make it, wear it! challenge

** UPDATE: I WON THE CHALLENGE!!!!

i actually sat there for a while staring at sew mama sew post announcing the winners... and i didn't even notice that i'd won... i was SO sure i wouldn't win... it wasn't until i received the message via flickr that i found out!

i'm SO happy!!! i love my little brother straight stitch machine that my mother bought for me 20+ (zomg!) years ago... but it will be very nice introducing a new machine into the works to give my little brother a break... :)

i can't wait to start sewing on my new machine!!!

and last but not least, many heartfelt thanks to the lovely folks at Sew Mama Sew for hosting such an awesome and inspiring giveaway!!

**END UPDATE

i'm a new reader to the sew, mama sew blog and i just recently read about the make it, wear it! challenge. all one has to do is sew clothes in june and enter a photo of the garment(s) to the flickr pool or their forum. (the prizes include a sewing machine... i love my little brother sewing machine... but i've had it since high school... it would be nice to have a new one.)

immediately, i thought - "oh that's easy, i can do that...."

not so fast, sewing sistah... enter the custom designed/fitted sofa pillow covers from h*ll... *insert psycho music here*

a few months ago, i agreed to make some pillow covers for a friend of a friend. it would require me to knock off the existing cover into a new pattern, cut and sew up 6 of these babies...

little did i know, the sheer boredom of the project would absolutely suck the soul right out of me... thankfully, despite a few roadblocks (customer didn't buy enough fabric yardage (i gave ydg amt) or the correct kind of velcro) they're done and banished from my sewing table...

it reminded me of working for one of my teachers, Alice Berry... after meeting with a client one day for a fitting, alice confessed to me that after many years of designing, she finally felt like she liked what she was designing, that she would actually wear some of it... that hit me like a truck... her business was so successful and there was so much about her design philosophy and her fabric/color palettes that i admired and yet, she was just NOW (circa mid 90s) enjoying her work... my dreams/ideas of what it meant (and what it cost) to be a fashion designer were completely altered that day...

mark my words i will never, EVER make stupid, boring pillows again!!! *shakes fist to sky*

anyhoo.... i was SO relieved (after finishing the PILLOWS OF DEATH) that it was still june and i still had time to make something... (i entered the dress i made for paloma's classmate into the challenge, but i wanted to make something for me too). and here it is:



the fabric was part of a large donation, compiled from my mother in law and her mother's craft rooms... the vintage geometic print fabric was made by a company called soptra. the yardage has this sticker on it every yard or so. love the five and dimes!:



i used simplicity pattern #3833. the only change i made was using an invisible zipper instead of a lapped zipper... i just prefer the look of invisible zippers. :)

wish me luck! and thanks for stopping by and reading! :)