Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Fireworks!
Celebrate America at Huntsman Springs had some of the neatest fireworks I've seen. :) Here are a couple favorites (though after reading Lindsay's post today I will be hauling my tripod to the fireworks tonight and trying out the BULB setting).
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Our Patriotic Outfits
I finished my shirt dress(!!!) a few hours before we left for Celebrate America at Huntsman Springs. I ended up using New Look 6963 for the top, since the diamond darts in the back gave me a better fit. I used Simplicity 1880 for the bottom and had to cut a different size for the front and the back, which required a third trip to Joann's. Luckily they still had the fabric in stock!
Likes: the shape of the back, the collar, the button holes that actually turned out decent, the shape of the skirt, the length, my first zipper! (New Year's Resolution achieved!).
Dislikes: how much looser it is in the front than I thought it would be (but it looks okay with the sash from this dress), the zipper isn't quite invisible but not bad for not having an invisible zipper foot and it being my first try.
Ansley's dress Simplicity 0351a with a circle skirt, just like her Snow White (which, sadly, got a little hole in the skirt. I bet it's been worn at least thirty times though! I will mend the little tear in the cloth and hopefully it won't be super noticeable since it's near the bottom of the circle skirt) and hopscotch dresses. Ansley's hat made using the Oliver + S bucket hat free pattern and Jessica from A Little Gray's method. I cut out the largest size (6-8 years) and it fits over Ansley's pigtails well. I'm not sure if it runs a bit small or if Ansley still has a big head. :) I found it much easier to notch the side fabric before pinning it to the cap. The exterior is a white cotton and the interior is leftover from another one of my circle skirts, which never got officially blogged.
We had a great time (and are so grateful the kind ladies at the tamale booth let me buy food for Ansley when they were shutting down activities in the other field- we were so hungry!) and the fireworks were unlike any I've seen. I also played around with the settings on my camera, hence the color variation. All of the pictures are unedited.
Ansley by the Delorean:
Us:
Cool picture, despite the lens flare.
Tyrone's shadow:
The Tetons:
Fireworks in the next post. . . .
PS Tyrone says he doesn't feel left out that I didn't make him a matching outfit.
Likes: the shape of the back, the collar, the button holes that actually turned out decent, the shape of the skirt, the length, my first zipper! (New Year's Resolution achieved!).
Dislikes: how much looser it is in the front than I thought it would be (but it looks okay with the sash from this dress), the zipper isn't quite invisible but not bad for not having an invisible zipper foot and it being my first try.
Ansley's dress Simplicity 0351a with a circle skirt, just like her Snow White (which, sadly, got a little hole in the skirt. I bet it's been worn at least thirty times though! I will mend the little tear in the cloth and hopefully it won't be super noticeable since it's near the bottom of the circle skirt) and hopscotch dresses. Ansley's hat made using the Oliver + S bucket hat free pattern and Jessica from A Little Gray's method. I cut out the largest size (6-8 years) and it fits over Ansley's pigtails well. I'm not sure if it runs a bit small or if Ansley still has a big head. :) I found it much easier to notch the side fabric before pinning it to the cap. The exterior is a white cotton and the interior is leftover from another one of my circle skirts, which never got officially blogged.
We had a great time (and are so grateful the kind ladies at the tamale booth let me buy food for Ansley when they were shutting down activities in the other field- we were so hungry!) and the fireworks were unlike any I've seen. I also played around with the settings on my camera, hence the color variation. All of the pictures are unedited.
Ansley by the Delorean:
Us:
Cool picture, despite the lens flare.
Tyrone's shadow:
The Tetons:
Fireworks in the next post. . . .
PS Tyrone says he doesn't feel left out that I didn't make him a matching outfit.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Hey!
It finally feels like summer! It's super hot, Ansley loves her wagon, it's light until almost 10 and we're spending less time indoors.
(anyone interested in a potato salad recipe?)
I sewed a non knit shirt for myself and it actually fits. I used the Colette Sorbetto Pattern with the Sleeve by Mena from Sew Weekly. I used an awesome Lisette voile that I got on super clearance for my practice shirt and it's wearable. I added an extra inch to the bottom but wish I had more length. I used bias tape to finish the bottom b/c I didn't want to lose any of the length. Sometimes I think the neckline is a little bit saggy. Maybe I should've stretched the bias tape more? Oh and there's a picture of the burn from making cinnamon rolls. . . . I actually wore it with the red skirt but changed to the green one for a walk in the park.
I'm doing a sew along hosted by Sunni at A Fashionable Stitch. (I just tried to insert the button and only got the image. Pretend it's here).
Here's my muslin. Yes, I sewed the right side on backwards. Oops. I'm not sure this style works for me- the fit in the top, shoulders, and bust is alright, the waist is too small unless I'm standing up and sucking my belly in, and the back is Pirates of the Caribbean billowy. I'm toying with using a pattern for a button down shirt and just adding a skirt. I've been wanting a shirt dress since seeing this one from Shabby Apple and I got the perfect fabric on super clearance; it's just like this one except black and white. Thoughts?
