A Roman shade...more unselfish sewing going on here!

You may remember that last summer I was lamenting that Hancock Fabrics was going out of business.  While yes, I was upset, I scored some incredible deals on home decor fabrics.  I asked DIL2 to pick out fabric for somewhere in her and my son's home and she choose this fun fabric.

I love all the colors and she is a designer so she sees the possibility of a room filled with color.

I used an all-time classic resource that I purchased recently, but let me explain why it is an all-time classic if it is a recent purchase since those phrases don't belong together!!!

When I started out sewing a few decades and was really in the self-teaching mode, I came across this set of books from the Singer Sewing Library.  Well, as the kids grew and my time to sew shrunk, I purged so many items from my sewing stash, including this book.

When I picked up my beloved passion again, I realized I wanted a set of those books again and luckily I found them on ebay.  While styles have changed, the solid techniques have not and these are just such a great reference.  

The illustrations are clear along with the directions.


I used a heavy weight Roc-Lon lining to give the shade an energy efficiency and room-darkening effect.

A ruler and some way to mark the location of your rings is very important.  Another important task is to get the main fabric and the lining to remain together and not shift as that will make the shade hang all wonky.  I used temporary adhesive spray you use to baste quilts together.  



I highly recommend this stuff!  It is also helpful if you have a large, flat space to spread everything out.  My family room floor was the perfect place for this.  After using 505 spray, I also used safety pins to ensure the layers didn't shirt as I was sewing.



I didn't use ring tape.  I prefer to purchase the rings and my own cording.  Since I make quite a few home decor projects, I purchased the rings and cording in bulk from WAWAK sewing supplies.  It is so much cheaper!




Son #1 and DIL1 loves this new shade.  I am so pleased he loves it so much!

Thanks for reading!
Sue

I Lu Lu, do you?

How fun is this tunic from StyleArc?  I think it is super, duper fun! 

                   

I made it yesterday afternoon and as you'll see from my photos, wore it today so there are some wrinkles that I hope you'll ignore!

I purchased this as a PDF from StyleArc's Etsy store.  Have you gone there yet?  Not only are the patterns cheaper, but also it is instant gratification!  You can also order a size range.  My typical size for StyleArc is a 12 so at the Etsy store, I purchase the range of sizes from 10 to 14.  That way, if a garment is super over-sized, I can print off and put together the size 10.  

                   

This pattern has some interesting details that caught my eye.  I LOVE neck and sleeve bands!  There aren't created from merely cutting a wide strip and then folding, there are separate pieces that are sewn together to create the shaped sleeve bands.  I really, really love this detail!

                 

This is how this garment fit me straight from the package, so to speak!  Oops, let me say that I almost always make a swayback adjustment and I did here as well.  That was my only adjustment to the fit. When I make this again, I am going to consider make an FBA and add darts.  Notice, there isn't really any shaping to this garment which I was more than okay with.  We are having one heck of a HOT and HUMID summer as I am sure most of the country is but I don't really want any tops hugging my curves!

Let's talk about the fabric a moment, shall we?  I love this coral crepe.  I don't typically sew with crepe and while it is just lovely to look at and the finished garment I think looks pretty darn good, it has sort of a spongy-quality that was a little frustrating to get a sharp press with at the sleeve and neckline bands.  I ended up hitting those areas with a super hot iron, a pressing cloth, and a lot of steam.  That helped tremendously!  

                   

If you've made StyleArc patterns in the past, you will realize that the strength of this pattern company is their drafting, not their directions.  I had read other reviewers comment the directions for attaching the lower skirt to the bodice was difficult to understand, so I look at the diagram that was included with the pattern download and it all made sense.  

I love this tunic.  I hope to make another at some point in a lovely silk or similarly silky fabric.  

As always, thank you for reading!

I love your comments!

Sue 

   

More summer sewing! The Cameron Dress by SA X 2!

I just love the look of this pattern and knew it would be a winner the moment I laid eyes on it!  It looks not only polished but also mega comfortable and I consider that to be a pattern worth repeating!

This dress is simply described like this: Winter or summer, knit or woven, this is a great pull on dress.  The full-wrap skirt allows you to wear this dress with confidence.  Make it with a long sleeve in a beautiful sweater knit for the colder days or a silk for summer sleeveless dress.  

               

I like the length of this dress.  It isn't a quite a maxi but just a nice length.  Keep in mind that I am 5'7" so if you are taller or shorter, you may want to play with the length.  

               

I like how much extra fabric there is to create the blousing effect.  No belt is required!

               

When DH takes pictures, he just holds the button down and I get about 85 photos.  Some of the ones where I am clearly not ready show the oddest expressions on my face--like this one above!

              

You can tell from the photos above that there is no gaping at the armholes so no bra shows!  

               

 On SA's site it is also described as an on trend pull on dress with an elastic waist, wrap skirt and interesting hemline.  

                   

Here is a peek at the waistline casing from the garment right side.  

                  

I usually make a size 12 with SA's pattern and this was no exception.  SA's patterns fit me so well and I have very few alterations.  For this dress, I made an FBA and a slight sloping shoulder adjustment. I love it when I don't have to work very hard to get a good result!

                 

                

My first version was out of this lace that I lined with tricot everywhere except the neck and armhole bands.  I simply cut out each fabric separately and then treated the two pieces as one making a lace that doesn't require a slip--just make sure you are wearing neutral or skin colored undergarments!  

