Amy's Bag of Awesome + MMM Week 2

Last year, after picking up some fabric at Ikea, my good friend Amy had an idea for a purse and asked for my help in making it. Um...an opportunity to teach someone else to sew? Of course I will! The only thing is, I had absolutely no experience in making purses. I assumed that if we followed a sewing pattern that looked like what she had in mind then we'd have plenty of guidance in putting it together. She wanted a crescent shaped, crossbody bag with a zipper at the top. The only pattern we could find with those requirements was Burda 8305, view F. I'd never worked with a Burda pattern before (not counting the downloadable BurdaStyle patterns, but those are different). I'd heard tales of how undecipherable their instructions are and now I can totally agree. Those instructions were pretty much useless!

We got all the way to the zipper insertion and then it sadly sat in my UFO pile for months...until this week. Amy got accepted to grad school in Austin, so we finally made a sewing date to get this bag finished before she has to leave! I scoured the internet beforehand looking for some kind of instructions to help me out. I found a couple of helpful tutorials (this one and this one) and we pretty much just figured it out as we went. There was a lot of seam ripping involved. But honestly, I feel like I learned so much! I'm kind of fascinated with bag construction now. And we're both so excited about the end result. I think it turned out looking very stylish and professional!

Ignore that strap in the photos, it was borrowed from another purse so we could see what it will look like on. Amy has plans to use some leather from her parent's old sofa cover to make the strap. It's a deep caramel brown and I think it will look perfect with the colors here! I really love the fabric she picked out and the chunky metal zipper she chose to go with it. I'm thinking I should let her design some things for me to sew up...possible blog feature maybe?

Despite the hurdles we faced here, teaching a friend to sew was a really great experience. She was so excited to see her vision completed, and that just totally made my day! I'm itching to do more teaching (on something I'm knowledgeable about!) and looking into ways I can make that happen locally.

Me Made May is still going well so far. I have a couple of projects in the works but keep switching between so many things that I can't seem to get anything finished! I definitely need to add more basic tees in the mix. The ones I've made really don't fit well. On the other hand, I've been forced to wear dresses and skirts more often since this challenge started! Here is my Week 2 roundup...

• Day 9 - Unblogged teal knit dress. This is actually a wearable muslin for a pattern I've been working on. Still needs minor tweaking, but it's become a wardrobe staple!
• Day 10 - Floral Sorbetto - I rarely wear this top anymore because the armholes are too tight (now I know I should have done a SBA instead of taking in the sides)
• Day 13 - Eyelet Yoke Sorbetto - Again, too tight armholes so this one doesn't see much wear. I don't have a decent picture (forgot to take one that day) so here's a sketch instead. Which reminds me, I never made that matching skirt!
• Day 14 - Navy Beignet - This skirt is my faaaaaavorite! It's really comfy but chic at the same time. Win win!

Kollabora Giveaway Winner!

We have a winner!

Full disclosure: I chose to use Random.org's Random List Generator to do the deciding. I input the names given for each entry, hit "Randomize" and here's what it came up with...

*drumroll*

Congratulations Cathy!

I want to send out a huge, enormous thanks to all of you for reading my little corner of the interwebs, for commenting and encouraging and giving advice and making me laugh and for just generally being awesome people.

THANK YOU!!!!

Hopefully there will be more "giving" opportunities to come, because I feel like I still have some thanking to do! And I definitely want to do something to include my readers outside the US soon.

The Garden Skirt + MMM Week 1 Roundup

So, after I thought I had finally recovered from my last bout of sickness guess what nature decided to throw my way again? More sickness! I came down with some sort of severe cold/bronchial infection type deal and spent another week being miserable. I guess that's what I get for going to a wedding before my immune system had a chance to heal.

I'm finally feeling (and sounding!) like myself again, so I decided to get a few shots of the new skirt I made up over the weekend. I bought this border print fabric at JoAnn recently (I grabbed it before they even took it out of the shrink wrap!) and immediately knew I wanted it to be a full, gathered skirt. Since I was feeling crummy and tired of laying around I knew this simple project was just what I needed.

