Women's Magazine Street Maxi + A Giveaway!

I was provided this pattern free of charge, but all opinions are my own.

Hey guys! Shannon and I are so excited to be a part of the Seamingly Smitten pattern tour today and share a really great pattern (and a giveaway!!) with you all.  I already own a couple of Seamingly Smitten patterns, so when Jenny contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in trying another pattern, it was an easy yes!

My initial inclination was to sew up the Magazine Street Maxi Dress for Girls because I've been eyeing it for-ev-er, but my daughter, Haley, has enough dresses to last her until she's 42 and I have a pile of gorgeous knit from Girl Charlee just waiting to be cut into, so I thought it was about time I did some selfish sewing!

Scoop Top

Have you ever had a project that just sat on your craft table, waiting for months to be made? That's what happened with this Scoop Top. When Kristin of Skirt As Top posted a tutorial and free pattern for her Scoop Top in April, I got excited and printed out the pattern in anticipation of making one or ten of them right away. And then the poor pattern sat on my craft table taunting me for months when I got caught up with other things.

One day as I was enjoying my bi-weekly rummage of the remnant bin at JoAnn Fabrics, I found the perfect fabric that I knew had to be made into a Scoop Top, probably because it looks almost exactly like the fabric Kristin used for hers? I snapped it up for under 2 dollars and got to work!

Kristin's pattern is right on! I love the slight curved hem on the bottom, and the length is pretty perfect too. Since the knit fabric doesn't fray, I decided to save some time (read: lazy ;) and leave the sleeve and hems raw. One of these days I'll actually invest in a double needle, but for now I'm happy to use my walking foot or just skip hemming all together :)

I can see this shirt getting a lot of wear this fall! I can't wait to make more. I'm thinking long sleeves...

Have you made a Scoop Top yet? Go do it!

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!

Leather Belts to Wrap Bracelets

My husband's grandmother gave me a box full of belts a few months ago, and after picking out a few to use for crafts, I saved a few favorites for myself. The only problem is, Grandma must have been a size 0 when she wore them (which I certainly am not!) because they were tiiiiiiny! Most of them found their way into my craft room to be refashioned later, but I held onto this cute yellow skinny belt for myself, thinking I could make it work...that is until I tried to force said size 0 skinny belt onto my size 6 waist and it broke.

But when life hands you lemons and broken belts, you make jewelry!

So grab a few skinny belts from your closet (or from your local thrift store) and lets make some leather wrap bracelets.

SUPPLIES: leather belts (preferably skinny belts), scissors, leather punch or Crop-o-dile.

ONE: wrap your belt around your wrist until you're happy with the bracelet size, leaving some extra for the tail.
TWO: cut that bad boy.
THREE: use your leather punch or Crop-o-dile to punch holes in your bracelet to make it adjustable.

Now make a bunch! I bet you could find a ton of fun prints and colors at a thrift store. I'm hoping to find some neon or metallic belts to make into bracelets next.

Enjoy your new jewelry!

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!

Reversible Paper Bag Skirt

Shannon and I have the amazing opportunity to contribute to 3 fantastic blogs: The Sewing Rabbit, Whipperberry, and The Lovely Cupboard. It's been several months now since we started contributing, and for me personally, the experience has challenged me and pushed me outside my comfort zone. It's both thrilling and intimidating to create next to such extremely talented women!

Celina of Petit a Petit and Family is one of the talented ladies I have the pleasure of creating alongside on The Sewing Rabbit. When she posted her tutorial for the Reversible Paper Bag Skirt, I was instantly excited because I'm not much of a skirt wearer, but I love skirts. It's not that I don't want to wear them, it's just that I have a smaller waist and wider hips, so many times skirts just don't flatter my figure.

Since her paper bag skirt features a gathered high-waist, it was the perfect excuse for me to make myself a skirt that I'd actually be able to wear!

It turned out just as good as I hoped, and I love that the skirt is reversible. For the gingham, I used fabric from a set of curtains I thrifted months ago. The floral print is from who knows where, but it's wonderfully soft and drapey. Another benefit of following Celina's tutorial is that I learned how to sew flat felled hems (flat felled hems are commonly used on jeans to encase the raw edges and give the jeans a nice, finished look.) Yay for new techniques!

Thanks for the great tutorial, Celina! And if you've ever considered contributing to another blogger's blog sometime, DO IT. It will stretch you in the best way possible.

