Boho Blouse to Sew

I found another pattern while I was cleaning. I'm thinking this would make the perfect choli type top for belly dancing. Or just to wear as a Boho look. I love all 3 versions and the sleeves would be great for dancing. The only problem is the largest size is 20, and I wear 22.  I might have to leave out the back zipper and make it lace up instead, if the girth fits my rib cage.  Guess I'll make one out of  practice fabric to check the size.

McCalls 5235

Butterick Retro Coat B4928

When I get to my new home the first thing I want to make is a coat. I haven't lived where snow was a possibility since I was a child in New Mexico. Nor do I own many warm clothes.  I'm looking forward to sewing warm snuggly clothing and accessories. When I was packing I found this Butterick Pattern 4928. I may have to enlarge it a big but that shouldn't be too hard as the seams are pretty basic.

Fall Fashion Combos in Red and More

After running across this yesterday on Pinterest I was inspired. I especially like the vest in the first photo.
I'm jealous that she has her own photo booth set up to document all her outfits. The only new purchase in her project was the red jeans. The rest of the pieces came out of her existing collection. With a few accessories she could make double this amount of looks easily.  So as the saying goes, shop your own closets first. With school coming up, now is the time to fix lost buttons, replace a broken zipper, or dye white pieces to mask stains and such. Get all your ducks in a row before school starts and you'll be able to dress for weeks as you adjust to your new homework load. And then you can spend your money on textbooks and art supplies, not on more clothing. Have pity on your budget.

Source: richandheathersmith.com via Theodora on Pinterest

Vintage Pattern and Bad Memories

When I was in 5th of 6th grade (11 or 12 years old) I went to the local drugstore and bought a sewing pattern I just adored.  It was like one of those 50's dresses with the nipped in waist and a full skirt. I wasn't quite skilled enough to handle sewing it by myself and my aunt was going to sew a dress for me.  Well, she took one look at my dream pattern, decided I was too chubby, and coerced me into settling for another pattern.  I think I picked the fabric (kelly green with some sort of flowers) and she made the dress.  I loathed it.  It was stiff and tent-like. Imagine my surprise when I saw a pattern pop up on my facebook stream that jogged my memory.  It was a vintage pattern from 1969.  I would have been 11 when it came out and I remembered the pattern.  I didn't think I was capable of sewing dresses at that time.  Then I remembered!  That was the dress my aunt made for me. The dreaded tent dress. I think I wore it once and it haunted my closet for years.

Nowadays most fashion experts tell you that even chubby girls need a waist with a belt or something to define it. My aunt used to call me chubby checkers which was very hurtful. To get stuck with that stigma as a child definitely changed the person I was. I am still self-conscious.

Update: As fate would have it my daughter just bought a vintage dress in the style I wanted my aunt to make for me when I was a kid.  So you can see exactly the type of dress I was talking about if you couldn't picture it before.  Her's has a side zipper.

Leather Pouch Alpha

My current project is this leather pouch that I'm sewing by hand. Leather is one of those things that you never throw out because you can use every little scrap.  Even tiny scraps can be used to make earrings. Since this is the first in a series of pouches I named it Alpha. The coiled brown piece will be the gusset and the strap. And now I better get busy sewing because it has to be done by Sunday.

My Favorite Color Palettes

Some of my favorite palettes from http://www.colorhunter.com. 
This is really fun. You pick a word or two to look up, like peacock or clown or coffee, and they skim photos off of Flickr, and you get a color palette.  I had to sign up for free so I could save my favorites, and sadly there doesn't seem to be a way to upload my own photos and save it to favorites. Caution: It's addicting.  

Blue Gone Mauve

I was looking for a great mauve color palette to show my boyfriend and couldn't find any, so I got bored and started playing with the app. I put in a photo of my eyeball, which is blue, and I'll be darned if it didn't come up with a mauve color palette. It's not like I have mauve eyeballs.

Here is the website I used. Color

I Heart Kilts

I used to think kilts were overrated. I didn't see what all the big deal was, that is, until I had a boyfriend that wears kilts. Now I prefer men in kilts, and I love Utilikilts. My boyfriend outgrew his, but I was just on the Utilikilt site and they have a very cool one in a brick red color and some other new colors, so hmmm. Tempting. I live in S. CA where a kilt can be worn year round, and I'm sure if he had 3 or 4 of them he'd wear them all the time. He likes to wear them while doing archery. He just seems to enjoy life so much more when he's wearing one.

Turning a Peasant Blouse Into a Dress

Saturday I ran into a woman that was wearing the Folkwear pattern Afghan Nomad Dress. I bought that pattern years ago and never got around to making it. So last night I'm trying to find one on line for less than $18.00 or so.

This morning I get up and log on and realize the pattern for a peasant blouse sitting on my desk that I just bought from Yardsellr is very much like that Afghan dress silhouette. (McCall's M808). I can lengthen it either by adding tiers, or just draw it longer into a maxi version.

I Need to Design a Messenger Bag

For years chiropractors have told me to stop wearing a heavy handbag on my right shoulder.  I have scoliosis, and the extra weight isn't doing a thing for my back or my posture. Now that I have this weird pinched nerve in my back under my left shoulder blade I've tried to figure out what kind of purse I can use that won't make the problem worse.  Carrying something in my hand like a clutch is out because I can't stand to have one hand full when I'm trying to shop or eat or do things.  And the chance of me setting it on a counter or something so I can free up my hands a moment will most likely lead to me leaving it on a bus or a bench somewhere.

A fanny pack would work, only it doesn't hold much and points out my already huge waist. So I'm going to try making and using a messenger bag and see if that helps any. For right now I'm going to adjust the shoulder strap on my store bought denim purse to see if I can wear it as a chest strap like a messenger bag. The other option is some sort of backpack but getting it on and off my sore arm might be as bad as carrying my purse the old way.  We'll see. I'll keep you posted.

Summer Sewing Tutorials

Go forth and make something. If you start now it will be ready in time for summer. http://www.everythingetsy.com/2011/06/101-sewing-tutorials-for-summer/