It’s Dirndl Time! Burda Style 7084

It’s dirndl time!  But it’s not for Oktoberfest.  Oh, no.  I finally made a dirndl, and I made it for…a German-themed birthday party!  It’s not every day you get to say that.  And yes, it was as awesome as it sounds.

I’ve always been interested in folkwear, and have thought from time to time that it would be fun to sew a Dutch costume and attend a Tulip Time festival, but I never got serious about it.  Then, a few years ago, Gretchen Hirsch of Gertie’s New Blog for Better Sewing went on a trip to Europe and got dirndl fever.  Here is her definition of a dirndl from the same blog post:  “the dirndl is an ensemble which consists of a low-cut full-skirted dress with a snugly fitted bodice, an apron, and an underblouse that ends just below the bustline. Adorable jackets, flowered headbands, and hats may be added!”  I read her blog posts and looked through all the beautiful pictures of the many variations of this traditional Alpine look, and I caught the bug too.  I’ve been wanting to sew something at least inspired by Bavarian folkwear ever since, and this party was the perfect opportunity.  (I even started a dirndl Pinterest board to save my inspiration pictures!)

Part of what made this whole experience great was that this wasn’t just any German-themed birthday party, but one for a fellow sewist.  It was attended by a number of other sewing people, so in the weeks leading up to the event, as I was sewing (and stressing that I wouldn’t finish in time), I felt the solidarity that comes with knowing there were others in the vicinity making their own dirndls.  It gave me the will to power on!  😉

Being practical (and on the lookout for a dress pattern I would use in my everyday life) I chose Burda Style 7084.  My hope was that with the apron, it would look like folkwear, but without the apron, it would magically transform into an everyday dress (#secretdirndl).  There seems to be quite a lot of variation in the traditional look, which Gertie touches on in this blog post on dirndls and wearability, so my idea wasn’t too out there.  Additionally, as much as I love the look of the dirndl with the blouse, fitted bodice, and gathered skirt, if I was going to actually wear this more than once, it was going to need more ease and bust coverage.

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So, despite some trepidation that I wouldn’t finish on time or that something would go amiss, I got started.  Before making the dress, I did a major broad back adjustment on the back bodice piece, and then made a quick muslin of the bodice.  Thankfully, that worked out and showed me I was on the right track.

Although my measurements put me at an 18 for the bust and waist and a 20 for the hips, I made a straight 18 since the hip part of the dress is really just a lot of gathered fabric, which seemed pretty forgiving.  I made View A, with the little collar, but in the shorter length.  I hadn’t spent time sourcing fabric, so I was hoping that I could use some from my stash, and choosing the shortened length both saved me fabric, and made the dress fit my preferences better.

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In the end, the dress was almost free.  My outer material is a very lightweight, nearly sheer Swiss Dot Chambray in a color called Denim by Robert Kaufman.  I bought it with a gift card I won in a giveaway from The Cloth Pocket in Austin, Texas (Thanks, guys!).  I underlined it with an old sheet, which added opacity and body (and also cut down on wrinkling).

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For the apron, I used a sheer cotton embroidered curtain panel someone had given me.

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All I really had to buy was the pattern, some buttons, and pencil pleating tape for the gathering on the skirt.  All of those things came from Jo-Ann Fabrics.

The pencil pleating tape was a little tricky to find.  You can gather the skirt by hand (as shown in this blog post), which I would love to try someday, but I was happy to have a quick option for this project.  I did some googling and didn’t turn up much.  In the end, I found 4″ pencil pleating tape for sale by the yard in the upholstery section of Jo-Ann’s.

In order to use it, I sewed it to my assembled skirt, pulled several strings in the tape to gather the fabric, and adjusted the gathers until the skirt fit the bodice and my hips.  I braided the long ends of the ties and loosely knotted them rather than cutting them short, so that I could adjust the skirt in the future should I ever need to.  Then I sewed the skirt to the bodice.

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When making the apron, I didn’t think about the fact that the apron length is meant to go with the longer skirt, so I had to take it apart after I thought I had finished and shorten it from the top since I was trying to preserve the embroidery along the edges.  In the end, though, the placement of the embroidery was much better on the shortened apron than it had been originally.  I’m so glad I found a use for this gorgeous and delicate fabric.  It definitely looks like I put more work into it than I did!

I decided not to add the rick-rack the pattern called for, and I chose really basic buttons in the interest of frugality and wearability.

