Summer Sewing: High Waisted Swimsuit

All photos are self portraits taken by myself. 

I've had the design idea for this swimsuit for the past year now, but I finally took the time to make it.  I found this incredible fabric last summer, and completely fell in love with the colors and pattern.

This is a really fun and easy swimsuit to make.  It's basically a wide tube with a strap that ties on separately in the front.  The top was simply drafted using my chest measurement, and the bottoms were drafted by taking apart a pair of old underwear, and tracing that as my basic pattern and then elaborating on it.  I made waistline higher and then I added a tie in the front.  Taking apart old clothes is a great way to learn about construction and make new patterns.

Outfit:  

Sunglasses - zeroUV  I love the way that this brand of sunglasses fits!  I'm pretty picky when it comes to sunglasses and I haven't found a bad pair yet from this company.

Swimsuit:  Esther from the Sticks 

I've been borrowing a sewing machine for the past couple of weeks for the filming of my class for The Sewing Party. The machine had a closed overlock feature which my usual machine does not have.  After sewing with it, I absolutely love machines that have this feature!  This stitch holds up so well, and is especially great for swimwear!

My background in this shoot is actually one of my mom's paintings.  This one has always been one of my favorites!  It's an abstract oil painting and the title is "Mourning Praise."  I love that my mom paints big, because it made for a perfect backdrop!

Here are a couple behind the scene photos from this shoot

 Also these are our cats!  The cat on the left is Bobbie and he's been my bud for the past 17-years.  The one on the right is Logan, my younger brother's cat. They always hang out nearby whenever I do a photo shoot.

 

I have a lot more summer sewing projects on the way, including my final sewing project from this past school year!

Summer Sewing: Vintage Plaid High Waisted Shorts

 All photos are self portraits taken by myself.

I've been sewing so much more this past summer than I have been all school year and it's felt so renewing.  I made the shorts that I'm wearing using a vintage pattern that I bought at a thrift store a few years ago.  That day was such a good thrifting score.  I found a whole box of 1940/50s sewing patterns for sale and each pattern was only 50 cents.  Needless to say I bought a lot and this project was one of the patterns that I bought.  

Outfit:  

Crochet Mesh Top:  Sheinside

High Waisted Red Plaid Shorts:  Made myself 

I've made three different pairs of these shorts and and each time I make a new one I fall in love again.  They're so comfortable, and the fitting in the crotch was perfectly drafted, which I've had a hard time finding that in modern sewing patterns.  Although I've only sewn a few pants patterns so I'm sure there are a lot of great ones I've been missing out on.      

What are your favorite pants sewing patterns?

Announcment: The Sewing Party

I'm so thrilled to announce today a very exciting, first one-of-a-kind upcoming event called The Sewing Party!

What is The Sewing Party?  Well it's basically an online craft fair!  It's the first of its kind and will be hosted for one day.  This all day event will include:  instructional sewing/DIY classes, product demos, and connecting with other seamstresses like yourself!  How cool is that?  Here's some more detailed info from The Sewing Party:

The Sewing Party is the first ever online-all-day DIY event in history!

On November 8, 2014, thousands of DIY-ers will gather for a fun-filled day of sewing and crafting classes taught online by leading bloggers and educational experts. It’s all about Connecting. Crafting. And Creating.

Attendees will have access to more than 30 online classes available on the day of the event and for an additional 90 days. There is truly something for everyone! Classes include home décor, fashion sewing, quilting and upcycling, crafting, costume design, techniques for turning your craft into an entrepreneurial venture, and more!

Space is limited and likely to fill up fast! For just $40, “The Sewing Party” participants can attend classes; chat with participants from across the country; interact with top bloggers and educational experts who are teaching; and explore the latest crafting and sewing tips, techniques and products in our marketplace.

I'm also very excited to announce that I'm going to be one of the teachers at the event!  

My class is going to be instructing how to sew curved seams.  I'll walk you through the techniques of drafting curves into patterns, sewing, and finishing the raw, curved edges.  There are also some other really talented teachers and incredible looking classes at the event as well!  If you'd like to attend click the button below to register!

Hopefully I'll see you there! 

Summer Sewing: Oriental Inspired Dress

  Photography:  Esther Boller (myself)

Model:  My stunning sister Ruth

Since I've been home this summer I've been finding all of my past sewing projects.  A lot of them are still only half way finished so lately I've been completing them.  This is a dress that I started last summer, but I never finished it until now! 

Last summer I fell in love with oriental style dresses.  They have a really simple and beautiful shape that I think is lovely.  The pattern is my own that I designed and drafted.  The dress is a sheath dress with a standing collar, cap sleeves, hook and eyes connecting the front bodice, buttons down the back, and a vent flap in the back of the skirt.  There are also a lot of curved seaming detail in the bodice and the skirt

I'm slightly sad, because the fabric is such a heavy print a lot of the seam details don't show up very well.  I'd like to make another version with piping in the seams to make them pop; especially the detail seams of the skirt.

 New projects are on the way!  Below is an Instagram preview of the swimsuit that I was telling you about.  I'll be sharing the full photo shoot next week!

Jazz like Dat

 

All photos from this shoot are self portraits taken by myself.

I've really been in love with the 60s/70s style kimonos that have been going around lately.  It's so easy to just throw one over a tank top and jeans and feel put together.  I got this kimono from Choies.com and paired it with this dress that I made a couple of years ago.

 

 
Outfit:  

Dress:  DIY Esther from the Sticks (for sale here)  

Kimono:  Choies.com

Necklace:  My mom's

I thought that you might enjoy the photo below.  On the left is the first self portrait I ever took in front of my garage in 2009.  On the right is my most recent self portrait taken in front of the same garage.  My kung foo ability has drastically declined since the 8th grade.

Also I wanted to give a shout out to all of the awesome kaftans that y'all have been making!  It makes me excited that so many different people have already tried out the kaftan tutorial!  

 Jen of iCandy-Handmade  made two beautiful versions!

Also, check out Morgan of Thread Theory who used such a lovely fabric!

  I'm currently sewing a series of swimsuits.  I can't wait to share them soon!

Process: Ink Splatters

I'm currently working on a photo series involving ink splatter overlays on top of my photography.  My favorite technique for finding the perfect splatter is to take two brushes full of ink/paint, and tap them together.  This creates more of a speckled look which is really fun.  I also find that I have more control to keep the ink from going everywhere when I do this.  Here are a few behind-the-scene photos.

 

Here's an instagram preview of a photo from the series.

I can't wait to post the rest of this shoot!  It should be up by tomorrow. 

Also, I've been listening to a lot of jazz this past month - specifically Chet Baker.  What been your go-to music this month?