Simplicity 1318

This kimono is a super quick sew...if you aren't matching stripes.  This would be why I never sew with stripes but this fabric was super cheap.  Cheap is not always a good buy.  I ripped out the band around the front, neck, and bottom a gazillion times.

 At this point I'm mediocre happy with it.  Enough to wear it out in public.  I made view D because I didn't want to hem options B or C.  Since I only paid a dollar for the pattern, I won't feel bad that I never make this pattern again.

McCall's 6918

Instagram has opened up a whole new world to me as far as finding out what other sewist are up to.  A mom in Australia was sewing back to school skirts for her daughter and posted what she had made with McCall's 6918.  What a perfect pattern for me to use with my four year old this summer.

 My favorite part is that it has shorts sewn underneath.  Monkey bars here we come!

 The skirts are a might big on the girls at the moment but that is intentional.  These skirts have to fit all the way through August, which is six months away.

Jane Dress from Shwin Designs

We are in love with the Shwin Designs Jane Dress and Top.  With one alteration that is.  I'm not fab if the back closure technique or the way the facing is turned.  Ok, that's two alterations.

The ombre pony fabric on the right I followed directions for the facing.  This reminds me of the Tobago tank and how it's turned.  Too much clipping close to the seam makes me nervous.  I added 5/8 inch to the pattern when I cut it out and didn't cut on the fold for the back piece.  This allowed me to serge up the back pieces and make the back facing two pieces.  I also stole the button closure from the Izzy top.  Another one of my favorites.

 

Fabric is Cheaper than Therapy

My last post was July 24th.  Right after that everything in our lives changed.  Unexpectedly.  Things worked out for the best, but for a bit things were really bumpy.  We had our third child and first son.  We became Northerners instead of Southerners.  We sold a house.  My husband changed jobs.  Pretty much we were in a state of chaos.  So what did I do to cope?  I sewed.  A lot!
Let's see if I can catch up on some blogging.

 There is three inches of snow on the ground so obviously I'm sewing up shorts and summer shirts.  The Jane Dress and Top has been added to my pattern repertoire.  I can see it becoming a little girl staple.  The almost four year old is obsessed with My Little Pony at the moment so lots of My Little Pony fabric has been ordered and used.  

I've made some alterations to the construction of the Jane dress.  I'll share those in another post.

 Another new purchase was the Ruby Jean shorts pattern.  They're super basic but useful.  I've made them with pockets and without.  Truthfully, I hate putting in pockets but the girls like having them.  I like that they are flat in the front.  The shorts are very short and so I hemmed them with a bit of matching fabric instead of folding up twice.  I could add a ruffle like the pattern calls for, but I'm not a ruffly type person.