An FO and a Fail

So I finished the hat, and it looks great, just what my son wanted.

However I messed up on the sizing and it doesn't fit!!


I did not take into account that quilting the fabric would reduce the size of the opening, so sadly I went out again today to get the supplies to make another one.

Oh well, it might come in handy at some point.

Progress on the hat

This past week besides being extremely busy, I had a back pain flare up. Quilting is not good for my back so quilting the velvet for the wizards hat was delayed until today, since I'm happy to report the pain is almost gone.

I have used Simplicity 5512 many many times but this is the first time for the wizards hat. Since my son is now over 6 ft I had to modify the hat for size and also he did not want the scrunched tip so I made it shorter.

The picture is terrible but it shows the quilting. For the brim I spaced and cut the velvet before quilting the fabric but I made it work. The brim is quilted with cotton batting, which I had on hand and no backing. The crown has the velvet, batting and a lining.

I have to start painting my bedroom today so I hope that tonight I will be able to continue on the hat.

Here is the inspiration picture again.

Curious about BB creams?

I was! If you have been reading my blog for a while you can see that I don't wear a lot of makeup. I am fond of the natural look; of course as I've gotten older there are things that although may be natural I don't want them on display ;-). I get dark spots with a little bit of sun and we always get a little bit of sun in our daily life.  I prefer tinted moisturizers to foundation, I use foundation as a cover up.

Anyways, back to BB creams... The American market has been flooded with BB (beauty balm) creams  which claim to be better than tinted moisturizers so I decided to investigate.

In general the reviews for the BB creams in the states say that most formulas have little or no coverage, like a tinted moisturizer and most had a shiny finish that most of the reviewers set with powder. Some reviews said that the Asian BB creams are much better when it comes to coverage.

I have two Korean markets very close to my house and the second one I went to had a cosmetics counter with 4 different BB creams (two were IOPE brand). I tried them all and talked to the very nice lady behind the counter and she told me that BB creams have a natural finish and will not cover imperfections, so they wouldn't do much for dark spots. On my hand they all looked  a little different some with more pigment color than others but they all blended into my skin, giving me very light if any coverage but  they did even out my skin.

The biggest difference in my quick and dirty research? The Asian BB creams dried flat, no shine whatsoever, no greasy feel.

I ended up picking up the IOPE Air Cushion Sunblock Ex, Cover, SPF 50, which was recommended as having more coverage but still looking natural. Some reviewers put this product in the BB cream category.

Well I have been wearing it and  I love it, while still looking very natural it gives coverage to smooth out my color. It feels cool on the skin and very hydrating. Since I spent more than I usually do on skin care I'm so glad I'm this happy with it.

This and that

Yesterday afternoon I took time off. Time off from computer, exercising, cooking, cleaning...you get the idea. I sat on the couch and read magazines that had been piling on the mail table (Vogue Knitting, Vogue Patterns...didn't get to the new Burda!) and I finished reading the book for my book club. The book is the Paris Wife by Paula McLain and I enjoyed it very much. I will review it later over at Goodreads; although it is fiction it deals with Ernest Hemingway's first wife. Don't you love the shirtdress on the cover?

Courtesy of Amazon.com

I have been blocking the cardigan I'm knitting and now when I am reading to start putting it together to finish it.

 Filati Cardigan

I also will finish this quirky and fun little cushion I crocheted.

The pattern comes from Attic 24


I also cut a beautiful silk to make Burda   which I already had traced but because of the cut on sleeves I couldn't find wide enough fabric to use for it.  The silk is from Metro Textiles from a couple of years ago. I was very nervous cutting this out, my first time on a slippery silk. Of course I have used Bemberg rayon for many linings  but never silk.

I found a nice velvet at Joann's to use for my son's wizard hat. Rhonda was very generous in offering me her quilted fabric, but my son was set in black with blue accents. I will have to quilt the fabric to get the look he wants.

While at Joann's I saw that they had quilt fabrics on sale and I couldn't resist on getting these

they will be a quilt for my in-renovation bedroom. By the way if painting was just about painting it would be a piece of cake, the priming is what is killing me.

Today I'm working on the wizard's hat, since my son is home from school I will be able to try on the pattern and see how it fits him.

Happy sewing, knitting, crocheting, quilting and reading everyone!

Quilted velvet fabric?

