These Shorts Measure Up!

Today I finished my final project for the Colette Spring/Summer Challenge! Originally I planned to make a Colette Beignet skirt with a beautiful teal wool. Then it got really hot and summery outside and I decided to make my first pair of Colette Iris shorts!

The shorts are sewing themed. I bought the fabric at my favorite fabric store, Home Ec. in Iowa City. I decided to add the wide ric-rac at the waistband, as part of my ode to sewing :D  

I positioned the ric-rac and basted it on, before sewing the waistband to the shorts

The pocket fabric is from a vintage pillowcase!

I wore the shorts on a hike at the Mines of Spain park in Dubuque. What a beautiful backdrop for a beautiful pair of  shorts!

Pretty wildflowers

Next on my sewing table

This week I bought the Violet shirt pattern from Colette patterns. I want to make a shirt to match my Sew Shorts! I'm thinking white with a black collar.

Neon Sencha!

Today I wore one of my versions of the Colette Sencha blouse, and I wondered, why have I never blogged this?

I actually made this one several months ago from some of my favorite fabric in my stash. It turned out too big, but since I used some of my favorite fabric I decided to make the most of it. I folded the fabric over itself in the back and sewed it up. It isn't the prettiest from the back - but I like wearing cardigans anyway :D

I thrifted this fabric from a second hand shop in Iowa City. I love the pattern!

The back has matching fabric covered buttons

Please ignore the wrinkles. It was 100 degrees today in Iowa, too too too hot to iron!

Oh no! Sooo many wrinkles!

Out on the town! Apparently the fabric glows. 

Next on my sewing table....

To finish the Colette Spring Palette Challenge I was suppose to make a skirt. The fabric I picked out is a beautiful blue wool, but it is way too hot for wool. I am in the mood to make some shorts, so the skirt is going on the back burner for a little while.

The Colette Iris pattern

Last weekend my friend Jessica and I had a craft day, and started cutting out pattern pieces for the Colette Iris pattern. I made a practice pair, and they were a little snug so now I need to re-cut pattern pieces in a size 6. I bought the coolest fabric at Home Ec.  The fabric has a tape measure pattern and the shorts are going to be sewing themed! I'm really excited. Jessica bought some really cool upholstery fabric with great texture. When we get done, I will have to post a picture of the two of us.

BFA Postcard Design

Wow! This summer is flying by already, and technically it hasn't started yet. Life has been busy, so I'm sharing something I put together back in April.

My great friend, Emily Schaum, had an art show displaying the amazing work she created during her BFA program. She specializes in metal-smithing, and her show also displayed some prints.  Emily did a beautiful job! Emily asked me to design an announcement postcard with clockwork and mechanical elements. This is what I put together!

Front of postcard

Back of postcard

And here are some pictures from her show.  I think the postcard matched well!

Jeanette and I enjoying the show. I am wearing a Colette Jasmine blouse!

Blue Peony: Colette Spring Palette Challenge #2

Pattern Completion #2 for the Spring Challenge!

It has really been a busy few weeks. I had my sister's graduation, Mother's Day, my first paid musical gig, and I started taking an HTML class. In my free time, I've been sewing up a storm. I made two more elephant pin cushions for my grandmothers, worked on a shirt for my older sister, and finally finished my very blue Peony dress from Colette Patterns.

I had a lot of fun with this one, and I love the outcome. The top is an embroidered thin cotton material and as you see, I used denim for the skirt. The dress is embellished with some pretty blue trim that I hand stiched on and sewed into the back zipper-seam.

I really wanted this Peony to be nice, so I made sure to finish all my inside seams. I used french seams and lace bound seams.

Stitchin' the trim!

I really love how the trim looks, but in the future I may need to figure out a different way to set it up. Having it sewn into the seam of the zipper makes it really difficult to close the zipper. I have to tug a lot and it finally zips up, but I'm worried the zipper may eventually break from stress. I'm not sure yet, what I could do differently.

As difficult as it is to zipper up, the trim does look nice sewn into the seam.

Pocket shot! Same fabric I used for my Mom's Peony.

