sewing blogs

17 Oct Vogue 8833

Posted at 19:25h in Ruffles, sewing blogs, Sewing Tops, Uncategorized, Vogue Sewing Patterns by goodbyevalentino 67 Comments

Here is my new top. If I was on Project Runway, Tim Gunn would walk into the workroom and tell me I needed to live up to my potential. Michael Kors would call me a One-Trick-Pony, and Heidi Klum would exclaim that I look like I’m going to a baseball game before saying Auf Wiedersehen with a kiss on the cheek. Does this mean I do not like the top? Not at all! I like it, but I’m starting to repeat myself and it’s time to regroup. ______________ Two weeks ago I went to Waechter’s Silk Shop in Asheville, NC with a friend who decided to start sewing for...

31 Aug Celebration Time

Posted at 07:23h in Butterick Patterns, McCall's Sewing Pattern, Mood Fabrics, sewing blogs, sewing clothes, silk by goodbyevalentino 187 Comments

On August 31, 2011 I turned over a new leaf :) I gave up buying Ready-to-Wear clothing for one year and vowed to make my clothes instead. Today I’m celebrating because I not only set out to do what I intended, but I completed an experience that brought me great pleasure and satisfaction. I must have needed a challenge! I was spending huge amounts of money on clothes and was constantly shopping. I bought way too many clothes that looked alike, and had entirely too many clothes that were barely worn. One day I snapped, gave up shopping, began sewing my clothes and started a...

22 Aug “It Ain’t Me, Babe” B5567

Posted at 13:27h in Butterick Patterns, sewing blogs, sewing clothes, Sewing Jackets, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 98 Comments

“This jacket just isn’t you,” commented my honest husband. “Shut up and eat your damn cake,” said I. _____________________________________________________ Years ago while dining at a very nice restaurant, my husband and I observed a drunk man tell his nagging wife to shut up and eat her damn cake in front of a table full of guests. It’s been one of our little jokes ever since……… It’s quite discouraging to spend three days sewing only to be disappointed with a mediocre result, but my husband is right – this jacket isn’t me. I believe the giant ric-rac just made it worse too. Would you believe I...

10 Aug Kwik Sew 2498

Posted at 00:02h in Amy Butler, sewing blogs, sewing clothes, Sewing Tops by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

I hear many people saying they can’t believe summer is almost over. My youngest child graduated from college last spring, and I no longer follow a school calendar. Immersed in summer type activities for the next six weeks, I am in summer mode and that includes sewing! Recently, Irene made several tops from this Kwik Sew pattern inspiring me to give it a try.Determined to challenge myself during the past year, I chose more complicated patterns to sew, but adding five more buttonholes to my repertoire immediately qualified the pattern!Though there’s not much to it, I really like several pattern details...

19 Jul Keep on the Sunny Side – Vogue 8570

Posted at 16:55h in Mood Fabrics, sewing blogs, Vogue Sewing Patterns, Yellow by goodbyevalentino 77 Comments

When the blue tracing lines unexpectedly transferred from the silk organza underlining to the seam line of my gorgeous 4-ply silk crepe, I did not cry, open a bottle or eat a gallon of ice cream. I returned to my sewing room and began undoing two days of work until a storm took out the power, forcing me to get out my flashlight. After I removed the catch-stitching, ripped apart the seams and discarded the underlining, I started over. …..and that’s the short version. It’s great to be a part of the living again after being holed up for days trying to save this beautiful...

15 Jul 68 Garments and 8 Pairs of Shoes

Posted at 08:47h in sewing blogs, sewing clothes, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 46 Comments

I recently read an interview on The Pattern Review website with Elizabeth Cline, the author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. I have not read the book, though I plan to. Eventually ending up on Elizabeth’s blog I learned Americans buy 20.5 billion garments a year or 68 garments and 8 pairs of shoes per person. S e r i o u s l y ? I have been sewing rather maniacally this year making all of my clothes and let’s see……. just how many items have I made during the last 10 and a half months? 15 skirts, 15 dresses, 20 tops, and 7 pants which...

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...

16 May Butterick 4735

Posted at 19:17h in Butterick Patterns, Ruffles, sewing blogs, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

Since my last post, I experienced my first true sewing disaster of the year with this Vogue pattern.(View A) ...

09 May Anyone Else Fasting?

Posted at 14:49h in sewing blogs, sewing clothes by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

Today while reading The Sew Weekly website I read a lovely article entitled I Remember Mama written by a woman named Barbara whose mother died at the age of 68. I visited Barbara’s website and learned she too has taken a pledge to stop buying RTW for a year. She began on January 1, 2012. I found ZiberGirlSews quite entertaining with creative photography and wanted to share it in case you haven’t seen it. I have a feeling Barbara and I are not the only two people in the world abstaining from RTW for a year. I S A N Y O N...

06 Apr Style Arc Straight Up

Posted at 13:56h in sewing blogs, Sewing Tops, Style Arc Patterns by goodbyevalentino 42 Comments

“Good with spandex” caught my eye on Style Arc ‘s Diana pattern page while I was writing my last post. Since I had a little spandex left over from this endeavor, and since I knew another Diana top was only an hour away, I headed back to the sewing machine . Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm…………….. Well, it only took an hour. It was “free” so to speak. The colors are great …...