A whole family!

So, I told you that I was going to have to make more of these, right?!? I ended up making one for each dd and a baby size kitty for the dd in the picture. That means I will probably have to made another smaller one for the other dd too..... To make the smaller one, I printed up the pdf file on the printer with 2 pages per printed page (the pattern falls onto 4 pages that you have to tape together originally). So I cut out this smaller kitty and taped together and thought it was still too big, so then I threw it on the copier and reduced it 75%. That got me to this pint size kitty. I think I am kittied out! My dd's had fun picking out the eyes, nose and mouths. Not my first choices, but hey, they aren't for me, are they!

Kitty Pillow

My older dd is going to a birthday party tonight and I picked up a gift card at the favorite 'tween fashion store at the mall, but I felt that something else needed to go along with the gift. Last time we were at this store (Justice...in case you were wondering), my dd really wanted a "sleep over" pillow. There was no way I am paying for a pillow I could whip up in no time.....so that got me thinking that a cute little pillow would go nice with the gift card. I did a little internet search for a pattern and found this! It is a free pdf download from Amy Butler's website. Too cute and totally fit the plan! These are the pics from her website:

So, I downloaded the pattern, printed it out and dug into my stash. About an hour later, I had this! Here is the front side of the kitty.....

And here is the backside...I added a little stitching with embroidery floss for some personalization. As you can see from the face, I changed a few things, but I think it is just as cute! :)

My younger dd was with me while making this, helping me out and asking when we were going to make one for her! Once my older dd saw it and found out I made it, she was asking for one too! It is a hit in our house!

Another top for me!

As promised, I made another top for me! This was the other knit I pulled from my stash over the weekend. This is another knit that has been sitting in stash for quite awhile that I got from the Fabrics & Notions co-op group. This time I went for a new pattern. I traced off BWOF 11-2008-125. I didn't realize it when I first decided to make this, but it is very similar to 11-2008-124 which I have made (here). I made a size 44, which is a first for me. I was afraid it might be on the small side, but it fits just fine! I made some modifications to this top. First off, I eliminated all of the facings and instead made a band (folded a length in half wrong sides together) that I stitched right sides together to the shirt, then flipped and topstitched. I did this on the yoke portion (that extended around the back side of the neck) and the front v portion. On the front v portion, I stitched two different bands (one on each side of the V), then stitched those together where they met at the front V. The other thing I did was to raise the bottom of the V about 2 inches tapering to nothing at the top of the V. Lastly, I ended up topstitching the yoke band down to the front so it wouldn't flip up. Which leads me to my final realization about this shirt.....it is very similar to the Jalie that I just finished!! Oh well. Not sure why I didn't see this to begin with, but I didn't. The sleeves and the back portion of the top are very different than the Jalie sweetheart top. The back of the BWOF, is cut in two pieces, a top portion and a bottom portion. It gives the shirt a nicely fitted look. The sleeves are a dolman style with the side seam ending at the bottom of the sleeve. I actually had quite a fit working with this fabric. For a while I was getting skipped stitches while topstitching, then I switched machines from my brother to my viking and no more problems. Same needle, same thread. Interesting. I did a rolled hem on the bottom edge with the serger. Easy and I didn't need to worry about stitch problems. Below are a couple of scrunchies that I made to go with the shirts I just made. Great way to use up scraps and made up in minutes! Love those type of projects!!

I am not sure what is next. I will have to go stash diving again and see what fortune I find! :)

Sweetheart top for me!

Well, I did it! I made something for me!! Yay! I went shopping this morning at the mall and bought the girls lots of new outfits (nothing for me....) and decided when I came home that I deserved a new top! My dd's had gone next door to play and dh is in china on business, so I was all alone....what's a girl to do! So, I went to a tnt - the jalie sweetheart top. This was a pretty easy top that I already had traced off and I used up a yard from stash (Yay!). It took me about 2 hours to complete. I did a rolled hem on the sleeves and bottom edge (the lazy way out!). I have lost about 20 pounds since the last time I made this top, but decided against a smaller size because mostly I was being lazy to trace off the new pattern, but also I justified it by this fabric is very thin and clingy and needed to fit a little looser to look good on my lumpy body. According to the jalie measurments, I should have made two sizes smaller.....I think I would have looked like a stuffed sausage if I had done that! This is one of those prints that looks a lot better made up into a shirt than laying flat. I am really liking all the colors much better now. It has been in my stash for at least a year....maybe longer. I bought it from the Fabrics & Notions group.

