Month: July 2020

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Oh, Lucy! You are a cute little tank!

stitchesbychristy2 Comments

One of the things I have discovered that I love doing is testing new patterns! It is a lot of fun being one of the first people to try out a pattern but my favorite part is that it pushes me out of my box. Before I started making my own clothes, my wardrobe consisted of a basic top (that I usually bought in multiple colors) and jeans. I hated shopping because nothing fit me correctly which put me into a mindset of hating my body. It turns out that my body is not the problem…the problem is ready to wear clothes and their goofy sizing. *I got sidetracked~back to testing!* I have tried so many styles that I typically would not even try and it has forced me to try new techniques that I never learned! I have made rompers, dresses, shorts, cute tanks, learned to do buttonholes, learned about grading to get the perfect fit(I’m still learning though) and tried so many new types of fabric! I don’t always love every single garment but I do always love the way I feel after I have made something that fits me.

The newest pattern I got to test is Lucy from Sonia Estep Designs…isn’t it just adorable?!?! For this tank I chose an ity from So Sew English Fabrics and I really am in love! I love to be warm and snuggly, so I always choose dbp and it is so hard to get out of that box…and let’s face it, I will probably always choose dbp when I can! But sometimes it is hot outside and you need one of those cool, lightweight fabrics (and I am trying to push myself to try new things)! ITY is so easy to work with and has a beautiful drape. And what do you know, SSE has this exact fabric in stock: https://sosewenglishfabrics.com/products/royal-pink-blush-lilly-floral-bulgaree-ity-knit-by-the-yard?_pos=3&_sid=01ef10460&_ss=r

SED patterns are all drafted so well plus the instructions are very easy to follow, making them the perfect patterns for beginners and experienced sewists alike! Lucy is no exception…the only thing I struggled with is topstitching the binding, but that is not the patterns fault! Sometimes my machines like to fight me plus I have never been great at binding! But you had better believe that I am going to be practicing so that I can have that perfect binding next time around!!! Even fighting (re: seam ripping) the binding, this top still only took me an hour from cut to hem!

As an added bonus, this tank looks so cute with the Iris shorts I made using millenium woven, also from SSE! We all know that fall will be here soon, but don’t worry because Lucy looks super cute layered under a Juliette cardigan too! If I haven’t convinced you yet that you need this tank…it is also on sale for release weekend! Using my affiliate link does not cost you anything extra but it does help me to keep sewing: https://soniaestepdesigns.com/?aff=109

I hope you love Lucy as much as I do…and try to not be super jealous of my awesome tan lines! LOL

Let’s all sew something beautiful today!

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All about me!

stitchesbychristy4 Comments

I have had so many people tell me that I should write a blog…but that is a scary thing! Especially when you stink at technology and learning new things!!!! But here I am ready to tell you about my sewing journey and hopefully share some knowledge!

My family! I married Travis on July 11, 1998 when we were just 20 years old! Our kids are Zach (20), Kyle (18), Madison (14) and Cooper (8). If you do the math on the first and last kids, we had a Senior and a Kindergartener at the same time…terrible planning on our part, but oh well! We also have a dog named Hank, who puts up with so much from Cooper but they are best friends, and a bunny named Peaches!

My mom taught me to sew when I was young (maybe 8 or 9) and I am so thankful to have her support and knowledge! Throughout school I was in 4-H and every Home Ec type class I could take. Even back then, I knew that sewing was my gift…I just didn’t know how to use it! Keep in mind that was way before FB groups were around to help me get started! Travis and I got married young and had kids right away so sewing got put on the backburner. I mean, I still did a few small sewing projects but not many…you know, the whole little kids and life thing! But once our youngest was about 2 and was better at entertaining himself, I decided it was time to dust off the sewing machine. *Here is my best tip for sewing with toddlers: give them an old sewing machine(with needles removed) to play with and give them the scrap bin! This kept Cooper occupied for hours…and he still loves to play in my sewing room while I am working!* I started with small projects like coasters and small bags. My local friends were excited and a great support so I set up at some craft fairs. After some success with those, it was time to set up a fb business page and suddenly I was getting orders from more people than just friends, but all still fairly local. I practiced and got better, so I moved on to some more difficult items and just kept growing from there! (Keep in mind, at this point I still didn’t know about the fb sewing community) About 3 years ago, I decided it was time to try my hand at clothing and found out about the whole world of sewing groups…oh my goodness, I was so overwhelmed but I’m so glad I did not walk away! I only sew clothes for myself and my family (when they permit it) but my bag-making business has gone crazy!

Above are some of my more recent makes! Watch out for more posts where I will dive farther into my sewing journey. I hope to share some tips, tricks, information and maybe even offer a sew a long or two!

Over at my business page https://www.facebook.com/christyscustomcreations1/ we have a celebration going on! We are celebrating 1500 likes and Christmas in July…each day this week I am giving away a cute gift set! The picture above was Monday’s prize!

Thank you for being here and I hope you have enjoyed getting to know me! Please let me know if there are any topics you want me to cover!