here’s a first!  i have never sewn a garment for myself that fit just right, straight from the pattern, without tinkering.  it’s mostly my fault for always cutting things too big – my body proportions apparently don’t fit in the “sizing box” very well and i never want to make something too small, so i go the other route then take it in later (doesn’t work that well).  this time i trusted the pattern, made the proper size based on the one measurement called for, and voila!  i made a top that i really love to wear!

it was my first try at the wiksten tank (now available for download), and i made it in a gingham from joann because it’s lightweight for drape, didn’t cost much, and i had enough in my stash.  i was hoping for it to be a “wearable muslin,” but it ended up much better than that, to me!  for a little pizzazz, i turned the pocket on the bias and did my topstitching in hot pink.  i know, you’d think when i finally stop sewing for my pink-obsessed three-year-old i’d pick a different color, but i thought it looked good with the black and white.  what can i say?  guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

it’s cute with a cardigan and i see it getting worn a lot as the weather warms up.

drapey tops often tend to look a bit “maternity” on me, but this one hangs really nicely – the neckline and armholes are cut perfectly to fit so the drape looks intentional, not like you’re trying to hide something…does that make sense?  i had checked out the wiksten flickr group and the tank seemed universally flattering that way, which is the main reason i bought the pattern.

i like the shirt tail hemline, too – slightly longer in the back.  it’s just a really well-drafted pattern and i’m happy to have it in my stash now!  a great starting point like this has my imagination running wild with how to alter it for different looks, too.

i’m throwing the headless photo above into rae’s spring top sewalong pool, which opens today!  many thanks to rae for giving me a kick in the pants to sew for myself.  i don’t know what my deal is – i can dream up semi-elaborate looks for my kids and be pretty sure i can execute them, but when it comes to sewing clothes for me, even a simple tank required a big leap of faith.  i needed a success to really build some confidence, and this was a great first step!

what does a gal make when she has been sewing kid’s clothes for almost two months straight and suddenly finds herself with the freedom to make anything she wants?  maybe something for herself!  a much-needed new bag!  yay!

i had planned to take some time off from sewing after getting auf’d from project run & play, but after just a week i was itching to get back on the horse.  i thought i’d need more time, but i guess i’m so in the habit of sewing now, even a week away felt like forever.

for a while i had known this would be my first post-PR&P project.  i started a new job a few months ago, and the best way to get to work now is via public transportation (either bus or light rail).  i needed a new purse that was large enough to hold everything i need for the day (coffee, breakfast and sometimes lunch too, a sweater, maybe even a second pair of shoes), but compact enough to stay close to my body on crowded bus days where i end up standing 2″ away from the person next to me, or sitting next to a big dude.  my margaret bag, while plenty large, sort of sticks out behind me and once caused a lady to accuse me of “bashing her” with my purse (totally unbeknownst to me!).  this bag will not bash anyone, and it is perfect.

the pattern is the go anywhere bag by noodlehead.  i’m a big fan of anna’s, but this was the first pattern i’d purchased from her (shame on me!).  it was great!  well-written and clear, with a few options for customization.  i decided to pipe the outer pocket in white and i also sewed up the center of the back pocket to section it.  i wanted to make it very sturdy, so the main body is canvas (picket from outside oslo by jessica jones) which i interfaced, the pockets are lined with the stand-up-on-its-own mustard corduroy from O’s sailboat pants, and the outer pocket is the olive twill from Em’s kimono jacket.

i used a heavier needle (a 16) and my machine got pretty mad at me for making it sew through that many heavy layers, but it powered through.  the lining is the ticking from Em’s RRH coat.  the pattern actually takes pretty large pieces of fabric (at least 1/2 yard cuts of each variety).  it’s bigger than i expected, and i’d even seen this one in person!   it closes with a magnetic snap which i’d never done before but works great, and i also gave myself a little smile each time i look inside…

that’s right, echino bus pocket!  riding the bus can be a bit of an exercise in patience at times, so this is my small way of mitigating that (well, that and always wearing a scarf so i can bury my nose if the need arises.  bus smells…you know how it is).

i’ve used it a few days in a row now, and i’m really happy with it.  it’s the perfect size, it’s easy to get on and off, and it stays put on my shoulder as i walk.  those are the things that are important to me in a commuter purse, so it’s a big success.  thanks for making such a lovely pattern, anna!  i love my new bag!

(PS – did anyone catch the reference in my post title?  first to guess it gets a virtual high five!  too easy, right?)

great blog post title, or the greatest blog post title?  hehe.  look, i made myself a dress!

my husband’s college roommate got married in a beautiful evening ceremony in seattle last weekend, so we headed up for a 27 hour getaway, sans kids.  i was pretty nervous about leaving O (especially while still nursing), but he and Em did great with grammie and grandpa and we got to sleep in until 9am for the first time since he was born!  anyway, back to the dress, my very first dress i’ve sewn for myself.  the photo above is pre-lunch, wandering around the pike place market area figuring out what to eat.

and then post-lunch in photo session #2, against this cool wall  i spotted near the market.  slightly buzzed from a pint of pike’s pale and belly full of sauteed mushroom burger, i was much more comfortable modeling!  hm…

the fabric is a green seersucker from joann.  i thrifted the pattern (butterick 6376) for 75¢.  i’m guessing it’s from the ’70s, don’t you think?