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Despite my fears, I finished in time, and I love my dress and apron.  It doesn’t hurt that I already owned a real, traditional German jacket.  It made for the perfect outfit!  The party was a blast, and I have worn the dress many times since making it, both with and without the apron.  It was the perfect first dirndl project.  Maybe there will be more to come?  Hopefully!

Recommendations

• I’d love to try these Buckeye Turtle Brownies.  Just the name sounds amazing!
• This Kalle Shirt Dress that Marcy made is so great.
• I’m really obsessed with this outfit from Denim & Supply by Ralph Lauren.  I need to make a wool vest, stat!  Actually, I want the whole outfit, and with sewing as my superpower, it’s not out of reach!  Does this mean I need to enter Designin’ December?

 

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Sewaholic Thurlow Shorts in Tinted Denim

Hi, sewing friends, and welcome back to the 2017 Summer Sewing roundup.  I have two more summer sewing projects to share after this one and then it’s time for fall sewing on the blog!  I think next year I might wrap up my summer sewing a little earlier, especially since it feels weird to post summer projects in October.  Maybe it will give those in the southern hemisphere some warm weather inspiration now that it’s spring by you.  🙂

Today’s project is the Thurlow Trousers from Sewaholic Patterns.  I made these shorts in Tinted Denim from Cloud9 Fabrics and I LOVE them.  They are just what I was hoping for.

They are also just the pattern I’ve been searching for.  It’s oddly hard to find a trouser pattern with angled front pockets and back welt pockets (as opposed to no back pockets or faux welt pockets which were the options with these pants).  Luckily this pattern has staying power.  Even though it came out several years ago and the leg shape is a little different from what you often see today, it’s not impossible to change that if you want to.

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I really wanted some chino-type shorts in a cotton twill, and since denim is a type of twill, I decided to use the Cloud9 tinted denim in Maize.  Colored denim is not my favorite in general, but (1) I actually LOVE the look of this denim and (2) I have had a strangely hard time finding cotton twill bottomweight fabric in a color that I like and at a price I can afford.  While this denim isn’t the cheapest, it’s also not a crazy price, and you need less of it for shorts than you do for pants, so it was a good pick.  It also helped that I was able to pick up both pattern and main fabric (and sparkly zipper!) at Pintuck & Purl when I was up there, so: problem solved.  I bought Bemberg rayon from Jo-Ann Fabrics for the pockets and waistband lining.

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I prewashed and dried the denim on hot several times to get any excess dye and shrinkage out.  The fabric did bleed and fade a bit, but in a way that I really like.  (I use Color Grabber sheets to check how much my fabric is bleeding when I prewash.)  I’d also love to try the aqua and pink Tinted Denim at the shop, but there’s only so much time and money, you know?  Maybe next summer.

I had read that this pattern had a lot of pieces, and that was no joke.  It does, including a different right and left front.  As I was tracing my pattern, I could see how much thought and precision went into it, which made me feel hopeful about my final outcome.  Because I’m not a pear shape (which is what Sewaholic patterns are drafted for), my waist was a larger size than my hip measurement.  I decided to go with the waist size and try to fit as I went.  This worked well for me.  I ended up using a larger seam allowance on the sides than the pattern called for.  Other fitting things that were necessary for me were making the shorts tighter over the behind area and looser at the waist, which you can accomplish at the back seam.

One other issue I had was that when fitting the pointed end of the waistband over the fly shield, the fly shield seemed too wide.  I simply folded it in a bit, ironed and stitched it down, but I wonder if maybe I made it extend too far in the first place.

I wanted shorts that were a bit more straight legged than this pattern is, so I took an inch off the outside of each leg, tapering to nothing at the pocket, and a half-inch off each inseam, tapering to nothing at the crotch.  This does throw the hem off slightly, but I decided to ignore that this time and deal with it if I make these again.  Rather than cuffing these shorts, I turned under 1 1/2″ at the hem and then folded in the same amount again for a 1 1/2″ double-turned hem.

The instructions were really clear, and even the welt pockets weren’t too hard.  Mine did fray a bit at the corners after I washed the shorts, but I will chalk that up to inexperience and trust that I’ll improve in my technique over time.

This pattern is obviously very well done, and I really like that it incorporates an alterable center back seam, which is often seen on men’s pants (and really should be seen on women’s as well, if you ask me).  This helps with fitting while sewing, and also allows you to change it up if you gain or lose inches in the future.  I wouldn’t recommend this pattern to a beginner, but if you have some experience under your belt, this is a real winner.

