In the rush to get everything ready before my glorious six days away, crafting fell by the wayside. Therefor, I renege on my previous goal of getting my bee fabric out early, and showing you cute pictures of the matching blue and white seersucker dress (it hasn't been made yet). I will, however, show you the cutest pair of pants I got at Anthropologie on supersale ($19.99!)
I will be at the beach with no internet access. I'm very excited for Memorial Day, and the excuse to wear cotton and white again. Leave me lots of comments to let me know I'm missed!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
AQB2-- June
June is my month for Another Quilting Bee Two. I'm so excited, I addressed all the envelopes and starting cutting the fabric tonight. I'm a little nervous I'm not sending enough, so I keep adding more. I love all things local, so the only hint I'll give is that the fabric designer lives very close to the Park Avenue Sweat Shop. And this designer designs super cute fabric that is very different from the previous fabric used for this bee.
I don't know why I'm so into secrets these days-- I hope it's not annoying. Leave your best guess, or wait for the mail, AQB2 ladies!
Also, I'm leaving for a much-needed vacation on Thursday, and will not post until the following Wednesday. I'll send the fabric out before I leave, so y'all have something new to work on over Memorial Day.
I don't know why I'm so into secrets these days-- I hope it's not annoying. Leave your best guess, or wait for the mail, AQB2 ladies!
Also, I'm leaving for a much-needed vacation on Thursday, and will not post until the following Wednesday. I'll send the fabric out before I leave, so y'all have something new to work on over Memorial Day.
Friday, May 15, 2009
PTQB-- May
Here's Colleen's block:
I had been giving myself gold stars for getting these quilting bee blocks together pretty quickly-- but then this one came along. Colleen sent beautiful fabric, and asked that we not add any of our own... and I came up embarrassingly short. Luckily, she was nice enough to send me some extra and I made a block I'm proud of.
This fabric reminded me of vacationing in Greece, and old-skool airlines. The squares within the green in the center remind me of windows on a plane, as do the large stripes and symmetry of it. I hope Colleen likes it!
Also, here are pictures of my wrap dress from "Chic and Simple Sewing". The front:
The back:
Seersucker is hard to photograph. Also, ignore the wrinkles. Looking at the pictures, I'm afraid it looks a little like a hospital gown... does it? I will say I'm in love with the circle skirt, and you know I love anything that involves a bow and the waist. I'm going to make a matching blue and white one, too.
I had been giving myself gold stars for getting these quilting bee blocks together pretty quickly-- but then this one came along. Colleen sent beautiful fabric, and asked that we not add any of our own... and I came up embarrassingly short. Luckily, she was nice enough to send me some extra and I made a block I'm proud of.This fabric reminded me of vacationing in Greece, and old-skool airlines. The squares within the green in the center remind me of windows on a plane, as do the large stripes and symmetry of it. I hope Colleen likes it!
Also, here are pictures of my wrap dress from "Chic and Simple Sewing". The front:
The back:
Seersucker is hard to photograph. Also, ignore the wrinkles. Looking at the pictures, I'm afraid it looks a little like a hospital gown... does it? I will say I'm in love with the circle skirt, and you know I love anything that involves a bow and the waist. I'm going to make a matching blue and white one, too.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
secret quilt update
OK, I read over my post from yesterday, and really, I'm not as angry about the book as I might have sounded. I just thought I'd throw that out there, in case I scared anyone away.
And, to make up for it, I want to show you what I'm calling the secret quilt-- I just couldn't resist sharing this as I'm in love with these blocks:
So cute, I can't even stand it. Also, since it's been a while, here's my progress on my hug pillow:
Coming right along! I'm visiting my mom over Memorial Day, and I figure this will be a nice project to work on during that trip. Do you think I'll be OK with a tapestry needle on the plane?
And, to make up for it, I want to show you what I'm calling the secret quilt-- I just couldn't resist sharing this as I'm in love with these blocks:
So cute, I can't even stand it. Also, since it's been a while, here's my progress on my hug pillow:
Coming right along! I'm visiting my mom over Memorial Day, and I figure this will be a nice project to work on during that trip. Do you think I'll be OK with a tapestry needle on the plane?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
chic and simple sewing
I really wanted to like this book. Really.
I got "Chic and Simple Sewing: Skirts, Dresses, Tops and Jackets for the Modern Seamstress" by Christine Haynes at the library. The cover is cute, and I immediately liked that the book lays flat and included full sized patterns. Unfortunately, that's about all the praise I can give it.
The designs are arranged by season, even though it's quite clear that it's arbitrary. The patterns are designated on a level of difficulty from one to five and list the required skills. The very first dress, "The Classic Wrap Dress" is pretty cute, as is "The Opera Dress". Those are the only ones that look even close to something you'd wear.
