Ice Cream Dress

I can't believe it, but Spring is already here in Southern California and has been for several weeks!  The beautiful tree pictures above is in my front yard and I get to enjoy it every time I enter or leave the front door.

 

After being under the weather for the past two weeks I am ready to get out and enjoy the sunshine!  If you haven't had the flu yet this season -avoid anyone who has it like you would the plague! 

 

Do you remember me posting about the Ice cream cone dress?  I actually finished this many months back, but I chose such a plain pattern that when I got it put together I didn't think it was a chic as the original inspiration.  I pretty much was going to avoid posting about it again altogether and really hadn't worn it much either, but it was also cold outside. I needed something quick to pull on the other day to run out and get dog food and run a few other errands.  Wouldn't you know, in the short amount of time I was out I received many compliments!  After that I figured I could be brave and post it on the blog.  Sadly, I really don't have the proper accessories for this outfit to stand out.  I think I would like to purchase this belt from Modcloth in the next few weeks to wear with this dress over the summer.  What do you think?

 

Speaking of both Ice cream dresses and Modcloth, are any of you following the Carrie Diaries on the CW?  Carrie was wearing this Modcloth dress which has ice cream and other yummies on a current episode and looked amazing.

Quilting Class Review

A few weeks ago I attended my first ever actual sewing class at Cotton and Chocolate Quilting Company in Thousand Oaks.  I am pretty fortunate to live so close, as this store is pretty well known in the surrounding areas for having a wide array of amazing fabrics and fabulous instructors.

I ended up selecting the Friendship Braid Quilt class, the pattern is from this book: Jelly Roll Quilts and the sneak peak above is my quilt in progress.

My instructor Diane was awesome!  She was not only a lot of fun, but I was impressed that she not only offered clear instructions to get us going, but was able to move fluidly around the class spending time with each of us and always seemed to be "right there" when you needed her most.

I would definitely recommend taking a class at Cotton and Chocolate if you happen to be in or live near the area.

In case you are curious the fabrics are once again Kaffee Fasett, can you tell I have a bit of a love affair going on? I have completed the vast majority of the piecing and once I decide on the border and backing fabric I will be finishing the quilt top and moving on to the sandwiching and quilting stages!

Other news, I mentioned awhile back a special surprise and here she is.......

I have finally upgraded my trusty Hello Kitty sewing machine!  After much research and a lot of thought I decided on a Bernina 330.  While this is on the lower end of Bernina models it still has heads and tails more functionality than my Hello Kitty machine and the stitch quality (which was my chief complaint about the older machine) is beautiful!

This is looking to be an exciting year for sewing!

Sew for Victory

As many of you may know by now Lucky Lucille is hosting Sew for Victory, a 1940's inspired Sew-along.

I am scrambling to participate but seem to have many an abundance of small projects piling up on my sewing table that are in some form of progress. We'll talk about those later, back to the Sew-along.

I have been trying not to over commit to ... I mean we all suffer from too little time too many projects, but I really want to participate in this sewing along and I had just purchased the perfect pattern that would help me keep things simple, Simplicity 1962 version B.

If you have been following along with the posts on Lucky Lucille you'll know that for notions I have a blue slide fastener as zippers were typically called back then and while my pictures do not correctly reflect it the button I purchased has a look similar to some of the buttons Rochelle posted from the Sears catalog pictures from the 1940's.

I also thought this small print fabric reminded me of fabrics you might have seen.  However, the fabric is a silk chiffon, which from what I can recall would not have been easy to find with the rationing going-on.

Project photos are due March 29th which means I need to get the fabric and pattern cut pretty quickly and get to sewing!  Are any of you participating?  What are you making? 

Macaron

Pattern: Colette Patterns – Macaron

Fabric: Rosey, Cotton Gauze with white polka dots & Off-White cotton for contrast purchased from Hart’s fabric

Styled with: Shoes: Just Fab

Wear Again: You bet!

This was the second pattern from Colette’s that I ever remember seeing and immediately I wanted to make it! I am not sure why it took me so long to act on the urge except besides straight copying the white/blue sample from Colette’s I had a hard time finding fabric that I wanted to pair together.