I’m so happy to have some longer shorts that are comfortable and durable, have pockets, and feel great to wear.  I hope to make more of these in the future.  I also recognize that because fitting pants is an area I’m nervous about, I need to keep making pants and shorts so I can gain confidence.

Recommendations

• If you, too, are looking for trousers with welt pockets and whatnot, there is another recent pattern release along those lines.  Check out the North Point Trousers (PDF only) from Itch to Stitch.  They have single welt back pockets instead of the Thurlow’s double welt back pockets and a leg shape that is more current.  I’ve never tried an Itch to Stitch pattern, but I’ve heard good things.
• I just tried this Baah yarn for the first time, and it was so amazing!  I don’t think the website does it justice.  Mine was a fluffy pink skein.  It looks like cotton candy without the stickiness!
• My sister-in-law sent me the Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook, and I’m having a lot of fun trying out the smoothie section.

Simplicity 1696…The Continuing Quest to Conquer the Fear of Sewing Pants

Today is another project from my 2017 Make Nine list–Simplicity 1696, a pair of chino-type pants.

As I was choosing my projects for the year, I wanted to make sure I had a few pants (or trousers for my non-American friends out there) on my list because I realized that I still fear making them and therefore I avoid them.  It’s not the construction that I fear.  It’s fitting.  Here’s the problem with fitting…you might know something isn’t right, but that doesn’t mean you know the cause of the issue.  How can you fix a problem if you don’t even know what the problem is?  But when I look back at my experience making button up shirts, which I have come to love, I realize that you can’t figure out your common fitting issues if you never make the garment in the first place.

So, this year pants are on the list.

I’ve had this particular pattern for a long time, but I’ve never made it before now.

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It’s one of the Amazing Fit series, so it sounded like it had a lot of extra fitting tips inside, and it definitely delivered.  Before beginning, it directs you to take certain measurements to determine which back piece you will use–slim, average, or curvy.  Once I measured myself, I chose curvy.  There are some great tips for fitting as you go as well as extra-wide seam allowances in key places.  The pattern has directions for adding faux welt pockets to the back, but after trying them out, I thought they looked fake, so I took them off again.  Otherwise, I did everything as instructed.  The only fitting I did was to take the inseams in by 1/8″.

That being said, I think there is excess fabric in the back, and I don’t know what to do about that.  MY FITTING FEARS HAVE COME TO PASS!  AHHHH!!!!

OK, so it’s not quite as scary as I thought.  😉

You can see it better in the picture below.

The fabric I used for these pants is a cotton/spandex sateen from Jo-Ann Fabrics.  It’s a little on the light side, although it is a bottomweight.  So, here is my question for you, readers:  do you think all the back wrinkles are due to fabric choice or something else?  The feel of these pants is perfection.  They are comfortable and not too tight.  But the look of the back leaves something to be desired.  Should I have gone with the average back?  Is it something else entirely?  The few shorts I have made before have generally needed more length in the back crotch seam rather than less, but maybe these are different?  I’m not sure.

After trying them on, I decided not to worry too much about it.  Hopefully I’ll run across the answer at some point (maybe one of you will have it), but since these feel so comfortable, I decided not to let my fitting questions stop me from finishing the project.

So, final analysis?  This is a great pattern, which I highly recommend.  For myself, I may not have figured the pattern out to perfection, but I now have one more pair of pants under my belt (haha), and I’m a little bit less afraid.

Recommendations

• Anyone who has been reading the blog for awhile will know that I love fabric from Cotton + Steel (the tiger shirt I’m wearing in the photos above is made with Cotton + Steel fabric), so it was a lot of fun to hear about the inception of the design group as well as the personal story of Melody Miller, one of the founding designers.  If you want to listen, you can check out this podcast episode from Modern Sewciety and/or this one from the Crafty Planner podcast.  If you are new to podcasts, you can find out how to listen to them by scrolling to the bottom of the second link.
• My husband and I have very different taste in books, but every once in awhile he comes across one that, while it may not be my typical genre, he is sure that I will like.  He’s a good judge of these things, so that’s what caused me to dip my toe into a little sci-fi recently with the audiobook version of Starwars:  Bloodline–New Republic…and it was so good.
• If you are north of Boston, whether in Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, or southern Maine and are looking for a good place to eat, I highly recommend The Farm Bar & Grille for delicious, casual food.  Good for a date, good for a family outing.  I’ve only tried the Massachusetts branch, but I’d be willing to bet the New Hampshire and Maine ones are good too.
• I think this particular bad lip read video is appropriate since I just recommended a Star Wars book…(And if your kids are standing by while you watch it, Luke says “pitchy” at the end, not the word that rhymes with pitchy that we tell our kids not to say.  😉   )

Coppelia Cardi by Papercut Patterns

Hi, sewing friends.  This week I have two versions of the same pattern to share with you.  A little while ago I made the Coppelia Cardi by Papercut Patterns, first the long faux wrap view, and then the cropped wrap view.

