New things!

I was pretty sure I'd never sew up another doll again, but my shop is almost empty and I had a friend request a ballerina-themed doll. I'm kind of excited to start working again with silly fabric and lace.

I'm also thinking of adding a couple shirts to the shop, so if you're a size 34 bust, keep an eye out for those. There are also some new small bags being made from the fabric I designed recently.

Annnnd, some photos I took while my family was in town.

It's been way too long...

So, I know...I've been really bad about posting. I haven't been sewing. I've been working way too much. I've also been trying to get out more and exercise more and turn my apartment into a workspace that inspires me to create more.

I also hated blogging because I had such a hard time getting good photos of my projects. But, I recently bought a great camera, so I'm back in business!

I don't have any new projects to show you but I would like to share some photos from a recent hike with my new camera. I hope to start posting more soon!!

Pleated Shirt Experiment

I love pleats. In everything. So I decided to take my basic shirt pattern, add some inches to the front, and get to pleating. First version turned out pretty good. I might decide to make my own bias tape and redo the neckline, since pleats add a little bit weirdness to a regular hem. I'm mostly glad the pleats are all even and it's wearable.

Love the green color. Next, I think, is my first patternless knit shirt. 

Trees Scarf in the Shop

Cotton silk blend scarf featuring my trees pattern. One available!

New Year's Eve Shirt

So, the dress turned into a shirt. I'm really happy with it. Just not with the pictures...I remember when I had a great camera. I'll be honest, part of the reason I don't blog is because of the picture quality.

Anyway, here's the random terrible photos.

Shoulder details (lace)

And the lace back with a better view of the color.

Back for New Year's Eve!

Working on a dress for New Year's Eve. It's coming together slowly. So far I only have the basic shape done, but I'm thinking of doing some things with the sleeves, neckline, middle and back.

The fabric is a weird, stretchy, shiny, nylon, lycra stuff. More weird stuff I got from a $5 bolt sale at Wal-Mart in Utah.

Also, I just ordered a yard of this in cotton silk for a scarf request. Very excited to see how it turns out.

Easy Scarf How-To

Whew! What a long break I took from sewing.
Here is a little how-to for the circle scarf/cowl I made a few weeks ago. (Thanks, Shannon! I totally forgot what awesome stuff I had in my stash till I went looking for something to sew up.)

I started with a quarter yard of fabric. This will make a skinny scarf. If you want something thicker, use a wider length.

Fold the scarf in half lengthwise (hotdog fold?), iron and stitch along raw edges.

Turn inside out and press.

Fold insides of one raw edge in and press. If you wanted your scarf shorter and closer around your neck, now is the time to measure and trim off excess from the end with the raw edges.

Tuck raw edges into the end with the folded in edges and stitch shut. Now separate the tube and iron out the crease in the middle to give it some volume.

ta-da! Easy right?

Now that I've gone through my fabric again I realized how many pieces I want to make into shirts. I also realized why I haven't been sewing. I've had a pattern sitting on my desk for about a month now and I really don't want to make it. I might not be all that into following patterns and more into either figuring things out or making simple shirts from wild fabric. It may be because I'm not much of a complicated dresser...Instead of ruffles and zippers, I like combining colors and texture. I also don't want to make anything into a skirt or take time to add buttons to anything...Maybe I'm just a simple sewer.

Anyway. I also had kimchi for the first time tonight and my stomach is not happy.