Moving On with the One Year Challenge

Oh the internet, it can be so wonderful, and then when it doesn't work, it's beyond frustrating. I have been waiting all week for my videos to download. None have yet to appear in my inbox. So, I thought that I would do a different post, tried sending pictures, and they won't come through. I have no idea what the problem is. I have a feeling that at some point, it's all going to mysteriously just appear. So, rather than wait any longer, I thought I would at least get you a little up to date on my 1 year challenge. 

All the way back to August 23rd...

I made this dress for a Sew News sew along. It's the Summer Breeze Top pattern from Hot Patterns which seems to no longer be available. Such a shame as it's a rather fun pattern to make. I took the 2 pictures to show that as much as I like those yellow shoes, I did change into my Keds to walk Berkley :) 

One of my favorite skirts. A friend gave me the Picasso panel. I debated for some time as to what I would do with it. Finally, it was a skirt. Since it was such a special piece, I decided to give it a more couture finish by underlining it with silk organza. It even has a silk charmeuse lining. Maybe a little over board as the back is a lightweight denim. I paired the skirt with a Molly Tee from Pattern Union.

This was a fun challenge of sorts. Helena of Gray All Day posted that she had purchased a large lot of fabric and would like to share it with a few others just as a goodwill kind of a thing to do. we were given 2 yards and told that we could do anything we chose. In the photograph, the fabric looks white. It is white, but it has tiny little yellow puffs all throughout. I decided to use the Odgen Cami from True Bias  and add a skirt, making a simple summer dress. The fabric is such a lovely gauze, so it floats all over the place. Fun To wear! 

A friend of mine had told me about the Scout Tee from Grainline Studio, and how much she likes it. I think she's made maybe 10 or so! I decided to give it a try. I too like the pattern. Easy to make, and just a great wardrobe staple. The skirt is the Summer Equinox Skirt from Naughty Bobbins Patterns. I really love this skirt as it has darts that give it such a nice fit. The skirt is part of her Summer Ensemble package. 

The latter part of August was so very warm. I just needed an outfit that looked cute, but was cool. I had the batik, so I did another Ogden Cami from True Bias Patterns and paired it with a pair of basic elastic waist pants.     

We took my mother out for her birthday, and I decided to wear something fun. It just feels so Emilio Pucci to me :) The top is self drafted, a tutorial is coming soon. The skirt is a piece I did for my Fabulous Free Pattern Friday series. You can find the instructions HERE. The leggings are from Sew News, and they are the Loveland Leggings. 

We're finally up to August 30th!

The tunic I'm wearing is from Alice and Ann. I really like the pattern as it has a lovely front placket. It's the Adley Shirt.Here again, I paired it with an Ogden Cami, and a pair of pants that are really a pajama pant pattern from Martha Stewart.    

The top I'm wearing was one that I made from a free pattern. It's a lovely pattern, but I'm not sure if it's still available. You can see my post on the blouse HERE. I also posted instructions on how to down load the pattern which you can find HERE. Again, it may no longer be available, but it's worth a try. The pants are a favorite, the Barb Pant from Style Arc. 

The blouse I'm wearing is one I drafted. the sleeves are from my Sleeves on Saturdays series, the Draped Cowl Sleeve. I also did a tutorial on how to draft the cowl neckline, and you can find it HERE.

And finally, at least for now :)

The skirt is from Tessuti. It's their free Libby A-line skirt. It comes in 3 lengths. Another great wardrobe staple pattern. The top is another from my Sleeves on Saturdays series. I especially love this sleeve has it has such a 1940s vibe, and yet quite modern at the same time. It's the Cowl Sleeve and you can find it HERE. 

    

This post takes me up to September 2nd. At least I'm finally in the same month!!! Hopefully I'll soon be able to figure out why I can't send my photos from my phone to my email address. 

Until next time, keep sewing!

 Rhonda

And The Winner Is.....

                 
I must say that I was rather surprised that so many would be interested in my used pattern. Surprised, but happy. So, with further ado, the winner is Joza Jagodic!!!!

