tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38724137804102527802024-02-07T00:09:00.940-05:00Mommymade: creative sanity in an insane life.Sewing, baking, cooking, and other kinds of crafting that I do or would like to do when I have time and when I'm not taking care of my 4 kids. Being creative helps me stay sane.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-86098633162856737682018-03-21T09:57:00.000-04:002018-03-21T09:57:10.273-04:00Irish Dance Dress, Part One: Color and InspirationBack in October 2014, Maeve placed 1st in her Beginner 2 Reel and 2nd in her Beginner 2 Slip Jig, meaning that she could move up to the Novice level in those dances and that I could start planning out her Novice or 'solo' dress. If you're not familiar with Irish Dance, most schools require dancers to wear a school outfit, or a black skirt and white blouse at the lower levels. At a certain point as she progresses, a dancer may be allowed to wear a 'solo' dress - something that is usually made specifically for the dancer and which is an original design. It's bad form to copy others' dresses, though it's understood that there are only so many original ideas under the sun and that there are only so many color combinations that can be made. Styles can vary, particularly with the skirt, and dresses are often highly jeweled with Swarovski crystals. A non-jeweled new dress would be considered okay at the Novice level but probably not at a higher level. Such a dress would run in the neighborhood of $500 at a minimum. I saw a name-brand used dress at a feis in January that was priced at $500. Most newer dresses with a small amount of crystals will run you around $1000, off the rack. Custom-made dresses will cost considerably more, with $1,200 to $1,500 not considered unusual.<br />
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Maeve's ideal dress, as I mentioned in a previous post, was a lovely $1,200 dress made by Prime Dress Designs - cobalt blue velvet and satin with an orange-red embroidery. She loves this dress, so I decided to use it as an inspiration and jumping-off point.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0dUQSUX3fJqd3oK7gYnq4-AJlK1lEj5bsGuUh-b_9dB5VZCTV33INgNw13w2UEJ5cuemMtBfMLCH3qqRnn5t1YeUu61fJO2Jn9Yr0z7SmMvcGiGPOo9llwFVFg1tVLDHIUPl7JWqFmk/s1600/90f4186902a6b1f670c1e92e67319635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="546" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0dUQSUX3fJqd3oK7gYnq4-AJlK1lEj5bsGuUh-b_9dB5VZCTV33INgNw13w2UEJ5cuemMtBfMLCH3qqRnn5t1YeUu61fJO2Jn9Yr0z7SmMvcGiGPOo9llwFVFg1tVLDHIUPl7JWqFmk/s320/90f4186902a6b1f670c1e92e67319635.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inspiration dress by Prime Dress Designs</td></tr>
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The first thing was to find the correct color. I managed to find a beautiful blue dull satin at Mood Fabrics at quite a reasonable price. Then I started a long and exhausting search for the proper color blue velvet. This took a while but I was able to find some on the Fabric Depot website and purchased it while in Portland at a Feis in January. The orange was something I came across by accident - a stretch satin in a color called "Neon Tangerine" from Fabric.com. The embroidery thread is Sulky in Orange Flame. For this dress I also needed an underlining and a lining; the underlining is a pale blue poly-cotton and the lining is red-orange poly-cotton broadcloth that I got on sale for $1.99. Both are from JoAnn's. For sparkle I also got some Swarovski crystals in cobalt blue and in fire opal (a red-orange blend). You'll see those at a later stage.<br />
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The thing that was hardest was figuring out what kind of motifs I wanted to use. Maeve prefers the more traditional-style dresses with Celtic knot work, and I was able to find 2 that we particularly liked in a book that we have - they are adaptations of actual knots from museum pieces. The chest piece is an adaptation of an interlaced pattern from the Lindisfarne Gospels, which date from the late 7th century. You can see that in the British Library in London, England. The original design was more complex and I wasn't sure that I'd be able to execute it well, as it's my first time doing this type of thing. Scott pointed out to me that instead of the double line I could simply make it into 1 thicker line and it still works. This motif will be an appliqué of the orange satin on the bodice, which will be a combination of the blue velvet and blue satin.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bodice appliqué design</td></tr>
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The second motif will appear in small size on the sleeves and in a larger size as the shaped cape. This is an Anglo-Saxon design, taken from a bronze-gilt bookmount that dates from the 8th or 9th century. The original piece can be found in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. I have chosen to use this motif in an inverted orientation in order to emphasize the bell-like shape of the sleeve, but also to give it the appropriate weight so that it doesn't look top-heavy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeve embroidery design.</td></tr>
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I know I've talked a great deal about the bodice and its embellishment, but that's because I'm waiting for the pattern for the skirt support structure. The dress pattern is from Feis Dress and I'm using the princess seamed bodice. The skirt will be a skater skirt but it will still need to have support. Luckily for me I came upon a wonderful Yahoo group of people who make Irish dance dresses and everyone recommends the 'skirt frame' pattern that one of the members has created. I've ordered it and am now just waiting for it to come from Ireland. Meanwhile, I'll try to document the steps of making this dress as I go.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-19429346124060313212018-03-20T16:36:00.003-04:002018-03-20T16:36:30.737-04:00In-VEST-edApparently I fell off the face of the blogosphere because I haven't posted anything in about 4 years - which is also about how old my youngest is, so there's clearly a correlation. I'll try to catch up on older things I've made but in the meantime, I want to talk about my latest project, which actually paid me money.<br />
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So I've mentioned that my oldest does Irish dance. We've moved since I last posted, and her new dance school is SO much better than the old one. In fact, the old one no longer has a location where we used to live. We switched regions and my daughter has moved into Prizewinner in her Reel and Slip Jig and is hoping to move out of Novice for her Treble Jig and Hornpipe. Last December she competed at the Southern Region Oireachtas in the Traditional Set competition; this December she'll be doing solo competition, and I'm in the process of making a new dress. I'll try to document this as I go. Having already made her a solo dress, I learned a lot and sometimes I get asked my opinion on fit for dresses, as well as for the boys' equivalent - the vest/waistcoat. A boy in our new school wanted a vest and tried one on - my opinion was that it didn't fit and there wasn't a lot of room for him to grow - important, because his genetics are likely to make him a tall drink of water, and at 13 he was liable to have a growth spurt at any moment. His mom didn't buy the vest but a few weeks later I got a call that she was interested in having me make one for him. I accepted it.<br />
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We met and I got his measurements, plus we talked about design and color. He wanted a wolf design but our instructor nixed the idea of a realistic wolf. She encouraged him to look at Celtic designs but he didn't find a Celtic wolf he liked. He focused on the design that was on the vest he'd tried on - one that had two dragons. I explained that I couldn't copy the original but would work a design that was similar.<br />
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The original design:<br />
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My first attempt had the tails curving toward the back and then coming up through the center, in a "W" shape. He didn't like the tails coming up - he wanted them to go down. I was bummed because I liked the sinuousness of the shape of the body - very Loch Ness Monster.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uc1DSHD7SzzwNRzY8mvxjNYm6OGR4VF9Je6xzcy9-s9o9-Iz4hDpt3HBqhQizwQHqXBOfQE44R3tgR3TMY_vGBcBjo3oODR3aKuiQPr5pVAt0hqGvbsJTJszOBe0fRjXLr-dvjyLQZ8/s1600/IMG_1970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uc1DSHD7SzzwNRzY8mvxjNYm6OGR4VF9Je6xzcy9-s9o9-Iz4hDpt3HBqhQizwQHqXBOfQE44R3tgR3TMY_vGBcBjo3oODR3aKuiQPr5pVAt0hqGvbsJTJszOBe0fRjXLr-dvjyLQZ8/s320/IMG_1970.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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My next attempt was different and was unsuccessful - I didn't even show it to my clients. I started over and went in a slightly different direction, which ended up in the final design:<br /><br /><br />
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I feel that this has a good Viking feel to it, almost like the carved prows of Viking ships.<br />
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Once we got the design approved I had to find someone to digitize it for my machine. Now, I only have a 5"x7" embroidery field on my machine. That means that any design that is bigger than that has to be split. I took the design to a local guy who runs the sewing machine sales and repair shop because I was told that he does digitizing, too. They sell a digitizing program for some ridiculous amount and he teaches how to use it. Well, I can't afford that program and it doesn't run native on a Mac and my Windows computer is ancient and slow - not fit for the task, honestly. Anyway, I asked how much it will cost to digitize and told him my machine size and he seemed reluctant to do it, saying that he could do it but not split it and that I would be better off having someone else embroider it for me. Of course, that costs money and I honestly didn't quote enough to do that. And anyway, I wanted to do it myself, if only for the experience. To top it off, he offered the solution of buying some pre-made design that was bigger than my hoop and then having someone embroider it for me. <br />
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Um, no.<br />
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So I contacted an amazing woman named Ann, who is a member of the Irish Dance Dressmaking group that I belong to and who has a business digitizing. She was very excited and really liked the design. She digitized it and then we worked out the kinks. It was, to be honest, very difficult (okay, so the local guy was sort of right). The problem was that she had to find the right spots to split the design and some of it was a continuous line, which makes splitting more difficult. The other part was the number of times I had to re-hoop it, since the design could only be done in small pieces at a time with my machine. We thought that maybe we'd be able to use my 5"x12" hoop, but we couldn't get it to line up - literally .5 mm difference! What a killer. In the end, we decided to just use the 5"x7" hoop and the front of the vest had 9 splits and the back had 11. I now have calluses on my right hand from tightening the hoop. The finished product is amazing, though.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vest front</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vest back</td></tr>
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The dragon design is done in a non-metallic silver polyester thread by Floriani and the turquoise, blue, and green colors are rayon Sulky thread, embroidered on black microvelvet. And, of course, no Irish dance garment is complete without crystals. For this project I used Swarovski crystals that I purchased from Dreamtime Creations. The larger stones are size 30 and are the Blue Zircon Shimmer color. In the green sections I used size 16 stones in the color Fern Green Glacier Blue. The darker blue crystals on top are Capri Blue and on bottom are Bermuda Blue, both size 16. The turquoise sections are a mix - some are Blue Zircon Shimmer and some are Blue Zircon Glacier Blue, also both size 16. There are also clear crystals in sizes 16 and 20.<br />
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<br /><br />That's about it for now. I'm going to try and get together posts about the (first) solo dress I did for Maeve and all the work that went into that before I start any on the process about the new dress. And of course there are many other sewing projects that happened in the past 4 years which I'll attempt to address. I may end up consolidating a lot of them.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-12098584121383671742014-06-13T21:40:00.000-04:002014-06-13T21:40:16.846-04:00Sewing Dreams<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Maeve at an Irish dance competition - Aonghus is in the sling I made.</td></tr>
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It's been a long, long while since I've been in the sewing room. I've got a million things planned but haven't been able to get in there because... well, because the baby is a lovely little boy who wants to be awake - all. the. time. He pretty much doesn't do more than a small cat nap or 2 during the day, although he is known to fall asleep in the infant seat while I drive, which really does me no good. It means that there are things that I cannot do when he's awake, since he really needs to be upright due to his reflux. So I usually have him in the sling. Actually, now that I think about it, I <b>did</b> stumble into the sewing room about 2 weeks ago and I made a new sling, which he loves. And by loves I mean that he squeals and makes happy baby noises when he sees me put it on my shoulder. I bought the aluminum rings from <a href="http://www.slingrings.com/index.php" target="_blank">Sling Rings</a>, and used the instructions at the <a href="http://www.mayawrap.com/n_sewsling.php" target="_blank">Maya Wrap</a> website. It was all pretty straightforward: I ordered a selection of rings because I didn't know what size would be best and then used the largest size, bought 2.5 yards each of 2 coordinating fabrics because I wanted something that was reversible and because I didn't like any of the heavier fabrics that didn't have a wrong side. I washed the fabrics, then trimmed them up, placed them wrong sides together and serged the sides, turned them toward what I wanted to be the inside, and stitched them. Next I serged the ends and then simply followed the rest of the instructions on the Maya Wrap site. I used the entire width of the 45"-wide fabric because I wanted to be sure that this would grow with baby boy. In fact, the only reason I made it was because I was so frustrated with trying to adjust the old one I'd had for ages; it had padded rails and they just didn't allow for fine-tuning and made me feel as though Aonghus wasn't secure in the sling. The length means that even my husband could wear him, and that's a good thing, plus the longer tail means that I've got an impromptu nursing cover if I need one. The fabric is Kaffe Fasset and I think it's quite a lovely combo.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hgSWO3v0hXDYCMblsJ-dYAiE4av7_ihndd3lZvAVZyhQzpMNdXoIxgeCRK4ez-5KY0gc1JefX-zEwFbCWvigLiseFvj-HDWG7bdl_YV83o-vK38wO92WhSJpQs9FXWAcW5yXCT00GRw/s1600/DSC_0058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hgSWO3v0hXDYCMblsJ-dYAiE4av7_ihndd3lZvAVZyhQzpMNdXoIxgeCRK4ez-5KY0gc1JefX-zEwFbCWvigLiseFvj-HDWG7bdl_YV83o-vK38wO92WhSJpQs9FXWAcW5yXCT00GRw/s1600/DSC_0058.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure if you can see the lining, but it's a mustard-yellow with turquoise dots.</td></tr>
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Meanwhile, my oldest has moved up in Irish dance so that she is at Beginner 2 level in all her dances. A few competitions ago, she came in 4th in her reel and 3rd in her treble jig, putting her quite close to moving up to the next level in those dances. Then last weekend she placed 4th in Slip Jig, which is great even though she couldn't move up. That's really important to her, since next level is the Novice level, and while it may sound as though it has absolutely nothing to do with sewing, it actually does. At the Novice level dancers are allowed to wear a solo dress and if you know anything about Irish dance at all, you'll know it's a big deal. If not, Google the term <span style="color: #38761d;">feis dress</span>. You can also check out <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/tinksews/irish-dance/" target="_blank">my Irish dance board</a> on Pinterest. Go ahead, I'll wait.<br />
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Back already, are you? Do you see what I mean? Gorgeous dresses. Lots of embroidery. In some instances, lots of fancy fabrics and trims, lots of crystals. Maeve isn't really into the dresses that are ultra sequined or heavy with crystals - it's not her style. But she loves the traditional Celtic knot work motifs and really can't wait to be allowed to wear such a creation. But the cost of a dress is highly prohibitive. A good simple dress can cost upwards of $400 or $500 dollars, used! If you're lucky you can find one somewhere for less, but it's been worn quite a bit and most of these dresses cannot be cleaned in the washer or by a dry-cleaner. And a used dress is less likely to be what you want and every girl wants THE dress. So I've become obsessed with the idea of making a solo dress.<br />
