Eager Hands

|~ The Vintage Spring Skirt

2012-01-20T20:53:00.003-06:00

I walked downstairs after finishing this skirt this afternoon and my sister declared I looked like vintage Spring. I loved the image.

Readers, I present to you yet another Butterick 3134 skirt:

Well, kind of. I basically just used the hip part of the pattern- the top I drafted and the bottom of the side seam of the pattern I folded toward the center seam to make it less full. :)

(Yes, heels on the woodpile. Life is thrilling. ;)

A friend gave me this gray-green denim twill. It is really durable. And I ran out of time to iron the skirt before the sun fell too much to take pictures. :)

The skirt is suuuuper plain on purpose, except for a few reverse applique leaves falling down the side. :)

I love the effect.

A few even trickle down the back right hem.

I did a facing for a waistband this time instead of just folding over and stitching the top like I normally do. It fits much nicer and it doesn't add any bulk like I thought it would. :) I have pictures of how I did it- anyone interested in those?

Here's a close-up of the reverse applique. I used a paper template and my free motion foot to do the stitching. It was really fun and easy, just a little teensy bit time consuming. :) So worth it though.

Have you ever done reverse applique on a skirt? Enjoying your January? Ever stood in kitten heels on top of a pile of firewood? ;)

Have a great weekend!!

|~ $2 Dark Denim Skirt

2012-01-03T16:40:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year! I trust y'all had a fantastic holiday season and are still diligently sticking to your New Year's Resolutions. ;) I'm wondering if I should resolve to not post here very often and then I just might do the opposite, which seems to be the case with resolutions! :D

Before Christmas I hit some sales and clearance racks at JCPenny's and bought these stretch-denim 'magic fit' jeans for only $2! I actually bought two pair (different sizes) because I knew they'd make awesome skirts! And they were long, which is helpful when making pants-to-skirt-skirts. ;)

Before

After

(without shoes, this skirt touches the floor on me. The jeans were so long, I even had to trim 3" off before I hemmed it)

You'll notice I didn't do the usual jeans-to-skirt treatment with the unpicked crotch area- I folded and trimmed that area into a neat triangle, like so:

(back)

For the main piece insert I used suiting twill. I serged the edges of strips of the denim I cut off the bottom and some strips of more suiting twill. I just alternated the strips on the main piece, sewing them down the center. I didn't iron the skirt for the pictures (the edges of the denim strips can curl up a bit when washed) so you could kind of see how they're on there. :)

I am sooo pleased with the results. This skirt is warm, long, stylish, and can be dressed up or down. Now, I have to decide how I want to do the other pair of $2 jeans... ;)

|~ Truth

2011-12-06T23:42:00.001-06:00

Me: I know I just spent a long time on Pinterest but I found some really cute denim skirts! *excited squeal*
Wise sister: Now, if we could only print them out we'd be all set!

I guess I need to spend less time window-sewing and more time actually doing it.

|~ Denim Hem + Headband

2011-11-30T11:18:00.001-06:00

Right after we moved, I realized I was going to need some long work skirts. So, I went to Jo-Ann's, bought like $30 worth of denim, and came home and made two. This skirt (seen in the penultimate picture in this post) was one of them. It has gotten plenteous amounts of use between my sisters and me and has distressed itself rather nicely- the upper thigh areas are lighter than the rest, the denim is lovely and supple, and the hem is nearly white on the bottom from wear.

Ever since I made it though, I've wished I would have made it longer. Even an inch can make a difference in flatteringlyness. :D So last night, I got up the gumption to unpick the hem to see if that would do anything for the skirt.
I love it. The distressed hem gives it a really cool look.

When I originally hemmed it, I stitched under the edge 1/4", then folded it up another 1" and top-stitched there. So when I unpicked the top-stitching, the bottom edge is still stitched at 1/4". Yes, its kind of a raw edge, but I like it.

I have this tendency of taking apart jeans, and then never doing anything with them. :P I did manage to make a headband out of the double-stitched side seam- just sewed the edges together with a piece of elastic.

Have a great day!

|~ 50% Off Sale!

2011-11-27T22:16:00.001-06:00

This is kind of a big deal- no pun intended. ;) I don't foresee offering this again for at least another year!

So, if you're planning on making yourself a swimsuit next summer (or this summer, Aussies!), you might want to jump on this deal!

For my new followers, if I may quote my own website FreshModesty.com~

In trying to encourage girls towards being cute but covered, I developed a method for creating a modest swimsuit for yourself! Yes, you can sew a swimsuit! Really! Fresh Modesty: Creating Custom Swimwear is a 34-page tutorial with step-by-step directions for sewing an individual, well-fitting swimsuit for yourself, a friend, or a family member. I share how I draft a pattern from a series of measurements to make the various pieces of the suit as well as how to sew it all together. Countless modest style options are given including a maternity option, making it so fun to design a suit you adore. For more information, check out this page.

