OWOP: rectangles

So recently, I signed up for One Week One Pattern (OWOP) hosted by Handmade Jane.  The idea is to wear different versions of the same pattern for 7days.  I had originally signed up to do the Belcarra blouse by Sewaholic, but that just was not practical given my schedule as of late.  I really liked the idea of OWOP, so instead I chose gathered skirts as my pattern.  These are all self-drafted skirts using simple rectangles.

Day 1
Mustache skirt with suspenders.

 

Day 2

Perry the platypus maxi

 

Day 3

Haiirookami skirt

Day 4

Coral maxi

Day 5

Grey floral skirt

Day 6

Game day maxi

Day 7

Mustache skirt sans suspenders

Bonus

Day 8

Coral dress

Well I was pretty happy to get to wear me made clothes and it’s nice to get to wear maxis.  Sewing allows shorter people to look good in maxis (and not just drag them around on the floor)! The OWOP challenge made me realize that I love me some prints and quilting cotton.  

Day 228

Made this cake for a friend's goung away.  It's not the prettiest but it took only 3 hours to make from scratch to leaving for the party so not too shabby considering time restraints. And a big thanks to my fella for being a great sous otherwise it would've taken me like 5 hours ( I get distracted easily and usually end up scorching white chocolate)
It's a white chocolate cake with a rose buttercream frosting.  Everyone tought it was tasty.  Next time I'll use rose extract instead of water.  The water  ( even after putting in ~6x what the recipe called for) gives too subtle a flavor.  
This was my first time making a buttercream.  I think there will more of this in my future once the weather cools down some.  I iced the cake and the fella did the decorations.  
Hope you're having a great day. 

Day 225

A pic of my current WIP.  It's a wearable muslin. 

Day 198: Plantains galore

I made an upside-down plantain gingerbread cake for some friends' going party.  

DELICIOUS.  

I actually made this cake 3 times 9 days.  I even forgot the butter one time and it still came out well.  I have every intention of perfecting this recipe and making it as often as possible :). 

I made a lame washi tape label for the cake so that I did not have to explain what it was a dozen times. 

For the party, I was feeling pretty funky that day (I'm pretty sure I brought some frenemies back from my trip) and needed a little pick me up. 

So I whipped up this Plantain shirt from Deer and Doe (FREE pattern here). 

I used fold-over elastic (FOE) for the neck binding.  It was the first time I've ever used FOE and while it was not perfect I think it came out pretty well. I also did not hem this shirt at all; another reason to love sewing with knits. It fits well and the tissue knit and the drapey shape are great for the summer heat and will be great for layering in the fall/winter.  Promise I'll take more detailed photo and share. 

Day 196: Thread Theory Arrowsmith undershirt

Hey guys,

Sorry it's been so long since I lasted posted.  I unexpectedly got to Haiti at the beginning of July for my Grandmother's 80th birthday!!! Thanks to my amazing aunt and uncle.

So, while I did not make all of my goals for the free pattern sewing month, I'll still be sharing what sewing I have been up to.

First off, I'm sharing the tank I sewed up for my fella using the FREE men's Arrowsmith undershirt pattern from Thread Theory

So this is maybe the 4th or 5th thing I've ever sewed using knits and generally I think it was successful (except for the part where I forgot to switch to a straight stitch when using my double needle and subsequently broke it :/ ). 

I went with the fella's size as according to the chart but should have gone down a size due to the stretch of the knit I used.  The fella picked out the fabric for a cardigan, but it's a tissue-y knit so that was a no go.  But I ordered it anyways and surprised him with this tank.  

The pattern and directions were generally easy to follow. I just wish that the right and wrong sides of the pattern and fabric were clearly labelled in the directions. I really enjoyed the cutting guide on the printed patterned pieces which made tiling and taping the pieces super streamlined.

(Please excuse the scraggly thread.)  I think I did a pretty okay job lining up the stripes on the fabric too.

The fella was getting bored so he started making silly poses. This one is my favorite.

The Arrowsmith tank seems to be great for the Florida humidity.  He likes it as lounge wear. I'm seriously considering using this pattern to make a ladies tank dress.

Hope you are having a great day!

Day 152

Yes again with this skirt.  It's great to travel with since the fabric is already wrinkly.  It was pretty amazing to be able to sit directly on the grass and not have a ton of bugs crawling up my legs.  Colorado is a beautiful place.  Look how GREEN the grass is there.

Fort Collins

This June I went to Fort Collins for the EEEID conference.  I came back invigorated and super pumped about doing more science!

I thought I'd share some of the beautiful flowers they have. 

For the first time ever, I got to see poppies and peonies-- which just so happen to smell like Turkish delight, I'm pretty jealous that they don't grow here-- in real life. 

ENJOY!