This is my third version of this top. I just retired one of them to amvets, so hopefully the pattern won't look too familar! Well, I pulled out of my stash another knit print fabric.....so maybe another quick jalie shirt is in store! Stay tuned! :)

Taxes are done!

Well, it seems forever since I have sewn something!! We had a week of spring break vacation in palm springs, then a week back to get my taxes done! Finally, some sewing time. I am still on my kid kick sewing. Although, after a week in palm springs by the pool....I figured out that I need to have some new suits! Anyhow, I decided to continue on my skirt saga and make another one for my oldest dd. This pattern is Portabellopixie - Gracie, View D, the tiered skirt. This was not a hard skirt to put together, a little time consuming with all the gathering and piecing together. It turned out to be longer than I had envisioned in my mind. Although, it looks like the photos in the pattern! I got this fabric from fabric.com and it is by Patty Young designed for Michael Miller, Flora and Fauna collection. I picked out 9 different coordinating fabrics. This skirt actually incorporates 3 of them. The skirt has a top waistband piece, a top tier, a middle tier, and a bottom tier. I used the same fabric for the top and middle tiers because it was a border fabric (with the flowers in the border), and then polka dots between the borders that ran along the selvage. You can't see the waistband fabric that well in these pics...but you could try clicking on the photo to make it larger.

My dd seems to like it, but declared today was too hot to wear a long sleeve tee and long skirt and changed back to shorts fairly quick.

It definitely has twirl factor! All in all I like it. I hope it doesn't look to "folksy" or homemade. I may shorten it up and try again for a more stylish length. Or am I out of it and long is in?? I have always been more of a fan of knee length or shorter skirts probably because I am 5'1" and long skirts don't look right on me! What's up next?? I am feeling the need to summer sew! I just received my latest issue of Ottobre. I perused it really quick and wasn't that inspired......I have a need for shorts. I will probably just by those, though. I am in that nomad space where I am not inspired by much.....not fabric, not patterns, not rtw things. Oh well, I am sure it will soon pass! I am looking forward to reading about what inspires everyone else!

Pink Fig

Here is the skirt I have been working on the last couple of days. The pattern is from a company called Pink Fig (you can find the owner's blog in my blog roll under vintage chic). The pattern is called the Nie Nie skirt. This skirt is all about the ruffles! Ruffles and loads of them. I was actually very surprised how much fabric it took to make this skirt. I actually left off the last row of ruffles because I ran out of my black fabric. (This is a great stash buster pattern.....). I used up close to 4 yards of stash fabric on this skirt! I barely got some photos....she said she loved the skirt, pulled it on over her shorts, let me take a few photos, then took it off. No lingering in this skirt.....I guess I was keeping her from playing with her friends!

Here she was doing a few twirls for me. This was the only clear photo I got.....

One last standing up photo to show the length of the skirt. I want to make a top to go with it. I am thinking about a black t-shirt with a pink flower (or something??) applique out of the pink fabric. Would that be overkill? She has a few black tees she can use in the mean time.

Happy sewing to all of you!!!

Sping Blooms

I got my camera out and took some photos in the yard a couple of days ago. Spring is really a great time of year! I love all the flowers and new growth. Only a couple of my rose bushes have roses opening, another couple of weeks and I'll be loaded! Here is some new growth on one of my grape vines. The grape leaf is one of the most beautiful leaves and I love their little wispy vines!

A snapdragon that grew up from seed where I had some planted last year....

Orchids are always amazing...

The freesia not only add remarkable color, but their smell is heavenly!

My first red rose of the season! Classic beauty!

Thanks for taking a walk around my garden with me! I have a project on the sewing machine. Maybe tomorrow I can show you the finished product! It is more work than I anticipated.....lots of fabric yardage in a skirt for a girl (over 3 yards!)....think ruffles!