bicycle/skateboarding dresses

I have finished a bit of strange sewing for myself.  I like to ride my bicycle and skateboard in dresses.  I ride my bicycle every day to work so that means I need a few dresses.  Remember when I wrote that I felt like all my dresses were falling apart at once.  It is true for these as well.  

I thrifted the fabric and used bits from my stash.  I really like them.  They are a bit longer and fuller then my others.  Which means, strangely enough, that I am a bit cooler at 95 degrees.  They really remind me of Holly Hobby.  I do wish I had enough scraps for pockets but  I did not.  And I did not think about adding them until afters.

I also picked up a new helmet this weekend.  Mine was showing some wear.  High vis yellow.  Yes, I am that crazy lady on a bicycle - dress and high viz yellow helmet.  People know me!

light wool dress

I had found this light wool remnant at the fabric shop.  It is really more of an olive brown.  I was reading about pattern making and tweaked the skirt pattern.  I am much happier with the skirt shape now.  I know this is the dress I make for myself all the time.  My family calls it my frontier dress.  But I have to admit, out of this wool, this one is my favorite.

We are off crazy adventuring tomorrow.  The weekend will be none stop from the time I get home from work.  Hopefully, I will be okay for work on Monday or I will be a zombie.  But I might have some interesting pictures, especially since the camera is fixed!  Baking and bladesmithing really do not help the health of cameras.

smock top/dress

I have not felt like I have had enough time with my sewing machine lately.  We have had Small Mister a lot when we are not traveling.  It is harder now to sew with him on my lap then it used  to be because he wishes to help so badly.  

Out of the linen I bought I have made a nightgown and this smock top/dress.  It is a Simplicity pattern 2059 that I had seen changed on pinterest.  I took the one change I really liked, adding 12 inches to the front and back.  I pleated everything that was supposed to be gathered and made the sleeves a bit longer.

It is a great top for over skirts and probably jeans (if I owned them).

And  a dress around the house.  I would wear it out with tights but it is just much to warm right now.  Probably in autumn.

not enough quality time with my sewing machine

I get a little bit of time to sew everyday, normally.  The weekends the chunks can be bigger or sometimes not at all due to other commitments.  I ordered twenty plus yards of linen and I just do not feel like I have made the dent I wish to.

So far, I got a long chemise made but have two or three more of those to make.  I got a smock top/dress made, which I will share later.  I have two more of those to make, hopefully.  It will depend on yardage.  I got a skirt cut out and nine squares started for my best friend's linen quilt.  I do so like making nine squares and here quilt is starting to feel like the desert to me because of the colors in it.  But one of the things I was most excited about was a bit of extra fabric I had from cutting out the skirt.

I made a linen towel.  I really like Turkish towels.  I know they are not linen but cotton.  I really like not having the fluffy towel.  To buy linen towels, they are even more pricey then the Turkish towels or African kekois because of the fiber.  And here I go putting something together of a similar size out of a scrap.  I hemmed all sides and put a loop in it for hanging.  

It is going on the letterpress trip as my Beloved's towel.  Small Mister is coming with us and hopefully I will have much to share next week.  I have the feeling there will be very little time at the computer.  

a bit of stitching

I finished the quilting and now am working on putting the binding on Miss J's quilt.  I hope to get it done before I HAVE to go to the post office.  I really need to send a batch of business cards off to my sister.  I am not happy with all of the them but they will be a stop gap until I print more.  I know I am going to learn a lot next week and I may decide to recycle all of these.

Once the quilting was done, I was able to start a dress.  I have decided to double seam everything like I used too.  I find that the thread I can buy seems to wear faster then it used to and break.  When I first started using this sewing machine, I double seamed everything.  I am doing it again.  A dress that would take me a hour and half to sew is going to take almost twice as long to stitch.  It is okay.  I would rather the fabric go then the seams.  

I hope to have some nightgowns made soon.  I have some old nightgowns that need to be cut into squares for the linen quilt I am making for Nirinjan.  A lot of her quilt is going to be worn out clothes.  I am excited about her quilt.  And new nightgowns.  A new top or two.  New skirts.  I did buy a lot of linen.