On a recent trip to Portland with my friends, we stumbled into a hat shop called Goorin Bros. They had walls full of hats. It was so much fun to look at all of them and try them on. I had absolutely no intentions of purchasing a hat, but after trying this one on, I couldn’t resist! If you are in the Portland, OR area, you should definitely check it out!
Finally I have been getting some projects done! It feels great to sew and accomplish something. ^_^ First up we have yet another Amy Butler High Street Messenger Bag. This is the thrid one that I have made. I really like the end product, but sewing it together can be a bear. This one was a gift for my cousin Olivia, who turned 16 in March.
Here’s a picture of the outside front. I chose to put the tab on, using velcro, incase she decides to use this for a laptop bag. The tab really doesn’t serve too much of a purpose, so I would recommend leaving it off, unless you like the way it looks. The fabric is called Odyssey from MoMo for Moda.
With the flap out-of-the-way, you can see the outer pleated pockets, though the pleats aren’t showing up very well. These outer pockets get quite a bit of use, so make sure when you are stitching the dividing line between the pockets, you do a very good job stitching it down at the top of the pockets.
The inside of the bag. You can see the zippered hanging pocket and the tool pocket. This is also a very useful part of the bag. I use the zippered pocket inside all the time for loose items, personal effects, and anything that I want to keep contained. The panel pockets are great for pens, notepads, ID cards, just about anything you want to keep on the inside of the bag, but easily accessable.
Finally the back of the bag. This zippered pocket has not gotten much use from my experience, but is handy to have. The pattern does call for an additional zippered pocket on the inside of the flap, but I found that I never used this because it is hard to get to, if you open it while wearing the bag, the contents will spill out of the pocket, and the zipper pull scratched my hand every time I reached into the bag without lifting the flap. I would recommend leaving the zipper off the flap unless you know what you would use it for.
All in all, I really enjoyed making these bags and think the pattern is well done. Number one tip if you are thinking about making this pattern. . . LABEL EVERY PIECE WITH MASKING TAPE. DO NOT USE A DIRECTIONAL PRINT. MAKE SURE YOUR MACHINE CAN HANDLE HEAVY-DUTY FABRIC/LAYERS OF FABRIC. These are the most important tips that I can give you! If you have any questions, feel free to let me know! ^_^ I’m always glad to help.
I also whipped up this table runner for Matt’s mom’s birthday gift. I wanted to do a much bigger gift, but didn’t have the time. I am going to try to get it done for Christmas though. Don’t see how that should be a problem. . . I still have a few months. ^_^
I’m working on a simple pattern for this. Once I have perfected the pattern, I will put it up on my patterns page. I had this fabric in my stash left over from quite a while ago. I was planning on making a set of pillow cases for a friend, but never got around to that. Matt’s mom enjoys cats, so I thought I would put it to good use for her birthday gift. I just hope I’m not overdoing it with the cat thing. ^_^
Please excuse the white balance. . . the lighting in my apartment is horrible. This is the Favorite Things Uptown Coat that I have had forever. It’s a store sample that should have been done last year. . . oops. I did the jacket version after realizing I didn’t have enough fabric to make the coat. I was going to keep this one until I found out that the size I thought I needed was way too large for me. . . (better to be too big than too small I guess.) All it needs are some buttons and it’s done! Hooray!
This shot has a little better lighting. You can see the color of the exterior better. I used a maroon/burgundy corduroy for the exterior and a silk/cotton blend teal for the lining. You can also see the markings for the button holes and buttons. I will make the button holes as soon as I find some fab buttons. This was my first coat, and basically only my second or third garment. I think it came out pretty well considering I haven’t done much clothing and I don’t have a dress form to fit to.
This photo shows off the lining. It looks a bit crinkly, but I ironed out as much as I could. I am pretty proud of the end result, even if it is too big for me. I’m just glad to get it out of my to-do pile. I have a lot more projects waiting and hopefully I will be able to get to them soon! Thanks for listening! ^_^
Advance 5057
Dress
Size: 16
Bust: 34
Hip: 37
Copyright: Unknown – Late 40’s?
Info:
This pattern has no description printed on the envelope, or in the instructions. There are no printed lines, or words on the pieces. There are letters stamped out of circles on each one. This pattern does include instructions for making a fabric belt.
I really like this dress. The color is so elegant, and the full skirt. . . well you know how I feel about full skirts. Yum. ^_^ I like both sleeve versions but would say that the 3/4 length sleeves are my favorite. I also like that this pattern includes instructions for making a belt. Can’t wait to give this one a go someday.
Butterick 7455
Blouse & Jumper/Skirt
Size: 14
Bust: 32
Copyright: Unknown – 1950’s Info:
Blouse with wing collar and cuffs, buttoned front. Princess style jumper with
gored skirt. Can be worn with or without blouse. Standout, gored skirt.
The possibilities with this pattern are adorable! Offering three different pieces to mix and match and add to any wardrobe. Blouse with Jumper, Blouse with Skirt, or Jumper alone. This is such an adorable jumper, I hope I learn to resize very soon so that I can try my hand at this pattern! ^_^
After reading my post about Alice’s Suitcase, my aunt gave me a basket full of my grandmother’s scarves! They are all gorgeous and I’m sure if my grandmother was with us today, she would be telling me each one’s story. How I miss her stories. One of my fondest memories of her was going to her house the day before Christmas Eve and helping her put the ornaments on the tree. The ornament wouldn’t be able to touch one branch until she had told me its entire story. I wish I could remember those stories now.
As soon as I am able, I will be photographing and cataloguing each scarf and creating a new blog series, Alice’s Scarf, but for now, here is the basket full.
I recently took a trip to my local second-hand store and found a few goodies. Among the finds were three wool skirts, one of which fits me, a wool hat, 2 head scarves, 2 neck scarves, one white eyelet full slip, one blue night-dress with lace trim, and one silk shirt dress with matching belt. As I was finding these things, I knew some of them wouldn’t fit me, but I was in the “repurpose it” mode and thought I could take it apart and use the fabric for something else. I still haven’t decided what I want to do with the garments that don’t fit, but for now, they are happy hanging on my door next to my grandmother’s black cocktail dress. I did take a few photos of the wool skirt that fit, however, I only really liked one that turned out, so here it is. ^_^
Keep checking back for more on my new series, Alice’s Scarf, as well as my VPS (Vintage Pattern Series) that I’m working on. There is still a box full of patterns to do! ^_^
Melissa's Kre8tions 