Earlier I had talked about some fun sewing supplies I picked up, but now I can show you what I did with some of them!
Today my dog waste bag holder tutorial is featured on Bernina’s We All Sew website and they use these fun little vinyls that I recently picked up on Etsy (while Etsy has a ton of cute faux leathers and vinyl, I shopped here as she had the most adorable dog designs and the perfect scale for this size project.).
This little box bags fit most standard size dog waste bag rolls and have a handy little clip that you can attach to a leash, their vest or even a beltloop or bag. I also added some fun zippers (and zipper pulls) to these, but you’ll have to check out the tutorial to get a better look those since it’s not something that’s easily seen from these photos. This project is perfect for using those smaller vinyl scraps (I was able to squeeze out a bag using a “fat half’ sheet – it’s tight, but doable) and sews up in less than an hour!
With the weather warming up, I’m starting to wear more t shirts – which means I probably could use some more. Like this adorable Tulip Tee. Need it smaller? There’s one for kids too!
I’m going to start off by saying: The Elliot Romper is not something that I would normally sew. But over the past year, my wardrobe choices have definitely leaned toward ultra casual and comfortable and so I thought I would give this pattern a whirl…. and I’m not sorry I did.
I’m going to start off by saying: The Elliot Romper is not something that I would normally sew. But over the past year, my wardrobe choices have definitely leaned toward ultra casual and comfortable and so I thought I would give this pattern a whirl…. and I’m not sorry I did.
This was my first time sewing with a Petite Stitchery pattern so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I will say that I’m not a fan of their PDF – this pattern seemed “jumbled” to me (the page numbers didn’t line up like I expected in the rows) and I had to reference the pattern guide quite a bit. Since I haven’t worked this company before, I’m not sure if it’s just this pattern or they are all like this.
As far as the construction process goes, I thought that the directions were good. The pocket is constructed differently that what I had expected and the instruction were easy to follow (and lots of photos to help you along the way too). The pieces also went together well and was a pretty easy sew, overall. There is a lot of binding to work with, so do allot your self enough time for that – even thought it looks like a quick sew, I felt like the binding took a whole afternoon.
What really surprised me about this pattern was the fit. I sort of expected that this might look baggy and unflattering, but it’s really not the case. I think because the neckline is lower and the sides are open, you can see that you have a shape underneath the romper – the fact that it fits nicely around the hips helps too. I wouldn’t call this a fitted romper by any means, but it definitely keeps your shape. I also think that the bandeau helps with this a lot. It is very fitted (in fact I probably could have comfortably gone up one size) and gives you modesty, but isn’t baggy so you lose your form.
I should probably point out a few things I did along the way and\or would do differently next time. First off, my intention was not so sew a solid romper. I had really wanted to make this in a fun print, I just didn’t have anything on hand that had a good, 4-way stretch except for a black bamboo French Terry. This particular fabric is a little beefier than other French Terry fabrics that I’ve been working with and found that it doesn’t work as well for binding. While it has plenty of stretch, it just doesn’t have the “drape” that I would have like to have seen on along the arm\back areas. I would highly recommend using a lighter weight material with good stretch and recovery for any of the bindings. Lastly, I started off making my romper with long pants. It looked cute, but decided that with warmer weather approaching (it’s going to be in the 80s today, woohoo!) I might get more use out of a capri length… so I shortened it. Once I took the length off, I had immediate regrets. Not only did the capri hit me in an odd place, the material wanted to ride up and I knew it would never stay in place… so, I added a cuff. Now it’s perfect!
A bunch of new supplies and fabric (finally) arrived – between mix-ups and the post office holding some of my packages hostage, it seems like I’ve been waiting awhile. Of course, I neglected to snap a photo of the fabric before I threw it into the wash, but I did get some vinyls in there:
As you can see, I’ve decided to take up making my own zippers (the zipper tape I bought got cropped out of the picture). I think in the long run it will be less expensive and definitely more personalized. I wound up snagging some “basic” pulls along with several “themed” styles (like Wonder Woman). One thing that I like about these are the weight, they are definitely beefier that what you can get in stores. The glitter piping? Those were a whim purchase, but I’m sorry that I didn’t order more…. it’s FABULOUS! Photos do not do the sparkle justice.
But what I’m currently most excited about is my own version of a Baja Poncho hoodie (I suppose I’m being nostalgic about this since this was quite the rage when I was in college). For my version, I picked up So Sew English’s Men’s Oceanside Hoodie and this textured stripe double knit. Not only is this fabric is nice and thick, but incredibly soft – I’m pretty sure those ponchos in my college days were woven out of burlap. LOL
Between spring break, the holiday, and soccer, I didn’t get much sewing in last week…. but I did manage to make a second Rory. This time around I kept the deep V, but made a long sleeve, banded crop size, instead. It’s not love. It’s super cute, but I’m just not feeling the crop, even with high waisted pants. I also feel like the “v” is plunging more in this top – not because it’s any different than the last top I made, but because I’m attempting to change the way I wear it… by pulling it down more in the front. Consequently, I’m going to be gifting this one to my daughter. She wears a lot of cropped styles and this would look great on her. I think I’ll just stick to standard sizing on this pattern.
This little bunny basket is a fun way to gift treats this year. Not sure what to fill it with? How about my all time favorite Easter project, marshmallow bunny peep plush.
It is finally our turn for spring break. While Easton finished up a project (for school) of his own, I put the finishing touches on an article…. which means I can’t show you the entire project, but a little sneak won’t hurt, right?
Now that the work is behind us, we’re set to have some fun. So, I fully expect that I won’t get a ton of sewing in. I do have quite a bit of new fabrics and notions coming in and have a few patterns to try out as well – so when it all hits, I’m hoping I’m as productive as what I feel.
After months (and months) of procrastinating, changing of minds, and way too much time sewing (IMHO) I have FINALLY made curtains for my living room:
I know I’ve said this before, but I really don’t care for home dec. sewing. There are times that I’m a bit more motivated to do it – especially if it’s an interesting project (like making custom slipcovers for the Henniksdal chairs) or a fun pillow, but as a whole, I dread the experience. That is probably why I put off making these for so long. However, I’m really glad I sucked it up and finished these because I think that this finally pulls the room(s) together.
In the end, I decided to go with something “light and airy” but add a coordinating fabric so that it popped some. I found that sheer fabric by the yard was far more expensive than buying a purchased curtain, so I decided to head to IKEA and buy some inexpensive panels. I found that for these windows, one set provided plenty enough material to cover both (the drapes were quite wide so I split one panel down the middle to make two new ones – the nice thing about this is that each side has a finished edge… so a bit less sewing, too!) I then added 11″ strips (folded in half, so that when sewn, measure 5″) to the top, bottom, and one side. I wound up encasing the raw edges so that if they blow open, etc. they always look finished. This process took a lot more work, but I think that they may hold up better over time too (especially if I need to wash them). Once I was done, I added curtain grommets (I found it cheaper to order these in bulk than to buy them individually) to the top edge and then hung. I really like the end result…. Now I just need to do something for the kitchen window!
I hope you’re not tired of seeing new t-shirts because I’ve made a new batch:
I really had no intention on buying more as I’m waiting for a very large pre-order to arrive, but Little Lovies had some Bob’s Burgers designs (I got at least one of each), a fun murder show print (Taylor loves shows like Forensic Files and unsolved murder podcasts), and this adorable little Frida…. I couldn’t resist!
