Things I Like: Sew Liberated Patterns

I went to Crafty Planet with a specific mission: find 1.5 yards of fabric for a gift that I'm working on. While perusing the amazing fabric selection, books, supplies and patterns, I came across this beauty:

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I am in love with this tunic. I must have stared at the picture for several minutes. It's so me! I even opened the packaging and took out the pattern and instructions to see if it was a manageable project. I decided it was something I could handle, but I couldn't bring myself to buy the pattern. You better believe I haven't been able to stop thinking about it ever since...

Anyone up for a trip to Crafty Planet?

Felt Baby Booties

Remember the shower I mentioned yesterday? I also gave Jenny and Joe this little pair of booties that I made:


I used a Simplicity pattern for the basic form of the shoe, but ended up changing the measurements so that I could have finished edges on the upper part of the shoe. I also hand stitched some satiny ribbon around the seems on the base of the shoe to give it a more finished look and to keep the baby's feet more comfortable. I made the flowers by hand and added clear beads to their centers for a little extra embellishment. The outer shoe and flowers are felt and the inner shoe is a brightly colored funky tie dye fabric. I wish I had more friends having babies - they were fun to make!

Kippot Project

This is the kippah I made on Sunday night.


This is also the kippah that I fastened to my hair with bobby pins on Monday afternoon to see how well it stayed put. After a while, I just forgot it was on my head. My husband thought it would be hilarious to let me wear it while we ran errands. It wasn't until we were back in our car - after I had walked through a very busy store and talked with a clerk at length for several minutes - that he broke out into a self-composed song about his wife wearing a kippah. It was a moderately embarassing experience for me.

I made the kippah as a trial run for a much larger project. One of my dearest friends is getting married this fall and asked if I could sew some kippot using her family's tartan. She wants the males in her wedding party to wear them. I want - and still need - lots of practice before I start making the kippot for her wedding. This version is reversible, lined with interfacing to give it a little more shape, and trimmed with some brown fabric. The bride is pleased with the first version, but I want more practice. It's a fun project!