Naturally Dyed Knit Dress

My most recent make is a simple, fitted knit dress, perfect for spring time! 

As I mentioned in this Instagram post, I love having the ability to make clothes custom fit to my body and my style. This dress is a comfortable length (not too short for chasing a toddler around) and its fitted but not too tight. This thick ponte knit fabric from Joann is very forgiving, also not at all see through! 

One night I was itching to sew something, but I had no project in mind. I started digging through my stash, hoping to use up something that I already have, and I stumbled across this white ponte knit from Joann. 

I knew right away that I wanted to make another knit dress (my last one gets worn all the time!), however I didn't want it to be stark white. 

Luckily I've been saving onion skins and avocado pits to naturally dye fabric, so I pulled my red onion skin stash from the freezer! 

I boiled the onion skins in a big pot of water for over an hour. I then got the fabric wet with hot water and put it in the dye bath (I used my sink since my pot was not big enough for that much fabric). 

The fabric soaked overnight and the result was this beautiful blush shade! It was just what I wanted, something light and breezy other than stark white. 

Such a beautiful subtle pink color!

I am so inspired by the beautiful colors that Sara from Farm & Folk achieves from natural dyes and the beautiful quilts that she makes. 

I plan on doing a lot more research and learning all I can about natural dyes.

I got started right away with turning it into a dress! I used the same self drafted pattern I used for my last dress, serged it all together, and used a double needle for the hems. It all came together (cut out and sewn) in less than two hours! 

I am so happy with how it turned out! It will be a staple in my spring/summer wardrobe, and I might need to make a few more. 

For my body type, I have to lengthen dresses to avoid them being too short, and I often have to drop the waist (my torso is very long). I love the freedom that comes with sewing my own clothes. I get to make whatever works best for me and as a result I have a closet full of clothes I feel so great in!

My husband coaching me on how to pose

The Classic Tee

I had the chance to test a new pattern by Love Notions and had a blast!

I've always wanted to test a new pattern because I am a pattern maker and I know the process and I've always wanted to be part of the process in fine tuning a new pattern. 

This Classic Tee Pattern is the perfect basic tee pattern. It has three sleeve length options (short, 3/4 length, and long) and three neckline options (crew, scoop, or v-neck). I chose to do a short sleeve scoop neck version. I am going to make the v-neck version next!

The bodice is a relaxed fit that works perfectly with this cream rayon/spandex blend fabric I chose from Joann Fabrics. I've never used rayon/spandex fabric before, but I loved it! It is so soft and a little more heavy than other knits and I love the way it drapes. 

This top was so easy and fast to put together and only requires a yard of fabric!

I chose not to lengthen the pattern even though I should have. I prefer shorter shirts, so I love the length of this!

Wore it fabric shopping at Michael Levine in Los Angeles!

Dropped Shoulder with Ruffle

I've been wanting to attempt a self-drafted dropped shoulder pattern for a while. I loved this top and wanted to do something similar by incorporating a ruffle.  

The pattern came together pretty easily and I was confident I would be happy with the outcome. 

To get the perfect ruffle, I cut a strip that was half the width of the under sleeve, and 1.5 times the length. When I'm creating something with ruffles, I always choose to use a 1:1.5 ratio. It is the perfect fullness in my opinion. 

At the cents of style wall with my sister-in-law and our kids!

Fit test!

Close up of the ruffle and double-needle hem

I used a double needle for all of the hems and I was so happy with the outcome! It gives such a clean, professional finish.

I love this top because it is a simple, casual tee with a fun, unique detail that makes it a very versatile top. I'm such a sucker for sleeve details. 

Dressed down!

Dressed up!

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Me Made May 2018

I survived my first Me Made May! 

I thought it would be a breeze because 99% of what I make is for myself. 

I quickly realized, however, that I only had about 15 items that would work. Some of my me-made items only work in the fall and winter due to material or color. I was much more limited than I thought, so first thing I did the night before May 1st was make a new top. 

Here are the photos I got each day of my me-made items, from the 1st to the 31st: 

I had a lot of repeats, and five of the items were made during the month of May. 

My goal for the month was to wear one me-made item each day.

Im really glad I followed through with it because it pushed me to get creative some days and it motivated me to make more.

I've come away from this experience with a new goal (one I've never considered before): I want to have a 100% handmade wardrobe someday soon.

The Plantain Tee

I have recently been introduced to the world of pdf patterns. This is the first pdf pattern I've used, and it was a success! 

I came across it in my search for a free pattern to try out. Deer & Doe has beautiful patterns and their plantain tee pattern is free! They have a few dress patterns I'm excited to try. 

Pattern all printed, taped and cut! A new process for me, but definitely has its benefits

I put this top together the night before May 1st because I knew I wanted to wear me-made items each day of May, but I didn't have enough to get me through the whole month! 

I wore it on May 1st to kick off me made may!

I used a blue knit from Joann Fabrics. 

