Dress for a woman in Zambia

I made a dress to contribute to an AIDS hospital in Zambia. I met a woman at a convention who's church is supporting the Ranchod Hospital. One of the ways of supporting the hospital is to make dresses for the women at the hospital. Here's the link to explain the nightgown work. The project uses Simplicity pattern 4048, view C. They recommend that you make the nightgown about 4 inches shorter than the pattern and that you add pockets for the women to use. I added two pockets, and made them a pretty good size.
I loved doing this and thinking about the woman that will be wearing this. What she and I may have in common, what her life is like, hoping that she will get comfort and rest while she wears this. I plan to write a note to her and put it in the pocket of the dress.

Happy Halloween!

If it's Halloween then it must be time to celebrate spiders! I love spiders and have been known to look for spider motifs in home decoration and fabric. I found this fabric when our local Hancock went out of business a couple of years ago. It's a Michael Miller print called "Webmaster". Perfect.



I thought that the Butterick 5223 jacket pattern would suit this fabric well. The hanging ties on the sleeves and back seem very spider web like.















And then, I found a perfect button at Joann's. These big black buttons look very web like.

So, I go off into the world today feeling very festive and ready to celebrate everything spidery! Hope you have a Happy Halloween too.








More on spiders...

Native American Spider Woman mythology here and here. Spiders, good for the garden here. And spiders in the home here. As the last site says: "Next time you see a spider just repeat this sentence: Spiders are good guys. Spiders are good guys."

Sewing with Bamboo

I purchased some textured bamboo fabric at the sewing expo. This is the print. I washed it in cool water and dried it on a low setting. It came out very soft and with a very nice drape. I wanted a shell with sleeves that I could were tucked in or out. I am pleased to say I found that New Look 6483 is perfect. I did make one change to the pattern, I wanted a more open neckline, so I make View A top with the neckline of view E. The pattern has a short slit at the center back and a button closure. With the wider neckline I can get the top on without opening the button, but I do like the detail of the button closure.

Sewing with the bamboo was a pleasure. It had such a soft hand, but still has nice body. The edges did fray quite easily, so I serged every single seam.

I am sure I will use this pattern again, it has a good fit for me. I like the versatility of this top.

Sewing with Mackenzie

I made a top from Simplicity 2962 with my grand niece Mackenzie. She did the cutting out and got the garment done through the pockets. I added the yoke, as that was pretty advanced for her. I love her choice of fabric and colors. Isn't she darling?

I posted a pattern review for this top on Pattern Review.

Mackenzie also made two tote bags entirely on her own. Here she is at the machine. It is such a pleasure to share my love of sewing with the younger generation. More on the tote bag making extravaganza in the next post.

Burda Top / Jacket

I have had this Burda 8478 pattern for quite awhile and finally made this up in May. I believe the Burda 8478 is out of print but the same pattern is also available as Vogue 8090. I was attracted to the asymmetrical bottom on the front and the overlap on the back.

I purchased a very nice cotton but was not sure it would have enough body for this garment, so I underlined the whole garment with a lightweight lining material.

I am wearing the top here over shorts and a T shirt, not how I have been wearing this, but I had a photographer available and did this quickly.

The pattern calls for one large button for closure, I found this beautiful shell button.The fabric is pretty dark in value so even though I made it for summer wear I find that I am feeling I may wear it more in the fall.

Apron

I had just enough fabric left from my kitchen curtains to use as the accent fabric on a Butterick 4945 apron. I made view C. The bottom panel is fully faced, so it hangs nicely and gives the apron good body. I put a review of the pattern on pattern review, see the box at the right to go there.
The retro style of this apron just makes me feel all Suzie Homemaker like when I put it on. I will see if it inspires any creativity in the kitchen.

Blouse made with Japenese cotton

I am going to try to start blogging again. I took a break because I had decided that my blog was boring. (It is) But I have received a few comments lately so am thinking maybe I will give it another go. I also do like doing this to have a record of my sewing projects. So, it's time to do some catching up.

I made this blouse in April from New Look 6598. The fabric is a Japanese cotton that I purchased at the Fabric Gallery, a beautiful fabric store in Williamston, Michigan. If you are anywhere nearby, it is worth the trip.

I was looking for a pattern for a basic blouse, I had just about given up when I saw the New Look patterns and thought I would give one a try. The pattern turned out very nice. It has a cute cut out V at the cuff edge that gives the sleeve a little interest. The back was designed with ties which I replaced with encased elastic. It is very comfortable to wear and I do love the fabric.

