Gray Dress

Here's a dress I sewed up for myself. To be honest, I hardly remember doing it and I don't wear it that often. I should wear it more, it is a decent dress after all. It fits nice and is comfortable. I think I just forget I have it! I'm pretty certain that I used Ellie & Mac's Fall in Love Sweater pattern for the bodice. In order for the dress not to look so drab and boring (it is gray) I put a little ruffle on the sleeves. The fabric was a gray ribbed knit from Walmart, it has a nice weight to it--not too thin and not too thick. It's kinda hard to get good pictures of myself, but I tried anyway:

Neon Pink Shirts

Back in late 2020, I found some very soft, very stretchy neon pink fabric from the Walmart bargain bin. There was also some stretchy crochet fabric in the same exact color so I grabbed that too. Walmart bargain bin fabric is now my go-to fabric. To be honest, I have shopped at Joann's since beginning of 2019. I've found yard and yard after yard of awesome knits (some better than others, of course) at an average of $2 per yard. Can't beat that! Anyway, this neon pink fabric I bought was at least 4 yards worth, maybe more. I managed to squeeze 4 shirts out of it, and I may even have some left. Here's a collection of all the shirts I've made out of the fabric:

November 2020: my sister came for a visit. She was actually with me when I picked out the fabric. I offered to make her a shirt out of it, but to get the exact size, I first made myself a shirt and had her try it on. Everything fit except the shoulders. So for her shirt, I added maybe 1/4-1/3" on the shoulders. Perfect fit! I wear my shirt occasionally, its very soft and comfy. 

Dec. 2020-I made girly a shirt, this time I used the matching crochet fabric as an overlay for just the front bodice. It turned out cute! She still wears it fairly often. I also made a mask to match, but she lost that mask not too long after I made it.

March 2021-I still had plenty of fabric leftover! I don't typically reuse the same exact fabric for another outfit for Eesa, but the last shirt was so cute, and she needed a summer shirt so I made her this using the Ellie & Mac's Twist it up pattern. This is one of several shirts I made for her using this pattern. Cute pattern, cute fabric, cute shirt, and cute girl!

Navy Blue Train Vest

Oops...I almost forgot to post this cute vest! I think I meant to get a picture of the inside before posting it, but its been so long that I don't think I even have this vest anymore. I made this waaay back in December 2018. The pattern I used was the Puperita Big Bad Wolf vest. The outside of the vest is a soft fleece and the inside (sorry, no pics!) is flannel fabric with a train print. I used plastic snaps for the closure down the front. The little guy wore it during the (extremely short) winter while he was in preschool. He looked so adorable in it!

Shiny Teal Shirt

Here's a cute shirt I made back in December 2020, using Violette Field Thread's Talulah pattern. The Talulah pattern is a very basic knit long-sleeved shirt pattern. I added some flutter sleeves for more interest since the pattern is so plain. The fabric I used was from Walmart (as usual)--a teal polyester knit with a pretty sheen to it. The only complaint about this shirt is that the fabric is so thin and clingy, that she needs to wear a tank top under it, but she doesn't seem to mind much. I like that she can dress this shirt up with lots of jewelry! Here she is modeling her new shirt:

 

Seafoam Green High-Lo Dress

Here's a lovely dress I made back in November 2020, using Walmart bargain bin fabrics--a medium/lightweight knit polyester fabric and knit lace in the exact shade, which I used as an overlay.   This dress with is a hybrid (aka mash-up) of several Violet Field Threads patterns: Sleeve basics for the flutter sleeves, Pepper for the bodice, the Elianna for the skirt, and the Zoey--or at least measurements taken from it--for the elasticized waist. The bodice has matching snaps down the back. I love this dress, and I hate that she's mostly outgrown it by now! Here are pics of her modeling her new dress after church:

