Summer Dress

I love wearing skirts and dresses in the summer. It isn't always warm enough here in England to go out with bare legs, but I'm calling this my "Italy Dress" since we are going there in July and I can't wait to stroll around in HOT weather in a comfy dress with no layers! I used the Scout Tee pattern as the top (but I think I might shorten the sleeves... and I'll probably bring the shoulder seams in a bit on the next one I make). Then I added a gathered skirt and an elastic casing, front pockets (using this tutorial) and a hi-low hem on the bottom.

I got this polyester fabric at Girl Charlee and it is wonderful. I really love the colors and the pattern and it is a great weight. I'm really happy with how this dress turned out! I want to make more, but I need to be realistic about how many dresses I actually need. :)

Scout Tee

I feel a little rusty on my pattern-making skills since I've taken such a long break from sewing. I wanted to make something that I didn't have to think too much about, so I finally tried out a Scout Tee. It was a straightforward pattern and makes a really nice finished product. I got this fabric at Girl Charlee and I really, really love it! This is my favorite style of shirt to wear, and I know I'll be wearing it all the time!

Matching

I got this lovely floral fabric from Girl Charlee last summer, and had just enough to get two simple t-shirts out of it! My mom actually made one for herself a while ago, too, so we are all matching!

These are really simple shirts - just a top shoulder seam, no set in sleeves, and self-fabric neck and arm binding. So quick!

Birds

Here is another basic t-shirt I made with some fun bird fabric I bought from Girl Charlee. I think I have finally perfected my t-shirt pattern to fit me just right (I made a few more tweaks after making this shirt) and I'm glad to have something I know fits that I can use as a starting point for lots of different projects.

Maxi Dress

I love wearing skirts and dresses in the summer, and I've been wanting a maxi dress for a while. I got this black Lycra jersey knit from the Fabric Fairy using my Sew-vivor prize gift card, and it is really great fabric! It has great stretch and recovery and is really comfortable. I used my basic t-shirt pattern and added the skirt with an elastic waistband casing using this tutorial. I included side pockets and a pocket on the front. I really love it and I want to wear it every day!

I have since made a shorter version and a maxi dress for Anna that I'll show soon!

Stripes

 I had just enough fabric left over from my cardigan to make a nice loose t-shirt. The stripes on the back are vertical out of necessity since I didn't have quite enough fabric to lay the pattern pieces out all horizontally, but I love the interest it adds. I'm still trying to perfect my basic t-shirt pattern, but I'm pretty happy with this one!

Sew-vivor: Challenge #2

The next Sew-vivor challenge is done and posted over on Family Ever After! This week's challenge was to use buttons. Head over to check out all the other awesome projects that everyone came up with and to vote for your favorite!

It was not easy for me to figure out what to make for this challenge, since I usually sew very simply (meaning very few zippers, buttons, or embellishments)! I love button front shirts and shirt dresses, but have never attempted to sew them because I didn't want it to end up looking amateurish and homemade. But armed with a vision, supplies, and a basic collared (pajama) top pattern, I went for it!

I could not find the right kind of fabric for the dress, so I decided to dye some myself. I bought polyester without really thinking about it, and then realized that it is really difficult to dye polyester! No stores within an hour of me sold the right kind of dye, so I had my parents in Utah pick some up and express ship it to me so I had time to get everything done before the deadline! Phew!

I made a practice top first, to make sure I liked the style and fit. I rarely (never) sew a practice muslin, but it was really helpful so that I wasn't attempting to make a bunch of changes on my final garment. The dress came together really well, and I love all the finishing touches on the collar, button plackets, and arm bands that make it look really well made and polished.

The buttons are a dark brown stone with a little bit of shimmer. They have a red tint to them, but kind of take on whatever color they are next to. I thought they stood out just enough on the dress, but still kept the simple style I was going for. There are 11 buttons up the front of the dress, and one on each arm band.

The cardigan was really fun to make. I had this great thick sweater knit fabric in my stash, and decided it would make the perfect addition to the outfit. I drafted a pattern from one of my cardigans, and tweaked it until it fit just right. The cardigan was starting to look a little bit masculine with the fabric, style, and elbow patches, so I added these great hammered gold buttons to make it a little fancier. I really love how it turned out!

This was definitely a lot of work, and a lot of fun! I had a great time designing and creating this look. You can vote for your favorite project at Family Ever After - voting is open until midnight on Friday!

Sew-vivor: Challenge #1

The first challenge for Sew-vivor is finished and posted over on Family Ever After! Head on over there to check out what I made and what the other talented girls sewed up!

It was fun to brainstorm ideas for what to make for this challenge. We had to use emerald green in some way, and I luckily had the perfect fabric for it (it looks more green in person than in these pictures)! I knew I wanted to make a simple, flowy top, and the rest of the outfit just came together.

I used a pattern for the top (Butterick 5356) that I have sewn a few times, and I just really love it. It is four pieces that go together easily, and it turns out great every time. I think it is really flattering and super comfortable!

The loose top called for a more structured piece on the bottom, so I made this pencil skirt out of a great leopard print fabric I had on hand. I think the print is so fun, and it really goes well with the simple top. It has a back slit, zipper, hook and eye closure on the waistband, and darts on the front and back to make for a great fit.

Last, I made this purse out of some vinyl that has a really great leather look to it. I've seen a lot of simple leather bags around lately that have really caught my eye, so I gave it a try. The lining is a cute black and white polka dot cotton with a 3 inch band of the vinyl around the top. There are inside pockets on both sides, one pocket on the outside, and a sturdy magnetic closure that holds it all together well. It was not hard to put together, but all the top stitching did take some extra time.  I love how it turned out and I know I'll be using it all the time!

I really had a great time putting this outfit together and completing the challenge. Head over to Family Ever After to vote for your favorite emerald project! Voting goes until Friday at midnight!

I just saw that I earned immunity for this challenge (just by being the lucky 7th person to email my project in!) - so I'll be going through to the next challenge for sure! How exciting! So go vote for some of the other amazing projects!!!

For Me

 Striped open cardigan, inspired by this.

 Gingham tunic with my first button placket!

 Red button front skirt and polka dot tee.

Bright flowy shirt.

Pencil Skirt

High waisted pencil skirt with darts and a zipper in the back.