DIY: Artsy Sew Along Skirt, Completed!

Well, heyyyyy. Look who finally finished her Artsy Sew Along skirt! Actually, I shouldn't say "finally finished" because this lil number was completed a while back. I should say look who finally got around to editing and posting her how-to vid clips. Yikes, y'all! My apologies for the delay! I told my hubs, "I am never gonna do another sew along again, I'm terrible about making and posting all the videos!" and he was all, "Wait. You mean you didn't just make the skirt all in one day while recording it?" Um. No. That woulda been, like, the smart thing to do! And, y'all. There's not to much of that smart biznatch happening 'round here. Juuuust sayin'. 

But now it's done, the vids are complete and I've got this goofball lil number to show for it! 

So, stitchers, what have you thought of this pattern? I did some homework before cutting into the pattern and discovered that several folk said the waist sat low. I'm all about hitting-at-the-waist kind of vibe as I don't think the blow-the-waist looks good on me. So I did have to take the waist in a pinch while stitching. What did y'all think? Love it? Hate it? Ever make another one? I gotta be honest, this skirt pattern ended up being a lil "meh" for me. I don't know that I'll be making more. Tho I did love those pockets, y'all. And this was my first time making belt loops so that was cool. 

Now that the skirt is done, I gotta admit, I flipping hate that pop of yellow in the pocket. WHUUUUT was I thinking. It just looks...weird. Especially on the side. Although, I didn't even think twice about it until hubs said, "I don't like that yellow thing" and now that's all I hear when I wear the skirt! So, it's his fault. Tis the reason men should not be allowed in sewing rooms. 

And now, vid clips!

 

In this blog post, we about to do bunches of stuffs...

Like making a waistband! Remember, try this on after you make it to see if you like that dropped waist fit. 

Put in a zipper! Don't tell your home ec teacher you used tape to put in a zip, okay? Shhhhh, our secret!

Let's hem! I do love a sewing gauge for hemming tho it's not necessary. But they are cheap and I bet you have one laying around...you just didn't know what it was for (like me!).

And there you have it, the last of the Artsy Sew Along for now (or forever, talk to me in about a month). I'd LOVE to see your skirts, kids! You can share them on the ASA page or shoot me an email at cassieart75@gmail.com. 

For the rest of the ASA blog posts you can start here, then go here! 

Read more »

DIY: Artsy Sew Along, Stitching // Gathering and a Winner!

Whut-whut?! Guess who finally decided to come back to her own sew-along party? Das right, kiddies! My bottom-of-the-heartest apologies for the delay. I always forget that July is pretty stinkin' busy in Cassie-town, what with laying on the couch, taking a shower (occasionally) and deciding whether or not to get dressed to get the mail or just shock the neighbors again and do it in a bathrobe with the backside accidentally tucked into my grannie panties (like that visual image? Yer welcome!). I know, right?! It's amazing I've even managed to find the time to put together these two short clippies for you! Here's what I'll be yappin' about today:

1. You've already got your pockets in, riiiiiight? And it was super simple, yeeeeeessss? If you've not done that yet, no worries! Just hop over here and come back in an hour.  Now we are ready to stitch the front of the skirt to the back two panels!

2. From there, I'll show you how to add your gathering stitches. 

And that's it for this post. Short and simple. My plan is to be bacattcha soon buuuuut we'll see how I feel after a couple more days of couch rollin' around and Mad Men power-watching. It's a rough life, summer livin', I tell ya.

OH!! The giveaway! Thank you so much to all y'all that entered to win the goods to make your own Palette Purse! I recently carried my purse to an art event and got so many stinkin' compliments, if I do say so (and I just did. So there.) My fave comment is always, "Oh! Where did you get that?!" which is way better than "ooOOoooooh, that's...cute. Did you make that?!" like I'm some five year old wearing a moldy macaroni necklace. All y'all crafters know what I'm talkin' about. Anyway! The winner is...Andie Anders! Congrats, buddy! And thanks all y'all for playing. I seem to give away stuffs pretty frequently around here so if you don't come here for my good looks and charm (whuuuuuut?!) then pop back by for the free shizz. 

Now, let's stitch!

