14. Dream the Impossible Dream - Vogue 9192 | #sew16in2016

A few months ago, I booked a cruise with 14 other folks and what was bound to be a fun and interesting vacation in the midst of the cold, unpredictable weather that the nation's capital is apt to bring. At the time of booking, I immediately knew that I wanted to make a new one-piece swimsuit to take on the trip. We were to be stopping in Grand Turks, Jamaica and the Bahamas so I was ready to jump at the chance for some beachy blog photos lol. I originally wanted to make a Sophie swimsuit but figured that wouldn't really be feasible seeing as though I lacked MOST of the materials for it. I remembered Vogue 9192 and decided that I would go for it. After going through my scraps and remnant bags, I realized I not only had enough fabric for ONE view of the pattern, but that I could make TWO separate views!

Everything was great until days started passing by so quickly. Then days turned into weeks... and weeks turned into months! Next think I knew, I had one week to make 2 swimsuits AND during the week of Thanksgiving! I had two free nights during the week so I resolved to make one swimsuit on each free night. Talk about dreaming the impossible dream! lol I figured this debacle would work for number 14 on the Sew '16 Challenge. 1 pattern, 2 swimsuits, 2 nights...Let's go!

The first suit I made was View B. I used scraps of fabric from my first handmade swimsuit. I got the fabrics from Fabric Mart. The lining was from JoAnn Fabrics. I recycled the same design concept from the first one and used the print for the front and solid back for the back.

15. Nostalgia - Linen Floral Skirt | #sew16in2016

Keeping on track with my seasonal plans (even though it's 40 degrees while I'm typing this) and #sew16in2016, I got a chance to make up a skirt that was inspired by a picture that I saw on Instagram in January 2015! The "Nostalgia" category for the Sew '16 challenge is to "Look back through your old sewing notes, doodles or pinned ideas. Pick one of the earliest ideas and make it happen" .I have a "sewing inspiration" folder on Dropbox and this picture may be one of the first ones I ever took a screenshot of to mimic later.

Check out Me:

vs.

My Inspiration:

8. Stash Stretcher - McCall's 7100 Brick Red Bomber | #sew16in2106

It's getting closer and closer to the end of the 2016 so I'm trying quickly to get in my submissions for #sew16in2016. Some will probably trickle into 2017 but that's fine with me. This post will be dedicated to Stash Stretcher: sew something entirely from stash materials, patterns, notions and all.

Back in August McCall Pattern Company announced that their next sewalong would be "The Bomber Jacket". They offered participants to sew-a-long with either Butterick 6181 or McCall's 7100 and I chose the latter; 1. Because I already had it , and 2. because I didn't want that casing of elastic. I wanted real ribbing. I cut View A in a size medium.

16. Inspired - DKNY Vogue 1407 | #sew16in2016

This post has been a LOOOONNNGGG time coming. I first posted a picture of this pattern and fabric match on my instagram May2015. It wasn't until Sept2015 that I posted a picture of me actually CUTTING the fabric. And here we are, over a year later finally getting to the actual sewing of the dress! I think what took me so long was that I didn't want to cut out the lining pieces because my tricot is so shifty. But I'll get to that in a minute.

This dress is Vogue 1407, a DKNY designer pattern. I love the silhouette of the pattern and if you've been reading for a while,  you know I love wrap and v-necklines. I was also drawn to this pattern because I am always looking for multi-purpose garments. Things I can wear to work, church, or even dressier events. This one definitely fit the bill.

10. Aliens Out - Burda 6829 and friends | #sew16in2016

What do you call a dress started April 2015, worn unfinished, and put back in the pile to be finished at a later date? A UFO. That's what you call it. Last April, my Uncle was having a 50th Bday Bash and his the theme colors were black and gold. I knew I had some black and gold fabric so I went through some patterns with my mom and she voted on Burda 6829 as the party dress for me. I think I had about a week to make the dress but of course I cut it out the night before and started sewing the day of.... Let's not forget I sew like a snail.

I sewed all day and I got to putting the sleeves on but I was contemplating on how to finish sleeveless or whether I should add sleeves. I messed up bad and had to unpick ALOT and had to walk out of the door with no sleeves, unfinished armholes, and a cropped jacket over it all because it was atrocious.

You're probably thinking "That doesn't sound that bad. Unfinished armholes on a knit are basically finished. And isn't this on of the 'easy' Burdas?"... Everything would have been fine but I had decided to flatline the entire dress... before reading the instructions lol.

18. Piles of Styles - Infinity Dress | #sew16in2016

Heyyyyy! I told you I wouldn't be gone for too long! I'm back with a dress that has been a long time coming in the recesses of my mind. I just needed the fabric, time and an idea on how to draft it lol.

My idea came from this dress that I took a screenshot of from instagram:

I loved the way the strap stripes were horizontal and the skirt was vertical. I also loved that it was a maxi and looking at the waist, I realized it was an infinity dress. That made it an easy make. I found the cotton knit fabric at Fine Fabrics in Atlanta. The stripes weren't as wide but that didn't/doesn't bother me.

