I'm wrapping up all of my summer sewing projects and looking ahead to the fall.  The fall in Austin will stay pretty hot up until November, so I have a few more summer makes to share.  This New Look 6936 got my attention while browsing around at Joann's.  What I loved most about it was

Geo Black Tank

 I've got a quick post for you all.  It's the holiday weekend and I'm trying to get a little relaxing in (whatever I can get with two little boys bouncing around me).  And of course some sewing too.  This top is a repeat and I'm so happy with the results the second time around.

High Low Midi Skirt

During the hot summer mouths here in Texas, my usual go-to outfit are shorts and a shirt.  So easy to wear and keeps me cool, right?  Well at the beginning of the summer I told myself I would try to incorporate more dresses and skirts. Hopefully I would feel just as comfortable and cool as I did in shorts.  And maybe look a little cuter too??

Easy To Sew: Shorts & Skirt

A few words that I am always keeping my eyes peeled when looking for patterns: easy to sew.  Yasss!  Especially when it comes to bottoms, like skirts and shorts.  Now skirts in general can be fairly easy to sew, especially when using an elastic waist.  This is what drew me to Simplicity 2258.  I also loved the details for each of the views - like cuffs for shorts, waist bows for the skirts and ties for the capri pants.  Too cute!

Fall Pattern Haul

I finally caught one of Joann's pattern sales last weekend and picked up these Butterick patterns for $1.99 each. These are all from their new Fall catalog.  I was looking for easy, casual tops for the fall. Tops that I can wears with jeans or leggings. I also bought a cargo vest and also a pair of mustard color jeans that I'd love to pair with a handmade top.  I still have a couple more summer tops to finish up before these. I gotta keep my summer wardrobe going through at least October here in Texas.

Geometric Romper

The weather has been highs in the 100s here in Austin for the last couple of weeks so I've been trying to get in some pool time and also lounging in A/C.  I've also been cutting fabric and sewing away lately, which has been nice. Today I have my review of Simplicity 8333, and what a perfect piece to wear in this crazy heat!  It's easy to wear and made in a comfy cotton jersey knit.  The fabric was purchased from Girl Charlee sometime this past spring.

Black & White Linen Dress

This summer I've been remaking many garments that I made last year when I first started sewing my own clothes.  I picked up easy sewing patterns from the "Learning To Sew" series that Simplicity has, like this Simplicity 2147 dress.  Many of these pieces that I sewed needed major tweaks and I learned something new about sewing with each one. 

Coral Pleated Top

This top has been sitting in my closet for the last month or so, waiting to be shared with the world.  It's a summer version of the pleated tunic I made last winter.  I was so frustrated by the knit rayon that I used with the tunic that I just had to make it again with a woven fabric.  I was hoping and praying that I wouldn't run into the same problems that I had before.  Well lucky me, this top turned out great!  It was much easier sewing with the woven rayon that I chose.  YAY!

Navajo Jumpsuit

Well it's been a minute since I've posted a new make, but I have a great excuse!  I was traveling, relaxing, and just taking whatever time I needed to complete some new projects.  Here I have a jumpsuit that I made about a month ago.  I found this Simplicity "It's So Easy It's Simplicity" pattern at Walmart a couple of months back.  It was a great price and I loved the design of the pant jumpsuit.  I had also been wanting to making another one piece since my last one I made about a year ago (see my previous post).  The fabric was purchased at Joann's, I found it along side other ethnic/summery type fabrics.  The fabric is a lightweight cotton and has good shape for this garment.

From the Vault: Floral Romper

One of my very first garment sewing projects is this Simplicity 1158 inspired by Project Runway.  This pattern was one of the selections from the former Stitch Lab class "Pick A Pattern."  This was a fantastic class, where we picked a pattern to sew and had a lot of one-on-one help by the teacher (there were only four of us in the class).  This was my first time sewing techniques like adding facing, pattern grading, under stitching and more.

Ruffle Top + Tips For Sewing Knit Fabric

 A couple of weeks ago I was browsing the fabric section at my local Walmart.  I knew they had basic sewing tools and fabric, but totally forgot that they sold sewing patterns as well.  Right then I decided I would give my self a little challenge of making a couple of garments from items that I found at "Wally World."  This top is my first completed challenge.  I found this cute Simplicity 8337 knit top pattern that was recently released.  I have been eyeing it for a little while and was glad to find it here.  The fabric is a Walmart find as well.  It's a slinky turquoise lightweight knit fabric.  I love the color and thought that View A would be perfect for that ruffled neck line.

