Trial Run #3: Elastic Waist Tunic

Today I brought another venture from my sewing table. This one is by far my favorite.
It has a slit in the collar, cuffed sleeves, and an elasticized waist. It makes my little girly look so grown up!


















It was a nice day outside yesterday so we took action shots outside in the sunshine, soaking up some Vitamin D.

I can't wait to mmake a bunch of these!

A Day at the Park

I promised to Kelsey to the park today. I've been making a habit of trying to take her around to different parks often. Today I chose the Opelika Muncipal Park, dubbed the "Monkey Park." This place as been around a long time. I remember it being just as worn when I was her age going there.

Trial Run #2: Wrap Tunic

I actually have made this pattern before a couple of years ago when Kelsey was about 2 years old. It just happened to run across my mind again the other night. I adore wrap dresses on wee people, makes them so cute.
I actually shortened it to see how it would look. It isn't a bad looking top.








Again I used vintage sheet remnants and some random ribbon I had. It's terribly mix-matched but it's just a muslin...

Stay tuned for my trial runs!

Trial Run #1: Tie-Shoulder Dress

I have been drafting up a few things this week after work and wanted to share with you all what has been on the sewing table. The other night I decided to draft a simple little tie-shoulder gathered dress. It went a lot smoother than I thought it would have gone.


I used some random vintage sheet scraps that were around not being used or had stains on them. Sheets make for pretty good muslins if you want to see how a pattern would look with, well, a pattern.











There aren't too many things that I have to tweak. I'm glad about that, but I do need to make shorter, wider ties and a lower neckline.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Thrifting: Out with the New, In with the Old

Okay, okay... I know I said that wrong, but there's a reason for that. It's because I want to sbhow you the vintage items I got on the last day of the year and today, which techincally doesn't count as the first day of the year but it does as the first business day of the year here.

I didn't thrift that much for the fact that everything closed super early New Year's Eve and the drought of items that have been available to be thrifted. I even went to a thrift store that I rarely go into because I was hoping for something, anything!

Which leads me to my last thrifting purchase of 2011:





These ah-mazing leather woven Oxfords. Lemme tell you something: these are awesome!! I know some of you may look at these and wonder what the heck I'm looking at, but I find these just divine. I have been having a vintage loafer/oxford/boot craving, and any vintage shoe that I can get my paws on or something that faintly resembles it then I'm going to snatch it up! Besides that I {heart} Oxfords. The woven toe of these puppies will be nice come our hot-n-sticky summer time and they are broken in and comfy.
This is the fourth pair of shoes I have ever thrifted and all but one pair are genuine leather/suede. This is the second vintage pair... I have been wearing them since I got them home. They cost a whole 2 bucks.

First purchase of the New Year is (drum roll, puh-lease....)

Just a boh-ring vintage sheet. Well not really boring but not what I've been hunting for either. I don't have this lime and sunshine yellow stripe. I do have an avocado and harvest gold stripe, though. Not the same thing... Glad I found it though since I've been on this skirt-sewing kick. I did find another really pretty floral sheet with blues and reds and such. It didn't have a price on it and I didn't feel like hunting someone down for it. I'll go back for it later this week.

Well there you have it my first and last thrift store purches of 2011 andd 2012. Sorry for rambling!

What was your last/first thrifting purchase?

New Year Productivity

Happy New Year, guys! I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed transition into 2012.

Prior to last week I hadn't been in the mood for sewing for nearly 2 months. Whatever sewing I was doing was the bare minimum, just some pants and dress altering and hemming for a couple of clients. All I wanted to do was digitize embroidery. Not saying that wasn't cool. I really enjoy making embroidery machine designs on my computer and seeing what they look like stitched out on my embroidery machine. But I am finally glad to sew again!


I cut out 4 skirts and sewed 3 together yesterday. It was actually quite fun once I got it going. I came up with the idea to donate some of my handiwork as well. I was looking up charities that will take handmade clothing items. I found mostly sites for babies and preemies. If anyone knows of an organization, please contact me!

I will, however, offer some for sale in my shop. I'm thinking about donating a percentage of the proceeds to a charity and/or for every selected number of items I sell, I will donate a handmade article. Either way I going to give something.





They are all made from coordinated vintage sheets and wide elastic and gathered to perfect twirly, whirly widths. Sorry I couldn't get an action shot, but although it is sunny it is just as breezy today.

I also was in dire need of another pair of lounge pants. My dear mother bought a pair of flannel pjs for me, and they were too small. Besides I don't really like sleeping in flannel; it's too hot. So I whipped out a sheet that I purchased brand new still in the original packaging and set out to work.

I absolutely adore them. They are just baggy and loose enough. I have plenty of leg room and they don't drag. I'm also glad that I went with the solid contrasting bands instead of finding a matching stripe. That probably would have been too much!



I am looking for this sheet in blue if anyone has seen one or want to trade. It's Bibb Co. In Meadow Flowers.


Well I have a few more things that I want need to work on for my shop.
How did you all spend the first day of the year?