I have had an itch to sew some summer clothes like all get-out. I boldly (in denial about the reality of my post-baby size) cut out 2 pairs of linen pants about 1 month ago, all ready to wear after miss Lydia came, and yeah. . . they didn't fit. And then. . . . still didn't fit. Now they fit. That linen stretches a lot, thank god. So, a pair of cropped dark brown and loden green linen pants are now done just in time for the hot days and for my need to get dressed in 2.5 seconds. I made a larger pair last week because I just couldn't deal with not having any--so now I have 3 pairs and they are all I'm gonna wear all summer. I refuse to buy sized clothes post-baby. At least I need to wait until fall. Also, can you believe what they are charging for linen elastic waist pants? I can't. Home sewn, I think these cost about $12 each. Way better, I'd say.
In between running out of elastic, I made this blouse over the weekend. There's a back story here. It's a short one. This fabric is by Nani Iro and I have been bugging Mariko about buying it from superbuzzy for about 2 months. Maybe more. I was trying to play it cool and not ask about it again, but then I did. I finally went over there and got it the day it went on sale last week after I had my spy tell me more about it. It's super soft, lightweight (double cotton gauze) and airy. Just lovely. I can't express how much it means to me to have this fabric. The repeat is huge and the design looks like watercolor. It's hard to photograph, but trust me. You can see it on me in this horrible out-of-focus photo here, with a crying baby. I can sew all weekend, but can't take a photo that requires 2 adults-that's how it goes.
Some details:
-here's the blouse pattern I used. I added elastic to the sleeves on this one.
-the width on this Nani Iro fabric, after washing, is just over 36", so buy extra.
-it's not cheap, think of this as an anthropologie type fabric, this blouse took 2 yards, which made it about $38 to sew. . . which is still amazing in my book when I look at this fabric.
And speaking of sewing clothes, I have an interview up with Sister Diane over at CraftyPod all about sewing clothes. It's about 30 minutes long and Diane's silky smooth voice and great music always makes me smile. Thanks Diane!
