Let’s have another go…

Gotta catch up yet again *tears hair out* Let’s call this an occasional photo blog for my crafty products or WIPs.

Back in april (*sigh*) I made a dress from some fabric my sister sent me.  Love all the natural colours of the stripes! To begin with, I merely cut out two rectangles. I added some shirring to what would be the upper half later, leaving out a few inches in the middle of the front part for the bust. – I saw something like this on the web or in a magazine before, but cannot remember where or when. Just so you know it wasn’t originally my idea. Afterwards, only side seams and hem were left to finish, but I decided to also add straps for wearing comfort. If you want a dress fast and easy to make, try this (width of rectangles = widest part of your body [usually hips, sometimes bust] + a few inches ease and seam allowance) – it flatters all types of figures.

In june or so, I made a red linen top based on Rae’s famous Spring Ruffle Top tutorial. I changed a few things and left out the pocket, though. In my opinion, it’s perfect for those really HOT days of summer. I’m sorry, but I do not have any photos of this one. Maybe another time.

In july, I desperately wanted to sew a top from some white and blue batik fabric my aunt gave to me. She had brought it back from Nigeria (where she used to live for a while) over 30 years ago. It surely must hold lots of memories for her, so I was touched she gave it to me. Her birthday was by the end of the month and I wanted to wear a top made from the fabric at her party to show my appreciation. After a looong search, I chose pattern 116 from Burda 7/2008, because it kinda fits the african style. (Okay, so maybe it doesn’t really, just my wild imagination.) I so like how this one turned out (finished it just in time, the night before the birthday), especially those mostly decorative ties at the sides look great. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to wear the top a lot, because the weather turned all bleak.  I’d like to make it again, but would raise the neckline. It is a bit wide and low and I had to wear a light shawl with it. Also, I want more african batik fabrics. Found a good resource online, but for now, I have to save my money. I won’t forget about it, though! And now, just for my special friend Carol who requested it, the photo:

I am very close to finish two knitting and two sewing projects. If I ever get photos done, you’ll see them here.

Thank you all for your lovely comments so far! They truly lift me up on bad days!

 

Second post to catch up

Second post in three days! And after a crazy day at work, too! Ha, aren’t you proud of me? *g*

So without further ado: I made a dozen tissue cases as little gifts for friends, family and colleagues (not necessarily in that order). Of course, I didn’t take any photos of the first 6, because I am a bad blogger. A shame, really, because my favourite was among those. But the rest turned out nice as well, I believe. Well, save for the off-white one with the blue flowers. I knew the blue writing on the fusible interfacing would probably shine through, but it was the last piece I had. So I kept that one for myself. Each tissue case has a contrasting lining fabric, but that’s not on the photos. If you are interested in making your own tissue cases, it’s so simple you can just wing it, but there also are several tutorials around the web. My favourite would be this one (read that blog if you like to sew, it’s fabulous!).

Have I mentioned already that it not only is exhibiton opening time but also trade fair time at my job? CRAZY. I was so knackered this past weekend, I didn’t get to sew a thing, even though I was looking forwards to making a new dress and some trousers. *sighs* Instead, I dyed my favourite-because-SOFT duvet cover purple. It was white but had begun to grey. I love the outcome, because the white decorative stitching stayed white as planned and the contrast is striking! And to feel a bit more crafty, I made a little coin purse from an emptied tetrapack. That was all I managed to do.

Hey, if I’m not mistaken, I managed to catch up on 4 months of craftiness in two blog posts! Now I’ll have to sew something new fast or won’t have anything to talk about here.