Flashback Friday...four eyes

Here's a photo just for fun since I'm out of town. Did you know I used to wear glasses all the time? Had to from 3rd grade up until I graduated college. Then I got LASIK which was the most miraculous thing ever! Now, I just bought a fake pair of glasses for fun. Ironic isn't it??? Haha...this picture isn't old, but the dorkiness goes way back :)




...and I am wearing one of my recent makes here!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Flashback Fridays: Raised on Promises

This one's a doozy...lol. So for school pictures one year (the night before to be exact) I decided I didn't have anything suitable to wear the next morning. I got busy DIYing an outfit that included my already bleached jean jacket, a thermal with the sleeves cut off, and a flag painted on, and some old jeans bleached out and splatter painted. This is the picture mom took before I left for school...classic:

And the school portrait for proof. Gotta love those braces:

*Title: Lyrics from Tom Petty's "American Girl"
Hope you enjoyed this installment of Flashback Fridays. To see all of this series, go here.

A Change of Plans, and a New Skirt

If you were following along for my Summer Sewing Plans post, you saw that I had several projects lined up and ready to cut out. I had two linen-blend fabrics, one a brown and white that I said was going to be a skirt, and a turquoise and brown that was going to be the bottom half of a dress. Well, when I got ready to cut things, I changed it all around! I decided I had enough of the other fabric for the dress to make it all one print, and that the turquoise and brown would make a more interesting skirt, since the pattern is pretty simple. That means the brown and white has made it's way back to "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up" land. haha.

So this skirt is based on a Cynthia Rowley pattern, Simplicity 2215. I'm not sure if I even like the dress from the pattern, but I picked it up on sale because I didn't have a good pleated skirt pattern. Following my EmersonMade inspired shirt, and the iron burns left behind from hand pleating, I wanted to make something mind-numbingly easy. This pretty much fit the bill. I did learn how to install a zipper in the same seam as a pocket in this skirt, which was something I'd been resistant to before, but went ahead with for this one. I did find it comical that the pleats are rather hap-hazard and the pattern feels the need to warn you with the following:

"Note: Designer's Touch: Pleats are not evenly spaced or folded."

LOL..soooooo I guess uneven pleats make a designer garment???

I quite like the finished garment and it's the perfect weight to stay cool the rest of the summer because at 104 degrees, it's necessary to dress light! I'm excited to wear it to the Art walk this weekend that my husband is required to take me to, since I played softball last weekend in the heat :) Now I just have to figure out what to do with that other linen!

One Pattern, Several Ways: Part 7, EmersonMade Inspired

This blouse was....challenging. Ha! I saw this blouse one day while perusing EmersonMade's website. I absolutely love her design aesthetic, and decided I'd try it in another variation of Simplicity 2599. The fabric is a super lightweight voile or something similar, and will probably have to be worn with a cami because it's sort of sheer. I just lowered the original neckline to a scoop, and made the pleated ruffle to go around the neckline.

That was an adventure! I started out using my ruffle foot for the pleats, but I never figured it out exactly, and couldn't get my machine settings right. After a break from the frustration caused by the ruffler, I decided to hand pleat it. I only burned myself with the iron a couple of times lol. I'm super excited to wear it for a date night soon :)

Here's a close-up of the neckline:

Although I love how it turned out, it was a lot of work! I think I might just have to buy one from EmersonMade next time :)

LOVE Stylemint :)

So have you heard about Stylemint yet??? It launched on July 1st and is a monthly t-shirt subscription by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. How could I not sign up? I'm practically the 3rd Olsen twin...lol. In all seriousness, I really respect their style and what they have done so far in the fashion industry. The Row, Elizabeth & James, etc. They have really proven that they are not just a celeb-endorsed brand, but they are serious designers. That's why I was thrilled for this opportunity that is a little bit more in my price range.

The package arrived and I was thrilled to rip it open and find super-cute packaging and a note from the designers:

I got the Fillmore and I love it. Very good quality, made in the U.S.A., V-neck, perfect slouchiness, super-soft...all the great qualities I love in a t-shirt. I can't wait to see what next month's collection brings!

Flashback Fridays, Blog-iversery, and 50 posts!

