The One Year Challenge Catch Up

A funny story ;)

Mr. Berkley has discovered cicadas. We will be walking along, and the next thing I know, the little guy has 1 in his mouth, and is happily crunching away. He LOVES them! Ick!!! Well, it must not be ick to him. While we were out for our evening walk last night, he managed to grab 2, and this morning, my husband told me that he didn't need his breakfast as he had managed to grab 3 more. Don't worry, he got fed :) As we were walking last night, I told my husband that it must be a boy thing. I've only had female dogs up to this point, and not a 1 ever ate a cicada. I swear they are like candy to Berkley. But, as sweet and wonderful as he is, I will overlook the cicada breath ;)

As I've shared, my 1 year challenge is going well, I have yet to miss a day. I will admit that it can be challenging at times. But, I guess it's not a challenge if it's not challenging!!!

I am not going to do a complete catch up today as the post would go on for far too long. Reminds me of a concert that we attended a while back. There's a guitarist that I absolutely love, Doyle Dikes. By all means, check him out! The concert was coming to a close, and he made a comment about wrapping things up. My husband hollered out, we don't have anywhere to go! With that, Doyle looked up, smiled and said, "I learned the hard way that I can play longer than you can listen!" 

Going all the way back to July 24th...this is a remake of a dress I did a few years ago. I had made the same dress in pink, and I so loved it. Wore the dress when we drove to Detroit to pick up Berkely. The poor little guy was so anxious, crawled all over me, and destroyed the dress. But hey, I can make a new dress!!! This one is actually a bit better as I added side seam pockets. It's the free pattern from Fabrics-store.com, the Chelsea Linen Raglan Tee. Obviously, I lengthened it into a dress, and gave it a shirttail hem.              

 

I didn't make the top I am wearing, but I did do the skirts, and yes it's plural.

Here's a little video that explains it all :)

All out cowgirl ;) I was going through a drawer looking for some fabric when I came across this pair of pants that I had drafted, and partially sewed together. Finishing them was long overdue. Got them done, and I love them!!! 

This is another piece that sat languishing on my sewing table for a few years. I had drafted it out as a Fabulous Free Pattern Friday post to be. Now that it's finished, I will get the post up. So simple to do.  

Once I got the dress together, I felt that it needed a little something, so I added the ties. I love how the ties give the piece a little extra interest, and a little shape through the bust.

 

My lemon pants. Love these pants. I used an old Vogue/Micheal Kors pattern for the pants.  

My tee was a piece that I did for a Free Pattern Friday post. At least, I thought I did. I can't find it! Maybe I should do a repeat. Here I called it the perfect social distancing tee ;) Hey, we may as well laugh than cry. 

We're finally up to July 29th. It looks like a dress, but it's actually 2 pieces, the Molly Tee from Pattern Union.  

The skirt is, at least I think so, this super cute, and sadly an out of print McCall's pattern. I've made 2 skirts from this pattern, and I love them.  

July 30th was a 2 outfit day. I began the day wearing this little wrap skirt. I so love the pattern. It's actually based on a leaf of lettuce. Sadly, the pattern is not available. The designer is in grad school and hopes to get her pattern line back up and running once she's finished.  

That evening I wore this outfit that was inspired by a Maria Pinto piece. I SOOOO love this outfit. It works well with flats and heels alike. We had an opportunity to attend an outdoor concert. It felt so good to actually be listening to lovely music in a concert setting once again.

I have had this dress for years. Sadly, I have yet to find the pattern.It's a fun dress that wraps to the back, and then wraps to the front. The only problem is that if you are caught in a strong wind, you might have a wardrobe malfunction when if the back blows up too high!    

The following day, I was out flying. If you've followed the blog for a while, you may remember this from my Sleeves on Saturdays series. I used the free Plantain Tee from Deer and Doe to create the top. You can find the instructions for drafting the sleeve HERE. 

I love to at least try and keep Sundays special, so I pull out something that just feels lovely. You may remember this piece from my Fabulous Free Pattern Friday series. It's the Perfect Travel Dress,  just 5 easy rectangles. You can find the instructions to make 1 of your own HERE. 

Here's a little video to see how the ties work.

So, with a little advice from Doyle Dikes, I will end here. But I'll be back with another post quite soon. Believe it or not, these posts take quite a bit of time to put together. But, it's worth it as I so appreciate all of you who drop by.

Until next time...

Sew On!!!

Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/Casual Inspiration for at Home Wear

Over the weekend, I talked to a friend. It was great to reconnect. During the course of the conversation, she commented on my recipe posts, and asked if I will be getting back to them. I also received another note from someone who has followed the blog for quite sometime. She told me how much she enjoys the blog, and how much she has missed my "regular" posts. An apology is in order. I've been cooking, a LOT!!! And too, I still look for inspiration. It's just that I haven't been sharing. 

This past week, I thought of 2 of my favorite designers, and wondered if there would be a spring collection. Since the collections are typically done a year in advance, I hoped that there would be, and thankfully, there is a spring collection for both Carolina Herrera and Maria Pinto(a Chicago based designer).

As I looked through their collections, what inspired me the most were pieces that would translate into everyday wear. Things that I will enjoy whether I'm out and about...or not.

This palazzo pant from Carolina Herrera reminded me so much of the Winslow Culottes from Helen's Closet. 
   

This tiered evening skirt is not something most of us would wear at home, but it reminded me of the Phoebe Maxi from Pattern Union.     

This fabulous little dress screams spring, and works beautifully with flats or sandals. Love the appliqued flowers along the bottom. 

For something rather fresh, this mix of plaids is quite fun!

How could one not be happy with the mix of polka dots???

Maria Pinto has incorporated mesh into her collection, and I LOVE it!!! A mesh dress over a pair of tights and a tank, such fun!

Here she used the mesh on the back of a jacket. Would look super cute with a fun print tank underneath.

I'm really loving knee length shorts. The picture on the right shows how easy the outfit can be to wear in a more casual manner. 

This asymmetrical skirt is so flirty. The lantern sleeve turns what would be a rather boring t-shirt into something much more interesting. You can find my tutorial on the lantern sleeve HERE.

Nothing could be more simple to throw on than a lightweight denim dress with a center front zipper. The pockets make it all the better for keeping your cell phone handy. 

I hope that a few of the pieces have inspired you. I can't wait to get into the studio and pump out a few new pieces! 

If you know of patterns that closely resemble some of the pieces I've shared, let me know in the comments, and I will share them on the blog.

Wishing you a lovely week :)

Rhonda