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Yes, I know it's probably biting off way more than I can chew but honestly I know I can give Maeve what she wants and liking the dress you wear means that you feel good when you're competing. And that means you're more likely to smile and more likely to do well. Judges like smiles. Yes, in the end it will probably end up costing the same or close to it as if I had bought a used one. But at least it will be new. And I want her to have something that no one else has.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHL8cOxWX5EspvsvglPMTwPypKIAsRC1cUWRhfq1CEpoYhpg9dXhVx7ZB6oLjn2fQDVN2s-_-aeY5Wc5yf9VrHp303xsMekTTP_ifY9DTOigSeP3-yqna6_AzI5PvjFoxDNXY_8pL8y0/s1600/DSC_0108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHL8cOxWX5EspvsvglPMTwPypKIAsRC1cUWRhfq1CEpoYhpg9dXhVx7ZB6oLjn2fQDVN2s-_-aeY5Wc5yf9VrHp303xsMekTTP_ifY9DTOigSeP3-yqna6_AzI5PvjFoxDNXY_8pL8y0/s1600/DSC_0108.jpg" height="320" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maeve in her school dance outfit. This is 2 pieces - a black net skirt with gold sequin trim and a black top with Celtic knot embroidered appliqués (purchased patches) and a lace collar sewn on.</td></tr>
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The other part of this is that I desperately want to stretch myself in my sewing. I already have the embroidery machine, so that's in my favor. The local woman who does dresses does an okay job but I feel like her craftsmanship is slightly sloppy. She makes the school dance dresses and the one that Maeve has is not exactly up to my standards on the interior. Personally, I wouldn't let something like that out of my workroom but I'm a perfectionist. And she doesn't do embroidery, she just uses fancy fabrics. Since the fabrics won't be as glitzy, the work on the appliqués and embroidery would really stand out on the one I plan to do. Patterns for Irish dance dresses are available from <a href="http://www.irishthreads.com/" target="_blank">Irish Threads</a> and from <a href="http://www.feisdress.com/patterns.html" target="_blank">Feis Dress</a> and I plan to buy one of each, so that I can do a muslin of both and then determine what direction I want to go in. It will be a true labor of love, think. And I'm so excited to do it. I'll definitely end up doing many blog posts about it, just because I want to document the process. But it will probably be interesting to anyone reading this who sews. And the dress she loves best? A <a href="http://www.primedressdesigns.com/#!SOLD/zoom/c1x2s/imagemyb" target="_blank">gorgeous dress</a> by the company Prime Dress Designs. Just to prove that I need to make this, rather than buy one? That dress cost $1500 new, and it's not even got a ton of crystals or lots of fancy fabrics. Granted, the one I make won't be exactly like that one; it's the color combo and the fabrics that really make the dress, and as long as I can get the right embroidery and appliqué shapes it should come pretty close. *fingers crossed* In the meantime, I haven't bought the patterns and won't until she makes Novice in at least 1 dance. Then I'll buy them and start with the muslin, but I won't buy the fabric for the actual dress until she's made Novice in 1 or 2 more dances, since she won't be able to wear it if she's not in Novice level. This seems to be motivating her to practice more, so I'm hoping that she'll continue to improve and place in her Beginner 2 dances.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-30734386057099918652014-05-12T02:28:00.000-04:002014-05-15T02:45:38.341-04:00When You End Up with Lemons....... you're supposed to make lemonade, right? Well, this time I didn't have lemons but I did have a dud. Sometimes it's hard to admit it, especially when you have a vision of what you're trying to create and it's something that you're really excited about. Other times, it's easy to say, "This just doesn't work." *** Note: this was originally written last summer but I never got around to posting it***So when I discovered that many of my below-the-belly maternity shorts were not staying up well, I felt like I should make a few things to replace them for summer wear. Now, bear in mind that this was the last baby I was going to have and I didn't really want to invest much in the clothing, which means that I was sewing from my stash. And since my stash is full of fabrics that I love, I didn't want to "waste" them on maternity clothing that I won't wear again. I scoured my patterns and Ottobre Woman back issues to find something that could be transitional - maternity or nursing wear. Something that would look okay with a belly but just as okay without.<br />
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The first thing that I landed on was the 2/2008 issue of Ottobre Woman. In it there are a few maternity patterns, like the skirt pattern I made previously. But it also has this cute maxi-dress with a wrap-front top. Wrap or crossover bodices don't always work well for me and the (ahem) ladies, since there's almost always a gap issue that happens, or it's too low-cut. I'm working on perfecting an FBA for a wrap-front top/bodice, but I'm not quite there yet, which is why the Ottobre tankini I made went from being a wrap-front to having a center front seam. Still, I'm not one to give up on a style when it's something that I truly like. This dress calls for voile or lawn - something light and airy, especially for the skirt portion. However, the voile I had been hoarding in my stash was not a big enough piece for the entire dress - a bummer. But then I had the bright idea of doing the bodice in a cotton-lycra knit and only the skirt in the voile, as I had plenty for the large skirt.<br />
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I worked really hard on the FBA and finally ended up with something that I thought was reasonably well-fitting.The skirt came together quickly and only required a few adjustments. Separately, they looked pretty darn good. But once I sewed them together, my opinion changed.<br />
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The overall effect was pretty boxy and unattractive. I lost all shape in it, and as a short woman who is right on the line between regular and plus-sized and was pregnant to boot, that's just not a good thing. I'm not sure how it happened, since I took in the side seams of the bodice before I attached the skirt. I think that overall it's just too big, which is weird, since I feel like I went by my measurements and cut the bodice a size smaller than I normally would have. This has happened a couple of times that I've worked with Ottobre patterns and I wonder if I'm just choosing the wrong size? Although to be honest, I've measured myself and gone with the measurements, so maybe my body is just shaped differently than the one they have in mind. At any rate, I decided that this just wasn't the style for me - at least not while I was still pregnant. I wanted to use the voile, though, so I turned it into a maternity skirt.<br />
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Yep, it's the same pattern as the khaki and navy floral linen skirt I made previously. The difference here is that I had to line the skirt with something because the voile was too sheer on its own. I ended up using some cheap, lightweight bleached muslin because JoAnn's had no batiste or plain white voile. I know - bizarre, right? When I asked the lady for batiste, she said,"You mean batik". I told her no, I meant batiste, and I even spelled it for her and then went on to describe it and its uses. She had an extremely confused look on her face and then asked another employee if they had it. They didn't. Same thing with the word 'voile', although her confusion was due to the fact that she, like most Americans, mispronounces it to rhyme with foil. The correct way to say it, of course, is "vwahl". It's a French word. Anyway, I did a rolled hem for both the lining piece and the voile and then simply basted them together at the waist and treated them as one when I applied the waistband. This time I used a super soft red rayon-lycra knit, figuring that I was probably going to wear this with a red shirt, and even if the shirt crept up a bit, it wouldn't look so bad if the waistband is the same color. The only real changes I made to the skirt were to cut it slightly bigger than the linen one and I did that by simply placing the pieces a bit away from the fold when cutting. The difference is really negligible. I got several comments on it when I wore it, so that's good, and I like it enough that I'm going to wear it this summer, even though I'm no longer pregnant.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This skirt is so comfy I wore it a lot. This is me about 12 hours before I gave birth.<br /></td></tr>
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-30334817446590417472014-05-12T02:27:00.003-04:002014-05-12T02:27:58.340-04:00Skirting the Issue (aka: How to Get Through 1 Last Pregnancy without Buying More Maternity Clothes)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
***NOTE: this was written last year - I just never got around to posting it because, well, babies keep you busy.***</div>
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This is the last pregnancy I'm going to have and I don't want to buy any more maternity clothing. At the same time, I don't really have a ton of summertime maternity clothing and this baby isn't due until the end of August and I can't spend summer in jeans and corduroy pants, of which I have quite a bit. I seem to have enough shirts to get me through summer without getting new ones, although I have replaced one or two of the older ones - most of my maternity clothing dates back to 2005, so it's roughly 8 years old and some items are a bit, well, worn out. I ended up buying 2 tank tops and a striped t-shirt at Old Navy, simply because I had some 'bonus bucks' I had to use before they expired, and because I could get 30% off my purchase, which made it more than reasonable. I'll sell them after this pregnancy, along with the rest of my maternity wardrobe that isn't too worn or old to be given away.<br />
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Anyway, it's the bottoms I'm in need of and I'm trying to get away from shorts. I ended up buying a pair of tan poplin cropped pants just because it suddenly got warmer than usual, but I'd rather have some skirts or something. It can get humid here and we don't have air conditioning - I want something easy and breezy for the last trimester of this pregnancy. Ottobre to the rescue! In the Spring/Summer 2008 issue of <i>Ottobre Woman</i>, there were a couple of maternity items and one was a cute two-layer skirt with a knit waistband. I had some linen that I bought a while back which I'd decided against using for the project I'd had in mind but which was kind of perfect for this pattern - a sort of khaki ground with navy blue flowers in a very large print. I decided against making this a 2-layer skirt because I liked the print and I only cut the longer, bottom layer. Add a waistband in navy ribbing and it was a quick and easy skirt to make. It's very cute with a navy tank top but will also look cute with white or red on top, and it's not too dressy so I can wear it with flats or Birkenstocks but I can also dress it up a little with my espadrilles. I cut this in a size 46 but I think a 48 might have fit better, since the linen has no stretch. I plan to make this from a knit, too but I think I'll keep the size 46 for the knit.<br />
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The other skirt I made is the Megan Nielsen pencil skirt pattern, which is super fast and easy to put together. You could totally do this in an hour if no one was there to bother you. The shape is really simple and, honestly, I'm embarrassed to have spent $18 on a pattern with 2 pieces when it's something that I probably could have drafted for myself. I didn't want to waste the time doing it, though, so I can't complain and I'll probably sell it later on if I don't know anyone who wants it.<br />
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I'm not really one for the super skin-tight maternity clothes; I do prefer a more fitted knit top when I'm pregnant, simply because I'm short and if I don't try to define my figure in some way I end up looking kind of dumpy and lord knows nobody wants to look dumpy when they're pregnant. Also, I'm not usually fond of fitted clothing that emphasizes my derrière. But I have these excellent shoes that I bought for my birthday and their shape and style deserved something a little bit sexier than the average maternity outfit in my wardrobe. I made this from a bamboo stretch French terry in black, which is thinner than cotton French terry but not so thin that I'd be afraid of having a panty line or any unsightly (ahem) lumps. The whole point of this skirt is to show off the bump, so the waistband sits directly under the bra band. This gives you a smoother look under your outfit, I think, but then it makes it harder to wear a thinner, lighter-colored shirt if it comes down over your belly if the skirt is a dark color. Anyway, I decided to wear a red button-down maternity shirt with it, but since it's an older shirt (from my first baby, 13 years ago!) it doesn't have a very modern shape and is more tent-like. Because of the high waist on the skirt, I was able to tie the shirttails in a knot above the bump, which was kind of cute. In all, it was a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=590100124365692&set=t.100000971305792&type=3&theater" target="_blank">pretty successful garment </a>and I had a nice date with the husband at a local Mexican restaurant.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-7510559780714994082014-05-12T02:05:00.000-04:002014-05-15T02:46:55.316-04:00Pirate of the Playground<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A while back I posted about the "Pirate Girl" outfit I made for Miss G - she's all about being adventurous and brave and pirates pretty much fit the bill for that. And because Mr. T is so close in age to her, he usually wants to do whatever she does. So when I bought the pirate girl iron-on from Bunte Fabrics before it closed, I also bought a pirate boy and promised T that he could have a "Pirate Boy" outfit. I made the pants in August, not long before Aonghus was born. The shirt got finished in September and I figured I ought to blog them now before I forget to document them!<br />
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First up, the pants. I found this super cute medium-weight striped twill at JoAnn's a couple of years ago. At the time I'd thought of doing some cropped summer overalls for T. but I didn't get around to it. Then this year when I was planning his summer SWAP, I decided to make these part of it - sort of. They didn't really go with the general color scheme but he always has a blue or red t-shirt of some kind, so they'd fit into his wardrobe without necessarily needing the pirate shirt. The pants are from Ottobre 2/2005 and they are #23. I chose this pattern because the magazine actually showed the pants made up in a stripe fabric and it immediately reminded me of the twill that I already had. I wasn't sure about adding the knee patches, but decided to do it and used some dark denim from my stash. I used it for the faux pocket-flaps on the back, too. The pocket lining is a navy cotton with white stars. I used red topstitching thread for these pants so that it would pop against the navy knee patches. And although the pattern calls for rivets at the knees like commercially-made jeans have, I don't know where to find those locally or online, so I just did bar tacks at the corners.<br />
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The length of the pants makes them a perfect transition garment, for those early fall days when it starts out cooler but warms up enough by afternoon for the kids to want shorts. The elastic waist and faux-fly make them easy to put on and take off, which is nice when you're in a hurry to get into your bathing suit! This pattern is easy to make up but has enough details to make it more than just basic shorts. I'm definitely using it again in the summer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1PGbnvgwF_y2UWwbO00Fq-HjPr2QgyTaKn2HFY8fQIWgkxhpOzlKgaY2OkFHRzvhcvT5kWgq2iua97ZkYEaMsuMDzbejnoGt_KjUPcHhbureOEm-kV98mRRTqPDfHGjxybeDa0tU_IU/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1PGbnvgwF_y2UWwbO00Fq-HjPr2QgyTaKn2HFY8fQIWgkxhpOzlKgaY2OkFHRzvhcvT5kWgq2iua97ZkYEaMsuMDzbejnoGt_KjUPcHhbureOEm-kV98mRRTqPDfHGjxybeDa0tU_IU/s320/DSC_0009.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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The pirate boy shirt is Imke from the <u>SCKL</u> book. This version uses the straight-cut sleeve and the rounded, sporty hood. Gwyneth's has the pointy hood with the tassel. I used a red and white stripe cotton-lycra knit for the hood and lower sleeves and a medium weight navy cotton solid. It may have some lycra in it but I got it as a remnant so I don't recall. I didn't have enough of the stripe to do 2-layer sleeves, so these are single-layer sleeves made to look like 2-layer ones. <br />
