Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Button Help



                                                                                     

 I am making a little seersucker spring jacket from a vintage pattern for my girl.  I have been searching all day online for buttons for it.  I am trying to find large buttons for a coat that are vintageish looking.  I wanted a pearl-like shank button.  I can't find any large enough.  The pattern actually gives totally wrong information about what is needed for buttons but I am thinking something around 1 1/2 inches would look good.  Does anyone know where I can find some?  I may break down and look at some jackets in some second hand shops and cut them off but that could be costly for buttons.  I don't even know if this jacket will turn out.

I was going to start Luke's t-shirt before this jacket but my husband threw out the piece of ribbed knit fabric he found in the dryer.  He thought it was a scrap and trash.  I was a little annoyed at first but I think it is funny now.   I am lucky he doesn't throw out half of my craft stuff. 


Thursday, May 15, 2014

Bubble Dress











I bought this pattern (Oliver and S Bubble dress) over a year ago and I am so happy to have finally made it.  I did version A which is the one with the scallops but you can hardly see them in the photos.  I took a lot of pictures since it is quite a challenge to take a picture of Miss Stella that isn't a blur from her running.  The pictures I took with my phone came out better than the ones I took with my camera.  But you can't really see the scallops.  They kind of blend in when she is wearing it too. 

I made a size 3 and it fits her pretty close to perfect.  I think there is enough room so that it will fit her until the fall.  The fabric is one I bought from a little sewing shop near me which sadly is closing at the end of the month.  It is a very light and sheerish cotton which is why I wanted to use it for a lined dress.   I just used some white quilting cotton I had for the lining. 

I am very happy with it.  I feel like I am starting to get better at picking fabrics I really like where before I may have been picking fabrics I really like for 5 minutes or a couples weeks.  Do you know what I mean?  It makes me much happier with my sewing. 

I do have to make something for my boy next (not counting a matching doll dress to this one).  He had to say what makes me a great mom at school for them to write on a certificate he gave me.  He said I was the greatest because I "makes clothes for us".  So I really have to do some boy sewing.  I bought some knit fabric for a t-shirt.  I hope to start soon. 

Monday, May 5, 2014

Christmas in May



I have spent a lot of time thinking about what kind of stockings to make for my little cuties.  I actually did make one for Luke after his first Christmas but it was awful.  I used modern fabric and a modern pattern and it just wasn't us.  When I first saw this stocking on Posie Gets Cozy (which I am sure you have seen because you already read her blog because it the most beautiful blog ever) my heart stopped.  I thought about it a lot and then last fall decided to make it.  I can't remember when I started working on it but I bought the pattern for the cross stitch part in the middle last fall.  I bought it here.  That part took me a very long time.  I haven't done much cross stitch.  I loved it though and want to do a lot more.  I bought the pattern for the letters from the same place.  The bunny is from Alicia Paulson's Embroidery Companion and I think it is the same one from her  Winter Woodland Sampler. 

I was pretty scared to cut the stocking shape out after I did all the cross stitch.  What if I made a mistake after all that time?  But it came out just how I wanted.  I will make a similar one for Luke but I may wait to start it until I finish a couple knitting projects that I would like completed for summer.

speaking of knitting....




I finished Luke's sweater vest last week just in time for the second half of spring and summer.  Ooops.  I started it back in January with the plan to finish it right away but then I took some classes to make somethings for myself and I put it aside.  I hope it still fits him in the fall.  It is looking a little short in this picture.  Girls can wear sweater vests too, right?   Details about the sweater are here

I guess I will start making some Spring/Summer clothes for Stella.  I have so many patterns I have never used so I think I will be opening one of them soon.  Maybe the Rollerskate dress?  I think that isn't suppose to use much fabric.

edited 1 hour later - I am going with Oliver and S's Bubble dress pattern.  Stella picked a very sheer fabric that I have one yard of.  It really needs a lining.  So Bubble dress it is. I have to make a bag for my niece too but I keep changing my mind how I want to make it.  I found a pattern I am excited about it.  Now I need to find some sweet owl fabric.