twenty-one

I got a new sewing machine for my birthday! As much as i love my great- grandmother's 1950s Singer sewing machine, i am so excited to finally have one that has more then one stitch and isn't temperamental! Some people might think that getting a sewing machine for your 21st birthday is the most bizarre present to ask for... but i would probably consider myself that bizarre! Anyway, I'm about to go set it up right now and very soon i'm sure i'll have things up here made from it!

Here's wishing happy sewing and happy birthday to myself!
m

what happens when you don't have any money

a strange thing happens when you have no money and can't go buy the gorgeous necklace or purse you saw the other day. you start to make things that you need... that's how this month's sewing projects happened haha.

I made this purse after i saw the $38 Kavu bags. I wanted one but didn't have money so i made one!

So then, one of my friends saw it and wanted me to make one for his girlfriend for her birthday.Her favorite color is yellow so here it is... And for the first time i made money off of something i made... quite exciting!

Then i still felt like sewing so i made this bag. It's from a book my mom got me and though at first the pattern seemed difficult, i made it very quickly so i think i'm going to try to make some more in this style.

I made a necklace like this with big pearl beads a few weeks ago out of a blue and green fabric and so i decided to make another one!

that's it for now, hopefully i will get to sew more over fall break!

~m~

aprons, aprons and more aprons

APRONS!

In August, after everyone had left for school but i still had two weeks, i decided to make a collection of aprons and here they are:

city apron: size L

city apron: size L

country apron: size M (these next two are the same one but it is reversible)

city apron: size S

country apron: size S

auburn themed apron: size S

~m~

summer projects

I made all of these over the last month or so but, as is usual with my attempts at blogging, i forgot to write about it.

First is a skirt that i made for my sister's graduation party because i didn't have anything to wear! I was literally altering it to fit my waist as people arrived for the party. But it turned out to be a hit.

Since "atelier" means a complete artists studio, here is some painting of mine. For my room this coming school year i am using my old grey quilt and some of the pillows that i made last summer. They are made from a 1930s fabric i found, printed with yellow and grey flowers. I decided i needed some decoration for my room and so i bought these two thick canvas. I drew the design from the fabric on to the canvas and then painted it! The first picture shows the sketched design and to the left is the fabric i copied. The bottom one is the finished project.

These are the 3 pillows that i made for my sister's dorm room! She bought a comforter from anthropology but instead of buying the pillows, i picked out 3 coordinating fabrics, 2 prints and one solid. The larger square one and the rectangular one i created using the pillow form's measurements, sewing the pillow form into the case. The smaller one i created from scratch and then filled with polyfoam stuffing.

~m~

duffel and pillow

today i worked completely without patterns or instructions. i feel so much more accomplished when i can visualize something and then create it by myself.

Here is the duffel bag! It's 9" by 9" by 22". The outside fabric is just a simple calico print. I used fusible fleece to give it shape then used white canvas for a sturdier lining. Again, i conquered the zipper without a zipper foot! I still haven't really figured out how to hide the zipper ends better but i'm giving me some slack since this was my first bag without a pattern haha.

I also made a pillow today for my step-sister, Marge. I used a 12" by 22" pillow form. The yellow flower print underneath is from a fat quarter; the owl fabric is a silk look-alike fabric infused with something unnatural so it doesn't wear as quickly. The bottom picture is the close up on the owl fabric.

i think that's all for today!

~m~

freestyling

i am beginning to realize how much of a rebel i am when it comes to patterns and following the instructions. Below are two of my creations from this past weekend, one made with a pattern and one without.

This is the one with a pattern. i made it for my step-sister, Mary. It's a Simplicity "6 Made Easy" pattern, number 3956, shirt E. I made it with a silk look-alike fabric and two snaps in the back instead of a zipper.

Here is the nightie made without a pattern. I have nighties that look like this one so i decided that instead of buying lots of them as i tend to do, i should start making them. I have no idea what fabric it is, but it's soft and light, perfect for sleeping. I made a casing for the elastic while leaving 1/2" to connect the skirt to the bust triangles. The white lining along the triangles is just simple double folded bias tape.

I am working on a duffel bag right now, hopefully i will have that up here soon!

m

yellow and grey

here are two of my latest projects:

This is from "One Yard Wonders," a book filled with 101 sewing projects using only one yard of fabric. It's the Mailbag Pocket Duo. I followed the

pattern exactly and used a fabric that i found while in New Hampshire. I believe it's an Amy Butler print.

The second project i made without a pattern. It's a high waisted skirt with a V shape in the waist band. Hopefully i will be able to recreate this look because this skirt fits perfectly. The zipper was quite an accomplishment for me; my sewing machine doesn't have a zipper foot and so anytime i manage to put a zipper on something i get really excited. The fabric is vintage (1950s) cotton.

m

the prodigal sewing machine returned

Last Friday my grandmother's beautiful vintage Singer sewing machine was returned to me, repaired and restored. And with the burst of creative ideas that sometimes comes and overwhelms me, i went to work.

Hopefully this blog can become where i share all my newest creations, if i can be that faithful to the interline haha....

p.s. this is my sewing station!