Archive for July 2011

Wednesday Wants

5:22 PM 4 Comments A+ a-

I want

this closet,



no wait, this closet,



and these shoes to go in it,



this outfit,



and this outfit,



to go here,

Source: bing.com via Forrest on Pinterest




to live here,

Source: None via Forrest on Pinterest



to drink this,



to make this,



and these,



and lastly, I really want a pink door...



Can't wait until tomorrow, one week until the boyfriend gets home and the start of Project Runway! Are we all tuning in?

Until tomorrow...

Assembly Line Skirts

10:22 AM 4 Comments A+ a-

First of all, thanks so much for all the sweet birthday comments! It was an excellent birthday, so thanks for being a part of it!
Secondly, After my successful denim pencil skirt, I have been on a pencil skirt making craze! I've been using McCalls 6038, which is a simple, quick pattern that I highly recommend. These skirts were made with different quilting cottons from JoAnns and lined with muslin. I used Dib's Assembly line technique for cutting the skirts and lining. I took this picture to demonstrate the layering of the fabric, plus my new favorite cutting aid, clothes pins. However, the cat had to get involved... But back to the clothespins, so useful for keeping fabric taut and on grain by attaching the fabric to the cutting mat! I first started using them for a really slippery jersey but they worked great for the layers I was cutting for the skirts too.
The denim skirt took around an hour altogether but these skirts took significantly longer due to the lining. Also, when I made the denim skirt, I cut an 8 but found it a little baggy in the hips. Also, it spun around a little as a sat, which makes me crazy! I figured I could shrink the denim in hot water but I decided to cut the cotton skirts in a 6 to avoid the problem. Now I find them a little tight... I guess it will be motivation to lose the 5 lbs I've gained this summer! Also, a couple more projects like this and I will be so ready for the next Me Made or Self Stitched!
This is my last day of my epic 5 day birthday weekend so I'm heading over to the boyfriend's empty house to watch DVR'd episodes of True Blood and cut out a mountain of projects for the next few weeks.
Have a great Tuesday!

Obligatory Birthday Post

10:48 AM 5 Comments A+ a-





Today is my 24th birthday. I do not feel older until I realize that next year I will be 25, which for some reason seems old. Not old in the scheme of my life, but old like "now I have to be an adult". Which is funny because I am an adult. I live by myself, pay all my own bills, have a good, adult job, etc, but somehow 25 seems like time to start thinking about adult things like marriage, babies, buying a house, not eating cupcakes for breakfast and spending 20 minutes a day re-painting my nails.... I guess I have a year to worry about it!

Anyway, just some birthday musings for ya on this Monday morning ;)

For the past few years I have made a list goals to completed in the year between my birthdays. 23 by 23 went pretty well, but 24 by 24 was rubbish, so I'm hoping I'll get all 25 by 25 finished in the next year. Here's the list so far (it's subject to change in the first month or so). Maybe by putting it on my blog I'll be more accountable? Probably not, but it's worth a shot...

25 X 25

1. Read 25 books
2. Watch 25 movies from AFI's Top 100
3. Sew 25 articles of clothing for myself
4. Sew 5 things for other people (or animals)
5. Make a Lady Grey coat
6. Learn how to knit or crochet
7. Create a plan for saving and paying down debt and stick to it!
8. Save a $1,000 for a rainy day
9. Figure out my career goals for the next few years
10. Join a Sunday school class/small group/etc.
11. Empty out my "filing" box
12. Decorate my kitchen
13. Take a trip
14. Go see a Spurs game
15. Go through and recycle magazines
16. Donate 25 pieces of clothing/shoes/etc.
17. Find my perfect foundation
18. Find my perfect shade of red lipstick
19. Find a new hairstyle
20. Learn to curl my hair with my GHD straightener
21. Bake someone a birthday cake
22. Find a healthy muffin/bread recipe that I love
23. Learn to make really good broccoli and cheese soup
24. Buy a nice camera
25. Buy myself a nice piece of jewelry

I'm off today so I'm finishing up several sewing projects that I'll post later today and this week!

Also, saw Harry Potter with the parents for my birthday on Friday. It's come out around my birthday every year for the past few years so this has been sort of a birthday tradition. I sobbed through the whole second half. Don't know what I'll do for my birthday next year!




Happy Monday!

Quirky Findings

4:43 PM 2 Comments A+ a-

I snagged this vintage shirt from the Goodwill bin at work this week.
It's super cute and fits as is, so no alterations which I love!
I especially loved the puff sleeves. When I first picked it up, I thought I felt a shoulder pad sewn in...
but it was actually a tiny ruffle made of tulle! Like a little tutu in my sleeve! So cute! Love quirky little details like this!
Promise I'll have actual sewing projects to show tomorrow. Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

A lovely thought...

3:00 PM 0 Comments A+ a-







Wednesday Wants...

10:11 AM 3 Comments A+ a-

I want...

this outfit,




this trailer,






this hair,





this birthday cake,












or this birthday cake,











to make this dress (maybe in blue?),




this sweet necklace,




and this tent in my bedroom...





Hope you're having an amazing week!

All from Pinterest. You can follow me here...

Baby you're a firework...

8:22 PM 2 Comments A+ a-

Amazingly finished a pencil skirt last night! I used McCalls 6038 which was a dream to sew! I finished it in under two hours including cutting! It's made with a light weight denim from JoAnns and a vintage zipper from an estate sale. My first attempt at a lapped zipper worked out! I have NO natural light in my apartment so sorry for the crazy dark, blurry pic...