I love how this top fits. It is fitted but not too tight. I need some more basics in my wardrobe, so this was the perfect addition. 

My vision-impared mom took these photos. Pretty good, right?!

Tiered Ruffle Sleeves

My last trip to the fabric district began, of course, with a stop at Michael Levine Loft! 

My sister-in-law Rachel and I both left with a matching white and orange striped knit. 

I knew right away that I wanted to make a comfortable summer dress. 

The next morning, my son took a long nap and I was able to start and finish the dress in one sitting!

The pattern was simple. I grabbed a shirt and a pencil skirt from my closet that fit me well and I laid them out on the fabric and cut around them, adding some room for seam allowance. 

I did the same thing for the sleeve.  

I was inspired by this top, so I measured the circumference of the sleeve hem and I cut two strips of fabric that were one and a half times longer than the circumference, one strip wider than the other. 

Trying it on to check the fit! 

I used a double needle for all of the hems and it created such a clean finish! 

I wore this dress multiple times that first week! It is my favorite me-made item so far, but I've said that about each item I make... 

I am really loving the sleeve detail! I will probably be adding the same tiered ruffle to more things I make this summer. 

Pom Pom Sleeve Tee

I have been so in love with the awesome detail of this tee lately:

Source

The clothing pieces I gravitate towards are usually solid colored and simple, yet have a unique element in the detail or silhouette. This top is a perfect example of that. Its a simple, ivory knit t-shirt with a slightly flared sleeve and multi-colored pom pom trim. 

When I realized I might be a few months too late in noticing this top, I started to keep an eye out for the perfect pom pom trim to create my own. I found that most of the options out there are small, solid color, and cheaply made. I checked Amazon, Joann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, and couldn't find anything that I would use for this remake. 

One day as I was searching the internet, it dawned on me to check Etsy. The first trim to catch my eye was this:

Source

Have you ever seen a more perfect match in your entire life?! I couldn't believe I had found an identical pom pom trim to use in my remake. 

So I bought myself a yard! I only wish I had bought 10+ yards for various projects like adding trim on kitchen towels. 

My sister in law Rachel brought me to a sewing night with her sewing blogger friends. Once a months a few local bloggers get together to chat about projects and patterns, eat treats, and do some project prep. While there, I made the pattern for this much anticipated top. The next morning, I cut out the fabric.
I started with assembling the sleeves because I was so excited about the pom poms.

I attached the sleeve, pom pom trim, and the flounce with the serger

Top stitched with blush pink thread

When I went to assemble the bodice, I noticed I made a huge, stupid mistake: I cut out two bodice back pieces and no front piece and didn't have enough fabric to re-cut the bodice front.
I did my best to reshape the extra back piece to closely resemble the front piece. However, the shape was not exactly as I planned and will result in a looser fit.



Once I attached the neckband, I wore the mostly finished project to a graduation party. I was too excited to wait until it was finished. The shape of the top turned out better than I expected. It was not as loose as I thought it would be. The heavy weight of the fabric helps, though. It has such beautiful drape that a loser fit still looks really nice.
Also, after 3 years of being apart, my dress form and I are finally reunited! Together, we are unstoppable.

After the party, I came home and finished the hem and topstitching.

Close up of the top stitching on the flounce at the hem

Close up of the topstitching at the neckline

Sleeve detail

Usually as I make something, I hit a point where my excitement plummets and I don't love the end result nearly as much as I had hoped. Well, that was not the case with this one! It might be my favorite top I've ever made. I've worn it twice now and I've received a few compliments already.
I will most definitely be wearing it every day for a while. 

LA Fabric District

Today I'm really missing the Fabric District. Until very recently, I lived very close to Los Angeles and it was easy to make a trip down, even though that rarely happened. Now that I am far away, I realize that I took it for granted. I should have gone monthly! 

The week before Thanksgiving I went with my mother- and sister-in-law. They were in search of faux leather and suede, some cushioning, and denim, and I was in search of chiffon, rayon, and all things white. 

First things first, we stopped for a bacon wrapped hotdog on the street (the best!), then on to browse.

The first stop we made (as always) was Michael Levine Loft. Its our favorite place!! You just have to dig through bins of fabric to find something you like. Often you'll find pieces that are cut up or even stained, but you're bound to find a large amount of something amazing if you put in the time. 

Sorting through some awesome finds at Michael Levine Loft. Can you spot Peter??

After leaving Michael Levine Loft with bags full of fabric, we dropped the bags off at the car and kept on going!
After a quick stop-in at Michael Levine across the street, we went to some of our other favorite shops down the street, Trim 2000, JB Textiles, and Angel Textiles.
There are some shops that specialize in certain fabrics, such as knits, swimsuit material, or lace. Often, we know just where to go to get what we are looking for, but it is also fun to just walk through new shops to compare price and quality.

The fabric I bought that day, excluding one piece of white knit cotton that has already been made into a top

I have plans for most of what I got that day.

The bottom piece is a super soft white silky fabric that I might make into a blouse or use as lining. 

