Colette Moneta Dress

I resisted getting this pattern for a long time, glad I finally broke down and purchased it. It is super easy and fits great! I liked this dress so much that I cut out another one and sewed that up right away. This version is about five inches longer in the skirt, must have the longer skirt for winter.

The fabric was purchased from Vogue Fabrics when they came to Bloomington, MN this fall.

Got my copy of Threads, all ready to go.

McCall's 7242

Phyllis Diller just called and she wants her hair back. Ha!

This is one of those dresses that took a long time to sew and it's just okay. I used corduroy and I think the fabric was too thick. The one thing I like is the flounce, I found a silk/velvet remnant and it coordinates really well. If you use this pattern and are busty beware, add darts if you can, or use a fabric with stretch it seems to run small.

No Pattern Skirts

Didn't want to make this picture too big, because it's crappy. Anyway, this skirt did look good in real life and I did get a ton of compliments and it's fun to wear because it is so swirly when you walk. This is pre-ruffled fabric.I went to the No Big Dill website where she has tutorials to make a few different skirts.  I think I need more in different colors.

This is a faux metallic fabric. I folded the fabric in half, cut the waist circle and the hem circle and sewed the seam and added an elastic waistband, super easy!

Vogue 8970

Some of my earliest memories are of dresses, I've always liked glitter, frilly stuff and anything girly! My poor sister got all my hand-me-downs and she is a tom boy, so sad. Anyway, this is a denim, so I can justify wearing gold during the day.

I like things a little loose, but when I tried this on this morning, it was too loose. Put back on the robe and stitched the side seams in a bit.

I made this to wear as a jumper also, but when I put on a turtle neck under this, I looked like I was ready to play football with the Gophers today, not really the best look. When it gets colder, I'll wear it with boots and a cardigan sweater.

McCalls 6109

I made this three years ago and I had thought I had given it away, but after rooting around for a bit, found it. I did want to try it on again because I had remembered that I liked the fit and I think I may want to do a Franken-Pattern with this one.

Here is the old pic...

Butterick 6086

This was an easy dress and a not so easy dress to sew.The fabric was so curly that even after pressing I could hardly cut it out. Then, when I was sewing the top I noticed small blotches from bleach, then I couldn't get the stripes to match on the sleeves. Said a few words to myself and proceeded to just sew it.  I think all the stripes distract your eyes, so you don't notice the few weird things.

It is really comfortable and easy. I like that the waist is higher than the natural waistline.

Here is the pattern and the inspiration from Valentino.

McCall's 7131

I have always loved culottes and I'm glad they are back in style. I saw this pattern made up on Mimi G's blog and I just wanted to copy her and get the same fabric that she used. But I held off and went deep into the stash for this Hawaiian fabric. I hardly ever make pants and I never make a muslin, so these are a little big, but it doesn't really matter with such flowing fabric and elastic in the waist back.

I even made pockets, another thing I never do, and I quite like them.

Vogue 8898

Thought I'd better post some of these before winter comes. This is a pattern that is not really my style, but I loved it anyway. I used a light weight knit purchased from Marcy Tilton. Not much to tell on this dress, just use your normal size and sew. It was very easy.

I tried using a belt instead of the tie, but it did not look good.
On the last few new dresses that I just made, I dribbled either food or coffee on them, this one washed up pretty good. I hope that is not a sign of getting older!

Butterick 6226

This is Butterick 6226, a maternity pattern, but I loved the sleeves and had to have it. I made it out of a woven fabric, so I used the back bodice for the pants that allow for a zipper. I also hemmed the sleeves, so strange that the pattern did not call for that. I also made the tie long enough to tie in the front. I have a fashion rule for myself that bans all back ties.

This is another fantastic pattern, the construction and fit of the underarm gussets are really great. If I do make this again, I would reduce the amount of fabric in the front, but still love it as is.

Did you notice that I can only sew navy blue fabric lately? I love not changing the thread...lazy.

Vogue 1410

I wanted an easy dress to sew and this is it. I used seam binding on the neck and arm holes instead of turning under, because I didn't want the denim fabric to get too thick. I also cut off the selvage of the fabric and threaded it through the button holes on the front. The fabric is denim with velvet tiger spots, so I can wear it in the winter as a jumper. Really great pattern!

