What can I say - I love monograms. I give and receive lots of monogrammed gifts because I believe personalizing an item is a lovely way to turn ordinary objects into special gifts. This week, I've been fixated on learning to embroider monograms. Obsessed...
Pardon the cliche, but it's true...
On Monday while sitting at the pattern table at JoAnn's, I overheard a woman interrogating the sales clerk about the store's sewing machines. She railed on about how complicated the new machines are. She said she was an excellent seamstress and all she wanted was a sewing machine without a computer. Then she exclaimed she was too old to learn how to use these new machines...
Raise your hand if you're an Oscar de la Renta fan. That would be me! Frankly I should raise both hands. I think Oscar de la Renta makes the best party dresses on earth! I'm drawn to the gorgeous fabric, clear colors and flattering fits, especially in the bodice. One of these days I might just break down and buy one, but until that time comes, I'll keep sewing O D L R inspired dresses. Mood Fabric's Red and Black 3-D Floral Brocade has party dress written all over it, and I placed an order for 3 1/2 yards of this mid-weight brocade. Little did...
In June I had the distinct pleasure of becoming a Pfaff Ambassador and received the Pfaff Creative 4.5 as an introduction to the Pfaff brand. Last week, I received Pfaff's newest, most advanced sewing and embroidery machine, The Creative Icon just introduced to the market. The machine is unlike any I've seen...
Do you fall for fashion trends or do you aspire to classics? When I was asked to participate in Style Maker Fabrics' Fall Blog Tour, I selected this nubby cotton bouclé sweater knit. The bouclé, categorized under Trend Proof Neutrals, is a classic, leading me to create a traditional garment that I'll wear forever ;) It's vanilla and winter white base laced with beige and black represent my favorite cold weather neutrals, and the 10% stretch made it perfect for McCall's 6844, a cardigan pattern I've sewn before (blogged here). I love this pattern because it is fitted fairly closely and accommodates heavier fabrics...
Happy Fall, Y'all! It's always so hard to say goodbye to my favorite season of the year in exchange for falling leaves, pumpkins and holiday madness. I needed a little pick-me-up after trading my white jeans for black pants, and my new top did the trick. The pattern is McCall's 7543, a pattern worth sewing more than once (my previous version is here). [caption id="attachment_21462" align="aligncenter" width="266"] McCall's 7543[/caption] The two piece sleeve offers a great opportunity for machine embroidery embellishment, so I put the petal to the metal and embroidered both sides of the sleeves with a mirrored image design. The floral embroidery motif...
If you have been reading Goodbye Valentino for a while, you might remember my blog started as a reaction to all of the money I was spending on dressing for weddings. Whether it was my daughters' friends' weddings or my friends' daughters' weddings, shopping for weddings was sending me to the poorhouse. Six years later we are still in the wedding stage of our lives - not that I'm complaining. I truly love weddings, and am always honored to be included on the invitation list. Weddings are such special family events that I make it a priority to dress festively and appropriately...
Greetings, Dear Readers and Happy Sunday :) Writing my posts in a lighthearted spirit is and has always been my style, but today, no matter how my words come across, my heart is with family, friends and those who are affected by Hurricane Irma. May the force be with all who are enduring this monster storm. What a phenomenal response to the Eloflex Giveaway! I try not to respond to comments during a giveaway since it disrupts the sequence of numbers for the Random Number Generator. However, many comments included questions about sewing with Eloflex and my jacket, so I've pulled the questions from...
It's raining, it's pouring and summer is almost over...