Precious dress turned peplum top.

So things have been kind of quiet here for a bit. What with kiddos getting sick, my machine giving hassles, and what not. Now that I have a new machine though, I finished up that peplum top I was in the middle of working on.
I've been wanting to use this pretty summer print for a while, but didn't have a whole lot of it, so I didn't know what for. That's when it hit me that a cute peplum top would be just the thing! The bias tape was a little tricky, but so worth the effort, as it adds just the right touch and defines the two layers of the peplum.

I cut the circles way to big, due to late night measuring, but couldn't re-cut, so I put in some roughly estimated box pleats, and love the outcome! If you know me personally, you'll know that I'm very calculated, so this was a big step for me, lol.

For the bodice, I used the Precious dress pattern by Scientific Seamstress, and their nifty circle pattern/tutorial for the circle peplum. If you haven't seen this nifty little FREE pdf, then you really need to check it out! I see a lot of circles in my future, lol! Here's a handy little link to their free pdf and tutorial.
I planned on making it for my 3 year old, but didn't take into account that she's getting into a size 5 (she's about the size of the average 5 year old), so the top ended a smidgen too short. By summer it'll be way to small, so I'm adding to the slow growing pile of clothes I'm making for this year's craft show (my first ever!!).

My Jamie dress is slowly coming along, and I'm right in the middle of muslining (?) it. I'm sure I'll think of another little project to work on during my big one, so be sure to drop in next week!!

Introducing Jane!

I've had my old machine for almost 10 years, and though she was a great machine to learn on, it was time for an upgrade. So, setting Sara, my previous machine, aside as a backup, I made room on my desk for Jane, my new machine!!
Jane is a Brother cs6000i. My husband already regrets buying it because I never stop talking about her, and for the simple fact that I refer to her as her, lol. How can I not talk about her? She comes with a bunch of feet, including a walking foot, and has 60 built in stitches.
I can't wait to test them all out! I've already tried out the over cast stitch and foot. I don't have a serger yet, so this beats zigzag hands down!
That's not the only thing I love about her. Sara always roared like a lion, which I found kind of strange, seeing as she's not that old, but Jane purrs like a kitten :) So everyone, meet Jane!

The Katie pants are finished!!!

Boy do I have news today! We'll start with the one I've been hinting at for awhile. The Katie pants are done! I love this pattern by Scientific Seamstress! Especially now that I have the fit down, the next coming pairs won't be as difficult.
Now, let me be sure to make this clear. It's NOT the pattern that's difficult, lol. It's my 6 year old's measurements that make it hard. With a 21 inch waist and 20 inch inseam, she's a hard one to sew for, but even harder to shop for. Hence the need to sew! (Actually, the need was there long before my daughter was born, lol, I've been obsessed with sewing since childhood.)
She hates modelling though, so I try to make it more fun, by playing Simon Says, or letting her pick all the poses. I want her to have fun with it. So, with out further ado, here they are!

My other news? I ordered my new sewing machine! Mine's a very (VERY) basic model and it's almost 10 years old. I'm thrilled to get my new Brother cs6000i! I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas to come! I'll discuss all it's wonderful features, like all the feet it comes with, it's 60 stitches, or that it comes with a double needle, with anyone who'll listen. It's not a very high end machine, but when you're creating on a strict budget like mine (and I know plenty of you are), this machine has a lot of bang for it's buck. Plus, the reviews are great on it! I'll be sure to let you know how it measures up!

Now that the Katie pants are done, the big Q is, what's next? Well, I've got this big chunk of fabric that would look great as a Scientific Seamstress Jamie dress. Think it's time to sew myself some love? If there's enough left over, I also think it'd look adorable as a Presh Blazer, by Winter Wear Designs!

What do you think? Feel free to drop me a line in my facebook group, or follow me on Pinterest, and Instagram!

Happy Valentines! Hunny's Valentine Cecile top.

Despite my machine giving me headaches to no end, and interruptions from Hunny and Monkey (who I'm potty training at the moment, she's 3 and a half, it's about time), I finished the Cecile top by Lillygiggle!! I'm super excited about this top. It's my second time with knits, my first time mixing knits and woven, and my first time appliqueing. 

I started with these materials.

The left is a knit that I got from a long sleeved T that was hanging in my closet. I didn't have any knits on hand, and the pattern called for some. I never wore the T because it was unbelievably boring, lol.

Top right is a broad cloth, middle is a pretty woven, and bottom is tulle. I can't seem to help myself with tulle. It's a pain to sew, but I can't seem to sew my girls clothes with out some on the item somewhere :)

My machine gave me plenty of grief. She's not a very reliable machine, but she's the only one I've got. :)  I worked through it though, and finished this beautiful top for Hunny's kindergarten Valentine party on Friday. Now I just need to make the Valentines, lol.

I managed to convince her to get some pics, which is amazing because she doesn't like photo shoots unless she can pick the poses. Funny enough, the pose she picked turned out to be my fave, so I've decided from here on out to let her pick the poses, that way there's less grief.

After a couple of hours of work spread over a few days, which is the only way I get anything done, I was satisfied with my creation. Absolutely love this pattern! Easy construction, clear instructions, and plenty of tips included for those, like me, that are new to knits.

