Amy Butler's Style Stitches - No. 2 Reversible Everyday Shopper

I'm participating in the Amy Butler Style Stitches Sew Along over at My Crafty Crap. In a nutshell, each month everyone will be sewing one bag from the book, starting from the beginning. February is the month for the Reversible Everyday Shopper.

Fabric - In keeping with my $25 a Month sewing budget, I used fabric from my stash. I used several different fabrics so that I could use some of my smaller pieces. The bag is reversible, so the interior fabric couldn't be too basic. The outside is Momo It's a Hoot in raspberry with a large front pocket of Alexander Henry fabric. The straps and interior are a pink polka dot print, and the sides are Kona solids. The pattern also calls for woven interfacing for every pattern piece, as well as a bit of fusible interfacing.

Back of the bag

Pattern Pieces - There are only 2 pattern pieces to cut out from the little folder in the back of the book; the rest are various rectangular cuts.

Illustrations/Instructions - As I mentioned previously when I reviewed the first bag from the book, the Cosmo Bag, there are no photos in the instructions. The pattern for the Reversible Everyday Shopper actually only has 2 illustrations, so you are relying heavily on the written instructions. Which is no problem at all, because Amy Butler's instructions are very detailed and informative.

I normally make some sort of modification when I'm working with sewing patterns, but I didn't change anything. It might not look it from the pictures, but this is actually a very large bag. A few days ago, my mom told me she was looking for a bag to put all her belly dancing gear in; she wanted 2 large pockets for her shoes and a waterbottle, and she also needed room for 3 hip scarves. I think this bag might fit the ticket; she might not like the fabrics, but I could always do up another if she likes the shape of this bag.

Conclusion - Yes, my review for this one is going to be short and sweet. I have leafed through the book many times, and this is THE easiest pattern in the book. Nothing hard at all about it. Again, the thing that took the longest was ironing on all the interfacing. This would be a great pattern for a beginner who wants something stylish, but not your run-of-the-mill tote bag.

Reversible inside of the bag.

P.S. I'm also posting this at Sew Modern Mondays and Fabric Tuesday!
 

Week 1: Heather Ross Quilt Along

The Heather Ross Quilt Along is finally starting and I'm so very excited! The task for week 1 is to get all the cutting done. I am using the tutorial for the Boxed In quilt from Freckled Whimsy for my quilt.

The instructions for the quilt call for a layer cake, but I'm using yardage, so my cuts ended up a little bit different. My friend, Kim, sent me almost all of the Heather Ross fabrics for this quilt; she is the most wonderful person ever! Although the instructions end up with sewing up 25 quilt blocks, I ended up with 42 different prints, so I'm going to use them all and make a quilt 6 blocks across and 7 blocks down.

I started by fussy cutting my Heather Ross prints into 5" x 5" squares.

So as I said, I'm not using a layer cake so I cut one of the following strips for each block:
- 3-3/4" x 9"
- 2" x 5"
- 3" x 5"
- 1-1/4" x 9"

This will yield me 9" x 9" blocks. I sewed up a test block to make sure my measurements were correct, since I'm bad at math. :-)

I can't wait to cut into all my fabrics! I divided all my 5" squares among my 13 different Kona solids that I am using for the outside of the squares so that while cutting I can keep them in order of how I will be sewing later.

Well, that's it until next week! Next week I will be assembling the first row of the quilt!

"The Great $25 a Month Sewing Allowance"

So, if you read from my last post, I am going on a $25 a month sewing allowance. That means $25 a month to spend on fabric, interfacing, zippers, thread, and other sewing supplies. And yes, this $25 also includes tax and/or shipping fees.

Stephany from Boy or Girled Cheese commented and said she would also like to attempt this. I lamented all the fabric that I would not be able to buy in the future. But I thought, well, if I can do this and other people can do this, it can't be so bad.

So starting Tuesday (February 1st), I am going to save my receipts, keep a tally, and take photographs of what I am able to buy for my $25. And then each month afterward, if I can keep this going.

Want to play? Join the Flickr Group. Let's help keep each other motivated! At the end of each month, post your spending tally and your photos of what you purchased.

My New Sewing "Allowance"

Due to personal/family reasons, starting in February my fabric-buying options will be changing drastically. I am going to be able to spend $25 A MONTH on sewing supplies. That not only includes fabric, but thread, interfacing, zippers...you name it. Right about now I wish I had a huge fabric stash to fall back on, haha! I am going to do my best to make my small stash, which I previously showed pictures of here, last for a loooong time.

