W.i.P #3

I promise, I'm not going to just post W.i.Ps. In fact, I have a friend coming over tonight so we can finish up a W.i.P and I'm planning a couple posts about some fun projects I've been working on! So, without further ado....

Completed:

-Jamie Dress #2

- Sweet Dreams PJs and matching toiletries bag

- Olivia Clutch

- Boat Tote

In Progress:

--Mother's day present

-- Yellow Frill Jacket

In the queue:

-- Herringbone Skirt

-- Denim Skirt

-- Flower Skirt (do I have enough skirts in this line up?!)

-- Pique dress

--Baby Quilt

--Jamie dress turned tunic- based on this post by Kim!

Stats:

completed: 4

started: 2

in the queue: 6

Head over to http://freshlypieced.blogspot.com/ to see what other's are working on too!

W.i.P #2

wow! Has it really been a week since I posted!? This week really got away from me.

We had a great weekend at Pappasitos celebrating a sweet friend, going to Steeple Chase, and picking out fabric for another Jamie dress! (this one for a friend). Here's my W.i.P #2:

Completed:

-- not a dag gum thing!

Started:

--Mother's day present for my mom. Wish I could tell you more, but it's top secret!

-- Miranda's Jamie dress: I'm so surprised by how much faster this one is coming together-- the pattern really is quick and easy and I need to get Miranda over here for a fitting so I can put on the straps and hem the skirt. I may even make a matching purse if I have time! I love the blue fabric she picked out- the solid color is really going to let you see the detail with all the ruching at the waist and gathers in the skirt:

-- Yellow Frill Jacket-- still cut out, still sitting patiently on my work top....

-- The Boat Tote-- I cut this out super-fast and I think it's going to whip up equally as fast. I hope to have this done by the end of the weekend!

In the queue:

-- Herringbone Skirt

-- Denim Skirt-- I've also decided to make a floral version out of some Lissette fabric I found on sale at JoAnn's this week: (it's the skirt in the picture-- luckily, there just happened to be an arrow pointing to it!)

--Pique Dress-- Can't wait to get this one started and finished!

--Baby Quilt

Stats:

completed: 0

started: 4

in the queue: 5

Head over to http://freshlypieced.blogspot.com/ to see what other's are working on too!

WIP Wednesday #1

W.i.P stands for Works in Progress. This is a link up started by Lee over at Freshly Pieced. When you're done here, head over there to give her some blog love and check out what other people are working on!

I've got a bunch of stuff in the works-- some I can reveal, and some I'm going to have to be a bit more secretive about. So, here goes for W.i.P Wednesday #1....

Completed:

--my Jamie dress (blogged about here) turned out great and I'm getting ready to make one for a friend (more about that later).

Started: --Mother's day present for my mom. Wish I could tell you more, but it's top secret! --Jamie dress for a friend. I'm really excited about this and hope I can do a great job! Hopefully I'll have some great reveal pictures in a couple weeks! -- Yellow Frill Jacket. Check it out: In the queue: I have a bunch of projects I want to get sewing on. Here are the creative boards for each of them.

1. Boat Tote: I found this super-cute purse at Lands End and thought "I can make that and probably cuter! I'm going to use a Jen Giddens pattern (love her patterns!). The fabric is an upholstery fabric found at JoAnn's that I think will hold up great and be really fresh and fun for my beach trip this summer!2. Herringbone Skirt: I saw this Issac Mizrahi skirt online and I love the front pleat! I'm going for an A-Line option in Joel's Dewberry's Modern Meadow in Pink Herringbone. 3. Denim Skirt- Alright, I'm all about giving credit where credit is due. I saw this skirt on Talbot's website (yes, I embrace my love for the twinset) and drooled. I also stumbled upon this lovely blog and Miss. Mary made a reproduction of the same skirt using Simplicity 2215. I love how her version turned out and am going to try it for myself. Thank you for the inspiration Mary!

