I'm so excited about this spring weather we've been having! Pretty weather calls for pretty tops. So for a limited time, my most popular cap-sleeved style tops are 40% off. May be purchased through my etsy shop. You're welcome :)
Showing posts with label etsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label etsy. Show all posts
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Spring Top Week
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Ok folks, you have less than one week left to submit your entries for Made by Rae's Spring Top Week contest! Here are the three tops I entered.
I call this one the Pintuck Peasant Top. Original design by me, inspired by my maternity moomoo, which I still love, love, love to wear. Cotton/Linen blend fabric (from Joann's).
I made a floor length linen skirt to go with it... and of course I'm a sucker for matching mother/daughter outfits, so Ashlyn got an outfit as well.
Let's simply call this one the Sky Top. It's blue, it's frilly and I'm really not in the mood to rack my brain for a better name. Original design by me. Cotton/Lycra blend fabric in aqua with grey contrast stitching. Thinking of offering this style in my shop... we'll see.
And finally, the Darling Top in black linen, featuring a peter pan collar, linen rose and gathered empire waist. Another original design by me, inspired by my friend's grandma's moomoo. You must think I'm obsessed with moomoos. Well I am. Have you ever worn one? Heaven.
I call this one the Pintuck Peasant Top. Original design by me, inspired by my maternity moomoo, which I still love, love, love to wear. Cotton/Linen blend fabric (from Joann's).
I made a floor length linen skirt to go with it... and of course I'm a sucker for matching mother/daughter outfits, so Ashlyn got an outfit as well.
Let's simply call this one the Sky Top. It's blue, it's frilly and I'm really not in the mood to rack my brain for a better name. Original design by me. Cotton/Lycra blend fabric in aqua with grey contrast stitching. Thinking of offering this style in my shop... we'll see.
And finally, the Darling Top in black linen, featuring a peter pan collar, linen rose and gathered empire waist. Another original design by me, inspired by my friend's grandma's moomoo. You must think I'm obsessed with moomoos. Well I am. Have you ever worn one? Heaven.
♥♥♥Happy Sewing♥♥♥
Sunday, March 21, 2010
SweetPod Baby Carrier
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Ever since I saw Jessica's pattern for her SweetPod Baby Carrier, I've been dying to make one. Denzil was friends with Jessica and her hubby in his college days, so we know firsthand how incredibly talented she is. This rockin' woman can seriously do it all and I admire her greatly.
The SweetPod pattern is beautifully laid out and easy to follow. I must admit, I was intimidated to get started because this is different that anything else that I've sewn before. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I did print the pattern... the pattern pieces line up perfectly and the instructions and diagrams are very detailed. It is obvious that a lot of time and expertise went into creating this fabulous pattern. I had a ton of fun making my SweetPod, and can honestly say that I didn't get frustrated once during this project.
I'm so giddy over my new SweetPod... I love, love, LOVE it! Baby Tess is still a bit too young for it (it's for 15 to 35 pounds), but she seemed happy enough while I was using her to model it. Jessica even has videos on how to wear it here.
If you're interested in making one, I ordered my hardware, webbing and closed-cell foam from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics. Shipping was about $10. For ease of ordering, here is the breakdown of my order (This is the hardware needed to make one SweetPod Carrier):
I purchased my open cell foam from my local Joann's store.
Ever since I saw Jessica's pattern for her SweetPod Baby Carrier, I've been dying to make one. Denzil was friends with Jessica and her hubby in his college days, so we know firsthand how incredibly talented she is. This rockin' woman can seriously do it all and I admire her greatly.
The SweetPod pattern is beautifully laid out and easy to follow. I must admit, I was intimidated to get started because this is different that anything else that I've sewn before. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I did print the pattern... the pattern pieces line up perfectly and the instructions and diagrams are very detailed. It is obvious that a lot of time and expertise went into creating this fabulous pattern. I had a ton of fun making my SweetPod, and can honestly say that I didn't get frustrated once during this project.
I'm so giddy over my new SweetPod... I love, love, LOVE it! Baby Tess is still a bit too young for it (it's for 15 to 35 pounds), but she seemed happy enough while I was using her to model it. Jessica even has videos on how to wear it here.
See, now you want one too, huh!?
If you're interested in making one, I ordered my hardware, webbing and closed-cell foam from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics. Shipping was about $10. For ease of ordering, here is the breakdown of my order (This is the hardware needed to make one SweetPod Carrier):
I purchased my open cell foam from my local Joann's store.
