Ode to Stripes // Your Opinion Please

Hello, hello!  I'm not sure why it took me so long to get on the stripey bandwagon, but the bug has bit me in a big way recently, and in the spirit of the spontaneity that I hope will characterize the rest of this year, I sat me down at the sewing machine and whipped up a couple makes.

Dress #13 // Johnnie B.
Pattern: Sewaholic's Renfrew, scoop neck with cap sleeves (no cuff), lengthened to dress length (no cuff), patch pockets attached (finished dimensions: 4.5"x6")
Fabric: 1 yard, striped cotton/lycra/rayon blend

So totally get all the Renfrew love that's gone around the blogosphere forever and a half already.  (I know, I'm so late).  Inspired by the Boden aesthetic, I was originally going for a tunic, but like it as a short dress instead.  I think it'll work well with flats and leggings in spring, with chunky jewelry and sandals in summer, and with a cardigan, tights and boots in fall.  My kinda Cake!  Next time around, I'd move the pockets up 2".

Blouse #12 :: Refashion #34 // Airelle (Wearable Muslim)
Pattern: Deer & Doe's Airelle, size 34 with heavy mods
Fabric: XXL Mens button down blouse, quilting cotton scraps

Credit for this blouse goes to Roo, who every time she makes something, inspires great bouts of covetousness combined with envy that seems to land me in the "monkey see, monkey do" camp of unabashedly copying her.  I took a page from Paunnet, too.  My workaround for the C cup drafting was to cut a smaller size in the bust - and somehow between the measuring and the adding and then the subtracting out darts I seem to have lost 4" or so, because this blouse is clearly too small in the bust and shoulders, yet somehow my math indicated I'd have a good 2" of ease.  Hm.  So I let lots of seams out and lowered darts and everything, and this was the best I could come up with.  I think it's going in the Goodwill pile, unless anybody out there who is a 33" bust or so would like a package in the mail :-).

(I've been bitten hard by the sock bug of late)

So here's my question for you.  Of late, I feel as though I've lost my blogging voice, and I'm curious what you like best about this blog?  What do you like to come here and see, and what leaves you feeling kinda 'meh'?  I thought about quitting this blog entirely, but I knew I'd miss you all, and I do like writing ... so I thought I'd see what you all thought!  If you've got a moment, please help me out and give me a little something to chew on :-).

Red, White, and Blue (Fiber #38)

I made these awhile ago, just never shared the photos! Remember Challenge:Ridiculous? Well, I promised prezzies to peeps and have given out 3/4 of them (Debbie!!! Your package is freakin' sittin' in my room, giving me a guilt trip every single day!!!) ... and now that the recipients have received them, I can spoil the surprise and post them here.


Can we just say ... oh boy! Matching but not!


Not one but three cloches, all made from the same pattern, each just a little bit different. I think what I love most about this pattern is how well it takes to customization (ribbon? No? Bow? Flower?), different color combinations, and truthfully each hat showed was knit up in a different weight yarn but they still all work! So I sent Sigrid the blue one, Alessa the white one, and Ali the red one. And I think they each work for their respective personalities ...

Thanks ladies for sewing Ridiculousness along with me!

Challenge: Ridiculous -- gifties!

Hi all! Apologies for the radio silence, but sometimes life gets away from me (crazy landlady ... searching for new housing ... getting off my arse for a writing date with Ali which means writing the story that has eluded Draft One for five years now ... visiting with friends ...)

Without further ado, a couple little prezzies for people who participate in Challenge: Ridiculous:


Prezzie #1: Navy-ness. I have, for your consideration, two yards of navy linen (prewashed, I hope you don't mind!) plus fabric covered buttons and about 8 feet of bias tape, all made with leftovers from my Fauxbetto. I think this would make something lovely, classic, or quite possibly out-and-out ridiculous, depending on how you run with it. Either way, I think the yummy linen deserves a proper home (seeing as it may take me years, if ever, to use it), so I'm sending it off to a happy home in the blogosphere!

Prezzie #2: Bright and Cheery. I present here some lovely Anna Maria Horner voile and some thrifted fabric. I think I have about 2 yards of the middle fabric and the one behind it is a pillowcase -- I think it would make a lovely accent for the middle fabric, embellishment possibilities abound! For full disclosure, there is a small rectangle cut out of one end of the pillowcase, I'm not sure why. Wouldn't it make a great 60s or 70s ensemble with an elegant (voile) scarf? I don't know but I think somebody out there should show me how great it can be!

So! Make something for Challenge: Ridiculous!!! Just leave me a comment or drop me an email with what you've made, and you'll be in the running for a random drawing for a package in the mail! Come now, who doesn't love getting something in the mail?

And lest you think I've abandoned the challenge entirely, here's a sneak peek of my latest FO ...


Hehehe ... I'm pretty excited about this one ...

Banishment of Selfish Crafting (part 1)

Oh wow. According to the archives, I have made exactly THREE things for other people in 2010. That's pretty shameful. (I have nothing against selfish crafting in principle.)

So ... to start to make up for that, and to try to maintain some form of discipline around a functional wardrobe ... would anybody be interested in the Beignet skirt I made? I intended to cut out a size 6 (you can see the sizes here) although I think it would fit up to 41" hips and a 30" waist with enough ease to wear comfortably. In the spirit of full disclosure, this is not a high-waisted skirt as the pattern was initially drafted, because I modified it to hit at the smallest part of the waist. Also, the snap I used at the very top is a little bit loose - so its totally wearable, but some might prefer to put in a hook-and-bar to secure it more tightly.

If you're interested, leave a comment and let me know! And if more than one person happens to be interested, I'll do the usual random drawing thing. Since I'm trying to climb out of a clothing rut, tell me what you'd pair it with :-), I'm always looking for inspiration! Heck, even if it's not your size, tell me what you'd pair it with anyways. Self-Stitched September is coming up, I can use as many good ideas as possible! [And hey, if you're doing SSS, maybe you can count this as a handmade-by-others-but-still-handmade].