I started with this Badgley Mischka Vogue pattern.It didn't turn out so I turned to these cute tops by Annebelle LaRoque for inspiration, and I ended up with this. It only took an entire week of sewing...
Making this Simplicity 7715 pattern evolved into one of those s p e c i a l projects………. piece by piece, hour by hour, day by day…………… I was starting to hate it but now that it’s over I love it - much like childbirth as I recall. The gory details are here on the Pattern Review website if you want to know more. I'll just say every pattern piece but one required a redo - planned and unplanned. One positive aspect of the pattern is the wonderful ruffle, which I equate to finding an oasis in the middle of the desert. With the...
You may already know how much I love Kate Spade clothes although I don’t own a single Kate Spade garment. One of the dresses I’ve admired over the years is the Aubrey Wrap Dress, which Kate Spade introduces in new fabrics every season. Whether or not I can recreate this dress remains to be seen but I’m trying. In November, Tracy kindly introduced me to this vintage Simplicity 7715 pattern when I was contemplating evening gown patterns. Three months later, after losing the e-Bay bid Tracy discovered, I found it on Etsy – even in my size! Hooray and thank you Tracy! Not only is the pattern...
Greetings from lovely Bluffton, SC! My husband and I are here where he is meeting with colleagues. I am riding bicycles, taking yoga classes and enjoying the abundant coastal wildlife which all headed for the lagoon when I walked out of my cottage wearing the latest. Even the big alligator made a u-turn and started swimming toward the river. I‘m thinking about making a scarecrow out of these clothes just to keep it away. I knew this orange floral fabric would not be suitable for the dress I planned to make the minute I opened the box, and these pants practically cut and...
Who’s there? O R A N G E. Orange who? Orange you going to ask what possessed me to order all of this L O U D fabric? __________________________________________ Bigger, Brighter and Bolder does not mean B e t t e r . Hopefully you caught the word ORDER. I’ve had excellent results from ordering fabric online until now, and the reason my latest order is such a disappointment is because I didn’t take the time to order swatches. It never occurred to me that this would be this or that this stripe would be this stripe. and I never dreamed the scale of this floral would be enormous. I was going to...
I just finished making these ELLE PANTS by Style Arc. This is the first pair of skinny pants I’ve ever made, and I immediately placed this pattern on my list of favorites. My husband said he really liked them and that they looked like ski pants all in the same sentence. I’ll forgive him since he doesn’t keep up with fashion trends. He didn’t realize the Style Arc ELLE PANT “is the pant of the moment, slim line from ankle to waistline….. These pants sit so beautifully without any bulk, wear them with your high heels out for the night or with your...
“You need to be wearing more yellow,” stated the young woman upon handing me my Chakra portrait. S A Y W H A T ? I know what you’re thinking...
Mardi Gras, anyone? Tonight I’m attending a Mardi Gras carnival that serves as a fundraiser for the Healing Arts program in my community. Last year was our first annual Mardi Gras carnival and I wore a brown and black dress. Yuk. Why would I show up in brown and black when most people were in costumes or festive Mardi Gras colors? Possibly because I’ve been attending pancake suppers through the years and didn’t know what to wear, or else I just didn’t have anything to wear. This year I made a purple dress using this New Look pattern. I was hesitant about sewing another New Look pattern after this, but...
I was at a social gathering over the weekend wearing my Red Ruffle Dress when a friend made reference to my year of "austerity". Now, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but I thought this was an interesting choice of words for I’ve felt anything but austere. Based on some of the definitions and synonyms for austerity and austere, I suppose the word can be applied to my abstention from buying ready-to-wear clothing for a year. AUSTERITY 1. Economy measure 2. Severity or plainness 3. Enforced thrift AUSTERE 1. Suggesting physical hardship 2. Unsmiling 3. Plain and without luxury 4. Plain in style or design Sewing clothes rather than buying clothing...
I can’t explain my sudden attraction to red, but in a just a few weeks I’ve gone from a person who rarely wore red to someone who can’t get enough of it. H a p p y V a l e n t i n e ’ s D a y ! If I could select any outfit I wanted for Valentine’s Day, I would choose a red Valentino dress with ruffles. Believe me, I know this is no Valentino, but the spirit of Valentino’s feminine designs motivated this latest sewing project! This Very Easy Vogue pattern was in my stash...