Chambray Lace Front Dress

I have a new goal for the summer to try patterns again that I have made before.  I hope to become a little more adventurous when it comes to making minor tweaks to sewing patterns.  I really would like learn more about getting a better fit plus I like to experiment with different fabrics.  This cute chambray dress was made with New Look 6448, View B.  I made the maxi dress version here a couple of months ago, and loved how it turned out.  For this dress I thought I would do a chambray version in the shorter dress because I love how it looked on the pattern packaging.  Plus I have been seeing chambray dresses for the upcoming summer season and I have been wanting to sew with chambray.

From the Archives: White Boat Neck Blouse

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I have been taking out some of my first garments that I made last year.  One that was super easy to put together is this Simplicity 1364 Vintage Jiffy Pattern.  I remember loving that it was a vintage pattern and how the packaging advertises that the top is made with just 3 pattern pieces.  How easy is that?  The stye of this top works with today's trends: white, vintage, and embroidered fabric (see below). 

Two Pretty Isla Dress

I'm getting my summer wardrobe ready for the upcoming intense Texas heat!  I'm excited to make cute little dresses that I hope to wear rather than shorts and a t-shirt.  I found this adorable Isla pattern from Made By Rae (I've blogged about MBR before here) and just love the shape and ease of it.  It has cute capped sleeves, fitted bodice and gathers at the waist. 

Step Hem Denim Trend

Have you seen this step hem trend around on denim jeans?  It's jeans that are cut off with the back leg hem about an inch or so longer.  In general, I love the distressed denim trend that's been around so I really like this different take on the distressed look. 

Red & Denim Ruby Dress

Recently I discovered the sewing blogger Made By Rae who is not only is super knowledgeable in garment sewing, but sews up super cute kids clothes AND makes her own patterns.  Not to mention, I love her cute and quirky style.  I immediately loved her garment patterns too so I purchased a couple as well as some cute fabrics (see my previous post here) that I think will go so well.

Spring Fabric Haul

March is flying by!  I can't believe we're already more than half way through the month.  It's been a busy last couple of weeks with spring break, taking care of kids and project planning.  I'm excited to share my latest fabric haul and surprisingly, everything has been purchased online.  This is the first time I'm jumping in feet first with shopping online for fabric.  Now that I've had some experience with different types of fabrics I'm starting to learn which ones I like to work with.

Since I mainly sew ready to wear garments, I really like working with knits and challis.  Both have great drape, soft to the touch and perfect for everyday wear garments.  After some online fabric store research I learned about an awesome shop for knit fabric called Girl Charlee.  They really have a great selection of fabric with beautiful prints and various types of knits.

I love bright colors for warm weather, plus they go well with my skin tone.  I bought the yellow knit and the turquoise floral knit from Girl Charlee.  I plan to make simple summer dresses with these.  The fuchsia floral print is a challis that I found on Etsy.  I'm planning to make this Very Easy Vogue long sleeve dress with it.

I also found these amazing ethnic prints from Girl Charlee when they were running a sale on them.  The black print I'm planning to make a summer romper and the white diamond print I'm still thinking about what to do but possibly a maxi skirt or a halter dress.

Lace Up Front Maxi Dress

I have finally finished this gorgeous maxi dress just in time for spring!  I'm loving the current lace up trend so when I saw this New Look 6448 pattern displayed at Joann's I had to make it. 

Help! I'm Stuck In A Sewing Pattern!

I have been sewing clothing from patterns for about a year now and looking back I think I've come quite a ways.  One thing that I've done to help me through my sewing journey is I have always stuck with fairly easy patterns.  I can get easily overwhelmed and confused in a sewing pattern so I try not to get in over my head with complicated patterns/designs. The other thing that has helped my sewing is I have taken a few sewing classes.  I am a kinesthetic learner so the sewing classes are perfect because it's hands-on learning plus someone is there to answer all of my questions (and I've always got a lot of them).  Even though I have had some education and stick to easy designs, I still mange to occasionally get stuck in a pattern step.  I would like to share a few ways how I've gotten "un-stuck" and continue to truck along in my sewing project so I can complete it and feel accomplished.