Photo from Talltoad.net

Hello everyone!

My son has asked me to reproduce a wizard's hat we saw at the MD Renaissance Festival this past weekend (they wanted $50 yikes!). I have looked through my usual internet sources but haven't seen any quilted velvet. I know I can quilted but was hoping to find it ready for me just to cut and sew.

I am grateful if you can point me in the right direction!

Vogue 1250

Recently Catherine reviewed this dress saying that she was probably the last person to make this, well...now I'm the last!

I was hesitating to make this one because the pattern pieces were oddly shaped and I knew that I needed to add at the hip. Below you can see how I did it.

It wasn't difficult, I traced the shape of  the dart and then placed the tracing under the tissue paper to retrace at the spot where it would give me the extra ease I needed at the side.  I really like how the dress turned out, I hope to make more. What made me decide to go for it? At NYC  PR weekend, I was able to try on the dress since Karen had made it; even though it was tight around the hips, I really liked how the bodice looked.

The fabric is a rayon knit that I loved on Carolyn and ordered right away. From her post I can see I aged it a bit ;-)

Vogue 1250 has been made many many times, so I wont reviewed it over at PR since I have really nothing earth shattering to add.

I braved going outside in 90 degree weather and killer mosquitoes so I wore the dress with sandals. I'm looking forward to wearing it in the fall with fall appropriate shoes/accessories. If you haven't made it go for it, really I think it looks better in person than in pictures!

This past week was a week of firsts for my family.

My oldest son moved to college, granted he is maximum 20 min away, but still it is a huge change for us. He is doing great and has been very good about sharing with us. I know it will get easier for me with time =)

My youngest son started high school. He is a wonderfully responsible individual so I am not worried about his success there. It is still a new school with new rules to learn and the poor guy caught a cold and was out yesterday so now he has work to make up.

I also started a new job, actually another part time job. I am now also a teacher's assistant at our community college. The class is intermediate Spanish. It is a good way for me to get in the classroom, like I wanted, and then hopefully get a better position.

With the start of school also starts theater sewing and that is always fun. I'm looking forward to getting involved in the fall production Twelfth Night. It looks like the costumes will be modern but I still don't have details.

I did start sewing Vogue 1250 which I think everyone has done. I will share with you how I handled adding extra room at the hip with this unusual pattern shape (no side seams).

I am also in the middle of painting my bedroom, but it has been slow going because of the busy week. Today I'm home so hopefully I will get some more done.

Next time more sewing!

Burda 7364

I continue sewing for summer I guess I'm not ready to let it go yet. I bought this pattern last year but didn't get around to making it and now I was inspired to use leftover from another Burda dress and an ITY knit that I purchased during NY PR weekend.

I love how easy to wear this dress is. I inserted elastic at the waist instead of the elastic/cord combination that the pattern instructs you to do.

I have plans to make up the cardigan also.

I also took some ease off the bodice since when I tried it on there was just too much around the armhole; if you look at the picture that it's how it is designed but I didn't like it on me like that.

I also raised the neckline almost an inch.

 

Neckline binding
 

 

Pattern matching, not perfect but close enough ;-)
 

Vogue 1247 The top

 For the top of this very popular pattern I used a very lightweight linen from Michael's fabrics that my mom had given me; she made a beautiful tunic with this fabric years ago.

I believe this pattern needs  a  drapier  fabric than mine even though this was one of the recommended fabrics. As you can see there is poofiness going on with my top.

While I will wear the top it is really nice for hot weather, it is not the most figure flattering top I own. Like I said before I think this needs a softer fabric.

So in full disclosure the below pictures show how this top looked on me when I was done with it, yikes!! The neckline had stretched out and I thought I could fix it by taking it in front center above the waist, which gave me that nice peak right on my belly, not an attractive look.  Of course the rectangular shape of the design did not do me any favors.

 

So I removed the binding in the front pieces, stay stitched plus the neckline and brought back to its original length. I also undid the front seam to take in the same amount above and below the waist. Of course there were all the french seams meeting at center front that had to be partially redone.

I also added a lingerie holder at the shoulders to keep the neckline in place.

Looking back I should have taken into account the very wide neckline in this design which is hard for me to pull off with my narrow shoulders and I should have thought more about my fabric choice. I won't be rushing out to make another but I'm glad I was able to save this one since I do really like the fabric.