And $7? That's what, two Starbucks Peppermint Mochas? ha. Actually, that's a hard toss up. ;)

|~Camouflage Skirt

2011-11-18T14:40:00.001-06:00

You can blend in in the country
you can stand out in the fashion world
being invisible to a white tail and irresistible to a redneck girl

~Camouflage, Brad Paisley

I never ever ever thought I would ever sew a camouflage print skirt. Ever. They're just so.... well, I'm not sure. But I didn't think it was my style. I could see one of my sisters maybe wearing one someday, but not by my doing. First time I saw a picture of one I was kinda taken aback at the utter homeschool-er-y-ness of it.

But then my gorgeous friend Kaliste showed up at our door with her curly long brown hair one day wearing a floor-length heavy knit camouflage print skirt with I think a dark denim cap sleeved button-up shirt and black jeweled flip flops. The look was just so hearty and feminine. My previous opinions of the style flew out the door and I've loved long camo skirts ever since.

Yesterday, my sister and I heard Brad Paisley's song, Camouflage on the radio and about died laughing. It's kind of an awesome song. :P

I asked Penny to the prom and her mom knew how to sew
so she made a matching tux and gown from Duckline Mossy Oak
We took pictures in the backyard before we went to the dance
And the only thing you can see is our faces and our hands

Camouflage, Camouflage
Camouflage you seen have seen the way it popped with her corsage
Camouflage, Camouflage, ain't nothing that doesn't go with Camouflage

Brilliant, I tell you. I've been dying to sew something for a while, and I finally got the time last night and this morning. [I've been in the process of stripping and re-staining the entire outside of our log home this last month and a half. Quite a project!]

My friend Laura, one of the "pioneers" of the camo-skirt movement ;), gave me some thick camo fabric about a year ago. It was in odd shaped pieces and the grain of the long pieces was the wrong way to make a simple long skirt, so I had to piece this skirt together kinda strategically. Guess what pattern I used, though? ;)

There are actually nine different pieces on this skirt, all with flat-felled seams. But you can hardly tell because of the camo design! Kind of awesome. 4 back gores that are 24" long, and then two flounces that are 12" long form the back. (Yes, my legs are only a yard long. :P Although I wish I had made it about 1.5" longer...) The front is one big piece with two 4" gores on either side. Side zipper. For those who care, it's Realtree brand. :P

(You can kind of tell from this picture where the seams are. My 4 year old sister took these pictures for me. :D)

Figured I needed a country-girl shot on our beat up truck. :D

Top-stitching. :)

It's really comfortable and I can guarantee won't show stains. :P Laura also gave me some polyester soft flannel-type camo stuff that used to be curtains I might just make another skirt or two out of... :D

Hope I'll be back to posting more now that this house project is almost complete.... :D What have y'all been up to while I've been busy?

P.S. I now have 200 followers!! Y'all are awesome. I remember getting SO excited the day I got 30 followers. Thanks for reading!

|~ In My Comfy Dot

2011-09-22T15:13:00.000-05:00

I've been soooo inspired by floor-length skirts lately. My friend Madeline keeps sending me links to skirts like this one and I fall in love every time. They're just so classy and comfortable and feminine.

And what could be more comfortable than a floor-length knit skirt?
Okay, so it's hard to make this one classy... ;)

Last night I got the hankering to sew, but knew I needed a quick, easy, and useful project. So, I pulled out more of this fabric and got to work.

I now keep Butterick 3134 in my sewing box with my pins and scissors. That's how practical and essential to my sewing it is. ;)

I simply extended the pattern and 1.5" on top and 2.5" along the hem. I used my regular sewing machine and didn't have to finish any of the seams because of the fray-free qualities of knit. :) I did hem it though to give some weight to the edge.

For those interested in how I did a fold over waistband:

I simply made a "facing" for the top 7" or so of the skirt so that I could just fold it over and you'd see the nice fabric. Knits rock. Totally wouldn't be able to do that with cotton- not stretchy enough!

It was sooo easy- sewed the sides of the facing together, then facing to skirt top right-sides-together. Then sewed the facing to the seam allowance from previous step. And finally stitched the bottom of the facing down, making sure everything was smooth!

I loooove the stretchiness of the knit, but it can be slightly bulky and/or prone to falling down if tugged. As I was trying to style this skirt, I realized that if you fold the waistband over a thin belt, it keeps everything smooth and where it's supposed to be. Can totally wear the skirt without the belt, but it makes it a little more fuss-free. :)

What skirts have been inspiring you lately? I'd love some links!

|~ The Denim, Floral, & Curtain Skirt

2011-09-15T12:02:00.000-05:00

Howdy! Sorry for that uncalled for 2 month blogging break. I've been... busy, to say the least. :D But, hopefully now that I have some schoolwork off my plate and the weather's getting cooler, I'll be sewing again. I've missed it so much.

