What have I been sewing lately? Pattern roundup

...Since the last time that I posted anything about sewing, I made some stuff.

My man here picked out this flannel fabric, end of fall last year, so I made him a good old-school flannel shirt. I got the pattern askew on the front button band, and it's a little crooked on the back yoke, but otherwise, it fits nice and looks sharp.

Looking to do something similar for myself, I found this McCalls pattern that could be adjusted for bust size. Being a DD, it's an issue for me, and having a pattern that already has cup size options made it a bit easier to get a good fit. I was inspired by the styles at Duluth Trading. On the left, I used an old calico fabric that I had in my stash forever, and on the right is a recent purchase of flannel from JoAnn's. Once again, lining up the plaid was tricky, but it's still a cute comfy shirt.

I used that same calico (I had several yards of it), and some scraps to make this apron-dress-coverall thingy. It's perfect for days when I feel like baking, gardening, cleaning. These Dottie Angel patterns from Simplicity are so adorable.

I am obsessed with bags, and I like the waxed canvas styles that Duluth Trading carries, so to get that look, I found this pattern at Colette (#ColetteCooper), and some waxed canvas at fabric.com. It was spendy, but I think it was worth it to get the look, and the durability. Haven't tested it, but it is probably water-resistent, too. I used a scrap of leather for the handle.

Used another Colette pattern - Anise - to make this cropped jacket in black velveteen (I had several yards in my stash), with vintage buttons. This was a more challenging tailoring project. It is fully lined. Not sure how I am going to wear this yet...














...but I did make this top, out of a light silky charmeuse designer fabric that I got on clearance at JoAnn's.

I used the sewstylish Simplicity pattern on the left for the top, with the intention of constructing the full suit at some point. The pattern on the right is another option that I am considering. I have some odds and ends that might work for some of these pieces, but not enough of anything to make a whole suit, so I am still shopping for this one.

Earlier last year, I made this attempt to knock off the Geneva dress on Universal Standard:

I had this nice olive jersey in my stash. I started with Lotta's Esme tunic pattern, gave it cap sleeves, and gathered the hem on one side. I wore it a couple times last fall, and getting ready to bust it out again for warmer weather. 

Elizabethan costume stuff

I ended up just making an open-front bodice out of the recycled tartan fabric that I had. There wasn't really enough to attach a full skirt.

I drafted the pattern using the finished corset as a guide.

While I was at it, I also cranked out this Elizabethan pouch, using Margo Anderson's Elizabethan accessories pattern:

 

I was one of the people lined up to pre-order this pattern, and I finally used it! I want to make a leather version of this bag, too.

BurdaStyle bag: finished

And here is the finished bag:

Made from an old coat that my mom gave me (to recycle). It looks surprisingly expensive, and it was practically free! I used the bag pattern from the new BurdaStyle book, and I had the other materials on hand.

I love the new Singer Heavy Duty machine, which made possible completion of this project.

What I'm working on: the BurdaStyle Bag

The bag pattern from The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook:

Continuing to feed my bag obsession. I found an old leather coat that was very worn, with the intention of cutting it up and making something out of it, and this bag came to mind. I had cut the pieces out before I left on the trip to San Francisco, and started assembling them when I came back. Not quite finished yet, but I'm liking how it's turning out. 

In other news, my primary sewing machine (Janome My Excel) continues to fail me on heavy fabrics (and leather). It was made for home deco work, but it's 10-15? years old now and I've done all I can. I bought some time by taking it apart and thoroughly cleaning it, but the needle plate on it is warped and I think that is contributing to the problem of skipped stitches. So...

I went for the very affordable Singer Heavy Duty 4423. I seriously don't need a lot of bells and whistles. I just need something to get the job done, and it's doing it. 

Another denim bag

Another pair of old jeans gets a new life. This one will probably be a holiday gift. I have a lot more of these to do.

Another "army wife" bag in progress

Every time I cut apart a pair of these pants, I am amazed by how much material is there.

A small cross body bag....

Made from recycled/vintage cargo pants.

Recent Baggage

These two bags are original designs that I came up with.

Laptop cover - is just the beginning...

Fusible fleece is sandwiched between two layers of MultiCam fabric. Makes a nice laptop cover. The plan is to make a messenger bag to match, but I'm still thinking about exactly how I'm going to do that. I've been looking at this pattern (McCall's 5824):

But without doing the patchwork, of course.

More bags made from recycled stuff!

The "Army Wife" Bag - made from a pair of ACUs. Due to popular demand, I am actually going to make this one for sale - $75 complete, or if you actually give me the pants to make it from - $50.

I also recently tried the pattern on a pair of jeans:

Obviously, you get fewer pockets than if you used a cargo or BDU pant, but it's still spiffy looking.

Next, I am going to try scaling this pattern down to handbag size, maybe, and there is also a messenger bag pattern that I want to work with, although I don't know if I can adapt it to make it out of pants. It will be a challenge worth embracing:)

Speaking of bags...

...these look interesting. Bags made out of natural cork, which is a sustainable resource, and they look and feel like soft leather. From Corx.

Original post found on this blog - http://girlfromnorthcountry.com/2011/02/corx/

Upcycling BDUs

This is the story of a very sad pair of pants that no one loved anymore. The pants sat in a pile with other unwanted clothing for a very long time, wishing that it could become useful again, until one day...

I cut the pants apart into useful pieces...

...and sewed them back together. Clever huh? Actually I can't take all the credit. I used a pattern specifically designed for this purpose: Simplicity 2597 Accessories, Bags Go Green Collection