svu: oona?

superstar: stalker edition. i was at home, hiding out and stitching the day away, when OOONA came on the television. i flipped out and totally stalked her down on imdb and found out her real name and was so sad and creeped out by myself. i immediately forgot her name and psychically sent her back to kalkatroona where she is just another friendly sewist, stitching the day away in happy bright colors. it's weird reading each other's stuff and balancing the interest in you all with the vague knowledge that everyone is an actual stranger. I should be more social and show up at the meetups! that would help.

oh blog world. you are strange, aren't you.

FO: fake french

so, remember how i wanted to share with you?

 

well, I didn't have any readers takers, so i got my own. In fact, last month, i got TWO packages from l'Europe, cause I bought the famous bra pack too.

stretch fabric = no back zip

oh deer and doe, i love you.

remember when i used to use big 4 patterns? F that noise. we shall never speak of them again. this thing went together so easily, all the directions made sense, my belt just sits there in the waistband because it's just PERFECTLY placed and sized. Well played, Eleonore. 

this dress (Belladone) is DOPE. it's so comfortable, so adorable, great for daytime or a night of schmancy cocktails with venture capitalists. hahahahaha jk there's no dress i would wear for that event.

BUT this dress went to a evening grown up party and an afternoon date with APLOMB. and i love saying "it's french!" (the instructions are in English, but the postage is positively continental! - if you're worried about cross oceanic delays, let that go now- i ordered on a sunday and received the pattern the following wednesday. that's faster than lots of domestic companies.)

new hem technique- ric rac + hand sewn. love it. 

technically it's a "wearable muslin" cause it's made of this lint magnet stretch not quite poplin that i repurposed from last years purple dress (never blogged, it was not a winner). NOW WHAT FABRIC WILL I USE FOR THE REAL THING?

the initial vision was teensy gingham with bright contrast trim....why not stick with that? oh i do struggle with endless improvisation for the sake of it. how do you stick with your fabric plans? or do you?? is that kind of switcheroo the source of the ever growing stash?

and oh heavens- deer and doe released new patterns aujourd'hui (today)! Enjoy them!

ps thank you to my sexy bf for today's photoshoot and art direction!

aggh! it's perfect!!

well, i've been obsessed with half sleeves, and was thinking about drafting some...

j.crew makes my favorite t shirts, but i cannot pay j.crew prices for sweatshop clothes!

Also thinking about dresses and plotting a thousand dumpy Andas (no, no, i would not let them get dumpy, but i'm still aware that the threat is there) in a quest for simple, wearable dresses. With pockets!

http://www.burdastyle.com/pattern_store/patterns/anda

And then Sarai at Colette releases the exact thing I need! ok, the exact thing i WANT. (what do i really NEED? just a teaching credential ;) I am enjoying my Anise jacket so much, and am making a Ginger skirt for a friend, it looks like I'm back on the Colette train.

Today she presents a dress:

http://www.coletterie.com/colette-patterns-news/introducing-laurel

and a shirt:

GET YOU R OWN at http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/laurel

a couple of clicks, and this one's on its way...so when I get my work done, I will have so much fun playing!!

i don't want the weekend to end!! (free patterns edition)

it was a hell of a weekend. great weather, great kid, good friends old and new. And i did a sh*#load of sewing.

gratuitous me made mish mash

1) i made a dope camo clutch for Deilia. Happy birthday, D, and welcome back to the best place on earth.

where is the magic?

(no photographs. DAMMMMITTTT) woohoo sartorialist strikes! unphotog-ed is the HOT PINK cell phone pocket inside. boom!

ohhh, there is the magic!

in action!

2) i made a slinky purple jersey maxi skirt from this tutorial. CAKE (both ways)! but then i had to take in the waistband about 6". not the most fun...and then i ripped it today, and it still needs a hem. it is slinky, though, mama.

3) Kirsten Kimono Tee! finally. I've "bought" this thing like 3 times, but I finally printed and stitched it. simple enough but i didn't love the fit. it's also really long? i think i've adjusted my pattern to just go from L up top to M at the waist and beyond. and shortened it about 1-2", and dropped the neckline about 4". that'll fix it!

