do gooder

January 14, 2013January 14, 201315 Comments

a great online auction of handmades for the benefit of the community of Newtown, CT opened today and runs through the 18th – i donated a 2.5 yard cut of the now nearly impossible to find but super awesome Rashida Coleman-Hale Washi Tape fabric to the cause. the auction is being run on Facebook by From the Heart Auctions – go here to place your bid on my item!

i bought the fabric when i knew it was becoming scarce in stores, with the thought that I might either make a copycat washi dress to Rae’s, or sell it. I figure this is a much better use! check out and bid on all of the auction items right here. there’s some really great stuff up for bid!

and thanks so much to Rachael of imagine gnats and Kelley of casa crafty for organizing this thoughtful event.

meanwhile, back in December when my mind was still reeling from the news of the shooting and my hands were ready to DO something, i made a little blanket. while i figured Newtown was probably being flooded with blankets, stuffed animals, and other care items from people around the world, a charity i’ve always wanted to donate to but never had is Project Linus.

Project Linus accepts donations of handmade blankets for children in the hospital for whatever reason who need a little extra comfort. could just be a trip to the ER for stitches, could be a long term stay for something much scarier. blankets made with love are passed out by nurses to brighten up the sterile hospital environment and give the little patients something to snuggle under. it seemed appropriate for me to take a bit of my time to make something for a child in need, and it was very healing for me, too.

i sewed this simple blanket with a yard of Sarah Jane children at play cotton and some soft plaid flannel that i had thrifted. the construction is extremely easy, in fact a blanket similar to this was one of the first things i ever sewed (right sides together, sew leaving a gap, turn right side out, topstitch). i purposefully chose boy fabric, since i figured boys probably had fewer blankets to choose from – Sarah Jane is one of the few designers out there making super fantastic boy prints right now, and I loved the paper airplane imagery too – it seems cheery and hopeful to me. i added double topstitching and a little heart to the corner for a special touch.

there’s something about blankets, even simple ones, that always get me a little emotional. ever since i became a mom, i have this ultra strong feeling of wanting every child to feel loved and protected, and handmade blankets are this tangible way of wrapping a sick or hurting little one in love.

i drove to a local Project Linus drop site before Christmas with both kids in tow, and on the way there Em had tons of questions about the recipient – she thought we’d be going directly to a hospital and delivering it to a sick boy. she wanted to know his name and why he was sick, and no matter how much i tried to explain that the nurses would decide who needed it, that notion didn’t leave her head. but i guess i must’ve sewed with a certain type of little guy in mind, since i always sew with my recipient in mind, and i hope it has found its way to that little one (heck maybe it’s a girl that loves planes!) wherever they may be.

remember to check out the auction and give generously!

take care.

essex linen sidekick tote

January 9, 2013January 8, 201330 Comments

my buddy Jessica made me an awesome pillow for my birthday, and then her birthday was at the end of December so it was only right that i make her something in return! i actually considered asking her husband for her measurements and surprising her with a washi dress, but i figured that was just a taaaaad risky.

so i made her a purse instead.

it’s the Nooodlehead sidekick tote. Anna is the queen of the amazing bag pattern, and i always love how interesting and unique her designs are (my purse creativity is pretty non-existent). i’d been wanting to sew it for a long time now, so this was my proverbial kick in the pants. it’s a really great pattern and the details are perfect! i made the large size, since Jessica’s got a couple munchkins to haul stuff around for.

Gail and Anna have both sewn it in a yarn dyed black essex linen, so i just went with what i knew worked for the outside (it’s from Bolt). plus i know it’s one of Jessica’s favorite fabrics and she’d probably enjoy carrying it around / petting it. we nerd out about fabric a lot in our friendship. doesn’t everyone?

the pocket is bound with the seersucker i’ve used a few times so far, most notably on little red.

and the lining is sort of another bit of silliness – i always say kona olive goes with everything, and so…i used it, mostly to make Jessica snicker. but also, it REALLY DOES go with everything.

the zipper is magenta (a little brighter than reality in this photo) and the interior pocket is an anna maria horner loulouthi print from Jess.

there’s a good amount of interfacing (i used Pellon SF101 as recommended) giving the sidekick a nice structure. i definitely tried harder to keep my stitching neat and crisp too, since this would be the first in-person example of my sewing she’d see and i didn’t want her to think i was a total hack face.

my giant vintage coat collar and i were ready to make off with it / keep it…but i didn’t. i stuffed it with fat quarters and washi tape magnets and other trinkets and shipped it off to Ohio like a good crafty friend should.

