The Blue Dress

Hello everyone, I have been away from my blog for some time now due to unforeseen medical problems and a nasty fall resulting in several sprains and a concussion. Yikes!! I have been a mess but I am finally healing from my fall so I can get back to doing what I love most, creating, sewing and blogging.  I have several quick sewing projects I was able to get done before all of that stuff happened so I will start posting them so we can all get caught up. I will also have new posts on my other blog page as well so look for those in the next few days as I get going again. I completely missed Easter so you may see some out of time projects from that as well.  So…. Let’s get going here is the first sewing project I want to share with you.

I decided I needed a new dress for Easter so off to my sewing and pattern stash I went and chose a beautiful blue double knit fabric and a dress pattern by McCall’s, pattern number M6112.  It was easy to cut out both the pattern and the fabric; I was sewing in no time and had the top half completed quickly, the best part of the dress is the kimono sleeves.  The pattern also had options for pockets, a cowl neck or kimono sleeves with a slit on the top, I pretty much did my own thing to get just the right look.

The rest of the dress went just as quickly and it was finished in no time, about two hours start to finish. Isn’t it cute! Very light and airy, I can wear it alone or with boots and a turtleneck underneath it if I want to wear the dress as a jumper during the winter months.  I usually try to make garments which can be worn for dual seasons, I get more use out of them that way and I can justify spending a bit more on a great fabric when I find one.  Too bad I did not get to wear it to Easter dinner at my daughter’s house, I had to stay home and get well instead, oh well, there will be another occasion to wear it soon.

Thanks for letting me share my little blue dress with you; it was fun to show you my new outfit.  I have some sewing projects I made for my kitchen makeover to show you next time; one of them is an easy tutorial, look for those in a day or so.

See you soon.

Laurette

Watch for a new blog post on Create*Upcycle*Decorate*Organize, coming very soon, it is about our new stone patio just completed last weekend; my husband did a fantastic job on it.

Apron A Day #6

Today is double post Tuesday so you get two for one. The first thing I want to share with you is the great news about my new blog, it is now completed and I have already written my first post which went live last week on January 23.  You can access my new blog by clicking on the button marked Create*Upcycle*Decorate*Organize on the right side of my page which is right below the Pinterest button.  Everything on that side of my blog page is a link to the symbol shown; like my Pinterest boards, the link to Where I Sew with Pink Chalk studios and the story I wrote for Coats & Clark 200^th Anniversary. I am totally in love with my new blog page and the fantastic work my Graphic Artist, Jolene Burt, did on both pages, she is fantastic!  Anyway, hop on over and check it out!!! The new blog will show all my projects for anything I create which are not sewn on a sewing machine.  Buttons, Bows & Bling will remain a sewing blog for clothing, toys, quilts and home décor items, like pillows, drapes, etc… For those of you who get this blog notification by email you will have to go to my new blog and sign up for email there to keep getting all my new projects which I will post on that sight; basically you have to sign up for email on both if you want to see what I am creating.

Now for the second post of the day, today’s post is a juicy orange apron, I made from one of my patterns, to wear while teaching sewing classes.  I fell in love with this fabric but I had no idea what I would use it for, I adore fabrics with sewing themes on them and this had that going for it with all the cute measuring tapes and polka dots.

Because I wanted to wear the apron while sewing and teaching I felt it needed lots of useful pockets for scissors, measuring tapes, tailors chalk, pins and all the rest. One small pocket was added to the top for my glasses and one long pocket divided into four sections was added along the bottom width for my sewing notions, making it easy for quick access.

I added some retro 60’s orange pom poms, from my stash, to the top and bottom of the apron and some jumbo orange rick rack to give it a little more retro flare; you know how much I love my retro accessories on aprons. I lined the apron in a complimentary fabric to give it enough body so the pockets would not sag when I placed my heavy cutting shears in them. This was a really fun apron to make and wear since it is so bright and cheery.

Thanks for letting me share the fantastic news about my new blog and my cheery orange sewing apron. There are still more aprons to share with you on this blog and lots of fun new posts on the new blog.  I am working on organizing my small office space with pretty new accessories so it will be functional and attractive. Be sure you watch for that new post over there in the next day or so.

See you soon.

Laurette

***On our new blog, Create*Upcycle*Decorate*Organize you might like:

Small Office Organization – Part 1

Apron A Day # 3

Today’s spiffy little number is a black, white and yellow double ruffle, waist tie apron.  I made this one of a kind apron for someone very special but I did not give it to her because she changed her kitchen décor when she moved away, all before I could present her with her gift.

The apron has a French Country feel in the colors, double ruffles, black and white bow at the hem and the antique buttons sewn just in front of the ties in the back.  The pattern was one of my designs and the retro buttons came from my long time button collection.  I hope to someday give it to that special young lady once she moves again and decides on her new kitchen colors, fingers crossed, if not I may just put it up for sale.

Thanks for letting me share apron #3, I hope you are feeling inspired to make some aprons of your own for the up coming holidays. There are more aprons in the series I want to share with you, the toy rooms reveal and plenty of holiday gifts and decorations so keep reading, you don’t want to miss all the fun.

See you soon.

Laurette

You might also like:

Apron A Day Series - # 1 & # 2