Minoru Jacket

I can't tell you how excited I am about this jacket!  I ordered it when Tasia from Sewaholic had her pre-sale and I have been itching to make it for over a month.  I received some denim in my last fabric order from Fabric.com and thought it would be perfect for the jacket.  The denim is quite stiff and I was worried about how the jacket would turn out, but it gave the jacket some really cool structure and I love it.  I used a plaid flannel for the lining to give it some warmth.

 (Pay no attention to my crazy pajama pants...)

The elastic in back just nips the waist perfectly so that the jacket looks fitted and very feminine.

The collar looks great up or down and will I can't wait to accessorize with a colorful scarf!

I chose to forego the hood for a more sophisticated look.  When I make this jacket again, I will definitely try View A with the hood.

And my serious shot.  Because I feel seriously awesome in this coat.

The pattern instructions were straightforward and easy and this project came together in about 2 days.  The only thing that I recommend is that if you use a stiffer fabric, then hand-baste around the neckline where it is gathered.  Machine-basting stitches are too tight and small.  Now I'm off to run some errands in my fab new jacket.

Oh, I will definitely try to take some pics of me in action and outdoors in the jacket!  Outdoor light will do it more justice, I think!

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year, indeed!  This is really going to be an interesting year for me.  First, I will be continuing my schooling towards my AS in Fashion Design.  I'm still in core classes right now, but this quarter I will get into my major courses so that is definitely exciting!

As you  may know, we are an Air Force family and my husband will be deploying for a year in March.  That is the not-so-good part about 2012.  But, as a military wife, it is important to always look at the bright side.  When my husband leaves, I will take my girls and head back to my hometown in Connecticut!  I will be staying with my parents for the next year and be near my two sisters, who I miss terribly.  And another plus??  SNOW IN THE WINTER!!!  California winters are just not cutting it for me and I miss the freezing temps and snowy goodness of the Northeast.  Call me crazy, but winter ain't winter without the white stuff.  Yes, the year will be tough, but being with my family will make it easier, I hope:)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's (or maybe tonight's!) post because I am finishing up my first Sewaholic pattern...the Minoru Jacket!

I can't have this post pictureless, so I will leave you with my birthday picture.  I turned 29 on December 27th and my awesome friend took me out to a fabulous Italian restaurant in Walnut Creek.

Party Dress in Action!

Well, I knew I would finish this dress in time, but didn't realize that I would be sewing it up until 30 minutes before our Christmas party!  I ran into a couple snags, but I love how it turned out.

And the open back has to be my favorite part!  It is a sexy surprise and I think it's a great contrast for the conservative front of the dress.  I was terrified of cutting into the beautiful silk, but it came out great.  Another modification I made to the Burda 7494 pattern was completely redrafting the back.  I should have listened to the other reviews about the box pleats in the back, but I didn't.  And I looked ridiculous.  I ended up following the advice of Julia Bobbin on PatternReview.com about sewing the pleats all the way down, thus creating another seam.  I gradually tapered the seam so that I took in about 2 3/4 inches at each side of the top and about 1 inch on the bottom.  And the dress fit like a glove.   Here are some close up details.

 I added a button for the closure at the top of my cut out.  For the cut out I just traced the outline of a bowl on a piece of paper and used it as my cutting guide for the dress and lining.  I made sure that the circle wasn't too big that it would run into the seams of the dress.

 Here are the two new seams in the back.

And the peter pan collar is one of my favorite details.

We had such a fun night, and I loved being able to dress up.  The last time I wore a dress and heels was my sister's wedding in June, so needless to say, it was about time!

Party Dress Progress!

Aaaahhhh!!!  I'm so excited about this dress, I can hardly contain myself!!!  So, my husband's work Christmas party in this Friday and I just had to take a break from my little business and make time to sew up a dress.  I know this is going to sound dramatic, but I literally agonized over the style and design!  Then I started over-thinking and was planning on Frankenstein-ing 3 patterns together to create the dress. But that didn't work out.  I'll talk more about that in a later post...

Anyway, so I wandered into JoAnn's (oh, by the way, if there is ever a time you can't find me, look in the fabric store...it might be slow-developing addiction) and Burda patterns were on sale.  BURDA, people!  This never happens.  And low and behold, I found THE perfect pattern in Burda Style 7494.  With a modification, of course:)

I fell in love with the peter pan collar and the tulip skit, but it needed a little boost of "swag," shall we say.  So I decided to take my shears and cut a large circle out of the back of my expensive silk shantung and I think it's going to be perfect.  Mind you, these pictures are just of the bodice and it still needs to be pressed.

And, yes, the lining is almost the best part:)  So I'm getting my hair cut and colored tonight and then I'm going to try to finish it afterwards!!!  I cannot wait.

Wearing my Summer Wardrobe in Winter

I love making cute summer dresses, skirts, and tops, but when the cold weather rolls around, I have to get creative so that I can wear my summer stuff in the winter.  I made this top over the summer using McCall's 6325 and just had to find a way to wear it yesterday in the cold weather.  I decided to pair it will a jewel-toned cardigan and dark wash jeans so that it was less summery-looking.  I call this my "love-birds top" because the print is made up of kissing birds and hearts:)

I love all the options in this pattern and I'm definitely going to make it again.  It comes with cup sizes which makes the top so much easier to fit.  Sadly, the cup size is a bit droopy on me because I made this top while I was still nursing and I have shrunk significantly, so all the more reason to make it again with a better fit!!

Happy Sunday, and I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Better Than Your Average T-Shirt

I made this shirt a couple months ago and thought I should post some pics.  I love the idea of a t-shirt having a little sass to it, so I though McCall's 6435 was a perfect pattern to experiment with.  I chose View A and then made it sleeveless.

I found some t-shirt knit in the Value Fabric section at Hancock's for $1.99 and thought it would be perfect for this shirt.  And, voila!

I did all this without a serger, too.  See, you don't need all the fancy stuff to do knits!  Just the right sharp needle and a little patience.  I love the way it came out and I'm definitely going to make a couple more in different colors.

Random Thoughts

I am a religious reader of several sewing and fashion blogs and I can across the most wonderful post today on The Elegant Bohemian.  So I just had to share!  She talks about perfume and "signature scents" throughout the years, and it really got me thinking.  I mean, I really love perfume, and I love to smell good, so why do I always save it for a special occasion???  I mean, let's face it.  I have 3 little girls, 4 and under, and perfume is not something I think about every day.  Now, make-up, on the other hand, is something I don't often leave the house without.  Sure, there are days when I skip putting on my "face," but then I feel naked all day.  So why should I skip perfume??

Wait a second!!!!  I think I have a New Year's Resolution!  I'm going to try to put on a little perfume from now on.  Even busy housewives in sweats and high ponytails deserve to smell special, am I right?  What's your "signature scent?"