flying ahead

The unusally warm winter we're having in the Northeast makes it impossible not to think about spring and summer sewing. When I saw the new Little Lisette prints I couldn't resist an extra trip to Joann to pick some up for myself. I was especially taken by the tiny pink and yellow dragonflies. I brought them home and pretty much dove right in.

I've been meaning to try the 2+2 blouse for a while. I liked the design so much that I bought up both sizes when they announced it was going out of print. It is a very cute pattern. I love the short sleeve option, but since we still have a ways to go before it's officially spring, I opted for the long sleeves.

The contrast is a very lightweight twill I found on fabric.com. It was much lighter weight than I expected a twill to be, but the color was so lovely I kept it. I plan to use it for something to match this top. The pleated skirt would be the obvious choice, but I don't think skirts really match the toddler lifestyle very well. We're more about tunics and skinny pants for optimum mobility. So I'll have to think about it.



I found some nice yellow buttons at my local yarn shop. I wasn't convinced that a blouse with an open front really needs buttons down the back. Generally, I'm opposed to back buttons because little ones sleep on their backs and because they're a pain with squirmy toddlers. They do look very cute, though. I kept them for my first try because I sometimes have a hard time getting O+S over my baby's huge head. After we've worn it, I'll know whether the buttons are strictly necessary.

I love the quality of the dragonfly poplin. It's crisp but soft and has the tiniest feel of stretch so I think it will be comfortable. It I bought it on sale for $6 per yard, which I think is highly resaonable for the quality. I also plan to try that crayon box colored cross stitch lawn from this collection. It was really fun in the store and would be wonderful for breezy summer blouses.

More spring projects on the way! I would love to share action shots, but we're at that age when they simply don't stay still for a moment!

A continental affair

I’m so eager to share this project that I can’t wait any longer to try and get decent pictures. I really wanted to use this stunning Anna Maria Horner voile for an upcoming mom’s night out, but simply couldn’t decide on the right pattern. At first, I envisioned a simple sheath dress to showcase the pattern. Then I realized that the large scale would benefit from some pleats or gathers to break up the design a little. I’m not sure why I suddenly realized that the Lisette Continental Dress (Simplicity 2059) was the right thing, but it was serendipitous. I was drawn to the Continental dress when it debuted last spring, but I was skeptical that it would suit my figure and it sat for a while. With only a week until girls’ night, I finally (after a really quick muslin, I admit) decided to take the plunge. I threw this thing together with a shaky mixture of excitement and fear until the moment I debuted it for my friends last Saturday at Beau Monde. Isn’t it funny how some projects can actually put butterflies in your stomach?

This pattern was likely conceived as a casual dress, but with dramatic fabric, chandelier earrings and heels, I think it dressed up perfectly well for a night on the town. With a simple cardi and flats, it was just fine for Mass the next morning. I can imagine wearing this to school meetings as well. A super long cardigan would be nice, wouldn’t it?

No FBA was required for this, because there really is a *LOT* of ease built into this dress. That worked well for me, but if you’re less full busted you might think about how loose you like it to be. I took the shoulders and the lower armscyes in a little. I needed the fullness of my usual Simplicity size, but the arms gaped more than I liked. I didn’t want my enormous bra to show. I added a smidge of length as well as a deep hem that I finished by hand. I think the voile hangs a little better with an invisible hem but for a casual dress, I would simply machine the narrow hem the pattern suggests. I adjusted the front gathers while wearing the dress and pinned them into place. This way, I could make sure they were in just the right place for me.

Even in a dark color, this voile is a little sheer, so I added a lining in Bemberg rayon. I simply made a second dress, stitched them together at the armscyes and neck, then finished them together with the bias trim. Easy peasy. I made French seams down the sides of both lining and fashion fabric so they could hang independently. For fun, and because I had a few minutes to spare before meeting the girls, I added hand-stitched thread belt loops to hold the ribbon in place.

