Fireworks Taffy

Back view, unfinished neckline

I have a serious shortage of cute tops in my wardrobe.  Lots of my dressier tops are made of hard to wash fabrics, which doesn't really work for my life right now with an 8-month-old baby.  Cotton is pretty much the way I roll these days...  I used a cotton voile for the Taffy Blouse from the Colette Handbook.

Adventures in the U.S. of Eh!

Well it's certainly been awhile since my last post... not surprising considering the Little Miss is now 6 months old (!!!) and has decided that she no longer wants to nap during the day... sigh...  But I thought I'd check in with you guys and update you on the goings-on around these parts.

Viewpoint near Manzanita, Oregon Coast

We just returned home last night after a wonderful 9-day vacation to the Oregon Coast (and beyond!).  N and I enjoy travelling and we're always up for a road trip so that we can stop along the way if we want to check something out.  Travelling with a 6-month-old is MUCH different than travelling alone with your spouse, ha ha ha.  Little Miss pretty much dictated our entire trip... if she was sleeping in the car, we didn't dare stop.  But if she was awake and fussy, we would stop ASAP.

The Sleep-Deprived Sorbetto

 Back in 2010, a friend asked me to make her a green skirt.  I misread the instructions and ended up making her purchase way more fabric than was necessary.  So I decided that I would make her something else "someday" as a surprise!

New Year Sewing Projects

Since little Nova's arrival almost 3 weeks ago, I really haven't had much time to do anything other than breastfeed, change diapers, cat nap and have a sitz bath once a day.  That doesn't stop me from dreaming and planning my future sewing projects however!

I started making a baby sling just before Nova's birth which I hope to finish over the next few days.  I also made her a pair of scratch mittens from Home Sweet Homebodies free pattern and a newborn sized hat from the free Whip Up pattern.  She hates wearing the mittens and takes them off as fast as I can put them on...  So I just waited until she was asleep one day and then I cut her sharp little talons.  But she doesn't mind the hat.  Isn't it just soooo stinking cute???

Sooo effing adorable!

Spring Wardrobe Challenge Underway!

Ahhh springtime!  Days are getting longer, people are walking around town in shorts paired with a puffy vest, dust is flying up off the road from vehicles, and I'm getting a sudden craving for pastel-hued clothing!  I made this office-appropriate dress based on the 9 to 5 dress from the Built By Wendy Dresses book (so awesome).  The book suggested making this dress out of an orange linen, but I ended up using a cheap pastel orange twill that I bought on clearance for $3/m.  I think the twill works alright, but in hindsight I should have not bothered with interfacing on the sleeve facings... it's a bit too stiff for my liking.

I pretty much followed the book exactly, except that I added 2 darts in the back to reduce some of the volume on either side of the zipper.  This is also the first time I've used an actual zipper foot to install an invisible zipper and it looks frigging fantastic!  The book also suggested making a belt out of the same fabric, but for now I've just styled it with a dark brown skinny belt that I already had.  I also ended up making belt loops to keep the belt  from floating randomly around my torso.

I'm still not 100% sure about the colour.  I really like orange a lot, but I think this shade might wash me out.  Luckily I get pretty dark in the summer (hooray for Spanish bloodlines!) so I think it will look better then.  Sorry the pics are kind of blurry... I guess the lighting wasn't too great today (too bright out).

I also finally got some photos of my finished Crepe dress...  It's been done for a few weeks - I swear! 

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, but as I said in an earlier post, I'm not sure if a sew-along is the right process for me...  I prefer to just keep on sewing once I'm in the groove and get the entire project finished!  I did a Pattern Review for the Crepe dress, and plan to make the dress again, but maybe with a few alterations.  I found the bodice to be a bit short for me (I have a long torso) and even though I made the second smallest size, I still had to alter the bust.  I think Colette patterns are meant for curvier gals, and sadly that is not me...

A Wrench In My Plans

I was just about finished my Crepe dress when my serger decided to stop working...  ARG!!!  So that puts my dress on hold for now until I can get my machine fixed.  Boo....  I guess now I'll have to finish all that hand-sewing I've been putting off.  *sigh*

I was poking around online yesterday and saw the Spring Palette Challenge on Colette Patterns' website.  I think I'm going to join it, as I want to make a couple of new dresses for work.  That's right - I got a job!  Woo hoo!  And for the first time since before I started university, my job has a dress code - business casual.  Considering that most of my jobs (in the natural resources sector) often have my co-workers wearing sweatpants to work, this is basically like going to a friggin' ball.

Like everything else I sign up for, I joined this Challenge a bit late so please bear with me as I try to catch up!

Here is my Inspiration Board (created using Polyvore):  

Welcome to Polyvore!  featuring victoria beckham dresses

And here are my colour palettes (I couldn't find just one that I liked):

The pastels are traditionally "Spring-y" and I love them, but I do love a bright hit of colour especially after a long, grey winter.  Plus they transition nicely into Summer.

I need to go through my patterns and see what I want to make first!  Decisions, decisions...