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I have been busy trying to get some more items sewn for my Etsy shop. I have been very fond of patterns from Michelle at Keyka Lou Patterns. She has a great shop at Keyka Lou Patterns as well as her Etsy shop Keyka Lou Etsy. Here are some of the latest items that I have sewn from her patterns.
It’s been very busy, as you may have been able to tell from my lack of posting the last month! I have been feeling an itch to change-up the site again, but haven’t had the time. I’m still working 40 hours a week and am loving it. It is a challenge to work full-time, go to school, work a second job, do household chores, and find the time for myself! I haven’t even been able to knit for a while!
In the knitting queue I currently have a sweater made from Dream in Color in a fabulous green. I have two sewing projects in the works, the Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bag made with an owl print, and a quilt from Flora & Fauna in bright lime green and screeching hot pink! I still have lots of Vintage Patterns to post, and I would like to get back to my Etsy shop for some much-needed TLC!
Matt and I just got back from camping and boy did we have a good time! We went to a beach along the Oregon Coast called Sunset Beach. The rock formations there are gorgeous! Here’s a quick pic to show you what I mean.
Hopefully some more exciting pictures will be posted soon. As soon as I have some time to breathe, I would like to post samples of my wedding invitations that I have made, along with other things. ^_^
Finally I have been getting some projects done! It feels great to sew and accomplish something. ^_^ First up we have yet another Amy Butler High Street Messenger Bag. This is the thrid one that I have made. I really like the end product, but sewing it together can be a bear. This one was a gift for my cousin Olivia, who turned 16 in March.
Here’s a picture of the outside front. I chose to put the tab on, using velcro, incase she decides to use this for a laptop bag. The tab really doesn’t serve too much of a purpose, so I would recommend leaving it off, unless you like the way it looks. The fabric is called Odyssey from MoMo for Moda.
With the flap out-of-the-way, you can see the outer pleated pockets, though the pleats aren’t showing up very well. These outer pockets get quite a bit of use, so make sure when you are stitching the dividing line between the pockets, you do a very good job stitching it down at the top of the pockets.
The inside of the bag. You can see the zippered hanging pocket and the tool pocket. This is also a very useful part of the bag. I use the zippered pocket inside all the time for loose items, personal effects, and anything that I want to keep contained. The panel pockets are great for pens, notepads, ID cards, just about anything you want to keep on the inside of the bag, but easily accessable.
Finally the back of the bag. This zippered pocket has not gotten much use from my experience, but is handy to have. The pattern does call for an additional zippered pocket on the inside of the flap, but I found that I never used this because it is hard to get to, if you open it while wearing the bag, the contents will spill out of the pocket, and the zipper pull scratched my hand every time I reached into the bag without lifting the flap. I would recommend leaving the zipper off the flap unless you know what you would use it for.
All in all, I really enjoyed making these bags and think the pattern is well done. Number one tip if you are thinking about making this pattern. . . LABEL EVERY PIECE WITH MASKING TAPE. DO NOT USE A DIRECTIONAL PRINT. MAKE SURE YOUR MACHINE CAN HANDLE HEAVY-DUTY FABRIC/LAYERS OF FABRIC. These are the most important tips that I can give you! If you have any questions, feel free to let me know! ^_^ I’m always glad to help.
I also whipped up this table runner for Matt’s mom’s birthday gift. I wanted to do a much bigger gift, but didn’t have the time. I am going to try to get it done for Christmas though. Don’t see how that should be a problem. . . I still have a few months. ^_^
I’m working on a simple pattern for this. Once I have perfected the pattern, I will put it up on my patterns page. I had this fabric in my stash left over from quite a while ago. I was planning on making a set of pillow cases for a friend, but never got around to that. Matt’s mom enjoys cats, so I thought I would put it to good use for her birthday gift. I just hope I’m not overdoing it with the cat thing. ^_^
Please excuse the white balance. . . the lighting in my apartment is horrible. This is the Favorite Things Uptown Coat that I have had forever. It’s a store sample that should have been done last year. . . oops. I did the jacket version after realizing I didn’t have enough fabric to make the coat. I was going to keep this one until I found out that the size I thought I needed was way too large for me. . . (better to be too big than too small I guess.) All it needs are some buttons and it’s done! Hooray!
