Peplum... Go!

It'd been a while since I made something for my daughter's Mario and Descendants-loving friend. Her mother was very vocal in admiring the Frozen and the Rainbow Cheetah peplums I made, so when I saw this fabric, the path was set before me. Both mother and child are huge Teen Titan Go! Fans, and since the show is actually aimed at adults, there aren't a lot of kid clothes to be found. 

This beauty came up for preorder in January, and when it arrived Mid March, it went straight into my post-mask pile. I also lucked out into a coordinate from stash that was about perfect.

As is often my way these days, this top was made with the Sew By Pattern Pieces Girls' Fun Tee as the base; I trimmed the bodice and added a self-drafted peplum skirt, and voila! A fun new outfit for our friend.

We gave it as a gift mid-summer, and it's already made a few trips back to our house on my daughter's friend - it's always nice to know a handmade gift is well-loved!

At last a Selfish Sew

One of my first custom prints ever was a beautiful 'stained glass' rendition of Flynn Rider and Rapunzel out on the lake, enjoying the floating lanterns. I mean seriously, how gorgeous is this print? I bought it at the same time as the Mario fabric I used in 2017 and 2018, but never *quite* got around to cutting it, for fear I would make something that did not flatter, or did not fit. 

But of course, when you're working from home everyday and can wear whatever you want. Style takes a backseat to comfort, and there's room to experiment if you don't have a teleconference that day!

A few months ago I saw an *amazing* v-necked shirt with arm bands and a hip band on one of my feeds. I'm not entirely sure what the pattern was, but it seemed to have the same basic silhouette as the Halla Amanda - which I've owned for a while but never tried - so now seemed as good a time as any.  

Color selection with this fabric turned out to be a challenge - with so many vibrant colors in the print, it was easy to get overwhelmingly bright (even by my definition). My initial instinct was to go with the fuschia at the bottom, but in the end, a milder plum purple won out. I wanted to showcase the colors of the print, not compete with them!

The Amanda doesn't have a hip band so I had to add one, and Halla's names for the different options aren't always so obvious to me who has no background in clothing design. But the pattern itself was well drafted, well sized, easy to assemble, and included good instructions. And I was VERY happy with the fit and look of the final product.

So here's to a selfish sew that gives me confidence not only as an artisan but as a wearer! At last a pattern I will make and wear, again and again.

Entering a New Groove

In the middle of spring vacation, my sewing took a drastic turn as a the US found itself in the middle of a global pandemic. With 2 kids out of school, I had more time to sew, but a lot less brainpower to devote to the art. 

Also, suddenly my to-do list was abandoned in favor of an overwhelming need for masks. I missed the first wave of donations to medical professionals, but when the CDC recommended cloth face coverings for everyone, I had lots of friends and family to sew for. 

The good news is, masks are a major stash-buster if you're a quilter on hiatus. I rounded up some fabric from the Kaliedescope dresses, my trip to Houston, and various other fandoms with the intent to mass-produce some fun masks. 

But, I also tried to keep it light with non-pandemic-supplies too - here's a care package from a friend that includes masks for herself, her husband, and her kids, but also a fun Emperor's New Groove Raglan.

the Emperor's New Groove is, I feel, one of the more overlooked Disney movies. And an adult raglan is a a great statshbuster. So it was a win-win for her and for me - she got some masks to keep her community healthy, and a fun shirt to lighten the mood. 

And I got the satisfaction that with all the stress going on, I wasn't *entirely* off my groove.