Yellow Top, Burda 7/09, #122B

Done!

With so little to do on this top, it was easy to get it done today between strawberry picking and yard work.  The last seam was easy and all the hems went in quickly, so there's not much to show except the final photos.  (I didn't realize the hiker tan was so obvious until I saw the back view photo!)

While this top still needs to be worn with a camisole, it is cute and will be fun to wear this summer! 

As a side note, I will be on vacation until July 6, so I will not be posting until then.  I might be around on the internet a little, but I'll see you when I get back!

Parting Shot:  Strawberry Jam.  We went strawberry picking today and ended up making jam, too.  My daughter and I made 18 jars worth, and there is a little extra in the refrigerator for eating now.

Yellow Top - Burda 7/09, #122B

So Far, So Good

Since it has been raining here, we actually stayed home for the day!  That means that I've been able to get to work on the yellow top and have made good progress so far and should be able to finish it up tomorrow. 

Once I got all the interfacing to stabilize shoulders and hems fused in place and all the neck trim strips pressed, I was able to then do the prep work for the attaching the neck strips.  Considering that I had a v-back I needed to carefully prepare that area.  To do this, I used the instructions from Jalie 2805, the women's t-shirt pattern that includes a v-neck option.  Since this neckline in the back was the same, the directions should work nicely.  Here are a part of Jalie's instructions for reference:

I prepped the v-shape on the back by fusing a square of interfacing at the point and then staystitching up to the point, pivoting at the point and then stitching beyond it.  I clipped to the point and put a tiny dot of fray check on it for a little extra insurance against fraying.  The neckbands were also prepped by pinning them together at right angles and basting them together.

Then, the neckband unit was basted in place to the neck opening, just in the v-shape area.  With that complete, I could stitch each side of the v-shape and along the entire neck opening.  Each side was stitched separately.  You can see in the photo below, that I've only stitched the one side.

Here's what it looks like finished:

Once that was done, I got the sleeves in place and one of the side seams done.  The other side seam will be done once I finish the work with the ties. 

The ties are made and have been basted in place, one at the side seam and one on the front edge.  The front edge one is actually stitched in place, and will be further held in place when the hemming on the front edge is complete. 

After that, I just need to stitch that other side seam and finish the rest of the hems.

Parting Shot:  Earrings.  I've started some bead embroidery earrings for my daughter - I should be able to get these done in the next few evenings.  I just need to finish the edges and add the fringe!

Yellow Top - Burda 7/09, #122 B

I bought some yellow knit from Fabric.com late in the winter and decided to save it for summer.  Now that summer is here, it is time to make a knit top from it.  This knit is sort of drapey, and a little bit sweatery, and is a good weight for where I live.  Lisa had some of the same fabric and made a cute tank from it when yellow was one of the choir colors for the month. 

I've decided to use Burda 7/09, #122 B for this top, with a few changes.  One, I'm going to make the back higher and eliminate the keyhole.  Two, I'm not going to do the binding that Burda suggests (a four-fold style binding, like a quilt binding), but I'm going to finish the neck edges the way the Jalie patterns do. 

So far, I've got everything cut out and I'm starting to get the reinforcing interfacing in place and the neck binding strips pressed.

This should make up quickly, and I think that tomorrow will be a quiet day.  That means I might get to work on this!

Parting Shot:  Garden.  This is my son's garden this year.  We were delayed a bit since we bought a roto-tiller this year and waited for that to arrive.  It has come in handy for the new long flower bed this year and will be good for all the gardening and landscaping in the future.  We chose vegetables with shorter growing times, so we only have tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, beets and green beans this year. 

Make The Look

Talbot's Tie-Shoulder Dress

This week's item is from Talbot's, the Tie-Shoulder Dress which comes in a print and solids.  I chose this dress because it is simple, yet can be accessorized in a variety of ways and can be made in a variety of fabrics depending on where you want to wear it.  You can make it elegant in black and wear it as a cocktail dress with the right accessories or make it in a gauzy print and wear it as a beach cover up, or even throw this on with cute sandals to go to the grocery store.  Surely it is easier and better looking than some thing I've seen recently while out shopping.  If you make your own, you'll save quite a bit of money, just check the retail price.

For patterns, there are two that are almost exactly what the Talbot's dress is, although one will be just a little extra, but very easy work.  First, Butterick 5644.  I know this is not a dress pattern, but if you add enough length, it will be!  This pattern is for wovens and stable knits, but I can't see why a knit that isn't too stretchy won't work.

The second pattern to get this look is New Look 6980, View C, in a shorter length (or whatever length you want!).

As far as fabrics, any lightweight fabric should be fine as well as stable or not super stretchy knits.  I think a border print would look great, too!  Almost all online and well as even our beloved craft/fabric stores have fabrics that would work for this dress.

