New Year's Resolutions

One of my sewing resolutions for this year (Learn how to sew with knits and better use my serger) led me to buy this pattern today. The Joann's near work was having a 99cent Simplicity pattern sale, as I discovered when looking for skirt hooks to fix a costume for The 39 Steps. Which of course meant that I had to buy some of these on-sale patterns.

When I got home I picked out fabric from my stash for this pattern, pictured below. It was form one of those pre-cut sales bins at Denver Fabrics, and I got 2 yards of it for $4 per yard. Not really sure what it's made of, but it's pretty and a knit, which is all that I care about for fulfilling this resolution!


I know, I know. New Year's now? It's practically February. So I'm a little late to the game, so sue me.

"Practice" Fabric

So, I purchased this fabric about 2 weeks ago when Fabric Depot was having a 40% off all fabrics sale. Usually when I purchase fabric, I don't have a specific project in mind. However, that is not the case with this particular purchase. After purchasing an amazing fabric at Mill End the week before (which will be the subject of another post), I was inspired to make a halter dress. Now, normally I am not a fan of wearing a halter anything. You see, I am...ample-chested. Halters really work best on smaller women (think A or B cup), because the deep V is not quite as scandalous on them, and the pressure on the back of the neck is less. When purchasing a halter top or dress in a store, there often isn't enough room for bigger than size C breasts, which makes the item sit funny,a nd it's just all sorts of bad. Trust me on this one. But! Halters can look sooooo cute if fitted properly. Custom sewing to the rescue!

Anyways, so I had this fabric, and a pattern that I wanted to try. But I knew that I was going to want to make alterations to the pattern, and I didn't want to try those alterations out on the final (amazing) fabric. Which means that I had to purchase a practice fabric. Now, if I had been smart, I would have just looked through my fabric stash and found something that would look cute if it worked out, but that I would be devastated if the dress turned out to be all wrong. However, at that point my Stash was in such a state of disarray, that I decided to take advantage of a good clearance section instead.

This fabric is a lightweight cotton, 45 inches wide, and I purchased the last of the bolt, which I believe was about 4 and 1/4 yards. It was 50% of of about $10.50, so you do the math. I chose it with this specific project in mind as a fabric that I like enough to wear a dress made out of it if the mock up turns out well, but that I am not too emotionally attached to the fabric if it has to become spare scraps instead.

Lesson of the week: Sometimes purchasing one fabric will necessitate the purchase of another. Fabric begets fabric. Kind of like bunnies.

Colorful Happiness

This delightful fabric is one that I first found in a Joann's when I was in Sacramento in December. I have been searching for it ever since, and I finally found it at my local Joann's the other day. I intend to go there and purchase 3-4 yards of it today. It is a 2005 Alexander Henry Fabric, according the the info on the selvage. It is quilter's 100% cotton. I plan to make a dress or skirt out of it. I mean, just look at the way the colors gradually change, and how it kinda looks like grass in a field on another planet! I think it would be great for a wrap skirt, or a simple A-line with a fun trim at the bottom. The stripes are about 1/2 inch wide and 6 inches long.

Stars!

I have an uncle who really likes stars. Really really likes stars. So I purchased this fabric at Mill End the other week in honor of him. I have seen this fabric offered online for cheaper (I purchased it for $7.29/yard), but it wasn't worth the shipping for me as I only needed a 1/2 yard. The scale on this fabric is really nice: small without being minuscule (that is a quarter in the lower right corner to give you an idea of scale). This is a pretty typical printed quilting cotton, not too much special about it except that it has stars and dots. I chose it for the subtle irregularity of the pattern, the cute-but-not-in-your-face quality, and the fact that it is only black and white. It will go well with some other black and white patterned fabric that I have.