Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Done, Done, and Done

I don't know about you, but my weekend was crammed full of crafty goodness! I knitted. I sewed. I cross-stitched. I made a shawl, a dress, a future family heirloom.

For my first trick, I started with this deep blue maxi skirt, which I previously refashioned from a huge maxi dress. It's been over two years, and I could probably count on one hand the number of times I've worn this skirt. No matter how comfy they seem, I just don't wear maxi skirts. It's just not my thing. But a knee-length jersey dress is perfect for working from home, running to the grocery store, or accessorizing for a night out with The Dude.

Cobalt Blue Maxi Skirt - Before & After

I began by chopping off the waistband so I could lay the rest of the fabric flat.

Blue Jersey Dress - In Progress

Then I used a well-fitting tee to cut out the arm and neck holes. I left the excess fabric below the armholes though for a loose, swingy dress that I can belt up if I want to (more on that later).

Blue Jersey Dress - In ProgressBlue Jersey Dress - In Progress

Then I pulled out my serger, which has been sitting untouched in my sewing room since I bought it in December. I know, it's shameful. I suppose there was the hustle-bustle of the holidays, recuperating from wisdom teeth removal, and then a couple weeks of flu. After that, it had been staring at me for so long, it was a bit intimidating. But I finally started playing with it this weekend, and it's fantastic. I don't know why it had me so scared. I especially love the rainbow of threads it came threaded with (I suppose I'll have to learn how to thread this sucker at some point though). Even though I bought four big spools of boring white thread, I decided to stick with the colorful ones for this project. It just makes me happy, and it's not like anyone's going to see the inside of my dress. After practicing with some scraps for a bit, I serged the shoulder seams together.

Blue Jersey Dress - In ProgressBlue Jersey Dress - In Progress

I measured my armholes at 20 inches. From the waistband, I cut two long rectangles about 1.5 inches wide and 16 inches long, so they'll keep the armholes snug and prevent gaping. Then I turned each rectangle into a loop for the armhole edging.

Blue Jersey Dress - In ProgressBlue Jersey Dress - In Progress

I folded each loop down on itself so it was doubled up and then attached it to an armhole. It looks a little scrunched, but this fabric is soooooo stretchy that it lies flat when I'm wearing it.

Blue Jersey Dress - In ProgressBlue Jersey Dress - In Progress

I folded the dress along the center front, with the armholes together, and cut the neckline slightly lower in the front than in the back. Then it got the same finishing treatment with another strip from the waistband.

Blue Jersey Dress - In ProgressBlue Jersey Dress - In Progress

And then I was finished! Or so I thought. The loose, swingy dress in my head turned out way too maternity-y. So back to the sewing room, and I pinned out a more fitted silhouette. Once one side was serged, I used the off-cut to pin and serge the other side to be symmetric.

Blue Jersey Dress - In ProgressBlue Jersey Dress - In Progress

And then I was finished!

Blue Jersey Dress - After

Blue Jersey Dress

Another project I completed this past weekend was my Vertices Unite shawl by Stephen West. I actually followed the pattern almost exactly as written. The only change I made was to swap out the border color. According to the pattern, it would've been the lighter of the two blues, but I decided to use the grey instead so the border wouldn't match any of the solid sections it would be touching.

Vertices Unite
Vertices UniteVertices Unite

Yarn and color details can be found on my Ravelry project page, if you're into that sort of thing.

Vertices UniteVertices Unite

And lastly, I cross-stitched a little motivational decor for the hall bathroom. I think the 99 cent frame I found at Goodwill really sells it. Don't you agree?

Have a Nice Poop Cross-Stitch

I'd seen similar things online, but charted this one up myself with a simple alphabet font and a free rose pattern that I tweaked a bit.

Have a Nice Poop Cross-StitchHave a Nice Poop Cross-Stitch

15 comments:

  1. So let's start with the counted x-stitch --- I laughed and laughed !!! How funny you are, Carissa ! So the jersey dress is really nice and very functionable. Paired with the green belt and shawl - such a Winner !

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  2. Great job on the dress & the shawl. You look very pretty in them. As for the cross-stitch - that's the bathroom I use when I visit. You never know when a little encouragement will be just the thing!

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  3. Haha that cross stitch is pure gold.

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  4. I also seem to love maxi skirts, but just don't wear them as often as I thought I would. I have this beautiful teal and white horizontal stripe one that I refuse to give away until I find the perfect pattern to make it a top or a dress.

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    1. I've got a purple and grey striped one in my refashion closet too. Might end up on the chopping block next...

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  5. The cross-stitch is hilarious.

    As for threading your serger. The only way to go is to knot the new thread to the old and pull it through until you can cut off the knot. That way you're not really "threading" anything and don't have to keep it all straight. I know it sounds like cheating, but that's what you do! :)

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    1. Thanks for the tip! And now, a few weeks later, I've had the opportunity to try it out - worked like a charm!

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  6. Sergers are the best invention ever! :) I use mine all the time. I'm sure you'll be addicted in no time. The dress looks great.

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    1. Yeah, I feel an obsession coming on...

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  7. That cross-stitch is too funny! Love it.

    I keep buying maxi-skirts. I don't wear skirts, let alone maxi-skirts. What the ...?

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    1. I still have a couple more maxis in my refashion closet too. What to do, what to do...

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  8. Love the dress you've made.

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