CAbi Spring 2012 Part I

I have a friend that has one of those parties so I always go. It’s fun to try on clothing and fun to experiment with new silhouettes. I chose my favorites and thought I’d take a stab at knocking them off. I’m cheap, I’ll admit that and spending $70 on a simple elastic-waist skirt makes me cringe.

I took the CAbi pictures straight from their website.

#1 Bella Skirt $69

I really liked this skirt. Their version is a rayon challis border print. It has really large slash pockets across the hips that you can’t see in the picture. It’s really close to this Burda 05-2010-122 pattern below. The Burda one uses a woven and a side zipper where the CAbi one just uses an elastic waist treatment. Same pockets and everything. I would pair it with a rayon challis like the one below from GorgeousFabrics.com. You cost would be much cheaper than $69!!

 

#2 Dreamy Draper $98

Is this not Simplicity 2603?? The only difference is that this one has thumbholes and the Simplicity one doesn’t. Would this be great in a drapey fabric like these rayon slub knits? I’ve made a black one out of this same fabric and wear it all the time. I like all three of the colors below although the cream color isn’t a great one for my skin tone.

 

 

#3 Epic Tunic $89

This Epic Tunic is very much like this Burda 03-2012-122. There are some major differences though. The CAbi tunic is a dolman sleeve and the Burda pattern is set-in. The Burda pattern is longer, obviously.

I found some gorgeous silk chiffons too! I super-ty, duper-ty love that last black swirl chiffon.

 

I have a few more to show you but that’s a lot of searching and linking for one night! I do have a bit of sewing to show you as well. I made something from the May Burda. I think the Burdas from May are my favorites every year.

Cloacas and poop.

Why do I have these types of conversations in the car? Am I the only one?

Inquisitive Boy: Mom, what’s a cloaca?
Me (in the front of the car): What??
Boy: Clo-aaaaaaaaaaaaay-caaaaaa. What’s a cloaca?
Me: Uh, a cloaca? It’s a combined opening for the reproductive system, the digestive system, and the excretory system. Where did you hear that word?
Boy: So I have a cloaca?
Me: No, chickens have cloacas. They pee, poop, and push eggs out the same hole. You don’t have, well, that.
Twin Things (miraculously quiet up until this point): <snicker, snicker> Pee.
Two-Year Old Chanter: POOP! Poop. Poop. Poop.
Boy: Well, when I go to the bathroom, how do I know my sperm isn’t coming out?
Me (I’m trying to hear over the “Poop” chant): Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Well, uh, that happens when you are older and, well, uh, it feels different. Trust me, you’ll know.
Boy: Mumble, sex, mumble, cocoon, mumble.
Twin Bothers: <sqeeeee, giggle, giggle, giggle>
Me (scared of what’s coming next): What?
Science Boy: Nothing. I was just telling my sisters how humans have sex.
Me (Poop! Poop! Poop! Poop!): Well? How do they have sex?
Boy of Knowledge: Well, they rub together in their mucus bubble and exchange sperm.
Me: siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. You know you’re not an earthworm, right? Right??
Boy: Duh, mom.
Me: siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

Burda 02-2011 #116

I finally used my Anna Sui fabric!! Are you finally happy Paulette? I turned it into this springy drawstring dress. I really like it quite a bit. It’s the perfect “throw-on” dress and I often need those in the mornings before school when I have four little lunches to make, a three-mile run to run, shower to take, snarly kindergarten hair to comb, and pig tails to create. I’m really lucky if I leave the house with my own hair combed.  

 

The only thing I would change if I made it again (and I might) are the arm bands. Next time, I’ll make them thicker. Right now they started out as two inch bias strips folded in half. I’ll make them more like four inch strips, not on the bias. Working with bias-cut fabric when doing something like this is not necessary and they stretched out like crazy. If I was using a heavy fabric, I would make them bias-cut but not if I was using something like this fabric again. They use a gabardine fabric in their model photo. I added no hem allowance and turned up a good two inch hem. I like the proportion better when the shirt is shorter.

 

Cute shoulder pleats. I made these a little bit deeper than Burda suggested. They sort of stuck out at funny angles when they had less of a pleat.

 

 

Here’s the finished grommet on the outside of the garment.

 

 

I feel like I spent a good five years of my life turning this little fucking tube and then the little shit breaks. I was very angry. After I said some bad things to the tube, I zigzagged it together again.

 

 

Instead of using self-fabric for the casing on the inside, I used a piece of dark gray double knit from my stash. This fabric is too ravel-prone..

 

 

I have an industrial snap press that I love. It also installs grommets if you get the correct dies. Here it is before I used the press on it.

Here it is after the press. You can see the lip is curled down and out.

 

Here is the finished grommet from the RS. You can see I pulled a thread.

 

I was thinking this would be cute if I color-blocked it. After seeing this photo, I’m not sure. I think it would be dynamite to make it in a solid color and add topstitching to the front and back yoke, hem, and waist casing. I might do that instead. Or, it’s ripe for tone-on-tome embroidery on that skirt.