HBD, Jessica!

blank slates and teacher gifts

January 7, 2013January 7, 201312 Comments

two things today.

first, i wanted to formally welcome my newest sponsor, Blank Slate Patterns! creator Melissa’s patterns first caught my eye when Sophie sewed this awesome piped chevron version of her basic blazer (major wow factor!). i also sewed her blazer pattern for Fantastic Mr. Fox, and currently have a second one cut out and ready to go (super excited about it, too). i was under a bit of a time crunch to get that film petit out and just blazed through the pattern without thinking much, so this time i’m going more slowly and really enjoying it!

Melissa’s full pattern lineup includes great boy basics like trousers, collared shirts, and t-shirts as well as beautiful dresses for the little gals with great classic style. her designs are clean “staple” type patterns, so they lend themselves nicely to customization through fabric selection and your own extra special details. she even has a couple of bag patterns for grown ups! check it all out at Blank Slate Patterns!

item number two is teacher gifts that i never posted about (see what i did there? blank slate? chalkboard? teacher gifts? anyway…). Em has a really great teacher and a wonderfully musical teacher’s assistant – she loves school and is learning TONS from these two ladies, which is so fun to see. i made gifts for both, of course!

for her main teacher, a “notebook paper tote.”

inspired by buzzmills, i thought it was pretty clever to make a bag for a teacher look like a lined piece of paper. i used the triple stitch function on my machine to add a red line up the side of some blue and white seersucker. the handle is blue chambray. i just made up the pattern as i went.

the bottom is boxed, there’s a pocket on the inside, and it’s lined with…cursive print!! i bought it off Anna in a stash-reduction sale and i think it was PERFECT for a teacher. it probably borders on TOO on the nose, but i think it stays on the side of playful rather than groan-worthy…hopefully.

i also threw in a coffee cozy. it’s reversible and i’m thinking about a tutorial, if anyone’s interested.

for the aide, i finally got off my duff and made one of Anna’s open wide pouches which i’d wanted to make forever, in a joel dewberry print with seersucker lining and magenta zipper. super fun tutorial, though i only had short zippers and had to make this one pretty small which made the boxed bottom trickier to maneuver.

she got a coffee cozy too.

have a happy monday!

2012 in review

January 4, 2013January 4, 201335 Comments

at the end of 2011, i felt like i was at the top of a water slide, looking down, feeling the water rush past me, but hesitant to let go. i had just turned 30, i had just been invited to participate in season 3 of Project Run & Play, and i honestly didn’t feel ready. my blog was still in its infancy and not generating much traffic yet, i wasn’t used to drafting my own patterns, and i would need to sew all during the Christmas season to be ready for the early January start date. i had no idea whether what i made would even turn out, whether i’d have the time to participate while working 4 days a week, how i’d get photos during the dark and rainy winter months, whether anyone would even vote for a blogger they’d never heard of. i almost said no.

but i said yes. i let go. i flung myself into the challenges, trying as hard as i could. i was as creative as my skills let me be, i pushed myself, i tried to bring new ideas to the competition.

i tied Kate for fourth place in a double elimination. i was proud for making it as far as i did, but pretty disappointed not to make it to the finale. being voted on/judged by the public was really hard on me, and it seemed people didn’t “get” my designs like i’d hoped they would. however, the support i received from you guys during my recap post carried me through, and from it all i gained new confidence. i’d never sew (or blog) the same way again. i think about the presentation and photography of each post more carefully now, and i have no fear of creating my own pattern if i need to. i’m not afraid to take more risks, and i don’t hesitate to support others that i see putting themselves out there and trying new things, too. because of that quick growth and shift in perspective, project run & play was the best thing i’ve ever done.

it also led to some super fun opportunities.

jess noticed how i remixed her junebug dress as my sweet tartan dress in week 1, and she asked me to co-host a series with her. vintage may was born (click icon to see my vintage may posts).

i then acted as a “tim gunn” for jessica as she won season 4 of PR&P, an awesome thrill to see a friend succeed where i hadn’t. i wished we had a movie challenge like they got. after her season was over, we brainstormed a way to create our own movie challenge that we could sew together for fun and to keep pushing ourselves (and each other) design-wise. film petit was born.

my summer was full of guest posts, and i learned how to write better tutorials.

and during KCWC in the fall, Rae and I had a little sew-off. also super fun.

toward the end of 2012, my blog seems to have grown enough to attract the attention of people wanting to pay me to do what i love. i now have two awesome sponsors (Britex Fabrics and Blank Slate Patterns) and i’m so grateful to them both! it’s a dream i didn’t even know i had, to be paid to be creative and MAKE things. and it’s coming a little bit true.