Wow! I have been blogging here at Sasha Makes for a whole year now. This also marks my 50th post, and I thought it was a strange coincidence. It seems that time is going more and more quickly as I get older. In that spirit, I thought it would be a fun time to introduce a new weekly(ish) series, Flashback Fridays. The idea is that I share something from the past, maybe a pattern, illustration, or like this week, a picture of one of my earlier creations:

That's me on the right, and my brother as the cowboy. I started sewing pretty young, but even before I knew how to sew, I was crafty, and this Halloween outfit is the proof. Have you figured out what it is??? Drumroll please......




A ghost-cat. HA! I didn't want to be whatever they had in the Wal-mart aisle that year, so I convinced my mom that we would take a white sheet, cut holes in it and then I painted a cat face on with puff paint. Then I wore ears and a tail that I obviously wore as a living cat from a Halloween past. Priceless really.
I hope you enjoyed the blast from the past! Anyone else have pics of creations from their youth?? Leave a link and I'll check them out :)

Vintage Top

Here's another vintage pattern that I made up. This one was found at a thrift store for just 10 cents! I made view C, the v-neck, but omitted the sleeves. The pattern is dated 1979:

This is my finished top. I used a cotton lawn fabric from the Lisette collection at Jo-Ann. It's nice and lightweight, and should be great for work, but just as comfy as a t-shirt. It turned out great, but reminded me that I'm not a huge fan of working buttonholes!

Check back here tomorrow for my new series, Flashback Fridays! It should be good for a laugh or two :)

Summer Sewing Plans

I have 3 more tops I'm working on, and then I will have to start cutting out projects again. The tracing & cutting patterns, laying out fabric, and cutting fabric step of the sewing process is probably my least favorite. I prefer the actual construction part. What I do is take a day and cut out several projects so then they are just ready to sew. It works pretty well for me, and then I can clip along at a pretty good pace when I'm actually sewing. Here are some projects I have lined up to cut out next!

This first one is another linen blend that I'm going to use to make the full skirt from this Cynthia Rowley pattern. I thought about making another pair of shorts, but this is almost the same fabric as the Crazy Green Shorts.

So for shorts, I am doing a solid....gasp! Yes, a solid. Haha I'm really a big fan of prints, but they can't go with everything, so I'm going to do another version of these shorts in this cotton twill. They are still a bright color, though, so far from a basic!

Then I'm going to do the dress from this Suede Says pattern (the view on the right). I questioned doing the romper, but I think this one is a little edgy for me. I'm doing the cotton lawn on the left for the top, and the linen blend on the right for the skirt portion. I hope it works ok, but I don't have enough linen to do the whole thing, and the cotton is a little too lightweight for a skirt. We'll see, but I think it has the potential to look pretty cute, because the colors are exactly the same, just a different scale on the prints. I'll probably have leftover in the cotton, so I might make another Pendrell with that.

Next up is a summery tunic. I haven't decided which view I'm doing yet, but I'm doing the pink print on the right as the body, and the brown on the left as the contrast yoke. The pattern envelope shows them all as the same fabric but I think it will be a much more interesting design detail with the contrast.

Then a DKNY pattern with a blue/white stripe seersucker. Similar to the pattern envelope. Why mess up a good thing?

Here's where it gets crazy....a romper. Yes, a romper. I'm doing the wrap top version with the shorts. I think it has potential for cuteness, but could be risky. We'll see how this one goes. The fabric is a poly knit, so if it turns out, this would be a great piece for travel because it won't wrinkle. Not that I have a lot of travel coming up....lol

The next is a Lisette pattern in a cotton broadcloth. The print is really fun and reminds me of spirographs. Remember those things??? I loved them! So it's just a basic shirt dress with some cute pockets. Will be great for casual or work, I think.

This one looks boring but you'll have to stay tuned because I have some fun ideas for embellishment. It is a grey chambray, and I'm making it up in the Anda pattern which I have made before. I will definitely make it longer this time, because after washing, the other one is questionably short for work. It's ok for the summer, but only ok with tights for work.

Last but not least, (for now) another top. This one is going to be a blue chambray, and I'm trying to make it like J.Crew's popover on the right. I think I'll start with the thrifted vintage pattern on the left, but I'll have to make some alterations. This one could be tricky, but I think will be fun to work on. I'm looking forward to re-creating the entire look from that catalog page actually, since I have a grey skirt now, and some Chucks. :)

So that's all for now! Tomorrow I will hopefully have the top finished that I am working on, using a vintage pattern. Friday I'm thinking of starting a new series with photos from the past....what do you think? Anyone want to see pics of high-school age Sasha looking like a dork in things she made? It could be a winner....lol!

