By Brienne

Charmed: Swingset Skirt

This November I was a guest panelist over at the Oliver and S blog during their Swingset Skirt Sewalong. I'm smitten with the swingy nature of this skirt. It's easy, lined and comes in a big old range of sizes. 

Mine is made from a dress that I nabbed off of the sale rack at Target. This fabric was to die for, in spite of it's being almost totally polyester... I used the existing hem from the dress for the skirt, lined it with a nice warm double knit, left off the drawstring and added a loop to the side seam to hook some charms to. I added a couple of leather feathers reminiscent of one of my favorite sewn things and voila! Party! 

 Many more of these to come for us. Thanks for having me Oliver and S! 

About a Bag

I've been stitching. A lot. And I've been scheming some new designs for the shop. This Alison Glass fabric has absolutely stolen my heart and I can't wait to get some more to work with. Why I cautiously ordered just one yard, I'll never know! I am waiting now, rather impatiently, for the next batch. 

Simultaneously, I, myself, am in need of a new tote. Am wanting to sew an advent calendar for my kids and am without mittens and a hat. But those things will have to wait:)

I've been wanting to add a foldover tote to my collection but wasn't totally square on how it should come together. I decided to take the plunge and dive into sewing one using one part this tutorial and some parts sewing instinct to come up with these two bags.  

 I made the black one first and knew pretty quickly that the proportions weren't right for me. For the next, I changed the strap size, the hardware and added an interior pocket. I'd love to throw a zippered pocket on there too. I think that'll come next. 

This one, in Arizona Rhodes fabric is in the shop now. I plan to add more, like the first, black one early next week. Stay tuned...

Joining Frontier Dreams today over here:)

Senna Tote

My mom's birthday magically coincided last week with the release of Willow and Co's latest pattern, the Senna Tote. My mom is a teacher and can always make use of a good, sturdy book bag. Plus, she taught me to sew and I wanted to gift her this year with something special, sophisticated and handmade. 

It has a curved, zippered front, a snapped stash pocket in both the front and the back plus a roomy divided pocket inside. 

I made it using this lovely linen fabric from Miss Matatabi. It was tough to cut into. I love the print so. And I think that it would make a great pair of pants for one or both of my littles. 

I made the bottom out of leather that I got from here. And, in the end, decided to add a zipper tassel ala Trine of Groovy Baby and Mama. It is such a snappy little detail and we have lots of these little wooden beads rolling around the house. I hope she doesn't mind my capitalizing on her cleverness!

The pattern for the tote was well written and I was able to get through the steps without incident. Next time, I think that I'll grade up to a 1/2" seam allowance because I need the wiggle room. The instructions called for clipping into the curved seam allowance by the  zipper, that would have made it lay flatter especially with all of the layers but my sewing was a bit sloppy there so I didn't have the space for it. 

I think that the shape and all of the pockets are brilliant. And it's nice and big, which I dig. It will work great for mom as a book bag. And I hope to make one for myself too. I'm dreaming of one in waxed canvas -plenty of room to stash my sweater knitting plus snacks and a change of clothes for the kids. 

Heading on over to see what the Frontier Dreams readers are making today. What are you working on?

Blue Bamboo Briar

This post could also be titled "One Trick Pony." I have made a million Briars - like these two, or this pink one. It's true. Like the Flashback Tee pattern, it's my go-to sew when I don't have much time, fabric or energy for sewing. It's a fun, quick project and it always reminds me of why I like to sew for myself. 

Megan Nielsen's patterns are written with the beginner in mind. Plus, she has a whole complement of tutorials with pictures on her blog to help you every step of the way. Can you hear me, local lady friends, who are wanting to get sewing?

This time around I used a bamboo knit from my favorite St. Paul brick and mortar, Treadle. I love a bamboo knit. They are unbelievably soft, stretchy and non-pilling. I've been using it for kids clothes for years and garments made with it have long outlasted the others. You can see a bit of it in purple that I used for cuffs, sleeves and neckbands here. It doesn't curl up on you when you're sewing with it so it's really easy to work with. I would say that it behaves similarly to an interlock knit but I think that it's stretchier. 

I sized up the pattern this time because I wanted the top to be cozy and to slip on over dresses. I added leather elbow patches and cuffs to the sleeves (the pattern calls for folding over and stitching the hems down with a double needle). I left the chest pocket off. 

Have you sewn with bamboo? Have you sewn a briar? Leave a link if you like, I'd love to see it.  

Kid Couture

So, something crazy happened. Last fall Meg of Elsie Marley took a chance on me and invited me to be a contributor to the Kids Clothes Week Blog. When I heard from Meg, I practically fell down. I called my mom immediately. I told Meg that hearing from her was like hearing from my hero, a note from Barbara Kingsolver wouldn't have jarred me like Meg's did.

Not coincidentally, sometime after that the editors of STYLO magazine asked if I'd like to contribute to their spring issue. Would I????? Um, yes please. That would be a dream come true. A dream that Ms. Marley basically manufactured for me. You can bet that nobody (I mean, besides my mom) would ever have seen anything that I had made, had it not been for Meg.

Jessica and Celina are an intrepid team. They took a truly diverse group of sewists and created a magazine that is cohesive, yet manages to allow everyone's distinct style to come through. And I am so pinching myself here, can't believe, can't understand how it's possible that I've been included alongside this group of very savvy seamstresses. 

I was asked to participate in the "One Fabric Six Ways" portion of the magazine using the bright, geometric print that you see above. Note how deftly Helen Bird of Curly Birds dealt with that wild pattern - love!!! 

