They're Here....They're Here

OK---well they've been here for about 3 weeks now. Please forgive me. I am still trying to work out the right balance of homeschooling, maintaining our home, sewing projects and this blogsite. Here are some pics of my new label. I used them on some cloth napkins I made for my birthday tea party.



While I'm on the subject of my tea party, let me add a few things.....

1-----IT WAS GREAT!! We enjoyed afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington DC.
2-----The food was great
3-----.....setting fabulous
4-----......friends wonderful
5-----....a moment to remember PRICELESS!!

I just can figure out if I had more fun preparing for the tea or at the tea itself. The party bags were a take on Oprah's Favorite Things......on my purse. :^)

Included in the bags were: Diffuser Reed Bouquets from Pier1; Milk Chocolate ‘Jewels’ from Godiva; Tea Leaf Gift Tins from Michael’s; Loose Tea from Teavana; flower-shaped butter cookies from Whole Foods; Facial Wash (Check & Balance) from Origin’s; exfoliating bath soaps/salts --- Mandarin Oriental; cloth napkin--- Cre8ivNotionsbyMiriam; brown craft bags w/Gerber Daisy flower inserts from Michael’s.

There are a few things in life that makes you feel good all over. This day was defintely one of them. I am still smiling about this day. Thank you God. Thanks to my Diva friends for being a part of that moment!

Way....Way Excited!!!

As a result of much pushing by my beloved 'Peanut Gallery', I have placed my order for garment labels. I am toooooo excited about this move as it is taking me to another place that I am starting to like very much!! Will post label pics soon......

So Fresh.....So Klean!

Shout-out to the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.



Here was a little something for the 2009 All-White Linen Party
Men's shirt w/french cuffs (Kwik Sew #2777)


and Cuffed Trousers (Vogue #1753).

I have used K2777 for loose-fitting dress shirts with success. So far, my experience with sewing for menswear (including my little guys) has identified some major differences to women's fashion and home decor.

-----seams are assembled on a 1/4 inch seam allowance versus the standard 5/8 inch for women's fashion and 1/2 inch for home decor.

-----sleeves are attached open; first to the collar/yoke areas; then the inside sleeve seam is sewn with the bodice side seam.

-----men's shirts generally are buttoned left over right; versus women's fashion is either way.

Pattern Review--KwikSew #2777 and Vogue #1753.

Pattern Rating: Green Dot---Easy

My Rating: For both--Easy. On short notice, a pants pattern (V1753)with 4 pieces definitely does the job!!

Skills Required: Pattern measure, SIZING, altering (modified for french cuffs @ arms) selection, cutout---tracing pattern markings onto fabric--- stitching straight seams, darts & “in the ditch”; ironing.

Instructions: Clear & straight forward. K2777 included seam sewing guide (3/8" or 1/4") with the requisite instruction step in addition to marking pattern pieces. I later find out that this is standard with most patterns. ;^)----okay, so I don't always read the fine print.

Lining Options: None for (K2777) shirt. For (V1753) trousers, I added a front leg lining only.

Oops Moment: Do not use clothing being worn for waist-to-floor measurement! First fitting yielded 'ankle-busters'!! Aaaarghhh! Thankfully, there was enough fabric to make the trouser cuffs.

Do Again? Absolutely! I am totally fascinated with the construction of menswear. Besides, I still owe my brother a belated birthday outfit.

Recommend? Yeah! I think these patterns are great starter choices for menswear.

One Hot Mama!!

So, a lady had a dress made while on business in India. She warned me that I should have taken before pics..........but......well.....I was looking forward to bringing her notion to life.

Alteration #1--The original dress had a 2-piece look: 'blousy' top and straight bottom. I removed the fullness in the top portion of the dress to reveal Ms. Hot Mama's waistline. ;^)

Alteration #2--The straps of the dress crossed in front of her neck and then wrapped around the back (halter-style). Ms. Hot Mama wanted some 'bling' as it were for her special occasion. With some real reservation, I added clear flat-back beads in a pattern designed from a collaborative effort--- I am now a convert to Fabric Glue!!

