Friday, July 5, 2013

Let's Get Acquainted, Shall We?

Today's my day on Plum and June's 2013 Let's Get Acquainted New Blogger Blog Hop and I've been thinking about this for several weeks.  I'm going to share a little bit about myself and my crafty journey thus far and then introduce you to a new little series that I'm starting.

I was laid off in 2011 from my job in the financial industry and my husband and I decided that we would try to make it work with me becoming a stay at home mom (which I had always wanted to do).  I do not consider myself to be a creative person naturally and definitely not artistic in the least, but I decided that I needed to find a hobby to keep my hands busy given that I now had a small amount of free time.  (Please see my About Me page for a little more info, if you would like.)

I started off doing a little bit of crocheting, making a hat here and there and starting this huge queen size afghan (which will take several more winters to complete).


I then ordered a sewing machine with the bank reward points that I had saved up and that's when I timidly dipped my toe in the sewing and quilting waters.  The first several things I made were a pair of Dallas Cowboys fleece pajama pants (how bout dem Cowboys?) for my husband and several aprons.  

Then I moved on to quilts after taking Jenny Doan's Quilting Quickly class on CraftsyThis was my very first one, which was made using a batik charm pack and jelly roll purchased at (gulp) Wal-mart.  Please go easy on me, I didn't know any better at the time.  And here is a mosaic showing some of the others that I have made since..  

1. Blue Hues Peacock Quilt, 2. Baby Boy Zig-Zag Quilt, 3. Vintage Baby Girl Quilt, 4. Baby Girl on Parade Quilt, 5. Vintage Modern Baby Quilt, 6. 10 Little Things Baby Boy Quilt, 7. Good Fortune Zig-Zag Quilt, 8. A quilt I made for my niece, using this tutorial: http://www.hookedonneedles.com/2011/09/rainbow-quilt-picture-tutorial.html, 9. My first quilt

I love fabric and, much to my husband's disgruntlement, I have collected quite a bit.  Some of my favorite fabric designers are Sarah Jane, Sarah Watson, Bonnie and Camille, American Jane and Tasha Noel.  I have 2 Singer sewing machines, but aspire to one day be able to get one with a much larger throat space, which would help tremendously with free motion quilting.  You can see a little of my sewing space in this post.  Here's a picture of my current fabric stash (I know it's a mess).



You may notice that I have pretty much only made quilts for children so far (except the peacock one, which was for my great aunt), which leads me to introduce you to my new series, Selfish Sewing.  I know that the term "selfish sewing" is not a new idea in general, but it's a fairly new concept to me.  I have a hard time doing things for myself sometimes.  For example, my husband gave me a gift certificate for a massage and facial for Mother's Day 2012 and it is still waiting to be used.  And the only reason I made pajama pants for myself this winter was because my sister gifted me the fabric.  I really don't think it's selfish to make something for myself, but too many times, it feels that way.  I decided recently that I will start making more things for myself.  So, without further ado, here is my Selfish Sewing creation...  




A WASHI DRESS!!

I bought the pattern from Made by Rae quite some time ago and then I bought the Dear Stella fabric with this dress in mind.  I didn't pay attention to the yardage requirements and only bought 2 yards of fabric, which left me in a bit of a bind for cutting out the final piece, which was the top front bodice piece.  My lovely sister came through with the suggestion of piecing 2 halves of the bodice together and covering the seam with some sort of decorative strip of fabric, so this is what I came up with.. 



I think it turned out okay.  Actually, I think it turned out great.  I am so pleased with the dress.  The pattern was really easy to follow and I plan to use it many times over.  I definitely want to make a few tunics and another dress.  I would like to try voile fabric next time and see how that feels.  

I hope to do a Selfish Sewing post every few weeks or at least once a month, so please feel free to check back with me soon.

You can find me on flickrinstagram or pinterest or you can email me if you would like.

Please check out the other bloggers on the hop today also:  

Christa @ Christa Quilts!
Stephanie @ Quarter Incher

Thanks so much for stopping by and as a reward to making it to the end of my post, you get a treat!  I'm doing a dance for you (or something)!
















45 comments:

  1. Your quilta are terrific and I love love the washi dress! It turned out perfect! Great job and it is very nice to meet you. I am a new follower on Bloglovin!
    jan@http://sewandsowfarm.blogspot.com

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  2. I wish my stash looked that neat! And, dont feel so bad...I started out buying fabric at Walmart for my early quilts as well.

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  3. That dress is great! I've seen a bunch of those washi dresses now and this is one of my favorites. I love the idea of selfish sewing. Though if anything, I already swing too far in that direction! :)

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  4. I too love the idea of selfish sewing I very seldomly do something for me and if I start I always put it on the back burner when something comes up. So funny I too have a gift card for a facial and it is now 13 months old...doh. It was great seeing your work and getting to know you a little better

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  5. Oh.my.goodness. I seriously loooove your dress. The piece on the front is actually my favourite part - it makes it sit so nicely. Yay for selfish sewing - good for you!!! You obviously are very creative - it's nice that your layoff (a sad thing) has led you to this beautiful creativity (a happy thing). It's interesting how things turn out that way sometimes, isn't it??!!!

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  6. lovely dress! And always have love feathers on fabrics.. You make me smile with the dance too! lovely to visit you here. Thanks for stopping by my blog recently.

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  7. Wow, Alyce! That dress is sew-weet! I love it! Thanks for sharing this post sew we could get to know a little a little about you. Glad you are a part of the new blogger hop!

    Lorna:)
    http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com

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  8. I love your Washi dress! That fabric is just perfect. Yeah, my husband just tries not to look at my fabric. It just makes him sad. Oops.

