souvenir blouse & craft night

Yay bad lighting!

I 'finished' my souvenir blouse Thursday evening and took a photo. I have to serge the underarm seams yet, but I couldn't help myself and had to wear it today since it was so lovely out.

Tonight was also our first Craft Night where we dedicate the evening to working on crafts together and I teach Jamie how to sew. Jamie decided she wanted to make a slip dress as her first project. New Look 6244, view B. We picked up 2 yards of a soft ecru jersey, the pattern, and a pack of knit needles at JoAnn's. They also had an amazing Art Nouveau quilt print that HAD TO HAVE. I decided that I needed a new skirt right now and that print was perfect for it.

In the garden with my new blouse.

I found New Look 6899,  view E. I really, really, really want to make view B, but I couldn't justify buying almost 4 yards of fabric at $11 a yard for a skirt. I'm in love with the pockets and trim on view B, but views B and E have different amounts of fullness and I don't have the energy (or fabric) to redraft so I can have pockets. As for trim, I can't decide between orange or pink. Decisions!!!  AHHHHHH!!

Jamie was able to get her pattern cut out, fabric laid out and cut, and most of it sewn before quitting time. I on the other had was able to cut out the skirt pattern and the portfolio pattern. I know, diplomat was supposed to be up next, but I found an amazing light weight blue calico in my stash that had to be made up asap.

New fabric & skirt pattern. 

'Dark Towers' Penstemon

'Corsican' Violets

And now, since you've put up with my rambling here's some pictures from my garden:

'Coronado' Hyssop
It smells like lemonade. Seriously. 

flowers and fabric and sewing

Jamie and I have been spending our time working on our teeny-tiny container garden, leaving me with less time to work on other projects. We spent an entire Saturday at the Ft. Collins Nursery Co. looking for vegetables and flowers and coming home with a car full of plants. Our southern exposure garden is now filled with drought-tolerant and full sun plants.

This past weekend we took our monthly trip into Boulder to hit the nearest Lush and stopped at Fabricate! a relatively new fabric shop near the Pearl St. Mall (right around the corner from Pharmica on 17th if you're in the area). I picked up some lovely fat quarters and a copy of The Practical Guide to Patchwork by Elizabeth Hartman. I've been wanting this book for a while and I could have ordered it online, but when it comes to craft books I like to flip through them before I buy them.

I finally cut into my Lisette lawn and started on the Souvenir blouse. The front and back pieces are finished and I've started work on the sleeves, which are taking longer since I've decided to french seam them. We'll see how that goes. -_-;;