The Dress... My Diane von Furstenberg

For those of you that have been waiting to see The Dress... made from my hidden treasure... Here you go!

Love the swingy feel to the dress... And of course supper happy to have pockets!  I think I will make this pattern again (McCall's 6553)... Maybe shorten and make a top?  I case you are wondering what's so interesting on the floor... It's my birthday shoes!  I've wanted and drooled over these shoes(from Anthropologie) for months... Pooled together my birthday $$$ and with birthday coupon in hand(15% OFF) I ordered them!  And thanks to my patience they were on sale...  They complete me... 

OK ok...Back to the dress...  To forever remember this find... I created a tag from the fabric salvage... and sewed it into my dress...  While this may be silly... I am thrilled!  It makes me giddy to know I have this treasure...  Happy Sewing!

***Jennifer

Crafting For A Cause...

Sorry...  I know I have kind of fallen off the Blogging radar... I've still been crafting, but for an unselfish purpose...  Every year my kids school auctions off class room art to raise money for our school... While I can't usually give $$$... I do have time... So, for the last month I have been treading water while being sucked into an art work vortex...  I was in charge of the three grades(2nd, 4th, and 5th)... Yes, I know I'm a little crazy... and somehow I roped two unsuspecting people into helping me(he he he... little did they know that 3grades= 3ways to lose my mind)...  Here's what the kids did...


Each 2nd grader folded an origami person, and colored in a face to look like them...

Their are two classes... so each picture is a little different...  With pieces of ripped Japanese newspaper, we created the border...





Starting with a big sheet of water color paper... I created a multi- media scenery... The mountains and tree limbs are fabric... the sky and grass are chalk...  and the river is water color (with salt sprinkled on while it's still wet... this gives it a cool crystallizing effect)

The cherry blossoms are tiny squares of tissue paper... placed... one... at... a ... time....



The teacher of one class wanted to be fly fishing... so I fashioned him some lures out of tissue and wire...



My kids go to a Japanese immersion school... we tried to replicate the sign we have outside the school doors...

There is so much going on in these pictures... the photo's don't do it justice... I also wanted to point out there are tiny origami butterflies and birds... If you look back at the first pics, you can see some in between the mountians

On To 4th Grade...

I created two hanging lights (one for each class) ... 

To create the shade, I wrapped a beach ball with jute that was soaked in a mixture of 3parts glue two one part water...  (let me just add that this was after a couple of failed attempts with some jumbo balloons... got to this point... and then they popped!  That was a bad day...)

My wonderful husband attached them to a pendant light....

Each 4th grader folded an origami flower....

I came up with stamen, using beads and wire... so I could attach the flowers to the shades... (my trusty helpers probably didn't think it was so great as they were twisting the wire to make them...) 

The result was perfect...

On To 5th Grade...

Using 1000 cranes folded by both fifth grade classes...  I created this landscape... (if you use imaginative thinking...it's suppose to be sky, hills, and a river)



No two cranes were alike... 

Row by row... I placed each crane... layering them on top of each other... very time consuming...

 

Slowly... a picture emerged... 

So... That is what I've been up to... long days... working non stop...  crafting till my little finger can craft no more...  I am proud to say that all of our hard work (on these art pieces) pulled in almost $1900...  So worth it!!!  The best part of all, was going to the auction... it was 1920's themed... Sooooo much fun to dress up!

Here I am putting on the Ritz...  

Happy Crafting!

***Jennifer

Hidden Treasures...

After a tiring day, as I walked down the hallway of my home...drawn to the sun streaming in through my studio windows... lifting my spirits, even though I felt like I didn't want to lift a finger...  Sitting my weary body in my sewing chair(or better put... My Thinking Chair)... I thoughtfully gazed at my wall of neatly folded vintage fabric.(hopefully I am not the only one that finds this a peaceful way to unwind) I thought about what I'd like to work on next... maybe a shirt?... No... I'm thinking maybe a dress...  As I looked through my stock pile for something with enough yardage... I pulled out this...

I found this fabric at Saint Vincent's for $1.99 at least five years ago.  When I bought it I remember thinking it was OK...  but, nothing special...  With over 3yards I couldn't pass it up though.  I don't often come across vintage knits.  So, home it went... and after being washed and dried... it's been sitting unassumingly on the shelf...

As I opened it up to look for flaws... my eyes were drawn to the salvage edge...

I could not believe what I was reading... My heart skipped a beat as I realized that  Diane Von Furstenberg signature was staring back at me!  How had I missed this?  A quick google search told me that, while I didn't find the exact print,  I did find a 1970's Vogue pattern ad... featuring one of her dresses and knit fabric that she designed for the collection (that was similar to what I had)...  So cool!