Parting Shot: Mt. Osceola.  My son wanted to hike Osceola and East Osceola today, so off we went.  Here he is at the summit ledges of Osceola looking out to the other mountains.

The Applique Bag - Finished

Between playing taxi for the children today (and still have one more pick up tonight!), I've been able to finished the bag.  I had to work on it in two different sessions, but I got it done.  Here it is from both sides:

The top edges of the bag and lining are bound together, so there is no turning of the bag through a small hole to the right side.  The front and back edges are bound first, and then the little bits at the side seams that extend right into the straps. 

Because of the applique on this bag, I had to do the pleating just a little differently than on the other bags that I have made from the same pattern.  I only made two pleats and closer to the sides. 

I'm glad that is done, and tomorrow I'll be back with the regularly scheduled Make the Look post.

Parting Shot:  Phase Two.  The new bed will have accent lights, and we hope that by the end of the week most of the lighting part will be done. 

The Applique Bag . . .

Should Be Done Tomorrow.

It has been a busy sort of weekend, but I have managed to get the bag together and find enough matching denim in the collection for straps and binding.  Here's both sides of the bag:

Really, there's not much left:  cut binding, sew binding.  How hard can that be?  Not hard, but it seems like my children are just as busy now with activities as they were during the school year.  At least it feels that way this week!

Parting Shot:  New Bed.  My husband has worked hard to make a new bed and new edge along our driveway.  It is almost ready for plants, but we need to get the lighting in place first.

Applique Bag - Part 2

Lining

Here's the lining for the bag.  The fabric is a cotton sateen dyed by Vicki Welsh, and I've trimmed it with red binding.  I've added a larger divided pocket and a key clip for this bag, since it is a bit bigger than a purse.  I've also used a red zipper for the zipped pocket, just for fun and for visibility.

Now I just need to get the body together and this finished up.  Maybe tomorrow!

Parting Shot:  Carter Notch.  I went hiking yesterday, and part of the hike went through Carter Notch and near the Carter Lakes.  I had never been here, and it is a really beautiful area.

Applique Bag - More Details

I started this bag quite some time ago, sometime between January and now, but I can't remember, nor can I find the photos from the start of the project.  I decided it needed to be finished up, so I've started working on it again.  The bag is one that I've made before from a self-drafted pattern.  Today I'll get you caught up to where the project is now.

The applique was cut from a great piece of fabric from Vicki Welsh - it is one of her gradients, available in her Etsy shop.  To start, I drew the shape I wanted on to freezer paper, then cut it out.  I then ironed the freezer paper to the fabric and used the freezer paper as a pattern to cut out the fabric.  After that, I fused the shape to the denim using Misty fuse.

Once that was complete, I satin stitched around all the edges, changing the thread a few times to make sure it matched the fabric.

Now I need to find the lining that I made and see if I've cut out the straps/binding yet.

Parting Shot:  Morning Glory.  My morning glory vine is back - at least I think this is a morning glory, maybe not.  It comes back every year, even though I think I've removed a great deal of vine every fall.  Even the ants like it.

Sneak Peek - New Bag

Here's a quick sneak peak at a new bag that I'm working on.  I started this a couple of months ago, never had time to finish it or even show it on the blog until now.  I'll explain tomorrow, as I'm a little short on time today!

Parting Shot:  Tent.  We got a tent for car camping and backyard use.  So far, so good and my son is having fun sleeping out in it at night.

Make The Look

Anthropologie - Shine Through Dress

This week's look is a dress retailed by Anthro, a James Coviello dress called the Shine Through Dress.  This is another one of those just right dresses for summer which could be dressed up or down and depending on choice of eyelet and lining could be soft and neutral or fun and lively. 

There are a few patterns that are similar to this look, namely Vogue 8727 and Vogue 8470.  Both are similar to the original, but not exact, so I'd have to say they could be inspired by the original.  The problem is the surplice v-neck bodice.  Neither of these have quite the right bodice, but they do have other elements of the dress.  Vogue 8727, view E is the one that would be close.  You could replace the skirt with a gather skirt instead of the gored, flared skirt, but that depends on your taste.  The Vogue skirt would hang beautifully and not be as bulky.

Vogue 8470 could give you a good inspired by look, too by using Views A or B. 

For fabric, I'd suggest taking a look at the eyelets and embroideries offered by Gorgeous Fabrics, such as this one:

Emma One Sock also has some suitable eyelets, this one from Betsey Johnson in both aqua and fuchsia:

All photos from respective websites with links included.

Parting Shot:  Lilies.  My husband brought home a couple of new lilies for the yard.  They're beautiful and certainly a bright spot!

Not To Be Outdone . . .