One Pattern, Several Ways: Part 6

Here is another take on Simplicity 2599. Again a fabric from my stash that I didn't quite know what to do with it. It is a double cloth, so it is two layers of light filmy fabric. One side is this plaid and the reverse is the green background color. I cut the sleeves on the bias so the pattern would be turned, but it did flare the sleeves a bit, and I hope they straighten out when I wash it.

The back has a keyhole and tie closure. The plaid was a hard to match on the back seam because the fabric was so light and shifted while cutting. Oh well, it's still cute!

Crazy Green Shorts :)

So I've been seeing these cute summer shorts with crazy prints all over this year. In Anthropologie, J. Crew, and various magazines like this spread from Cosmo:

I also had some crazy floral printed linen blend fabric that I wasn't sure would ever get worn/used for anything. It's green and brown, and is actually cute, but I'm not sure it fits in with the rest of my clothes. I decided it would be a perfect candidate to test out a new pattern I had for shorts, McCall's 5391. The pattern had either a super short length or an awkward long length. I altered it to end up with a 5" inseam which is what another pair of shorts I like measures.

They turned out fine, although in the photos they look slightly more insane lol. The fit is pretty good, and I'll probably make only minor alterations if I make them again. I did quite a few top-stitching details to make them look professional and to keep the fabric more stable:

And just for fun a little outtake of my cat Chanel trying to get in on the photo action. She is used to being the subject of the photos, and couldn't figure out why I wanted her to move :)

Eyelet Tank Top

This is another quest to add handmade tops to my wardrobe. This one is more casual, and a little more one-of-a-kind than what you might find at your average mall store. The pattern is McCall's 6359, and it called for a knit with a contrast yoke. I wanted to do eyelet, but I could only find it in white. So I went ahead and got it and dyed it to match the lighter aqua color in the burnout knit. I think it turned out cute! Plus it only took me about 1.5 hours to put together, so it's definitely possible another one of these will be made.

And one of my favorite things about it is that it's racerback, so you get a little surprise detail when you turn around! (Just like a mullet...business in the front, party in the back!)

One Pattern, Several Ways: Part 5, Anthro Inspired

Another variation of Simplicity 2599 again inspired by Kelli. Her version was inspired by a blouse from Anthropologie. Looking at Ready-to-wear clothes is one of my favorite ways to brainstorm ideas for clothing. I'm always striving for my things to look professional, and I love it when something looks like it could have been purchased at my favorite store (but I made it for a lot less!).

On this blouse I went for the ruffled sleeves like the original since I didn't have enough fabric to do a full sleeve. I think this detail might have made it just a touch too sweet for my style. I do still like it, but I might take in the gather on the ruffled sleeves to tone them down a bit. Otherwise I think it will be a fun lightweight top for the summer that will also work this fall for work!

One Pattern, Several Ways: Part 4

Here's another variation that actually might be a stretch in the wearability category, but I like it anyway even if it just hangs on my closet door to be pretty. The idea came from this magazine spread in Cosmo:

I realized I have mass quantities of black stretch lace in my stash that might never get used. It was a gift from a neighbor who was moving, and until now, I hadn't even considered what I'd use it for. The picture of the basic lace tee in the top left corner was an aha! moment where I realized I could use some of it for this project.

It was my first time sewing with lace, and it wasn't too hard. I arranged the pattern pieces to where the scalloped edge would create the hem, and this made the sleeves a bit longer, and sort of flowy which I really like and didn't even intend. I serged all the seams so they would be enclosed. Not sure how I'm going to style this one, but as I mentioned, it's pretty enough to just be a decoration. You might have to stay tuned for Self-Stitched September to see if it actually gets any wear. Maybe I can layer it over my Basic LBD for some texture??? How would you wear it?

One Pattern, Several Ways: Part 3

A third variation on Simplicity 2599. This time, I wanted more of a tank top, and I had this stripe fabric in my stash that there wasn't much left of. I got the idea to place the stripes on the bias for the front, and the crosswise grain for the back. I also drafted a v-neck, a pocket, and made the back into a bit of a racerback. I like how it turned out, and the stripe placement created a little more interest to what would be just a basic top.

