I Just Can't Seem to Stop!

Hello everyone! Despite all the craziness going on (running the shop while the girls are at the retreat, finals for school, gearing up for our upcoming fashion show, preparing for my road trip, etc) I still couldn't wait to get home and sew!

So I finished piece number 10 and 11 of my handmade summer wardrobe. Let me know what you think!

Number 10

I'm in looove with this one.  The bodice is a raspberry colored velveteen and the bottom is this awesome vintage rose pattern I've had my eye on for years now. I was just waiting for the perfect project to use it. For this dress I used the same pattern I made the peach dress with.  As usual, the dress is too large for our size 2 dress form, but you get the idea. I'm totally hooked on these elastic casing backs. It makes things so easy!

Number 11

My first wrap around skirt! I fell in love with the pattern out of Heather Ross's "Weekend Sewing" and I finally decided just to go for it and make this skirt. I am super pleased with it and I'm looking forward to making more of them. I'm slowly working on the hem, but because it's so curved, I'm hand sewing a rolled hem around the bottom, plus there is a lot of fabric involved so it'll take a while. It's absolutely worth it though!

So, that's what I've been doing! Again, Mom and I have our pieces in the shop right now so you can come in and check them out in person. The girls are coming home tonight from Downieville, it'll be nice to have them back in the shop. It doesn't quite feel the same without them!

-Hannah

Downieville Day 1

Hello!

We have been having SO much fun up in Downieville this weekend for our 2nd Annual Mother's Day Fiber Retreat.  Here's what we've been up to:

AND!  Wait until you see the Duct Tape Dress Forms that we made last night!!

I've Been Busy!

Hello everyone! It's a fantastic weekend for the family and our fiber retreat-ers up in Downieville. Hopefully Emma will make a blog post about their creative endeavors soon. While everyone's up at the retreat however, I've been a busy girl! With the sunshine finally making an appearance I've been more inspired than ever to sew myself more pieces for my summer wardrobe.

Piece Number 7

I previously made one of these skirts for a Home Ec class and the New Look pattern was so simple and cute that I decided to make another one! Although I usually avoid red, white and blue fabrics, I happened to have this print in my stash at home and so I decided to put it to use. And I love it!

Piece Number 8

Yes, I finally finished them. These shorts took me about 2 years to finish. haha. But here they are! And I love them! They're made with a great New Look pattern and our Oasis Organic Cotton. My first pair of shorts! I have to admit, I'm proud. Here's a close-up of the pocket and mother-of-pearl buttons I used. 

Piece Number 9

Although this shirt is a little more......modern (?) than things I usually make, I really like it. I used an incredibly soft stretch cotton knit and a Simplicity pattern and modified things a bit to make it more me. I really love the racer back. It's so light and breezy that I think it'll make a great bathing suit cover-up.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to.  Mom and I have some of our Summer Wardrobe pieces on display in the shop this week, so come in and see them in person! 

-Hannah

A Dress and Home Ec

Hello everyone! It's Hannah giving you an update today. I whipped out this little number yesterday, and so far, it's my favorite summer wardrobe piece!

I found this dress online and loved it, but naturally, decided I could make a better one for cheaper! My dress fits me a lot better, our dress form is too small. Anyway, I mixed 3 different new look patterns (one for the bodice, one for the back, and one for the skirt), and I am thrilled with the way it turned out!

I'm thinking this might be a potential Home Ec project. Hmm.....

Speaking of Home Ec....

Look what my girls did!

This is Elaine's picnic quilt that we worked on last session. She finished it on her own and brought it back to share with me, She did a beautiful job!!

Elaine's zippered tote that we made last night. It's so cute!

And here's Victoria with her completed tote. 

Good job ladies! I'm so proud!

We Love Him!

This adorable yo-yo clown was made by our wonderful instructor, Linda Pietz. We just think he is so cute! Linda used all kinds of our vintage fabrics to create the yo-yos for him. 

Here's a close up of his adorable fabrics

I love yo-yos. They are so versatile and add great details to all sorts of projects. The vintage fabrics Linda used are just perfect. They complete his vintage-y feel. And there's god news if you love him as much as we do! Linda is teaching a class on how to create a yo-yo clown of your own. May 15th from 12:00-4:00. Call us for details and to sign up! 

All of here at the Thimble say hello! As always, we hope you're busy with your spring projects and we always love to see them.  

We haven't forgotten!

Mom and I (Hannah) have completed one more piece each for our summer wardrobes. 

Look at these! They're made from a 1930's pajama pattern (yes, an 80 year old pattern). Isn't that awesome? Mom made them out of white linen and a vintage hanky-print cotton. Although their supposed to be pj's, mom and I agree that they would be a pain to sleep in, so she's gonna wear them outside of the house. Here they are without the Jacket...

And a detail of the buttons, ties and fabric...

Well done Mom, they're beautiful!

And here's my piece. Yes, another blouse. I'm desperately trying to finish a pair of shorts but I keep running into issues. I promise you'll see something other than shirts eventually! haha. Anyway, this one's made with a New Look pattern and some really cool fabric I found on sale....at another fabric store (I know, I'm a traitor).

A detail of the fabric and mother-of-pearl buttons I used. This little number actually turned out to be a challenge. I thought it was gonna be easy and that I could whiz right through it, however, that did not turn out to be the case. In the end though, it was worth it. I think it's really cute. 

More clothes coming soon! Leave comments, tell us what you think of our wardrobes so far!

What a Fantastic Weekend!

Our student art show was an absolute success! Thank you so much to everyone who came and supported us and our wonderful students. We had our largest turn out yet!

Lisa's beautiful table of delicious food, the perfect addition to our party.

Thank you Joy and Brian for pouring for us!

We're excited for next years show. Hopefully we'll have more students enter their pieces and even more people show up to see the show!