Diamond Dress

Hi everyone! I finally have a new sewing project to share with you. I have been busy with work and although I have been sewing I haven't found time to blog until now. This is the Diamond Dress from Shwin Designs. It was part of the newest Pattern Anthology bundle. 

Go To Signature Dress

Hello! I finally have a sewing project to show you. This is the Signature Dress from Go To Patterns. It's a size 3 for my littlest sister, Miss V. I let her pick the fabric, but she hasn't seen it yet, so I hope she likes it!

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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

A New Top!

This is one of my new favorite outfits, especially the top. I drafted the pattern myself, with the help of this tutorial from The Crafty Cupboard. It was super easy to make - I just used a shirt that fits really well and traced around it onto freezer paper. The sewing was easy too - Melanie's instructions were very clear with lots of pictures!

 

I did have some trouble with the sleeves. I had planned to make the arm bands out of the blue knit. However, when I tried the shirt on, it was extremely tight around my arms. Part of the problem was the blue knit isn't very stretchy. Also, I hadn't made the arms wide enough when I traced the pattern.

 

After a lot of ripping and frustration, the shirt finally fit around my arms. I ended up using the black knit (same as my skirt) and adding a piece under the arm, as you can kind of see in the picture below.

 

 

The little extra piece sticking out is the rectangle I cut and added. Without it, the shirt was still too tight around the arms. It isn't the prettiest solution, but you can't see it at all when I'm wearing it.

 

 

This shirt is so comfortable to wear! I love the bright blue colors too! The knit is a cotton jersey that I got from The Fabric Fairy. I had been eyeing it for a long time and finally decided to buy some with a new shirt in mind.

 

 

My skirt is a simple bubble skirt. I used the tutorial on EmmylouBeeDoo. I made a bubble skirt a few years ago using her tutorial, but I like the way this one turned out much better.

 

 

These bell pictures were so fun to take too! My brother did a great job and we were lucky because shortly after we finished it started pouring. It's nice when you can find new places for taking pictures - it makes things more interesting.

 

 

Happy weekend!!

 

~Elizabeth

I may link to some of the link parties listed here.

The Casual Lady Top

 

 

 Hello! Happy Sunday Everyone! My summer has been pretty busy, but today has been quiet, so I am using the time I have to write a post!

 

I made this top back in May using the Casual Lady Pattern from Go to Patterns. It has become one of my new favorite tops and has been getting plenty of wear. I made the Small size - the fit and the length are great! It is always a challenge finding comfortable fitting tees in RTW.  

 

 

The instructions were super easy to follow and it was a quick sew as there are only seven steps total. This was the first one I made and it took about an hour.

 

 

My second top was made using a striped knit from Girl Charlee. I was very excited when the stripes matched up! I'm usually afraid of sewing with stripes!

 

I will definitely be making many more of these tops - they are a wardrobe staple!

 

~Elizabeth

I may link to some of the link parties listed here.

The Anywhere Dress

I have really been into sewing knits lately and I think I found a new favorite pattern. It's Go To Pattern's Anywhere Dress. I made one for my 10 year old sister, and I want to make more! It comes in sizes 12 months to 12 years so I will be able to make dresses for both of my sisters.

This is the size 10 with elbow length sleeves and sleeve cuffs. I also lengthened the pattern by about 9 inches because my sister is tall and the size 10 length would've been too short.

 

The dress is easy to sew up and it's perfect for everyday play. My sister likes to be active and play outside in the summer, and this dress is perfect for that. She wore it to her last day of school picnic and at home too.

 

 

It is a perfect dress for all seasons. Leggings would work great with this dress for the cooler months and the short sleeve version would be great for summer. There aren't too many pattern pieces either.

 

 

The neck facings are nice; you don't have to deal with ribbing or finishing the neck edge. Mine could've used a little more pressing to help it stay flat but I think it looks good overall. I decided not to topstitch the neckline either.

 

There are so many great varriations for this dress - I can't wait to make another. My sister wanted to wear it right away too. Yay for success!!

 

 What are your favorite patterns to sew over and over?

 

~Elizabeth

Linking up to some link parties listed here.

A Bubble Skirt

One quick and easy tutorial + one girl who loves to sew = one ridiculously comfortable knit skirt!

I made a skirt last night. My mom emailed me a tutorial (Thanks Mom!) to an adorable bubble skirt she found! The tutorial was for a size 2T, but it can be made in any size. I adjusted for my measurements, and made it right then and there in my room at college. I am a sewing nerd...so far I have not met anyone else who brought their sewing machine and ALL their fabric with them to college.

The tutorial, which can be found here is so simple and quick! I made it in less than two hours. I think the cutting took the longest, because my knit was super stretchy and did not want to cooperate. It was just some plain black jersey knit that was originally going to be a infinity scarf. The skirt is made with a total of 3 rectangles (waistband, outer skirt and inner skirt).

The only problem I ran into was that when I finished my skirt was shorter than I wanted it to be.  It fell just above my knee. I wanted it just below my knee.When I cut it out I had to straighten it a lot to get it even and I ended up taking off more than I wanted. I should have made my waistband 6 inches instead of 4 inches. I was able to make a fix by sewing a second waistband on top of the original with some green scraps of knit I had. I didn't have enough black. You can't see the green when I'm wearing it anyway. Now it is the perfect length and it is so comfortable!!

I will definitely be making another one of these skirts. I want to make one for my little sister too.


~Elizabeth