A Very Jackie O Muslin

Hello fellow crafters! It's Amy of Sew Well yet again with another last minute handmade gift.

My mom asked for a cape for Christmas, and I was happy to oblige. In fact, I thought I could draft a cape pattern that would fit her perfectly using the simple directions in Patternmaking for Fashion Design. All I needed from her were her measurements... about a hundred of them according to the book. I recently came to my senses and decided that I should figure out pattern drafting for myself before I move on to others, and I placed an Etsy order for a vintage cape pattern.

Since the cape pattern didn't arrive in time for holiday crafting, but Daughter Fish's Simplicity 6402 did, I quickly sewed up a very Jackie O muslin as a place holder for my mom. Lucky for me, my mom is understanding.  I think the thoughtfulness of not only a handmade cape but also a gorgeous handmade dress and jacket combo sometime in the coming month will make up for the fact that she only has a muslin to unwrap on Christmas day.

A Wee Sparkly Christmas Top

Hello fellow crafters!  It's Amy from Sew Well again, here for another update on my holiday crafting.

I wanted my six-month-old niece's first Christmas to be special, so I made her a little red holiday top from a bit of sparkly fabric from Fine Fabrics and McCall's M5416. The fabric was three inches shy of being able to make the full length tunic, but as my niece is still a tiny baby and the pattern I cut was likely meant for a small toddler, I figure it'll be just fine with tights or over pants.

I cut the lining from a nice white cotton remnant I got from Britex the last time I was there. The pattern just calls for a facing, but I wanted a full-length lining to class up this baby holiday number. Though I hand pick stitched around the edge of the lining to keep the facing in place, it still peeks out a bit. Maybe it's a design feature to match the buttons? Next time I might use the identical fabric for the facing.

I used my narrow-hem foot for the hem on the fashion fabric but just pressed twice and stitched the lining hem. All in all it was a quick and easy project, even with the hand sewing. I hope she likes it!