The ribbed white will be a full, pleated skirt.

The maroon chiffon (9 yards!) will be a floor length circle skirt! Most excited about that skirt. I'm hoping to have it made by Christmas.

The blue paisley crepe fabric will be a sundress.

The pink and blue rayon will be a pretty dress with pretty sleeve details to show off the amazing drape. The exact silhouette to be determined.  

Everything except the chiffon was from Michael Levine Loft. 

Cant wait to get it all made!

Ruffle Sleeve Tee

All of the sleeve details this year have been so cool. I've seen bell, ruffled, trumpet, flutter, bishop, dropped bishop, and lantern sleeves. I have been wanting to make myself a top with bell sleeves since Spring!

Bodice front, bodice back, sleeve, and ruffle patterns

As I go through my fabric stash, it is getting harder and harder to find usable pieces. Most of my fabric is in smaller pieces, so sometimes I have to get creative with how I use a piece or pair multiple pieces together in one project.
In this case, I didn't have enough of the white fabric for the ruffle detail on the sleeve. Since that ruffle detail is the most important part of the design, I couldn't just remove that from the plans.
I used a white ribbing fabric for the ruffled sleeve.



Each pattern piece was cut on the fold. I measured the ruffle detail to be a 2:1 ratio to the sleeve. I always reference this ruffle ratio guide when sewing with ruffles. The ratio used can make a big difference in the overall look of the project.

Love the side slit look

Ruffle detail

I love the way the two different fabrics look together. I love the ruffle sleeve and the ribbing fabric adds even more interest to the sleeves. I also left the ruffle hem unfinished because the fabric was so thin, I didn't want a hem to affect the drape. I added a facing to the neckline rather than incorporating more ribbing fabric. It gives it a less casual look and has a very clean finish.

I can't wait to try another fun sleeve detail on my next project. I've got big plans for sleeves!

Reminiscing: High School T-Shirt Quilt

My first big project a few months after getting my first sewing machine for Christmas 2007 was a t-shirt quilt. I was beginning my senior year of high school and I had SO MANY T-SHIRTS that I would never wear again after high school. Throughout the course of middle school and high school I accumulated a lot of shirts in out school colors: green, white, and black.
I remember being pretty excited to graduate high school. Even though I had no use for these t-shirts anymore, we wanted to figure out a way to save them or repurpose them. A t-shirt quilt was perfect!



My friend Sadie and I got to work cutting all of our t-shirts into squares to make quilts. I didn't know much about sewing at that point and I forgot to take seam allowance into consideration, so I cut 12 inch squares which ended up being about 10 inch squares once sewn together.

I wanted my blanket to be oversized. I was sick of throw blankets that were only 5 ft. long. It turned out to be a little smaller than a twin blanket.

I love how comfortable this blanket is! The t-shirts were all soft and worn in, so the blanket is, too. For the backing I used a super dense fleece fabric that makes the blanket so heavy and warm. I was unable to find fleece fabric wide enough, so I had to do a little bit of piecing together, but it is hardly noticeable. I did not include batting because I figured it was already heavy and thick enough without it. Each corner is reinforced with a yarn knot.

Yarn knot at each corner

There are a few things I would have done differently. It would have looked better if each knit square was reinforced with interfacing. It would have taken away the stretch of the fabric and given it more structure.
I also would have made it the size of a standard twin quilt.

For years now this blanket has been my go-to for everything! It has spent most of its life in the trunk of my car and comes along on every beach trip.
Each time I use this blanket, so many memories come back to me about going to football games, serving on class council, the ongoing rivalry between Bonita and San Dimas, and the dreaded P.E. classes. I am so glad I chose to keep these shirts and repurpose them.

Tie Front Top

One style that I have been eager to try this summer is the tie front top. I have seen so many cute ones around. My sister in law made this one and I love it. 
Recently I came across this picture and I'm obsessed! I love that top! That picture was my inspiration for this top.
After a few failed attempts at finding it, I finally did!

The top from ASOS

I got it for myself (obviously) and I made a pattern from it so I can recreate it for myself over and over again.

The pattern pieces

I used a forrest green jersey knit fabric that I've had for a while. I love it because its super soft fabric and really heavy. Plus, the dark green color is one of my favorites.

Assembly was super simple. There were a few minor adjustments I had to make to the pattern as I was sewing the top together. One thing that needed tweaking was the bodice front. I'm not sure if it was a drafting mistake or if the fabric was weighing it down, but the bodice front was too long, making the tie too low for my liking. I shortened it two inches and it was perfect!






I love the diagonal seam details of this top. It is hardly noticeable (especially in the dark green fabric), but it makes a big difference in the drape of the fabric and the overall appearance of the top. I feel really good in this top! I think it is really flattering and comfortable. I like wearing things that are in style but I am not a risk taker. The tie front top is a popular style lately, but this will serve as a staple item because of its simplicity.
This was one of my planned projects from this post.