2012 Sewing , Craft Projects On Sew Country Chick

It's been a very busy 2012 for me and the Sew Country Chick blog!

I have done a lot of sewing and crafting this year.

I decided to put together a post with photos of all of my projects from 2012.

I really put myself out there this past year and the result was a lot of activity for Sew Country Chick, which had been a relatively quiet blog in 2011.

It's been very busy but fun. Now the question is, can I keep this up in 2013? Who knows, but I am grateful for the things I learned this year. We may possibly be moving closer to LA, so obviously if that happens, I won't be making as many things. My husband is really tired of the commute to the city from our old farmhouse. We'll see!

Here is list of the projects I sewed:

38 dresses

9 jackets and vests

18 tops

1 bathing suit

5 skirts

8 trousers and shorts

9 bags

Maybe this year I will make more basics like pants. tops and skirts. I seem to love making dresses, although I have to admit I wear jeans most of the time. As I write this post I am working on a black stretch lycra dress for myself .......

I've listed links to the original posts below each photo collage. As you can imagine, this post has taken me several hours to write. I am very happy to have a log of  my productivity this year.

To see the original post, click the text link below the photo. Pin away!

Burlap pillow, Leather Mad Max 

striped McCall's 6319, upcycled cashmere sweater dress,

 Upcycled orange sweater dress, Silver dress: Simplicity 1998,

 Burda 7994 denim jacket, Pink 40's style dress

Simplicity 212 fur vest, Upcycled Love Shirt

Tunic minidress tutorial, Sheet music covered table

Upcycled mens shirt Dandelion dress, Pink wool coat, 1942 vintage pattern, 

Burdastyle Book Blouse,  Echino fabric skirt

Patchy Bias Dress, (Indygo Junction Vintage Modern Grand Prize Winner.)  Grapes Of Wrath Dress, Cowgirl Prairie Dress, Mccall's 5574 Bird print top

Winning the Vintage Modern Design Challenge by sponsored by Burdastyle & Indygo Junction Patterns.

Tunic Tree Dress, Fat Quarter banner tutorial

Dishtowel overalls, Upcycled cashmere child's robe

My Costume Design Job, Maxi dress tutorial

 Another japanese outfit

Mod Podged bird house, Potholder tutorial

Colette hazel, 4th Of July Outfit Tutorial

Scrappy Lampshade, Flamenco Ruffled Tank,  

McCall's 6112, Japanese Pattern Book Shorts,

French Mariniere Dress Tutorial

1940's romper pattern, Provence apron tutorial
1915 Circus Girl, Ragamufin patchwork skirt

1941 girls sailor dress pattern,  vintage fabric messenger bag, My vintage bedroom

Portland trip, Colette Hazel from Old Tablecloth,
Tank top refashioned dress tutorial ,Aqua refinished coffee table

The Blythe Dress, Trip to Charleston,
Peek A Boo Pattern Tankini

Pirate dress tutorial,  Shopping for sewing stuff in Tokyo

 Bias cut peasant blouse,Greek cloak tutorial

Handpainted French Stripe dress, Patchwork skirt tutorial

Resin bobby pins, New Look 6193

Mustache dress, 1940's shorts and top pattern
Lisette sailor pant, Playday frock

Purple Pumpkin dress from white sheet
Channeling CHANEL toddler ensemble

Participating in Project Run & Play as a contestant stretched me as a maker of children's clothes and made me try things out of my comfort zone.

The Brady Bunch dress,

La Vie En Rose silk girls outfits

Galaxy print silk dress, New Look 6774 maxi dress

I  had projects appear in Altered Couture Magazine, Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine, and Romantic Homes Magazine.

Exposed zip mini tutorial, Brown gingham Playday frock,

Simplicity 4020 sweatshirt,  Indygo Junction Cowl Neck Shift

Folksy Suspender Skirt,

Skinny leggings and Comic Tee

Garden gnome hat,  Doily cake plate tutorial

Vintage Card Banner, Pumpkin Tutorial

On the crafting front, My Top hat pumpkin won the most scariest pumpkin award sponsored by the Plaid Company.

