fresh stitch

Anna Sui and Hammer pants?

2009-04-01T12:13:00.004-05:00

Vogue's summer patterns just came out, and it's quite an interesting bunch. I'd say it's the most unique and original grouping, even if it leaves me a little confused...

The good?
I love these Anna Sui dresses...I think they're above my skill level right now but I think they're so wonderfully feminine, and I'm in love with all things ruffly right now.

I also love this dress in the maxi version. I'm a dress person in my head, in reality I don't wear them as often as I could. I will continue to collect dress patterns none-the-less...

And now the bad...
I'm sorry...is it really necessary to have two different patterns for big unflattering MC Hammer pants? I know the harem pants were 'in', but these aren't even those!

I hope somebody proves me wrong and just rocks them, but until then I will doubt these and the person who thought it wise to put out two different (but equally ridiculous) versions of them.

This one? Seriously- why buy a pattern, sew up the back of your Snuggie and call it a day ;)

I'm hoping to finish my only unfinished (sewing) project, it's a dress that was intended to be a possibility for my rehearsal dinner, now- possibly an Easter dress if:
A. I finish it in time
B. It's not too dressy for the occasion

We'll see!

Busy-ness & Fabric

2009-03-26T14:03:00.005-05:00

Things have been somewhat busy lately, hence the lack of sewing (and posts). We bought a second car this week, which is amazing- I'd been trapped at home most days unless I pre-scheduled something (in which case I had to get up at 5 to take my husband to work so that I could have the car)...Anyways- major upgrade for us!

I've been needing (wanting) to check out the fabric stores here, there are no JoAnn's or Hancock's, but I've been researching it a bit and found a few: Fabric Mart and Kaimuki Dry Goods. I tried finding the Aiea Fabric Mart yesterday but ended up in some residential area- google maps is never quite right with exact addresses for some reason. In checking out their website again though I just found a detailed map, my next venture down there should be successful.

While there isn't a JoAnn's/Hancock's, I found that every Walmart here has maintained their fabric department when so many others have closed them. Their fabric selection is pretty bad*- but they do carry patterns and notions if I ever need something quickly in the middle of a project.

*I love Hawaii- however, I'm not crazy about loud Hawaiin prints in my everyday wardrobe. If that's what you're looking for though then Walmart's quantity & selection may be great. Quality? Probably another story :)

Time for errands & an afternoon at the beach with friends!

Patterns on the way...

2009-03-19T18:27:00.005-05:00

My mom made it out to Hancock's in time to swipe up some of the patterns I had mentioned- unfortunately they were out of stock on a lot of them (I listed 10, she found 4). None-the-less I'm excited for them to arrive, the ones she was able to get were some of my favs from the list:

This will make some great casual everyday dresses...

I'm most interested in the ruffled version- but the others could have some cute possibilities as well.

I've had my eye on this one for a long time- it's simple but I love it!

The last one she got was the one posted below, McCall's 5802. I love it as a dress and just a top, love the neck detail.

I'm off to throw dinner in the crockpot and cut out a couple of patterns!

McCall's 5388 Top

2009-03-18T21:17:00.007-05:00

Pattern Description:
Pullover tops in two lengths; tops A, B have front and back gathered to self-faced yoke; top A has self ruffle; tops C, D have front gathered to yoke; top C has purchased lace trim; top D has gathered sleeve with casing and elastic.

Pattern Sizing:
I'd read that this pattern ran particularly large, so I went down two sizes and made an 8 rather than my usual 12. For further versions I'd probably go to a 6 because the yoke is still pretty wide- it was also ridiculously long before I altered it, this thing was almost a dress without any modification- and I'm 5'7! Here's the length before without adjustment- it went down a good 3-4" past my shorts:

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Aside from my changes, yep!

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Very- this was a good learning piece- I hadn't done a yoke before, and the directions were a piece of cake to understand.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Likes: The overall shape and all the possibilities this simple pattern has, and it's so easy to make
Dislikes: This thing ran so ridiculously large! Seriously!

Fabric Used:
Some clearance rayon I grabbed at Hancock's about a year ago. It has a really tiny teal dot print on a cream background- here's a close-up (w/ scissors for scale):

It has a great, light weight to it and draped really well.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I did ties rather than single straps and then chopped off a good 7 inches and added the elastic waist. Here's a back view:

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Definitely- yes, and yes! I really want to try the other versions of the top, and it has great possibilities as a dress.

Conclusion:
Love this top and am really happy with how it turned out- definitely a keeper!

Good deal!

2009-03-16T15:40:00.003-05:00

Hancock's is having McCall's $0.99 pattern sale with a limit of 10 per customer (usually they limit it to 5, no)? What a steal! We don't have a Hancock's in Hawaii but I emailed mom a list (including the one above) and told her I'd pay the shipping, hopefully she's able to run out there, the sale ends tomorrow.