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These weren’t hard to make, and were very quick projects, even though I chose to double sew each seam, first using a straight stitch and then going over the seam again with a three-step zig-zag.  This wasn’t indicated in the directions, but I made these right after making the Toaster Sweater, which does call for this technique, and I thought it was smart, so I used it in these sweaters as well.

For the long faux wrap, I chose a poly/cotton French terry from Jo-Ann Fabrics.

Time will tell if it resists pilling and holds up well, but I loved the color and feel, so it seemed like a good fabric for a first try on this pattern.  Fun fact:  when I was little, this color, a.k.a. “sea green” was my favorite for a long time.  Pastels were big…what can I say?  😉

I really like how this turned out.

It’s comfortable and for a style I have rarely worn (wrap-front), I really like it.

It’s especially nice to wear to the gym since the style is just a little nicer than my normal slouchy sweatshirts.  😉

For my second version, the cropped view, I chose a rayon knit from Pintuck & Purl, which is also where I bought my pattern.

I’d never worked with rayon knits before, I don’t think, and this one had the added interest of being gray on the wrong side and a dark plum color on the right side.  It has a great hand and drape.  I was worried that it would be hard to work with, but it wasn’t.

I’m not entirely sure it was the perfect match for this particular pattern, because while it feels lovely on, the neck band tends to relax and flop open rather than staying put.  (You can see that in the two pictures below.)  Maybe a knit with a little spandex/elastane would have been better?

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Either way, this cropped version is great to wear with high-waisted bottoms or with a longer shirt underneath.  You can tie it in the back or wrap it around and knot it in the front.

Tied in back (above and below).

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Tied in front (above and below).

I’m sort of curious to see how much wear these will get.  I really like them, I like the fabric, but like I said, they are a little different than what I normally wear in a sweater.  My hope in buying this pattern was that I could use it to replace an old, but much-loved sweater from Old Navy.  That one is a little big and not the best quality, so I wanted to be prepared for when it finally died.  The way this pattern wraps around the body is definitely nicer than my store-bought sweater.

As for some of the little details, I used a regular polyester Güttermann thread in my needle and a wooly/bulky nylon in my bobbin as well as a jersey needle and a walking foot.  All of these are choices I would recommend and use again myself.

I’m really glad I tried this.  Papercut Patterns has some great designs.  If you are on the fence about this one, I would encourage you to give it a try.  Also…this is one more pattern from my 2017 Make Nine challenge I can mark off the list!

Recommendations

• Have you seen the new Sewing Translator app from Liesl + Co.?  It will translate sewing terms from one language to another.  I haven’t played around with it too much yet, but it looks pretty cool.  It’s free and works on iOS 8.0 or later.  Do you think it counts as learning another language if I just practice the sewing terms?  It’s a start, right?  😉
• I always see the most amazing things on the @mashable feed on Instagram.  It showcases all kinds of new inventions from sleeping bag coats for the homeless to new wheelchairs to photorealistic latte art.
• I’m kind of intrigued by Daughters of Style patterns.  They might be just a little too fashion forward for me, but I don’t know…  That Amy Shirt dress has me coming back and looking at it again and again.
• Rather than posting a video, I’ll just tell you that we have lots of fun over here watching Mental Floss videos.  It’s a cool way to learn lots of interesting facts.  John Green is a great host.

Ginger Jeans Hack Inspired by Meggipeg

Today’s project has been a long time in the  making.  And the inspiration for it comes totally and completely from an amazing seamstress on the other side of the world:  meggipeg.

Ever since I saw her version of a pair of Balmain jeans made from the Jamie jeans pattern by Named, I wanted my own.  But, like a lot of projects that I knew were going to take some work, I had to psych myself up.  I didn’t own the Jamie Jeans pattern and, like most indie patterns, it wasn’t cheap.  I kept thinking about it, and almost committed to buying the pattern before realizing that with just a little more work, I could use a pattern that I already had.  And then came the perfect impetus to get going on making my dream a reality:  I had signed up for a class.  And not just any class, but a choose-your-own-sewing-adventure kind of class where you pick what you want to work on.  The time was now.