This shot has a little better lighting. You can see the color of the exterior better. I used a maroon/burgundy corduroy for the exterior and a silk/cotton blend teal for the lining. You can also see the markings for the button holes and buttons. I will make the button holes as soon as I find some fab buttons. This was my first coat, and basically only my second or third garment. I think it came out pretty well considering I haven’t done much clothing and I don’t have a dress form to fit to.
This photo shows off the lining. It looks a bit crinkly, but I ironed out as much as I could. I am pretty proud of the end result, even if it is too big for me. I’m just glad to get it out of my to-do pile. I have a lot more projects waiting and hopefully I will be able to get to them soon! Thanks for listening! ^_^
Hello readers. I apologize for the inconsistent postings as of late. My schedules has been thrown a bit off track ever since my fiance had his knee surgery. He’s in his ‘recovery’ stage which means he’s home. . . 24/7. . . for another 3-4 weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I love having him around, but because he’s home, I want to spend as much time with him as possible, therefore my blogging schedule, as well as all of my other responsibilities, have fallen to the wayside. I’m trying my hardest to get back on track though, so please bear with me.
My family is currently going through my grandparents’ house and finding lots of really neat things. Some of the latest finds for me included my grandmother’s button stash, and some of her costume jewelry, namely some clip on earrings circa ~1930-1960. I can’t wait to show those off in her jewelry box! I also have a basket full of scarves that I have been meaning to get to as well as some of hers and her family’s vintage clothing that I snagged. All in due time, if I can keep up with everything else that is happening lately.
In sewing news, I have two quilts that I am currently working on. The first is from Tula Pink’s new line “Plume” for Moda. I am using her pattern called “Spiked Punch” and am just starting to cut out the fabric. One thing that I really enjoy about this pattern is that it uses a jelly roll, so there is minimal strip cutting besides the background pieces. Pictures to come soon, I promise! The second quilt I am working on is from Michael Miller’s line “Flora & Fauna”. The colorways I am working with include the hot pink and lime green fabrics. Yum! I adore these colors and can’t wait to see how it turns out.
In clothing news, I’m working on a jacket pattern from Favorite Things. The exterior is being made from a burgundy corduroy and the lining is a teal cotton/silk blend. It’s going rather quickly, but the directions in this pattern are assuming the maker knows a lot about garment construction. It doesn’t say anything about how to finish the front double-breasted closure and it doesn’t tell you to sew on the buttons. . . (I know, that is pretty self-explanatory, but still. . .)
I also completed my Sencha blouse from Colette Patterns. I am so proud of myself! I used up some of my stash fabric to make it and it turned out great! I think I may need to tinker with the pattern a bit to get a better fit, but I am thrilled to have made my first ever, wardrobe worthy, piece of clothing. I’ll have pictures up soon, but to visualize, I made the blouse from a cotton chambray. The fabric used pink threads on the crosswise grain and yellow threads on the lengthwise grain to make an orange-y color. It is quite darling, although I would like to make another Sencha in blue polka dot, green, red, and black and white polka dot. . . maybe in a few other solids too. . . oh boy, the possibilities! ^_^
Any who, my Aunt and I just finished making my wedding invitations, R.S.V.P.’s, and thank you cards. They turned out beautiful! I can’t wait to use them! I’m afraid that I will have to make more, but can’t wait to get started on them again. It was a blast!
So, all in all, everything is kind of happening at once and it feels a bit overwhelming to say the least. Hopefully I will be able to get back on track and back into a routine. I’m hoping to have another VPS up soon, and maybe some other great things!
Advance 5057
Dress
Size: 16
Bust: 34
Hip: 37
Copyright: Unknown – Late 40′s?
Info:
This pattern has no description printed on the envelope, or in the instructions. There are no printed lines, or words on the pieces. There are letters stamped out of circles on each one. This pattern does include instructions for making a fabric belt.
I really like this dress. The color is so elegant, and the full skirt. . . well you know how I feel about full skirts. Yum. ^_^ I like both sleeve versions but would say that the 3/4 length sleeves are my favorite. I also like that this pattern includes instructions for making a belt. Can’t wait to give this one a go someday.
