Sewing Up A Storm!

Back to the tote! I worked a little more on my REVERSE APPLIQUÉ TOTE project today. I'm not going to lie, this type of hand sewing IS NOT for me. As you can see from the photo below, you clip your fabric and turn it under then hand sew the edge down with a hem stitch. That got old for me. I hand sewed the petals and the center of the flower but when it came the stem and leaves, I moved to my sewing machine desk. IT'S QUICKER! Hello! Also, the machine stitching will handle washing better in the machine. I'll learn what sort of job I did when I was the tote for the first time.

Here's the finished product! It's a little different from my drawing, but it's very close. I should have clipped the stem a little more on the curve to get a smoother edge, but in the end, I think it looks artsy.  Even the leaves aren't as smooth as the petals. If I ever to this project again, I will remember the technicalities. :)

I still need to put the handles on the tote. I picked up some "webbing" in the upholstery section at Mill End Textiles. This was priced .65 cents per yard. I've never purchased webbing before. If I remember right, I learned to use the webbing for handles at sewing.about.com. I think I'd like to put a facing along the inside edge to give the tote a finished look.  

While I was shopping at the fabric store, I made sure that I checked out the water soluble fabric markers. I read about them all of the time in my Threads subscription.  Check this out! You just use it like a regular marker (Kwik Sew 3054 is the pattern I purchased. I'm getting to that!)

When you're done with the marking, you just mist some water on it and it INSTANTLY dissolves. THIS IS SO COOL! I tested it out on some mauve broadcloth too - works like a charm. :)  

There are several brands (okay, there was 3 at the store I was at) to choose from, including Clover, which is a brand in the quilting supply section. The Clover marker ran $5. I forget the other brand for $4.19, but I grabbed the cheapest at $3.89. Photo of the package below. I have a few other Collins products in my sewing supplies and I've never been disappointed, so I went it. I was a little nervous to put any marker on my projects, to be honest. But it turned out as SUPER COOL. Glad I got it. 

So Kwik Sew 3054! I picked out a cute basic skirt/tank-top pattern. The designer (Kersten Martensson) is just awesome. (Same designer for the bras that I like to make.) She designed this skirt and top pattern for fabrics of georgette, silk, silk-like fabrics, charmeuse, crepe or challis. I picked out some baby blue linen, because I didn't want to make a lining for the skirt. I guess I'm still looking for a few basic patterns so I can reuse them with different fabrics for the seasons. I really like Kwik Sew because all the patterns are tested. :) How Cool is THAT!? I haven't had to make any adjustments to a pattern yet. My tastes are pretty basic too. 

My finished skirt on the dress form.

And instead of ironing on a tag to the back of the skirt, I sewed a button on the front. I doubt that I would ever tuck a blouse in, but I won't lock myself into that idea just in case I come across a top that looks cute tucked in. 

This gal made the top. Check it out. I love her fabric! I need more experience sewing satin fabrics. I used the wrong needle and I had threads running all over th place. I basically ruined the fabric. :( O'well. Now I have learned!