Mandy Fitted Tank top

The hardest part about making this tank top is the taping together of the pattern. And that's not hard at all, just tedious and time consuming (and my least favorite part about sewing)
Once it is printed and taped and cut out, it's easy, easy.
I would have had it sewn up and ready to wear in ten minutes had my serger not went bezerk on me AGAIN.
I know I'm doing something wrong, probably when pulling the thread out after I'm finished, but my thread breaks and gets all goobered up. Then it's unthreading all four sections and starting over from the beginning, on the bright side, I am a pro at threading a serger now!
The material was some from a destash on fb and it is super tshirt soft.
My only problems was the bands, I apparently stretched a tad too much and my underarms are a tad loose, but I love it!
It's soft, comfortable and fits the way I like.

I made the tunic length and I have some more stash material that I am going to make the top length next. Maybe I can get those armholes finished right next time.

If you want an easy, fast tank pattern check out the Mandy Fitted Tank from 5Outof4 Patterns

#igetboredisewthings

Oasis is finished!

Due to a communication error with #1, I found myself alone with plenty of time on my hands for the 4th. What better time to make my Oasis Swimsuit

I had everything I needed (and apparently plenty of time)




I love this material! I over calculated how much I would need, so the navy and white will actually become another suit. But that's for another post ;0)

 

This lining was interesting to work with. My serger started freaking out and had to be completely un-threaded (is that a word? yes! yes it is) and rethreaded (yes) twice before I could get it to work right with this fabric, but I took control and mastered that slinky material! (victory!) 

The plan was to use the picture material for the top and the navy polka dots for the bottoms and all the straps and bands. Due to my miscalculations, I had enough of the top material to do top and bottom, using the dots only for the straps. (which also leaves me plenty of material for another suit)

#theresmycoffee

I have to admit,when I make another one of these suits, I will be going up one size on the top. I did the correct size for my measurements (small) but it is a little too tight for me. Wicked cute! But a little too snug. So my next one will be a medium.

If you struggle with binding (I struggle with everything) you might want to take it slow. There is a LOT of it. The straps are bound to the top then sewn all the way down to create the straps. And tho she made it look so easy even I could do it, that material is creepy when you are sewing such a small edge. I persevered and made that suit mine! I really love the way the top came out.

 

The bottoms are absolutely perfect for the coverage I wanted.
These will probably be my go to bottoms for any other bathing suit I make. They fit right, stay where I want them to and don't wiggle around when I move.

I don't have the bathing suit body I used to (time and all) but overall I think this is a great suit, with great fit. I can't wait to get to the beach!


On to the next project:
5 Out of 4 Patterns has started a new basic pattern line!
They have, what looks like to me, the perfect tank pattern, and I am on to picking out some fabric, tanks are a staple when the temps are in the 100's and humidity is up to 97%, well tanks and air conditioning, you definitely can't live where I live without the air conditioning!
As if that's not enough, then there is the Sara Everyday Tank Dress. Yes, I bought them both!

Mandy Fitted Tank
psst....it's on sale right now!

Sara Everyday Tank and Dress
ppsssttt.....also on sale!

I am going to start with the Mandy............see you soon!

#IgetBoredISewThings

*Affiliate links *
using my links help me out (just sayin')

Oasis Swimsuit/Fabric Fairy order is here!

My order came in yesterday!
I am ready to start sewing up my new Oasis bathing suit

I chose the Fabric Fairy because at the time I was looking for swim fabric, they had the biggest selection. Though this design wasn't my first choice, (they didn't have enough material of my first one), I think this is going to come out really cute! Yes I know I called it Fairy Fabric in my last post, it's ok, the link was correct. (hence why some of my projects get gimped up LOL)

I decided to make my own suit when I went to five different stores and could not find what I was looking for.
I have to face it, I'm older now and I need a little (I can't even lie) a lot more coverage than I used to, and still be able to get a decent amount of sun coverage. After almost two months of hunting, I finally found something I "kinda" liked in Panama City,but it still wasn't the all over fit I wanted, so.....

I saw a post on FB for the Oasis pattern and then, of course, went and watched the video. That's normally all it takes for me. When I see how easy she makes it, I'm all in and ready to get on it.

I did pay the extra $10 to have the Fabric Fairy cut my order the same day and, to me, it was worth it. My order shipped fast and was only a few days from order to mailbox, so over all I am pleased with their service. (their prices are pretty darn good too!) and usually the reason I buy from any place. The price....just sayin'

 

This will be the top or bodice of the suit and I am thinking about tweaking the pattern a bit and using some of this for a waistband also. (thinking about it) This is one of those decisions I make when I am almost finished, have to rip out a bunch of stuff and do a bunch more stuff over because I changed my mind, kind of decisions.

In the video she gives the option for leaving openings to put padding in, and I am almost positive that is what I am going to do. I have a few dresses I don't wear anymore that have pads, so yeah, I'm that thrifty i.e. cheap, I'm going to use them for this suit top. 

