sewing Tag

08 Jan REDEMPTION

Do I  ever feel better! I wasn’t willing to go through the weekend agitated by my setback and got back to work,  but first things first. When I turned on my computer yesterday morning I knew immediately that  a positive experience had emerged from my unsuccessful New Look dress project. The kind  comments from my Goodbye Valentino followers and Pattern Review friends truly lifted my spirits sending me back to the sewing machine. Thank you so much – You are absolutely wonderful. As you can tell I wasn’t about to sew another too tight dress and erred on the side of generosity. I bought this...

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29 Dec Nice and Easy

Is it over yet? The company is gone, the tree is dead, the house is a mess and Santa brought me a new serger!                                                                                                              To clean the house or sew: that is the question.                        ...

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22 Dec In the MOOD

I’m envious of anyone who finds time to sew clothes in December! I’ve not sewn since early December - but I've not bought a single item of clothing either. However, this week  I had the good fortune to take a quick trip to New York, and  visited Mood Fabrics for the first time! Swatch was hilarious running up and down the aisles, and the store was awesome in the truest sense of the word. I fell hard for the jerseys…. I fell hard for the silks…….   I would have fallen for everything if I had been alone. Thank goodness I was with another woman, the wife...

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07 Dec Tis the Season to Wear Red

Ah… D e c e m b e r !  If you’re a woman it’s stressful -  period. So busy was I making the evening gown last month, that I gave zero thought to holiday apparel. Hoping to find time to make something…. anything……. to add a little splash to my ho – hum  holiday wardrobe, I stopped by Mary Jo’s last weekend while traveling. I bought the brightest red I could find in the store. Then I bought this pattern. Last month I became intrigued with the Badgley Mischka evening gowns and the designer name caught my eye. What I really like is...

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30 Nov Three Months and Still Sewing

What can I say other than I like blouses with ruffles!  I made this silk dupioni top  in a hurry, and now, I wish I had planned a holiday wardrobe because I truly don’t have one other than a couple of dresses. About the top –  its an old Butterick pattern which was pretty simple but I changed the flounce to a ruffle to better frame my neck and dress it up a bit.  I also added a sash because I didn't care for the tie. Last night I wore it with winter white wool pants and these Kate Spade shoes...

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02 Nov Word’s Out

“Honey, what ‘s going on???   Is there someone else? Are you taking drugs? You’ve stopped cooking dinner, the laundry is piled up and you just don’t have time for me anymore. What is it? “ “None of the above dear, I’ve started a sewing blog.” Well, it wasn’t quite that dramatic, but you get the picture.  Glad that’s over with so I can get back to sewing…….....

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31 Oct The Great American Apparel Diet

Over the weekend upon hearing about my blog, a friend told me that she and a group participated in The Great American Apparel Diet during Lent 2011. I never knew this organization existed, but two years ago I did the same thing on my own during Lent. I made it until Easter but quickly learned this diet was not the way for me to go, for I indulged in some serious shopping shortly after Easter making up for whatever I didn’t spend during those six weeks. I   l o v e  sewing clothes again.  Deprivation from shopping for clothes has been...

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26 Oct BASICS is not a dirty word

Now, I know there is nothing unique about this skirt, and I took dozens of pics trying to capture its special qualities. There are none. What is special, is that I found a skirt pattern that fits well, as well as one that I really like! I suppose if one sews long enough, one will have a collection of go-to patterns. I now have three but this is the only one I have not altered in any fashion, and the fit truly resembles the Simplicity pattern photo, although I omitted the front pockets. As a person committed to sewing my own clothes...

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24 Oct I must make an evening gown

I was hoping to tackle the more ambitious projects towards the latter part of the year but here I am in the second month faced with a challenge that has brought my momentum to a standstill…………….. an evening gown…….. for a ball……….. the day after Thanksgiving………  h  e  l  p . I would have considered an exception to my year of no shopping but both of my daughters are going and you guessed it…………. they need new gowns too. I’ll buy their dresses and make mine - something is wrong with this picture.  The last time the entire family went to...

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22 Oct Seventeen Years Later

Well, I did it! I am now wearing the beautiful silk that I’ve been afraid to touch for 17 years. I finished it just in time to take on a business trip with my husband to                Palm Springs and wore it last night.  Making this top from some polyester in my stash a few weeks ago gave me the confidence I needed to pick up my scissors. I’m grateful for the inspiration from LaRoque in Columbia, SC, and doubt I would have noticed this Simplicity Cynthia Rowley pattern without first admiring these cute tops designed by Annabelle...

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