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  9. You've made some gorgeous quilts! And that dress is fab! It's lovely to read about your quilting journey and long may it continue :-)

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  10. The dress is gorgeous! Good work and great blog hop post. I'm envious of the fabric drawers as mine is all in a heap in a box - yours are so neat!

    Jenny @ Note to Follow Sew
    http://notetofollowsew.blogspot.co.uk/

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  11. Hi Alyce,

    Good to meet you. I love the dress. It turned out great. I have the same problem. Most things I make are for others, I hardly make anything for myself.

    As for other things..I still work in the financial industry and do envy all the free time you have to spend on quilty things. I love your stash BTW.

    Rachel

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  12. What a cute post. I still work in the financial industry but hope to quit next winter sometime to stay at home with my girls, so good job for taking the plunge and doing that. I love the idea of selfish sewing. I have made so many quilts and do you know, I have never made anything for myself! I really need to do that.

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  13. this peacock dress is adorable!

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  14. Wow that dress is really something! Well done!

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  15. I enjoyed meeting you, Alyce! The dress is gorgeous and I am quite impressed with how organized your stash is. Thanks for sharing!

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  16. Haha, I love the dance at the end! Selfish Sewing is definitely necessary (and not really selfish!). Your dress is stunning!

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  17. Very cute dress! You story is fun and it nice to get to meet you.

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  18. Gorgeous dress and i love allyour quilts and your amazing fabric stash :)

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  19. I'm glad you don't really think it's selfish to make stuff for you! You did so well with the dress. Staying home is the most important job of all I think, despite being underpaid!

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  20. You have so many goreous Projects. Love your stash and your Dress. Hi from a blog hopper :)

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  21. Looks like you're having fun with your sewing!

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  22. I loooove that washi dress, you did a fab job of it! I really like the way you altered the bodice, it looks fantastic. I just finished a washi dress too and will be posting it on my blog later this week - yay! Much like you, I have yet to make myself a quilt, but I'm working on a few right now :) Someday... haha

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  23. It's so nice to read more about you! Your Washi dress looks great and I love your zig-zag quilt especially!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  24. That dress is a-ma-zing!!! Love the fabric and the construction is fabulous. Great Job.

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  25. Thank you for sharing your journey into sewing and quilting. If only my stash was half as organized as yours! The dress is beautiful, I love the center on the bodice and am encouraged to do a little selfish sewing myself.

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  26. Nice stash and congrats on your washi dress - it's very nice! Hope you get to do more garment sewing.

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  27. I think your dress turned out amazing! Great fabric choice!

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  28. Hi Alyce, lovely to learn a bit about you. We share the same taste in fabric designers...I love Sarah Watson, Sarah Jane and Bonnie and Camille too :) That washi dress is gorgeous and thanks for the idea, I'm always stingy with my fabric buying and try to buy the least amount possible because I'm poor..haha!!

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  29. Your washi dress is so lovely!! Congrats! I think your selfish sewing plan is a superb idea! I've only made and kept one quilt for myself and only because it was made out of Bonnie and Camille fabric (Ruby)! Too pretty to part with. My husband has (finally!) learned to get me gift certificates to my favorite fabric store...otherwise, anything else is wasted on me. Ha! Your projects are lovely! I love your Baby Girl on Parade quilt. Nice to meet you on the hop!

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  30. I love your washi dress! The fabric is perfect, and it looks great on you!! Was this your first time sewing clothing? What did you think of the process? I think your selfish sewing series sounds like a great idea--I'll look forward to seeing what else you make!

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  31. I think we have very similar tastes in fabric! Is that afghan the Attic 24 pattern? I've had mine for 3 years now and only have about 15 rows! It takes so long... Found you via the Blog Hop!

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  32. Great job on your dress! Sewing clothes for myself kinda scares me!! I also love how you've got your stash organized:)

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  33. Cute dress (a dance moves!). I think your fabric stash looks wonderful....very accessible and that's quite important!

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  34. Your dance moves pics are great! The Washi dress turned out so well. I shy away from garment sewing because I find the instructions so confusing, not to mention I always make the wrong size. Nice to meet you :)

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  35. I love that Washi version! I've actually got a muslin version on my ironing board right now - I hope it turns out as nice as yours! My eye went right to your rainbow block quilt. I'm a sucker for rainbow stuff and that is gorgeous. Nice to get to know you through the Hop :)

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  36. Great Washi! The strip down the front is a great fabric-saving solution and a great design feature. What you have to say about needing a hobby really resonates with me. I started sewing when I quit my publishing job (to move with my husband's job) and started a blog soon after I had my daughter and felt like I needed to make contact. I enjoyed meeting you and your blog--I'll be back.

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  37. Your stash looks amazing in those baskets! I have stash envy right now! Thanks for the cute dance! :-)

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  38. Love that dress! Perfect fabric choice :) You have a great blog--love your quilts and stash! It was nice to get to know you better through the blog hop.

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  39. It's a fab dress, well done, love the fit and the fabric choice is just perfect! Hope you don't mind you're featuring on my favourite stops on the hop for your week, will be posting today (i'm running a little late) :o)

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  40. I have definitely put that dress on my "to sew" list!

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  41. cute GIF :) that washi dress turned out so nicely... one day I will use it as my gateway into garment sewing I'm sure :p Your fabric stash looks so pretty and organized :)

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  42. It was nice to meet you! I love your fabric stash!! And nice job on your washi dress.

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  43. I love the dance, that is really cool! The dress is beautiful!

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  44. I totally get the selfish sewing complex! I do the same thing, but I've made it my mission to try and do a 1:1 ratio of me:others. Even if I give away the stuff I make for me, at least I know it was totally at my hand. Pleasure to meet you via the LGA blog hop, and keep the sparkle!

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