7. Share the Love | #sew16in2016

You may have thought I forgot about the Sew '16 Challenge... alas, I did not. This installment is titled "Share the Love" and we are supposed to sew for someone that we never have before. Who better to pick than little humans that have just been (or will be) welcomed into the world! I made some baby blankets and I think they have become my favorite gift to give. They can be personalized so much. I had 2 girls and 2 boys on the bill. So far, 3 of them are here and one is soon to come.

4. Four Seasons - Light Overcoat | #sew16in2016

When I first started my blog in 2013, one of the main focuses of it was to take clothes that I had that no longer fit me (due to weight loss) and upcycle them in ways that would benefit my wardrobe. This was before I actually knew what a pattern was or even how to buy fabric. Once I got a taste of the ability to make things from scratch, I basically fell off of the upcycle train. I think that last thing that I transformed or updated was December of 2013. I've been on a roll since then.

At the beginning of January, I really went through my bags and boxes of old clothes that I had plans for and did a REAL purge to decide what things I am really going to do something with and what things just needed to go into the donation pile. I am making a dedicated effort this year to at least FINISH what I started with the pieces that I had plans for at the inception of the blog with while I continue to make new and shiny things.

With that said, I revisited a transformation that I had actually STARTED in 2013 but left as a UFO for 2.5 years lol smh. Back in this post I introduced you to this dress that I had had since sophomore or junior year of high school (circa 2005).

  

 

It had turned very matrix-esque and it definitely was not my style anymore.  Back in '13 I had removed the lining with my seam ripper and just had it sitting like that for this long. ALL I HAD TO DO was separate that top part near the neck that joined together. Yes, it took me almost 3 YEARS to rip a 1 inch seam! *blank stare* I feel you judging.

The result is so simple but so.... PERFECT!

13. One and Only - Named Nuna Hood Scarf | #sew16in2016

Sad to report, it's still freezing over here on the East coast. It got REALLY bad last week. I'm feeling like "Why am I living in a place where the air hurts my face?!"

So my latest make has been really helping out. I've been alternating between my last scarf and this Nuna Hood Scarf by Named Patterns.

5. Quick Sew - Selvage trim Scarf | #sew16in2016

I finally managed to sit down at my machines for the first time ini 2016. I got rid of all of my small alterations projects and felt comfortable enough to start some new things. The first thing I'm going to share was a quick project to get my sewing juices flowing.

I've been holding on to the scraps from my cape project back in Nov2014. It has a black selvage trim. The scraps I've been holding onto on have one side of the selvage left. I had 1 big rectangle of the fabric with the trim on one long edge.

The Sew '16 Challenge - My Master List

I decided since most of my year will focus around the topics from the The Sew '16 challenge I talked about in my last post, that I should make a post that I can reference and update with completed links and what not to make it easier for me and you to see the progress I've made.

So as I said before, the challenge was made by Emily of Hungarian Housekeeping. You choose 16 out of the 20 categories to complete in 2016. The categories are:

The categories I have chosen are: (*Titles will be hyperlinked with blog posts when category is completed)
1. Newbie - Sew a type of garment you never have before
4. Four Seasons - Make a garment that can be worn in all seasons
5. Quick Sew -  Sew something that takes less than an hour
6. Slow Sew - Sew something that takes more than a month. (Bonus points if your quick sew and slow sew go together.)
7. Share the Love - Sew for someone you never have before
8. Stash Stretcher - Sew something entirely from stash materials: pattern, notions, and all.
9. Let It Go - Throw away or donate a garment you made (not a wadder or UFO)
10. Aliens Out -  Get rid of your UFO's. All of Them. Finish them, toss them, pass them on. (Challenge option: hold on to your UFO-free status until the end of the year.)
11. Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun - What do you wear most often? What's your go-to outfit? Duplicate it. Or triplicate it. Or make as many as you can wear in a year.
12. Same Same, But Different - Sew the same thing from different fabrics.
13. One and Only - Sew a one-piece garment (Easy option: sew a garment that has one pattern piece. Even easier option: okay, go ahead and don't count those facings, ties, etc)
14. Dream the Impossible Dream - Set a wildly ambitious goal for yourself.
15. Nostalgia -  Look back through your old sewing notes, doodles or pinned ideas. Pick one of the earliest ideas and make it happen.
16. Inspired - Sew something inspired by a book, film, series, etc.
18. Piles of Styles -  Take one handmade garment and style it as many ways as you can.
19. Sew Less Frosting - Stop sewing pretty, photogenic things that you will rarely wear. Stop sewing impractical things.

9.Let It Go | #sew16in2016

This year, instead of rushing to do a bunch of monthly challenges, I found a more easy-going challenge to keep me motivated and that I can work at my own pace. Emily over at Hungarian Housekeeping came up with the Sew '16 Challenge. You pick 16 out of 20 categories to focus your makes around for 2016. (To find the descriptions of each category, go to this blog post).

from Hungarian Housekeeping

I have already chosen the 16 categories I want to do and I'm going to start with Number 9: Let It Go. The description says: "Throw away or donate a garment that you made (not a wadder or a UFO)". After cleaning my closet for the New Year, like I normally do, I found some makes that I know I won't be wearing anymore for one reason or another. 

(blog post links in the captions)