January Sewing Plans

Another new post over at the new blog. Go visit.

Re-Located!

I've made a little switch! Come visit my new space over at GirlFighter.net!

A League of My Own!

I did it! I finished my Halloween Costume!!! 

That's right! I'm Kit! The spunky pitcher and little sister from A League of Their Own. It was only after I ordered my peach fabric that I realized they were selling this costume on all the Sexy (ANY NOUN HERE) Costume sites. But can we all agree, that Homemade Halloween trumps all? I'm taking pride in my costume this year and am hoping it's the first in my grown up dress up collection!


Little tid-bits and facts on construction. I used Simplicity 1880, and modified the front bodice for the asymmetrical closure up the front. I definitely winged the alterations so I have absolutely no technical anything for you here. No other changes were made. I love the cap sleeves! They're perfect and adorable. I'm not a fan of how the skirt lies though. I think for future, everyday dress, versions, I'll probably get rid of the front seam.

For the rest of the accessories, I spent Halloween Eve (or Mischief Night where I come from!) going from store to store in search of red socks, hat and belt. I went to 5, yes 5 stores before I (somewhat) found what I was looking for. Red socks, compliments of Target's clearance end cap! Red Belt from ribbon found at Michael's! And also from Michael's, a pink hat mixed with the red spray paint from the Marquee Sign! The Patches were both freehand copies with Puff Paint done late last night, and hot glued on just before I ran out the door for work.




Speaking of work. Here's a group shot at our Pot Luck Lunch. Can you see me? Yeah... Let's put the short person, with the awesome homemade costume in the very back... that's a good idea!

Anyway... HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

BOO-berry Pie!

Here are my latest completed designs. They both feel unfinished to me though, probably because I prepped so much to make them, and then rushed to digitize them. No balance in life right now, BOOOOO!!!! 

Anyway, the concept of this was Paisley Ghosts. I was trying to give them a bit of a lacy look to them, but I feel the lines and shapes got a bit heavy here and there. A few of the ghosts are my absolute best friends and were so damn cooperative with me. Some of the others well, immortal enemies! I tried kept the colors in line with the pie bunting, a little bit of a fall feel to it. There are a few more in the works and I can't wait til I have the time to complete them!

Side note, I don't know if it's me not being able to step away and call something finished, or if this is a legitimate worry... But I often feel that there's just one thing missing each time I finish a design. It's so rare for me to step away from any project thinking "This is perfect! There is absolutely nothing to add or change." Maybe I do need to slow down, and take more time. Maybe there are things to add... but what? I need to start adding in time to get some feedback. But first, I need to find people to give it!

Craft Fast

I've unfortunately found myself in an unplanned Craft Fast. Since finishing the Mini Marquee lights I haven't had a free moment for any of my projects and it's driving me absolutely crazy!!! After this Sunday, life should give me a little breather. I have a long list of things to fill it with.

1. Halloween!!! I need to make my costume and I want to decorate the apartment inside and out. I've found some absolutely amazing tutorials! This is my first year with a front yard since I lived with my parents! I MUST MAKE A GRAVEYARD!!! ABSOLUTELY HAVE TOO!

2. Bumper Car skirt! The last bit of exciting fabric in my stash and I finally have a pattern for it. Monday night I made my way to Joann's Fabric and picked up a few more simplicity patterns! They had their 5 for $5 sale and I love them for it! Starting tomorrow, Butterick Patterns go on sale, 5 for $7, so I may need to swing by again. My pattern arsenal is practically complete. I've managed to get all the basics I could want. 

3. Trip to the loft! I completed so many projects this month. Hooray for new clothes! Boo for lack of fabric!!! I have specific ideas this time, so I plan on wandering around the fashion district next weekend and getting some goodies!

4. Design time. I have a whole bunch of new fabric designs in the works. I just need to sit down and finish them. I thought I'd challenge myself to make an actual, cohesive collection of designs. My goal is to have 4-5 unique designs, in multiple colors, done in time for the Ghost's context next week. Wish me luck!

5. Last but not least... I had a failed gift for my boyfriends birthday. There will be a whole write up on that. Big fail to McCall's for shitty directions. And shame on me for not catching it right away.

Just a few more days til there's time for me again!!! Hurry up weekend! I want my freedom back!!!

All Lit Up!

