Buzzmills

French Terry Hudsons...

The theme for "Project Sew It" this month... "bottoms".  

I will admit that I've not really put much thought into this month's project.  I've had some ideas about giving the Chi-Town Chinos a try...but, truthfully idea is as far I've gotten...While I love the way my Birkin Flares turned out I still find myself feeling quite hesitant to make myself another pair of pants.  Call me a scaredy cat!

Anywho...last week after literally running 21+ miles through rain and snow...I treated myself with a new pair of "bottoms" to warm up.  Nothing fancy...but oh so cozy!

A new pair of hudson pants in yummy french terry from Joann.

This is my second pair of hudsons, my first I wear often, but, because they are made of sweater knit I often find them either too warm or, on windy days, too chilly as the wind whips right through them.

I've been wanting to make a more traditional pair of "sweatpants" for a while now and this pair in neutral grey are perfect!

To add a tiny bit of detail I flipped the terry wrong side out for the pockets, cuffs and waistband and added a bit of stripey french terry for the pocket bindings...

The striped pocket bindings give them a little of a "varsity" look to them.

These are perfect for post run Saturdays and Sundays...

Perfect for tossing on just before running out for our soccer filled weekends...

Because, more often than not...I don't bother showering first...because either I'm running up and down the sidelines coaching Violet's team...or kicking a ball around pre and post Henry's games...so really I've got to always be soccer ready on the weekends! 

There are worse weekend wardrobes, right?!

So far so good on my "Project Sew It" makes!  So far they've not been fancy or elaborate, but they've been just I what I need at that moment and simple staples that slide into my casual wardrobe perfectly!

Leaf Linen Birthday Tote...

It seems to be "birthday gift week" here this week...First, a puppy, followed by a kitty and now...while not stuffed or snuggly still perfect for another good friend...

A new tote!

This past week was the birthday of a good friend of mine...and while I don't typically make/give birthday gifts to friends, sometimes it just feels right.

Several months ago one of my good friends complimented me on my Elsa tote and casually mentioned that she might be interested in having me make a custom bag.  I had thought that I'd make her one of her own had she been the name I pulled for our book club gift exchange...but I pulled a different name...and I must say I love what I made for that gift!  So, as her birthday approached I thought this would be the perfect time to make her a similar tote of her own.

This bag (and my previous one too for that matter) is loosely based on the Elsa tote from Lotta Jansdotter's Everyday Style book, though the size is a bit smaller, it's lined and color blocked and therefore constructed slightly differently.  But still, in it's essence, it's similar.  

Simple, clean, and perfectly sized for dumping toting so many things!  

The green leaf is a lovely linen that I bought years ago from purl soho.  I've used it before for bag making and a pair of shorts too...It seemed perfect for a Spring into Summer tote bag.  The color blocked top is black denim left from this poolside tote.  

Inside, I added a tiny little felt piece to attach a key chain/carabiner.  

For me, I don't at all mind simple and pocketless bags...but having a place to secure my keys seems like a good thing to have.

I was so pleased with the way this bag turned out!  While Violet and Henry were excited, but also a bit jealous, about the way the gifts for their friends turned out...I felt the same way.  Hard to wrap up this one...

But, I knew that she would love it...so that made it all okay!  

Inside the bag I also tucked a pair of "gear" earrings and a necklace as she also always compliments me on my own earrings and I often catch her wearing her daughter's gear necklace from Violet's tinkering party from last year.  The most fun part actually was wrapping it all up, and as they were away for a couple of nights and I was watching their cat...I was able to sneak the gift onto their dining room table and leave it as a surprise.  

Surprises are always fun to give! 

(Incidentally...the necklace I'm wearing above...was a gift from her that I love!)

Polka Dot Cat...

Not surprisingly, once Henry finished flipping through the "Storybook Toys" book ...Violet was eager to look through it as well.  

And, as I mentioned yesterday, there are so many cute little projects in the book that I wasn't surprised either that she too found a gift that she wanted to give to her best friend! 