Perhaps I can chronicle what I spent my $25 on each month, to help me keep on track and maybe to inspire others who are working on their own fabric diets.

Maybe I can start repurposing fabric from thrift store linens. Any other tips to help me get the most bang for my buck?

This is probably a good thing. I wholeheartedly admit that I need some sort of limit set because no matter what I tell myself, when I see some gorgeous fabrics or get an idea for a project, all my limitations go out the window. I am thankful that we don't have any credit cards, since we paid ours off a couple years ago. I have little to no self-restraint. I just didn't realize my 'allowance' would be so low, lol!

Thank goodness I was able to fire off an order on a fat quarter bundle of the above pictured Anna Maria Horner Little Folks fabrics (which I'm splitting with my friend, Kim) this week. ;-)

Yellow and Gray Improv Quilt Block

I have had this block for the Mod Stash Quilting Bee sitting on my board, half-finished, for a month now. I don't often put projects to the side, but this one was seriously puzzling me!

One of the hosts for the month of January, Mer, wanted an improv block that plays with frames and perhaps uses fussy cutting. She didn't want the block to be wonky. The color scheme she chose was yellow, gray, white, and black (unexpected pop of color okay). I think my problem was that these colors were outside of my comfort range. I usually use really bright colors and I know I have never concentrated on yellow or gray before, so I had a hard time.

My wonderful friend, Kim, sent me some Kona solids and two Riley Blake fabrics (the top fabric that looks like orange/yellow/gray leaves, and the right-hand fabric that looks like a black damask). I pulled them out this evening and I was surprised at how fast the rest of the block went together.

Mer used the Alexander Henry Birdseed on yellow print for her own block, so I feel like my birdies (Momo 'It's a Hoot') sort of go along with hers. I really hope she likes this, and I'm so glad to be finished, lol!

Postage Stamp Quilt

So I finally finished the P.S. I Quilt Postage Stamp quilt along! This quilt was a lot of work in a short amount of time. The quilt is made up of 1125 itty bitty 2" squares, but thankfully I didn't have to sew all those individual squares (otherwise I never would have made this quilt!).

Since my print fabrics are of little birds perched on chairs and sofas, I thought it would be neat to incorporate this bird screen-printed on white.

A lot of the other people participating in the quilt along used jelly rolls, which are 2-1/2" strips the width of the fabric and are pre-cut. I wanted to use Tufted Tweets from Robert Kaufman and designed by Laurie Wisbrun, so I cut the strips myself (my solid colors were cut from yardage as well). The strips are then sewn together in groupings of 5, alternating between prints and solids, and then reversed.

My strips sewn together

After the groupings of strips are sewn, you cut them apart into 2-1/2" strips. They again get sewn, similar to above, in groups of 5 and alternating between prints and solids.

Sewn block

I'm really happy with how this quilt came out. It was a lot of work, but it's beautiful and it was worth it. I'm going to quilt and bind this at a later date because the Heather Ross Quilt Along is starting Monday!!

P.S. I'm linking up on Tuesdays for Fabric Tuesday over at Quilt Story! Come and see the other projects!

Echino Wholesale Fabric

I am running a wholesale fabric co-op on Echino fabrics! Love these fabrics but can't manage to spend $16+ per yard? Well, get your fabrics for $8.50 per yard through the co-op! Details available here. Enter your order into the spreadsheet; I will close the spreadsheet to new orders at the end of the day Friday, January 28th (I will fill over the weekend and call for payments February 1st). These are updated dates as per a couple of requests!

Feel free to contact me with any questions at sewsweetness@yahoo.com

The winner of my Echino giveaway was #50 Lindsay! Congratulations!

P.S. I Quilt - Postage Stamp Quilt Along - Assembling Blocks

I'm slowly making progress on the Postage Stamp quilt along that I am participating in. I previously wrote about the quilt along here. Well, pictured above is one of my assembled blocks, and I've made 12 already, so 36 more to go. None of the blocks are the same, they are all different and randomly arranged. Thankfully I didn't have to sew all those tiny squares together (I sewed groupings of 2.5"x36" strips and then cut the strips down).