However, when both Hart’s and Sew Colette 2.0 picked the same pattern for a sew-along in the same month – I had to get in on that and finally choose some fabric. Being the talented slacker that I am – I missed the deadline and this did not actually get sewn up until last month.

This is the perfect dress for work and I am sure I’ll make another in the near future.

Pattern Review:  I have to tell you there are a few moments when constructing this dress that I seriously thought to myself that this pattern and set of instructions were pure genius! (The pockets and sleeves for instance) and at least one instance (once again the pockets) that I was extremely nervous that I was reading the instructions correctly.

I did have an issue with the fit of the sleeves, but I am sure that is probably me and something I should have adjusted for – I am just not sure what and my Google searches were of no help. Basically when I put the bodice on the sleeve area was too tight to then pull the dress back up over my head without secondary party (read: husband) assisting me out of the dress. The funniest part about this issue is that I could get the dress on just fine on my own and that it felt and looked comfortable – it just didn’t want to come off. I finally went in and surged again around the armholes this time as close to the regular line of stitching as I could without going over it in hopes that I would open up the area some. This actually works and I can finally get the dress over my head on my own. Has anyone heard of this type of fit issue and what is it called?

Red Quilt

I still haven't finished my Craftsy BOM quilt, but I did find time to piece together patchwork style some 6" charm packs from Kaffe Fassett's Fire collection.  I thought these fabrics were so bold and beautiful that they could pretty much stand on their own and the simple pattern would allow them to POP!

This is probably the simplest type of quilt that you can put together.  I literally just showed the little square together with a quarter inch seam in rows.  I did use a guide I found on the internet that told me how many charm packs would equal the size quilt that I wanted. For the "quilting" portion of the quilt I did little tie tacks embroider on the corners of each square.

This quilt is a full size quilt without any overhang. It is almost perfect for just snuggling-up on the couch which was the main intention behind the quilt. To be perfect I would have liked it to be just a little wider.

For the back of the quilt I chose this cabbage and rose print from the same collection.  I wanted the back of the quilt to stand out just as much as the front in this particular case.

I included this picture so hopefull you could see the litte tie tacks.  I alternated between a pink and a red that I thought fit with the theme of the quilt.

For a first quilt - this was perfect!  Now I am looking forward to piecing together something a bit more complicated.

Black Lily

Pattern: Colette Patterns – Lily

Fabric: Black Cotton Pique purchased from Denver Fabric

Styled with: Shoes: Poetic License purchased from Modcloth
Wear Again: YES! YES! YES! Maybe even make again!

This is actually my second version of the Lily dress. I made the first version a Lavender color during the Spring Palette Challenge 2012. However, I never really got around to taking pictures of it – even though I wear it quite frequently.

This version is no exception – and currently on high rotation in my closet! I love that I can pair it with everything and it is casual enough for work (when paired with a cardigan) but dressy enough for a date night out with my husband.

Pattern Review: While there are more pattern pieces than most beginner/easy patterns that is really the most time consuming or difficult thing about this pattern. The construction is straightforward and simple. I only needed my basic usual adjustments which was grading from a smaller size to a larger size and the fit is flattering and comfortable.

I could see this made up in a myriad of delightful colors! I am thinking of making a version with pocket and collar flap contrast as my next version. But first back to my goal of finishing the projects sitting in my wine crate….

Update and other miscellaneous Information

First, I wanted to let all of you know that Corina of Geminae, previously Reverse Clothing has decided to focus on something else for the time being and because of that is hosting giveaways every Wednesday with a winner announced every Friday while seh depletes the remaining items from her clothing line/store.

I bet you are wondering if I have dropped off the face of the planet for another four months.  The answer is - no!  I have been busy sewing up a storm and have many new things to show you.

However, as part of my realization that I spent much of last year too stressed out to do much sewing and for some reason too stressed out to take care of myself, I have started a daily routine to ensure that certain things are accomplished.  I am already feeling like a healthier, happier version of myself! 

I still have some catching up to do in many areas and have been focusing on that, but I will be back to posting very soon.  I actually can't wait to share a few things that I have made and some other sewing news of mine!