What I'm knitting

 Although I still have knitted garments that need seaming, I didn't have anything on my needles (well I have a "Missoni" style scarf that is my easy portable project) so I started this cardigan in the spring planning I would have it for the summer to use in air conditioned rooms. The pattern is from Filati Pocket which has a great selection of styles from a number of their publications. I think this issue is still available at Barnes & Noble and Joann's.

I'm using a cotton yarn ,GGH Scarlett, which although a bit splitty, has a very pretty shine and drapes like I hope it would. This design is a nice change from the lace top I worked on before. The only deviation from stockinette stitch is the lace detail on the sleeves.

I finished the top from Vogue 1247, pictures to come later. I also have planned the next project, still summer sewing.

Just one more...I went to Ikea to buy some bedding for my oldest move to a dorm in the fall and couldn't resist this embroidered pillow. The hydrangeas are from my garden and the Dr. Seuss was a gift from the Seussical production team signed by all the kids =). In the background is a diorama made by my oldest in photo class and a picture of my boys from long ago. After I took the picture I realized there were quite a few things in it that make me smile so I had to share.

Simplicity 2599

This top was made with the fabric that I intended to use with the top of Vogue 1247, there wasn't enough fabric so I used the Simplicity 2599 thinking that I could still wear it with the skirt tucked in.
The picture was taken at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. What a fun museum! Highly recommend it!

 I did not use the facings, I made bias binding with batiste in white since I did not have enough fashion fabric. The back seam has no shaping, I kept it in since I wasn't sure if I could pull the top over my head without an opening (I can). I added a little bit of shaping at the waist in the back seam.

 I also used the binding in the armholes.

The ruffles I made using my serger. I love how you finish the edge and gather at the same time. It took me a while to get them right, but it was worth it!

I leave you with a couple more pictures of the museum.

A birthday celebration

My son turned 18 last week. Yesterday he had a second celebration with a couple of friends at home so I baked a cake and made quesadillas for them.

The cake is a recipe from Martha Stewart and the quesadillas she showed how to make on a show many years ago and have become a staple that I make for parties. It is a great recipe since you can add many things depending on what you have available. I have made them with black olives, salsa, chicken, green onions and then you can serve them with sour cream, guacamole...you get the picture. Here is a video showing you how to make them except I heat up olive oil in the pan.

The cake I have made before, yellow cake with lemon curd filling and chocolate frosting. I did not make the lemon curd, it came from a jar, but the cake and frosting I followed the recipe.

I used to watch the old Martha Stewart show but I'm not a fan of her new one. I do still go to her website from time to time.

Vogue 1247 Skirt

Obligatory shot to show pockets

Like everyone else who has made this skirt , I love it! As you can see I added quite a bit of length and it works just as well as the original short version.

The top is from Burda magazine made in 2005. Here is the review , but I'm afraid the original picture has gone missing.

 The most time consuming part of this skirt is the seam finishing and it looks so pretty you don't mind the extra time spent on making your own binding and then applying. I used a light weight cotton, and although I love it is a little too young for me but it is perfect for details like these.

The zipper does not match because it was the one I had when working in this project so I used it, after all it is an invisible zipper so it doesn't matter right?

Forida Vacation

This year for vacation we went to Florida. We spent about 5 days in Sanibel, enjoying the beach and the warm gulf waters. The rest of the time, 5 more days, we spent visiting family and surrounding attractions. Hope you enjoy my pictorial trip!

This was the start of our nature walk at "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

The best part of Florida vacation, anoles! Used to try catching these when I was a kid, my kids still chase them.

Yum! Sea grapes...

Although we enjoyed our 4 mile walk, other than anoles and a few birds, wildlife was no where to be seen... The only alligator we saw

The shade and water provider in action

Leaving Sanibel we stopped at Edison and Ford Winter States, Ft. Myers. I fell in love with the location, the houses, porches and the gardens.

Fairy tale banyan trees

The living room at the Ford family winter home

Lunch stop in historic Ft. Myers

 Canoe trip, my boys and my niece

Homasassa Springs Wildlife Refuge State Park

Honorary Floridian hippo

Taking shelter from afternoon storm

Manatees one of the main attractions at Homasassa

Busch Gardens

One of the highlights of the Busch Gardens visit, feeding the lorikeets

Great vacation! Glad to be home!