Saturday, April 14, 2012

Fear Itself

I think I may have overcome my fear of prints. I can't get these out of my head!

The first two are from Fabric Mart.
The Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection - "Basha"
BBB2139 Cotton Abstract Print Purple, Scarlet, Red Tangerine 46" Wide
Just insert you favorite sundress.
PhotoPhoto

This one is so interesting.
Marc Jacobs Cotton  Large floral printed broadcloth
SKC2142 Marc Jacobs Floral Cotton Broadcloth Purple, Wisteria 60" Wide
So, what would you do you with such a HUGE print? Seriously.

This one is from eBay.

Yep, another ginormous print. Would this work?


I fell in love with these pinks on the Fabric.com sale.

Botanica Deco Flowers Salmon

Botanica Deco Flowers Salmon


Botanica Blooms Garden White

Botanica Blooms Garden White

Geometrics Retro Stars Pink (sold out)
















Wouldn't they make cute skirts?
M5431Photo

Still haven't been inspired to think about prints for tops, but miracles never cease.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Hot Dresses

I have been anxiously awaiting a sale so I can purchase these McCall's dresses!  Aren't they awesome?

How cute is 6553 from the new Fashion Star line? It happens to be the $2.99 Item of the Day on the McCall's site, in case you can't wait. Beware of the $4 S&H.
M6553

Honorable mention to 6552! It feels a little like KS3856, which is a knit, and S2031. This pattern is for knits and wovens!
M6552


6555 makes me swoon! The color blocking is wonderful. Talk about drama!
M6555


Next up is 6558. Hoping I'll be blessed with the ingenuity (skill and the spirit of completion) to turn it into something like this.
M6558


Last, but not least is 6557. Simply breezy.
M6557

Monday, April 9, 2012

Vogue 8723 -- In Progress

V8723I've been working on this dress, V8723, forever. And by that I mean maybe an hour on some Saturdays :-) I was really excited at first. That streak of warm weather put a dress in my spirit. I picked this one because it already had cup sizes and it seemed really simple. I have since been reminded that sewing is not intuitive for me, so nothing is as simple as I first think it is. The warm streak has since passed ...

I still needed to adjust the bust and deepen the dart, which I muddled through using the pivot and slide method. What I found extremely hard was adding to the waist. I know you're thinking that the bust should have been the hard part. For some reason, that side dart kept throwing me off. I ended up using the seam method.

Working with the side bust dart has been quite an experience. I probably made four rounds of adjustments on tissue paper before I was confident enough to trace the pattern onto Swedish tracing paper. I still had to pin adjustments to both darts. I think I forgot to true the dart legs. I did have lots of fun sewing the Swedish tracing paper.


 Before cutting my fashion fabric, I want to make a muslin. I think I may need a round back adjustment, but I want to see how the fit in fabric before taking the plunge.

Updates to come!