Yes, I Am a Member of PA

Hi, my name is Amy and I am a procrastinator. So, what did I put off until the last minute, you ask? Well, meet Konnie. She got married yesterday.

I did make the muslin the week before but I just couldn't motivate myself to get busy! Am I a brides' nightmare or what? Luckily for me, Konnie picked out a pattern, Simplicity 9717 long OOP, that I had sewn before (her graduation) and I knew that it went together quickly.

The skirt is just a plain old-fashioned A-line and went together very quickly. I made three changes to the skirt: I eliminated the waistband and zipper and made it into an elastic waist, I lined the skirt with muslin and added a ruffle of petticoat netting around the bottom third of the lining, and finally I added 4" to the length of the skirt. Konnie is 6' 3" and definitely needed the extra length.


The blouse is also very simple, but I made things a little complicated for myself by deciding to do scallops along the bottom of the sleeves and the hemline. Scallops aren't hard to do, they just require a good bit of figuring to make sure that they match at the seams. The sleeves have tucks along the shoulder area to shape them and this is a nice touch (I think).

I finished sewing on the blouse at 1:30, Friday afternoon. Konnie tried it on at the rehearsal that evening. You would think that I could then breathe a sigh of relief. Umm, no.

I still had to make the flower girls' shirts and skirts. I cut those out Saturday morning and finished sewing them at 10:15a. I jumped into the shower and managed to make it the pavilion were the wedding was held. I was supposed to be there at 11:00, but was 15 minutes late.

The above picture shows Hannah's top. On both Hannah's and Rachael's shirt AND skirt none of the hems nor the neckline are finished. No time! Okay, so there might have been if I hadn't been lazy.

This is the bride and groom. Please notice the ball and chain around his leg. This was a little joke I played on Justin after his daddy, the minister, pronounced them man and wife. Justin was a good sport and walked down the aisle leg-shackled.

Part of the wedding party.

The bride, her sisters and me (the matron of honor), with all of our hair down. I almost never wear my hair down, but Justin had requested we do so.

And finally, guess who caught the bouquet?

The Sassy Apron Swap!

I forgot to mention that I joined "The Sassy Apron Swap." The theme is summer and let me tell you, I have IDEAS! I can't wait.

Serging Fun, Part I

This is my newest purchase. It is Volume I (of III) on serger techniques. I'm slowly working my way through this and will show what I've managed to accomplish when my scanner decides to work again.

What I liked about this is that it comes with all of the pages already printed out, including a space for you to staple your sample to. It also comes with the fabric, lace and elastic to do everything with. I'm excited about getting to the last half because it shows how to make lace with your serger using Pearl Crown Rayon Thread. That is just too cool!

So long for now!

I Love You!

Since there are three "women" in this household, I often have to be the peacemaker. This means that if I make something for one, well it just makes sense that I would IMMEDIATELY make something for the other. Right? Right? Well, according to Rachael, that is exactly the way it is supposed to go!



Here goes my review of McCall's 5038, view D:

Pattern Description: Girls Shrugs, Tank Top and Skirts: Shrug A has front button loop closure; shrug B ties in front and has front purchased trim; tank top C is sleeveless with scoop neckline; skirts D, E have elastic waistline casing, ruffle and bow, skirt D has double ruffles with ribbon trim; skirt E has one ruffle.

Pattern Sizing: CH(7-8-10), CS(12-14-16); I made a size 5 with a size 7 length

Look Like Drawing: Yes

Instructions Easy to Follow: I didn't even pull them out of the envelope!

Any Likes/Dislikes: I didn't dislike it but it doesn't exactly thrill me either.

Fabric Used: A red eyelet batiste that I bought last year from Gorgeous Fabrics, I bought 3 yards and still have 2 yards left to make something for me!

Any Pattern Alterations: I cut off about 1/2" on the side seams.

Sew it Again: Probably so, IF she wears this one.

Conclusion: I went shopping a few days after Valentine's Day and found a red shirt with a heart outlined in white. The first thing that popped into my mind was this fabric. Of course, I bought the shirt. The t-shirt and the fabric have been sitting, waiting patiently, for me to get to them. I figured that if I didn't hurry up, Rachael would have out grown the shirt and have no need for the skirt; and the shirt is just too cute to waste!


In other news, do you see this box? It is soooo little!

It sure did hold alot!

This is my haul from Melody's sale: 4 yards of silk pique, 3 yards of silk jersey (oh so soft), 4 yards of silk shantung and 4 yards of another jersey. Aren't they beautiful?

Drum Roll Please!

TA-DA! Here is Hannah in the complete outfit.

What do y'all think?

Kerri asked if I serged the edges, the short answer is yes. I thought that it would be neat to show how I actually did the tiers on this particular skirt. So, here goes!

First, I did a rolled hem on the serger at top of the tiers. I serged the bottom of each tier, and then gathered the bottom tiers with the ruffler for my machine. I placed the first (unruffled top tier) under the presser foot, right side up.

I then placed the second (ruffled tier) on top of the first, also right side up. I aligned the bobbin thread on the gathers with the top of the serged line.

And sew a straight line down the ruffle.

That may not help anyone but me, but it is nice to get something out of my head and into words!

Here's a parting shot of my Hot-Rod Baby:

Inspiration!

Have you ever seen something or thought of something that just made you want to get up immediately and go to your sewing machine and start sewing?



Last night after getting in from church and getting the girls in bed I went online and decided to check out the new Simplicity patterns. If it hadn't been 11:30 pm., I would have been on my way to Wal-Mart (which I hate to go to) or to Hancock's. I want this pattern sooooo bad! I can picture it in my mind already. I have 5 yds. of a white rayon/linen blend that I bought when our local Jo-Ann's Fabrics was going out of business; this fabric is perfect for it.

Well, I was a good girl and did not drive all the way to Monroe just to buy the pattern, but I was sooo tempted! Can you tell that I'm excited about this pattern? I love it!!!



What I did do was finally cut out a skirt for Hannah that I have been meaning to make. I bought her a sweater at Target last month intending to make several skirts to go with it to give as a birthday gift. It didn't happen.


I spent an hour sewing this afternoon and then two more hours tonight after the girls went to bed finishing it. This is just a basic tiered skirt (no pattern). I used 1 width of the fabric for the first tier, 2 widths for the second tier and 4 widths for the third tier. When I showed to her, she said, "How pretty." In my book that makes it a thumbs up. This skirt is very full (180" all the way around). It also isn't this bright blue but a very nice navy. Sorry, but this is the best photo of all the ones that I took.

This photo shows a close up of the material and also shows how I finished off the top of the second and third tier.

Tomorrow, I'm planning on trying to fix this t-shirt.

I originally made this shirt when Hannah was 5. It has been worn by Hannah, a girl at church and now, Rachael is wearing it. Unfortunately, it went through the wash with a sticker attached to it and left behind this lovely little stain that I just can not get rid of. So, I'm going to do some kind of applique to hide it and also fix the hem where it has come undone.