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!

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.

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.

bling

a finished project! can you believe it?!

this is the ring pillow i made for my friend's wedding which is happening in a couple weeks.  i knew i wanted to sew on some sort of flower, but when i got to michaels yesterday, i wasn't too keen on any of them.     

i ended up buying a few different sizes and shapes, and when i got home  i pulled them all apart and made a big pile of petals.  i tossed out the plastic parts and trimmed down some of the petals, then i sewed them back together using a clear glass bead for the center.

hope she'll like it!

oysters in pyrex

this was such a great weekend--it makes such a difference to have one extra day off. i was actually able to finish a project...20 oyster brooches.  it doesn't seem like such a triumph because it is something i've made before, but i've never made 20 of anything.  some will be going in my store during the next update, and a few will be heading to amsterdam for an etsy friend's (soon to be opened) online store.

two weeks left of school and then...freedom!

have a wonderful week!

trying out

i decided that this summer i'm going to try my hand at making clothes...or at least a simple dress.  i was at joann fabric last week, and all the mccall's patterns were $1.50--i figured it was worth a try. 

i really like this dress for several reasons, but the main one is that there isn't a zipper.  i've never tried to put a zipper on anything, so i'm a bit intimidated. i'm sure it isn't quite as hard as i've built it up to be, but i am going to have to work up to it.  this dress just has one little button closure on the back...i think i can handle that. 

i'm thinking i'll practice with a couple vintage sheets i've picked up these past few months. i think they will make nice light and summery dresses.

have a great week!

top model

a really sweet girl contacted me through etsy and asked that i make her an oyster brooch.  an oyster brooch? oh, indeed!  here i am modeling it--my first modeling job since i did a little runway at the local department store when i was a six.  i'm pretty sure i only agreed to do it because i thought my mom would buy me some tinkerbell makeup.

jewelry wallet 2.0

so here is my most recent attempt at the jewelry wallet.  i didn't take any pictures of the inside because, well, it doesn't look very good.  i experimented with different types of stitches and sort of rushed through it, but it's getting there.  instead of batting, i used fusible fleece this time,  and my focus group (ted) and i think that the batting is better. and while i love the off-centered button, i just isn't functional. when the wallet is full of jewelry it sort of bulges out of the side without the button, and nobody wants a bulging jewelry wallet, do they?

i just got these amazing rings in the mail from rosanna over at fluffsstuffs.  we did a little etsy trade, a tulip cream and sugar set from my vintage store for these two fabulous ring.  check out her store--everything is really cute and affordable!

spring break

spring break has officially begun.  this weekend has been really relaxing and pretty lazy because i don't feel like i need to cram everything into saturday and sunday--i have a whole work-free week to do it.  the weather has been cooperating too, and we've eaten lunch out on the porch for the last couple of days.  so nice.

sewing has also been back on my radar, and i finished a new gift for a dear friend. after reading about the sister box over at scissors. paper .glue i knew i needed to start one of these, but i only have two older brothers (whom i love deeply, but they still don't count.)  so i emailed my sister-like friend out in oregon (who just bought her first sewing machine) and we agreed that we must start one.  this yoga bag will be one of the items in the first box.  it's from amy butler's free pattern, and it was pretty easy to  make.  it was my first time sewing on a circular bottom, so that was a bit

interesting--and it turned out a bit wonky, but i don't
think she'll mind too much.  i've been map questing my road trip out to ikea tomorrow, and i'm including stops to forever 21, h&m, and possibly a village discount store.  i can barely contain my excitement.