Please ignore that crazy nonsense about entering to win the contest! We already have a winner, duh, me.

I dunno what you do when you need a sewing break but I fabric shop. It's most def a bad idea that I don't recommend. I mean, lookie what's currently in my slacker-shopping cart: kitties! 

Bananas! 

And back to werk. 

Next time, we'll work on that waistband and the zip. Hemming should be a snap and we're done! Yay! If you are stitching, please be sure to share on the Artsy Sew Along page and on instragramz with the #artsysewalong. Thanks, kids!

 I leave you with more eye candy from one of my fave fabric brands Cotton and Steel. Til next times!

Read more »

DIY: A Palette Dress, Purse and GIVEAWAY!

At one point, every summer vacation, I start to fall into a slacker-esque routine. I'll have my To-Do list all written down, my running shoes by the door, a big ole stack of projects to tackle and then I go all meh, not today. The list gets forgotten, the shoes collect dust and  the stacks of projects turn into towers of tasks I ain't never gonna touch. That was today. YESTERDAY, however, I finished off this number and stitched up that thar palette purse! So I can give myself one day o' estate sale shopping and Mad Men Marathon watching, right?!

I'm super stoked about this lil outfit y'all. But, let's be honest, the purse makes the thing. Amiright?

Let's talk about what inspired this outfit: that fab fabric, y'all. I have this habit: late at night, when I should be fast asleep, I scour the interwebs for fabric. I like to google things like "art supply fabric" or "color wheel fabric" OR, you guesser, Chester: palette fabric. The moment I saw this retro-inspired goodness, I tossed three yards in my virtual shopping cart and scooted on over to checkout faster than you can say "fabric hoarder" (although, why would you say such a thing? I like to think of myself as a Fabric Connoisseur, thank you vury much). The pattern I paired with the fabric is a vintage Simplicity 3877. I decided to go with the bodice of view 3 but I didn't love that skirt (flat front, gathered hips? Because I wanna look like a hippo?!) so I opted to use a regular ole gathered skirt from some rando pattern. I ain't trying to be vague. I'm just sayin, it's literally a big a## rectangle that I gathered and attached to the bodice. The.End.

Now, I'll be the first to admit, that this here fabric pattern is a wee bit overwhelming. That's a whole lotta palette action, you know what I mean? So I decided to break it up with that lil dotted cummerbund.  

I do love me a cummerbund. Or any waist-cinching, belt-esque thingie I can get my kitten mittens on. This one was a snap to make. I have a feeling I'll be busting out more o' these in the future. Magic Eight Ball says it's so (actually she said, "Ask Again" which I always take for a YES! WHATEVER YOU SAY! Magic Eight Ball is kinda like the original Siri but without the attitude.)

But can we fur realz just talk about the show stopper here? I mean, that purse, right?! 

RIIIIIIGHHHHHHT?!

It was pretty easy to make (with my sewing machine only having a hissy fit a mere three times during the making) and, if you are interested, ya outta pay close attention so you can make your own! BECAUSE Ima bout to give away the supplies to do it! But first...

I started with two straw placemats I found on Amazon. I then sketched out my plan and placed it on top, pinning it into place.

Then I snipped away. 

The handle proved to be the biggest beast for a multitude of reasons. The first being it was a drag to cut out. BUT I did it. WITH much complaining. TO the cat. BECAUSE no one else will listen. 

Using extra wide double fold bias tape, I pinned that business around the edge of the mat. Sadly, I didn't have enough for the handle so I had to use the smaller double fold tape I had on hand. That proved to be a real joy (insert sarcasm here) to stitch. But I muscled through. 

And then there was The Great Debate. If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook, I threw out a question because I was stumped how to proceed with the paint splotches. So my question was: round or blobby? I had so many sweet friends offer their advice that it was fab! The prob? Everyone was divided! So I took a closer look at the palette on my skirt and noticed that the paint splotches were ovals. That seemed to be a happy medium. Okay, so the Magic Eight Ball is actually the medium, but you know what I mean. 

This part actually went off without a hitch. I just set my machine to the appliqué stitch (all machines have it, it's just a zigzag stitch with the stitches set close together) and went to town.

