOVE Old things.. They make me ponder where have they been? Who has cherished them? Who has worn them? The stories those “things” could tell! Some of the things I have I know the story. Like these little elves I get to bring out every Christmas. My mother and father bought these before I was born. They decorated our house every year when I was growing up. And a few years ago they were bestowed on me. Now they grace MY tree and I tell my children their story.

Elves

Aren’t they the sweetest little guys? I TREASURE them!

I even like “old” music… OH WAIT! I mean CLASSIC music. I like classic rock, Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Doris Day, and The Beatles… sigh…

Isn’t George dreamy? 🙂

Even clothing… I have not had the chance to embark on wearing some of the vintage styles I love mainly because I am just returning to sewing for myself. I have spent the last 20 years sewing for those kids and quilting! Next year I have a goal to make myself at least 3 vintage style dresses. (I have already made a few for my girls… check out A Lovely Fiona Dress for a pretty 60’s party dress!)

Here is a small selection of some of my vintage patterns. I can’t decide if I will make B5747 or B5813 first. I have fabric for both picked out already!

Finally, here is the dress my eldest daughter will be sporting for Christmas. Tell me this isn’t straight out of the 50’s! It has petticoats and is made from a gorgeous black velvet. I LOVE the scalloped neckline and would like to recreate a pattern like this. Kadi wanted it shortened but I said NOOOOO! I will make her one similar in a shorter version. 🙂 We just acquired this dress a few months back. I wonder who wore it and where they were going? How was the party? Or parties this dress has attended? Ahhh- if only it could speak!

I suppose I am happy to leave some of the old things behind… I have several 2012 things I am more than happy to shake from my feet… However there are many old things I like to keep- good memories, wonderful stories, old friends (not saying you guys are OLD just that you have been around awhile!) and an assortment of old things I just don’t want to let go of.

I have been sewing up a storm this week- I finished Holly’s Christmas dress- a lovely green crepe backed satin dress that I used a Cynthia Rowley pattern for… and I am half finished with Juliette’s creamy gold dress that I better get moving on as we are taking pictures tomorrow!

Take care!  ~L

Sweet sixteen

Tags

birthday, fabric, sewing, sewing vintage clothing, vintage dress, vintage pattern

It has been a few days since my last post, but rest assured I HAVE gotten some sewing done. Not as much as I would have liked though. Mostly because My Baby… My Youngest… turned 16! I cannot believe it. Well, I guess I can as I have lived with her for exactly 16 years, but WOW… It seems like only yesterday she was … small and sweet! (She is on the left with her older sister Holly)

Oh, she is still sweet- BUT she is almost as tall as me! Here she is in the middle- with her older sisters- BUT she is taller than them!

My, how they have all grown! Anyway- I pulled off a wonderful surprise birthday party for Juliette. The nice thing is it was actually a surprise! We did it. She did not have an inkling. 🙂

Back to sewing- WELL- I am ALMOST finished with Kadi’s dress. I have been doing quite a bit of hand sewing- the sleeve hems, the front facings, etc. I JUST put the zipper in. And about all I have left is the hem and – oh wow- I only have the hem and the attaching of the brown ribbon! Of course I need my daughter for that and she is off at the moment. Pinning those girls down for fittings is a chore and a half!

I am thrilled with the beautiful Juliet sleeves… and the french seams I did on the inside.

I made a few tiny changes but for the most part this pattern fit almost exactly! I can’t wait to finish it up and have Kadi model it. Then I will be moving on to a dress for Holly. So much sewing! So little time!

Take care and Happy Sewing friends!

L