Black Shorts

Well, I have a finished object... or an FO as we call it in the knitting world. Here are my black shorts. These were made of a stretchy bottom weight fabric that is very satisfying to wear, nice and sturdy. But the stretch made sewing a bit tricky at the waist and the body of the shorts pucker a bit where they join the waistband. I never tuck my shirts, though, so no one will see it.

I COULD have bought a pair of shorts if I really wanted to, and probably spent less money, too! Except, I LIKE to be my own sweatshop! And also, I was still working on fitting those shorts. I think they're as good as my current level of skill and resources will allow.

Here they are styled with my Green Silk Sorbetto.

In other news, I'm NOT participating in Me Made May 2014 (I don't have enough RTW clothes for May, much less clothes made by me! Plus... I don't have a way to take pics of my outfits except in a mirror) OR the new Outfit Along with Lladybird and Untangling Knots (unless I change my mind, which I might).

Pattern: S1430

Price: $25 

Time: 4 hours

Note to Self: Black doesn't photograph well, stop trying! Also, raise the presser foot so that the fabric doesn't pucker as much next time you sew with a stretch fabric.

Green Silk Tank

A Sorbetto tank in green silk crepe de chine for your consideration. Boy was this fabric a challenge! It's light as air, and on the bias it flows like water. I lengthened the upper dart on this top, and it lies a little flatter, but I'm not sure I like the way it looks. Still it's a wearable tank! I bought the silk, sight unseen (in person, I saw it online) to make a Sorbetto to go with my orange Legacy skirt, but I do not think it will match.

Here it is styled with my cheetah print cardigan. I think it'll look good paired with jeans or with the black shorts I'll be making soon. Plus a skirt I have planned in the sewing queue.

Pattern: Sorbetto Tank by Colette

Cost: $50 (silk ain't cheap, folks), plus I have some extra to make a scarf with. Maybe as a gift? Though how many people does this color green look good on???

Time: 4 hours, that bias tape making was a killer

Note to Self: Hand baste darts next time to keep them straight while you sew them.

Black Tank

This is my first version of the Sorbetto tank, which I modified to remove the center pleat. You can simply move the pattern with the seam line for the pleat to the fold of the fabric. The pattern calls for 1.5 yards, but I think if you just rearrange the folds you can get away with less, especially if you wear a smallish size. I made it of a tissue linen that I bought at JoAnne's which is a bit too thin to wear without something underneath, which sort of defeats the whole point of a tank, but it'll still do. 

It's a little too short for my torso, though just the right length for my model here. What do you think of it styled with this polka dot cardigan in coral red. The color works, but is it too much pattern? As you can tell, I really like this faceted bead necklace! I think I should try to make more in other colors... maybe using seam binding as the ribbon... it's hard to find just the right color of ribbon nowadays, but it's easy to find Hug Snug in lots and lots of colors!

Pattern: Sorbetto tank

Cost: $15

Time: 2 hours

Note to self: Start checking finished length of shirts and adjust length accordingly

Spring Wardrobe Planning Part III, Neutrals

This is the biggest change I'm making in my wardrobe... for untold years my neutral has been brown, but I'm so tired of that brown green or brown orange color combination come spring and summer. So I've decided to add in lots of grey and a bit of black. First I have some stumpers... a couple of fabrics that I just can't seem to do anything with. I bought this grey stretch "sateen" that ended up being "satin" (the perils of online fabric shopping) for pants. Well... as much as I love the movie Grease, I'm not gonna make myself (or wear, gasp!) a pair of tight satin pants for anything or anybody!

And here's a grey tank I already own... just a Walmart cheapie thing. It's laid on top of this striped jersey... I keep wondering if I can squeeze a tank out of it, but the purchased tank is a ribbed knit (very, very stretchy), and the jersey isn't AS stretchy, so I'm not sure it'll work. The stripe is a remnant from another top I made in my wardrobe revamp from last year.

Now for the new fabrics I purchased just recently... first a black stretch twill (unphotographed... it's black, y'all), a grey twill for shorts, a chevron jersey for a tshirt, and this seersucker for a simple skirt. I bought all these online at fabric.com and they're all prepped and ready to be sewn now!

Black Pindot Chiffon Blouse Day 1

So... four words: What Was I Thinking????

This chiffon is fiddly, hard to cut out, difficult to sew, and the pindots make it kind of op art ish... it's hard to focus my eyes when looking at it! Here are the two front pieces, and a difficult curved seam to fit over the ladies... this pattern is a difficult one, as well, I should have chosen a loose, flowy top to use with this fabric. BUT, I love the idea of this blouse in the chiffon with my plaid jumper, or my white market skirt, or my bright teal coco chanel inspired skirt, or my black and cream lace skirt, or my burnt orange skirt, or even a pair of jeans!! 

