15. Nostalgia - Linen Floral Skirt | #sew16in2016

Keeping on track with my seasonal plans (even though it's 40 degrees while I'm typing this) and #sew16in2016, I got a chance to make up a skirt that was inspired by a picture that I saw on Instagram in January 2015! The "Nostalgia" category for the Sew '16 challenge is to "Look back through your old sewing notes, doodles or pinned ideas. Pick one of the earliest ideas and make it happen" .I have a "sewing inspiration" folder on Dropbox and this picture may be one of the first ones I ever took a screenshot of to mimic later.

Check out Me:

vs.

My Inspiration:

16. Inspired - DKNY Vogue 1407 | #sew16in2016

This post has been a LOOOONNNGGG time coming. I first posted a picture of this pattern and fabric match on my instagram May2015. It wasn't until Sept2015 that I posted a picture of me actually CUTTING the fabric. And here we are, over a year later finally getting to the actual sewing of the dress! I think what took me so long was that I didn't want to cut out the lining pieces because my tricot is so shifty. But I'll get to that in a minute.

This dress is Vogue 1407, a DKNY designer pattern. I love the silhouette of the pattern and if you've been reading for a while,  you know I love wrap and v-necklines. I was also drawn to this pattern because I am always looking for multi-purpose garments. Things I can wear to work, church, or even dressier events. This one definitely fit the bill.

Like the Rising Sun - McCall's 6887

Hello everyone! It's been quiet around here this month but it's only because I've been busy making and crafting and enjoying it! :-D That also means that I have quite a few posts coming in the next couple of weeks ;-) (also, this post is pic heavy but it also has some fit questions :-))


Today I have a dress that I made by force of the one that gave birth to me lol I had a different project in mind at the time with completely different fabric but after I let her in to what was in my recent fabric purchase, she "insisted" that the yellow fabric in the box would be what I was making next. Why you ask? Because SHE had a yellow dress that she was planning to wear and of course I needed to properly coordinate. I love her.

After submitting to her suggestion (lol) I set off to find a pattern that would go with the Thred&Needles challenge for March which was Michelle Obama inspired fashion. I went through a long google search of the FLOTUS in yellow dresses and I found one that I thought I could pull off. Usher in McCall's 6887. I made View C which is better know as "business in the front and party in the back" LOL. The front had all of the design elements that I wanted to pull off the imitation dress (scoop neck, princess seams in bodice and skirt, sleeveless, straight skirt... ). I cut a combination of the size 12 and 14. I cut a 12 D in the bodice. On both center skirt pieces (front and back) I cut a 12, on accident really. I was supposed to grade out to a 14 in the skirt so I just cut a 14 in the side skirt pieces (front and back) and added the SA back to the side bodice pieces that would make them match up with the skirt. I cut a 12 at the top of the bodice back and graded out the a 14 at the skirt join. Are you still with me?

Shine bright like a Diamond - Burda 6858

October is almost OVER! Time is flying faster than I can look up some days. Two weeks ago one of my best friends married one of my other friends in a BEAUTIFUL outdoor wedding in a crook of Richmond, VA. Being that I love me an event to sew for, I mulled over about 4 different patterns, none of which were the one I chose lol The colors were purple and silver so I had some purple stretch cotton and purple lace I was going to use.....but did not lol. As the date got closer I was bordering on not making anything because I had found a really pretty gown at Ross. Then 2 weeks before the date, I had an epiphany at work and this pattern popped into my head.  As soon as I got home I pulled it out and searched my stash for fabric that would go with it. With a new determination, and a couple of other turns taken, I finished the dress the night before the wedding in 4 hours lol.

Shirtdress 2 Ways - McCall's 6124

Hello, Lovely People! I have a couple of posts backlogged but I wanted to get this one in by the deadline. There are a few reasons why I chose to make a Shirtdress for August. The first one is that Ruqayyah started a Facebook group and the first sewalong for the group was a Shirtdress. Second, Michelle contacted me about working together for the TMS challenge this month (Two is the Magic Number). She suggested we make the same pattern or different patterns but the same fabric or any other combination. 

First let me say, I was honored because I'm still surprised that people actually read my blog! Plus Michelle is the winner of the Rippin' Ain't Easy sewing competition run by PrettyGirlsSew as well as one of the judges for the 2nd round of The Super Online Sewing Match run by Sew Mama Sew.

I more than happily accepted and suggested we make Shirtdresses out of African Print fabric. We decided on McCall's 6124, picked a day to meet and set off to make our garments! The deal was done!

The New Wave - Manta Wave Leggings

I'm back with some new new. I've had about 11-13 Named patterns in my email for about a year and change and I hadn't made one YET... until now. I started with something easy just to see what sizing was like. These are the Manta Wave Leggings.

They're wave leggings because they curve below the knee in the front and above the calf in the back. There are only two pattern pieces for this pattern, a top and a bottom. There also isn't side seams. This pattern is REALLY really easy to make up. The pattern instructions for these are only 1 page long (and that's including pictures lol)

Jade is New to Me

My mother is the best cook in our family. (no offense aunties!) Really she is. I may be biased but I don't think that's it. Majority of my friends can vouch for it's deliciousness and she is always called on for recipe advice and cooking tips. Growing up watching her, I realized that she pretty much uses much of the same ingredients on everything lol. Lemon Pepper, Seasoned Salt or Garlic Salt, Parsley Flakes, Pepper, Pepper, Pepper (lol), and PAPRIKA. My mom puts Paprika on EVERYTHING. On meats, I understand her obsession, it gives the meat color. But I'll be making Macaroni&Cheese and if I turn around and look back, she'll be sprinkling paprika on my mac!!! I keep trying to tell her that Paprika doesn't ACTUALLY have flavor but she ignores me and continues to be the best cook I know.

