Sew What It's Summer - Week #13

For this week's challenge, Hidden Treasure, I decided to make a little purse.  It's the first time I've ever made a bag this small so it seemed to be super easy and hard at the same time.  I used a Simplicity pattern so the piecing the purse was very easy. The zipper however definitely came out a little funky. I'm sure next time will be a little easier.

So what was the hidden treasure in this purse? Well I went back and forth with this one, but in the end I decided to use a pale fabric on the outside and have the inside be SURPRISE polka dots. I thought it was a nice contrast to the outside.

Sew What It's Summer - Week #12

I skipped another challenge to keep up but I think I'll be able to finish week 11 this week along with the upcoming challenge.  So what did I skip a week to make? Week 12's challenge was Anthropology Knock-off and I  LOVE the way this week's item turned out.

When I think of Anthropology I think of summer. Breezy shirts and dresses, intricate details, old world feel and always a touch of "this could be homemade". . . . in a good way on that last one :)

I decided to use Butterick 5610 to make a cap sleeved, pin tucked tee in a light weight, white jersey cotton. The fabric was a bit difficult to deal with as it was this odd fuzzy stretch knit that stuck to it's self like glue. However that soft, fuzzy, knit coupled with the intricate swirled design on the fabric is exactly why I wanted it. It feels cool and warm against the skin making it instantly a cozy summer favorite.

I did alter the pattern a bit. The pin tucks on the front were only suppose to be stitched an inch or two at the top and bottom. After reading a few reviews on Pattern Review I chose to stitch them down from top to bottom. I also added a small band to the end of the sleeves and another wider band to the bottom of the shirt. I  The bottom band I added bc the shirt just seemed a bit short to me, but the sleeve bands i added just to make hemming a little easier.

I love the way the shirt turned out. I can guarantee I will be wearing this quite a bit!

Sew What It's Summer - Week #10

I'm so far behind in sewing and in posting. Summer has gotten the best of me and my temptation to relax and chill before the lazy summer days are gone has completely taken over.  Although I'm two week behind I did manage to complete Week #10 challenge - Nautical.

For the nautical challenge I create a two toned shirt with a navy theme. The top was a slightly stretchy polka dotted blue chiffon and the bottom was a striped blue and gray tissue knit. Both of the fabrics matched perfectly, which I've said before is a rare occurrence in my little corner of the world.

I used Vogue 8877 to create the shirt. Mostly I wanted something comfy and breezy and summery. I don't know why but once summer arrives I seem to wear everything two sizes two big. Maybe it's the heat.

I was diligent and read the pattern reviews online, learning that some people
thought the shirt was too big, so I cut exactly my size and then opted for a wide seam allowance and to do french seams. I can concur that after all of that, the first time I tried on the shirt is seemed huge. Weird part is the bottom fit great but the top was big in an odd drapey way.    The "short" sleeves came down to at least my elbow  and there was an excess gather of fabric in the armpit area. I was not impressed.  Right is a picture of me in the unimpressive shirt. It doesn't look to bad in the pic but something about it in person just didn't look right.

I ended up removing about three inches from each sleeve and moving the armpit hole up about three inches as well.  Once that was done the shirt looked much better. Below are some pictures of the finished product - you can see I still have not polished my self-picture taking skills.

So onto next week's challenge. maybe I can find a few extra days to try and catch up!