My new skirt and I only wish we were meandering around this Amalfi Coast lemon grove. I'm always inspired by La Double J's fabulous clothes both on the company website and TheRealReal ...
As I enter my 10th year of blogging, I'd like to share some of the significant events and milestones that have made this journey so enjoyable. Shortly before completing my first year of blogging, Mood Fabrics, the Project Runway go-to store invited me to join its new Sewing Network as one of the original members. To say it was an honor is an understatement since I was just finding my way back to the sewing machine. After seven years, I recently completed my work with the Mood Sewing Network (MSN), but were it not for this famous fabric store's investment in me,...
In 2015 one of the publisher rejections we received for The Tunic Bible came from a woman who told me the tunic look was on its way out - especially The Tory Burch style with trimmed and decorative plackets. She went on to tell me the book proposal seemed more appropriate for a magazine article. You can't argue with someone whose mind is made up, but I knew she was wrong. The tunic is the original garment and it will never go out of style. You can imagine my delight upon seeing this image and caption on the Tory Burch website two...
I confess to my growing fondness for creating posh napkins, and blame it all on the pandemic. If you follow my Instagram account, you know what I mean...
There's no doubt I work better under a deadline, otherwise it wouldn't have taken two years to make a top for this skirt. 'Why rush...
As crazy as it sounds, I'm trying to spiff up my summer stay-at-home wardrobe. I'm set for going-out clothes, but workout pants and t-shirts don't cut it anymore. This means I have one of those loaded closets with nothing to wear unless I want to be all dressed up with nowhere to go. I even turned to eBay for a few things, but Ready-to-Wear clothing no matter how expensive or cheap has its pitfalls. Everything needed an alteration of some sort, and it didn't take long to hop back on the sewing train. I simply LOVE sewing with stripes! Instant embellishment and...
Mimi is my daughter not my grandmother. For me, life was humming along until the coronavirus brought everything to a screeching halt. I had just finished my French Jacket from the Palm Beach workshop and was preparing to sew for a trip to Aruba this month. Like so many of you I made masks for whoever needed them...
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 ...
There's nothing better than a spontaneous afternoon of shopping and tea with friends. Several weeks ago I had the pleasure to do just that in Charleston with my dear friend and literary publicist Kathie, and my partner in crime, Julie. Kathie wanted to shop which gave Julie and me a legitimate reason to be in the retail stores on King Street. In our presentations, Julie and I often discuss the etiquette of Snoop Shopping which in polite society should be referred to as Inspiration Shopping. I draw much of my sewing inspiration from Ready-to-Wear clothing and have become quite adept at sneaking...
Nearly 10 years ago I invested in a 'Chakra Portrait'. I visited with a Median who drew a pot of cascading flowers during our chat. It was nothing like I expected, and at the conclusion of our 90 minutes together I ask her to explain the drawing of my Chakra energies...