Maxi dress

I'm so proud of this!! I got the idea from Pinterest but couldn't find a pattern I liked enough. Ok, I really didn't wanna spend $10 for a simple dress pattern so I basically fiddled with a tutorial and made it my own. It fits DD really well, the form (which I LOVE) is a wee taller than DD. 
I used my Hawaii fabric!! Figured it was better to use it up so I can see and enjoy it rather than collecting dust on the shelf. Still, I had a lot of anxiety cutting into this. 



I think I posed this already but it looks like a different dress on the form!


Fabric and Duck tape boxes for the craft room made with homemade modpodge

Quilt finished!

This is the Craftsy free Block of the month quilt. I finished it early this month. Really loving this.

Knitting finishes

I've been really slow at blogging though not slow at making stuff. I recently finished these 2 dresses for Aanya. Better post them here before she grows out of them!!

Bloom by Georgie Hallam (finished Jan 2013)
 This is done using the hand dyed yarn in the previous post. Love it.






 Ridinghood by Tina Good (finished in 2012)
My most favorite knitted project so far. It took forever! The skirt is nice and twirly.




I am going to post more of my finishes here in 2013. I've made the new 52 Things in 52 weeks list which has all the projects I plan to do this year. It will keep changing though and I will update it regularly.
Gotta run, Aanya is calling.

Yarn dyeing

I have recently gotten into yarn dyeing. It is so satisfying to see color being taken up immediately by yarn. It's kinda like magic :) Love love love it.

This tonal purple was my first ever dye project. I love the variations that came up automatically. I followed this tute. This will probably be longies for Aanya.

This one is just sooo lovely. I love the bright colors. I painted the yarn using foam brush and went over every bit. Fun! The green one was done using low water immersion technique. These will likely be a tunic for Aanya.

I have to finish knitting my current project which would hopefully be done today and then I can try these out. I'm all out of bare yarn to dye and have to wait for more to arrive this week. Dreaming up new colorways!

Another coat

I'm busting through my todo list. Here's another coat on the list that can be crossed off now.

She loves it!!

Also finished knitting the Bliss top/dress. I had started knitting the top on our trip to Myrtle beach this summer. Did a whole lot of knitting on the beach and made a lot of progress then slowed way down. Now I picked it again and off to the finish line. This will be used in the spring and summer. It is blocking today.

New coat

Newest coat for Aanya. It is courdroy outer and cotton lining. I love to wear coats and love them on her even more. Makes an outfit look so sharp. Here is the latest.

My sewing room

This is where I love to spend my extra time. My own little sewing room in the basement. Usually it is a mess but I cleaned up the other day and decided I should take pictures.

Table setup - I have 2 tables (from IKEA) which are set up in L-shape configuration. On the wall I have 2 floating shelves (IKEA). Jars on the top shelf are also from IKEA and they contain my elastic, lace, binding, etc. The lids are labelled. The second shelf has a lot of things - tape, velcro on a roll, Fold over elastic rolled up, extra serger cones, various cans of sewing related stuff like spray starch, basting spray, glitter glue (ok that's not sewing related), etc. There is also a bowl which contains scrap pieces of lace, ribbon etc.
Thread storage - I love the idea of hanging thread storage. This is just pegboard with 1/4" dowels cut into pieces and glued. It was so cheap to make.
I love that everything is accessible when I'm sitting down and sewing.

The red table cover on the sewing table actually contains pockets to hold stuff too! I made it up the other night and really like it to keep stuff like small scissors for snipping threads, seam ripper, small rulers, etc. 

Closer view

 Magnetic strip on the wall holds my various pins, clips, beads, etc. Love having the scissors on there also.

On the table - various containers. The stacked up ones on the right contain all my resin snaps (for diapers and other use) and the topmost contains my precious collection of sewing labels. I have a desk Ott light on there as well. Lighting is THE biggest issue in this room.

 Expedit unit from IKEA. It is so versatile I love it. I have it in the kids rooms too for their stuff. Here I will go row by row
Top row - Craft books (cross stitch, knitting, jewelry). Binders have all my printed or traced patterns. I have a binder for each category - knitting, toddler sewing, diaper sewing, diapers & trainers sewing, adults, Miscellaneous, and Manuals (for serger, sewing machine and snap pliers). The white bin contains yarn. Next cube has some old Vogue magazines that I'm keeping (donno why!) Vase.
Second row - Cross stitch patterns, cross stitch projects in ziplock bags without fabric, sewing books and magazines, more cross stitch projects, template plastic and other tracing supplies.
Third row - More yarn, Beading supplies and tools, P- touch labeller, laminator, sewing patterns for kids.
Forth row - Games, cross stitch projects, beading supplies, cross stitch projects or supplies, painting/sketch made by my niece when she was 7!
Last row - Christmas bows & misc junk, unused scrapbook, sewing patterns for adults, painting supplies, sketching paper etc.

And this is the last side. Kindof hidden from the view purposefully blocked by that big frame are my embroidery floss organizers. I have 4 of those stacked up in the corner. Aanya loves to get into them and the frame is holding her off for now.
Bookcase contains a lot of microfleece, minky, PUL, fleece, etc. The long table is my cutting table and also my ironing board. I need to make a tabletop ironing pad and stop using a towel! Next to it is my latest acquisition a Vintage Singer 401A! I really love it.

Last but not the least, the closet (under the stairs) contains all my other fabric.

That's the tour. Hope you enjoyed it.