all dressed up and nowhere to go

Two tone

2012-01-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

About a week ago my best friend told me to update my blog. Well after dragging my feet, here it is! I've been working on a few sewing projects lately, but hadn't been too excited about any of them, until now!

This two tone dress is my practice version of a children's dress pattern by Figgy's that I found on pinterest a while back.

The best part about this dress is the pockets! The worst part is the back because it is so plain.

This practice round turned out to be wearable, plus I know what to change for my final version. Win, win.

I'm thinking this fabric will be used for my next go at my pattern.
It feels wonderful to be excited about a project!

January 14

2012-01-14T22:10:00.000-08:00

After seeing a blog post on Coletterie about organizing your fabric, I got to work sorting out my own stash. I have about a trunk and two boxes full of fabric that I've collected secondhand over the past few years and it is in desperate need of organization.
I've started rolling and tying up the various pieces to be stored in rainbow color order, but I feel the need to get rid of some of it. Some of my fabric has been hanging around for too long and I may just donate it to my local thrift store, but do you have any better recommendations?

January 8

2012-01-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

The middle photo is of a necklace I made yesterday. It's painted clay, and I didn't have any jewelry wire to put the beads on, so I improvised. You know those wirey things on the top of champagne bottles? Yep, I took one of those apart. Mad recycling skills.

Natty's Motorcycle Jacket

2012-01-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

I made this wool motorcycle jacket back in November, but it gave me such a hard time that I've put off sharing it until now. For the pattern, I turned to my trusty BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook and followed the directions from Aicha's variation of the coat.

The great thing about this jacket is that it's made mostly from (big) scraps that were in my stash. I used this same gray wool for a men's flannel shirt that I made a while ago and somehow I managed to squeeze out just the right amount from the leftovers. The lining and hidden inside pocket are made from the heart print cotton voile leftover from a recent top. I did have to venture out to the fabric store for the black wool rib knit, black snaps, and black jacket zipper.

The part of the jacket that gave me a hard time was the collar. I hadn't used rib knit before and discovered that I need quite a bit of concentration and patience to sew it. In the end I conquered the rib knit, but the collar turned out a bit funky anyway. I swear I closely followed the directions for creating the collar pattern piece, yet it seems like it turned out too big. The jacket looks fine open, but the collar looks silly and floppy when it's zipped up. Oh well!

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a beautiful San Francisco Bay sunset to wish you all a very happy new year!
I figure if I write down my resolutions on my blog I may be more inclined to follow them. So here's the short version: sew, swim, yoga, and love.

Sparkle

2011-12-28T20:19:00.001-08:00

Not much sewing lately, but a lot of fun with my sister while she visits for the holidays.

My new toy!

2011-12-26T11:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas was lovely (even though I ended up with the flu). And look at what I unwrapped on Christmas Eve! I just took it out of the box and I'm super excited, but there's one little problem... I have no idea how to use it! I guess I have some instructions reading ahead of me. Sigh, I hate reading instructions.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

December 21

2011-12-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

The Birthday Party Dress!

2011-12-13T16:53:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about how great this dress turned out! It fits like a very comfortable glove and the circle skirt is so much fun to move and spin around in.

The dress is made from gray lace with gray cotton for lining. For the bodice I turned to my trusty Macaron from Colette Patterns, but altered the back yoke by splitting it open and adding a vintage glass button for closure at the neckline. The sleeves are also from the Macaron dress, except I extended them to 3/4 length. The lace I used had a scalloped edge, so I cut the sleeves with the scallops for the hem. The skirt is a simple self drafted 3/4 circle skirt.

I made this dress to wear on my birthday, but as you can tell from my previous post, I couldn't wait and ended up wearing it to the BurdaStyle Book launch party last night. Like I said before, I'm just so excited about it!

BurdaStyle Book Launch Party!

2011-12-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

Last night was the San Francisco launch party for the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook!
I sewed a pouch at the make and take booth, played ModCloth bingo, ate yummy grilled cheese, and met a few people from the world of sewing including Amy from Sew Well. When Carol, the marketing director for BurdaStyle, introduced herself I pointed out my dress that was on display and she took me over to meet Nora Abousteit who is the founder of BurdaStyle and author of the book! I ended up with a signed copy of the book plus some other swag. Pretty neat!

I definitely had a fun night!

PS: More on my lace dress later!

December 10

2011-12-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

I've been exiled to my mom's house for the weekend to take care of a little doggy, but I'm coping because I brought Mr. Sewing Machine along! I have a birthday coming up in just seven days, so of course it's time to put together a party dress!

My inspiration is a picture of Taylor Swift wearing the best lace dress complete with circle skirt. I bought some gray lace for my version and plan on using one of these vintage glass buttons as a detail on the back. The lace is kind of a beast to work with, but I'm pushing forward! And this dress will be made! And it will be fantastic!

December 2

2011-12-02T13:58:00.000-08:00

I went for a walk to clear my head.

November 28

2011-11-28T23:15:00.000-08:00

Last week was all about the turkey. I sewed a whole jacket the weekend before, but then Thanksgiving took over my time. My cousin Liz and I grocery shopped, baked, and cooked all week long. But after a successful holiday and a few days of recovery, it's back to sewing... hooray!

It's my step mom's birthday this week, so I'm working on a present with a bit of embroidery.

From my sketches you can see that I thought about embroidering a fat fluffy cat for her, but decided on a face based on one of her own creations instead.

I'll let you know how the present turns out, and I promise to finally take some photos of my newly sewn jacket as well!

The BurdaStyle Book Skirt

2011-11-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

When I decided to make a skirt from this gorgeous fabric I thought about creating a simple gathered skirt, but I'm glad that I went ahead with this pattern instead. I used the skirt pattern from The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook which is simple yet elegant with a great shape.

The fabric was a great secondhand find from a few years ago. I had already used some of it, but luckily I was able to squeeze out just the right amount for this skirt. I used french seams and there is an invisible zipper up the back.

Now I just need a fun party to dress up for!

The fabric that I used for the skirt was leftover from this dress that I made way back in February of 2009. When I made that dress I had only just started my adventures in sewing clothing. It was fun to use this fabric again and to realize how much my skills have improved over the past few years.

