Fashion Sewing

11 Jul Vogue 1802 – Tyler Boe Inspired

Posted at 06:54h in Fashion Sewing, Sewing Tops by goodbyevalentino 40 Comments

When you don't need another party dress, but you're not ready to put away the pattern 😉 When I happened upon an image of the Tyler Boe top, I knew I could continue the fun. There it was - Vogue 1802 as a top with a ruffled collar! [show_lookbook_widget id="497442"] Even better, I knew just what to do with the expensive B and J Fabrics' silk charmeuse I bought in 2013 with no idea how to use. I was so gung ho that I broke my no UFO rule and immediately got down to business. I had 1 1/2 yards of 45" fabric, not ideal,...

06 Jul The Daily Mix

Posted at 07:43h in Fashion Sewing by goodbyevalentino 30 Comments

People often ask me if I really wear all of the clothes I sew. Believe it or not I still wear a few clothes from 2011-2012, the year I reacquainted myself with garment sewing. While I've experienced a few disappointments here and there, the short answer is Yes, I wear the clothes I sew. Last month I wore my six-year-old tunic for a family beach photo. I know, the wind...

03 Jul New Look Pattern 6500

Posted at 07:13h in Fashion Sewing, Sewing Dresses by goodbyevalentino 39 Comments

I'm so happy to be celebrating the Fourth again, that I've made a new dress for the occasion! Another big bold print to express my big bold happiness to be with friends and family again 😊 After seeing the Jude Connally dress in the Charleston store made from this fabric, I soon discovered the fabric on the Emma One Sock website. Once it arrived I realized the fabric design on the dress was smaller than my fabric, but within 5 minutes of posting the dressform photo on Instagram, my daughter sent me this photo. How could I have forgotten her dress, especially since I...

27 Jun Vogue Pattern 1802

Posted at 07:06h in Fashion Sewing, Sewing Dresses by goodbyevalentino 63 Comments

I'm swinging now in one of the most fun dresses I've ever made! One of the things I've sorely missed over the last year and a half was real in-person inspiration. Last week I visited a lovely boutique and tried on a swing dress with a tie back in four different colors, but it was the red one that jolted my memory. Yes...

20 Jun Vogue Pattern 1536

Posted at 07:25h in Fashion Sewing, Sewing Dresses by goodbyevalentino 117 Comments

I guess you could say I took a Covid Sabbatical which was unplanned, but I discovered it was much needed. Many thanks to all of you who checked in on me, and I'm truly touched by your concern. ❤️ I'm delighted to be back, vaccinated and all just in time for summer sewing - my favorite! Had I known the design scale of this gorgeous pique from Farmhouse Fabrics, I might have passed it by. I bought the fabric last summer for the colors and envisioned a simple summer dress, but it remained folded and packaged until a few days ago. BAM! Hoping for...

10 Jan Countdown with Butterick 6388

Posted at 08:00h in Butterick Patterns, Fashion Sewing by goodbyevalentino 50 Comments

I might be smiling but I'm not happy. I've got a book of excuses for gaining nearly 10 pounds, but I won't go there. I decided the best way to start the 10-pound countdown was by sewing a new dress...

07 Nov In House Patterns – Diana

Posted at 06:28h in Fashion Sewing, Sewing Tops by goodbyevalentino 30 Comments

I recently discovered dozens of unanswered messages on Messenger. This is an app I have downloaded but do not use and I apologize to anyone who wrote to me expecting a reply. The best way to contact me is through my blog or by Instagram DM. _______________________________________________ When I returned to sewing nine years ago I vowed to complete each project before starting another and the decision has served me well. This garment is a great example for me to remember, because it would have be trashed before I put the sleeves on...

08 Oct Updates – Van Gogh Inspired

Posted at 07:04h in Fashion Sewing by goodbyevalentino 8 Comments

Excuse me for reposting, but yesterday an Instagram friend said she made a wrap dress from this fabric, and do you know where she bought it? Fabric.com - Here it is. Honestly, the image slipped right by me 😉 The second update is based on a question I received. I was asked to elaborate on why sewing the jacket in the stretch jacquard & this knit were two different experiences. The stretch jacquard is a woven fabric with stretch and the result of the pattern is more like a jacket. Sewing the pattern in this knit results in a sweater type garment. I sewed...

07 Oct Van Gogh Inspired

Posted at 06:21h in Fashion Sewing by goodbyevalentino 30 Comments

If I'm in a city with Van Gogh paintings, I will always make time to see them. I guess it was no surprise that the first piece of fabric which caught my eye at Honolulu's Kaimuki Dry Goods was a delightful knit with colors reminiscent of Van Gogh's Olive Trees, Almond Branches and Wheatfield paintings, among others. We're not in Honolulu anymore Toto, and I'm nowhere near a Van Gogh, but I can carry a little of both with me in my latest. Greetings from Edisto. Originally, I envisioned making a Polynesian inspired maxi, but given the current state of my life and the world, I...

04 Oct Helen Haughey Designs – Guest Post

Posted at 07:12h in Fashion Sewing, Sewing Dresses by goodbyevalentino 23 Comments

Just how important is your neckline selection? One of my sewing mentors contacted me after reading my latest Sheath Post and offered a few helpful comments particularly about the design of my sheath. Helen Haughey, of Helen Haughey Designs is a Certified Master of Sewing and a true master of sewing couture sheaths. I met Helen in Tampa last year and again in Boston at the ASG Convention. In February 2020, I took a French Jacket Class with Helen and Mary Funt. It's one of those classes that forever changes the way you sew. (Read Posts Here, Here and Here.) After reading Helen's comments, I invited her...