i was knit together...

Hi Friends!

Don't forget to check out the NEW blog site at 

www.wonderfullymade1.blogspot.com

Change your links and your readers and your bookmarks so that you don't miss a thing!

 

Well, I'm home. And I have a new job. And Lori is coming to visit tonight. So I'm cooking, and cleaning and making good stuff to eat. And jushing up the throw pillows too, because it's LORI! 

So, she and her girls will be in my garden tonight! And I will be posting about it on my new blog site!

That's right, the  blog transition is complete! For the next month, I will be posting on both sites, but please change your blog readers, bookmarks and favorites to :

Wonderfully Made or  wonderfullymade1.blogspot.com.

Please check out the new site, become a google friend, and leave a comment so I know you have switched over...I'll be drawing for a giveaway within a few weeks...details to follow. So, come say hello and stay tuned for a blog-warming party!

 

 

 

Well, all it took was for me to see Erica's Burda 7368 Tunic and I was smitten.

Simple. And on trend for summer 2011...what we have left of it.  They're everywhere, worn over shorts, or as cover-ups, and sometimes, if you are young enough and have legs enough, they can even be worn as a dress. 

For me? This version is made with a lightweight linen...and will never be worn as a dress!

 

I think what I love about such a basic pattern is that it is an opportunity to make even the most normal details ...um, as perfect as you can.  For this tunic, I used french seams throughout, was very, very careful with my topstitching, and buttonholes, and added a dainty row of 1/2 " shell buttons.

There is something about wearing a tunic...maybe it's the way it floats over your body, always looks fresh and cool, or maybe its the fact that you don't have to hold your stomach in.

 

I am all about a tunic these days.

The beach.

 

                                                                     

                         

A perfect way to spend the day. And say goodbye to Michigan

The Farmer's Market.

 

A good place to buy tonight's dinner.

 
Antiquing.

At our favorite spots:  Blue Star Antique Pavilion.

 

Cottage Corner and Downtown Antiques

 Found on 8th Street

and our new fav, Second Chance Design, owned by a very sweet young couple with an eye for style, a love for the Lord, and smitten with each other.

While these are not the treasures we chose, we did find a few special pieces that I'll show you  later.

Antiquing.

An inspiring thing to do on a rainy day.
 

 

 

 

Fabric Shopping.

 

yummy matte jerseys, a crinkle cotton eyelet for a new beach cover-up, Serendipity Studios' Juliet  Tunic, and Kwik Sew 3856.

some pretty sheer fabric for t-shirt trimming.

All from Field's Fabrics...a good old fashioned fabric store.

A good way to spend money.

Thrifting.

thrifted Levi's denim jacket, blue silk maxi skirt and faux ivory necklace.

thrifted Gap khaki jacket, khaki keds, stripey knit tee to remake. my own pants.

Thrifted Eddie Bauer red pullover, vintage red change purse. My own shorts.

Thrifted Gap voile top, Dooney and Burke 1990 leather bag, leather loafers. My own shorts.

Found at some great Holland, Michigan thrift stores:  Ditto, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Paradise Bound, Africa's Child Family Resource, Comminity Action House, and Holland Rescue Mission.

A good way to spend a morning...happy to donate.

Michigan sunsets.

 

A most glorious way to spend an evening.

A garden walk.

a good way to spend an afternoon.

Thanks for all of the suggestions! A girl has got to have girlfriends that will help her out in a desperate wardrobe situation!

Well, I shopped my closet, and then I shopped the thrift store. And then I made a little something to wear with the Kay Whitt skirt.  And here's what I came up with :

View 1 is an ivory cami with my old standby Ralph Lauren denim jacket.

View 2 is an Eddie Bauer top with an embroidered panel down the front...Thrift store find...$1.00!

View 3 is the top I finished today made from New Look 6894. I used plain old fashioned red gingham. This was a pretty easy pattern. I eliminated the back ties, and did my usual full bust adjustment ( Thank you Debbie Cook  for your most excellant animated FBA tutorial!)

I love the scalloped neckline. It's so feminine. I was a little concerned that red gingham and a sweet neckline would be too Ellie May, but I think it works.

And if you look closely, you'll see an added something special:

My own label....Which happened out of necessity.

I was serging away, finishing the bottom edge to prepare it for hemming, when suddenly, horror of horrors, I noticed that the fabric was folded under, and I ended up with a big gash right on the front of the blouse.

This required some quick thinking. I used steam-a-seam and a patch of gingham on the back side, and then made a patch with wide twill tape.  Using Word, I printed a "No.59", then reversed it to print on iron-on transfer paper, thus creating my own personal lable!

So, who won the drawing for this little wardrobe contest? #12: 

"I finally didn't miss one of your contests! A white eyelet top or cardigan with green and pink buttons to match the skirt." Li, my knitting blog buddy from Life's a Stitch!

And what did I make from all those skirt leftovers?

A tote bag! Email me with your address, Li, and when I get back from vacation, I'll ship out your bag!