Congratulations Joza! Please send me your address so I can get the pattern out to you, sewbussted@yahoo.com
Now, for those of you who didn't win, I am going to do a pdf of the sleeve pattern so that the rest of you may have a copy as well. It will be an exact copy of mine, so no grading, but maybe you'll enjoy having it nonetheless. As soon as I have it ready, I'll let you know. So this time I'm able to spread a little joy around to all of you :)  

The Final Summer Breeze

The Hot Patterns Summer Breeze sew along has come to an end. 

The dress is finished, but Betty looks a little crooked! Who knows, maybe I was crooked when I took the picture ;)

 The blouse with the added sleeves is finished.

 And finally, a picture of me in the dress. I'll post a picture of me in the top later.

And now I have a dilemma, which shoe should I wear???? Such a problem, right? ;) I would appreciate your suggestions.

I added a free form ruffle to the neckline and the armholes. Very easy to do. I explain how I did it in the blog post.

You can see the final post for the dress and the top here on the Sew News blog. There is a final video that will hopefully get added later today. For some reason(computers, love them or hate them!!)there was a technical issue with the video.
If you are working on your own Summer Breeze, check out the Flickr page and post your pictures. We would love to see them! You can find the Flickr page here.

The Summer Breeze Top Gets A Sleeve

A number of you asked for a sleeve option when you saw the currently running sew along for the Hot Patterns Summer Breeze top. So, your wish is my command :), and I've created a sleeve for the top.

 It has 3 pleats that echo the front drape on the blouse.

The back of the sleeve lays flat over the arm, just like the back of the blouse basically lays flat over the back of the body.

The sleeve is very easy to draft. I used Butterick 5678 for my sleeve pattern. The pattern has been used for so many garments. If by chance you're new to the blog, or you just missed a few, you can see the many faces of Butterick 5678 here. I'll warn you now, there are quite a few posts.

The instructions for this sleeve are on the Sew News blog and you can find them here, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/07/17/sew-along-extra-summer-breeze-top-adding-sleeves/

You may have noticed that the hem of this blouse has a little extra fullness. I added a little something extra for anyone who might have mis-measured and the hip area of their top is just a little snug. It will be in the final sew along post this upcoming Monday. 

Summer Breeze Sew Along Week 4

The 4th installment for the Hot Patterns Summer Breeze Sew Along is up on The Sew News blog and you can find it here. This week I talk about finishing the neckline and the armholes with a bias binding.
If you look closely at the dress, you'll see that the shoulders are somewhat extended.

And here you can see how the shoulder falls over the top of my arm.

For this dress, I want a clean finish with my armhole sitting right at my shoulder, so an adjustment to the armhole is necessary. This dress will be sleeveless, but I will be adding a sleeve to a top that I am also doing for the sew along. If you would like to add a sleeve, the adjustment will be necessary. So check out the blog post to see what I have done.
Here's this week's video just in case you would like to take a look. It's very short, less than 2 minutes long.



I have a few things up my sleeve for next week's post. I am adding a trim to the neckline and armholes of my dress and I'll also have a few alteration tips as well.
As soon as the sleeve post is up, I'll let you know!

Hot Patterns Summer Breeze Sew Along on Sew News

The new post for the Hot Patterns Summer Breeze sew along is up on the Sew News blog. For the sew alongs, I'm trying to add a little more to the written post, and give as much information and inspiration as I can without going on forever and ever!! 

For a little something different, I decided to lengthen the top and make a dress. A comment was made about the sheerness of my fabric and needing a lining. First of all, I would not line this dress or top. Once you take a look at the post, you will see how much fabric gets gathered into a rather small space. I think a lining would add a lot of extra bulk and take away from the desired look. So, what to do?? I am a huge slip fan. In fact, I have a number of vintage slips in my wardrobe. They are wonderful under a knit dress, or a dress such as this one. They give me the privacy that I want and keep knit fabrics from sticking to my body. I also like the little element of surprise that I sometimes enjoy adding, like for instance, wearing a red slip under a black dress. Not that it really shows, but I enjoy it nonetheless.  

