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21 Sep Butterick 5526

Posted at 03:00h in Fashion Sewing by goodbyevalentino 127 Comments

It was time to make a shirt – not a top, not a tunic but a shirt. My Pattern Review friends are making shirts by the dozens while I’ve been acting as the cheerleader. While I’ve always appreciated the flexibility found in sewing my clothes, the precision of shirt-making kept my happy observer status in tact. From my large collection of unmade shirt patterns, I selected Butterick 5526. View D offered princess seams giving me a more controlled fit. After sewing the bodice pieces together of my new off white shirt, it hit me………… precision need not be so rigid. In other words, lighten up! Using...

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15 Sep Rite of Passage I

Posted at 22:22h in Mood Fabrics, sewing blogs, Sewing Tops, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 88 Comments

I’m convinced there are a few rites of passage into the online sewing community. One of them is making Sewaholic’s Renfrew Top. In spite of dozens of good reviews boasting the merits of this simple pattern, I remained reluctant to give it a try. I’ve sewn several disappointing knit tops during the past two years – why would I want to sew another one? Well, sooner or later most people come around to join the masses and I did too. Described as ‘the knit top pattern for people who dislike sewing with knits’ I bought the pattern and waited for a vision...

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11 Sep Butterick 5873

Posted at 09:00h in Butterick Patterns, Mood Fabrics, Sewing Dresses, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 86 Comments

I believe relaxing vacations are a fantasy.  Mine began with a bust as I was greeted at the beach by an exploding water heater leaving everyone with cold showers for three days.  As soon as company left, the painters came w i t h o u t  their drop clothes……. Midweek I had the pleasure of meeting and spending an afternoon with my blogging and Pattern Review friend, Julie Starr! I wore the ribbon skirt in her honor ;)  Julie is wearing her beautiful dress with 20 darts!  The next day my oldest daughter became engaged, and we shifted into high gear! Hubby and...

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28 Aug Butterick 5917 – The Un-Preppy Version

Posted at 18:38h in Butterick Patterns, sewing blogs, sewing clothes, Sewing Dresses by goodbyevalentino 108 Comments

After all of my carrying on about colorful clothes, I’m back in black.  I enjoyed sewing Butterick 5917 so much I had my second version planned before finishing the madras patchwork version (blogged here), and I’m tempted to make it again!  I envisioned this pattern as a black dress from the beginning and used a black textured French polyester/cotton taffeta from Tessuti. The fabric certainly highlights the dressier details of the pattern and gives the dress a more structured appearance.  I believe this is the fabric featured in the most recent Tessuti contest for a knee-length formal dress, but I think the...

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