Knitting

I’ve been doing a lot of smaller knitting projects lately. I really liked the tie dye effect of this Socks that Rock Yarn on this little t-shirt. The pattern is the Sugar Magnolia Pullover by Laura Spargo Anderson of Foothill Stitches. I made a size 2T.

Another favorite is this tiny little baby knit in Wisconsin Woolen Spun Fingering Weight. The pattern is Babies in Buntings by Susan B. Anderson.

I already bought yarn to make another one. I’m going to give it a go in Quince’s Finch.

I loved Susan B. Anderson’s toy pattern so much that I tried her Christopher Bunny and it did not disappoint. I knit this fellow in Quince’s Chickadee.

And I loved him so much that I had to make his pants, sweater, jacket, and little pocket bunny pal. I even made him a carrot, though it isn’t pictured here.

The Lottie Dress

I knew as soon as I saw this pattern, that I would love it.  I wasn’t disappointed.  It’s the Lottie Dress by Christine Haynes and I sewed mine up in linen from Fabric.com.

This dress is easy to sew up.  It’s so comfortable to wear, but I still feel pretty in it which is the best combination in my book.  The pockets are fabulous.  I made the dress version with 3/4 length sleeves and want to try out the longer version next.

T-Shirt Dress

There has been a sewing drought in my house and I feel like I am just starting to recover.  2015 was a difficult year and though I don’t remember it being a conscious choice to stop sewing, I did choose to spend my free time in other ways.  There has been a lot of knitting and I have been trying to teach myself how to play the piano.

But a few days ago I made a present for a friend’s birthday and that seemed to unstop the dam.  I made her a second present.  And then I made a pair of pajamas for my daughter.  And just yesterday, I made myself a dress.

I used my favorite scoop neck t-shirt pattern and just extended the length to make an acceptable length for a casual dress.  It was easy, is comfortable to wear and for those reasons I expect it will get a lot of rotation in my closet.

Leather Tote

I made this leather tote bag for my sister-in-law based off a designer bag that she loved that was several hundred dollars too expensive.  It turned out so well that I might just have to make myself one next.  I scoured Etsy to find leather pieces that were affordable and then ironed on interfacing to make them more substantial.

The inside is a fun metallic gold chevron that I lined with fusible fleece for stability.  I tried to copy all of the features of the designer bag, so their is a fun zip pocket, key clip, and magnetic closure.

The opposite side has two slip pockets for organization.

I enjoyed making this purse because there were a lot of new features that I had to figure out how to make.  I like projects that test my brain a little bit.  🙂

Casual Lady and Pencil Skirt

Sometimes I get to the weekend and develop an overwhelming urge to make something new to wear to church on Sunday.  That is exactly what happened to me on Saturday morning, and luckily I had some fantastic knits from Girl Charlee on hand.  I used a black and white polka dot knit to try out the Casual Lady pattern by Go To Patterns.  I did the shirt option (obviously) and the fit was true to size.  The neck is finished with facing instead of a band which makes it look a little fancier I think.  The finishing is simple, but that makes it quick to sew up.  I’d like to give the dress option a shot sometime.

The tribal print is a Ponte (also from girl Charlee) and I knew as soon as I saw it that it needed to be a fitted pencil skirt.  Luckily I was able to find a great tutorial from Simple Simon and Co. that was fantastic.  I used their instructions for making a sloper and the fit was so fantastic.  I love, love, love this skirt and will definitely be making more.

 

The Hudson Pant

I have a little back log of sewing posts to put up.  First up is these fabulous Hudson Pants by True Bias.  It’s her first pattern and it’s fabulous.  I love the pockets with the contrasting trim and the ease and fit of the pants is excellence.  I chose to make the cropped version and left off the drawstring for my first pair and I love them.  I wear them all the time and am not afraid to wear them in public.  The little bit of ease written into the pattern means that they aren’t too tight in the rear, making them feel a little more socially acceptable.  I want to make another pair in the full length version for fall.

Circle Skirts for Days

My picture taking has reached new lows.  I didn’t even wait for my hair to dry before snapping my reflection in the dirty mirror in my messy room.  Tis life.  🙂

Oh but the skirt.  A circle skirt!  Why has it taken me so long to give one a try?  Mostly because it takes more material than a simple a-line skirt and my budget for material is tiny.  Now that I’ve tried it though, I don’t know if I can go back.  Circle skirts are so flattering because they flare out slightly and so fun to wear with their swishing and swaying.  Made out of a comfy knit, it’s like being able to wear pajamas out in public.  I felt so fancy and comfortable at church on Sunday.

My skirt was actually the second circle skirt I made last week.  I made one for my daughter first.  I tried snapping a picture before she headed off to school, but there was about zero light so it’s super grainy.  My daughter gets all the credit for thinking up the whole circle skirt idea.  She had bought two skirts while out shopping with a friend and had paid $20 for them, but desperately wanted more.  I used her store bought skirt as a pattern by just folding it into fourths and then cutting it a little longer (I’m her mom after all…)  I made the waist opening about a fourth of her waist measurement and then attached a yoga style waist band.  The whole thing was done in about 15 minutes.  She is already requesting more.  Her t-shirt is out of the same material I used for my recent shirt, but it is a self-drafted pattern that I’ve been working on.  I’ve now made 8 shirts using this pattern.  It’s a cropped tee with raw edges and a wide neck opening.  She loves them.

I used her store-bought skirt as the template for my skirt as well, only I cut it a lot longer and then made the waist opening larger too.  I’m sure I’ll be making more of these skirts soon.

Jammies

I made these cute jammies for my little girl using the Winter PJs pattern from Go To Patterns.  I used the knits I had on hand and altered the pattern to make it appropriate for summer.  They have a separate pattern for summer jammies, but I figured it would be nice to have the option of doing winter ones too.  Doing the alterations was super easy; I just hacked off some length on the pants and sleeves and then left off the cuffs.

Scoop Neck Tee

This is the fourth shirt I’ve made using the tutorial from Skirt As Top.  I can’t help myself.  It’s got such an easy fit and it is quick to sew.  Oh and it’s free!

This time I left the hem and armholes  with a raw edge.  I almost left the neck raw too.  Lately I’ve been really liking the raw edged look and this material seems to scream for it.  It’s a beautiful lightweight knit from Girl Charlee.

Modern Triangle Quilt

I’m so proud of how this quilt turned out.  Is that bad to say?  I used the tutorial from See Kate Sew and a range of grays and creams in beautiful Kona Cottons.  It turned out just how I’d hoped… after quite a battle.

I printed out the template and cut out my pieces and just started sewing figuring that everything would work out.  The pieces all lined up, but then I sewed the rows together and I most definitely did not have triangles.  It wasn’t good.

So I cut out more pieces and played around with things until I finally figured out the problem.

In case you decided to give this pattern a go, the pieces should line up like this.  The tip of the outer corner lines up with the side.  Don’t line up the tip of the nearer corner.

It means that when you start adding more pieces, they overlap at the ends.  It looks like it’s crazy, but that gives you the seam allowance at the tips to make nice triangles.

I promise it really works and the result is great.  I loved the way this quilt looks with the ombre and neutrals.  I’m tempted to make a larger version for my own bed.