Jalie 2921 and Ginger

My latest outfit for summer.  Jalie 2921 and Colette Ginger Skirt.

 I've been trying hard to look at the gaps in my wardrobe and stay focused.  I have a dark denim mini skirt that I wear quite often and thought I could really use one a little longer this summer too.  This is my 4th Ginger skirt, and I'm still tweaking the fit.  This one is a bit lower on my waist and about 3 inches longer, which I probably needed due to my height.

 One of my mom's friends was cleaning out her apartment and had this piece of denim lying around.  It was meant to be! (and free)

This shirt was a long time coming.  Jalie 2921 has been on my wish list for a long time, and it didn't disappoint!  I made this on a Saturday morning while the kids watched cartoons, then wore it out to the park that afternoon.  The instructions for the scarf collar were unusual, but I just followed what it said and it was a breeze.  I also got to practice using my coverstich machine for all the hemming.  
The fabric feels like interlock.  I got it for $1!  Anyone local to Manchester, New Hampshire should check out this store, Fabric Fix!  They have a limited selection, but oh the bargains!  It's hit or miss, I usually swing in once every few months, but I should be going there instead of JoAnn's.  Most fabrics are on wide rolls and are $1-$4 a yard.

I was so glad for a successful outfit.  

Check out this mess:

Poor unfortunate Ginger skirt #3.  I chalk this up to poor fabric choice.  If it shows every lump and bump on my dress form, just imagine someone who has birthed 4 children. 

 Nuff said.

Wiksten Tova Dress

I finally made my Wiksten Tova Dress, just in time for Mother's Day!  It turned out to be a beautiful day (and weekend!), perfect for this summer dress.

Fabric Used: navy and white poplin from Fashion Fabrics Club.  

After searching through the Wiksten Flickr Group for way too long one night looking at all different versions of this pattern, I decided on a short sleeved version with cuffs.

I had previously made a 3/4 sleeve version for my 15 year old daugther, Maura.

I have a feeling I'll be making this dress/shirt pattern again, it's very comfortable!  I can see why it's so popular.  

There was an excellent Tova sew along which I missed, but the posts have all kinds of great inspiration for anyone making this pattern.

the only photo that shows my new Timberland shoes.

Liam and Me

I hope all you Moms had a great Mother's Day yesterday!  We had such a fun weekend.  On Saturday we went to Canobie Lake Park.  Then on Sunday I did some sewing, put a blanket out in the yard and relaxed with the kids, and then had a very nice dinner at a restaurant.

Maura with the first snake of the season, Ronald.  He was tiny!  Maura's wearing the skirt I just finished for her, I can't seem to locate the pattern, but it's your basic See & Sew A Line skirt with a back zipper.

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Next up:  in search of the perfect skirt pattern!  Anyone found it?  Summer's right around the corner and I need skirts.

Don't forget to enter your skirts for Skirt Week 2012!

Reversible Wrap Skirt

Who doesn't love a good wrap skirt?  This one is reversible.

This skirt is all cottons, the first is a quilting weight printed plaid, the other side is standard blue twill.

Pattern is by Fig Tree and Co., the Audrey Wrap skirt.   I purchased it at my favorite online pattern shop,  Pink Chalk Fabrics.  Shipping is free on all patterns every day, which I love!!  I tend to buy LOTS of patterns and pattern books.  They're my weakness.  I know at this point in my sewing career, I could definitely draft more of my own patterns, but I just love when someone else does the trial and error, so I can jump right in and start my project.  I'm a sucker for the smaller/indie pattern companies, I love the modern styling and photos they use.   

Some of my recent purchases that I'm looking forward to sewing up are:
 the Sewaholic Renfrew Top (already finished one, just need to get a photo),
Colette Peony Dress (fabric arrived today!),
Colette Ginger Skirt (in process),
Nowhere Man Pants for Travis, just finished one pair,
Boho Cloche Hat by Heather Bailey
Aurelia Cardigan by Sew Liberated
Mission Maxi and Sunny Day Dress both by Jamie Christina

That sounds like a lot!

Today it was in the 40's, and it feels like spring is on the way.

Have a great week!

Valentine's Beignet

disclaimer: I just had to get some photos on the blog since it's my Valentine's Day skirt, and so I settled for these crappy shots!

I let Travis play with my camera's tripod, and amazingly enough the piece that holds on the camera is now MIA.  That means I had to wait until Liam got home from school to take the photos and because he isn't used to the new prime lens (he actually is a great photographer) AND we were running late for the orthodontist, this is all we got!  
Either my legs were cut off or it was blurry.

I'm sure all parents out there can relate to being in a big rush.

 

 The pattern is the Colette Beignet.  This is my first time using 
Colette Patterns and I wasn't disappointed.  
I went on and immediately scooped up the Peony Dress Pattern and the Ginger Skirt Pattern.  So look for versions of those coming up soon!

 

I made this out of thick red corduroy, and planned on wearing it out for dinner with my husband for Valentine's Day to my favorite restaurant, the Bedford Village Inn.  So we went a week early and this wasn't done,  it's an excuse to go back soon!  

Originally I wasn't interested in all the high-waisted skirts because I'm not one to tuck in my shirts, I look like I'm all legs, but the trend is starting to grow on me.

I really love the shaping on the skirt made by the panels, there are no darts!  I followed the directions exactly and the skirt came out very professional inside and out.  I lined it with Bemberg and it was a slippery devil, but I worked slowly and used lots of pins. 

I would definitely make another Beignet!

Linking up here:

Sew Serendipity Skirt

It's another skirt from the book Sew Serendipity.    

I started to panic about the backlog of projects I had, so I made a list of all the projects I have in mind, and then chose to focus on those that I wanted for summer.  This was the first on my list.

This is the second skirt I've made from the book.  The other one is here.

I love red (it gives me an excuse to wear red lipstick).  This fabric is from Tina Givens which I found on Ebay.  

1 down, 6-7 summer projects to go!

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1. summer PJ's for Maura

2. summer PJ's for Me (almost done)

3.little military shirt for Travis

4.Sunny Day Dress for me

5. LBB Pieced Tunic for my friend, Sharon (in progress)

6. 1 or 2 kid's raffle items for the Summer Reading Program, due in August

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Join the mad dash to finish up your summer sewing.  Link up here:

Sew Serendipity skirt done!

I loved the photos in this book!  I had to have it.  I needed the skirt on the cover.  I looked around in my fabric stash and found this great blue and brown combo. I'm happy with how this came out. I've already worn this skirt out twice.

I thought this was a pretty easy pattern and I was glad this book had full-size pattern pieces included.  I heeded the author's advice and bought a ruffler attachment for my machine.  I love it!  It was so easy to make the ruffles on the skirt.  I'll definitely be making more from this book in the future.



detail - I think the pocket makes the skirt!



pretending to be a catalog model

UPDATE!  I can't believe it, this skirt won skirt week 2011 for the A-Line skirt category!!  Here is my blog post about it.
I'm so excited!  I even get to be a judge for 2012.