A Bright Blue Shirt

I've been working through my stash of fabric saved just for shirts/skirts/etc. Here's a simple shirt made from a pattern from the 80's.

I really like the little "tuck" in the front and back. It's a good way to make a simple shirt just a little different. I used an obviously very blue woven material that's lightweight but heavy at the same time. I don't know how else to explain it.

I also had to add 4.5 inches to the bust (not bragging) but keep the hip measurement the same. I probably did it in a very lazy way but I moved the pattern away from the fold 1 1/8 inches while setting it up to cut, then angled it so the bottom still hit the fold. Turned out alright. I had to take it in an inch on each side around the hip, still. Only thing that turned out not so much like it should have is the neckline - it came out too wide from adding the inches. So next time, I'm going to make sure to bring the neck in to the original position as well as the hips.

This shirt also came with a front/back facing for the neckline but that didn't quite work with my material, so I just hemmed the neckline.

All in all - success!

Sweater Revamp

I have been looking for a mustard-colored cardigan for months. They do exist, but they exist online for $60 and that's just not my style. After keeping an eye out for a while, I saw this perfect sweater from H&M at my local thrift store. Not only is it mustard colored, it's also got stripes - another of my current favorites. But it's not a cardigan. It's a pullover sweater, which I don't do well.

So it's time to cut it up and get that much closer to my dreams. I saw a tutorial for this a few weeks ago but I can't find it anymore. Turns out, there are tons all over the web.

The sweater.

I cut it up the middle. No need for a ruler; eyeballing it turned out alright.

Got my very old bias tape out, opened it up and pinned/stitched one edge to the right side (of the fabric) of one of the sweater's new openings.

I then turned the bias tape to the inside, folding it again and creating a new edge for the sweater's opening.

There you have it. And, no, I didn't wear stripes with stripes that day - this photo is purely for educational purposes.

Weekend Recap

This weekend was one full of food. I cooked a couple dinners, did some baking, and made pancakes for Jake for breakfast TWICE. We also went to a BBQ where we had elk meat, burgers, and steak. And we went out to eat once as well. So, pretty much food and I are all caught up and familiar with each other after the weekend. It was also warm enough for about 4 hours on Saturday for sandals. So I took advantage of that. We got to go visit our house which they broke ground on last week. Pretty exciting. And of course I did some sewing.

I didn't get any pictures of it because it was consumed much too quickly, but I made this Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread from Joy the Baker. So good.

Recipe: Mushroom Sauce

It's not the most attractive sauce, but it is delicious on rice, chicken, noodles, whatever.

2 cups mushrooms
1 cup spinach
1/2 tbl. worcestershire sauce
1 tbl agave nectar
salt/pepper/garlic to taste

Puree and enjoy! Can be cold or hot.

Nerdy Rabbit

Going to take a break from the rabbits for a little bit but I had to share this guy first. He's made out of fleece so he's really soft. I also love how I have a scarf JUST like his. See more here.

Second Version

I took my finalized shirt pattern I created last week and made another version out of this crazy polyester fabric that was at Wal-Mart for $1.50 a yard. So loud, so awesome.

I also tried the DIY fabric labels tutorial I posted last week. (See it here if you missed it.) I serged the edges pretty close to prevent fraying. Love these little labels - they're a great addition to the plush toys I've been making.

Earring Round-Up

I'm not into accessories very much, especially if they're sort of over the top or too dangly or big or make too much noise. I usually have to remind myself to wear one of the few necklaces I have or a scarf. But I will wear earrings everyday. I hadn't bought earrings in a few years, so I decided to do a little shopping on Etsy.

The fun thing about buying from Etsy is the care and detail taken in the packaging of the items. It's so nice to get a little gift wrapped up in a box with ribbon and sometimes a few extra goodies :) A few of these sellers, too, I've continued to talk to and read their blogs, so it's a lot more personal.

1. White Drop Earrings from Sparkling Bliss
2. Pebble Gray Sterling Silver Studs from Allison Moore Designs
3. Gunmetal Bow Earrings from Reverberate
4. Silver Lotus Flower Earrings from Piixl Jewelry
5. Olive Pom Pom from SoukySuz