Starting the day with another creative break...

I promised myself not to rant here about people who let their dogs p*** right in front of a school or kindergarten (great start for a blog post, right?). So let me just say: it's 9.20 am and I need a break already. Luckily, there's still my newest dress to boast about and cheer me up ;-)

So ta-daaah! Here it is, my second Cashmerette Appleton dress:

That silly pose worked pretty well, huh?

Oh my.

I would love to find a stronger expression for "time flies", but you know, tempus fugit, and I'm really busy, as in "should be working 24/7 to get everything done on time". I'm teaching on a freelance basis again, and when I signed my current teaching contract a few months ago, it didn't seem like THIS MUCH work. But, oh well. I had to prioritize (which I really need to practice more!), and so: no blog posts in four months. Actually, not much sewing these past months - apart from two summer dresses. And so, without much further ado, here's the first one of my favorite summer garments 2016!

Sometime around June, I finished my second Cashmerette Washington/ Lekala 4119 Frankendress, and it's my favorite dress EVER. It's unbelievably comfy, but the denim skirt part also provides some nice structure. And triangles! I love this dress.

The front yoke part actually called for more stretch than the denim had when cut on bias, but I decided to cut and sew just the yoke and then try it on, and since it was easy to put on over my head (this dress doesn't have any zippers or buttons, which makes it a pretty easy sew), I decided to go with it. And what shall I say? I just love it! (as I might have mentioned before...)

Okay, don't look at those wrinkles. That's what happens when you try to take pictures of a new garment after an hour-long car ride. Duh. And no, I'm not talking about the wrinkles in my face. Those are not from that car ride. I guess ;-)

Now don't ask me why I tilt my head like that all the time. About three-quarters of my photos look like this. Time for some advice on posing for photos? It would be, if I just had the time. Did you notice how I'm procrastinating today? Aaaarrrrgggghhhh.....

But just one more little detail before I get back to my lesson planning (I promise!), just because I'm so very happy with all the finishing details, maybe for the first time ever. Aren't those side seams with the white topstitching just perfect?

Okay, so back to work now. Creative breaks are the best of breaks :-D

Easy peasy

Kid's Clothes Week is about to start! I'm all set to go. Again. Let's hope for the best that this time around, there's nothing to keep me from participating. No sick kids, no broken sewing machine, no full-time classes to teach... I'd really, really love to participate this season. Will you keep your fingers crossed for me?

There's one thing left to do before KCW starts, however. And that's my final post about my new Cashmerette Washington/ Lekala 4119 frankenpattern dress. I had the fabulous idea to double over the top so that I would be able to use a fairly sheer fabric, and so that I could skip hemming the neckline and armholes. When I cut it and sewed the two separate bodice layers, it was still pretty straightforward. Then I sewed the two parts together at the neckline, right sides together. Easy. And then? I sat staring at my creation for quite a while. Obviously just sewing the armholes while still having lined up the two bodices right sides together would make it impossible to turn the whole thing right side out.

Cashmerette Washington Dress + Lekala 4119 Frankenpattern - fabric choices and sewing

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted here? This time thing is freaking me out. Weeks are flashing by like glimpses of bystanders at a carousel that's running too fast. A while ago I saw a movie about someone who had a remote control with which he could fast forward through the "boring bits" in his life. Of course that ended really badly, and as we've all learnt from countless movies on time travel and such, it's not a good idea to mess with spacetime. But I feel like running constantly on fast forward, and I sure wish I had a slow motion button that I could use from time to time. Just to be able to get at least some of all the things done that are on my list. Lists, actually, but let's not get into that again right now... So what was I writing about? Ah, my newest dress.

Cashmerette Washington Dress + Lekala 4119 Frankenpattern

I should call January productivity month. Or maybe I should hope that this creative surge will last for the rest of the year ;-) I always used to take weeks or even months to finish any kind of sewing project. I still have some shirts lying around that just need to be hemmed, a cardi that is all cut and ready to be sewn, as well as a handful of soft toys that are just waiting for some finishing touches. And now I've finished a second dress within two weeks, and one with considerable alterations to the original pattern. I don't know if I should be proud or scared... Anyway, here it is, my Cashmerette Washington + Lekala 4119 Frankenpattern Dress:

Cashmerette Appleton dress

So here it is, the very first piece that hopped off my brand-new sewing machine. And it couldn't have been a better choice than this perfectly fitting wrap dress!

I had considered adding a few centimeters to the skirt, but it turned out to be the perfect length without that alteration.

... and even more summer in Germany

Okay, so I might still be in a summer holiday mood (when actually, ahem, I should be preparing my classes and NOT writing two blog posts in one day...). I might perceive the weather as slightly better than it actually is. I might even have gone grocery shopping in my new summer dress yesterday despite the pouring rain. But hey, I had just finished sewing it, so it couldn't just be hidden in the closet, waiting for better weather to come (or not...), right?

Yes, I know.

Tip top

I sewed another shirt for myself, from Lekala pattern #4099.

I'm still amazed at the fit of those patterns... It's a tad short, but I have a matching shirt that I can wear underneath, so I think that's fine :-)

Some selfish sewing...

... and it's not even Selfish Sewing Week yet ;-) But as I won't be around for SSW (and let's be honest, I probably wouldn't get beyond planning stage anyway, as usual), I'm celebrating my own selfish sewing week right now.

I finished a Julia cardigan from Mouse House Creations yesterday, using MyMandala jersey knit in pink from the Elephant Love Collection by Hamburger Liebe (for Hilco).

Would you believe that I bought the fabric

It's a plus.

Okay, first of all something fun: I sewed two great tops for myself. The first one was a test version made from some inexpensive brown cotton jersey I got from the bargain bin at Karstadt a while ago. I added a small piece of lime green cotton jersey to add a little pop - just in case it should turn out wearable. What shall I say? It's not only wearable, it became my favorite shirt right away. So I felt pretty comfortable cutting into some more expensive turquoise and white chevron cotton jersey. I found it a little harder to pick a fabric for the waistband, but finally settled on some red and pink striped jersey I had in my stash. Add in an hour of pressing and cutting, and a few hours of switching between the walking foot and the overlock foot on my sewing machine, and tadaa:

I love, love, LOOOVE this shirt! The fabric