My man's birthday is next weekend. While he was outta town this weekend, I got to work. I used Oh, Happy Day's Marquee light tutorial as a foundation of the project. He has his own business and little workshop so I thought some DIY signage would be adorable... I mean MANLY!

Little changes, I made the letters out of foam board, and hot glue to attach the card stock edges. The result was a crazy sturdy letter... And some pretty gnarly blisters. Seriously! I didn't think it totally through. Using a thicker board means that much more work to cut it out. Looks amazing though!!

I used a cranberry red spray paint with a very light bronze sparkly top coat. It took almost as long to get all the light bulbs popped in as it did to cut out the letters. I recommend noting the length of wire between each bulb when mapping out the holes for the letters. So glad I did that!!! My light strand had only 2" between the bulbs. It's really not a lot to work with. Untwist the strand as much as possible before you get started. Just another friendly lesson from someone who learned the hard way.

I love this project so much! I want to make one for myself! And then one for my apartment! I may make up a whole bench of letters so I can put them on a shelf and change the words around whenever I feel like it. How cool would that be?

Completed Pillows!

I took pictures of the pillows with my non-camera phone, aka camera! Thought I'd document them in all their glory! Look at all the pretty colors!

Blurry Pixel Pinstripe Complete! Simplicity 1803

I need to get more professional with my picture taking... which means, I need to take advantages of my weekends! No more nighttime or iPhone photo shoots. They are not paying off. Here's a blurry photo of my throw pillows:

I just need to stitch up the fluff holes, yes I'm pretty sure that's the technical term for it. There's plenty of extra fabric for more pillows. I've been scouring Pinterest for more ideas. Pretty sure this flower pillow is an absolute must! I'm thinking a big yellow flower on the blue chevron fabric. Or blue on the yellow? Or yellow on the flamingo?! SO MANY CHOICES! 

And here is a blurry photo of my Pinstripe Dress:

It's probably a good thing that last one is blurry. Just like all of grade school photos, my hair is ALWAYS a mess on photo days. Such a shame... every other day this week my hair actually looked good. Shame on me. 

I used Simplicity 1803 again, but this time view B. I removed the front center seam and cut the front bodice piece on the fold. Why do they have a seam down the middle? Isn't that strange? Anyway,  the only other change I made was chopping off a good 6+ inches from the skirt. It lands just above the knee, my favorite length.

Stars, Flamingos, and Bunnies!

The goal of this week is to have a more successful one than last! I feel like I'm off to a pleasant start. I've completed my pinstripe dress, it's quirky and cute. It's sure to be come my staple work dress. I plan on wearing it to the office Friday to finish the week off strong, I'll have my coworkers do a photo shoot with me!

I was having a hard time finding inspiration for the Constellations contest for Spoonflower. It's been a few months now that I've entered every single contest, and I was getting bummed at the thought of breaking that streak. FINALLY, an idea hit me and I was able to knock it out last night. Submitted it at the final second last night! Pshew!!! I think I get a little high when I finish a design and I'm proud of it. It's that extra boost of energy I need through the week.

On the cutting table... I got the most adorable fabric on sale the other week from Fabric.com. See! Adorable! 

My more adventurous little bunny, Rambo, tore up a few pillows on our couch months back. In reality, he just gave me a reason to replace those BLAH throw pillows. Thank you Rambo Bunny! It's also going to help make our apartment feel more like home, and add some color without having to paint. Hoping to have pictures to post tomorrow. But for now, I'll leave you with Rambo giving me the stink eye!

Disaster Week

This has been a frustrating craft week. I have diligently been trying to complete my sewing projects and nothing seems to be going right! 

It started with my pencil case design. I knew it was going to be difficult, sewing circles always makes me a little crazy... I should have stopped about an hour in. I should have taken a break. I should have relaxed and gone back to it with a fresh mind. I SHOULD all over myself. I ended up spending hours on this little pencil tube. It looks like a half-ass job. I called my mom the next day and she talked me down off the ledge and explained to me the proper way to go about this. I'm just not ready to go back there yet, but when I do, there will be pictures and a write up of Mom's way of doing things. (She's so smart).
  

