Thursday, September 23, 2010

Fall dress idea








Fall colors are beautiful. Leaves take on such marvelously bright colors and spark the air with a fresh feel and look for the Autumn season. It is quite cheery when the sun shines--even when it is cold, foggy and even rainy, there is a lift one gets from seeing the yellows, reds, and oranges contrasted against the dark trunks and stems and fading greens of Fall.



A friend and I were shopping and she proceded to tell me her plan of making a very simple dress of a fall color, brown, and then making an apron with the Fall-Thanksgiving motifs on it for wearing the combination on the many occasions that arise this time of year.


Now is the time to purchase Fall fabrics at the various sales. I try to catch some of the sales from either JoAnn's or Hancocks. I hope to make some for the girls unless we find time for them to make up their own combination Fall dress-apron set.










The idea is based around using Simplicity 5189 for the dress using a heavier fabric for the cooler months paired with Simplicity 5201 and she suggested making the bias trim out of the same fabric as the dress.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Fall Fashion 2010














Some interesting looks for Fall. These were taken from the site listed below. I would use discretion when viewing the site, especially if there are any children who are watching.


The following have a lot of flow to them and look like a fun outfit. Winter with a bit of fluff.




















Bohemian Rhapsody
"Beyond these, Anna Sui (seen here), Diane von Furstenberg, Marchesa, and Vera Wang all indulged in an artier take on boho with tons of froth, flou, frills, layers, and pretty much anything that will flutter in a light breeze. " From "Top Fall Trends from New York Fashion Week"








Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Easy Summer Blouse

This has become a favorite pattern this summer. It fits nicely and is very comfortable to wear. It doesn't take much fabric and is pretty quick to cut out and sew up. For a size 12 I purchased 1 1/2 yards of 44" wide fabric and I made the blouse style in the photo, view C. Two different methods of laying out the pattern on the fabric made it possible to use less fabric than called for. I used a size 12 so it might not work on other sizes. Size 12 required 1 3/4 yards of 44-45 inch fabric. When I laid out my pattern I pinned the front facing to the bodice front so I could cut it all out in one piece. To do this , measure and mark the 5/8 inch seam allowance on the facing as well as the bodice where the two are sewn together. Then pin the pieces together at the 5/8 inch mark, laying one right on top of the other. Sometimes I just tape them together as I like to make my front facings this way. This should give you one pattern piece for the front. If you want to make a copy of this piece just trace around the pieces and put in the pattern markings. That way you won't have to have the pinning and taping to deal with.

The other method I used was to cut out the front first. Then I opened the remaining fabric and folded over enough to just cut out the back on the fold. What was left I used to cut out the sleeves and collar. If you are using a one-way design you will have to cut out each sleeve separately, making sure all pieces go the same way. Otherwise just fold the remaining fabric in half crosswise and lay out the sleeves and collar.

I am just catching up on some summer sewing and am realizing the fall season will be here in two and a half weeks. This pattern has longer sleeves and I have some fall fabrics I want to use for cooler weather wear.

Sew for now........ Happy Sewing!