Summer sewing, about done

Hi everyone, how has your summer been? We had bouts of rain, then hot sunny days. The cicada have been singing up a storm for weeks now! And at night, I can hear the tree frogs chirping away while lightening bugs (or firefly's) brighten the warm evenings.

So what has been my summer projects? Well, I did the fun chalkboard labels (which are very handy I might add) and then my interest moved to sewing clothing. I tried my pattern on some sample fabric I had, to get the sizing right. If you have not sewn clothes before please note: it is NOT sized like store brand clothing! You have to learn your body measurements before you shop for a clothing pattern. Which brings me to this very handy site with a very handy article on this topic ~ A Fashionable Stitch! Here she discusses in simple terms how to read and find your size before pattern shopping (follow this link). Don't disrepair if you get overwhelmed by the patterns for clothing - many patterns brands now offer step-by-step instructions you can follow online. Here is my sneak peek of the current top I am sewing!

My fabric is a light weight cotton with polka dots on it. I just need to hem and sew the bottom, then add a button and loop at the neckline. The pattern I used is perfect for getting a hang of sewing clothing - I wanted to get into it again so started simple. Simplicity pattern 1693 misses blouses, tank, short sleeve and long sleeve tops. 

And I will be adding more blogs to my list of favorites. I do realize many of the blogs I enjoy no longer have new posts (so sad!). But I found them to be enjoyable, have wonderful crafty info and fun to read. So soon enough I will share my finished top ~ have a good week!