i achieved many of my 2012 goals:

sew more clothes for me (i sewed a tank, bow collar shirt, two washi dresses, and a couple skirts! here’s my sewing for women category)
make at least one more quilt (i made four, plus two quilted patchwork pillows – here’s my quilt category)
really learn how to sew zippers into garments (check!)
work to decrease my stash rather than continuing to add to the mound (FAIL but at least it’s better organized now)
maybe throw in a project for my husband? (nope, didn’t happen)

really what i did in 2012 was let go of a lot of fears. i’m still intimidated by men’s clothes (JUST TOO DARN BIG) and i don’t feel like i could design a women’s dress yet, but i do think i can sew from a women’s pattern and make adjustments as needed. i now sew with much more confidence, both that i have built the skills to make what i set out to make, and also in my own creative vision and voice. i realized i really do have ideas and they’re different from other people’s ideas and i can try as hard as i want and good things will come.

there were tradeoffs. i love sewing and the creative/community aspect of blogging SO much, and it’s something i look forward to doing and wish i had more time to do. my mental “want to make” list is very long. my sewing/blogging time initially was carved out because i stopped watching trash TV in the evening, but i still often sew late into the night after the kids are in bed. i felt like a zombie many times during the year – sewing or blogging past midnight (even past 2am on multiple occasions where a guest post was due or a PR&P project needed to be photographed) and getting up for work at 6:30 the next morning (i work at an office job 4 days a week). i have a raging coffee addiction. i’ve always been an athletic person but sewing fills the same “calm me down” need that working out does and i’d rather sew than go for a run, so i feel pretty out of shape these days. my husband and i have talks about life balance. i do feel out of balance sometimes. i’m trying to say no more often so my schedule can be flexible.

my big huge goal in 2013 is to release a sewing pattern. there are a lot of skills i need to learn first, but i very much want to make it happen. and now i’ve written it down. so it needs to happen.

and there ya go. my 2012 recap. thank you SO much for reading, for trusting me, for being so supportive. it’s an amazing feeling to be taking risks and to be encouraged to take them, to be inspired by and to be inspiring others. you’ve helped me realize i actually might be sort of a creative person. sewing bloggers have carved out a pretty cool little section of the internet for ourselves, and i couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of this community.

cheers to 2013!

polka dot geranium dress

January 1, 2013January 1, 201329 Comments

happy new year!

i know a bunch of my sewing blog buddies have been doing 2012 recap / 2013 goal setting posts, and since so much happened for me with this blog in 2012 i still might do that, but right now i feel more like blogging this dress!

it’s Made by Rae‘s newest release, the Geranium Dress. you know how i love Rae’s patterns, and i think every time she releases a new one i say “she just keeps getting better and better” but it’s really true. i was a pattern tester for this dress and i only had nitpicky type comments for her, really; it was already a high quality pattern even before the testers got our hands on it! I think this could work as a “first pattern from pieces” dress for a beginning sewist ready to tackle buttons and pleats; it’s all explained so well.

this pattern is also Rae’s response to requests for a “mini washi dress (remember when i made one myself but had the big head problem?), but Rae also built this pattern to give the sewer oodles of options to make a different dress every time…check this out:

three sleeve options, two skirt options, three neckline options, two length options, and pockets! the way she presents the choices isn’t confusing or overwhelming, it’s really clear and easy to follow. love that.

i picked faux cap sleeve with dress-length pleated skirt, side seam pockets, and notched V neckline. the bodice is 3T and the skirt is 4T (i just increased the seam allowance on the skirt a little to make it line up). i picked the options that would be the quickest to sew and the most “formal” looking, since i was on a time crunch before Em’s ballet recital but wanted her dress to feel holiday-appropriate.

it’s a really quick and satisfying sew, and i made it in a night! considering i started from taping the pattern together and was taking pattern test notes too, it’s seriously fast.

she wore this dress to her ballet Christmas program, her school Christmas program, and Christmas Eve festivities with the family, plus out and about (basically whenever it’s clean). i sewed it in a cheap black and white polka dot cotton from Joann that I also used to pattern test Rae’s pierrot tunic last fall – totally different feel on a more structured dress though, right? i love that it looks like snow.

i used the rest of the pink elephant buttons i first used for her japanese tea party jacket. she loves that touch of course.

for her “fancy occasions,” i made her a little sequined headband out of some trim that i just hand sewed together and hit with some fray check. she loves wearing headbands and other hair accessories lately, it’s always interesting what she comes down wearing. 😉

get your Geranium Dress pattern from Rae, and happy new year sewing!!

PS – need more Geranium inspiration? Rae posted all the pattern tester versions here, and my personal favorite is my pal Cherie’s eyelet dress. SO gorgeous!