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On the right sleeve we have the skull and crossbones iron-on and pirate kid ribbon from Banberry Place; the left sleeve features a double ribbon trim, with blue and red star ribbon from Farbenmix on top of a navy grosgrain ribbon with red pick-stitching. Embellished, but not too girly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj9ogoTTvpJ_p030ookeHRoEwV7pg3ycd32ibSvnvZRUck2xUUS1lxLeUVHqJILqxM9w-4s5hNXMw5rI_UPkGpom9vslIrmxZsGVG0Psu_Ooo-2o6Kwn-pJ4oY8a1cOSfPYkl126g_4c/s1600/DSC_0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj9ogoTTvpJ_p030ookeHRoEwV7pg3ycd32ibSvnvZRUck2xUUS1lxLeUVHqJILqxM9w-4s5hNXMw5rI_UPkGpom9vslIrmxZsGVG0Psu_Ooo-2o6Kwn-pJ4oY8a1cOSfPYkl126g_4c/s320/DSC_0016.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeve detail - right.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC5xg9JHEmfJrIYb5ZGrljRLyjWaLubdy29Y4BRQkZf7OBumaCXuI3UeuC3aEow978QSOApsNpDgWqpUe5nNGWCWz2QSflgw3DdQ3X4xFWP8X0crNBcGOLHfpInmbqXUap57Qgn16HP8/s1600/DSC_0017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC5xg9JHEmfJrIYb5ZGrljRLyjWaLubdy29Y4BRQkZf7OBumaCXuI3UeuC3aEow978QSOApsNpDgWqpUe5nNGWCWz2QSflgw3DdQ3X4xFWP8X0crNBcGOLHfpInmbqXUap57Qgn16HP8/s320/DSC_0017.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeve detail - left.</td></tr>
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As I said before, I made this shirt because I had the iron-on pirate boy. It looked great the first time T. wore the shirt, but then it lost a foot! Apparently the glue wasn't fully activated. Anyway, here's the look of the shirt-front, minus a pirate foot:<br />
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I'm trying to figure out a way to add a new foot that doesn't look too weird, so I'll post an update if/when I get to that.<br />
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-66644481885802063162013-11-21T03:52:00.003-05:002014-05-15T02:47:56.303-04:00Tales from the Sewing Crypt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1L6VIP0qoQ3cpY_fJbvRJVmK6f8wtGw1lycVIKEU4y3BQyMjpJOq-zMZTlOWm270nVTzWYYrlSUDZKPncOthztSECVHQKkH14c8-ZR0XpJcgMeRhXCMY0GE6Pl9bD4-VAuQdqhaX954/s1600/DSC_0032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1L6VIP0qoQ3cpY_fJbvRJVmK6f8wtGw1lycVIKEU4y3BQyMjpJOq-zMZTlOWm270nVTzWYYrlSUDZKPncOthztSECVHQKkH14c8-ZR0XpJcgMeRhXCMY0GE6Pl9bD4-VAuQdqhaX954/s320/DSC_0032.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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It's Halloween-time again and that means that my sewing machine is going full-steam ahead. This year Maeve decided to wear her costume from last year, so I don't have to try to top that one! However, this year I have to make a costume for the baby (yes, I'm masochistic like that), as well as Miss G., T-bird and myself. Luckily, they should be fairly easy to do, with the exception of Miss G's.<br />
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Gwyneth decided that she wants to dress as Merida from the movie "Brave" this year. I've done several Disney princesses - Maeve was Cinderella and Snow White, as well as a sort-of Sleeping Beauty (the dress was pink, anyway). Anyway, I was kind of hoping that Gwyneth would opt for the Snow White costume this year and give me a break on costume sewing. Of course not. Merida is her favorite princess and I have to agree with her on that, since Merida is the one princess who doesn't end up falling for the prince at the end, and is actually the one who does the 'saving'. Tallon decided that if she was going to be Merida, he wanted to be one of her brothers the triplets.<br />
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At first I was hesitant but then I decided that this was a good idea. Normally I'm a stickler for authenticity when it comes to iconic costumes like the Disney ones, but I'm taking a different view this time. Here's why: there is plaid involved and a kilt. I could make a kilt, but it would be time-consuming and I wouldn't be able to find a plaid that was the same as the plaid in the movie. Since that's the case, I decided to go an easier route, unusual as that may be for me. Tallon already owns a kilt in our clan tartan and Gwyneth, Maeve and I have sashes in the same tartan. How easy is it to just have him wear our tartan? Then all I have to do is make a green shirt to go with it and I'll have to do very little sewing. I like this idea.<br />
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The Merida dress, however, is more difficult. We decided on this project before McCall's put out their Halloween patterns and apparently they have a 'licensed' Merida dress pattern. I personally don't like it that much and since it wasn't available, I scoured online pattern sources until I found a pattern that most closely resembled the dress from the movie - McCall's 5207, which is currently out of print. I got my copy on ebay and I'm sure there are several copies out there. The thing I like about this pattern is that it runs up into the larger girl sizes (12, 14) so I could make her another dress from this same pattern when she's older. To keep that option open, I traced the pattern pieces. I will be altering the sleeve construction to make it do what I want (not surprising) and I'm adding embroidery to the neckline and hem. Yes, I know that in the film Merida's dress is plain, but I'm not sticking to the authentic version, remember? Besides, I need to justify having the embroidery machine and this is a good reason. That and the dress will look that much better when it's finished. Lastly, I'm going to do hand-made eyelets on the back (it laces up!), rather than apply the metal eyelets which never stay properly, anyway. And it's a good excuse to practice making eyelets by hand.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekZYXOahGLzUrF9rKm0bEaaWiG-Y-kAE53AxlnqhQXWYWx5Y-760uja6KLt4K1nQs0x1PN2ZxiwYbSa7-YhMNWEBRC8MWCbwyJHNtddvB-IHlOwiuHrf3a0d31qzYmr79jffUEcBZhlc/s1600/DSC_0031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekZYXOahGLzUrF9rKm0bEaaWiG-Y-kAE53AxlnqhQXWYWx5Y-760uja6KLt4K1nQs0x1PN2ZxiwYbSa7-YhMNWEBRC8MWCbwyJHNtddvB-IHlOwiuHrf3a0d31qzYmr79jffUEcBZhlc/s320/DSC_0031.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merida wig before haircut.</td></tr>
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Accessory-wise, Gwyneth already has a Merida wig that she got for her birthday last year and I ordered a bow-and-arrow from the Disney store so it will look authentic. Mr. T is blonde and insisted on having a wig too, so I bought a cheap Merida wig from Party City and I've cut it down to look like a boy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3yZBPycSEd6ueLoqiEYexwVSzrG8bFuKmHIng9lWGrN-7u32E99V1q7GLu7B6AJiq_40aiqvGMHeVBvNIX7Nw7SQgKX7BhkoHdgtpq_xOrm7nohL2l0TB8oIPJSaHQ8j9EKTXEddyEc/s1600/DSC_0055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3yZBPycSEd6ueLoqiEYexwVSzrG8bFuKmHIng9lWGrN-7u32E99V1q7GLu7B6AJiq_40aiqvGMHeVBvNIX7Nw7SQgKX7BhkoHdgtpq_xOrm7nohL2l0TB8oIPJSaHQ8j9EKTXEddyEc/s200/DSC_0055.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaF4RirsBRfUNgPXelvhFNw8VuDW4zMUZODTtrlG7VyDuB9ZPy5qQzGK9JSLuQZX0_wAUK2Prx0NAXKl_xNNkCn1stbSlUnTavp_gjgQKRQG-Cf5wFDQLCEiBKlFAj6Gkq168HZsJ5Wqw/s1600/DSC_0054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaF4RirsBRfUNgPXelvhFNw8VuDW4zMUZODTtrlG7VyDuB9ZPy5qQzGK9JSLuQZX0_wAUK2Prx0NAXKl_xNNkCn1stbSlUnTavp_gjgQKRQG-Cf5wFDQLCEiBKlFAj6Gkq168HZsJ5Wqw/s200/DSC_0054.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
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Here you can see the wig in the middle of the trimming process, after I'd cut off the long pieces at the back and on the sides. I was concerned that I would cut too much off and then I would have wasted $15 on the wig, so I went slow and only cut a bit at a time. The triplets in <b>Brave</b> are drawn with curly reddish hair that's short on the sides but the front bangs are puffy and stand up quite a bit, so I didn't want to cut too much from the front. The trick was getting it to not look too much like Merida with short hair. Here is the end result, from front, back and side:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-HmEQt5T2nGUBSKaTGZ0Bj9eYn_aUVQOKa6j-edDIPjKXAfXjh3RI95MYPypt5BRLMDW0auDFRxsNix99yFki-qnok2xWGihP9HhaZYZBgGsfMkrbGM_HgeBY5tBSgCAxfIvyVS4ZCE/s1600/DSC_0056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-HmEQt5T2nGUBSKaTGZ0Bj9eYn_aUVQOKa6j-edDIPjKXAfXjh3RI95MYPypt5BRLMDW0auDFRxsNix99yFki-qnok2xWGihP9HhaZYZBgGsfMkrbGM_HgeBY5tBSgCAxfIvyVS4ZCE/s200/DSC_0056.jpg" width="132" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GZBOBziBQpJ1ryLs8IDDGlg2hLqfknH26ifGDTIQOLYFXGcYcZrt3UX8HGM9u_Icq8cAYxgKaKTAc3RPC3aciKnblskTDh_ZvsS91L6za5R3GCGXXHAEgS9unjpOu3O-KjgCP0_A0io/s1600/DSC_0057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GZBOBziBQpJ1ryLs8IDDGlg2hLqfknH26ifGDTIQOLYFXGcYcZrt3UX8HGM9u_Icq8cAYxgKaKTAc3RPC3aciKnblskTDh_ZvsS91L6za5R3GCGXXHAEgS9unjpOu3O-KjgCP0_A0io/s200/DSC_0057.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvdusdmAk7LXeSFSFDXMdwgYmmRBM-pB-1Aj-7JJlu4APRic0B21Ws6CdcAOEV2w7fucebGBhKDORa_2juVs7OD0rOaQPSE7duwriTRbsVnhF-5tB8e8L7fhxl03npTnXCHvheHkWIf4/s1600/DSC_0058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvdusdmAk7LXeSFSFDXMdwgYmmRBM-pB-1Aj-7JJlu4APRic0B21Ws6CdcAOEV2w7fucebGBhKDORa_2juVs7OD0rOaQPSE7duwriTRbsVnhF-5tB8e8L7fhxl03npTnXCHvheHkWIf4/s200/DSC_0058.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
As you can see, I tried to make the back look as natural as possible, cutting it short but leaving enough that you can't see the wig base. I also needed it to look a little messy, otherwise the curls would look too girly. I think I managed to get a good balance. This wig was in the section for littler girls and I think it's a tad small for his head, but that's okay because that way the curls aren't too overwhelming. Overall it looks pretty close to the triplets' hair in the movie, but I think it's best judged with the entire costume, and that will come next time.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-80051153664325405902013-07-30T19:04:00.000-04:002013-07-30T19:04:01.127-04:00Pajama Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdHH3T_PU8AW46qnhHQMGGC3Zr5KfQYbYuYAihcOO-tyMMY6KL1GG23ZPKhpPFXiCsF-O7dR7Lp8rWUlX4Y_xMxZI7JYlkoDjpgfLYBdq39dg9B6knb4e_YkfCOVyzTZprccd4hMgToA/s1600/100_6768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdHH3T_PU8AW46qnhHQMGGC3Zr5KfQYbYuYAihcOO-tyMMY6KL1GG23ZPKhpPFXiCsF-O7dR7Lp8rWUlX4Y_xMxZI7JYlkoDjpgfLYBdq39dg9B6knb4e_YkfCOVyzTZprccd4hMgToA/s1600/100_6768.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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It seems like my kids always run out of things that fit in stages that go by types of garment. Around Christmastime I realized that Mr. T was in desperate need of new pajamas. His old ones were all too small and I was reluctant to go out and buy new ones, given the vast stash of fabric in my storage room. So I got out a pile of knits and had him choose 3 prints to work with, for 3 new pairs of pajamas. He ended up choosing a print with dogs (some of which are blue) on yellow, a jungle print in green, aqua and brown, and - his absolute favorite - a "breakfast" print of eggs, bacon and toast. Breakfast-themed prints seem to be his thing; his favorite RTW t-shirt is a face whose eyes are fried eggs and whose mouth is a strip of bacon. Go figure.<br />
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I used my go-to pj pattern, the "Stripey Legs" pants and "Night Owl" shirt (nos. 34 and 35) from the Winter 2009 issue of Ottobre. This issue is one of my favorites and I've made quite a few things from it by now. Since I wasn't sure if I'd have enough of the prints to do both the shirt and pants for each set, I decided to throw in a complementary stripe for each one: two-tones of blue rib knit for the dogs, green with white stripe interlock for the jungle print, and yellow and orange rib knit for the breakfast print. I used brown ribbing for the cuffs of the jungle and breakfast prints, and a cobalt blue ribbing for the dog print.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiyGKUtYh2nQqGozg7ck7UY5Lpyx4mQeqi6TX2md0LySwlo2KtNNZzWXA-K-HskAV1Ps_GjLhyBa7tyBmXSM04yiBrY3jf5ZqFaLRAxtIGRYH1lgAS4Ilpx5EW53xAFv49efK-t0aTN0/s1600/100_6820.JPG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiyGKUtYh2nQqGozg7ck7UY5Lpyx4mQeqi6TX2md0LySwlo2KtNNZzWXA-K-HskAV1Ps_GjLhyBa7tyBmXSM04yiBrY3jf5ZqFaLRAxtIGRYH1lgAS4Ilpx5EW53xAFv49efK-t0aTN0/s1600/100_6820.JPG.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy before bedtime.</td></tr>
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I've made this pattern a couple of times and used a few different techniques to sew it together. The directions call for you to lap the seams and then sew them with "a flat lock stitch", by which I assume they mean a coverstitch. I don't have a serger that does a coverstitch so I've used the honeycomb stitch on my regular machine in the past and that's one they recommend in lieu of the coverstitch. I've also constructed them using regular seams and topstitching them. This time I decided to try a flatlock stitch on my serger, which gives a smooth seam on the inside and has the seam allowances on the outside. It worked out okay but I don't think I'd do it again, simply because the exterior seam allowances are a little bulkier than I'd like.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wSVHZzmd1un_tJTYo7cDAkmK288ah5WhD7OHNxR5jIrYraKyDotWnRcSIpCzicx92AW0MYX9xlyVnmJ6skeB6kAxNwPVhEApIuDMfldxJn_tzr-tCSAFpbHbujy_R1kDJubQ3-HMAM4/s1600/100_0113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wSVHZzmd1un_tJTYo7cDAkmK288ah5WhD7OHNxR5jIrYraKyDotWnRcSIpCzicx92AW0MYX9xlyVnmJ6skeB6kAxNwPVhEApIuDMfldxJn_tzr-tCSAFpbHbujy_R1kDJubQ3-HMAM4/s1600/100_0113.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jungle Jammies!</td></tr>
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The other issue I came across this time is that, because I used the blue striped rib knit for the body of the shirt, the neckline was slightly bigger than I would have liked. Darn that rib knit! I should have stabilized the necklines before I sewed the binding on. It's not a glaring fit issue and it makes it easier for Mr. T to get the shirt on over his big head, but still.<br />
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All in all, a very successful week of sewing these. If only I could get in the sewing room more regularly! And if only I could remember to post about them in a more timely fashion! At least I was able to do them in a sort-of assembly line style. Using the brown for 2 pairs meant I didn't have to change thread for each set and that's always a time-saver.<br />
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Now he needs more pants. It never ends.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-31582004354398506702013-07-30T18:35:00.000-04:002013-07-30T18:35:54.405-04:00Third Time's a Charm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5F8vryGkmSidN7Kp5IdVRFRhOgBsJjNe30pLJ5czcjGexH6vOqcs9vin7ABD6HYlzti6MXvo_a3vl7e5xkAkvgRH6_cbLFoJ8Hbo0wK4GzsjAFO86f1pTRM4pC5cgQqv5IJmHGaF2Dw/s1600/100_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5F8vryGkmSidN7Kp5IdVRFRhOgBsJjNe30pLJ5czcjGexH6vOqcs9vin7ABD6HYlzti6MXvo_a3vl7e5xkAkvgRH6_cbLFoJ8Hbo0wK4GzsjAFO86f1pTRM4pC5cgQqv5IJmHGaF2Dw/s1600/100_0040.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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A while back I posted about needing to make a maternity bathing suit and what I thought I might need to do. I started off enthusiastically to make the "Rimini" tankini top from the Spring/Summer 2011 issue of Ottobre Woman. Knowing that I have a larger-than-average bust, I measured my full bust and it ended up being the largest size - a 52 - so I traced the pattern in that size, cut it out and sewed up the 'bra' portion of the top. It was waaaaaayy too big around my ribs and the gap in the front where the two pieces were intended to cross over was so big that I was falling out of it, but I still didn't have enough fabric in the cups to properly cover myself and get any support. I fiddled around with it, trying to figure out what went wrong and then gave it up for a while to focus on some other projects.<br />
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I went back to the tankini when we had an unusually warm week in early May. This time I decided to add fabric to the cup area by slashing the size 52 pattern to the bust apex and spreading it. This had the effect of tightening/shortening up the curve at the front and lessening the gap there, as well as giving me slightly more coverage at the side. I cut this new version of the 'bra' portion and found that there still wasn't enough support at the front and that it still gapped. I took out the stitches and overlapped the center fronts about twice as much as the first time. Now I had more coverage but it still was dragging down at the center front and kind of twisting. I took in the back by increasing the overlap, thinking that this would counter-act the problem at the center front, and it seemed better so I decided to add the lower portion of the tankini.<br />
