Sew-vivor: Challenge #3

The final Sew-vivor challenge is done and posted over on Family Ever After! The challenge this week was to make something quilted, and I had so much fun designing and sewing this look. Head over to Family Ever After to see the other amazing projects, and to vote for your favorite!! You can vote until Friday at midnight!

I knew I wanted to make a quilted puffy vest for Anna for this challenge. I had a small piece of this yellow wool that I have been holding on to, and it turned out to be just perfect! I based the pattern off a vest Anna has almost outgrown, but ended up making a ton of changes. I figured it out as I went, and I regret not taking more pictures or writing down the steps because I know I won't remember exactly what I did if I try to make another one! I used two layers of quilt batting in between the outer fabric and lining to make it extra puffy. I added pockets on the side and a pink zipper. The vest is fully lined with no exposed raw edges, and was going to be reversible until I couldn't find a reversible zipper anywhere! :) Here are a few pictures of the process:
Once it was all assembled, I pinned all the layers together to keep them in place, and then quilted the three layers together. I just did simple straight lines across the vest about 3.5 inches apart. Then I added a heart at the top on the back, and my favorite part - a little personalized note to my girl on the back. I found that the best way to stitch the words was to write on tracing paper, pin it on the fabric, and then slowly stitch with my machine along the words (mostly turning the wheel by hand and going very slowly around curves!). It took a long time, but the paper pulled away easily and it worked perfectly. I'm so pleased with how it all turned out!

I made the pants using a soft striped cotton-poly. They have a flat front, front pockets, pieced back pockets, and wide legs. I wanted to do some piecing for this challenge, too, so I put together a block of 1.5 inch squares of fabric in alternating directions. Then I cut out the shape for the knee pads, sewed it to some pink cotton, and attached them to the pants by quilting across the seam lines.

I finished the outfit with a simple gray knit top with elbow length sleeves and a pleat in the neckline, and I made the cute butterfly hair clip using the Purl Bee's tutorial.

Being in Sew-vivor has been such a great experience! I never sew under pressure or with a deadline, so it was interesting to see how it pushed me to be more efficient and productive and make fewer mistakes. All the things I sewed were on my list of things I had been wanting to sew anyway, but I feel like they turned out better than they would have because of the competition factor. I really focused on quality and correct techniques, and I definitely learned a few new things! I've only ever gotten feedback on my sewing from close family and friends, so it has been wonderful to read your nice comments and hear what you think about my projects. I'm so glad I've been able to be a part of this and I'm excited to keep on sewing, as always! :)

More Shorts

Here is one more pair of shorts I made for Anna. These are made from an old chambray tunic I had. I did a nice loose fit with elastic at the waist and leg openings, and some big patch pockets on the back. The top is made from an old tank top of mine. It just has seams on the top of the shoulders and self-fabric ribbing at the neckline. Simple, comfortable clothes are the ones that get worn the most around here!

Also, did you hear that I made it to the top three in Sew-vivor!?!?! Thank you so much for your nice comments and for your votes! I am super excited about it, and I've been working hard on the next challenge! I can't wait to show you and see what the other girls come up with, too. The projects will be posted on Wednesday!

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!

Spring Shorts

Anna got some new shorts for Spring! There was just enough fabric left over from my leopard print skirt to make a cute pair of shorts.The simple black lace top just has seams on the top of the shoulders, and I left the raw edge of the lace on the neckline and sleeves.

I was able to squeeze one more pair of shorts out of the red denim I used last year. Those were my favorite shorts on her, and they finally got too short (let's be honest - they started out pretty short)! I was glad I could make a similar pair for this summer!

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!!!

Top 10

I am so excited that I was chosen as one of the top 10 finalists in Sew-vivor! I'm working hard on the first challenge, and I'm so excited to see what everyone comes up with! You can click on the image below and/or on my sidebar to take you to all the Sew-vivor posts at Family Ever After.

Floral Dress

This little floral dress is one of my favorite dresses I've made for Anna! I love the peter pan collar, pleated sleeves, and button placket on the back. It fits her so well and I love the floral pattern and colors of the fabric. I used my own pattern and it is a really great fit.

I'm linking this up to Family Ever After's Sew-vivor Challenge and I'm excited about it! I would love to be able to participate and challenge myself a little bit in my sewing! And let's be honest, the prize packages are awesome and would totally help me stock up on fabric before our move to England at the end of the summer!

Polka Dot

 A polka dot geranium dress for Miss Anna. I loved the pattern and I love the fit!