She's growing....

First, the good news: the zoo safari dress is DONE!

I just love the little pop of zebra print!

And I also love the red flower buttons (bought from Antiq Rose in Chinatown -- in the same building as the hawker centre and fabric shops).

Oh, and my darling little monkey likes the dress as well. BUT ...

... it is too small for her. Sigh. I'm going to make her another, in a larger size.

The "zoo safari" dress - progress in pics

Progress has been made on both the quilt and the "zoo safari" dress!

This time, instead of sewing only when I have a chunk of time to do so, I've sewn in little snippets at a time. It seems to help and I don't feel like I'm so behind on projects. Cutting out has to be done when the little monkey is not around, though, as she's too curious about what I do and loves nothing better than to snatch fabric away from me ("for my babies, mammy," she says).

Speaking of the little darling monkey, she has informed me that that by her birthday (at the end of next month, she turns 3), mammy has to teach her how to sew. LOL! Funny little girl.

Anyway, the dress is almost done. I just need to sew on a pocket and do the hem. Here is the progress of the dress in pictures:

It has been a while since I sewed a placket, but the Oliver + S instructions were so detailed, putting in the placket was actually quite simple. LOVE the groovy zebra print. LOL!

Close-up of the placket. Please ignore the blue fabric marker markings. Those are the locations of the buttonholes ... which reminds me that I need to hunt down some red buttons for this dress.

On goes the collar. The top is the animal print and the undercollar is the zebra print. Now I'm wondering if I should've done the top in the zebra print. Hmmmm maybe next time.

And on go the sleeves! The sleeves have funky zebra stripe tabs too :-)) The pocket is done too -- it just needs to be sewn on. Then, I'll add a strip of zebra print fabric to the bottom of the skirt, hem it and then ... ta-da!

The dress fits the little monkey quite nicely now, but I should've gone up a size as I think she'll get just one wearing out of it, maybe two, before it becomes too snug. Oh well!

Ah, about that colourful quilt, the top is all sewn together and looks quite happy, if I may say so myself. I just need to actually quilt it and add a binding and it will be 100% completed. It was meant for a friend's daughter. Guess who has declared it to be hers?

Bits and pieces

Yesterday, I learnt that a little simple cutting will transform this (9 straightforward squares) .......into this (fuuunnnkkkyy!). And this is just one variation.
And yes, I've started on ANOTHER quilt. This one is for a colleague's little girl. She loves bright, cheerful colours and so I hope she will appreciate this quilt :-)) I've also decided to sew some funky patchy reusable grocery bags for colleagues for Christmas. This method is a wonderful way to use up scraps of fabric.

For those interested in trying out this method (or just to explore patchwork), Quilts & Calicoes has charm packs all cut up already. Ira also has classes for the curious :-)

Now, it hasn't been just all about quilts around here. After several auditions, I've finally chosen the darling monkey's birthday dress fabrics and pattern:

That's the Oliver + S Jump Rope dress and I plan to sew up View B (not shown) which is more like a simple shirt-dress. The fabric is just right for a trip to the zoo :-))The zebra stripes are for the trimming -- I plan to use just a bit of it and perhaps add some red buttons. The darling monkey has approved of the choices and sewing should begin shortly!

At laaaaaaast

This Etta James song (click here to see a video) keeps playing in my head as I write up this post :-) And you know why -- some sewing-related activity actually took place this past weekend!

I know, it's about time, right?! LOL! It's just baby steps, but at last I'm sewing something for myself.

First up is this Pattern Review #5 Best Patterns of 2009, Burda Magazine 02-2009-108 "Knit Top with Bateau Neckline".I've read the reviews and know that I have to reduce the sleep cap ease and possibly cut a smaller size at the neck. So that's what I did, and hope that it works.

Here is the fabric I'm using:
It's a groovy black-and-white knit -- I think it's poly/lycra -- and it is soooooo slippery. I'm a bit of a fabric snob (ok, I'm the snobbiest fabric snob there is) and don't usually buy anything with polyester in it. But this print (from NicoleXavier) was too cute to pass up.

It was a real pain cutting the fabric though, as it wanted to slip and slide and run away from me. Why didn't I choose a nice stable knit?! Oh well ... this had better look darn good when it's all completed

Now I just need some sewing machine time to sew it up, and that means it probably won't get done till Saturday because I can't sew when my darling little monkey is around as she loves to "help".

Proof that I actually *do* sew...

This was a quick-and-easy project that took just a couple of hours, from cutting to sewing up. I really wish I had more time to sew because I love it and well, there is this growing problem of a stash mountain that has already taken over the living room and is going to conquer the rest of the tiny apartment any day now, LOL!

I made this for the darling munchkin to wear on Mother's Day this year and I'm very pleased that she actually kept it on "all day long" (one of her favourite phrases). She's a fuss-pot and if she had her way all the time, would be decked out in PINK and ONLY PINK from head to toe.


The pattern is Heidi & Finn's "The Perfect Little Party Dress" which is a pdf download with very comprehensive instructions which are tailored for the beginner.

I did make a few small changes, such as adding topstitching to the wait/ties area just so the seams would lay properly and look "finished". And all edges are overlocked since I have an overlocker.

Oh, and the instructions don't emphasise pressing, which to me is what takes a garment from looking "happy-hands-at-home" to "where did you buy that?" So if you decide to get this pattern, don't forget to press your seams at every opportunity :-)

***********************************

And here are some pics of gifts I sewed last Christmas: