2014: A Year in Review

It the last day of the year and I thought it would be fun to look back and see what I've accomplished this year.

I kept track of every single thing I sewed in 2014 by writing it down in a notebook. I have not blogged it all, but that's okay. My total was 56 garments. Out of those, 36 were made for me. I did a lot of sewing for my little sisters and some for my mom this year too. 

All of the patterns I sewed were from Indie designers. I did not sew anything from the big pattern companies such as Simplicity or McCalls. I really prefer Indie patterns because they are just really thought out and have excellent instructions. The designers are always more than willing to help you out too! 

Now, here are my top 5 favorites from 2014:

Pineapple Lady Skater

Hello! I have a new Lady Skater dress to show you made in pineapple knit fabric! I have been eyeing this pineapple fabric from Girl Charlee for a long time. My mom surprised me with it after I finished all my finals a few weeks ago and I decided to make a new dress for myself.

Life

I am so happy that this semester is finally over!!

Hello friends! It is the most wonderful time of the year!!! I am finally finished with my seventh semester of college and will be heading home soon for a whole month of rest and relaxation! Today I thought I would do a different kind of post. Olivia, from Fresh Modesty did a similar post and I thought it was such a cool idea and gives you a little peak into my live right now. Hope you enjoy!

Source

Right now I am...

The Zoe Dress

Hello all and Happy December! A couple months ago, my roommate and I had a sewing weekend. It was so fun to just sew and not think about school for awhile. I made the Zoe Dress from Serendipity Studio. It is a fabulous retro style dress with a full, deep pleated skirt and curved waistband. 

Sally Dress

Happy November! I hope you are all doing well. I am studying hard and counting down each day until the end of the semester! I have not had a lot of time for sewing or blogging, but I though I would share this dress I made over the summer. It's the Sally Dress from Very Shannon and I made it way back in August.

Wildflower Tops

This is the Wildflower Top from Blank Slate Patterns. It's a knit top pattern with a choice of short sleeves, bell sleeves, or long sleeves. For this turquoise top, I chose the bell sleeves and I love how it drapes so nicely. The under bodice is layered under the deep V front bodice and it is perfect because it adds extra coverage without too much bulk.

Street Fair Skirt - Three Ways

The Street Fair Skirt pattern is from marie-madeline studio and it is a very versatile and practical pattern! I received the pattern quite a few years ago as a gift and finally made it (three times!) this summer. It is an A-line shape with a yoke and invisible zipper. It can be made in two different lengths with optional pockets, optional piping trim and an optional bottom band.

Lulu Dresses

Recently, I sewed up the Lulu Dress by Craftiness is not Optional. It is an adorable little dress with endless options. You can make it cap sleeve or sleeveless, all knit or knit and woven, top or dress length. You also have the option of including a faux button placket, a shirt pocket, skirt pockets, or a faux drawstring.

21 before 22

Hello!! At the end of July I had my 21st birthday! I had a wonderful day spent with my family and my parents took me out for lunch. It was very relaxing. This is also the year I started my senior year of college. Yikes! School just started a couple weeks ago, but I am already realizing the reality of my senior status. This is my fourth year of being in college now. Four years! It is all very exciting and scary at the same time. I am looking forward to what the year will bring. 

Sweet Pea Pajamas

 A few months ago, I had the wonderful opportunity of testing a pattern for Blank Slate Patterns. It was my first time testing a pattern, and I was very excited! The pattern I tested was the a girl's pajama pattern called the Sweet Pea Pajamas. I tested the size 2T for my littlest sister.

Updates and a Question

Hello, dear neglected blog!! I have missed you! Between working at summer camp, going on vacation to SD, and visiting family and friends, my summer has been really busy! I'm home now until school starts, so I have been doing a lot of sewing. Hopefully I will be able to share some of my projects with you soon!

Eiffel Tower Top

Well, hello there! Although I did not fall off the face of the earth, June seems to have escaped me. Time flies! I have been so busy working here at camp as a health center assistant. It's been great, but I haven't had much free time and I haven't been able to sew all month. I discovered the sewing machines owned by the camp and was able to try them out one day. I also did a lot of sewing in May before I came to camp and am just now getting around to blogging about them.

