…a summerdress

I’ve really been in a dress phase lately. Something about wearing a fun and flowy dress just makes me feel like a free little kid again. I chose this pattern for the neckline mainly (the one on the middle dress) and made a few changes to it. I shortened it a fair amount and made it sleeveless and more tank-like.

I also had lots of fun accessorizing it:

 

The gathers were fun, but also tedious. There were a lot of layers of fabric and my patience is a little thinner than it used to be. If you look closely the craftmanship is… not so good! But I don’t really care.

Ruby and Alyosha like the dress too!

Oh yeah, by the way, my birthday is tomorrow! 27 on the 27th, whoop whoop!

 

…an old, treasured item

I just found my high school prom dress! 

T & I have been packing things up to get ready for the move, sorting what’s coming to Scotland, what’s being stored, and what’ll be tossed.  I came across a box of clothes I sewed way back when.  Think back in high school!  In high school I was enrolled in Mrs. Gray’s sewing class at Satellite High School (a class that Trent and I did take together!), during which I made my prom dress from a sewing pattern and was so proud of it.  I think I had more fun making it than I actually had at prom.  No offense to my date (now husband), I just really REALLY like sewing. 

It’s a little scary to see how young Trent & I were; and its hard to imagine the pre-beard times.  Please note our proud display of flip flops and chuck taylors as our prom shoes in the first photo.  We were (still are) so straight-laced that that was our form of rebellion.  Yes…  so sad.  Of course, once I came across this dress again, I HAD to try it on!  It still fits, but only barely.  Still proud!

           

siiiigh, good times.  good sews.

 

…a dress!

Although this has turned out to be predominantly a knitting blog, this is not a knitted dress; I am still very stubbornly of the mindset that knitted dresses are for the most part quite unflattering to the female form.  On the contrary, my friends, I have pulled out my dusty old sewing machine and made for myself a sewing nook once again.  Meet Ruby, my darling and ever so willing model/dressform. She looks just wonderful in my new sewing nook!

By the way, Ruby is sporting my freshly made Arrowhead Shawl, which I will post about later…

Anyway, turns out I still know a think or two about sewing, because this dress came about pretty smoothly! I picked out some really nice soft turquoise fabric fully intending it for another dress (which I may still make later on), but then I discovered my new favorite website, BurdaStyle! After spending a few hours searching patterns that can be printed at home or at a copy shop (some free, others at a very cheap price), I picked out a dress that this tuquoise fabric was much better suited for, the “Coffee Date Dress.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best part of this dress is the great ruffle. It’s not too much, but not too little. I’m very particular about things like this so its very fortunate that I find this dress so adorable! The silhouette (A-line) is perfect. The size I thought I’d measured myself out to be turned out a little too big but with a little crafty changes I made it fit me quite nicely.

 

I think I may be putting away my knitting needles for my sewing machine a little more frequently. I have contracted the sewing bug, and its not going away without a fight.

 

…a multitude of things

Well back when I started this blog on blogger, I had the devotion to sit and create a handful of blogs and then disappeared like a phantom.  Every time I made a new project, I promised myself to upload a new post… and instead started a new project.  So, this post is devoted to all the things I have made in the past year and a half and was too lazy to load.

This is a sock monkey hat made for my sister in law, Amanda.  I got the pattern from Knitty and it was quite a hit.  Now for her husband…

I made the manly mitts, also from Knitty - I liked them so much that I made a pair for myself!

…and kitty helped!  Next up (but of course these are NOT in chronological order!) is

my first foray into cables and it was in the form of a scarf for my younger brother, Steven.  Hopefully he’ll send me a picture of him wearing it because I bet he’s pretty darn handsome in it!

This was a purse I made a few months ago for my other brother, Richie’s fiance, Maria, for Christmas.  Being that I have been absorbed with knitting for the past 2 years, I am way out of practice with sewing, so in all honesty, it’s ok but certainly not perfect (sorry, Maria!)…  I just wish that I could design knit patterns like I could pattern a purse.

This was my second foray into cables and it was a pillow for my mom.  She loves it, even though there are plenty of things that I would, in retrospect, change.  For one, I would have lined it with red fabric so that those white spots would not peer the gaps in the yarn.  Also I would have made it removeable so that the pillow within could be replaced.  Already the pillow has become flattened like a pancake.  But still, mom loves it!

That’s about it for my summary of 2006-07 projects.  Hopefully the year 2008 will see a more dedicated Kristen makes.

 

…some costumes

I had the wonderful opportunity during my teaching “stint” in 2006 to be the costume designer for the summer theater program in our school district.

The play: “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.”

I had no theater experience, but the director, a fellow teacher, saw enough potential in me as a designer and seamstress, and I am so pleased that he did. As I plan to return to teaching one day, I also hope to return to costuming as well.

Here are the secretaries in the “Paris Original” dress. I altered a Vogue pattern to be slimmer and shorter, and the girls loved them so much they kept them!

Here, the girls pose as pirates for the elaborate and ridiculous pirate scene. I made them more wenchy because I thought it would look better from the stage. And it did.

 

…a slingback chair

We recently had visitors from home, during which my one friend Jenny (pictured on the left) humored my whim to stroll down to the dumpster in our apartment complex, where a ratty and tattered Bud Light slingback chair had caught my eye. When I slowly lowered myself into the chair and realized I hadn’t fallen through, I was also pleased to find that not only was it sturdy, but it rocked too.



I shamefully regret not taking a before picture, but feel free to create your own mental image. Anyway, here’s the after…(…and yes, you’re right, I didn’t “make” the chair, just the sling, gosh!)