Easy Peasy Skirt

Posted in 2014 Sewing, Finished Projects by

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This is hands down the easiest skirt I’ve ever made. It’s also without a doubt the most comfortable! Don’t you love whipping out a project in no time at all? Those are few and far between for me, but I’m thinking it would be nice to add more of them into my sewing rotation. It just feels so good to have something done and done with minimal effort (and cost!).

But before I chat about the skirt, I just wanted to add that these photos were taken next to Grand Central where I was meeting friends for drinks at the Campbell Apartment. I may have asked one of them to snap some photos while we waited for everyone else to arrive. :-D I later headed over to meet up with Lladybird Lauren (in from Nashville), Vicki of Another Sewing Scientist (in from Montreal), Juli of Sweet Little Chickadee, Fleur of Frau Fleur, and other lovely ladies! Gotta love Friday night in Manhattan chatting about irons, sewing machine repair, and Elna presses. ;)

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OAL 2014: I Made A Cardigan!!!

Posted in Finished Projects, Knitting & Crafts by

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I knit my very first sweater! The Myrna cardigan by Andi Satterlund of Untangling Knots. Woohoo!

This was completed as part of the Outfit-Along, as I mentioned in a previous post. I did sew a dress in the challenge time frame (my peach dress that I shared last week), but I didn’t originally intend to wear them together. It just happened to be the dress I was making at the time and since the summer has been so busy I never got around to making the pencil skirt I had planned.

In any case, I was just so thrilled to have finished this cardigan by the deadline that I wore it with the peach dress and shared them in the OAL thread on Ravelry. A few days later, these photos were taken in Bryant Park and I’m much happier with how this cardigan pairs color-wise with my Colette Parfait dress from two years ago.

The yarn I used was Worsted Cotton by Blue Sky Alpacas. The color is Mediterranean, which is perfect since it reminded me of crystal blue water when I spotted it at Downtown Yarns at Avenue A and East 3rd Street. This yarn may be a bit heavier than what’s recommended, but I think it worked out all in all. The one issue I noticed is that it shed on my white dress. Little blue furries lightly sprinkled over the fabric. Hmm, was that supposed to happen?

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A Peach Sundress + My 100th Blog Post!

Posted in 2014 Sewing, Finished Projects by

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Well, whatta ya know? It’s my 100th blog post! So here I am celebrating that milestone in a new dress in Brooklyn! And when I’m posing in a new dress on cobblestone streets with old trolley line rails, a 19th century brick warehouse, and the grand ol’ gal herself, the Brooklyn Bridge, you know I am one happy camper.

PATTERNS. I combined the bodice from B5486 and the skirt from the Sewaholic Lonsdale to create a sundress just right for a humid New York summer (although it’s been pretty cool around these parts lately, what gives?). When it does get humid around here I definitely prefer sleeveless tops/dresses, so this dress will come in handy. I also love that the design can be paired with a cardigan, so depending on fabric choice this could easily transition into spring and/or fall. Heck, perhaps even winter!

I’ve had B5486 in my stash for a few years now, and I’d like to make the full version one of these days. It comes with a gathered skirt with an option for knee or maxi length. You can also add a waist tie. I used the bodice of view A and modified the neckline from v-neck to scoop, which is much more wearable for me as an office dress. I made a muslin of the v-neck and I think I’d have to do an FBA to give myself more coverage.

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Wearing Yesteryear: April – June 2013

Posted in Wearing Yesteryear by

I’m back with another review post of past creations. If you’ve been following along you’ll know I was posting these monthly, but I thought it made sense to combine them into three-month chunks. My last post was in March, so today I’ll be covering how the garments I made from April to June 2013 fared one year later. Off we go!

(Click on the photo or the link below it to go to the original post.)

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Vogue 8379 Knit Wrap Dress

I’ve worn this dress lots! As with my other versions of this pattern, this is a very practical yet fun addition to my wardrobe. It’s great for work or for special occasions, depending on how it’s styled or what kind of fabric you use. I’ve also worn this particular dress in the colder months by pairing it with tights and a cardigan.

This dress has received some nice compliments, perhaps the best one being “That looks expensive!” from the cheery cashier at Pret A Manger. I’ll take it! I want to make a dozen more versions of this pattern…

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OAL 2014: Give Me Fabric and Give Me Yarn

Posted in Knitting & Crafts by

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Babs and Gromit, two knitting greats.

Happy Friday, all! This is quite a late post, but I’m kinda sorta joining the Outfit-Along currently being hosted by Lauren of Lladybird and Andi of Untangling Knots. I say kinda sorta because I’m not 100% sure I’ll finish in time, but I’m totally using this as the push I need to fulfill my dream of knitting a cropped cardigan (it’s the little things).

outfitalongI’m working on a dress right now that would look great with such a cardigan, but I’ll have to see if I like the color combo together. The dress features a Sewaholic Lonsdale skirt with a Sewaholic Cambie bodice and Vogue 2902‘s neckline (I’ll explain the whole random combo thing in the finished project post).

Yeah, so back to the knitting part. Knitting and me go way back, but it’s been an iffy relationship. Sure, there’s half of that boring scarf I started, um, 10 years ago maybe? And the squares that my friends and I were going to knit into a baby blanket for a classmate’s newborn that, oh, just turned nine.

But, hey, I did start to get on the right track with the snood seen round the world thanks to Karen of Did You Make That? fame. Clearly I’m on the up and up!

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