4. Pique Dress-- so while I was checking out the website Idle Fancy, I came across this post about Simplicity 2209 (the same one I'm using the make the Yellow Frill Jacket with). I've been eyeing the silhouette of this dress wondering if it'll work for a curvy girl like me. I love the unusual darts in the front and the a line skirt, but, lets face it, and undefined waist doesn't really work for me. Again, Miss Mary made the dress in a fabulous Pique (see her post here) and I love the way she paired it with a belt! I love pique-- I think it strikes the right balance for a cute summer work dress-- cool and crisp! Can't wait to make this one!5. Finally, I've got some top-secret projects I'm working on-- my mother's day present (mentioned above) and a play quilt for a baby coming soon! Here's a sneak peek of both: Stats:

completed: 1

started: 3

in the queue: 5

Jamie Dress Sew Along

It's finished! I completed my first dress and I love it! I used a fabulous Jennifer Paganelli print from her "Poodle" line called "Tanya" (in mustard). It's an unexpected color combo and a lot of fun! And yes, it is the same fabric used on the front of the pattern. I loved it on the model and couldn't resist.

I love the lines of this dress because it works well for a curvy girl like me. The waist cinches in at my skinniest part and flares out from there. I can dress it up with some heels and a pashmina, or dress it down with a pair of espadrilles and a cardigan. A great addition to my wardrobe!

The pattern itself was pretty easy and came with a ton of instructions. Maybe it's because this is my first dress, but I loved the way the lining of the dress came together in the bodice so you can't see the seams-- they're tucked in between the dress and lining.

Changes I made to the pattern: I used an invisible zipper instead of the standard one recommended in the pattern and I think it worked out really nicely. I also had to take it in a bit in the bodice, but that was easily done and I think the fit is much better than it would have been.

Changes I may make the next time I sew it:

1. the skirt is really full--you take almost 2 yrds of fabric and gather it down to over half that length. I really like the fullness, but I may try to make it a little less full next time.

2. I also saw that some people in the sew-along used coordinating colors and continued the ruched waist around to the back of the dress to give it the look of having a sash. I really like that and think it would be fun to play with.

3. I like the idea of making this into a tunic-- Kim at My Go-Go Life did that and I think the results are too cute!!

All in all, this sew-along was a lot of fun and I really want to find another one to join in with soon!

Coming up, I have a couple of projects. I'll be posting about them on Wednesday for my WIP(work in progress) Wednesdays! Lee has a weekly link up over at her blog Freshly Pieced. I'm excited to link up this week!

No I'm off to start working on my super-secret mother's day project for my mom. Want a hint? Oh, ok... here you go:

I've Landed! (and I made a spring bag!)

Okay! here i am. i have joined the bajillions of you who keep track of your life on the internet. Who knows how long this will last, but i have totally enjoyed reading an looking at every other blog that i have access to and thought i might as well join the throng.

The blog is called "See Mer Sew" b/c, well, that's what I'm going to be focusing on. So many of you ask about what I'm sewing or crafting lately, and this gives me a great place to network with other crafty-people, show off my successes (and sometimes failures- which usually end up hilariously), and basically talk about whatever the heck I want to.

So, for my first post I thought I'd talk about my latest sewing project: the Miss Maven Ruffled Handbag. You can find this pattern in the book Style Stitches by Amy Butler. You can also check out my review on patternreview.com here.

I've been looking for a fresh spring/summer bag to tote around now that the weather is getting so nice. Instead of buying one, I decided to make one!

This is the hardest project I've made in my year and a half of sewing and it was totally worth it. I ended up with a super-cute handbag I love!

I used a new line of quilting cotton by oliver+s called "City Weekend" and I love the way the orange pops with the Turquoise. I also made a couple modifications to the pattern for the inside lining. I added a zipper pocket on the inside (using this fabulous tutorial I found on sewmamasew.com) and omitted the closure tabs and put the magnetic clasps directly in the lining so the bag will shut tighter.

Overall, I love this bag and will definitely make it again- just probably not anytime soon. I have a couple upcoming projects I want to get to first. One in particular: my first sew along!

More on that later. In the meantime, let me know what you think! Do you have a favorite spring purse that comes out around this time each year? What does it look like and why do you love it?