Swimsuit Season… cringes not necessary.

Posted in DIY, General, Sewing by Smash Knits

This past December, I was on the hunt for either a sewing pattern for a retro one-piece, or an actual suit. I needed one to accompany me to the Dominican Republic and help me ring in 2013 in style. After indulging all month long on Christmas goodies (ooops), I wasn’t really feeling a bikini & wanted something classy and chic that didn’t scream “old lady swimwear”.

After an extensive search that resulted in zero sewing patterns, I did the unthinkable… I purchased a suit online… without having tried it on. The one I found was from Unique Vintage, purveyors of retro prom dresses, rock-a-billy wear, and swimsuits. The site had pretty specific measurements, so after taking my own I felt relatively comfortable taking the plunge (har har) and ordering.

The price? A lil on the steeper side, at $75.00 for the suit, as well as $30.00 for shipping to Canada. We won’t talk about the additional $20.00 charge I got from FedEx a month later, for customs or something – how that wasn’t included in the $30.00 S&H is a mystery to this day.

The suit I ordered is the one pictured below, in black, available here. Cute, right?

Overall I was mostly happy with it. It held up well in the ocean, had a shelf lined bust, and the stitching was very solid and well constructed. However, the skirt portion gets pretty heavy when wet, and this bad boy takes a long time to dry. I felt comfortable wearing it, and far from dumpy. BUT! I wasn’t prepared to pay another $100+ for a second suit, so the search for the perfect sewing pattern continued…

Until yesterday when I stumbled upon this lil’ gem of a website, and the swimsuit pattern to answer all of my prayers!

Heather Lou of Closet Case Files is even hosting a sew-a-long, starting June 17th, so that you too can make your own Bombshell Swimsuit! Come on, you know you want to. Pattern is available here.

I’ve got my pieces all cut out, fabric is en route. The Fabric Fairy, of all places (mostly kid fabrics), had this fantastic geometric/chevron print in black/white/coralish salmon. CANNOT WAIT!

31May2013

Summer tee / Knits, knits, knits

Posted in General, Sewing by Smash Knits

Finally, some sewing for ME! Last day of May, and this puppy was whipped up just in time for the Knit Stashbusting Challenge.

This might be my go-to piece for the warmer months. Quick, easy, and super satisfying… just how I like it! Pattern is the Summer Concert Tee from Dixie DIY. It’s a PDF download, great price, and was very simple to put together & follow. There is so much room for creative design in regards to fabric, embellishment, longer sleeves, no sleeves… the sky is the limit! I whipped my first tee up in a bamboo cotton in this absolutely gorgeous teal color I’ve had lying around. I only had a meter, so I didn’t know what I was going to use it for. That’s what happens when you buy something based on the color with no project in mind! I had to get creative with cutting and pattern placement, but I slashed the back portion and have my fabric running in two different directions, and it worked. I literally used almost every last scrap of this fabric to make the tee work. So glad I did because I’ve been wearing it non stop! More to come as soon as I can load up on more knits. Stripes, florals… yum.

4May2013

Newborn Props – Photo Mania!

Posted in General by Smash Knits

About a month ago, I had an opportunity to do a swap with a super talented superMum turned photographer whom I went to high school with. So many years ago… She’s a few provinces away, so all of these lovelies were shipped off to her with TLC, and in return, the following absolutely gorgeous photos were created! Big thanks to Karlee of Love + Light Photography for the beautiful photographs. All items can now be found in my Etsy shop :) Hurray for new babies … how can you not oooooh and aaaaah?

17Mar2013

The River

Posted in DIY, Sewing by Smash Knits

Lately I’ve been on a free-forming, DIYing it sewing kick. I wanted to take a break from total pattern sewing, so I’ve been using a few existing articles of clothing I have as inspiration and going from there. This particular item stemmed from a great workout sweatshirt I already have and love – only this baby wasn’t for me. Instead I whipped it up for a girlfriend who loves Garth Brooks, and has recently developed a love for running. You need a great sweatshirt when you’re out running the hills, right? The actual sewing portion took about 30 minutes tops, as the neckline was left raw and everything else was encased with ribbing. Four pieces of fabric to cut, people! Total cost was a whopping $12… hey big spender.