One Pattern, Several Ways: Part 2

So this is the first variation I made on the basic top, inspired by Kelli's here. I used an eyelet fabric on the contrast top, and left off the sleeves. It turned out cute, but I was in a rush, and ended up with slightly wonky curves in the front where the two fabrics attach but it's not super noticeable or worth redoing for me.

Please ignore the strange face and dirty front porch caught on the camera self-timer :) Here's what I styled it with for lunch with the parents! (Also don't tell anyone that it's leftover fabric from making cloth napkins!)

One Pattern, Several Ways

One of the gaps in my handmade wardrobe (and really overall), is cute and easy to wear tops. I was perusing blogs one day when I saw Kelli's idea over on Presser Foot. She was using a basic top pattern to create variations based on the same shape. Lucky me, the pattern she was using, Simplicity 2599, had already made it's way into my stash during a pattern sale. I hadn't used it yet, but from the reviews I looked up, the fit was good. It also offered the option for different cup sizes, which sounded good to me since I'm not blessed in that area, and always have to take things in at the bust. I made up a wearable muslin out of some cotton lawn that I had minimal yardage of. I omitted the facings and just did a serged and turned hem at the neck and sleeves. I like the button back closure, but figured out that it wouldn't be necessary on all of my versions. It turned out to be a great fit, and I've already made up some different versions that I'll share in the next few days!

Happy 4th of July {Dress}!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope you are celebrating with the ones you love and soaking up every single drop of summer :)

I finished up this fun dress yesterday, just in time to wear for today's festivities. If I remember, I'll try to post a picture of me actually in the dress today. (Maybe with fireworks!)

It's a rayon knit made from the Vogue pattern 1224. The design is by Tracy Reese so I figured I couldn't go wrong since one of my favorite dresses that I own is by her. It was my first Anthropologie purchase....ah memories! This was a quick knit dress to put together and I omitted the tie at the neck, and made it 2" longer (thank goodness or it would have been short!). I'm not sure it will get much wear, because red isn't really my color, but it will be fun for summer, and I had the fabric in my stash from an impulse buy a while back. If I make it again, I might make it in a solid or allover floral print. Overall it is a great lightweight summer dress and will probably make it into the suitcase for National Lampoon's Branson Family vacation coming up!

Sorbetto Top

I've been sewing with slinky fabrics lately and it reminds me why I don't like using them! For this top I used the FREE Sorbetto pattern from Colette Patterns. They really have some lovely patterns and I had been thinking of purchasing a couple when they came out with this freebie. What a great way to try them out! I'm sure now that I would like to purchase a dress pattern (if I could just figure out which one!).

The fabric here was a crinkle chiffon polyester. Not the fanciest fabric, but I was really attracted to the fun print, and the black base in the color scheme means it will incorporate into my work wardrobe easily. I cut a size 10, and it really didn't take long to sew up at all. My fabric shifted and twisted, and generally tried to make it 20 times harder to make than it would have been if I would have chosen something more sensible. I'll consider this a wearable muslin, because I found out when trying it on that I should have added 4-6 inches in length. It is too short to wear on it's own, but if I layer it with a cami or tuck it into a high-waisted skirt it will work. Aside from the length, everything else about the pattern was just fine!

Pendrell Blouse

Here is my version of the Pendrell Blouse. The pattern was really well drafted, and I didn't have to make any alterations for a perfect fit. I ended up cutting a size 8 even though my measurements would have been a 10, and it worked out great.

This photo shows the pre-hemmed length which is generous, but is actually nice for a change instead of having to lengthen everything. I used a rayon blend polka-dot fabric from my stash. It feels wonderful and drapes nicely, but was sort of a pain to lay out and keep straight! Don't look too close or you will see that the hem was terribly crooked in this photo, so I let it hang for a few days before I straightened it up and turned it under. I don't see this version being an everyday go-to, but it will be great for work in the fall.

If I make another, I might try the sleeveless version in a fun cotton, or even maybe a knit!

Sneaky peeky and fun nails :)

My nails are CRAZY PINK! I'm not usually a pink kind of gal but this is of the fluorescent variety so it's different enough I'm ok with it..ha! I used those new nail polish strips, and I think I'm in love, because no possibility of smudges! Also in the top left corner of this photo you see the polka-dot mystery hanging there??? That's my new Pendrell blouse, I'll post details soon :)