Like my little birdy block? I'm not sure if you can tell by my patchwork block above, but there are little birds on the fabric (it's called Tufted Tweets from Robert Kaufman). The birds are sitting on the chairs and sofas. So I'm going to put this white block with the bird screen-printed on it, near the bottom left-hand corner. I think it'll look super-cute and really stand out on the white fabric.

I can't wait to finish the rest of the blocks, it is such slow going when you are constantly going back and forth at your computer, lol!

My Sewing Area

Looking for the Echino Giveaway?

My sewing machine next to the computer...why some days I don't get a whole lot done!

My friend Emily inspired me to take a look at my sewing area organization when she wrote a guest post on the topic. So I threw away the millions of fabric scraps and threads cluttering my work area and took some pictures for you. :-)

I store my fabric stash in plastic containers under the desk.

I live in Chicago, where space is generally at a premium. So I share a tiny work area room with my husband and his gaming computer desk. I basically have my desk area and then an ironing board almost directly behind my chair. That's it, but I sort of like the tight space (although, I don't know any better) because it lets me be efficient when sewing/pressing.

My entire fabric stash. I really need to show my husband everyone else's stash that I have been seeing lately so he will understand that I am really lacking in inventory. :-)

I have seen some magnificent stash shots so far this year. I am amazed at the fabric collection that some people have! And perhaps a little wistful. But I think I can be honest in the fact that 75% of the time when I am thinking about a new project, I am also thinking about what fabrics to purchase for that project, so I suppose it is good to have a small stash.

I keep my fabric scraps in a large hatbox. Since I started quilting, I now realize the importance of scraps.

The only thing that I would ask for if I had a larger work area would be a design wall where I could also hang quilt layers against the wall so I could spray baste them there. I've never tried basting off the wall, but I did see a video on YouTube about it and it did look pretty awesome.

My sewing pattern box.

I hope you've liked this little glimpse into my sewing area. I suppose my work area probably tells you a little something about myself, although I'm not sure what that would be exactly. :-)

Echino Giveaway

I am giving away a wonderful set featuring this cool Echino fabric! But before we get to the prizes, I wanted to promote the ECHINO FABRIC CO-OP that I am hosting! This is a wonderful chance to get some of these fabrics at wholesale prices. Read over the details and place your order in the spreadsheet for a yard or two (or three, or four...). The co-op will be open until January 25th.

And now for the giveaway! I am giving away 1/2 yard of Echino bicycles on aqua, as well as the City Bag sewing pattern from Nicole Mallalieu Design!

How you can enter:
1. Leave me a comment and show me some love!

2. "Follow" my blog (if you're already a follower, super!). Then, just leave a second, SEPARATE comment saying that you follow me.

You can have up to 2 entries. I will randomly choose a winner, who will receive the 1/2 yard of Echino bicycles fabric and the Nicole Mallalieu sewing pattern! The drawing will close on Monday, January 24 at 12:00pm CT.

Thanks, and don't forget to place your order for the ECHINO FABRIC CO-OP !

Heather Ross Quilt Along - Flickr Group

I cut into the Heather Ross fabrics for the Quilt Along a bit, just to see if I could do it. :-P Now there's also a Flickr Group to join!

Liebster Award

I love the idea of finding new blogs to read. I am really inspired by other people's sewing work! I was really surprised and excited to be nominated by Emily of Mommy's Nap Time for the Liebster Award! The idea behind this award is to nominate 3-5 small blogs (300 followers or less) to share with other readers.

I'm going to nominate some of my own favorites. I wish I could pick more, I really do!

Maybe it sounds silly, but I'm going to nominate Mommy's Nap Time right back. Not because she nominated me. But because I really enjoy her work. I think we share a lot of the same fabric interests, and I like all her projects. I feel like, me being a newer quilter, that her projects are definitely ahead of mine, and so I feel like her projects are something that I aspire to. Plus she also lives in Chicago, and hopefully we can meet up one day!

I also love Emily Elizabeth's blog over at Emmmy Lizzzy. This week, I saw her Heather Ross quilt over at Quilt Story. It's always fun to see someone's work who you already follow, on someone else's blog! I like a lot of the things that she writes about on her blog.

Whenever I see a new project from Monique at Monique's Stitches I swoon. I am so in awe of all the quilty things that she makes, and she is so very sweet. When I was working on my first quilt back in October, she offered up a ton of advice that helped me out so much when I was just starting out!