Last night and this morning (about 3 hours total), I finished the skirt I started when I shared with y'all my Denim Skirt Pocket Tutorial.

I kind of like how it turned out.

I used stash scraps for the denim top, given-to-me-rough floral cotton for the tiers, and a ruffle from a curtain I bought for $0.25 for the trim.

The plain denim top was just begging for some decoration of some sort... so out came my freehand foot {that I *love*- so glad it came with my machine) and that was that.

I loooooove my Serger. Tiered skirts are a bit more slimming when sewn like this, I think. Plus, for the first time I think *ever* I actually finished all the inside seams of a project! So quickly, too!

What have y'all been sewing lately?

|~ Denim Skirt Pockets Tutorial

2011-07-16T22:44:00.000-05:00

I made this skirt last fall and have worn it at least 3 times a week since then. It is so practical, comfortable, modest, flattering, and versatile. I've had several requests for a tutorial on how to do the pockets of this skirt. So, here are the steps finally! {yeah, okay, so I toootally forgot to put that extra little pocket on one side while doing this tutorial and I'm still trying to find my pattern for the back pockets. =P They're really simple to figure out yourself, though. The little pocket is just a rectangle hemmed and sewn on, and I just traced my favorite pants' pockets for the back pockets' pattern.}

Start by getting yourself a simple 4-gore A-line skirt pattern. My favorite (as you know) is Butterick 3134, view C. You'll need to figure out exactly the size of gores you need so that it will sit at the right spot on your hips. This took a little bit of trial and error for me since, because of the slight bias stretch of the fabric, just measuring my hips, dividing by 4, and adding seam allowance to get the top-of-gore measurement didn't work- it ends up way too big. For me, if add seam allowance to the front pieces, but not the back, it works perfectly. (Plus it gives a little bit of a smaller rear illusion. ;) (More on testing fit later)

So, cut out your four gores. For my long denim skirts, I add about 4" to the bottom (hem) of the pattern. [for this tute, I used scrap denim and made it only 10" long so I can make it into a tierd skirt later. Please just imagine long pieces.]

Next, click on the above picture then print it and cut it out.

Lay this pattern on your skirt pattern to see if it fits correctly. Make sure you have the front seam and the side seams identified. The pocket goes on the side seam, obviously. =)

If it fits, cut 4 out of your denim. To do this, lay the fabric right sides together and cut twice, so you have four but two for each side. Make sense? If not, keep reading and you'll see what I mean.

Let's test the fit of the skirt. Sew your front and back center seams together, but not the side seams. Pin one side together and wrap it around you to check the fit. It should be fairly snug, but not too.

Alright, now we get to sew some pockets! On the pattern, I put a dashed line where I like to have my pocket start. You may like it a little farther down, a little deeper, a cooler shape, or anything. I just found this shape to be the perfect mix of flattering and functional. Pin one pocket piece to one side, right sides together. Trace on your shape and pin all around it. Sew through both layers on this line and then trim close to the stitching.

Like so. =)

Clip the curves and turn the pocket to the inside and iron the seam.

Now, to make sure you have identical pockets, pin another pocket piece on the other side, and trace it like shown above.

Yeah- that way. :) Now sew this one the same way. Trim, clip, and press.

All turned in! Starting to look like pockets!

Go ahead and top-stitch along the edge.

Now take the remaining pocket pieces and put them over the turned-in pockets.[If putting on a little inner pocket, sew it to this new pocket piece now before you put this piece on the skirt]

Now pin the pocket pieces together (the one that's sewn on and the one you just laid over it) and sew along the edge.

Like that. :) This is the front seam here in the middle of the picture.

You're going to want to finish the raw edges now. I serged them this time (yay!) but in the past I zigzagged the edges.

Look! It's a pocket! Baste the floppy edges to the side and waist seams to keep things easy when you sew the skirt together.

Alrighty- we can sew the side seam together! I don't know if you can read what I wrote on this picture, but it's just showing that to insert a zipper [you also could have put this in the center back seam, but I kinda like having it on the side instead], simply baste the part where the zipper will go in the seam, back stitch a couple times, and then continue the rest of the seam in a normal stitch. You may or may not have needed to know that. =P But, hey, I'm more for TMI than NEI. (too much info vs not enough info) ;)

Install zipper. =)

Now sew on a waistband (I just use a long straight piece of denim for this), starting and ending at the zipper.

I just sew it right-sides-together to the skirt, then fold it over (with a serged edge- otherwise I fold it over twice) and try to stitch-in-the-ditch along the seam.Then I top-stitch the top of the waistband. :)

And that's it! Wasn't it easy? You'll be a pocket pro in no time. :)
I really hope this was clearer than mud. Let me know how it works and feel free to ask questions!

