Sunday, September 22, 2013

Falling into Fall: Halloween Wreath



It's the first day of fall!  For us New Englanders, this means the promise of apple picking, leaf peeping, and, of course, Halloween! 


As an early house-warming gift for a friend, I made this Halloween wreath.    A simple grapevine wreath spray painted with Krylon Pumpkin Orange Interior and Exterior Decorator Paint (took a few coats to get in all those nooks and crannies!).  I followed this tutorial to make the flowers - altering the length and width of the fabric strips for the various sized flowers.

Between the paint and rolled flowers, it only took an evening.  I love projects like these - quick, simple, uses materials on-hand - and yields a beautiful result!


Now I have to go out and make more for myself!  I have a few other flower styles I want to try - maybe black, gray and white felt? 

What's your favorite part of fall?

 
 

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Skirt-A-Day giveaway winner!

We have a winner!
 
Katie F, who said, "Oh wow! I love this book already! I would have a hard time deciding between the Tuesday, and Saturday skirt!!!!!"
 
Katie, start thinking hard about which skirt to sew because the book is coming your way!  Please email me your mailing address and I'll send it along to Storey Publishing.  They'll ship the book out speedy quick so you can get sewing!
 
Thanks to all who entered - either via blog comment or email!
 
I'll be back soon to share something new to my crafty repertoire. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, September 9, 2013

Skirt-A-Day Sewing: Book Review and Giveaway!



Happy September, everyone!

I'm so excited to share another new book with you all: Skirt-a-Day Sewing: Create 28 Skirts for a Unique Look Every Day

If you've read my blog at all, you know I aspire to sew more clothes for myself.  I've attempted store-bought patterns but am always stuck when it comes to sizing - my curves don't fit exactly what's on the package!  Enter: Skirt-a-Day Sewing

This book walks you through the steps of creating your own customized sloper (a pattern made exactly to YOUR measurements).  From that sloper, the book shows you how to springboard and create 28 different skirts, based on four basic styles: wrap, straight, flare and high-waisted.  Each project is rated beginner, intermediate or advanced.



To start, I went with the author's advice and sewed a wrap skirt.  It was hard to choose because all the skirts are so cute! 

Creating a sloper, and the subsequent patterns takes time.  These are not one-hour projects.  But, the time put in is well worth it as you'll create a skirt that fits you EXACTLY how you want it! 

I treated myself to a new tool suggested by the author: the Dritz Styling Design Ruler
It helps draw curves (which I definitely have!) and other pattern needs.

Because it's getting cool here in New England, I wanted to use a fabric that would transition into fall - a light-weight corduroy felt right.  Works with wedges for now, tights and boots later.  My goal was to use leather trim for the ties and pocket.
 


A work in progress here.  I ended up cutting the ties too short (so they don't actually wrap!) and I decided to forego the pocket.  But...can you see the fit?  Pretty spot on for my curves. 

I'm looking forward to trying more skirts (27 to go!) and working more with my sloper.  For never having done sewing like this, Skirt-a-Day Sewing is a great resource for construction, drafting, designing and sewing. 

Would you like to try your hand at it? 

Thanks to the lovely Storey Publishing, I have a copy of Skirt-a-Day Sewing to give away!

Leave a comment about which style you would try first.  Giveaway is open until Monday, September 16th at 11 p.m. EST.  Open to U.S. residents only. 

And, if you just can't wait for the giveaway, you can find a copy HERE !

Good luck!

And, for more chances to win, check out these amazing blogs:

9/10 http://www.sewingrabbit.com/

 

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