My Beatrix Obsession

I think I have an obsession. Maybe more than one, but let's focus on this one for now. The Beatrix blouse pattern by Rae Hoekstra of Made By Rae. I searched for and found this pattern last spring. I was looking for something to make for myself that fit my style at this point in my life. When you are 60 and go shopping for clothes it is rough. I don't fit the younger look any more and I don't feel like an old lady just yet. Then I found Beatrix. I made 3 for myself, blogged here. Then, I wanted to know if I could make one without buttons up the back. And I can! I have now made two of them. This is the latest one:

 I found a new to me fabric shop called Imagine Gnats, through Rachel Hauser's blog, Stitched In Color. When I went to see what she had, I was wowed by this fabric. It is a Lawn, made by Alison Glass. I had never seen it before and I just had to get it.

 I did not buy it for myself. My daughter needs a couple of new tops for work and this one really seems like her style. It is a soft and lovely fabric with great drape to it. I sewed it without buttons up the back and sewed all the seams flat fell so there would be no raveling. This is the second one I have made with this technique and it seems to work well since the fabric is so thin.

 Strategic pattern placement helped to get the look I was going for. The navy top about the shoulders and the aqua closer to the hemline.

 I had a 5 inch wide piece left that actually ran edge to edge and decided to make a small scarf she can use to accessorize or she can wear it with something else. It is also soft and flowing.

So can you see why I am obsessed with this pattern? It is also very well written and easy to follow. Enjoy your weekend and I'll talk to you soon.
Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts.

Big Box of Goodies

I love getting a big box of goodies, but even more, I love sending a big box of goodies and imagining the happy faces opening it. I sent such a box to my oldest and it arrived yesterday, so I can now share all the handmade goodies in that box with you here.

 The first item is this blouse I made for my daughter. I had to have her send it back to me as the sleeves were too tight. I found a wonderful video on you tube to show how to adjust sleeves to fit better. I had to find and order another half yard of the fabric to do it, but Etsy came through for me. The adjustment was so easy and now I have a new skill in my tool box.

 Next up is this fleece robe for Miss N with sock monkeys all over it. I found the fleece at Fabric.com and the pattern on Melly Sews for just $2. This is a great pattern and so very easy too. It seems Miss N needed a robe of her own because she kept stealing her brother's robe, even though it was way too big for her.

 Here is the back of the robe. The one adjustment I made to the pattern is I sewed the sash to the center back of the robe, instead of making belt loops on the sides. I like to keep kids robe belts with the robes. This works great.

There was so much fleece left over, so my sister suggested a pair of sleep pants. I found a free pattern on line (just google it) and they took about 15-20 minutes start to finish. I didn't hem them as I thought they could be rolled up now and then down as she grew. She is already loving them and they are so soft.

 Next I made this little pouch for my daughter to carry things in her purse. I had made one for her years ago and it is so worn and dingy from being in a purse for more that 5 years.

 I used a bunch of 2 1/2 inch squares from my scrap box in green and a simple fold over velcro closure.

 I also made her an Open Wide pouch in large, for her knitting projects. She has several that I made over the years. It has been so long since I made one, that I had to actually look up the directions to refresh my memory.

The chicken fabric is some of her favorite and I just recently found some more on line at Fabricworm. The pom pom is one I made back when I was filling my days with such things during my cancer treatment.

 Next up, two new Geranium dresses for Miss N. I recently bought the expansion pack as I already had the pattern (you can get both together as well) I wanted to be able to add sleeves since the seasons are changing and getting cooler back east. This is a Sara Jane border print I have had for awhile.

 The top is the last bit of one of my favorite Sara Jane prints which I have used in several quilts.

 Then, there is this cutie. As I mentioned earlier, one of my daughter's favorite prints and I had made her a boxy pouch out of the one fat quarter I had that someone had given me. When I saw this on Facebook at Fabricworm I just had to grab some. The floral print is from the same collection.

 I used a fat quarter of a yellow print for the lining of the top. It matched up well with the flowers.

 Add some fun buttons from the button jar in my sewing room and voila!

These buttons were bought for something else and not used. I love that they sort of blend in and don't really show much from a distance.

 This is a close up of the cute fabric with the chickens. It is an Alexander Henry fabric.

