3rd Place! Yay!

I finished third and wow, what fun it was to participate in the Fabric Mart Fabricista challenge!  I ended up with three garments I am VERY proud of and LOVE wearing!  I also win a gift certificate!  My goal was to make it to the top five and I surpassed that so everything else was gravy!  

Here is a recap of what I made!

Round 1--the Scout Woven Tee 

Round 2--all about the fit! 

Round 3--Ready to wear knock off!

Round 4  The Little Red Dress!

Round 5--the mystery bundle challenge!

Round 5--Inspired by art!

Wow, do I love everything I made! 

I learned a lot from participating least of which is to make a muslin if you want a great result!  

I can't tell you how many times I skip this step out of sheer laziness!  

Think, think, think about the fabrics you choose for your garments.  

I typically do this until I drive myself nuts, but the right fabric for the right pattern is essential.  

This is something I will do in the future and that is to try and add a little pizazz to each garment I make--something unexpected, like a super fun lining, just something!  

If I met you through this challenge, I feel doubly blessed!  

If you hung with me throughout--a huge thank you!  

Again, thanks for reading!

Sue :)  

The final Fabricista Challenge!

First of all, let me say that I can't believe I made it to the final three!  I am thrilled and so thankful for those of you that voted for me!  This has been such a pleasure to participate in and I am very proud of my creations, especially this one!  

The final challenge's instructions were to create a garment based on art, an art movement, art period, etc.  Basically sort of wide open, no?  While I don't think of myself as an artist, I do love looking at and admiring art.  My favorite period?  That's hard to pin down but I really love the art deco period and how that depicts clothing styles for men and women.

More specifically, the art deco period reminds me of pop art and the bold, bright colors, clean lines and classy clothing.

Are you familiar with pop art? How about Lichenstein?  See what I mean by bright, bold colors and classy clothing?




A reoccurring theme kept popping up for me and that was a yellow trench coat, just like Dick Tracy wore.  I h-a-d to have one!

And how awesome is that coat?  

For my trench, I used the Sewaholic Robson Trench pattern for this challenge.  

Isn't it just gorgeous?  All the details are perfect for creating your own trench coat, especially one with the elegance of the art deco period. I just wish I could have found bright yellow wool to create my jacket in.

I couldn't just make it as is so I added the black piping on the storm flaps, both front and back.  The black buttons also set it off.

Constructing this coat in a short time period was quite an undertaking!  I didn't start on it until Saturday and I had another idea in mind but my daughter said to me, "Mom, you are in the top three. It is time to put up or shut up."  Well said!  So, I decided to go for the trench.

This pattern is designed for pear-shaped women, of which I am not so some alterations were necessary.  I cut the bodice my regular size and graded the waist line and hips two sizes smaller.  This was the fit I needed.

I love the details of this coat.  

Here are some close ups:

Look at how smooth that sleeve cap is!

I left the lengths alone and they were perfect for my 5'7".  This coat doesn't call for a lining, but I added one as it is much easier to get a lined coat on and off.  I used a soft gray for the body and white lining for the sleeves.  

The pockets are nice and roomy and the placement is just right!

I love my coat and can't wait to wear it!

Thanks for reading and if you like my coat, please vote for me!
Here is the link: Vote Here!

The fifth challenge

So, have you ever had someone pick five fabrics and tell you to make a coordinating outfit from four of the five?  And, the outfit has to be two pieces?  What an interesting challenge from Fabric Mart this has been for me!

Here is a description of my five fabrics along with photos!
1.  Ribbed maroon knit
2.  Silky white and maroon woven

3.  Medium blue printed knit that feels like a ponte
4.  Dark navy woven--feels like 100% cotton
5.  Gray satiny woven

What to do?  Oh dear!  Yes, what to do!
So, I wanted a weekend, running errands sort of outfit and for fall in my neck of the woods, that means a jacket and pants.  And, on the weekend I want comfort!  So after rifling through my pattern stash, I found two winners!    Here they are:




And here is my outfit!

So, I hope you can tell which fabrics I used where!  The challenge stated you had to use the majority of the chosen fabrics for your garments.  Well...I am proud to say I ONLY used the fabrics provided!  Nothing from my stash was used...at all!  Two of the fabrics used on the jacket are pretty obvious.  One that may not be as noticeable is the gray satin that I used as the piping on the jacket.  So, I successfully used four of five fabrics only on these two garments!  

Now, about the fit.  I made a muslin of the jacket and it was giant!  After pinning and such, I decided I needed to make a much smaller size simply because I wanted to make this more of a layering piece rather than a full out jacket for cool days.  So, I made an XS instead of the usual medium and that did the trick!  I lengthened the sleeves and allover length of the jacket as well.  The piping was my own addition and I thought the touch of the gray pulled the two fabrics together and accentuated the gray zipper.  