November 17

2011-11-17T16:44:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I like to sew and sometimes I like to craft up something quick and cute like this little box of love! I found this fun tutorial for making a magic box on Pinterest and decided to put one together right away.

In other news, my day was made yesterday when I read Jen's post about one of my dresses on her blog Grainline! She is definitely one of my favorite bloggers and pattern makers plus she had such nice things to say! Big thanks Jen!

Fun with paint!

2011-11-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

When I was in high school I liked to paint designs on plain cotton with acrylic paints, then use the self printed fabric to make bags. After experimenting with a bit of printing last night, I decided to try printing on some scrap fabric with acrylic paint again.

I started with a layer of yellow triangles then overlapped some magenta triangles.
Once I was done printing, I sewed together a quick pouch for my digital camera. Easy and fun!

Ketchup and Mustard

2011-11-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

Playing with printing and sewing up a math project.

11|11|11

2011-11-11T16:48:00.001-08:00

I like to listen to music while working on sewing projects, but yesterday I was reminded of why it's a good idea to pay more attention to what I'm doing rather than what I'm listening to.

Yep, I cut out two left sides for the shirt front. I only had a small piece of this fabric with one way print to work with so there was no way to correct the error.

Oh well! I kept going and completed the tank anyway.

I used Grainline's Tiny Pocket Tank pattern with some of my own alterations. I split the front and added a button placket all the way down, and I changed the back to have a rounded yoke at the top.

The cotton and buttons were both purchased from a creative reuse center.

On a side note, I read on Coletterie that today is Corduroy Appreciation Day because 11|11 is the day that most resembles corduroy! I love it!

So happy Corduroy Appreciation Day to you! And a Happy Veteran's Day as well.

November 8

2011-11-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend tells me that I should complete my projects before I start on new ones, and I guess this dress is the perfect example of why that's some good advice. I think I started making this dress back in May, but only just this past weekend got around to finishing it! Despicable, right?

Anyway, I made this dress following Grainline's Tiny Pocket Dress tutorial which explains how to turn her Tiny Pocket Tank into a dress with a button placket. My own alterations to the pattern included lowering the neckline in the back and adding a drawstring casing and drawstring around the waist. The buttons and the fabric were both purchased secondhand.

Yes, it would have been a wonderful summer dress, but luckily it works well with a sweater and tights for fall.

PS: I've been wearing this dress quite a bit lately and probably should have ironed it before these photos, so pardon my wrinkles.

November 5

2011-11-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

Going to the fabric store often results in buying fabric that you didn't know you needed, such as this heart print cotton voile that I couldn't resist. I used it straight away to make this top so that it wouldn't get eaten by my fabric stash.

It's hard to tell because of the print, but I used the sweetheart shaped yoke of Colette Pattern's Macaron Dress. I kept the front yoke as is and changed the back yoke so that it is split with a fabric covered button at the top for closure.

I love the fabric and the fit is so comfortable. I'm glad I went ahead with this impulse fabric purchase!

November 4

2011-11-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Things to love in November:

1) The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook!

2) Sweater tights.

3) Drinking lots of tea, but really I do that year round.

4) The <1/2 circle skirt in navy blue corduroy that I recently put together. It has flat felled side seams and an invisible zipper whose top is covered by a tab which snaps shut. The gold snap on the tab mixed with the navy blue is my favorite part.

And now, on to the book!

For my contribution I was first asked to submit sketches of two dress variations and two blouse variations. One of my dress variations was chosen and is in the book on a few pages.

BurdaStyle still has the dress, but once they send it back to me I plan on taking some photos to show you all the details.

And guess what? My sister Clare is a contributing member as well! She also made a dress variation that is included in the dress chapter.

I'm pretty excited about the other patterns in the book, especially the blouse, the skirt, and the member created jacket variations.

I hope your November is off to a great start!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T16:27:00.001-07:00

Today I am a flower!

And my cousin Liz is an owl!

I made a flower petal head piece out of felt and I sewed a circle wrap skirt with big leaves on top.

Liz and I made her owl wings by following my bird wing tutorial. They took longer than usual because when they were all finished we realized we had made two left wings! That's what you get for sewing while watching scary movies! We ended up having to dismantle and redo one of the wings.

And just for fun, I dug up a Halloween photo of Liz and I that must have been taken about 20 years ago. Looks like I was a bat carrying around a goblin head? Interesting...
Happy Halloween!

Kat Part 2, The Details!

2011-10-25T12:01:00.001-07:00

The Kat Colorblock Dress

2011-10-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

Jen from Grainline recently released her Kat Colorblock Dress Pattern, which as you may remember, I purchased straight away!

My Kat is made from natural cotton which I tie dyed with two shades of blue and pearl gray before cutting out my pattern pieces.

This was my first try at using boning in a bodice, and guess what? It's super easy! And it makes your garment look very well made in the end. I also used french seams for neatness, an invisible zip up the back, and strips of lace ribbon on the inside of the bodice for hanging it up.

I highly recommend this pattern. It is well written, easy to follow, and leaves you with a fancy dress to add to your collection. It even made my tie dye look fancy! I had a really fun time making this dress.

The photos were taken at the beach in Half Moon Bay by Bennett. Big thanks to him for taking the photos and editing them as well!

October 20

2011-10-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

Working on some gifties!

Embroidered pouches...

Cards made from recycled grocery bags and fabric scraps...

Lavender sachets made from scraps of my very own tie dye...

And citrus hair clips inspired by the Citrus Coasters from the Purl bee...

October 12

2011-10-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

My awesome boyfriend let me borrow his fancy camera again! Meaning I have tons of blurry photos! And some non blurry ones that were taken on auto focus such as those you see here.
The last one in this set is a sneak peak of my latest creation.

October 5

2011-10-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

Working on a new circle skirt! Only this time it is a < 1/2 circle skirt in dark blue corduroy.
I have a few projects waiting to be photographed and shared and will be posting those soon, pinkie swear!

It is nice to be feeling blog-inspired once more.

October 3

2011-10-03T19:10:00.001-07:00

The BurdaStyle book comes out next month and I could not be any more excited!
You see the fourth dress over in the second row down? That's mine! I can't wait to see what they did with it in the book!

Birds of a Feather Costume Tutorial, Part Four

2011-10-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

With the wing bases ready and the many feathers cut out, we are now in the home stretch of this tutorial! Time to sew the feathers onto the wing bases!

