I made this with McCall's 5484.  It wasn't too difficult, but the back collar turned out really wonky and I followed the directions exactly.  Also, this pattern is cut very small.  I used the 32W (normally I wear about a 24) and added 2" of seam allowance almost everywhere and it was still too tight.  I would recommend making a trial one first and measuring yourself carefully before you mess up great fabric.  Also, if you make this pattern, you might want to try to figure out how to adjust the neckline - it shows quite a bit of cleavage.  I had to sew the front panels together about 3".  Oh - the fabric, though:  love it!  Chocolate brown jersey knit with tiny peach polka dots - perfect for my hair and skin.  On the upside, this ill-fitting dress has motivated me to start exercising again so I can wear it out in public.  Another good thing is that the pattern for the sleeveless version of this dress is only two pieces. 

Well, my husband and I are taking a vacation in a couple of weeks and I really don't wish to be mistaken for Moby Dick, so I thought it might be advisable to cover some of my very white flesh.  I also didn't want to go through the ordeal of shopping for a new swimsuit.  So, I decided to improvise.

I pulled an old swimsuit out of the closet.


And tried it on.


And went to Joann's and bought a yard of black swimsuit fabric, which I basically sewed into an elastic waist skirt.  I then sewed another tube (2"x10") out of a remnant of the swimsuit fabric. Then I cut the bra out of the swimsuit top (cuz I don't need to drink to have a hangover) and looped the small tube around middle of the front of the top, gathered the fabric that would be between the girls and, twisting the small tube inside out, sewed the ends of the small tube together and cut off the ends of the little tube.  I then posed for pictures, one of which you can see below.


The skirt thing is not attached to the bra because I didn't want it to drag down the top.  Plus, I thought the whole contraption would be easier to wash and dry if it were separate.  Of course, I kept the bottoms and will wear them underneath the skirt. 

Anyway, thanks for looking!

Oh!  I don't have a serger and swimsuit fabric is really rolly, so if you decide to attempt something like this, be sure to use a lot of pins and to be very patient.

Yay!  I finished my socks!  They have many many errors and are not terribly comfortable; however, I am still very proud of myself for finishing them.  One of the ankles is huge because I didn't know how to knit 2, purl 2, and so I inadvertently made the cuff out of a double moss stitch.  Oh, well.  They are made from Jitterbug yarn, which is probably much prettier when used by good knitters.  I used the come to silver free sock pattern, which is pretty good and very detailed.  Anyway, here are some pics:

Inspired by another craftster,

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=217436.0

a friend who wanted to learn to sew,

and an upcoming baby shower,

we made this:






The whole quilt cost $2.79 (for the thread - as I didn't have any to match the fabric in my stash).  Oh, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some chips to feed my friend supper.

Made for my best friend's 40th birthday.  Nothing like a clock to remind you of the passage of time.  She appreciates irony, but I decided to go for pretty.  Bought the clock at a yard sale.  Covered it with one 12x12 sheet of scrapbooking paper.  Love the hydrangeas, and the purple will go perfectly in her boudoir.

Modeled by hubby.

Wool-ease charcoal.  He loved it.  I made a couple of mistakes but nothing horrible.

I have wanted to learn to knit for a least 20 years and my dear sweet mother got her dear sweet cousin Ruthie to teach me.  (Plus, her husband tells great stories, so it was a fun afternoon.)  And since she is in Texas and I'm in Florida, I relied a great deal on the wonderful Sharon and Lorena from Hank's here in Gainesville to help me with it a) not looking not a freaky trapezoid, and, b) finishing it off.  Thanks!  Thanks!  Thanks!  And here  are some pictures of the scarf and a closeup of the yarn.  Happy New Year!

There is a new yarn store in Gainesville - they opened about a week ago.  It is called Hanks Yarn & Fiber.  They have beautiful stuff and Sharon, one of the owners I met today, is very informative and nice.  Plus, they had cool background music and they offer classes, plus a stitch & bitch on Sundays.  It is in Millhopper Plaza, which is on the corner of NW 43rd and NW 16th.  Hope you can make it by there.  Their website is www.hanksyarn.com.

$10 worth of supplies, 3 books (one of which I borrowed from the library), 2 minor injuries, and 8 hours later, et voila! - something I couldn't sell to a third-grader.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10451335@N08/1334404057/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10451335@N08/1334403189/

Sorry about the links - not bright enough to do images the real Craftster way!