All my class projects ready to go!

I had verbally signed up for Lauren Taylor’s (a.k.a. Lladybird’s) Sewing Master Class at Pintuck & Purl way back in May, when I first heard about it.  I love seeing all the things that Lauren sews, and I knew it would be a great opportunity to work on some projects that I found intimidating.  So, along with a few other projects, I came up with my pants scheme.  It was time to finally make some super-cool pants a la meggipeg and Balmain of my own.

However…I didn’t love the idea of figuring out how to fit a new jeans pattern, especially when I also had so many other project supplies to buy, and that’s when I realized:  I could use the Ginger Jeans pattern.  All I needed to do beyond what I was already going to do was change the front pocket and add front leg seams.  I don’t hack patterns much.  But this seemed worth the time investment.  In addition to the aforementioned changes, I drew up some parallelograms for the sides of the front legs and divided up the back pocket.

 

Adding a seam to the front leg.

Changing the front pocket shape.

I had plans to add zippers to the front of my jeans as well, similar to Papercut Patterns’ Starboard Jeans, but these didn’t make it into the final pants (because I forgot to put them in before doing the pockets).  Oh, well!  I also contemplated zippers at the bottom of the jeans, but decided against those before beginning.

Ooops!  I forgot the zippers!

I didn’t get a lot done on these in the class, because this was the third of my several projects (not all of which will show up on the blog–sorry), but preparing for the class forced me to make the necessary pattern changes beforehand.  It got me going on the pants and I managed to cut out the pattern and get started during class.

Just in case you’re wondering about supplies, I’d love to share.  Here’s where everything came from:

• Ginger Jeans pattern by Closet Case Patterns and fancy zipper:  Pintuck & Purl
• J. Crew olive green stretch twill/canvas:  ImagineGnats
• Pellon midweight interfacing, jeans button by Dritz, Gutermann thread (topstitching and regular), bias tape:  Jo-ann Fabrics
• pocketing (vintage sheet): thrifted

I love this vintage sheet as pocket material!

I did one or two things differently on the construction side of these than on my first pair of Ginger Jeans.  This time around, I interfaced my waistband (good idea!) and used true topstitching thread (so-so).  I do think I’ll interface the waistband in the future, but I might try a different alternative for the topstitching thread.  Maybe I’ll use upholstery or button/craft thread, or maybe I just need a bigger needle and different tension on my machine.  I had a lot of thread nests with the topstitching thread and it just wasn’t my favorite overall.

Time for less talk and more pictures, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pants themselves?  I LOVE them!!!!!  So far I’ve worn them about five days out of the last two weeks.  Yep!  I hope I’m not the only one that calculates how many people I’ll see more than once in a week so I can rewear outfits!  But even if I am–oh, well!

I love these pants so much.  The ease is great, the fit is great, the stretch is great, and the fabric is great.  It was definitely worth the effort to make these.  Thanks for the idea, meggipeg!  I hope you take my emulation of you as a compliment.  I’m always impressed with your style.

I even made a flannel shirt to go with it!  Stay tuned for more details on that…

Recommendations

• I really love these Carhartt’s socks.  This isn’t an affiliate link or anything (I don’t do those currently.), just some socks I like.  I like the colors, and they keep my feet warm without making them sweaty, which means I can wear my Converse All-Stars or moccasin booties without getting numb toes when the weather is cold.
• Robert Kaufman fabric.  I love Robert Kaufman fabric (in fact, I have some of their Mammoth Plaid that I just made into the flannel shirt of my dreams).  The fabric is moderately priced and great quality–and they have so many options.
• The Imagine Gnats online shop.  I have a really hard time getting myself to buy fabric online, always preferring to see it in person first, but I have to recommend this shop.  The customer service is great and so is the curated fabric selection.  I’ve probably ordered twice from here and I have to give owner Rachel Gander props for the extra little sticker and piece of candy she put in my orders and for ending what has felt like an age-long search for the perfect olive green stretch twill.
• And because candy corn is one of my favorite fall treats, here is a video that shows how candy corn is made:

Flying Geese Patchwork Bag Designed by Giuseppe Ribaudo

And now for something completely a little bit different.  I sewed a bag!  So…still sewing, but not my normal apparel sewing (although I do get to wear it!).

