Author: goodbyevalentino

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...

17 May Burda 7081

Posted at 07:52h in Fashion Sewing by goodbyevalentino 131 Comments

I’ve made friends with Burda and I’m all the better for it! I was trying to convince myself that Burda patterns weren’t for me, but had a problem doing so. I really liked the looks of so many patterns! Was it me or was it Burda? In the end, it all came down to learning a new way of doing something. Learning to read and follow the Burda pattern was nothing like learning a new software program! It was more like driving a different route to a destination. I simply had to read the instructions s l o w l y and carefully along...

09 May Simplicity 2497

Posted at 10:00h in clothing designers, Ruffles, Sewing Tops, silk, Simplicity Patterns, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

While sewing my casual knits the ruffles were calling my name, and I answered. The craving to sew ruffles was stronger than any craving I've ever had for chocolate, but I tried to be practical and made an all-purpose white shirt. Of course it's all-purpose! Mood Fabric's Ivory Solid Goes with Everything Silk really does go with everything in my closet! It's perfect with my re-fashioned floral pants...

01 May Merry, Merry Month of May

Posted at 17:18h in New Look Sewing Patterns, sewing blog, Sewing Tops by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

Make that the Merry, Merry Well, Hello! After sewing almost non-stop for over a year and a half, I'm ready to take the Me-Made-May'13 challenge created by the cute, creative and energetic Zoe from SoZoWhatDoYouKnow. Her challenge now in its fourth year has gained strength and momentum with over 440 participants. In case you don't know, the challenge is a celebration of the efforts we pour into creating our clothes by pledging to wear our handmade garments. Participants design their own pledge based on their comfort level. I pledge to wear one handmade garment made by me everyday during the month of May. I...