None of the designs have zippers, buttons, darts, lining, facing, interfacing/stabilizer, or even embellishment suggestions or views in alternate fabrics. Everything is shapeless and shoddily constructed. The hems are all machine-stitched, and the designs don't even fit the models that well. All of the accessories on the models were wrong, too, including a prominent black woven belt that keeps reappearing to hide many elastic waistbands. There's also a large bottom ruffle shown on FIVE different dresses.
There are very few diagrams, and I was surprisingly annoyed that Haynes didn't even show how the patterns ought to lay on the fabric. She mentions in the 40 page general sewing instructions that all of the patterns should be laid out to maximize your fabric usage.
That reminds me: the patterns. I went ahead and made the wrap dress, and the book told me to cut out a handful of patterns that came with numbers, like "20, Bodice Back Side". The previously-mentioned full sized patterns are still printed on tissue paper, and every piece has generic names. There's no mention of the dress as well, so I could've easily cut out another "Bodice Back Side" if I didn't also match the number.
Back to my making of the wrap dress. The instructions offered little more than, "Cut out your pattern. Sew your dress." I bought the recommended yardage, but after cutting, I still have about half of it left (that's fine-- I'd rather have extra than coming up short, and I'm also glad I picked fabric I like).
Here's an example of the vague direction given: "For this dress, pick something lightweight, medium weight, or even slightly heavier." (p.105) Lots of help, eh?
If you're still with me, I will say that the small pattern actually seems to be a small. And the wrap dress did indeed come out OK. I promise to post pictures soon, but right now I'm way too tired to model. Bottom line, "Chic and Simple Sewing" gets a big thumbs down from the Park Avenue Sweat Shop.
I got "Chic and Simple Sewing: Skirts, Dresses, Tops and Jackets for the Modern Seamstress" by Christine Haynes at the library. The cover is cute, and I immediately liked that the book lays flat and included full sized patterns. Unfortunately, that's about all the praise I can give it.
The designs are arranged by season, even though it's quite clear that it's arbitrary. The patterns are designated on a level of difficulty from one to five and list the required skills. The very first dress, "The Classic Wrap Dress" is pretty cute, as is "The Opera Dress". Those are the only ones that look even close to something you'd wear. None of the designs have zippers, buttons, darts, lining, facing, interfacing/stabilizer, or even embellishment suggestions or views in alternate fabrics. Everything is shapeless and shoddily constructed. The hems are all machine-stitched, and the designs don't even fit the models that well. All of the accessories on the models were wrong, too, including a prominent black woven belt that keeps reappearing to hide many elastic waistbands. There's also a large bottom ruffle shown on FIVE different dresses.
There are very few diagrams, and I was surprisingly annoyed that Haynes didn't even show how the patterns ought to lay on the fabric. She mentions in the 40 page general sewing instructions that all of the patterns should be laid out to maximize your fabric usage.
That reminds me: the patterns. I went ahead and made the wrap dress, and the book told me to cut out a handful of patterns that came with numbers, like "20, Bodice Back Side". The previously-mentioned full sized patterns are still printed on tissue paper, and every piece has generic names. There's no mention of the dress as well, so I could've easily cut out another "Bodice Back Side" if I didn't also match the number.
Back to my making of the wrap dress. The instructions offered little more than, "Cut out your pattern. Sew your dress." I bought the recommended yardage, but after cutting, I still have about half of it left (that's fine-- I'd rather have extra than coming up short, and I'm also glad I picked fabric I like).
Here's an example of the vague direction given: "For this dress, pick something lightweight, medium weight, or even slightly heavier." (p.105) Lots of help, eh?
If you're still with me, I will say that the small pattern actually seems to be a small. And the wrap dress did indeed come out OK. I promise to post pictures soon, but right now I'm way too tired to model. Bottom line, "Chic and Simple Sewing" gets a big thumbs down from the Park Avenue Sweat Shop.
happily handmade giveaway
If you're not already familiar with the Happily Handmade Giveaway, allow me to introduce you. Twenty-five crafty shops are giving away wonderful products. All you need to do is visit each website, submit an entry, and drool over what you could win. It didn't take me much time at all (except for getting distracted by all of the great merch). It's a chance for these indie businesses to gain visitors, and a chance for us to discover something new. You don't even need to be crafty to enter-- just appreciate handmade things. Today is the last day to enter, so be sure to check it out now. Tell them the Sweat Shop sent you.
Coming soon: another book review, frantic pre-vacation sewing, matching mother/daughter dresses, and quilty goodness.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
May Giveaway Day
Those crafty crafters at Sew Mama Sew have decided to host a May Giveaway Day, and I've decided to participate. It's not until the end of the month, so I have a little bit of time to decide exactly what I'm going to giveaway. I will say that it's in the category of "handmade item AND sewing supplies", so you'll get something out of the Sweatshop as well as raw materials. And I promise to make it good. Won't you join me?
I think this will be fun, and a perfect excuse for me to give something away. Yay!
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