sewing for me [casual lady top]

When Andrea from The Train to Crazy released the Casual Lady Shirt pattern earlier this week, I wasn't sure I was going to buy it.  I'm super cheap and $12 just seemed like a lot for a pattern considering that I usually buy them for $1 when they're on sale at Joanns.

But then, as I thought about it more (at 4 in the morning) I realized that it was just 3 drinks from Starbucks and the money was going to fund a Sewing Collective in India for single moms who are escaping the sex trade industry.  So really it was like I was donating $12 to that and getting a pattern as a bonus. 

I was blown away by how professional the pattern is with little diagrams and everything.  And the language was not sewing language but normal, easy to understand English.  It was such a quick sew and I know I'll be making more for the summer.

 

 I only had 1 yard of fabric (gray chevron from Girl Charlee) so I didn't do the full neck facing, but just did a small facing around the neck and then top stitched it down.  I love how flattering it is.  I cut out an XL and it is a perfect fit.  I'm not a big fan of crew necks, so I love the more round neck that is still very modest.  I also am not a big tank top fan so I like the little sleeves but it will still be cool enough for summer.

sewing for me [butterick B5637]

I love picking up patterns for $1 when Joanns has them on sale.  I picked up Butterick B5637 and was just waiting for some great fabric.

I found this fabric at girlcharlee.com and thought it would be perfect.



The pattern was pretty straight forward and pretty easy to sew.  I like the neckline, although I didn't like that I had to hand sew it with a slip stitch to finish it.

The big problem with it was that the top section turned out way too big.  I cut out an extra large in the d-cup.  If I make it again, I will still cut a d-cup but probably make a medium.  It was so huge and I had to take a bunch in on the sides, but I couldn't tell that it was too big until it was already pieced together.  The sides turned out a bit weird and bulky.

I also don't know if it's the most flattering fit for me as it seems to make me look extra wide.  I think that's why I'm more of a skirt person and not really a dress person.  Or maybe I just need to find a good belt to go with the outfit.

The fabric was great to work with, easy to cut out and easy to sew.  It ruffled nicely and is so so comfy.

Here's the finished product.  Yes, it's a sleeveless dress, but the interwebs do not need to see my bare arms. 

linking up here:
 

kids art portfolio

I love making birthday presents for Hudson's friends.  One of his little friends just turned 3 and she loves to draw.  She will focus on a drawing forever.  So I wanted to make her a little art carrying kit.  I saw a few tutorials on line that I used as a starting point.

I started with a 9"x12" drawing pad from Target.


Using this as my guide, I figured out how big to make the case.

Here's what you need to cut out:
2 pieces 14"x23" of front and back fabric (white polka dot)
1 piece 14"x4.5" of pocket fabric (red polka dot)
1 piece 14"x7.5" of pocket fabric (white polka dot)
1 piece 14"x10.5" of pocket fabric (red polka dot)
1 piece 9"x10.5" of zipper pocket fabric (red polka dot)
2 pieces of webbing 6.5" or longer

optional: interfacing for each of the pieces.

1. Fuse interfacing onto the back of each piece.  The interfacing makes it pretty thick.  If I make one again, I might only put interfacing on the outside piece and skip the large inside piece.  The pockets definitely need interfacing to make them thick enough.  Or you could double the fabric to give it more stability.  I did not do interfacing on the zipper pocket.

 2. fold over one long end of each pocket 1/2 inch to create a hem.  I serged mine first, but you don't need to.  Stitch down to create a finished edge.

 

3.  Lay out your pockets right side up on the inside large piece.  The red pocket is the notebook pocket and the white pocket is for stickers.  Pin the sides and sew them in place.

 4.  The Zipper Pocket: Place the zipper face down, with the pull to the left on the right side of your fabric.  You want the zipper to be a half inch shorter on each side.  If your zipper is too long, you can just trim it.  Sew along the top as close to the zipper as you can.  Open and press.

5.  Fold up the other end of the fabric to meet the other side of the zipper.  The zipper pull will still be to the left.  You should now see the wrong side of the fabric on the outside and the zipper shouldn't be visible.  Pin and sew as close to the zipper as you can.

6.  You should now have a little tube of fabric connected by the zipper.  Open your zipper half way.

 7.  Press your pocket lightly so that the zipper is slightly down from the top.  You need room to sew it to the large piece later.  Sew along the short sides to close the pocket.  On the side with the metal zipper stop, sew as close as you can, making sure the two zipper pieces line up to each other.  On the other side, make sure to sew on top of the zipper so it will stop.

8.  Turn the pocket right side out through the opening.  Ta-da! You have a zipper pocket!

9.  On the other side of the big inside piece, lay out your crayon pocket and zipper pocket.  Note: all pockets should be opening up the same way towards the top.  Take the crayon pocket and turn it over so it is wrong side up.  Sew along the raw edge.

10.  Turn the pocket up and press.  Stitch along the side to hold it in place.

11.  To make the crayon pockets, measure every 1 1/8 inch using chalk or a fabric marker as a guide.  I made the pockets to hold 2 crayons, but you could make them just hold one.  Just make them a bit smaller.  Sew along these chalk lines to make the dividers.

12.  Stitch around your zipper pocket, close to the edge.

 

13.Take one piece of webbing and pin it facing the inside to create a handle.  Repeat on the other end.

14.  Take the back piece and place it right side down.  Sew around the edge, leaving a 3-4 inch section open on the side.  Go nice and slow here.  Your machine is sewing a lot of layers.  You may even want to use a heavy duty needle.  Turn it right side out and pin the opening.  Top stitch around the whole outside, closing the hole.

And you're done!  This was a pretty quick project.  Only took me 1 nap time :)

2.