Simplicity 2226

A couple of my friends and I have started having "craft day."  So much fun for an old lady at heart like me!  Sarah and I both decided to make Simplicity 2226.  I've been on a serious mission to use up some of my fabric stash, so the crazy purple floral from Hancock seemed like a great choice.  It's a good feeling to get fabric out of my fabric chest and into my closet!

I measured pretty carefully and the pattern told me to cut a size 12.  Well, it was HUGE!  Both of us had to take it in about 3 inches after we finished.  Resizing wasn't the easiest with all of the gathers.  I just can't seem to get sizing right.

Otherwise, this pattern was a blast.  I love pockets and this project kicked off my summer of cotton skirts. With the South Carolina summer heat, cotton skirts and little tees are going to be my uniform for work in the coming months.

I made the longer length and omitted the tie (I did add the belt loops in case I decide to add it down the road).

I'm not sure that I will make a ton of these.  Theres a LOT of gathering and the skirt takes a ton of material.  I do love this one though.  I wasn't so sure about the wild purple material, but I'm pretty happy with the way it came out.

Here is a picture of all of our skirts from craft day:

Sarah (on the right) also made 2226, but in the shorter length.  Too much fun!!!



Simplicity Lisette 2060

I haven't been blogging, but I have been sewing.  A lot!  I bought the Lisette 2060 pattern to make version B.  When I got pregnant and was starting to get a little belly, I decided version A would be perfect!  I bought orange chevron from fabric.com and thought that it would be perfect for a Clemson game last fall.

I cut out a size 10, but had to take it in a lot around the waist. Now that I've had the baby, I just took the midsection in a little more and it fits perfectly!

 

 

The pattern was fun and easy.  It's only five pieces (because I omitted the cuff pieces) and I love the way the yoke came out. 

I thought then curved hem was a little difficult.  I tried to fold it up twice to encase the raw edge and it didn't lay flat along the curves.  I think next time I will serge the raw edge and fold it up one time.  Or maybe I'll just make it a straight hem. 

I wasn't sure how the chevron was going to look with the gathers in the front, but I think it turned out just fine!

I was in a little bit of a time pinch to finish before the game, so I omitted the buttons on the shoulder and the sleeve cuff.

Lisette patterns are quickly becoming my favorite!  I'm definitely going to make this one again!

'

 

Fun day in Clemson!

Simplicity 2209 for Easter

I bought this awesome pink and yellow fabric at Hancock over a year ago and decided that it would be perfect for an Easter dress this year.  I paired it with the Lisette 2209 pattern and had a blast making it.

 

 

I ended up cutting and sewing the size 14. I was certain that it was going to be too big, but I followed the measurements on the pattern envelope and sure enough it was a perfect fit!

 

 

 

 

This dress is so much fun and was so easy to put together.  I cut it out one night and then sewed the whole thing the next night. 

 

The criss-crossing darts in the front are kind of different... I wasn't sure that I really loved them, but they're not that noticeable on this busy fabric.

 

I loved the facings on this dress.  They are secured down when you bias tape around the armholes.

 

 

 

I think that I will definitely make this dress again! The style is so simple and timeless.  I'm planning to make the jacket too.  I love these Lisette patterns! 

 

I am on a serious quest to use up some of my fabric stash, so it felt great to knock this project out! 

 

 

On that note, I'm headed to put some self tanner on those white legs!

 

 

 

My sweet little family!  Hope you had a great Easter!

 

 

 

Simplicity 2892

My blog has been sadly neglected, but I have been doing a ton of sewing!  I whipped up Simplicity 2892 in a couple of quick sittings and love the way it turned out.

I had this inexpensive orange paisley cotton from Walmart in my stash.  It's surprisingly soft and nice quality.  I've had a lot of problems with Walmart fabric washing poorly, but this fabric didn't disappoint.

My favorite part of this shirt is the yoke.  It was so simple and adds a lot to the shirt.

 

I finished the inside with french seams and used orange bias tape around the arm holes.

 

This shirt was fun, easy to make and a great wardrobe staple.  I will definitely be making it again!

 

Heading to dinner on the boat!

 

 

 

 

Amy Butler Blue Sky Hats

It's been a very mild winter, but I'm still so excited about spring!  I love when the bulbs start to pop up, I adore leaving the house in the morning without a coat and it brightens my day to hear the birds singing outside my window... and I LOVE having an extra hour of daylight after work.  In honor of spring's arrival, I decided that it was time to make Amy Butler's Blue Sky Hat.  There's nothing better than sitting on the beach, with a good book and a great hat!

This pattern was a fun afternoon project.  The directions were very clear and easy to follow.  I used home decor fabric from Hancock Fabrics and one layer of cotton duck sandwiched between the home decor fabric.  The hat is simply triangles sewn together to make a skull cap and a wide brim.  Couldn't be simpler!

Ready for the beach any day now!  I'm pretty certain that every one of my female family members and friends will be receiving one of these hats as a present for some upcoming holiday... Just a warning!

Simplicity 2003 ... and my new "SewSimple" Obsession

For a long time, Walmart was the only place to satisfy my sewing retail therapy.  I found the "Sew Simple" patterns that they sell for 97 cents and went crazy... I must have at least 15 of them in my to-do bin.  They're quick, easy and great wardrobe staples.

Lately, I've been venturing to Hancock to buy fabric or ordering from fabric.com, but I had some orange cotton in my stash and decided that it was time to use it up!  I thought that it was just perfect for Simplicity 2003.

This skirt was a blast to make.   I lined it because my material was thin and I omitted the tie in the front.  I prefer the way the softer, light weight material lays for this skirt.  It will be perfect for our hot South Carolina summer weather.

This was my first time lining anything and it took me a long time to get the zipper right.  I'm so pleased with the way that it turned out though.  I used the glue stick set method and it looks really clean and neat.

I definitely plan to make this skirt again!  Be sure to check the sizing... I generally wear a pattern size 6 in skirts and a 10 in this pattern fit me perfectly.  I love the length of this skirt.  I'm very tall and it's long enough to wear to work.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Valentine's Day PJs

I snagged the Simplicity 2771 pattern at Hancock's 5 for $5 sale last month and decided everyone needed a pair for Valentine's day (myself included)!  I just made bottoms because I usually just wear a tee or tank with my pajamas and I knew that my hubby would never wear a matching set.

I fell in love with this dog flannel from Walmart.  I bought pink for my niece Madeline and cream for me.  It isn't the nicest quality flannel, but the price was right and it is CUTE!

These PJ bottoms are extremely high-waisted, so I took about 3" off the top for mine and my husband's.  I cut Madeline's out as called for on the pattern.

I added a grosgrain ribben to the elastic wasteband.  It was a fun excuse to play with the automatic button hole on my new machine.  I was excited to use my iron on "made with love by" labels that I got for Christmas.

For Brad's, I ordered a moose print flannel from fabric.com.  The difference in quality is HUGE compared to the WalMart flannel.

I made the drawstring for his out of leftover flannel.  He seems to like them.  I caught him with the camera just as he got out of bed this morning:

This was such a fun project!  They're quick and easy to put together.  I think that I have enought moose flannel to made Lucy the dog PJs that are included with the pattern too.

Its a rainy, chilly Sunday in SC and we're both still lounging around in our PJ bottoms!