Lay out your wing bases and begin by playing around with placing and layering your feathers. Do this without pinning the feathers down so that you have full freedom of movement to see what arrangement you like best. The placement of the feathers on the wing bases is completely up to your imagination, but I've put together a few tips in this tutorial that you can refer to.

The above diagram maps out my general approach to layering the feathers in my original costumes. The bottom most layer is along the curved edge (C) and is positioned to stick out over the edge so that you can see it peaking out from the other side of the wing.
The layers that follow slowly change from curved to straight since I wanted to finish with feathers running straight across the top edge (A). Also, on the top edge, I opened the double layered feathers up so that they would show on both sides of the wing.

Above is a view of the back of the wing. Notice the layer along curved edge (C) peaks over, and the layer along the top edge (A) is showing by opening feather sets and placing each layer on either side of the edge.

Also, the thread color should match your wing base color on this side so that your stitching isn't too noticeable.

Try staggering each row of feathers to make the layering more effective and interesting.

Remember that you don't have to use each set of feathers as a set of four. If you get to a spot that could only use two feathers, go ahead and cut a set in half to two feathers.

Leave some space between each row. These blank spaces are covered with well placed staggering.

Once you have figured out your general idea for layering, leave one wing base set up with the feathers in place as a guide, and begin sewing down feathers on the other wing base. Sew the feathers down row by row beginning along the curved edge (C).

Once all feathers are sewn down to your liking, sew on two loops of fabric to both wings, one on each end of the top edges (A).
The loop at the corner where the top edge (A) and the curved edge (C) meet is meant to help attach the wing to your wrist. I found it easiest to use old hair ties through these loops which slipped around my wrists easily when I was putting on the wings.
The loop at the corner where the top edge (A) and the side edge (B) meet is meant to help attach the wings to your neck. Pass a ribbon through these loops on each wing, as shown in the drawing, and tie the ribbon around your neck. If this is uncomfortable, use the loops to pin the wings to your clothing instead.

And there you have it! Two beautiful bird wings! So tie them on and start flapping!

Thanks for reading my first ever tutorial. I had a great time putting it together and I hope that it inspires some great costumes for Halloween this year. If you do find inspiration in this tutorial, let me know! I'd love to see some photos!

Birds of a Feather Costume Tutorial, Part Three

2011-10-01T13:24:00.001-07:00

Now that your wing base is all set, it's time to get to work on the feathers!

To make the process of wing construction faster, the feathers are created in sets that are double layered. For my original costumes I used sets of four feathers in a row, which I will also use in this tutorial, but once you have the basic idea, you can change it around any way you would like for your wings.

To cut even feathers of uniform size, we are going to create a paper feather template.

Take two pieces of paper of equal size (here I am using standard 8.5''x11'' printer paper) and cut one in half, hot dog style as shown above. Take one piece of the cut paper and set the rest aside.

Draw a line one inch down from the top edge.

Draw lines dividing the piece of paper into four equal sections. This paper is 11 inches long so each of the four sections will be 2 and 3/4 inches.

Draw in the feathers in each of your four sections making sure not to go past the top inch that was marked off earlier since you will be using the top edge to cut along a fold.
Have fun with this step and play around with different shapes until you find one that you really love!

Cut around the edges to complete your feather template! At this point you could also transfer the template onto thin cardboard or card stock to make it more durable.

Start cutting out fabric!
Get the full sheet of paper that we set aside earlier and use it to cut out a large rectangle. Using an iron, press the rectangle of fabric in half hot dog style.

Place your feather template on the pressed piece of fabric with the top edge along the fold and cut. I highly recommend using a rotary cutter for this step since it makes the process very quick.

A double layered set of four feathers!

And what it looks like unfolded for clarity.

Continue using your full sheet of paper and your feather template to cut out more sets of feathers!
This part of the project is a bit repetitive and time consuming, but it is well worth it in the end. So turn on your favorite music and get lost in the feathers!
Also, as you are working, try not to stress about cutting exactly from the template. Remember, the wings have many layered feathers and they don't all have to be perfect.

Next time we will work on sewing the feathers to the wing base!

Birds of a Feather Costume Tutorial, Part Two

2011-09-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

Now that you have decided on your bird alter ego, chosen your colors, and selected your fabric, it is time to get started on wing construction!

The main components of the bird wings are the feathers and the wing base, so let's start with the base. You will be creating two separate wing bases, one for each arm, both in the basic shape of a right triangle as shown in the photo:

In order to cut out your two wing base triangles, you will have to take some measurements:

Hold your arm out like you are flying and have a friend measure from the middle of your shoulder blades out to your wrist. This will be the top edge of the triangle (A).

Have your friend measure from the same spot between your shoulder blades down the middle of your back to the desired length for your wings. This will be the side edge of the triangle (B).

For the hypotenuse of the triangle, (C), I used a curved edge connecting the ends of (A) and (B), however you can make this line straight if you wish.

Now mark your triangle measurements onto your fabric and cut out your two base wing triangles. As a flamingo my main color was light pink, so I used pink fabric for my base wing triangles.

Once the wing base triangles are cut out you can fold in the edges twice narrowly to finish them if you would like. For my wings I cut edge (B) along the selvage of my fabric, narrowly hemmed edge (A), and left edge (C) raw.

Well there you have it! Two beautiful wing base triangles! In part three I will explain how to make the template for cutting out your many, many feathers!

Birds of a Feather Costume Tutorial, Part One

2011-09-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

With Halloween just around the corner, and questions from my readers about the construction of my costume from last year, I've decided it is time to put together a tutorial!
How about we get started at the very beginning?

Choose your bird!
Flamingo, parrot, toucan, imaginary technicolor falcon! The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

Choose your colors!
The easiest way to do this is to research your bird. Look through photos to help figure out the main colors that you will be using.
After looking at photos of flamingos I decided to use a light pink as my main color plus a darker pink, red, and white for the other feathers. For the parrot costume, I looked at photos of scarlet macaws which helped me to choose colors and see the placement of those colors on the wings.
At this point, you can also read about your bird for added costume enjoyment! Learn about where your bird is from, what it eats, and how it behaves in its' natural environment so that you can truly get into character once you're all dressed up!