                 

For my second version, I had this knit from Fabric.com and was waiting for a fun but simple dress I could wear in warm months.  I knew this pattern would work!  I love how the graphic design gives it a sort of funky vibe which is in direct contrast to the lace.  

                  

I love these dresses.  The pattern is extremely well drafted and goes together quickly but has some nice details that don't make it appear to be a super fast make.  I like the split back bodice with the button and loop closure where both sides of the seam are top stitched.   I love the neck and sleeve bands--they are drafted beautifully and go on the garment well for a great looking result.  

                 

You can see how I made the neckline split diffrerent on the black version.  The pattern calls for one button and loop, but for the black version, I thought it would be fun to make the slit a little lower and add three buttons.  

                    

Something to keep in mind is that the wrong side of the skirt will show along with the hem so take your time with that so it looks professional.  For the black dress, I used a twin needle and for the ivory dress, I used a single needle with a triple stretch stitch to finish them off.  I pressed before hemming so the folded portion of the garment was even and smooth on the inside.  Don't take shortcuts when it comes to pressing, it makes such a difference in the end!

                   

My dog Lucy, is very interested in the squirrel that is in the tree above.  

                 

I promise I am not trying to show you anything inappropriate but just how much this dress wraps over in the front, so it is very modest.  :)

I love my new dresses!  I hope you are making some cool and comfortable dresses to wear where you live!  I'd love to know which patterns you are using right now!

Thanks for reading and I love reading your comments!

Sue :)    

A summer dress: McCall's 7383

Before I start with this review, this is my (maybe) wearable muslin.  The three fabrics I used weren't all that high of quality and thus behaved as such.:(  It's okay though.  I really wanted to try this dress and a muslin is what I needed to figure out if tweaks are necessary.

I thought this pattern was just darling when it first came out.  Have you seen it?

I love view A with those little extended sleeve sort of things.  I am always cautious of patterns such as this since the models are thin and sort of flat chested, neither of which describes me!  But I thought I would try it anyway because if the dress didn't work out, this would make an awesome nightgown!

 The patterns is described like this: Pullover dresses (close-fitting through bust) have seam detail, hemline variations and narrow hem.  A: Armhole bands.  B: Stitched hem on sleeves.  C: Upper front and back, cut on crosswise grain, bias lower front and back.  A, C, D: Wrong side shows on hemline.

I made view A.  This pattern calls for medium weight stretch knits such as cotton, jersey, Interlock or cotton knit.  I used poly knits that I think were bordering on lightweight.  I made a straight up medium, in case you are wondering about sizing.  For alterations next time, I will make a sloping shoulder adjustment and that's probably it unless any of you readers have a suggestion!

Did I mention these three fabrics were from my stash?  I think the gray and reddish orange are poly blends and the white might be a cotton. All had the recommended stretch but were challenging to work with.  Look how crappy the hemline looks (especially the gray) despite using a fusible hem tape to stabilize the area!

This is a fast make and the pattern seems to be well made with all the notches and pieces lining up correctly.  I will say though that view A seems to have the lower piece somewhat gathered onto the middle.  Do you notice that as well?  As the pattern is written, both pieces are sewn together flat, meaning there is zero gathering on that lower piece.

The length was really good on me as well and I am 5'7",  If you are shorter than that, this might be really long on you!

This is a very comfortable dress and I welcomed it in this extreme heat we are having--heat indices of 97 degrees--very unusual for June in South Dakota.

I will try this again in a more of a mid-weight knit.  I forgot to mention that I added the neck band as the pattern calls for turning the neckline under 5'8" and stitching down.  I really hate doing that so I staystitched the neckline and cut a band about 3 inches smaller than the measurement and then stitched and topstitched in place.  I think it will keep the fabric from stretching out, especially if you use a cheap-o knit like mine!

Thanks for reading!

What are you sewing this summer to stay cool?
Sue  

Summer sewing is going on here!

I wish I had a catchy title for this post, but honestly, this is an accurate description of what I have been up to or dreaming about.  And, since we are talking honesty here, I've had both these garments completed for quite some time but just haven't taken time to take photos!  Here is my review for two StyleArc pattern: Cyd top and Georgie Pants.  I love both garments so much!

First, let's review the Cyd Top.  I made this for the first time last summer with a chambray and coral with lace piecing in the back.  I still love my original version so much and KNEW I need a stark white top as well.  I simply LOVE white tops, especially white tops that aren't clingy all over and are fun--both of which this top is for me.



I love the peplum part of this top and the fact that you can embellish the crap out of it.  I can see this color-blocked, with unusual fabric choices and an exposed zip down the back.  What do you see when you look at this pattern?  I am curious!

The design lines are what makes this top fun to sew and fun to play with.  You can also make this sleeveless!

My pants are from the Georgie pattern which are an uber popular style in the current sewing world. They have many 'regular' jean details but with sort of legging styling meaning they simply pull on and off.  Use a stretch fabric such as mine which is a stretch denim and you'll love them so very much!


This is my second go at the pants pattern.  My first pair was made with a faux leather technically called a stretch bengaline I purchased from the StyleArc site.  I love both pairs--this one made from a gray/white leopard print and my first from the faux stretch leather look bengaline.

I have worn the heck out of both the top and pants.  I love the fit and style of both.  I think they are fun, if I do say so myself!

What are you sewing for summer?  I'd love to know!

Thanks for reading!
Sue