Grommets and Studs for the Edgy Woman - Spring 2009 Trend

Yes, grommets and studs are popular this season. If you live on the edge, toss a few into your wardrobe. Be careful; they can magnify problem areas. Accessories are a great way to showcase them. Don't spend too much on this trend, in today gone tomorrow.

Parting Shots:

Me doing the trend - Grommet sweater gifted to me from my sister Mona.






Happy Style Watching!
C

No Blogging, But A Lot of Sewing and Other Acitivities

Boy, it has been a while. I'm about half done with my nieces prom dress. It's coming along beautifully. This is the last graduation/prom dress I'm making this season. Last week I finished my niece's gal pal's dinner dance dress. Her mom is picking it up on Wednesday. I'll report on that experience later. I'm still waiting to post the review and photos of my niece's (Dominique) dinner dance outfit.

Sunday was the climate of my Pastor's Anniversary celebration. We had services from Tuesday to Friday evening. My crew (media services) worked every night. By Friday I was exhausted. Thank goodness for vacation time. By day I sewed and rested, by night I was a pseudo cinematographer, sound and light technician.

In the midst of one my busyness, my desktop computer was bite by a bug. The laptop is fine though. I'll bring it into work so the technicians can restore it.

Today I'm back at work with a Business Owner's meeting scheduled at 10:00am. We have lots to discuss. So it's going to be a looonnnnng meeting. Grrrr! :-0 The work e-mail is out of control as expected. After the meeting, I'll "work" catch up. Maybe tonight I'll post something.

Happy Sewing!
C

Muslin Fitting for B5182 - The Second Choice

Last weekend I was able to fit my niece's second choice prom dress. Sometimes I hate doing muslins, but they are so necessary when I'm sewing for others. Butterick 5182, view A is a go. There are several changes that need to be made. And most are in the bodice area.

I started with cutting the pattern based on her measurements. In these photos, every part of the bodice needs some type of adjustment. I probably could go down a size to eliminate some of the excess room at the neckline and at the side. There are several photos below to help me with transferring the changing to the paper pattern. And of course, I welcome any suggestions from you.

First photo: You can see, I have pinned out the gapping neckline and bust area. There is an under bodice (didn't want to share that photo, too revealing.) It's too long; that's a minor adjustment.



Full back photo: Where the bodice joins at the waist, there is some excess fabric that I sort of pinned out. She has a slight sway back.

Here is a better photo of the back bodice. I think the side also come to close under the arm area.

Bodice side: I pinned out the excess at the sides.

Front bodice: Here you can see the gapping area of the bust line. Also the bodice is a little to long for her torso.

Neckline: The center back appears to stand away from her body.



Parting Shot: This was actually the first picture taken. My niece was clowning around. I thought it would be a funny parting shot. Prom preparation can be tense. So we tried to have some silly moments throughout the process.

The Never Ending Inspiration - ChicStar.com

A few weeks ago my DD showed me a fashion site that allows “designers” to showcase their fashion designs and/or sell them. It’s called
Chicstar.com. There are some interesting fashion posted, and we picked a few inspiration pieces. Here they are!


This little number is one of DD's favorites. She wants it copied.



The trench coats may find their way into my closet. Love them!

Jacket Wear - M4656

I contemplated not posted a review for this coat/jacket. This is my first time using this pattern. I was in a rush to make it and didn't feel like a did my best work on it. The fit is fine. The finishing wasn't as crisp as I would have liked it to be.

I selected this coat/jacket to complement B5032. The day of the banquet, we got about three inches of heavy wet snow.

This pattern is out of print and is not in the McCalls pattern online database anymore. So I scanned and uploaded it into my flickr photostream. M4656

Pattern Description: Misses/Miss Petite Unlined Jacket in Two Lengths, top, bias skirt, pants and flower.

Pattern Sizing: 8 to 22; I made 14 with a few alterations/changes.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes. The pattern is true to the photo.

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were easy. All sewing levels should be able to follow them with no problems.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I purchased this pattern a few years ago thinking it was a good basic pattern to make some nice coordinates from. It has clean lines and looks a bit sophisticated. I also like the inclusion of the flower pattern and instructions for making it.

Fabric Used: dull satin and polyester lining from Hancock's.
Notions: I used some that I removed from a thrift store sweater.





I noticed in the photos that they are too heavy for the jacket. I'm thinking of swapping them out for a lighter set of buttons.




Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I only made a few alterations and design changes.
- FBA - no photos, but the adjustment is the same made for one piece bodice pattern.
- The height of the collar was more than I cared for. So I trimmed out about 1/2".
- I underlined the entire coat/jacket.
and
- I added a few inches to the length for my height, but I forgot to take into consideration the length of my dress. As it is the dress was longer than the coat. Initially, I worried about this combination being a fashion no, no. But after some surfing on the web, I found a few photos displaying coats longer than the dress. So I decided to go ahead with wearing the coat with the dress.

On the Next Try - I will reduce the ease in the sleeve cap. I had to rip them out twice and still wasn't completely satisfied with the outcome. The underlining may have cause some of the difficulty with setting the sleeves.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I plan to sew it again. It's a easy versatile pattern. That could easily become a TNT. And yes, I would recommend it to others if you have it in your collection.






Conclusion: Although this coat/jacket did not turn out perfect, I like this pattern and think this it's worth a try.

Parting Shots:
Pictures of my place of worship on March 28, 2009.

Back to the Clients - Prom and Graduation 2009

I've finished my nieces dinner dance outfit. It's ready for pick up. I think it turned out well. Final photo shot when my sister picks up the dress. The full review posted after that.

Over the weekend, I got things in order for the next two client projects. Patterns cut, notions and fabric all accounted for. Last night I cut the muslin for another niece. This is the second muslin, B5182. I hope this one works for her.

I'm sewing a dress for my niece's friend, Rianna, using Butterick 4731, Views:B & D. It's cut and ready to sew. Hopefully, she will be available for a fitting Saturday or Sunday. Need to call and schedule.

There are quite a few events and deadlines coming up. I want to have these projects finished by the first week in May. My DD is going to the Anime Convention next month and wants part of her custom made. The media team is expected to work every evening from April 21st through 24th. I'm working on a clergy proposal for my pastor, due May 16th. I'm hosting Mother's Day. Part of my team (work) will be travelling to Urbana for retreat; and then in June three of us will travel to the User Group Meeting (I want something new to wear, of course. lol).

Sigh...,

Happy Sewing!
C

Flower Power – The Art of Wearing Flowers Part II

“Real Simple” magazine (April 2009) features an article: Say it with Flowers. The article showcases 16 pieces to make your spring/summer wardrobe shine. From the self-proclaimed shrinking violet to the ultra flower child (like me), there is something for everyone. Here are a few ideas.

Tiered Peasant Top from White House Black Market


Kate Spade Dress buy at katespade.com for a cool $425.00. (You can make it for much less than that.)
Cute little shoes from Bodenusa.com.

Corsage pin from Customfabricflowers.com of NY.

Boden Clutch, $128, at bodenusa.com.


J.Crew Belt, $68.00 buy it at jcrew.com.