Monday, June 6, 2011
Exciting Things
No... I don't have a big post for y'all today... I made an apron last night! I used a tutorial I found online and I LOVE it! I'll show you later this week. The other exciting thing going on in my life is a work weight-loss program that starts next week. We are doing the 10,000 step [a day] challenge! I got my pedometer today and I am so excited! I think it's because I'm so competative. It's not a competition... in fact NOBODY is competing with me. But I feel like I must make a huge number so that I win. Even if I don't know anyone else's number! Is that strange? *lol* Well either way I'm excited! 189 steps since 3:45 this afternoon (12 minutes ago)!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Where'd You Go?
I miss you so! Seems like it's been forever...
Oh wait... I got lost in a Fort Minor moment.
Anyway, I'm here! I'm busy but I'm here. There hasn't been much sewing going on in my world lately. I've been working more on getting my life "on track" - whatever that means. I felt for a while like I was pulled in so many directions. I guess I fell like that a lot. There's so much I WANT to do. But right now I'm confusing on what I need to do.
I'm going to work. Eating. Sleeping. Spending time with my family. And reading the bible for 30 minutes each night before going to bed (at a REASONABLE hour).
So that's why there haven't been any projects lately. I'm off work tomorrow and Friday, but I'm not sure I'll make anything. If I do, you'll be the first to hear about it. But I may just relax and enjoy my son and enjoy my life.
Life is good, you know that? I think sometimes we just need to sit back and enjoy it.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
I've Been Featured!
Y'all will never believe what happened to me this weekend!! I got an e-mail from Jane over at The Borrowed Abode, and an invite to do a guest post! That's right folks, I've been featured! Oh my goodness I'm so excited!
Head on over and visit Jane and give her some love for me!
Head on over and visit Jane and give her some love for me!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Second Skirt Tutorial
I made another skirt! I made another skirt! I made another skirt! Hey hey hey!
Ok but seriously y'all! I LOVE this skirt! Isn't it darling?! And it was soooooo easy!
Firt thing I did was measure from where I want the skirt to sit on my hips, to where I want the bottom of the skirt to be. Did I mention that Heidi Klum volunteered to be my model for this? No? Oh well she did - sorta! And if anyone actually knows her will you thank her for being my model?
And I got distracted again! Ok, first measurement (A) is for the elastic. Measurement (B) is for the width of the skirt at the bottom. I made this a little wider than the widest part of my hips. * Make sure not to measure around your legs and use that exact measurement, this may be obvious but your hips are bigger and if you ever want to be able to pull this skirt up in the ladie's room and/or walk you're going to want to have it at least as wide as your hips! Measurement (C) is the distance between (A) and (B). I added an inch to each measurement for seam allowance and sew-the-elastic-into-a-loop space.
Next, I made my pattern. I guess I'd call it a pattern. I didn't actually draw it to scale. Here is a picture:
Yep! Sticky note! But writing it out helped me make sure I got everything right. This is basically what the sketch looks like.
Next I laid out my fabric. I use a seersucker for this. I found it in my big box of fabric from the Benevolance Center. It was super cute, but since I'd never seen seersucker before, I thought it might have been a tablecloth. A quick conversation with one of the Fashion Retail Merchandising professors at work confirmed that it is called "seersucker." Of course, I had already made the skirt and was wearing it at the time. How funny would it have been if she was like "Kristi, that's a tablecloth!"
Anyway, I folded the fabric over because I wasn't sure how see-through the skirt would be. So you can brag that the skirt is lined if you'd like, but really, you just folded it over and got to cross "hem skirt" off of your to-do list. The fabric I cut ended up being a huge rectangle. I thought about bringing it in a little bit at the top, but I figured the elastic would work just as well. It ended up having a great (small) gather at the top so I'm really happy with how it turned out. If your (B) is much higher than your (A) though, you may want to taper your pattern in a little bit.
Anyway, I cut out my fabric and ironed it so that there would bea good crease for the bottom of the skirt. Next, I turned it inside out and hemmed the top with a small seam allowance (1/4 or 1/8 maybe?). This made me one long tube of fabric. I flipped it back, right-side-out and ironed again (I had a hard time making the bottom crease stay). Next, I sewed a straight-stitch line an inch lower than my top seam. This is where the elastic will be threaded in, so do that now.
Finally, I sewed up the back to make it a skirt. I don't have a fancy measurement for this. I pretty much sewed the elastic into a loop, put the skirt on, safety pinned it where I liked it, and then stitched it shut. The top was a little tricky. Any experienecs seemstress will tell me I did this in the wrong order, but I'm honestly not sure how I could've done it correctly. I guess some trial-and-error is in my future.