(anyone interested in a potato salad recipe?)
I sewed a non knit shirt for myself and it actually fits. I used the Colette Sorbetto Pattern with the Sleeve by Mena from Sew Weekly. I used an awesome Lisette voile that I got on super clearance for my practice shirt and it's wearable. I added an extra inch to the bottom but wish I had more length. I used bias tape to finish the bottom b/c I didn't want to lose any of the length. Sometimes I think the neckline is a little bit saggy. Maybe I should've stretched the bias tape more? Oh and there's a picture of the burn from making cinnamon rolls. . . . I actually wore it with the red skirt but changed to the green one for a walk in the park.
I'm doing a sew along hosted by Sunni at A Fashionable Stitch. (I just tried to insert the button and only got the image. Pretend it's here).
Here's my muslin. Yes, I sewed the right side on backwards. Oops. I'm not sure this style works for me- the fit in the top, shoulders, and bust is alright, the waist is too small unless I'm standing up and sucking my belly in, and the back is Pirates of the Caribbean billowy. I'm toying with using a pattern for a button down shirt and just adding a skirt. I've been wanting a shirt dress since seeing this one from Shabby Apple and I got the perfect fabric on super clearance; it's just like this one except black and white. Thoughts?
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Shiny Red Biased Skirt
I wasn't going to enter skirt week at Crafterhours until after I tried playing the organ in one of my skirts and couldn't see my feet. (hopefully one day I'll get to where I don't need to look at my feet but that day is a long way off). I rediscovered a blue skirt my sister gave me six years ago and realized it would actually work. It was cut on the bias and I used it as pattern. I made a practice skirt in challis and then went for the slippery stuff.
With my practice skirt I discovered it was very important to cut it exactly. One side turned out perfect and the other was so so, but still wearable with a long shirt.
The fabric was kind of tricky to cut and sew. I used lots of pattern weights (soup cans) cut and sewed really slow. I picked up these clover wonder clips from the store and they're great b/c they don't leave any holes. I had to be careful to not let them stretch the fabric out with their weight though! I used my walking foot for the side seams and I'm almost embarrassed to write this but this is the first time I pressed and steamed the seams to set them and then pressed and steamed the seams open with a very cool iron. (In my defense, the iron is downstairs and Ansley wants to come with me wherever I go so instead of taking 30 seconds, it took 5 minutes each time I had to iron something). I carefully zigzagged the raw edges (wish I had a serger!) b/c it tended to pucker and pull (I tried adjusting the tension both ways and didn't notice a significant difference) and steamed them again. I zigzagged the raw edges at the bottom and waistband, steamed, and folded under twice, since I don't have a rolled hem foot. Repeat steaming and pressing. I carefully stretched the picot trimmed elastic (it would look better with a colored elastic but I didn't have time to dye it and could only find white, since I waited until the last minute) and clipped it a bunch of times. I tried to sew over the first stitch line from turning the waist under twice and I did better in some places than in others.
Enough talk, here's the skirt:
Front
Back
Swishy motion (probably a better choice than all of my circle skirts in this crazy windy place)
Narrow hem close up
Waistband close up
I think I want to make one in linen or chambray next. :) Maybe it will be easier to sew and not slippery on the bench. . . .
With my practice skirt I discovered it was very important to cut it exactly. One side turned out perfect and the other was so so, but still wearable with a long shirt.
The fabric was kind of tricky to cut and sew. I used lots of pattern weights (soup cans) cut and sewed really slow. I picked up these clover wonder clips from the store and they're great b/c they don't leave any holes. I had to be careful to not let them stretch the fabric out with their weight though! I used my walking foot for the side seams and I'm almost embarrassed to write this but this is the first time I pressed and steamed the seams to set them and then pressed and steamed the seams open with a very cool iron. (In my defense, the iron is downstairs and Ansley wants to come with me wherever I go so instead of taking 30 seconds, it took 5 minutes each time I had to iron something). I carefully zigzagged the raw edges (wish I had a serger!) b/c it tended to pucker and pull (I tried adjusting the tension both ways and didn't notice a significant difference) and steamed them again. I zigzagged the raw edges at the bottom and waistband, steamed, and folded under twice, since I don't have a rolled hem foot. Repeat steaming and pressing. I carefully stretched the picot trimmed elastic (it would look better with a colored elastic but I didn't have time to dye it and could only find white, since I waited until the last minute) and clipped it a bunch of times. I tried to sew over the first stitch line from turning the waist under twice and I did better in some places than in others.
Enough talk, here's the skirt:
Front
Back
Swishy motion (probably a better choice than all of my circle skirts in this crazy windy place)
Narrow hem close up
Waistband close up
I think I want to make one in linen or chambray next. :) Maybe it will be easier to sew and not slippery on the bench. . . .
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