Choose your fabric!
The edges of the feathers and wings are left unfinished, so try to pick something that won't fray too much. When looking at fabric, imagine how it will look as a finished wing. You will probably want something that moves, flows, and flaps nicely. Also, try not to choose anything too heavy since you will be sewing many layers of feathers to each wing.
For my costumes I bought inexpensive, lightweight polyester in bright colors with a satin finish.

I hope these tips help you get started on brainstorming, and stay tuned for the next part of the tutorial!

September 18

2011-09-18T18:41:00.001-07:00

Photo from grainline.

I've used my Tiny Pocket Tank pattern from grainline many times, so when Jen released her new Kat Colorblock Dress pattern about a week ago, I decided I should buy it straight away!
I started working on my new dress today. Step 1: dyeing the fabric! Yes, I decided to try this pattern out with tie dyed cotton.
I thought it would be interesting to dye the fabric before cutting out the pattern pieces so that the colorblocks would still be slightly colorblock-y.
I've been a big fan of shabd for quite some time, so I looked to her pieces as a source of inspiration. I bought some blue and gray dye for a more subtle tie dye, and hopefully it will turn out somewhere near what I'm envisioning. That's part of the fun of tie dye though, right? The big surprise when you untie the finished cloth? Crossing my fingers for something pretty!
If you'd like to see more of my tie dye inspiration, feel free to check out my Pinterest inspiration boards!

September 13, part two!

2011-09-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

Last week I made a practice round pair of shorts for my boyfriend. I used the Andre bathing trunk pattern from BurdaStyle and some nice thick cotton that I recently bought at a thrift store. I took my time making them nice and neat with french seams and even added a label.
Well, turns out the fit isn't quite right. He has to pull them way up high to make them look alright... I don't think it helped when I laughed when he tried them on either, oops.
It's a shame because I really do like how they turned out. At least now I know how I need to change the pattern for a better fitting final pair of shorts!

September 13

2011-09-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

I went backpacking in Yosemite this past weekend with my boyfriend. It was a rain drenched, uphill, fun filled adventure.

September 4

2011-09-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

Looks like its been almost a month since I've blogged, big apologies! I guess I've just been a bit lacking in the inspiration/motivation department for my sewing.
My summer job has ended so I find myself with endless time, but each time I attempt to start a new project I get mentally sidetracked.
I'm working on it though... my big plan is to get rid of all the clutter (mostly all that clothing and stuff I don't use), then I'll reorganize my sewing space, and hopefully this will all result in happy sewing production! And happy blog writing! So please check back soon!
And sorry if this post was a bit out of the ordinary, I just wanted you to all know that I'm still here, just working on organizing my thoughts a bit before I come back fully!

August 6

2011-08-06T12:26:00.001-07:00

Anyone else participating in Grainline's Friendship Bracelet Swap?
Well I got paired with Paige from South Carolina for the exchange and I just finished her bracelet last night!
This morning I decided to throw together a card to go along with the bracelet in the mail. It's made from paper grocery bags, scrap fabric, and stitched together with bright thread. The bracelet is tacked on with some scraps of embroidery thread.

That was fun!

July 31

2011-07-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

My day consisted of staying home and sewing... my idea of the perfect day.

I spent most of my afternoon working as a one woman wallet assembly line fueled by tea, Van Morrison, and Radiolab.
The wallets were made following Verypurpleperson's wallet tutorial, which I've used a few times before. I used oilcloth and canvas lining, and I am giving them as thank you gifts.

The absolute best part about the wallets is hidden in one of the money pockets... a personalized tag! A few weeks ago Adrienne from All Style and All Substance sent me a package that included these clothing tags. Thanks Adrienne!

Once the wallets were done I went on to sew a simple shirt. I didn't have much fabric, so it turned into a crop top. By the time I was finished sewing, the sun was dipping below the horizon so I was unable to take any good pictures. However, I did take one inside as a sneak peek.

July 24

2011-07-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

I started sewing a Colette Pattern's Negroni shirt a few months ago and only just recently finished. It was rather silly that it took me so long since it was nearly complete for quite some time, except for the buttons.
This Negroni was meant to be the practice round, but I think my boyfriend will be able to wear it anyway. The one problem that I need to work on for the second round is the sleeve length since they are super duper long.
I'm hoping to convince my boyfriend to do a photo shoot so that you can all see it in action!

July 17

2011-07-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around with my boyfriend's camera all day. Here's some of what I've been up to...

Baking and cooking! My friend Rachel has a wonderful food blog and today was the day to finally make her Everyday Strawberry Cake. Strawberry cake and tons more on her blog, Rachel's Digestif. I also made an orzo salad to go with toasted cheese sandwiches for dinner. Yummm

Friendship bracelet making! The friendship bracelet post on The Purl Bee blog inspired me to get back into one of my favorite crafts from when I was little.

Hanging out with a little dog!

And as mentioned before, playing with the camera.
Now I'm off to have some tea and some more of that delicious cake.

Beach Totes

2011-07-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

Since we planned on spending most of our time at the beach in Hawaii, I thought it would be fitting to make matching beach totes for myself and my two friends. I used plain canvas and BurdaStyle's free Charlie Reusable Grocery Bag pattern. I altered the pattern by opening up the armhole to make it more comfortable for carrying on your shoulder. I used french seams, made self bias binding to finish the edges, and added a metal snap for closure at the top.

To decorate the bags, I cut out our first initials in different colors of felt. I sewed around the edges of the letters with contrasting thread, and then machine emroidered different designs over the rest of the felt.

Other than the tie dyed pajamas that I sewed, these tote bags were a great gift idea! We used them every single day since they were the perfect size for carrying our towels, swim suits, and sunscreen.

July 10

2011-07-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

Last Monday I returned from a 12 day trip to Hawaii with two of my close friends from college. Here are some views of our adventures on Oahu.

June 12

2011-06-12T22:59:00.000-07:00

Since all of my pajama photos so far have been based around a clothes line on the back porch, I thought it was time to let you guys see some shots of the pajamas in action.
So here I am in my turquoise and lilac tie dye pajamas with my teddy Natalie, who agreed to model with me.

As I said before, the tank top pattern is an alteration of Grainline's amazing Tiny Pocket Tank and the shorts are an alteration of BurdaStyle's Jane pajama shorts.

June 11

2011-06-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

And now, presenting the after photos! Matching tie dye pajamas! I'm so pleased with how they turned out!

