Sewing Review: Pattern Runway Kimono Dress

I made a dress using Pattern Runway's short sleeved kimono dress. I used a deep purple fabric with a nice drape to it. I found cutting out the pattern to be one of the more challenging steps because of the slight stretch and slippery nature. 

Overall the pattern was clear and easy to understand. I had a few problem spots like the sleeve facing kept wanting to poke out. I ended up tacking it down in 4 different places trying to be as discrete as possible. Also, at the base of the back closure, I wasn't sure how to keep this area neat. It looks a little weird to me, but I'm sure most people will never notice. 

I love the button closure on the back. I used a black vintage button from my stash. I also love the elastic waste band. It makes for a very comfortable dress. 

I'm so glad to be sewing again. I definitely want to make some more of these dresses.

Work Dress Sewn from Simplicity 2147

My New Years resolution was to sew one garment a month. This is my January creation I made using Simplicity 2147. This dress looks really cute with a belt and some tights. Beware, without a belt it looks like you are wearing a potato sack.

The dress is made from a purple linen that I picked up while I was in Japan. Fabric makes the best souvenirs. The bias tape was home made from a floral linen. I added pockets to the pattern at the last minute because I'm obsessed with pockets. When I attached the yoke to the dress, there was about 4 in of extra fabric on the dress portion. I ended up adding two more pleats to solve that problem and it worked out fine.

So this garment incorporated a lot of firsts for me. This was my first time to sew a sleeve, make my own bias tape, and install hidden pockets. I love learning new techniques!

Do you have any pattern suggestions for me to try? Leave them in the comments below

One month down 11 to go!

Coin Purse Production Update

I'm making a batch of coin purses with more of my hand printed fabric. Becuase the outside is so busy to begin with, I choose a bigger scale flannel pattern for this purse. I'm really enjoying the pop color zippers I bought. They really add a nice detail to the pouch.



I'm still trying to figure out what to call these coin purses. I wanted to have names for the different styles of purses i'm making. Kind of like ikea does. Donathon suggested calling these tiny coin purses Bus Fair which is cute. Do yall have any ideas?

Small Run Production Sewing

Progress update: Nice little neat stacks of my CuriousDoodles designed/ and printed fabric are turning into really cute bags! I'm running a one man assembly line for these bags. I'm to the final steps. I just need to make some decisions about the finishing touches. I've excited to share the final product with you. They should be in the shop within the week.

Burda Style: Open Source Sewing

I spent the last 3 hours drooling over the amazing sewing projects at Burda Style. It's a website community for open source sewing. There are alot of talented folks over there sharing their designs. The coolest part is seeing how people alter patterns and customize for individual style. It's an amazing resource for all skill levels. Wow, I sound like an infomercial. But really it is a cool resource I recommend everyone check out. I wanted to share a few of the projects that have free patterns that I'm really excited about!
Wool Hat.
Franzie vest
Orange Dress

On a side note, I went thrifting this morning and got a whole pile of supplies to make more stuff. (Not that I really need any more stuff, but thats a different story) I've been working on altering a men's dress shirt into a shirt dress. More on that later :)

D.I.Y. Tee-Shirt Throw Pillow Tutorial

I made another video tutorial for all the crafters out there. Woot!




The trickiest part of this tutorial is knowing how big to cut your front and back panels. My pillow form was 14 x 14 inches, and I cut the panels to 12.5 inches so they fit very tightly. You are going to have to experiment with this to find the right size for your pillow form. The pillow on the left was cut at 14 x 14 inches and you can see it turned out slightly floppy.