Sew Spoiled

I made a plaid Heather Dress designed by the Sew Over It ! Making anything out of plaid is extremely hard. You have to make sure you are lining up all of the horizontal and vertical lines with the grain lines on the paper pattern pieces. I used a ruler on top of my paper pattern pieces to make sure that everything lined up. It took longer to true up the fabric than it took to make the actual dress but it was well worth it! In the end, I had to decide that the horizontal lines mattered more. I placed also paid close attention to where the notches where on the separate pattern pieces so when I sewed them together it would also align. If you don't want to deal will plaid craziness and you still would like to have plaid on your dress, you can use plaid fabric for the center front and back pieces of the pattern. I am not sure I recommend others to sew this dress pattern totally in plaid. Many have used a plaid or other design for the center panel and that works very well. ...

See I told you, after sewing Heather Dress #1 , here is Heather Dress #2. This time I used a sweater knit fabric. It is so warm, comfortable and soft. Great for the wintery weather we are having in the south this year. Also, the pockets seem to perform better in this fabric choice. Here is a close up of the pocket! I again had a little extra fabric. So I made a knit pencil skirt. I just used a pencil skirt that I had in my closet as a pattern. Yay, I love getting a little extra fabric for one more design. This stretches my fabric wardrobe budget. Piecing everything together can be fun and give you the boost you need to start sewing! I love how easily this dress comes together. It looks professional but at the same time feels great. I can teach music and move around and look great all at the same time. Save Save

I have been on a knit fabric kick! It feels good to wear, looks great and usually a knit project takes less time if the fabric and sewing machine and/or serger behaves. I had a lot of red ponte fabric from my  Marianne Dress  from the SOSM Round 2  so I decided to make another knit dress.    I was looking for a boat neck line t-shirt dress to make and the Mesa pattern fit the bill. I made a size small, 4-6. The fitting was great. However, I am 5'1" and this is where the hem line fell without changing the pattern. If I were taller, I would have lengthen the dress. It must be is super short on a "regular height frame".  The only challenge I had was the neckband needed to be a little shorter, so that it pulled the top of the dress in. I made the red dress first and a stripe shirt second. The neckband in the shirt looks and feels better because I stretch the band a little as I sewed it in. The Mesa Dress pattern is from Colette Sewing Patterns th...

This is a Cecelia Dress from The Magic Pattern Book by Amy Barickman . I love this dress and this is the third one I have made. You can wear it with a belt, that is in the pattern, or without a belt at all. Then it looks like a shift dress. I am currently on the lookout for a thin yellow or navy leather store bought belt to wear along with it. This fabric is Arizona by April Rhodes from Art Gallery Fabrics . I like all of the prints in this collection but this one looked like it would make an amazing dress. This is a wonderful go to pattern because you can make it from any 2+ yards of fabric, as long as the print is non directional.  The sleeves have a pretty tulip shape and I like that it has a big pocket.  It is wonderful to have a pocket!  There is not a zipper or buttons to worry about sewing, only elastic at the neck line. What a gorgeous day! Handmade Cecelia Dress in Arizona by April Rhodes Shoes: Natural Soul by Naturalizer Shoes Shades: Charming Char...

The Super Online Sewing Match II , challenge at Sew Mama Sew, has been such an awesome experience for me. I have learned new sewing techniques, patterns, fabric, online sites and above everything else, I have met really outstanding people, who love sewing as much as I do. At the beginning of the week we are given the same sewing pattern and by the end of the week we have turned it into something different, fresh and new.  I am excited that our next challenge is the  Caravan Tote and Pouch by Noodlehead for Round 3. One of my favorite things to make are bags and accessories.  Thank you so much Hart's Fabric for this wonderful Saint James navy and white ponte fabric . They wrapped the fabric in tissue from a printed pattern. I loved that! I made another Marianne Dress. I am totally crazy about this dress! I really love Christine's design! By the way, my 8 year old took this picture of me! She did a great job.  I am going to have a great wardrobe for thi...

I am having so much fun participating in the Sew Mama Sew, Super Online Sewing Match II . This week we were asked to make the Marianne Dress by Christine Haynes . I love the look of this dress, I will probably make the Marianne dress over and over again! Christine Haynes is a wonderful apparel designer and her instructions for this dress are extremely detailed. S ince this dress is made from knit fabric  each step was written for a conventional sewing machine, as well as a serger. I have noticed in all of Christine's patterns that she keeps things simple. Only using a few pieces of fabric to stitch together, this makes it easier for anyone to create her designs.  When I started looking for knit fabric for View B of the Marianne dress pattern. I looked for stripes. I assumed that I need a busy print or something with horizontal lines. It wasn't until I went fabric shopping, that I realized color blocking would give me a  classic look. The f...

