It’s hard to get into sewing for fall when it’s in the 90s every day but I found the perfect fabric for my Indygo Junction Trench Topper pattern and had to make time in my schedule to sew it up.
The fabric is from Denyse Schmidt’s home dec line for Free Spirit (I can’t remember the name and am too lazy to hunt it down right now; feel free to chime in if you know it). The weight is just perfect for a light jacket and I love the colors and print.
I always struggle with picking prints for clothing I sew for myself but this one was easy to visualize on a grown-up body. Just a really nice scale and it worked well with the jacket.
The jacket is not lined, which is good for our pretty mild fall weather here in the South. I was not paying attention when I was making the jacket so I ended up with a version that only has three-quarter length sleeves. It feels a little awkward but maybe will seem less so when I actually layer it over a long-sleeved shirt.
I did not have enough fabric to make the underside of the collar, so I used a coordinating babywale cord I had in my stash. I like the weight it adds to the collar, giving it a little more shape without being stiff.
I’m still trying to find the perfect buttons for the front of the jacket but I used some vintage ones from my stash for the tabs on the back and the pocket flap.
I’m still pretty surprised about my enjoyment with this quilting stuff. Although technically, I’m not quilting; I’m piecing quilt tops.
Regardless, I’ve done far more this year than I ever expected to sew in my life. Among them is this lovely top, made with Alexander Henry’s Sprites of Tillbrook line of fabric. The pattern is called Sidelights and it’s the first quilt pattern I ever bought (purchased at Intown Quilters last year). I liked it because it didn’t look particularly complicated and seemed like a great way to use either a really big print fabric or a preprinted panel.
On a whim, I decided to use the cool border print of sprites. I think it’s so cool! Of course, the print did not stay true after I washed it and trying to cut it so it looked straight proved impossible. Oh well.
I fussycut the centers of each block from a coordinating fabric, showcasing different sprites in each. The frames of each block are alternating pink and green toadstools. Looking at them now, I wish I’d anchored the mushrooms so that the stems went around the blocks in a circle. But I can live with it as it is.
I’ve picked out the backing fabric and the binding but the top is hanging up as a sample at the shop right now — which tickles me to no end.
When I saw the Tina Givens patterns at Market last fall, I was excited at the prospect of sewing them. The look is so different from the children’s clothing out there! Just funky and bohemian, not fussy at all.
The reality of sewing the Little Goddess (made with Laura Gunn’s Lantern Bloom for Michael Miller) was a little different. The pattern isn’t very complex but the directions were sometimes a little vague for me (I later found that Tina has some tutorials on her blog, which surely would have helped).
I love this little applique detail on the back! I used a square of linen left over from another project and fussy cut the heart. It’s really a shame that it’s on the back because it deserves more attention.
The fit of the dress is rather generous. I finished it up the week I taught sewing camp and had one of my 11-year-old students try it on — and it fit, although definitely too short for a dress. More like a tunic suitable for pairing with leggings. It took nothing at all to get one of the gals at the shop to try it on — a grown woman — and it fit her as a top.
Miss L loves it but I think I’ll make her wear a top and leggings under it. But I don’t know of another thing I’ve sewn her that has the potential for so many years of wearing.
In spite of the total lack of blog activity, I actually have been sewing this summer. The pace of life changes during these months and I often find myself lazing poolside or just hanging with the kiddos, but there has been a bit of sewing fun involved.
I whipped up this KeykaLou purse for a friend of mine who works with my son. She bought the fabric and told me she liked bags with a round shape the she could wear over the shoulder. I just knew she’d love this Pixie Handbag and I was right. It came together so quickly and I love the interplay of the two fabrics.
I think this has been my favorite wardrobe piece of Miss L’s this summer! The dress is from Ottobre (I think last summer’s issue) and it sewed up in a flash. The fabric is a Baby Lulu knit I nabbed at the Sewing Expo from Some Art Fabric two or three years ago (talk about stash curing!) and it’s so nice to work with. Not quite as heavy as some of the Chez Ami knits but just a nice weight and the print is beautiful. The dress gave me an excuse to use my coverstitcher, too, which has been sorely neglected. I’m glad I paid so little for it because it really does not get enough use.
Back in May, I had the pleasure to meet the lovely and talented Genevieve Gail at Market. Imagine my surprise when she sent me pictures of a new necklace she designed and asked if it would be OK to call it the “Craft Addict Necklace.”
And then she sent me one! I love it and think it’s absolutely perfect. You should totally stalk her Etsy and see if she stocks more because the others she’s made have already sold.
And mine is not going to be pried out of my hands.
(BTW, you also should be sure to check out her debut fabric collection for Windham, which I hear is out now. It’s called Flower Bucket and it’s absolutely lovely — just like Gen!)