i’m not really a size 12, but i had always planned on omitting the elastic waistband and cinching it with a belt at my natural waist.  i think it’s a little crazy that i paid less for it in 2011 than it originally sold for!

this cracks me up too.  the original owner scrawled “skirt 13 inches longer.”  weeellll…i think i cut the skirt about 13 inches shorter than the pattern!  i cut it in a bit of a U shape so the sides have a subtle curved bottom like the hem of a men’s shirt.

my favorite part is the shoulder pleats.  i had to redo the neckline itself multiple times, because it looked like a potato sack or something.  it didn’t look like the package.  it was supposed to be finished with a neckline facing and topstitched, but after i had to go much deeper with the V, i just made bias binding and bound the neckline instead.  i like the contrast in stripes.  i had to do a little funky work at the bottom of the V because i cut the neckline a little TOO deeply, but it’s hidden by the belt.

all in all, i consider it a success and something i will wear on the remaining summer days, plus with a sweater and tights as the weather cools off.  as with my sorbetto top, i picked a too big of size and had to do a lot of adjusting to get the fit i wanted.  when i was actually wearing the dress, though, i didn’t feel self-conscious about the “mistakes,” i felt proud to be wearing something i made!

YOU GUYS!  i made my first top!  in my 2 years of sewing, this is the first wearable garment i’ve made for myself!  ta da!

oh man it’s sooo awkward being in front of the camera.  i am no model.  it feels so weird!

the pattern is the sorbetto top, a free download by colette patterns.  i had seen many others have success with it, so i figured it’d be a good first item to try (simple, no zippers to insert).  problem was, i don’t really wear sleveless tops that aren’t tank tops.  dunno why, i just don’t.  then i saw that the always inspiring mena of the sew weekly added sleeves to her sorbetto, and a lightbulb went off!  and THEN she offered afree sleeve pattern!  that was the final push i needed.

something went wrong when i printed her initial sleeve pattern, and i saw it was going to be too small to fit the armhole.  i decided to make it a flutter sleeve instead, because i love flutter sleeves.  this is where i discovered the beauty of TRYING ON AN IN-PROGRESS GARMENT!  this may be obvious to others, but i normally sew for my children who are always sleeping while i’m sewing.  there is very little in-progress fitting.  but when the sleeve wasn’t working, i could just remove it and try again!  i added a little pleat at the top, and narrowed it until it looked how i wanted.  i finished the underarm area with bias tape.  it’s a little wonky, but wearable.

the other “issue” i encountered was with the sizing.  i’m still nursing O, and though i’ve lost the baby weight, my body shape isn’t quite back to normal yet.  so…my…uh…chest and waist measurements led me to a certain size (much larger than i normally wear).  i sewed that size.  it was huge on me.  so i started taking in the side seams 1/4″ by 1/4″ until it was fitted to my satisfaction.  out of curiosity, i set the pattern against my finished size, and it was 4 sizes smaller than i started!  sheesh!  i also lengthened it by 4″ or so.

the fabric is a free spirit voile that i’ve had in my stash for a while.  i love the fabric and was nervous cutting it because i expected to have a complete failure on my hands, but i’m so glad i used it!  i love wearing blue.  and check this out!  i wore it to work already!  it was under a jacket, but no one said a word about it all day.  i think that’s a good sign?  🙂

so yeah, i’m definitely hooked on making more clothes for myself, but i reeeeeally need to work on my modeling skills if this is going to become a regular thing!

(thanks to B for taking my photos – you did a great job, hon…the awkwardness is not you, it’s me!)

ready for a photo heavy post of my lovely sister, laura, in her new apron?  let’s go!

laura found the apron on pinterest (link is to her page), sent me an email saying she loved it, and could i make something like it?  i’ve followed the sew liberated blog for a couple years now, so i immediately recognized it as the emmeline apron, knew there was a pattern, and was excited to buy it from meg.  i think i ordered it up that same day.

laura loves to bake, and whips up wonderfully fancy cupcakes (root beer float, cinnamon toast crunch, salted caramel…my mouth waters just thinking about them).  she really did need a pretty apron of her very own!

we went to fabric depot together, and she picked out her fabric.  i had expected her to gravitate towards the vintage reproduction prints (30s era, maybe?) but she went for anchors and polka dots, in a full-blown red, white, and blue color scheme (more ’50s nautical rockabilly).  this girl is a style chameleon!  the anchors are bar harbor by polly minick & lauri simpson for moda.

the fabric on this side is essential dots, also by moda.  it’s cream with coral-red tiny polka dots that coordinates very nicely with the anchor side (a little hard to see in photos).  i think the blue sash is a kona solid but i’m not sure which.  we were testing a bunch of solids and when we saw that one, we knew it was right.

it was really fun to sew.  i spread the project out over a few days, letting my bias tape hang for a while to let it stretch (i read somewhere you’re supposed to do that?), and took my time to be as precise as i could.  however, i bet it could be sewn up in just a couple hours, especially if you skip the hand stitching.

enjoy your apron, girl!  i love you!

oh and have i mentioned i have three sisters?  i’m the oldest of four girls.  laura is #3 in the lineup.  the toddler bathrobe i just sewed was for my sister andrea’s daughter (andee is #2).  hey lilly, got any requests?  don’t want to leave you out, and sister photoshoots are super fun!  🙂