I used a fabric paint and the freezer paper stencil method to create the words. Basically I freehanded in my cursive writing “Chance the rapids” onto the freezer paper, cut it out with an exacto, and then ironed the freezer paper onto my sweatshirt fabric once the top was sewn up (keeping in mind to place some cardboard in between the layers of fabric!). This took three coats, and I let them dry an hour in between and overnight to set. “Chance the rapids” is a part of a line from Garth Brooks’ song The River. Great song, great lyrics, great workout shirt!

Baby got back!

Wow! It’s been a long while since I’ve posted – Christmas time was a complete frenzy of activity between craft sales, Etsy sales, and the hustle and bustle of the holidays. After taking a much needed break in the Dominican Republic over New Years with family, I was only back in town for three short weeks before heading off to the West coast for milder weather and catching up with some very close girlfriends. One of these lovely ladies just delivered a bouncing baby boy a few weeks prior, so I whipped up a custom diaper bag to take along with me, along with a ton of baby accessories. Diaper clutch, change pad, minky blanket, sock monkey (from here) burp cloths, binky leash, soother pouch, trendy crochet aviator cap, and more! Of course I didn’t take nearly enough photos, but there are a few…

The diaper bag was from a fantastic PDF pattern I found on Etsy. Well worth the price, great instructions & photos. I see several more of these in my future – they’d even work great as a messenger/laptop bag!

I used a medium weight cotton twill for the exterior, and a quilting cotton lining. Bag is interfaced with medium weight fusible, as well as fusible fleece in some areas… this thing is sturdy! Pattern didn’t call for it, but I added a key fob since there’s nothing more frustrating than fishing around in your purse 20 x a day for your keys… I should know! Lots of pockets and space for all those baby neccessities.

And just because it’s adorable … here’s the lil aviator cap. Definitely want to whip more of these up in a hurry!

Possibility

Sitting on the floor in my disaster of a sewing room doing some much needed organizing, I looked up and saw the quote I had posted above my yarn shelf. Wanted to share, because it’s a great thing to be reminded of! Excuse the poor photos; it’s the one downside to have a basement room + fluro lighting! But I’m not complaining, no sirree. Back to my organizational binge :)

Sweet Success!

After several weeks of preparation, I’m happy to say that the first annual Winnipeg Etsy Street Team (WEST) Handmade & Vintage Sale went off without a hitch yesterday! We had a gorgeous fall day on our side to entice people to come out and check out local Winnipeg artisans and purveyor of vintage wares. Happy = me!

Being on an organzing comittee of any kind is always time-consuming, exciting, and nerve-wracking all at once! I woke up the morning of the sale anxious and eager, with my fingers crossed. Thanks to everyone coming together, we were able to provide local shoppers with a great variety of goods in a friendly, cozy, and relaxed venue.

It was great to connect with several other WEST members whom I’d only know to date via email and discussions held online. Always nice to put a face to a name! Checking out other vendors proved difficult however, given that the sale was hoppin’ pretty much all day. Not that I’m complaining; here’s to many more successful WEST community events!

A few snaps of my new display. I’m proud to give a shout out to my Dad, who was in charge of re-creating a vintage bread rack I spooted on Kijiji but didn’t want to dish out $100 for … he did a wicked job, using recycled wood from his house. Hurray for upcycling! The crates are vintage finds, and the signage is hand painted by moi. Rounding out the look are my brand spanking new biz cards … photos to follow of those! Very happy to have a cohesive look for furture events… and burlap always makes me smile :)

Next up? I’m still crossing my fingers and waiting to hear back regarding the oh so famous Vineyard Sale … so for now you can catch me next at Dakota Community Craft Sale November 3rd and 4th for a 2 day shopping bonanza with the very talented One Plus One Design!

In the meantime, it’s back to the knitting needles :)