CLOTHING SWAP TONIGHT!

This weekend was a whirlwind with the First Friday (and Saturday) Craftmas Show at the Hungerford, but it was a blast! I promise I'll update the blog with pictures from my recent shows soon! Tonight is my last major event commitment for the month...then I am focusing on getting gifts made and wrapped for family members!

I have no idea how tonight will go or how many people will be coming...but those of us that are there will have fun! (Need directions?...Check the Facebook Event!)
I've been having fun designing the signage for this! I designed a bunch of signs to put on the tables to organize the clothes...

My First T-Shirt Dress!

I got the book "Generation T: Beyond Fashion" from the library last week. It's a "sequel" to the original "Generation T" book. I love the idea of refashioning clothes into new ones, and actually own another book on the subject, "99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim, and Tie Your T-Shirt Into Something Special", but have always been too intimidated by the idea of making clothes. (Of course, I also owned "Stupid Sock Creatures" for almost a year before I overcame my intimidation and made my first sock monster.)

I've had people call me a "seamstress" after they see my plushies, and I am always quick to correct them and say that I am NOT a seamstress. I don't make clothes. I enjoy the margin of error that plush-making affords that I think making clothing doesn't. If I mess up on a plushie (especially if it's a monster), it just adds to the charm. And I don't believe it's the same way with clothing. I don't know if it's because I tend to be a perfectionist, or because I'm a plus-sized woman and feel like I can't put on just any piece of clothing and make it look good.

Anyway...with that all said, I've been flipping through the book and gaining inspiration, and the day before yesterday, I finally took the plunge and decided to make myself something!

I love this style of empire-waisted dress. I have a few that I wear all the time in the summer. I bought 4 T-shirts at the thrift store on Monday specifically in order to make this dress. I was inspired by the Project # 20 "Fun In The Sun" sundress in the book. I made a few alterations and deviations from the original pattern (don't I always?). The black band was an addition to hide a mistake I had made. Plus I think it adds something to the overall look of the dress. I am considering adding some straps to the back, since the back part of the bodice tends to droop and I don't want to be showing flashes of my strapless bra. (I made sure it wasn't showing for the picture below!)

This is the first piece of clothing I've ever made for myself. It took a lot of time, but it was satisfying. And it actually looks good! (if I do say so myself!). It's not "perfect", but it's wearable! It's obviously a warm-weather piece of clothing, but I was so excited to wear it, that I wore a black, long-sleeved shirt underneath it yesterday...and it still looked good!

Thank you Generation T for helping me overcome my clothing-making phobia and insecurities! I CAN make my own clothes! I can't wait to cut up more old T-shirts now! I'll have to dig out the stash I've been saving. And maybe I will actually use my other T-shirt transformation book after I have to take this book back to the library.

New Year...New Project...

Happy New Year! With a new year comes a new project for me!
I have gotten the itch to make a quilt...a project I have never attempted before. I've gotten inspiration from an issue of Readymade (which I finally have a subscription to! Thanks honey!)

"Not-So-Crazy-Quilt - Hang onto your sanity when you make this patchwork quilt by sewing one row at a time. Keep all the fabric pieces in each row the same width, but cut to different lengths"

I'm planning on starting by making a small quilt (baby blanket?) out of some of my hubby's old dress shirts. I laid them out on the kitchen table tonight to work out a simple design...

We'll see how this works out! Maybe when I finish this one, I'll try making something bigger and more patchworky.

Monster of the Day...Patchwork Monster

I've mentioned that my husband and I are planning on buying a house this summer. So in trying to prepare myself for packing up my household, I have been going through my disaster-area of a craft room and trying to sift through all my supplies...deciding on what is worth keeping, knowing I will have to move it when we get a house. I was going through my box o' scraps and made this little guy made out of corduroy scraps. (I love corduroy!)

The "M" is for Mary. My friend saw this monster as I was finishing it up at church last week (closing it up and adding the eyes), and she wanted to buy it to give to her friend (named Mary) who was coming to visit her this week. So she asked if I could add a little pocket on with an "M" on it...and, gladly, I obliged.

Sewing Machine Possiblities

Did I mention that my husband is just as excited about the sewing machine as I am? Although it is supposed to be his belated Christmas/early Valentine's Day present to me, I think it's just as much for him. He want to learn how to quilt. And he's already started making a quilt from old T-shirts that no longer fit him, but have sentimental value and/or fun graphics.

So I was digging out the bags of old clothes that we've stashed in the attic (either intending to give to Goodwill/Salvation Army or use for a project, or hoping we'l fit into them again someday ~stifles giggle~) And inaddition to my hubby's T-shirts, I found some of his old button-down dress shirts. And I have the perfect project for them! I found a site awhile ago that has a tutorial on how to reconstruct a men's button-down shirt into a little girl's summer dress. Now, even though I don't have a little girl (or any children yet) I have a couple friends that do. Plus, I think I could alter the idea to make a top for myself.

Ah...the possiblities a sewing machine opens up. I never would have considered this if I as still hand-sewing everything.