I didn't use a pattern. Since I had 1 yard of the fabric I knew I was limited, so this is what I did:

1. Tore a strip 3" wide across the top and then cut it to my waist measurement plus seam allowance. 
2. Figured out how long I wanted it to be, measured down that length plus about 2" for the hem and tore straight across the grain (seriously, I barely even used my scissors!). 
3. Divided that piece in half widthwise, giving an extra inch for the back piece, and tore down that length for the front and back. 
4. Tore the back in half to leave a center back seam for the zipper
5. Interfaced the waistband
6. Sewed it all together!

Can you tell I'm addicted to tearing woven fabrics across the grainline? Best stress relief ever! And it's an easy way to make sure everything is on grain, especially since this skirt is made up entirely of rectangular pieces.

I also tried sewing a lapped zipper for the first time ever. I wasn't sure what the big deal was at first, but now I'm hooked. I just need to remember to make extra room for the lap next time. It was kind of a last minute decision so the gathering had already been done and wound up running into the zip, making it a little bit wonky at the top. On the other hand...it sort of blends in anyway, don't you think? I'll definitely keep that in mind next for next time. There will be more of these!

The uneven gathers bother me. I'm still experimenting with different methods of gathering and so far elastic wins (I used that one on my Darling Ranges cardigan). This one was done with 3 rows of machine basted stitches gathered by hand. I think I'm just not good at hand gathering, folks. What's your favorite method? Or does everyone pretty much do it the standard way?

So that was my me-made outfit for today. I only pledged 4 days per week this year (and now I'm thankful for that! I did a tally of my handmade garments and I still really don't have that many) so you will see that I've skipped days. Here's how my first week went:

Day 1 - Striped Boatneck Tee (picture not taken that day, I was feeling icky)

Day 2 - Blue Simplicity Skirt + new glasses!

Day 3 - Chevron Ava Top

Day 4 - Skip! Stayed at home all day and worked on my skirt.

Day 5 - Datura Cutout Blouse (again, not from that day)

Day 6 - Skip!

Today is the last day to get your entries in for the Kollabora giveaway so upload away if you'd still like to enter! I'll be back tomorrow to announce the winner.

Giveaway Time - Win $50 to spend at Kollabora!

I'm super excited to share my first ever giveaway with you all! It's a good one :)

I've teamed up with the awesome folks at Kollabora to offer one lucky reader a $50 gift certificate to spend on sewing and craft supplies from their shop.



If you haven't heard of Kollabora before, let me give you a little introduction. Kollabora is a new online community and marketplace where makers and DIYers can share their projects, tips, and tutorials. Categories include sewing, knitting, jewelry making, and home decor. You can post pictures of your projects along with instructions and links to supplies. They also offer a wide range of supplies in their shop - everything from patterns and fabric to yarn, books, and tons of notions!

I got excited when I first found out about Kollabora as I'd heard others touting it as the answer to "Ravelry for sewists". While the two are different, if you are a knitter or crocheter who has fallen in love with the features of Ravelry then I think you'll really love Kollabora. It's very well designed and easy to use with a distinctly fun, hip sense of style. I've found a ton of inspiration browsing through the member projects as well as their blog. I've even found some great new sewing blogs to follow!

To give you an idea of what you could get with your gift certificate, I've picked out a few of my favorite patterns and fabrics from the Kollabora shop:

1. Colette Patterns Lily Dress
2. Wiksten Tank
3. Sewaholic Cambie Dress
4. Christine Haynes Derby Dress

1.  Vera Wang Toffee/Navy/Slate Polka Dots Taffeta 
2. Wine/Black/Salmon Geometric Print Silk Fabric
3. Black Polka Dots Tulle & Crinoline 
4. Wine Floral Lace Fabric
5.  Marine/White Stripes Jersey Prints 
6. Seafoam Solid Poplin

Of course I'm not even including all the great sewing books you could pick up like Gertie's New Book For Better Sewing or BurdaStyle Sewing Vintage Modern.

Ready to win? Just head on over to Kollabora and post a project of your own (it can be something you've made in the past or new, doesn't matter). Then comment here and paste the link to your project. 

For extra entries, just upload more projects! Each separate project gets you one more chance to win. To make sure I don't miss any extras, please post one comment per entry.

You have until Wednesday, May 8th to get your entries in. The winner will be chosen at random and I'll post the winner here on the 9th.

