Top No. 27

Just because I haven't posted anything in the past many fortnights (I use that word as often as possible), doesn't mean I haven't been sewing a bunch. I really have. Blogging, sometimes, just isn't a priority. One thing I haven't done in a while though is pattern test. When I saw E+M post a call for testers for a super cute dolman top, I knew I had to get in on that goodness. Plus, I have tested for Allison before, and she is amazing. I love her patterns.

This is my take on Top No. 27.

 Just kidding. Not this. This is a dress I got at the thrift store for $1. I upcycled this bad girl into this.....

Heidi has the most piercing blue eyes. Steve and I joke that she has Alec Baldwin eyes. 

A few things to mention about this top. It is basically that fastest thing you will ever sew. The sizes range from 2T-10years. The instructions are crystal clear and the fit is so good. Also, this pattern is FREE! Just because its free doesn't mean that it wasn't vigorously tested and pure awesome, because it was and is.

Plaid Pippa Pelplum

Say that 10 times fast.

I am on a roll! This is usually how I work. I make something, love it, and must make something again as soon as humanly possible. Its almost like an adrenaline rush, this sewing stuff.

I decided to make a top for Avery out of some vintage plaid I found at our local thrift store. I had the perfect pattern in mind that I bought during a black Friday sale. The Pippa Peplum by See Kate Sew. The pattern called for facing to finish off the neckline. Facing + kids clothes = does not work well (IMO). The facings are always peaking out and just generally annoying. So I decided to bind the neckline instead, and it worked pretty well. I am still perfecting my skill of binding with knit, but this was one of my better results.

I finished the top last night, after the kids were in bed. Tried to put it on Avery this morning, and it wouldn't go over her head. I tried again. No go. The thing about Avery is she has a huge nogin, she is super skinny, and on the tall side for her age. Sometimes I don't get the sizing perfectly right for her. So I tried the top on Heidi, and it fit her perfectly! That is definitely a benefit of having two girls so close together. The project would have been a total failure if Heidi didn't save the day with her small little head.

Heidi is my reluctant model, she was pouting during the entire 3 minute shoot. 

I am so in love with this pattern. I could easily fill up my girls' closet with this shirt. And I think I will.

A Cozy Modern Belle Dress

I took a break from sewing these past two months. Part of that is due to Christmas and our tree taking up my sewing corner, and part of it is due to me just feeling plain tired after the kids are in bed, and the other part is I just didn't feel like sewing. So I didn't. A couple of days ago I decided to kind of force myself to sew something that Avery desperately needed: a warm dress for church. Our first Wyoming winter is kind of kicking our tails.
I decided to sew a dress out of a pattern I have seen a million times, but never really thought was for me. For whatever reason it just seemed like the perfect winter dress, so I bought the pattern at full price (which I RARELY do), and took the plunge. I present to you our my version of a  Warm and Cozy Modern Belle Dress, by Lil Luxe Collection.

Avery absolutely loves wearing this dress. It is just the softest flannel ever. And I think she really appreciates the warmth, especially since the heat in our church building has been a little sketchy the past couple of weeks. It was 2 degrees this morning, sooooo ya.

I'm so glad I forced myself to finally start stitching away and creating again. It does me so much good, and it has definitely awakened the sewing beast within. I am back to literally dreaming about creations I've put together in my brain. Now I just need to time and energy to turn all those fantasies into reality....

A Modified Glass Onion

When we moved to Big Piney, WY three months ago, I was sort of greiving my loss of Goodwill and some other favorite thrift stores I often frequented {read: visited nearly everyday}. It was really missing the experience of discovering hidden gems for mere pennies. When I was finally coming to terms with my new way of life, sans thrift stores, someone told my husband about a thrift store in a town 5 minutes from Big Piney. It couldn't be that good though, right? I mean there are only 1500 people to donate, its not going to be good, thought I. 

I was sooo wrong! It is a super fun thrift store, and its pretty big. My little heart did a happy dance for sure. The best part is they have a decent size fabric section full of vintage fabric and pure gems! Life crisis averted. I have found so many fun things in their fabric section, one of them being this purple, weird, wool like fabric, backed with a smooth and silky polyester. It is super cozy and perfect for winter. I would never find anything like this at a big name store. And I paid $2 for an entire yard of this mystery fabric. Score!

Some fabric you just know exactly what you want to make with it - and that was the case with this stuff. Shwin Designs has this pattern called The Glass Onion Top and it is a definitely a go to of mine. I think this is the fourth top I have made from this pattern, but my first long sleeve version. Instant love.

This pattern is called the Glass Onion Top because in the original pattern, the back is two pieces that curve and overlap, giving it two layers, like an onion! While I love the original pattern, hemming curves is not my favorite thing, and I also didn't love how in the wind the back flaps would expose Avery's back. In case you didn't know, Wyoming is sort of windy. So I came up with an easy solution to fix both problems I was having.

I drafted a new back yoke, using the original pieces to get the scoop just right in the back, and the length just right so it would match the seams from the front yoke. 

Then I simply cut two skirts, instead of one. And actually in this particular shirt, since the fabric is think and doesn't drape well, I reduced the width of the skirt for the front and back by one inch on the fold. I did this to reduce extra bulk and extra puffiness that my thick fabric would be prone to doing.

Can you tell my model is watching TV during this photoshoot? Hey, whatever gets her to hold still for me, right? Right.

This is the first thing I have made in a while that I am absolutely in love with. Sometimes it can be really hard to make the right fabric choice with the right pattern. I don't normally get both parts right, but sometimes I get lucky :)