I was especially happy about getting the black circles to at least look like they match near the neckline. Matching all the patterns was an impossibility, at least for me :)

The gathered waist is a little tricky to do. When I first started working on the top that I made for the magazine, I looked at the instructions...didn't get it. Looked at them again...still didn't get it and then finally after looking at the instructions and putting them down and thinking about it for a few days, I finally figured it out. I hope that between the video and my instructions that I'll be able to make it as clear as possible. But then, maybe my not getting it was just me ;)
You can find my post and this week's video here, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/07/07/summer-breeze-sew-along-week-3-ties-pleats-gathering-notches/
If you have any questions, you are welcome to leave a comment here on this post, on the Sew News post, or the Flickr page,  https://www.flickr.com/groups/sn_sewalong_3.
Many have asked about a sleeve. There will be a special post just for a sleeve next week. We will need to adjust the armhole a bit for the sleeve, so more next week.
If you are sewing along, good luck with the gathers!!!!

Hot Patterns Summer Breeze Sew Along Week 2

This week's post for the Hot Patterns Summer Breeze Sew Along is up on the Sew News blog and you can find it here,  http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/06/30/the-hot-patterns-summer-breeze-sew-along-week-2-converting-a-top-to-a-dress/.
For the sew along, I decided to lengthen the pattern and make a dress. You'll find my instructions on the blog post. I'm using a fabric that I'm calling Psychedelic Egg Yolks. I think it will be rather fun ;)

The blog post as well as the video covers French seams. I just love the way French seams look inside a garment. If you would like to take a look at the video, I've linked it below. It's short, less than 3 minutes.



A little side note about the video. This was the 3rd set of videos I did that day and I can see that I was getting rather tired. It was a looong day!!
If you are making the Summer Breeze Top, pop over to the Flickr page and post your progress. A little hint, there is going to be a giveaway at the end of the sew along, so you might want to join in!! You can find the Flickr page here,  https://www.flickr.com/groups/sn_sewalong_3
Happy Sewing!

The Crepe Suzette Circular Clutch Link Party

Did you have a chance to make up the free Crepe Suzette Circular Clutch pattern from Hot Patterns? Well, if you haven't had a chance, there's still time, the link party will be up until midnight, July 1st. Here's a link to the pattern just in case you have yet to download it, http://www.pages01.net/fabriccom/Crepe_Suzette_Clutch/ You can find the post I did on the bag here.

I had intended to show you the coat that I made to go with my clutch, but my eye issue is really bothering me and I am moving a lot slower than I would like, so the coat reveal will happen tomorrow. But here's a sneak peak to the pattern I used.

                                


It's the One Seam Coat designed by Patrick Kelly. It really does have only one seam!
In the meantime, link up your clutch creations below and I will showcase all of them next Wednesday on The Wednesday Showcase. There's no excuse to not get one made. You have all weekend!!!!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Summer Breeze Sew Along Begins!!

The Hot Patterns Summer Breeze Sew Along has begun on the Sew News blog!!! Here's a link to the post, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/06/23/hot-patterns-summer-breeze-sew-along-week-1/

For some reason, I'm having a problem with embedding the video to this post, so be sure to drop by the Sew News post to check it out.
If you have not purchased the pattern, and you would like to sew along, this week is the week to get your supplies together. There are links to the Hot Patterns website where you can purchase the pattern in the blog post.
If you would like to join the Flickr group, you can find it here, https://www.flickr.com/groups/sn_sewalong_3/. We all like to see other's creativity, so share away!!!
In the blog post, you'll see that I'm adding a few extras, like a sleeve and lengthening the top into a dress, so even if you decide not to make the top, I think you'll enjoy the posts.
                         
The top is really quite easy to make, but the gathered detail can be a bit tricky. Although, I think I'll be able to walk you through the process with ease.
Looking forward to sewing along with you!
Rhonda

Thrifty Thursday

Next week we will start the next sew along  on the Sew News blog. We will be making the Hot Patterns Summer Breeze Top. Here's a little info on the sew along, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/06/10/how-to-join-the-hot-patterns-summer-breeze-sew-along/ It's a fairly easy top to make, but there is one little tricky part. Hopefully, I'll be able to walk you easily through the process. To kick off the sew along, I thought I would do a few free Hot Patterns over the next few weeks for Thrifty Thursday. Fabric.com has a number of free patterns and a quite a few of them are really quite nice. Today I chose to do the Crepe Suzette Circular Clutch. The pattern says that it is circular, but if you look at the sketch of the bag, you will see that it is really oblong.   