This Spring Palette Challenge has been really great for me so far. It was so fun to make the mood board and plan my colors. It has also been great motivation to keep sewing and sewing. Up next will be the Colette Beignet pattern. It is a beautiful high wasted skirt pattern. I wanted to do the skirt in kind of a goldenrod-yellow corduroy, but I haven't been able to find any. I have some really nice blue woolish sort of fabric in my stash - so I think I will use that. More blue! I'm a bit nervous because the pattern is for intermediate skill leveled sewers, but I'm ready to give it my all. Bring it on Beignet!

Elephant Pincushion Time! Spring Palette Challenge #1

Elli!

I completed the first pattern of my Spring Palette Challenge!

And what a joy this little elephant was to make. I used the Effie & Ollie pattern from Heather Bailey to make this sweet little guy. It was super easy and quick to follow. I am soo used to cutting out clothes - where the pattern pieces are really big. Who knew making a mini-thing would take so much less time? I got the little guy done in one afternoon!

Here are a few pics of the process:

I like to trace my patterns, especially with clothing, then I can go back to the original pattern and make different sizes.

The ear gets sewn in between the head and body pieces.

The trickiest part was sewing the second side of his body together.

My Fiance holding the empty (skinny) elephant!

After choosing the right button-eyes he was done!

This elephant was so fun to make! I was smiling every minute, because it is just so darn cute. The examples on the pattern have felt flowers and stars sewn on - I definitely want to make some like that too!

This first elephant is a Mother's Day gift for my Mom. She is a quilter/ wool mitten-maker and I think she will love it. Eventually I want to make a pincushion for each of my grandmothers - and of course one for me!

And what a cute little tail!

I already started cutting fabric for my second project of the challenge, a very-blue Peony dress from Colette Patterns. I am making the bodice in a light-blue embroidered cotton and the skirt in dark-blue denim. I also bought some pretty blue trim for around the waist and maybe the neckline!

Spring Palette Challenge 2012!

For the next several weeks, I will be participating in Colette Pattern's Spring Palette Challenge. This is my first palette challenge, so I'm trying to keep it manageable.  I was a little behind on my mood board (some people have finished their first garments), but I love how it turned out. Working on the mood board really helped me to narrow down my color and style choices. I love how fresh and bright blue and yellow look together, and I guess I was feeling the primary colors because I was really drawn to the  barn-red accessories. So here is a run-down of my plan for the challenge.

1. I bought an adorable Heather Bailey pincushion pattern at Home Ec. in Iowa City. My mother is a quilter/ fashionable mitten maker and she is constantly sewing. I want to make her and each of my grandmothers one of these sweet little elephants for Mother's Day. She also loves antiques, so I want to find some pretty antique jewelry and pin it to the elephant! It should be really cute.

2. For my second round, I will be making a Peony dress. For the bodice I have some light blue fabric with with white embroidery in my stash, and I plan to do the skirt in a dark denim. A few weeks ago, I saw some light blue velvet ribbon and I might make some embellishments with that. The pattern has a boat-neck top and I want to try to make it a slight scoop-neck. I've never altered a pattern before, but I think it will be fun. It will be pretty, summery and easy to dress down or up.

3. Finally I want to make the beignet skirt in a cornflower yellow. I think I might do a lightweight corduroy, but I haven't totally made up my mind. It's number 3 - I have some time :)

Good luck to everyone else working on the challenge. I can't wait to see everyone's work! Stay tuned for the adorable elephant!

The fun has arrived!

She's here!

After much anticipation my new dress form arrived (a few weeks ago)! I started using it right away on the Colette Peony dress for my mom. It was a great relief to know the dress would fit, and it was soo nice to use for  hemming. I used to have my sweet fiance help me with hems, so Old Blue is putting him out of a job. 

We've gotten pretty close :)

My dressform is a Dritz Double Deluxe. To be honest I think they were pretty generous with the term "deluxe." It seems pretty cheaply made - cheap plastic dials and such, but it works well so far. I found it on Overstock for half the price Joanne Fabrics was selling it for, so I got a really good deal. I think it will be a great starter dressform for me. I'm happy to have it!

Sewin' Time!

Now I should be able to make my family and friends garments that fit! Yippee!