Sewing, But No Blogging/Towels, Tops and Trousers

Happy Saturday Everyone!!! 

It's a glorious start to the day here in Chicago, the sun is shining, but...not for long :( A few nights ago, my husband and I went out for our evening walk with the dogs. When I opened the door, I saw that it was raining, yet again. We have had sooo much rain. But, I'm very careful about verbalizing what I feel in my heart as I know that times without rain are not something we want. In all things be grateful...at least try :)

So yes, I have been sewing, but just not blogging. This morning I was determined to make myself sit down and write a note. I know that it's just a matter of getting back in the habit, and as we all know, habits are easily broken and difficult to create.

I've made a number of easy summer outfits that I can just throw on and go. The pants I'm wearing below I also did in THIS post. A super simple gathered leg that makes the pants look special. The top is the Helen's Closet Elliot Sweater and Tee pattern. I made a long sleeve version of the top before I broke my arm this past winter. Loved it. Super easy to make, and just as easy to wear. It's difficult to see in the picture, but I had a piece of embossed knit that matched the pants, so I decided to give the pattern a try as a summer top. At the rate I am going, it will only last 1 summer as it will be worn out!!!

I was intrigued by an email I received from fabrics-store.com They actually have linen toweling that is 19" wide. They had a little tutorial on making linen kitchen towels using a 1 yard length of the fabric. I love linen towels, so I decided to give it a try.  

I began with a 1 yard length, and just hemmed the bottom and top edges, leaving the selvedge edge along the sides. I then put them in the washing machine and dryer. As you can see below they came out a crumpled heap. The above picture is after ironing. The natural linen has the most wonderful smell, and the texture is also quite lovely. I bought enough for 3 sets of towels, 1 to keep, and 2 to give. I'm so pleased that I think I will order enough for a few more sets as they will make wonderful gifts. You can find the fabric HERE.   

As I said, I have been making a number of throw on and go pieces. The top below is the free Zoe Top pattern from Tessuti. I am so very pleased with how it turned out. I had this lovely bordered fabric, and thought it might work well. 

The neckline is quite wide, and a little wider than I wanted for this top. So, I decided to cut a piece of the border and fill in the neckline. 

The pattern features a dolman sleeve. Rather than leave the sleeve plain, I cut some of the border and appliqued it to the bottom of the sleeve. In the end, I felt that it all came together quite nicely.

A picture of me in the top will follow shortly. I'm making a pair of white Barb pants from Style Arc patterns. I blogged about that free pattern HERE. Another easy to make, easy to wear pattern. 

Berkley and I will be going to camp! Actually, I signed Berkley up for an agility class. I think he is going to love it! And...me too :) It won't begin until the 3rd week of July. Can't wait!

Have a lovely weekend!
Rhonda

I Need To Do Something Just For Me

Sometimes we get caught up in doing, doing, doing. Doing for our spouse, doing for commitments, be it work or charitable commitments, doing for friends, and the list can go on and on. Then we come to a point that we just need to do something for ourselves, just for fun.  

A number of years ago, I talked about working through The Artist's Way. A fabulous experience and well worth your time. One of the commitments that you make while working through the book is to take a weekly artist's date. It can be just for an hour, but doing something that you really want to do and doing it alone. It can be something as simple as taking an hour long soaking bath, or something a little more extravagant like taking a horseback riding lesson. For those of us who sew, taking a little time to make something just because we want to can be an artist's date. And that's what I'm about to do :)

I recently saw the Sydney Jacket from Tessuti Fabrics, and loved it.

The line drawing is what will either suck me in or make me turn the other way. The Sydney Jacket sucked me in :) What did it for me was the yoke shaping.

Other than the side seams, the seams are actually overlapped and then stitched, so the fabric needs to be one that will not ravel, like a melton wool, boiled wool, fleece, etc. The jacket also features a pocket with a faux welt, so super easy to do. Also take note that this is an unlined jacket, so you need a fabric that is either double sided, reversible or has a nice back.  

