Bargain Priced Home Decor Fabric!

I had to drive to San Bernardino, California today, downtown area. Not the best area unfortunately specifically because there seems to be a lot of individuals asking for money on the streets these days, which always makes me a bit cautious. But on the way back I'm glad I decided to take Foothill blvd. through Rialto because I had to make a quick U-turn after noticing this place. I can't believe I used to visit this place ( under a different name ) almost 25 years ago. It was one of the very first fabric stores I used to visit to get my fabric for my Home-Economics class in Jr. High School, paying only 2 bucks per yard. Back then they had an assortment of fabric blends, and today it seems they offer mostly 54" home decor. But guess what? This place is still packed with some pretty awesome choices at only $2 or $3 per yard!  

So....I couldn't help but shop for some pretty home-decor fabrics which are perfect for making handbags, or zipper pouches, or pillows, or magazine totes, or duffle bags.......or whatever you can think of that calls for a heavier fabric. 

See! Only $2 per yard!

But of course the $3 per yard section had a ton of pretty selections too! You'll be sure to find something that appeals to your style, you just have to go through the isles.

And there was also a ton of different trim available for $1.50 -$3 per yard. And 9" zippers for only .50¢!

I couldn't pass up this pretty tropical print in a cotton/polyester blend, which will be perfect for my spring & summer table cloths in the back yard. 

Here's a glimpse of some of the fabric I ended up purchasing at a bargain of a price!  But I also ended up grabbing a few yards of some pretty gold taffeta & a sheer off white fabric ( not pictured ) to make my parents some new drapes for their living room. But now that my mother saw it, she's so excited about it that she can't stop harassing me to start on them asap. So I will probably get to them either tonight or tomorrow just so I can move on to my own projects and be able to sew in peace!

Simplicity 2889

About a year ago I saw this ( salmon hue dress on the right ) online at Anne Taylor that I really liked. However the price was a bit too much for me to want to pay. I think it was around $69. So I figured I'd try to just search for a similar pattern & try to make it for less.

Well, I didn't even have to search far since I found this perfect pattern right in my stash. It's by Simplicity #2889. And although it's not an identical match, I found it pretty similar & decided to make view B without making hardly any changes on the design, except on the fitting. 

And here's my version of it. 

As you can see, the mid section of the dress is a bit different then the original design from Ann Taylor. Their version had about three rows of gathers done using a very skinny elastic on the wrong side of the fabric & theirs was also made out of a knit and was a pullover dress, whereas the the Simplicity pattern I used called for the gathers to be done before hand on both the bodice & the skirt & then I attached them. I used a jersey fabric in a salmon hue & I also lined it & added a zipper on the back ( as instructed on this particular pattern. ). This pattern is also labeled as an "easy" pattern, however I personally thought this should of been labeled more as an intermediate level especially since it called for a lining & a zipper, & the gathers used in the bodice & on the shoulders may be a bit tricky to do for a beginner.  

And this is me wearing this dress today actually. It's a little big on me since I've recently lost a few pounds, but rather than taking it in at the moment, I decided to wear it with a belt & paired it with my favorite denim jacket. By the way...here's a breakdown on the total cost to make this dress:

Simplicity Pattern:              ( originally purchased at Wallmart for $2.99 )

Salmon color Jersey fabric: 1 7/8 yard for about $4 total

Lining:                                 about 2 yards for about $3 

20" zipper:                           $1

Thread:                                $1

Total cost:                            $12

& if you're an experienced beginner or intermediate sewist, you can make this in about 4 hours or less. I usually like to block out a few hours on a Saturday morning or break it up in a few evening sessions during the week. 

Stitching for the Marriage Enrichment Ministry!

I was recently asked to help out with another ministry banner for a Marriage Enrichment Weekend Retreat that is held at our Parish twice per year. Since my hubby &  I have been a part of this ministry for several years, I am always glad to help other team members, especially if it involves sewing. This time around, the Decorations Team wanted a banner with vines & grapes etc., since they were going with an Italian/ Tuscany type of decor. So, with a limited budget, our job is to work together to come up with an attractive banner to hang during the weekend for the participants to enjoy. 

To see other banner's I've helped sew, you can view them on Flickr.

The Decorations Team purchased an inexpensive curtain panel that I used as a base to build on. It was cut down to measure approximately 4'x5'. 

It took about 8-10 hours ( by several couples ) initially to cut out all of the leaves, top-stitch them, cut out all the lettering ( using felt ) , & to hand -tack everything in place & basically prep it for me to permanently stitch it by machine. 

Then, once it was all tacked in place, it was ready for me to stitch it all in place. I'd say it took about 4-6 hours or so to get it all stitched. 

Here's a small video snippet. 

The Colette Sewing Handbook party at Sew LA

Over the weekend I headed out to Sew LA in Los Angeles, a super cute sewing studio located in the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles with my friend & neighbor Kat ( & new sewing enthusiast ). Finding this cute little studio was not a problem, but parking was not happening for us, especially after driving up these very narrow streets, uphill ( in a truck mind ya ), then driving down again still not finding a spot. We finally gave up after 20 minutes & decided to valet park it. Shoulda just done this to begin with but I guess I'm just not used to handing over my keys to a complete stranger. I live more inland about an hour & 10 min. east where it's a more like suburbia ). -But anyways....here's a few pics I captured w/ my new bff Siri iPhone.