CRAFT: A Coral Flutter Tee + Bloopers

I made another one of these shirts. They're just so comfy, and perfect for any season really when you add a cardi or jacket. This Flutter Tee was made out of a fussier knit than the interlock I used last time. I found juuuuust enough in the remnant bin at JoAnn's and loved it right away, but my machine did not. I pretty much felt like I was fighting with the fabric the entire time because the edges kept curling up on me, but it was completely worth it.

Jess offered a really helpful hint awhile ago to use spray starch for any super curly edges when working with knits. It may be a no-brainer for everyone else, but I was like, "why didn't I think of that??" This time I just left the edges raw since I like the look of the curled edges and, hey, it's knit and I can dangit. But also I'm lazy like that.

By the end of a project, many times I just don't feel like hemming, you know? There needs to be a group for lazy sewers like me. We'd all sit around and eat cookies and pick stitches that got all wonky because we didn't take time to iron properly. I'd join for the cookies alone.

Anyways back to the shirt. Rather than making and adding hem tape around the neck like in the original tutorial, I simply folded down the neck and armholes 1/4 inch then ironed and folded down another 1/4 inch and sewed. It makes for a quicker sew and still looks great.

I'm sure everyone's noticed I've been working a LOT with knits lately. There are just so many different colors and fun prints to choose from that I've gotten hooked! I'm sure it's also pretty evident that I like to dig through the remnant bin. Guilty. I just can't pass up that extra 10% off.

In other news, my modeling poses are still not America's Top Model-quality, but hopefully they're getting better. I've been trying to make myself a few more things lately to force myself out of my comfort zone. I think I've mastered the "stare down at shirt" technique.

For fun, I thought I'd share some of the not-so-awesome pictures that didn't make the cut (please pardon the overexposure. Part of the reason they didn't make the cut, along with the awesome facial expressions of course.)

Feel free to add your own caption to this last one and make me laugh :)

CRAFT: High-Low Racerback Tunic

This high-low racerback tunic was featured on The Sewing Rabbit as part of our monthly contribution. Here's the full tutorial in case you missed it!

As I was browsing the fabric section of Walmart recently, I came across a small bolt of polyester knit shoved in between two others. It was pink and purple with a floral/palm tree pattern all over it. I think my exact words were, "Ew, weird," and I promptly shoved it back into the depths of the fabric shelf. After browsing some more, I couldn't get that lonely little bolt out of my head, so I pulled it back out again. On second look, I noticed that the fabric had a chevron and triangle pattern on it and my dislike turned to intrigue. Then I noticed the $1.50/yard price tag and had to have it. I quickly texted my sister-in-law and blogging counterpart, Shannon, a picture of the fabric to which she texted back, "Well, it's not terrible." I took that as a sign and snapped up the last 1 1/2 yards to make this racerback tunic - and I'm in love!

Here's what you need to make your own racerback high-low tunic just in time for summer!

SUPPLIES: 2-2 1/2 yards knit fabric (you'll want something with some stretch to it), 1/2 inch wide elastic, shirt to use as a template, disappearing ink marker, rotary cutter and mat, measuring tape, iron and ironing board, sewing machine and basic sewing supplies.

Drafting and Cutting Out Your Pattern and Pieces:

 

ONE: first, you'll need to make your bodice pattern. Use a pattern your already have, or draft your own by folding a shirt in half and tracing around it (make sure to add 1/2 inch for seam allowance.) Stop tracing about 4 inches under the armpit and draw a line straight across the bottom.

TWO: after I had my front bodice pattern, I modified the pattern piece to make the back bodice racerback-style, as shown in the picture above. You could also trace an existing racerback shirt for this.

THREE: to draft the bottom of my tunic, I simply matched up the edge of my front bodice piece with a piece of paper and taped it down. Then I drew an A-line from the armpit down until it reached the length I wanted (about 37 1/2 inches from shoulder to the bottom of the tunic.)
FOUR: with your fabric folded right sides together (RST) and the stretch going horizontally, place your pattern on the fold and cut with a rotary cutter to create the front of your tunic (make sure you don't cut the fold!).
FIVE: for the back, simply switch out the front bodice pattern with your back bodice pattern and tape to secure. Place pattern on fold and cut as you did for the front.
SIX: you should now have a front piece and back piece cut out.

Making Bias Tape:

Before we move on to the assembly, I want to give a quick lesson on how to make your own bias tape, which you'll use to conceal the raw edges of your fabric. You could always fold over and sew the raw edges of your fabric, but I like the finished look of using bias tape.

