Stashbusting Sewalong

I'm a bit late to the party, but I've decided to join in on the Stashbusting Sewalong. In 2013, I will use at least 4 pieces of stashed fabric, and not buy anything new unless I've sewn up the previously-bought fabric. I didn't think I had much of a stash until I started organizing everything. I don't have many pieces that are big enough to actually make an item of clothing from, and that's the type of sewing I like to do best - or at least, most often.

The official plans:

The April stashbusting theme is Vibrant Color, and I actually have a piece of fabric that works! I ordered it online and when it arrived on my doorstep, I decided it might be a little too bright for me. (That was when I first learned that fabric.com has a good selection but that their colors are much brighter in person than displayed on my monitor.) I even think I might be able to get away with using the wrong side, which isn't as bright but is still colorful and summery. The fabric is a stretchy ITY knit; the weight is similar to a maxi coverup dress I tried on last year but didn't buy. I'm thinking I might try to mimic it.

Wrong side - see end of post for the right side

I used chambray in the dress below, but there's still a good sized piece left (and the dress is no longer a dress). It's destined to become a Laurel shirt (already cut out, not sewn).

I have a blue cotton knit (seen below, bottom left) from Stonemountain and Daughter in Berkeley that I got for my birthday last year; I'm planning to sew it up into a boatneck tunic.

I also have a pretty piece of greyish-lavender silk (pictured above, top right), navy Pendleton wool (also in the photo, with sandy silk habotai lining), a black and white linen/cotton blend (shown up there with the chambray), and possibly something I'm forgetting. I have vague plans for each of those, but we'll see what actually makes the cut. The silk was bought with Gertie's portrait blouse in mind, and the wool for a lined pencil skirt. I'm pretty sure I'll do something different with the wool, and I'm not sure about the silk.

And, I've already used a stashed piece! There's a shirt I made last month that I haven't shared yet which used up that cream knit shown above.

Bonus: This is the right side of the ITY shown above.

Skateboards

(This post went up last week but the photos weren't showing up - I took it down and tried to fix it, so hopefully they're working now).

I saw a few of these pictures over at Orchid Grey. I clicked over to the Life website to look at the full set - they're great. These are my two favorites:

We have multiple blank and partially stenciled skateboard decks laying around our house and garage. Last year, my husband began making designs for skateboards, and it's a good creative side project for him. I think of crochet and sewing projects as being "old" hobbies, but I tend to think about skateboards as being so modern. It's fun to see them as vintage.

Colette Truffle

I cannot believe it's April already. We had to deal with some health stuff in January/February (everything's fine now, but it kind of absorbed all my time and attention), and March was just a chance to settle back down. I finally got back to the sewing machine, and I finally finished and WORE my Truffle dress!

It was originally supposed to be my dress for a Delfeayo Marsalis Octect concert, but it became my dress for a Wynton Marsalis with JLCO concert. The concert and the dress each had a long process. I'd heard Wynton Marsalis was going to be in the area this March and knew my husband had been wanting to see him. However, the tickets to the local concert were sold out to subscribers before they even went on sale to the general public. It was such a bummer! Then in December, I was looking online and saw there was a show added in Napa! So I bought those tickets right away. We went to dinner at Celadon beforehand, and it was good. If you're looking for a  The concert was at the Napa Valley Opera House, which was built around 1880, closed down in the early 1900's, and renovated 10 years ago. It's a small, pretty venue. It was a very fun date.

The dress itself:

As I mentioned, this was supposed to be worn to a different concert way back in October. I got fed up with it and didn't pull it back out until last month. All it needed was a hem for the lining and a wash to remove the stabilizer.

Details

Fabric: 3 yards Silk georgette from Mood, self-dyed silk crepe de chine from Dharma Trading used to underline bodice (1 yard, 12 mm, 55") and to line skirt (1 yard, 16 mm, 55")

Pattern Changes: Fit alterations. I changed the bodice front darts to angled French darts. Added a lining to the skirt. Underlined the bodice, omitted lining, added all-in-one facing. Changed zipper to side; made back bodice one piece.

New &/or Improved Techniques: I handrolled the hem on the skirt lining - not very well, mind you, but you can't see it and I wanted to practice. First time sewing with silk - Sullivan's stabilizer helped. First time underlining; I hand-basted quite a bit and it was a little tricky to keep everything where I wanted it but I think it worked out.

