carrie girl

independence day

i took a mini break from dresses and focused on trying out a shirt. this is from a vintage butterick pattern that was made by, "young designer betsy johnson." (i actually saw her once in new york eating at a cafe...she was easy to spot because she doesn't blend in very well.) it is for knit fabric, but i tried it out on muslin before, and it is a size 16 so it fits like a glove. 

trying it out on muslin first definitely helped me out--it just takes extra time which sometimes is hard for me to do since i tend to be impatient and want to see the finished project. i think this shirt is pretty fitting for the fourth of july since it sort of looks like a nice picnic tablecloth. have a happy and safe 4th!

a whole year?!

i started this little blog exactly one year ago today. i thought a lot about what i'd like to write on this occasion, and had started a few sentences, but promptly erased them because they were a bit too corny.  i guess all i can say is thank you--i'm a lucky girl to have this community.

in honor of my one year of blogging, and to say thank you for all your support and inspiration, i'm doing a little giveaway.  because i'm out of town until mid-august, the winners won't receive the packages until that time, but that just gives me more time to make them that much better!  so here goes--just leave a comment, just to say hi or maybe tell me one thing you'd like to see more of, or some sage crafting/blogging advice i can take with me into my next 365 days.  on tuesday, july 8th, i'll pick two names out of a jar, and send those lucky readers a vintage goodness/handmade by me package.  i'm thinking two of these little deer need new homes...

thanks again for a wonderful first year!

sundress

here's dress #2.  it's made out of a vintage sheet i found in kansas city, and based off of a dress i bought at a thrift store a few years ago.  the dress is pretty simple to make, and this one actually fits me properly. the hem is a bit wonky, but overall i'm pretty happy with it.
i'd like to start trying to work with knits, but i've heard they can be a little temperamental--especially since i don't have a serger.  but i just ordered sew u home stretch in hopes that i can learn.  hopefully i'll get the book before we take a weekend trip down to nyc so i can get an idea of what i'm in for before i hit up the fabric stores.

have a great day!

we're here!

this is the view from the front porch up here in the adirondacks.  even after nearly three years of visiting, it still takes my breath away.  i've set up a little crafting space in the attic upstairs--it's all white and has amazing light. ted is writing in the hayloft of the barn you see in the picture.  he's been getting up really early (too early for me) and spending his mornings in there before the sun gets too hot. 

i've been really productive too. we've been here for three days and i've made two sundresses.  granted, both are not totally wearable and i made a lot of mistakes, but it is nice to have the time to try. this one is from the pattern i talked about here.  i made it out of seersucker, and the pockets are a light denim.  i messed up in a number of ways on this dress.  first was that i made it way too big.  i did this because the jumper i made (or attempted to make) i made way too small.  i thought i was making my size, but either by a cutting error or my gross misjudgement of my size, there is no way i would have fit into it.  so when i started this dress, i decided to make it two sizes bigger...huge mistake.  the armholes are really big, and it sort of has a maternaty dress feel.  i shortened it quite a bit, so it now looks more babydoll than baby in the womb.  the last thing i have left to do is put a little button on the back to close it up. i'm hoping i'll get the whole sizing thing down by the time we head back to iowa.

on the road!

well...i'm packed, and i'm certain that i have forgotten many things that i will need.  but, at this point, i think i just need to go to bed.  i'm so looking forward to a month and a half of mountain air and relaxation, but this 18 hour drive has me a little rattled...especially since i have to drive it alone on the way home. i have 6 weeks before i need to start worrying about that, though. so for now, i'll just worry about the drive there!

the next time you hear from me i might be cuddling up next to one of these guys...or perhaps getting a rabies vaccine.

oh, and i'm closing down the etsy stores until i get back--this will give me time to actually make stuff!

gingham

today i'm attempting to pack for a month and a half long vacation.  i've limited myself to one tupperware container of fabric, and i'm having a hard time deciding what stays and what goes.  how will i know what project i want to do in a month? the closest fabric store to where  we're staying is 27 miles, so i need to choose wisely.

decisions, decisions...

home again!

it feels nice to dust off the cobwebs and get myself back on the blogging train.  two weeks in kansas city with my family was lovely and i was sad to say good-bye, but it does feel nice to be back in iowa.  the water is still pretty high and some roads are still covered, but all in all it looks pretty good.  we won't be here for long, though, because on thursday we're packing up the yaris and starting our drive to upstate new york.  it seems pretty hectic, but i just keep reminding myself i will have a month and a half to relax once we get there. 
while in kansas city,  i managed to do a little thrifting and found this vintage little red riding hood set. i have no idea what i'm going to do with it, but for now it will probably sit in a box until i get home from the adirondacks. i also hit up a couple vintage clothing stores and stocked up on cute shirts and sundresses.  now i'm off to clean out the fridge--we're not sure how long the power was out last week and we're not taking any chances...

the flood

so...this is what downtown cedar rapids looks like, and iowa city isn't too far behind.  ted and i were supposed to be heading back today, but it looks like most of the roads are closed and we might not have power, so i'm staying in kansas city through the week until the next wedding in clinton, mo. ted is flying to chicago for work, so this will be some good mother/daughter bonding time.  i'm trying to convince her that we can redo a bathroom in a week--at the very least take down the two layers of wallpaper and put on some paint. that's doable, right?

i don't have the camera dock here to upload pictures, and my sewing machine is staying dry in our house in iowa city, so not much crafting will be going on here.  i will be doing some thrifting, though, which will be nice.  hope all of you are staying high and dry!

more weddings!

these little wallets are for another wonderful friend getting married this month.  they'll be a part of her bridesmaids gifts--hope they like them.

i'll be out and about in columbia, mo and kansas city, mo all week doing fun things like going to a royals game and watching a good friend get married, so i'll be a little absent this week.  but when i get back i'll share about my disastrous first attempt at making clothes...let's just say the button maker function on my sewing machine is not my best friend at this moment.

flour

since i've been mulling over the idea of trying to sew up a few dresses, i've been looking around for some inspiration.  i stumbled upon flour clothing and was totally blown away by the amazing style this woman has.  her designs are exactly how i'd love to dress every day of my life, and exactly how i'd love to dress my kids (if i had any.) the first link is her new blog, but her old one has some really  beautiful clothes for adults.  i am truly inspired to dust off my sewing machine, and truly intimidated at the same time!