Thursday, April 28, 2011

A few things I've done

I used a old "Old navy" knit dress for this. I basically res-used the shape of the top and then added a skirt to it.
Here MEC wanted a twirling dress as she put it "Mama could you make a twirly dress that twirls bigger than Alma's". I thought I had enough fabric to make one but unfortunately not. The twirly bigger than Alma's dress will be for later. In the meantime we have a hint of carribean summer in San Diego.

This is my first attempt at shirring. When I made the first half of the dress and I wrinkled everything with steam I giggled like a little girl. I wanted to add sleeves to that dress but that was denied by the person who is going to wear it. I also wanted to add a big pocket to add a bit of color. This also was denied but I may make it anyways....


Who am I to do that?

I have had an on and off relationship with my sewing machine since my teen age years. I would make something never feeling it was finished well enough then stop. For the past two years and especially last year triathlon training has sucked up all my spare time, leaving cooking and the occasional bouquet as my creativity outlet.
A few months ago I was invited to a girl's party where a mom was showcasing the clothes she designs. Indeed she started her own women clothing line. This got the "I can do that" fiber in me excited and so after a trip to Joann's a few yards of fabric and a couple of pattern I made a "formal" dress for Maia. Since I tend to bite a bit more than I can chew the dress isn't quite finished.
Browsing the blogs world got me itching to sew again and this time to tackle a white slipcover to hide the hideous pink of a beautiful wing back chair, my first craigslist purchase.
This is when the bug got me and quickly after seeing a skirt at Childrens place for 15$ a skirt that I could easily make it all started!
Scavenging the internet in search of tutorial and inspiration, I stumbled upon a wealth of inspiration and knowledge http://dana-made-it.com. She recommended to buy labels to add a finishing touch with your hand made clothes.
So on a whim I decided to spend some $$ and design and order a few and to try to see where all this would take me. As I continue to look online I do have a little voice whispering to me "who are you to do that"? but then who am I not to try. So here we are if you are interested to follow my baby steps in the world of sewing stay here.
Did I mention that I have a full time job as a software engineer for a biotech company, that I also have two kids and finally that eventhough I do not train as hard for triathlon I still try to run 3-4 times a week do yoga once a week and bike once a week, so please don't be surprise if in a few month this little story ends or maybe you'll see us on Etsy who knows...
In the meantime welcome to Bopple kids hopefully you see something you like.