Thursday, February 18, 2010

Latest Projects-Aprons, Cushions and Clothes- Oh My!

Well it's certainly difficult to have something cool to follow up the Monarch jacket- and I don't have anything that cool right now.
So, you'll just have to enjoy some clothes I've made for myself. I've set a goal for to slowly replace as much of my existing wardrobe with things I have made. This is not a hard and fast rule, I love to sew, so what better place to show it off than on myself- that and I have lots of fabric! I won't be making things like socks, undies or shoes (I love my shoes!). Making footwear will mostly be reserved for costuming purposes. I also doubt that I will be mastering jeans anytime soon also.
 
Cool twisty front top! This is made out of some lovely rayon spandex fabric that wrinkles when you look at it- so this style is good for it.



 
One in grey also!


Faux surplus top- that fabric was something super cheap from Wal-Mart- luckily most of it is double layers, because it's cheap for a reason!


Actual surplus wrap with nice cozy high collar.

Alright, enough of my wardrobe. 


I love this apron. It is reversible and skull-covered. One side is orange, and one side is skulled. Both sides have a pocket, and both sides have an orange waistband and ties. Has cute scalloped edges. And where can you get something like this? Why, I'm glad you asked- from my etsy shop!

And for the cushions- some commissions for my mother (I would not be caught working with those fabrics under normal circumstances!). So she asked for a few different things, a round cushion with a ruffle for a stool, a rectangular cushion for a bench, and some throw pillows.
The round cushion is first.
I purchased some foam that is 2" thick. I made a pattern the appropriate size, and traced it onto the foam.
 
I used an old kitchen knife to saw through the foam and cut it into shape.
  
I made a simple muslin cover for the foam because the main fabric is so light colored, I was afraid the green foam would show through. So of course the cat took it upon herself to test out the cushion- she approved.
   
As you can see, the fabric has a gingham pattern to it, so I wanted to match up the pattern where possible. So here I spread the fabric on the kitchen floor (the only spot with enough floor space) and played around with the placement of the pattern pieces.
 
I cut the side of the cushion on the bias for a few reasons- it would fit better around the cushion, it would eliminate the impossible task of matching up the pattern in this shape, and last because it will look good. The ruffle was also gathered (I kind of hate gathers!) and stitched into place.
 
The bottom of the cushion was split along the pattern to allow for a zipper to be inserted.
 
Cushion is assembled and in there! Zipper functions, and I sewed a small amount of ribbon to the bottom to tie the cushion onto the wicker stool.
 
While this is something I would not have typically made- I admit, it looks cute.
 
Here's the finished product at my ma's. I also added those ruffles to those towels.

Now the bench cushion.

Another piece of 2" thick foam- purchased from the local JoAnn Fabric- they have an upholstery section, and while foam can be expensive, they do have a lot of sales. After tracing my shape onto it, I sawed it into shape.
 
The back end of the cushion will have this velcro closure hidden. More gingham fabric to keep matched up! On one hand it's kind of annoying, but then again, it gives nice straight lines to cut along. It also forces me to keep everything nice and straight while I'm sewing.
After the velcro is stitched into place, I pressed the velcro together, and cut that panel down to the correct size. It was then stitched to the other panel that would cover the remaining 3 sides of the cushion. That panel was cut on the bias.
From there it was a quick finish after stitching the top and bottom into place. I stuffed the foam block into place, and we have a cushion! I also forgot to mention- this fabric was recycled from a dust ruffle!
 
Here's the finished result. I also made those little throw pillows too. They are a combination of the dust ruffle fabric and the round cushion fabric. That flowered fabric was actually left over from a few years ago when I made this shower curtain....
 
World's cutest, girly-est bathroom rigtht?

1 comment:

  1. If anyone needs a sewing project done this is the woman to do it! All seams & flower/check patterns match, neat, clean work, zippered cushion to remove foam for cleaning, I've had Gina do several projects for me, excellant workmanship! All arrived on time, neatly packed.

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