Mommy/Daughter Matching Dresses

Here's another knit clothing article using Walmart bargain bin fabric! I think this is going to be most of the posts from here on out, ha. Most of the Walmart bargain bin fabric I pass up on, but this particular roll (yep, the fabric comes rolled up) caught my eye. It was/is a cute print, and it has a nice weight drape to it as well. I believe it was at least 4 yards worth of material--plenty to make a dress for both myself and Eesa. So I did! I used a modified Amelia dress pattern from Violette Field Threads for my dress and something else for Eesa--yikes I can't recall exactly what it was though. Anyway, the dresses turned out cute and comfy, especially with the added (and convenient!) pockets. Here we are modeling our dresses, August 2020:  

New Sewing Trends/Sewing For Myself

Towards the end of 2020, my sewing customs shifted. It didn't have much to do with the pandemic, but rather the combination of my discovery of  Walmart bargain knit fabrics, the Ellie and Mac patterns, and especially the fact that Eesa was/is growing up and woven clothes aren't quite her jam anymore. She'd rather blend in with her peers and dress for comfort--and knits and E&M patterns are just the thing for that. So in late 2020 and all of 2021, her closet practically exploded with new, soft stretchy, mommy-made shirts. But more on that later. 

With all those knit shirts I made for Eesa, I still had yards and yards of the knit fabric leftover. What was I to do with all that leftover fabric? I don't think Eesa would appreciate shirts all in the same exact fabrics! The solution: Sew for myself! And I sure did! Sewing for myself was perhaps the biggest change in my sewing habits, besides the aforementioned sewing with knits and finding a new pattern shop to patron. I did sew up a couple things here and there for myself, but those were few and far between, as you can gather from the years and years worth of posts on this here blog of things I sewed for Eesa versus the things I sewed for myself. The first few shirts I made from the Walmart bargain fabrics were made from my own drafted pattern of a dolman top. Dolman tops are perhaps the simplest pattern to draft and to make. I had no problems with either. Here's two I made in the year 2020:

A basic dolman top I drafted from a regular top pattern I had (a VFT one I believe). I added ruffles to the sleeves for added interest. I made Eesa a shirt out of this very same fabric, to be posted later.

A Halloween shirt I made from the same pattern as the above shirt, sans sleeve ruffles. The orange fabric is so SO thin, so I have to wear a black shirt under it. I made it extra-halloweeny by added a spider via freezer paper transfer. I'm a bit irritated that the paint leaked a little so the spider is a little bit fuzzy. Humph. But I like the sparkle--I used black sparkle nail polish over the fabric paint. 

The Fall in Love Sweater

 I did mention in a previous post that the Ellie and Mac patterns also have patterns for men, women and boys, unlike Violette Threads which are mostly for girls under ten (although there are a couple of women's patterns). One of the first patters I bought from Ellie & Mac is a very basic (in a good way--I guess a better word would be traditional?) long-sleeved shirt pattern for myself, called the "Fall in Love Sweater". And fall in loved I did--with this pattern! I started sewing these shirts in late 2020 (November), using what else but Walmart bargain fabric. 

The first shirt I made--and I regretfully gave it away without taking a pic--was a poor fit. Which is unfortunate because the fabric I used was a soft, pretty blue with a strip of crochet lace going down both arms that I quite liked. But it was very uncomfortable to wear because the underarm seam was too small and tight. So I donated it to Goodwill. I'm not sure if I did something wrong or it was a flaw in the pattern (which I did follow). I adjusted the underarms (and therefore the sleeves) on the pattern and I came out with perfectly-fitted shirts for myself! These are 4 of the 6 shirts I have made for myself so far. There's also a neon pink one but I'm saving that for another post, and I already discussed the first. I wear this shirts all the time in the winter, they are very comfy and the fact that they are relativity plain allows for lots of jewelry accompaniment!

My first well-fitting shirt, made out of a navy blue, slightly textured knit cotton.

A ribbed-knit cotton, my second shirt. I have purple beaded earrings that match perfectly that I like to wear with this shirt.

