A whole lot of pink tutu-ness!

I recently got an international order from Australia!  I'm always excited when I get international  orders. The order was for 11 of My Ballerina Tutu Bun Wraps.  It was for a birthday party and the buyer loved them!  I took a few photos of the completed order.  So much pale pink fluffy tutu-ness!

It was pretty neat that is was an order to Melbourne, Australia.  My college roommate and one of my bffs, Bridgette, and I went to Melbourne on Spring Break while we were in college one year.  We had a fabulous and unforgettable time!  It's neat to think that something I made has made itself back to Australia.  : ) 

Lotus Tunic–Sewing and Finishing

I really love how this tunic/dress came all together but I think next time I will allow myself more time.  : )  My good friend Bridgette from Fancybelle and I had a great time with our sew-a-long. 
The first day I put the darts and zipper in on the back pieces and did the lining at the same time.  The front pieces went together smoothly but I did have to redo the neckline a couple of times.  I’m not used to such a large seam allowance (1/2 inch).  That made it more challenging for me especially around the neckline and sleeves.  I was very happy that everything fit together nicely.  I was a little worried about the puff cap sleeves but they went together pretty smoothly.  









I really wanted to wear this for Mother’s Day, and it was long enough on me to wear it as a dress!  I did take a slip that I had purchased on clearance for $1 and attached some ruffle fabric that matched the colors in my tunic.  It took me a total of about 10 minutes and added a little pop of color and some just a little length for when I sat down.  With my one year old crawling all over my lap, it gave me more coverage!  : ) 
I have a few pictures but didn’t take as many as I wanted.  Most of last week I spent the time from 7pm to 10pm working on this tunic.  I plan on making a much shorter version of this so I can wear it this summer.  I will have to adjust the bodice a little bit so I won’t have to wear a cami under it.  Since it’s fully lined, it would be incredibly hot to wear in the summer with three layers!  : ) 
I would really recommend to other Sewing Lovers to check out Amy Butler patterns.  She does a great job and the finished products is soooo cute and look like I bought it in a department store.  Here is a break down of the cost to make this tunic – $27 Amy Butler fabric, $13 Amy Butler Lotus Tunic pattern, $3 invisible zipper, $8 muslin (for lining) = $51   Sewing is not a cheap hobby, but I love creating, maybe designing someday!
And I also did have to make a matching hair accessory for my tunic!  Hope you enjoy!

Lotus Tunic Day 1

 

For Day 1, I traced out pattern pieces onto parchment paper and cut out the exterior and lining pieces.  This pattern was on tissue pattern paper, which made it difficult so I used parchment paper to make my pattern pieces.  I didn’t want to cut the original pattern so I could use it in other sizes for the future. 

It took 2 yards of my main exterior fabric ( Amy Butler Twilight Peony in Saffron) and a small amount for the coordinating fabric (Amy Butler’s Peacock Feathers in Blush).  It also took 2 yards of muslin for the lining.  That was it for day 1, I’m excited to start putting this together! 

Sew-A-Long #2 Amy Butler's Lotus Tunic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved the my first sew-a-long so much that I'm making another one of Amy Butler's patterns for another sew-a-long!

My friend and college roommate Bridgette from Fancybelle  and I will be doing Amy Butler's Lotus Tunic & Cami. We both did Amy Butler's Cabo Halter top pattern last month and wanted to do any other pattern by Amy Butler. We both love, love (did I say Love) Amy Butler fabric!

Here is our timeline (meaning during naptime & after kids are in bed):

Mon May 7: Trace and Cut Pattern

Tues May 8-Weds May 9: Sewing

Thurs May 10-Fri May 11: Finishing

This pattern looks more challenging but I'm ready for it. It's so fun sewing along with a friend even though we live in different states! Not only do we get to make something for ourselves, we can help each other out if we need help. Plus, I'd probably find a million other things to do instead of make something for myself! I decided to go with the fabric on the cover of the pattern (real original, right)!

Amy Butler Twilight Peony in Saffron for main body of Tunic

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Amy Butler’s Peacock Feathers in Blush for accenting fabric.

Bridgette set up a flickr group if you want to join or follow along http://www.flickr.com/groups/lotuspattern/

Hope you follow along this week! 

Cabo Halter Sew-a-Long!

 


I participated in my first sew-a-long this past week with Susan from Living with Punks. I haven’t worked with very many patterns before so this was a learning experience for me. There were some highs and a few lows but when the halter top was done, I was in love!

 

 

 

 

Day 1 Tracing and Cutting. 

I didn’t want to cut my pattern so I used white tissue paper and traced the pattern and cut them out. Then I laid out my tissue paper pieces and cut out my fabric. Pretty easy for day 1.



 

Day 2 Sewing the Bodice.

 

Things were going well until I got to the darts. Darts are pieces of fabric folded into a triangle shape to give the fabric some definition and shape to the garment. I’ve never done a dart before and the bodice calls for four because the bodice is lined. The darts didn’t seem to line up perfectly and I made them too small. I didn’t discover this until my bodice was completely done so let’s just say I had a lot of rework to do on day 3.

Day 3 Attaching Top & Bottom and zipper.

This is where I figured out that I made the darts too small. The bodice didn’t fit with the bottom pieces. So, I had to go back and redo all the bodice pieces. Yikes! I was almost ready to throw in the towel! But I’m so glad I didn’t. After I redid the darts (which I think I’ve mastered now :) ) my pieces fit together nicely.
Next I attached my first invisible zipper. I don’t enjoy putting zippers in but this one went really well and much faster than I thought. Then I had to hem the bottom of the top. For the final touch I added some navy yarn lace trim, that I upcycled from another old shirt of mine, and hand stitched it in the center of the bodice. It went perfect with my fabric (Amy Butler's Love Ivory in Arabesque).

 
I really liked this pattern. I love Amy Butler fabric and didn't know how her sewing patterns would be like. I'm really glad I joined the sew-a-long, and now I have a great summer top. I wished the pattern would have called for having the bottom side pieces serged (separately) before putting in the zipper. This way the edges would not fray or have the possibility of strings getting in the zipper.

Since I live in Iowa, it's a little too cool to wear this top by itself so I took an old sweater and made it into a cardigan. I used the same fabric as my halter top and now can wear it year round now! I will be posting a tutorial on this very soon to my blog.

Happy Easter!

I've been pretty busy this last week. With Easter approaching fast, I realized I had only one week until I had to get all three of my little ladies' Easter outfits finished! I knew I wouldn't have enough time to make three complete dresses so I decided to make a fancy skirt and embellish a t-shirt to match, and of course a new type of hair bow or headband.

For the skirt I made up my own design and did my first lined skirt. I wanted a fluffy skirt so I added some chiffon that I ruffled and attached to the lining. My little ladies loved their outfits on Easter morning. Two of them did a little modeling for me to show off their new outfits.

New Hand Stamped Necklaces

I wanted to add some pictures of some of the recent necklaces that I have done lately. All of my items are sterling silver, even down to the jump ring and chain and are handmade by me.