The Ugly Christmas Sweater

It's the time of the year for Christmas parties. Many times those parties have a theme and sometimes it is "Ugly Christmas Sweater". Last year, was my first time experiencing an Ugly Christmas sweater party. I had no idea what to wear! All my sweaters were pretty (in my opinion anyway)!

As luck would have it, a friend gave me this beautiful sweater vest:

However, it was too plain. I got it the afternoon of the party. Boy, did I have work to do!

I have a lot of my sewing supplies at school, so I was sure I could find something to spruce up the sweater! I found green felt, ribbon, red felt and Christmassy fabric. I also found some bits of tinsel left over from decorating.

I only had a few hours before the party, so I got busy! First, I cut out a Christmas tree from the green felt and pinned it on to the sweater.

 

Sewing was next:

 

I added some red ribbon to the bottom.

 

It was too plain and needed more pizazz. A little tinsel and trim here, a little red felt there...much better!

 

 

Finally, a bow to top it all off.

 

Ta-da! The finished project!

 

Finally, here are a couple pictures from the party last year. We had a fashion show of everyone's ugly sweaters. I won the prize for "most creative".

It was a fun time had by all!

Have you ever been to an Ugly Christmas Sweater party? What did you wear?

~Elizabeth

Updates

The semester is over!!! I am done with school for the year!! I am so happy to have finished another semester of nursing school. There is light at the end of the tunnel! To celebrate I made some snow angels. The snow is so pretty here and I love going for walks and hearing it crunch beneath my boots.

 

Soon I will be spending my month long winter break at home with my family. It will be great to be home! I can't wait to bake Christmas cookies and help decorate the Christmas tree. I also have a long list of sewing projects that need to be done before Christmas.

 

 

My sisters are the cutest! Here they are wearing matching skirts that I surprised them with a few weeks ago. I found the knit fabric for $2 at the thrift store. This was the best picture I took of the two of them - my baby sister doesn't like standing still for long!

 

I am making my sisters and I Christmas dresses. They are the same fabric, but different patterns. Other gifts I'm making are the Go-To Cape for my mom, some bimaa sweaters for my baby sister, the Ethan shirt for my brother, and maybe a purse.

 

A couple weeks ago, I went Black Friday shopping at Joann Fabrics with my mom. I bought some black panne velvet and made myself another Lady Skater dress. I have yet to take pictures and blog about it.

I'm in orchestra and we have to wear all black for concerts, so it is the perfect concert dress! Here's a sneak peek - the lighting wasn't the best in the hallway where this was taken.

 

 

With finals week over, it has been so nice to relax. Tomorrow I will think about packing and then home I go! Hope you're all having a lovely December!

 

~Elizabeth

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have a blessed day filled with family and friends. Today I have so much to give thanks for. I'm spending the day with my family and I'm so happy for time off of school to spend with them. Have a wonderful day!

 

~Elizabeth 

Pay It Forward

Almost a year ago, Mary on Lake Pulaski hosted a pay it forward event on her blog. I was sent a lovely appliqued towel and hot pad she made (and I use them all the time!).

 

To fulfill my part, I decided to make some open wide zipper pouches using the tutorial from Noodlehead. Would you like one?

Here's what you need to do: 1) be one of the first three people to comment on this post; 2) have a blog; and 3) agree to make something handmade for three of your blog readers anytime within the next 12 months.

Comment below, agreeing to pay it forward and I will send you one of these zipper pouches. Also, tell me which one you like best if you have a preference.

Have a great day!

~Elizabeth

Lady Skater #2

 

I've decided that the Lady Skater is my new favorite pattern! This is my second one and I love wearing it! I sewed this a couple weekends ago on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I should've been studying, but my sewing machine and this pattern were calling my name!

 

This time, I decided to make the 3/4 length sleeve version and use two fabrics. The turquoise knit is my favorite color and it was given to me for free from a friend back home. She was getting rid of her stash and thought I would like it. At the time, I had no idea what to make with it, but this dress was perfect! I wanted to make the entire dress out of the turquoise, but there was only enough for the skirt. I love how it turned out with two fabrics though!

 

The bodice was made with a cotton knit from The Fabric Fairy. I planned on using it for a top, but it went great with the skirt fabric.



Close up of the sleeve cuff and bodice fabric.

 

This is the inside of the dress.The turquoise knit is textured on the right side, but it is smooth on the wrong side. It is also very stretchy, as it stretches both ways.

My house at college is very old, so I decided to have fun taking some "vintage" style photos.

 



I don't play the piano, but I thought this was a fun set-up for an "old" photo!

The Lady Skater is such a great pattern and it is so comfortable to wear! I'm planning on making more...pretty soon I'll have too many dresses!  

 

Have you tried any new patterns lately?

 

I'm linking up with Project Sewn, for the final week and Signature Style challenge. This dress describes my style perfectly - I love the color turquoise, I live in skirts and dresses all the time and I like to wear comfortable clothes. I could wear this everday and be happy!

 

~Elizabeth

Fat Quarter Swap - What I Received

Hello all! Last month I participated in a fat quarter swap held by Lisa of Sweet Little Pretties. The theme was spots and stripes and we were to send our partner two fat quarters. I  forgot to take pictures of the fat quarters I found for my partner, but they went to Australia. I never heard from her, so I hope she received them!

I received my package from Taiwan! Alisa from A Stitch In Between had my name and she way out did herself by sending more than just two fat quarters.

 

In addition to the two fat quarters she was required to send, she sent me an envelope pouch , a really cool postcard of Taiwan, and a bag hook.

 

The envelope pouch is so cute! I love getting mail, so this is the perfect pouch for me.

 

 

Even the back looks like an envelope!

 

 

These are the two fat quarters Alisa sent me. They are both bright and colorful. I love the striped fabric and the blue dots are so fun. I wonder what I should make with them?

 

The bag hook is essentially a metal round circle that opens up ito a hook. The whole thing opens up into a hook that you can put on a table so you can hang your purse or bag on it! I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but it is such a cool idea! I have never seen anything like it here in the U.S. before. I can't wait to try it out!

Thank you so much Alisa! You should all check out her blog. She has two adorable kids who she sews for and she has traveled the world. The blogging community is so great - you never know who you will meet or the friendships you will make!

I will leave you with this beautiful picture from my college town. Fall is by far my favorite time of year here - it is so beautiful!!

~Elizabeth

Fall, Headbands, & Sewing

 Happy October! Fall is definetely my favorite season, especially around this time of year when all the leaves start changing colors and the weather is cooler. It makes me happy! I enjoy morning runs around the lakes near my college and everything is so pretty right now. The leaves are starting to change to red and orange, but there is still some green left and you can also hear the crunch beneath your feet.

Fall also means everything pumpkin and apple! I can't decide which I like better...I love pumpkin bars, pumpkin spice lattes, and pumpkin pie but apple crisp and apple pie are great too!

School is keeping me busy, with midterms right around the corner! I have found some time for sewing and it is such a huge stress reliever. I made this headband out of leftover fabric from a project I made last weekend (which I'll be showing you soon - for now you get a sneak peak of the fabric). It is a textured knit in my favorite color...turquoise!

 

The headband is really comfortable and was so quick to sew. I just happened to have a long narrow rectangle left over from my other project and it inspired me to make a headband! I just straightened the edges, hemmed each long end by 1/2" and then sewed the short ends together adjusting until I had a good fit. I also made it a little narrower in the back so it fits better around my ears. Quick sewing projects can be so satisfying!

 

What's your favorite part of fall? Do you prefer pumpkin or apple?

~Elizabeth