Introducing: My Saffron Peony!

Hello friends!

I finally finished my Peony!  I haven't been able to take great photos yet, but I did snap a few shots with my cell phone while at a part this weekend with my love.

And here, if you are curious, was my date :)  Isn't he a hottie!?

I will try and take some better photos in the next few days, and get a few shots of the fun details!  There are some absolutely darling vintage buttons on the back of the sash!  Anyways, please enjoy!  And please feel free to leave me some comment love.  

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Stuck without my Sewing Machine

Hello friends, 

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What is it about old style sewing machines that is so enchanting?  They are so pretty, and inspire such dreams.  Tonight, I'm dreaming about sewing, because I'm stuck away from my sewing machine for a week, and on top of that I forgot to take pictures of my Meringue for the Sew Colette Flickr pool.   Everyone posted their pictures yesterday of their completed skirts, and I forgot so I got left behind. Lame.  I can assure you though, they are headed your way, as soon as I can get my booty back home and have the roommate help me with some photos :)  Plus, my fingers are itching to make some progress on my Minoru jacket.  Tasha has put together so many great posts, and I cannot wait to get started.  I'm also super excited because she had a guest post on how to put in pockets, which I really want to do ~grins~

So, I decided that since I don't have anything concrete to show you, and I'm in desperate need of connecting with my fellow sewing bloggers, I will give you a sneak peek of what fabric I'm making my Minoru Jacket out of!

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So what do you think?  And what are you working on?  Anyone out there also doing the sew-a-long?  Part of me feels like I'm in over my head, but the other part of me is just really excited to jump in with both feet and get stuff done!

My Closet: The Hunting Skirt

Hello friends :)

So do you remember how I told you that I was going to tell you a few different articles of clothing that I own that inspire me.  Well here is the first one.  I'm pretty sure this is my most favorite piece of clothing that I own.  Period.  

When I started sewing, back probably around my sophomore year of high school, I got a large bin of fabric from my grandmother.  I found some gorgeous plaid  fabric that was semi-sheer that I totally envisioned an a-line, lined, twirly skirt.  I had never sewn anything before and I was nervous, so I decided to make a practice skirt.  Little did I know that I was about to make my first ever wearable muslin :)  I went through the bin of fabric that my grandmother had given me and picked out the absolute most ugly fabric I could find.  It was a drab brown background with random hunting scenes on it, with hounds, and men with rifles, all clad in vivid yellows, greens, browns, blues, etc.  Looking at the fabric, I thought to myself, there is NO WAY that I am ever going to want anything made of out this... perfect for practicing with!

I didn't have a pattern, so I made some measurements, did some math and flew with it.  The practice skirt turned out great :)  It wasn't super well fitted or well made, I only finished about half the seams, and I had no idea what I was doing for most of it, but I felt confident enough to make the real deal.  

So I painstakingly cut out the plaid fabric and replicated what I had done, and bippidy-boppidy-boo!  Skirt.  Funny thing happened though...

The more I looked at my practice skirt, out of the "ugly" fabric, the more and more I fell in love!  To this date I'm pretty sure it is my favorite article of clothing!  I have received more compliments on this skirt from people, and have had several wondering if I had bought it from anthropologie (which to me is a compliment since I drool over their clothes.)

So I guess this is my first inspirational piece.  I love it because... 

a) I made it.  I get this giddy wonderful feeling in my gut every time I put it on.

b) I love the colors.  The vivid browns, yellows, and greens make me feel so lovely.  These colors have really become my favorite colors.  They are what I prefer to dress myself in.

c) I really love the fact that something that I envisioned was going to be an ugly mess, turned out to be so eclectic and wonderful.

d) The "hunting" nature of the skirt always makes me want to put on some wonderful leather riding boots and go galavanting in the countryside.  

So that is it for my first inspirational piece of clothing.  How about you?  Do you have any items that you've made, expecting to turn out awful, and in the end, they turn out to be a favorite?

Blah, blah, blah

Yes friends, I may have the ke$ha song in my head, but that is besides the point.  Do you ever feel blah about your sewing?  I hit a spot like that this week with my peony!  It is really weird but it seems like I totally run out of steam when I'm really close to being done!  All I have to do on my peony is hem the sleeves and the bottom!  Goodness, I should just get it over with!

