Semi-Handmade

The Chloe Dress :: A Sewing Tutorial

Purple has taken over pink these last few months as THE favorite. An idea bobbing around in my head turned into this...

Now let me show you how to do it yourself...

 

 
Materials:

1 1/4 (1 3/8, 1 1/2) yards of each outer dress layer & liner fabric. Use cotton voile. Anna Maria Little Folks is ideal. Voile is best both for the weight and the width of the fabric.

Remnants to coordinate with two fabrics main dress fabrics for building the sash/tie.

Piece of paper at least 17 x 24 (20 x 25.5, 23 x 29)

Chalk or water soluble erasable fabric pen

Pins

Scissors, both for paper and fabric

Yard stick

Coordinating Thread

 

Directions for a size 2/3 ( 4/5 and 6/7 in quotes):

All seam allowances 1/4 inch.

Make pattern piece from your rectangular paper according to the following diagram using your yardstick. You are turning your rectangle paper into a hexagon (6 sides).

 
 
 

 
Cut dress pieces on the bias using this hexagon shape as follows. Fold both pieces of fabric in half as needed to fit hexagon, most likely folding with selvage edges together will work best. You will have four fabrics pieces, all the same hexagon - two from each fabric.

Using the outer dress fabric right sides facing, beginning 6 (7.5, 9) inches from neck stitch down the sides of the dress. Repeat for liner.

This is your chance to try the dress on and make changes to fit. With liner, and wrong sides still together slip on your little one. Decide to take sides in or shorten arm pit/yoke. Make any changes to both the liner and the outer layer. Also mark on the liner your hem length. Notice how much, if any, gathering you will want at the neck/top where sash attaches.

For reversible dress: leave outer dress wrong side out. Turn liner right side out.

For two layer dress (not reversible): leave both layers wrong side out.

Lay liner inside of outer dress layer and pin along arm pit/yoke and top/neck.

Stitch along arm pit/yoke and neck/top.

Iron open seams.

Turn dress right side out.

Iron open seams along yoke again. Very neatly top stitch along arm pit/yoke as close to edge as you like, about 1/4 inch - on both sides of the dress.

Gather the top of the dress, as you noticed during your fitting using your preferred method of gathering.

Make the Sash, which is a patchwork double fold bias tape.

Using various pieces of remnants and pieces left over from both layers of the dress create a sash that is at least 5 1/2 x 53 (56. 59) inches, by haphazardly sewing together pieces at various and interesting angles. Iron and trim seams in between each new piece as you build the sash. Once you have a piece that is at least 5 1/2 x 53 (56, 59), cut it to this exact size rectangle. Then cut short ends at a 45 degree angle. Along both sides of the sash fold fabric over 1/2 inch and iron down. Then fold sash in half long ways and iron again. Pin down along the long open sides of sash. To finish off corners fold the point in between the two sides of the bias tape, as in picture below.

 
 
Fold the finished sash in half and mark half way point with a pin.

Beginning 1( 1 1/2, 2) inches from center of sash, pin the sash to the top neck of dress. Make sure you insert the top of the dress inside the bias tape/sash and pin down. Repeat for back.

Top stitch along long and short sides of this folded bias tape while simultaneously attaching sash to dress neck.

Hem in you preferred method. I actually prefer a very neat zigzag hem for the dress. It keeps it light and from getting too serious. For reversible dress hem both layers the same length. For the layered (not reversible) dress hem the top layer 2 1/2-3 1/2 inches short than the liner.

 
 

Turquoise Skies

Only two weeks now of turquoise skies and yet summer should be coming to a slow end making room for fall festivities and color. (Yes, I realize palm trees don't change colors) We are used to June gloom in these parts (Coastal So Cal) but June, July and most of August gloom is quite unusual. Nonetheless, these past few days of gorgeous turquoise skies have been such a treat. I seem to have had a thing for turquoise well before we saw any in our sky, perhaps making up for the lack of it above. I even have a file on my desk labeled turquoise - ok, so I am a little nutty. And I definitely have had a mental file in my head labeled turquoise, with a new habit of just pausing and taking special note of all things turquoise.