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Disaster. I'd added way too much fabric at the center front and as a result there was far too much fabric in both the front and the back. I got upset because I really wanted this pattern to work and because I don't want to spend a ton of money on a maternity suit off the rack. Cheap suits generally don't give me the support I need in a bathing suit so I end up with a suit that costs $75 or more. I'm unwilling to pay that much for a maternity suit for my last pregnancy. So I decided to take a break and do some laundry and think about the problem.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSi4jwg6-srFpxuh5T6EQnP-zPgZJ43mLAkEgLtgN7e5f_1ym2rD6Kl5CTUpZGqOXDQ5G39rwG8LYoV_JSa6CB5oXTShwGmCOCxQxGHa6u-ygzTI74URl-kDQ8Sir0GMpi6rXjOLkMRE/s1600/100_0111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSi4jwg6-srFpxuh5T6EQnP-zPgZJ43mLAkEgLtgN7e5f_1ym2rD6Kl5CTUpZGqOXDQ5G39rwG8LYoV_JSa6CB5oXTShwGmCOCxQxGHa6u-ygzTI74URl-kDQ8Sir0GMpi6rXjOLkMRE/s1600/100_0111.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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The solution presented itself while talking the situation over with Scott. He was looking at the instructions and pointed out that while I needed the cup size of the 52, my underbust measurement was more like a size 46 or 48 (I fall kind of in the middle of the two). He also pointed out that I lost weight at the beginning of this pregnancy and haven't gained very much, so I'm clearly not a 52 all over. We decided that I should cut the 48 to allow for a little room for my belly to expand. That remedied the problem of the lower portion, but what about the bra portion? I played around with the 2nd version and decided the way to go was to sew the two pieces together so that there was a center front seam, then do the same thing at the back, after shortening the length of the back pieces so that they were more equivalent to a size 46. This gave me the coverage and support that I needed but in the size appropriate to my body frame.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVJqiF3x3JAIFpnoBDzAlbpM2FF6GcXV3uFZTNrK-Wfiyv0T458XeZZAX_gG3ucH596JCrxD9sr3vfQTLQNuKs_GFdpKr-BLdzsfoXW8jG-VHyuWR4IyUXYuQzimdU1n3nCIED-lng-c/s1600/100_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVJqiF3x3JAIFpnoBDzAlbpM2FF6GcXV3uFZTNrK-Wfiyv0T458XeZZAX_gG3ucH596JCrxD9sr3vfQTLQNuKs_GFdpKr-BLdzsfoXW8jG-VHyuWR4IyUXYuQzimdU1n3nCIED-lng-c/s1600/100_0043.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Center back seam.</td></tr>
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So here is the final product:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqZ6BJvS9Ok6NE_xtnWasUvauvacTm_1UoYQc3DLv41mtQycs2FKJq-3_HDVhdWmihsGMDcVcIX94z2r_5ZYq_RiQ5a1euOOcRf8ZKWCtUIqVSG1t7udkZ0cyG8xdtNL6f118wWlbfKM/s1600/100_0065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqZ6BJvS9Ok6NE_xtnWasUvauvacTm_1UoYQc3DLv41mtQycs2FKJq-3_HDVhdWmihsGMDcVcIX94z2r_5ZYq_RiQ5a1euOOcRf8ZKWCtUIqVSG1t7udkZ0cyG8xdtNL6f118wWlbfKM/s1600/100_0065.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't make fun of the bathing cap - it keeps my new teal hair protected!</td></tr>
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I ended up doing the center front and back seams, though I think I should have deepened the center front seam just a bit more. As it is, I hand-stitched it a bit to close up the neckline a little more so I didn't feel as though I would fall out of it. Also, if I make this again, I will reduce the amount of fabric under the arms at the sides, since the suit cuts into me slightly there. I decreased the amount of elastic that I used at the under bust portion significantly - I used about 24". I'd probably use even less next time, in order to have more support under the bust. And I'd probably find an underwire bra that I could sew into the lining, since I feel like I really don't have enough support with this, plus I'd probably retain the alterations I made but cut one size smaller in order to get more support out of the fabric itself. Right now it feels comfortable but I still wonder if there's too much give due to it being a 46. Cutting a 44 and still doing an FBA would probably be better overall, and I think I'd get a better lift for "the girls". I have more fabric (black with hot pink dots!) so I plan on perfecting the fit on this suit after the baby arrives.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjE23K9rF-BANc-AbQA99Xu6PZvQ1hWfHzhIDe_Cx9IfkiXn_Ef7KQavHh2Ib9Lx3C3Pj6Wp_YI20bnVB2kr_jaiXO5BsJZF7XadQnvUPVVJGDKqkUGFdh3kNVH-AH8_hOgy0dWaH1hoQ/s1600/100_0072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjE23K9rF-BANc-AbQA99Xu6PZvQ1hWfHzhIDe_Cx9IfkiXn_Ef7KQavHh2Ib9Lx3C3Pj6Wp_YI20bnVB2kr_jaiXO5BsJZF7XadQnvUPVVJGDKqkUGFdh3kNVH-AH8_hOgy0dWaH1hoQ/s1600/100_0072.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side view - 32 weeks pregnant.</td></tr>
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It's better than a lot of suits I've worn, and I'd say it's not bad for a first attempt, but I'm not totally thrilled with the result. It gets the job done, though, and that's what's important. I probably added a bit too much to the bottom portion in order to accommodate the growing bump because the overlay pulls down a bit at the center front and the shirring doesn't lie evenly. Again, not a huge problem, since the suit is still quite functional. What I love most is that it pretty much stays down over my belly and sort of looks like a retro one-piece suit, a style I really like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75vcnswtoSOwxmqnAePI8weuhhUXvnqJeMv6zdmcay5-1rXI4mQssgtnTrecm5-yBSnCV8YKv0lVE58PQKSFS0PiQPYeDR2zjPiZmwYj0VmBc-ARhUmWAbqwMO8-oEyt7nMmVcpTU7ts/s1600/100_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75vcnswtoSOwxmqnAePI8weuhhUXvnqJeMv6zdmcay5-1rXI4mQssgtnTrecm5-yBSnCV8YKv0lVE58PQKSFS0PiQPYeDR2zjPiZmwYj0VmBc-ARhUmWAbqwMO8-oEyt7nMmVcpTU7ts/s1600/100_0109.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The bottoms themselves were much easier - I cut a size 52 to see if that would cover my bum and still give me plenty of room for the belly. I was expecting to have to make some significant alterations but I was pleasantly surprised that they fit perfectly the first time. I used the bikini bottom pattern, rather than the boy-short bottom, and I found that the height of the leg opening was just right for me and it has a nice full-coverage back. I don't find myself having to adjust the fabric on my bum to keep it covered, so that's a definite plus.<br />
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-73504108780453700082013-07-11T02:54:00.004-04:002013-07-11T02:55:35.578-04:00Stuck in a Holding Pattern<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpScr28mK7Zt5UWdta-9vWU4Q0QCsGn-JebLL0SgzNL-9XGR1eE2bTvVEuHRjtP1H_MkjsWBsiTzcwV9T68ZyrsDH36oiLBUbRB9iof6FFCsFanrOJ9CuKJIb8EqBbYHKEIsC1MExPGkQ/s1600/100_9953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpScr28mK7Zt5UWdta-9vWU4Q0QCsGn-JebLL0SgzNL-9XGR1eE2bTvVEuHRjtP1H_MkjsWBsiTzcwV9T68ZyrsDH36oiLBUbRB9iof6FFCsFanrOJ9CuKJIb8EqBbYHKEIsC1MExPGkQ/s1600/100_9953.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hold on there, kiddo. It won't be much longer!</td></tr>
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Nothing new sewn. Nothing. It's killing me. I've spent the past 2 weeks trying to just find time to get into my sewing room, now that it's moved from the old room into what was once the storage room. I can't find the time. Or the energy. Or both, I don't know. I do know that I have a few things left that I really want to sew while I'm still pregnant, and I have to finish the summer SWAP for the boy. But this pregnancy has left me more than a little drained and I'm starting to really feel it. I've said it before - Pregnancy after 40 is not for wimps. This is especially true since Scott is gone for the next month. I'll reach the 33 week mark on Friday and I won't see him until I reach week 36. The children have lost their minds because it's summer and Daddy is gone and they know I'm exhausted. Lucky for me Miss Maeve is at camp right now - at least for the next few days. And tomorrow - tomorrow Scott's replacement shows up. And by replacement, I mean his mom.<br />
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C. and I don't have tons in common, but she's my mother-in-law and she's available to help out for once. And for once I mean, this one time. Last time we asked her to come and help was when I was pregnant with Tallon and she told us she didn't think she'd be able to come and help because she couldn't take time off of work. I don't know what Scott said to her this time, although she's retired now so work isn't an excuse she can use. Her main work is usually taking care of the other grandkids, Scott's sister's twins who are 8 1/2. She spends a lot of time taking them to their various tennis, violin and swim lessons, and I don't know what-all else. Scott must have been convincing, though, and I'm glad because I'm far too pregnant to be dealing with my 3 crazies alone and trying to run a house. I'm not too proud to admit that. Scott left on Sunday and I'm already drained and it's only Wednesday.<br />
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So tomorrow we pick C. up at the airport and then run errands on the way home, get our CSA box for the week at the Farmer's Market, eat lunch (I promised the kids we'd eat at the market) and then we're back to the house for a brief time before gymnastics. It promises to be a busy day. Friday will sort of be a day of rest, though we do have a Daisy scout meeting here in the late afternoon that day. Then C.'s help will start off with a bang on Saturday morning, since I have to pick up Maeve at camp while she takes the other 2 to their swim lesson. Tallon, I promise, will tire her out just by being himself.<br />
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The rest of the time, though? I'm going to put her to use as much as possible so that I can get back in the sewing room. I figure that she's probably got more energy than me right now, even if she is 65. If she can take charge of even half the stuff to do with the kids (especially baths and bedtime) I'll have more time to get to things that need doing around here. Plus, the more she takes them to the park and whatnot, the less cleaning I have to do in the house. And that's always a plus. Additionally, I'm starting to get into that nesting mode and I want to have everything clean and tidy before the new one makes his appearance. I know realistically it won't be like that, but if I can sort of have things the way I want them I'll feel a lot better.<br />
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On the fun side, I dyed my hair teal back in June and love the color. It started to fade a bit towards the end of the month, so I brightened it up the other day and I love it.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-32809816626645037662013-06-04T12:42:00.001-04:002013-06-04T12:45:39.109-04:00Ahoy, Matey!<br />
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So, my girl is not the girliest of girls. She likes pirates. I think she has a secret desire to be like Pippi Longstocking. Back in 2010, I made Miss G <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mommymade/5240220384/in/photostream" target="_blank">a pirate girl outfit</a> for her birthday present. She's since outgrown that one and was begging me for a new one. Since the whole thing was based around a velour iron-on that I'd found at Bunte Fabrics it would have been a bit difficult, but for the fact that before Yvonne closed her shop, I managed to score another one, plus a boy version.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQD-X2zTwAAphCk2dPQA7f3_B5-glT1Jwyd2KXKZD3jwdFIuUM7jQ7uby9eG9uwY9gFR0Fgvk1W11zTuvUmfV2Jth3lXirE0Y-dA3tznPUUhNiB5cZDlUoDrJ00jx_SRLKAXI-B16nsTM/s1600/100_6759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQD-X2zTwAAphCk2dPQA7f3_B5-glT1Jwyd2KXKZD3jwdFIuUM7jQ7uby9eG9uwY9gFR0Fgvk1W11zTuvUmfV2Jth3lXirE0Y-dA3tznPUUhNiB5cZDlUoDrJ00jx_SRLKAXI-B16nsTM/s1600/100_6759.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxX-vtUDuF-ei3BAlUVxW67zlAjOT3nkgRXKUVpcUVYGV215gQeroDMCj1da9AWmmHekJVJRVupP9dywiJCC47k7HdeNmffZLKSUyzxRNK6yrI00Wmxn9Wyqa-ERrZfG5h2K4btH5Yuk/s1600/100_9045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxX-vtUDuF-ei3BAlUVxW67zlAjOT3nkgRXKUVpcUVYGV215gQeroDMCj1da9AWmmHekJVJRVupP9dywiJCC47k7HdeNmffZLKSUyzxRNK6yrI00Wmxn9Wyqa-ERrZfG5h2K4btH5Yuk/s1600/100_9045.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left sleeve.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTb_12Kte7w6I1YvCU3Z9jI__linKTscu8HTrPMQQxEJTFebBFiWcnGZUgrCE9-e_qfaQ0w80_cL1xLUjlReGETgSqYnCGryqxYd7MUZlln-I5HrdVxEYfky7ci1Wai2-_-C_j4364_o/s1600/100_9046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTb_12Kte7w6I1YvCU3Z9jI__linKTscu8HTrPMQQxEJTFebBFiWcnGZUgrCE9-e_qfaQ0w80_cL1xLUjlReGETgSqYnCGryqxYd7MUZlln-I5HrdVxEYfky7ci1Wai2-_-C_j4364_o/s1600/100_9046.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right sleeve.</td></tr>
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The shirt is basically the same as last time - I used the Imke pattern from <u>Sewing Clothes Kids Love</u> and I made it in a faux 2-layer style, with the pointy version of the hood. The short-sleeves and the body of the shirt are a black rib knit and the sleeves and hood are red and white cotton-lycra - both left over from the previous shirt. Like last time, I managed to get a red velour pirate skull iron-on (plus one to go with the boy pirate for Mr. T) and that goes on the right short sleeve; the long sleeve has 2 layers of ribbon - the bottom layer is black grosgrain with white pick stitching and the top layer is light blue with red stars. The star one is from Farbenmix. On the left long sleeve is a stripe of<a href="http://www.banberryplace.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33_204&products_id=3173" target="_blank"> pirate boys and girls ribbon</a> that I got from Banberry Place; the short sleeve has iron-on stars of various sizes in a red holographic vinyl. The hood has a tassel of several different ribbons, including the stars ribbon and the pirates ribbon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2CcFQF6oMnSaGqNh9y4MnKcDbo0Aa_wI94CM_OjcR8Y9PPANyiS19vxcPotfwtLBgyFzHm-R7MZt_nH5HPt1h8fneD2su0CvSgQLjGzWkR6gDTiGXib8HTrF1P0ghFF0csRd6STkVMM/s1600/100_6763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2CcFQF6oMnSaGqNh9y4MnKcDbo0Aa_wI94CM_OjcR8Y9PPANyiS19vxcPotfwtLBgyFzHm-R7MZt_nH5HPt1h8fneD2su0CvSgQLjGzWkR6gDTiGXib8HTrF1P0ghFF0csRd6STkVMM/s1600/100_6763.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ribbon tassel on the hood.</td></tr>
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The previous pirate girl outfit had a skirt, made from black denim with embroidered skull-and-crossbones motifs in white. This time I opted for pants. I'd been wanting to make the <a href="http://www.farbenmix.de/shop/Patterns/Boys/NONITA-Schnittmuster::9130.html" target="_blank">Farbenmix Nonita</a> pants pattern for a while - how can you not love a pant called 'piratenhosen' (pirate pants) by its' maker? I knew I didn't have enough of the denim from the skirt, so I found some stretch red denim and used that for the main fabric, with the embroidered black denim as accents. I like how they turned out, though the denim is pretty stiff; hopefully it'll get softer as it gets worn in. I really like the look of some of the topstitching done by others on these pants, so I tried to go for a similar look. I'm not entirely happy with the look but that's probably because I had to use doubled thread, since I didn't have white topstitching thread. Also, I don't know if I'd use the thicker thread for the more complicated stitch patterns on such a heavy fabric again. They probably would have been fine with a single thread.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pirate pants- front.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pocket on left leg and ribbon detail on cuff.</td></tr>
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The other thing I had a problem with was fit, but my girl is so skinny that I'm kind of not surprised that the waist is a bit big on her. This is often the case with the Euro patterns when I make them for her. There's always a good amount of ease and sometimes I have to compensate for that. After one or two wears we decided to undo the waistband a tiny bit and redo the elastic. The fit is much better now. The buttons were the coolest part, since I discovered them by accident at JoAnn's. The pirate skulls appear to be printed on them, but I'm hoping they won't rub off in the wash.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topstitching detail, skull and crossbones buttons, pirate ribbon and Farbenmix label.</td></tr>
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The pants look super cute with the cuffs rolled up, since that exposes the pirate denim on the underside. And they look great with boots, sneakers, clogs or pretty much any other shoe. Miss G. likes to wear her pirate print clogs with them. I kind of want to use this pattern to make pants for my son's pirate boy outfit, but I'm not sure the fit would be good for his body. I do think it will be fun to make another pair of these for G. in a lighter weight cotton for summer. First, though, I need to finish some other projects!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-87651474722465754532013-06-04T12:38:00.003-04:002013-06-04T12:45:39.111-04:00Stars and Stripes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ideally, this post should have been written back in September, except I forgot about it. I mean, I do a lot of sewing but don't always end up documenting it as I go along or even right after I finish it. I'm working on changing that, but it's a process.<br />
