The dress post

This one's for you Gina. Since you always ask for pictures. :-) I started out this summer pledging that I would make myself three dresses, at least, in an effort to build up my own handmade closet. I love wearing stuff that I make--it fits me perfectly, as if it were made for me, imagine that. Also, I get to personalize every little detail, and end up with something that no one else in the world has... how cool is that? So, this spring, I started off with this one... which I loved, and still love. I have to talk myself out of wearing it almost every single Sunday, except for when I'm talking myself out of wearing something else I've made. The original pattern was shorter, and I added the neck ruffle... I blogged about it here. EEEeeek! love the neck ruffle!

This is the one that I finished this past week. Vintage knit off Etsy that I fell in love with upon sight, and had to have. I'm loving how it drapes, and fits, and I didn't have to install a zipper. I have no problem with installing a zipper when needed, but that being said, it's always nice to be able to skip that step at the end of a project. I love sewing with knit. I have also made myself three shirts this year in a super simple knit pattern. I am a fan.

I hate hand sewing--slip stitching, namely. And, while I do it as needed, (meaning when I make stuff for other people) when I sew for myself I deliberately go out of my way to not hand sew. It's called top stitching then, and just happens to catch whatever is behind it and hold it in place. :-) This pattern actually wasn't originally lined. I had to line it because this knit is very see-through-able, and I don't generally feel that it's appropriate to share the goods. :-) So, it got lined, which complicated the pattern a bit. However, I cannot wait to work with this pattern some more, it was a pleasure.

This is a two yard cut of Heather Bailey (Pop Garden Pineapple Brocade-Celery) that I fell in love with. IN DEEP LOVE. So, I decided to re-upholster a chair in my living room with it. Frank had a bit of a cow. And, since it's a chair (that I thought) we wouldn't sit on very often, I'd just planned on interfacing the back of the cotton to give it some strength, and calling it good. But then I moved the chair into the living room in it's ugly upholstered state just to test it's use, and realized how very much we DO use it, even though it is currently hideous. Also, Frank's opinion of the fabric led me to decide that perhaps I should go with a different fabric in an upholstery weight. I am SUPER glad I changed my mind, because I got this dress out of the deal, and the chair is going to look way cool in the fabric I currently have draped over it. (It should be noted that thankfully Frank does like the fabric in dress form. :-))

Unlined, but binding on all the edges, and piping on most of the seams. I made this un-lined with the idea that it would be a great lightweight summer dress for the 100+ temperature days we have-the fabric is just thick enough that I can pull that off-I think. :-) I love this dress. It is SO comfortable and cool, and I can eat like a pig in it, and it's not horribly uncomfortable afterwards, haha! Perfect for Sunday Potlucks. I have to say, that every time I get ANY new fabric now that I don't have a specific plan for, I immediately envision this dress. Which is a little silly, because you can only have so many dresses of one style. Right?! Yeah, I was afraid of that. (Incidentally, I used the same pattern as the first dress in this post, that's why sewing is so great--one pattern, two completely different creations!)

I also added hidden side pockets... Do YOU like side pockets in your dresses?! Some love, some hate. I love them... especially since I wear an insulin pump. This was the first dress that I made with side pockets, with a little button-hole slot to pass the tubing through, so I can easily access my insulin pump. Whichever pocket I'm not using for my insulin pump also fits my Blackberry, and Burt's Bees lip goop. Happy girl here!! (please excuse the camera phone pic!)

This one I made as a short dress/tunic with leggings. I think I might need to find a thick belt to go around it too. It's comfortable, and I've actually worn it running errands a few times, which is great for hot weather. The fabric is one of my favorite designers, (Sis Boom , Dance with Me, Libby-Pink, and Sis Boom, Flower Power, Stephanie-Emerald) and I originally bought it to sew skirts for my girls. Then I realized they would grow out of them, and I decided I wasn't ready to part with the fabric that quickly, so I made this for myself instead.

Piping makes everything better.

And, I FINALLY got MY VERY OWN rag quilt sewn together. This fabric was a gift from The Sheriff, who pulled my name out of the hat for Christmas last year. I've had it cut out since January, and FINALLY got the time to sew it all together last week. I have my own handmade blankie to snuggle on the couch with, yay! I love everything about it. (Valori Wells, Urban Flannel)

Especially this orange/blue/green combination.

Much thank you to my Moose Dinner Bell for holding my dresses for me so I could take pictures. :-) Someday I shall have to employ a model or a camera person for one of these tasks. Please image the dresses with a shapely (haha!) body inside of them, instead of sagging off a hanger. Thank you.