I pretty much love this pattern. The bodice is so basic, you can work the fit and then change it 9 ways from Sunday. First here you can see the princess seam version I’m working up with a flared hem.
Angie Pattern from Scientific Seamstress & Sis Boom Patterns
I love this dress. I bought the fabric because it reminded me of my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Livingson, the moment I saw it. Most random thing ever. Anyways. The bottom is a heavier twill, the waistband is like a black quilting cotton, and the top is light broadcloth.
I took the idea of the waist treatment on Sis Boom’s Jamie dress and applied it here, and continued the black around the back. It has pleats on the skirt, and gathers on the neckline. I cut this before I realized I could just take the excess at center front and add it into the dart. Oh well. I think this was the second version of this dress that I cut out so it has a reasonably good fit. I think that next time I’ll make the hem maybe an inch longer. I’m more comfortable with a touch more length.
What have I been up to? Lots of sewing in actuality. Lots of school. Lots of coffee drinking.
I made some curtains from flat sheets from walmart. They were SUPER easy and quick. I made 5 panels for about 20 bucks, in an hour, while photographing the process to do a tutorial on it. Seriously quick.
I bought fabric a year ago to make nice curtains for my whole house, and I got through two rooms. So these provide privacy, and I won’t have to worry about them too much as we paint the living room.
This is one of those tank dresses you’ve seen a hundred times all over the internet. Its a black tank top that came attached to a jacket/cardigan thing I bought. Then I sewed on a yard of this neat fabric that I probably paid a dollar or two for on the Reg Tag table. Its not shiny and satiny on the front, it has a bit of a rough slub to it, but the back is shiny and slippery satin, so it will work with tights in the winter too I think.
I’ve been doing some painting for projects.
Newest addition to the hippo collection. Birthday gift from my momma. I think he’s going to be spray painted silver and hang out in the office.
Before Shots
Aren’t they just lovely?
Then I made a belt to go with the Jaime Dress:
MUCH better with a belt!
I’ve even tried my hand at bread making. The only other time as an adult that I have tried to bake bread or rolls or breadlike items, they have had a strange resemblance to hockey pucks. That’s what happens if you only let it rise half the time. But not this time!
I made a simple elastic waist drindl skirt for a friend’s birthday. Loved this fabric. It was a lightweight voile from that Global something or another line at JoAnn’s.
Well that’s what I’ve been up to sewing wise. I’m trying to get my studio in order and organized so I can move it to a bigger room and shampoo the carpets. Its currently about half way done. School is keeping me super busy. I quit the regularly scheduled sewing job a while ago, it was SO not the right job for me. I’m glad I did that. I’ve got enough freelance work to keep me busy for the next few months, so that’s exciting. As always, my sewing to do list is a hundred times longer than the actual time I have to sew for myself. I find myself anxiously awaiting graduation. I’ve got quite the case of “senioritis” and I think mine is worse than all the kids I go to school with because I’ve been working at it for so much longer than them. This will pass, and I’m trying to enjoy it while its here.
Anyone have an interest in a tutorial for the curtains? Maybe it would be a good thing to increase readership.
After much stewing and being angry, this shirt finally got finished. Its a mixed bag.
Pros:
Everyone always compliments it.
The pin tucks look nice and allow for a blousy effect.
The shoulders and body of the shirt fit really well and are very comfortable.
Cons:
I made the elastic in the cuffs too small, so its not really very comfortable to wear with the sleeves scrunched up.
I had to hem it twice to get the length right and I’m not sure I love the length yet.
The collar.. . URGH! It is completely not right. Since I had messed with the width of the neck, I didn’t want to just cut the collar stand straight from the pattern. In my infinite wisdom, I thought, “Eh, I’ll just make it using bias tape.” Its super wonky and lays all wrong, and I really really should have just laid the neck out and drafted a new collar stand. I didn’t know how to do that at the time. I learned how to later and haven’t had the patience to rip it out and re do it. But that is exactly what needs done.
The placket: I didn’t sew it very well so part of the raw edge sticks out on the front near the hem. I just zig zagged over it with a short stitch in black thread. I’m sure no one else would ever notice it.
I added a lot of width to the sleeves to make them flowy and blousy, and that turned out alright, but I should have added a good 3-4 inches in length.
Most of everything that I don’t like about it was my fault, stemming from inexperience. I finished this months ago, so thankfully I have moved on and learned from my mistakes.
The Pin Tuck Shirt, which has had many names, is finally “finished.” First, it was just The Pin Tuck Shirt, then the Dang Pin Tuck Shirt, then The Expletive Pin Tuck Shirt, and later two versions of The Expletive Expletive Ping Tuck Shirt. I even lost it and had growing resentments towards it.
