Goodbye Valentino

22 Jul Let’s Hang On To What We’ve Got!

Posted at 12:36h in Refashioning Clothes by goodbyevalentino 68 Comments

“ Mom, it’s time for you to quit wearing this strapless top.” Is this a preview of what’s to come? “Mom, this house is more than you can handle. Let’s look at a retirement community.” “Mom, it’s time to turn over the car keys.” “Mom, we’re afraid you are going to hurt yourself with that sewing machine.” ………………… I’ll quit wearing the strapless top, but I’m not giving it away. It’s an expensive Sarah Campbell top made of a beautiful cotton almost as nice as Grandmother’s Sheet, and I love it. I recognize there comes a time when one has to take a long hard look...

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...