P.S. Sorry for the odd quality of these photos and my PJ's in the last one- I did this by lamplight on my bed before the rest of my family got up Wednesday morning so it was actually still kind of dark out. =P

|~ How Do You Swim?

2011-06-06T22:22:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking this week about all the different places people cool off at during the summer months. Ocean, public pool, baby pool, creek, sprinkler, lake, puddle-- you name it. So, I'm curious- how do you swim? er, rather, where/when do you swim? What do you wear while you get wet?

{Random thing of the week around here was my parents taking scuba diving lessons in Nashville. I know, right?}

Wanna see where we've been swimming lately? This awesome place has been dubbed "The Swimming Hole." Not only is it on a friend's property, mostly hidden from the road, but it is deep, narrow, perfect for flipping, not too scary, and always the right temperature.

Plus- head down there any day around three in the afternoon and you're bound to meet up with some church friends who are cooling off from hot work in the sun. And there might just be some Beach Boys playing over their truck speakers.

On the days when we actually change into our swimsuits before going (FYI- ankle-length broomstick skirts are NOT conducive for swimming ;), I'm very thankful for my swimsuit that is easy to wear yet modest. :)

It's even modest while doing front-flip fails. :D How do you swim?

|~ Summer Splash Blog Party

2011-06-01T12:52:00.001-05:00

I don't usually like to do these types of things because I feel bad clogging up your news feed with a long all-about-me post, but RJ and Lucia did an awesome job of choosing just the right amount of questions that are fun, but not too tedious. :D Thanks for the fun, girls!

What are two songs that describe you? The first one that comes to mind is "Don't Let The Make-up Fool You" by the Baker Girls. In the last verse it says, "I shop at Bass Pro and Home Depot/ They all know me at the checkout line" is particularly poignant to me, except that I'm more of a Cabela's and Lowes girl, myself. ;)
Can't really think of another song right now. *pouts*

What do you most fear? Inconveniencing people. I hate being a bother. :}

shopruche.com

What color(s) dominate(s) your wardrobe? "Dominate" is a strong word, but I think I have more black and oranges than other colors. Somehow mustard yellow has been steadily gaining the majority vote in my closet lately. *confused look*

How do you normally do your hair? Curled and then anything from one-bobby-pin-pulled-back to a half-up to a full twist. Ponytails are a rarity- they make my head hurt because my hair is so heavy. :P

Do you prefer milkshakes or smoothies? Homemade, I prefer smoothies (our favorite is just frozen bananas, coconut milk, and cocoa powder!). When we're out and about, milkshakes definitely! [I know this isn't a milkshake or a smoothie, but have you tried Starbucks' Mocha Coconut Frappuccino? It is *heavenly*...and I don't like coconut usually! I even braved parallel parking by myself the other day to get one. :D]

shopruche.com

Do you like the color pink? I do! I just don't have a lot of it in my wardrobe for some reason. (anyone else agree I need to fix this?) My room is decorated in white and pinks though. :)

What is your favorite flower? Zinnias. I'm going to have green ones in my bridal bouquet one day. :D

How many states have you been to? *googles map of US and counts*... 29ish? Colorado is the farthest west I've been, though. :}

Experimenting with a green screen- hopefully to be used in one of our crazy fun projects!

What is your favorite thing about June? June in our house means lots of visitors, usually a vacation squeezed in between those, swimming in the creek, fresh garden veggies, and fun, usually crazy projects!

Describe your "dream wedding location." Oooooh... Depends on the time of year. Early spring/fall- a field. Late spring/summer/early fall- a lovely church building, preferably out in the country. Winter- a grand ballroom. :D

Thanks so much, girls! This was a lot of fun. :D

|~ Size 4 Swimsuit

2011-05-27T12:49:00.001-05:00

One benefit of a serger is the ease and speed with which spandex can be sewn. Until last night, all my swimsuits had been sewn with a regular sewing machine. It works great, just takes a little bit of time since it has to sew each stitch three times to ensure the stretch won't pull the threads out. Usually a full ladies swimsuit takes me 5-8 hours. I made this little one in about 2 hours last night- and most of that time was just figuring out what I wanted to do because I only had scraps. :)

I only had to use my regular machine for two seams: sewing the skirt and shorts together (forming an elastic casing) and putting the ruffle on the bottom of the shirt. Other than that, it was all serged.

She loves it. I asked her to put it on to take a picture early this morning and she hasn't taken it off yet. :P

I had already made a size 4 pattern a couple years ago for a client, so I just pulled that out and compared it to a garment of Elsie's. (She was already asleep last night when I started so I couldn't get measurements.) Instead of doing sleeves, I just made them part of the bodice of the shirt by extending the armhole out at an angle. I inserted elastic into the shoulder seam to gather it up a bit. I think it adds a really quick, cute touch.