The faces in this book are all so precious and perfect for the projects.  I think that's partly what intrigued me to buy the book in the first place.  I particularly love this kitty cat's great big eyes!  

Once you've got the face completed this project is super fast and the adorable results make it oh so satisfying!  

Violet chose turquoise for the fabric color, as that's her friend's favorite color, and I found this super cute and soft minky fabric at Joann which makes the kitty pillow super soft and huggable!

After completing the pillow though we added a couple of little extras...A sparkly star "bow" because, everyone loves a little sparkle! 

And, since her friend is a St. Patrick's Day baby...

A lucky little four-leafed clover!

I've heard that this, too, was well received!  That's two for two!

Hooray for handmade gifts! 

A Corduroy Puppy...

As it usually happens...post February birthday sewing often leads to an extremely messy sewing room.  Which, often means that come the beginning of March I'm attempting to sort through and tidy up said mess...

As I was tidying and organizing patterns and sorting through sewing books, etc...Henry came across my "Storybook Toys" book.  As he flipped through it's pages he came across "Spot" the dog and fell in love and thought he'd be perfect for his best friend's birthday...

"She loves dogs!  And her favorite color is blue!" 

Until now I had only made the "Velveteen Rabbits" from the book, though the "Spot" dog and several others have often caught my eye as well.  A birthday gift for a special friend seemed like the perfect reason to sew another project from "Storybook Toys"!

This sweet little dog has a secret pocket, for whatever kind of secrets you want to tuck inside, in her belly.  The blue corduroy is from some upcycled corduroy I had in my stash and the under belly, some super soft grey dotted corduroy left from my Farrow dress.

She, we named her "Bluebell" due to her unique shade of blue, is so soft and perfect for snuggling!  

The undersides of her ears are Anna Maria Horner flannel scraps that make her ears feel nearly just like the undersides of a puppy's ears...

That's the best place on a dog isn't it?  The underside of their ears...

I used some wool scraps for her face...

I just can't get over how expressive it is!

Henry was so excited to give Bluebell to his best friend for her birthday and she loved it!  

The only problem now?  

Well, I'm sure you've guessed.  Violet and Henry want one too! 

A Zadie Dress...

As I mentioned yesterday I went on a little selfish birthday sewing kick in preparation for a fun NYC night away...a Toaster sweater, a Farrow dress and, a Zadie dress too!  (There were actually two bras made as well...but no pictures of those yet...)

I knew, the moment I saw this Instagram post from Tilly and the Buttons and then saw their newsletter pop up in my email, that I wanted to make this dress!  It's pockets, shape and design were all so perfect!  

So, despite the fact that I had already made myself a "birthday dress", I made another! 

The teal is ponte and the black and white is a heavier textured knit with very little stretch.  The black and white was initially purchased with a Morris Blazer in mind but then the Zadie dress won out in the end...

This dress did not come without troubles and difficulties, I admit!  

First, I made a size 3 because that's where my measurements landed me, though next time I think I ought to at least make a size 2.  

Second, I think that the weight of the black and white textured fabric pulled and stretched every thing out a bit causing pieces, perhaps, to be bigger than they should have been.  

Third, I think...that maybe I might have inadvertently sewn some of the seams with the wrong seam allowances!  Oops!  Totally what happens when you try to rush through things and "whip something up" the day before you plan to head out!  

Due to all of the issues above...I found myself swimming in the dress upon completion.  It was so sad!  But, I brought the sides in quite a bit...and then chopped off several inches of fabric along the hem which helped to lighten the dress up a lot and all was good!  

Not perfect...please do not look too closely!

But, really, really GOOD! 

I love this dress!

I love this dress, I love this dress!  

Despite all it put me through (mind you none of this was the patterns fault...all my doing!) and it's imperfections, it's so perfect!  

The lines.  The pockets!

These pockets are so deep and perfect for phones, keys...tissues...or just a place to rest fidgety hands! 

I do look forward to making another...A more summery one perhaps...and learn from my previous mistakes...but for now, I'm just happy for the cool late Winter/early Spring days where I get to where this dress because I'm not ready to tuck toward the back of my closet as yet!