 

Counting down the last few days before we leave for Michigan...my favorite vacation.  And why, you may ask, is this my favorite vacation? How does a house on the lake,  sandy beaches, shopping in Holland, reading, knitting, napping, biking and walking  the beach sound?  What about limited cell phone coverage?  And did I mention fresh food from the best farmer's market around? And the fact that we don't have to do anything if we don't want to?

We love the ride there, too. It's as if with each mile, every worry, every detail of daily life just falls off the back of the truck. We arrive much lighter in spirit, which is a very good way to start a ten day vacation.

So, I'm preparing. Packing. Gathering reading materials.

Deciding which sandals to take....how many knitting projects.  And I always pack waaaaaayyyy to much. And I'm always determined to underpack each year, but it never happens. A girl's gotta have choices.

 

Thanks for your suggestions for the Kay Whitt skirt. Believe it or not, I found a great little top at the thrift store for $1 ( half off green ticket day!) and I have something on the sewing table right now. Tomorrow, I'll show you what I came up with and draw a name, so I can send off your summer gift, which, by the way, will be made from my skirt remains:

In preparation  for a blog trasfer to Blogger, I'm housekeeping my current situation, saving blog files and setting up the new place before I have a Blog-Warming Party (will there be presents? Of course! from Me to You!). I hope to complete the switch with a few weeks, so stay tuned. It's going to be a little wierd moving to a new blog home.  But, the time seems right, and there is so much about my life that has been evolving over the past few years that I want my blog space to represent that.

And I'm super-excited about a Blog Friend Meet-up when we get back. Lori and her family will be in our area, and they'll be our guests for dinner! Does that take preparation? Of course!  I told JR we needed to finish painting the house, re-mulch, re-finish the stairway, get the new kitchen floor laid...I have a list a mile long, Lori!

But seriously, I'm doing none of that. I will be cleaning my sewing room. Period...because, well, you know, it's Lori... Maybe I'll interview HER for a change!

And right now, I'm preparing for a second job interview with the same organization. 

That's a lot of preparation going on. I need a vacation.

Contest Alert!

Another summer skirt...and another pattern from Serendipity Studios. ( from the book "Sew Serendipity")

Another stash buster, and I think this is one of the cutest most fun skirts I've ever made. 

I made the size large, and had to adjust here and there...I think I was between a medium and a large. The good thing is, with a skirt of this style, it's so easy to tweak here and there because of the number of seams.  

OK, confession ; I did have to buy some fabric...a fat quarter for the pockets and the polka dot batik for the trim...pulling the whole she-bang together was a challenge, but I was determined to use what I had, including the vintage rick rack.

The back is a simple zipper opening, 

and it has a faced waistband:

I love the topstitching detail, the way the skirt is constructed, and how you can take a hodgepodge of prints and create a fun patchwork that speaks "relaxed summer." I was going to wear it to church today, and then to view some gardens on the Lockport in Bloom Garden Walk.

Here's my problem:

I don't have anything to wear with it! It's not quite right with red, it's not quite right with white. Nor anything baggy or anything to tailored. I have nothing in my closet that works with this skirt!

So, friends, leave me a comment with a suggestion so I can get sewing on a top or two. Leave me a pattern idea, a style, a color...use your imagination. How would you style this skirt? 

And in return, I will draw for a lovely summer prize to send to one of you!

 

While the dog days of summer may be here,  I'm reminded that we still have a good bit of  these dog days  left to enjoy.  I love a skirt for summer, and most days, you'll find me wearing one, even if I'm cleaning the porch or taking a walk or bike ride.

Today, I finished up a basic lightweight denim skirt from Hotpatterns...This is my third version of the Wong Singh Jones Kyoto Skirt:

I eliminated the back godet,

Spruced up the cargo pockets a little bit with some extra stuff,

 

And added rows of gray topstitching.

She had a few washings, and wa-la ! Another perfect summer skirt! 

As a reminder, Trudy, of HotPatterns has several video tutorials on You Tube  that are excellant for tips and inspiration.

After cleaning up my sewing room and organizing my projects, I got started on cutting out some fun things to finish up the season...one of which is another cute summer skirt:

 Sew Serendipity's multi-fabric skirt.  Fabric selections made and ready to go.

 

So, enjoy these wonderful, skirt wearing, bare-legged lazy days of summer while you can...

and make yourself a skirt!

 (by the way...my bike? another great garage sale score!)

(photo from Little Red Shop)

Well, camping was nothing less than AWESOME!  We had the best time...figuring it all out, thinking of improvements, getting away from the television and being outdoors, spending time with new friends and family.

Last week I wasn't sure that I could convince my husband to ever do this again. And as the weekend went along, he was being transformed...Saturday, he was 50/50.

Sunday, he was at 75%

Monday, the dear man uttered that he was about 85% sure he would camp again, to 

Monday evening, he was at a solid 95% sure!

The other 5% will come when we figure out a better way to make coffee!

So today, I'm catching up. Catching up with mending, reading blogs, gardening and anything else that strikes my fancy. I finished that  slipcover today.

Now, I'd like to go and slipcover everything in the house, now that I know I can do it, but instead, I think I'll pile up a few projects for the week ahead...a few skirts, a bag...and whatever else I may dream up.