Next up- Simplicity 2549

This is my fabric. Looking at my closet I was struck by how many blah work clothes I have in neutral colors. Ick. I know everyone else will be sewing for fall, but I have so much brown, black, navy and gray already. I want more color! Plus, in New Orleans, it sometimes begins to get chilly around the end of October, so I still have a solid month of summer dress weather.

Recently, my students pointed out that blue must be my favorite color because I wear it a LOT. And they were right. Many of my dresses I've made are shades of blue. Therefore, this one will be PINK! The color is slightly off in the picture, it is very baby, pretty pink with tiny black dots. It is just a quilter's cotton, but I have had my fill of slippery fabrics lately.

This is my pattern- Simplicity 2549. From 1958, according to the interwebs. I am making the full, pleated skirt. I made the bodice and tried it on. Although it is a 34 bust, it looks like it will be a decent fit.

Don't you think it will be cute with my black flower belt I just made? I pulled out all my pink buttons, and I am still pondering the two for the front.

McCalls 1087- 1943 fabric covered sewing box

I picked up this pattern at an estate sale in Oregon two summers ago. I don't remember how much it cost, it was one of those pile of stuff for 3 bucks times. It is for "3 styles of fabric covered sewing boxes with removable slipcovers!" Maybe in 1943 (when it was issued) that would count as removable, but when that requires ripping out all my hand-stitching and then re-sewing it, I personally would not call it removable. Ha!

The fabric is a cute cotton from Jo-Ann. It has two pockets that are divided into smaller pockets.

I put the pins and needle on the inside of the lid because I am a follower- that's what they did on the pattern envelope. It is kind of flopsy mopsy. I bet if I went back and followed the directions correctly, you sew the corners up and then sew the two pieces together down the middle. Mine is kind of loose and the bottom interior is lumpy. Oh well.

This is my example piece for Wednesday's sewing club. It will teach them to sew a nearly invisible stitch on the outside (pockets) and a whip-stitch (corners and joining the two main pouch sections).

This is my preview of my other cool belt I made. You will see it on when I finish my next dress!

Back to School Dress, with pics

In the future, I will take the pictures in the morning. This is after a long day of work and a hot, a/c less car ride home, so bear with me.. This is Simplicity 4079. It turned out slightly big, so I made a belt (copied off a belt from Forever 21's website) for it. No one really commented on it at school, so tell me what you think!

Here is the pattern:

I was a little over-inspired by the illustration, eh?

From the back, with the dog looking like he's being abused.
Um, it looked better before I sat in it, ate lunch, etc. It looks like my velcro is a little off, but it was good for a patter-less test run, and to practice my copying from an image skills.
Soon I will have a skinny black belt and a fabric-covered sewing box to show you!

PS We lost out kickball game, boo hoo!

Jumper complete!

I finished my jumper today, and my lesson plans, and went to kickball practice, and to Jo-Anns...I was very productive. When I attached the skirt to the bodice, I accidentally shortened the bodice too much, so I decided I needed a belt. I searched the interwebs for awhile and then found this belt at Forever 21.

The style is cool, but not the pleather and the inexplicably white topstitching and the fact that it probably has elastic on it somewhere since it's one size fits all. Only 7 bucks though. So I attempted my own out of cotton and interfacing and velcro. I mean, it's slightly craptacular, but I made it without a pattern, and I was on the right track. I could totally make another out of leather that would be awesome.

Anyways, the jumper is slightly large, but I plan to wear it over a white baby T and tights, if it ever gets cooler than 85 degrees here.

Next up- a red belt with a buckle and a 40s sewing box pattern (for sewing club next week)

Halloween Costume Decided!

I have decided! I want to be the High Life girl in the moon! Now it is cheap beer, that some would say tastes like piss, but it is my favorite beer! $7.99 for a 12 pack of bottles? How can you beat that!? (Shh, that's a rhetorical question!)

This is the actual picture from the box/label. Firstly, it is awesome. Secondly, I could totally make this costume! Thirdly, I already have a pair of red cowboy boots that I love!

Here is a picture of someone in the best looking replica I could find online (but I didn't do anything beyond Google Images)

The website Fabric Horse made this costume to order for some kind of function. Click on the link for their website- they have some other commissioned costumes, and they are all pretty awesome.

Components: Give me some feedback on construction if you have any!

Hat of some kind- either found red or painted red, with gold ribbon trim.

Red Boot- Done!

Black and gold striped camisole.

Red circle? skirt with double ribbon trim on bottom

Puff sleeve, short sleeve jacket with no lapels, rounded bottom, double row of gold trim

Black waist scarf with gold hearts on it.

I am so excited! Plus, I still have about a month and a half to finish this, so I can do it! T-rex is going to have a little blue velvet Napoleon coat, and Andrew is still undecided. If he puts it off too long he will be wearing his pilgrim costume for the third year in a row!

Woot woot!

Sewing Club #2

On Wednesday we made pillowcases. I didn't make an example one, although I should have. They are getting much better at sewing a straight line by hand. Next time, we will make fabric covered sewing boxes to keep their stuff in. I am going to make up an example for them.

This was my cupcake pincushion, made out of scrap mardi gras fabric. Kinda ghetto, but functional.

Off to work on my black and white dress!

Butterick 6727- Pictures!

So this is my pattern:

I made it out of some detestable slinky polyester, because I really like the print. Sewing with it was horrible, and the zipper is quite lumpy and puckered. I ended up leaving off the collar, because it made the dress look like a costume, in my opinion. However, I should have interfaced the neckline, as it is unstable and less than symmetrical.

This picture is bad, but funny. Doesn't Andrew's giant shadow look like it has devil horns?
Here's my ok shot. I don't much love this dress. It's one of the "needs to sit in my closet until I forget the details on why I hate it" category.
I do love these heels. Sadly, they get no play because they are way too high to stand in all day at school. I made that mistake once, and lived to regret it.

Oh well, on to my black and white jumper!

Slight progress...

It doesn't look like I've done much, but I added the poofs under the sleeves and I made the collar, which was a pain the butt because the under-collar is smaller. Perhaps so the seams don't show? Anyways, I decided the collar made it too over-the-top, so I left the neckline plain.

I did buy more fabric when I went to buy a zipper. This is a case of "overly inspired by the pattern illustration"-itis. Can you guess which view I'm going to make?

I am going to take a nap, and then hopefully make some sewing progress.

First Sewing Club Meeting!

I don't have any pictures to post, but the first meeting of the sewing club was a success! I had about 22-23 girls come, mostly 6th graders and a few 7th graders. 8th graders are generally too cool for clubs.

We put the desks in a circle ( a sewing circle, hee hee) and discussed everyone's prior sewing experience. Most had no experience, but had moms and grandmas who sew.

Our first project was very simple. 2 pattern pieces to make cupcake shaped pin cushions. We spent a lot of time tying knots in thread, threading needles and practicing hand sewing small stitches. It was pretty funny- there were some giant and crooked stitches, and they kept stabbing themselves with the needles.

We ended with most girls having sewn the front and back pieces, so they will finish it at home and bring it next time to stuff and sew shut. I'll try to remember to take a picture! It's super cute and it was really fun!

Two weeks from today, we will make pillowcases!