Around Town

  

1. Gum Tree Cafe and Boutique on our towns 'Main Street' has great outdoor, ocean view tables with turquoise umbrellas for shade (if the cloud cover was not enough).

2. A local interior design boutique, Waterleaf, has an ocean view patio with enormous turquoise pots with airy trees that wave in the breeze.

3. Our family hair stylist, Danielle, has bold turquoise striped walls in her salon.

4. I LOVE old rugged broncos (especially with good looking men driving them) but this turquoise Scout is pretty darn cute too, we drive by this Scout daily.

5. Our town's Main Street is in total upheaval, turquoise port-a-toilets line the street.

6. I can't imagine picking turquoise as the color to paint my house, but it suits this house perfectly. We drive by this house once each week, and I admire it each time.

7. In a public courtyard near our house is a water feature, the floor of the fountain is done with a material made of broken bits of turquoise glass. Gray or blue skies, it is beautiful.

8. A local boutique, Turquoise, tries to survive the afore mentioned construction that has closed down so many local small businesses due to lower foot traffic. 

Around the House

 
1. Hope in the form of high tech spandex fabric- a turquoise Spanx swimsuit, all packed for a swim party.

2. Turquoise glass rocks mixed in with finds from summer beach days on our kitchen island.

3. Some turquoise dry erase boards and cork boards above the kiddo's art table.

 
Design

 

1. From the Spring 2010 issue of Fresh Home Magazine, a plethora of turquoise inspiration.

2. The August 2010 issue of Architectural Digest has this fantastic turquoise couch in an over the top ocean view room, would love to sit and knit on that couch with a glass of wine.

3.  Also for the Spring 2010 issue of Fresh Home Magazine, a before & after lay out features a gorgeous turquoise flower painting, a peeling turquoise chest of drawers and a few flashes of turquoise here and there. The result is a soothing oasis.

4.  I have yet to meet the Mrs. , but Mrs. Lillien has a smart way of being unabashadly outrageous and wickedly friendly on her fun blog all at the same time. Her design sense and wit unending. 

 
 
5. The September issue of Sunset Magazine has a spread on Coastal Style. The colors from this shop in Costa Mesa (Molly Wood Garden Design) are a calming color of turquoise that looks so smart next to sand colors and textures.

6. Anna Maria Horner's Plume in Teal from her Drawing Room Collection has to be one of the prettiest home decor fabrics I have seen.

7. Again in Sunset Magazine, September 2010, they highlight a landscape design project in San Diego. The ever so surprising turquoise chairs above the pool are waiting for a party!

 

Making

 

1. An Amy Butler Barcelona Skirt and some turquoise printed fabric is in the 'to do' pile in my studio. (not cut yet!)

2. In the July issue (turquoise cover page) of Living there is a project for dying clothes. All the samples were shown in blues and turquoise - I am looking for just the right garment to experiment on. Think of it as modern tye-dye.

3. Some Patagonia yarn is slowly being worked into a boat neck sweater pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts for myself. I am on the sleeves but it is slow going.

4. Enjoying the burst of color in our living room, from the turquoise pillow I made using a pattern from Applique Your Way.

5. Some vintage turquoise fabric awaits my attention, to be turned into the summer shirt from Weekend Sewing. (Cut it out already!)

 

Children's Book Illustrations

 

I have been admiring more feverishly than usual these specific illustrations from a few of our favorite bedtime reads.

 1. Mama Mita written by Jo Napoli and Illustrated by Kadir Nelson has these amazing illustrations done from fabric collage and very little paint. Stunning!

2. The wordless frog books by Mercer Mayer are favorites for everyone around here. Once you try wordless books, they are really quite sticky.

3. I so admire Kim Lewis' illustrations and depiction of farm life in England in all her books.

4. The color combinations in Princess Hyacinth by Florence Perry Heide and Illustrated by Lane Smith are stunning, especially the pages with all the balloons.