Here I am with Sarai Mitnick, author of The Colette Pattern Sewing Handbook, & designer of Colette Patterns. Although I've been a reader of her blog, I haven't yet had the opportunity to try out any of her patterns until now. I'll be making the Meringue Skirt, the Pastille Dress, & the Taffy Blouse ( all included in her book ).  & I also just ordered the "Macaron" dress. I love that her designs have a vintage flair & seem to flatter curvy figures. 

Happy to add another signed sewing book to my collection!

Here's the cover, which features the Pastille Dress. 

Pictured here with my friend Kat, who purchased the last pattern of the "Ceylon" dress.
This will be her first time constructing a garment, but with a little guidance, I am sure she will do great!

I'm going to start on the "Taffy Blouse" soon ( blouse on the right ). 

I like that it sewed using a french seam & bias tape. 

....I think this photo was an accident, but it's still kinda cool.
 

Here's Kat with the adorable Devon, who teaches at Sew LA & has her own cute blog Miss Make ( & is wearing the "Ceylon" dress she made herself ).  

We had yummy eclairs, macaroons, & lots of other goodies.  

And here I am with a few other fun gals I met there. I loved that the middle gal shares the same name as me ( although I'm not quite sure how she spells hers ), all I know is that she has a pretty hilarious blog about sewing.....and lots of drinking!   It's called oonaballoona from kalkatroona, & I can already tell she's very very creative. & I loved that she is swapping homes until the summer with a friend, she's an actress from New York.  We joked about swapping homes ourselves since I've been wanting to visit the big apple...although I'm not sure the Inland Empire will be as exciting as LA or New York, but she seemed to be intrigued by getting to use my sewing studio.
& the lady to the right, was a really nice lady herself from Australia who just happened to recognize her favorite blogger miss oonaballona....pretty funny. 

Simplicity 1987

I recently used this Simplicity Pattern  #1987, to make this very easy pullover dress. I used a polyester/rayon fabric & elastic thread around the waist line to give it a shirred look & did not make a casing for the elastic as the pattern called for. I just find it a bit easier to use elastic thread whenever possible. The bodice is self lined around the yoke area & around the arm openings, so when it's turned inside out it is nicely finished and there is no need to finish the neckline or arm holes with binding tape. & for the back closure I just used a little hook & eye. Overall, this pattern is very easy to follow, with very few pieces, which makes it a perfect pattern for beginning sewists. And if you find some fabric at a good price ( mine was about $3yard ), you'll be able to make it for $7-$10, which is a bargain! 

Here's a few tips when using elastic thread:

-Gently wind the elastic thread on the bobbin ( do not stretch ).

-Use regular sewing thread on the top threader. 

-Make sure to mark your first line using your favorite marking tool & use a ruler.

-Make sure to start sewing on the "Right Side" of the fabric. 

-Use the edge of your presser foot as a guide for your next row of stitching.

-Don't forget to Backstitch when you first begin & also when you finish. 

-When you are satisfied with the amount of rows, spritz it with some water using your iron & steam iron the rows of shirring & watch them shrink in. Washing your garment will also help to shirr it even more. 

Simplicity 2147

I've been test sewing several patterns lately, mostly because I've been wanting to select a few easy patterns that I can use to teach garment sewing for beginners. Here's a good one I found from Simplicity. I made view B, but I'm planning to sew View A & D as well, including the belt. 

For my fabric, I used something from my stash. Believe it or not, I found this black with white pin striped cotton/stretch fabric at Wallmart for only $2 per yard. I couldn't pass it up, so I bought the entire bolt which had about 9 yards on it. 

I made a pattern size 16 and used up about 2 1/2 yards.  I also used a contrasting thread in my favorite color turquoise for topstitching & for the hem. What I loved most about this particular pattern is that it only has 4 pattern pieces, so it is perfect for beginner sewists. The pleating around the yoke area is pretty simple to learn and although the pattern suggests to use 1/2" single fold bias tape around the neck area for a finishing hem, you can get away with just folding the neck facing inward & then topstitching ( especially if you use a fabric with stretch or knit ). I did use bias tape myself, but if I make this again I will most likely not use it. And although you can't tell from my photo, I added side pockets to mine for comfort. You can also use this dress with or without a belt. I personally think it looks a bit to boxy on me without a belt. Another thing I want to mention about this pattern is that it is a mini dress, so I personally thought it was a bit too short so I added a few more inches on the length, although I could of worn it as a tunic with leggings underneath. 

If you are interested in also sewing this mini dress/ tunic but don't have sewing classes nearby that you can attend, there is a pretty good video tutorial on youtube that is pretty easy to follow. Here's the link 

little turkey outfit

Made this cute little turkey outfit for my littlest niece who's only a few months old. But I can't take credit for the idea. I got the tutorial from Lindsay over at the Cottage Home. This project will take about 1.5 hours....maybe 2 if you like to take your time like me. I used some Pellon Wonder Under to iron on the little turkey & feathers, but I also stitched around it so it holds up during washing.