Even though she has a little over 300 followers, I'm still going to nominate Emily of The Boy Trifecta. I love her projects, especially her tutorial for the Grandview Bag, which was inspired by something at Anthropologie.

There are a ton of other blogs that I couldn't live without, but all with a large amount of followers, so I'm sure those people don't need my help. ;-)

Colette Patterns

'Eclair' sewing pattern

I just wanted to share some Colette Sewing Patterns that I'm buying in a co-op that ends next week. I've had my eye on these patterns for quite some time, but at nearly $20, just never thought that I would get a chance to buy.

'Parfait' sewing pattern

 

 

 I think they're very vintage-looking and unique! I am anxious to see how they look with a printed fabric. I think the new Echino drapey fabrics would look great on one of these dresses.

'Ceylon' sewing pattern

Colette patterns has a gallery on their website of people who have made clothing with their patterns, and it's great to see these dresses on other body types (and with other fabric combinations). I'm not sure which one I should make first! Which do you like the best??

P.S. I Quilt - Postage Stamp Quilt Along - Assembling Strips

I'm working on a postage stamp quilt for the P.S. I Quilt Postage Stamp Quilt Along that started this week. I was finally able to start sewing when my Kona solids arrived in the mail today. For the postage stamp effect, basically you sew 2.5" strips the length of the fabric. Then you cut them again to make 2.5" strips the height of the strips you just sewed. This saves a lot of work as opposed to cutting each individual 2.5" squares and sewing all those tiny squares together.

I'm a little tired tonight otherwise I would have sewn more. I figure if I can manage to sew 3 sets each night for the next 4 nights I will still be on track before the next list of instructions are announced on Monday.

Bento Box Quilt Block

This is the first month of the Mod Stash Quilting Bee. If you're not familiar with a quilting bee, a group of people get together (in this case, it's 12) and each person has their 'month' where they are the host. They designate what block that want and any other specifics (such as what colors they do or do not like, or how to press your seams). Everyone else has to make that block and mail to the host. This is a 6 month bee, so there are two hosts per month. At the end, you'll have enough blocks to make a quilt!

I finished my first block for the bee. This block is for Kelly, and I have to say, it is sort of nerve-wracking to make something for someone else. I have no problem sewing things (and making mistakes on my things) for myself, but sewing for someone else is a whole other story. My biggest issue is if they will like the fabrics I've chosen. Kelly's block was a little easier for the fact that the design was specific (as opposed to a free form design where you can sort of do whatever), so all I had to worry about was the fabrics.

Kelly chose a Bento Box quilt. The tutorial for that came from Film in the Fridge. Basically you make a 16" block and then cut it into quarters, and sew the quarters with parts from other blocks. Kelly's instructions were for the block to remain uncut so that it doesn't unravel threads in the mail.

Completed Bento Box quilt from Film in the Fridge

Kelly said she was drawn to non-primary colors, so I chose complementary (two colors that are across from each other on the color wheel) colors of pink and green (teal). The two outer rings of my block were made with Moda 'It's a Hoot' fabrics that I have scraps of from the quilt that I finished a couple weeks ago. Kelly also wanted one of the rings to be made with Kona white, which was my next ring. After the white, I chose Alexander Henry Kleo in sage. For the center, I used a fabric from Free Spirit which I can't remember the name of. Bohemian-something? I dunno.

Anyway, I hope Kelly likes this block. :-)

Echino Fabric Co-op

I tried running this co-op this past October, but I was new to blogging, and it was right before Christmas, so I didn't have enough people together to place an order. I want to try again. If you're not familiar with co-ops, basically it's people pooling their orders to get merchandise at wholesale prices. The goods are shipped to one person, the co-op host, and the host divides the orders and ships them to the individuals.


I organized some co-ops last summer (Melissa & Doug, Laptop Lunches, etc.), so I have run some before, and before I had children I also used to sell fabric on ebay, so I (ahem) know what I'm getting myself into. ;-) I know some of you don't know me from Adam, but I have positive feedback on ebay (sarabluemerle), Etsy (bluemerleboutique), and Diaperswappers (bluemerle); over half of my feedback on Etsy and Diaperswappers was from trades, and all 3 accounts are at 100% feedback. Just in case you would like to see that I'm not planning on ripping you off. :-)

One-time Fabric Co-op for Echino Fabrics

By placing an order/sending payment, you agree to a few painless rules:

1. When pre-payment for your fabric is sent, I ask that you include a Paypal “handling fee” of .30 plus 3% of your total.