I made a jacket that you will see next week out of this double-sided linen and silk blend. I had some scraps, so why not make a matching bag?

You can see the bag a little better in this picture.

I made a few minor changes to the bag. I would much rather be able to hang it from my shoulder, so I added a casing at the fold line. The casing is interfaced. The nice thing about a casing like this is that you can wear the bag with a chain or strap, or allow the chain to fall into the inside of the bag and then carry it as a clutch. Sadly, I need to buy some chain so I can't show you the bag with the added chain.

The pattern comes with an interior pocket pattern. I love it when all the pattern pieces are included.

The bag is a very nice size. It will not hold the kitchen sink like many of us try to carry along!!!!, but there is ample room for a wallet, cell phone, and the other necessary items that we need to carry along.

A few of you asked about the clasp when I used it on another project. I've had these for a while, but if you are interested in trying to find them, here's the package information.

*A few construction notes;

I interfaced my fabric with a fusible cotton interfacing. I then fused a layer of fusible fleece to the inside and cut away the seam allowance, only on the fusible fleece. 

I did not use a lining fabric to line my bag as you can see and I did interface the fabric I used to line the bag. So there are 3 layers of interfacing in my bag.

The bag is quick and easy to make. Great for using up the scraps from a project, and would make great gifts, so all in all a very versatile pattern. You can download the pattern here, http://www.pages01.net/fabriccom/Crepe_Suzette_Clutch/

Next Thursday we will have a link party, so make up a Suzette Clutch this week and on next Thursday's Thrifty post, you'll be able to link up your creation. My bag is super basic, but the sky's the limit with this pattern, so be creative. I can't wait to see what you make!!! 

Sew News Magazine Winner

 I got a little side tracked yesterday and forgot to post the winner of the June/July issue of Sew News.

The winner is Kathy of   http://runningwithrocket.blogspot.com/. Congratulations Kathy!!! Be sure to send me your address so I can get the magazine out to you, sewbussted@yahoo.com.

The next sew along will start on June 23rd and we will be making the Summer Breeze Top from Hot Patterns.

As soon as the Flickr group is up, I'll let you know. In the meantime you can order your pattern here,  http://www.hotpatterns.com/hp-1137-riviera-summer-breeze-sleeveless-tops/ If you decide to purchase your fabric before the sew along starts, keep in mind that it needs to be a very lightweight fabric, like a silk charmeuse or a very light weight knit will also work well. In order to achieve the front drape, a good bit of fabric is gathered into a rather small space, so if your fabric is too heavy, you'll never get it all gathered up.
A little bird told me that there will be prizes after the sew along ends, so you will want to join the Flickr group.
I'm going to be feverishly working on my Sew Chic Myrtlewood dress today so I can post it tomorrow. It should have been finished last week, but life.......
I will be back a little later with something rather fun, so see you later!!!
Rhonda

Sew Liberated, The Final Chapter and Announcing The Next Sew Along

If you drop by most days, then you know I'm a little behind. Actually, Sew News had technical issues with the blog this week(we all know that story all too well), so the final post for the Sew Liberated Clara Dress did not get up until yesterday. I decided to change things up a bit for the sew along and offer a little something more to the Clara Dress by adding ruffles. Here is my completed dress. It's just perfect for summer! My husband nor I noticed the plastic bag on the ground until we took a look at the pictures. Sorry about that. 

If you would like to take a look at the last installment for the Clara Dress Sew Along, you can find it here, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/05/29/clara-dress-sew-along-final-week-finishing-details/. You will see pictures of all 3 dresses I made.
You can also take a look at the video here,


Now for the next sew along! The upcoming sew along will begin the week of June 23rd with the Summer Breeze Top from Hot Patterns.

This is a lovely top for summer. The design offers lots of possibilities that I will share with you, like color blocking and even making it into a dress with some fun and frilly details.
So how better to announce a new sew along than to have a little give away?!!!

If you would like to win a copy of the June/July issue of Sew News, just leave a message on this post. I'll announce the winner on Monday, June 2, 2014.

Here's a sneak peek at the top I made and the article.
I think you will really enjoy making this top. If you would like to get a jump on things, you can order your pattern here, http://www.hotpatterns.com/hp-1137-riviera-summer-breeze-sleeveless-tops/