Goodbye Valentino

12 Jul McCalls 3830

Posted at 23:30h in McCall's Sewing Pattern, Mood Fabrics, sewing clothes, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 83 Comments

I recently bought the August – September issue of Vogue Patterns magazine. When sewing blogger Robin Denning announced her new position as Editor of the magazine I immediately renewed my lapsed subscription, however, after catching a glimpse of pages 76 - 83, I wasn’t willing to wait for it to arrive and bought a copy. This issue provided me with instant inspiration along with a solution to a four-month dilemma! In March I ordered this fabric based on the jpeg below. H e l l o……….. “Too bold.” I said. “Too bright……too big……..too much…..” The 7 magazine pages filled with big bold stripes changed my...

07 Jul One $ Wonder(ful)

Posted at 14:44h in Refashioning Clothes by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

My mother gave me this dress some time ago. She bought it for $1.00 at a thrift store and thought the dress might look cute if I hemmed it. O k a y y y y y … I thought it had potential, but a little hem seemed like just the beginning, or perhaps the grand finale. The fit was acceptable in bust but was too big elsewhere. After releasing a few stitches of the bust lining, I was able to adjust the bodice. Following the stitching lines I removed two inches from the upper bodice through the hips. I then tapered the lower...

04 Jul Red, White and ………

Posted at 07:49h in Mood Fabrics, sewing blogs, sewing clothes, Vogue Sewing Patterns by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

No, this isn't a costume, but if I had a torch I might be in business! H A P P Y F O U R T H O F J U L Y ! ! ! I discovered this great jersey on the Mood Fabric website, and paired it with this Vogue pattern just in time for America’s Independence Day. Generally I can envision the end result of a sewing project before I start, but not so with this one! Gathered shoulders, ruching and oversize red zebra jersey were all new to me from a sewing and fashion standpoint. Would you believe pages 3 and...

30 Jun Memorable or Forgettable? Vogue 8570

Posted at 00:12h in Fashion Sewing, Kate Spade, Mood Fabrics, sewing blog, sewing clothes, Uncategorized, Vogue Sewing Patterns by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

"Fashion is made to become unfashionable." Coco Chanel I tried to keep this quote in mind while admiring Kate Spade’s new black and white paisley garments. This snappy print is featured all over the website in the form of a skirt, a top, a dress, handbags and other accessories all seen here. Fun, yes! Classic, no! Would I have if I indulged in one of these memorable pieces of clothing if I were shopping this year? I’d like to think not at $238.00 for the skirt, $238.00 for top, $398.00 for the dress and now $498.00 for a silk dress of the same print at Saks, but who...

21 Jun Carpe Diem

Posted at 08:41h in Refashioning Clothes by goodbyevalentino 39 Comments

Carpe Diem does not mean ‘fish of the day' As I relaxed under the umbrella taking in the surrounding beach activities, the wind blew my current issue of InStyle magazine to a page of celebrities wearing skinny floral pants and jeans. In particular, the pants on the right reminded me of a pair of pants I had packed for this week at the beach …… only I bought them in 2006… and they weren’t skinny legs… and they were stretched out from 6 years of constant wear…. The gang was out fishing leaving me free to get my sewing machine out of the...

18 Jun Orange Blossom Special – Vogue 8648

Posted at 20:43h in Mood Fabrics, Vogue Sewing Patterns by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

Over the weekend my husband and I bumped into a couple of friends. I happened to be wearing Vogue 8648, and the male half of the couple told me how nice I looked in my shift. Before I could politely thank him, my husband took over the conversation. “That is no shift. Sarah is wearing a couture dress that she made. The dress has 21 pieces that are lined and underlined. She did a lot of the work by hand and it took her a very long time to make it.” Had I recently accused him of not paying attention to me...

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