Berry Birthday Beer

My youngest sister Isabelle is turning 21 today! In honor of this fun occasion, AJ brewed her a birthday beer this winter. It's a brown ale with 40 ounces of organic raspberries thrown in during fermentation.

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Gathered Clutch

For my oldest friend on her birthday, I made Noodlehead's gathered clutch. I used three different city weekend prints, which I got from Sew Mama Sew. This lady and I have been friend since before we were born (our mothers met in lamaze class). It's a real blessing to have a friend who feels like family.

It was pretty quick and I liked how it came together. I made the card holder pocket but not the divider pocket. I wish I had taken more time to make sure my gathers looked right before I fused the interfacing to it. Some are very crooked and bothering me. Also I was working with a 9" zipper (the tutorial calls for 8"), and I probably should have shortened it a little bit more. The zipper, with its end covers on, really does have to stop a half-inch from each side seam so it comes together right.

I couldn't find the right hardware at Joann to attach a wristlet strap, but I went ahead and sewed the D-ring in so that it is still an option.

Deodorant Update: Men's Edition

Same recipe, less girly packaging.

School Photo Dress

Just as the daffodils are blooming, I finally finished the School Photo Dress (by oliver + s) that I started for Louisa a month ago, and that I intended to make in December. Hopefully she'll get a chance or two to wear it before it is short-sleeve weather.

I used Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush—Bubble Burst Confection for the dress, Mixed Signals Lilac for the lining and the inside of the kangaroo pocket (both from Sew Mama Sew).

I made her a monogram tag with iron-transfer paper and some pink satin ribbon. Didn't turn out like I meant it to but I went ahead and used it.

As always, the oliver + s pattern had amazing instructions and I was able to get the invisible zipper in on my first try, having never sewn one before, and without an invisible zipper foot.

Constructing the pocket is tricky because your cutting and alignment has to be just right, and one corner of mine was a little off, but I decided to go with it. The pattern calls for the pocket to be made from the dress fabric, but since I used some of my Bubble Burst fabric for this project, I didn't have enough, so I made my pocket form the lining fabric, which I think I prefer anyway.

My one complaint about the dress was that it required a fair amount of hand-stitching at the finish. She calls for some hand-basting when sewing in the zipper, which I just did with the machine, but there is no getting around blind-stitching the lining to the zipper tape. You also have to tack the lining to the dress at the hem, attach a hook and eye closure at the top of the zipper, sew a button on the collar, and make a thread chain for the button loop. To learn how to make a thread chain, you have to go to the oliver + s blog. It is easy to make, but I was slow to finish the dress because of all the hand work. Also my first thread loop broke when I was pressing the dress, and my second one I accidentally made too long but I was ready to be done.

It is a size 3T so I think it will still fit her next year.

Yellow Jacket

Gold Roses

I made my most recent Weekend Away Bag (again from Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing) for my other sister, Isabelle. I sent it to her at Mary Washington for Valentine's Day. It is made with Far Far Away II roses in gold (also by Heather Ross!). I lined it with an orange polka dot I found in Waynesboro.

It, of course, coordinates with the camera strap cover/pad I made her for the new camera she got for Christmas. 

The tutorial is from Skip to My Lou via Sew Mama Sew's Handmade Holidays back in December. I made one for my camera first, a Canon DSLR, and followed her measurements (mine actually matches my yoga mat bag). 

For Isabelle's, since it is the smaller Nikon with a thin strap, I measured the strap first and cut the cover a little narrower.  

I still have so many projects still on my list from the Handmade Holidays posts. Maybe I'll get to them by next year!

Happy Valentine's Day

Wool Felt Christmas Stocking

My big Christmas project this year was to make Louisa and Leo stockings. It's taken me a while to find the time to write about, but here goes!

AJ's and my childhood stockings are still at our parent's houses. Mine is needlepoint and his is knitted. I can knit a little bit, but certainly can't do an elaborate reindeer pattern like his, and I don't do needlepoint at all, so I turned to another source of inspiration for our little ones' stockings.

This is my dad's stocking from when he was a boy. They lived in Germany a few years and that is where this stocking is from. It is hand stitched with felt and yarn and sequins and beads.

The angel is my aunt's.