Fashion Sewing

11 Jul Vogue 1802 – Tyler Boe Inspired

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,...

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06 Jul The Daily Mix

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...

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03 Jul New Look Pattern 6500

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...

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27 Jun Vogue Pattern 1802

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...

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20 Jun Vogue Pattern 1536

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...

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07 Nov In House Patterns – Diana

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...

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08 Oct Updates – Van Gogh Inspired

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...

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07 Oct Van Gogh Inspired

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...

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04 Oct Helen Haughey Designs – Guest Post

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...

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