kids craft tent crafts: wallet made of 70s vinyl wallpaper book samples and hot glue

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Made some pushpins using button-covering kits. All you do is pull out the wire button loop before using the kit. The little size ones seem made for this application: a thumbtack fits right in the back. I used hotglue to attach the thumbtacks. Couldn’t be easier, and a nice reason to rummage through the scrap bin.

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No really exciting sewing this weekend after all. I did figure out how to (sort of) use my BRAND NEW SERGER. My labmates got it for me as a going away gift (awwwww). I have plans for a couple of skirts and reworking some vintage dresses, but so far I’m just practicing. Also, I forgot it needed cones and cones of thread and only got around to picking that up today. I like the Seattle chain fabric store, Pacific Fabrics. There’s one pretty close to where I live, and the people who work there are way friendlier and more helpful than I’m accustomed to at the Jersey Joanns. Oh, and it didn’t hurt that I won a drawing for a bag of craft books the first time I went there. :)

Anyway, even sans serger, I did some sewing of the mending variety this weekend: put a new zipper into a modaspia skirt that’s been sitting on the pile for a couple of months now. The zipper was unfortunately poorly set when I bought it, and it only sort of worked if you pulled really hard on it. Then one day I could not unzip it. My husband literally had to cut me out of the skirt. Annoying, but the skirt’s really cute, so I put a new zipper in it and it’s back good as new, or, rather, better than new. :P

I also finally altered this unflattering skirt I made a long time ago. Rereading the old post now, I can’t help but laugh that I originally sewed the thing in 2 hours, then took 2 years to make it fit properly. I replaced the drawstring with a new waistband (interfaced and with a facing, even!), sewed new side seams, and put in a side zipper. Probably should’ve added a couple of pleats, but it’s got plenty of volume as it is now.

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I’m planning on some sewing over the long weekend, and realized that I never posted my shirt that I finished a long time ago. It’s BBY-4112 Shirt Pattern from Built By Wendy. The short sleeves+bias trim are shamelessly stolen from Angry Chicken. I was able to get through the pattern without too much problem, but the fit was really disappointing. With a huge amount of help from Amy and Becket, I reset the collar (it was too big and set too high or something, which made it all droopy when tied), shortened it, and added shaping both in front and back. It looks kind of shapeless on the hanger, but it fits pretty well now. I think it was such an ordeal that I have never actually worn it. Weird. Looking at it again now, though, maybe I’ll go back to liking it.

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