Happy Howlidays!

Another Bib

I soooo love these Michael Miller fabrics!  This bib is for a little boy, who will make his arrival next month.  I hope that I have enough fabric to make another similar one for another little boy who will be here in February.  Both of the moms are teachers, too.  I really enjoy simple little projects when the rest of my life is busy and crazy!



   

A Simple Bib: Lots of Babies Coming Up

Two boys, one probable girl, and two unknowns.  This is for one of the unknowns.  I'm not at liberty to say anything more.  I hope that someone's premonition is correct.  And for the record, I made something for the baby before she did!

 

Jacket Collar

This past summer I bought the book Sew Serendipity by Kay Whitt.  I made a simple version of the skirt:

 

 

And a tunic:

Neither of these pictures do any justice to the garments, either how they look or how I feel wearing them. (A new camera would really be nice, but since that's out of the question at the moment this is what you get.  Also, in the tunic shot, my 'photographer' has no patience, so after several shots, I was willing to go with what he had!) 

I'm really not a ruffly sort of girl, but I soooo love the ruffle on the bottom of the skirt.  I'm sure I will up the design ante by playing around with the pattern and fun fabrics for next spring/summer for a fun skirt.

For the tunic, I again was a good girl and made a muslin, incorporating changes for a FBA.  Even though I'm on the tall side, my original changes of lengthening the bodice top was too much, so I ended up adding the most length to the center front, and not much at all on the back and sides. 

At first, I wasn't sure if I would even make the jacket in this book.  But, one day after looking at the different versions of the jacket, a brainstorm came to me for a collar.  I did not have any denim pieces large enough to cut out the entire collar, so this is what resulted:

There are a variety of shades and textures of denim and I really like how it looks.  I've also sketched out something similar for cuffs.  Now, just to do them. 

And to find the right khaki color fabric for the main part of the jacket.

And to make a muslin.

And to decide if I want to line it or not.

And to find the time.  Sewing fun time is really limited this school year.  With all the projects I currently have going on or have planned, I need to prioritize what I really want to finish first.   

Sew many decisions, sew little time.  

   

      

 

Remembering Veterans...

...past, present, and future. 

 

Reconstructed Tee Neckline

No tutorial today, and not even a second picture of another tee that I did just like this.  Just taking photos seems like a chore these days, because most of my "spare" time at night and on weekends is spent on my day job.  OK, complaining is over.

This was a man's tee.  You know the kind.  The ones that are made for men and look like a sack on girls.  I cut off the sleeves, some length from the bottom, then cut the tee up both sides.  From a fitted tee that fits me well, I made a sleeve template, so that the sleeve is more like a set in sleeve.  Side seams were determined from my own particular curves and I figured out where I wanted the sleeves to set on my shoulders.  I sewed the sleeves on, then the side seams, and hemmed.

From the tube of fabric that was cut off of the bottom, I folded it in half and gathered.  I cut the neckline to where I wanted it to be.  The gathered ruffle was sewn onto the neckline.  I made my own narrow bias tape and used that for the embellishment on the neckline.  Voila!  Man's shirt turned girl's shirt.

Easy Fabric Flower Tutorial

Last week was Spirit Week at my school.  I took advantage of Crazy Hat Day so that I could "dress down" on Thursday.  This is the flower that I made that morning, so you know it did not take very long at all!

Materials: 

Main Fabric: 3" x 24"

Contrasting Fabric: scrap size to cover button

Iron-on Interfacing: scrap size to cover button

Button to cover

Thread

Needle

Sewing Machine: You could do this by hand, but I have a sewing machine & know how to use it.

Buckeye Necklace:  Doesn't everyone have one?!  OK, you don't actually need this.

1.  Grumble because you have to wind a new bobbin. 

2.  Wonder why you're grumbling, since you have a great machine that makes step #1 easy.

3.  With right sides together, sew the short sides of the main fabric.  I used 1/4" seam allowance.  Size  

     doesn't matter on this.

4.  Press open seam, then press fabric tube in half, wrong sides together.

5.  Set machine to basting stitch.

6.  Beginning about 1/2" before the seam, sew one row of basting stitches all the way around.

  7.  Sew a second row of basting stitches all the way around.

8.  Pull up the bobbin stitches that do not go over the seam, and begin to gather.

  9.  Gather entire length as tightly as you can.
10.  Pick up bobbin threads from basting that goes over the seam.  Gather as much as you can.

11.  Pull both sides of bobbin threads tight, and tie into a knot to secure.

12.  Smoosh (technical term) potential flower in half and begin hand stitching together in the seam allowance.

13.  Rotate flower 90 degrees and sew seam allowances tight.

14.  Continue to rotate flower and hand baste, forming a tight center.

16.  See step 15.

17.  Continue until you are happy with the shape of the flower.

18.  Sew button onto center of flower.

19.  Use an advanced technilogical invention to attach flower to item.

20.  Admire completed project that coordinates with reconstructed t-shirt.
21.  Get dressed for the big game.

22.  Text sister who just had carpal tunnel surgery and can't do anything with her hands.

23.  Check dog's wardrobe and dress her for the big game.  Decline the penalty of washing her collar.

24.  Laugh at DH's shirt for the big game.  It's a tie-dye that he didn't do, and it's even the wrong sport. 

GO BUCKS!

Sister Sister Sunday