Kathryn Bailey

I have had many requests for pictures of the outfit I made for Dana' new baby, Kathryn, so here they are. Although it is still a little big, she looks precious in it :) Thanks to Dana for taking the pictures for me so I can share!!

Ballroom Dancing Anyone?

Most of you know I was making a ballroom dancing costume for my friend Emily. It was definitely the most interesting project I have undertaken and learned a lot. Emily looked fantastic in during her dance competition! Hopefully I will get to make her a smooth dress soon! 

              

Now Taking Orders!

Courtney asked me to make a birthday present for a little girl she babysits for so I got busy and discovered that making little girls' clothes is really quick and I could potentially make some money. So now I am selling skirts with matching bows for $15. I can use any fabric requested and the skirts are made to fit. So, if you know anybody that would like to order one, just let me know! Here are some pictures of the skirts I made for Courtney.

I also made a dress for Piper that I am excited about. It is my first embroidery project. Even though it is only one letter I was still excited.

My First Formal Dress and Possibly Business Opportunity

I just finished making my very first formal dress for Kista. It was nearly as hard as I was expecting it to be. David seriously doubted me when I told him I was going to make it but I think he was impressed in the end. This is also the first project I have done that I didn't use a pattern. The skirt was adapted from a pattern and then made my own pattern piece but the bodice I competely made up on my own. I am quite proud of the end result. The dress form I got for Christmas definitely made the whole process a lot easier. The fabric was an overlay of chiffon over satin. I was really nervous before I started because I have never used sheer fabric before. I had to learn how to do french seams and blind stitch hems for the dress. They both gave the dress a real polished look. I wasn't happy with how it turned out but I figure it was pretty good for my first time. I am usually not such a perfectionist on my own clothing but since it was for someone else I wanted it to be a good as possible. It is still hard to believe though that I had just made my first dress this time last year. Sewing has definitely become an obsession. Thankfully David doesn't seem to mind the mess and busy wife too much. I figure eventually he will make me my own sewing room :) Since it has been so long since I have posted I do have several other projects I have finished for myself but never took pictures. I will eventually add those for everyone to see. My next project will be a baby shower gift and then maybe a Mardi Gras Ball dress for Courtney. She is in the process of looking for one and if she can't find something she likes then I might make her one.

My next goal is to learn how to make custom made bathing suits. I think I could make some money at this especially here in Auburn. Kista told me about a lady in Pensacola who charges like $80 and you have to order one six months in advance to get it. As soon as I can make it to Columbus or Montgomery I will buy some swim suit material and see how it goes. I for one know that I can never find a bathing suit that I like that fits the way I want so this could be interesting. Stay tuned for updates on how this goes. . . .

Christmas Presents

I decided that I was going to try and sew as many Christmas presents as I could this year to share my projects with others. I finished these two skirts for Lauren the other day and am excited to see her wear them. I hope they fit because I was kind of guessing on size and length. One is going to be pretty long but I hope it will work out. If I get good enough, I am going to embroider her name on one of the shirts and her intials on the other. I think they will be cute little outfits. I have other gifts in mind but won't post pictures until after Christmas so I don't spoil any surprises :)

Getting Better

This is a dress I started and finished last night. It was extremely easy to make and I got lots of compliments today at work and at Junior League. A girl at work even wants me to make her one! I based it off a dress we actually had at the Loft. Dana is coming to visit me this weekend so I am going to get to make her a dress :) I am starting to run out of my stockpile of fabric I have had so I might have to take a brief break for sewing for myself until I can afford to buy me some new fabric. In the meantime, I will try to go through all of my fabric remnants and see what I can come up with.

I also had so many people mention today that they would so buy this dress, so I am considering setting up a virtual store to sell my creations. It will probably be custom orders so you can choose your fabric, colors, sizes, etc. More to come on that later if I decide to go forward with it. It would at least let me earn some money so I can buy fabric to make things for myself :)

I started a new project this afternoon with leftover material from my pink jacket but it is turning out to be pretty tough. Maybe the toughtest I have experienced so far. Thanks to my new favorite site www.burdastyle.com I can download free or really cheap patterns and view lots of how-tos and get advice from other sewers. It is a little intimating because most people don't use patterns and create their own styles and I am not quite there yet. However, I have asked for a dress form for christmas from my parents so expect some Andee Originals next year. This has definitely become and unexpected hobby for me but one I have throughly enjoyed and can't wait to see what else I come up with!

Pink Jacket

Here is my latest project. I am very excited about it. It might be the best job I have done so far. David didn't particuarly care for the style of the jacket but thought I did a good job sewing it. A girl I work with today asked me if I bought the jacket from Loft. Obviously that made my day! I am definitely getting better. I have already started on a shirt that I am excited about. I am using leftover fabric from one of my other projects and a free pattern that I found online so it will be a cheap project :)