Alteration #3-- Add a 'wow' piece to finish down the front of the left leg. Copied the existing pattern; enlarged image and voila--------fill in with clear flat-back beading and sew-in blue sequin and WOW!!-----

TaaahhDaaahh!!! One Hot Mama

Butterick #4343 with a Twist

My 2009 started with 'hair' issues......breakage, dryness and general blah. What does this have to do with sewing you say.....? Well, after a few months of the Don King, trying-to-go-natural look, enough was enough. I received a call from a good friend who sends great sewing project referrals. She mentioned some possible prom projects coming up. One of her referrals turned out to be someone looking for a cocktail dress for their 40th birthday party.
During our initial measurement session, I find out that this referral is my good friend's stylist. Imagine my surprise........Divine Intervention had struck again. She needed a fabulous dress......my hair needed some MANAGEMENT help.

For the fabulous dress, we started with a tank-style black cocktail dress w/ruffle detail (she found @Lord & Taylor) and created her notion........a one-shoulder white dress w/similar ruffle detail (with the help of Butterick #4343).

Pattern Rating: Fast & Easy
My Rating: Fast & Easy for the basic pattern. With the modifications, I would still rate this as Easy; but NOT FAST. Modifications included: the bottom portion of the dress to A-line and added the ruffling details. There were about about 70 ruffles around the dress bottom and shoulder in various lengths.
Skills Required: Pattern measurement/sizing, alteration, cut-out, creation (for flounce/ruffle detail). Narrow hemming and top stitching each ruffle
Instructions: Very easy and clear for the fashion fabric (outside layer) & lining (inside layer). I used the 'concept' dress to figure out the flounce/ruffle attachment.
Lining Options: Same as fashion fabric pattern pieces in the bodice only. Caution---We used a light-weight white linen fabric; which can be a sheer. To maintain the Diva's body, we used a cotton lining fabric to keep her cool. ;^).
Oops Moment: With this project, there were 2. First, every white is not the same. The fabric chosen for the bodice was white linen. 2 different fabrics in white were chosen for the ruffle detail---I started with organza and crepe; similar to the concept dress. The coloring of the organza was perfect; but the crepe was off. Thanks to the birthday lady's vision & my sales lady @ Sarah's; we went with satin organza instead of the crepe. The 2 pieces (organza & satin organza) were not only in the same color tone of white; but the sparkle gave the dress a 'princess-like' feel. The second oops moment............Thinking that I could get this done in 2 days. The basic dress was no problem. Finishing and applying each flounce/ruffle detail was time consuming.
Do Again? Absolutely! I loved the way the final product came together; even with the up-front time investment. The attention to detail for each piece paid-off and resulted in a cohesive artistic presentation. I never imagined my work as art, but I must say I was moved!!
Recommend? Yes, especially adding that type of detailing to your garment. I believe this is what fascinates me most about fashion----individual expression.

Vogue Pattern sale thru 1/31/2009

Okay- I just returned from a fabric store 'run'. My purpose: to get some 'shirt' interfacing. My ulterior motive: vogue patterns were on sale, interfacing i thought would be 50% off and red tag fabrics i thought were going to be 50% off. What actually happened? I purchased shirt interfacing, more fabric pieces (I missed the 50% off red tag fabric sale by 12 days), and 10 vogue patterns (because that was the max).
Houston.....we might have a pattern addiction! Is there a support group for this?

And now......The Thought Behind the Purchase.....that sounds like a news segment. I think I will make it my new blog segment....a precursor to the pattern review.

#2988--loved the coat/dress, coat/skirt & coat/pants combination. I have some olive chevron wool crepe that came to mind when I saw this pattern.