In attempt to shake off that failed project, I moved on to the next catastrophe. I am working on my dress for the Fall for Cotton Sew Along. It's such a simple pattern, it'd be impossible for me to screw it up! Or so I thought... While I thought I had been careful and precise with my pattern alterations, I had not read all of the measurements correctly. As I tried on the dress for the first time, I quickly realized I had a big issue... my belly! I didn't alter the pattern enough for my boxy torso. So I have two options... Work out more and go on a diet, or alter the dress. I prefer the later :). It may take a while to lose 4" off my waist!. My plan is to make a little rectangle panel for the front waist. I figure I can do 2 buttons on each side and make it look like it was supposed to be there all along. Fingers crossed! I REALLY want to wear this dress. I have high hopes for this to be my new favorite.

Final disaster... and the biggest disappointment of them all... my Pixel Pinstripe dress. I learned my lesson a while back to always wash my fabric before cutting. Welp, I did that with my custom printed cotton from Spoonflower. The colors did not hold up as well as I would have hoped. It faded quite a bit, the fabric now has a greyish blue hue, not my original intention of a dark navy. Another lesson learned! Also, I didn't realize how much fabric I'd be losing to the increased salvages of custom printed fabric. That's probably my bad. I definitely didn't think about it when I ordered it. I was already trying to squeeze as much out of as little fabric as I could. Again, my bad. I was able to get all the pieces cut in my fabric, but there wasn't nearly enough to match the stripes. So I currently have this weird thing happening where random pieces are matching up completely on their own and others are way off, making the dress look asymmetrical. This may end up being something only I notice, but it's driving me batty right now! My backup plan here is to do a white top stitch over all the seams to break it up a little more and add a little extra flare. If nothing else, it may make me feel better about it all.

The goal here is to always end on an upbeat! So here's to hoping today ends my losing streak. Tonight is my last chunk of free time for the week so I plan on taking full advantage of it. I want to wear my new clothes!!!! UGH! These piles of unfinished goodies are taunting me. 

Lessons learned:

1. When in doubt, call mom.
2. Always make a muslin, no matter how simple the pattern looks.
3. Measure twice cut once... DUH!
4. Be prepared for fading on custom fabric (Avoid printing black!)
5. Always always always always order extra fabric. It's worth the extra $!

Adobe Kuler!!!

Life has certainly gotten a little out of control. Ever since the Friday before Labor Day, I feel like I've been going non-stop. Between work, skating, my boyfriend, and my side projects, well, very little sleep has been happening. Way to much has happened to write about it all, so quick post on my quick Kuler Project.

Spoonflower's contest this week is to use the Adobe Kuler App to choose a color theme. This is my new favorite app. I assume I will be using it ALL the time to pick colors!!! So much fun. I grabbed an old photo I took of Mayan Dancers at Lucha VaVoom a year ago. (If you live in one of the Cities where this happens, GO TO IT!) The colors were so vibrant I just couldn't resist. I kept the design simple, partially due to my own time constraints, and also to challenge myself to find balance with simple geometric shapes. Happy with the outcome! Let me know what you think.

I will CUT you!

Despite the heat, Labor Day weekend proved to be mighty productive for my crafting! An early dismissal from work gave me enough time to run to Jo-Ann's with a friend and pick up a few patterns and cone thread on sale for dirt cheap. Slowly but surely, I'm building up my arsenal of patterns. The purchase I'm most excited about is McCall's M6044. It's a simple men's shirt pattern, which looks perfect for my man. He's ridiculously picky about his shirts so if i can find the perfect pattern, and grab his favorite fabrics on sale... well, avoiding shopping for shirts will save a world of headache! Only thing left to get is a pearl snaps tool!

Saturday morning I kept the momentum going and headed downtown to The Loft. Grabbed a pile of fabric for $2.50 a pound!!! It's hit or miss, but this trip was definitely a hit! I found cotton plaids, spandex sparklies, thermal knits, stretch denim, lace, and flannel... pretty much, you name it, I grabbed it! I walked out of there paying only $20 and enough fabric for over 10 projects. I did the math for cost per yard, and it ended up being something ridiculous like $1 per yard of fabric. That place is my all time favorite. If you live in LA and haven't been yet, clear your calendar! It's high time you made the pilgrimage. 

The rest of the weekend I squeezed in cutting time between party time! I'm trying something new. I'm cutting out all my planned projects at once. Cutting's my least favorite task so if I can get it out of the way early, I'm hoping it'll pay off with more completed projects in a shorter time frame.

Here's my list of cut and ready to sew projects so far...

