Cake Patterns Espresso Leggings

 

Pattern: Espresso Leggings - Cake Patterns  
Fabric: Ponte DeRoma (poly/rayon/spandex) & a spandex blend both from Colorado Fabrics

Hey everyone, I haven't posted in awhile because I was out of town. Before I left I managed to get a ton of things sewn, like the two pairs of leggings above, but I didn't have time to post all of the makes until now. I love leggings, mainly for lounging and working out in and one of the two pairs I have was getting pretty worn out. I remembered seeing a post awhile back on Dixie's blog about a legging pattern that she had used and really liked due to the fact that you use your exact measurements to get a perfectly fitting pair! Sold. I had previously taken a trip down to Colorado Fabrics in Denver which is an amazing fabric store. The place is huge and they have all of these discount tables in the back with different amounts of pre-cut fabric in varying amounts. The only downside to shopping from these tables is that the type of fabric is rarely listed on the tags. That being said I was very careful when looking for fabric, I knew I wanted to be working with a very stretchy material like spandex, but I didn't want it to be see-through when stretched. I had to stop myself from bankrupting myself and so I just grabbed these two fabrics for now, and I plan on making many more leggings in the future because I really liked this pattern especially after I worked out a few kinks.

 

Pattern: Espresso Leggings - Cake Patterns  
Fabric: Ponte DeRoma (poly/rayon/spandex) & a spandex blend both from Colorado Fabrics

Hey everyone, I haven't posted in awhile because I was out of town. Before I left I managed to get a ton of things sewn, like the two pairs of leggings above, but I didn't have time to post all of the makes until now. I love leggings, mainly for lounging and working out in and one of the two pairs I have was getting pretty worn out. I remembered seeing a post awhile back on Dixie's blog about a legging pattern that she had used and really liked due to the fact that you use your exact measurements to get a perfectly fitting pair! Sold. I had previously taken a trip down to Colorado Fabrics in Denver which is an amazing fabric store. The place is huge and they have all of these discount tables in the back with different amounts of pre-cut fabric in varying amounts. The only downside to shopping from these tables is that the type of fabric is rarely listed on the tags. That being said I was very careful when looking for fabric, I knew I wanted to be working with a very stretchy material like spandex, but I didn't want it to be see-through when stretched. I had to stop myself from bankrupting myself and so I just grabbed these two fabrics for now, and I plan on making many more leggings in the future because I really liked this pattern especially after I worked out a few kinks.

Recycled Coffee Sack Turns Into A Tote Bag

Fabric: Burlap Coffee Bean Sacks
Lining: Malachite 2 Cotton Silk from Spoonflower - 2 yds $54

I don't know if you all remember but a while back I posted about some upcoming projects and this coffee tote bag was one of them that I finished just in time for my mom for mother's day. I'm proud of how this turned out, and my mom seemed to like it as well even though the second thing she said was 'I wish it had a pocket on the inside' which I sort of knew she was going to say. I should've just sewn in a pocket, but I was short on time, and burlap is frustrating as hell to work with. I quickly realized that after I constructed the outside shell of the tote sans lining when I was trimming my seams. I looked back to make sure everything was trimmed and instead the seam had come apart. I'm wondering if maybe a zig-zag stitch would have worked better? I have more construction pictures, finished pictures, and ideas for my next tote (I have enough fabric to make one more of these) after the page break.

Fabric: Burlap Coffee Bean Sacks
Lining: Malachite 2 Cotton Silk from Spoonflower - 2 yds $54

I don't know if you all remember but a while back I posted about some upcoming projects and this coffee tote bag was one of them that I finished just in time for my mom for mother's day. I'm proud of how this turned out, and my mom seemed to like it as well even though the second thing she said was 'I wish it had a pocket on the inside' which I sort of knew she was going to say. I should've just sewn in a pocket, but I was short on time, and burlap is frustrating as hell to work with. I quickly realized that after I constructed the outside shell of the tote sans lining when I was trimming my seams. I looked back to make sure everything was trimmed and instead the seam had come apart. I'm wondering if maybe a zig-zag stitch would have worked better? I have more construction pictures, finished pictures, and ideas for my next tote (I have enough fabric to make one more of these) after the page break.

Wardrobe Overhaul

Top Row From Left: 1, 2, 3, 4
       Bottom Row From Left: 1, 2, 3, 4 
       

I've been thinking a lot more about my wardrobe, especially since I have been trying to plan what patterns to purchase in the upcoming months. At first I was just going to buy seasonal things, but I really decide to stop and think things out more especially after following Coletterie's Wardrobe Architect Series. The series really made me put a lot of thought into my style, styles I think I like but don't really work well on me, colors, and pieces I love wearing. More than that it really made me focus on what sorts of things I want to make in order to build up my wardrobe with pieces that will be well made and last for years. I don't really want buy trendy things or cheaply made things that I rarely wear, that don't fit well, or that I end up tossing out/giving away after a year or worse a few months. The above items are silhouette's of pieces I would like to have or add to my spring/summer wardrobe. Some of the things listed above are exact pieces I want to make and others are examples of types of things I want. Click the link below to keep reading about my color palette and patterns I'm planning on using to make some of the above outfits.

