Sewing our summer wardrobe

I love to sew! 

I still laugh at that statement because I disliked it so much as a teenager in home economics class.

       I started back sewing around 8 years ago and haven't stopped since.  My favorite things to make are totes, diaper bags and purses of all shapes and sizes.  I go against the grain and don't always use patterns.  When I have a special project to do I design it in my head and just start cutting, that makes each one of my handmade gifts truly one of a kind.
       Recently, I made a custom purse for a dear friend of mine, my best friend,  for her birthday last month and she LOVED it so much.  She picked the main fabric (Harajuku Girls Invade New York City) and I picked all the coordinating fabrics.  It took me about an hour in the fabric store to decide which colors I wanted to pull out of the main fabric.  I think the mauve/pink and blue really make the 
Harajuku fabric pop.  

(Photo credit to Sheila D.)

I love when I can make something for someone who truly appreciates all the hard work that went into it.

In fact this very same best friend was so inspired by my sew obsession that she went out and bought her very first sewing machine.  Now she is as hooked on sewing as I am and I have someone to brainstorm sewing ideas with!  How awesome is that!  I gave her, her very first sewing lesson a few weeks ago (not that she needed it, she is a very crafty lady) and she has already made three dresses.

My latest obsession project:

SKIRTS

       I'm a skirt girl, I LOVE skirts.  So many woman have moved away from wearing sweet, feminine clothes.  Wearing pants and shorts just isn't my thing.  Skirts instantly makes you feel more girlie and younger.  I found some very good tutorials and fell in love with the bias cut knit waist skirts.  They are crazy comfortable and fall so beautifully on an size figure.  Anything cut on the bias is just gorgeous.  I ordered a $40 skirt from a designer off Etsy and figured out how she made it and started cutting out my own skirt.  A hour later I was wearing my first skirt creation!  Two hours after that I had made matching skirts for my daughter and I.  Ok, I was hooked on skirt making, they are so simple and the fabric combinations are endless.  My skirts only cost me around $8 -$15. You can't beat that!   The few skirts I had been looking at in some clothing magazines were $40 and up, ouch NOT in my budget.

  You can make them any length you want and the fabric combinations are endless.

I bought these fabrics from Hobby Lobby.  It took three yards of fabric because I gathered the second layer to make it more full.  When you are doing a bias cut skirt you cut a full circle out for the top layer and straight strips for all the other layers.  The knit waist is so comfortable, and you don't see it because your shirt covers it. 

I also love the  Mock Smock Cotton Prints that you can find more and more of these days.  All it takes is a seam up the back and you are done.  I added two ribbon ties to make it into a halter top for my daughter.  It is so cute with leggings you can get a Target for $4-5 dollars.  Top cost around $12 for materials. 

This is the -Fancy Nancy Posh Puppy I found it at Joann's Fabric.

This fabric was also purchased at Hobby Lobby.  I used a dark navy knit for this waist band too.  The thicker the knit the better, the thin knit stretchs too much.

Matching skirt for my daughter.

This is a good picture of the knit waist band.

Another skirt I made for my daughter using the mock smock fabric.  This could easily be a top too.

Taking a break waiting for the wind to calm down, it was crazy windy today!

Happy sewing!

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Handmade Vintage Costumes for the Next Generation

With Halloween rolling around faster this year than ever before, I was really trying to just figure out a simple costume for each of my children.  Usually the theme is picked in January and mom and I get started creating in September.  Ever since my baby boy peep was born I have always picked something both kids could be together.

The first year they were Little Red Riding Hood and the "Little" Bad Wolf (I looked everywhere and can't find these pictures) Ugh!

The next year they were Dorothy and a Munchkin

 

    

And last year they were Wendy and Peter Pan

 

 

This year we went vintage, clown vintage to be exact!.  I was looking through some of my old dance costumes to find something for my daughter and at the bottom of the bin were two wonderful memories that had been forgotten.  My mom made my brother and I matching clown costumes when I was around 5.  I loved them then and I love them NOW! 

Well the kids saw them and I thought, 'they are never even going to consider these for their costumes, they are make out of early 80's fabric, possibly late 70's fabric that was just saved til the 80's.'

They took one look at them and screamed in horror delight!  They both demanded that they try the costumes on immediately.  By this time I am just grinning from ear to ear, could this be? they liked them, they really, really like them!  HOT DOG, we may have just stumbled upon two perfect costumes!!!  We had to make some alterations and fix some old elastic but the clown costumes are being put to good use once again 30 years later. 

So do you think their kids will be fighting over the vintage clown costumes 30 years from now?

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