 

Did you guys see how much snow has melted in the last week or so!! Wow! I have a deck again!! We had record snowfall this year. As of the 8th of April, we had 133.6 inches of snow this year. Ask me if I’m tired of shoveling. Sheesh.

Fabric porn for the ladies, you’re welcome . . .

This fabric has been lingering in my fabric stash for a while. I’ve decided to stop being afraid of it and finally use it. This Anna Sui print was given to my by my beautiful friend, Paulette. She gave this to my last year? Or maybe the year before? I’m not sure what to make out of it. It’s beautiful. I’m pretty sure it’s a cotton.

 

I’ve had this purple wool houndstooth for a few years now. It’s a large scale print so I’m not sure how to use it. It’s also beautiful.

 

I have this beautiful gray wool flannel. It’s actually a darker gray than the top photo. I think I have two yards of this.

 

Ah, yes. Then there is this. It’s a wool/silk/mohair/linen blend. My ex-Mr. bought this for me in Texas when he was there on business. I’m not sure what to do with it. It’s a drape-y wool and it’s a brilliant blue. Have any of you worked with a blend like this before?

 

I really like KS3760 (do you know why it doesn’t show up on the KS website anymore? I know they are part of the McCalls/Butterick/Vogue Mothership bought them but it doesn’t make sense for them to get rid of patterns like that.

So, I’m trying to think of things for all this beautiful fabric. I’m going to save the blue one for something really special. I want to make another 3760 and I think I’ll use the gray flannel. It’ll be a nice workhouse dress. For the cotton blue/purple dress, I think I’ll make a summery-shift dress. I guess we’ll see.

Aprons for Kidlets

I made aprons before using this pattern. New house = new aprons.

 

Me: What the hell* are you two doing?
Floral Kid: Flipping pancakes! Look at my stern-concentrate-y face!!!
Pink Kid: Testing the batter, Mom! Just like you do!

 

Me: What the hell are you two doing now?
Pink Kid: Mom!!! Don’t you know the photo rules? Every time we have to pose, we get to do a Crazy Pose too!!!
Floral Kid: Ha-thum-it-ha-thum! (I think her tongue was in the way)

 

I used an embroidery from Emblibrary.com. I added some bling to them because, duh, they are girls and need shiny things.

 

I bought this glue the other day at JoAnn’s and I’m less than impressed. I’ve had some of the sparkles come off already. Do you guys know if those hot fix crystals stick on any better?? Does anyone know a good solution? I can see lots of sparkles in my future with three divas (four if you count me) in the house.

 

Meet my new little daughter too. Isn’t she cute-a-licious??? Now I have three little princesses to sew for! This little princess got her very own princess on her apron.

Me: Smile! Smile! Look at the camera!
Smiley Cheeks: Momma, I say CHEESE!!!!!
Me: Yea, but look down here! Look at the camera!
Smiley Cheeks: I say CHEESE!!!!! CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!
Me: Close enough . . .

 

This embroidery was a freebie from EmbroiderThis.com.

* I NEVER swear in front of my kids (or at them for that matter). Really, I don’t. But, it’s so much fun to put into print what my brain is really saying. In reality I think I said, “What in the world are you two crazy people doing?”

Who’s excited about the May Burda??

This is finally an issue I can get behind. I loved my 2008 and 2009 issues. 2010 and 2011 were not banner years for the magazine in my opinion but that could have been colored by my own personal tastes and the struggles in my personal life. But, holy shitsnacks, I love the new stuff in this upcoming Burda!

Cute, cute, cute color-blocking top and dress.



Totally freaking awesome ruched dress. I’m hoping it’s a knit fabric. It’s a tall pattern but it shouldn’t be too hard to shorten-fy it.




I love this little number. I think it would be super cute without the bows. I love the back on it. I wonder what type of fabric they recommend. It’s got to be something drapey like a charmeuse or something.




How cute is this skirt? I’m guessing it’s a double-knit? It looks great on the model.




This skirt intrigues me. I’m not sure if I love it or not.





I love simple pants like this. I’ll have to start looking for some RPL. They look short. Are they cropped?




The plus section has some really cute dresses too. I love this first one. I’m wondering what the little skirt (?) is on the bottom. Please DO NOT tell me they are wearing it like a little apron on top of the beautiful dress.

 

ETA: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Burda, you kill me sometimes!!!! You added an apron to an OUTSTANDING DRESS!!!! Thank you, My Summer Touch for sending me this link. It had great seaming. So what does Burda do? Make it in black and throw an apron on it!!!!!

I can't wait to get it! It's got my juices all worked up. Uuuh, the sewing juices. Not, um, other juices. Never mind . . .

Fabric.com

I never know if I get special stuff from Fabric.com or not. Just in case you guys didn’t get this in your inbox . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy. <Insert evil grin here>