There was a part of me... after finding out this information... that wanted to fold this fabric back up, and hoard it away...  I can't actually cut something out of this... can I?  And then my reasonable self took over... Of course I should use it... Isn't that what she designed it for?  I'm sure she would get a kick out of my excitement...  And I can't enjoy it if it's secreted away... So in honor of Diane Von Furstenberg(who made the wrap dress a staple, and designs clothes that gives the allure of effortless beauty) ... I am definitely making a dress out of this fabric! 

Here's what I think I'll try... I haven't watched the show yet(Fashion Star), but this pattern caught my eye...  I think it's a perfect match up...
Who knew... that I had this hidden treasure?  I am super exited!!!  I'm to tired to start it tonight, but I will post my dress when It's completed...  What a great way to end my day...
Doesn't this make you wonder what treasures are hiding in your house?
Happy Hunting!
***Jennifer

Another Project For Your Scraps... Sunglasses case...

So... after making those headbands the other day... It got me thinking... What else can I make from my scraps?  Hmm...

Oh wait!  I know sunglasses case... I had been thinking about this the other day as I put on my sunnys, and noticed yet another scratch...  I've totally jumped on the big sunglasses kick, and I find the cases for them bulky... and ugly...  There for, they've gone unprotected until now...

Here's how I made it...

I started off with a 7 3/4" X 8 1/2" piece of fabric...
(which I did cover with iron-on vinyl... but not necessary)

I also cut a 2" X 8 1/2" strip of fabric...

This will be made into bias tape...

To make the bias tape... place fabric right side down... fold both sides into the center a 1/2" and press with your iron...

With sides still folded... fold strip in half... and press again...

Pin your bias tape to the top of the shorter side (7 3/4" this is your width) 

***Tip... if you are using the iron-on vinyl, you'll want to place your pins with in the seam allowance otherwise you will make holes that will be seen in the vinyl...

With a fine zig zag stitch... stitch your bias tape in place...

Ta..Da!  Your almost done...

***Tip... I always have my bias tape hang over the ends a little bit.  After trial and error, I found having this starting point when doing a decorative stitch... gives me a much nicer finished look...

Now, fold in half...with right sides of fabric together.  Using a 1/4" seam allowance stitch down the length... and across the bottom... Clip corners...

Turn back out to the right side, and your done...Sew simple!  (Yep I went there... still finding it funny)  

This project was for sure, done, from start to finish in under an hour...

***Tip if you did use the iron-on vinyl... don't freak out when it gets creased and wrinkly while your trying to fold it back out to the right side.  All marks will go away completely, if you run your iron over it once more... just don't forget to cover it with the paper first...

For fun here is a picture of me wearing my over sized sunnys...  

Happy Sewing!

***Jennifer

Ps. I've posted a few others I made on the Creating Bits of Envy Flickr Group... Check it out!

 

Simple Headband... How To...

I've always been a fan of headbands... especially with the flower headband craze(I have made more than my fair share)... but lately I have been craving something simpler...  This is what I came up with...

I made this simple pattern... the dimensions are...

14 1/2" long
1 1/2" at the widest point (center)
3/4" at the tapered ends
Cut out two in complimenting fabrics so it can be reversible... Also, I applied iron on vinyl... (this is not necessary, but I would recommend using something... like fusible interfacing, so the fabric is stiffer)

Cut a piece of elastic 6 1/2" long...

With wrong sides together sandwich one end of the elastic (about 1/2 an inch) in between the ends of your fabric headband strips...

Pin elastic in place...

Continue to pin both pieces together all the way around... sandwiching the other end of elastic on the other side...

Using a fine zig zag stitch... stitch in one continuous strip...

Pivoting at the corners... and back stitching over where the elastic was inserted...

And we're done...
SEW EASY!!!!
(I know...Super Cheesy... but I get a kick out of saying it anyway)

Here's how I'll probably wear it...

All in all it took me about an hour to make... from start to finish, including making the pattern...  I love fast and easy!  Also this is a great project to use up some of those fabric scraps you've been hoarding (guilty!)...

Join me and make a few... because one is never enough... I've posted a few others on the Creating Bits of Envy flicker group... Check them out, and feel free to post yours too!  I would love to see them!  I'm sure you could get way more creative with it... by adding ric rack, piping, or lace. A more decorative edge stitch would also be super cute!
Happy Sewing...
***Jennifer