B6028

I have been going to make this pattern for sometime and I am glad I got to it. It fits well. I had to shorten it a couple of inches for me.


I used some fabric that I dyed.

B6177

 This pattern of Katherine's is a fun one to use up some pieces of fabric. A friend had given me some scrap pieces that I was able to incorporate along with some that I had to give a nice variety.

 I like how it turned out. I shorten it by a inch.

This shows you the wings that it has and it is very interesting how it all hangs out together.

China It Is

 Here is their beloved Panda Bear. They are so cute.

 A rickshaw ride. We rode through the old district and visited a home that had been owned by five generations. There were no sewers so none of the houses had toilets. Every so often there was a public toilet. I was thinking that I wonder if they go in their pajamas at night.

 The Great Wall. The steps to the top were very irregular. Some where very high and some very small. So it was not easy walking. I only got three/fourths of the way up and altitude really effected me so I had to stop.

I was trying out the exercise equipment that they have in a public senior park. This was really something to see. Seniors exercising. Even some came in their wheel chairs and got out and exercised. They were dancing and doing yoga. They are into little birds and bring their little cages with them. The women are knitting or crocheting in groups. They have card games they are playing. They told me that 1% of the population are in old peoples homes. I can see why. They are keeping themselves so active,

V8659

 I made a couple pairs of pants that Marcy calls her skinny pants. I like them and they are very easy to make.

 This pair I made with black ponte and I am afraid you can't see the detail of the pin tucks at the knees.

 The back pockets I trimmed with a little chain and beads on velvet ribbon which I got in Paris.

 This pair was my first pair and my muslin. It turned out good, so I will be wearing this pair too.

If you click on the photos you might be able to see the detail.

Sewing Workshop Sweater

 I like this sweater turned out. I made a small as it runs big. I usually use a medium. I shorten it a inch in the body of it and a inch in the sleeves.

 I used a trim that I brought back from Paris and had some poke dot knit to trim the turn back on the sleeves and trim on the neck. I might try this in a linen. Think it might look nice too.

Vest V1453

 I really like this vest.

 I bought some of Marcy's polyester which she says is the good kind and doesn't get hot. I have never tried it before. It is going to be nice for travel and to wear black and add this for color so it pops.

 I love the back design with the pleat and zipper. It makes a good conversation piece.

The other feature that I added was to put some netting on the inside of the fronts and added to buttoned pockets for when I want something to be secret. I made a mistake on this vest which I made come out anyway. The front bands are suppose to come up to the top of the collar edge. I used a 14 and could of used a little bit more room in the bust area. I did shorten it a inch. I found this a totally fun fabric and pattern to work with.

Another Shirt

I made one more shirt from Marcy's pattern. She had some silk jersey on her website and it is hard to find. I love to wear silk. It feels so soft and cool.

Marcy's new Sundress

 It always amazes me the way Marcy can come up with so many pieces and they always seem to go together and create a really nice effect.

 I used a voile fabric for the main part of this dress. I had enough fabric so I could double it so you couldn't see through it.

 I like the way this collar lays. There is a tuck at the back so it flops over, but looks good.

Here it is so you can see up closer the pieces that are inserted and have a little gathering at the tops of them.

Marcy's Pinafore

 I have been sewing my heart out, but am just getting around to getting some of the pictures taken.
This will be a winter pinafore. I had some hand dyed velvet I did some time ago and decided instead of being one of those fabrics you save because you love it so it won't do much good if I don't use it.

 I combined it with a couple of commercial fabrics because I didn't have enough of the hand dyed. The reason why I didn't have enough of the hand dyed is because when I was dyeing the velvet my cat jumped up on the stretch fabric and put two holes in with her crawls. You can imagine she wasn't on my love list that day. So needless to say I had to work around the holes.

 I love the style lines of this pinafore. Marcy always does such a nice job of putting those pieces together.

 This is one of the commercial fabrics and it has some see through and netting to it. It worked in quite well. I made the shirt and leggings out of that as well.

This was another commercial purple velvet that worked out well. You can also see a little closer the hand dyed fabric. I took a wood stamp and iron the image into the velvet.  At the pockets you can see a little of the lining and that gives a little more color. I didn't use the facings on the neck and armholes as the pattern has it. I instead made my own bias from some brocade fabric and just taped each of them.

Back to Enjoying Sewing

 It took awhile to get back in the sewing mood. But once I did I couldn't stop sewing knit shirts. They are so easy when you have your machine set up and you can go down the line. Also I really like this shirt pattern. The one above was a fun project as I used Marcy's idea and used a juicy t pen to put the polk a dots on a plain fabric. No one knows that I added the polk a dots. Really fun too. My husband says it looks like my pajamas, but I avoid that comment. The vest is one of Marcy's patterns which I made previously.

 This is Marcy's pattern which I am doing the leggings and shirts from. I am also working on the pinafore which I will show you when it is done.

 You can't really see the fabric in these, but it is velvet and has some places of see it has netting and you can see through. I like the legging pattern. I found it fits well and only has one seam inside leg.

 The colors didn't come through very well. This one is rust.

 This one is orange.

This one is peach. This is one of Marcy's old patterns V8636. I have made it before and really like it.

Ventana Vest

 I made Diane Ericsson's Ventana Jacket and Vest in the Vest version this time. I had enough material left over from when I made the jacket to make a vest. A friend liked the jacket so much and the material, so I made her a vest.

I tried a little different technique with the pocket. I made a tube and hand stitched it on and stacked two buttons. She was really happy with it.

Fairy Garden

Yesterday I made this fairy garden. I used two broken pots set into a large pot. The little chairs reminded me of some that my grandparents had. Using your imagination and creating little things almost brings you back to childhood.

Fashion Show

 It was very nice to meet Rhonda Buss. She had several garments in the fashion show.

 There was a silent auction and I was able to win two of them. I found it interesting to see the pattern designers and instructors that influenced the mid-west. The women's garments were beautifully sewn. The women coordinated the color and textures of their garments so very well.

This group has been together for fifty years. They have a fashion show every year. There was a 1 1/2 hours of show of garments. Some of them must sew constantly. I was very impressed with what I saw.

Chicago

Look what they had for me to look at. 

I remember when my Father planted tulips every year in Minnesota. Their trees are beginning to bloom and leaf out. So pretty. Nothing like a beautiful spring in the mid-west.