What to wear to a casual summer wedding

I think this will be just perfect. 

I used Simplicity 1610 which is a dress pattern, but I just used the skirt pieces. I love that it has nice flat pleats instead of gathers, because I don't need any extra fullness in the tummy area, thank you very much.  The pattern called for pleats in the back also, but I didn't like the way they looked and decided to go with gathers there. 

I also love the pocket detail, which is hard to see in the photo. They are nice roomy pockets and add to the casual vibe of the skirt with zero added bulk. My inspiration was this skirt by Sheridan French

 

Since the pattern I used was for a dress, I had to create the waist band. Sheridan's was just a little too high waisted for me, so I went with a 2 inch one that I think is just right. I'm in love with this fabric.  It's polyester from Hancock's, but has such a nice hand, and it was a pleasure to sew on. This skirt will see a ton of wear this summer with a t-shirt and flats.

The top is my own creation... I basically cut two rectangles, scooped out a little for the armholes, sewed a casing in the top, and threaded a pearl necklace through. The cream fabric was a little sheer and lightweight, so I self lined it and used french seams on the sides. My original vision was for a ribbon with a bow at the neckline, but nothing I tried seemed to look right. The pearls were my "make it work" moment.  My own are being re-strung so I had to buy a cheap fake set, but I think they are fine and just what this simple little top needed. Now I need to find some major earrings to complete the look. Here's a close up of the "collar"

All done...

Before and After

The slipcovered dining room chair I had been using for sewing left alot to be desired. It was clunky, heavy and didn't have wheels,  because dining room chairs don't typically have wheels. 

During my latest lament about that "damn sewing chair", I learned that my husband was in possession of some old office chairs (Huh?). "They're pretty gross, but you can take a look if you want..." 

Yep, that's pretty gross. There was even a little spot of bird poop on the back. But it has wheels!, and it swivels! and the seat is adjustable! and this is what it looked like less than an hour later...

LOVE HER!!! She's lightweight, comfy, she rolls and swivels, and now she is CUTE!! Swivel to the right, cutting table & mirror, swivel to the left, ironing board & dress form. And the best, best, best part is, she was totally FREE!!! The fabric is leftover cheapo home dec weight stuff from Hancocks that I bought ages ago to make little zippered cosmetic bags-finally put to good use. 

My skirt and top are making good process. Just a few more details to be worked out and I'll be ready to reveal. My new chair has made ALL the difference 

Inspiration

Took a  short sewing hiatus to paint & redecorate our guest room. It's a little jewel now and I can't wait for it's first guests. 

What ignites that spark? The first little ember of an idea of what a future garment (or pillow, or curtain) will look like? For me, it is almost always is an image,  usually from Pinterest or a catalog, that gets my imagination started. 

For an upcoming casual wedding at a winery, I thought a maxi skirt ala Sheridan French might be just the thing. 

Deciding on the skirt pattern was easy, since I like everything about this one. 

I found a navy & cream tropical print  challis, that-in my mind- looks smashing sewn up into this skirt. 

To offset the maxi skirt, my top needs to be a little bit bare, but not so bare that I would embarrass my  adult children.  I'm picturing a really simple halter top in cream,  with a ribbon or self fabric tie at the neck. It sounds  simple, maybe too simple because if there's a pattern for this type of top, I can't find it. So I guess Mrs. Dress Form and I are gonna take a stab at it- Project Runway style.  

Let's hope I have better success with my imagination in the sewing room than I do in the kitchen. Details to follow.

Quick and comfy dress

This blackish/grayish lightweight linen has been languishing in my fabric stash for over a year. It was meant to be any number of things, but met its destiny in Vogue 8786.

I'm a little distrustful of patterns that only include sketches on the envelope. Kind of like learning after buying a Paula Deen cookbook that she was so rushed to get it finished  she just made up some of the recipes without ever testing them. Why would you admit that?

This pattern looked so simple, and the fabric was so old that I considered it free, so it didn't feel like too much of a risk. 

Because the fit was super un-structured and the fabric was so plain, it needed some kind of detail.  The shoulder seams extended into cap sleeves, which is a design element I don't necessarily love. I chose to finish the edges with self-bias, round the corners and add decorative shell buttons. I extended the bias into a little loop at the back for a closure. Here are closeups of the shoulder and back detail.

I made some fit adjustments at the side seams to give it a little bit of shape, and top stitched all the seams except for the sides with a double needle. It is a very subtle detail but it really adds a nice level of finishing to the dress. 

This little dress is perfect for work but could just as easily go to the beach. I love it. 

A very girly dress

I came across some bright (loud)  floral linen fabric in Joann's a few weeks ago. I have a hard time resisting linen, and thought it would make a cute top to go with white pants.  

Then I came across this dress pattern at the $1.99 pattern sale. Since I'm in need of a summer dress for a wedding brunch, and a floral linen dress seems brunchy, and I had 2 yards of floral linen in my closet, there was little need for debate.

I don't usually go for frills, or big florals, so this is way out of my comfort zone, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

The neckline flounce is a big bias circle with a rolled hem edge. This is also out of my comfort zone, but I looked up a few tutorials online, attached the rolled hem foot, said a prayer and went for it. Here is a close up of the rolled hem.

 I adjusted the pattern for my narrow back, and took out about 1/2 in on each front neckline edge to keep it from gapping. I probably won't make this pattern again, but if I did, I would add a little length to the bodice pieces as it seems short. This is unusual for me since I need to adjust most patterns the other way. 

There was SO much going on in the top that the skirt felt like it needed a little punctuation. I decided on a band of grosgrain ribbon , which looks neon in these pictures, but is really almost exactly the same as the darkest orange in the fabric. 

I got the belt recently at Talbots and think it finishes the dress much better than the pattern's self belt, and it helps to hide the slightly too short waistband. I don't think this dress needs much accessorizing, but I do have a perfect pair of enamel flower earrings and a gold bracelet that will be just enough.

Verdict-Keeper.  

Hello Beautiful!

After a VERY long and happy life, my old Singer went into sudden cardiac arrest and passed away in the middle of sewing a shower gift. Gahhhh. Panic. Fortunately my father frequents the Goodwill and it turns out that he had not one but two sewing machines in his "inventory." Yay!! But then, not, because unfortunately neither turned out to be any good. I dusted and oiled and sweated over the one that held the most promise, but in the end, it wasn't meant to be. Ummm, Amazon???  I took the recommendation of 79 reviewers, signed up for a free 30 day Prime membership, and less than 48 hours later this guy was on my porch.

                                                                The Janome HD-1000 

I was looking for the strong, silent type. Since I mostly just sew forward and backward, with the occasional zig-zag, he really just needed to be dependable. After many years of sewing, I know that for me, a $300 machine will get the job done as well as a $1000 one. So far, so good. He's attractive, quiet and not too fancy. I'm looking forward to getting to know him better. 

His first job was finishing this apron so I can get it in the mail...

A work in progress. Please come back later.