I say that all to say... I made the Jade skirt from Paprika Patterns.

Ginger Separates and Dares

Hello, hello, hello!

I haven't been participating in The Monthly Stitch monthly challenges like I'm used to doing but today I'm back to jump in for Indie Pattern Month! Week two of the Indie competition is "Separates": basically sewing at least 2 things that go together. Perfect time for me because 1. I wanted to make a pair of high-waisted shorts and 2. Gillian DARED me to make some shorts or cutoffs... well look at them stars aligning again ;-)

*Disclaimer: This is going to be a very long (but informative ;-)) post!

For this outfit I used Closet Case Files patterns; The Nettie bodysuit and The Ginger Jeans. I told you I wasn't done with these here bodysuits lol I have another fabric washed and on the cutting table too.. but I digress.  For the bodysuit, I cut a size 12 in both the bodysuit and the gingers.

Denim Never Dies in the Jungle....

It's February already!! But I've got a score to settle with January... The TMS challenge for January 2015 is/was "Denim Never Dies", which was perfect because I had decided that I needed to make more pants in 2015 and I had JUST bought the Ginger Jeans pattern by Closet Case Files. A little bit after the challenge announcement, they added a bonus challenge to celebrate their pink rebranding! I had some pink denim in my stash so I was just a "Ready Freddy".

Like I said, this is the Ginger Jeans pattern by Closet Case Files. I made View A, the low rise with the stove pipe leg. I cut a straight size 12. This was a wearable muslin for me so I just wanted to see what the pattern would look like made straight up. I made no modifications.  I did take some flat measurements of a pair of jeans I really like to see how they related and the measurements were very very close. 

Scandal Challenge & TMS November - McCall's 6209

Welcome back! I've squeezed in the mini available corner of my dining room to actually make something! lol Can't wait to be done with all of our house renovations so I can have some space to sew! lol But enough about my #sewingroomwoes. 

Last month, PrettyGirlsSew decided that October would be The Scandal Challenge *shutter clicks* lol. You had to pick one of five categories to make a garment for.  "9-5 on Capital Hill", "Date Night with Jake", "Inaguration After Party", "Lunch date with the Gladiators" or "Stakeout with Huck". 

I chose "9-5 on Capitol Hill". Now that I think about it though, this look for many would be a "Lunch date with the Gladiators". But this is actually something that I'd wear to work on any given day. And I work in DC at a "good gubment job" lol

With coffee in hand and my badge around my neck, I can see Olivia walking into the White House about to go fuss at Cyrus about another person he's threatening to kill lol.

This is McCalls 6209 View A. I thought View A looked the most Olivia-Pope-ish lol

Amnesty MONOsewn - Vogue 1285

I think that I'm going to stop saying ahead of time what I'm going to make because it's a lot of pressure. And I feel like a loser when I don't finish lol I said that I was going to participate in the TMS MONOsewn challenge back in July... then August. It's almost October and I'm just now finishing lol. Lucky for me, September is Amnesty Month for the TMS Collective :-)

Fixed Crotch and Future Plans

Happy Sunday! It definitely is for ME because (as I'm writing this) I am comfortably sitting in my skort that I made for Oonapalooza!! yay!.. When I posted about how it was literally a pain to sit in these, Val (who's down with Stitch Once, Rip Twice) hit me up to let me know about a tutorial she so happened to be putting out like the next day lol. It was about adjusting the rise in crotch in pants and shorts. Lucky me! So I put her tutorial to the test.

reshaping the rise

lowering the rise

Wallah! Magic! I am very happy to say that it worked great! Now what I need to do is figure out how to come up with a block so that i can adjust the crotch areas BEFORE I sew up a pair of pants.  I swear there is ALWAYS something new to learn.

Now that that is out of the way, I can move on to the other 5 projects that I have cut out. Well, I have the patterns cut out. I need to cut out the fabric for four of them. These are my future plans for August:

TMS April: "Sew Double" - McCall's 6839

Well aren't I just the "Tardy Tasha"?

This is my entry for the TMS APRIL "Sew Double" sewalong.

Yes, you read that right, April lol

It's not that I didn't have it sewn.. I just didn't want to hem it.

And I didn't have anywhere to where it lol

The way I interpreted "Sew Double" was that I was going to take a pattern that I've previously sewn but instead, sew a different view.

I thought the McCalls 6839 would be the best pattern to use because the front is the same on all of the views, it's just the backs that get fancy lol

PS "Leading Ladies" & TMS "Sew Stretchy" - Vogue 8825

This is my entry for

Project Sewn's "Leading Ladies" sew-a-long
as well as
The Monthly Stitch's May sew-a-long:"Sew Stretchy"

Miss Bossy Pants!

What a labor of love!

This is the first time that I have ever gotten seriously discouraged with anything that I've made.

(not that I've made a whole closet full of garments lol)

For The Monthly Stitch Sew-a-long, March's theme was "Miss Bossy Patterns"

We had to give the opportunity to the public to choose what we were going to make from a selection of different patterns and fabrics.

You're not the boss of me!.. well, maybe you are...

Aaaagh!

Okay, that was a scream of sleepiness lol

Sooo one of the sew-a-longs I'm participating in this month is for The Monthly Stitch Collective

For March, the challenges is called:

For this challenge we are supposed to be making a pattern that we have never made before.

But instead of us choosing what we'll make, YOU, the people of the world get to be bossy *just this once* and decide what pattern I gotta make.

And because I missed the February Sew-a-long "Smarty Pants", I've decided to make all 3 of my options bottoms.