My first original pattern drafted using knowledge gained from Cal Patch: a tank top.  I plan to make a few adjustments and grade the pattern.

Maybe I’ll even sell a few in a lovely Japanese print.  Maybe.

Makes you want to lay out a picnic blanket, no?  Too bad it’s 48 degrees out.

But it won’t be forever.  And I’m going to be prepared this year. :)

For Rae and Dana’s Celebrate the Boy Month, I made a soft book for Jacob.  He loves so many simple things that I thought I’d just compile them into one toy.  Using old jeans, Heat ‘n’ Bond, and a variety of fabric scraps, I appliqued pictures and constructed a little book for him.  Which he seems to love.

Wanna see how?

Tutorial after the jump. :) (more…)

This is my fourth project from Cal Patch’s Design-it-Yourself Clothes.  [Note: I love Cal, not only for writing the best “craft” book ever, but also for talking to me as I work my way through it.  She understands pattern-making and delights in seeing others “get it.”  Thank you, Cal!]

This is just about the most basic dress one can make.  I think that next time I make it, I’ll make the waist a wee bit higher.  And perhaps the neckline would benefit from a slight sweetheart shape.

[Click on this photo to see it on Flickr and read my notes.]

I kind of want to make a strapless version of this.  But that’s a whole different deal.  I need boning or elastic or something else to make that work.  (Cal?)

This is a simple sundress.

With pockets.  Of course.   And the fabric is the reverse side of the denim I used for this debacle.  I remembered that when purchasing the denim, I actually fell in love with the wrong side of the fabric.  So I decided to use it!

I like it.

Now.  Bring on the sun! :)

P.S. See what Flossie Teacakes has made from the book too.  She’s amazing!

Rae, Dana, and a slew of other fabulous bloggers are helping to “Celebrate the Boy” all February.  And guess what?  I’ve been asked to contribute!  Afterall, I do have a boy.  And he needs celebrating.

Here’s an example of this sweet child’s life:

That is Jacob.  Note that he is surrounded by pinks and florals of various sorts.  He can often be found hugging baby dolls and drinking from tiny teacups…

or trying on broken Cinderella gear, mommy’s boots, or heart-shaped sunglasses.  Not that he doesn’t love cars or balls or roaring at us or whatever.  But he is surrounded by girliness.

Thus, it will be refreshing to focus on The Boy for a bit.  There will be tons of ideas, tutorials, round-ups, etc. over at Made by Rae and MADE.   And all in celebration of our little men!

I’ll be sharing a tutorial on how to make a soft toy.  What will that be?  I have some ideas brewing, but I’d love to hear from you!  What would you like to see?  Something I’ve made in the past?  Something fresh?

Pirates?

Tell me!  I’ve got a couple weeks to pull my bit together, and I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU! :)

Today, the clouds are bright, fluffy, and a bit cheerful.  They seem to be filtering the sun so it doesn’t melt the beautiful snow too fast.

Thanks for thinking of us through the storm!  I’ll be back on Monday with an announcement…

And I’m not pregnant if that’s what you’re thinking. ;)

P.S. I just listed another Keep Calm and Carry On 5 x 7.  Happy Saturday!

P.P.S.  Those icicles pictured yesterday are now as long as 2.5 ft.  Yikes.

I have Cal Patch to thank (again) for this little Basic Tee.  I drafted a pattern for this using my measurements, her instructions, and a healthy dose of trial-and-error to get the right fit.  I know I’ve said this already, but I highly recommend her book.

My biggest (and really the only) mistake was measuring too far across my shoulders.  I have broad shoulders for my small frame, but my shirts do not need to be as broad as I measured.  So the first pattern draft looked bizarre.  Can you tell?  That shoulder is ridiculous.  But I had no idea.

I even compared it to a shirt that fits me (from GAP), but didn’t get the hint that I was way off.  Until I sewed the entire shirt together…

And the tops of my shoulders were drooping down to my biceps.  I did not take pictures. :)

Then came the seam ripper.

I took 2 inches off the width of my shoulders.   Thankfully, the sleeves didn’t need to be changed, and since I had too much fabric, I just cut off the excess and reinserted the sleeves.

And Voila!

I added sleevebands to the ends of the sleeves instead of finishing them with a double-turned hem.  I simply measured the width of the ends of my sleeves and made a rectangle that width (plus seam allowances) and the height I wanted the bands (x 2).  Then I sewed the bands up their sides, folded them wrong sides facing, and then attached them to the raw edges of the sleeves.

Now that I’ve taken pictures of myself in the shirt, I can see that the shoulder angle is a bit off.  Since I changed the armholes, the shoulder angle needed to be adjusted too.  But I had already sewn reinforcement and was too lazy to pick out all those stitches.  Thus, I think that ever-so-slight angle problem is causing the slight bunching near my underarms.  At least, I think that’s the problem.

Cal?

P.S. You can see what others are making from Design-it-Yourself in the Flickr Group. :)

This is not high fashion.  But I’m still gonna make it work if I can. :)

Paule suggested yesterday that I add some embroidery as a point of interest and just go with it.  Which was a BRILLIANT idea!  I actually went with applique for that instant-ish gratification that I love.  I think I’ll add several more of these little flowers and just go crazy, but here’s the beginning.

I need to stitch around all the tiny triangles; and the waistline, hem, and closure need to be finished.  But this might be salvaged…  We’ll see!

And Cheryl suggested that I add a flap.  Well, why didn’t I think of that?  I might do that too…

Yesterday, I almost made my second skirt, using my new-and-improved higher-waisted pattern based on my measurements (first skirt here).  I say almost because I cut my pieces, sewed my darts, sewed up one side seam (with a French seam!) and made a button flap for the other, finished the other side seam nice and fancy, and then…

realized I had sewn it all backwards.

This won’t make sense unless you understand that the closure on this garment was meant to be on the left side of my body, and the button flap needed to be connected to the back of the skirt so the buttons would be on the front.  Make sense?

Well, if I finish it as it is, the buttons will be on the right backside of the skirt.

Of course, the moral of this story is to know your backside from your front. ;)

So…

Any suggestions???  Help me salvage this!

This year, I want to work my way through Cal Patch’s book, Design-it-Yourself Clothes.  I got it for Christmas, and it is everything I hoped it would be!  Seriously.  If you want to learn how to draft your own patterns for your own designs, she breaks it all down for you.

So far, I’ve taken all my measurements, traced the design template, drawn some designs using said template, and drafted a skirt pattern based on my measurements.

I feel so empowered!

First off, Cal teaches us how to construct a skirt based on our very own measurements.

Now.  I cannot lie here.  I had to pull out quite a few stitches on this to get it right.  But I learned how important darts are and how they absolutely must be right.  Every 1/8″ matters, my friends!!!

I also learned that I need to school myself in hidden zipper insertion.  I thought I had that skill, but I apparently do not.  More ripped seams ensued, and I opted for the button flap instead.

And am so glad I did.

The result is a pretty cute lightweight denim skirt with five buttons up the left side.  It sits lower on my waist than I happen to like.  Cal tells us that the lower waist measurement is all the rage these days, but I found (through trial and error!) that I prefer the almost-natural waist.

So I redrafted my pattern…

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

It was a good year, I do believe!