*Note - As of right now, Kollabora's store only ships within the US. I apologize that I didn't know this ahead of time.

Good luck!

A quick update + the Pastava plans

I just wanted to do a quick post and apologize for not getting the giveaway up as promised. After going home to visit family, I came down with the stomach flu and have never been so sick or miserable in my entire life! Thankfully, I'm back to myself again and working on gaining back my energy and the weight I lost from not being able to eat for 4 days (seriously, I do not need to lose my hips!). I have sooooo much to catch up on!

My husband was the best man in his friend's wedding yesterday (and he aced that speech - so proud!). I had been looking forward to it for a while, but if you know me, you know I procrastinated on making my dress.

I got really excited about this idea of combining the top of the Ava dress with the Pastille bottom. I didn't have time to order fabric, so I combed JoAnn for something that would work. Their apparel section was sadly lacking, but I found this lovely Alexander Henry print that seemed fairly soft for a quilting cotton. I combined it with a dotted mesh from my stash and worked on this dress all last week. Then I went out of town. Then I got sick. Then I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to make it to the wedding. Then I started feeling better the night before we were set to leave and tried to rush through finishing it up - and it was a disaster! I sewed one shoulder in the wrong way and the whole thing just fit terribly. SIGH.

It's really, really disappointing because I had such high hopes for this dress. I finally gave up and wound up having to buy a new dress while we were in St. Augustine (where the wedding was held). I lucked out and found a super cute boutique in the historic district that basically had everything that I love and want to put in my closet.

I wound up picking this dress, which sort of reminds me of the Ceylon and made me feel very 1940's/Old Hollywood. It's too big in the bust, of course - everything I tried on was. Yet another reason to keep sewing for myself! I tried on A LOT of dresses that day and none of them fit right. Also, it was expensive. Like, when my husband asked me how much I spent I said "you don't want to know" expensive. See how I'm trying to talk myself into sewing my clothes again?

I can't complain at all. I had a blast and met some great people! Historic St. Augustine is so beautiful too (that storybook-esque ivy covered wall is just a small peek at how lovely it is). 

So, yes - giveaway soon! It should be up later this week. And yes, I am planning to participate in Me Made May '13! I was in WAAAAY over my head last year and didn't make it through the challenge so this year I am scaling back down to 4 days. That seems very doable! Assuming I can keep my laundry and ironing situation in order. Here's my pledge:

I, Shona, of Shona Stitches, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. I endeavour to wear one handmade garment at least 4 days out of the week for the duration of May 2013.

Time to do some speed cleaning!

A Dotted Datura

I'll admit, I wasn't fully on the Deer and Doe bandwagon until they released their new collection. I was impressed that the new designs are not only cute and wearable, they're really unique! I don't think I've seen anything out there like the Datura or Reglisse. I tried to talk myself out of ordering more patterns (I have so many I haven't made!) but after about a week I finally broke down and ordered two. I've been sort of obsessing about the Datura blouse ever since I saw it (Seriously. It has been haunting my thoughts). While patiently awaiting my air mail from France, I looked through my stash and immediately spotted some great fabric combinations. As it turns out, this pattern is the perfect solution to all these one yard cuts of voile I have laying around!

Let me just say, I loved that I was addressed as "Madam Shona Roon" on the packaging. Oh, those French really know how to flatter a silly American girl!

Let's start with the positive. Things I love about this top:

- The colors! I love how the grey makes the yellow and aqua blue pop without being overbearing.

- The fabric! The voile I used for the bottom half is an Amy Butler print (once again, THANK YOU quilting fabric companies for using some apparel weights now!!!!). It's called "Laurel Dots" and it feels amaaaaazing. Buttery smooth and just floats when you wear it!

- The cutout neckline. I think cutout details may be my new peter pan.

- Buttons down the back! I've been wanting to make a buttoned back shirt forever and ever, why did I wait so long?

- The curved bias bound hem. I hadn't tried it before and now I'm a convert!

- The loose, flowy, just-skims-over-the-body silhouette. I used to wear only fitted clothing, feeling like anything too loose just made me look even more bean pole like but I've been wearing a lot of this style lately. Probably from oogling everything Sallie Oh puts on. Thanks Sallie!