But alas, it is done. Sort of. I hate it. I think I’m going to take 3 or so inches from the hem, add some strange dart/pleats to the collar, and add elastic to the sleeve ends. Hopefully it will be wearable!
See how the collar has some bizarro gaping issues? I don’t know what is causing that.
Underneath it you can see the unfinished Annie Tunic. Its so close to being done, and yet I haven’t finished it. But it has to be finished by this coming weekend, so it’ll get done eventually!
I’m making a shirt with this fabric. Its very soft and flowy and has a great feel to it. Its from Simplicity 3700. I’m just cutting the jumper down to shirt length and adding sleeves.
Well friends and neighbors, it’s day 2 of Me Made March! Woot!
So far, so good. I have suddenly realized that I haven’t made that many clothes, and am VERY glad I included refashioned clothes in my pledge.
News A: I finished marking and cutting out the Yellow sheet princess seam button down… (it needs a name, I’m going to call it my Joyce shirt.) I basted my first princess seam together! Yay! It wasn’t as terrifying as I expected. Probably because I hand basted it and nothing can be scary when hand basting.
I think it’s going to take a while to finish it, so I have devised a devious new way of keeping my projects together. I would like to avoid another loss like the pin tuck shirt. (See News B.)
In the big 2 gallon ziptop on the left is the leftover scraps and pieces of the fabric. Inside that bag go the two smaller bags, one with the tissue pattern pieces & instructions, the other with the cut and marked fabric pieces.
News B: I found that dang pin tuck shirt. I suppose I’m going to have to finish it now. Yippee Skippeee.
News C: I’ve started a tunic. Its Simplicity 4149.
The Annie Top
I’m calling it the Annie Tunic because my friend Annie once wore a shirt very similar to it, when I was just learning how to sew in 2008 or 09 and it is the inspiration behind it.
I’m making it out of a crinkly black gauzy cotton. It looks like it should be pretty quick to put together once it’s cut.
(Completely unrelated to sewing – babies in the greenhouse- So tiny and cute!)
News D:I got my point and shoot digital camera back from being repaired today! Yay!
News E: I drafted a new skirt pattern. Its a pretty simple A line skirt, but I had to complicate it with trouser style pockets, a waistband, and a front full length button closure. To be honest, its a knock off of Colette’s Beignet skirt. I am SO pro-small business, especially sewing businesses, and I try to support them whenever I can. BUT the fact is, the pattern is not available in my size, and I wouldn’t look good in that pattern as it is, so I’d have to do some major overhaul to wear it. Its easier for me to just draft a similar skirt myself.
Colette’s Very Cool inspiration skirt:
Hopefully I’ll get the Annie shirt or the dang pin tuck shirt done soon. Ooh or maybe the charcoal skirt…! Happy Wednesday!
Why is it that it’s never around when you need it?
I have a boat load of sewing to get done between now and tomorrow evening at 6. Have I sewn anything at all since I got done with school on Saturday evening? Nope!
I organized my sewing area though! That’s something.
Since I haven’t accomplished much, I thought I’d show you what I’m working on. In the off chance any of the recipients are reading this, I’ll have to be vague. 🙂
Present One:
Present two:
inside present two:
Present three:
There are more presents that need to be made. But they either aren’t photographed or can’t be put online just yet.
I talked a couple posts ago about making some coffee cozies as a quick and easy project, and here is my first one!
It was pretty quick considering I didn’t have a pattern and it was the first one I’ve made. I’ve been using it for a week, and have several tweaks for version 2.0 which will then be tested by my coffee guzzling friends.
A note about the cake stand, I got that at an auction for $12! And I love it! Its very pretty and sparkly and old!
Then I made a dish mat to dry our clean dishes on. Basically I pieced fabric together like you would in a quilt, and then sewed it onto an old towel. I made it to fit the countertop on either side of my kitchen sink from a towel that had a giant hole that was burned into it by bleach.
(We walked in and thought it smelled like a pool. Then realized there was a gallon of bleach on its side in the bathroom. Fortunately the towel and a pair of 8 year old pajama pants were the only victims. Yes. I wear a pair of 8 year old pajama pants. Don’t judge.)
It was my first adventure in “quilting” and I gotta say, I have a LOT more respect for quilters now!
This is a small part of it. I’ll take some more pictures on a sunny day. The day I took all these it was rainy and cloudy and gray. Not good for naturally lit photography 🙂
I’ll be doing some mending of a winter coat for a dear friend this week, and putting an edge binding on my dish mat. Lots of heavy duty school work. At the end of every semester I think about how so much work is due in such a small amount of time. I cannot wait for Thanksgiving break!! Have a good week!
Blue Hippo Arts 