The colors are a bit more subdued than I expected, but I think this works well for the pajama sleepy time look. Or as my sister pointed out, if they were too bright you wouldn't be able to fall asleep while wearing them.

The final missing touch that I want to work on for this project is a label. I'm thinking of making a stencil and using some paint to stencil it directly onto the pajamas.
Does anyone out there have a good method for making handmade labels for handmade clothing? I would definitely appreciate some tips, tricks, and creative ideas!

June 7

2011-06-07T16:45:00.001-07:00

Lately, most of my sewing time has been spent working on a big pajama project.
I'm going on a vacation with two of my best friends this month, so I thought it would be fun for us to have matching pajamas. And then I thought, why not make matching pajamas for my sister and cousin who both have birthdays coming up?
I have now made 5 pairs of matching tank tops and shorts. Phew!

For the tank tops I used Grainline's Tiny Pocket Tank pattern, but altered the back by adding a big cutout and crisscrossed straps.
The shorts were based on the Jane pattern from BurdaStyle. I altered the shorts pattern by rounding off the corners on the side seams, adding bias binding all around the leg openings, and using a few rows of encased elastic for the waistband.
I used french seams and a bunch of bias binding so that everything is nice and neat.

After playing around with a few ideas for the fabric, I decided to use plain white cotton so that I could tie dye the pajamas! I guess this means that the above photos are "before" photos.
This afternoon was spent soaking fabric, mixing dyes, tying up fabric in tons of rubber bands, and finally dying! So much fun! I wish I could have a full time job working on tie dye.
I have to wait a full 24 hours to unwrap the tie dyed pajamas, but I'm sure they turned out great! I'm sooo excited! Stay tuned for "after" photos!

If you want to see some tie dye in the meantime, you can look at my Tie Dye Inspiration board on Pinterest!

June 1, Part deux!

2011-06-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

What should one do when one wakes up at 5am and can't get back to sleep? One should blog, then sew, then blog again, of course!

The other day I finally bought Simplicity 2250. It's been on my wish list for a long time and I happened upon it for a mere dollar, so why not?
After my purchase, I went online and did some research in the form of pattern reviews. There were a lot of mixed feelings about the construction of this dress, but the main thing most people said was follow the directions exactly. Now I'm not one for reading directions, but with all those darts, pleats, and folds on the bodice they were very helpful.

So far I've worked on my practice run and only made the bodice front. The fabric was from the skirt of a different dress that I was making a long time ago and abandoned... time to give it a new life. The dress pattern has a tie and covered elastic on the back, but I think I'll be changing that. I think a button down back bodice may suit my style a bit better. Or perhaps something even more simple with just an invisible zipper.
Anyway, I'm excited about this project! And following those directions wasn't so bad after all.

June 1

2011-06-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend recently pointed out a travel bag that he liked in a magazine, so I got to work creating a similar pattern to make one for him.
This travel bag is made from wool felt and some canvas that I had in my stash. It has a zippered pocket, an open pocket, and two expandable pockets that snap shut. The whole thing folds into itself and is closed with an overalls clasp that I happened to have sitting around.
The construction was rather simple since I didn't have to finish any of those felt edges... always a plus!

Happy June to everyone!

May 15

2011-05-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

Sitting by a backyard campfire is a wonderful way to spend an evening.

May 14

2011-05-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here's what happened to the cutout back top that I previewed on my dress form a while back. This top is the practice round of a dress idea that I've been wanting to work on.

I used Elaine May's Coffee Date Dress pattern from BurdaStyle to get started. I used the bodice front as is, but altered the back to have cutouts and buttons. I finished the edges with bias binding. The fit isn't quite right and I don't like the darts on the front, so I may go with a different pattern to make the actual dress.

I used some buttons and fabric that were already in my stash. I didn't have enough fabric for a skirt, so I added the silly little peplum. The result: a shirt that looks like something I would have worn as a six year old... but it's kind of fun too.

Photos by Bennett.

May 5

2011-05-05T21:14:00.001-07:00

I should be studying for my lifeguard challenge that's tomorrow, but instead I'm working on mother's day cards! They are made from recycled paper shopping bags, scrap fabric, and thread.

May 4

2011-05-04T20:28:00.001-07:00

Today I'm excited about the following things:

The pajama top that I stayed up until 2am completing. I made it using Grainline's amazing Tiny Pocket Tank pattern (seriously, I love this pattern... this was my third time using it). I used the front of the tank as is, but changed the back to have crisscross straps with a cutout. I kind of just went for it with the back alteration, so the cutout is a bit larger than I expected. It's kind of daring, but I think it's fine to be daring with your pajamas. The cotton I used was bought secondhand at a rummage sale.

Hot days and warm evenings full of pretty light!

And last, but definitely not least, this ammmmaaaazzing cotton fabric that I bought today for half off. It is wayyyy fun!

May 3

2011-05-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

My Easter Sunday was spent with my sewing machine creating this wonderful spring dress. It's a variation of BurdaStyle's Danielle Dress with sleeves that are based on the sleeves from the JJ Blouse.

I used the front bodice and waistband of the Danielle Dress as is, but changed the rest. The back bodice was lowered quite a bit, but has the same square shape as the front bodice. I used a simple gathered square for the skirt and there is an invisible zipper up the back for closure.

For the puff sleeves I extended the JJ Blouse sleeve and then I added bias tape around the arm opening and a fabric covered button closure.

My mom bought the fabric for me at a thrift shop and I bought the zipper secondhand at a rummage sale. I quite like the fabric, especially because the selvage says, "Matters of the Heart."

Photos by Bennett.

April 26

2011-04-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

While exploring the world of blogs recently I came across an adorable tutorial on poppytalk which explains how to make upcycled Easter egg bunting. Feeling in the crafting mood on Sunday, I thought of this tutorial and made some bunting for my friend Preeti. She is taking the MCAT this week and I thought it would be nice to send her something that would provide some sort of motivation through the last few days of her intense studying.

My bunting was made with recycled paper bags and scrap fabric and it was created in the same style as the previously mentioned tutorial. I really like the look of this project and am already thinking about trying it again!

April 23

2011-04-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on a Coffee Date dress variation...
Here's a peek at the practice round!