I purchased the fabric pictured below a while back. It was a piece that I ordered online. I wasn't exactly pleased when it arrived. The fabric is fine, just not exactly what it looked like online. The fabric is more blood red than cherry red, and as it turns out, it will work perfectly with the Sydney Jacket pattern, so all is not lost. 

The pattern has been downloaded, printed, taped together and cut out, so now I just need to cut my fabric and get started. I'm so excited as I think this will be a super fun project.

And before I go, I wanted to share with you a fabric that I recently purchased. It's swirly!!!! The fabric is wool. I actually found it in the home dec department. It was marked down, but still expensive, so I purchased just enough for a skirt. I laid it over the red fabric above for the photograph, but I think I might underline it in black. We'll see. When the fabric is held up, the little swirly discs hang down and bounce. I think this is going to be a hoot to wear!

I can't wait to get my jacket together, so stay tuned for the final result. 
Be sure to take a little time for yourself. It really is so important.
Rhonda 

Thrifty Thursday

And yes, it's Friday!! One of these days I am going to get caught up. I'm determined!!!

Rather than wait and post this next week, I wanted to go ahead and get it posted as I would like to use this pattern for some upcoming drafting posts and I wanted you to have access to the pattern prior to the posts. 

This is the Libby A-line skirt from Tessuti Fabrics, a free pattern. It's a simple pattern, but a very nice one. I love the fit. The pattern is marked for 3 lengths, the longer length that you see below, 

 an above knee length which I made. And it can also be made into a mini, so a length for everyone.

The light in the house was horrible, so I ran out to take this picture. Wow, is it cold outside, 16 degrees!!! And the wind is blowing so it feels even colder. The picture isn't the best, but at least you get an idea of the length. Below is a better picture of the skirt.

The pattern is of course a downloadable pattern. You may also purchase the pattern for $12.00, but I don't see why you would. It's not a large pattern and it goes together quickly and easily. As you can see, there are only 4 pattern pieces. In the above picture, you can see the extension for the longer version that I cut off. This would be a great pattern for someone who is just learning to sew. There are 2 darts in the back skirt, but none in the front. The front and the back are cut on the fold and there is a side seam zipper. 

I lined my skirt. Something that I like to do when lining a skirt is cheat a little on the facing. I picked this up from a Threads article years ago.  

Cut the lining the same as the skirt. Sew the lining together and also sew the facing together at the side seam. Press under the lower edge of the facing 1/4". Place the facing on the lining, matching it along the waistline and the side seam.  Baste the facing to the skirt lining at the waist. Edge stitch the lower edge of the facing to the skirt. The lining will actually act as an interfacing behind the facing. This saves lots of steps and for the most part works very well.  

 The facing and the lining look clean and neat on the inside of the garment.

You can find the pattern HERE. I think you'll be just as happy with it as I am.
The skirt is a real winning combination, easy to make, goes together quickly, and fits well. What more can you ask from a pattern?!!

Zoe Top From Tessuti

A few weeks ago I made the Zoe Top from Tessuti Fabrics, one of their free patterns and I was very happy with how it turned out.

I had promised a picture of me in the top. Although I've worn it a few times, I have not been able to get a picture taken. Thankfully, we've had another warm day here in Chicago, so I wore the outfit, and got a picture taken!  

I made a matching straight skirt to wear with the top. In the above picture I showed it belted, but with the straight skirt, I like how it flows and moves, so no belt. I think that if I pair it with pants, I will belt it, maybe, like I said, I like how it moves when I move. The top is so comfortable and easy to wear. You can see my original post about the top here,  http://rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2014/04/thrifty-thursday.html and you can find the free pattern on the Tessuti website here,  http://www.tessuti-shop.com/collections/free-sewing-patterns/products/zoe-top-print-at-home-or-copy-shop-pdf
By the way, if you find a free pattern that you think I might like, let me know!

Thrifty Thursday

Whew!! I'm getting this one in by the skin of my teeth!

I am absolutely in love with this week's free pattern. It's the second pattern from Tessutti that I wanted to try out. It is so very simple to make, only 2 pattern pieces. It took me about 20 minutes to tape the pattern together, so not long at all, and it took less than an hour to sew it up. I did make a few minor changes to the pattern. As you can see, mine is not a top and I added a tie belt which threads through 2 openings that I added to the front piece of the garment. So the belt wraps around my waist on the inside of the garment.

