I Made Jeans!

I went for three weeks without sewing anything (two weeks in the States plus one week of recovery), so over the weekend I may have gone a little crazy with the sewing. There were the skirts for Haven, the items in this post, plus a few more that haven't been photographed yet. 

This shirt is an alteration of the Anna Maria Horner camisole (slip) pattern. I tried to make it cowl at the top, but I didn't cut it properly to do that. It's ok though, because I still really like it. And since I finally invested in one of those little bias tape folding tools I've actually enjoyed making my own bias tape!

Fabric: Bazaar Style, Exotic Flora from Art Gallery
Pattern: AMH Camisole (with alterations)

And.... drumroll please... my first pair of jeans!

Pattern: Burda Young flared jeans

I say this is my first pair of jeans because I think I will have to make at least one more pair. I learned a lot from making this pair, such as:

1. I'm short. I have to alter the top of the pants to be ultra low rise, or I end up with pants up to my armpits.
2. I'm short. The flair that looks good on the tall skinny model will most definitely be too wide for me!
3. I'm short. The pattern may say that's where the back pockets go, but most likely I want them higher than the back of my knee.

I'm just sayin... but hey! I installed a jeans button and designed my own back pockets! And I used real jeans thread and a double needle for the details!

These were very surprisingly not that hard. After making all those pairs of Vogue pants it didn't even matter that the pattern was entirely in German. I just looked at the pictures. I do want to try jeans again. Like I said, I learned a lot, I made a lot of notes, and I have a decent pattern to start with that I think can become a great pair of custom jeans.

Sewing for the Teen

Haven has let me sew for her so few times I can probably count them on one hand. So when she told me she wanted me to make her a whole new wardrobe for school next year I nearly fell out of my chair! She had seen some skirts at a not-so-appropriate-for-teens online store that were completely adorable but WAY too short. No problem! They were super simple layered ruffle skirts. So Haven picked out the fabrics and we made up a pattern and they turned out really cute! The waistbands are knit and the ruffles are quilting cottons. Next we're going to attempt a black tulle petty coat that will stick out just below the bottom ruffle. We all (all the girls at the shop) wish we had the legs to pull off these skirts...

Bringing Him Home

I'm attending a training in Kansas, and on this base is one of the military national cemeteries. Today there was a funeral for a soldier who had deployed to Iraq nine times and was killed in combat. Our class building is located on the route of the funeral procession and all the students, both civilian and military, stood along the road to "welcome him home." In the nine years I have worked for the military I have never experienced something as emotional as what I was just a part of. Watching the family pass by was really hard, knowing what they were going through. Seeing all the soldiers along the road saluting the procession was also profound. But when the veterans started riding by on their motorcycles it was a really emotional moment. There must have been 100 of them at least. Seeing them here to honor a fallen soldier - who they probably didn't even know - that really spoke to me. Our instructor makes the point that we as civilians are providing the services that make sure these guys come home. Wow... it's been quite an emotional day.

Skirt Week Entry

I didn't think I'd be entering Skirt Week this year since I SOOOO didn't need another skirt. But this one was on my "MUST make" list!

This skirt was the first tutorial I bookmarked when I learned how to use Google Reader. It's an Anthropologie knock off that originally cost $160!!

My version is a black/gray chambray fabric that cost me about $10! I still need to add decorative buttons, but I'll get around to that later.

The flounce turned out to be really easy and makes a big impression! I think I say this about every new thing I make, but I think this is now my favorite thing I've sewed! I even got the ultimate compliment - Haven asked me to make one for her!!

Want to make your own? Check out this tutorial. It's great!

Italy

Over Memorial Day weekend Rob and I took a quick trip to Italy with some of my friends from work - Oliver, his wife Kelly, Martha, and her daughter Erin. Kelly is a wine aficionado and organized this amazing tour of nine vineyards. It was really cool visiting all these different vineyards. I was driving so I only sampled a couple of wines, but the view was incredible! We also had a day in Venice which was awesome! So here's a quick tour through photos of our weekend adventure.

The Food

(cuz you know that's what it's all about!)

The Friends

The Wine

The Views

There was a little scare when we arrived and I realized I had grabbed a portable DVD player instead of my camera bag!! Can you say depressed?! I had gotten there with the separate bag of lenses, so Rob and I discussed how God would provide us a camera body. The next morning Erin got out her camera, which was the same as mine, and graciously let me use it over the weekend!! We're in the process of getting all our photos loaded into a group on Flickr. So far I have mine and Martha's. You can see it here if you like.

Anna Maria Horner Slip Pattern

I haven't tried the AMH Roundabout Dress yet, but the slip pattern I've used twice. I made a gray slip to go under the yellow dress in the previous pattern. I loved it enough that I wanted to make a dress I could wear alone. Couple of problems though, the slip was a bit loose at the top, and the shoulders were too wide. So for the dress I decided to shirr the back panel and bring the shoulders closer to the front. Well, the shirring worked great except that it made it a bit too tight. So I should have widened it a little before shirring. But oh well. I had to bring the shoulders in a lot to make the points hit where I wanted. I also added 6 inches to the bottom of the dress and used bias tape to close the hem. I recommend a making a muslin before cutting into your fabric. Speaking of fabric, this is Art Gallery fabric from the Bazaar Style line and the print is called Sahara Stars Blue. I really like the feel of the art gallery fabrics for clothes.

Oh, PS, that's Venice behind me.

Simplicity 7009

I know, I'm gone for over a month with no word and then pop in just to show a dress... We've been super crazy busy!!!! I finished this dress just in time to wear to this year's Arts and Crafts Contest. The pattern is Simplicity 7009 and I used the yellow polka dot fabric from the Oliver + S City Weekend line. It's very soft fabric! I also made a slip to go under it from the slip pattern in the Anna Maria Horner Roundabout Dress pattern.