I’ve seen a lot of cool bag patterns out there, but I never dove in.  I almost dipped a toe in years ago, before I sewed regularly, when I bought an Amy Butler diaper bag pattern, but I think it was one of those aspirational projects where you buy the supplies, tell yourself you’re going to do it, but know in your heart that you never really will.  Thankfully my best friend saved me from that whole scenario by making the bag for me.  Otherwise I guarantee it would still be sitting in my box of patterns, unmade.

That aberration aside, though, no bag has tempted me.  Until now.  It may be that it was the right bag at the right time.  My shoulders were getting sore from carrying my normal messenger-style bag, and I was thinking I needed a change.  It was Instagram that did it.  I saw this bag in my feed under the hashtag #giucygiucebucketbagsewalong and I got kind of intrigued.  I wasn’t really planning on making one, but if I did, I would get the added benefit of learning a few quilting techniques since the designer, Giuseppe (“Giucy Giuce”), is a quilter.  I would also have a new bag that would distribute weight equally between my shoulders.  And I knew a place where I could get my supplies…

So, I mulled it over, and finally decided to go for it.  With help from Maggie at Pintuck & Purl (We all knew that’s where I was going for supplies, right?), I picked out fabric in colors that would be neutrals for me, with a little bit of a surprise on the inside.  I found all the directions to make the bag on the Bernina blog.  Even if you don’t own a Bernina sewing machine (I don’t), this blog has a lot of good information.

As an apparel sewer, it took me a little while to get my head around the quilting concepts, but I got there.  I realized as I went along that my creation wasn’t going to be “perfect”, so I made the important decision to *mostly* let that go.  I couldn’t get bogged down in perfectionism if I ever wanted to finish.  And guess what?  Once I moved on and actually finished the bag, I didn’t even think about the parts that had struck me as imperfect while I was making it.

I was a little skeptical about using quarter-inch seams in a bag that would have to take weight.  I know 1/4″ seams are common in quilting.  I’m curious about what is standard in bag-making.  Is there a standard?  Is it 5/8″ like in apparel?  One inch?  Something completely different?  Either way, as my husband pointed out, the lining could carry a lot of the weight, and that wasn’t pieced beyond attaching the bottom to the body of the lining.  I like security, so I double stitched the bottoms onto both the inside and the outside for extra security, and it’s never given me any problems.  In fact, I’ve used this bag every day since I made it.  I felt a little disloyal to my old beloved bag that I had been using, but I haven’t had any sore shoulders due to heavy bags since I switched.  I love this bag, and I liked dipping my toe into quilting techniques without having to make a full quilt.  It was just enough.

 

 

 

 

But you know what?  I love apparel even more.  I don’t think I’m going to become a bag-maker any time soon, but I’m glad I tried because now I know I can do it.  I can learn quilting techniques and, if I want to, I can also learn to make any bag that strikes my fancy.

In case you are interested in my fabric choices, here they are, all from Pintuck & Purl:

Outer fabric strips: one fat quarter (I think) of each of these:  RJR Supreme Solid Carolina, Cloud9 Cirrus Solid Ocean, Cloud9 Cirrus Solid Sky, RJR Supreme Solid Teal, RJR Supreme Solid Seafoam, RJR Supreme Solid Bowood Green, RJR Supreme Solid Slate

Outer fabric triangles:  one fat quarter (I think) of Cotton + Steel Basics XOXO in Ghost

Outer bottom fabric and bottom tabs:  1/3 yard of Cloud9 Rainwalk Ripple Grey Canvas

Inner fabric:  1 yard of Cotton + Steel Mustang Canvas (Oddly enough, this link is the closest I could find on Cotton+ Steel’s website to the cotton/linen canvas I used, so it’s close, but not quite the same.)

My grommets and rope were purchased at Jo-Ann Fabrics.

I was feeling pretty good at the end of this photo shoot.  I made my shirt, shorts, AND bag!  I love sewing!

Recommendations

• Lately I’ve been listening to C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy on audiobook.  I’m currently listening to Perelandra, the second book and probably my favorite of the three.  C.S. Lewis always makes me rethink ideas and see things in new ways.
• My Refashioners 2016 skirt was nominated for the Best Skirt Refashion in the Summer Skirt Awards for 2016 on the Skirt Fixation blog.  Thanks!
• I love following @wingandaprayerfarm on Instagram.  Tammy White gives you a look into her farm in Vermont that is at once honest, loving, and beautiful.
• How about a little ‘Mesmerizing Mass Sheep Herding’ to start your fall off right?