Just a quick post to drop the link of Kollabora's blog post on all the awesome projects submitted for the Dear Stella/Kollabora project challenge using Dear Stella fabrics. It was such an honor to be included with all these very talented ladies!! I had so much fun creating my projects. Please click here to see what everyone else created and get inspired to create your own!  Mind.Blown.

Whew, the past few days I've been hunched over my machine sewing like a ninja...(is that possible?)  Yesterday I was in rush mode to get my projects done for the Dear Stella/Kollabora challenge due today.  Yes I'm a known procrastinator.  I entered my sewing room at approximately 0900 hours and didn't see the light of day until 7 hours later when I heard my husband come home from work.  I didn't even stop to eat.  I actually think I forgot.  Does that ever happen to any of you??  I didn't get everything completed I wanted to but there's always another day, right?!.  Here's a photo of the aftermath...

In all that mess I managed to make, what I think is, a beautiful, cheery Colette Sorbetto.  I saved my favorite fabric from the Dear Stella fat quarter bundle for last.  I knew I wanted to make a garment out of it but didn't know how I was going to pull it off with that little of fabric.  It wasn't until the last minute while trying to organize fabric onto my new shelves (you can see my progress/fail in above photo) that I spotted the beautiful peach cotton poplin I bought at Mood last year.  All fabric reorganization was put to a quick halt and my final Dear Stella/Kollabora project was coming alive.  The #sewdontclean hashtag I've been seeing everywhere is my new motto.  I think I need a plaque on my wall.

I'm probably the last person on the sewing planet to sew up this free pattern.  It's been in my queue awhile and I even started a muslin a year ago...don't ask me what happened with that..I don't know!

I cut a size 0 and the only alterations I needed was moving the bust darts down about a half inch.  I used my favorite summer floral fat quarter as the contrasting front pleat and back piece and the green dottie as my exposed bias binding.  If you would like details on how I altered my pattern to achieve this I have a tutorial posted on Kollabora.

I love the way it turned out even though my husband says it looks like something a little girl would wear.  So I guess Cynthia I'm taking a page from your book...#grownupfetus and idgaf.  I'm gonna rock this shit like a baby wearing a onsie!

 

Meet George the Grape Ape.  Look up, he's above all that mess your eyeballs are attracted to.  I got a new cube shelf to organize some of my fabric and George just barely fits on it.  I have no other place for him so it's either sitting uncomfortably on top of this shelf or hanging out at the Goodwill waiting for his next home which will most like involve children and his life ending with matted hair and missing stuffing.  I just can't bear to part with him.  He's been with me for 15 years or more.  I met him at Busch Gardens in Florida.  It was one of those games where you have to get the ring around a milk jug.  My boyfriend at the time blew like $10 trying to win him for me.  I spent $1 on my first try and won the big lug.  It was meant to be.  We lugged him all around the park that day, it was rather hilarious.  Even more hilarious is that we had no room to bring him home.  He had to stay at my Grandparent's vaca home and wait for them to bring him back to Indiana.  Now picture an older couple driving down the highway with this thing in the backseat.  He's enjoyed several car rides during my many moves and I always get quite the stares coming down the road.  So should he stay or should he go?  What's he really hurting up there anyway?

Fabric flowers are a great way to use up scraps and you can use them to embellish just about anything.  Since I'm such a hippie...well my husband says so...I decided to make some flowers for my hair out of my Dear Stella fat quarter bundle.

 

There are tons of ways to make fabric flowers. I prefer these rolled ones because they are quick and easy.   There are some good tutorials are here and here. 

For my headband I bought some cheapies at the dollar store.  I cut a 1 inch strip of fabric and twisted around the headband securing with a glue gun.  I then placed my fabric flowers where I wanted securing with a hot glue gun.  I secured the bottom of the flowers to the headband with scrap felt. 

I also embellished some hair clips and claws with fabric flowers.  The hair claws can even double as a pin on a lapel. 

Another accessory project I made for my Dear Stella/Kollabora challenge was a reversible bucket hat.  I found a free pattern here.  I slightly altered the pattern by shortening the sides a smidge, about 1/2 inch.  I also made my own piping. 

 

I just love the snail print!

Maybe if you can't see because of the sun you should put your brim down! doh!