Me Made May // Week Five

Day 25: 

Lady Skater dress

This outfit was a repeat...I wore it back at the beginning of May, but I needed something comfy to wear. I had worked two overnights in a row and slept for a good part of the day, so this dress was perfect. 

The Torii Tunic

Here is one of my newest creations! It is the Torii Tunic from Kay Whitt of Serendipity Studio. I have made many of her patterns and she is still one of my very favorite designers. This particular pattern is one of her older ones that I received for my birthday right after I was getting interested in sewing clothing. That was about four or five years ago and I just now made it for the first time! I actually planned on using the fabric for a different dress, but there was just enough to make the Torri Tunic, so it was all meant to be! 

Me Made May // Week Four

Wow! It's hard to believe we're done with the fourth week of May already! One more to go! Here's what I wore this week.

Day 18:

Bebe Dress

Parisian Top and Maxi Skirt // Made by my Mom

Today, I am sharing some sewing projects made by my mom. Recently she made a very pretty Parisian Top and green knit skirt for herself. 

Me Made May // Week Three

It's already the end of week 3 for Me Made May! It was another successful week for me although some days were really hard to put outfits together. I did get some sewing done this week and plan on blogging some of my projects as soon as I can get some pictures. I wore a lot of knit clothing this week - it is my favorite to wear because it is so comfortable!

Day 11:

Reversible Shoreline Boatneck Top (unblogged) 

Jolie Pouf Skirt 

Me Made May // Week Two

Another week of Me-Made-May is down, so it's time for another round-up of what I wore!

Day 4:

Top: Reversible Shoreline Boatneck in cotton gauze (unblogged)
Skirt: Fiona Faux Wrap Skirt (unblogged)

I really love this outfit and it is one I would not have worn if I wasn't participating in MMM! I made the skirt about 3 years ago when I first got into sewing clothing, but I have only worn it once or twice. Part of the problem is I don't have very many tops that go with it and it is cotton, so it's not a great choice for MN winters. I will be wearing it more this summer now that I know I actually like wearing it!

Me Made May // Week One

Me-Made-May '14 has gotten off to a great start! I plan to do weekly round up posts of my outfits and I thought Saturday would be a good day to do these. It's my first year participating and I'm really enjoying it so far! Even though I wear a lot of me-made clothing already it has been interesting to plan my outfits each day because my pledge was to wear only me-made items all month long. So far it has been going well but it is only the third day!

I'm also hoping that I will wear some of my me-made items that just sit in my closet and never get worn. Then I will be able to see if I should really keep holding on to them or not.

Here's what I've been wearing this month:

Me Made May 2014

May will be arriving in just a few days! This means it is almost Me-Made May!

 

MMM is a month long challenge with the purpose of encouraging people to wear their handmade garments. It's a personal challenge as you can pick your pledge and choose to do as little or as much as you want. I've followed the flickr group in the past but never took part myself. I'm excited to actually be participating this year!

Here is my pledge:

I, Elizabeth of The College Seamstress (thecollegeseamstress.blogspot.com) sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavour to wear me-made items only (excluding undergarments and coats/jackets) each day for the duration of May 2014. I will also see how long I can go before repeating an outfit.

I wear a lot of my handmade clothes already, so I wanted to make my pledge a bit challenging. There are things I don't wear, so this will be great incentive for me to wear them. Although posting pictures aren't necessary as part of the challenge, I also plan to post weekly updates on my blog and post in the flickr and/or pinterest group.

If you want to read more about Me-Made May or sign up with your own pledge you can go to Zoe's post here.

Are you participating in MMM '14? What is your pledge?

~Elizabeth

A Call for Help // Vote for Me

Hello Lovely Readers! Happy Weekend! I'm just popping in with a request. You may have heard about Challenge Create: Adult Edition that is happening over at Skirt Fixation. It is very similar to Project Sewn. This weeks theme was destash week. I entered my Easter Dress in this week's sew-along, since I used fabric from my stash to make it.

