Hazel Dress

A few weeks ago I heard that Colette Patterns had just released some new patterns.  I've heard so many great things about them that I thought I'd give 'em a try.  I fell in love with the Hazel Dress, but was a little concerned how it would look on me given that I'm much larger than the model.  

Please ignore the goofy look on my face, I really like how this picture shows the shape of the dress

Friday I took the plunge and cut into a cute turtle shell print from The Nature Collection by Jennifer Sampou.

The pattern is well written & everything goes together so quickly!  The part the took the longest time was deciding how to alter the skirt for my shape.  Gathered skirts are not very flattering on me, but I'm not too familiar with pleats.  Yet.

After taking to twitter I decided that pleats were the way to go, especially considering I had already cut the skirt & installed the pockets.

Besides that the only change is that I will need to shorten the straps a bit.  We were trying to get to a dinner on Friday night so I didn't have time for final adjustments.

I thoroughly enjoyed making this dress and have already worn it twice, to dinner Friday & to meet some friends for lunch today.  It is perfect for these extra hot days we've been having and even when the wind is blowing ferociously I don't have to worry about the skirt showing too much!

 

Next up:  Simplicity 2215 and another Hazel in Hello Pilgrim Butterfly Sky in Blue

Hanging with Festus & Cord

I almost forgot to mention... I think I'm now in love with invisible zippers thanks to this tutorial!

WiP Wednesday

Well, as usual I've been starting more projects before finishing the ones I have.  But I did actually finish one today.  A few weeks ago Bree & I were chatting about all the awesome DS prints that her Joann's carries and she was sweet enough to pick up a couple fabrics for me.  

I've been wanting a real tablecloth for some time now so when I saw the plaid print I knew it was meant to be.  My table is 48" so I squared off the 42(ish)" wide fabric & added a 14" border of these great sprinkles that I found at work.

Normally I'm a cheater sewist and don't finish my seams properly, but I knew that this would be washed often so I put a zig zag stitch on all exposed seams, top stitched it, & did a proper mitered edge on the hem.  

I'm loving my new tablecloth & it is inspiring lots of ideas for more handmade items for the kitchen!

Close-up

Mostly, though, I've been knitting lately.  Here are my current knitting WiPs.  I'm trying to get both pairs of socks completed before June 27th, when the next Camp Loopy challenge starts.  That will be my first project using lace weight yarn, as well as being my first fitted garment, so I will need all my brainwaves going towards it!

Jake's second sock, almost ready to start the heel.

Diamond Gansey socks in Malabrigo Persia

I've also been slowly working on a picnic quilt for Jake & I...

...and a couple of gift quilts for friends.

 

 Be sure to check out WiP Wednesday - Sukie style over at Freshly Pieced to see what others have been working on!  And if you haven't visited Sukie's blog, be sure you do.  She's the best!  :)

New Design Walls

When we first moved here I claimed one of the extra bedrooms as my sewing room & Jake got the other one for his leather work and library.  I immediately went to my LQS, purchased some 108" white flannel and pinned it to one of the giant blank walls for a design wall.  

It's been wonderful, but it seemed like there was a lot of wasted space.

Old design wall

For the past couple months I've had this idea kicking around in my head to cut up the flannel & attach it to the doors.  Well, I finally did it over the weekend!  

I cut the fabric to the width of the door plus the thickness (times two) to wrap around the sides.  I then tacked the flannel to the top of the door. From there I folded the corner down flat and tacked the fabric to the sides as well, cutting it so it fit around the hinges and door handle.

I am so happy with the results and now I have room for another shelf & more embroidery hoop art!

My new design walls

Back of sewing room door with some old gymnastics memorabilia above

Closet door & some new shelving