Let's talk about those awesome details!  Is this the most RTW jacket you've ever seen?  It is for me!  I had so much fun with adding the snaps, topstitching, cords, and stoppers.  Even though this jacket is distinct, I will be making it again!

Now for the pants...I wanted super comfy but stylish pants to run errands in and Vogue 1411 was the perfect choice!  This pattern came together fairly fast--even with all the topstitching!  They fit well, are super comfortable, and dressier than your average leggings.  I see many more of these in my future!  Don't forget to make a muslin so you can tweak the overall fit!

Check out my freaking awesome topstitching and how it matches at the outer leg!

I am disappointed I didn't find a use for the lovely maroon/white print.  I must find the perfect pattern for it!  It is so pretty and has such a lovely drape!

I am very pleased with my new outfit.  I can't wait for the weekend to test it out!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the picture heavy post!

Now, head on over the the fabricmart fabricista blog and vote for your fav--which I hope is mine!
Vote here!

Sue :)

My first ever Marfy!

Have you challenged yourself by purchasing a Marfy pattern?  Do you know what a Marfy pattern is? Here is a description found on the Marfy Website:

Marfy clothing patterns are 100% Made in Italy.  A staff of expert stylists and pattern designers bring all their creativity, professionalism and attention to detail to the development of each creation, producing a distinctive Italian style to every garment. All of our designs are perfected on a fabric model until they meet the highest standards of form and function, no matter whether a complicated flowing or form-fitting evening dress, or a clean-lined geometric coat. Each creation is a unique expression of sculpture in fabric. 

With the exception of the free multi-size sewing patters that come with the catalogue, all Marfy single-size paper patterns are cut by hand, piece by piece.  Our skilled artisans ensure absolute precision to guarantee that your pattern will be ready to pin to your fabric of choice, leaving you free to concentrate on the pleasure of sewing and saving you considerable time that would otherwise be spent tracing and cutting out your pattern.

So here was my first pattern I purchased: 

I thought the sleeves were fun and unique and it looks simple, right?  

There are no technical drawings to refer to.  Your point of reference is the letters printed on the pattern tissue.  Those need to match up to get your garment to turn out like the drawing.  So....here was my frustration that I eventually figured out but I have no idea if this is what the designer intended.  See that large necklace covering the center fronts?  I'm unsure what that should look like when completed.  

You have to add your own seam and hem allowances before cutting out your garment or it will be too small!

This is my wearable muslin.  I really like my top and received many compliments when I wore it to work.  It's long enough to wear with leggings--meaning it covers everything you want to cover!  I really do love the sleeves.  on the pattern drawing, the sleeves look much more gathered at the top than mine do but I'l live with how the pattern is designed.  

The collar is cut in two pieces and sewn together so it has a center back seam.  If I make this again, I will change it to a one-piece collar.  

The back is shaped with Fish-eye darts and they do the trick!  I did make my usual 1/2" swayback adjustment.  I can't seem to get by without it!

Thanks for reading!  If you are up to a challenge, try a Marfy pattern.  Just balance the cost, wait time, and lack of technical drawing with the end result and see what you think!  

Sue :)  

September Recap!

Where on earth did the month of September go?  I  am astonished it has f-l-o-w-n by so very quickly!
Here is my recap of what has been happening with sewing!

Participating in the Fabric Mart Fabricista challenge has certainly slowed my output, but I have to say that I have worn and worn and worn my creations!  I have spent a great deal of time not only fitting but also on the craftmanship and thinking about all the details.  Not that I didn't before mind you, but I have certainly focused more on the how and why of garments.  How can I do this better?  What other alterations can I make to have this fit better?  I am almost driving myself crazy at times!

Here is my output for the month:

A repeated pattern: McCall's 6886.  This is my second dress from this pattern.  My first, a purple reminded my husband of his dear aunt Della who was about 85 years old when she took care of him as a young tike.  Every girls wants to be compared to their significant other's great aunt.  :)





This is such a versatile pattern.  I know I'll make more!

Next was my version of the Scout Woven Tee for the Fabric Mart Fabricista Challenge.  I had so my FUN creating this top from thrift store finds!


It took two muslins to get the fit right and I enjoyed playing with the fabrics and trims for this top.  I've worn this a LOT already!

Next up, a fast project or the Lola Dress from Victory Patterns.  I love this dress too!  So comfortable!  It feels like pajamas!  Who doesn't want to feel cozy at work all day?



For the 2nd FM challenge, I made a pair of jeans.  I love jeans and making them!  I worked very hard on fitting these and the details/craftsmanship.  I have worn these to death as well and get so many compliments on them!



Next, I created a copy of a beloved jean jacket from an existing Butterick pattern.  I had a BLAST doing this and LOVE my jacket!


I needed more trousers, so I made a pair!



And then the last item: My little Red Dress.



National sewing month was very productive for me!  I hope you were able to create some beautiful things you'll wear over and over again!

Till next time--Sue