Sew For Victory!

Here we go with another sew-a-long blog post!

I apologize in advance for the poor photo quality. My brother borrowed my lens for a trip and has yet to return it. Iphone photos will have to do for now.

I love the 1940's aesthetic, so when Rochelle from Lucky Lucille announced the second Sew For Victory Challenge, I knew I was in! I had the perfect pattern in my stash, and I went on the hunt for the right fabric. 

I chose to make Vogue 8728. I'd had my eye on the pattern for quite some time, and as soon as it went on sale I snatched it up. I love the style lines of this dress, but I'm not certain why I chose to sew it, because I loathe sewing gathers. Sometimes we sacrifice for the things we love!

I went to the fabric store looking for something with a nice drape, and stumbled on a wonderful selection of vintage inspired polyester prints. Finally! The green of this one stood out to me, and had the added bonus of matching at least three of my cardigans at home. 

As much as I love the look of this fabric, it was a beast to sew! It's slippery, doesn't press well (although that could be partially to do with my sad old iron), and frays if you look at it funny. I added a lapped hand-picked zipper on the side, because I find those to be the easiest to control.

We went to a gorgeous park to take these photos, and most of my time was spent either frolicking through the woods, or freaking out about the cuteness of the squirrels.

This face is usually accompanied by pigeon-like cooing

"THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC!"

Looking at the photos, I may need to fiddle with the hem a little bit more. It has a fairly deep hem, but I'm wondering if a narrow hem will help it hang better. What do you guys think? 

I love the way this dress turned out. I've already worn it three times in the past two weeks! I have plans to make a few more in printed cotton and rayon challis for the summer time, and perhaps make a peasant-style top out of white cotton. 

Love,

Rachael

Knitting for Babies

Hello chickadees!

I am of the age where many of my friends from school and church are having babies. This is a wonderful time, especially as a "crafty" person because it provides many opportunities to bless my friends with adorable handmade items!

A while ago my friend Tayler announced that she was having a baby boy. Exciting news! I was invited to the baby shower, and so I figured that I would knit something special! 

What better way to celebrate the arrival of a new precious bundle of joy! 

The yarn is Knit Picks Comfy Worsted, and had been hanging out in my stash for a bit. I had originally planned to use it to knit a cotton version of the Miette sweater, but could not get a nice looking gauge. It was perfect for this little project! 

This sweater had so many false starts! I knew that I wanted a cardigan, preferably raglan sleeved, and not too girly. I started knitting it about 8 different times and hated all of them, until I finally settled on this modified version of Brenna Kotar's Hoot Cardigan. Instead of the owl cables, I just used a simple 6 stitch cable pattern. All of the edges are finished with I-cord. 

I even found the cutest little puppy dog buttons!

The booties are my own pattern, basically just a teeny tiny sock finished again with I-cord. Are they not the most precious thing? If these little guys don't start your baby fever, nothing will. 

The sweater was a hit! Now we're just waiting for baby to arrive! 

The mama-to-be loved it!

Love,

Rachael