sneak peek!

Coming soon to etsy!

busy summer

Poor, neglected blog. Well, it's summer, so I have been spending less time sewing and more time outside lately. But I have been performing a few small acts of sewing mayhem...
First, my new swimsuit cover up. It was fabric love at first sight. And thanks to a retro two-piece pattern...

Voila!

And then I took some time for a frivolous little white skirt...just perfect for hot summer days! It was supposed to be a one-day project...

But it took longer than it was supposed to, of course. I had to figure out my own liner. Version one was a failure, but version two effectively masks even brown and orange striped underwear. Business. And I had to re-cut the waistband so it would sit right. The back half is elastic, and the front is drawstring. Less bulk, more comfort. And cute as all get out!






And finally, check this new version of my tie-skirt! Yep, it's a mini! No--not for me. Custom order.

I don't usually like minis, but I must say it is quite stellar. Super cute butt shot!

the name game

Finally, after months of talking about it, I have committed myself to... (drumroll)


Opening my own store on Etsy! (insert cheering here)

Yep, that's right. We're taking the crazy fun online. But I need YOUR help to do it. Really. I need help coming up with a name for my store. Who doesn't like to name things? C'mon, jump on in with a suggestion!

I'll be starting with a small inventory, until I can see how things go, focusing mainly on items made from repurposed fabrics. Namely, awesome purses made from vintage tablecloths and scraps of old upholstery fabric, and even more awesome necktie skirts.

Name ideas I've had so far:
Cherry and Dill: Peace, Love, and Repurposed Fabric (getting a little groovy, baby)
The Button Box (who doesn't like alliteration? but this might be too cutesy)
Spools! (if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? but I'm kinda bored with it)
[blank] Salvage Co. (this one I like...if I could find a word or two to fill the blank)
Good Morning, Glory (does this scream 'grandma'?)
The Old Bag (makes me laugh, but not sure if everyone would get it)

Please, jump on in with an idea! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

jacket!

And here's the khaki blazer I've been working on. It looks super cute with my tie skirt, and it's got a little stretch, so it's really comfy. But it's not quite right, yet. There's something funny going on with the liner that keeps it from laying right. Back to the drawing board! (Or seam ripper, Whatever.)

curtains!

Finally, I've finished the curtains for my sewing room. Here's one side (doesn't Gladys look nice?)...

Both sides (I know, the lamp is ugly...but it is loved)...

And open! Isn't this fabric just plain awesome?! I don't really like sewing drapes, but at least they turned out well.

Christmas 2009!

Finally, I can display the GREAT fun I've had over the last month or so, cranking out Christmas presents.

The first four I completed were the ones I needed to ship out my to sister Andrea and her family in Tacoma. Here are the beauties, tagged and ready to box. From the left: a zip-front vest for Doug, bamboo knit lounge pants (delicious!) for Andrea, a corduroy backpack for Avery, and a hat and mittens set for Kellen.

And here are the boys, modeling their new couture on Christmas day.

I also made a vest for my dad, out of wind resistant fleece with a water resistant overlay, for motorcycle rides. I was pretty happy with the zippered pockets.

Check the sweet brocade shirt I made for my sister Kelly. Gladys didn't want to take it off, so I let her keep it on until the last possible minute.

And I took a break from the sewing to crochet my mom a rug...out of old t-shirts. It was a ton of fun, even if I'm not the most perfect crochet-er ever. That's thirteen 100% cotton large adult Ts. Yeah.

Merry Christmas!

repurposed haberdashery

My friend Lizzie appears with a box of neckties. I smell some mischief! What to do with all these neckties? Hmm. First, we'll choose our victims. Then we'll get our ties laid out in a pleasing palette. I chose (big surprise) brown/blue coordinates. Note the SWEET paisley tie fourth from the right.
Lizzie chose oh-so-stunning black and red.

Next, we'll get them washed, rip open the back seam, and cut off the skinny, useless part.

Then, we'll hijack one of my favorite skirt patterns. The result? Fabulousness!

patterns galore

You know what I really need? I really need a better way to store my patterns.

I have a lot. A lot, a lot.

Ok, maybe I'm a pattern junkie.

But I paid full price for NONE of them. I swear. I probably paid ten cents or a quarter for about half of them. Thift stores! There's not much better than vintage patterns. And  I got quite a few for free. If I do succumb in the store, I only buy when they're less than two dollars.

Because who knows when I'll need a pattern for a halter dress from 1947?! Maybe tomorrow! Remember the red print dress I just made this fall? Rummage sale pattern! Ten cents. Booyah. And the pattern on the left--yep. Made that one too. It swings like a mad cat.

Still, I've got two desk drawers full of patterns, and they're hard to keep organized. Of course, I like looking through them so it's no hardship, but there must be a better way. Some sort of binder system? Patterns can be kind of thick, though, and it would be best if I could easily see the front and back of each envelope.

All six dozen of them. No--maybe it's more like fifty. Well...ok, I'm not sure. Less than a hundred.

I need help. Does anyone have any ideas? (Help with organizing patterns. Geez, you guys!)

into the realm of reupholstery

Well, we were going to use this fabric to slipcover this chair, but decided playing with a staple gun sounded much more fun. Look how awesome this turned out!

Action footage!

more dots!

We interrupt this sewing blog to bring you a tad bit of reupholstering mayhem.

start to finish

 One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Happiness!

impulse coat

So...I bought the fabric on Friday afternoon, had it washed, cut, and started Friday night...pretty much completed it on Saturday night...wore it to church on Sunday, then came home and added buttons. Whew!

Yes, there are buttons on the front. Can't see them, ey? They are secret buttons. Ooh-ooh. Of course, that makes them a pain to fasten, but I'll get the trick of it I'm sure.

Oh, and then I decided to add these goofy buttons to the back. They keep the tie from wandering overmuch.

I'm thinking about changing the front tie to a buckle, but am afraid that will look dorky. And it already takes me long enough to do up the inverse buttons. Any thoughts?

red dress glory

I'm so glad that my sewing room is back up and running again.

Check this vintage square-necked sheath, modelled so wonderfully by its happy new owner. So cute! With the awesome print, it's hard to tell--but check out the flap pocket on the right side. And stretch cotton--definitely my favorite fabric to work with at the moment.

In fact, it was so fun and cute, Gladys didn't want to take it off. We had quite the little photo shoot. Work it, Gladys, work it!

possibilities

Well, Juliet's in the shop getting a tune-up, since I figured as I was moving, I wouldn't be sewing for a little while.
Of course, now I really really want to. But I don't have much longer to wait. She should be done by next week--and by then I should have my new sewing room in tolerable order.

And when I do...



Let's just say that this is a distinct possibility. Not for myself, but for another tallish gal at work who is just as fed up with how store-bought dresses fit as I am.
Oh, this will be fun! I want to fabric-shop for it right now!
Insert massive gleeful chuckle here.