Decked Out

 Here is a little sundress project I've been meaning to do for quite some time...I may have purchased this fabric two years ago.  Anyway, now that it is officially Summer (JOY!) I thought I should finally whip up this little number.  Cute, and easy too!

For the top, I used an old tank top - after a few washes it was becoming a bit of a belly shirt, which I am so not cool with, and as such haven't worn in quite a while.  For this project I only needed the top, and just cut it off a couple inches below the chest. 

For the bottom I used a simple store bought elastic waist skirt as a template and just traced it on my fabric, cutting out two (one front, one back) and sewing them together, and hemming the bottom.  I tapered it a little at the waist, and made a fabric tube threaded through with elastic for the top, and attached the tank to the skirt bottom to it on either side. 

It fits over the head, easy peasy!  Well, maybe a bit of a tug needed but once on it fits like a dream!  I added a dart in the back middle, from the top of the waist and down a few inches, to pull it in at that area and give it a better fit too.  Overall, a success for my first pattern free-make it up as I go along dress! 

  

And, the pattern for the skirt part is super cute - check it out close up! 

And, said ensemble just happens to perfectly match the cute new heels I picked up on clearance at DSW.  Score! 

Pretty Pretty Princess

Oooh check out the pretty party dress my mom made for little Rakia!  She used a Simplicity pattern I believe.  Perfect for October, and fall, right?  I can't wait to see her in it.  Dorian saw it and was jealous - I hear a matching vest is in his future.  Ah how cute will that be? 

My First Quilt!

Ta da!  I finished my first mini quilt!  Here it is. 

I used this free pattern from one of my favorite sites for great gift ideas - Sew For Home. 

You may be wondering what is with the weird seams - this is a rag quilt, so the seams are exposed on purpose.  As you wash it, they fray to give it a relaxed look. 

Here Dorian models it for me - look how fun!

The front side is cotton, the back is grey flannel with pink stitching.  It is for a baby shower I'm going to this weekend - a light little quilt for a summer baby.  I hope she loves it! 

Aprons For All

Here is a cute little apron I whipped up for my nephew Dorian recently - I got to give it to him when I went to visit the family this past weekend.  He makes a stunning model, no?

Back view, and front - it attaches with Velcro so little hands can put it on themselves, no tying required!  I used a good tutorial (free) from Sew Liberated.

No tying at the neck, either - by using elastic inside a fabric tube (scrunchie style) the little guy can slip it over his head and get to helping in the kitchen! 

Birthday Picnic

I always wished my birthday was in June. I got stuck with December, so no pool parties, backyard bday bbqs or the like for me.

Brian's mom's birthday is today though! (Happy Birthday!) I put together these picnic ready place mats for her. The place mats have a little pouch on the side for flatware, and I made matching cloth napkins that tuck in too. Perfect for a birthday picnic, I think!

Here is a close up of the little pouch. The pattern/idea is from one of my favorite craft books, One Yard Wonders. (If you haven't already you should check it out - TONS of amazing sewing projects, great clear instructions, and as the title says, they all only use 1 yard of fabric!)

You could use these place mats at the dinner table too, I think. But if you need them to travel, I whipped up a little drawstring bag for them - just roll and go! I hope she enjoys them.

And yes, I know I've used the red fabric for a billion projects I've shared here - with this one I've finished up the last of it! Which is why the bag doesn't match, of course.

I Heart Ruffles

I finally got around to tackling the Ruffle Butt Onesie tutorial from Crap I've Made - thanks to an appropriate candidate being born recently. I can't wait to see it on the little lady!

So, mine is a lot fluffier than the original but I like it. You can never have enough ruffles, right?

I put a little flower on the front too with the extra fabric. It was a little annoying to work with the knit (ie, onesie from target) but it eventually worked thanks to a ballpoint needle.

Oooh baby girl clothes are just too cute!

A House for my Friend

I work my sewing machine so hard, I thought she deserves some love too.
I put together this simple machine cover over the weekend and I think it has a lot more pizazz than the white plastic one that came with it (and was wearing out too).

Plus its functional - it keeps her safe from dust when at rest. I didn't make a hole for the handle on top - I thought that would let in more dust, and when I carry it I can feel out the handle myself. I may add one or even a little flap I could open to carry, and close when storing it. Not sure about that part yet.

This was very easy to make - all I did was sew together some scraps after measuring my machine. It makes me happy every time I see it!

Scrunchie Fest!

Hello -here is a Totally 80s Tutorial for you! I went to an 80s themed birthday party on Saturday night, and decided to bring back a craft of olde - the scrunchie!

If you're a beginner or haven't made/worn a scrunchie before, here is how to do it:

Supplies: Long strip of fabric, elastic (I used 1/4 inch), thread, straight pins, 2 safety pins, sewing machine (you could do it by hand too).

(continued after the jump - go on, click read more!)

Little fail

To Get a Sense of scale, you can compare it to this dino-binder.

Ta da! for the time being...

A little cavernous as gym bags go...

My first Model!

I got my first commissioned order yesterday so I whipped up a tote bag last night. No pattern for me, which led to a few issues, size wise, but I do think that the patterns I've used over the past few weeks have given me a bit more expertise when flying blind.

Its still a little scary to cut into a piece of shiny new fabric, but I'm overcoming my fear - and was even able to improvise after realizing that my original measurements were a bit off.

After stitching everything up the bag was a little bit gigantic - perfect for a beach tote (note for next summer) but too bulky for a gym bag. No worries though - I think I can just trim off a few inches from the top and put it back together pretty easily (famous last words).

Tune in next week for the thrilling conclusion of...tote bag tribulations! In the meantime I think I'll go here to feel a little better about myself.

Welcome to My Blog!

Me in my first all-by-myself handmade dress! A little wonky around the edges but no one notices but me!

Hi! It's a bit daunting to begin my first blog post...this has to set the tone for the whole shebang, get people hooked and all that - so much pressure! Since I'm the only one here so far I guess I shouldn't worry too much. Anyway, here goes...

Here is my blog! Oh technology! Let me introduce myself, and tell you why I am here:

My name is Emma, and I'm a young lady living in Brooklyn with some time on my hands. I decided I needed some sort of creative outlet to add some pizzazz to my life. On a whim, I dusted off the Singer sewing machine my mom got me for Christmas two years ago and signed up for a simple sewing class. Seeing the machine next to my dining room table still in the box made me feel guilty, lazy, and wasteful - but I couldn't seem to figure it out on my own without some help (and without mom by my side to help me out of a fabric related jam, as she'd done when I was a wee lass putting together a scrunchie or two, or ten).

Fast forward a few months, and here I am, obsessed with creating fun pretty things! I still do the daily grind of getting up and going to work every morning, but now instead of coming and watching some crappy summer reruns, I can't wait to pick out a new project and sew into the wee hours.

Added bonus: Up to my elbows in needles and thread, I'm less likely to grab the ice cream - my hands are full!