Reengergized (Let's Hope It Lasts)

I haven't sewn in a loooong while. Yesterday, after listening to Material Mama's podcast, cleaning all the scrapbooking stuff off my sewing work space, and going to Joann's, I was feeling inspired. I prefer Butterick's patterns, and behold! they were on sale. Here's what I bought:

Although I've made shopping bags by using a plastic store bag as a pattern, I thought I'd try a couple of these out.

I liked this pattern (above) because it looks like a pretty versatile dress pattern - one that can be worn to work or hanging around town during the summer.

I love the lines on this dress and have the perfect fabric for it already. I only hope it looks good on me with all these extra pounds I'm carrying around these days.

Butterick pants fit me the best. I actually bought this pattern just for the pants, but think the sleeveless top and skirt might be good choices for some of the fabric my mom bought me a couple years ago.

Although I have a ridiculous amount of patterns in my stash, I needed new patterns, as I've gone up a size, which has taken me from one pattern size block to another. (One great thing about McCall's is that they have more variation in their groupings: 8-10-12, 10-12-14, 12-14-16.)

My plan is to first finish a UFO I started last summer. It's a skirt with maroon pinstripe fabric my mom bought me. I lost interest because it didn't fit and isn't terribly flattering, but I'm thinking that once it's done, hem and all, it will look flattering with the proper blouse.

Happy creating to all.

New Sewing Projects

Finally, school is pretty much over for me, with the exception of some projects here and there. That means I can start thinking about sewing. I haven't been able to do much for months and am looking forward to playing in my sewing area again. So this morning, I cleaned up my sewing area and made a list of some projects I'd like to complete:

• Curtains for the bedroom (Had the fabric for 2 years, time to get on it)
• A couple shirts for me
• Another Ottobre outfit for DD
• Barbie clothes for DD
• A dress for me

The list was longer, but I edited for a reality check.
What's up first? Barbie clothes for DD. She wants to help. I'm not sure what to do with her at this point. She's five and is getting to where she can do some things, but Barbie clothes require some precision. Yesterday, my friend cut out a couple items with DD and they "sewed" one of the pieces with fabric glue. Much to my surprise, it worked quite well. I may just do some gluing myself, and then DD can help with that.




For me, I am going to make one of the following two tops:

Both tops have gotten great reviews on patternreview.com. For the McCall's 5586, I plan to make make view A, the read shirt. I love how they embellished. Fun, but not too over the top. For Simplicity 4076, I plan to make the short sleeved version with the gathered neckline. I'll probably lengthen it a little, since the reviews indicate that it runs short, at least according to current styles.