This is the material for all the straps, (there are a lot of them) the bottoms and the bindings.
I think this will go together quite nicely, and if I don't gimp it up, I will end up with a cute, made by Leah suit to get me through the rest of the summer.
Here we are beaching it until sometimes as late as mid October, so I will definitely get plenty of use out of it. (if I don't gimp it up)



The lining and the elastic, all came from the Fabric Fairy also.


I will probably start cutting everything out tomorrow, maybe Wednesday and keep you up to date!

A true BOGO!: Ellie and Mac patterns w/my pics

Ellie and Mac is having a buy one get one free sale!
 I think I have just about every one of their patterns now. Definitely all the ones I want.
You can't ask for easier patterns to print, assemble and use.
Check it out! Ellie and Mac

Here are just a few I've made so far

The Tee Dress

The Everyday Tee

You'll have to excuse the pics, I get them where I can to share over at the Sewinfun Facebook page.

*Affiliate links inserted*

Ellie and Mac and a new bathing suit (PATTERN SALE)

I have really been in a sewing slump.
I finished up  a couple of projects a month or so ago and then just didn't want to sew anything else.

Trying to get out of it, I went searching YouTube for something interesting and as always, Ellie and Mac caught my attention.

In this video she is making a swimsuit, which has been on my mind for a while and now I'm in the mood to sew again. She really does make everything look so easy. I guess that's why most of my sewing is an Ellie and Mac pattern. She just breezes right through it.
All I have to do is watch one of her videos and it inspires me to get sewing!

I ordered the pattern *it's on sale right now!*
Oasis Swimsuit
(affl link)
Then off to the Fairy Fabric website

Now to patiently wait for my stuff to come in. 😓😓 it really is the worst part of the whole process..... the waiting..................................................................................................................................

 

More #SewTogether

Ok, so I have been doing more sewing than posting, I'm sorry. I will try and catch you up.

DD#1 and I have been getting together on the weekends and sewing together, well truthfully, she has been walking me, step by step, through sewing purses. She is wicked good at it and makes some of the cutest themed purses you've ever seen.
You can see her work here: SewRae

She comes over, machine in hand and we set up at my kitchen table.
She picks the pattern and I try to have it all cut out and ready to sew by the time she gets there. Woefully, I usually fall short in that area.
Probably because she has a steadier cutting hand than I do LOL 

She always brings some of the cutest prints to work with. Like this adorable Star Wars pattern. Me? I'm still working on trying to get my stitching right on plain old canvas.

She walked me through every step. (she's a very patient child) and we finally finished these two bags.
Mine, the green canvas,full size messenger bag, her's the cute little Star Wars mini messenger bag.
I opted for a little fancier stitch around the outside flap, jut because it's so plain, I had to snazz it up a little bit. And my machine is awesome like that. 

 

This was my first time doing a lot of things. 

A snap

A strap

A usable purse LOL

I really like the way it came out, and has plenty of room for all my junk I carry everyday.




I think my flap may be a little off, but I like it. And, as usual, if it was perfect you would never believe I made it. I own my flaws, and see them as proof that, not only is it homemade, but homemade by me lol


Sissy Bella modeling Mama's cute Star Wars bag.

Josey has a new bed

Josey is my 2 years old German Shepherd. From the time he was six weeks old I could tell him "Josey, go to bed" and he would crawl up in his huge store bought, over stuffed dog bed. As he got older though, he would go to bed, but as soon as he would hear the heavy breathing of us sleeping, he would slink out and sleep on the carpet. That is a big no no. But no matter how hard I tried to get him to stay in his bed he would not.
I finally figured out, that huge, overstuffed bed was making him too hot while he was sleeping, so he would get on the floor to cool off.
We got rid of the bed and he was just using an oversized towel to lay on, something I could just grab up and throw in the wash.
Then I came across this camouflage flannel I had left over from making a neck warmer for my sweetie pie. Hmmmmm.......funny how you find good ideas cleaning up the piles in your sewing boxes.
I grabbed up some left over cheap towels I had bought for making the burp cloths for BB and decided I would make him something a little more "his" than a towel on the floor.

 

There was no measuring, but lots of cutting. 

Josey is a big dog so I decided to use every bit of the flannel I had left and I would just fit the towels to the back of it.

The floor in the foyer was the only available area I could find. 

At 52 years old, the floor is not my favorite place to be working. It's the getting back up I tell ya. But I crawled around down there and got it all fitted together the straightest and best I could. 

Let's face it, it's a dog bed, it didn't have to be perfect. Just hold up.  

One thing I have learned, I love, love the clips to work with way better than pinning.

 

I make a mess when I sew.

 

It was just a lot of piecing and pinning and cutting until it finally all came together the way I wanted it to.

 

It is a messy mess cutting up towels and sewing them together. But I got them all sewn and ironed out with out much of a problem.

 

Sewing the whole thing together took no time at all. I didn't do any fancy stitches, no quilting, no tacking in the middle. Just simply sewed the two pieces together with right sides facing and flipped it right side out when I was finished. 

All that lint!!!

 

A quick top stitch to close up the gap and help keep things somewhat in place.

 

And there it is. A thin, washable "bed" for the brat dog.

 

I think he likes it. He stayed on that thing longer than I could ever get him to stay in his other bed.