I'm so close to winning and it would really make my day if you could send some votes my way. I have never won any type of online sewing competition so this is kind of exciting for me. You can go here to vote and you have until tomorrow (Sunday) morning.

 

Thank you and have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

 

~Elizabeth

My Easter Dress

 

I finished my Easter dress just in time to wear on Easter Sunday! I used a pattern I have made before - the Bebe dress pattern from Sew Serendipity. The fabric is Anna Maria Horner cotton voile that I bought from fabric.com and has been sitting in my stash for over a year. I had actually planned on making myself a dress using the Bebe pattern with this fabric for Easter. Sometimes I change my mind when it comes to fabric and patterns!

Pants No More

Hello everyone! Believe it or not, the skirt I am wearing was once a pair of jeans on the $1 rack at Salvation Army. They were very sad and lonely on that rack, so I being the seamstress that I am, bought them intending to use them for fabric. The jeans were very unflattering and uncomfortable and I was reminded why I never wear jeans. I decided that they could be made into something much more cute and wearable...a skirt!

Parisian Top

The Just Add Jeans collection from Pattern Anthology may just be my favorite collection of women's top patterns. This is the Parisian Top and the second one I've sewn from the collection. I liked it so much that I had to make two! The Parisian was designed by Andrea, of Go To Patterns, featuring a peter pan collar and 3/4 length sleeves. For my first top, I decided to use a cotton interlock fabric from my grandma and contrasting black hembands.

Day Tripper Tops

I was so excited when I found out that Pattern Anthology was coming out with a collection of four knit top patterns for women! All of the designs are so cute and tops are lacking in my handmade wardrobe, so these patterns are perfect! My mom and I both decided to make the Day Tripper top, by Shwin Designs first.

Little Color Swap - What I Sent & Received

Hello Everyone! Recently I participated in a Little Color Swap, hosted by Lisa of Sweet Little Pretties. The swap was based on your favorite color and you had to send your partner 1 fat quarter, 1 spool of thread or embroidery floss, 1 sweet/chocolate and 1 surprise.

I forgot to take pictures of the items I sent to my partner, but her favorite color was green. I sent her a green fat quarter with different words on it, green embroidery floss, green buttons for the surprise, and green peppermint candies. I'm not sure if she has received it yet, but I hope she enjoys all her treats!

Lisa, from Sweet Little Pretties had my name and she did a wonderful job of picking out items in my favorite color...turquoise! I love the pretty wrapping she packaged every thing in...

 

And here is what she sent:

 

The fabric is so pretty and I love the little scissors! The thread is very pretty and shiny. I was able to use it already in a turquoise project I was working on. The match was perfect! Also, the chocolate she sent is very delicious!! Thank you Lisa!

 

~Elizabeth

Coco // What Does the Fox Say?

 

Recently, I have found some fun new blogs to follow. One I have been reading is Tilly and the Buttons and I happened to find it just as Tilly was releasing her new pattern, Coco. It can be made as a dress or a top and there is also a variation for a sixties style funnel neck (my favorite!) and rolled cuffs. I made the three quarter length sleeves but there's also an option for long sleeves.

Thank You!

Two years ago today I started this little blog. I was a freshman in college and decided I wanted a place to share and keep track of all my sewing projects.

I just wanted to say, thank you so much for reading my blog and commenting! I appreciate each of you and am blessed with all the friendships and people I have met through the blogging community. I am amazed everyday with the blogging and sewing community. Everyone is so wonderful and they are willing to share their experiences, creativity, ideas and support. I am always so inspired by what everyone is creating!

I have come a long way since my first post two years ago, and I am still learning about blogging all the time. I'm glad you're here for the ride!

Have a wonderful day and thank you again for reading my blog!