5. We all like to read City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems and Illustrated by Jon Muth. In the part of the book where Fall comes along, the turquoise at the top  is a surprising but gorgeous way to highlight the colors of Fall. This is a great book for gently discussing friendships and change.

 

Hope you are enjoying your sky, whatever color it may be... 

 

August Break :: Pineapple Days

 

 

August Break :: Possibilities

More on skateboarding here.

Fourth Time, Not so Charming :: Rowan Cotton Braid

I have had some great success (by my measure which is how much something is actually worn/used) with the Rowan Cotton Braid yarn. The vanilla colored toggle vest above is by far the hand knitted item that I have made for myself and worn most often. If it had pockets (for my keys and iphone) it would be ideal.

I also used this yarn to make a kelly green sweatshirt, that was also quite successful (again by my personal measure of wear-ability). This yarn has a nubby feel that is quite unique and fun to work with, it feels almost like you are knitting with strips of well worn terry towels that have been soaked in fabric softener.

I took on a gigantic project to use up left over skeins, including the off-white cotton braid from the toggle vest in this seafoam blended sweater. (Wow, did I ever have time on my hands back then!) I wear it to dress up a pair of jeans, or it looks great with linen pants for a smarter occasion.

 
Last week I finished up my fourth (and smallest) project with this yarn, and the first one using a pattern from the book that goes along with the yarn - The Rowan Cotton Braid Collection.

Not so successful this fourth project. The Angelina (a cowl neck T-shirt style sweater) is a bit floppy and too big, despite going down one size in needles and also leaning toward a smaller size than I normally make for myself. This sweater, unlike the other two, used the Rowan Cotton Braid alone and it is unwieldy. I tried to compensate by adding a crochet edge using a yarn with some substance (a linen and cotton). The other three projects all used another yarn to either carry along(the vest) or frame (the sweatshirts green stripes and ribbed waist) or blended (the seafoam sweater). For me, this yarn needs such scaffolding to hold up into something wearable.

 

I don't see my knitting or sewing "misses" as  disastrous, just steps in the overall journey. I will add a ribbed waist to this cowl neck and see if that reigns it in.

" I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that don't work."

- Thomas Edison

Knitting really has "hit" me again, I knit rows at a time now instead of hours at a time - which works too. I tend to have a few projects going simultaneously, so that at any given time I can have a "go-to" project that is at a stage that requires little or no counting and one project at a stage that may need to wait for a moment when I can focus.

More info on patterns, yarns, etc. at Ravelry. What hand-knitted item do you wear most often? What keeps you knitting or keeps you FROM knitting?
 

These Boot are Made for Walking

Ok, so they are not boots. They are Capezio Character Shoes... but they are walking. Walking right into new adventures, fresh experiences and untread waters. This weekend it was off to a first sleepover with not grandma but Aunt Judy. Big stuff going on here.

I find it hard to put into words the emotions of such grown up adventures and quite franky watching her pure confidence. So I will talk about the skirt. The skirt, hand knit with not a clue that it would be worn with such confidence, pulled from the closet by her growing hands for such a morning when she walks securely into new and unknown situations. It was as if she consciously decided, I need to wear a power skirt today. Something bold, unique but in some ways a classic as well. All details for the skirt can be found on Ravelry.

Mountain Getaway :: Then & Now

Our mountain getaways are always a great source of recreation, and with that comes new ideas and fresh thoughts. Something about the fresh air, wildflowers, warm air with cold snow still on the peaks of the mountains to remind you to enjoy the warmth now. It is all so inspiring.

In April 2006 we took 8 week old Cassidy up to the mountains for some R & R. Last week we took 4 year old Cassidy and 2 year old CJ. The two trips, quite different indeed.

 
In 2006 we reclined on the grass, in awe of the new person in our lives. In 2010 we never really sat still. (Semi-Handmade knitted heart sweater info at ravelry, and CJ's striped beanie here on ravelry)

 
In 2006 we went fishing one warm afternoon on Lake Mary in Mammoth Lakes, CA. The cooler full of electrolyte enhanced water for a nursing momma and a few locally brewed ales for a new daddy. We caught quite a few fish. The air was warm, but snow visible on the mountain tops.

