Burdastyle Open Back Dress

Deadlines are very motivational for me because I tend to follow the motto: "Why do today what you can put off 'til tomorrow?" Probably not the best mantra, but it works from time to time. 

Refresher: Burdastyle open back dress

I altered the bodice pattern quite a bit because I saw many others had issues with gaping at the sides. However...I still ran into that issue with certain movements. Thank goodness for double-sided garment tape! I also decided to scrap the sleeves and use sew-in bra pads instead of boning because I couldn't be bothered to learn this late in the game. Maybe next time I make a dress, I'll do so in a timely manner. Doubtful.

Side view of the dress in good lighting

Open back! in not so good lighting

At the Theatre: Phantom of the Opera

Men's Tie

I'm not sure if men enjoy receiving ties as a present, but whatever the case, that is what I made for M. I used my brother's old tie as a template and followed these instructions for a men's tie on Craftsy.

End result: fancy tie!

Hand stitched contrasting bar tacks :)

One thing I need to work on is the lining of the tie. For the life of me, I couldn't get it to line up properly so that the tip of the tie was just the black tie fabric. I got the concept of where to put my stitches, but the alignment is still off. At least you can't tell from the front side?

Happy holidays!

Update: future plans

I've been traveling for away rotations recently and have spent <1 month at home/near my sewing machine since July. As such, I have many works in progress until I get back home to finish them...and even more planned because I stumbled upon a moving sale where fabric was $1/bag!! What a steal! Seattle is awesome. I have yet to decide what I will make with my goodies, but I am super excited to bring this back home with me :)

Yes, there is faux fur in the pile!!

Other plans that have a relative deadline:

1. backless dress a la BurdaStyle for a night at the theatre (Phantom of the Opera!) 

  

2.  graduation dress inspired by this dress, from disney of all places... 

Braided Cut-Out Tank

Florida summers alternate between daily downpours and sweltering heat. To deal with the latter, I decided to cut up an old tee! I re-visited this DIY summer tee Buzzfeed article. Here's the braided back tank I used for reference:

The shirt I used was too small for me resulting in a bottom panel didn't drape well...so I chopped it off. End result was a slightly more revealing tank than I wanted, but perfect for the beach! 

Surgical Cap #2

After wearing the first cap for a while, I realized my hair is much longer and heavier than I realized causing slippage if I didn't tie up my hair a certain way. Not a big deal, but I found it a little annoying to adjust it multiple times in a day. So I made a bouffant-style cap this time using scrap fabrics I had laying about and used this awesome tutorial from Sweet Jilli Beanz.

Ribbons and Pearls

I found this Twisted Pearl Necklace and bought the materials a while back, but it was one of the projects further down my list of things I wanted to make. Since time is going to be a huge issue in the next few weeks, I decided to bang this one out.

I'm still contemplating if I should make a button closure or tie as a bow. 

For now, it stays as is.

Surgical Scrub Cap

Since I am going to be a surgeon in the future *fingers crossed* it was high time I made myself a surgeon's cap. I've been eyeing (read: "staring intensely at") ponytail surgical caps in the OR everyday and figured it'd be simple to make. And so...my new scrub hat!

Fabric design makes me think of happy, sunny spring :)

I ended up finding this tutorial on Craftster after I finished making mine, but in the end, it turned out well :) Next time though, I will make it a bit larger because my hair is much longer and heavier than I realized. 

Tape Twin!

I have been working on a duct tape body form for the past month with my friend and finally finished it! Woo! Now I won't have to stop mid project to re-fit and pin things on myself :)

Movements were so restricted >.<

 Cut off and about to stuff with plastic bags, tissue paper, scrap fabrics...practically anything and everything I had on hand.

It's my body twin!! To make sure the body form was really my size, I tested it out with my new tank :)

Work it Out!

I came across old t-shirts and decided to make them into workout tanks with inspiration by BuzzFeed's Summer T-Shirt DIYs. One of my future projects will definitely be the crochet back shirt (#25).

Original shirts (both from Threadless)

Dandy Lions

True Love Will Find You in The End

After some scissor, tying, and/or sewing action...

 

Best part of t-shirt recon? You don't need to really finish any of the seams! Unless you want to, of course.  

EDIT: Shirt in action (at the beach!)

Baby bonnet

My cousin recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, so I decided to make her a bonnet! I wanted to try my hand at knitting this time, but after much searching, the pattern I found was crochet. That just means the little one will be receiving her bonnet that much faster :)

Pattern from Craftown here

I got a bit confused halfway through with the pattern, but I think it turned out well in the end. 

Simply soft yarn really is soft; perfect for a baby!

As modeled by my panda bank 

Now to find new baby projects as another cousin is expecting. Babies galore!!

Broomstick Lace

I've added yet another infinity scarf added to my collection! I learned about the broomstick lace stitch last year, but did not have a broomstick or anything of the same size handy until recently. I used this pattern and just kept going...

and going...and going...until I finished the entire skein. which is not what I was supposed to do. which means I have a REALLY long infinity scarf that needs to be wrapped three times to fit properly >.< 

Thanks to my wonderful friend D who let me stop by whenever and let me use her broomstick :D

All Ends Whale

I started making whale printed PJ shorts a long time ago, but I felt I cut them too short so the project was tossed to the side until I found my solution: lace!

 Whales and fishies!! 

Adding the lace...

I've started putting little tags on clothes I make :)

Finished product!! It only took...half a year >.< 

Belated #2: Secret Santa

I saw this constellation runner on design sponge around the same time I made the embroidered placemat and chose it for my secret santa :)

Setting up...

Practically finished...

Final product!! (photo stolen from M)

Belated #1: Sashiko Embroidery

I had more free time on my hands (read: early November...) and was itching to get some crafting done. Unfortunately, I lent my sewing machine to my mother so clothes-making was not a feasible option. Perusing my list of projects, I decided to make decorative placemats with Sashiko embroidery. Free templates are my best friend :)

So, I drew this pattern onto my fabric and stitched it up! 

I have other patterns saved for later, but only had time to make one so far...and it's not even sewed to completion! Who knew embroidery would take so long?