Spring has sprung!

Here's my newest creative endeavor, a spring wreath for the front door. Tulips are my favorites!!





The fall wreath has finally been retired, but I've kept the parts because I still love it too. No doubt it will be back in October.

Yay Spring!!!

More sew news . . .

Finally, I've finished that blouse I was working on. I really do have a thing about buttonholes. Terror, is a good way to describe it. So I avoid them like the plague and never learn how to do them. Well, after a lot of agonizing I bit the bullet and tried my machine buttonholer on a piece of scrap fabric. Sure enough it didn't work. I pulled out the manual, and verified I was using the right foot, right settings, etc. Still didn't work. Finally I called the store where I bought the sewing machine ages ago. They were still in business, that was a good sign. And after I had explained my dilemma the first thing the nice man said was "you are pulling down the black guide, right? It won't work without the guide." The manual hadn't mentioned a guide and when I looked behind the needle apparatus, sure enough there was a black plastic thingy that pulled down. Then it worked just fine. Here is my finished blouse with six, count 'em, perfect buttonholes. Whew!

The blouse fits perfectly, with one exception. The neckline is a tad low for my taste. I will wear it with a camisole and I've already checked - it looks great. I did go back and alter the pattern to raise the neckline, and next time I make it I won't be over-exposed. Hmmm.

Here's the black knit shirt I made recently in a class I took called Sewing with Knits. I love wearing it, it fits like a dream.




So I'm going to make another one of the same fabric, a medium-heavy stretch knit, but this time in white. Like I said, I'm on a bit of a sewing binge!

Sew much news!

Here's what I'm working on now sew-wise! This is Butterick Pattern B6217, and it's a loosely fitted blouse I'm making out of this cotton fabric I've had for ages. Here's a closeup of the fabric - it's really pretty.


In the photo on the right, the blouse sleeves are just pinned on at this point. I'll get them sewn in today, and then I "only" have to do buttonholes (hate buttonholes) and buttons down the front, and the hem.

I have a new dress form that I got for Christmas, and it came with a whole box of padding pieces. Drat it all, I don't have the hourglass figure these dress forms have and, to be truthful, I never did. So I need to pad it up a bit to match my size.

Well that can get pretty sobering, let me tell you! Here's where you learn how much it means to you to look perfect. Not much in my case, apparently. So I padded and padded until the measurements of my doll matched me, and hoped the well-fitting clothes I would make would cover up a world of sins and shortcomings.

That said, I'm turning over a new fitting leaf and am committed to making a muslin sample of every pattern before I make it in the real fabric, just like you're supposed to. Here's my muslin for this blouse. I have to admit it didn't take long and it sure helped me figure out where to alter the pattern so it fits me. Yay!


 

True Confessions: I think this is the first time I've ever made a full muslin to test fit. Well, maybe I have in a sewing class over the years, because I've taken a few. But even then, I don't remember doing it.

I'm kind of on a sewing binge right now. I recently took a class on sewing with knits, and will post the knit t-shirt I made in class plus the knit pencil skirt I made later. These are so quick and easy, I got inspired! Of course I had to buy more knit fabric, so I have a piece of white knit to make another t-shirt and a piece of heathered blue knit to make a midi-skirt. Those are next, as soon as the red shirt is finished!