April 22

2011-04-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

I opened up BurdaStyle and was greeted by one of their latest blog posts that includes some very familiar bird wings... Looks like someone was inspired by my most recent handmade Halloween costume.

April 10

2011-04-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend and I went searching for adventure yesterday and ended up at the beach!

My handmade bag from Nette was perfect for the occasion.

Photos by Bennett.

Pay it Forward

2011-04-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

I received a lovely package from nette just the other day with some handmade pay it forward surprises! The package included a pretty corduroy bag, a personalized pocket mirror, a chocolate bar, and a nice note written on some cute stationary.
I've been working on a few ideas for my pay it forward handmade goods and this package just made me even more excited to get them made and sent off!

seven things

2011-03-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

I was recently given a Stylish Blogger Award from Shalyn of ars gratia artis and from Haruna of not enough time for everything. I'm excited to receive this award! Plus the challenge of sharing seven things you may not know about me sounds pretty fun, so here goes...

(1) My name is Natasha Jane, so my uncle nicknamed me Natty J when I was little. I haven't been called Natty J much since elementary school, but I decided to bring it back as Natty Jane for my name in the sewing world.

(2) I have a BA in mathematics, but I also love exploring my creativity through drawing, painting, sewing, and photography.

(3) One of my best friends is named Malia. We were rather entertained when we found out that President Obama's daughters are also named Natasha and Malia.

(4) I love swimming! I started swim team in fourth grade and competed until college. Now I sometimes swim with my local masters swim team. If I could, I would spend all day in the water!

(5) I knocked out my two front teeth when I was very young and the adult ones didn't grow in until I was in second grade. I had quite a few years of singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth."

(6) I still sleep with my teddy bear Natalie who I've had since elementary school.

(7) I love tea! My day just doesn't feel right if I don't start with my morning cup of tea.

Now to choose seven other bloggers to pass the Stylish Blogger Award along to...
grainline
Tilly and the Buttons
Sew I Thought...
make it dear
All Style and All Substance
VINTAGE ACCESSORY
ranzin sews

Pay it Forward 2011

2011-03-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Photo found here

While doing my daily blog reading on Sunday, I came across nette's post called Something for the heart: Pay it Forward 2011. The whole idea sounds fun because I love making handmade gifts in hopes that the work I put in will make someones day just a little more bright.

This is how it works:

The first five people who comment on this blog post will receive a handmade gift from me.
The only requirement in return, you must FIRST write a blog post explaining 'Pay It Forward 2011'.
Then, about the most exciting part, make and send a handmade gift to the first 5 visitors who comment and commit to do the same.
Don't worry about time. You don't need to send them all today or tomorrow.
Gifts from the heart take time and are worth waiting for!

March 21

2011-03-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

I used to make clothing all the time, but recently I've slowed down quite a bit. Well, yesterday was the day to get back to one of my favorite things... I finally, finally completed a handmade piece of clothing.
Last year, grainline's summer chambray top inspired me to come up with my own pattern and make something similar. Well, last week grainline introduced the tiny pocket tank pdf pattern based on her summer chambray top, so of course I had to purchase and download it right away to make my own!
My tiny pocket tank (sans pocket) is made from fabric that I bought secondhand at the Oakland Museum of California's White Elephant Sale.
Tonight, while I was wearing my new tank and making dinner, I decided to take some photobooth pictures. I'd like to take some real photos soon, but here are a few goofy photobooth ones to start!

March 19

2011-03-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

I started writing this post last night, but then the lightning started. Then came the hail. Then the lights went out... so the blogging had to wait until today. Here goes...

I have two exciting new additions to my sewing collection! The Built by Wendy Coats and Jackets book and the Negroni men's shirt pattern from Colette patterns.
I bought this Colette pattern to make a shirt for my boyfriend. I've made button down shirts for women before, so hopefully this pattern won't be too difficult. Plus, I have the men's shirt sew along on Male Pattern Boldness to look to as a helpful reference.

I think I'll work on the jean jacket first from the Built by Wendy book, except I want to use corduroy in place of denim.
Hopefully these new patterns will give me some motivation to start sewing again!

March 11

2011-03-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

I would like to introduce my new friend! She is a cute kitten who was made following the Katie Kitty pattern from Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love.
She is made from all secondhand materials, including purple wool from an old skirt.

The only thing that she is missing is a name... any suggestions?

March 8

2011-03-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

I went backpacking in the high desert this weekend. Here's a look into my adventures...

March 1

2011-03-01T21:03:00.000-08:00

Working on a Wee Wonderful!
Right now she is without a face, but I hope to be able to introduce her to you very soon.

February 20

2011-02-20T19:17:00.000-08:00

This may be a bit off topic, but my friend Matt's band is in a super exciting contest and I want to help them get as many votes as possible!

PK is in the running to be on the cover of Rolling Stone! You can check them out on the contest website, and you should definitely vote for them if you like them as much as I do!

February 18

2011-02-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

"You will never find happiness if you do not conquer your own doubt."
Yogi tea, you know so much.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T10:44:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers!

These are a few of my finished Valentines! I'm so pleased with the way they turned out. I didn't think my friend Marie would wear a heart barrette, so I made her a burger instead!

February 10

2011-02-10T17:08:00.001-08:00

My cousin and I have been working on some Valentine's Day presents!
I found a cute tutorial on the purl bee blog for Valentine Heart Barrettes, so we decided to make some. The tutorial says to use mini hair clips, but we bought the normal size ones instead so our heart barrettes are extra big and fun!

What kind of Valentine crafts are you working on?

February 6

2011-02-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

Recent adventures in San Francisco!

February 5

2011-02-05T17:54:00.000-08:00

I did some thrift store and rummage sale shopping this week and ended up with a bunch of sewing supplies. Fabric, buttons, zippers, embroidery floss! drooool.

And a cute tin for notions!

January 24

2011-01-24T17:37:00.000-08:00

One of these things is not like the others.

January 22

2011-01-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

I've been learning about photography recently and I'm pretty excited about it. Here are some photos I took at the Berkeley Marina and Lake Anza in Tilden.

January 20

2011-01-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

My embroidery thread box is in shambles because I just worked on a cute little handkerchief.

I received a cartoon me recently so I decided to make an embroidered me. Embroidered Natasha comes complete with hazel eyes, a felt rose hair clip, and gray tights.