Also, in my eBook, I say that you can put elastic around the hem of the shorts to make them fit better. I left that off of these and just finished the bottoms. Little girls don't really need elastic around their legs and there's no reason for it. :)

Now she's all ready for swimming in the creek!

|~ Dear Serger,

2011-05-27T12:13:00.001-05:00

Where have you been in these 5 years I've been sewing? Why did no one ever tell me that you were as wonderful as you are? Surely others find you as enchanting as I do.

We're still in the honeymoon stage, you and me. We're getting to know one another and spending every spare moment together. When we're apart, I can't stop thinking of you. [for reals, folks. It's frankly rather annoying]

Why did I not just take the plunge and buy you 3 years ago? I was naive.

Thank goodness for free 2-day shipping. Although I could sleep before you arrived at my door, now I lay awake at night thinking about you and all your amazing qualities. And planning our life together.

We're a big happy family now. You, me, and my first love, The Singer.

I hope you don't mind the cultural boundaries I crossed by buying you instead of a Singer. I'm not dogmatic about brands. And you came highly recommended. I knew we were perfect for each other.

If someone had told me 3 years ago when I started saying, "I think I'm gonna buy a serger soon..." that the day you finally arrived I would be at the end of a field fixing a tractor and when I saw you coming would hike up my long denim skirt and go running across said field to be able to take you from the kind FedEx lady, I would have rolled on the floor in laughter. You were worth the jog and I was thankful you don't mind a girl who sometimes forgets to wash the grease off her hands.

Thank you for allowing me to change your multi-colored thread to something more neutral with ease.

Thank you for coming into my life with relatively little expense.

Please don't ever leave me. I love you, Brother 1034D.

Sincerely and affectionately,

|~ Today's Tuesday

2011-05-24T18:46:00.000-05:00

Right? I seriously just had to look at the computer clock to confirm the day of the week. :P

I met this sweet girl Madeline at a conference in Ohio nearly two years ago. We've since kept up online and she now has an encouraging blog with her friend Sarah, "Flame In The Darkness". They post a lot of great stuff- everything from recipes to fashion tips to encouraging articles on being a Godly girl. Well, this week they're giving away a copy of my swimwear eBook! There's not that many entries yet and there are about a billion ways to get extra entries, so your chances of winning are pretty high! Head on over and enter!

Yesterday I practically jumped up and down with joy when I saw two lovely large packages sitting by our basement door... one boldly had "PB teen" printed on the box and the other had "Fabric.com" labeling it! Guess what was in the latter box?

Oh, y'all are just too smart. :P

Yes, fabric! More specifically, yellow denim and a darkish blue denim! I'm so excited to get to sewing those lovely lengths into some skirts... but, I think I'm going to wait until the end of the week because...

I have a SERGER arriving Thursday! I'm totally stoked. I've been waiting a long time to get a serger, but never really put the effort into finding out which were the best brands, models, etc. Today I was procrastinating doing school and decided to google it... and, lo and behold! A machine that sounded perfect. My favorite regular sewing machine I saw on TV and decided that was the machine I wanted, read some reviews, and took the plunge. I'm so glad I didn't spend more time searching for the perfect machine for me- because I love it. So, I took the same approach with this serger machine and just read some reviews and went for it... I feel pretty confident because it had 270 some 5 Star reviews on Amazon. :) I'd post a link but our lovely internet is sketchy right now. *sigh* just one of the joys of country life. :)

So. Now I want to go organize my fabrics and set up a sewing station so I can get right into sewing awesome things when my serger gets here... come to think of it... I think I need to order some thread. :P

Do any of y'all have sergers? What brand/model? Do you like it? Anything a new serger user should know?

|~ Suspender Skirt

2011-05-19T11:12:00.000-05:00

Don't laugh. Don't gag. And please don't call me Heidi.

I made a high-waisted skirt that has "suspenders" yesterday. As I was procrastinating doing my school, I came across this outfit on an awesome site. I thought "Hey, that's really cute and really different and I *think* I have that pattern!" and was inspired. Turns out I didn't have the pattern, but since I had my heart set on making it, I just made up the pattern. :)

It was fairly easy and there were no major hiccups, which was encouraging. I looooove it.

I've never made or owned a high-waisted skirt before, and I rather like it.