Making a Dress from a Top

I'm going to keep the picture small on this post, just because taking pictures in the noon day sun is not the most bright (ha, ha) idea. This is made from a top that I had bought cheaply because the bottom band was coming off. I just hacked it off and went deep into the stash and came up with this fabric for the skirt. Cut the skirt, gathered it and sewed it together and added clear elastic to the waist. Looking at the picture a belt would have made the outfit better.

Simplicity 1104

Sometimes you just need something simple to sew and this fit the bill. It is a Simplicity Cynthia Rowley pattern. It took four hours to sew, no seam finishing, minor pressing, no fitting. I got this fabric at Fabric Mart on sale. I have made up the same fabric in pinks and purples, but that was expensive at the local fabric store.

The dress was easy to wear on a hot day and it matched the art too!

Same fabric, different dress.

McCall's 7160 Dress

The last few patterns I've cut I've used every bit of fabric, that is nice. This pattern was made for knits, but I have a warning: on the top do not use the knits going down on one piece and one going across. Notice the weird affect it has on the top...one smaller, one bigger. Oh, well, I'm still going to wear it. I also used view B for the skirt and who would know the fabric was pieced.

The fabric is from JoAnne's and from this year believe it or not.

Vogue 1352

This is another one that had been cut out for a year and is now finally finished. I really love this knit fabric, but I can't remember where I found it. The sleeves are made from an old skirt from Casual Corner that I just could not part with. It is a silk with sequins. I should have lined this sleeves, but I just did not think of it at the time, oh well.

I'm very thankful that I read Amanda's Adventures in Sewing, where she blogged about this pattern. She had said that she has shortened the band by four inches and that's exactly how much I ended up cutting off too. I constructed and gathered the top, put it on and pinned the band to see if that was about right and it was, happy! I did leave the band wider (instead of folding it over and hemming). And that was about it as far as any changes.

Vogue 8904

 

Here is the famous "Shingle Dress".  I had this cut out for a year and for some reason was afraid to sew it. When I finally got to it, it was easy and fun to sew. The hard part was cutting it out.

I had this on but it was just too tight in the back hip area. The shingles hide some problem areas, but not all. On a cooler day I could wear Spanx and it would be fine. The fabric was from JoAnne Fabrics last year. I cut my normal size on top (16) and graded up to the largest size in the hips.

Vogue 8899 and McCall's 6958 Mash-up

 I wanted kind of an Anna Dress look, so I chose McCall's 6958 for the top and Vogue 8899 for the skirt. I had made the McCall's pattern before and I liked the fit, so I changed the neckline and cut it off at the waist.

 The fabric I found online, sorry I can't remember the name of the company. But if you find a spandex site that's really hard to navigate, that's the one. I searched for a cat print fabric and came up with nothing, but then while looking around there was cat fabric. You could only order whole yards. Strange, but I did get the fabric quickly.

This is what I put on this morning and proceeded to weed the garden and do some cleaning. No wrinkles or dirt and the skirt is long enough so I can bend over. I would always wonder on shows like "What not to Wear", when the woman would always say they couldn't dress up because it wasn't comfortable or easy. This dress is both, slip it on and you are good to go in public. Get dirt on it, throw it in the washer, simple.

McCall's 5974

I tried to get some better photos after the last ones, and they are a little better. Maybe I just need a haircut!

This is one of my favorite patterns, made three times to date. The top is a knit and the bottom is a woven, both from SR Harris, and from this year. Got a lot of compliments, but I think it's because the fabric is so cute.

The pattern is all one piece in the back, just cut the pattern and added the seam allowance. I did put in the zipper since I was working with a woven fabric.

My two most favorite patterns so far.

I've found the most fabulous site for buying shoes. These are studded suede for about $17.00 (shipping in that cost). It's Apparel Save on Ebay, you could go nuts. Had to add that since most sewing people love shoes (and animals).

Butterick 5920

I gave my husband some grief...didn't he notice my slip was hanging out by about three inches? Went to work that way too. Any way I really like this pattern. It was easy to do and fits nicely. I've had this fabric for many, many, many years. I added an embroidered piece for one of the pockets and that's about it.