The Gabriola Skirt- New from Sewaholic!!

You guys!! Tasia over at Sewaholic just announced her newest pattern, the Gabriola skirt.  I am not into these knit maxi skirts that are all the rage right now, so when she sent out the call for pattern testers and said it was a maxi skirt I was a little hesitant. Then I figured Ashley would love it, so I went for it. I am so glad she selected me as one of the testers! This skirt is GORGEOUS!!! I have been not so patiently waiting for the release so I could share it with everyone.

This skirt takes quite a bit of fabric. Luckily, I had this gorgeous silk/cotton/lycra blend in my stash (and I bought it twice, so I had about 10 yards of the stuff). This is the fabric that everyone seems to have, and I don't blame everyone for wanting it. I ran the fabric choice by Ashley first, and she approved it joyously.

As with all of the Sewaholic patterns I have sewn, this pattern is well drafted. The yokes on this are wonderful. The seam lines are as well. I love the idea of color blocking it, and the stripes Tasia used are fabulous.

It was a pretty quick project to sew, but cutting the pieces took a bit of time due to the length of the skirt. I hand stitched the hem, as well as hand picking the zipper. 

This skirt can be simple and elegant, or really dressed up. I keep thinking of it in lace with a charmeuse underlining. I'm not about the weight of that with this length, but maybe...

 Don't mind the unvacuumed floor.

Click on the picture to enlarge and see more detail.

Notice the skirt has a center piece and two side pieces. 

The catch stitch is especially great for fabric with some stretch,

 as it stretches a little, too.

 (She has worn this every Sunday so the hem is a bit dirty.)

The hand picked zipper and back yokes.

This is such a great pattern! I will be making it again. I'm hoping to make one for myself, and I'm pretty sure Ashley wants a few more. I think when my sister sees this one, she will want one, too. It would be perfect for someone in an orchestra who needs a black skirt, especially a cellist. (I played the cello, so I understand this need.)

Top 5 of 2013- Hits

I'm a bit late, but better late than never!

This year I didn't do a very good job of blogging my makes, so some of these are previously unblogged.

1. Jeans! I set out to make jeans this year, and I did it. They aren't perfect by any means, but I did it.

 2. Sewing for my tween. She needed dresses, and she got a few.

3. Social sewing- I participated in some sewalongs and even finished some of them on time!

Sewcial Bee- the 1st one. I made a top in the 24 hours indicated. Not my best picture, but whatever.

Grunge sewalong- I didn't get pics of my flannel shirt after it was completed, but here are some in progress shots. I'll get to it eventually, I promise...

4. Teaching others- I took the time to help a few people learn to sew a little better.

My friend wanted to make a dress for the girl she watches for her birthday. It turned out better than she ever imagined.

My daughter and her friend made 8 pairs of PJ pants for the girls and leaders attending girls camp over the summer. I supervised (it was hard to let them do and not take over!).

5. Pattern testing- I love doing this. There is still one that is secret, but I can show you the other two I tested this year.

The Presidio Purse by Seamstress Erin was just what Ashley needed. She wanted a big purse, and this fit the bill! She LOVES it. (I will blog this one soon.)

The Camp Stitchalot Bag by Sew Sweetness is a fun bag if you are planning to sew when you travel. I haven't had the chance to use it just yet, but I hope to! I want to attend a Susan Khalje class and I'm aiming for 2015. This would be perfect for taking my supplies.

I feel like I did pretty well this year, apart from not really blogging.

a swimsuit for me

I was planning to make myself a few swimsuits this year, so when Heather released the new Bombshell Swimsuit pattern I was ready.

 (It was also love at first sight!) I made view A, the blue one, this time. I'm pretty sure my next one will be view B in white with gold dots.  I love this pattern! If you make this, follow the directions exactly. If you read all the way through the instructions first, you will understand. If not, you might be scratching your head, but trust her. She won't steer you wrong.

Here is mine!

Swimsuits!

Summer starts early here. We opened the pool for the season during Spring Break, at the end of March. It wasn't really that hot here, yet- we heated the pool. With a pool in our backyard and temperatures in the triple digits (we hit 115 this weekend), we plan to spend most days in the pool. This means we all need swimsuits, and more than just 1 each. It was perfect timing, because Katie and Leila were hosting SwimAlong2013. I had never sewn a swimsuit before- there had really been no need when we lived in Oregon. It proved to be really quite easy and quick!

I started with a swimsuit for Ashley. We used her old swimsuit, the one that was too small, as a guide. This did not go so well. It was too tight in the hips. I cut the bottom off of it, and decided to make a tankini.  After cutting a new, bigger bottom for the swimsuit, I realized I wasn't getting the leg opening right. I pulled out my Jalie underwear pattern and used that to fix it. I should have started with this pattern to begin with! The fabric was purchased at lowpricefabric.com.

I made a swimsuit for myself next, but don't have good pictures yet. They are all blurry. It will get it's own blog post someday soon. 

Natalie was begging for hers to be made next, so I picked out an Ottobre pattern and got to work. I used Ottobre 3/2009 #38 with #39 for the top. She and Alona loved this pink camo fabric.

Alona's swimsuit was so quick. Hers was my 4th swimsuit in 2 weeks and the same pattern as Natalie. She has the same size chest and waist as Natalie, so I just added a bit to the hips for hers.

My girls all love their new swimsuits! Can you tell? I wonder how tan they will be by the end of summer...

Casual Lady Dress from Go To Patterns

I was asked to test the Casual Lady Dress pattern for Go To Patterns in April. They needed the XXS again, so Ashley got another dress!

