For the past month or so, I’ve been working on a different type of project. In between the dress sewing, etc. I’ve been making a patio umbrella. Never thought I’d be doing something like this, but my husband asked if I could make something to cover the “naked” umbrella he bought at the thrift store. So, I figured I’d give it a shot. We ordered fabric from fabric.com, made a muslin, and here is the result. It turned out pretty well. I don’t think I’d want to make another one, although it would be easier the second time around. Now, I have to complete some chair cushions and I’ll be done with the outdoor projects!
Finally…
I recently finished this dress I’ve been working on for a few weeks. It’s very easy to make, I just went through a phase of low motivation. Anyway, now that it’s done, I really like it. It’s New Look 6723. I made view B without the belt. There were quite a few changes I made to this dress. I decided I didn’t want to line the bodice of the dress. I didn’t feel like the fabric (cotton blend) really needed a lining and I was concerned that I would feel too hot in the summer. But, I did want the bottom (skirt) of the dress lined so that it wouldn’t be see-through. The pattern doesn’t call for this. I just made another skirt (almost as full) to use as lining. For that I used a white, light-weight cotton and attached it to the fabric at the waist. I also added in-seam pockets to the dress (again, not part of this pattern). Of course with not lining the bodice, I had to figure out how to finish off the edges. So, around the neck I used packaged binding that I had. To finish off the arm holes, I made bias strips from some excess fabric and sewed that on. All in all, I’m quite pleased with how things turned out. This is a really easy pattern to sew. By the way, I made this in a 16. The back of the dress fits much better than it looks in the picture. I have to work on my poses!
My Easter skirt
I used Simplicity pattern 2645 for this skirt. I wanted something that I could wear with the pink Vogue jacket I made a while back. And I wanted to be able to use some of the fabric I already have, so this was the perfect thing to try. I also needed something easy since I had been sick for about 2 weeks. So, I made this in size 14. It was SUPER easy to make and only took about 4-5 hours total. I made view E which is the longer view. The material for the skirt is a light-weight cotton shirting. The lining is a white eyelet material I had and didn’t know what to do with. It worked out well. If I make this again, I would use a material that will move a little bit more. But this is light enough for hot weather.