On the downside:

- This pattern is really lacking detailed instructions. It says "advanced" on the cover, and I didn't understand why until I actually started sewing it. It does assume that you know certain construction techniques. I think I have been spoiled by the super detailed, hand holding instructions from other indie pattern companies and assumed this pattern would be similar in detail.

- I originally planned to use a grey cotton lawn for the top portion, but after I'd already used it all up cutting another Datura and bias binding, I realized I forgot to cut the back pattern piece! I was so in love with the grey combined with this print that I couldn't bring myself to use anything else. So I went to my only fabric resource available - JoAnn - and settled for a grey quilting cotton. Waaaah! I feel like the quality of the top suffers for it, but I'm at least happy I still got the look I was going after.

On the upside again...hey, look, I FINALLY have something to wear with these shoes! Note to self - buy more aqua.

My measurements put me in three different sizes - a 34 bust, 36 waist, and 38 hip. In retrospect, I should have just cut a straight 34. This top is already really loose and the extra flair created by sizing up at the bottom just wound up looking like a maternity top. At first I convinced myself this was just the style and it's supposed to be that way, but after completely finishing the top I looked at the pictures on Deer and Doe's website and realized the original is not nearly that huge. So I took it in from just below the bust straight down to the hip. I must have cut out at least 1.5 inches at the hips on each side!

I took a tip from Roobeedoo's experience and halved the dart just as she did. Judging from my muslin, I believe this pattern is cut for a C cup. The muslin fit me a lot like Colette patterns do. I also had to take in the front shoulder by about an inch because the yoke was almost falling down to my bustline.

I did really appreciate the bias binding template included with this pattern. My regular bias tape maker was much smaller than this called for so I did use it and it works! I made a little video showing the method I used...hopefully I'll be able to upload that soon. My computer is not being very nice to me at the moment.

Yay, buttons! They're just sewn on, I didn't see any reason to make them functional. But they still make me super happy. Why? No idea. Buttons on everything!!!

In other news, my wee little blog just passed 200 followers on Bloglovin' and I'd like to celebrate by doing my first giveaway! I will try to get my stuff together and post it before this weekend. Stay tuned :)

Do any of you have a Datura in your near future? I'm curious to hear how the construction and fitting works for others.

My experience with the Uniquely You Dressform

Once I decided that I need to finally get this dress form done, I went looking online to see if there were any tutorials or videos on how to fit the cover. There are plenty of reviews but no videos or in depth information on people's experience with it. I've been wanting to try making a video for this blog for a while, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to try it out.

I've never made any kind of video before so please excuse my noobishness there. I started out super nervous, but got more comfortable being in front of the camera toward the end. I'd like to learn more so that I can make some improvements and hopefully there will be more tutorials and reviews to come :) I have some good ideas in mind.

Things I learned through the process of making this video:

1) My accent really does come out more when I'm relaxed! (I'm originally from Alabama)

2) I make really funny faces when I talk. I had a good time going through the stills and laughing at myself!

I would add "I'm pretty awkward" and "I need better lighting!" to this list, but I already know these things. I'm cool with my awkwardness, but the lighting issue will have to wait until my bank account has recovered from this new sewing machine! (Oh yeah, did I mention I got a new machine? More on that later!)

If you are looking to order one of these, don't make the same mistake I did - make sure you order the correct size form! Order according to your largest measurement. The foam can squish in to become smaller, but the only way to make it bigger is to pad it out with batting. Also, don't be afraid to cut into it if you need to. Just be careful and try to round it out as well as possible. I give some tips on how to do this toward the end of the video.

This was definitely a time consuming and often frustrating process, but I think the results are worth it in the end. If you are a hard to find size or between sizes (or a mix of many sizes as a lot of us are!) then this is really the way to go. If you have a sewing friend to help you out then you'll probably have an easier time than I did. The instructions are a good starting point, but they really aren't very helpful. And seriously, couldn't the company stand to update those things?

 

Also, don't do what I did and try putting the cover on the form by yourself. Multiple times. Ugggghhhhh. I'm totally not kidding about how sore I am after that!

If any of you have tried this or another custom dress form solution, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Enough of this thing, I'm ready to start draping!