sewing blogs

22 Jul Floral Maxi Dress, Brochu Walker Inspired

I knew the Brochu Walker dress was  my dress the moment I saw it - even online. <img class="vce-single-image" src="|!|vcvUploadUrl|!|/2023/06/Untitled-design-77.png" width="1024" height="576" alt="" title="Untitled design-77" />  I ordered the gently worn dress from The Real Real at a bargain price and have worn it repeatedly. It's a maxi (midi on a taller person 😊) that doesn't overwhelm me, and I was inspired to recreate this silhouette.(PS...

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28 Jan Blackwood x2

Discovering a pattern that is just your style is pure gold. I have a few and have just added a new one to the collection. Winter just got a whole lot better 😉 After browsing through a stack of Christmas catalogs during the holidays, I was convinced I needed a pair of patterned leggings and ordered Mood Fabric's ultra soft black wool knit with orchid pink medallions. Opening the box of fabric long after the catalogs were thrown away brought me back to reality and I reassessed. The leggings would be cute if I was 10 or on a Scandinavian vacation...

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29 May Seersucker Beach Pants – Vogue 7912

For some reason, my husband and I have not been to the beach together in almost one year! Greetings from Edisto and Happy Memorial Day! I didn't know I wanted a pair of wide-leg beach pants until the Blue and White Bengal Cotton Seersucker arrived from Mood Fabrics. Seriously, I was planning a dress with a ruffle collar, but a new vision appeared once I opened the package. This is no pinstripe seersucker, but a lovely light and airy fabric featuring  1/4" stripes.  It is slightly puckered with a wonderful drape making it suitable for several garments. As one who almost always prefers a slim silhouette, I was...

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09 Apr Almost Cocktail Attire

In my next life I'd like to live in a historic house in Charleston with a decorative gate and  creeping fig wall. Perhaps you follow Teggy French, one of my favorite fashion bloggers. Last fall her social media led me to Shein, a website of inexpensive clothing where I purchased a ruffled bell sleeve top. When it arrived I hated everything about it...

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10 Mar Garment #7, Vogue 8379

Greetings :) There is viscose and there is viscose. I am wearing viscose, more specifically Poppy Abstract Stretch Viscose from Mood Fabrics. Upon reading the website's  fabric description as "wonderful for wrap dresses reminiscent of DVF," I placed a quick order and found the description quite accurate. What is Viscose, you asked? For the scientific definition click here. Viscose, often labeled rayon is a regenerated cellulose fiber resulting somewhere in between a natural and synthetic fabric. I made my dress from a Viscose Jersey, knitted with 4% elastine. Viscose quality can vary, but this viscose is cream of the crop ;) My pattern is Vogue 8379, a...

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04 Jul Poppin’ Poplin!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA! You survived another year, and I made a new dress to celebrate! One of the things I look for when shopping online are fabrics that will work well together, and I had no doubts about these off-white and navy Celtic inspired stretch cotton poplins. from Mood Fabrics.      Cotton poplin with the addition of spandex is a dream come true for casual Summer sewing!  Crisp, lightweight and minimal wrinkling -  what more can I want? Using my own pattern I sewed the bodice with the navy background poplin saving the reverse fabric for the collar, placket and lower band. I generally make lower bands similar...

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27 Apr White Polka Dot Voile!

Greetings from the nation’s number one wedding destination spot, Charleston, SC! Hubs and I are in the Old Village of Mt. Pleasant, just across the bridge from Charleston. We’re staying in an inn above one of our favorite restaurants and attending a wedding in a historic home on the Ashley River. So is there anything better to wear while strolling amidst the gentle breezes and tree-lined streets of this charming city than a white cotton voile tunic? The tunic was a work in progress beginning with my own pattern and this delightful polka dot cotton voile from Mood Fabrics. After cutting the bodice I...

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