A new little person

This week I made some crib sheets for the new little person who will be joining our family soon. We don't know yet if its a boy or girl so the fabric had to be gender neutral.

Just like when I made crib sheets for my own daughter, I used the patterns from this book:

I admit I had a 'misty moment' looking again through this book admiring the beautiful gentle drawings & thinking back to when I was a young mother.

Quite possibly the easiest dress ever.

I needed dress to wear to a baby shower last weekend and after much gut-grinding as to what pattern to use I settled on this one: Simplicity 3566.  I have made the blouse version of this quite a few times but this is the first time for the dress. With only 3 pattern pieces, it can easily be cut out and sewn in one evening.

I used to have a Vogue pattern that was very similar to this except it was cut entirely on the bias. Only the upper bodice of this pattern is bias. I changed the bodice pattern piece to the way the Vogue one was designed. Even less fabric used:

Simplicity on the left, Vogue on the right

I found putting a zipper in this top or dress totally unnecessary. Even quicker!

The only thing: It was only 23 degrees out-- sleeves would have been nice too!

Its good to try new things.

I made this (incredibly hard to photograph!) skirt for my Designer III Group challenge. The challenge was to create our own textile. I can't say I exactly created a new textile, but I did transform it. More importantly though, I did do some things I have never done before. 

I used my TNT skirt pattern and TNT fabric. I used regular old crochet cotton in the bobbin and stitched the foliage from the inside, then free motioned a stretch lace applique for the irises, and added a few black seed beads. 

Although I've had that darn darning foot for years this is the first time I've actually used it. 

Another black skirt in my arsenal of black skirts!

Electric Spaghetti

This is the London Jacket (869) from Indygo Junction. It's a fairly plain boxy style jacket & somewhat of a departure from my usual silhouette. I felt it needed a little added excitement. My muse became a mural that had been on a building here in Detroit back in the 80s when I was in art school. I couldn't recall the artist's name, he had been the head of the painting department at CCS when I went there, but I did remember that we called it 'Electric Spaghetti'.  I tried to find an image of it online but had no luck. But I had a hunch it might be in a book I've had forever, Art in Detroit Public Places, (I have an older edition) and it was!

The artist's name was Aris Koutroulis and he called it 'Poetic Electricity', although the book said people called it 'Psychedelic Spaghetti.' Here's Aris with a small version of it. I found some information about Aris, but no images of the mural itself.

photo by Gary Cooperman

Like I said, the pattern is the London Jacket from Indygo Junction. I seem to always have pretty good luck with all their Mary Ann Donze design patterns. I made a size medium for the jacket adding a 1.25"  FBA (2.5" total) rotating part of the dart take-up under the bust to keep the jacket from sticking out too much in front. I did a 3/8 inch slope shoulder adjustment as well-- that's all!

The fabric is a soft denim I inherited from Gwen. I didn't pre-wash it because it had a couple of big pieces cut from it and I figured Gwen, being the conscientious sewer that she was, had washed it. As I worked with it though, it made my hands and nails like an auto mechanic's. I gave it a quick bath in some synthrapol ( not to be confused with Simferopol,  the much in the news lately capitol of Crimea) and hopefully that should keep the dye from running any further. I then did the stitching in five colors of heavy Coats and Clark thread.

In the interest of stash-busting, I think I'll check my hoard for another candidate for this pattern before I put it away.