Inspiration...Sleeveless Dress

 The spring/summer dresses are still inspiring me.  Take a look at this beauty:

This is the Sleeveless Belted Linen Midi Dress.  Price tag: $998.00.  Details:  44 1/2" from shoulder to hem, pick stitch detailing, scoop neckline, sleeveless, waist self-tie, on-seam pockets, hem fails below knee, a-line silhouette, invisible zipper, linen, unlined, dry clean.  For reference, model is 5'10".

Finding a pattern was surprisingly hard.  A shape this simple should be easy to find.  I did find this one:

 

Kwik Sew 3871.  It may be hard to find.  This is a pullover dress pattern which should make it quick and easy.  

I zoomed in on the inspiration dress to see if I could get pictures of the pick stitching detail.  I could not get close enough to get good picture of the pick stitching but I was able to see a little more detail on the dress.  The dress has a front seamline, waist darts, neckline, and sleeveless area that are pick stitched.  I think it would be worth your time to check this dress out up close.  Hope you are inspired to creation something beautiful.

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration...Lux Casual Pants and Jacket

 This is little outfit is all about comfort.  Check it out:

 This is the Lafayette 148 New York Cotton French Terry Zip-Front Hoodie ($598.00) and French Terry Cadman Jogger ($398.00).  Details:  Hoodie - relaxed fit, draw-string hood, dropped shoulders, long sleeves, 2-way zip closure,  raw edge seam detail, high-low hem, slit sides, banded hem, hip length, 100% cotton. Sizing: S- 44" bust, 24 1/2-inches long; M- 45 1/2-inch bust, 25-inches long; L- 49-inches bust,  25 1/2-inches long; back covers the backside. Jogger - relaxed fit through thigh, tapered leg; pull-on, elastic waistband; front slant and back patch pockets; slit hem; ankle length; 100% cotton; leg opening: S- 12-inch, M- 12 1/2-inches, L- 13-inches.

No pattern selections today.  Seems every pattern company has a jogger pant pattern.  As for the hoodie, I would look for an old Kwik Sew pattern and change the hem.  

Happy Stitching!

Flannel PJs...

 I selected the next Kwik Sew pattern to work on and pulled out two different flannels from the stash.  That is good stash reduction.  Here is the fabric:

This is a Snuggle Flannel from JoAnn's.  It is a cute fabric but narrow.  

The blue flannel has a fun message on it.  It has been in the stash forever.  The yardage is narrow so I will probably purchase a plain flannel to make the sleeves. 

Here is the pattern that I intend to use:

This is Kwik Sew 3353.  It is just a basic pajama pattern.  Perfect for lounging around. 

Here is the new pajamas:

I love the fit of both pair of jammies.  This pattern really is a good basic and fast when you use your serger.  It would be really easy to modify the pattern if you were interested in piping the edges.  There is nothing not to like with this pattern.

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration...Tweed Blazer

 Fall is definitely in the air.  Nights have cooled off and we are finally seeing days that are not 90F.  Fall calls for layers.  Here is a great little jacket:

This is the Akris Punto Double-Breasted Tweed Blazer.  Price tag: $1590.00.  Details:  decorative double-breasted front, fringe, concealed front closure, peaked lapels, long sleeves, slit cuff, side flap pockets, tailored fit, wool/nylon.

I really like the idea of a tweed blazer.  Not sure how I actually feel about the "decorative" double-breasted front.  That is a detail that I would probably leave off.  However the fringe is fun. I would style it differently also.  As for the pattern, there is so many to choose from.  Here are a couple to think about:

This is the Closet Core Patterns Jasika Blazer pattern.  It is close to the inspiration photo.  You might want to square off the from edges if you want to replicate the fringe.  It can be found here.  Here is another option:

This is Kwik Sew 3715.  I just received this pattern with the recently Kwik Sew purchase here. Again, you would need to square off the front edges for the fringing.  

I have no idea how to the hidden closure.  If anyone knows how to do this, let me know.  Hope you are inspired to create something beautiful.

Happy Stitching!

Craft Bag...

 I decided that needed a largish bag to carry my crafty items between my house and my parent's house.  With this in mind, I started with the Kwik Sew pattern from my recent purchase (here). It is:

This is an Ellie Mae Designs pattern for Kwik Sew.  It is K118.  I am using stashed items mostly but I did purchase fabrics for side pockets because I could not find a match in the stash.  I even found the Peltex 70 hiding in the stash.  Here is the stash fabric:

I used these fabrics previously to make fabric boxes for CDs.  Here is the post where I created the boxes.  Here is the fabric that I purchased to coordinate:

The darker of the two coordinates with the dark color in the leaf print.  The lighter color would somewhat coordinate with the lighter colors in the prints.  Here is the finished bag:

In the first picture, you can see the little Featherweight that I used to make my bag.  I feel like I pushed this little machine almost to it's limits but I was able to complete the bag with it.  While stitching it, I wondered if it was going to be big enough to lug projects back and forth.  Now that it is finished, I think it is plenty big.  