Handprint turkey Tee, Burda 7828 wrap dress, Upcycled Poncho Tutorial

Minidress tutorial, Go To Dress,

Pinafore smock, Peek A Boo Peacoat

New Look 6122, fox and smock
Drafting knit patterns

Bleached stencil technique,
Burlap Trees, Christmas Teacup candles

If you would like to see more sewing and craft related posts in 2013, consider adding Sew Country Chick to your rss feed reader. Or follow with Facebook, Twitter, or Friend Connect!

1960's double breasted girls minidress tutorial

This is a double breasted sixties style drop waist mini dress tutorial. I will show you how to make this cute little dress by altering a basic t shirt pattern. It was featured on the Elegance & Elephants Knock Off series last month.

The outfit was perfect for me to knock off as I had some similar fabric already. My dress fabric is a ponte knit and the original fabric is woven, but I think it's close enough.

The most expensive part of the outfit was the purchase of the black fabric buttons, which set me back twelve dollars. The fabric I bought by the pound in downtown LA. Fabric by the pound. $2.50 a pound to be exact.

It has a little bit of a sixties vibe which is so fun. How cute are knee highs on little girls? The dress is double breasted with two rows of buttons, patch pockets, and pleats, an element I added. The top has a mock turtleneck and blousy sleeves which have an elastic case. I used the same pattern for all of the pieces.

The pleats were necessary because I made the dress too big at first, took it apart and then was too tired after fixing the whole bodice to take off the pockets and make the skirt smaller. Picking seams out of double knit is a thankless task!  Read on to see how I manipulated one pattern to create this look.

I started with my basic top pattern I drafted.

I traced it to create my new dress pattern. I left it as is for the top.

To create an A line shape, cut the pattern up until the shoulder, open it and patch the back with paper scraps. You can do this with skirts, tops, or any pattern you want some flare to.

I extended the center front to be wide enough for two rows of large buttons. About 3.5 inches.

All in one facings llok nice on sleeveless dresses and are easy to draft. 

When sewing buttonholes, make sure you have some interfacing either inside the facing or just ironed onto the buttonhole areas when working on knits , so you don't get ugly puckering.

I used the same pattern slashing method to make the bell sleeve pattern.

Now go make one!

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Blueberry Punkin'

I thought I would share a project I never posted on the blog. 

I made this little dress as an entry for Project Run & Play but then anded up making a different one.

It was made from a white bedsheet that I dip dyed purple. Then I hand stamped some gold flowers onto it with sponges.

The pattern I made myself.

I have been going through all of my posts from 2012 to do a recap on all of my projects made this year when I found these photos.

They bring back memories of late summer for me.

A nice respite to the recent cold days of winter.

Can't you almost just feel the sunshine?

Pin It

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Blessings to you!
-Justine

Draft Along: Button down Shirt & Link Up

So I finally got my button down pattern cut out, sewn up and finished and it doesn't fit!
I drafted the sleeves way too small and really messed up on the armhole.
Either I measured incorrectly or I drafted incorrectly or read the directions wrong.

As you can see from the photos, I had some strange wrinkling under the bust so I added some darts but that didn't really help as I then discovered the top was too tight and I had the familiar bustline pulling that I often get in button down shirts that are fitted.

In short I totally screwed this pattern up but that's Ok. I will have to draft another pattern as this one is really a fiasco!
I can always draft another with more ease but for the time being I've seen enough button down pattern action until next year , meaning until 2013.

So tell me, if you made a pattern too, how did it turn out?
I'm posting the link if you would like to post your projects!

If you would like to see more sewing and craft related posts consider adding Sew Country Chick to your rss feed reader. Or follow with Facebook, Twitter, or Friend Connect!