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This outfit for Miss Gwyn (who else?) was actually her first day of school outfit, and I stayed up all night to finish it - literally. The birds were singing when I went to bed. Anyway, she had asked me for "an adventure skirt" and had chosen a star-print twill from JoAnn's. After perusing my Ottobre magazines I found the perfect pattern - #14 in the 1/2005 issue. It's a pretty quick and easy pattern but with a lot of topstitching. I used a yellow thread, since yellow is her favorite color.<br />
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She needed a top to go with it, so we went with the ever-popular Farbenmix Imke (or was it Antonia? I don't remember now!), with hood and short, puffed sleeves. The green and white striped knit I had in my stash, grabbed from the bargain table at G Street Fabrics in Rockville, MD back when we lived on the east coast. It was a huge piece, but at $2.97/yard you really can't go wrong, can you?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shirt front detail.</td></tr>
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Anyway, the green matches the green stars in the skirt perfectly but it's a bit plain, so we added some iron-on stars in red holographic foil and some Farbenmix ribbon. I'm not sure what the middle ribbon is called, but it's still available at the <a href="http://www.farbenmix.de/shop/Ribbon/Mixband-bunt::6597.html" target="_blank">Farbenmix online shop</a>. The other two both have stars - <a href="http://www.farbenmix.de/shop/Ribbon/schmales-Sternchenband-rot-hellblau::8707.html" target="_blank">light blue with red</a> and <a href="http://www.banberryplace.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33_215&products_id=2548" target="_blank">orange with red</a>, also available at Farbenmix and at Banberry place, respectively. Because, you know, you can't have too many stars. The hood on this shirt is the pointy version, naturally, and it has a tassel of the 3 ribbons that I used on the front of the shirt. I like that these two pieces are easily worn separately - I think she's worn the skirt with a solid red shirt and the striped shirt goes with any jeans, so she doesn't always feel like she needs to keep them together as an outfit. I think that they'll fit well through the summer, but Miss G. has had a slight growth spurt lately, so it may not last into the next school year.<br />
<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-31839759262395069012013-06-02T23:26:00.003-04:002013-06-02T23:26:50.243-04:00Summer SWAP for the boy - Part 1I'm trying to get a jump on the summer garment sewing for Mr. T, since it usually sneaks up on me. He's pretty much growing out of the size 4T things from the past year, so everything is needing replacement pretty soon. Back in February and March I started going through my Ottobre magazines and sketching out things I wanted to make for him, just so that I'd have an idea of what fabrics I wanted to use and what I'd have to buy. I really tried to focus on using fabrics already in my stash so that I'd have to buy very little. This meant that I could also try to make everything fairly mix-and-match so that there wouldn't be any mismatched clothing if someone other than me picked out his clothes. I've got all the patterns traced and am cutting things out in bunches, keeping the knits together in groups so I can sew several garments at one sitting without having to change needles or rethread the serger. It makes the process go really quickly.<br />
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As of right now I have 4 t-shirts completed and 1 short-sleeved hoodie. The hoodie is from a burnt-orange and cream 100% cotton French terry. It has some stretch because of the lofty, almost loose knit but no lycra, so the stretch is fairly minimal. For this I used the # 25 "Eleven and One" pattern from the 1/2011 issue of Ottobre. This pattern actually calls for a lining in the hood and the sleeves, but I felt that it would be too warm for summer if we used a lining, even if it wasn't in the body. Additionally I thought that a lining would drag down the loftiness of the hood and make it droopy. Instead of using the lining, I simply turned the edges of the hood under twice and stitched it down. I did the same thing with the sleeves. I contemplated making a front pocket but then the summer 2013 issue arrived with a short-sleeved hoodie pattern for babies and I thought I could use the leftovers to make a matching hoodie for the baby. I wasn't sure if I'd have enough fabric for that if I added a pocket to the larger one, so I left it plain. I did add a piece of contrasting ribbon with dragons on it at the bottom, just for a cool detail.<br />
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The first 2 t-shirts are made from the 3/2007 issue of Ottobre -# 20 Slim Fit T-shirt. The first is made from a striped interlock knit in aqua and chartreuse, with dark brown ribbing. I can't remember where the interlock came from but I think I got it on eBay and it may have been a Chez Ami knit. Don't quote me on that, though. All I know is that it's super soft.<br />
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The second of the Slim Fit T-shirts is made from a surfboard-print stable jersey that also came from either an etsy seller or eBay. My only problem with this shirt is that the fabric was a beast to work with due to the fact that it was twisted and the print was off-grain, making the rows of surfboards slant. I tried to avoid this at all costs but it would have created a shirt that twisted miserably if I had tried to make the surfboards line up straight. I almost gave up on this print but T. wanted a surfboard shirt so much that I decided to try to make it work and the end result isn't that bad. The ribbing is orange ribbing from my stash.<br />
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The last 2 t-shirts are from the 3/2008 issue of Ottobre - the # 10 "Bat" t-shirt. This shirt has a looser fit than the first 2 and a chest pocket. The first is made from 2 different interlock knits - one solid orange and one a cars print in cream with brown, orange, aqua blue and sprout green. I like the contrast of the bright solid sleeves with the print body and I really like the way the turquoise ribbing looks with the orange.<br />
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The second "Bat" t-shirt is made from a beautiful tie-dye 100% cotton rib knit that I got in a remnant bin somewhere. It was already dyed when I bought it, though it does look like I could have dyed it myself. The binding on the neck and sleeves is made from an olive green interlock remnant from my stash and I decided on the interlock based on how thin the rib knit is. I felt that a chunkier knit or ribbing would have distorted the neckline due to the difference in weights. These 2 are really close in weight and look great together, as evidenced by the really smooth seam. I love the way this looks. I added the dragon ribbon to this one, as well.<br />
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Next up, a couple of pairs of shorts, including some 'summer' sweatpants and probably 1 or 2 more t-shirts.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-62409625598044998202013-04-30T02:55:00.000-04:002015-06-17T18:25:02.924-04:00The "Patisserie" Dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So around the beginning of the year, a friend posted on her FB page that she would hand make something for the first 5 people who commented on her post, and the catch was that you had to repost the offer. I commented because my friend, Christine, is always a crafty person and is also an amazing photographer. When we were in college she did pressed flowers for a bunch of us who were close friends with her and I still have mine, framed, in my sewing room.<br />
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When I reposted, I got replies from 4 friends quite quickly but was surprised that I didn't hear from my friend, Lindsey, since she's a fan of my sewing work. I made a baby quilt for her younger daughter last summer and she loves it. When I saw that she hadn't replied to the post about a free handmade something, I messaged her to see if she'd seen it. She hadn't, but she jumped at the chance and when I asked if she wanted something for the baby, she said that the quilt was enough but could I make something for her older daughter, BB, who is my Gwyneth's good friend. BB is a girly girl and I immediately started thinking about dresses - something she could wear in the summer but also in spring and fall with maybe a shirt underneath. I showed her the Feliz dress in the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sewing-Clothes-Kids-Love-Instructions/dp/1589234731/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367275880&sr=1-1&keywords=sewing+clothes+kids+love" target="_blank">SCKL book</a> and she loved it. BB's favorite colors are pink and purple so I poked around on the Fashion Fabrics Club website to see what was available and came up with a <a href="http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/p/18536/Magenta-Pink-Plaid-Chambray" target="_blank">pastel plaid chambray</a>, a <a href="http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/p/20453/Magenta-Pink-Chambray" target="_blank">purple chambray</a>, a <a href="http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/p/18772/Berry-Pink-Stripe-Shirting" target="_blank">pink striped shirting</a> and some coordinating voiles. But when the fabrics came, I stopped being so enthusiastic about them. Normally I use some kind of a print as the main fabric and I'd planned to use the plaid as the lower ruffle on the under-dress, as well as some of the ruffles on the back and make the body of the under-dress from the striped pink shirting. I stopped liking that and decided that the way to go was with the plaid as the body of the under-dress. But then I started thinking about needing a smaller print to tie everything together - the plaid is good but bigger than I'd anticipated. I dug through my stash and somehow came up with a 1-yd. piece of pink abstract print of dots/egg shapes that had all the colors from the other fabrics. I can use this for the sash and as one of the ruffle fabrics. The purple chambray is the over-dress. But how to tie it all together?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The most famous French macarons. These colors inspired the theme of the dress.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hW-Y47fd3tPAqFnBEYeXMnwtTBuLj5XLqOTDsBjL8JhtuP7jackEa76kIQhvB1SG9Ujo40_zLKd2REFMHimwgFYeqbhSXZ9hHMaNQ69WRVrYEhvIpBsmNR2qEEhVnimSrqR3shRfHnE/s1600/100_7926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hW-Y47fd3tPAqFnBEYeXMnwtTBuLj5XLqOTDsBjL8JhtuP7jackEa76kIQhvB1SG9Ujo40_zLKd2REFMHimwgFYeqbhSXZ9hHMaNQ69WRVrYEhvIpBsmNR2qEEhVnimSrqR3shRfHnE/s1600/100_7926.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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BB is interested in all things French and I thought that the perfect way to embellish the plain fabric of the over-dress was to embroider it. Suddenly a lightbulb came on for me - Huups.de has an <a href="https://www.huups.de/49254/bonjour-paris" target="_blank">embroidery set called 'Bonjour Paris'</a>, of a French girl with her dog, an Eiffel Tower, a pastry shop and the phrase "Paris, Je t'aime" (I love you, Paris). And it's done by my favorite embroidery designer, Nic, of Luzia Pimpinella. If I changed up the color scheme from the original design of the embroidery to go with the dress colors, I could make a whole scene of the girl going to the pastry shop. Okay, technically the shop says 'confiserie', which means 'confectionary' and really refers to a place that makes desserts of various kinds (cakes, pastries, tartes, chocolates, ice cream) and not just a pastry shop. But, if you add some ribbons with cakes, cupcakes and ice cream cones in those same tones of French macarons and you get a pastry shop dress! So now I'm inspired. And also, hungry. However, the macarons can wait.<br />
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So the end product:<br />
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As you can see, the apron/overdress is the focal point. I wanted the "Paris, Je t'aime" to stand out so that the theme would be kind of obvious, so I went with a lighter color. White seemed too stark, hence the light pink. And the jade green for the Eiffel Tower letter 'A' is a good way to introduce that color, plus it links to the straps; I was afraid that doing the straps in the green would look odd but they bring a nice bit of contrast. And they look adorable with the dark pink rick-rack at the edges - that part reminds me of the lace paper doilies that some pastry shops use.<br />
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I wanted to set up the street scene at the bottom in such a way that there was an Eiffel Tower in the background, but I realized that it was going to be too heavy after I finished the pastry shop, simply due to the amount of embroidery on a dress this size. So I moved the Eiffel Tower to the back of one of the side panels, which kind of gives the feel that Paris is all around and ties the theme to the back of the dress.<br />
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The back of the dress involved adding ruffles and ribbon - normally not something that is too difficult, just time-consuming. That and with this dress it has to be done before sewing the dress pieces together, so it seems like it's taking forever to finish. Surprisingly, this was more difficult than I anticipated, since I had to figure out how to incorporate the ribbons in a way that made sense and didn't look like I'd just thrown a bunch of ribbon at the dress.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIxNcSdPB7Rj98b3fG14akef9aGBHkzKM6VZeTHsehXvUeNAUGqbRzjFSINesocejVqPlix1QNbCyuAfXoLjJpy18vLa7ipVMnCigTozWTW6lyGPhoMqs_Hybnw-aqQE0b6Vxyvk5eGs/s1600/100_7928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIxNcSdPB7Rj98b3fG14akef9aGBHkzKM6VZeTHsehXvUeNAUGqbRzjFSINesocejVqPlix1QNbCyuAfXoLjJpy18vLa7ipVMnCigTozWTW6lyGPhoMqs_Hybnw-aqQE0b6Vxyvk5eGs/s1600/100_7928.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The wide cake ribbon posed a problem due to its width, but I made it work, though I ended up using far less of it than I anticipated. At first I'd thought I would simply serge the raw edges of the ruffles and, after gathering them, sew them so that the serged edge would be under the ruffle, the topstitched so that it wouldn't show. I soon realized that the green voile was far too thin for that and that the plaid ruffles would have been too heavy done that way. Instead, I stitched the ruffles with the raw edges facing up, then added ribbons on top of the raw edges.<br />
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This not only serves as a way to finish/conceal the raw edge but also adds a nice surprise underneath. That's what I did with the cake ribbon, though I only used it on the green ruffles, since using it on all of the ruffles would have been a little too much. Even cakes should be taken in moderation.<br />
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To make the other ribbons stand out, I chose the lavender with the ice cream cones for the yellow seersucker ruffles and used the yellow ribbon with the cupcakes on the purple chambray ruffles. You know, contrast colors and all that. The purple chambray is topped with pale pink ribbon and the yellow seersucker got a yellow one, though I wish I'd had a darker pink on hand and maybe a greenish color for the yellow, just to make it more interesting.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFweU59T6VPNlsrpXZXGHI5PmPa39jwD56Uv_Y1vAvG14aKf0tOVu7gH8utTF6kJsGWpFEHhQK1KPJGL47Q13I1-dBEbXYcTE_j2tFy8ru2JmzjSwZkxbXCcdgP4857lPslisUUUBqpE/s1600/100_7945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFweU59T6VPNlsrpXZXGHI5PmPa39jwD56Uv_Y1vAvG14aKf0tOVu7gH8utTF6kJsGWpFEHhQK1KPJGL47Q13I1-dBEbXYcTE_j2tFy8ru2JmzjSwZkxbXCcdgP4857lPslisUUUBqpE/s1600/100_7945.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I'd contemplated using the multicolored abstract dot print as the bottom ruffle but it seemed to work against the plaid of the dress, so instead I used an embroidered </span>pink voile, very similar in color to the rick-rack that I used on the straps and on the jade green ruffles. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdYJwyIb0_BW3dU2bEueN6YepswZu-spLT58dJIe-1GHkZddMgwG4wNf6wIsbwOt9AVVouHJurwai4Bj1Jkt6ufG5IJSAeyvdueI8QUMzOCUkzmGt9sg6-iPT5pNAiTb_LynNcKuIskw/s1600/100_7946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdYJwyIb0_BW3dU2bEueN6YepswZu-spLT58dJIe-1GHkZddMgwG4wNf6wIsbwOt9AVVouHJurwai4Bj1Jkt6ufG5IJSAeyvdueI8QUMzOCUkzmGt9sg6-iPT5pNAiTb_LynNcKuIskw/s1600/100_7946.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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When I brought the dress to her, BB. immediately tried it on and declared it her new favorite dress, which is always a good feeling. I so enjoy making things for people and it really makes me happy when they like it this much. I made a size 122/128, which is a little roomy on her right now but that means she'll be able to wear it that much longer. When I left her she was still spinning in it every now and then, just to see it twirl.<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-59704601077768701432013-04-30T02:52:00.001-04:002013-05-19T00:10:09.292-04:00Mustache Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My T-bird is currently very into the whole mustache thing. I don't know why, except that he thinks they're hilarious. So when I noticed that he was in need of another long-sleeved shirt or two, I decided that he ought to have one with a mustache, and I reasoned that it would be an excellent first project for test-driving my embroidery machine. So I checked out <a href="http://www.urbanthreads.com/" target="_blank">Urban Threads</a>, a cooler-than-average website with lots of trendy embroidery downloads for sale. The search term 'mustache' brought up quite a few embroidery designs and I chose a <a href="http://www.urbanthreads.com/products.aspx?productid=UT1974" target="_blank">rather large mustache</a> that was fairly simple in design.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mustache detail.</td></tr>
