July 2013

15 Jul Ribbon Skirt Conclusion!

Posted at 14:33h in Ribbon Skirt, sewing blog, Sewing Skirts, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 68 Comments

I originally planned a three part Sew-a-Long for the Ribbon Skirt, but I discovered after sewing the ribbons in place the rest is simple enough to complete in a single post, thanks to Julie Starr. For newcomers to the Sew-a-Long, everything you need to know is located HERE. PART TWO: If you have marked and attached all rows carefully, the side seams should match at each ribbon row. 12. Press each completed section and with right sides facing, pin and sew the front to the back at the right side seam. 13. Finish the seam allowances as desired. Julie serged her seam allowances and pressed...

13 Jul Vogue 8904

Posted at 08:40h in Mood Fabrics, sewing blogs, Sewing Dresses, sewing patterns, Uncategorized, Vogue Sewing Patterns by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

Recently on Facebook, Mood Fabrics posed the following question to its followers: When do you put aside summer sewing and move on to fall and winter apparel? Is July too soon to think about cool-weather clothes? I must admit I have actually begun to think about my Fall wardrobe in July for the first time ever. I have even begun to look at Fall Runway shows on Style.com and even started a Mood Fall board, but...

08 Jul Spoleto Ribbon Skirt Sew-a-Long Part 1

Posted at 00:15h in McCall's Sewing Pattern, Ribbon Skirt, sewing blogs, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

Greetings! At last the time has come to make the Spoleto Ribbon Skirt provided by Julie Starr and inspired by the J McLaughlin ribbon skirt. Many have asked how to sign up and the answer is you simply follow along on my blog. ________________________________ If you are just now joining in, you will need the following materials. 1. Your favorite straight skirt pattern 2. 1 yard good quality prewashed cotton fabric for your skirt base (Julie recommends Kona cotton) 3. Fusible interfacing for the skirt facings 4. 1 9” invisible zipper in a color to coordinate with your ribbon 5. 1 hook and eye 6. 1 package double fold seam...

03 Jul Long Weight Over!

Posted at 08:52h in Refashioning Clothes by goodbyevalentino 130 Comments

I was so inspired by Shams’ (Communing with Fabric) post regarding her impressive weight loss that I decided to tackle the pesky 13 extra pounds I’ve been lugging around for the last ten years. I hopped on board the same program as Shams (Eat to Live) since I already owned the book and believed the program promoted a healthy lifestyle. Three weeks later I’ve made enough progress (about 7 pounds) to fit into several of my old, too-tight clothes! They have been hanging in my closet for years just waiting to see the light of day again and at last it’s...

26 Jun Ribbon Source for Skirt Sew-a-Long

Posted at 21:44h in Ribbon Skirt by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

Julie Starr & I are delighted at the enthusiastic response to the Ribbon Skirt Sew-A-Long! If you have not found ribbon yet, RTW Faster Cissie Wellons has shared the following link for purchasing ribbon at great prices. The company ships internationally. http://www.hairbowcenter.com/Grosgrain-Ribbon.aspx Look forward to making our skirts soon. Best wishes. :) ...

25 Jun Vogue 2864 Revisited

Posted at 10:00h in Fashion Sewing by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

Top Ten Reasons To Sew Another Summer Dress 10. The last one was too big. 9. I’m eager to make another muslin. 8. Too hot to wear anything else. 7 I’m on a quest to perfect the hand-picked zipper technique. 6. No buttons or buttonholes to sew. 5 Fabric requirement almost the same as a top. 4. Slim silhouette makes me look taller. 3. Cleaned out closet and the emptiness is disturbing. 2. Need something new to wear for my 30th wedding anniversary today. (You read that correctly.) And the number one reason to sew another dress ……………… I couldn’t pass up this beautiful Oscar de la Renta cotton from Mood...

20 Jun Spoleto Ribbon Skirt Sew-a-Long

Posted at 19:01h in McCall's Sewing Pattern, sewing blog, sewing blogs, Sewing Skirts, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

We all have our own favorite clothing stores. You know, the store that offers cute clothes which fit well and work for your lifestyle. In my case it’s These small retail stores selling their label of traditional silhouettes with a fresh twist are downright irresistible to me. I can justify buying any item in the store with the exception of one style; The Ribbon Skirts. As cute as they are, spending $200 on these skirts struck me as frivolous, but that didn’t keep me from wanting one……… as well as examining the skirt in detail until eyebrows were...

17 Jun Superfly!

Posted at 22:37h in sewing blog, sewing blogs, sewing clothes, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 83 Comments

“You look like you’re still on vacation!” I know – I’m just in denial. My vacation was a blast. If this Superfly fabric by Sis Boom doesn’t make me feel like I’m still on vacation then nothing will! I only wish I had made this easy summer dress before I went on vacation rather than after :) Shall I blame it on Tia Dia of Mezzo Couture? Her recent Vogue 2864 dress was exactly the pattern I wanted to try- a relatively fitted empire waist shift. I ordered the OOP pattern from Etsy before I finished reading her post, and it was waiting...

04 Jun It’s June Too Soon!

Posted at 21:52h in sewing bloggers, sewing blogs, sewing clothes, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 55 Comments

Dear Readers, The conclusion of Me-Made-May '13 was over four days ago, however, my Me-Made-May '13 page fizzled out shortly after mid-month ...

25 May Naughty Girl, Happy Girl

Posted at 10:00h in Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 88 Comments

It pays to be naughty sometimes. Especially this time. Here is McCall’s 6700. For Moderate Stretch Knits Only I had sewn the pattern before and didn’t see anything stretchy about it…… and I had to have this Thakoon Blue Tie-Dye Silk Crepe de Chine Border Print from Mood Fabrics…… and I had to make this maxi dress in this silk. At 5’2” I rarely wear border fabrics and I knew this was my chance. It’s been a long time since I broke the rules, but I think it was worth it ;) Indeed - a perfect dress for Memorial Day or Fourth of July. I think it would...