♥♥♥Thank you, Jessica! You are an amazingly talented woman! ♥♥♥
Friday, September 25, 2009
Wedding Garter "Keep" and "Toss" Tutorial
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I honestly did not know about these things when I got hitched. They're called "Keep" and "Toss" Wedding Garters and as the name implies, the bride "keeps" one as a wedding day keepsake and the groom "tosses" the other one to the woman-hungry bachelors at the reception. If you're too embarrassed to gift kinky lingerie at the bridal shower, then this is a classy and fun alternative. Both times I've made them, I used the bride's wedding colors and embellished them with little touches that suited the personality of the bride. Of course, if you're not sure about the bride's wedding colors, white or ivory is a safe bet (and throw in a touch of blue to fulfill the "something blue" tradition.)
Ok, let's briefly talk fabric options for this project. Charmeuse satin is the way to go. It comes in silk or synthetic (polyester). Charmeuse is different than regular satin in that it's thinner and more delicate. It's the stuff they use to make lingerie, ladies. Of course real silk is nicer, but more expensive. Granted, it doesn't take a lot of fabric to make a garter, so even if you used real silk, the project cost would stay low. As for polyester charmeuse, I have come across some pretty good qualities, all from this place here. They only have a few colors listed online, but if you go to their Houston location they have over a hundred different colors of both higher quality polyester and heavenly silk charmeuse. LOVE that store.
Materials:
For this tutorial, I'm only going to make the "keep" garter. The instructions for the "toss" are pretty much the same. I've used two different colors 1) because I love the fun contrast and 2) it's easier for ya'll to follow along in the tutorial.
Step One:
With right sides together, sew the long sides of the 30"x 5" cut of outer trim (blue) to the 30"x1 3/4" center fabric (black) using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
(Note: It is important that you use a small 1/4 inch seam allowance and tiny millimeter top stitch (in below step), otherwise your elastic will not fit in its casing.)
Step Two:
Repeat for other side.
Step Three:
Turn right side out so you have a tube. Using low to medium heated iron, center the tube of charmeuse as desired. For the "keep" garter, I pressed it so the ruffle on bottom is longer than the top. For the "toss" garter, I press it dead centered.
(WARNING: polyester melts... no high heat or steaming unless you want to risk a shriveled plastic mess. Silk is a natural fiber and does not melt, but rather burns and should be pressed at a low heat as well.)
Step Four:
At one end of the tube, tuck and press in approximately 1/2 inch.
Step Five:
Top stitch about a millimeter in along each side of the center part of the tube. On the end that you tucked and pressed, DON'T top stitch.
Step Six:
Insert elastic. An easy way to do this is put a safety pin on one end of the elastic and work it through the tube. Push the charmeuse tube well into the center so you have both ends of the elastic hanging out for ease of sewing together.
Step Seven:
Sew the elastic. Make sure you don't have your elastic twisted. Overlap the elastic approximately one inch and sew a nice square and diagonal to to secure it.
Step Eight:
Tuck the raw end of the tube into the nice pressed end. Hand blind stitch closed or machine stitch close to the edge. This will be the back of the garter. Now give it a good stretch to distribute the gathers evenly.
Step Nine:
Leave as is or embellish as you see fit with a bow, flower, lace or beads. Oh, and add a "Keep" and "Toss" tag so the bride knows what the heck you're giving her. If you don't, she may just think you gave her a fancy baby headband ;)
Ok, let's briefly talk fabric options for this project. Charmeuse satin is the way to go. It comes in silk or synthetic (polyester). Charmeuse is different than regular satin in that it's thinner and more delicate. It's the stuff they use to make lingerie, ladies. Of course real silk is nicer, but more expensive. Granted, it doesn't take a lot of fabric to make a garter, so even if you used real silk, the project cost would stay low. As for polyester charmeuse, I have come across some pretty good qualities, all from this place here. They only have a few colors listed online, but if you go to their Houston location they have over a hundred different colors of both higher quality polyester and heavenly silk charmeuse. LOVE that store.
Materials:
- 30"x5" rectangle of charmeuse for outer trim of "keep" garter
- 30"x4" rectangle of charmeuse for outer trim of ""toss" garter
- 2 cuts of 30"x 1 3/4" rectangle of charmeuse for center of each garter
- * 2 pieces of 3/4" wide non-roll elastic: 15" long
- Embellishments (bows, charms, beads, flowers, etc) - optional
For this tutorial, I'm only going to make the "keep" garter. The instructions for the "toss" are pretty much the same. I've used two different colors 1) because I love the fun contrast and 2) it's easier for ya'll to follow along in the tutorial.
