O + S Cape

Before I gave my littlest the cape I made for her birthday, I told my husband that it was dress-up clothes that she could get away with wearing as regular clothes.  He rolled his eyes at me then but I don't think he really minds.  And she does wear it in place of a jacket or sweater.  And gets smiles and comments everywhere she goes.  If you can't get away with wearing a cape when you're four when can you??

My niece is turning two next week so I decided to make her one, too.  I'm sure my brother will be as thrilled as my husband was, hehehe.

I bought the brown fabric last weekend at a fundraiser at Darrell Thomas.  They had all sorts of  different fabrics in varying sizes on for 2 pieces for $5 (!!).  I came home with a huge bag of stuff even though my storage shelves are overflowing.

The piece I used for this was narrow (maybe about 36" wide?) and probably about 2 yards long.  I have no idea what it is but I'm pretty sure it's polyester.  It's heavier weight but soft with sort of a velvet texture on one side.  Perfect for this project and I think the leftovers will make a nice purse.

The lining is a quilting cotton I bought when I was in Philly in the summer.  I only bought one yard  but it turned out to be enough for the cape even though the pattern (in Little Things to Sew) calls for 1 1/2 yards.  (I had to cut some pieces upside down so you'd need more than a yard if you had a directional print -- here's a photo of my cutting layout if you're interested).   I wish I bought more because I do really like this fabric but I was so overwhelmed with the fabric district and the fact that my family (kids, husband and my parents) were wandering around outside in the rain, it's amazing I managed to choose anything :).  There was nothing on the selvedge so I have no idea what it is.  The brown and the red together are a little Holly Hobbie but I think (I hope) it's just retro enough to be cool.

I bought the button when I was travelling, too, only because I couldn't resist it and I'm glad to have found a project that it suits.  I made a straight small this time without the length I added for my daughter so I'm crossing my fingers it doesn't dwarf my niece.  The only change I made this time  was to add a loop for hanging.

Roman Shades

Making curtains is definitely not my favourite thing to do -- they're so big and cumbersome and it's so hard to keep everything straight. Then there's the math required for the pleats, yikes.  Thankfully my husband is willing to hang them up because otherwise they would not get done.

The fabric is Premier Prints Suzani Twill in Harmony/Red from fabric.com.  I ordered two yards and cut off about an inch to square it up and then maybe another two inches when I went to hem it.  I love when I finish a project and am just left with scraps.   I was also able to use leftovers for the backing -- I made shades for our dining room last year and had just enough of the black out fabric left for this curtain if I pieced it together.  The seams show through a little bit in the front when the curtain is closed and the sun is shining directly on them.  I don't think anyone but me would notice :).  

The bookcases are billys from IKEA.  Hubby painted the backs of them and I love them.  We have a few more things to do in this room -- a friend is going to build in a desk under the window and, despite my husband's half-hearted objections, I'm going to get a piece of sheet metal for a magnetic board on one wall.  (he thinks it's going to go the way of the rain gutter bookshelves, which lasted about a year and left numerous holes in the walls).   I'm also planning a bit more sewing: fabric baskets to contain the little bits my seven year old loves to collect.

Vogue 1247 - Top, take 2

I wavered for ages before cutting out this top -- I love the colour but was worried it would read "scrubs".   I'm still not convinced it doesn't but I do like the style of this pattern.  The only changes I made from the the last time was to add yet another inch, this time to the bottom pieces.  I think the length is good for me now.

The fabric is Kaffe Fassett in Aegean from Mad About Patchwork.  It's soft and light and easy to work with but I don't know if I would recommend it for clothes.  I made this top before going away and I've only worn it a couple of times but it's already starting to pill.  I've found the same thing with my Tova.  It's a bummer because I'm not really big on prints but I find a flat solid colour is, well, flat while shot cottons have such lovely variations.  Still, it's a nice light summer top that's not a t-shirt so it's a win!