Goodbye Valentino

07 Aug Honor Thy Mother-in-Law

Posted at 21:53h in Refashioning Clothes by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

For some reason my 89-year-old mother-in-law and I both own the same shirt.She loves her shirt and wears it throughout the summer. I certainly don’t want my mother-in-law to think I am copying her, so I decided to refashion my shirt. Though the cotton is extremely lightweight, I enjoy sleeveless tops during the hot sticky summer days and immediately cut off the sleeves. In retrospect short sleeves would have worked just as well, and the project would have been much easier. My last project, the orange peplum blouse, is one of my best fitting garments and inspired me to simulate a peplum. By...

02 Aug Proud of My Peppy – Butterick 5615

Posted at 21:36h in Butterick Patterns, Sewing Tops by goodbyevalentino 82 Comments

I’ve made two buttonholes and zero tailored collars during the last eleven months. Thank goodness I was finally inspired to tackle my fears and add to my skill set. This Butterick pattern offered all of the qualities I like in a blouse. Close fitting but not tight, and structured but not stiff. A straight and flattering peplum is attached at the waist, and the tie extensions remind me of one of my favorite tops I paid a fortune for at Sea Island, Georgia. I have always wanted to know how to make these ties. I took my time, made a muslin and worked out...

30 Jul A Sensible Top – Vogue 9771

Posted at 08:26h in sewing blog, Sewing Tops, Vogue Sewing Patterns by goodbyevalentino 45 Comments

Sensible. The opposite of exciting. I just returned from a real vacation, which for me means getting away in every respect. I often overestimate what I can accomplish in a certain time period, and the refashion I planned to do while away never happened. Determined to post a project from someplace other than my backyard, I packed my sewing supplies in my carry-on luggage. Oops. This meant I had to check my suitcase and p a y for my checked luggage carrying my scissors and seam ripper. I never looked at my sewing supplies. Then I paid another fee to fly my scissors and seam ripper...

22 Jul Let’s Hang On To What We’ve Got!

Posted at 12:36h in Refashioning Clothes by goodbyevalentino 68 Comments

“ Mom, it’s time for you to quit wearing this strapless top.” Is this a preview of what’s to come? “Mom, this house is more than you can handle. Let’s look at a retirement community.” “Mom, it’s time to turn over the car keys.” “Mom, we’re afraid you are going to hurt yourself with that sewing machine.” ………………… I’ll quit wearing the strapless top, but I’m not giving it away. It’s an expensive Sarah Campbell top made of a beautiful cotton almost as nice as Grandmother’s Sheet, and I love it. I recognize there comes a time when one has to take a long hard look...

19 Jul Keep on the Sunny Side – Vogue 8570

Posted at 16:55h in Mood Fabrics, sewing blogs, Vogue Sewing Patterns, Yellow by goodbyevalentino 77 Comments

When the blue tracing lines unexpectedly transferred from the silk organza underlining to the seam line of my gorgeous 4-ply silk crepe, I did not cry, open a bottle or eat a gallon of ice cream. I returned to my sewing room and began undoing two days of work until a storm took out the power, forcing me to get out my flashlight. After I removed the catch-stitching, ripped apart the seams and discarded the underlining, I started over. …..and that’s the short version. It’s great to be a part of the living again after being holed up for days trying to save this beautiful...

15 Jul 68 Garments and 8 Pairs of Shoes

Posted at 08:47h in sewing blogs, sewing clothes, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 46 Comments

I recently read an interview on The Pattern Review website with Elizabeth Cline, the author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. I have not read the book, though I plan to. Eventually ending up on Elizabeth’s blog I learned Americans buy 20.5 billion garments a year or 68 garments and 8 pairs of shoes per person. S e r i o u s l y ? I have been sewing rather maniacally this year making all of my clothes and let’s see……. just how many items have I made during the last 10 and a half months? 15 skirts, 15 dresses, 20 tops, and 7 pants which...

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