 And lastly, some fall/Halloween decor. I googled fabric pumpkins and dove into my orange fabrics to make these for the kids (and their mom)

It was just a quick little fun project. And that concludes the contents of the big box of goodies. Thank you for reading along with all of this. Linking up with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Very Productive Weekend

I have been so very productive here the last few days. I have been sewing up a storm and so happy to be ticking things off my list. I love it when it works out that way. Here is what has been happening:

 This is the ribbon block for the Penny Sampler quilt. I have all the parts up on my design wall in their more or less correct places so when the new assignment comes out I can see what is needed color and fabric-wise. I thought I just needed some red. Something that would POP and draw the eye in, before it starts to look around the quilt. This is a busy quilt. I LOVE the way this block turned out. I took my time and pinned, sewed and pressed carefully and I am quite pleased with the way all the points came out.

 This little six inch block is much smaller and easier to piece, but still I was careful to make sure to pin and press to get the points to line up.

If it wasn't for the ribbon block, this would be my favorite. I love how this came out. I love the colors and the style. If you haven't figured it out yet, this whole lesson was about HSTs and matching up the points. The best advice I can give is go slow, pin and press. Trim carefully too.

This was a most enjoyable lesson. I wanted to get it done, as the rest of July will be busy with family visitors coming to see us in our new digs. My goal for this project has always been to stay caught up, and so far, I am. Yay!

 When the hourglass blocks were done, there was one extra, since they are done in pairs. So, taking a page from Amanda Jean's book, I made another little pin cushion. These are so much fun and I love having pin cushions around the room wherever I may need them.

 The final thing I finished was another Beatrix blouse with the pattern by Rae. I have had this cut out for a few weeks, so when I was ready to sew, it was just GO! The back doesn't completely match up, but I knew that would probably happen and I don't mind. I am not using this to dress up, just for daily wear.

 The front turned out very nice. I love the way this fabric works for this blouse. I think this turned out better than my last one. I felt more confident when I was making it.

And for this one I opted for the shorted sleeves. I am not a big fan of short sleeves as I am getting older and don't like the look on me, but these are not too tight, so I think they look good. I do recommend this pattern and also the Gemma. They make for a nice summer wardrobe, but I am planning a Beatrix with 3/4 sleeves for cooler weather. Again, it is all cut out for whenever I have the time to sew it up.

I also finished a quilt top, but I can't share that yet as it is a gift. So, a very productive weekend! Have a great Wednesday. Talk to you soon.

Gemma...and More Gemma

I know I've said this before, but I love Rae's patterns. They are easy to make and the directions are very well written. I bought my pattern for the Beatrix blouse awhile ago and I have made one and I have two more cut out, one with short sleeves and one with 3/4 length sleeves. But summer is coming on early and strong here so I need something cooler and sleeveless.  Enter Gemma.

It's as if Rae read my mind, for the very day I needed such a thing, I received a post in my email suggesting the Gemma for summer sewing. I was so thrilled I bought the pattern and after reading the fabric suggestions, I ordered fabrics for 4 Gemmas!

The first two are done and I love them so far! Here is what I have made:

 This Gemma is made in Boardwalk Delight Jersey knit Ice Cream Shop by Dana Willard for Art Gallery Fabrics. I haven't sewn a jersey knit before, but with careful handling and a few google searches for handling advice, I think it worked like a dream.

 I like the way it fits and the drape of the jersey knit is wonderful. This is a very comfortable blouse and pretty easy to make.

 This is the first one I made, in Kaffe Fassett Collective Shot Cotton in Ice. This light weight fabric just screams summer time cool. This has a great drape to it as well.

I think it will get lots of wear, as it goes with everything. I must confess, I did not make a muslin as suggested, having done so with the Beatrix. I found the pattern to be true to size for me. I like my tops loose and flowing, pretty much. If you have never made a muslin, you should, just for the experience of fitting a garment.

The last two Gemma blouses are not made yet. But I wanted to share the fabrics with you anyway.

 This one is Hudson Bay Rayon Challis. It too has a light swishy drape to it. I love that for summer. I thought the colorful pattern would be a nice switch from the solids. I love solids, but I need some diversity, you know?

This last one is my favorite. This is Kaufman's Manchester Textured Yarn Dye Shirting in Poppy. Can you see the great texture created by the weaving process? This is going to be beautiful! I look forward to this one the most! I think it will be kind of dressy. And all of these can be worn with a cardigan or jacket to dress them up when things get cooler.

I hope you are having a great week and I will talk to you soon!