Last Saturday I made another shirt using my first commercial pattern. It’s Simplicity 7018 and even though the shirt is easy to sew, I had such a hard time understanding the instructions. Why? Because the instructions are in German. I know this is weird because I am German, but when I started sewing last year in September, all I did was reading blogs in English and buying English patterns, so I never made anything that was written in German. And let me tell you this: German sewing terms make no sense at all!! I had such a hard time understanding what I should do that I translated the German terms back to English. Weird. For the German readers: why is “gather” called “einreihen” and not “raffen”?! 

Enough of the rambling and on to the shirt. You might remember the fabric from this bag, this pouch or this pincushion. It’s amazing how many projects you can get out of a duvet cover, and I still have enough left to try out a skirt and at least one other blouse.

You can’t really see the details in the picture, but I promise to take a better one of the new shirt I’m planing to make with the fabric I bought at the dutch fabric market. I’ll also add some elastic to the hem and the sleeves so it it will look like a mixture of version 3 and 6.

But for now, I’m off to my sewing machine to finish the bag for a friend I’m going to visit over the weekend. I really hope it will be sunny in Cologne, I’m so spoiled here in the south with good weather that I just don’t want to wear socks ever again :)

Can’t. Stop. Sewing. Shirts. Help!! I made this little beauty on Sunday and I’m sure I’ll be wearing this a lot if the weather stops being so un-springish. I guess making shirts is my new addiction, because I already have three new ones in the making. Okay, not in real life, but in my head I’m already sewing :)

Note to self: smile more

This is another version of the Trapeze Sundress from Weekend Sewing. I cut off 23 cm (9 inch) and made the straps a tad wider. On Heathers blog, she suggests making one big box pleat instead of two smaller ones in the front if you are busty. Baaad idea. It looked totally puckery and not really flattering, so out came the seam ripper and back to two small ones. The great thing about this shirt is that it uses exactly 1 yard of focus fabric and a fat quarter for the bodice. If you make the small version, and not the large as I did, you may get away with a yard for the whole thing. 

As much as I want to sew some more I’m not sure if I’ll find the time this week, so why don’t you check out the great submissions to the Spring Top Week and get some inspiration - maybe it’ll be your new addiction too!

I can’t stop making clothes from Weekend Sewing, seriously, it’s like an addiction! I never, ever thought I would even start with garment sewing, all I ever wanted was sewing bags. Thank you Heather, not only did you design my favorite fabric ever (everything from Mendocino) you also created my favorite sewing book so far. I could sing praises about Mrs. Ross for the next 3 pages but I guess you all know by now how much I adore her work, so on to the Trapeze Sundress.

Remember my first try on the Summer Blouse? I still had plenty left over from that sheet and after seeing Starr’s pretty  Sundress I just had to try it.

Well what can I say, it’s a nice little dress and I would definitely wear it on the beach, but since the next beach is about 1000 km away, I’ll probably never get to wear it. It looks ok from the front, but since my “girls” and bottom are kind of, uhm, big, it’s not really flattering from the side. So what to do? Cut the whole thing off and make a shirt!

Ah, much better now:

(I really have to find another way to take pictures of myself, my green corridor is starting to annoy me and I just can’t get a clear shot)

As far as the pattern goes: it’s a breeze to sew! Heather explains it very well and I wasn’t lost anywhere in the process. I can’t remember how long it took to finished it, but it felt rather quick. I used the large version and even though the upper bodice band is a tad too wide, it fit’s perfectly around my bust. I already have a new one in the making and some ideas about alterations for future shirts: front pockets, buttons on the straps, elastic on the hem….

I’ll add this to the Spring Top Week over at Made by Rae and if you have some time on your hand, why don’t you make a shirt this weekend and join the fun?

If you’re too lazy to make one yourself, you can always stop by at Karen’s brand new home (former Craftermath) and buy one. She makes a very similar version out of her beautiful pashminas! 