I will be making organizing items for the inside in the future.  Hopefully, I have enough coordinating fabric to make them.  

Bags with stiff interfacing are my least favorite thing to do.  I think this project turned out well though.  Off to the next project.

Happy Stitching! 

Kwik Sew Patterns...

 It seems that the demise of Kwik Sew is on the horizon.  When I got the email about a warehouse sale, I could not resist.  I purchased too many but with any luck they will get used and not just collected.  Here were my picks:

This is an Ellie Mae Designs tote pattern for crafts.  I decided that it might be good for me as I am always hauling things back and forth from my parents.  With luck, everything needed for it will already be in the stash.

This is a pajama pattern that will for work for the majority of the year.  There is not much to say about it. It is a basic pattern which is something that Kwik Sew excels at.

This is a basic jacket pattern.  It seems a little oversized like a boyfriend jacket.

This is a basic men's short pattern.  I thought I might give a try at making shorts for my son.  He is almost 6'5" and it is hard to locate shorts with an inseam he is happy with. 

This pattern is all about organization.  I thought this might come in handy for myself and/or my niece. 

This is another basic men's pattern with pants and shorts this time.  It is highly likely that the short pattern is not any different than the shorts pattern above.  Purchased for the same reasons.

  Another basic men's pattern for robe and pjs.  I do make pjs for my guys from time to time.

I decided to get this as I thought it might come in handy in the future.  Everyone likes to carry things with them and if you need a walker, it is hard to carry a bag.

I picked this one up because it is fun.  I do know people with young kids and this kind of thing is fun.  My son spent hours with his grill making food.  The battery never ran down.  This is much quieter than the electronics.

Casserole covers, pie carrier, and double oven mitt.  Again, basics that are useful.

Hopefully, none of these will end up buried in the pattern stash and will actually be used.  I tend to over plan both with pattern purchases and fabric/notion purchases.  By the way, I did purchase both Simplicity patterns from Fall Pattern Roundup.  The pattern stash just keeps growing.

Did you get involved with the Kwik Sew warehouse clearance? 

Happy Sewing!

Inspiration...Casual for Fall/Winter

 This week's look is to me a very wearable look:

This is the Lafayette 148 New York Speckled Donegal V-Neck Sweater.  Price tag: $898.00.  Details:  V neckline, long sleeves, drop shoulders, relaxed silhouette, pullover style, cashmere/wool/nylon. Sorry, I was unable to locate information on the jeans or boots.

This is a great everyday look.  Unless you are a knitter you will need to get creative with this.  Here is a sweater pattern that might pull off the look:

This is Silhouette Patterns #924 Polo's Best.  This isn't quite as oversized as the inspiration picture but kinda has the same feel.  

This is Kwik Sew 3045. This pattern has the oversized look of the inspiration pattern.  You could "V" the neckline, add a little bit of length, and hem.

Hope you are inspired to create something beautiful.

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration...Tweed Skirt

Let's hail the 60s with this little skirt:

This is the British Tweed Mini Skirt by Boden.  Price tag: $120.00.  Details:  fabric is 100% wool, lining is 100% polyester, a-line silhouette, side slant pockets, sits below natural waist, above knee length, concealed back zip.  For a closer look, check out the bodenusa website.

We can do a bit better than that making it ourselves.  Here's a pattern with a similar silhouette:

This is Kwik Sew 3877.  View B is very close to the inspiration photo.  You would need to add pockets and lining.   Even the largest size of the skirt takes about 1 1/2 yards of fabric. Even if you paid $15/yard for the fashion fabric and $5/yard for lining the skirt would cost between $30 and $35 to make.  That's a huge savings.  For myself, I would make the View A in this skirt.  It would only cost a wee bit more to make the longer skirt.

Of course, if you already have a similar skirt pattern. Use it!  Some those dollars to purchase additional fabric.  Hope you're inspired to make something beautiful.

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration...Poncho

In the fall and sometimes in the winter, a second layer can be useful. This poncho fits would work well.

This is the Eileen Fisher Hand Woven Organic Cotton Poncho.  Price: $358.00.  I know the black and white coloring is what drew me in on this.  Here's a couple of patterns to consider:

This is Kwik Sew 4222.  There are two styles of the poncho and the line drawer kinda indicates that do not really need a pattern if you can figure out where you want to cut the fabric.

This is McCall's 7202.  The shape is a little different than the inspiration.  This pattern would give you a little more arm coverage.

This is Indygo Junction Warm and Cozy Wrap.   I thought I would throw this one out there.  It's a bit different than the inspiration silhouette but it is a very wearable design.

Happy Stitching!