To close the top where the elastic is, I simply folded the fabric under until the edges met and it looked "clean." Then I stitched over it about a thousand times back and forth to hold it in place. Again, not correct or fancy, but at the end of the day it looks fine.
So there you have it folks, my first attempt at elastic and second attempt at a skirt. I wore it to work the next day and got a lot of compliments. I threw it in the wash that night (because I got salsa on it at work) and it survived no problem! Don't laugh but this was a serious concern of mine! I grabbed it this morning and put it on to run errands AND I'm wearing it right now! Yes, I love it that much! I see more fun/simple spring skirts in my future!
Thanks for reading! And as always, if you make a skirt like mine, e-mail me and let me know! I'd love to see it! anestinthemaking {at} gmail {dot} com
And in case you haven't smiled yet today...
Ok but seriously y'all! I LOVE this skirt! Isn't it darling?! And it was soooooo easy!
Firt thing I did was measure from where I want the skirt to sit on my hips, to where I want the bottom of the skirt to be. Did I mention that Heidi Klum volunteered to be my model for this? No? Oh well she did - sorta! And if anyone actually knows her will you thank her for being my model?
And I got distracted again! Ok, first measurement (A) is for the elastic. Measurement (B) is for the width of the skirt at the bottom. I made this a little wider than the widest part of my hips. * Make sure not to measure around your legs and use that exact measurement, this may be obvious but your hips are bigger and if you ever want to be able to pull this skirt up in the ladie's room and/or walk you're going to want to have it at least as wide as your hips! Measurement (C) is the distance between (A) and (B). I added an inch to each measurement for seam allowance and sew-the-elastic-into-a-loop space.
Next, I made my pattern. I guess I'd call it a pattern. I didn't actually draw it to scale. Here is a picture:
Yep! Sticky note! But writing it out helped me make sure I got everything right. This is basically what the sketch looks like.
Next I laid out my fabric. I use a seersucker for this. I found it in my big box of fabric from the Benevolance Center. It was super cute, but since I'd never seen seersucker before, I thought it might have been a tablecloth. A quick conversation with one of the Fashion Retail Merchandising professors at work confirmed that it is called "seersucker." Of course, I had already made the skirt and was wearing it at the time. How funny would it have been if she was like "Kristi, that's a tablecloth!"
Anyway, I folded the fabric over because I wasn't sure how see-through the skirt would be. So you can brag that the skirt is lined if you'd like, but really, you just folded it over and got to cross "hem skirt" off of your to-do list. The fabric I cut ended up being a huge rectangle. I thought about bringing it in a little bit at the top, but I figured the elastic would work just as well. It ended up having a great (small) gather at the top so I'm really happy with how it turned out. If your (B) is much higher than your (A) though, you may want to taper your pattern in a little bit.
Anyway, I cut out my fabric and ironed it so that there would bea good crease for the bottom of the skirt. Next, I turned it inside out and hemmed the top with a small seam allowance (1/4 or 1/8 maybe?). This made me one long tube of fabric. I flipped it back, right-side-out and ironed again (I had a hard time making the bottom crease stay). Next, I sewed a straight-stitch line an inch lower than my top seam. This is where the elastic will be threaded in, so do that now.
Finally, I sewed up the back to make it a skirt. I don't have a fancy measurement for this. I pretty much sewed the elastic into a loop, put the skirt on, safety pinned it where I liked it, and then stitched it shut. The top was a little tricky. Any experienecs seemstress will tell me I did this in the wrong order, but I'm honestly not sure how I could've done it correctly. I guess some trial-and-error is in my future.
To close the top where the elastic is, I simply folded the fabric under until the edges met and it looked "clean." Then I stitched over it about a thousand times back and forth to hold it in place. Again, not correct or fancy, but at the end of the day it looks fine.
So there you have it folks, my first attempt at elastic and second attempt at a skirt. I wore it to work the next day and got a lot of compliments. I threw it in the wash that night (because I got salsa on it at work) and it survived no problem! Don't laugh but this was a serious concern of mine! I grabbed it this morning and put it on to run errands AND I'm wearing it right now! Yes, I love it that much! I see more fun/simple spring skirts in my future!
Thanks for reading! And as always, if you make a skirt like mine, e-mail me and let me know! I'd love to see it! anestinthemaking {at} gmail {dot} com
And in case you haven't smiled yet today...
Friday, May 20, 2011
Interesting Use for a Snack Bag
Hello again!
