You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2010.
There has been a lot that I want to blog about, but I have to finish my homework first. . . and it might take me a while. Statistics for Hypotheses. . .arg.
Anyway, I wanted to share a few things with you, but since I don’t have time for a proper post, I’ll just post some pictures with brief captions. So here we go. . .
I bought these at the local Saturday Market antique booth for $5!
My Mini Moo cards came in the mail today! I designed them myself, not bad for a first try but they can only improve!
A got a scrapbag from Keykalou Patterns the other day and can't wait to dig into these beauties!
The piece de resistance! Two boxes full of my grandmother's vintage sewing patterns!
After I wade through all of my homework, I will post more in depth about these topics, so stay tuned! ^_^
I received my Ceylon pattern from Colette Patterns in the mail about a week ago and have been working on the fitting. I decided to try a test run out of muslin with no changes to the pattern to decide how it fit and where I would need to make adjustments. So far, so good. Since I don’t have a dress form, and I have never made a dress other than my renaissance faire costume, I’m feeling my way through the dark. But, it’s going very well. The pattern’s directions are clear and easy to understand, even for beginners although the suggestion on the pattern recommends “Intermediate” experience. I do have a lot of quilting and other general sewing knowledge, so that helps some, but clothing is a whole other beast.
I started this journey by transferring all the pattern pieces needed on red dot tracer. There are many sizes in this pattern, 0-18, and I want to be able to make this dress over and over, perhaps in many different sizes. Using the red dot tracer, I can trace all the pieces needed, cut out the pattern on that, and use that for my desired size, rather than cutting through all the other sizes on the actual pattern paper.
Once I had all of my pattern pieces marked and cut, I layed out my muslin and cut according to the pattern directions. I started to sew my pieces and am, so far, very pleased with my progress. I would say that if I were able to work on nothing else but this dress, I would have it done in a day. I have some fabric on the way from Fabric.com that I am planning to use for this dress, but I have to make sure everything fits correctly before I begin on pretty fabric. ^_^ That is a great use for muslin! Although, it saddens me to think that I am spending so much time on a muslin garment that I won’t ever get to really wear. Who knows, maybe it will become an art piece to cover my dress form, if I can ever get one.
I’m also planning to make a belt for the dress as the one shown on Casey’s blog, or at Colette Patterns. We’ll see. ^_^
There are a lot of great people out there who are helping with the disaster relief efforts in Haiti. One way that you can contribute if you are a knitter is to purchase a pattern from Ravelry. They have a special search function that will allow you to search for patterns based on designers that are donating a percentage of their profits to disaster relief. To find out more about this, please visit Ravelry and check it out!
I just purchased this pattern that has been in my Ravelry queue for some time. It is so cute! I can’t wait to get started on it. It makes me feel good that I can give in even a small way to this cause.
One of the blogs that I regularly visit and rave about quite often is Ysolda Teague’s blog. She is donating an overwhelming 80% of her pattern sales and 50% of her book sales towards this cause. If you haven’t seen her patterns before, I urge you to check them out! Her Snapdragon Tam and Flip-Tops are my favorites.
Here’s my second pattern review! This is for:
Amy Butler’s Nappy Bag
I have made this bag twice. The first time I included the cell phone pocket and left out the baby bottle pockets on the inside. I used a retro print, as this was the requested fabric since I was making it as a gift. I liked the ease of the pattern, the simple lines, the minimal pattern cutting. There are really only two main pattern pieces. The rest of the cutting is done with a rotary cutter and a straight edge.
I really liked how this one turned out. It was one of the first Amy Butler patterns that I made. I thought it was very easy to sew and the directions were very clear. I didn’t find any major mistakes in the pattern. However, I found the cell phone pocket to be a little awkward to sew. It could have just been my first attempt didn’t go so well, but I also found that with the variety of sizes of cell phones today, it might not be the most logical step to include.
It’s a little difficult to see the actual pocket due to the busy-ness of the fabric, but you can sort of get the idea with the rotary cutter for scale. The cutter goes all the way to the bottom of the pocket, so it is not very wide. The pocket flap has a velcro closure which is better for electronics than a magnetic snap, but a button would be cute too. However, if using a button, note the placement because this lies right on your shoulder, so take caution if using a button.
Here is an updated version of the Nappy Bag that I made a few weeks ago out of Amy’s new fabric line, Love.
On this one I left off the cell phone pocket and I also again did not include the bottle pockets. This is a class sample so I wanted to make it easy for beginner’s. This is a great beginner’s bag. I would highly recommend it. Also, when actually using the bag, the wide straps make it very comfortable to wear on the shoulder and it stays in place well. It is a functional bag with many inside pockets, whether you are using it for a diaper bag, school bag, or just an all around everyday tote.
(5 out of 5 spools)
I’m working on another one of Amy’s new patterns, The Harmony Handbag. Check back often! ^_^
The first ever “official” pattern review post is here! I’m going to try to start a new series. For every project that I complete, I am going to post a pattern review on my blog. My intentions are to hopefully inspire and help others with helpful hints and tips on the patterns that I have used. So, to kick it off, here’s the first pattern review!
Anna Maria Horner’s Multitasker Tote
This is the second one I have made. The first turned out very cute. I made it out of similar fabrics, Wonderland by MoMo for Moda. This one is made from Panache for Moda. The main exterior is actually a twill cotton, so it’s a little heavier weight which makes for a nice exterior on a utility bag. The brown pockets and strap are also from a twill. I always like to use a heavier fabric if possible on the straps to make sure they are extra durable.
So, one of the biggest changes that I made to the pattern would be the inside pocket. In the instructions, it tells you to cut one rectangle, fold the edges under, and sew it down. No interfacing, no reinforcement of any kind. I thought this might not suffice for my hard wear and tear of pockets, so I changed it up a bit.
So, what I did was take whatever left over fabric I had. (I didn’t have any of the bag fabric left because I had already given it away, so I used some natural colored linen/cotton that I had.) I cut the pattern piece on the fold, so that I would have two layers the same size as the desired pocket. I stitched the pocket RS together, leaving a small opening for turning. I turned the pocket, pressed it flat, making sure the opening was pressed correctly. I top-stitched the edge with the fold (the top edge) about 1/4″ away from the top. Then I placed it on the lining and stitched as directed in the instructions. I think that this reinforcement of the pocket was necessary, especially if it will get a lot of use.
I have to say, I do really like Anna Maria’s method of sewing. When I was sewing this tote, it started out very odd, and I wasn’t sure how it would come together. The way she does it is so foreign to me, but it came out great and I actually prefer her methods to some of the other patterns I have made. It almost seems that she started out sewing more clothing than bags, because of her 5/8″ seam allowances, and the way she explains some of the steps. I really loved the way she incorporated the outside pockets. I call them “jean pockets” because of the shape they give when looking at the front of the bag. They are really deep, and can hold a lot of things!
All in all, my pattern rating for this one is:
(4 out of 5 spools)
Join me next time when I will be reviewing: Amy Butler’s Nappy Bag!