-Pixel Pinstripe Dress - Simplicity 1803, view B
-Denim Circle Skirt - Self Drafted (YAY! First attempt!)
-Plaid Retro Wrap Dress - Butterick B4790
-Peach Toile Thermal - Sew U Raglan Pattern (altered)
-Rocket Blue Thermal - Sew U Raglan Pattern
-Flamingo Floozy Tank - Sew U Raglan Pattern (altered)

Seeing it all listed out is exciting! I'm about to have a whole new wardrobe. Sitting on the cutting table I have my Man's pattern in two different fabrics, a flannel for a cute little button up for myself, and some spandex for new shiny workout shorts. Waiting on fabric to make my sister's birthday pajamas! 

I AM A SEWING MACHINE!!! 






*forgot to actually ever post this...was waiting to take pictures...guess pictures will have to wait!

So-So on Sew-Alongs

I've never done one... I keep reading about them and I always doubt myself on being able to keep up with them. Between work, and skating, and my boy-toy, and my other project goals I've set, the idea of adding another project with time restrictions freaks me out a little. However, I think I found one that's theme has peaked my interest, and has a big enough time window for me to feel secure enough jump in on. It's the Fall for Cotton Sew-Along hosted by Lucky Lucille and By Gum, By Golly.



Premise is that the fabric needs to be 100% cotton and the finished product needs to be a vintage look. From the sound of it, it can be either a vintage pattern, repro vintage pattern, or turn a modern pattern into a vintage look. Sounds easy enough to me! I've had my eye on one of the Butterick reproduction vintage patterns, B4790, and I believe it's on sale at Joanne's right now. I guess it's time go pick it up. I've seen a version of it in gingham that I loved. But a fun, ditsy floral could be adorable too.

Then again... I've already started planning out my Halloween costume and I know this pattern, Butterick B5281, would work for it. Yes! That's right! A Rockford Peach! Shorten the skirt, add a collar, buttons, and a Baseball Bat... Bing Bang Boom! Maybe this is the perfect time to make it. Plus, I feel like a cute little peach dress would easily become a staple in my wardrobe. Note to self, patches must be removable!

 

I guess it's time to start fabric shopping!!!

Dino-mite!

The upcoming Dinosaur themed contest has turned into quite a nostalgic project for me! The dinos... the characters... the colors... makes me want to pop on Nickelodeon or something. If these rockin' little T-Rex's ever got their own show, I'd watch it... just sayin!

I'd say I'm about a quarter of the way through, still so much work to do! I sketched out all the characters on paper and am using my tablet to turn them into vectors in Illustrator. That's right! Figured out the basics of how to use my Splash!!! It's saving me piles of time, but I'm sure I have MUCH more to learn. Here's where I am currently...

(Apologies for the poor quality shot... snapped a pic with my phone on the way out the door this morning.)

Half the band is complete! Still a few more guys to go. I have a few different ideas for the background ranging from super simple to preeeeetttyyy complicated. Leaning towards the more complicated plan but not sure if there'll be time this week. I may have to give up sleep!

Designing on an empty stomach!

Putting together my Dim Sum design made my stomach growl!!! I really should have eaten before sitting down at my computer. I have a tendency to either completely lose track of time, or I'm too stubborn to step away from my work until it's done. Today was a subtle mix of both. ORDER UP ON THE DIM SUM!!! It's ready to go! 

Like with the hangers, I was trying to add in some retro elements, like the large repeating dots, shapes being slightly askew to add depth, and simple geometric shapes. I'm pretty sure it's successful in portraying Dim Sum... still haven't gone out to try it. Maybe next date night. 

Guess what came in this week!!! That's right! My Pixel Pinstripe and all my samples! SOOO VERY EXCITED! Looks great! Can't wait to wear it as a dress! 

I feel like it was a pretty smart move to pick up a color guide swatch. It's already proving itself useful for the upcoming Dino design. That's next on my to-do list! My handsome boyfriend bought me a Wacom Tablet way back at Christmas. I've fiddled around with it some, but really don't know the first thing about how to use it. Promised him that this time around, I'm gonna design with it. Fingers crossed! I'm nervous I'm gonna get frustrated again and go back to drawing with the mouse. Talk about tedious!!! If anyone out there has any advice, I'd love some right about now.

Nom Nom Pencil Case

Here's to hoping I did my math right and used my words right! Uploaded my design tonight. So tired... and want cookies so bad! NOM NOM NOM!!!

