Friday, November 30, 2012

Giveaway Day at Sew Mama Sew

Giveaway Day will soon be here! It is a biannual event at the Sew Mama Sew blog where bloggers and shops can link up their giveaways. I have entered giveaways in the past for giveaway day. This year, I have decided to participate in giveaway day by hosting a giveaway!

 
Giveaway Day will be December 3rd, so make sure you come back here for my giveaway and that you check out all the other great giveaways. There is more information here too.

~Elizabeth

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Black Friday Finds and Some Thrifting

Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I did! I spent it at home with my family, worked a couple of days and didn't even open my textbooks. These next couple of weeks before finals will be spent studying hard though and then I get a month long break! Yay!

On Black Friday, I went shopping with my mom and sisters but we waited until late morning. We went to Joann Fabrics, Kohl's and Target.

At Joanns I found some fleece, zippers, and interfacing. There was a great deal on interfacing, so I bought five yards. The fleece was on sale for a really good price too (somewhere around $4/yd). I bought some zebra print and solid blue fleece to make a gift for a friend.

 
The next stop was Kohl's. I was looking for some fashion boots that would look nice with skirts and would also be comfortable. I found some that were the last pair in my size!
 

 
Target didn't have a lot of deals, but I did find some mustard colored tights and fleece-lined leggings. The fleece leggings are so warm to wear in the cold weather under my skirts! I also found a frying pan because none of my roommates have one big enough to cook anything in and we cook fairly often.
 
When I was home over the Thanksgiving break, I went to check out a new thrift store that has just opened in our town. They have clothes, games, shoes, some toys and games, and some antiques. The antique stuff is priced higher but the clothes are very reasonable. I found two things for myself and one thing for my sister.
 
 
Isn't this a beautiful sweater? I bought it for my 9 year old sister and it fits her perfectly. It was only $5.
 
 
I found this sweater for myself. It was $2.


 
 
This jacket was only $5 and it is a forever 21 brand. The hem on one sleeve is undone, but that's something I can easily fix.
 
Did you go Black Friday shopping? I'd love to hear what kind of deals you found!

~Elizabeth

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

 
A friend shared this on facebook and I'm sharing it here because it made me smile. :)

I have been blessed in so many ways this past year and I have so much to be thankful for. I’m so thankful for my loving, supportive parents and my amazing siblings. I’m grateful to have this week off of school to spend time with them. I am thankful for my faith.

I’m thankful for the ability to run and walk and for plenty of food each day. I am also thankful for sewing and fabric, of course; my friends, my wonderful roommates, my job, my education and the beautiful weather.

I am thankful for all of YOU - my blog readers! Thank you for reading my blog. I am so grateful for the friends I have made in the blogosphere and to be able to share my sewing adventures with you.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving spending it with your family and eating good food.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!
 
 
 
~Elizabeth


Friday, November 2, 2012

Polka Dots and Denim

Hello everyone! A couple weeks ago, I was shopping at Joann Fabrics when I came across this:


White polka dots on denim! As soon as I saw it, I was already imagining a cute denim skirt that would be perfect for fall/winter weather! I knew the perfect pattern to use. I had to have it! It was a fashion denim, so it was more expensive than plain denim, but it was 40% off, so  I didn't feel too guilty buying it.

After buying the fabric, it sat for awhile because I had no time to sew. Then, a couple weeks ago there were no classes! I could use that day to sew my skirt!

I used the Route 66 skirt pattern from the Long ladies at marie-madeline studio. This was my third time using the pattern, and I love it. The instructions are very easy to follow and everything is written in a way that is easy to understand. I think it is a good pattern for seamstresses of all skill levels.

Since I was making this in my apartment at school, I cut it out in the living room, because there was more space there than in my bedroom.

 
This was before cutting anything out. There are only two pattern pieces. The gore piece and the facing piece. The skirt is made up of twelve gores and it comes in sizes 2-18.
 
 
This is what my fabric looked like after I cut everything out. I thought it looked funny, so I took a picture! The pattern requires 2 3/4 yards for the mid-calf skirt I made.
 
The skirt only took me 6 hours to make! I started in the morning, and I only stopped for lunch. When I start something, I have a hard time stopping in the middle.
 
Here's my finished skirt!
 
 
 
 
The skirt has an invisible zipper:
 
 
I still need a lot of practice with invisible zippers, but I'm getting better. Without this tutorial, I would be lost! Kay Whitt does a wonderful job showing you how to put in an invisible zipper with a regular zipper foot.
 
I love everything about my new skirt. It is the perfect length and the gores make it nice and full at the bottom but narrow at the waist, providing a flattering fit.
 
 
 
Didn't my sister do a great job with these photos? We had a lot of fun taking these pictures at the park!
 
 
This will be the perfect skirt for the fall and winter! It can be worn as a casual everyday skirt or you can dress it up for more formal events. It is a very comfortable skirt and I know it will get lots of wear!
 
Have you ever made a Route 66 skirt? Or a denim skirt?
 
~Elizabeth