25 Jul Butterick 6816 – A for Effort
"What do you think?" said I...
"What do you think?" said I...
Why is so much wonderful cotton shirting described as a man's fabric??? I couldn't pass on Mood Fabrics' beautiful pink/blue Italian cotton shirting even if the description read - This is a light weight 100% cotton shirting with a woven pattern. Smooth, soft, sleek, ideal for men's dress shirts. Cotton is simply my salvation during this time of year, and with a new grandchild due on September 1, the pink and blue stripes spoke to me! Yep, my daughter and son-in-law are doing it the old fashioned way and skipped the gender test ;) I knew this soft textured fabric with its baby colored stripes...
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...
Dear Readers, Forgive my unexplained absence. I knew Mimi's January 9th wedding would set me back a few days, but around the time of the wedding my beloved father, Don Welch, became very ill and died on January 22. I lost my focus on sewing. Dad was too great of a man to be described in a few words, and though I owe so much to my wonderful father, I especially credit him with inspiring me to think outside of the box and to be an original. As life returns to a new normal, I decided to complete a sewing project I...
Will the real Sail to Sable please come forward? Seriously, this is what keeps me sewing. I cannot spend $200 on a tunic that I can make for $50. It's true the Sail to Sable tunic is dress length, but I wanted the shorter length. I've been on a quest to sew the perfect tunic for months. I love tunics.They are the perfect garments to toss on for casual occasions, or make one in silk and you're set for the evening. My attempts to sew the perfect tunic have resulted in a collection of tunic patterns. Through mixing pattern pieces, tracing RTW garments and an enormous amount of...
Congratulations to BARBORA SISKOVA, the winner of Sewing for Fashion Designers by Anette Fischer! Please contact me at goodbyevalentino@gmail.com by Friday, March 20 or a new winner will be selected. _____________________ A huge thank you to Funkifabrics for naming Goodbye Valentino as one of the top 100 Best Sewing Blogs in the world :) For those of you unfamiliar with Funkifabrics, it is a British company and premier supplier of printed fabrics and foil decorated stretch fabrics. You can check it out here. The photo below links to the post of bloggers also included. Best of all Funkifabrics provides convenient links to all 100 blogs for an incomparable blogging journey! I appreciate Funkifabrics' ...
While patience is a virtue, and a quality I attempt to pursue, I would not consider it to be my best attribute. Many sewists truly enjoy using the PDF patterns. I too love the instant gratification of downloading a pattern, but assembling 30-page patterns is an event in and of itself. I wanted Sewaholic's Granville Shirt enough to download the pattern late one evening. Online access to sewing patterns is certainly advantageous, especially for re-printing purposes, but printing and assembling a pattern adds additional responsibility and time. It takes patience for sure! After assembling and cutting my pattern, I chose to skip out on the muslin...
Maybe it’s just me but on January 2, I was craving an oversized shirt to hide my holiday indulgences…. and when I’m in an unattractive state of mind, the fabric I like to turn to is silk. This Famous Designer Black and Off-White Animal Print Crepe de Chine was the perfect antidote for my post holiday doldrums. I feel better already! My pattern of choice was Simplicity 2447, but it wasn’t just oversized, it was supersized! Before cutting into the silk I made a full muslin which required one alteration after another. The photo below shows the muslin after the excess is pinned out...
I just returned from the new Kate Spade outlet store located 20 minutes from my house, and all I found was this necklace featuring a bitten-off popsicle. The store carried zero shoes and the handbags were designed for the outlet store. Maybe you’re wondering if I am wearing anything besides turquoise, aqua and white this summer. In the past I have been consumed by orange, but this year I’m drawn to anything resembling serenity ;) Inspired by a friend’s RTW top made from a similar fabric, I recently ordered this lovely Tilda French Viscose knit from the Marcy Tilton website, an online store loaded with beautiful high...
I often think my Fall wardrobe is practically non-existent – most likely because I look like I’m coming down with something when I wear those traditional, Fall earth-tone colors. Fortunately the Pantone Fall 2013 report brings new colors to the mix translating into exciting possibilities for my closet! My first Fall sewing project needed to be a go-to garment. Being a lover of silk, I ordered this crepe de chine from Mood Fabrics by Thakoon - the gorgeous colors enhance every pair of pants I own! True, the fabric would make a beautiful special occasion garment, but I'll feel special each time this luxurious...