Simplicity 3692: Built By Wendy

A new summer top...


I was inspired by this summery, cotton top by All Buttoned Up. I was wanting to use a woven too, so her cute variation was like permission! Be sure to visit her blog, she has lots of cute projects and a wry sense of humor I really enjoy. Here's her top (from last summer):


Now just up front I'll admit I wasn't looking for high fashion. I was looking for the easy, simple lines of the Built By Wendy line of clothes and patterns, and I went into this knowing this wasn't going to be super flattering for us chestier types. I'm OK with that. I just want to use some of my pretty 100% cotton prints and there's just so many skirts I can wear in this lifetime!

Now on to the pattern details! There is plenty of ease in this pattern, even though its for a knit. I started out cutting a yoke size 18 just to be safe, but ended up taking out about 5/8" from the front yoke. It was pretty gape-y. I can't imagine how big it would be in a knit, so just be aware.

The neckline was also a lot higher than I expected, and higher than I like. I can live with it, but I've already altered my pattern. Lastly, the armholes are way high and tight. I haven't fixed those yet. I'm going to sit and pick out my armhole bindings tonight while watching tv, then lower those suckers. Once that is fixed, I think I'll lose the bit of pulling under the arm that I get now when wearing the top, because it fits great everywhere except there.

Here's the little tucks I added (in the corner of the squared neckline on each side) to take up the excess neckline. You can't even see them in real life really. Isn't this a cute print?? I LOVE IT. It's from the RJR line of fabrics and is called "Everything but the Kitchen Sink". I think it's so feedsack-ish and reminds me of my Grandma Edna's housedresses. Of course since I was using a sweet calico, I had to add rickrack. Right?


I bound the armholes with a grey cotton fat quarter I had lying around. Lying around because....who needs a grey FQ?? I've got plenty left over to fix the bindings later.


And here's me in my barefoot, cuffed denim glory. I'm sure I'll wear this lots after I fix the armholes. It's too hot and humid to wear much of anything besides cotton!!

Sew What Skirts: Wraparound

Hey! I sewed something! And...I immediately wore it! Here's the wraparound skirt from the (really cool) book, Sew What Skirts. I used a fabulous Jennifer Paganelli fabric.


This is really a great little book. No pattern is included, instead you use your measurements to draft the perfect-fitting skirt pattern--a-line, straight, and gathered to start...then there are lots of adaptations, like this wraparound version. The instructions are very easy to understand and the drafting was easy too. Both skirts I've made using my draft of the a-line skirt pattern have fit perfectly!

For this cute little wraparound number, you do a buttonhole in one of the sideseams to thread your "tie" through. (A word about the ties in a sec.) Note that I cut through my buttonhole when I was cutting it. Drat it. (I wore it anyway. I'll have to go back and fray check it tonight!)


For this skirt, the sides of the warp and the hem is just a simple turn up & stitch.


And the waistband is part of the ties. The instructions tell you to cut (I ripped of course, because I like to!!) two 3" pieces, selvedge to selvedge. That sounds like plenty. But...for a hippy girl like me, that didn't leave me enough left over to tie! Whoops. I didn't even notice until I already had the waistband/tie section attached. Here's the waistband topstitched to the skirt front & back/side pieces (I topstitched rather than stitch in the ditch as the book instructs. I have better luck with this method.)


And here's how I fixed the too-short ties (they have to be long enough to do front, back, plus 12", plus enough to "tie" while wrapped around you. ) I ripped one more selvedge to selvedge pice and sewed it up in a tube. Cut in half. Then I turned under one end, and "tucked" the too-short tie into the end of one of the tubes. Then I just top stitched. Repeat for the other side. Here's a bit blurry picture of one:


Now, it's not pretty nor perfect...but as far as ties go, they're "tied" all the time. And wrapped around you, so who's going to notice? Plus, they saved my skirt! See...here's me wearing it today to go out to lunch and a movie with my "girls"!



ps...We saw the Proposal. Super cute, I highly recommend it!

lu.

Happy Birthday, baby!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Mrs. March said, in her serious yet cheery way - 'I want my daughters to be beautiful, accomplished, and good; to be admired, loved, and respected; to have a happy youth, to be well and wisely married, and to lead useful, pleasant lives, with as little care and sorrow to try them as God sees fit to send.
--Louisa May Alcott, "Little Women"

sweaty.

We've been HOT in Oklahoma the past few days. As in over 100 degrees Fahrenheit hot.


That's just silly.

Thankfully this week we're going to be back into a more normal mid to upper 90s (with Oklahoma humidity levels that's not really a whole lot better, but I'll take it.) For sewing, I've done...

nil.

So...I'm planning a project to get back in the groove. I'm going to give my first Hotpatterns a try, the Riviera Once, Twice, Three Times a T-Shirt. I'll be doing the tie-dye version with the cool ruffly sleeves.


I've never tried HP because I've had a couple of unpleasant run-ins with one-half of the duo, and because of others' poor customer service experiences. However, I'm nothing if not flexible (especially when it comes to cute patterns and inspirational youtube videos.) And I gotta say...Trudy finally won me over with the video segments. She's adorable, and fun, and extremely likable. Sold!

Here's my fabric:


Dudes. It was on clearance for 50 cents a yard!! Oh yea, cheap fabric, it's your birthday. (Insert twitchy hips here.)

Oh and you know I'll let you know if its a complete bust. Just keepin it real for ya.

ps...computer is D.E.D. Still on borrowed laptop. Bah. Mac, I'm sorry I ever forsook thee. At least one of you out there (are you still out there?? I'm never sure.) would probably argue that point quite eloquently and in a British accent. Good times.

Listening to...the Notebook Soundtrack

link via youtube

dang.

My computer crashed today! Grrr. I was able to save my pictures and important documents (and my music files!) So all is not lost, but one thing I didn't think to grab before the grand death scene was my email settings.

Sooo....if we email, please send me an email me this weekend so I can add you back to my address book! Some of you are on Facebook and I can grab yours there if its listed, but if not please email me! I'm pretty aggravated at myself. I was so smug about "getting everything".

Still not sure whether the old girl is going to survive...the 2nd attempt at operating system install is still in progress (first one was a bust!) I'm on a borrowed laptop in the meantime.

I'm not even exaggerating when I say it took most of the day to save all of my stuff. I'm brain dead!! And what a waste of a day. Boo.