Originally I was gonna stitch the two mats together on the black bias tape but it was just too thick. I ended up switching to a light brown thread and sewed the front and back of the bag together on the straw mat. Done and Done. 

BUT I'VE GOT THE SUPPLIES FOR YOU TO MAKE ONE TOOOOOOOO. Well, the purse, perhaps. And just a wee bit of palette fabric. And it can be ALLL YOOOOUURRZZZZ if y'all do the following:

* (If you wanna) follow me on Instagram, that'd be swell. 

* Leave me a message in the comments! I want to know...Who is your fave painter (ya know, since we're talking palettes and all) and why? Also! Don't forget to leave me your email addy so I can let you know if you won, you big winner, you!
 
AND, I'll see you soon! Artsy Sew Along friends, I'll be back shortly with more video clipp-ies of our next phase of skirt stitching. Toodles!

Read more »

DIY: Artsy Sew Along 1, Pattern Cutting/Pocket Making

 

Super cute sewing fabric from fabric.com.

Hey, my stitches! I hope all y'all are doing swell and, if you are stateside, having a lovely holiday weekend! It's been a rainy one here so I doubt there will be much of a fireworks-y celebration in my neck o' the woods. To that I say, c'est la vie and pass me my cuttin' scissors. I've got a skirt to stitch!

The pattern we're using: Simplicity #2226.

If y'all have joined the Artsy Sew Along, hurray! I'd love to see the fabric you are stitching with. Please post away on that page or share on Instagram #artsysewalong. Since many of you have mentioned that you are new to garment sewing, I thought some videos might be of some help to y'all. Granted, these are my videos, so take my tips and tricks with a big ole grain of salt. In fact, invest in a salt lick, ermkay? 

Sewing machine fabric and cute buttony fabric. 

 In this post, I'll chat with y'all about:

* How to prepare your fabric and your pattern pieces for cutting.

* Just how to go about cutting your fabric properly and making sure to get all of your markings correct.

* How to stitch those super cute pockets onto the skirt!

If all goes well, this post should help you get this far! You'll notice I opted for a contrasting fabric for the pockets...y'all know me, I'm totes tacky and love to play with patterns. By the way, I'll also be throwing in some of my fave sewing fabrics with links for some sewing-inspo in this here post! 

This clip is all about preparing your fabric and your pattern. It's super important to read through all the pre-stitching notes in your pattern as they are chuck full of sound advice. Don't just listen to this clip featuring my lovely voice. Which, by the way, sounds like angels singing. While chewing on broken glass.

Just incase you missed my clip about finding your correct size according to the pattern envelope, here you go!

I love the colors in these prints. Rulers and spools. 

 

If you're new to sewing then I know how overwhelming those pattern pieces can be. Lemme help ya navigate that territory, kay?

Scissors and spools. 

 I really enjoyed this beginning process of skirt making. I love when a project is simple and gives immediate results: yay, pockets! If you have any probs at all, please drop me a line in the comments, on the Artsy Sew Along page or on my Instagram (where I've been annoyingly popping up photos of the skirt progress).

Now, I will say, that I've been reading what some other sewists have said about this pattern and I'm a lil concerned. Many have mentioned that the waistband is too big. What I plan to do is create a muslin of the waistband (this is practice sewing, following the same pattern, but with inexpensive fabrics). This way I can do a little trouble shooting for y'all. I hope to be back with the second portion of stitching -- adding that waistband -- soon. 

Until then, be sure to share what you're up to and drop me a line about your progress, y'all! 

Read more »

What the Art Teacher Wore #132, Giveaway Winner and a Sewing Swap!

 Monday-ish: So this prolly isn't something one should wear on a Monday morning. Instead a night out on the town in the 1950's or something. But, you know, that's how I roll. The kids loved this scarf from UncommonGoods although a coworker did say it looked as though I'd deflated a globe. Which I thought was hilarious cuz it kinda does! dress: vintage, Buffalo Exchange; scarf: UncommonGoods

Hey there, y'all! Can I just dive right in and tell you what a wild week I've had (and then I'll get to the giveaway winner, pinky-swear/spit-shake)? I mean, it started out as your average art-teacherin' week that is til Tuesday when I was given the honor of District Teacher of the Year. Like, whuh? It went down a lil sumpin like this:

I was in the middle of a third grade class. And we were all over the place. Some kids were finishing a painting project, a couple others were creating miniature Ojo de Dios to accompany their large one, and one rando always-finished-first girl had started weaving on my large loom. All this was going down when outta the corner of my eye, I spy my principals, superintendent and an entourage of folk outside my door with balloons. BALLOONS, people. And it's not even my birthday. 

