I will admit I am not a big paper or vinyl crafter. I have lofty ideas I will be one when I see great ideas and then they stay an idea! Lol
Oh well I still get good use out of my Cricut machine by using it in various ways in my sewing. I first used it for this costume I made for a clients Halloween costume. You will find it on the leg wrap and the medallion on the skirt.
I also have also used the Cricut Maker for bag making. You can check out two of my free bag patterns in my Freebie Library that can be cut with an Cricut or electronic cutting machine. I just release the SImon Bucket Bag Pattern and you can find that for free in my library as well. Here is the blog post about it.
If you want to get this free bag pattern check out the Library at the top of the page, “Lovely’s Sewing Freebies”
If you have seen my embroidered skirt you know that I love a bold look! It makes a bold statement and it is just fun. So here is another one using my Cricut Maker 3. If you have not heard the Cricut Maker 3 can cut without a mat using their Smart Matierial and one is a Smart Iron on Vinyl. You can cut in long lengths, up to 12 Feet!!! Yup 12 feet!!!! If you want to learn more click on the picture of the Maker 3 below.
So of course large wall vinyl is probably what most people think of but I went straight to what clothing item I could make. I wanted something elegant with very little detail that gave me large blank canvas. I noticed this cute Caftan pattern from Simplicity. Did I just say a cute Caftan? Lol yup…. I am sure at some point my generation said we would never wear these and here we are. I think it is perfect for lounging around the house and they can still be very cute and presentable. Throw on some oversized earrings and a large bag and you can go run some errands while looking chic.
So let’s talk about some things to keep in mind. One would be the limitations on the width, so you should think of something narrow or you could also do something that would cut separately that you can place all over the item but would still cut quickly. I wanted something to make an impact and this snake on a vine was it but here is where you can let your imagination run wild. I have a few more ideas in mind. So let’s think outside centering a design on a shirt. What are you going to make an incorporate large iron on vinyl onto?
I have a full review of Simplicity 8911 here on my patternreview.com profile but the short answer is that I love it and it is super easy to make.
If you have not done so already be sure to join my Facebook group for my bag patterns! I have some pattern launches coming soon and you don’t want to miss out.
Many don’t know not only am I a Texas girl I was born and lived as a young girl in New Mexico. While I moved away fairly young thanks to my dad being in the Army I went back during some summers and have gone back to vacation and visit family as an adult. New Mexico sometimes feels like two or three different states depending on where you go from the hot arid south to the mountains and ski resorts in the northern part of the state. It is a beautiful state full of heritage, vibrant people, and a particular style. There are beautiful adobe homes, native jewelry, and art. Of course, there is a strong Mexican influence as well. Mix that all together and it also comes out as a beautiful style, southwestern style. I am always drawn to the beautiful serape colors, especially Saltillo serape.
“Colorful striped Mexican Saltillo blankets have long been prized for both their beauty and their high level of functionality. They go way back to the 1500s, the Aztecs were wearing colorful blankets created out of cotton and agave fibers, and dyed bright colors using the crushed fruits and insects. It was believed at the time that wearing bright colors both brought favors from the gods and kept evil spirits at bay. The blankets were originally woven in the town of Saltillo, in what is now the state of Coahuila. Saltillo blankets always feature a beautiful diamond shape in the center of the blanket that is woven like a tapestry–handpicking the warp and weaving in the colors in either silk or cotton. The blankets of a similar style which feature greys, browns, and tans came from the higher mountainous regions of Mexico where the colors were dependent on the natural wool fibers.” (1)
So it is easy to see why I had to buy some of this quilting cotton serape style print fabric when I saw it. While it isn’t traditional Saltillo Serape it would make its use more versatile.
Last summer I made shorts and two bags out of fabric from this same collection. I will include some pics and details of those.
I started with this Serape pattern with hues of blue for my first make. I wanted this one to be a normal length button down shirt. I always struggle with button downs because they look boxier on me than I like.
The first was a button-down using McCalls 6750. I had made a top out of this pattern for my mom last year and I loved the feminine version of a button-down top. It had a nice curve of the waist and hips and the collar is more feminine.