Yodeling. :D Notice the straight hem- I've finally learned to hem skirts with the back slightly lower than the front so when I wear it the hem is even. Usually my skirt hem is higher in the back. :P

You'll notice I left off the actual pockets that the original had. I made identical ones and had them sewn on, but then I decided I didn't like them so I took em off again. :P

The material is a linen-look-a-like, I think. I've seen tablecloths made out of it. :)

So. I want your honest opinion. My family was hesitant, skeptical, and just laughed at me at first, but they like it now. I love it. :)

As far as a pattern goes, I just used Simplicity 3134 as a base for the skirt (although I folded over the edge so it wasn't so full) and just free-handed the rest. :)

|~ Livvy's Home Inspiration Folder

2011-05-17T12:52:00.001-05:00

I used to want to be an interior designer. I watched hours and hours and hours of HGTV when I was nine or ten through age thirteen when we finally got rid of cable. :P During those years I collected hundreds of paint chips and floor samples from Lowes and Sherwin-Williams and neatly organized them into a filing cabinet. I started collecting catalogs like Ikea and Pottery Barn. I moved all this stuff with me from West Virginia to Tennessee and since moving they've taken up precious space in our room. So, I ripped out pages and cut out pictures of my particularly favorite things in the catalogs and put them into a binder. So much less space and easier to look through for ideas.

I wrote notes on the pages of collages so I can remember what I liked about each aspect of it.

I occasionally threw in some random piece of something else or, as seen below, fashion inspiration from the Victorian Trading Co catalog.

I'm back home from Texas now and life is in full swing! I hope I can find some sewing time among all the schoolwork, gardening, cleaning, cooking, and living that goes on here!
I hope y'all are having a splendid week so far! I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately- I really miss popping in here frequently. :)

|~ Am I Weird?

2011-05-02T14:40:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure this is weird and pointless, but it made me rather happy when I saw my lovely followers were so kind as to coordinate their profile pictures with each other and with my blog colors. :)

Hope everyone is having a lovely day! Just FYI, I posted twice this week on freshmodesty.blogspot.com-- and plan on posting a few more times. :)

Oh, yeah, and today is May 2nd. (Ahhhhhggg time flies!)

Wuve, twue wuve~ (PB anyone??)

|~ Plaid Skirt

2011-04-28T09:42:00.001-05:00

Imagine the ugliest pants you have ever seen. I found some at the thrift store for 25 cents the other day- they were that ugly. :P Once I got over the fact that a man probably actually wore them sometime, I saw that the plaid actually wasn't that bad.
So I made a skirt from it. They were a size 32.

Definitely not the most flattering skirt I have, but for 25 cents and 2 hours, I'd say it's worth it! Plus I love the colors for summer.

I just cut off the bottom 16" of the pant legs, opened one seam of each up, sewed them so there were four panels, did some shaping of the top, put in a zipper, cut off the waistband (preserving the beltloops), and then made the remaining fabric into a ruffle. I sewed the ruffle to the bottom of the panels and then sewed the waistband over that seam, reattaching the beltloops. Suuuuper simple!

And I love the three pockets on the ruffle. :D

Notice the palm tree in the background? I'm here in Corpus Christi, TX the next two weeks helping out family. Flying down here by myself was a fun new experience! I don't have any Corpus readers, do I? Speaking of readers, welcome new friends!

BTW, Bramblewood Fashion is giving away one of my eBooks this week! Head over and enter if you haven't already!

Have a lovely day!

|~ My New Formal

2011-04-18T10:58:00.000-05:00

Piano recitals are great excuses to make a new formal dress. I had some ideas in mind, but wasn't sure how to do it. I mentioned it to the Harper ladies late one evening and by the next morning they had sent me this sketch:

Needless to say, I fell in love with it and promptly started working on it. Little did I know that this satin would be a bear to work with... I managed to make the bodice and line it and put a zipper in all by myself (with Olivia Harper doing a little bit of fitting of the bodice, since it's harder to do on myself. :)), but the satin got majorly torn up in the process and all frayed. And the sleeves I wanted to do were way confusing me, so I asked for some help. The Harpers, being the dears that they are, spent all of Friday re-making this dress for me. I learned so much watching (and helping) them create this. So, I can't take credit for this dress at all, but I had to share it anyway!

It looks amazingly like the drawing, don't you think?

I love the ruffled skirt. I had made the skirt before the Harpers helped, but when they saw it, they said we needed to make a new one. I didn't realize the impact of doing things the right way. Hemming sufficiently, running two rows of gathering stitches, measuring and carefully evenly distributing the gathers, and doing little things like making the rows different lengths to help camouflage my height were all things I learned really make a difference.

Dramatic pose. :)

I am incredibly happy with it. The Harper's attention to detail, taking their time (despite the fact that we made the whole dress in about 7 hours and were a half-hour really late finishing it...), and doing things the rightest way possible really had an impact on me. :) They chastised me for not owning a seam ripper, for not taking out the gathering stitches after being sewn on, and for not ironing as often as I should.

Isn't the sleeve amazingly cute? I gave them a picture of one that I saw in a magazine ad and Rachel was able to recreate it perfectly.

I am so grateful to them for "showing me the light". ;) I'm thankful they live just around the corner and for the encouraging and edifying conversation we had while sewing.