#2957--loved the pants-style and the finish on the jacket & sleeve hem. Not too sure about the size of the tie ends. May consider using a flat belt finish similar to a vest? Or, no belt? Or, thinner straps?

#2990--this pattern said...classy, chic and comfy. love the long jacket/skirt combo. Saw dark grey fashion knit fabric that would go well with this pattern. Wait......that could mean another trip back to the store???

#2968--what I like about Anna Sui's patterns is that they are so feminine, soft and flowing. In general, I stray away from these types of tops because of my full mid-section. But, the halter-style with the below-waist handkerchief finish makes me want to give it a try.

#2906--This was my 'just-in-case-we-get-an-Inaugural-invite' gown option #1. I actually saw this gown 2 years ago while searching for a wrap for my niece's graduation ensemble. Still beautiful to me!!

#8311--what's a girl without her accessories? Truth-be-told----they had the orange gloves displayed on the envelope center. Yes, I buy orange!!

#8352--very cute sleeveless summer dress.

#2091--love the v-neck, 3/4 length sleeve option without the banded bottom. Don't know if full legs and thighs would be served well with a cinch below the knees? Definite mod on this one for me.
#1032--This was my 'just-in-case-we-get-an-Inaugural-invite' gown option #2. I think a mermaid-styled gown is very flattering to slight hips and a visible rear. The style of the upper portion provides coverage without seeming matronly. For me, I would look for a bold color (fall-tone orange, chocolate, plum or bronze).
#1090--immediately struck me as a chic, relatively easy dress for those wild-print linen fabric pieces I have waiting to be used. For me, this will be a 1st Michael Kors garment (bought or sewn). Because of the roominess in the waist, this would most likely be a good Mommy-to-be or a That-time-of-the-month item.

Now that I've blogged about my purchase, I am on the hook to produce these items before next year. Here's to my 2009 resolution----sew material in-waiting; start using patterns. Time starts now.......will blog my progress soon.

From Inspirations to Notions....

Inspiration #1--My sister's birthday gift. I commented in an earlier post that we celebrated my sister turning '21' again---wink, wink. For her birthday, I made this dress. Please excuse the mess behind the dress form.

For those who know my sister, they know that it starts with Neimans, Saks or Bergdorf Goodman. The first pic above is her inspiration. After some editorial discussions (mainly her saying she likes this, not that), I responded with---New Look #6615.

• Pattern Rating: None
• My Rating: Easy-Moderate
• Skills Required: Pattern measure, sizing, selection, cutout---tracing pattern markings onto fabric--- stitching straight seams, darts & “in the ditch”
• Instructions: Clear with detailed visual aides----especially regarding yoke installation
• Lining Options: Same as fashion fabric pattern pieces in the bodice only. Caution---if using sheer fabric, consider lining the bottom portion of the dress.
• Oops Moment: None, even with altering the sleeve with cuffs and tie ends
• Do Again? Absolutely! Used same pattern for mommy-to-be sundresses with cap sleeve.
• Recommend? Absolutely! It’s a chic look that's comfortable.

Inspiration #2--Prom season 2008

This project brought an opportunity to work with something I had not handled since I was a young child----Tutus! The inspiration dress (1st pic) was a tutu dress with a corset top worn by Rihanna. What struck my prom dress lady were the coordinating dots. What struck me was the cleavage!! :^) The result, a tutu bottom from scratch and a corset-styled top using McCall's#5320. (Side note: LOVED the BCBG shoes!!)

• Pattern Rating: None
• My Rating: Moderate
• Skills Required: Pattern measure, sizing, selection, cutout---tracing pattern markings onto fabric--- stitching straight seams, darts & “in the ditch”---installing boning, zipper, hooks & double-sided bonding material.
• Instructions: Clear with detailed visual aides.
• Lining Options: Same as fashion fabric pattern pieces in the bodice only.
• Oops Moment: None
• Do Again? Definitely the tutu part. That was really fun.
• Recommend? Yes, who doesn't love a tutu?