KwikSew 3854 and Jalie 2805 for the WIN!

 Isn't the sailor short cute? I've never sewn anything with this sort of button closure on it. This is one of the patterns I bought for $0.10 at my local fabric store. I made the medium but I could have probably made the small. My hip measurements are right between the two sizes, but since KwikSew tends to be larger on me, I should go with the smaller size.

Here it is in a dark denim. This is a remnant from a pair of Eleonore jeans I made. I really like how it fits. The legs are so wide, it looks more like a skirt than a pair of shorts. The top is Jalie 2805 also made out of remnants. This is one of my favorite Jalie patterns EVER. So many options.

This is the second Jalie top I made for these shorts. This is also out of remnants. I always feel good when I can use things up. This is a Girl Charlee knit. Since it was a remnant, I didn't have enough for the sleeves or the back. So I had to get creative.

I put the back on the cross grain but it works with this fabric because it is pretty stretchy both ways.

The back of the shorts has two shaping darts and a wide waistband.

First, I put on the cutest red, white, and blue buttons. But, because they are probably 20 years old and plastic, two of them broke after I put them on. Dammit. So then I went with the pink buttons.

I didn't have enough fabric for the entire pocket so I just made a lining piece and added a small piece of the denim to the top. The construction of these shorts is pretty cool I think.

This whole bib-flap-thing folds down which kind of makes for unusable pockets. But the pockets are a cute addition, right?

Have I told you how much I love my new sewing machine with the perfect buttonholes??

I made a pretty large swayback adjustment on these. I think the total was one inch over three different places. But this waistband was on the fold so it would be two inches total.

Over all, it's a win! I've been vacation sewing the past few days because we head to San Diego again in a few weeks. I have another thing to show you too. 

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Goodies

Did you guys snag any good sewing stuff for Black Friday/Cyber Monday? Last year, I bought a bunch of fabric and patterns. This year though? I wasn't really feeling it. I did snag some fun though.

I used this opportunity to buy about 40 randomly-colored zippers. I buy loooong zippers that I know I will have to cut off. This way, I always have a zipper for projects like my Charlie bomber jackets. The difference in price between the 18" and 28" is only $.20 or so, so it's totally worth it. I bought about 10 with the brass teeth, 10 with plastic teeth (like these in the picture), and I bought 11 white zippers that are closed on the bottom. I really only needed six for Jalie 3244 Christmas pajamas. I could either buy six of them for $1.10/each or I could buy "bulk" and buy eleven of them for $0.42/each. That was a no-brainer decision. They are all long zippers so I will just cut off what I don't need.  They had a free shipping plus 40% deal and I took full advantage of it. The metal zippers at Joann's are about $6-$9 for each one!

I also bought two more Hot Patterns. They had a 30% (I think?) plus free shipping promotion going on. I really want to love this company. I've adored their line drawings for years. I did finally bite the bullet and buy three of them not too long ago. Out of the three, one was a hit-it-out-of-the-ballpark winner, one was a what-the-fuck-were-they-thinking, and one of them was okay-but-needs-alterations. Those aren't good odds, especially when I'm used to Jalie, Ottobre, and Burda. Anyway, I did it again. I figure, it's a damn tote bag, how can it go wrong? I've been carrying around a lap top a lot more lately and struggled to find a cute, larger, non-frumpy tote bag lately. Then I had a face palm moment and I was like, "Dawn. Dawn! Why don't you just sew one." I've sewn the Nairobi bag before and it was easy to sew the leather. I used the bag for years until it wore out. I'm going to do it again with this bag.

I also bought this one which is so old now that it's considered Vintage Hot Patterns. Again, though, this is one I have admired for years. I'm hoping for another hit-outta-the-ballpark. I've seen so many versions out there (and I remember the neckline issue!) and they are all lovely. This is exactly the type of thing I love in the winter too. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I want to love you, Deco Vibe Cosmopolitan Dress, please do not disappoint me!