Here it is with all but the hardest part pinned. How do I pin these two pieces together? Well... it's mostly just matching edges and tons of pins along the seam line. Then I baste the seam before I sew, just in case I have trouble with the curve.

Here is the result, the seam is a bit puckered, even after pressing, not sure what to do about that... I think it happened when I was zigzagging the seam to finish the edge.

 I've already clocked 3 hours on this blouse and I've only got the two fronts sewn!

However, there is a bonus to this difficult fabric, I can only work on it in daylight, which means lots of picture opportunities... so get ready for a play by play on the pindot blouse!!

Experiment Dress

A cheetah print, teal and grey and cream, satin mumu? A slinky cocktail dress? It's for a vacation with my man in September, and I hope it looks good on me with heels!

It can also be worn up on the hips, maybe belted, as a mini dress... which is kinda risque, which means, only on Hub's arm, yes?

Pattern: Burda Style magazine June 2012, pattern

Cost: $6, this fabric was $3 a yard and I've got over half a yard left... what to do with it?

Time: 6 hours, 2 of which were patternmaking

Note to Self: Bargain fabric is fun to make unusual styles in, such a small outlay of money to experiment! I may never wear this dress, but it was fun to make!

Black Ribbon Necklace

The necklace was not expensive, perhaps $10, but it was difficult to string the beads onto the ribbon. I copied a necklace I saw Zooey Deschanel wear in a Cotton ad recently that I really liked. Then, the next day, I dropped into my local Wally World and found similar necklace/earring set for $8. Well, I bought them, too so I'd have matching earrings and another layer of black faceted beads in case I felt MORE IS BETTER!


Project: Black Ribbon Necklace
Cost: $10
Project Time: 2 hours
Note to Self: Next time check Walmart first?? Nah!

Sound of Music Dress

The Sound of Music dress... Why? Like our lovely Maria, I used old curtains to make a play dress! These used to be my living room curtains and since we moved, I've been using them to line my cutting board for slippery fabrics, for muslins, and just to look at on my shelf! The dress is constructed from the muslins for my Coral Silk Cocktail Dress which makes it NEARLY free. All I had to buy was a zipper. And since I'd already cut the pieces in the construction of my silk dress, I only had to cut the lining from the fabric leftover from the shirt dress I made for my daughter for Easter. So, on both the moolah and time fronts, this dress is super economical.

Also, very cute, I think... it has a rather 1960's feel and is in a cool cotton for summer, with a shell print or anemones or just... what are they??? Whatever they are, they will be perfect for our trip to the beach this summer! It's styled with a thrifted white woven belt and a necklace I made of ribbon and black faceted beads.

Project: Sound of Music Dress
Pattern: M5972
Project Time: 4.5 hours
Cost: $3
Note to Self: Wear with black flats or brown sandal wedges and rock it, Girl!

Some Sweet Nothings

I have been buying blouse patterns... And I splurged and bought some black pindot satin at JoAnne's the other day, but then realized that I don't want a shiny black blouse with pindots... and so, I decided to make a camisole and tap pants, which I've been wearing a lot lately. I used some old cream lace that I had in my stash, and it looks sweet on the satin...


The set looks so sweet and feminine... and is just as pretty inside as out... French seams and cream lace... mmmmmmmmmm.

 I'm sure most of you know what French seams are but, if not... I'll make a sort of tutorial about them, and how to press seams, too. Yay! So, without further ado... the Sweet Nothings... I have plans and materials to make two more sets, it was so easy and fun!

Project Cost: $8


Project Time: 5 hours


Pattern: One of Meemaw's she gave me long ago!!


Note to Self: I do not love the camisole, it is wearable, but not perfectly so... I think I'll try to draft a new one... or get a new cami pattern?

French Seams

Well, Lovelies, the first thing that I want to say is this: sewing a garment that will last a long time, and continue to bring pleasure for years takes time to do it right. You don't just throw things together and say... ah, that's good enough! You CAN do that for things like children's halloween costumes, that are only used for one night... Who cares if they stay together or not, later?


One thing that is always a temptation for me, is to leave seams unfinished... I don't like to use my serger (a whole nother issue!!!) and I dislike the look of zigzagging.... I don't have pinking shears, which really only work on things that are lined, anyway (though I'm gonna get some of those soon!) My favorite way to finish a seam is to use a French seam, which does take a little longer, but is really an economical use of your time and energy, and works really well on straight seams and fine fabrics.


Most patterns have a seam allowance of 5/8 inch.. this means that if you're using a french Seam on your garment, you first pin your garment WRONG sides together, and stitch 1/4 inch from your edge.

