Tops Tag

16 Aug Sewing For a Postulant

Posted at 06:22h in sewing clothes, Sewing Skirts, Sewing Tops by goodbyevalentino 67 Comments

At the request of many readers, I am writing a post about my recent sewing project. My neighbors' 30-year old daughter, the oldest of seven children, is an Air Force Academy graduate. She completed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan while on active duty before settling in Columbia, SC as an engineer. In March she made the decision to pursue the religious life and is joining the Dominican Sisters of Mary in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her parents paid me a visit shortly after her decision to ask if I would sew the official clothes Katie would wear during her postulant year. The clothes include 2 white aprons, 2 blue aprons,...

15 Mar New Arrival at K a t i e Spade

Posted at 16:06h in Kate Spade, Mood Fabrics, Sewing Tops, silk by goodbyevalentino 61 Comments

I’m staying at a lovely 5-star resort through the weekend (not our typical getaway) – one of those places where you swap your car for bicycles upon arrival. My husband is engaged in professional activities allowing me to bring along a suitcase of sewing paraphernalia guilt free. This morning when I discovered my white thread was left at home I called the concierge to request a sewing kit so I could hem my top. “My apologies Mrs. Gunn, but we do not furnish sewing kits.” My husband was slightly incredulous when I got dressed and pedaled to the nearest store to find some thread. I ended...

03 Dec Holiday Fasting

Posted at 08:17h in Mood Fabrics, Ready to Wear Fast, sewing blog, Sewing Dresses, Sewing Tops, Uncategorized by goodbyevalentino 31 Comments

A funny thing happens when sewers quit buying clothes…… they become very clothes conscious. At least that is what’s going on with the RTW Fasters, and it certainly happened with me. I became obsessed with all things clothes. I recently asked the Fasters to briefly comment on the experience so far and to date no one said they miss shopping for clothes – quite the opposite. Many have expressed a new sense of freedom as shopping for RTW is becoming a distant memory. So what are they doing? Robin bought a practically new Bernina Artista 200 last month and is all over the place...

25 Nov Formal Desperation

Posted at 15:00h in Refashioning Clothes by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

There’s a first time for everything, and I let a formal event on November 23rd sneak up on me, in that I had nothing to wear. I planned on wearing my daughter’s dress but waited until Thanksgiving night to try it on and it wasn’t a pretty picture. Frantically rummaging through every closet in the house, I stumbled upon this sequined dress I bought in 1994. I’ve been hoping to shrink back into it, but desperate times call for desperate measures and out came the scissors and a roll of Steam-a-Seam. I cut nine inches off of the dress and placed Steam-a-Seam...

10 Nov Vogue 8669

Posted at 10:00h in Mood Fabrics, sewing blog, Sewing Tops, Uncategorized, Vogue Sewing Patterns by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

Thirty – eight degrees outside and a sleeveless cotton top? As temperatures go down thermostats go up ...

17 Oct Vogue 8833

Posted at 19:25h in Ruffles, sewing blogs, Sewing Tops, Uncategorized, Vogue Sewing Patterns by goodbyevalentino 67 Comments

Here is my new top. If I was on Project Runway, Tim Gunn would walk into the workroom and tell me I needed to live up to my potential. Michael Kors would call me a One-Trick-Pony, and Heidi Klum would exclaim that I look like I’m going to a baseball game before saying Auf Wiedersehen with a kiss on the cheek. Does this mean I do not like the top? Not at all! I like it, but I’m starting to repeat myself and it’s time to regroup. ______________ Two weeks ago I went to Waechter’s Silk Shop in Asheville, NC with a friend who decided to start sewing for...

10 Aug Kwik Sew 2498

Posted at 00:02h in Amy Butler, sewing blogs, sewing clothes, Sewing Tops by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

I hear many people saying they can’t believe summer is almost over. My youngest child graduated from college last spring, and I no longer follow a school calendar. Immersed in summer type activities for the next six weeks, I am in summer mode and that includes sewing! Recently, Irene made several tops from this Kwik Sew pattern inspiring me to give it a try.Determined to challenge myself during the past year, I chose more complicated patterns to sew, but adding five more buttonholes to my repertoire immediately qualified the pattern!Though there’s not much to it, I really like several pattern details...

07 Aug Honor Thy Mother-in-Law

Posted at 21:53h in Refashioning Clothes by goodbyevalentino 0 Comments

For some reason my 89-year-old mother-in-law and I both own the same shirt.She loves her shirt and wears it throughout the summer. I certainly don’t want my mother-in-law to think I am copying her, so I decided to refashion my shirt. Though the cotton is extremely lightweight, I enjoy sleeveless tops during the hot sticky summer days and immediately cut off the sleeves. In retrospect short sleeves would have worked just as well, and the project would have been much easier. My last project, the orange peplum blouse, is one of my best fitting garments and inspired me to simulate a peplum. By...

02 Aug Proud of My Peppy – Butterick 5615

Posted at 21:36h in Butterick Patterns, Sewing Tops by goodbyevalentino 82 Comments

I’ve made two buttonholes and zero tailored collars during the last eleven months. Thank goodness I was finally inspired to tackle my fears and add to my skill set. This Butterick pattern offered all of the qualities I like in a blouse. Close fitting but not tight, and structured but not stiff. A straight and flattering peplum is attached at the waist, and the tie extensions remind me of one of my favorite tops I paid a fortune for at Sea Island, Georgia. I have always wanted to know how to make these ties. I took my time, made a muslin and worked out...

30 Jul A Sensible Top – Vogue 9771

Posted at 08:26h in sewing blog, Sewing Tops, Vogue Sewing Patterns by goodbyevalentino 45 Comments

Sensible. The opposite of exciting. I just returned from a real vacation, which for me means getting away in every respect. I often overestimate what I can accomplish in a certain time period, and the refashion I planned to do while away never happened. Determined to post a project from someplace other than my backyard, I packed my sewing supplies in my carry-on luggage. Oops. This meant I had to check my suitcase and p a y for my checked luggage carrying my scissors and seam ripper. I never looked at my sewing supplies. Then I paid another fee to fly my scissors and seam ripper...