Skirt with pockets

I made this skirt from McCalls 5591. I posted a pattern review at Pattern Review.com. I was not able to post a very large picture there so I have put this one here.

The skirt is very comfortable and has great pockets. The pattern calls for a band of fabric that is top stitched to the pocket edge, which makes a nice finish and gives the pocket edge body. I small detail, but I really like it.

Happy Easter and Thank you Mom.

I made a blouse for Easter out of some fabric that I inherited from my mother. The pattern is McCalls 4384, which is now out of print. Mom has been gone for 10 years now, so making something with her fabric is a nice way to honor memories of her. She loved polka dots, and I do too. I don't know what her plans for this fabric were, but I am sure she would have been pleased with my creation.

Upholstery Fabric Vest

I finally made a garment! It seems like I have been stuck in a bag making mode, so it was very refreshing to do something different. A friend of mine made a vest from Kwik Sew 2843 which I had admired. She was kind enough to trace off a copy of the pattern for me. The pattern is intended to be a zip front sporty type vest. Betsy cleverly left the zipper off and used a nice loosely woven fabric, which made the vest more formal and nice enough to wear in a work or other social setting.

I had a 1 yard piece of upholstery fabric that I had thought I might make into a bag, but decided to go with a vest instead. The great thing about this pattern is that the vest has nice deep pockets. I pre-washed the fabric, so this will be a garment that I can put through the washer and dryer as needed.

The fabric raveled very quickly, so I used the serger to finish all seams even though they are all hidden by the lining.

I wore it today with jeans and a long sleeved T shirt, just the right combo of layers for a woman with "personal summers" that come when you least expect them.

Sewing a clothing item

It feels like it has been ages, so I am happy to say that I made a clothing item. I made a top from a nice piece of rayon that I purchased at the Sewing expo. The colors in this fabric are to celebrate and embrace my natural hair color, : ).

I searched longer than I thought I would have to for a basic pattern and settled on Butterick 5053. The top is a pull over with a very nice round neckline.
It is very comfortable, having a lot of ease in the pattern. I have worn it twice already, a great work top for under a jacket.

Art U Wear vest and jacket

I made a wool vest at a class led by Debra Youngs last week. Her web site is here. Debra is a great teacher for inspiring creativity. This vest is based on her right sided jacket pattern 101. I love the asymmetry of this garment. The pocket on the front will be very handy. I put one polished rock bead at the end of the button hole cord, you can see it if you click on the photo. I want to add more beads there. The polished rock is one that my father made, one of his many hobbies was rock polishing and jewelry making. I have several of these polished rocks and am always looking for a place to use them.

At the class Debra mentioned that she has a book coming out soon that will include this patter adaption. I don't see it mentioned on her web site yet.


I took her quilted jacket class last year. The uncut, unwashed fabric and muslin are quilted and then washed in hot water and dried, this makes it pucker up nicely. Her instructions for the quilting are to sew so that there was no more than 2 fingers width between any stitching. This makes a quilted jacket that is not too heavy or hot to wear. It is lined with regular garment lining.
Here is a photo of it, I made it to wear on my anniversary trip to Stratford, Ontario. Here I am with Will Shakesphere.

Eyelet blouse and a bag that was left out of the gallery

I finished the eyelet blouse that I cut out on vacation in May. It is Simplicity 3786, the front tucks are not as exactly precise as they could be, but the eyelet is forgiving, I don't think the asymmetry is too obvious. This will be a nice light weight top to wear over sleeveless tanks on hot summer days.

While looking in a closet for something else I noticed this bag that I made to have a venue to do some crazy quilted flowers on. I saw a demo of someone doing these flowers on sewing show and decided to try it out. The pattern is from McCall's 3136. I like the looks of the bag but must admit that I have not actually used it.
Hmmm, too pretty for me? I need to find it a home.

Note the snapdragon's in the background, one of my favorite flowers. Here are some parting shots of snapdragons and a 4th of July vignette.





















Happy 4th of July!

Serger club - scarf/belt

We made scarves again at serger club. This one is cut on the bias, I started with 1 1/3 yards and cut a six inch width on the fold. The beads were on a ribbon, so really easy to insert. I was introduced to wash away Wonder Tape, it did do a wonderful job of holding the bead tape in place while I stitched it.