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I'd already sketched out a plan for this shirt -2 layer sleeves (short over long) with a slightly scooped neck from the Fall 2008 issue of <i>Ottobre</i>. This is the "Pekka" shirt, design #25 and made up in a size 110. It's slightly large right now but it won't be in the fall. The main body of the shirt and the short sleeves are made from a cafe au lait-colored interlock that I got from <a href="http://www.thefabricfairy.com/" target="_blank">The Fabric Fairy</a>. The longer sleeves are a two-toned brown striped rib knit from my stash and the brown ribbing is from my stash, as well. The ribbon trim on the sleeves is a green frog print that is reversible and <a href="http://www.banberryplace.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33_204&products_id=2966" target="_blank">came from Banberry Place</a>. I was a little nervous about the embroidery, since it was the first time I'd used the machine; however, it was really easy to do and now I want to embroider all kinds of garments! Next project, a shirt with a <a href="http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/Products.aspx?Catalog=Emblibrary&ProductID=M2011" target="_blank">triceratops embroidery</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frog ribbon - I used both sides.</td></tr>
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The pants shown with the shirt are also mommymade and they're also from Ottobre, this time from the Fall 2003 issue, design #13. These are made from olive green ripstop cotton that I had left over from making shorts a year or two back. They have pleated pockets, golden brown-colored topstitching and a striped ribbon detail on the pocket flap. The bottoms of the legs have drawstrings of black shock cord with black stoppers. My one problem with these pants is that the snaps on the pockets aren't really functional, due to me accidentally getting carried away with the hammer when I put them on. It's not my fault - I wanted them to be on securely! Anyway, this pattern is fairly easy to put together and I've got another pair cut out already - this time in brown and tan, using some leftover denim and recycling part of a pair of daddy's pants. I hope to get those finished soon and then it's back to the maternity bathing suit, which got put on hold due to lack of good elastic and the need to finish this shirt so it could be a birthday present. And then there's the dress I made for a friend's daughter, but that's another post.<br />
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-12015815837869453192013-03-13T01:50:00.000-04:002013-05-19T00:06:22.730-04:00The Shape of Things, aka Does This Dress Make Me Look Fat?I'm dying to sew for myself. I have tons of projects in my queue that are for me and I even have the fabrics already. But I can't make them - yet. I don't want to make them yet. Why? Because I won't be able to make them the right size now so that I can still wear them in the summer or fall.<br />
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Why is that? Because I'm pregnant. Ta-dah! Did you see that one coming? I didn't really. I mean, I kind of hoped but thought I was just getting too old. Lucky for me there seems to have been one good egg left and I'm now 15 weeks along, with a rapidly disappearing waist. And that means the awesome ideas for dress making I had will have to stay in a holding pattern (no pun intended) until next year some time. I'm not complaining, mind you - I can still make some cute summer maternity things for myself. I've already got plans in the works for a maternity bathing suit, since the regular one I bought at the end of last summer is about to not fit any more. I mean, I could wear it but I love it and don't want to stretch it out. Ottobre had a tankini in the 2011 Spring/Summer women's issue that I should be able to adapt and I ordered some cute <a href="http://thefabricfairy.com/white-polka-dots-on-red-swimsuit-fabric.html" target="_blank">red and white polka-dot swimwear fabric</a> from The Fabric Fairy.<br />
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After searching the internet for tutorials on how to alter a normal bathing suit pattern to be a maternity pattern, I determined that I wouldn't have to add a ton to this tankini, since it's already ruched along the sides for the overlay. So with that in mind, I decided to add to the front width-wise and length-wise and then added a similar amount of length to the back. Because this tankini is essentially an empire waist, I only had to add to the bottom panel. I did add a little extra to the bra portion by extending the back edges slightly.<br />
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For this, I used the largest size as a starting point - a size 52 - and then added onto the center of each of the front pieces. Because both are cut on a fold, I added 1 1/2" in width so that I would end up with a total of 3" for the finished product. This may seem like a lot, given the stretch of swimsuit fabric, but I tend to really stick out towards the end of pregnancy and it'll be summer at that point so I'll want to be at the pool or the splash park. Because I'll need extra length to accommodate the projection of my belly, I also added 3 1/2" to the bottom.<br />
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I didn't bother to add width to the back of the suit because I don't think I'll need it there. I added the extra length, however, since the ruching is on the back as well as the front. I've cut it out and now need to start sewing it. But first I have a quick project to make up for Maeve, so the suit is on hold until then.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-46872783676556578562013-01-31T13:03:00.001-05:002013-01-31T18:18:07.132-05:00Roses are red, violets are blue...When I think of violets, I think of spring and even though it's really winter, I couldn't resist the call of this fabric. Actually, I'd sort of been planning this outfit since about June, but then I got sick, and we moved, and it just didn't happen. I finally had some time in September to do the shirt and skirt and then made the leggings in November. And of course, I'm just now getting around to blogging about it.<br />
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I'd been dying to do the <a href="http://www.banberryplace.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_3&products_id=464">Laguna skirt and leggings by Studio Tantrum</a>. I love Nancy's patterns because they are truly unique. I mean, this is a simple circle skirt but it's made by cutting the circle into spirals and then sewing them together. I don't think I'd be able to come up with something like that in a million years, particularly since it probably requires math and that's really not my strong suit. Anyway, I got the pattern from Banberry Place a while ago and had intended to make it for Maeve but suddenly she grew too big for the pattern. So I left it for a bit and then, this past spring I was going through my fabrics to look for something when I spotted the floral printed poplins next to each other and said to myself, "Hey, those would make a great pairing in a skirt." The Laguna popped into my head and that was it. I wanted to do a shirt with it and knew that Gwyn likes the <a href="http://www.banberryplace.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=451">Farbenmix Antonia</a> quite a bit, but I wasn't sure of the fabrics. Then I got sick, etc. and it got put off.<br />
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The fabrics here were all already in my stash, which means I didn't have to buy anything for this particular garment, though I will say that the smaller floral was something that I'd gotten about 5 years ago but didn't have any plans for at the time. The larger floral is a Baby Nay poplin that I got on ebay about 5 years ago, too. I'd already used a good portion of it to make a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mommymade/2605689303/in/photostream">Farbenmix Sasha dress </a>for Maeve and really had to work hard to squeeze the skirt out of the piece I had left. The waistband is a bit of Stenzo poplin left over from the <a href="http://mommymadebyjen.blogspot.com/2010/08/destina-tion-delft.html">Delft dresses</a> I made the girls 2 years ago.<br />
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I finished the hems with two different colors of ric-rac, which was no mean feat, since I went through 2 packages of each color of rid-rac to do it. I like the effect, though. Of course, I added the label that came with the pattern, because how could I not? Gwyn thought it looked like a mommy owl and her baby, and since she loves owls.... And see the blue flowers? Those are the violets.<br />
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On to the shirt - a double-sleeved version of Antonia with the keyhole:<br />
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The rose print that makes up the front and back plus the shorter sleeves is a beautiful Stenzo cotton-lycra knit that I got from Yvonne at the now-defunct Bunte Fabrics. Hence the roses in the title. The sleeves are a <a href="http://thefabricfairy.com/admiral-blue-and-white-gingham-cotton-lycra-knit-fabric.html">blue and white gingham-print cotton-lycra knit that I got from The Fabric Fairy</a> during a sale. The neck binding is simply some dark pink ribbing I had on hand.Then, naturally, there are the extras, since this shirt is for Miss Gwyn.<br />
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I love freebies, don't you? Well I got the pink decorative elastic as a freebie with a fabric order at some point, and I jumped at the chance to use it on this shirt. The ribbon on the left sleeve came to me as a freebie when I ordered some ribbon from Farbenmix directly. It was basically a leftover from a roll and all I had was enough to use on this sleeve. You can buy it <a href="http://www.banberryplace.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33_204&products_id=3601">here</a>.<br />
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The rest of the left sleeve features a round patch with a rose on it. This one I bought 5 years ago in Germany - it cost me 1 euro, I think, and it goes perfectly with the roses in the ribbon. Finally, the trim at the hem of the long sleeve is a blue and white decorative elastic that was also a freebie.<br />
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The right sleeve has the same pink decorative elastic at the short sleeve hem and the same blue at the long sleeve hem. The difference is the <a href="http://www.farbenmix.de/shop/Ribbon/Punkteband-rot-weiss::7520.html">red and white dot Farbenmix ribbon</a> and the Farbenmix tag, naturally. Since the weather isn't exactly warm enough to wear the skirt without tights, I also made up a pair of leggings with the Laguna pattern. These are made from a cotton-lycra knit in aqua-blue and raspberry stripe from The Fabric Fairy. I highly recommend this knit - the recovery is great and the fabric is super soft. As a whole, I love this outfit but she can also wear these separately, so that's a bonus. It's currently a favorite in the rotation and she even calls it her "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue outfit".<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-77777835997180327662012-10-30T16:11:00.000-04:002012-10-30T16:11:11.460-04:00Adventure Down the Rabbit Hole, Part 3: The Queen's BodiceAn Alice in Wonderland needs a Red Queen. As I mentioned before, my oldest decided that she preferred the costume worn by Helena Bonham Carter in the recent Tim Burton version of the classic tale, rather than the standard animated Disney version. I don't blame her - the Tim Burton costume is far more interesting. It is, however, quite an undertaking but since I'm not one to shrink from a challenge, I went with it.<br />
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First, we decided on a pattern for a jumping-off point. Simplicity actually makes a <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-5394-misses-alice-in-wonderland-costumes.aspx#t-0">pattern for the Red Queen and Alice</a>, based on the movie costumes but I didn't like it and neither did Miss Maeve. It doesn't really do a good job of copying what you see in the film. So I decided to go with McCall's 5954, view E. It has the same type of sleeve as the original, and though it doesn't have a separate corset bodice, I can give it the illusion of one.<br />
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The skirt isn't the same as the original, but I'm loathe to have her dragging a full-length overskirt around. I made a sketch to indicate the changes. I'm no fashion illustrator, but you get the idea.<br />
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As you can see, there are some small differences from the original. First, I decided to add some hearts in order to make it more recognizable as the Queen of Hearts. My daughter, apparently, doesn't like the idea of being called the Red Queen, since that's a reference to the other Alice book, <u>Through the Looking Glass</u>. The movie happens to be an amalgam of the two, but that's another blog post altogether. Anyway, I figured that not everyone had seen the movie or might remember the costume, so we added a heart at the center of the bodice front, and then hearts along the bottom of the skirt. The original costume has a velvet bodice, with a gold silk center panel. I had some leftover black velvet from another project in my vast fabric stash, so I used that and made the center portion from gold damask upholstery fabric.<br />
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The gold is darker than the original costume, but it's as close as I could get without spending a fortune. I couldn't tell from photos online what kind of fabric the over-sleeves were made from, so I went with black taffeta from my stash. The under-sleeve of the original is a black net with an underlining of a light gold fabric. I substituted a bonded lace fabric for this, and it works pretty well.<br />
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Of course, the sleeves themselves are decorated with fred ribbons, both on the puffed over-sleeve and on the longer under-sleeve. The originals have some kind of black embellishment on them and I couldn't tell if it was sequins, beads or something entirely different. I decided to use a combination of black sequins and black ribbon roses, and the effect is pretty similar to the original:<br />
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I did all this bead and sequin work by hand. It's taken me a while to do it, since I have to do each one individually, but I've been doing this embellishment while waiting for the small ones at gymnastics lessons, and even did some while Miss Maeve was at an Irish dance competition and wasn't dancing. Of course I stopped sewing to watch her dance. Eventually there will be beading on the top portion and all kids of wonderfulness - I hope. I'm kind of running out of time! But I have all morning and afternoon to finish this, plus time at gymnastics tonight, which should be enough, as long as I can get the White Rabbit done today. That one is going together pretty quickly, thankfully.<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-71640405107772494822012-10-26T15:10:00.000-04:002012-10-26T15:10:15.890-04:00Adventure Down the Rabbit Hole, Pt. 2 - Alice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEEsDaPoEYBCrjrTMEAD0LYqT7QfgNL9HIrCc9_QfZxTK6RN8aKY4UJxLw9QP1gGjrarbIOqLhHQKJtIFEsgnVo-4xT7ocGmYuzI8482EQ5O3zxNgHdxRnD4yuCCPtMGC1y7AlmGibGs/s1600/100_5518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEEsDaPoEYBCrjrTMEAD0LYqT7QfgNL9HIrCc9_QfZxTK6RN8aKY4UJxLw9QP1gGjrarbIOqLhHQKJtIFEsgnVo-4xT7ocGmYuzI8482EQ5O3zxNgHdxRnD4yuCCPtMGC1y7AlmGibGs/s1600/100_5518.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I was planning on starting my Wonderland costume extravaganza with the Queen of Hearts, but that would mean that I need my oldest to be able to drop what she's doing every couple of minutes so that I can fit the muslin of the dress bodice and she's been inundated with homework. Ah, the travails of middle schoolers! Since she wasn't really available, I moved on to the Alice costume, since I knew it would require a bit of hand work for the hems and lining, and I like to have hand sewing to do whilst the small ones are at gymnastics and I sit in the bleachers, watching them.<br />