~Elizabeth

Pinafore Dress

 

This week, I was inspired by Tricia from the Farmish Momma to make this Pinafore Dress after she posted pictures of one she made with some instructions here. I am friends with her oldest daughter, whom I have seen pictures of wearing dresses similar to this one. However, I never knew they were handmade! I loved the style after I first saw my friend's dress, so I was happy to find out I could make one myself!

 

The construction was so easy! I read the blog post and that same night I cut out the pieces to make the dress, which are basically two rectangles plus the straps. The instructions given in the post say to make the skirt by multiplying your hip measurement by 4. However, I thought that would make the skirt a little too gathered for me (and Tricia made the dress for a younger girl) so I multiplied my hip measurement by 3. I think next time, even doubling it would be enough.

 

In the back I decided not to cross the straps, but you can if you want to. I also used an invisible zipper, but any type of zipper would work just fine. I also didn't put the zipper up far enough when sewing it in, but it's not that big of a problem.

 

 

It's hard to tell in these pictures, but I used red thread for the topstitching. I made a wide 6 inch waistband and the skirt hits just past my knee. The fabric is some I've had in my stash for many years. It is wool and was given to me by a sewing friend when my interest in making clothing first began. There must've been 4 or 5 yards total because I have previously used this fabric to make both me and my mom a skirt. I had enough for this dress and there are still a few bits and pieces left.

 

I want to make more of these dresses in cotton. They would be perfect for the summer and I think my sister would like one too! The wool is perfect for the weather we're having now though. It is so warm to wear, but I was freezing when I took these pictures! It was only 3 degrees! Brrrrr!

 

The skirt is very full and so fun to twirl!

 

Linking up with Farmish Momma for the Pinterest Pin-along.

~Elizabeth

Go-To Cape and Winter Boots

This week, the challenge over at Project Sewn is "If the Shoe Fits". The idea is to pick your favorite pair of shoes and sew an outfit to go with. I live in Minnesota. And right now we have tons of snow! So for this challenge, I chose my winter boots because they definitely keep my feet warm and dry, which is perfect if you have to walk around outside in this weather!

Do you wanna build a snowman??

 

In case you're wondering, yes, I did build a snowman, by myself, wearing my Lady Skater dress, leggings and boots. I put my cape on afterwards though.

 

I thought my Go-To cape would be perfect with my winter boots. It is a fully lined cape made using purple plaid wool and plain purple flannel for the lining. I was actully getting hot standing in the sun while I took pictures. It is 40 degrees today - a heat wave compared to the weather we've been having here!

 

The cape has an oversized hood, which is one of my favorite parts! I also made the peekaboo lining - you can see the lining "peeking out" on the hood. The pattern calls for four 3/4" buttons, but I thought that size was too small, so I used four 1 1/8" buttons. They worked perfectly!

 

 

Andrea, of Go-To Patterns, designed this cape to hit at the hip level. However, I wanted a longer cape, so I cut out the long length, which is for people taller than 5'9" (I'm 5'7").

 I was having fun with the photo shoot! You can see the plaid in this picture too. It's harder than you think setting up a tripod in the snow and running back and forth after every picture. The snow is pretty deep too! There must be over a foot accumulated in the back yard - the snow almost came to the top of my boots.

Here's the back. I have always been afraid of sewing with plaid, but I did it! And the back seam matches up!!

I received the plaid wool from a friend and have had it for a few years. I knew I was keeping it for a reason! It is so warm and pretty thick. I bought the flannel at Jo-Ann Fabrics when it was on sale, and I was able to use a gift card, so I only ended up spending $15 for 4 yards of flannel. That's a deal!

Oh, you know, just contemplating life. :)

 

Finally, here's a better picture of my boots, since the snow covered them in almost all my other pictures. They were the whole inspiration for my outfit. As you can see, they're pretty wet in this picture, but they kept my feet dry!

Would you wear a cape?

~Elizabeth

The Rose T-Shirt

I've been following Project Sewn and there sure are some amazing designers this season! I decided to sew along for this week's theme, Make It Pink.

I thought the Rose T-Shirt from Blank Slate Patterns would be perfect. There are so many options when it comes to sewing this T-shirt. You can choose from four different sleeve lengths and two different shirt lengths.

