Spring Top Week!

I finally got my act together and finished (started) my spring tops. Last year I made a million of these "spring ruffle tops" from the tutorial on Made By Rae (ok the tutorial that she made for sewmamasew.com).

She hosted a "spring top week" last year and I never got around to submitting my tops. I had only made the one from her tutorial so I guess that's why? Well today I was inspired. So here are my tops!

Here's the green halter top it was inspired by something I'd seen a few weeks ago online. I'm really not sure where to tell you the truth (although I really searched google to try to find it...). It's a refashion from a raglan sleeved long sleeve top (which also came with a striped scarf which I cut up and used for the ties. Very simple - cut off the sleves at the seams, cut some length of scarf x about 1 1/2 inches, thread it through the hem of the neckline. Hem sleves. Done! So easy but I think it's my favorite out of the three.

Then the red/floral top made roughly from the tutorial here Although I didn't really read all the directions... and used some random knit fabric I had around. I like it but sadly looking at these pictures I definatly have no boobs. lol!

Then there is the ruffle top, tutorial here. It's not as good as last years but mostly I think because I'm not the happiest with the fabric.

PS: One day I'll know someone local who knows how to take pictures... and will maybe do something with my hair once in a while... lol. Thanks Wally for taking the pics! :)

Check out the other entries! http://www.flickr.com/groups/springtopweek2010/

More belts...

I had the most productive naptime ever yesterday. I finished these belts up - a nice little gift for two special people! I really enjoy them. I'm a little jealous though that I hadn't thought of adding scraps to the back of the one for myself! :)

A pillowcase style dress.

This has got to be the quickest dress ever. It's a pillowcase style dress. I used a thrifted bedsheet, the top of which had a nice blue detail which made for a sweet embeleshment (and no hemming needed!). It just ties at the sholder in a big bow... which yes needs to be trimmed down. It's too cute! Now for that warm weather so she can wear it outside!

Spring scarves

For a lack of a better way to put it, this week had a rough start. I was pretty frustrated with someting and just needed something to perk me up. Some people may take that feeling and go shopping. Well, I took it to my sewing room and made these!

Spring scarves. So I really wanted to make something for myself out of the Anna Maria Horner Litle Folks fabric... but I'm not very good at making shirts that I'd actually like to wear. So here it is. About 15 min each and I get to wear them every day! I simply used half a yard of fabric (by the width of the fabric) sewn right sides together, turned, and topstiched (for the blue one), and 1/4 yd of two fabrics for the magenta one.

Amazingness. And it totally brightened my week! As did getting this early mother's day gift in the mail:

Maybe next month I'll have a reason to sew some of these things for myself. (I'm becoming impatient)

Hexagons?

So I finally gave in and tried the paper pieced hexagons everyone is blogging about. I love the end product, but I've decided (after just an afternoon) that it's not for me. Is so beautiful, but I know I'm going to end up with carpel tunnel anyway (from sewing and working at a bookstore) so why irritate it more? lol. I'll leave those hexagons for everyone else.

Here's what I accomplished though:

Someday I'll have something that matches (lol...) to aplique it to. Until then....

Did I mention that I won?!

A while back while lusting after the book "One Yard Wonders", I found that on the publisher's webiste they were having a one yard a month for a year - giveaway (to celebrate the book). Well... Naturally I signed up... and WON! lol.

I got my first yard about a week ago. It's a yard of Alexander Henry's "It's a Hoot" which is home dec. fabric. I'd never sewn with home dec fabric before so I decided to start small. I made a belt with "D" rings.

I didn't use any interfaceing and it turned out great. I would use a bit of interfacing next time though... but I don't think it really needs it. Pretty cool. I might make one for a friend who loves owls. I've still got nearly the whole yard left (since I only cut off 4" to use for this project!).

The Little Folks Quilt!

It's finished! I'm so happy about how this quilt turned out! It's the first time I've taken the plunge and done free motion quilting on a regular sized quilt. It's also the largest quilt I've made to date (it'll fit a twin bed).

The fabric is from Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks line. The Violle worked up so beautifully. I was a little worried that it being a bit lighter weight than quilting cotton that it would bunch or something as I quilted it. That didn't happen at all! I'm very pleased at how it turned out. It's backed and sashed with Kona Cotton in Coal, and bound with AMH's Good Folks ... something in Dusk. :)

Now I'm just itching to make another! I have a bunch of the Little Folks left... (I was kinda stingy about cutting peices for this... wanting to hold on to all that fabric!). I'm not sure if I'll make another or something else. For now I'm very pleased; it's just perfect!