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I made a few alterations to this pattern to make it look the way that I wanted, but not a lot. The only change I made to the dress was the addition of a collar. There are many Alice patterns out there and the one I wanted had a dress with a collar and a separate pinafore. That one wasn't available at my local JoAnn's at the time, so I went with this one:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizenNnXruMZ28HLvzhXqsIQqZnICB_s4V_-9Q-0UplyivU02FsFiYWe3YPE4aUOFvAHqw6zbOz7eizRFgcm1y-w9u2WAdfStnrCYNE4vJRObGqWNnpJkD4tklfC-r4DN48NdWnhcRTJnc/s1600/100_5506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizenNnXruMZ28HLvzhXqsIQqZnICB_s4V_-9Q-0UplyivU02FsFiYWe3YPE4aUOFvAHqw6zbOz7eizRFgcm1y-w9u2WAdfStnrCYNE4vJRObGqWNnpJkD4tklfC-r4DN48NdWnhcRTJnc/s1600/100_5506.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
As you can see, this dress doesn't have a collar and the pinafore is not a separate piece. This pattern actually calls for the bib to be sewn directly to the bodice, with the apron skirt being a separate piece, sewn to a ribbon and then tied around the waist. I knew my Gwyneth was not about to go for that, since she is a stickler for authenticity as much as I am. I recalled a shirt in one of my back issues of Ottobre which has a similar collar and traced that out, but when I tried to see how it would fit with the dress neckline, it was clear that it wasn't going to work. So I skimmed through some other issues with the vague notion that there was a dress with a peter pan collar in one and, to my delight, found this dress:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKQ_oCVn6ivpE3dZl6Y_qSia4r4V6v995KVnQa06fNkoHffEJ2fMuNNeRLZBp1ctoZO6i8yuxx4MmJeCfyOk9cKB7xfyiTWby58NbizuV6CXUOVwyPQpBp29YbgaSLd52BVdi8ga41x0/s1600/100_5523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKQ_oCVn6ivpE3dZl6Y_qSia4r4V6v995KVnQa06fNkoHffEJ2fMuNNeRLZBp1ctoZO6i8yuxx4MmJeCfyOk9cKB7xfyiTWby58NbizuV6CXUOVwyPQpBp29YbgaSLd52BVdi8ga41x0/s1600/100_5523.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I traced off the collar piece and added giant seam allowances. Normally I use a 1cm seam allowance with Europeans patterns, but the dress pattern had standard 5/8" seams, so I used that width in order to keep everything the same. The first try didn't work when I tried to attach it to the dress - the curve was too deep for it to lie properly. So I cut off the entire seam allowance and re-pinned it and found that it was the perfect size. Thank goodness, because I didn't have enough of the blue to make another one and was reluctant to go buy more. A make it work moment that worked out.<br />
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The pinafore was a different story. First, I curved the neckline slightly and used the size 7-8 for the bib. I wanted the bib to be in front and in back, so I cut 4 pieces and sewed the shoulders together in pairs, then stitched them together along the outer edges. Next I turned them right side out and used bias tape to bind the neckline. Unfortunately for me, the bias tape is slightly yellower in color than the bib of the pinafore, but I didn't notice that until I had sewn it on all the way. It really looked white when held next to the bib, so I'm not sure why there is that subtle color difference. Anyway, I used the pattern piece to cut the correct length of apron but I used the entire width of my fabric in order to make the apron skirt fuller. This was important to me, since the skirt of the dress is really quite full and I felt that the narrower width looked kind of skimpy against it. I gathered the top edge, then sewed narrow hems at the sides.<br />
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The pattern calls for a wide ribbon but my kids like their Halloween costumes to be dress-up clothing, and that means they get washed. Ribbons don't launder well, so I made a waist tie out of the same white muslin as the apron skirt and bib. I interfaced the portion that would be sewn to the skirt and bib, then sewed the skirt to one side and the bib to the other. I kind of just made it up as I went along, though I did use the pattern pieces as a guide.<br />
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All in all, a highly successful costume, in my opinion. The thing that was great about this one was that it did require a little bit of hand finishing, which allowed me to have some sewing to do while I watch the kids at gymnastics. I hate sitting there with nothing to do and I always feel like I'm wasting time that could be spent in front of my machine. Now that Alice is done, I'm moving on to the Red Queen. I lucked out, because Maeve is getting big enough that I don't have to do as many alterations to the adult-sized pattern in order to make it fit her, so I can pretty much just start cutting out. But I'll talk about that in a different post.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-7056921374430980882012-10-04T14:10:00.002-04:002012-10-26T22:51:35.575-04:00An Adventure Down the Rabbit Hole, Pt. 1So it's that time of year again - fall. And that means Halloween is just around the corner, so you know that I'm getting ready to start on a massive amount of costume sewing. Every year, it seems, the costumes get more and more elaborate and I suspect I missed my calling somewhere along the line. This year's sewing promises to be no exception, since the 3 have decided to go as characters from a popular book/movie. And not just any characters, oh no. They have chosen one of the most iconic children's books and characters out there. And no, I'm not talking <u>The Hunger Games</u> and Katniss, although I'm sure Maeve would jump at that if given the chance and she quickly spotted a pattern for it in a pattern book at JoAnn's. No, I'm talking <u>Alice in Wonderland</u>, and the characters of Alice, the Queen of Hearts/Red Queen, and the White Rabbit.<br />
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Now, given the ages of my children, it's clear who is dressing as Alice and the White Rabbit and it makes sense. Their costumes really won't be difficult to make, although I plan on making some changes/additions, as always. For T I'll be using the standard <a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6106-products-10917.php?page_id=494">McCall's pattern # 6101</a> for the bunny suit, but I'll also be making a waistcoat (aka, a vest) with a large pocket for his pocket watch (which I am making out of wood) and we'll also have a bow tie or ascot. I'm leaning towards bow tie as that's the iconic Disney animated image; Scott seems to have a fondness for the ascot idea, since the newer Tim Burton version has the rabbit dressed in a shortened version of a frock coat, worn with a waistcoat underneath and a jabot of lace at the throat. My 3 year-old son is probably not going to tolerate a jabot of lace, though he may tolerate an ascot. He's already running around saying, "I'm late! I'm late!"<br />
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For Miss G I've also chosen a <a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m4948-products-5176.php?page_id=494">McCall's pattern, # 4948</a>, mostly because the Simplicity one with the collar wasn't in stock at the JoAnn's I go to and I wasn't waiting for it. Naturally the dress fabric is a lovely sky-blue cotton with a white cotton muslin pinafore. I plan on adding the peter pan collar to the dress, and I'll be making real ties for the apron, rather than using the ribbon ties that the pattern instructions say to use. Add white tights, black Mary Janes and a black headband and you've got classic Alice.<br />
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The real challenge, though, is Maeve. She decided to dress as the Queen of Hearts but she wasn't really sure that she wanted to go with the animated version's costume, since she really liked the more Elizabethan look of Helena Bonham-Carter's Red Queen. (photo via: http://alice2010.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9zvPikeGOECvgj_KfioKYxZSbYpuXc4zzqE7qPXRATj5HtPrF4vGsnw6zMW9jaMz0JEfQdib-x-KQIALO-WMAnvtUm1LyOthdY0U08vgWV2xT5BVLTOBO7IC3pTq6zTCiCs7wELDEw0/s1600/HelenaBonhamCarter09-7-211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9zvPikeGOECvgj_KfioKYxZSbYpuXc4zzqE7qPXRATj5HtPrF4vGsnw6zMW9jaMz0JEfQdib-x-KQIALO-WMAnvtUm1LyOthdY0U08vgWV2xT5BVLTOBO7IC3pTq6zTCiCs7wELDEw0/s1600/HelenaBonhamCarter09-7-211.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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After looking at patterns from which to base this look, I chose <a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m5954-products-10436.php?page_id=494">McCall's 5954</a>, and then started to think about modifications that would make it look more like the photo above. First, we decided to use black for the bodice, except for the middle portion, which will be gold, with red ribbons to imitate the cording on the corset-style bodice of the movie costume. The sleeve puffs will also be black - either in taffeta or velvet, depending on whether I have enough black velvet in my stash, although taffeta will probably hold the shape better than rayon velvet. The red ribbon trim on the sleeves has some sort of black embellishment but we couldn't find any ribbon like it, so we've decided to sew black ribbon roses to the red ribbon in order to achieve a similar look. The lower half of the original's sleeve is a netting; I found a remnant of light beige-y fabric with a lace overlay that is very similar in look, and also more practical for trick-or-treating on an October evening. The cuffs look like they're made from a dotted chiffon, cut on the bias, but so far I haven't been able to find anything similar to it in the store. Looks like a trip to Hancock Fabrics might be in order. In the meantime, I've seen others' copies of this outfit which have used ruffled eyelet trim, but I think that the cotton looks a bit cheap next to the other types of fabric, even if it does give a similar look. Also, I'm going to have to add some black panels and the white shirt collar portion to the bodice. The only thing I really have to worry about is the size of the collar, but that shouldn't be too difficult to reproduce. I'm also considering a slight deviation from the movie dress by adding a large heart appliqué on the bodice, in order to inject more of the red/hearts theme.<br />
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The skirt portion will be more difficult to imitate. In the movie costume, the Red Queen has a red underskirt, with the front panel made of a red with a heart motif in black and gold, and an overskirt in a gold brocade. The pattern I chose has an overskirt that is shorter and draped - more like a polonaise, though they refer to it as a peplum, for some reason.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1pRXh5JcDtoqpGU-viGnLkhDnCqhvmkM1SHSTfe43YMMuKej2CdDYb_NgxBEM8XiWWLB9_pTAOG6pWD6V5jx2mivUtiMBIV7WTuVMf9mp-zLmvUdwzA-Ur5vE_ZnZH0ZTMM_6XCExgk/s1600/tumblr_ks3dukbTIY1qa95lvo1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1pRXh5JcDtoqpGU-viGnLkhDnCqhvmkM1SHSTfe43YMMuKej2CdDYb_NgxBEM8XiWWLB9_pTAOG6pWD6V5jx2mivUtiMBIV7WTuVMf9mp-zLmvUdwzA-Ur5vE_ZnZH0ZTMM_6XCExgk/s1600/tumblr_ks3dukbTIY1qa95lvo1_400.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dress with a polonaise, via http://historicalfashion.tumblr.com/<br />
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I could alter the pattern so that my version has a longer overskirt and then the underskirt, but there are 2 difficulties that present themselves if I do that:<br />
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1) This means more fabric, which is expensive and impractical when it comes to a Halloween costume for a 12 year-old. If this were something for a convention, like DragonCon or some other mega event where people would be judging her on a costume's authenticity, then I might. But's Halloween and she needs to be able to move. Also, she'll probably want to wear this at the next feis for Irish Dance, since they're having a costume special event. Extra fabric would get in the way, and I'll need to be able to drape the underskirt up à la polonaise just so that she can dance the reel in it.</div>
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2) A large overskirt would require hip rolls to support it, as Maeve has no exactly got large hips. I have no desire to make hip rolls for her to wear or to ask her to wear them. So I'm going with the shorter overskirt.</div>
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In order to achieve a similar look to the movie costume, we decided to use a dark gold brocade for all but the front panel of the long skirt. The front panel will be red taffeta with a flocked vine design in black. The shorter draped overskirt will probably be black, but we haven't finalized that. Also, we're giving a nod to the traditional Queen of Hearts' costume with heart appliqués on the skirt. Normally they're on the front panel but we decided to place them around the hem. While this is a departure from the Tim Burton costume, it's a way to reference the more traditional Alice that the other 2 costumes follow. Plus, it's a way of making our own statement, since there's always a risk that people won't make the connection to the newer movie and end up thinking that she's just a queen.</div>
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I'm also going to be on the lookout for lace-up granny boots at the thrift store that I can spray-paint gold, and I'll be looking for striped tights or something similar. I'm going to try to document the process of these costumes as much as possible, though I can't promise every detail will be photographed, since I frequently don't know where my camera is. I'll try, though. On with the sewing!</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-69257191086922122612012-09-25T14:44:00.000-04:002012-09-25T14:44:31.982-04:00Cookie Monster<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWwGTTFbjI1wTk7Qp_KsgCOjBkVyZk2gJHF_kubfrXM5_9tPXZXyCsjWOS1tMkPix3ZL-Rbjpc0JoJKRfiOEpHU56gWwBdhvgOx5TWD_L69gaQBqpGbLqSqvxgre5J42x3HPvnZCGNno/s1600/100_5293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWwGTTFbjI1wTk7Qp_KsgCOjBkVyZk2gJHF_kubfrXM5_9tPXZXyCsjWOS1tMkPix3ZL-Rbjpc0JoJKRfiOEpHU56gWwBdhvgOx5TWD_L69gaQBqpGbLqSqvxgre5J42x3HPvnZCGNno/s1600/100_5293.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are about 4 or 5 inches in diameter.</td></tr>
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On second thought, better make that Monster Cookies, because they're huge! I'm always looking for things that my husband, Scott, can have for breakfast that don't involve a bowl or milk, since usually he's eating breakfast in his car on the way to work. He needs something that will fill him up and give him lots of energy because he doesn't always get lunch at the same time, and sometimes it's a long time between breakfast and lunch. Most breakfast rolls/muffins aren't filling enough or are more sweet than nutritious. I'd heard about "breakfast cookies" that were loaded with granola-type ingredients, but hadn't seen a recipe. Then my September issue of <i>Martha Stewart Living</i> came and, lo and behold - a recipe for breakfast cookies! I immediately showed it to Scott to see if he wanted to try them and he was game, so I decided to try it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds, Craisins, dried blueberries & dried apricots.</td></tr>
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I made a few changes to the ingredients, since Scott wasn't totally enamored of some of the dried fruit choices. The original recipe calls for dried mango, dried papaya, and raisins or dried currants. I substituted dried blueberries for the mango, diced dried apricots for the papaya, and dried cranberries for the raisins. The rest I left the same. In shopping for the ingredients, I found that it can be difficult to find raw pumpkin seeds and raw sunflower seeds at the local chain supermarket, unless they have a really good bulk foods section. They can be expensive, too. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, I found all my nuts, seeds and dried fruit there and really reasonably priced. I'm pretty confident that Whole Foods would have them all, too, but we don't have one near us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZGVukPVwDZB3zsSK3ynFy3o3kviwyLspwlWMQl-Jsd0UfVIj00DKtmnlp2tt_UTFlUK2-1toDfPMF8sf8Lc0qWda7jbu3chyP7JcoI7dThVFTAqw6jareLqhsSsYqOhnaYDTV2UhVR4/s1600/100_5286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZGVukPVwDZB3zsSK3ynFy3o3kviwyLspwlWMQl-Jsd0UfVIj00DKtmnlp2tt_UTFlUK2-1toDfPMF8sf8Lc0qWda7jbu3chyP7JcoI7dThVFTAqw6jareLqhsSsYqOhnaYDTV2UhVR4/s1600/100_5286.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I use a chopper for my nuts and chop a handful at a time.</td></tr>