I ordered these cotton/spandex jerseys from Nature's Fabrics. The top one is the same fabric Katie used for the leggings she wore to our meetup and I loved the quality, so ordered some of my own. The blue with gold flecks was much thinner, sadly, so I decided to use it for this dress.

The dress was quick! 2 main pieces, 2 facing pieces. Easy. The instructions were great, and Ashley was so happy to have yet another dress. I will definitely make this pattern again. I might even try making the top for myself- yes, it can be a dress or a top.

Doesn't she look thrilled?

Simply Lovely dress for Ashley

A few months ago, Go To Patterns was looking for a pattern tester for their smallest women's dress size.  After taking a look at their sizing, I realized this would work perfect for my 12 year old and signed right up!  They sent me the Simply Lovely Dress pattern.

I picked out a stretch woven I've had in the stash for quite some time. I fell in love with the diagonal stripe, but never knew what to do with it.

I think this fabric has a little less drape than the recommended fabrics, but it works.  I would LOVE to make this in a light to mid weight linen!

The instructions were well written. The elastic at the waist was put in a way I never have seen before.  I followed the directions, not sure how it would work, but it did!  The sizing is great! Ashley is quite thin, so I was surprised that a women's pattern would have a size to fit. I did lengthen the dress, as usual.  I will probably do the straps differently the next time I make it, making the underarm binding continue up as the straps, as I think it will sit better on their shoulders.

This pattern is FREE, yes, free. You just have to head over to GoToSew.com and sign up for their newsletter.  The dress was posted there back at the beginning of April, but I believe it is still available.

Back in January I made this dress...

Ashley turned 12 back in January. I decided to make her a new dress for her birthday, as she really didn't have any dresses in her closet.  I let her pick out the fabric from my stash. I searched through my Ottobre magazines and let her pick between a few patterns. 

We went with 06/2008 37. In the magazine, the girl wore it layered with a turtleneck and tights. It is really a cute dress. I would have loved to make the turtleneck, but it just isn't that cold here.

This dress was quick and easy to make. My kind of pattern! I used a pink cotton interlock from the stash.  It's been long enough that I forget what size I made. I love Ottobre patterns. They have great styles for kids (and women). The instructions are minimalist- sew the shoulder seam, gather between marks, hem.   This doesn't really bother me, as I know how to do these things.

 I need pink thread for the serger.

Ashley loves her new dress (we moved a week after her birthday, so boxes were just a part of our life back then).

Polka Dot Frock

I joined up with Scruffy Badger Time for Polka Dot Frock Fest in February. Of course, in my usual style, I didn't finish it in February. I managed to wash the fabric that month, that's it.  The pattern is New Look 6000. I love the pictures on the pattern jacket. I wasn't sure how it would look on me, however. 

I used a double knit from Girl Charlee. They don't normally have double knit in stock, but I lucked out with a dotted one!

I graded the pattern up, as it only goes up to size 16. I basted it together and it was huge! I ended up taking it back in to just barely bigger than the 16, cutting the neck and shoulder seams down between sizes 12 and 14.  

Checking the fit before adding sleeves and neck facing.

Catch stitching the hem.

The dress went together rather quickly, and I really shouldn't have put it off so long. I was just so unsure of the sizing. It all worked out in the end!

I wore it to my cousin's wedding for it's debut.

I love the pleating!

Unfortunately, the fabric is very fond of static. I need an awesome slip and a can of static spray, apparently.

I do love the dress. The neckline is wonderful.The sleeve length is great for me. I didn't add the cuffs, as I didn't really prefer those. 

I may sew this again, but not any time soon.

Jeans for Fearless February

If you remember, I signed up to make some jeans for Fearless February with Victoria of Ten Thousand Hours of Sewing.  Due to the move, my sewing room wasn't unpacked enough to do any sewing until this week. I have finally traced the pattern and cut my fabric!

I highly doubt that I will finish these before the end of the month, but hey, at least I started them!  This month has been quite the crazy month, and perhaps signing up for this, along with the Polka Dot Frock Fest, was not the best idea.  However, I have finally gotten started on the jeans I have meant to make for almost a year now, so at least I am getting somewhere.  I have also purchased the pattern and fabric for the polka dot frock and plan to make it in time for a March 16 wedding I will be attending.

February Sew Along

I am joining Victoria over at Ten Thousand Hours of Sewing for her Fearless February Sew Along!  I will be working on my first pair of jeans.  I have a muslin cut and sewn, with some alterations made.  I have decided against using that one, though.  I am just not sure I like the style.  I will switch, instead, to the Jalie jeans pattern 2908.  I won't be starting until the second week in February due to our move.  This should help me get my sewing room together quickly, right?  I sure hope so!

Gray Renfrew - Take 2!

I finally got around to that second try on my gray ponte Renfrew.  This time I went for the cowl neck and long sleeves.  This is the first long sleeve shirt I've owned in at least 5 years.  I have been freezing, so it is just perfect!  Okay, the shirt itself isn't perfect, but at least it is warm.
After the first try, in the exact same fabric, turned out too small I just couldn't give up on it.  This time it is too big in the shoulders.  It seems I just can't win.  I think the problem is that the ponte just doesn't have enough stretch.  The first one would fit just fine if it were made in, say, a jersey knit.

I absolutely love the cowl neck.  I will refrain from filling my closet with the exact same shirt in every color, and make this with the various necklines.  This is a great basic pattern.  I think I have planned to make 5 Renfrew shirts this coming year.  (I had 4 shirts in my wardrobe before this one was made, all of which have holes in them.  I am sadly lacking in clothing.)  I figure I can make it with different sleeve lengths as well.

Don't mind the spot created by the flash!

This pattern is definitely a keeper!

And here is a better picture of me wearing it- because I don't always look so bad.