Top Row From Left: 1, 2, 3, 4
       Bottom Row From Left: 1, 2, 3, 4 
       

I've been thinking a lot more about my wardrobe, especially since I have been trying to plan what patterns to purchase in the upcoming months. At first I was just going to buy seasonal things, but I really decide to stop and think things out more especially after following Coletterie's Wardrobe Architect Series. The series really made me put a lot of thought into my style, styles I think I like but don't really work well on me, colors, and pieces I love wearing. More than that it really made me focus on what sorts of things I want to make in order to build up my wardrobe with pieces that will be well made and last for years. I don't really want buy trendy things or cheaply made things that I rarely wear, that don't fit well, or that I end up tossing out/giving away after a year or worse a few months. The above items are silhouette's of pieces I would like to have or add to my spring/summer wardrobe. Some of the things listed above are exact pieces I want to make and others are examples of types of things I want. Click the link below to keep reading about my color palette and patterns I'm planning on using to make some of the above outfits.

Clockwise from Upper Left: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

I'm purchasing the Bombshell Swimsuit pattern from Closet Case Files tomorrow and I've been scouring the internet for the perfect fabric. I'm actually going to take a day trip to Colorado Fabrics this weekend, but just in case I don't find anything there I'm probably going to buy one of fabrics listed above.

I was only planning on making one swimsuit, but I might have to make two if I can't decide between fabrics. I really like the matte wine colored spandex, but I also like the cool ink blot one and the stained glass fabric could make for a fun suit as well. Out of these five what are your favorites?

Clockwise from Upper Left: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

I'm purchasing the Bombshell Swimsuit pattern from Closet Case Files tomorrow and I've been scouring the internet for the perfect fabric. I'm actually going to take a day trip to Colorado Fabrics this weekend, but just in case I don't find anything there I'm probably going to buy one of fabrics listed above.

I was only planning on making one swimsuit, but I might have to make two if I can't decide between fabrics. I really like the matte wine colored spandex, but I also like the cool ink blot one and the stained glass fabric could make for a fun suit as well. Out of these five what are your favorites?

Self-Drafted Dress Disaster

Laughing at my roommate coming in the room, realizing I was taking a picture and jumping into the closet to hide

 

I tried to semi self-draft a summery knit dress this Saturday and it was a complete failure. Maybe not a complete failure because it doesn't look that bad in the picture above...but it just didn't turn out as expected.

 

I had this red knit fabric in my stash for awhile, and I wanted to make a nice flowy comfortably dress for the summer. I used the Renfrew top pattern to sketch out the top, and then just cut out four rectangles for the bottom and gathered them together. I like the way the top portion fits and the way the skirt portion fits as well, but it's the middle portion where the top and bottom meet that I'm unhappy with. I'm not sure if the gathers of the skirt make it too heavy, but it pulls down on the top. I wanted the seam to be right at my true waist and it's lower down around my belly button which isn't flattering on my figure. It's also too loose. When I made the gathers on the skirt I gathered to the size of my true waist, but I didn't gather the top and I'm wondering if that caused it too loosen up.

I'm not sure if it's worth trying to fix or not. I could possible slash it at the waist and re-sew the skirt onto the top 5 inches higher. I think the bottom hem might then be too short. Another option would be to just ditch the top and add a tighter waistband onto the skirt. What do you guys think? Have you ever had a self-drafting disaster?

Laughing at my roommate coming in the room, realizing I was taking a picture and jumping into the closet to hide

 

I tried to semi self-draft a summery knit dress this Saturday and it was a complete failure. Maybe not a complete failure because it doesn't look that bad in the picture above...but it just didn't turn out as expected.

 

I had this red knit fabric in my stash for awhile, and I wanted to make a nice flowy comfortably dress for the summer. I used the Renfrew top pattern to sketch out the top, and then just cut out four rectangles for the bottom and gathered them together. I like the way the top portion fits and the way the skirt portion fits as well, but it's the middle portion where the top and bottom meet that I'm unhappy with. I'm not sure if the gathers of the skirt make it too heavy, but it pulls down on the top. I wanted the seam to be right at my true waist and it's lower down around my belly button which isn't flattering on my figure. It's also too loose. When I made the gathers on the skirt I gathered to the size of my true waist, but I didn't gather the top and I'm wondering if that caused it too loosen up.