These two I made about a year after the navy and purple shirt, in late 2021, using super, super soft fabric from Walmart. I enjoy wearing these amazingly soft and comfortable shirts! You can't tell at all from the picture, but I actually spritzed a little bit of silver glitter on the gray shirt using Tulip glitter spray paint for fabrics. It's not super noticeable in person-there's just a hint of sparkle.

The navy shirt in action Nov. 2020

Maroon Knit Dress

I believe I actually sewed this dress in late 2019 (December), even though I took this picture in May 2020. This is the Sweetie Pie dress from Ellie and Mac Patterns using knit fabric I found in the Walmart bargain bin. Around this time, I started moving away from patterns that use woven fabrics and more towards patterns that use knits. Ellie and Mac Patterns is a goldmine! They have very basic, but very nice knit patterns. For Adults too! I have a pretty decent collection of their patterns at the moment. Half are for me, the other half are for the kids. Another thing I like about this pattern company is that there are plenty of patterns for boys, and men too! So yes, I've taken a huge step back from Violette Field Threads and have moved toward sewing with knits. My kids are getting older and prefer the knit look and feel, plus I've also discovered its fun to sew for myself, and E&M provides the perfect opportunity. The dress is too small now, but she wore it quite a bit. It was a fairly quick and easy sew. I did have a little trouble with the neckband, I'm not sure where I went wrong but yep it was something I did, not the pattern. Here is girlie in her dress:

Some Random Sews 2020

Here are a few random stuff I sewed up in 2020:

March

Eesa had a birthday party to go to so I made the girl some 18" doll clothes since the girl liked that stuff. I made a tank, jeans, and a fluffy fancy dress for her. 18" doll clothes sew up so fast compared to the real deal!

April 2020

The Great Mask Craze of 2020! When the pandemic hit, masks were in high demand. People were begging me to make some for them. So I did! I made lots and lots of them. Some I sold, most I gave away to family members. They are mostly quick and easy. I found a free pattern online in men, women and children sizes. I did have to make some adjustments for mine, but everyone's face is different so I hope the ones I gave away (and especially sold) work ok! I made so many that I eventually ran out of elastic and couldn't find anymore. Apparently, every other seamstress was making masks as well so I guess that explains why all the elastic had vanished off the shelves. I had to get creative so I started sewing some with the ties, though those took awhile. Then stores started selling masks so I didn't have to make so many!

August

I bought some rough tulle-like material (similar to the material shower poufs are made of) at Walmart by all the bath stuff. It was the Equate Beauty XL bath cloth.  I made myself and oversized shower scrub-towel, using the bath cloth for one side and an old towel for the other side. It worked great for a month or so, then the bath cloth got all soft and lost its shape and thus its effectiveness. I actually made two of these Shower scrub-towels, I threw the used one away so I still have another left to use! 

Pink Tulle Overlay Shirt

Here is girlie modeling a shirt I made her even before this picture was taken (May 2020), probably as early as 2018. I used the VFT Odette pattern, and made it a shirt length. The pink tulle fabric was value fabric I found at Walmart. I used either white cotton or white broadcloth for the lining. The back had a zipper and there were ties on each side for added cuteness. Unfortunately, I had to throw it away because the tulle unraveled and frayed and had so many runs that the shirt wasn't really wearable anymore. Oh well, she wore it plenty and it was cute while it lasted!

Eesa's a Fashionista

April 2020--Eesa designed her own dress! She didn't ask for any help or anything. Silly girl. She didn't use the sewing machine, but she did use the serger in some sections, and hot glue gun in others! She's so cute and creative

White Lace Dress

Here's a cute dress I made back in February 2020 (yeah yeah two years behind, I know!). I used fabric I found in the Walmart value fabrics bin. So it didn't cost too much to make, maybe $4-8. For the decorative sash, I used wide white ribbon and a flower piece from an old headband that lost its elastic. I used the VFT Pepper pattern mixed with some of my own. She looks like a little angel, especially with the ray of sunshine shining down on her! I like this dress, though I don't like that the crochet/lace overlay snags on everything!   

Heaven approves!