Another T-shirt Refashion

You know, if big sister is getting "new" shirts, little brother has to have one, too.  He also claimed one of his dad's cast off t-shirts and asked me to remake it for him.  Not a problem.  I've got Jalie 2918, which is the men's and boy's t-shirt pattern and I already had the right size traced since I used it for another t-shirt for him.

With this pattern, I was able to even reuse the deconstructed-look style hems of the original shirt, while still being able to retain the graphics, too.  Not having to make hems further reduced the time to make the shirt.

Also notice the "new" shorts.  I collected all the pants over the school year that had torn up knees beyond being able to worn and saved them.  I made him try them all on to make sure they fit and then made the ones that fit into shorts.  I cut them off with the rotary cutter and serged the raw edges.  That's it.  I didn't even turn up a hem and stitch it down.  Since this is the second and last life for these pants, and since they will be worn (and most likely destroyed for good) on outdoor adventures and camp, I decided not to put too much effort into them.  They're a step above cut-offs; at least they won't fray in the wash.

Thanks for the compliments on my daughter and her new shirts.  Regarding the dyeing, I used a low water immersion technique - if you Google "low water immersion dyeing", you'll find all sorts of directions.  The dyes used were Pro MX  Fiber Reactive dyes from ProChemical and Dye and the t-shirt was a blend, with a high percentage of cotton.

Parting Shot:  More Lupines.  Another picture from our trip to the lupine festival.  All these lupines grow in open fields on people's property that borders the two-lanes backroads surrounding Sugar Hill.  Land owners graciously allow people to visit, enjoy and take photos.

A Few Sleeveless Tops - Simplicity 2603

My daughter said to me the other day that she didn't have any sleeveless tops for summer.  Our summers aren't terribly long, but we can have some really hot days, so I thought it was a good idea.  I also had a stack of cast off graphic t-shirts from my husband to recycle.  She picked out two, and then I needed to ocme up with a pattern.

Remembering a recent post from Lisa regarding the easy top of Simplicity 2603 and the small amount of fabric is took, I found my copy of the pattern.  I figured I would have enough fabric from the original t-shirt to cut the new shirt and with a little creativity, I was able to do that.

The first one made up quickly, with only one instruction change.  I made the entire neckband unit, both the neckband and facing and stitched them right sides together, turned and pressed before stitching the whole thing to the neck edge of the top.  Much easier than applying the facing after stitching the neckband in place.

For the second top, we decided to over dye the shirt.  She picked out some colors, and we hoped for the best - you sometimes never know what the results will be when dyeing fabric.  We ended up with this t-shirt:

That t-shirt then became this top:

I agree with Lisa, this is quick, easy and takes little fabric!

Parting Shot:  Lupines.  The children and I went to see the lupines in Sugar Hill today.  There are fields of these flowers and they have an annual festival around the time that they all bloom.

The Bucket Bag, Part 8

Finishing Touches

To finish the bag, all that is needed is the eyelets and the cord keeper.  Let's start with the eyelets.  You'll need to an kit that has the eyelets (there are two parts to each eyelet) and the setting tool, plus a hammer.  Once you have the set tool, then you can just buy the refill kits.

I'd already figured out in the beginning how far apart to put the eyelets.  There is a pair of eyelets, 1" apart, directly opposite the seam.  Imagine that the seam is at center back, so these eyelets would be at center front.  From there, you'll mark a position for an eyelet every 3" around the top band.  I use part of the eyelet to trace a circle.

Next, you'll need to cut out a circle through which to place part of the eyelet.  It is thick and can be tough, but is necessary.  I generally cut the circle a little smaller than traced and then put fray check on it.  I can always trim a bit more out if I can get the eyelet parts through. 

Once all the holes are ready, I install the eyelets per the instructions on the packaging. 

Now it is time to make the cord keeper.  You'll need a scrap of fabric, 2"x3".  Hem the long sides with a 1/4" double turned hem. 

Now, stitch the short sides right sides together forming a loop.

Turn the loop right side out and flatten it, with the seam centered on the back.  Stitch along the seam to create two tunnels. 

Send one end of the cord through one of the tunnels.  I like to keep the clear tape on the ends from when it was cut at the store, this makes it easier to work with and it won't fray.  It is sort of like a shoelaces - once it gets frayed it is hard to work with.  Now, send the cord through one of the center eyelets and weave it in and out of all the eyelets until it comes back to the center.  Send the loose end through the other tunnel of the cord keeper.

That's it.  The bag is done!

I have used the bag a few days, and really like it.  It is a cute bag for summer.  The only problem is that I got a new cell phone and it doesn't fit into the pocket.  That's not a huge problem, I can use the pocket for something else.  Just double check your cell phone's measurements before making that pocket!

Parting Shot:  Lilies.  Well, they will be lilies in a month or so.  The buds are always nice to see because they're a promise of what is to come!