Step One:
With right sides together, sew the long sides of the 30"x 5" cut of outer trim (blue) to the 30"x1 3/4" center fabric (black) using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
(Note: It is important that you use a small 1/4 inch seam allowance and tiny millimeter top stitch (in below step), otherwise your elastic will not fit in its casing.)
Step Two:
Repeat for other side.
Step Three:
Turn right side out so you have a tube. Using low to medium heated iron, center the tube of charmeuse as desired. For the "keep" garter, I pressed it so the ruffle on bottom is longer than the top. For the "toss" garter, I press it dead centered.
(WARNING: polyester melts... no high heat or steaming unless you want to risk a shriveled plastic mess. Silk is a natural fiber and does not melt, but rather burns and should be pressed at a low heat as well.)
Step Four:
At one end of the tube, tuck and press in approximately 1/2 inch.
Step Five:
Top stitch about a millimeter in along each side of the center part of the tube. On the end that you tucked and pressed, DON'T top stitch.
Step Six:
Insert elastic. An easy way to do this is put a safety pin on one end of the elastic and work it through the tube. Push the charmeuse tube well into the center so you have both ends of the elastic hanging out for ease of sewing together.
Step Seven:
Sew the elastic. Make sure you don't have your elastic twisted. Overlap the elastic approximately one inch and sew a nice square and diagonal to to secure it.
Step Eight:
Tuck the raw end of the tube into the nice pressed end. Hand blind stitch closed or machine stitch close to the edge. This will be the back of the garter. Now give it a good stretch to distribute the gathers evenly.
Step Nine:
Leave as is or embellish as you see fit with a bow, flower, lace or beads. Oh, and add a "Keep" and "Toss" tag so the bride knows what the heck you're giving her. If you don't, she may just think you gave her a fancy baby headband ;)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Sweet Jane Dress
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Here's a new dress that I finally got around to posting in my etsy shop. I love pleated ruffles, don't you?
Ok, this may not seem like a big deal, but it took a lot to suck in a 17 week tummy. I'm going to need to find a new model, dangit (I liked being my own shop model mostly because it was FREE).
I get really huge when I'm pregnant... huge as in with each of my two kids I gained over 60 lbs. True story. What can I say? I love ice cream. And cream. And chocolate milk spiked with cream. Oh, and I've never been able to give up my whole milk (I honestly have tried downgrading to skim and 1% many times over the years without success.). In fact, that reminds me... when the weather cools down, I'll post my totally awesome hot cocoa recipe. It uses cream and whole milk... divine indeed. Oh great, now I'm craving hot cocoa in 90 degree weather.
Here's a new dress that I finally got around to posting in my etsy shop. I love pleated ruffles, don't you?
Ok, this may not seem like a big deal, but it took a lot to suck in a 17 week tummy. I'm going to need to find a new model, dangit (I liked being my own shop model mostly because it was FREE).
I get really huge when I'm pregnant... huge as in with each of my two kids I gained over 60 lbs. True story. What can I say? I love ice cream. And cream. And chocolate milk spiked with cream. Oh, and I've never been able to give up my whole milk (I honestly have tried downgrading to skim and 1% many times over the years without success.). In fact, that reminds me... when the weather cools down, I'll post my totally awesome hot cocoa recipe. It uses cream and whole milk... divine indeed. Oh great, now I'm craving hot cocoa in 90 degree weather.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Handbag Giveaway
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I've been on a purse making kick and thought I'd share the love by doing a little giveaway. I'm putting one purse and one wristlet into the pool, so there are two chances to win. All you have to do it to enter is post a comment (one per person please). The winners will be randomly chosen by a computer generated random number picker thingie. It's very high tech... don't ask me how it works. If it gets too complicated for me, I'll just close my eyes and plop my finger on my computer monitor to pick a name. Either way, I only have two blog followers so your chances of winning are pretty dang good.