I also loved that it was a simple large roll collar and did not need a collar stand. I can make a stand collar but it’s nice to have a cheat now and again. Overall it is a pretty easy make for collared shirt. For those wanting to get into wovens and collared shirts, this may be a good one to start with.
But in the back of my head, I knew I wanted to make a wow piece from this lovely Serape inspired fabric that was a nod to my birth state and helped me show part of my Native American jewelry collection. For this it had to be a duster version!! I love the versatility of a duster and how it takes an outfit up a notch. I have made a few in the past including these two I made using New Look 6470.
And then I made this duster from Simplicity 8177. I made this one with a Chinoiserie stencil pattern on the back. I will post a few in progress pics in a slide show. Dusters set off an outfit well. You can style the rest of your outfit fairly subdued and let them be the showpiece.
I jazzed my serape inspired one up further by using black on the sleeves and the collar. I also added Thunderbird embroidery detail on the back yoke. “The Native Thunderbird Symbol represents power, protection, and strength. He is often seen as the most powerful of all spirits and can also transform into human form by opening his head up like a mask and taking his feathers off as if they were a mere blanket.” (2) I can always use a little more protection and strength!
I decided for this piece I would skip the buttons. I never button any of my dusters so there was no need and also felt it would take away from the showpiece…. the fabric. The pattern is Simplicity 8546 and it very easy to make. The collar and collar stand application was straight forward and I didn’t have any issues.
So what do you think of my Saltillo Serape inspired pieces? I love them!
Unfortunately this fabric is not Native made but I do regularly support Native artisans with my jewelry collection. Here are a couple really good places I purchase my jewelry from if you are interested:
Santa Fe Authentic directly works with artists and helps them bring their jewelry to the market. Nizhoni Traders is based in Arizona. They do live sales on Facebook every month. They ship very fast and the owner is very knowledgeable. I also want to say to do a lot of research. Unforntuatenly there are a lot of scams and mass produced and fake native artists out there. If you are going to wear Native inspired jewelry strive to buy authentic. While this fabric is not authentic I do strive to when I can and will be on the look out for a cotton fabric like this from an artist. If you know of someone please comment on this post. Below is a slide show of just a few of my beautiful Native pieces.
If you want to read my full review on these patterns check out my posts on Pattern Review. McCalls 6750 and Simplicity 8546
Until Next Time! Please follow me on Instagram at www.Instagram.com/lovelyforlife1 and https://www.facebook.com/Lovelyforlifedesigns
I purchased my embroidery machine earlier this year. I had been wanting one and had a million ideas for it. When I got it I was excited but then it fizzled out because all I saw was people using it for children’s items and things that just were not my style but mostly home decor items. Don’t get me wrong they are some lovely things but I wanted to make something that was more my style…. yes a bit over the top.
I saw my inspiration on Pinterest and had to recreate it. Now I see more fashion applications for my embroidery and am truly having fun. Stay tuned for more items coming up.
For the skirt I used Simplicity 8300 View A in size 12 but should have sized down to 10 because I had to take a bit of the side seams especially at the hips. This is such a simple sew so the time consuming hard part was putting all the embroidery together.
I found a floral motif with several variations that would work. I laid them out several ways to find the best placement using print outs of the design. Then I marked the center of each design on my skirt. I knew I wanted some flowers to go over the side seam so I put the back on at the side seams. If you try this be sure to give your designs enough room to hem it.
And then it was time to embroidery. It took about 3 or 4 weeks doing a stitch out here and there between work and other projects. I love how it turned out. Almost better than I imagined. While it is still a bit of a playful floral I think the short skirt took it up a few notches.
For the top I wanted to get a similar look to another Pinterest inspiration with a very flowly black button down blouse.
I used Tencel fabric from Joanne’s and it was a dream to work with. The pattern is Butterick 5526 View B. I made a size 14 to get the oversized look I was going for and it was perfect.
For a bonus in this look is the Boronia Bowler bag by Blue Calla and is available here.
Until Next Time! Please follow me on Instagram at www.Instagram.com/lovelyforlife1 and https://www.facebook.com/Lovelyforlifedesigns
