Sash it up!

After I drafted the elongated Portrait Peasant patterns last week, I made a some test tops. This springy one went out to an adorable little model (along with a pair of ruffled Easy-Fit Pants and a Patchwork Bucket Hat), and I am beyond thrilled with the pictures:




My friend Shannon suggested that I add instructions for a sash. I thought it was a great idea, but had to admit that I was "sash challenged." The sashes I've made have either been too big or too wimpy for my liking. My ideal sash would have a big pretty bow and a nice looking belt. I decided to do some experiments with different widths of fabric. What I found was that the loop part needed to be wider than the belt part to get the look I was after. This is what I ultimately came up with - back view:




...and front view:

My original plan was to write up my findings and post them "tute" style here on the blog. After illustrating 10 pages of instructions and drafting 3 sizes of bows (with cutting lines for 3 belt sizes each), I decided to put everything together in eBook format:

You can download it for FREE at YouCanMakeThis.com. The belt part can be custom sized, so you can tie bows around just about anything. I'm going to make a set of sashes to spiff up my dining room drapes. I might even make one to wear with a long denim skirt that I have hanging in my closet.

Bathed Blocks

Two more steps have been posted for the YCMT sew-along - squaring-up and piecing. My half-square triangles are now pretty pinwheels!

I had to skip the squaring-up step. A little gremlin threw all of my blocks in a hot bath that was intended for me. Instead of luxuriating, I spent the next half hour carefully laying my blocks out on towels. The good news is that the blocks were still nice and flat (and quite clean) after the incident. The bad news is that they were about 1/4" smaller. Despite the shrinkage, the pieces came together nicely.

My points aren't perfect, but I don't think it will be noticeable at all in the finished quilt. Besides, it is going above my bed - I don't think it will get that much up-close scrutiny. I'm really enjoying this sew-along. You know how some people get into a book and can't put it down until the last page? I'm like that with quilts etc. It makes me very grouchy, and by the time I'm finished, I'm sick of the thing. Doing it a bit at a time is so much more relaxing!

Portrait Peasant Perfection

Time to showcase another update! This time the Portrait Peasant is in the spotlight. The original eBook included patterns and instructions to make a "babydoll" style peasant with several different skirt options. Now, in addition to the empire-style bodice pattern, an elongated top-length bodice pattern is included. The sides of the new bodice are flared, and the base has a gentle curve, giving an a-line shape to the finished garment. Instructions for finishing the top with a hem or a ruffle are included. Here is a ruffled one that I made as the final piece of the baby gift I've been working on:

And here is the completed set:

I'm actually going to meet the recipient this weekend! I have a few other little things that I am going to finish up for her today. Babies are SO much fun to sew for (especially those of the female variety)! I just love making these sweet, ruffly confections. My funny friend T refers to this jumper/peasant/pants combination as the "Trifecta." In her honor, I've put together a new bundle pack with all of these updated eBooks.

Stripwork Rework

The updated version of the Stripwork Jumper eBook is now available on YCMT!

As with the Easy-Fits, I added size 6 months for the little ones. Here is the tiny test jumper:

The "Love You To Pieces" applique is by the talented Kris of Starbright Designs. This design couldn't be more perfect for the jumper! The size is just right for the itty-bitty bodice, and the "pieces" theme ties in with the stripwork on the skirt. Kris also digitized the adorable designs on the jumpers that these cuties modeled for the new eBook cover:

So besides an extra size and a new look, what else did I do to this eBook? The answer is LOTS. I wrote this eBook when I was still offering paper versions, so I tried to keep the page count down. All the steps were in there, but they were more condensed than my current style. So I fleshed things out a bit, adding details and diagrams where I felt they were needed.

I worked in directions for underlining the bodice. Underlining adds so much body and stability, which is really needed to support the weight of the skirt. Also, I've noticed that the neckline ruffles have a tendency to give in to gravity in the larger sizes. I resized them a bit, and gave a much more in-depth description of how to add them. Between that and the underlining, your ruffles will behave and stay upright now. In addition, I included dimensions/instructions for making a solid skirt. It is a modification I've seen made many times, and it so fast and easy to "whip up."

In other news, Kim just posted a new step for the Scrappy Quilt Sew-Along! Here are some of my squares:

So far this hasn't been much work at all, and I'm learning some new approaches to quilting. I'm looking forward to the next step!