*US residents only please. Ok fine... and Canada, Europe, Australia and other countries with semi- reliable postal services :)
**Contest ends Friday, July 10, 2009 at 10:00pm CDT (way past my bedtime).
First up is this adorable, Pleated Purse with Alexander Henry Kleo Print fabric. Fully lined, magnetic closure, and satin poppy accent:
Next up is this Pleated Wristlet. Fully lined, zip closure, and satin poppy accent:
The following is NOT in the giveaway, just the motivation behind it. I have been meaning to make my sister a new handbag to replace the old one I made her, so I sewed three and let her have dibs. This is the one she picked. The Pintuck Purse:
After Janell picked her purse, I called second dibs on the Ruffle Purse. Mine. (Yes, so really this giveaway is all about the leftovers... cute high quality leftovers, but leftovers none the less.)
These are 30 zipper change purses and key fobs my friend and I made for girls youth camp this summer. It's a surprise, so if you have any little sisters going to girls camp, DON'T spoil the surprise or I'll send out the leg breakers. No really... I've got mafia blood in me :)
This is a cute wristlet I made for my friend.
And this is another mine, mine, MINE one.
*US residents only please. Ok fine... and Canada, Europe, Australia and other countries with semi- reliable postal services :)
**Contest ends Friday, July 10, 2009 at 10:00pm CDT (way past my bedtime).
First up is this adorable, Pleated Purse with Alexander Henry Kleo Print fabric. Fully lined, magnetic closure, and satin poppy accent:
Next up is this Pleated Wristlet. Fully lined, zip closure, and satin poppy accent:
The following is NOT in the giveaway, just the motivation behind it. I have been meaning to make my sister a new handbag to replace the old one I made her, so I sewed three and let her have dibs. This is the one she picked. The Pintuck Purse:
After Janell picked her purse, I called second dibs on the Ruffle Purse. Mine. (Yes, so really this giveaway is all about the leftovers... cute high quality leftovers, but leftovers none the less.)
These are 30 zipper change purses and key fobs my friend and I made for girls youth camp this summer. It's a surprise, so if you have any little sisters going to girls camp, DON'T spoil the surprise or I'll send out the leg breakers. No really... I've got mafia blood in me :)
This is a cute wristlet I made for my friend.
And this is another mine, mine, MINE one.
GOOD LUCK!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tags and Ta-tas
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First up are some tags I made for my etsy goods. I also made some for my friends Melissa and Janna. Check out their shops... way cool stuff. So here's the deal... 300 tags for under $10... that's only 3 cents a tag, right? I love my business cards from overnightprints, so I did a business card layout in photoshop of the three different shop tags, submitted the order, cut them with a paper cutter and hole-punched them. (Be sure to google a coupon code... I used "BC100" for 100 free business cards plus $9.50 shipping). I think they turned out mighty fine! 
This is the bottom inside corner of the nursing cover... a built in wipee. I used some ultra soft and absorbant 100% cotton sherpa. Drool away, baby.
This is how they looked before I sliced them. I could cut about 3 at a time on the paper cutter.
Sorry for the tease... not real ta-tas... this is a nursing cover I made for a friend who just had a baby. I've heard them called "hooter hiders" as well. How disturbingly clever :) A special thanks to Janna for the instructions. If you would like your own custom nursing cover, convo Janna. The girl's got some mad sewing skills. They're not currently listed in her shop, but I'm sure she'd be happy to whip one up for you. Heaven knows, the world needs less boobs being flashed around.
This is the bottom inside corner of the nursing cover... a built in wipee. I used some ultra soft and absorbant 100% cotton sherpa. Drool away, baby.Sunday, April 19, 2009
New Dress - Stella Noir
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My dear friend Janna gave me a blackapple stetchbook for Christmas, so I've been using it to stetch out my ideas. I have quite a few other designs on the cutting table, but it's hard to find time to create new things. If it weren't for my stetchbook, I know I'd forget half my ideas. Thanks, Janna for such an extremely practical gift!
Here is a design I've been sitting on for a while and finally got around to sewing. I call it the Stella Noir Dress, and it is now available for purchase from my etsy shop. I wore it to church today with some aqua blue poppy pins. I'm happy to report that it passed the climbing, drooling toddler test with flying colors :)
My dear friend Janna gave me a blackapple stetchbook for Christmas, so I've been using it to stetch out my ideas. I have quite a few other designs on the cutting table, but it's hard to find time to create new things. If it weren't for my stetchbook, I know I'd forget half my ideas. Thanks, Janna for such an extremely practical gift!Here is a design I've been sitting on for a while and finally got around to sewing. I call it the Stella Noir Dress, and it is now available for purchase from my etsy shop. I wore it to church today with some aqua blue poppy pins. I'm happy to report that it passed the climbing, drooling toddler test with flying colors :)
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