I wore the scarf as a belt and it worked out fine. I purchased more the the fabric thinking that I might want to make something to match this scarf/belt. No definite plans for that yet.

She loved the bag

Today was the farewell service and party for our interim minister. The bag that I was commissioned to make as a going away gift was presented to her. She was really happy with it. People had placed several little gifts inside and the many cards of personal wishes were added to the bag. When she was given a gift from the local chocolate maker she reached out for it and tucked right in her new bag. What a pleasure it was for me to see her so happy with this special gift.

I got back to the sewing studio this afternoon and was about to get started on the eyelet top that I have cut out. As I was moving another top that I had cut out and thought about whether I was really ever going to get back to it I decided to finish it up. It is the top from the Vogue 2875 pattern which I made a jacket and skirt out of. I liked the jacket but did not like the cut of the skirt at all. Anyway, the top turned out very nice. The bias cut of the fabric made for a very nice drape. It was a 90 degree day today, so making this breezy top was just the thing to do. The top fit nicely, it's good to know that I can use this pattern again.


One last mini project that I did today was to make up another recycled shopping bag. This one has to be the simplest and fastest one yet. I had a blue bag from a thrift shop, I think I paid 50 cents for it, it had words on the front that I did not particularly want to carry around. I also had some jean shorts that I rescued from the trash when a friend of mine had throw them away while staying at our cottage with us. I snipped off the back pocket and used it to cover the words on the front of the blue bag, and now I have a very functional grocery bag.

Vacation sewing

Fun times ahead,
I am off tomorrow am for a week up north. There should be time to sew, so what to pack? I want to have enough to work on, if I have the time and inclination, but can't take the whole studio. Here's what I am taking:
1. Materials to finish the commissioned crazy quilt bag.
2. Assortment of pink/mauve fabrics to make a tea cozy for a woman I met at Margaret and Cathy's high tea.
3. Some cute fabric with tea pots and words like: Twist and Spout, Read my Leaves, Neferti-Tea, etc. This is to become a tea cozy for the cottage. And maybe a pot holder or two.
4. Simplicity 3786 and some nice white eyelet fabric. I would like to make the short sleeved top with the tucks on my vacation week.
5. McCall's 4384 and a poly print with beige, black and cream. I would like to just get this one cut out.
6. The hat that I am still knitting.
7. Two sewing machines, my Singer featherweight and my old standby Viking 400.
8. Thread, pins, interfacing, lace, batting, etc.

I think that should be enough, I do want to relax, kayak, garden, relax, visit people, relax, walk outdoors, etc.

Flower power skirt

I made a Simplicity 3841 skirt from some fabric that called to me at Joann's. It reminds me of the flower power days, we won't mention just how many years ago that was. I love the cheerfulness of these daisy's. This pattern was a snap to do, one pattern piece. It fits nicely and hangs well. I opted to leave the pleats soft. Can't wait to wear it this week with my hot pink twin set.

Jacket done

I have finished the Vogue 2875 Jacket, see photo. All the seams are princess seams which is nice on this unlined jacket. The skirt from V2875 is hanging behind the jacket, I have decided that I will not make this skirt again. The skirt is cut on the bias but is fairly narrow, so does not hang as nice as it would if it were fuller.
I had some light turquoise linen like fabric that I thought would go well with this jacket, so made up a top in Butterick 3383. While browsing around in my ever more thinly stocked local Hancock Fabric store I found some rick rack that matched the fabric very closely. I could not resist adding a little trim at the neckline.

Spring Skirt

Despite the weather evidence to the contrary (it's 26 degrees this morning) I have finished a spring skirt. I used Vogue pattern 2875. I like the way the bias cut makes the skirt hang nicely. I did have to alter the front by adding two small darts to accommodate my not so flat tummy. The jacket is next. I pre-washed the fabric and then realized that I did not have enough, luckily the fabric store still had some from the same bolt. Now it's time to get to cutting out.
Happy Spring, it will get warm again, I have faith.

Garment plans

I have been looking forward to getting back to some garment sewing, and what better time than the spring. Here is the collection of fabric that I am contemplating. Everything is a blend and has been pre washed. I want comfort, quality and easy to care for.

I will be using this Vogue 2875 and plan on making a muslin of the jacket before cutting the fabric. This will be fun.



Now I just need to nudge myself away from the various bag plans that keep popping into my head.