It’s nearly midnight here, so I’m off to bed soon because tomorrow I’m going to the dutch fabric market. I didn’t even know we had something like this in our town, but Melina over from HomeMadeStuff gave me a call today, so tomorrow it’s all about two girls with coffee in their hands, sun over their heads and and probably empty wallets :)

Enough with the garment sewing, I’m back with a bag! It felt really good to make something I actually know how to make and with this tote, I don’t even have to feel guilty about having too many bags because it’s actually a present for one of my best friends who is turning 30 tomorrow. I really had a hard time picking the fabric for the bag, because her style is a lot more girly than mine, so I let her choose the main fabric from Etsy and went with her request for some lace.

I used Keyka Lou’s Lots of Pockets Tote and mixed the Kokka print with some brown corduroy, a pink cotton for the lining and some lace. I think the flap could use a pretty button, but I hadn’t a pretty one lying around so I’ll just buy one next week and sew it on in the office, lucky for me we’re working together :) I’m still not 100 % sure if she’ll like it but it was as girly as I could get.

As far as the pattern goes: I absolutely love it!! I enlarged it by 120%, because her pattern tend to run small, and made the handles a bit wider and longer. It’s a great, great bag with an awesome shape and I really like the front pockets. I may even go so far and say it’s my favorite bag pattern so far. Which leads me to the conclusion: I have to make one for myself to. But you knew that already, didn’t you :)

It feels like ages since the last time I posted something. Thanks to everyone who commented or sent me an email asking what’s going on with me. You guys are great! The last two weeks have been a bit hectic and sometimes life gets the best of me and I don’t even feel like hanging around on the web. So please bear with me if I don’t post that often in the next couple of weeks, I’ll try my best not to disappear for too long :)

I haven’t felt really crafty lately, but this morning I woke up and went straight to my sewing machine. Et voila: the Summer Blouse, take two!

This time I lowered the neckline by 2 inches (still too high for my taste), took in the sides by 2 inches (still too wide), shortened the sleeves by 4 inches (they’re 3/4 sleeves now even if you can’t see it in the picture) and made it 4 inches longer which is a good length for me I think. I used two Heather Ross Mendocino prints, and even though I love the fabric I think it has a bit too much body for this kind of shirt. So next time I’ll try and use something with a bit more drape. Yup, you heard right, I’ll make at least another one :)

In other news, spring has finally arrived in Germany and I can’t wait to wear my flip-flops!! I hate being in shoes and socks and I would love to walk around bare foot 24/7. Tomorrow we’re invited to a barbecue so I’ll have to get going and get some nice steaks and cheese, and after that I’ll be back and do some blog reading. I’m sure I missed a lot :(

I don’t know what’s wrong, but I really can’t bring myself to sew anything. It’s raining outside, I have a cold (but have to go to work anyway) and my overall mood isn’t that great. I can’t even bring myself to waste my time surfing the web, which is a first for me. So to force myself to do anything else besides working, sleeping and being cranky, I thought I’d post the Summer Blouse from Weekend Sewing I made two or three weeks ago.

This is the first version, so please excuse all the wrinkles and the fraying hem.  I used some vintage bed sheet which turned out to be a good choice, because I really have to practice the binding and sewing on  the placket neatly. Again, I went with the large size, which fits perfectly around the bust but is a tad too wide around the waist and definitely too short. If I lift my arms there is too much belly action going on for my taste :) I’m also thinking about a v-neck like Ashley suggested. Overall this blouse is pretty easy to sew, but I would definitely recommend making it longer and to go slowly with the binding, because it’s kind of tricky to sew it on nicely, or maybe that’s just me :) 

If I ever get out of my crafters block, I’ll make the final version with the fabric I actually bought for it - Heather Ross Mendocino Kelp Stripe in brown.  I’m loving the cotton poplin and have to hold myself back from buying more of the Mendocino line before it’s sold out.

Edit: Next time I take a picture in the mirror I really should clean it first before I wonder why all the pictures are so blurry, duh.