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The quantities of this recipe seemed huge to me (except for the dried fruit), and I was skeptical. I mean, it's supposed to make 8 large cookies using 1 cup of batter or 16 smaller cookies using a half cup. So why would you need a whole pound of butter? I suppose that for all of the dry ingredients you would need a lot of fat to hold them together. Anyway, I was right - this makes <b>way</b> more than 16 small cookies and they were by no means small - more like 4 or 5 inches across. When I added the oats to the recipe the dough kept trying to escape from my mixer bowl and it was hard to keep it from clumping on the paddle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenNJLRquSYtR2of-9IbTi5da2rAmS7D2UIebDQIp8BdgspCLanPEJAIRZkQdy2D58srOtUhYWrO2zyIeerrRosgm2PRvPBXBRPbFJJZaqOs_8EhAXCfudXPoSjYbHPH_p2B2TqBT1dRM/s1600/100_5291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenNJLRquSYtR2of-9IbTi5da2rAmS7D2UIebDQIp8BdgspCLanPEJAIRZkQdy2D58srOtUhYWrO2zyIeerrRosgm2PRvPBXBRPbFJJZaqOs_8EhAXCfudXPoSjYbHPH_p2B2TqBT1dRM/s1600/100_5291.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Escaping dough! This recipe is huge. The white area is the dried coconut.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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The dough is very stiff and I decided to use the half cup size. Even then, the amount of dough was enough that I patted them down significantly in order to avoid having cookies that were thicker than an inch, which made them spread out enough that I could only get 5 or 6 on a sheet. The fun part was putting the banana chips on top before baking; I pressed mine into the dough slightly to make sure they didn't fall off. This recipe easily made 18 or more very large cookies. I highly recommend a large drink with them - juice, milk or your favorite coffee beverage. And if you're someone who doesn't eat a lot of fiber, make sure you drink a lot of water throughout the day, since this is a lot and you'll need the water to help digest it. And as with any high fiber food, you may notice a slight change in your number of bathroom trips. *grin* My husband commented on its effect on him.<br />
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<b><u>Verdict: </u></b>My husband liked the one he had yesterday, although he didn't have a drink with him and his only complaint was that he needed something with it, as it felt dry on its own. Not terribly, but he felt it needed a couple of swallows of something to go with it. I had one this morning with coffee and it was pretty good. I think it might be good crumbled over yogurt as an alternative to granola or muesli. If I make this again, I'm definitely cutting the recipe in half (except for the fruit, perhaps), since I'm not sure that my family will eat all of these giant cookies before they start to go stale.<br />
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You can find the recipe <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/921948/breakfast-cookies">here</a>.<br />
<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-13326038504075524232012-09-13T13:58:00.000-04:002012-09-13T20:35:27.415-04:00On the Menu: Meringue and Two Kinds of Sorbetto<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwOIEmTm-lLPX3JIvF-0T3r0q5dB1RKmklD5G2JTuYBFqUYw2C29g41UxLCZCTe7GsiJdlz9ct7-5zUV7cTcyGF47rlewVzxZVt0xKvfhv2aJxHidSX1qwChQ15kuVjvlCbMNTpph4n8/s1600/100_4692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwOIEmTm-lLPX3JIvF-0T3r0q5dB1RKmklD5G2JTuYBFqUYw2C29g41UxLCZCTe7GsiJdlz9ct7-5zUV7cTcyGF47rlewVzxZVt0xKvfhv2aJxHidSX1qwChQ15kuVjvlCbMNTpph4n8/s320/100_4692.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colette Meringue skirt in denim with t-shirt by Rock Steady clothing. I love this outfit.</td></tr>
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As part of the Colette Patterns Spring/Summer Palette Challenge, I decided to try my hand at the <a href="http://www.coletterie.com/colette-patterns-news/free-pattern-to-download-the-sorbetto-top">Sorbetto</a> tank top pattern, available on the Colette website and the Meringue skirt, found in <u>The Colette Sewing Handbook</u>. These are pretty much the only garments I was able to get done from the challenge, because I had to pack up my entire sewing room when we moved, plus I was in the hospital for a week with gallbladder issues. Ugh! But I digress. I'm a late-comer to the Sorbetto pattern; I think everyone familiar with Colette Patterns has tried it, not least because it's a freebie but also because there are so many ways to adapt it. I've seen it with and without sleeves; with a box pleat, with an inverted pleat and with no pleat; embellished with piping, lace and buttons or simply plain. People have made it into a dress. The possibilities seem endless.<br />
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Because my main problem is always getting a good fit at the bust line, I decided to perfect the fit of the original first before I tried to branch out. A scrounge in my stash revealed some lovely pale blue shirting that I used as a muslin. After much adjusting for my full bust and re-adjusting to take into account the rest of my figure, my wearable muslin looked good enough to start making the final versions. I wasn't completely enamored of the fit, but decided I could fine-tune it with the final products. This was also the first time I'd really used my dress form for bust fitting, as it's a relatively new purchase, so that enabled me to get a good fit at the bust.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsnUkE94l7wvFWUZ2n14cqk6QPWBjxw_-Xm39DciB1So7uj5KAYLg2eIEanr2oHkY3vn7T9fm1Xn1suTPCsI67KhUbk6SMXqP4clV9o0KRn8NyQAYJxc7u7NEf-G1bQrgHe7QqU3pbyU/s1600/100_4788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsnUkE94l7wvFWUZ2n14cqk6QPWBjxw_-Xm39DciB1So7uj5KAYLg2eIEanr2oHkY3vn7T9fm1Xn1suTPCsI67KhUbk6SMXqP4clV9o0KRn8NyQAYJxc7u7NEf-G1bQrgHe7QqU3pbyU/s320/100_4788.JPG" title="" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorbetto Version 1, untucked. I'm still not enamored of the waist shaping and I think it looks better tucked in. </td></tr>
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The final versions fit in my color palette far better than the muslin, naturally. Version 1 is made from a beautiful quilting cotton that has an amazing hand and which has been sitting in my stash for about 15 years. Yes, you read that correctly. It's a bit more country/Americana in feel in terms of the print, but I love the maroon and cream of the flowers against the cadet blue background. I chose some vintage lace from my stash as a simple embellishment on the pleat and finished it with ready-made maroon bias tape, since I've made my own bias tape for a few projects lately and I'm over that. Plus, I was impatient to finish it after all the time I spent fitting it. I may tweak it more later by adding a dart at the hemline in order to fine-tune the fit at the waist and to compensate for the added fabric that occurs when I do the FBA.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklZJWDhzJWU0QwMePMBOirlo2MpwUaTOSrYqjF1dUxJFeFYEXFrYd0U_j4Rq7s7iu6s8IemJKVXwSk0rhd8yggnehHi_YyGchArS31aQuxztZVmlXxIesW2qHvhzKjKbllpLoEepQ62k/s1600/100_4784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklZJWDhzJWU0QwMePMBOirlo2MpwUaTOSrYqjF1dUxJFeFYEXFrYd0U_j4Rq7s7iu6s8IemJKVXwSk0rhd8yggnehHi_YyGchArS31aQuxztZVmlXxIesW2qHvhzKjKbllpLoEepQ62k/s320/100_4784.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorbetto Version 2 with piping and buttons. I'm digging the fit on this more than this first.</td></tr>
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Version 2 is a really nice geometric print in stripes - black, navy and maroon on cream. This fabric is something I bought specifically for this challenge, mostly because I love the print but also because the quality is fabulous for quilting cotton. It's from the <a href="http://www.dutchlandquilts.com/FABRIC%20AUNT%20GRACE%20ROCKY%20MOUNTAIN/item/NMB461150T">Aunt Grace fabrics by Marcus Brothers</a> and it comes in a green and orange color way, too. I used navy piping to accent the pleat this time and navy vintage buttons from my stash. Ready-made bias tape again, this time in navy. I made both versions using French seams, so there are no raw edges.<br />
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Both of these tanks look super cute with my Meringue skirt. I'd been contemplating this skirt and looking at all the different versions I'd seen online - solid vs. print, light vs. dark, etc. I found myself returning to a <a href="http://rhinestonesandtelephones.blogspot.com/2012/01/sew-colette-my-meringue-skirt.html">denim version done by Sarah at Rhinestones and Telephones</a>, and thinking that it seemed like the perfect everyday skirt. I think she says she wears it at least once a week. So here's my version, in non-stretch dark denim.<br />
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This is a size 16 with no alteration other than taking it up an inch in length. Ideally, I think I probably should have taken the waist in slightly in the back. Not enough to do a sway-back adjustment but just deepening the back darts a bit. I should note that the fit was pretty good overall before I had my surgery but because I lost weight (and fat!) in the hospital, the fit is not as great at the waistline any more. I plan to take it in a bit at the waist by deepening the darts. What I love about this skirt is how it's a good basic with just a twist (the scalloped hem), and pretty much every top and every shoe works with it, I can wear either Sorbetto with it and throw on my maroon cardigan if I need more sleeve coverage. And it's super cute with my favorite striped t-shirt, as you can see from the top photo.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-30491208163303388732012-07-02T23:12:00.000-04:002012-07-17T01:49:46.817-04:00Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater<br />
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Okay maybe not a pumpkin eater. But definitely a pumpkin wearer. Mr. T looks good in orange (at least I think so) and in homage to my dad and The Netherlands, I've become fond of dressing him in orange. Plus, there's always the benefit of being able to spot him in a crowd if/when he runs away from me. Which happens more frequently than I care to think about.<br />
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This orange isn't as bright as some other things he has, but as soon as I saw this French terry on etsy, I knew I had to have it. It's really a burnt orange color mixed with a dark brown, in a medium weight, which makes it an ideal layering piece. This pattern is from the 4/2007 issue of Ottobre, and it's known among those who use Ottobre due to its round pocket openings, which are such a cool design feature.<br />
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I went with a cotton interlock in a car print for the hood and pocket lining, since the cars have the brown, orange and linden green colors I was using in my SWAP (yes, this is part of that). There are some turquoise ones, too. Plus it matches the striped Hilco ribbing that I got from the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Ottobredesign?ref=ss_profile">Ottobre etsy shop</a>. I didn't have a lot of that so I used a plain dark brown ribbing at the waist, since that piece had to be wider.<br />
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As you can see, I had a little bit of trouble lining up the stripes on one of the pocket openings, and the stitching that holds the lining to the body of the sweatshirt is a little bit too close to that opening. I was in a hurry and didn't bother to draw a chalk line before I stitched it. Live and learn. The stitching itself is a new decorative stitch from my machine which is even more like a coverstitch in its appearance than the triple-honeycomb, which used to be my go-to for the RTW look.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-89761618474214858902012-06-19T04:02:00.002-04:002012-06-19T04:02:53.109-04:00Score!Sometimes fabric shopping can be a crap shoot, especially when you have a tendency to limit yourself to the clearance rack. JoAnn's Red Tag fabrics are almost always polyester nightmares, though in the past I've found amazing treasures, like cyan-blue stretch cotton french terry, floral-print white cotton twill, and black cotton with an amazing multi-colored embroidered border.<br />
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A few Saturdays ago a trip to JoAnn's ended up being one of those really good days for finding fabric, and here's what I got:<br />
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-Yellow cotton eyelet, dyed with a natural dye:<br />
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Maeve picked this out for part of her summer wardrobe. This should be fun to work with.<br />
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-Navy and white polka-dot chiffon. Yes, it's polyester, but I've been looking for a polka-dot chiffon to make the Taffy blouse from the Colette Sewing Handbook, and this fits the bill perfectly:<br />
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-White cotton stretch woven with red embroidery:<br />
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Not sure what this will be, but I'm thinking a blouse of some kind.<br />
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-Two different rayon/Spandex knits:<br />
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These will be shirts or summer dresses/tunics, I think.<br />
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-The pièce de résistance, lightweight stretch cotton sateen in red and white butterfly print on navy ground:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1OI6QsXpL9d5XtMw6Et_9OtJnlwidJ3olRcx1CO6KVQnTPm4hua2X0r5IAih_sUG6qFlYEdLEzHvoJ2pKX02tZkPzQ2HTKJ5QRZZbutpdwSZP80Xx1QolTdr6ecgm3lf4w2xJccfSz8/s1600/100_4209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1OI6QsXpL9d5XtMw6Et_9OtJnlwidJ3olRcx1CO6KVQnTPm4hua2X0r5IAih_sUG6qFlYEdLEzHvoJ2pKX02tZkPzQ2HTKJ5QRZZbutpdwSZP80Xx1QolTdr6ecgm3lf4w2xJccfSz8/s320/100_4209.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The printing on this fabric is phenomenal ( I know it's not obvious from this blurry photo). Normally in a dark stretch print on white fabric, when the fabric is stretched you can tell that it's printed on white because the white will show. Not this one. I've been planning a Rooibos dress but couldn't find a fabric that grabbed my eye. As soon as I saw this print it was like it shouted "Rooibos!" at me. Now I just have to buy the pattern.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3872413780410252780.post-53398181675469447892012-05-19T02:22:00.003-04:002012-07-17T01:50:20.001-04:00Bath Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LiI5QoTiNRLjIOwcrsEEmEhV9aQvxV8y8-9CTa738fi1myQMm4rlm6t_dvUo0MGvCpPk42AUVw0ykq9HX-9EhSdF1Fs11L9xSzHegWeN2FjCVvkip6vDq5m4v-YlQCl3Cr0vkjwM5uc/s1600/100_3970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LiI5QoTiNRLjIOwcrsEEmEhV9aQvxV8y8-9CTa738fi1myQMm4rlm6t_dvUo0MGvCpPk42AUVw0ykq9HX-9EhSdF1Fs11L9xSzHegWeN2FjCVvkip6vDq5m4v-YlQCl3Cr0vkjwM5uc/s320/100_3970.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Mr. T's birthday was last month and he wanted a bath robe. I'd been thinking of making him one since the winter 2011 issue of Ottobre had robes in it but hadn't gotten around to it. A birthday present is always a good excuse for making something, and it was a change from the other things I'd been working on.<br />
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This pattern calls for the robe to be made up in 2 different fabrics, with the outer layer being a poplin or other similar woven fabric and the inner layer being made of flannel. Flannel is okay if you're looking for a warm robe but doesn't work so well for absorbing water when you get out of the bath. I decided to make the inner layer out of terry cloth so it would be more useful as an after-bath garment. The good thing about this pattern is that the lining isn't made to be sewn right sides together and then turned - the robes are constructed as 2 separate pieces, with the hood also being separate, then putting them together so that the hood is sandwiched between the 2 layers but the wrong sides of the 2 layers are together. Which means that you need to finish the edges with a bias binding or else you're left with raw edges. Of course, this enables you to use a fun contrasting fabric.<br />
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I used a cotton woven from JoAnn's in a rocket ship print that Mr. T chose himself. Actually, he carried that darn bolt of fabric all over the store and didn't want to let go of it, until Scott handed me the bolt and took the boy out to the car. The blue cotton terry also came from JoAnn's. The bias binding is red with a white star print, <a href="http://mommymadebyjen.blogspot.com/2010/08/destina-tion-delft.html">left over from the girls' Delft dresses</a> from 2 years ago. I also used it for the pocket, one side of the belt and as belt loops - the pattern doesn't call for belt loops but without them you'd have to sew the belt on at the back, and I wasn't willing to sew through the terry layer to do that.<br />
Here's a shot of one of the belt loops:<br />
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This was remarkably easy to do, although the bias binding is slightly time consuming. This pattern seems to either run small or my son is extremely large for his age (I've been told this on more than one occasion) because this is a size 104 and it fits perfectly. Normally he wears a 98 but I know from experience that European robes always seem to be shorter than the ones you find in the U.S., and I wanted to be sure it would fit, especially since the terry was thicker than the suggested flannel. Also, the hood is shallower than one might expect.<br />
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As you can see from the first photo, he's incredibly happy with it and he wears it prior to and immediately after every bath or shower, which is a bit unexpected.<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.com1