Then you trim your seam to 1/8 inch, you don't want little bits of your fabric getting caught in your next seam, and you don't want it to be bulky, so trim it, carefully... I usually put the seam on the left and trim from the right of it... I'm much more precise like that.

Then you press, first one way...

Then the other...

Then you turn the garment inside out and press the seam from that direction...

And then you press it folded at the seamline and pin it for sewing that same seam again...

Yes, you just pressed it four times. Pressing is sooooo important to sewing and one of the first mistakes novices make... press and press and press... your garment will look good longer, will look more professional, and will lie better on your body if you can manage to take the time to press it, correctly. Now... to do it properly you need a couple of tools I do not yet have... a tailor's ham and a sleeve roll, for curved seams and sleeves... I'll get to those eventually... So for now I just do the VERY best I can with the tools I have.


Aaaaaaaaanyway, now you make another 1/4 inch seam, with fabric pinned RIGHT sides together, and enclose your edges inside that tube you're making, as you sew.... 

Here's the crotch of the tap pants, with my two french seams meeting in a third french seam... see how I pressed them in opposite directions before I sewed them together? That helps take a bit of the bulk out of the seam, making it smoother... 

Now, why go to all that trouble? First, it'll help the garment last longer... an exposed seam will unravel a bit every time you wash it, ESPECIALLY on fine fabrics and silks, they're slippery fibers... and you're gonna wash undies a LOT. Second, it feels smoother against your skin, and this garment is worn right next to your skin! Third, it's so pretty!!!

Plaid Dress

Hello all you readers... the two of you! I've finally got pictures of my new plaid dress!!! Even after a pattern change and fitting woes, it turned out to be a very successful print and has gotten tons of compliments already. I've worn it twice so far, out dancing with my hubs the day I finished it... with a white collared, button up blouse (with a little white embroidery on the collar, so ladylike!), with black fishnets and black boots... sort of a good girl gone bad look... And shopping yesterday! I got hubs to take some pics right before I left... I tried the dark tight, colored shoe look that's so in... I'm.... ambivalent about it. Should I have gone with black lace or fishnet or something???

Here you see the blue flower I knew would look so well, and I have to say I'm VERY satisfied with the fitting of the dress, especially through the bustline, though I didn't make a muslin first... the only thing I somethimes think I maybe should have done is either narrow the strap or widen the scoop?? I did alter the neckline by a good three inches, and I think it turned out wonderfully. I didn't quite get the plaid to line up on the back... I should have cut the back pieces out one at a time and made sure it matched perfectly... ah, well... it sure does take a lot of time and patience to get things just exactly how I want them!

Black Lace and Cream

Here is my lovely new skirt! I think it turned out to be a very pretty skirt! Here modeled by me and my Red Poppy Blouse. 

Pattern: M5523

Project Cost: $18

Note to Self: Hand wash, and wear a waist cincher!

Plaid Dress, Planning

Wow, look at this pattern! It's beautiful, refined, flattering! I love the new patterns with lots of options for altering for cup size or curviness... so convenient, as I'm not so wonderful at changing patterns yet. I hope it works in this fabric, I really want a warm flattering dress, and I really love this plaid. I need perhaps more solids in my wardrobe, but I'm a sucker for prints and plaids and stripes! This is a nice flannel from JoAnne's, they've discontinued it, I think. I can't find it on the website now. 

Today I'll start cutting it, I think! 

Blue Silk Flower

You know what? These are addicting... just as fun as knitting socks, only almost instant gratification... I used the scraps from the skirt lining and a vintage button, soooo pretty. This one I singed the edges of the petals using a candle, while I watched a kind of disappointing movie with hubs Sunday night...


Won't it look smashing with my pin dot blouse? When I finally make it???

Project cost: $0.25

Time: 30 min 

Big Plans

Next Project is a skirt. I bought this MAGnificent black on cream brocade woven at JoAnne's. Lots of drape and it just happens to look amazing with my new Poppy flowers... I think it's gonna be smashing, but should I put in some black piping or bias tape on some of the seams to really make it pop?


Here is the same lining I used on the first legacy skirt: a beautiful bright blue synthetic... china silk isn't cheap... sigh... BUT, I think I'm gonna need a turquoise blouse to wear with this skirt. And probably a cream wool skirt to go with that. Sorry, rabbit trail.... 


And beside that is a lovely chiffon, black with a tiny pin dot... which will look amazing with the copper skirt and the black lace brocade skirt as a blouse... OH, now I'm gonna need a black camisole (add it to the list! Fortunately I already have the pattern for THAT, mmmmmm black charmeuse, REAL silk this time...)