ONE: (see steps below that explain how to get the measurements for your bias tape.) Once you have your measurements, cut out strips of fabric on the bias (learn more about that here) 2 inches wide. You should have 3 strips of fabric: one for your neckline, and one piece for each of your arm holes.
TWO: either fold each side of your strips over to meet in the middle and iron or, if you have a bias tape maker like I do (and if not, go get one at your local hobby store!), run it through your bias tape maker and iron.
THREE: finally, fold the strip in half long ways and iron. Done!

Assembly:

ONE: place your  back piece on the floor with the right side (pattern side) facing up. Place your front piece face down on top and pin one of the shoulders.

TWO: sew the one pinned shoulder to join and open your tunic up.

THREE: use your tape measure to measure the length of your neckline from shoulder to shoulder, then use the instructions on how to make bias tape above to make bias tape for your neckline. Encase the raw edges of your neckline in the bias tape you just made. Pin all along the top neckline and topstitch, being sure to catch the other side of your bias tape as you sew.
FOUR: fold your tunic with the front and back facing again and match up the other shoulder of your tunic. Sew to join the other shoulder as you did above. Open your tunic back up, then measure each arm hole and cut bias tape for each. Encase the raw edges of each armhole in bias tape. Pin and sew.
FIVE: with the front and back pieces RST, match up the sides of your tunic and pin from the armholes down. Sew the sides to join and turn right side out.

Making Your Tunic High-Low:

ONE: rotate your side seams so that they are matched up in the middle of your tunic. The front of your tunic will be facing left, and the back of your tunic will be facing the right (see picture above.) Place the tunic on your rotary mat and cut from front to back in a kind of "s" shape as shown along the white guideline in the picture above.
TWO: when you unfold your tunic, it should have the high-low effect. If you need to make any adjustments to the high-low hemline, match up the side seams in the middle again and cut again until you're happy with the outcome. Hem the bottom or leave raw, up to you!

Cinch The Waistline:


You could just stop here if you like your tunic, but I wanted to add some elastic at the waist to make it more flattering.

ONE: try the tunic on and mark right above where your bellybutton is (mine was about 16 inches down from the shoulder.) Turn the tunic inside out, and use your disappearing ink marker to draw a straight line on both the front and back of your tunic to act as a guideline for your elastic.
TWO: measure your waist and subtract an inch, then cut this amount of elastic out (I have a 30-inch waist, so I cut my elastic to be 29 inches long.) Use a zig-zag stitch to join the edges together.
THREE: with your tunic inside out, pin your elastic to either side of your tunic along the guideline you drew.
FOUR: start at one side of your tunic and use a zig-zag stitch to secure the elastic to your tunic along the line you drew, stretching the elastic as you go. Hold the back of the elastic with one hand and pull the other side of the elastic with your other hand as you sew. Turn inside out, and done!

Throw on a pair of leggings and wear your new tunic proudly! In an ideal situation, I would have lined up the front and back to make the pattern continuous, but since I was barely working with 1 1/2 yards, I made do. With such a busy pattern, you don't really notice. At least that's what I tell myself :)

 

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!

Self-Drafted Jean Shorts

Is it too much to ask for a pair of jean shorts that cover both my cheeks? Apparently so, because I shopped around all over creation and couldn't find a pair with proper coverage. I'm not asking for shorts down to my knees, just ones that completely cover my caboose! After my fruitless search, I came to the conclusion that, if I wanted a pair to fit the way I wanted, I'd have to make them.

As scary as the thought of making shorts for myself was, I was feeling pretty unstoppable after learning how to make a functioning fly and pockets from the Classic Chinos pattern that I tested for Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop. I have never been one to make a muslin for any pattern, but I thought if there was ever a time that I needed to start, it would be now since I've never made pants for anyone bigger than a 4T. I used a pair of shorts that fit me well to draft up the muslin, and when I thought I had it right, I dove right in using some denim I scored for dirt cheap at an estate sale.

When I had assembled everything, I found that I had somehow made the pants several inches too big, so I had to go back and add front and back darts. I'm not sure if darts are even kosher for jean shorts, but it worked.