1 and 2.  Extra Petite | Petite Fashion, Style Tips and DIY , 3. Red Dress with White Collar 4. Flower Dress   5.  Ula Style: Pre-spring wishilist  6.  Laundry by Shelli Segal Knit & Faux Leather Drop Waist Shift Dress | Nordstrom  7.  Ideas for Styling Your Little Black Dress - Sortashion  8. French Red Dress  9.  Outlined Dress  10. Color Blocked Dress  11. Lace Dress  12. Green Dress This is a collection of dress ideas for the Marianne Dress Sewing Pattern by Christine Haynes .  It is amazing how many ideas there are for one dress. The possibilities are endless. It is hard to pick just one style to go with. I would love one of each of these. That is also one awesome thing about sewing. Once you sew a pattern and get the right fit, you can make it over and over again using different fabrics to achieve a new look. The Marianne Dress has two views so there are even more poss...

Recently, I submitted my Sutton Blouse, by True Bias , to the judges for Round 1 of the Super Online Sewing Match, hosted by Sew Mama Sew .  All of the contestant's blouses were beautiful and I could tell each seamstress did their best. This is a tough competition. I was chosen to move on to Round 2 and now we have a new challenge!!! The sewing pattern for round 2 is the Marianne Dress by Christine Haynes !! When I read the pattern for this challenge, I jumped out of my seat! I adore Christine Haynes and all of her designs! She is a wonderful pattern designer, so I knew this would be a great dress! I have her first book Chic and Simple Sewing , it is truly amazing. You know it is a great book when you make several apparel pieces from it. I made the jacket , cape , wrap skirt and school house shift dress . I also interviewed Christine in March of 2011 . Wow, that was four years ago! I am looking forward to making this beautiful dress. I love View A with the pan co...

The Cecelia Dress is another sewing pattern from the Magic Pattern Book by Amy Barickman. You might be thinking I know that dress it is a peasant dress but you would be wrong! Amy takes you through a few different steps and before you know it you have a new lovely frock! One of the wonders of this pattern is the scallop sleeve. It is the reason this dress is not your typical peasant dress pattern. The scallop sleeve was a new skill I learned today. I will probably use this technique over and over again. I love pockets, so the large size pocket is great to house pens, markers and tissues for kids. The belt ties in an adorable bow on the front of the dress which makes me feel like I am wearing an apron. The belt also gathers the dress fabric around the waist and helps to give shape to your silhouette. The last fantastic feature of the Cecelia Dress is how versatile it is. I can wear this dress now in the summer with sandals or flats. I can also wear this dress in...

I made these  Sally dresses by Very Shannon  this week. I love the fact that there are only two pages to print, to get started and no taping! That is a huge plus in he PDF sewing patten world. The dress has three sleeve versions and there is no buttons, zipper or closure to worry about. Just slip over the child's head and go. That is perfect in the busy mornings of getting up and going to work, school or to the pool this summer. I was worried about the sizing. If the collar opening is too big, the dress hangs off of the shoulders. If to small, the dress does not fit over the child's head. That is why I made a muslin bodice first to test the bodice out first. In both cases, I went with a smaller size than I normally would have. When reading this pattern look at the finished garment sizing. That helped us with the sizing. I can see this dress being in almost any color and type of fabric. We used what we had on hand mostly this pollen yellow fabric with accents of cotton p...

I just received this book in the mail and I am so excited! It is not a typical sewing book. Built By Wendy , by Wendy Mullin , is written for anyone who wants to create dresses that are unique.  Wendy gives you 3 style of dresses; the sheath dress, shift dress and dirndl dress. The pattern templates do not have seam allowances but that is so that you can create more designs with them. These pattern temples are called slopers. Designers use slopers to create new dress designs. Wendy also shows you how to create 25 different dresses but you will have to draft some of the extra pieces of the dress. When I think of the slopers, the lines are the seams. After reading through the book I realized that I have been creating these basic dress designs all a long. Here are just a few examples. You might have these sewing patterns too. ✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄ The Shift Dress Laurel by Colette Patterns This is the shift dress with a couple darts along the back panels. ✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄...