The Singing Costumer

Once again, I found a dress that I loved at a thrift store that didn't fit. I absolutely loved the print. It was a sad day when I realized it was way too small. But happily, I know how to sew! It is a really pretty orange and pink floral. Orange has always been my least favorite color, as long as I can remember. But apparently I love it when mixed with pink. So weird. But whatever. I adore my new bag. I'd never really made a backpack, so I thought I'd do that. When browsing my patterns, Simplicity 1439 caught my eye. It has several dainty and precious bags plus a backpack included in the pattern. It seems to have been inspired by Laura Ashley, perhaps? I loved it. For some reason, I really wanted to quilt the fabric. So I did. I quilted diamonds all across, at 1.5 inches apart, I believe. I always love using my walking foot on my machine when quilting any straight lines. That metal “arm” on the side helps me keeps my lines nice and even. A major goal for this yea...

Joann Fabrics has tons of yarn. So many choices! And when I was working there, I decided to learn to knit. I was not then nor am I now very advanced or speedy at the craft, but it's fun. My favorite color is purple, and I loved this shade of dusty purple/lavender. This yarn is a polyester/cotton. It was cheap and not the softest ever, but it worked just fine. Since it's a purse and I'm not wearing it next to my skin, a bit of scratchiness is not a big issue. This bag is from “ Knit Accessories” from the Go Crafty line of pattern books. Probably bought, again, at Joann Fabrics. It is the “Ridged Bag”. I would call this pattern advanced beginner. You do need to know how to increase and knit 2 together, and of course the basic stitches. But it isn't impossibly difficult. It has multiple rows of knit and purl stitches, so it's a good pattern to get some practice in your basics before moving on to more complicated patterns. It did take me a long tim...

This is the smaller Heidi Foldover Wristlet from Swoon Patterns. It is available at https://swoonpatterns.com/shop/heidi-foldover/ Two sizes, the Wristlet and the larger Clutch bag, are available in the same free pattern. Which is a fantastic deal, in my opinion. I have loved the TV show Supernatural for many years now. This fabric came up in my Facebook feed and I could not resist it. It features candy conversation hearts, with many famous quotes from the show. My personal favorite is “My 'people' skills are 'rusty' ”. Misha Collins, the actor who plays Castial, is so talented. Anyway, back to the sewing. This time, I had plenty of vinyl to do the accent piece on the bottom as the pattern shows. A large remnant from Joann's Fabrics worked nicely. It was a good thing I had lots to work with, as it would turn out. I had to cut and sew one side twice because I forgot to put my walking foot on the machine. Rookie mistake. The stitches tu...

My last post, I wrote that I bought a yard of each of two diferent Beauty and the Beast stained glass fabric. You've seen what I made with first one, (see the previous blog here https://thesingingcostumer.blogspot.com/2018/08/beauty-and-beast-set.html . ) And this is what I made with the second. I loved both prints equally, so I had to buy both. The two were similar, but were different enough that I could find a use for them both. Joann Fabrics has really stepped up their game in the licensed character prints. They are all so beautiful. They've also added some ch aracter knit fabrics, so check it out if you would like. There's some fun Harry Potter prints, which are very popular, I'm sure. Star Wars is well represented also, as well as Star Trek. Basically any fandom or theme you could want. Please observe the beauty of this fabric. I bought purple 1/4" cord from "Paracord Planet" on Amazon. This shade wasn't an exact match to the fabric w...

I have written about my time at Joann Fabrics multiple times. This travel set was made from a double-sided quilted fabric that I found there while working. Sadly, I didn't buy it in time and there wasn't enough for all the projects I wanted to do. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. It is actually two cotton fabrics quilted together. Joann Fabrics carried quite a few different prints in this line. It has one side with a leopard print. And the other side has stripes of Leopard print, Zebra Stripes, and Giraffe spots.  I used Simplicity 2551 for the handbag. I matched the pattern of the fabrics across the front of the purse and the pockets. It is lined in simple black cotton. The duffle bag was made from Simplicity 2274. I used the solid Leopard print side of the fabric. My favorite feature is the gold-tone metal zipper. For some reason, a metal zipper elevates the whole look of the project to the next level. It has a large pocket on the end for s...

It is no secret that I am in love with Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Always has been, probably always will be. The aesthetic of the stained glass windows and the jewel tones of deep blues, purples, and greens are just beautiful.   The purse is the FREE(!!!) Ramona mini hipster from https://swoonpatterns.com/ If I ever make it again, I'll enlarge it just a little bit. But it is a good size for travel. Small, light, compact and hands-free because of the cross-body strap. Perfect for going to Walt Disney World. And that's exactly what I did. I took this set on a quick 4-day trip and it worked out very well.  I just discovered the Swoon Patterns site recently and I love it. There are tons of free purse patterns and even more that are pretty cheap. I already have plans for a couple more. The makeup bag is from the book Making Vintage Bags by Emma Brennan, which I've mentioned before. And the small coin purse is the same, just with smaller rectangles. I am obs...

I found this gorgeous fabric at (where else) Joann Fabrics. One side looks like a navy with a lace layered on top, and the back side is just navy. At first, I thought I might make a skirt, but I thought I might get more use of a purse. I found McCall's 4400 in my stash and gave it a try. I love the way the handle comes down the front and tucks into the little loop. Very cutesy. But it's Laura Ashley, so of course it is.  I used view D. It's a fairly easy pattern. There was nothing that surprised me in the construction. I also found a fabulous lace zipper at Hobby Lobby. It's so pretty and lacy! Here's a close up, but it's a little hard to see. I haven’t used it much, though. Like, at all. Not once. It didn't turn out like I imagined. Or maybe it's too floppy and not structured enough for this style. (It does have interfacing in it, but I should have used a thicker interfacing). Maybe I should have used a prettier white fabric instea...

Hello, my name is Sarah, and I have an addiction to buying random things at thrift stores. (“Hello, Sarah”) I have at least 5 items in my thrift store “cut up and repurpose” pile and I just bought a dress for $2 the other day for a new summer purse. Whoops. This purse began life as a beautiful gray 100% wool dress about 8 sizes too big for me. And no, I’m not exaggerating. But I couldn't leave so much nice fabric for such a good price. Usually, I don't favor gray, but this fabric called to me and told me that it wanted to be a purse. And who am I to deny?  :-) The pattern is McCalls 6977, view A. It came together well with no problems that I recall. The bow on the front took quite a lot of the fabric, more than I expected. But with some clever placing of the pattern pieces, I made it all fit. All the layers of wool and interfacing in the bow is so heavy however, that the purse is very front-heavy and it likes to flop forward. But that's a minor issue. ...

I love this set. They were finished probably 5 years ago, but I'm not sure. I found a pattern book in the library years ago called Making Vintage Bags: 20 Original Sewing Patterns for Vintage Bags and Purses by Emma Brennan and I loved all the patterns included. Only a month or two ago did I finally get around to buying my own copy. The purses are inspired from different eras ranging from the 1920s to the 1960s. This model is called Nancy and is 1940’s inspired. It is a little small for me personally, but oh so adorable. The main fabric is a light blue corduroy gifted from a friend, I think, and the lining is a quilting fabric from Joann Fabrics, years ago. Blue, I decided, was a pretty color while being neutral enough to coordinate with many outfits. As the pattern suggests, I appliqued felt flowers and leaves with a zig-zag stich on the front of the bag, and on the matching coin purse (this was also a pattern from the book). After some hemming and hawing, I dec...