The Katie's are still fighting me, but stop on by next week, because I'm determined to have them done by then! The pattern is easy, but Hunny's measurements aren't, lol.

My new-old sewing space!! On a non-existent budget...

Hey readers!
The last couple of days have been super busy for me. The Katie pants are a little complicated, thanks to Hunny's very slim and tall frame, lol. Seems that pants aren't as easy to modify as dresses and skirts, but no worries, I'll get them done!
Since they're still in progress, I've also decided to refashion one of my long sleeved knit T's into a Cecile (by Lilygiggle) top for Hunny. It'll be a faster sew, and I'd love to have something to entice you back to my blog ;)
During the weekend, I finally got my sewing space!! It's not much, and has tacky 70's walls and flooring (it's in our being redone basement) but it's all mine, and I'm proud of it! No more sewing on the kitchen table, no more interrupting projects because of dinner!
I know a lot of you have a tiny budget to work with, so I thought I'd share, because my budget is also tiny! For that reason, buying a sewing table or desk was out of the question. My solution? I've decided to use the crib! Yup the crib. Take off the mattress, remove the railing and you have a desk! Storage? Enter change table, lol.
I've got one sorry looking pic, because crib isn't up yet, (it was taken down after Monkey outgrew it), and I have to share my space with a guest bed, but I don't care. Here is my tiny, tacky-but-I-love-it, new-old sewing space!

I know it doesn't look like much, but with a little time and elbow grease, I know it can become a cozy little place for me to make my creations, be inspired, and hopefully, inspire others along the way! See you in a bit!

The Potato Chip Skirt

So I picked out some new patterns during the Bundle Up sale that Pattern Revolution was having last week, and boy did I get some good ones! My first Bundle Up sale, and I loved it! It opened up my sphere of pattern companies that I like, and was like a taste test :)
One particular pattern that I picked up, I didn't pick up because I fell in love with it. I'll be honest, I picked it up as a filler. Not that it isn't a super cute pattern, but I tend to look at frilly, flowy things. Another bonus of the Bundle up sale, it encourages you to try patterns you wouldn't normally try because it's not in your usual style.
If it wasn't love at first sight, it sure was love at first sew! This little skirt whips up in under an hour! Which, is fast for me, seeing as I usually spend 4-6hrs on a sew, due to numerous ruffles and such, lol. With out further ado, here it is from Tie Dye Diva, the Potato Chip Skirt!!!

I went with denim and lace, since I had this super cute left over piece of sequined denim that my mother-in-law brought me from Mexico, and I just loooooove it!! This pretty little thing can be made lined, un-lined and reversible! I love how the pockets are placed and the way the elastic is done. Mine is the unlined version. I modified mine slightly by adding buttonholes on the inner waist band piece (one near each side seam) and buttons beside them so that I could put button hole elastic in the casing for an adjustable waistband. 

Since Hunny is super slim, and I like to be able to pass clothes down from her to Monkey (my younger daughter, and, yes, these are nicknames) I tend to do this in pretty much all skirts and pants. 

Even though I made this one in sz 18-24 months for my niece.

Started the Katies today! I hope they'll be done next week! I never know how my littles will be, but with the eldest in school certain days, I'm pretty sure I can get them stitched up soon, stay tuned! :)

Taking the plunge!

I've been debating about starting a blog for some time. I've loved writing since elementary school, so I loved the idea of it, but there are already so many sewing blogs out there, it was intimidating! I mean, how do I stand out, or compare to such talented ladies. Then something occurred to me. We don't stop making friends because the people around us are too similar, or more talented than us. In fact, we gravitate towards those that are similar!
Then I thought, well, blogs are no different, really. They are simply written forms of ourselves. Each blog has a personality that it inherits from the writer. So here I am, taking the plunge! I'm ready to meet people and ready for people to meet me! :)
For starters, here's one of my recent sews. It's so recent, that the hems not even done yet, but I'm super excited to share it, since I worked so hard on it!

This is an evening gown I made for myself using the Jenny dress pattern by Scientific Seamstress, my fave pattern designer! It's a silk dress, with a chiffon overlay. Silk and chiffon? Let's just say the bodice and I had a few minor disagreements, lol. For each bodice piece I had to machine baste the silk and chiffon layers together so that it was feasible to sew. I could have pinned, but I found this to be less time consuming (since the pins had to be carefully pinned inside the seam allowance) and less dangerous ( I'm always apt to stab myself with pins, lol). Plus, the shifting of fabric was pretty much avoided doing this extra step, which means the seams are impeccable! 

This pattern was so easy to follow, and so easy to adjust the fit to my exact measurements that I'll be sure to sew more of these. Whether they'll be in silk and chiffon again is a different story, ;) Let's just say it's a good thing there aren't many occasions to wear this dresses like these! :)

My next piece will be a pair of Katie fancy pants, also from Scientific Seamstress, for my oldest daughter, Hunny! She just turned six, but is so tall and willowy, that she's already growing out of her size 7 pants, and store bought pants are never narrow enough in the waist. Thank goodness I sew! :) 

I hope you like what you read so far, and if you're curious about any of my future sews, stay tuned because there's plenty more coming! You can also join me on Facebook, just look for my group, Tina Sew Tiny! Thanks for stopping by :)