2 New A-line Skirts, made to order.

A very patient friend put in an order for 3 A-line skirts for work. She picked the fabric and I made them up. Unfortunately the Christmas Craft Rush interfered and the skirts were delayed terribly. I'm hoping (!) to turn over a new leaf and try to do orders right away instead of allowing them to get derailed by other projects. Wish me luck! The first one I did manage to get out to J before Christmas, a stunning teal corduroy, thin wale, by Robert Kaufman I think, with a bit of stretch. Lovely for a skirt and so vibrant. These 2 are a quilting cotton, Modern Martini by Amy Butler and Rashida Coleman-Hale's linen/cotton blend of a lovely graphic pattern called I Heart Wavy Lines. All terrific picks for the versatile a-line. If you are wondering whether I take orders I do but for now it's A-line skirts only and we're off on holiday soon so I can take orders but they can't be filled until the end of March/early April. I'm really not that reliable ;o)

Matchy-Matchy

Another a-line skirt! These are a very quick skirt to make and a nice staple to the wardrobe. 2 twirly girl skirts accompanied mama's a-line and all 3 girls were very excited to dress matchy-matchy! I've recently made some twirly girls with a corduroy top layer, cotton under-layer that look like so much fun to wear - while being a bit warmer too! Twirly Girl skirts will be available this Saturday at the KidzSwap Meet. Stay tuned for photos!

Simplicity 3835 - awesome top!

Many of my favourite blog-sewers have recommended this top and now I know why. It's very fast and fits really nicely and it also comes in tunic and dress lengths. I can't wait to make another one in dress length next. I've had the pattern since last fall but was finally motivated by this one to get going and give it a try - I was also, most likely looking for a diversion from the other things on my sewing list - like a grad dress, curtains, quilty pants and a pair of room shoes for a friend... guess I better go and get those done!

A Barcelona Skirt

Happy New Year!
Sorry for the lack of posts. I think that's the trend around here. I've sewn so many things but my documentation is falling far behind! Here is the skirt I made to wear for Littlest (like I needed another project at that time!). I love this Tufted Tweets fabric - very vibrant. I was planning on making these skirts for that next trunk show but not many people could tell these were couches. I guess the graphic is a bit of a puzzle for the eye - or couches on a skirt are just so unexpected perhaps! The Amy Butler pattern is excellent and easy and belongs to my good friend K and she had it for a whole year unopened so I asked to borrow it! Hoping to repay her soon with a skirt of her own!

Women's Long Sleeve Hoodies for the Littlest

I've made a small stack of one-of-a-kind embroidered birds on fabric paint-stamped birdcages. They're all black, women's (sorry guys!), American Apparel (because they're made in USA), long sleeve hoodies. I've been test driving mine since the spring and I'd wear it every day if I could, it's that comfy and washes well to boot. If you'd like one or like to see them just let me know or come next Saturday to 17 Arnheim for the 12th Annual Littlest Arts and Craft Fair - the best one in town in my opinion! There's my sales pitch for the day - stay tuned for more. The next big news is that, after a dry spell of not finding just the right kind of apron fabric since IKEA discontinued my favourite linen/cotton blend, I will finally have Cafe Aprons again! Hooray!

Belts for the Chocolate Claim

A quick scan of the blog revealed that I have only posted belt photos once - I make them all the time so I assumed they were blogged all the time! Alas, here is the most recent batch to go to the coffee shop. They are a lot of fun to make because they allow me to use every fabric in my stash and the variety is astounding (= i have too much fabric!). They are typically 42" long but I often have folks come by our house to pick their own fabric and length for themselves, a friend or a teenager or two. A very gratifying product for maker and client alike!

Happy Canada Day!

Vintage Barkcloth Sun Hat

Sun Hat season is back. Last year I made these hats for the trunk show and they were very popular. I'd forgotten about them and a few friends were asking so, rush down to the Chocolate Claim, I'm only making these 4 this year, 2 from Edna's vintage barkcloth curtains. They're reversible, large brims, perfect for sitting and reading, not so great for walking around if you don't want to bump into anything! Actually, the brim folds up in many different ways to aid in seeing where you're going. Very fashionable style nonetheless. They are "modified" Lotta Jansdotter Hats from her book Simple Sewing.

Another Japanese Top

This is my second Top #21. This time I took out the gathers across the bust for a cleaner look. This fabric was such a cute floral print, luckily I have more. Now that the presents have been given, I can start posting a bit more of what I was up to leading up to Christmas - since I was obviously not blogging! This was a gift for my good friend Lara - who spoiled me rotten, as usual with many one of a kind creations from her studio. She also gave me a stack of old dress patterns from the Sally Ann - what a great friend! Hopefully I'll post photos of them - there were some gems - including a cat suit that Lara needs in orange stretch terry!

A New Dress

I was inspired to buy this Jennifer Paganelli fabric and make this dress by a blog out there that I can no longer find (still looking!). A woman was writing about choosing between 2 dresses to wear to a wedding and the blue one was a floral print, reminiscent of wall paper or upholstery fabric and it looked great! I'm pretty happy with this one, a New Look 6799 that was the closest style I could find in town (we have a limited selection of patterns around here...). The fabric is called Loopy Vintage Floral - and it is! If I make it again I think I will modify the neck line to a regular sleeveless style. It's a bit 50's and looks great with a cardigan (Grannie-it-up in the words of my husband...!). A bittersweet use of vintage buttons - at the back, I'll never see them!

The Wrap Skirts

I've been having a great time with these cotton/linen skirts and coordinating Denyse Schmidt prints and a bit of Heather Bailey print too! They're really fun to wear (the brown one is already wrinkled in the photo since I couldn't resist wearing right away!). The plan is to make a bunch in 3 sizes for The Mother's Day Trunk Sale that we're going to have on May 2nd. Ever since I saw The Workroom's trunk shows I've been wanting to have one of our own! So over the next few months there will be a few projects here that will go towards that Sale.

Sewing in Japanese

When I was in Singapore in 2005 I'm sure I saw these lovely Japanese dress pattern books but thought - don't even look, you'll never be able to read the patterns! Well, thanks to blogs, I can now see that there are many brave women out there who have jumped right in and tried these patterns any way! Who knew?! So here is Number 21 (in the largest size published - of course!). It's a blousy top for keeping the sun off me while on holiday next week - a well deserved one I might add, as we've been enduring minus 35 for atleast a month now...! These books came from here and the guts to do it came from the blog at the workroom.

Number 21, originally uploaded by Georgi Pearson.