Fall/Winter Wardrobe

This season I am challenging myself to make any and all new additions to my wardrobe, in an effort to learn better sewing techniques and save a little money. It's frustrating that buying yarn and fabric sometimes ends up costing more than purchasing new clothes, but I found that with some extra hunting, bargains can be found! Then there's the question of whether or not you'll be satisfied with the end result, whether or not it will fit, etc etc etc... but I've come to terms with the fact that this is a learning process, and if you accidentally sew the zipper to the bottom of the skirt (which I did) and it takes more time ripping it out than it did to sew it in, that's just part of the JOY of making things for yourself.

Owl Sweater

The pattern for this sweater was a free download from this website, and I found some natural wool at our local yarn store for real cheap. Only had to purchase two skeins, and I have a ton leftover. It was fairly easy to knit, and I learned how to make short rows in the process! As soon as I sewed the button eyes onto the owls, I really fell in love with it.

Denim Skirt w/ Pockets

The fabric for this skirt was leftover from our shower curtain project, and the design came from an old Butterick pattern of my Mom's from the '70s. In my opinion, all dresses and skirts should have pockets, so I was really excited when I came across this pattern in my stash. The best part about making this skirt was the $2 invisible zipper foot I bought that actually worked. My first invisible zipper! It's a miracle and I can't believe I never tried using one before.

Red Cape w/ Hood

I've been wanting a woolly red cape for a little while, and thought I'd finally be able to afford the 2.5 yards of fabric during the last day of our local fabric store's 40% off sale, but $25/yard was still too pricey, even with the discount. Fortunately though, I was able to find two identical scraps of red wool in the remnant stack for $8/yard. I took about 6" off the bottom and sewed button holes instead of attaching loops like the pattern suggested. Looks like I might end up being Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween this year...