January 15

2011-01-15T22:38:00.000-08:00

January 7

2011-01-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

It's been a nice week of family visiting and San Francisco art museum trips!

January 3

2011-01-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Happy new year everyone!
I spent the last week in Washington with two of my best friends. Here's a look into some of my adventures...

December 25

2010-12-25T13:05:00.000-08:00

I have a new lady friend! yayayaaa!
And I can't wait to work with her!
Happy Holidays everyone!

December 18

2010-12-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, while doing some holiday shopping, I found a copy of Wee Wonderfuls at my favorite used bookstore for only 16 dollars! Yes! I love this book so much since all the projects are incredibly cute and fun to make.

My cousin graduated from UC Davis last weekend, so I decided to make her a bear from Wee Wonderfuls. She is made from gray corduroy that I bought at a creative reuse center, and she has bead eyes and a felt nose. This bear pattern has arms and legs that are attached to the body with buttons, meaning her arms and legs can move around... is it weird that I find that rather exciting? I decided to make this bear extra pretty by adorning her with an embroidered leaf necklace and felt rose.
Her name is Petunia!

In other news, yesterday was my 24th birthday and I had an excellent birthday surprise in the world of blogging... Tilly included me in an inspiration post on her blog, Tilly and the Buttons! Tilly has a great blog, so go check it out! And thank you to Tilly for making my birthday more bright!

December 13

2010-12-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

December 11

2010-12-11T01:00:00.001-08:00

December 10

2010-12-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

I got some sheer rose print fabric from Thrift Town recently and used it for two different projects.

The first project is a dress that I made by altering Colette Pattern's Macaron dress. I kept the sweet heart yoke and scalloped sleeves, but I changed the back yoke to be buttoned down, and I changed the body of the dress to be a pleated a line shape. There are pockets in the side seams and the lining for the dress has lace on the hemline for some added pretty.
At first I worried that it would look too much like a nightgown, but now I don't mind because it sure is comfortable to wear out and about.

The second project is a blouse with a petal collar. I used the JJ Blouse pattern from BurdaStyle, but used the sleeves from the Macaron dress pattern, and made the collar a bit more interesting. I considered doing a peter pan collar, but then I remembered all the lovely petal collars that I've drooled over on dresses from Nadinoo and decided to try one for myself.
Since I've made the JJ Blouse about 4 times before, the beginning of this project went rather quickly. I did have to take some extra time to make french seams since the fabric likes to unravel at the edges. The collar was probably the most time consuming as I had to first create a pattern, then sew 7 individual petal pieces, and finally attach them to the blouse.

December 8

2010-12-08T17:19:00.000-08:00

December 6

2010-12-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

The past few days all I have wanted to do is sew! It feels wonderful to finally find myself excited about some new projects.

Today I worked on this petal collar for a blouse... it took forever! But it was definitely worthwhile. More pictures soon, promise.

Also, is anyone else excited about the BurdaStyle and ModCloth Handmade Holiday Contest?

December 4

2010-12-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

Hot cocoa connoisseur.

December 1

2010-12-01T23:19:00.001-08:00

I went looking for inspiration today.

November 21

2010-11-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

I've been having some phun with phelt (aka fun with felt) this weekend. Felt is extra fun to work with because you don't have to finish the edges and it looks great stitched with embroidery thread. I've found quite a few wonderful felt creation tutorials on the web recently and decided it was time to have a go.
Both tutorials are from The Purl Bee, which is a pretty blog with tons of project ideas. The first project that I worked on was the rose barrettes. The roses make nice barrettes, but I think I may brainstorm some more ideas for their use.

The second project that I worked on was the New Year's Garland made of felt circles sewn with invisible thread. I thought that a garland would be perfect for decoration above my new work table that my mom found free on the street.

In other news, I've been spending my evening watching the men working outside my house. A water line broke turning the sidewalk into a river and now they're digging down to fix the problem. The tomboy in me has always loved watching construction equipment.
I hope your Sunday evening is a lot more quiet than mine!

November 14

2010-11-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

I've been drooling over the jewelry from spinthread on Etsy for quite some time now. Her work combines two of my loves: embroidery and geometric shapes.
While I would love to own one of her pieces (hint hint! someone has a birthday coming up), I also thought it would be fun to try out the technique.
So far I've put together two necklaces. To make them I used embroidery floss on fabric, craft glued felt to the back, used embroidery thread around the edges, and added the hardware. It took quite a bit of time and work, but it was relaxing and I like how it turned out.

This chevron striped one was my second attempt. I think it's considerably better because I remembered to use some proper embroidery techniques like tucking in my ends (duh, way neater).

And here's my first one. It's still nice, but a little rough around the edges.

In other news, I went to Thrift Town the other day to buy a leather belt to use as a strap for a bag I'm working on, but I also happened across a real treasure in the jewelry case... a giant locket. I love old lockets and this find definitely made my day. I'm not so sure it would be all that comfortable to wear around my neck as it's rather heavy, but it sure is nice to look at.

My photo shoot was overseen by a little doggy with a little shadow. And now I'm blogging and listening to Joanna Newsom in the sun on the back balcony, so delightful. Warm weather in November? Wacky global warming.

By the way, I joined The Crafty Christmas Club blog created by Tilly. Check it out if you're interested, maybe you should even join! Oh and don't check it out if you don't want to spoil the surprise of your holiday gift from me.

November 6

2010-11-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

A few more photos of the Halloween costumes that I made!

November 5

2010-11-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

I spent the past week in Detroit visiting my best friend Malia.

We made a bunch of cupcakes. They made our teeth hurt, but we ate too many anyways, as you should on Halloween.

I got to play with a cute dog.

We dressed up as birds and took photos in a park littered with leaves.

And then I didn't take many other photos because we spent a lot of time staying up late, sleeping in, watching tv, singing along to silly music in the car, and sitting around laughing... the perfect kind of visit to have with a good friend.

October 26

2010-10-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I decided that I wanted to be a flamingo for Halloween, but with the holiday getting closer and without having worked on a costume I decided to give up on the idea. This changed on Saturday afternoon when my friend Malia called and convinced me to get to work. Since we will be together on Halloween this meant making a costume for her as well. Since I had decided on a flamingo, she joined the bird theme and decided to be a parrot. After our phone conversation I went to the fabric store and purchased tons of silky fabric in six different colors, and then spent the next few days working on the costumes.