I spent hours placing the pattern pieces because I realized that unfortunate placement of those large light blue flowers could easily ruin the whole dress. I didn’t want a huge bull’s eye over one boob or my fat belly! I made the self fabric sash, but decided on this lovely charcoal gray grosgrain ribbon instead. The contrast drew more attention to my high waist and was a tad more slimming.

Conclusion: A versatile pattern suitable for all kinds of fabrics. I think it dressed up nicely and it will definitely make an easy casual dress. I’m thinking about cotton sateen or linen so I don’t have to fuss with a lining. Without all the additions I made for this dressy version, this pattern could be made up in an afternoon. In fact, this would be the perfect place to start if you’ve never sewn for yourself before. There’s only simple fitting and almost instant gratification!

This style was a little outside my comfort zone. I normally look for fitted things and I’m scared of anything that might make me look wider than I am. But after three children, I have a completely different body than I did 7 years ago and I’m still learning how to dress it. The moral of this story – if you know the designer is good, trust her vision and take a chance on something different!

(also, don’t let your husband take pictures.)

sewing space

Things were so hectic last fall, I decided I needed some time to catch up before I could really get used to the idea of a new year. To give myself some space, I decided to start 2012 on Febryary 1. So today seems like a good time to share some sewing organization. For a while now, I've been working to organizing my sewing supplies. I don't have a dedicated space - yet. I do, however, have way too much stuff to just pile in a box under the bed. Finding space is challenging because although my old Victorian townhouse is quite large, it lacks storage and spare nooks. It also lacks finished space, doorknobs, baseboards, walls and more that I won't go into. The subject of old home renovations could fill its own blog. Or ten.

I started in what will eventually be our closet, but was just a cubby full of boxes. That got small quickly and was a pretty dark. I tried the dining room for a while since we don't technically use it very much, but the kids were always running through and it's also dark. So I landed in my bedroom on a large folding table we use for Thanksgiving or big dinners. The bedroom is the only room with enough free floor space to accommodate laying out and cutting. It also has plenty of natural light even though it is north facing.

Right to hand, I keep a few little boxes with essentials. This one I saved from some John & Kira's treats is full of those little things you need all the time - seam ripper, small scissors, pencil, seam guage, extra bobbins, etc. The other little tin has all my feet.  They live with the tomato and magnetic pin cushion right next to the machine. The other tin holds a hand sewing kit that I take into the family room to sew cozied up on the sofa in front of the TV.

 The little drawer unit you see was super affordable and perfectly sized for tools and notions. The top drawer holds a caddy full of cutting supplies, extra needles and my sewing machine manual.

This one holds two tea bag organizers which are exactly right for packets of snaps and elastics. They also are perfect for skeins of embroidery floss and packaged bias tape and trims. The tiny labels made me feel so Martha.

Other drawers are exactly the right size to hold upcomming projects as I gather the supplies needed.

The tulle spilling out of this drawer can barely wait to be sewn up! This unit is so useful, I bought another for the rest of my notions, knitting and embroidery supplies. Fabrics and trims I plan to keep in plain sight. I will share that arrangement next time.

Hanging on my chair at the ready is the Liberty tote I take fabric shopping. Just now, it has a list and swatches for my next trip to Joann.

A very special set of Christmas gifts that I've been enjoying every single day. For Christmas, my husband actually loaded every single piece of my CD collection onto this new ipod and my mother-in-law bought me the radio. We haven't had a music system since we moved into this huge house. In a previous life, I trained as a classical musician, so it's been just wonderful to hear my old favorites after so long.

And the flowers? Just cause they look so pretty and cheerful on my desk. My oldest son came home from the grocery store with pink flowers for me one day and now I've gotten accustomed to seeing them there. It really brightens up an ugly plastic table and encourages me to keep things tidy.

Chances are, you have some of the same supplies at your place. I've scoured every store imaginable for storage options. I can save you some time and effort by sharing these. I've also found perfect baskets for patterns, which I will share soon. It's by no means a perfect solution. Hubby shares this room with me and we're both a little tired of the sewing taking over our "master" bedroom. I don't want to do anything so drastic as resolve, but I will hope that 2012 will be the year I get a dedicated studio.