Colette Launch Party

Yes, I am posting this really late!  But, I attended the colette fall patterns launch party last weekend!  It was pretty amazing.  When I first found out about it, I was sad, because I kinda sorta had a wedding to go to that day.  So, I asked my husband if I could go to the launch party in L.A. and he was really confused.  He asked me what was so important about travelling that distance.  There was a slight pause and I said, "I don't understand the question..."

Which is most definitely true.  I still don't understand why he can't see the awesomeness of it.  So, anyways, he ended up telling me that I should stay home and not go to the wedding.  I live in Alameda which is right outside of Oakland, so it was technically more economical for me to stay and go to the one in Oakland.  Which, I got really lucky, because Erin posted on her blog that she wanted to do a blogger meet up before the party, so I decided to go to that!  It was pretty awesome to meet her.  Not only is she really sweet, it also turns out that we grew up in the same town, I graduated with her sister, and we knew some of the same people!  Crazy!  Anyways, I also met Sarai while I was at the meetup and she was really sweet as well!  I'm not going to lie, I was nervous about going and talking to people who are legally able to drive.  I don't know if you guys know this but, I am super, super shy.

Once at the party I got to meet two other stay at home moms and we had an interesting conversation about babies and birth stories.  It was kind of cool to talk to moms and have the oldest kid.  Anyways, I also got to meet Meg from Made by Meg.  I had seen her earlier, but I have a bad memory for faces and it wasn't until after I saw her name tag when it finally clicked.  And, what do you know, she is also sweet!  It was a lot of fun talking with everyone and I had a blast!

Anyways, if you give me ANY reason to make a dress, I will make one!  So, I decided to make the Colette Crepe dress and wear it to the party.  I had seen this fabric at my favorite fabric store in San Francisco, fabric outlet.  I bought like 4 yards and the person at the cutting table kept asking me if I was sure I wanted that much.  I was a little worried that it would be a little too sweet with the hearts and the style of the dress.  So, instead of toning it down, I chose the sweetheart neckline and I plan on putting lace at the hem.  I guess I like sweet, cutesy clothes!  Also, I swear the next thing I make will NOT be blue!  I didn't realize that I make so many blue clothes.  I guess that it's a good thing I blog.

Anyways!  I didn't make too many adjustments when I cut out my muslin, but after I tried it on, I followed Gertie's sewalong to pinch/tuck the excess fabric out of the bodice.  It was super easy.  The muslin took like an hour (including cutting) and the dress took maybe 2-3 hours to sew up (not including the cutting).  However, the hem took FOREVER!  I was really not liking the copious amount of fabric on the skirt and thought it might overwhelm me.  But, I actually really like the amount of fabric in the skirt.  But, when I laid out the skirt on my queen sized bed, the skirt seriously went from one end to the other!  I watched Jaws while I was pressing up the hem and it took half the movie to press the hem up and then took about 10 minutes to sew the hem!

Anyways, I LOVE this dress!  It was super easy to put together and it required minimal fitting.  It did take a lot of fabric, but it is worth it!  I love this dress and I will most definitely make it again!

I bet you guys thought I forgot about the Pattern Pyramid Giveawy!  Nope!  I just have a surprise for you guys!  I will *hopefully* (technology Gods willing) be posting that tomorrow or Monday!

Pattern Pyramid Giveaway!!

Yay!  I am FINALLY getting this up.  Oops.  So, I won a pattern pyramid giveaway from Aft Agley, and I was really excited!  When I got the package, it was laundry day and I was so good and I waited until the next day to open and take pictures (for the best light) and as you may have heard the pictures didn't turn out well!!  So, I retook the pictures last weekend and while they aren't the best pictures I have ever taken, I lost patience and I just want to put them up, because I am really excited!

Here they are in a super cute pouch that she made me!  I have already had some fights with my daughter for it.  Let me preface this by saying that she is 4 years old (which you probably already knew) and when she saw the inside of the pouch:

she asked if it was hers.  

"No, this is mine..." I said as I started looking through patterns.

 She looked at me like I was completely crazy, "but there are butterflies inside it..." 

"Yeah, I love butterflies"

<short pause>

"But you're a dolt" which I immediately took offense from, until I realized she meant "an adult"

"What?  Can adults not like butterflies?"

"No, because you're already growed and you can't turn into one..."

*le sigh* oh how I wish I could think like a four-year-old.  Anyways!  Here is the loot!

This is the one I decided to keep:

Seriously, view 4 melts my heart a little bit!  It looks like little petals on the neckline...I will definitely be making this up really soon.

I also took some closeups of the other patterns for your viewing pleasure!

