Manic Pop

It's funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same. Aside from my amazing rainbow staircase I painted.... Other than that, I am back to taking photos in front of my orange bookshelf! I think that's what I mean about things staying the same. I used to take photos in front of it in the bungalow house I rented in Chicago from 2009-2014. By now, I am fully moved in and settled into my house in Grand Rapids, Michigan -- one WE BOUGHT. I know I mentioned it in my last blog post, but it's my biggest accomplishment so far in my entire life. We didn't accept any help from anyone in our family either -- so it was ALL us making the house thing happen.  During my settling in time, I have been able to already crank out 3 new items -- one being this ridiculously fun frappuccino sweater. I used a sweater knit from Fabric.com but found the Starbucks patch online.  I'm sure there is some sort of licensing issue with the seller of the patch and Starbucks...

Well, I honestly didn't know these infinity dresses were a "thing" but I guess I do now! I can see why they make a popular choice for bridesmaids dresses as everyone can have their own look and yet remain uniform. This pattern is pretty new and I bought it on sale via Burda's website. I was intrigued by how it worked and it's much simpler than you would think! It does take a LOT of yardage (6.5, though I recommend 7 with seam allowances). The pattern wants you to use a medium weight jersey but honestly, the lighter the better if you ask me! My fabric is from Fabric.com (as always!) and is a super soft double-brushed knit. I knew instantly I wanted a print for this dress so I set off to find a nice printed knit. I only have 4 examples of tying this dress but there are countless ways of doing it!  I tend to like it a little twisted in the back although there are various ways of situating the back.  This way could be great for fall sin...

Super quick make = super quick post!    I made Burda's jersey knit twist top which has a dolman sleeve-like effect. I have a top like this in all black which is one of my favorites. This one is a little more special because it does what seems like a Pattern Magic twist within the pattern making. Here is a photo with the 1st seam sewn. It only has 4 seams and then sleeve and bottom hem plus neck stitching! I actually had this fabric in my stash since November. It is one of those trompe l'oile prints where it appears to be knitted but is really just printed.  Good for me because while I like sweaters, I also tend to run hot and sometimes sweaters are constricting.  This was a fabric I added onto my cart on Fabric.com to get free shipping! 😆😆 Initially I thought I might make a plain turtleneck out of it, but this is so much more interesting! I probably will make a few more of these when I get a chance!

I'm on a roll lately. I'm just gonna keep cranking out new pieces and buying new fabric because that is what my life is currently all about! I finished Butterick's B6554 recently and finally got around to taking photos today. This is my 1st mobile post because my laptop's fan recently died and I would prefer not to overheat my computer while the other replacement fan is being shipped! 😆😆 We decided that today we needed to take photos in our soon-to-be-new city of Grand Rapids, Michigan! More details forthcoming but we are really excited for a change of scenery and a new life.  We goofed off quite a bit in these photos as you can see. The backdrop is downtown Grand Rapids on the iconic blue bridge. For this dress, I used about 5 yards of fabric from fabric.com (my go-to!) of Kaffe Fassett's "Lake Blooms" fabric. Fitting that it would be called "lake blooms" since now I am on the opposite side of the lake from Chicago. ...

Finally got out to take some photos of this long duster-top thing!  This one happens to be New Look 6514 which I have had in my stash for a minute. Making this was all actually a happy accident! Originally, I bought this Art Gallery fabric named Carnaby for a Butterick Dress "sew the look" that Carlos from Vogue Patterns posted. I have been needing some sewing/design projects to keep me occupied lately since we are moving permanently to the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. I don't know how/why I spaced on the fabric yardage but the Butterick dress needed 5 yards and there was only 4 left in this print! I pulled New Look 6514 out of my stash and it only needed around 4 yards! Yay!   Above, I ended up buying 5 yards of a Kaffe Fassett "Lake Blooms" fabric (left) for the "sew the look" Butterick dress. I actually am most of the way done with the Butterick dress too!  (See below for the post by Carlos.) Lately, I feel like my l...

Hey guys! I know it's been a bit, but here is the latest -- a really fun quilted faux leather trenchcoat using Sewaholic's Robson Coat pattern! Weirdly enough, I think this was my first indie sewing pattern as the past few years I have used Big 4 patterns or even further back, made my own. I used leftover quilted leather from a jacket I made about 3 years ago with a Burda pattern. I knew it would come in handy someday! We were in town in Grand Rapids, Michigan and were able to take these photos. I ended up underlining my jacket (since I hate jackets with no linings!) and ended up using this guide I found online for reference. Although I know how to design myself, when I sew for my own use I generally don't want to think too hard and will just follow instructions of other's. I had a Brooklyn Industries trenchcoat that I loved but it is nearing around 7 or 8 years old and I have worn it SO much that it started to shred. So, I decided that this...