Sewing Tops

15 Jul Vogue Pattern 8833, White Linen Top

In March a color specialist spoke to a women's group I belong to. I haven’t thought about the Color Me Beautiful scene since the 80s, but this industry is going strong! Our speaker came from House of Colour and the business has expanded into makeup, accessories, hair color, and even balancing silhouettes and proportions….We were told that a pure red color looks good on everyone (leading me to buy the Red Tunic), but not so with black and white. I should wear beige, navy and chocolate brown….. I understand how blue and yellow undertones affect what colors look best on us, but...

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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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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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27 Jul New Look Pattern 6372

I love silk and wear it for almost any occasion, other than feeding babies ;) I was especially thrilled to recently find the Karen Kane Riviera and White Abstract Silk Crepe de Chine on the Mood Fabrics website - a silk crepe de chine featuring a casual print. With its gorgeous shades of blue and soft drape of textured silk, this fabric was right up my alley for the project I had in mind; a breezy summer top that could go anywhere. No agenda, no deadline, no pattern matching, no tricky fitting ...

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08 Dec Style Arc – Coral Cardigan

What would you do if you received a scarf with which you had nothing to wear? 1 - "Thank you for the scarf but I never wear these colors. Please give it to someone who can enjoy it." 2 - Put it in the closet and forget about it. 3 - Sew a new garment to wear with the scarf. LOL - The scarf is gorgeous and while it looks good on black, it didn't look good on me on black. Decades ago when people 'had their colors done'...

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23 Sep McCall’s 7543

Happy Fall, Y'all! It's always so hard  to say goodbye to my favorite season of the year in exchange for falling leaves, pumpkins and holiday madness. I needed a little pick-me-up after trading my white jeans for black pants, and my new top did the trick. The pattern is McCall's 7543, a pattern worth sewing more than once (my previous version is here). [caption id="attachment_21462" align="aligncenter" width="266"] McCall's 7543[/caption] The two piece sleeve offers a great opportunity for machine embroidery embellishment, so I put the petal to the metal and embroidered both sides of the sleeves with a mirrored image design. The floral embroidery motif...

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