What's funny about this is that I'm pretty sure I have a near copy this pattern in my closet, which I drafted myself to match my favorite drapey j crew t (which also had a twisted collar and buttons down the back). I am going to let the fancy details go (for now!) and repopulate my wardrobe with modified Kimono Tees.

Fabric courtesy of Stonemountain's remnant bin, maybe $5. it is luscious. at least some part rayon...

4) vest for the boy! (which I won on Miranda's giveaway woo) It is SO colorful. maybe too colorful, but i was limited to fleeces from the remnant pile and fabrics from my stash (bike flannel yum, organic purple rib knit also yum. The remnant section had a 60" 1/2 yard of red wool felt for $2. huh. and there you go!)

dinosaurs and bicycles! F T W

this is a size 3-4, which should be just right for the little guy. instead it's falling off of his shoulders and making this funny duck tail in the back. 

I added cozy pockets for the ocean breezes, but i don't want to do buttons/velcro like the pattern suggests because the pockets weren't built for a cross over closure. Doh!

he's such a pro. :)

So now I am deep in toggle investigation...I may end up just jamming a zipper on there by hand for simplicity. The little dude requested a zipper in fact. "It's the easiest", he says. Little does he know!!

i like dana's style, but her patterns leave a little to be desired, imo. 

So anyway. This week I want to keep walking in the sun and making clothes for myself, the kid(s), the man, getting through the stash of fabric and turning it into spring and summer wear. But I have writing to do. So Much Writing. This is crunch time, so I'll be on blog leave too.

Happily the Archer sewalong got postponed until 3/25...so if I hustle enough in the next week I'll be able to do that with the other sewists of the world, which could be fun. I'm hangry for a linen throw over everything button up....

and with that i'll sign off. Catch you soon, I hope!

xo
bex

tees for the BOY

i've been whipping knit scraps into colorblocked tees for my little guy.

he likes to wear the soft ones, he says, and then he tells me how to arrange the colors.

blue is softer, so it's on his tummy. that's logic!

good for dancing and flying planes, see?

They're all versions of the raglan tee from sewing for boys, but i don't do it all 'exposed seam style' because i don't like the look. It's simple enough to hide the seams like a regular tee.

this is the softest stuff ever (there's more like it here). i wish i could pull it off like he does!

touchdown! we're probably watching Rio in this one.

I used to have a friend who was a little fairy pixie and LOVED to say the word 'cairn'. Whenever I see a cairn-like pile, I think of her twisting her angel face to say this funny word. So this gift from the little boy had double power when I found it after our photo shoot. :)

stashbusting: travel tings

i made this yoga mat strap, which baffles the mind (am i dumb? I keep being baffled by simple items. oh my), but works well enough.

the short strap goes cross-body on a 4 year old, but not his mama.

changes:
1) make it MUCH longer! it doesn't go cross body at the length they recommend. I would add 18-24 inches for a cross body option.

2) no need for interfacing if you're using a home dec weight fabric. Interfacing just makes it HELL to turn those 2' tubes inside out.

3) who cares about folding that middle section in half, too? not me. save your needles and machine - it's like 8 layers of heavy fabric + interfacing if you follow their directions. FOLLOW MINE.

Then I made this shiny number. 

whatsat?

It's a jewelry roll, love!!!! it's a free pattern from fabric.com which i made with all manner of scraps, variously stitched together to make somethin beautiful.

i asked my munchkin to model for me - here's one zippered pocket...

Everyone else and their mom (google "bijoux baby jewelry roll" to find them) noted that there are some length errors, so i had to trim the pieces to make them fit. lay them out before cutting fabric to give yourself the option to use EVEN SMALLER scraps.

ring holder! use up yr snaps. 

 It also uses 2 zippers, which maybe you also have a ridiculous pile of? I do, because i hate putting them in garments, but i still buy them when they're 5/$1 at the scrap shop.

pockets! i messed up- your hand should NOT fit in like this. 

HAVE AT EM! and let's go away on a yoga retreat so's they can travel together. LUV.

all rolled up and ready to travel!