Thrift & Vintage Treasures

One I love doing is visiting thrift and vintage stores.  Austin has so many great thrift stores that are jam packed with people's "trash" and I love going through them to find myself a treasure.  Here are few my favorites that I've found over the last weeks.

This distressed Gap denim vest was found at Saver's.  It was $6 and the fit is just right.  I think someone just cut the arm sleeves off of a denim jacket so the frayed ends are perfect for me.  The basket I found at Thrift Town for less than $1.  I love buying plants and finding baskets to put them.  The gold shell belt I found on Etsy.  Etsy is truly amazing to find unique vintage items.  I had been on a quest to find a gold belt like this for a while.  Many thrift stores that I looked in didn't have what I wanted, but when I searched Etsy, there were lots of choices and lots of price points.  Can't wait to rock this belt!  Where do you all like to find vintage stuff?

Window Pain Jacket

Darn this crazy Texas weather!  The temps have been so up and down with one day being 55 degrees and then next being 80 degrees.  I really wanted to make something more appropriate to wear in our kind of winter weather but it's been a little bit frustrating and uninspiring.  Oh well.  I pushed ahead and sewed up this Very Easy Vogue Misses Jacket and Belt (V9037).

Emerald Green Peplum

I've still been working with knits lately, mainly because they're so easy to wear.  Plus I'm getting so comfortable sewing with knits (YAY!).  When I'm looking for more knit patterns I like to find tops that are not only easy to wear but have a special something to them.  So when I came across this Very Easy Vogue (V9056) pattern late last year, I thought it would be a cute addition to my handmade wardrobe. 

Styling A Long Vest

I just love when I have a wardrobe piece that I can wear so many different ways.  Lately for me this has been my handmade long vest (McCalls 2260) that I sewed last fall.  In general a vest can be

Family Dinners: Week 8

Well, it's been quite a while since I've posted about our family dinners.  I'll admit that I haven't been good at keeping track of them therefore my weekly planning wasn't being...uh...planned.  But this past week I feel like I rocked it - I planned plenty in advance for the week and the whole family devoured my meals.  All except one (SMH)...read below:

Sun. - Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas w/ Black Beans
Mon. - Cheese Burger Cups w/ Salad (peas for kids)
Tues. - BBQ Chicken Pizza w/ Caesar Salad (broccoli for kids)
Wed. - Bowtie Chicken Alfredo w/ Roasted Asparagus
Thurs. - Beef Fajitas w/ Charro Beans

The kids did not like the enchiladas but my hubbie and I thought they were awesome.  I used corn tortillas instead of flour (as written in Mel's recipe).  And you just can't go wrong with a recipe by The Pioneer Woman.  The Alfredo dinner was fast to put together and was a slam dunk with everyone.

I've been sewing away lately and will be posting soon on my recent projects.  Stay tuned!

My Sewing Space

I thought I would share my little sewing corner in our house.  It's actually in our master bedroom.  This corner of our room was empty for a little while and at one point had a chair there with clothes thrown on it.  When I got more into sewing I wanted a bit of a private space,

Sweater Vest

Happy 2017 everyone!  Hope you all had a great time relaxing, celebrating and spending time with loved ones during the holidays.  I'm so excited about the new year and what sewing projects I will take on.  I have some new sewing goals that I hope to conquer and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you and styling them with my current wardrobe.  My closet is slowly but surely getting more handmade garments incorporated. I can't believe it!  Yay!!  For this post, I want to share this pretty and easy-to-sew sweater vest that I made a couple months ago.  I picked this pattern because I love that it's a great layering piece.  In Texas, our winters tend to be mild and therefore layers are really functional.  This pattern is from New Look 6397, it was my first time sewing something from this pattern line.  I chose View C since it looked like the simplest one to make.  The fabric I chose is a thin acrylic sweater type material that is dark brown speckled with white, and there are also different colored shimmering thread woven in.  I love it.  It has a boho vibe with a bit of glam.  As I've said, this was very easy to sew and would be great for a beginner.  My sweater material has some stretch so I used a stretch stitch and serged all of the seam allowances.  I also love how the collar is folds out from the neck facing.

I styled this vest with a semi-shear cream top underneath and dusty rose denim pants that have a moto detail (my husband loving calls them my Star Trek pants).  I belted the vest with a thin woven brown belt and finished with my favorite brown booties.  I think this vest could also be dressed more casual with a graphic tee underneath and distress jeans.  So many possibilities!