"Mrs. Stephens! Do you know why we're here?" I was asked when the mob walked in the door. To be honest, back of my mind, I see a dude with a buncha balloons, I'm half expecting a big fat check from Publisher's Clearing House, y'all. 

"Um," trying frantically to think of something, ANYTHING, to say, "You're taking us all to Chuck-E-Cheese?!" To which a couple kids cheered while the rest looked at me mortified. Even they knew better than to say something so ridiculous.

Because I was no help, the question was posed to the kids who replied, "Because she's Teacher of the Year!"

"Oh but now she's also District Teacher of the Year!" 

Stunned silence by both me and the kids. Maybe one of them cheered. The rest just looked as astonished as me. 

After it all finally clicked, we snapped a ton of pics with me and the kids and had a grand ole time. It was such a pleasant surprise. I mean, I work with outstanding educators in a school district that is renowned for it's awesomeness. To be recognized by my school was one thing but by my district...well, that's just incredible. 

Happy Surprise Tuesday: Such a fun and surreal kind of day. And of course it was the day I decided to skip hair-washing in exchange for more rolling around "I don't wanna go to school!" time. Which is always to no avail as the only one in the house is the cat who just gazes at me momentarily and then proceeds to clean her rear. sweater: made by me, DIY here; dress and tights: TJMaxx; belt: UncommonGoods; gold dotted boots: made by me, DIY here

On a dif note, can I totes confuse you and completely switch gears? Please? I mean, if you've read this blog before, you know the drill: it's ADD-enhanced for your reading dis-pleasure. A while back, an art teacher friend threw out the idea of a fabric swap. AND a while-while back, I threw out the idea of doing another Sew-Along this time for Dress-A-Girl-Around-the-World. By the way, the Dress a Girl dress is a simple pillowcase number, perfect for beginner sewers. So! I made this lil clip to explain my wild and crazy idea. Here ya go:

So! If you are interested, all you gotta do is the following:

1. Leave your email in the comments along with the state you live in. I'd love to pair you with someone close so you won't have to pay extra for shipping.

2. I'll send you an email introducing you and your swap partner by the end of next week. Y'all can chat and decide how much fab fabric to send and when. Remember the minimum to making a dress is one yard. But you might want to do one yard of two types of fabrics. This way your sewing buddy can create a pocket or a ruffle with the extra fabric.

3. Send out your goodies by mid-February. This way your partner can receive them in time to start stitching! I'll be sharing the Dress-A-Girl dress making steps on this here blog soon. So you won't wanna wait, y'all!

And that's it! I do hope you'll consider joining the fun. Just leave your email and state in the comments below!

 Wacky Wednesday: I dunno even know what made this day wacky apart from that it was Wednesday. Sorry, I got nuthin. sweater: vintage; tights and top: Target; pencil skirt: Anthro, last year; scrabble "Artsy" necklace: from my buddy Phyl over at There's a Dragon in my Art Room! Thanks, Phyl!

Thurs-daze: When I was a kid, Thursday was my ab fab day of the week. It was the day before Friday and it was the night of the Cosby Show and that was my jam, y'all. I think I still have a soft spot for ole Thursdays for that very reason. sweater and shoes: thrifted; palette belt: etsy; necklace: The Paper Source; floral still life skirt: Anthro

And the winner of the UncommonGoods $50 Giveaway is...

Allison of Artfully Yours! She wrote: 

"Your blog has me very intrigued about needle felting! I am a fellow art teacher and would totally get the hedgehog needle felting kit...my daughter would love those cute little guys too!"

Congrats, Allison! Big thanks to UncommonGoods and all who entered to win!  

Read more »