What I Like: The silk! I don't know that I've ever really worn silk, but I quite like it. And the color is very pretty. The drape/ruffle is fun.

What I'd Change: The fit as far as the darts go.The zipper isn't great - I did a machine lapped zipper on the side and it doesn't lie flat (I blame the georgette's "bounce") but it's better than my last lapped zip! The fabric doesn't really work well with the bodice - that "bounce" that the georgette has makes the darts a little pokey, plus I didn't adjust them to the right spot. The muslin looked fine but they're not quite right in the silk. And I didn't take my time with the hems (they aren't even doubled on the drape, it's just a single press up) and they're going to fray. I also misaligned the drapey part of the skirt and kind of tacked it up, which you can see where it starts angling out from the waist. It's not as noticeable when I wear it.

A cardigan covers the dart issues and gives me a chance to wear my new-to-me vintage sweater guard! So in the end, it's a good-enough dress that feels nice to wear, and I feel like I learned a lot making it.

Felt Christmas Trees

My last sewing project for myself was the Truffle dress from the Colette Handbook. I had high hopes for it, had somewhere to wear it and everything, and just could not get it finished in time. My husband's birthday is less than a week after mine, so we had a quick overnight trip planned down to Berkeley to see the Delfeayo Marsalis Octect playing Such Sweet Thunder. I wanted to wear my dress that night, and was up late (WAY too late) trying to get it done but realized near the end that a) I was too tired to do things nicely and in the morning that b) I still needed to wash out the stabilizer I'd used all over the fabric. So it has yet to be completed - I needed a break from it, but there's really hardly anything left to do.

I HAVE completed this project, though! A friend of ours asked me to make this felt tree for their kids, and I made a few extra to hopefully sell online or at a craft fair I'm taking part in on December 1st.

They were fun and easy to make. I considered adding decorations (stripes, polka-dots, two-tone sections) to the ornaments but I didn't want to have any issues with them separating if they get chewed on or pulled at too much. The tree is about 45" tall, perfect to pin or stick up on a wall for the kids to play with. There are a few versions of these floating around online; this is just my take on it.

For anyone in the Santa Rosa area, here's the flyer for the craft show I mentioned:

If you're out shopping that Saturday, stop by!

Pattern Pyramid Winner!

According to random.org, the Pattern Pyramid will be traveling to Megan! Congrats! :)

Maps

Don't forget to enter the Pattern Pyramid giveaway if you want a chance to win - you have until Saturday night!

I couldn't figure out how to get the Google Earth tour to show up online, but if you have Google Earth and know how to add a tour, you can get the file here: Google Docs - it will fly you around the earth on the Pattern Pyramid Path (or something close to it)!

And here is an actual map, showing the places this batch of patterns has been so far:


View Pattern Pyramid in a larger map

In other news, my blue Clovers are done and have been worn, but don't have pics - update to come!

My "Gardening" 2012

I use the term "gardening" loosely, since we didn't plant a garden this year. Our yard just needed too much work and we had too little time to make it happen. I do have plants, however, and in the spirit of Gayla's "Herbaria" posts all summer (which are completely inspiring, take a look!), I decided to photograph what I had a few weeks ago.

Row by row, left to right:

• Japanese maple - my grandma grows them and I have a tiny little tree.
• Hydrangea - my grandma took a slip from some hydrangea plants that were part of our wedding 7 years ago and gave me the plant this year - I love how the pink flowers fade and the green color on the back.
• Snapdragon - this is a tough plant, I've had this one for a few years and it's withstood quite a bit of neglect, vacations, etc.
• Rose - I was going to pull this rosebush out, so I cut it back as far as I could early in spring. I never got around to pulling it, and it apparently quite liked the severe pruning.
• Little white flower - I don't actually know what this is. But the plants in 3 pots on my back deck all died for no good reason… except this plant.
• Rose - I have another rose bush by one of our windows - aren't they pretty when the new growth is still that burgundy color?
• Blackberries - These aren't actually my plant and I don't want them, but they grow up over (and under, and through) our fence from our neighbor's yard.
• Geranium - Another pretty tough plant, it shares a container with the snapdragon.
• Peach leaves - Also not my plant; our neighbors have a peach tree that hangs over our fence. The leaves are already changing color (and were as of early September).