I had a tough time at first, figuring out where to put that print. And then it hit me, a mini super tote (naturally)! The pattern begs for mixing up prints and I have made it so many times that I knew that I could trust the outcome. 

To make it, I just printed the pattern off at 60 percent and proceeded as usual. I used a leather scrap from other recent projects to accent it. It's probably my daughter's favorite handmade EVER. It's the perfect size for toting tulips, sketch pads, small stuffed friends - and wouldn't it make a sweet lunch sack? I finished this in early April and it has been in heavy rotation ever since. 

I can't wait to share more details with you soon! In the meantime, please do check out the other contributing editor's from this spring's issue. Beautiful stuff all around! 

 

Picture Pouch

So, this is one of those projects... It's one of those projects that gets in touch with the you who started sewing to make something special or something. With the you who felt sentimental enough about her new boyfriend to hazard a selfie with him in the frame. With him, with you, with sunburn and a kiss in the frame. 

It's a glorified open wide pouch - the parts are a bit bigger than the pattern calls for - but what an excellent shape. 

In the wee hours before I drove through a snowstorm to board a plane to somewhere that promised to be warm - I had to make something. A memory pouch, a homage to the last time we vacationed together. Before there were houses or cars, kids, or a credit card for goodness sake.

I love the pouch, though I'm not sure if it's super cool or something else:) I used some gray linen for the top, leftover from her button placket dress plus some leather scraps leftover from this tote.

It's making me happy and making my beaux laugh while we're away from home. Here's to the hoping you're getting some sunshine where you are and that we all enjoy many more years of foolishness.

Joining Frontier Dreams Readers today over in Nicole's Space. 

Two Spring Totes

 I'm in love with this fabric. That Miss Matabi is one clever curator. 

 

These two are on reserve for the Squam Art Fair in June - but hopefully I can bang out a couple more to put in the shop soon. 

Simply but sturdily constructed with few details and lots of space to stash. Coming soon to an art retreat near you (gulp!) 

Joining Frontier Dreams readers today.

Happy Dance Duffle and my Life with Leather

My life with leather - sounds a little seedy I guess... I'm going to go with it anyway. 

I have been dreaming about making one of Noodlehead's, Cargo Duffles since the tutorial first came out last fall. I couldn't really find a zipper easily, though, and I couldn't cope with picking the fabrics. Then Kristin made a catnap duffle and I caught the fever all over again. Anna's been posting all kinds of beautiful versions again too - and then Sophie of C'est la vie decided to host a sewalong, complete with all of the trappings (even a post about choosing the fabric!) and I could wait no longer. 

I started slowly, as planned and shared a few shots of my progress on flickr. 

Soon, though, I couldn't stop. I LOVE THE CARGO DUFFLE! 

I made mine using leather that I got locally, here. And a sweet paisley print from here. Originally, I had gotten this print to complement this one, but I ended up not using it and I'm so glad that I saved it for this Mary Poppins - style duffle. 

It's been awhile since I've had the luxury of sewing something slowly. I totally heart Sophie's sewalong. It gave me the courage to try something new and to take my time. Her tips are invaluable and I learned plenty to apply to my other projects as well. Thanks Sophie! Oh, and did I mention that the sewalong was also bilingual? Too cool!

 I lined the duffle using Kristin's tutorial and I really like the result. I would even argue that putting the lining in is easier than pinching all of the quilted layers into a binding. Kristin recommended handstitching around the bottom parts of the zipper but I was able to get in there with my zipper foot without too much trouble, making the lining installation even quicker. 

Originally, I had planned to sew the outside in just the plain navy and to line it with the paisley but changed courses at the last minute -  the print is a bit out of my comfort zone but I really like it. 

I have sewn over the past couple of years with leather quite a bit - frequently for sales (gulp) and I've had good fortune. I've learned some tricks along the way, though I'm by no means an expert. 

First, I think that the reason that a lot of people are nervous about sewing with leather is because of the supposed finality of it. It's not quite so risky, though. Leather does stretch more than a woven and more in one way than the other - it also varies from hide to hide. So - I always baste using a narrow seam allowance before taking the plunge. It's less risky this way and gives you a chance to see how the particular piece that you're using will behave. Afterwards, the holes punched by the basting can be simply hidden with your new seam. You can always trim off the ugly too if you like. 

I always use a leather needle, this is pretty obvious. Probably the single most helpful tool for sewing with leather, though, is a good presser foot, made for feeding through heavier layers. Mine is called a "jeans foot" and it came with my machine. I've been advised to use a walking foot with leather but I find that the jeans foot is a surer bet. In fact, I used my jeans foot for this whole project.  Also, Anna recommended these Clover Wonder Clips in a great post about sewing notions recently and they were an excellent tool for holding the leather in place while I sewed. 

So, all in all, a very fun, very satisfying project. I did not sew it perfectly (surprise) but I promised myself that I wouldn't go on about the mistakes I made. Once I started, I had a hard time slowing down and as a result, there are some imperfections (oh horror). I love my new duffle and I've got two more on the cutting table for the kids. Woot! If you'd like to see some more, be sure to head over to the sewalong pool and to Anna's pool too!

P.S. I got my zipper on Amazon, just remember that it should be NON-SEPARATING. 

Leather Feathered Vest

One last post today over at the Kids Clothes Week Space. 

Here's a sneak peek, head on over to read the rest. 

Joining Frontier Dreams today too - head over there for even more inspiration! Nicole recently posted there about another Owlet - so lovely! New knitters, this one wouldn't be bad for learning to knit top-down and what a sweet result...