Sew4Home Fabric Basket

This week, my American Sewing Guild group meets to make this cute little fabric basket from Sew4Home. I decided to make one ahead of time to familiarize myself with the project. There are two sizes included in the free instructions. This is the small size. It's a sturdy little basket for holding sewing supplies, knitting projects, patterns, etc.

Sew4Home has many creative, tasteful projects for the home. The instructions are very clear with lots of pictures. They are also free! These are just a few of my favorites.

Kitchen Towels with Rick-Rack

30 Minute Neck Pillows

Vintage Shoulder Dust Covers

Cheater Quilt

Did you check out Sew4Home? What are your favorite projects?

New Look 6104

I finally found time to get back to a little sewing and blogging after catching up on spring chores. I bought this pretty eyelet fabric at Hancock Fabrics to make my very petite daughter a blouse.

We both really liked New Look 6104 for this fabric, however, the smallest size is a size 10. She probably needs a size 6 and that would still have plenty of ease but since she doesn't wear blouses snug, we went with one size down. I should have tried two sizes down (size 6) since I still had to take up all the seams. I wanted to learn more about pattern grading so I did a little research and found these extremely helpful sources for grading up or down sizes.

Patternreview -  I used this method to grade my pattern down a size.

Megan Neilsen Design Diary - I didn't think this method was the best choice for this blouse but I think it could be extremely useful as a quick fix for a simple design.

I should have moved the dart up about 1/2 inch. After I finished this blouse, I found this method for moving darts, not pivoting but actually moving them. I have already tried it on another project and it works great!

Hopefully, I'm back in the sewing groove now. I had a few spring projects that I needed to get done quickly. One of them was to make a walking path through the "meadow" behind my house so that I can get a little exercise. I just don't think sitting at the sewing machine burns very many calories!

What is on your to-do list for spring?

The Hunger Games

Today is the day! Well, really, it was last night. The Hunger Games movie is showing. My daughter began reading these books a few months ago so I decided to read them also. Very interesting books. The most disturbing books that I could not put down. It's just fiction.....It's just fiction....

Anyway, I'm going to the afternoon showing today with my daughter. None of that midnight stuff for me. I want to be awake and alert so that I don't miss anything.

This is the Katniss outfit that my daughter put together to wear today. She has been counting down the days.

I digitized the mockingjay pin that Katniss wears during the Hunger Games. I embroidered it onto black wool felt and made it into a pin rather than embroidering it directly on something. She might not always be as excited to wear a mockingjay as she is today!

Simplicity 2599

I found this pretty fabric at Hancock's a few weeks ago and decided that it would make the perfect spring top. I don't usually like 100% polyester fabrics but this one is a little different. It has a slight crinkled texture making it more comfortable to wear because it has a little "give". I have used Simplicity 2599 several times for my daughters in the sleeveless versions. This is the first time I have tried it for myself. It's a great basic wardrobe builder pattern which I plan to use many more times in the future. It was voted one of the top 10 patterns of 2010 on Patternreview.

 
 I decided not to add the elastic because I thought it would be harder to put on and take off. I added a skinny belt instead.

I found these cute buttons in my button box for the back. I made thread loops for the closure. I love these thread loops and love making them! You can see the crinkled texture better in this picture.

I like the cut of the sleeves which are a little shorter than normal with a curved hemline.

These are the other versions of Simplicity 2599. Have you tried it out yet?

One Row Lace Scarf

Once in a while, I get a little worried that I am buying yarn and fiber faster than I am using it. When this happens, I pull out a skein of yarn and go to Ravelry to find a pattern which will work with my yarn weight and yardage. I bought this Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Lace a couple of years ago at Blueball Mountain Spindle and Needleworks in Elizabethtown, Ky. I loved the colors in it and thought it would be nice to wear in the fall. I tried several different scarf and shawl patterns before deciding on a simple pattern which I had knitted once before. I always end up with a simple, classic pattern but always have to go through the elimination process.

Ravelry link

The pattern is called One Row Lace Scarf because every row is knitted exactly the same, making it easy to memorize. The free pattern can be found here. It can be knit in many yarn weights just by adjusting the needle size. I double stranded the lace weight yarn and used a size 7 needle. It was a somewhat slow project to knit but it was worth the effort. I love the scarf!

What are your favorite tried and true patterns for destashing?

Copycat T-shirt

My daughter shops at a popular teen store at the mall where the clothing is trendy and not too expensive. I have to admit that I look around the store occasionally just to get ideas for sewing projects. I've noticed that all of their t-shirts are basically the same pattern with different neckline, sleeve, and hem treatments. I decided to trace the simple pattern for one of her favorite knits tops and use it as a basis for her summer top wardrobe.  I added a self fabric knit binding to the neckline and topstitched with my coverstitch machine. The sleeves have a narrow hem also stitched with the coverstitch and the bottom is finished with a band cut crosswise from the same fabric. I used Design Plus Ultra-Soft Double Sided Fusible from The Sewing Place to fuse the sleeve hem before stitching. With very lightweight knits such as this one, hems tend to tunnel even when stitched with the double-needle coverstitch. The fusible makes the hem very even and professional looking.

I decided that I really like the color of this knit and hated to throw away the small amount of leftover scraps. I cut a narrow scarf across the width of the fabric about 8 inches by 66 inches (the width of the fabric). I let the edges roll rather than finishing them.

I also had enough little scrappy pieces left to make a headband and a fabric flower. For the headband, I cut a strip 5 1/2 inches wide and 20 1/2 inches long. I folded the strip lengthwise, serged a 1/4 inch seam, turned the tube and stitched a seam in the back. I stitched on a fabric flower and it's done. Quick and easy. I had enough left to make another flower which I sewed to a felt circle and attached a clasp pin to the back.

I finally decided that there simply was not enough fabric left to make anything else and moved on to my next project. What are your ideas for using leftover fabrics from your sewing/craft projects?

Couture Dress Class

Check out this class on craftsy.com! An expert in couture sewing, Susan Khalje, is teaching an online class in the construction of a couture dress. The class is being offered for half price at $39.99 which includes a Vogue pattern. I told my husband that I would like the class for Valentine's Day so I am signed up and waiting for my pattern to arrive.  It is a sew at your own pace class. Once registered, you will always have access to the videos and can watch them over and over. I will probably make the dress for my daughter so that I can practice fitting techniques on her. This is the recommended pattern.

In May, I will be attending one of Susan's couture schools and working with her in person. The school is an intense 6 days of sewing and learning. I plan to make a wool boucle Chanel jacket for myself during my May school! Check out Susan's website!