It's All About Me!

Pretty much every week is Selfish Sewing Week at my house so I decided to dedicate this week to refreshing my spring wardrobe.  I bought this Melody Miller Cotton + Steel Mustang the minute it came out intending to turn it in to a border printed skirt but it's been languishing on my shelf.  Last summer was all about the Everyday skirt but I didn't want to fuss with matching the print on the side panels.  After a trip down the Pinterest rat hole I found this awesome tutorial from Cotton + Curls.  Since I had absolutely no confidence in my ability to get this right on the first try I decided to use this Anna Griffin Carmen print for a wearable muslin.  It has a Lilly Pulitzer vibe but I wouldn't be devastated if I messed it up (and could always just cut it up into quilt blocks...)

Luckily, the skirt went together seamlessly;-)  Other than my complete inability to understand how she did the waistband it was easy to whip together and the sizing was perfect.  Did I mention it has pockets - love it!!!

Since it was practice anyway I tried a few new skills...  I took a page from Lilly's book and used this perfectly matched lace hem tape that I scored at Marden's last summer.  I love how professional it looks and it's so easy I'm finishing all my hems this way from now on.

With a few lessons learned I dove into my second one with the border print.  I went with french seams and divided the waistband into 2 pieces and then used the same technique as in the Everyday skirt.  I made this one a little less full, and a bit shorter.

And because I couldn't resist this seersucker lobster print I had to make one more...  yes, with bow:-)  Shameless knock-off credit goes to Smitten by January Hart...  I LOVE her style!

In my original plan for the week I was also going to knock out some pjs and a couple of Washi dresses but I realized I really don't enjoy making clothes as much as I enjoying making quilts so I'm taking a break and letting my pin pricked body heal.  Next week is going to be all about quilting but hopefully before summer arrives I'll add a few more handmade items to my closet.  I'm off to an excellent start!

Thank you so much to Rachel at Imagine Gnats for hosting Selfish Sewing Week and pushing me to get out of my usual quilty grind:-)

Also making an appearance at this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Another Washi Dress

I whipped up my latest Washi Dress by Made by Rae last month during Selfish Sewing Week but it's been a challenge getting pictures to share...

Red isn't really my color but I picked up this awesome Valori Wells Novella rayon at Quilter's Way last summer planning to make a dress for 4th of July.  Maybe next year;-)  I think it transitions well and I can throw it on with a cardigan for fall.  The rayon is super soft and comfortable and has a lovely drape.  My 9 year-old son was my photographer for this one...  I told him to focus on getting pictures of the dress, so he did, totally cutting me out of the picture;-)

The best I could do was this awkward selfie:-)  If this one gets anywhere near as much wear as my first Washi does you'll have plenty of chances to it in person!

W.i.P Wednesday: Beach Blast!

I can't believe we've made it halfway through the Toes in the Sand BOM!!!  I got to spend night 2 of Selfish Sewing Week hanging out at Quilter's Way:-)  It's always more fun to sew with friends!!!

This is the first month we've used the Jewel shape.  It's not immediately obvious how you are supposed to cut this shape but if you stare at it for a few minutes it starts to make sense.  Luckily, you also get plenty of fabric in case you make a mistake... ask me how I know;-)

There are a lot of pieces to cut this month.  Stack them in two piles, your jewels and your triangles and you can get them done in half the time.

This block is a bit tricky because there are so many pieces and you actually have to get your points to match.  I tried assembling it the way Julie suggests (on the left) and then tried breaking it up more as rows.  It wasn't really a fair comparison because this was the block that broke my machine and I had to use my backup machine which I'm not as comfortable getting a perfect 1/4" seam allowance.  With my baby back home I made an extra block to test my theory.  They both came out pretty well so the jury is still out.

See who else is sewing at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Sew Happy Together!!!

Major crisis in my life last week!  I sewed over a pin and broke my machine:-(  I know, everyone will tell you you're not supposed to sew over pins but I do...  and I'm going to continue to do so.  If you're trying to match points and you've spent all this time pinning to get everything perfect then pulling the pin out before you sew over it isn't going to help.  In my defense, I've been doing it this way for 13 years and this is the first time I've had a problem.

Anyway, I cried, cursed the fates, and as soon as they opened Tuesday morning I took my machine to the incredibly amazing Erin at Daley by the Yard.  I explained the problem and whimpered a bit at the prospect of being without my machine for 2 weeks (2 WEEKS!!!).  Erin totally sympathized and said she'd do her best to get it back to me ASAP.  Good to her word, Erin called me Saturday afternoon and said I could come pick up my baby.  My hero:-)

With life restored to normal, I spent the day sewing up a storm.  My machine absolutely purrs and as an added bonus they replaced the burned out light bulb so I can actually see what I'm sewing:-)  Just in time to kick off Selfish Sewing Week with imagine gnats... there may have been wine to celebrate while I finished up this month's Toes in the Sand blocks and made myself these comfy lounge pants with some adorable Anna Maria Horner Folksy Flannel.  Treat yourself and join the fun!!!