Button-Down Gift Bags

Last Father’s Day, I planned on making gift bags for the fathers in my life, but ran out of time. This year, I was determined not to let that happen again. Spring is a busy time of year at my day job, so this year I decided that in order to reach my goal, I needed something quick and simple. My husband donated a button-down shirt to the cause, and with the help of a bobbin of elastic thread left over from my Domino Staple Dress, I managed to quickly whip up two gift bags with a masculine flair. After I finished them, I realized they were an unconscious mash-up of two patterns from the book Ruby Star Wrapping: the Simple Drawstring Bag and the Button-Down Shirt Bag. I might have to grab more elastic thread, because these were so quick and easy!

Wordless Work in Progress Wednesday: June 25, 2014

Marbles Belcarra Blouse

This is my third finished Belcarra Blouse, and oddly enough, it took the longest to complete. I made several avoidable mistakes that forced me to break out my seam ripper, which I loathe. After the last blunder, I put the shirt aside until I mustered sufficient energy to deal with it. This past weekend, I was ready to tackle it again, and finished it up in no time.

For this version, I made two changes. The most obvious is the color blocking on the sleeve. The solid was a remnant from another project that I found in my stash and just happened to coordinate with the main fabric. The fabric that I used for the body is Marbles, from Cynthia Rowley’s Paintbox line for Michael Miller. While originally intended for a different pattern, I like it better as a Belcarra Blouse. I had two yards of it, and a quarter yard of the solid, so I made this pattern out of less yardage than recommended again.

The second change was installing bra strap holders. I started with Dixie DIY’s tutorial, but added them before I sewed the neckline so that the ends of the ribbons would be concealed. They ended up a little too narrow to be of any use. However, I really like the technique, and will try it again.

At the end of the day, I’m happy with how this shirt turned out. I have one more Belcarra Blouse on my to-do list, and then I might put this pattern away for a bit. Maybe.