To see more Harper creations, you can visit their amazing Etsy shop: Molly On The Rocks.

|~ Formal Dress Re-Do

2011-04-16T09:17:00.000-05:00

Its Spring! And do you know what that means to this country girl? LOTS of time outside. Which is fine by me, but it means I don't get stuff done inside! But, last night was our piano recital, so this week I needed to do a good bit of sewing! I attempted to make myself a dress, and I made re-vamped this one.

But of course I forgot I needed to do this one until the night before I had to give it to this lovely lady, so I watched Funny Face and half of Gone with the Wind while I sewed late into the night...er, morning. :)

My sister bought this white dress at a thrift store for $6 last year, hoping to use the fabric for a formal dress, since it was just a bit too small and had a stain on the front. It had off-the-shoulder sleeves and awkward straps on the top. Right after we got it, I made the seam allowances on the bodice smaller and just opened up the seams after undoing the lining. I ripped the sleeves and straps off and this past week I used the same method I use for bathing suits to put sleeves on it.

My sister Willa (who bought the dress in the first place) was kind enough to cut out a ton of little circles of matching brown with orange sparkles satin to make flowers out of. In fact, she made the flowers, too.

My great sewing space... not. I couldn't find a table that would fit in our room to sew at, so I just had my machine on a chair and I sat on a short plastic container while I sewed. It wasn't as uncomfortable as one would think. ;)

I hand-sewed the lining back together and the flowers on while I watched movies. :) It was a very relaxing project compared to the one I had been working on (more on that on Monday, hopefully...). The flowers on the front are strategically placed to conceal the stain. :)

Thought y'all might like to see! Have a great Lord's Day tomorrow!

|~ Giveway Ends Today!

2011-03-30T11:46:00.000-05:00

So.... I kinda really forgot to mention that Lucia at From Under My Little Umbrella is giving away one of my eBooks. Hurry over and enter- it ends tomorrow!

|~Stylish Blogger

2011-03-27T23:05:00.000-05:00

Lilla gave me the "Stylish Blogger Award"

This award involves simply listing 7 random things about myself. We all cool with this?

1) I just ate mashed potatoes with BBQ sauce. Its my favorite way to eat leftover MP.

2) The most painful thing I experienced this past week was juicing 25 key limes after pulling trash out of thorn bushes for 2 hours. "Why don't you just give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it!"

3) When I traveled to France and Holland for my 16th birthday, I wouldn't let anyone take any pictures for me- I did all self-portraits. Even Versaille can look cheesy/tacky with me grinning in the foreground. :D

4)My favorite letter to write is a capital L. I just love the way they look. :)

5) I love ice skating. Not content to just skate in a circle, I usually skate backwards or with one leg in the air behind me.

6) I like to sew. (You say you knew that already? Oh. well, it's true. Just maybe not random.)

7) I'm trying really hard to get "into" this whole farm/live off the land/eat real good for you stuff. Thankfully, its going easier than I expected. :) Probably helps that I'm surrounded by farmers. And all the fun stuff 'round here involves some type of mud. :)

This was fun! Thanks! I wish I had time to post some of the stuff I've been working on, but I've got kinda important stuff to do... like school. :)
Have a great week!

|~ Large to Small

2011-03-16T11:31:00.000-05:00

Sewing is an amazing tool. Last week I was able to turn this Men's X-Large T-shirt into an X-Small T-shirt for my sister. I wish I had taken a before picture.
But, I love the after:

CIA: Confidence In the Almighty

Basically, I just chopped off the sleeves, then redid the shoulders and sideseams. I also trimmed the bottom about 8", and then realized that was too short, so I re-attached the portion I cut off, creating a sash.

The sleeves I gathered at the armhole as I re-attached them. Elastic threaded through sleeve's hem made it fit better.

...And the sash is really cute. :)

I love the quick transformations sewing allows.

|~ Alteration Tips: The Billowy Blues

2011-03-10T08:02:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure why, but these light-weight, billowy, not-flattering on anyone, always-on-sale shirts were everywhere last summer. I mistakenly bought one or two, thinking they were a lot cuter while in the store. Thankfully I paid hardly anything for them. But, still, they're not flattering in the least.
So, I decided to alter this Canyon River Blues brand shirt into something a little less... cavernous.

Originally this shirt had elastic towards the bottom to I guess "keep the poof" from getting too poofy. All it did though was exaggerate the goofiness. So, I took it out.

Then, I sewed the armhole in about 2 inches and continued down to the side to the hem (1). Then I tried it on, saw where it needed shaping, and sewed again (2). This is usually how I alter my shirts if they're more than 4" too big. Once straight down so that the bottom of the shirt and armholes are fitted, once for shaping. Repeat on other side, try on, and cut off the extra!

Its rather too easy.

