The first of my LA garment district fabric finds

One of the first things I found in the garment district was that a lot of the stores had some of the fabulous ruffled fabrics I've been eyeing.  Luckily, I knew to shop around, so I ended up getting a pretty good deal on these two. 

Aren't they pretty?  The purple ruffles are the width you would normally see in this fabric, and the gray are narrow ruffles.  Now I need to decide what to make. 

Maybe I'll make a swimsuit like Dana made.  I think that will definitely be on the list!

Or some capri-length ruffly leggings like Katy made.  I think the gray would be cute for these.

And how cute is this hat?! 

Either of my girls would be adorable in one of these tunics.

Decisions, decisions!

Where have I been?

Hi, there!  Sorry to leave you all hanging over the past week.  I had a work trip to LA, and I just got back this afternoon.  It was my first time going there, and I knew without a doubt that I wanted to go shopping in the LA Garment District even though I would have to go by myself on Saturday.

It was so much fun!  I'm going to take some pictures of my finds and post them for all of you who love fabric as much as I do, but that will have to wait until later in the week.  I'm tired tonight! 

Check it out: another finished shirt!

When the sew-along was in full swing a couple of you commented that you had ordered but had not received your Ottobre magazine yet, so there are still some finished projects coming in.  Go take a look at this super-cute western styled one on an equally cute little girl with fabulous cowboy boots to match!  http://blissfulthings-lanirose.blogspot.com/2011/03/otto-sew-along.html

And Mel posted some more methods for creating a rolled hem on the sewing machine that you should definitely take a look at and try.  http://sewingmel.com/wordpress/index.php/2011/03/rolled-hems-on-a-sewing-machine-part-2/

Have you tried a new technique lately?

Do you typically sew the same things over and over, sticking to your tried and true patterns and techniques?  Or are you just starting out, so almost everything you do is new and exciting territory? 

Either way, I'm passing along Sewingmama's March Challenge to go try a new technique.  I'm really enjoying the challenges as they make me step outside of my comfort zone and do things that might not be on my to do list.    March was hard because I've been sewing a long time, and even if I'm not always successful, I've tried many different things, so I finally settled on freezer paper stencilling. 

If you haven't tried it, you really should.  The results are really quite fabulous!  Basically, you trace your design onto freezer paper and then cut out around it with a craft knife.   Then, you iron the paper onto your fabric and paint inside the stencil.  When your paint dries, peel off your freezer paper, and you have something like this:  (Warning: really poor picture ahead.)

I used metallic silver fabric paint and stencilled onto an adult size small t-shirt.  I'm going to cut the t-shirt into a tank dress or night gown for Allie.  I'm pretty sure she will like it. 

There are tons of tutorials out there for how to do this, so if you think you might like to do something like this, a quick google search will get you started.  To find my image, I googled "free silhouette clip art."



My Finished Sew-along Dress

Wow!  I'm sorry to keep you all waiting.  I bought my snaps last night and finally put them on today.  These are the colored snaps from Joann's. . . they are plastic with metal insides, and I put them on with my trusty hammer.  I bet most people don't think of a hammer as an integral part of a sewing box, but it definitely is for me!

I also made a D-ring belt for Allie to wear, and I love it! 

This is what I get when I tell her she can pose however she wants.  Ha ha!

I've got my first freezer paper stencil on the table drying, so hopefully, I can show y'all that tomorrow. 

More Shirt Dresses for your Viewing Pleasure

Christephi (not her real name, according to her blog :) ) finished both a shirt and a dress as part of the sew-along.  They turned out so cute, and I'm really digging the dress without the frill. . .it gives it a very classic feel.  I hope you will go take a look for yourself:  http://sproutingflowers.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/vaahtokarkki-blouse-and-dress/

I finally made it to Joann's today and bought my snaps, so I can finish up the dress I made during the sew-along.  I also bought some D-rings and some webbing, so I can make a belt to go with my dress.   

The other thing I have planned for this weekend is some freezer paper stencilling.  The March challenge at sewingmamas is to do a technique you've never done, and I've decided freezer paper stencilling is what I want to do.  I've just got to decide what picture I want to use.  Do you have any suggestions?  If it helps, I'm stencilling on hot pink t-shirts, and I bought silver metallic fabric paint.  Leave me a comment if you have any ideas!

A Purse and Wallet for the Silent Auction

This past Saturday was the Spring Festival and silent auction at Allie's school, and they asked for donations for the silent auction.  I decided to make a purse and wallet, but I wasn't sure anyone would bid on it, so I made one that I would love to keep if no one wanted it.  Luckily (or not, depending on how you see it), some people did want it, and it ended up selling, so that's good. 

The purse is the Amy Butler Birdie Sling in some of Amy Butler's fabrics.  Funny story though:  I chose these fabrics to go together based on a seeing them made into a  different purse on the website, but when the fabrics arrived at my house, I just wasn't sure I would like them together.  I laid them out on the table and stared at them all day, and they didn't look okay together to me until the next morning. 

Here's a closer look at the fabrics.  Aren't they gorgeous together?

The wallet is self-drafted.  It is what I call my "Hold it wALLet"--corny, huh? :)  But, it literally holds everything. 

Zippered change pocket and bill pocket.

12 card slots with storage pockets behind them.

And a checkbook cover. 

I'm glad it sold!  I will be making a couple more sets in the coming weeks:  one for me and one for a friend.