What are you going to wear for the upcoming seasons?

Pattern found here

 I have found so many patterns in the major pattern company books that are unabashedly exposing skin almost anywhere on the body.  I am hoping this year we will see a revival of modest dressing. We can do it.  Let's start fresh this year with some feminine and beautiful dressing for the Lord. Revival starts within each person. It doesn't have to cost, just use what you have or get out your stash and imagine with a renewed outlook.  I am getting patterns ready and lining up fabrics from years of stashing and   reimagining what can become of what I have or can find at the thrift shop.                                                                                                                                                 

I was listening to another podcast stating that tight garments are going out, for some, as I think a more comfortable style is desired.  Tightness in clothing can be uncomfortable and that is easily remedied by wearing looser clothing.

If you are truly interested in making an outfit or dress that will work for you, I suggest watching this YouTube video: The Best Dress Pattern for Your Body Type   and another one:  My First Ever Special Occasion Dress.  There is a bit of explaining first in both of these before she shows the details.

Clothing & Modesty This is another good sermon on this subject.

Listening to the above sermon on modesty seems to remind us again that the future clothing styles continue to expose as much as possible on a woman.  I must say women are becoming more gullible in believing that exposure is not the issue but making her feel comfortable in the world.

I have been searching for some different approaches to casual femininity in dress. Some of these dresses I have put in previous blogs, so please pardon the repetition. Also some may need sleeve length and/or hemline adjustment, or a neckline raised.  Tightness or looseness of clothing is a personal matter that we must weigh against what would please the Lord God and seek his wisdom to be modest and appropriately dressed.

Take these ideas and see what you come up with.

The above dress is from McCall's 8449.

A casual skirt paired with a contrasting blouse makes a neat and modest look.

McCall's 8342 

This dress and a few of the following are found on etsy for reasonable prices.

Hinterland dress by Sew Liberated

StyleArc Montana Midi Dress plus extension

Available at Style Arc and Amazon

Pattern found here

This one above, with an extended length and belt or elasticized waistline, would make a comfortable dress. 

Wardrobe by Me Collections  Grace Dress

Wardrobe by Me Collections

You may prefer dresses with a more distinct waistline, and these are available in pattern books and Etsy. I have just put out some examples for a looser fit for the next 3 seasons.  Some of the looser dresses shown could be cinched in with an elastic casing or ties attached to the sides and tied in back.

Dress found here.

In all things, whatever we do, we must always consider who we are glorifying in the image we present.  May our ways and thoughts be pleasing to the Lord and may people notice our demeanor and more especially our joyful and radiant face that reflects our heart attitude.

May you have a wonderful and glorious time sewing!

If you have any spare time to help some young girls in a faraway country, please check out 

SewPowerful.org.

God bless you as you seek to know him better every day.

A New Dress to Sew for Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer!

 I have been following Liesl and Company  for their patterns and have really been impressed with this new dress that Liesl designed.  It fits the style that I want in a dress:  classic, adaptable for different seasons, and comfortable .  The description with the information for the dress pattern details its many nuances.  I am looking forward to making this one!  See also this page and this page for more information.  These patterns are available in paper or digital.

The other new patterns that came out along with the above pattern are featured here below.

The information is located here.  This Isola Dress looks very comfortable also.

The other one is a jacket pattern.

 July:  Cool Dresses for Heatwaves! 

A few simple suggestions.

It has to be hot in some parts of the country!

I spied this pattern a couple months ago and thought this would be good for my granddaughters who are in their teens and live where it is warmer than our spot.  It is found on Seamwork  and is called the Benning Dress.  There is an alternate neckline available if you get the Benning Dress pattern.

Be sure to check this out as it is a very easy dress to make with excellent instructions.  Very comfortable as well.  You might want to make several!

Also I wanted to add another jumper dress pattern (or pinafore dress in other countries)  that is cute and looks very easy to make for various seasons.

It is called the Buttercup Pinafore and you can find it at Lavender Sewing Patterns

Another jumper-pinafore dress is called Apricot Pinafore Dress and it is found at Cocowawa Crafts.

This also looks easy to make and very comfortable.  Be sure to look at the finished garments other have sewn at the bottom of the picture on their website.

Here is a dress from their website that would be cool for summers.  It is called the Honeycomb Dress and shirt.  I like that other seamstresses have taken the pattern and added their own embellishments as seen below in the lovely white dress.

 

Then there are always the shirtwaists to use for summer.  If you don't care for a fitted waist The Assembly Line offers a shirtwaist that looks slimming and yet comfortable.

Going back to the Seamwork Pattern Company they are also showing a new dress pattern that would be  very comfortable in whatever season called the Baker Dress.

These pattern prices may not compare to the sales at JoAnn's but I do like to support Independent Pattern Companies when I find something that works for me.

Looking for colors and ideas you can check out Gudrensjoden for lots of inspiration.

Modesty and propriety go hand in hand.  Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God!

Adorning the Gospel   “That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.” — Titus ii. 10. 

May your summer be filled with some sewing, family, good times, with love and kindness flowing from a grateful heart.  

God bless you.

For Summer Dressing Thoughts

The Puritan pastor Matthew Henry put it this way: 

"The purity of the heart will show itself in the modesty of the dress."

Something to read, refresh the memory, and think on:

Thinking Like a Christian About Modest Apparel (mountainretreatorg.net)

Here are a few ideas for some spring and summer clothing choices:

This is a very comfortable styled dress that many body types could wear but for modest reasons it would need buttons on the front placket.  That would finish it off very nicely.  A variety of trims could be used instead of ricrac.  There used to be many woven braids available years ago.  I haven't checked in our local JoAnn's lately.  Otherwise one might find some online.

There are  similar dress patterns with tiered skirts in pattern books  that would work as long as it is "modestly" made.

A very simple shirtwaist in summer fabrics would make a comfortable outfit.

This is the shirtwaist pattern from The Assembly Line.  I would add a few more buttons on the skirt especially in windy areas.

Summer Skirts

Here is a very lovely linen skirt from etsy.

Found here

Found here

Summer blouses

A classic and simple shirt to wear with skirts.

Retro Style

This is a blouse that is pretty and fairly easy to make.  It is called the Billow Blouse by The Assembly Line Pattern Company and can be worn with skirts for an elegant look or depending what fabrics are used it could be for a more casual setting. 

Whatever you sew and wear and do make sure it is for the Glory of God.