Close-up of the lapped zipper...

I'm excited about this pattern working out as I've been really wanting to make several pencil skirts lately! All in all, it was good that I decided to wear a skirt and heels, rather than the pjs I wanted to wear (Mondays aren't my fav) because I ended up on the local news tonight! (I'm at the 47 sec mark)




Happy Monday!

Sunday Night Musings...

10:24 PM 2 Comments A+ a-

-Finally finished the aprons! The two on the left are examples of the 6 I made for the instructors of the pie making class and the one on the right I made to give away as a door prize. They turned out to be very cute and the women receiving them are very excited. Too bad they took WAY longer than anticipated!


-My Sewaholic patterns came in! Trying to decide whether or not to try and get the Lonsdale dress finished for my birthday dinner this weekend or wait until the sewalong...



-In other birthday news, I hit up JoAnns this weekend for a little pre-birthday fabric shopping (not really any different than the fabric shopping I do all year, except I feel less guilty ;). 2 new Simplicity patterns, a blue plaid suiting for $2 a yard (!), a fabulous grey zebra print quilting cotton to make a pencil skirt and a gorgeous floral quilting cotton with cute birds that I hoping to pair with some bright blue fabric from Goodwill to make a version of Shoes and Sewing's Night Bloom knock-off.



-Started watching Gertie's bombshell dress lessons this weekend. I already feel like I'm learning a ton and the lessons are super interesting but making the dress seems like quite the project so I might save it for a few weeks until I'm feeling up to it!

-I do not love the new fall Vogue patterns as much as these ladies...

-I had the pleasure of having my cute 14 year old cousin stay with me this weekend, so I'm amazed that between the movie watching, sleeping late, shopping, face masks and apron sewing that I was able to sew something for myself! More on that tomorrow...

Have a fabulous Monday loves!

Wednesday Wants

5:52 PM 1 Comments A+ a-

I want...

this dress,



this drink,



this closet,




this manicure,

Source: None via Forrest on Pinterest



this outfit,




this baby shirt to give the boyfriend's nephew (so cute!),



rain,



and the boyfriend to come home. Franklin and Bash is not the same without my buddy! 21 days to go...

Also, thanks for all the help with the apron! I think I have it figured out so hopefully I can get them finished soon and move on to pretty clothes!

A is for AHHHHHHHH!

5:40 PM 3 Comments A+ a-

These aprons are taking WAY longer than I thought! First of all, despite my previous delusions, making seven aprons was never going to be fast. Secondly, my machine is trying to sabatoge me by skipping stiches and breaking threads right and left despite changing needles, adjusting tension, etc. Third, I'm having weird gapping issues in the bib of the apron. It will not lay flat! Who knew I would have fitting issues on an apron! I only have one completely finished, the rest are complete except for the red piece on top and the bias tape on the sides, so I can still play with the straps to try to fix this problem, but I'm not totally sure what to do. Thoughts anyone?

So ready to get these done so I can go back to sewing things for me! Speaking of, adding another thing to the list of birthday presents I'm buying myself this year:

A is for Apron

4:20 PM 2 Comments A+ a-


I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled sewing today to work on my first commissioned sewing project! One of my co-workers is a member of a group who plan women's programs at her church. Next weekend they are having a pie making night and my co-worker asked me to make apron's for the six women who planned the event, as well as one apron to give away as a door prize. I'm trying to get the 6 leader's aprons finished for their planning meeting tomorrow night but it's definitely going to be a race to finish! I'm using Butterick 5302 with several quilting cottons from JoAnns. I'm working on them in an assembly line manner and hoping I won't have to stay up all night! Here's what they will look like when all sewn together!


I'm still debating what to do for the door prize apron. Originally I was going to make it out of a completely different fabric from my stash, but after cutting I realized I have enough of the skirt fabric and the blue trim fabric to make another apron. I'm thinking it would be cute to have the bib and skirt in the floral with all blue trim. Something to ponder while ironing endless seams and watching a Harry Potter marathon...

The apron's have definitely been a good project to keep me busy since I dropped the boyfriend off at the airport yesterday for his month long trip. In the 5 years we've dated, he's been out of the country for around 9 months all together, so this definitely isn't new territory for us, but still, it's always hard to be away from the one you love. (sorry for the sap :)
Love these "Keep Calm" posters!

Source: etsy.com via Forrest on Pinterest

Unexpected Progress!

9:37 PM 5 Comments A+ a-

I had some unexpected time to sew yesterday and was actually able to finish two dresses! The first is a dress I started a million years ago and never finished because I had several problems with the construction. I was inspired by last week's Sew Weekly challenge to pull it out of the pile and get it done! It's made with white stretch cotton from JoAnns and Butterick 5314, view C. Finishing this dress was an opportunity to see how much progress I've made in my sewing skills. Some of the things that stumped me on this dress a year ago were super easy to fix now. It's not perfect but it's definitely wearable. Unfortunately, in the process of being stuffed in a corner somewhere for over a year, the dress developed a stain on the upper left bodice, so rather than fret I pinned on a flower and I'm calling it my Carrie dress after the season of Sex and the City where Carrie wore giant flowers on all of her clothes. I should really bring that back...

(PS sorry for the weird faces I'm making in these pictures!)



Secondly, I was able to finally finish the Fabulously 80's dress! I really thought this one was not going to work out for a while, but somehow it magically came together last night. I'm wearing it today and I completely love it! Apparently it's all about tightening the elastic in the waist... Also, I found a use for this weird belt I bought a while back. Score!




Almost Friday my loves!

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