Halloween Sampler Week One

I've had a lot of time this weekend to just craft and do my own thing, which has been such a nice change!  We've had so much going on lately that I really missed my alone time.  I honestly need a lot of alone time as it is, so I feel off my game if I don't have time to recharge on the weekends.

This morning I was able to finish week one of my Halloween Spooky Sampler!  Sunday mornings are perfect for drinking chocolate chai lattes and stitching.  While I'm still out of gray floss, I didn't want to go into week two tomorrow knowing I hadn't finished week one.  Deadlines are important!

I love the detail in these patterns.  Also, how cute are the ghosts?!  You may notice my stitches are a bit off in that frame.  Somehow, everything shifted one row down and one column to the right.  I tried to fix what I could, but I didn't want to take the whole thing apart, so I think it looks okay.  If not, oh well, it's just cross-stitching!

I also worked on some Lucky blocks last night!  I sewed all my HSTs Friday night and pressed them yesterday, with enough time to sew a few together.  I'm really loving the contrast.  Tule has a pretty high contrast of bright and low-volume, so I think bringing them all together in a quilt will provide a great balance.  I'm hoping, anyway!  I'm using all Art Gallery Pure Elements as solids.  They're dreamy!  I can't remember if I've mentioned them, but you should really give them a whirl if you haven't.

I'd like to mention that we've also had a beautiful weekend here in Charlotte--we've had breezy days in the 70s, perfect for opening windows and eating outside!  I love fall so much.

What have you been stitching this weekend?

Another Spring Dress?!

I know.  I KNOW.  The high today was 53 and I'm about to show you a sleeveless dress made with the lightest cotton ever.  Excuse me for being an idiot.

However, in my defense, next week will be in the 70s, and I live in the south, so we'll only get warmer from there, right?  That's my wish, anyway: to feel warm again.

After I finished my shirtdress from the last post, and sometimes while I was working on my shirtdress from the last post, I started a Colette Chantilly dress.  I cut them both out the same night.  Do you do that?  I find it's easier for me to stay focused if I can cut everything at once.  I'll cut out two or three skirts or shirts or dresses at once just to have it done and over with, because cutting is a necessary evil.  And then this Chantilly sat for a couple days until I ran out of interfacing, so I started sewing darts, gathers, and all those other fun, non-interfaced things.

I actually skipped around a lot on this dress.  I made the bodice, and then the yoke; I sewed the skirts and the bodice before even thinking about the lining; I inserted the zipper before I finished the yoke.  I guess the only thing I did "right" was I hemmed it very last, after everything else was done.

I used fabric by Sarah Watson for Art Gallery.  I know a lot of people have beef with quilting cotton and that's fine; I refuse to use anything polyester, so we all have our differences.  But this is seriously the softest and smoothest quilting cotton!  It felt more like lawn or voile with a crisper hand.  It was just lovely.

I originally bought this fabric for this dress, in fact--I've had it sitting in my stash since around Christmas, just waiting.  I had to purchase lining, of course, and notions, and why make a spring dress in the middle of winter?  I'll tell you why: so you aren't so rushed, worrying you won't finish it in time for a nice-weather weekend.  

If the back looks a little wonky, it's because it's the result of an optical illusion--the yoke and bodice somehow matched up pretty well--and it's probably also a little wonky.

I did try this on the other night and Nick said it brought "attention to my boob area, so that's great."  Thanks honey!  What a pal.  I do plan on wearing a cardigan.  I like that this dress is so floaty and light: quilting cotton and cotton batiste make for a meringue-like consistency in dresses.  I'm really excited to wear it when I no longer shiver from standing in a shadow.  Please, oh please, let that be soon!

I'd also like to note that this dress was the first pattern I bought when I decided to start sewing.  I'd never heard of Colette, never seen anything by Sarai, but came across this on Fabric.com.  In fact, I even emailed them to ask if dotted Swiss would be appropriate (duh, Emily, they said in nicer tones).  I ended up using the dotted Swiss on a Banksia top long ago, and hung onto this pattern until the right fabric came along.  I'm glad I waited, because this dress stumped me at some points, and I feel like I can pretty easily coast through most projects now.  But my linings didn't match, my armholes were uneven--messy, but worth it.

What's next on my sewing agenda?  I'm not sure!  I have some bee blocks to do but that's about it.  I mean, I do have stacks and stacks of fabric I should probably use, but I'm going to take this weekend--my mom's birthday weekend!--to figure out what's next.  Another Truffle?  Another Cambie?  An Alma?  Who knows.  Suggestions, as always, are welcome!