Getting Ready

I've pre-washed the fabric and cut out the pattern pieces I need for the dress. With the 3 day weekend (Memorial Day) I should be able to get a big chuck of the cutting done. I was going to use an ambiance lining on the dress (it comes highly recommended by a sewing friend and I can't stand the cheaper polyester linings as they fray terribly) so I didn't have to put facings on the neck and armhole openings. The price has stopped me in my tracks! It's a minimum of $6.50/yd plus shipping. I can't even find it at local stores. I only paid $4.20/yd for the dress fabric (linen on sale). I just can't do it. I'll be looking for a source for future projects and put facings (which I've never really liked but at least these are the 'band' type and not the pieces that cover the chest and back) on this dress.

NEXT!

This is the next item to be made by me. This fabric is linen (I love linen). I am not making the jacket this time but when I do I plan to change it into a raglan sleeve (like on baseball shirts).

FINISHED!

Feet!

Okay so the tote is coming along nicely. A few friends from my sewing meet-up recommended cutting the excess fabric then trimming the top with more of the stripe fabric. Since I have the bias tape cut for that already, I'm going to use that, but it'll be a bit wider than the pattern.

I'm about to add the straps and the lining when I remembered I used a gift card for Hancock's given to me by my wonderful BFF to purchase purse "feet" (the metal pieces at the bottom of the purse that keep the fabric off the floor). Good that I remembered because it really should be done before the lining is attached (so the lining hides the hardware). I'd also gotten some very, very stiff material to make the bottom stay flat at all times (yeah I know I was whining about the stiff fabric, but I still needed this).

I just opened the pack to place the feet on the tote. The feet don't come with instructions, instead you are directed to the website www.everythingmary.com. From there I found this video on how to apply the feet. NOW, I need to find my Exacto knife which is probably with my scrapbooking stuff...

Side View

Okay, as it turns out the fabric I used it VERY stiff and I probably didn't need to add interfacing (especially not the craft type). If I make another one I will definitely use a softer fabric. The top edges are uneven. Next time I also have to add 1 inch to the body of the tote. For this one, I'm not sure if I'll even off the top or use the binding to 'cover' the problem.