Now I've got myself a flattering, summery shirt! The closest-to-actual-color picture here is the one with the numbers. ^^ :) Its ruffly. Did you know I like ruffles? Oh you did? However did you find that out? ;)

And, by accident *blushes*, I put the shirt on backwards. And I think I like it more this way!

Is it just me, or when you say the word "Alteration" do you hum the little ditty from the commercial for the game of "Concentration", too?

Yeah. Okay. Its just me.

|~ Bathroom. Blog Party. Bramblewood Fashion.

2011-03-07T12:30:00.000-06:00

Today's Monday. And I'm super tired. Resting on the Lord's Day is exhausting. :D Of course, "resting" yesterday included playing a 2 hour soccer game in the dark (truck headlights aren't much help).

And I've missed blogging lately. Physics is taking over my brain and hospitality is taking over my time. Funny how when things are the busiest it seems easiest to have people over for dinner or welcome them overnight.

Bathroom.

Last week my mom and I stopped by a Habitat for Humanity store in Franklin and I bought this shelf for our bathroom for $10.

Ever since moving here I've been working on plans to build a custom cabinet to sit over our toilet. But, when I saw this one, I knew it would make life 284% easier by just buying it. So, it makes me happy. Its super cute and fits everything wonderfully.

My grandmother gave me this cute bathroom picture. On the wall in one of the scenes is a picture of the Eiffel Tower. I just *love* Eiffel Tower stuff. I've been hoping to incorporate a few more 'Tower touches' into our room decor.
I unscrewed the handle of the cabinet and slid an Eiffel Tower key chain that I bought when I was over there onto the handle. I love how it brings out the shape in the picture. :)

I'm not sure what to put on this little shelf yet. For now fresh daffodils will have to do.

Blog Party.

How would people describe your personality? (If they could only use ONE word.) Are they right? I just asked my sister and she said, “Surprising- you never know WHAT you’re going to do next.”. Hm. In the past I’ve gotten “classy”.

Who is your favorite blogger? Why? My favorite blogger is Alyssa Welch, of Resolved2Worship. She’s a mom of 7 (soon to be 8) who writes honestly and with such passion for the Lord that it really encourages me.

What is your comfort food/drink? Mashed potatoes. Especially with BBQ sauce on them.

Be brave – tell us something very random and weird about yourself. Um… when I was 11 my dream adult life was to be a single mom and interior designer who wore “belly shirts.” I’m glad I think differently now. :D

Do you have a strong desire to do something you’ve never done? What is it? I have a *very* strong desire to go mudding on ATVs. Or in a truck with the windows down. ‘Round here going to the neighbor’s after a rain could be considered mudding, but that’s too normal for my tastes. :D

Music: Funk, Rock, Country, Jazz, Classical, Film Score, Blues, Classic Rock, Crooner, Alternative, Heavy Metal, Techno? What are your favorite types? Country and Hymns. *nods*

If you inherited a million dollars, what is the first thing you would do with your money? I’d keep it until I need it. But, knowing me, I would need it for clothes and jewelry pretty soon. :D

Name one weakness of yours (confession is good for the soul). Sugar. Bags of sour gummy worms will kill me eventually. Once I have one, I can’t stop until they’re gone.

Strange Talent? Can you juggle basketballs, put your legs behind your head or perform some other strange feat? Well, this isn’t that strange, but I can do cartwheels and backflips and splits and stuff even though I never practice.

What’s something you consider yourself to be good at? (Don’t worry, it’s not bragging, it’s acknowledging a God given gift). This is a slight no-brainer. Sewing. I know I’m not that good, but I know that it’s a gift.

What is one of your favorite things to catch a whiff of? The deodorant aisle at Wal-Mart. *grin*

When you leave a social gathering, do you wish: You would have talked more or You would have talked less? Usually it’s a combination. I wish I had said such and such a thing at a certain time and talked less about myself.

What is your greatest fear or strange phobia? I don’t really have one. Some things make me uncomfortable, like animals and reptiles, or huge spiders, but I’m not deathly afraid.

Are you a hopeless romantic? Aren’t all girls? I watched no less than *3* chick-flicks last Monday. When in Rome, The Lakehouse, and Letters to Juliet. Loved them all. My favorite quote from WIR is, "You smell like lavender." "You smell like livestock." :D

Bramblewood Fashion.

I've been rather behind in my blog reading lately. I dreamed last night, though, that I had been chosen as one of the finalists for the "Keeping It Classy" fashion week they hosted. So when I woke up this morning I thought, "Hm. They were supposed to be doing that soon..." so I checked and, guess what?! I am. :P I posted all my outfits on my fashion blog.

Alright, I better skedaddle. We're having 17 people over for dinner tonight, and I still have homework to do and blisters from yesterday to nurse. :} I hope to be back to posting worthwhile stuff soon, but who knows. :P