 The back has a beautiful drape and I love the dip of the side seams.

To make the belt openings, I first tried the piece on and marked where I wanted the openings to be. Then I cut 2 rectangles which I reinforced with fusible interfacing. I then serged around the raw edges and placed them on the right side of my fabric, stitched my desired opening, and then cut the opening. I then turned the rectangles to the back side of the dress, pressed and then stitched in place.   

 The pattern is one size fits all. Here you can see it without the tie belt.

 From the side.

To lengthen the pattern, I cut it apart as you can see below and spread it the amount I wanted for my desired length.

In order to save fabric, I did not cut the back on the fold. I turned the back upside down so that the shoulder seams are together and I added a seam allowance to center back. Saved a ton of fabric.

The pattern is called Our Fave Top. It's now a fave of mine too! Adding the length to the pattern makes it great with leggings or tights. And adding a belt as I did gives the waist a little more definition which I really like. If you would like to download a pattern for yourself, you can find it here,  http://www.tessuti-shop.com/products/our-fav-top. I think I'll be making a few more of these for summer. Easy to put on and breezy to wear, what more can you ask?
Come back by tomorrow as I am planning to debut the top I made last week with a super simple Free Pattern Friday skirt.

Thrifty Thursday

Hi Everyone! Once again, I know I'm late!!, but I am determined to get back on track!! So I decided to go ahead and post this week's Thrifty Thursday pattern. If you are just finding the blog, a quick review, on Thursdays (at least I try!!) I am reviewing the free patterns that are available on the web from independent pattern companies. Some of the patterns have been posted by fabric stores, and I also find them in other venues. It's a great way to try out a pattern. The only expense is the ink for printing, your paper, and of course your fabric. But at least you are not putting out money to take a test run on a new company only to find out that their patterns aren't quite right for you, or me as the case may be :) I'm having so much fun with this series, and as it looks at the moment, it will go on for quite a while as there are an abundant amount of free patterns available.

Today I am showcasing the Zoe Top by Tessuti Fabrics. I was drawn to this pattern for two reasons. First of all it is designed for sheer georgette and chiffon fabrics, so lightweight wovens. 

I was also drawn to the pattern for the shape. The picture above is quite deceiving as the top looks like a big rectangle with dolman sleeves. As you can see from the picture below, this is not the case. The pattern has a lovely shape.

 I also liked the shape of the sleeve opening. Notice the slight curve. This helps the sleeve to hang straight around the arm rather than hike up on the shoulder seam. Very nice design feature.

I made my top out of a silk. I love this print! I bought it far too long ago at Britex while on a trip to San Fransisco.
The pattern is designed to cut the front and back on the fold. In order to do this, you will need a 54"-60" wide fabric. My silk was only 45" wide, so I added a seam down center front and back. Because of the pattern of the fabric, it really isn't noticeable.

 The back.

 The top may also be worn belted.

I did make one alteration to the pattern. I am rather narrow across my shoulders, so I added an inch at the neckline on the shoulder seam. If I do the top again, I will probably add another 1/2".
The top is super easy to make, and has a lovely feminine shape that gracefully skims the body. The top would also work well as a swimsuit cover-up, or lengthen it and turn it into a breezy dress for summer, so very versatile.  If you would like to download one for yourself, you can find the pattern here, http://www.tessuti-shop.com/collections/free-sewing-patterns/products/zoe-top-print-at-home-or-copy-shop-pdf
While you are there, you might want to check out the lovely fabrics that Tessuti carries. The shipping is a little killer if you live in America, but sometimes it's just worth it ;) Tessuti has two other free patterns available on their website. I am planning to give one other a try, especially since I enjoyed this one so much. For those of you who do not like the idea of taping a pdf pattern together, Tessuti offers a copy shop version as well. All you will need to do is download the pattern to a memory stick and then take it to your local printer. To be honest, I prefer to just tape the pattern together. This pattern took me a little less than 30 minutes. I would have spent more time in the car!
Hope you are having a great day!
Rhonda