 

Melissa designed this T-shirt to be made with woven and knit fabric. She says it's great for showing off pricy designer fabric on the neckline because it only takes 1/4 yard of woven fabric. However, I did not have any plain knit fabric on hand and I really liked this pink and black polka dot fabric. It is very soft and nice to wear.

I decided to go an opposite route of other versions I've seen and use a printed knit for the main part of the shirt, along with a subtle printed fabric for the neckline. If you look closely, you will see there are music notes on the black neckline fabric.

 

My favorite part of this shirt is the simple gathers in the front and the sleeves. The sleeves were made extra long so you could hem them to your desired length - I love this because long sleeve shirts are always too short! These sleeves are perfect.

 

This is definitely a new favorite shirt of mine and I will be making more! The best part? It cost $0 because the woven fabric was from my stash and the knit was from my mom's stash.

 

Have you been doing any sewing? Are you following Project Sewn?

 

~Elizabeth

The Infinity Sweater

 

This is the Infinity Sweater, from One Girl Circus and it is a great pattern! I made it a few weeks ago before school started, and it has been getting so much wear! It's been perfect to wear on these subzero temperature days we've been having recently. I get cold easily and it adds just the right amount of warmth!

 

There are so many options when it comes to styling this sweater. One of my favorite ways to wear it is knotting it in the front. So easy, but cute!

 

The wrap around is another one of my favorite ways to wear it, and I'm actually wearing this style right now. You just wrap the front panels all the way around and either tie it in back or tuck it in. It's nice and cozy!

 

You can drape the front pieces across your shoulders.

 

 

It looks like this from the back. I haven't really styled the sweater this way yet.

 

Dress it up a little by adding a belt around the waist. I really like this style too!

 

Just have fun with it!!

 

For this project, I used a navy blue knit from the thrift store. Between my mom and I, we got so much use out of it! The infinity sweater calls for 2 yards of knit fabric and after I made it, there was plenty of fabric left. It's a thin knit, which works well for this project. It does roll a bit, which is mostly noticeable on the sleeves since there is no hem, but I don't mind. The pattern doesn't call for hemming or finishing the edges, but if you really wanted to, you could.

 

The pattern includes 3 pieces - sleeve, front panel, and back. It sews together very quickly and cutting took the longest. I think it only took me about 15 minutes after everything was cut. That's my kind of project!

 

How would you style this sweater?

 

~Elizabeth

Decorated Plate {A Guest Post by my Sister}

Hello Everyone! Today, I have a special post for you. My little sister, K, is here to tell you about a craft she did over winter break. K is 11 years old and loves to do all kinds of crafts including sewing, quilting, latch hook, knitting, and drawing. She also loves to read, write, and play her flute.

Today I am doing a guest post for my sister Elizabeth. My aunt showed me how to do this awesome craft! It is a decorated plate.

First, I needed to get gather my supplies which are:

      · a white plate

 

· colored permanent markers

· Clorox wipes

· stencils

Some of my supplies

Next, I took some permanent markers, stencils, and a white plate.  I wasn’t exactly sure what to draw, so I just started drawing but I didn’t like it, so I wiped it away with a Clorox wipe.  It took me about twenty times until I knew exactly what I wanted to draw! 


My awesome plate!

Finally, I put the plate in the oven at 350 degrees for thirty minutes. Then I turned the oven off and left the plate in the oven for two hours. After that, I took the plate out and let it sit on a counter for twenty-four hours.
Now I can use the plate to eat off of. I would only use it for non juicy things. The plate is not dishwasher safe.  

Plates made by my older brothers

Plates made by my younger brothers

Thank you, K!! Didn't she do a wonderful job? I just love how her plate turned out. I made a plate too with quotes from the Hobbit written all over it for a friend. These make great gifts and there are so many possibilities! Plain white mugs are another option if you don't want to do a plate. It was a very inexpensive project too - we found the plates at the dollar store.

~Elizabeth