So, I feel pretty guilty that it took me forever and a day to get these up, so of course I took a look through my newly acquired vintage stash (more on that later), and found just a couple more patterns to add to the loot ;)

Sorry there are so many pictures!  Hopefully everyone can see everything!  If you want, you can go to my flickr account and check out the pictures there.  I think if you click on the pictures, it will take you there.  

So, I am now officially announcing the start of the giveaway!  The only requirement to enter is that you have to have your own blog.  You keep one pattern and then hold a giveaway on your blog and pass the rest along!  I am so happy that Karen set this up and it really is a lot of fun!  The giveaway will close on September 28th at noon (PST) and the winner will be announced that day.  So leave a comment (making sure I have a way to get a hold of you)!

My Ode to Gertie

Oh my goodness!  Two posts in one day??  I must have a lot of time on my hands ;)

Not only do I have an awesome husband who understands the need to splurge on patterns just because you have a coupon, he also understands the need to buy all of the most awesome sewing books on the market, the day before they are actually scheduled to be released!!  Yes, my local independent bookstore got Gertie's book and I bought it!  This book actually was my 10th book bought there on my frequent buyer's card so I got $17 (the average of all of my books) off my next purchase, and I got the Bust book that I've been looking at for awhile. 

Anyways, this is a crazy awesome book.  If you are interested in:
sewing vintage patterns
using vintage sewing machines
tailoring
taking your sewing to the next level
sewing books with wonderful eye candy
creating a vintage wardrobe
fitting
basics of altering patterns
vintage inspired clothes
sewing in general
Gertie, herself

then, what the heck are you waiting for??  Go and buy yourself the book!!  Seriously this book is just that good.  I don't know if I would recommend it to the absolute beginner, but I would recommend it to anyone who has ever completed a sewing project.  Seriously, you need to buy this book...really, go out now and buy it.  I have a collection of sewing books and this is definitely one of my favorites.  I think this one and Colette Patterns book go hand in hand.  My mom got all weird when she saw that Gertie has tattoos...I think she forgot that I even had one...

Well, that's not much of an "ode", is it?  Oh wait, there's more.

I have officially joined Gertie's Coat Sewalong on Flickr!

I bought this really beautiful wool coating from denver fabrics, but now I am worried that it might be too heavy.  If it is, then I will just return it and getting something lighter.  I would prefer not to do that, though!!  My husband is going to Joann's tomorrow after work and picking up the pattern for me.  Did I mention that he is really understanding??

This is the fabric I got:

Isn't is just beautiful??  I really hope that it's not too heavy!  If it is, I might go with a cotton twill instead of a wool.  We'll see.

I almost got this one:

but, when my husband looked at it, he acutally said, "No, please...please no"

And, my live-in fashion consultant *cough*my-four-year-old*cough*, didn't even say anything.  She just looked at me with a weird look and walked away.  I took that as a bad sign.  I guess it would be A LOT of leopard print on a short, wide girl.  Oh well.  Maybe next coat I make will be leopard print...

That's all I have for the night!!  Hopefully I will get pictures up because I have exciting things to share!  Including a Pattern Pyramid giveaway!!  Stay tuned! 

Labor Day Sale Pattern Spree!!

Ok, seriously, the other day I was the most dutiful little blogger and I took pictures for not one, not two, but 5(!) blog posts!  I loaded them on my computer and they seriously looked worse than bad cell phone pictures!  I don't know if you know this about me, but I am a photographer.  There is no way that I am putting those pictures up here with my name attached to them.  So, today I went to take pictures with a point and shoot that we have, but the batteries were dead :(  They are currently being charged and hopefully in the next couple days I will have some awesome posts coming up here!  One of which announces the arrival of the great Pattern Pyramid to my humble blog!  More on that later ;)

Anyways, so tonight I was feeling sad that I couldn't post anything, but then I realized that one of the posts don't actually require me to take pictures.  So, around Labor Day, I started looking for coupons for local fabric stores.  I found a 15% off your entire purchase for Stone Mountain and Daughters; which, for all you non-bay area people, carry Colette Patterns and Sewaholic Patterns!  Since I am doing the sew colette sewalong, I figured it would be best to get the patterns that I am 100% positive that I am going to make!  Plus I grabbed a Sewaholic pattern that I have been lusting for!

The Sewaholic Cambie!  Sure, Fall is coming up, but I could still wear this with tights and boots!  I am pretty excited about this!  So, with the 15% off I got this for about $15, which is great, because I was planning on ordering it anyways.