On Saturday I made a red circle skirt for Malia and a pink on for myself.
On Sunday I made one flamingo wing with white, pink, and red feathers.
And since I didn't work on Monday, I put together the other three wings.

So now I can answer the question, how many feathers are on the wing of a bird?
By my calculations, a hell of a lot.

October 22

2010-10-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when I purchased Colette Pattern's Macaron dress pattern back in April, so it's sad that I only just now got around to completing my first dress from this pattern.

The fabric selection was inspired by Sibeli's Macaron dress and by inspired I mean to say that I was a total copycat. Sibeli's dress has been in my favorites on BurdaStyle for quite some time and I finally decided I needed a dress like that for myself.

I got really into this project and completed it in record time. It felt good and relaxing to dive right in and get lost in my sewing. The pattern is also very well written and easy to follow which made the work just that much easier and more enjoyable.

My Macaron is made from cotton for the shell and the contrasting fabric is silk organza.
Now I just need to find an occasion to wear my new favorite dress!

I hope you like it as much as I do!

October 21

2010-10-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

Just a few blurbs... my bird headpiece is a work in progress, but I can already tell you that it's going to be amazing! I bought some wonderful iridescent orange and pink silk organza for the "feathers."
Even the scraps are beautiful.

While I was life guarding on Wednesday afternoon I decided to finally make a dress inspired by Sibeli's Love Love Ikat II dress. So I walked to the fabric store after my shift, bought the fabric, got straight to work, and now I have a gorgeous new dress. Tomorrow I'll take some pictures to share with you!
This is Sibeli's, but I have to admit that my version is quite the copycat... imitation is the best form of flattery?

And one last thought, I miss my big sister!

October 19

2010-10-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

BurdaStyle announced the Westminster Liberty Arts Fabric contest today on their blog! I'm very excited about it! So head on over and vote! (for me maybe?!)

October 18, take two!

2010-10-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

The past two evenings have been spent crafting with my friends Preeti and Rachelle. We've been putting together headpieces for our Halloween costumes and it's been super fun! I love a good craft session with silly creations.
Preeti and Rachelle are going to be witch doctors and I'm going to be a flamingo! I recently saw a tutorial for a parrot headpiece on Martha Stewart's website which provided a lot of inspiration for our projects (the video tutorial is pretty great and you should check it out if you're into that sort of crafty thing).
Our headpiece process started with a base made from wrapping masking tape around plastic wrap on your head (which looks kind of hilarious at first). Once we had caps shaped to our heads we used newspaper, aluminum foil, and tons more masking tape to build the shapes we wanted for out headpieces. Rachelle looked at African masks for inspiration, Preeti looked at the Hindu goddess Kali, and I looked at flamingos of course.
Without further adieu, here's what they looked like to begin with!

Next we paper mached over everything to make it more sturdy and to get a good surface for painting and decorating.

Tonight with our dry paper mache headpieces, we worked on painting. I had forgotten how much I love painting... it's really relaxing.
Here's Rachelle's (with Cat in the background looking cute... don't be deceived though, he wanted to join in the crafting which wasn't as cute).

And here's Preeti's!

And my flamingo which needs quite a bit more work. I still have to cover it in "feathers." I think I'm going to follow the parrot headpiece tutorial and use fabric instead of feathers because I think that will give it a nicer look.
Right now my flamingo looks a bit mean, so Preeti suggested adding eyelashes. Not so sure I want to be a flirty flamingo though...

Preeti and Rachelle also made some miniature skulls to string into necklaces and I helped with painting them.

Anyway, Halloween crafting has been super fun and I'll let you know how the flamingo comes along soon!

October 18

2010-10-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

Westminster Contest from NattyJane on Vimeo.

October 16

2010-10-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Last month I mentioned a secret project that I had been working on, and today I'm excited to share it with you!

A few months ago, BurdaStyle invited me to participate in a contest in which we were asked to create an outfit using a burda style magazine pattern and Westminster's Liberty Art Fabric. I accepted the invitation straight away and started looking through all the possible patterns and fabric prints. After narrowing down the choices, I decided on burda style magazine's tunic shirt with long sleeves and a fabric print called parasols in blue. I was tempted by the pretty Liberty floral, but I decided on the parasol print because it has such nice geometric shapes, plus there are little hearts flying around!

I worked really carefully with the tunic pattern, ironing like a madwoman and taking extra care with all of the pleats across the front. My practice tunic was too baggy, so I made the pattern smaller for my final project and the fit turned out great. I used leftover fabric to make a tie for the waist that goes through side loops. The tie wasn't part of the original pattern, but I think it adds a nice shape to the tunic. It looks good and is comfortable tied in the front or the back.

I'm very proud of my work and pleased with the tunic that I created, and I hope you guys like it too!

BurdaStyle will announce the Westminster contest on Monday, so please keep that in mind and go check it out!

October 5

2010-10-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

I've spent my evening making a big mess (as usual) while working on a silly project. Yes, I am making a mini version of myself... why not, right? I saw a simple doll on another craft blog and thought I'd try one out for myself.

So here is the beginning of mini Natasha, complete with a cute corduroy dress that features a peter pan collar and lace trim. It was only after I embroidered the hair that I took a step back and realized that the bangs I had made left me with Beiber hair... hrm. Oh well. It's a fun little project, but I have to go buy some polyfil before I can go much further.

And now I'll leave you with a picture of Parker in spooky glasses, just in case you're in need of a good laugh tonight!

October 1

2010-10-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

Happy October! What better way to start off the month than with a photo of some "spooky glasses?" I found these at the grocery store yesterday and they totally made my day! They're really fun to wear and even better to put on animals. My dog looks hilarious in them!
I don't know about you, but I'm already getting excited about Halloween. I'm thinking about making my own costume this year... maybe a flamingo so I can stand on one leg. Wee, can't wait!

September 27

2010-09-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

It was another hot day in the Bay Area, so we hopped in the car and headed toward the coast for a family day at the beach, complete with little doggy.

I was a wimp and didn't go too far into the water. I'm a swimmer and in the water is my favorite place to be, but the ocean still makes me nervous from time to time.
We walked in the shallows though and even saw a couple of dolphins playing just past the surf!

What a lovely day.