2. There will be NO co-op fee. :-)

3. Kokka fabric bolts may be anywhere from 9-13 yards. Please place an order in 1-yard increments. I will do my best to accommodate everyone’s order (I will close bolts at around 9-11 yards), but if we are shipped less yardage, then I will first fulfill the orders placed first (of course, you will receive any refunds owed to you).



Additional Information

a. Please add your information and your order to the spreadsheet located here:
Order Spreadsheet

b. I have worked hard to make sure all the available prints are listed, but let me know if I missed something.

c. Our combined order must be at least 1 bolt for Echino. Since the Echino is coming from overseas, they require AT LEAST 8 WEEKS to receive our fabric; if you can’t wait that long, please don’t order.

d. Pricing - Echino $8.50 per yard
You will be responsible for shipping to me, to be divided evenly per yard (my approximation is that shipping to me is about 50 cents per yard, so I will add that in when requesting payment and refund any overage). When I have received the fabric, I will collect a second payment for your fabric to be shipped to you (most likely a USPS Flat Rate Box).

e. I will close the spreadsheet to all new orders on January 28th. After that, I will try to fill bolts over the weekend. All payments must be received by February 1st.



My e-mail is sew sweetness@yahoo.com, feel free to drop me a line if you have a question. My Paypal is also the same e-mail address. J

Serendipity Studio Monique Dress

I.LOVE.THIS.DRESS.

Somehow, when I first saw this sewing pattern from Serendipity Studio, I knew it would be a winner. I had my doubts halfway through the project, mostly about my fabric organization, but it turned out great and I can't wait to make another one! It is so comfortable and I hardly had to make any changes to my size, it pretty much fit me perfectly.

 

Fabric - The wonderful thing about this pattern is that there are so many options for how you want it to look. You can have the pieced bodice, ties, trim, flower detail, whatever you like! I decided to use 3 different fabrics from Robert Kaufman's Tufted Tweets line in orchid. Your yardage will depend on the size and options that you choose. I made the XXS and found that I needed to make little changes to the pattern (the pattern designer is working off an "average" height of 5'4" and 'B' cup chest; I'm a little shorter than that, but that's pretty much where I was at). I used 1-1/4 yards of fabric for the skirt, and 1/2 yard each for the bands and for the bodice.

Pattern Pieces - There were many pattern pieces to cut out; there are separate pattern pieces for the bodice if you choose to make the pieced bodice (I didn't). The size range is from XXS-XXL. The pieces are printed on tissue paper, and I didn't have much trouble getting everything transferred over to the fabric.

Illustrations/Instructions - The illustrations in this pattern are all hand-written drawings of what you need to do to sew up this dress. The only color photos are on the front cover of the pattern. I found the drawings to be very helpful and clear. The instructions are very very long (even more detailed than Amy Butler's) and very very precise. There is no confusion at all in this pattern, and there is a lot of time spent discussing how to make the optional details, like waist ties, flowers, trim, ruffles, etc. I went with the plain options since I wanted the fabrics to be featured.

I wouldn't change anything on this pattern. I realize everyone's body is different, and therefore someone with a different body type might have a different experience, but I followed the instructions to the letter and came out with great results. I usually have to make lots of alterations to the bust area when I make clothes for myself, but I didn't really have to change anything on this dress.

The dress does not have a lining, but rather, it has facings on the neckline and armholes. I like this a lot better because I used a lining when I made the Amy Butler Lotus Tunic, and while it's okay 1) it's a lot of extra work (like sewing a whole second dress), 2) sometimes it bunches up, and 3) it's warmer, especially during the summer. Definitely liking the facings!

This was the first time I'd installed an invisible zipper into clothing. The designer had an invisible zipper tutorial on her blog that was very helpful, chock full of lots of photos of each step. It was really a breeze and I don't know why I haven't tried it sooner. I'm going to put an invisible zipper in all clothing from now on. :-)

Conclusion - I would recommend this pattern for an intermediate sewer. It helps if you've sewn a dress before, so you know what areas you need to focus on during construction. For example, as soon as I had the front and back assembled I tried it on to see if I needed to adjust the shoulders and bust area. This is a great, great pattern if you need something to spice up your wardrobe!