When I found Colette Patterns (a couple years ago!) I fell desperately in love with Crepe!  It's just so ladylike and pretty.  I just love it!  I actually just finished my second muslin of this dress and I am actually done muslining!  It's very exciting.  I need to make this up quick because.....wait for it.....I am going to meet Sarai!  Yay!  I don't know if you heard, but she is doing a West Coast Tour and she will be in Oakland on the 22nd!  I have already RSVP'd to the store (one of my favorite fabric stores in the area).  So, I plan on wearing my Crepe to the party!

Then of course there is the Peony!  This was an obvious choice, because judging from how the voting went, this was going to be next month's sewalong.  So, I grabbed it!  I love this pattern, it was my favorite pattern last fall/winter when they released it.

I really love Ginger and I kind of had to get it because I already have fabric waiting for it!  It's a really great, basic skirt pattern and I am excited to whip this up for the fall/winter.

Ahhhh, the Beignet.  If Crepe is my favorite, the Beignet would be a very close second!  This is actually the only pattern that I don't have any fabric for...but that will change soon, I am sure ;)

To be 100% honest, I wasn't too sure about Chantilly when I first saw it.  However, after making Nicole (man, I love naming my dresses like that...it kind of gives them their own personality), I fell in love with full swishy skirts and gathering at the bust.  It also has the same type of yoke as Zooey, so this has to be flattering.  However, I plan on making this in some chiffon I got in L.A., so I anticipate lots of curse words will be harmed in the making of this dress :P

Lady Grey!  I drooled over all of the Lady Grey goodness during Gertie's Lady Grey Sewalong and I wanted one of my own!  So, I finally got the pattern!  I just ordered fabric for it too!  Sew excited <<see what I did there??>>

Anyways, that was all that I got.  I actually got a good deal on everything, so I am pretty happy.  I am so very, very, very lucky to have such an understanding husband!  Well, he may not be so understanding now.  He finally helped me fold all of my L.A. fabric tonight and he told me that I wasn't allowed to buy anymore fabric (with the exception of fabric for my Peony and muslin fabric).  Oopsies :D  I think he is right, though because we have planned another trip to L.A. for my birthday!  I am not going to say that is exclusively planned for me to go back to the Loft....but I am also not saying that it's not ;)

Macaron

Seriously, this dress sucked all the creative energy that I have.  Honestly, I am really surprised that I even finished this!! 

So, here is my August Colette 2.0 sewalong.  Oh boy.  I think you guys know how much this dress took out of me.  Honestly, it has absolutely nothing to do with Colette Patterns.  The dress was beautifully drafted, the instructions were very thorough and detailed.  My problem with the pattern happened on the drive home from the fabric store.  My water bottle leaked ALL OVER THE INSIDE OF MY PURSE!!  So, when I got home, I was obviously devastated.  But, I gingerly unfolded my soaking wet tissue paper and laid them over chairs and things like that.  However, I think the whole soaking in water and then letting them hang dry stretched and distorted them!  Unless Sarai planned on the skirt portions to be more of a parallelogram than rectangles.  So, the majority of the SIX MUSLINS required to finish my dress was more of trying to make the pieces fit together they way they were intended.

But, once I got the pieces correct (or mostly, anyways), I sewed up this version.  I think I may have jumped the gun, though.  The sleeves are a teeny tiny bit too small.  They fit and they aren't a huge problem, but when I make it next time, i think I will add like 1/4" to 1/2" to the sleeves. 

I do love this dress!  I got the softest, drapiest corduroy I have ever laid my eyes on!  The floral print was actually a voile that in underlined with a solid dark pink voile.  I omitted the facings and used store bought *cringe* bias tape, instead.  I also added a 1" flare to the skirt, because I wanted it more A-line than the straight skirt. 

back!

I wore this dress to go watch Paranorman!  It was a super cute movie, but it was pretty scary for a kid movie.  Paranorman was a reward for my daughter because she kept her room clean for an entire week!  For a four year old, this is crazy long!  I am so proud of her!  Anyways, I wore this dress to Panera Bread (lunch), Target (candy stock up, of course!), Barnes and Noble, another candy store (forgot to get M&Ms for the theater) and the theater.  It was really comfortable, and I didn't notice anything being too tight, too loose, or too short.  All of those are super important when dealing with a four year old.  So, all-in-all, I consider this dress awesome and I will make it again!

Cost:
Pattern: $18
Fabric (main): 2 yards corduroy ($10)
Fabric (contrast): 1.5 yards voile ($7)
Fabric (underlining): 1 yard voile ($5)
Notions: zipper, thread ($2)
Total: $42

What I learned:
If I ever completely soak my pattern in water either 1) let it dry folded up or 2) just buy a new pattern!

Would I make it again?
Most definitely yes!  It's super comfortable and I really like it!  Not 100% sure that it is flattering, but that's okay, I guess.