Anywho, I suppose I have been making some progress this week on the Sew Colette Challenge.  I made up my meringue skirt, pictures to follow soon.  I also, in trying to follow the guidelines set before us in the Colette Sewing Handbook, have been trying to a) figure out five articles of clothing that are my favorite, and b) make a croquis.

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I haven't been able to chose all five yet, so I figure that I'll make different posts on each article of clothing that I love so that I can tell you a little more about each of them :)

I also used photoshop to figure out how to make a croquis on the computer, although now I just have to actually take a photo and make one.  (I used a random photo to learn how to make the outline).

So, I know this was pretty much a bunch of nothing, but it is at least a little of what you can expect to be heading your way soon.  Thank-you for your patience with me :)

Sew Colette

So friends, I have been debating back and forth.  Should I or shouldn't I?  I have joined the minoru sew-a-long, (even though I haven't started yet... I told you I wouldn't keep up due to work), and I'm in the middle of my peony (which I hope to finish soon).  But I already have the fabric for the meringue skirt all ready and it would be so fun!

So here goes.  Again, I can pretty much promise you that I won't be able to keep up with everyone, but hey, what's a little more motivation?!

In case somehow you have missed hearing about this awesome sew-a-long, it is devoted to sewing one of the patterns from the colette sewing handbook  each month.  It is hosted by Miss Crayola Creepy and by Rhinestones & Telephones!  They are starting this month with the meringue skirt!

How about you?  Anyone else joining?  I joined the flickr group and I'm super excited to see what people come up with!

The Turquoise Truffle Sorbetto

I'm sure that you are sitting in your chair (or laying on my bed as I do often while checking my blogs) and asking...

"Montana, don't you sew anything other than sorbetto blouses?!"  Truth time.  Yes.  Yes, I do.  BUT, when I'm short on time and need a sewing fix, there is nothing quite as satisfying, especially since I love love love them!  They are so fun to wear.

As you guessed it, here is another one!

I was planning on taking pictures along the way to show you the construction of the tucks.  But I got too excited and forgot.  Oops.  You'll just have to imagine if you will.  I originally wanted to try pin-tucks, but had an idea in my mind that I didn't quite have the fabric for.  So, I settled for just regular old tucks with a much smaller version of the original box pleat in the center.

I wasn't able to tuck in the perfect amount of fabric in order to use up all the fabric alotted for the box pleat, but that just meant that I had my roommate help me with the side seams, which ended up with an awesome fit that I love :)

Another fun adjustment is the back neck.  I have noticed that the back of my sorbetto's tend to gape slightly when my shoulders are not slouched.  Now, this may be a whole different fitting issue in itself like the slope of my shoulders, or an incorrect back width or between the armsyces (armsycies? armscye?  armsceese?!  Really, what is the plural for that???) or something.  I will really have to consult my Fit for Real People, one of these days.  But anyhow.  To quick fix the problem on this top, I just made a quick inverted pleat in the center!  It actually turned out way more adorable than I planned.  And, of course, this gave me just the excuse that I needed to put a fabulous, sparkly, vintage button on the back :)

And I shall name thee, the Turquoise Truffle Sorbetto.  And you shall be mine!

Cutting, marking, cutting, and marking...

Hey friends,

Just a quick check in!  I'm making progress!  After making three... yes, count them, 1, 2, 3! muslins, I finally got the fit just right on my peony :)  It seems a little obsessive, but I learned a lot about myself through this.  I am really hoping that now that I have really perfected this muslin, it will give me better ideas on what to look for a change on the first round for my next project, and the next!  I learned to fit better, I learned darts better, thanks to Carrie and Oona, I learned that I am short waisted, which helped.  I used my Fit for Real People a lot, and I now feel slightly more confident with fitting!  One project at a time, yes?

So, I just spent the last 3 hours tracing out the remaining pattern pieces, cutting the parts out of my fashion fabric, marking all the pertinent markings, and getting ready to sew the damn thing together!

Pictures to come soon I hope, but until then, something I thought was interesting!

This picture has been floating around Pintrest, you may have seen it.  I love that sewing allows us to use both sides of our brain.  We have to use the left in order to be methodical, mathematical, and logical with our sewing.  But, there is so much creativity involved!  We are allowed to be wild, crazy, creative, abstract, and express our joy through the fabric we choose, and the way we tweak our patterns!  Love it!