Finished: Boyd St. Bowling Bag

I finally made something!

I bought this pattern as soon as I saw it, and it's been sitting in my stash waiting to be made ever since. Now that I have, I want (and will probably make) about 100 more versions. The pattern is the Boyd St. Bowling Bag by Emmaline Bags, who has some of the most unique bag patterns I've come across. I own a couple of her other patterns, and after sewing this up I can't wait to make them.

When Cotton and Steel was released there were a few designs that caught my eye but I fell hard for the August collection. I'm not really too crazy about all the previous animal trends but lions I can get behind. I'm an August baby as well so maybe I'm biased:) This bag was made using the monarch canvas and dandelion in teal, with a coordinating Free Spirit solid in spark gold for accents. I purchased the hardware kit from Emmaline Bags as well, and I have to say it was really nice not to have to hunt down all the notions. All pieces are interfaced with SF101, along with Thermolam on the lining, as well as peltex for the handles/ bag bottom. I think it took more time to cut all those pieces out than it did to sew.

Close-up of some of the hardware. I want to put hardware on everything now, it makes it look so much more professional!

 The instructions are super detailed and easy to follow with plenty of pictures. Everything went smoothly until I went to sew on the bottom and realized that there was an 1 1/2" difference. At this point I had put so much work into this I was dreading the thought of taking everything apart. I didn't prewash the canvas so I don't know if it was too bulky or shrunk a bit during pressing. I did test the pattern piece on some quilting cotton but I didn't have the same problem. It's still a mystery. Through some careful stretching/ trimming and seam allowances I was able to make it work in the end, although the shape of the bag is not as rounded as it should be.

There is an ingenious way of doing the zipper gusset so the print matches up.

Top stitching is definitely a weak point of mine, so I'm really proud of my half decent attempt.

 I think I almost love the lining more than the exterior! Brandon made me buy this zipper because the color was called monster snot green, and I'm glad I finally found something to use it for.

Optional slip pocket

 This bag is roomy and I love the shape as well as all the bag hardware. There are D rings on the handles/sides,an adjustable shoulder strap with swivel hooks/slider, and 6 purse feet. I do wish I had picked a darker zipper and maybe considered brass hardware. On my next version I think I might try Soft and Stable instead of Thermolam for a little bit more structure, as well as use it on the outside pieces instead of the lining. 

Overall I'm very happy with this bag!

Finished: Nautical Negroni

        So when I spied this Kaufman chambray on fabric.com I fell in love and decided it's fate as an archer. When it came in the mail though, Brandon fell for it too. Usually when he sees my fabric choices he give me the side eye and I can imagine him thinking *I really hope I'm not with you when you decide to wear that*. After the disaster that was my last attempt at the Negroni pattern I felt like I owed it to him and I was all 'No problem, I'll get some more and make you a shirt too.' Until I couldn't find it anywhere. Begrudgingly, I decided I would use the precious yardage I had bought for him, because nothing says love like giving up your fabric soul mate.

 Luckily the sewing gods smiled upon me and I managed to find 1.25 yards and bought it in the hopes of maybe making both shirts out of the combined yardage. Luckier still, I managed to make the whole thing out of the 1.25 length.

 Changes I made were to shorten the shirt by 3 inches and the sleeves by 2. I also left off the pockets/collar loop, and ended up slip stitching the inner yoke down just because. The instructions were really easy to follow, and I really enjoyed learning how to do flat fell seams. However, the chambray frayed really easily and was a little bulky at the seams, which made finishing them slightly difficult. The end result is that the insides aren't as pretty as they should be. I also wish I had used a different colored topstitching rather than black, because it makes all the wonkiness really stand out. That being said the fabric is wonderful, and he loves the shirt regardless.

                                                     
 A few detail shots:

I need to work on that top stitching!

    Looking at pictures it's really apparent the sleeves are a little disproportionate and I need to take away a little width and shorten them about another inch. Also I might lengthen the next version a little bit too. All in all I think it's a good first try, and he's already decided he wants a few more versions.

And just because this picture makes me laugh:

Finished: The Pink Elephants on Parade Cambie Dress

This post should be titled : Look, I finally made something! I'm terrible at this blogging thing, since this is the first garment I've made since Vincent was born- seventh months ago. I've had a major loss of motivation to sew anything for myself since I've been trying to lose the  baby weight and I *really* hate alterations. Then entered Sew Dolly Clackett and it was too awesome to pass up. There are only a handful of bloggers I can honestly say I would wear everything they make, and Roisin from Dolly Clackett is definitely one of them. 

I've been lusting after this dress from Bernie Dexter for the longest time and when I found the fabric I promptly bought 4 yards. There are drunk pink elephants on a charcoal background and polka dots, so I probably would have spent my grocery money on this fabric if I had to. I decided to pair it with the Sewaholic Cambie dress. It's not an exact match but it's close enough to make me happy. Plus I've been wanting to make this pattern up for ages.

I'd been wearing it all day at this point so it's a little wrinkly!

I absolutely love this dress and I have a feeling this is going to be one of my go to patterns in the future. The directions were clear and the way the dress is lined makes for a professional finished product. It's lined in a light pink cotton batiste and I almost want to wear this inside out. 

I made a size 12 graded to a 16 at the waist, and the only changes I made were doing a 1" FBA (which added a bust dart) and changing the invisible zip to a hand picked lapped zipper. I'm really happy with the fit and I'm glad I took the time to muslin it and fix the full bust issues I was having. The only changes I might make in the future are to pull in the waist darts a little under the bust, try the invisible zipper method.and use the skirt lining pieces from view A. I had a few issues with catching the waistband in the skirt, so my gathers aren't as even as I'd like, but overall I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

I'm really glad I took a chance and entered this contest, because now I have an awesome dress and the return of my sewing mojo! Hopefully it won't be another seven months for another post this time.