Another steal I came across:

This pretty black & white floral jersey for $2.99/yd at Vogue. Hard to pass up, but I'm trying to sew up what I have (and shipping to Hawaii isn't cheap)- hope someone else can take advantage of it!

Sunday Randoms...

2009-03-15T22:33:00.006-05:00

I cut out and ironed the fabric for McCall's 5388 earlier this week, but didn't really get any further than that. Hopefully I'll knock it out this week- I'm excited to try the modifications I have in mind & love the fabric I'm using.

This weekend was pretty quiet, a couple trips to Target, dinner with friends, and a visit to Home Depot- where I picked up the gerber daisy plant above- love it!

I also tried ordering a bunch of prints from Snapfish. I hadn't printed photos forever- we're talking pre-wedding, actually probably about a year without prints. 186 matte thin-white-border 4x6's later and I'm caught up to 2009 without spending much at all!

That's all for now- a glass of wine is calling my name...

2008 is missing!

2009-03-12T22:09:00.006-05:00

So this blog makes quite the jump, from December '07 to March '09. (Not to mention that half of the original blog entries I had got deleted...oops?) I guess I had a busy 2008, including- but not limited to:

Planning our June wedding while working full time
My husband's college graduation
My sister's high school graduation
Our wedding + honeymoon to Puerto Rico
3 additional weddings in Illinois, Atlanta & Kentucky
My husband's brother's wedding in Indy
Moving from one apt in IL to another for 4 months
Leaving my first job (that I loved)
Moving to Missouri for 3 months (due to husband's job)
Moving home to live with my parents for extended holidays before our next (BIG) move
Having our goods/car shipped to Hawaii (yes, Hawaii) where we are now, as of early January, stationed for at least 3 years, and FINALLY settling in!

It was a crazy year, and it's hard to believe how quickly it all flew by..

Anywho, I've got that sewing bug again- and will hopefully be doing a lot more of it in 2009!

The Purple Wrap Dress

2009-03-12T21:28:00.001-05:00

Pattern Description:
Wrap front dress has soft pleats, side tie, and sleeve variations.

Pattern Sizing:
True to my normal pattern size- the 12 fits just right.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, very much so.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
They were! This is only my 3rd sewn pattern without my mom's guidance and I managed just fine *phew*

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
This is a nice basic dress that would work for a lot of occasions. It went together very quickly, I needed it for a specific occasion and had no problem completing it.

Fabric Used:
The same fabric that was nearly the death of me on this other dress, but in a deep royal purple. Oddly enough- no issues this time! I also used some of the left over black from that other dress as the cuffs and ties...(don't love that decision- all purple would've been better in hindsight...the 2 tones bring leisure suits to mind...random- I know!)

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
None- other than I left off the collar like they did in the short sleeve version.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would make it again in a print- I think it's kind of bland as a solid color, and that would hide the pleating issue that bothered me a bit.

Conclusion:
While it's definitely not my favorite dress, it will forever hold a place in my heart as the first item I wore out in public and admitted to sewing myself!

I know it's silly, but I've never worn the other two pieces I've sewn out in public- nor have I really ever brought up the fact that I can and do sew.

Anyway, I had a military dinner to attend with my husband and no chance or place to shop (we were stuck in the middle-of-nowhere Missouri) so I pulled out my stash and matched the fabric to the pattern.

I cut it out one night, sewed it the next, and hemmed it the morning/afternoon before the dinner. I was mortified that my husband told his friends I was sewing a dress, but I got over it and even admitted to my other girl friends who were at the dinner that night. Of course they were impressed, how many other early-20-somethings know how to sew? Obviously a lot that visit this site, but out in everyday passing? Not too many!

So that is the (corny) story of my purple dress that I wore proudly in public (well...mostly proudly, maybe only 10% self-conscious) The end!

Done!

2007-12-02T15:01:00.000-06:00

So it's pretty much done- I just have to go do the hem at my parents' house so I can use my mom's serger- I don't want it to look wonky. I'm going to take the hemline up a few inches to make it more of a baby-doll dress, it's a wee bit long right now. I'm really happy with how it turned out- and even happier that I've finished it! The fabric was a battle, but the outcome makes it worthwhile. I'm definitely going to choose something a little less challenging for my next project!

Success!

2007-10-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

Well...mostly success. I've completed my first piece since diving back into sewing. It's a knit top, Kwik Sew 3467. The only unsuccessful part of it was my fabric choice- way too heavy and overall just crap quality. Rookie mistake I guess. (I blame limited selection as well.) I do love the pattern though and am anxious to make it in a nice light weight knit. Anywho- yay productivity! Now I'm encouraged- on to the next project.. :)