I installed a hammer-on button, working fly, lined pockets, and check out the fancy stitching on those back pockets! I thought, if I was going to go for it and make myself jean shorts, I better go all the way and give them some fancy stitching while I was at it. It makes them look less handmade (and I'm kind of impressed that both sides are even. Whew!) Even after adding darts, I found that the pants were gaping some in the back, so I added a small piece of elastic in the back waistband. I wish I didn't have to add that, but it's really not very noticeable and it gets the job done.

I actually sewed a proper cuff on the bottom of the pants, which looks invisible from the outside (i.e. the stitches are hidden by the cuff itself, and they're sewn on the side seams.) If anyone would like a tutorial on how to make nice pant cuffs, let me know! It's a fun trick to learn that gives pants a nice finished look.

When I was done, I had a nice pair of jean shorts that cover all the things they're supposed to.

I wish I could share a pattern for these, but my pattern is far from perfect. I'd like to make a few more pairs in the future, so if I ever get it right I'll be sure to share :) Until then, I found this great free tutorial and pattern by Owly Baby for Imagine Gnats HERE.

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!

CRAFT: Artsy Mini Tote

I have another fun Mother's Day/teacher gift for you today that's SO simple and endlessly customizable! If you read my previous project for The Little Things Purse, I'm not into big, bulky purses. In fact, I carried my wallet, phone, and other essentials around with me in my pockets until just a few years ago - it wasn't pretty. I broke down and gave into the fact that purses are not only essential for carrying valuables, they're really pretty too!

This mini tote is made of canvas and leather and is unlined (but it could be lined easily.) By using transfer paper and pictures of some famous masterpieces, I was able to take this bag from blah to beautiful! I made 2 - one for my mom and another for my mother-in-law - and now I'm really wishing I would've made one for myself (didn't I learn anything from our Made It for Me series??)

Grab some supplies and make some for your mom, grandmother, mother-in-law or treat yourself to a new bag!

SUPPLIES: fabric transfer paper (I used Transfer Magic, which I found in Hobby Lobby I think?), two 9x11.5in pieces of canvas fabric or other heavy fabric, two 17x1in strips of 5-7oz leather + scraps, printer, sewing machine and heavy duty needle, pinking shears.

Preparation:

ONE: first, cut out your pieces. You'll need to cut out 2 straps for your leather measuring 1 inch wide by 17 inches long. Also cut out 4 small pieces of leather big enough to cover the raw edges of your straps.
TWO: find images of famous masterpieces online that you like (Google is good for this!) I chose 2 paintings by Monet: "Woman with the Parasol" and "Water Lilies." Use paint, Photoshop, or a similar photo editing program to make your images 8.5 inches across by 11 inches wide (the size of a standard sheet of paper.) Make sure to mirror your image so when you transfer them to your canvas they won't be backwards (I forgot to do this with the "Woman with the Parasol" image above. Follow the instructions on your transfer paper to iron them onto your canvas, leaving 1/2 inch borders around the edges for seam allowance.

Assembling Your Bag:

ONE: first, fold your long leather strips in half wrong sides together (wst) and finger press down the middle.
TWO: measure one inch down (this is where you will begin sewing.)
THREE: make sure you switch to a heavy duty needle for your leather straps, and sew down the bottom edge of your straps (wst), stopping 1 inch before the end. Repeat for second strap.
FOUR: measure over approximately 1 inch down and 1 inch from the side of your purse and mark. Place the raw edge of your leather strap to the front of your bag according to your measurement, and stitch down to secure.
FIVE: here is how your bag should look so far with your straps sewn to the front.
SIX: repeat steps 4 and 5 to attach your second handle to the back panel of your bag.
SEVEN: now to hem the top of your bag, fold down 1/4 inch, then fold down another 1/4 inch and pin. Do not iron! This will melt your image.) Using a regular needle and thread, sew across the top to hem. Repeat to hem the top of the back panel.
EIGHT: switch back to your heavy duty needle and place your small leather scraps over the raw edge of each of your strap ends. Sew all the way around to secure.
NINE: place the front and back panels of your purse right sides together and sew the sides and bottom. Clip corners and use pinking shears to cut excess fabric around the sides and bottom, then turn inside out.

Admire your beautiful mini tote bag! I think the Water Lilies is my favorite; I just love all the beautiful colors (and hopefully my mother-in-law does too :)

The bag is perfect for carrying your essentials, as well as a few extra things. And, coincidentally, the bag is the perfect size for toting around an iPad or small laptop (just make sure to line and pad it and add a snap.)

I hope your loved ones like their new bags too :) If you make one, I'd love to see a picture!

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!