Tiny Pleats

Okay, I think the reason I always procrastinate on the smocking is because I can't do it in one sitting. I like to sew clothes because I can sit down and easily make something cute in a few hours.

So of course I didn't smock yesterday- I made this instead:

This is actually leftover fabric from the dress I am smocking, and I have been wanting to try something with a collar and little pleats like this. I saw this pattern in the Otto magazine I have and decided it would be the best of both worlds. It didn't take me long and the collar was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be.

The shirt is really cute on, just a little bit big. I have no clue what she will wear with it, but it is one of my favorites.

Soft Baby Shoes

Okay, I know I said I was going to smock... I swear I really am. But I just had to try this!

I used a tutorial from another site; I made these from some scraps I had that were too small to use for much else. I have only finished one, but it didn't take long AT ALL. Maybe 15 minutes or so...and that includes the cutting.

FYI- if anyone wants to make these, I used the pattern sized as is and it is pretty big if you stick to the seam allowances listed. I think it said 6-9 months but I was able to put it on Charlotte- she didn't really have much room but it did go on.

Silence

I have been busy on a few things; I just can't post them yet as I want them to be a surprise.

So once I get these knocked out, I am going to concentrate on SMOCKING for a while or I will never ever get done with the dress. Maybe I will take some pictures of the work in progress and get them up later today or tomorrow.

2 Skirts for ME!

Okay, these are my first attempts at clothes for myself and they came out pretty well.

The blue one is for Easter and the other was my "practice" skirt. It is quite wearable, just not quite as perfect as the other one.

I made both of them by drafting my own pattern and using the book Sew What! Skirts- I highly recommend this to anyone who can sew a little. It does assume you have some basic sewing knowledge, but it gives all the instructions with the assumption that you don't have any special tools or equipment.

I love to wear skirts in the summer, and this will save me approx. 1 million dollars if I can keep making my own skirts.

These are both A-lines with a thick waistband, a couple of darts, and a zipper and hook and eye in the back. . Just in case you were wondering ;) The hems are actually straight- I didn't lay these out really well and I didn't want to iron them. But you can get the idea...


ETA: They are folded in half so I could fit them both in the picture- it is hard to tell when the picture is smaller. It looked normal on my computer.

Projects

My wrist and hand have been hurting lately so I have taken a 3 day break from sewing. But here are some of the projects I will be working on starting tomorrow:

2 skirts for ME!

Pants for Charlotte

2 more dresses for Charlotte

a few tops for Charlotte- I have a pattern for the red and blue dress that is just a top- I am thinking about trying that one

In case you are wondering, Charlotte has more clothes than she can probably wear this summer, but I don't care! A few of the things I have made are adjustable enough that she can probably wear them next summer too.


ALSO- I am looking for a serger- I am planning on getting one for my birthday, but in the meantime if any of you that are local know of anyone that would let me borrow one I would really appreciate it!!

Two Summer Dresses

Tote Bag/Diaper Bag

This is the diaper bag I made for a friend's baby shower, I think it came out really well:

Knits and Jumper

These are a couple of things I have made recently- both are from the Ottobre magazine (Spring 08).

I think they came out really well!! The blue top was my first experiment in knit fabrics (think stretchy, tee-shirty fabric) and I think it came out well. Obviously, it is too big and I didn't hem it yet; I want to wait until she is actually going to wear it so that I know how long it needs to be. She is such a shorty I think it will be too long if I go with the pattern.

The jumper is another Otto pattern that I think came out really well! It is a little big but I still think it will be cute as the weather gets warmer. It is lightweight linen fabric that I LOVE!

My new Sewing blog

Okay, I will spare the readers of my family blog the details of all the things I sew. Let me take some pictures- I just got some new fabric that is AWESOME and I can't wait to make something.

So check back soon!