I'm not sure if it's worth trying to fix or not. I could possible slash it at the waist and re-sew the skirt onto the top 5 inches higher. I think the bottom hem might then be too short. Another option would be to just ditch the top and add a tighter waistband onto the skirt. What do you guys think? Have you ever had a self-drafting disaster?

Fabric - Swatch article #12276028

Brand - Robert Allen

Pattern - Frontier Ogee

Color - Henna

Bought From - JoAnn Fabrics online

 I finally finished one of the clutches I was working on. I've been ordering swatches of reupholstery fabric for the couch I'm planning on reupholstering, and so far I haven't liked anything I've ordered. The nice thing about these swatches is that they were about a square foot in size, and while that's too small to do a lot of things, it was the perfect size for a clutch.

Enough room to stack multiple cards in at once!

I have a bunch of pictures and a some 'how to' steps so if you want to see the whole construction, click the link below.

Fabric - Swatch article #12276028

Brand - Robert Allen

Pattern - Frontier Ogee

Color - Henna

Bought From - JoAnn Fabrics online

 I finally finished one of the clutches I was working on. I've been ordering swatches of reupholstery fabric for the couch I'm planning on reupholstering, and so far I haven't liked anything I've ordered. The nice thing about these swatches is that they were about a square foot in size, and while that's too small to do a lot of things, it was the perfect size for a clutch.

Enough room to stack multiple cards in at once!

I have a bunch of pictures and a some 'how to' steps so if you want to see the whole construction, click the link below.

Goats, Gardens, and Getting a New Laptop

T-bone in the background and Moosetracks in the foreground - taken by my friend Eliott

It has been a non-stop past couple of weeks. My roommate had 2 pregnant Nigerian Dwarf goats, and I say had even though we still have them, because they're no longer pregnant anymore. The first set of twins came on St. Patricks day, and last week Wednesday the two in the picture up top decided they wanted to be born even though we weren't expecting them for another two weeks!

Malarkey                                         Shenanigans

Luckily we were all home, but that was the day I planned to start working on my clutches that I was planning to make. 

This weekend was spent camping and getting our garden started. Since we have the goats in the backyard we're doing a huge front yard garden. Saturday we rolled all of the sod up and Sunday we rota-tilled. I'm extremely lucky because one of my roommates parents are vegetable farmers, so I've been getting gardening 101.

            Smoking a bunch of chicken thighs                                                                    The giant garden

After the busy weekend I was finally able to start working on making those clutches. I should have a post updated by this weekend! In other news my laptop decided to die on Monday so I had to go out and buy a new one. I'm typing this post up from my new one, and so far I'm liking it. Unfortunately I had to spend a lot of money, which means I may not end up buying some of the patterns I was thinking of buying this month. Making clothes can be expensive, and sometimes I wonder why I even bother because it's not as if me-made things end up being cheaper than store bought... This also pushes me one more month out from buying reupholstering supplies. At this point I almost feel like I'm never going to get a chance to buy them. I had a horrible day on Monday when I realized that my computer was done for. It's been a frustrating few months to say the least, especially since every time I have big plans to buy something for a project or for my own personal satisfaction something big comes up. Yay, for being an adult (groans). Keep your fingers crossed that I stumble across some money, until then I'll just keep on sewing.

T-bone in the background and Moosetracks in the foreground - taken by my friend Eliott

It has been a non-stop past couple of weeks. My roommate had 2 pregnant Nigerian Dwarf goats, and I say had even though we still have them, because they're no longer pregnant anymore. The first set of twins came on St. Patricks day, and last week Wednesday the two in the picture up top decided they wanted to be born even though we weren't expecting them for another two weeks!

Malarkey                                         Shenanigans

Luckily we were all home, but that was the day I planned to start working on my clutches that I was planning to make. 

This weekend was spent camping and getting our garden started. Since we have the goats in the backyard we're doing a huge front yard garden. Saturday we rolled all of the sod up and Sunday we rota-tilled. I'm extremely lucky because one of my roommates parents are vegetable farmers, so I've been getting gardening 101.

            Smoking a bunch of chicken thighs                                                                    The giant garden

After the busy weekend I was finally able to start working on making those clutches. I should have a post updated by this weekend! In other news my laptop decided to die on Monday so I had to go out and buy a new one. I'm typing this post up from my new one, and so far I'm liking it. Unfortunately I had to spend a lot of money, which means I may not end up buying some of the patterns I was thinking of buying this month. Making clothes can be expensive, and sometimes I wonder why I even bother because it's not as if me-made things end up being cheaper than store bought... This also pushes me one more month out from buying reupholstering supplies. At this point I almost feel like I'm never going to get a chance to buy them. I had a horrible day on Monday when I realized that my computer was done for. It's been a frustrating few months to say the least, especially since every time I have big plans to buy something for a project or for my own personal satisfaction something big comes up. Yay, for being an adult (groans). Keep your fingers crossed that I stumble across some money, until then I'll just keep on sewing.