I will say though, it was a headache trying to get it to upload properly. It wasn't recognizing the background. I'm sure it's a simple solution that I just can't find due to fried brain issues. 

WELL! Still more work to be done tonight... and it's not fun stuff. BOOOOO!!! HISSSSSSS!!!

CRAFTERNOON

The Super Secret Craft Time Society was a huge success. We had our first Crafteroon brunch at my place this weekend. There were piles of Sublime Stitching patterns to choose from, all the colors of the rainbow in embroidery floss, and a starter hoop for everyone to add to their craft collection. 

There were several in the group that had never tried embroidery and were worried about the complexity of it. It didn't take long for all fears to subside. Almost everyone left with a completed design! 

So glad everyone was able to make it, and even happier they all had fun. While I was in charge of craft supplies, they were all instructed to bring snacks and drinks. They filled the table with pastries, pastas, and premixed bottles of Mimosas! I didn't even know that was a thing! Yes, lazy way out... but perfect for picnics and beach trips. VERY good to know. 

On a fabric/designing note... Finished my first cut and sew pattern! I found the hardest part writing the instructions. I could easily show someone how to do it, but words are hard! I don't know if it's simple enough or overly simple... am I missing steps... is it even going to work?! I guess time will tell! I'll have to try it out for sure!

Also, my order finally shipped with all my samples and my pixel pinstripe design! There's finally more than one design in my shop. YAY! It's not empty any more!!! So while I wait for the arrival of all my goodies, I'll cut out all my pattern pieces and set up my sewing area. Can't wait!

Win Some, Lose Some...

They can't all be winners, and that's 100% okay in my book. My Fireflies placed somewhere in the middle of all the entries. There were some AMAZING designs. A bunch left me wondering, "Why didn't I think of that?" So kudos to them. I'm staying busy, and keeping on track with my goal of producing one design per week. My Cut & Sew pencil case is sketched and planned out, just have to get to work on turning it into a real thing! This is my first time attempting anything like this. Gotta admit, a little scared and excited to see if I can do it. 

Also took a look ahead at the Dim Sum color palette... LOVE. I've never had Dim Sum, I might need to go experience it before I work out a design. The reality is, I'll use any excuse I can to eat... ohm nom nom!!!

Tomorrow is the first meeting of the Super Secret Craft Time Society! Very excited!!! We'll be stitching and bitching as we sip on mimosas! Pictures will most definitely follow.

SomeBUNNY's Birthday

Today is Rambo Bunny's birthday! I got an email from the woman who helped me foster, and later adopt this cute little guy, reminding me that today was the day. So he got himself a little hat and some carrots to celebrate! The little monster is 1 year old!

We brought him home as foster December last year. I convinced my boyfriend it was just a temporary thing, but in reality I planned on keeping him the whole time! Once our little Punchy fell in love, there was no way we could ever pry the two apart. The two of them are inseparable and spend all day grooming and snuggling each other.

We love these little buns! Happy birthday Rambo Bunny!

Simplicity 1803: My Own Modcloth!

A while back I found the website Make This Look and fell in love with the idea. I used to spend so much time lusting over the dresses I couldn't afford, never stopping to think... "Wait... I know how to sew. I could make that!." I was practically raised next to a sewing machine, sewing is in my blood! (My mom is an incredibly talented woman and has made some of the most gorgeous window treatments the world has ever seen.)

I found my first project to make about a month ago. I saw the Soft Serve dress on ModCloth, found the the SAME PRINT (whoa!) in purple on Fabric.com (it was on sale AND had a 30% off coupon!), and already had Simplicity 1803 sitting in my pattern bin at home! I knew I had to go for it!
The pattern came together pretty quickly. I learned my lesson from the last dress I made, as well as reviews from LLadybird's Post here, and took the time to test the ease with a muslin. I'm so glad I did, because this pattern also had 4" of ease built into my size. It would have been far too much! Made a few tiny changes in the bodice and it fits perfectly. This is probably the most comfortable dress in my closet now... aaaaand the cutest too! 


I ordered my Pin Stripe design from SpoonFlower and waiting for it to arrive. I think I'll do the same pattern but in View B with short sleeves. Anxiously waiting!!!

Side note: Has anyone out there ever used the paid app for SewingKit? Trying to find a way to keep my pattern info on my person, wondering if its worth it...