So the other week I took my purse to work with me and it was great! Except... where exactly do I put my unmentionables? Yes, it was my lovely time-of-the-month, and I had no place to put the necessities so that they were not falling out of my purse every other second.
Remember the snack bag I made as a gift when I first started sewing? (If not, go look!) Well, I couldn't find the tutorial but I had a general idea of how I had done it so I took the lining fabric from my purse and got to work.
I love her! I say her, because I doubt my tampon-holder would be male... random thought. So anyway, I L-O-V-E her! In fact, I may love my purse even more with her in it. It holds 4 and blends in nicely. You don't really notice it, but it gives a firm bottom to the purse. Maybe I'll start actually carrying them on me all the time and being prepared for once in my life - who knows!?
So that's my quick project for the week! I haven't been completely lazy though, I did make a skirt two nights ago (which is now my new favorite skirt), but it is in the washing machine at the moment. Post and pictures to come!
***Also, yes I know the picture is crooked. It's not on my computer. I've checked it 37-gazillion times. But every time I upload it *poof* This makes me sad! Any ideas?
So the other week I took my purse to work with me and it was great! Except... where exactly do I put my unmentionables? Yes, it was my lovely time-of-the-month, and I had no place to put the necessities so that they were not falling out of my purse every other second.
Remember the snack bag I made as a gift when I first started sewing? (If not, go look!) Well, I couldn't find the tutorial but I had a general idea of how I had done it so I took the lining fabric from my purse and got to work.
{Ta-da!}
I love her! I say her, because I doubt my tampon-holder would be male... random thought. So anyway, I L-O-V-E her! In fact, I may love my purse even more with her in it. It holds 4 and blends in nicely. You don't really notice it, but it gives a firm bottom to the purse. Maybe I'll start actually carrying them on me all the time and being prepared for once in my life - who knows!?
So that's my quick project for the week! I haven't been completely lazy though, I did make a skirt two nights ago (which is now my new favorite skirt), but it is in the washing machine at the moment. Post and pictures to come!
***Also, yes I know the picture is crooked. It's not on my computer. I've checked it 37-gazillion times. But every time I upload it *poof* This makes me sad! Any ideas?
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Every Purse Needs A Wallet
Welcome to my first original project!!! Ok, making a wallet isn't exactly original, but this is my own design. For the first time in my sewing life, I did not follow a tutorial I found on-line. Feel free to praise me. Ok done? Thanks! Now read ahead to see how I put the simple magnificent wallet together!
I showed y'all a few days ago the new purse I made.
{Remember me?}
Can I mention again that I love it?! I really do! It's cute and fun and playful and so me! The only problem is that it is little and my wallet is, well, not. This has never been an issue for this huge-diaper-bag-toting momma, but cute-purse-carrying momma needs a new wallet.
I had some fusible interfacing leftover from making the placemat and some fabric leftover from making the purse. I had a few weeks sewing experience and a general idea of what a simple wallet might look like. And I had 30 minutes to kill, so what the hey!
I don't carry a lot with me, so I didn't need anything huge. I needed something small enough for the purse, but large enough to hold my zoo member card, my DL, my debit card, and my insurance card (in order of importance of course - yay zoo!). I also wanted to be able to hold a little bit of cash for when I don't feel like taking the entire envelope system shopping with me (Hi Dave!).
I spent a little time the other day mapping out what I would need to do. I made a sample out of paper so that I could work it out instead of trying to see it in my head. The paper was (of course) 8.5x11 inches, so that's what we're going to start with in fabric! See how I dumb things down for myself?
Supplies Needed:
9.5"x11" fabric
slightly smaller fusible interfacing (I had about an inch on each side, but this isn't necessary)
coordinating thread
The first thing I did was to iron on my fusible interfacing. Just place it in the center of your fabric, cover with a spare cloth (or fabric for your next project, whatever is lying around), and iron. I set the iron down for 10 seconds, lift up and repeat in a different spot until I have covered the whole piece. Then I iron it like normal on both sides. I'm not entirely sure this is "correct" but I can say that it works!
The next thing I did was to make my creases and press them in place. The whole wallet, when complete, will be 3" high.
After you get the basic shape pressed, top stitch across what will be become your pockets.
I hope you enjoyed my first sewing tutorial! I apologize for the lack of pictures as I went through, but I was making it up as I went and didn't think to take any! If anyone decides to make a wallet using my tutorial, please let me know! Either leave me a comment or send me an e-mail at anestinthemaking {at} gmail {dot} com! I'd *LOVE* to see it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)