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.

Two Scarves

I took two pieces of fabric that were pretty soft but not long enough for a top and made two cowl scarves. Or circle scarves. Love them. Took about 5 minutes for each. I'll have go through my fabric now and see what's a bit too small for clothing and make a whole new scarf wardrobe.

Back by Popular Demand

The bearded boyfriend! Hooray! I got a message from a previous customer on Etsy who bought 3 bearded men last year and asked for another one. These guys are always fun to make and cause many giggles.

Also, I went with Jake and our dogs to the Oregon coast (Cannon Beach) for the day yesterday. I have honestly never seen anything quite like it. So much better than the beaches in California. It already has a special place in my heart.

(Note: my new phone takes kick-ass photos!)

Small Projects

Let's address some things.

I haven't been sewing very much. Since moving to Portland and becoming single (yes) I've had more to do and more people to meet. I've actually been able to make friends which is something I wasn't able to do at all in Utah for the whole year I lived there. I've also gotten involved in the design community here which is also something that Utah lacked.

So I've been busy.

Another thing, the camera I used to use to take beautiful pictures never belonged to me. It belonged to my ex. So now I take really shitty photos. BUT I'm getting the iPhone 4s tomorrow in the mail and the camera is supposed to be EXCELLENT. It'll suffice until I have some dough to drop on a camera.

So here's what I've been up to:

A green shirt made from fashion-show-leftover-fabric found at Wal-Mart ($5 for a whole bolt!). It's strange. It's mint. It's sheer. I'm not sure I like it.

AND I altered a pair of my pants into skinny jeans. They were initially supposed to be skinny jeans but when I bought them in 2006, I was not all that sure skinny jeans were going to take off. Or that I'd like them. Or that they are sort of necessary for petite women without curves. So I bought a size up.

Now these bad girls are rock-and-roll ready.

Before: (blurry, yes. left side is old pant leg. right side is new)

After: LEGSSSS!!!!!

Whew..felt good to blog. I have no work today and tomorrow and I'm planning on sewing so stay tuned!

New Samples In!

Spoonflower was WAY fast this time. I ordered last week and got my samples the following week. They must have been able to shorten production time which is great for me because now I'll be more inclined to order and update my shop.

So be prepared for some new wristlets, bags, and POSSIBLY some knit cowls!

Delay

I'm still alive, I promise. I've just had a week of vacation and then this week I'm sick, so I'm just barely alive.

I did sew last week and plan on starting a small project this week as well. Stay tuned!

Black and White Ikat with Pockets

I was inspired by this tunic on Burdastyle last fall and it's taken until now to finally have my own version. I found the perfect fabric for it this summer and was thinking about the pocket situation for a while - wondering which sort of pocket I prefer. I'm really happy with the result, but not sure how much I like the craziness of the fabric yet...we'll see.

I AM thrilled though about the pockets being red and INSIDE and in the side seams. Quite the accomplishment for me.

Right!?! Pockets for everything from now on!