 
In 2010 we went fishing one warm afternoon on Lake Mary in Mammoth Lakes, CA. The cooler full of snacks, snacks and yes - more snacks. We did not catch a fish all afternoon. The air was warm, but snow visible on the mountain tops.

A lot comes from our mountain getaways, obviously some reflection. Also a lot of renewal and energy. Some of that will be visible right here in this space that you find yourself in the form of tutorials and finished projects to share in coming days. Stand by...
 
 

August Break :: Swinging Up High in the Sierras

Corners (Part Five) ~ Wine and Redefining Joy

I took a little bit of my free time this weekend to read an article in the New York Times that I had been carrying in my purse for weeks, All Joy and No Fun it was titled. There was also enough time to finish a corner that has been on my mind for some time. I did not think the two projects were related but as I was working on this corner, I realized some connections.

Let me begin. I am crazy about wallpaper. I especially love that modern wallpapers are so whimsical and quirky. I could never really commit to an entire wall of wallpaper though, at least not in our current home. I knew I wanted to do something to personalize our tiny wine nook. As I thought about this corner, I thought - 'Alas, I can use wallpaper'. I shopped a little online, and found quite a few that would be just what this corner needed, something unexpected, a little over the top. The wallpapers where pricey though and I really only needed a 1/4 of a roll. So I ended up covering 3 pieces of perfectly cut to size 1/4 inch plywood with some fabric that I found on sale. The black and ivory version of PKL Studio's Courtyard home decor fabric made the final cut for this role. I then put the covered plywood right in to make it look like the nook is lined in fabric. In order to personalize it a bit more I added a framed picture of a landscape that Sean (hubby) took on our last trip to Napa in 2002. The landscape was on a rainy day, looking out over a the Duckhorn vineyard. I added a small cheap Ikea light to show off the photo, as the nook is quite dark.

The picture of Napa that I used, is apropos - as it was during this amazing and luxurious pre-babies trip that we really learned to appreciate wine, especially Cabernet. It was also during this trip that we met and clung on to some dear favorite wineries, from whom we still order from or search for in local stores.

The funny thing was that the New York Times article I referred to mentions how parenting brings so much joy, but all the things that used to bring joy (like wine or traveling to Napa and drinking yourself silly for an entire week) really doesn't or can't any longer. I am paraphrasing a small section of the article. Actually the article takes you on a long journey through several research projects with statistics and winds around the very complicated road of parenthood.

So wine for us, was once a great source of joy. We enjoyed sharing it, drinking it, researching it and of course traveling to see where it came from (in this case Napa). Over the last five years, we surely have taken some turns. We once had a very well stocked wine nook (although not fabric lined!), and even had to put overstock in a friends wine cellar. We once had monthly shipments arriving at our house. We once threw elaborate wine tasting parties. Our cabinet was once filled to the rim with matching and shiny wine goblets, no it is over taken with sippy cups and Klean Kanteens. You get the picture.

Things changed, just like the NY Times article states. Now wine often gives me a headache (even the good stuff) unless I drink a zillion gallons of water and some green tea. It definitely interrupts our sleep. I am not sure if this is due to age or if it always was this way, we just were not so sensitive about the need for a decent night of sleep.

When we do have some wine now, we definitely make sure it is tasty. Since consuming less, we can really focus on enjoy the every so often glass of wine but we really make sure it is an excellent (though not necessarily expensive) bottle. A few of our favorites are:

Layer Cake Primitivo and Cabernet

Mi Sueno Cabernet

Frank Family all of the wines are good, but especially the Cabernet 

Revana Cabernet (an indulgence bottle)

So here is to you and to how things change when you are a parent and some things remain, to how life has a way of showing us new avenues for joy and perhaps even redefining what joy is altogether.

Cheers!

August Break :: Mountain Escape :: Fresh Air & Wildflowers