I may have mentioned that I was going to attempt to alter a pair of pants. Right now they’re quite long, and I was thinking about making them into a cropped pair. Easy, right? Perhaps too easy. Instead I thought I’d skip right over the easy alteration and attempt to make a dress. I’ll show you the beginning of this project, though there’s a good chance that you’ll never see the end result!

I bought what I thought was a dress/beach cover up online recently, though when it arrived, I realized that they actually call it a shirt, which seems odd, because it’s way longer than I’d ever want any shirt to be. It’s not long enough to be a dress either (or at least, not one I’d ever wear!), so it will be going back to the store. I like the look of it though, and thought that perhaps it would be a good sewing project… and a test of my sewing skills.

Here’s a little glimpse of it

It looks easy enough, though having never made any type of garment (unless you can count the fabric that I stapled to my dolls when I was younger…) I may already be in way over my head. We shall see.

Now, being a sensible sewer, I didn’t want to attempt this little project with any of my good fabrics, so instead I opted for a large piece of vintage fabric that I had bought at a yard sale

The fabric itself is fine, though nothing I’d ever want to wear. Plus, if you could catch a whiff of it, you wouldn’t want it near your body either (and that’s after two washings!). I’ll be quite sad if I manage to make a dress that looks like a dress and actually fits, as I’ll be hard pressed to duplicate it if I try it with nice fabric.

(I apologize for the bad photos – dreary, dark days we’re having here…)

This is what I have so far, and I’ll see if I can start sewing it up tonight. Look for updated photos soon… (here’s hoping, anyway!)

I thought I’d share a few of my favorite Etsy shops. Of course, there are many more, and it’s certainly hard to narrow it down to a few, so I’ll stick to those I’ve actually ordered from. One of my first Etsy orders was from lgbrinkley. She makes perfectly teeny tiny pottery bowls, just perfect for holding small jewelry or other small items. She’s come up with many different designs, and has even done a couple custom orders for me. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Another favorite is JDWolfe Pottery. Her distinctive colors and patterns are great. She uses a wonderful spring green color that I love, and often tops it with polka dots, for a fun and unique piece. I drink my coffee out of one of her mugs every morning –

Not only that, but she makes the smallest little vases, perfect for one or two flowers.

And my last pick for the day is CatyLou Quilts. Jen sells fabric – by the yard, 1/2 yard, fat quarter – anything you’d like. She has a great selection of designer fabrics – Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Michael Miller, etc, etc, etc. and the best part is how fast she ships. Seriously, like lightning fast. It’s great because I can see a fabric I’d love to use, and in two days I have it in my hands. Love it – thanks Jen

These are just a few from what has become a very long list. I’ll share more in the future!

The date of my last post, Friday, June 13th, was my sister’s birthday. I finally caught up with her to give her her gift, and now that’s it’s been opened, I can post a picture here

Happy birthday Whit! I hope you enjoy your very own set of handmade napkins!