Blessings In The Storm, and the Challenge Continues

Maybe it has something to do with life getting rather small, that our days, for now, aren't filled with all the typical must dos, but I've thought so much of my grandmother. She looms large in my life, from her love of cooking for others, her love of opening her home to guests, to how she dressed. Without fail, she got up every morning and dressed impeccably. She always wore a dress. I once asked her if she had ever worn a pair of pants. She said that during WWII, while working, she had, but was never really comfortable. So once she was able to resume her normal daily activities, she went back to wearing a dress...everyday of her life. 

Over the last few weeks of my little challenge, I've thought of how my grandmother would feel about the "effort" that I am making to get dressed each and everyday. On one hand, I think she would be quite proud, but then, she was always so proud of me :) On the other hand, I think she would ask me why it has become a challenge :/

Last Wednesday I wore my Ginger Jeans from Closet Case Patterns. After I made my first pair, I decided that I had purchased my last pair of jeans. I absolutely love this pattern. I paired the jeans with a self-drafted knit top. And of course, my best accessory, Mr. Berkley :)

I'm missing pictures from Thursday, April 16 through Sunday April 19th, but I will recreate them with the exception of Saturday. I spent most of the day in the bed with a sick headache. Oh well.

Skipping forward to Monday, I wore my cargo pants. Such a great pair of pants to wear when I have some shopping to do. I throw my phone and credit card into my pockets, and then I am completely hands free at the grocery store. You can see my original post about the pants HERE. I paired the pants with a t-shirt that I made from a repurposed thrift store find. I used the Molly Tee from Pattern Union.    

When I was a little girl, my goal in life was to be a cowgirl! My aunt would tell me that you can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the girl ;) I do love my boots, and I especially love wearing them with skirts. 

I really like the knit top I'm wearing. I used the Elliot Sweater Pattern from Helen's Closet. I lengthened the sleeves, lengthened the front, and eliminated the side slits. The fabric was a great find from Promenade Fabrics in New Orleans. 

I had just a remnant of the black stretch denim left, but it was enough for the Tessuti Fabrics free Libby Aline skirt pattern. I did flat-felled seams on the side seams, and topstitched the pockets, as well as the hem and the center back seam.  

Today, Wednesday, I'm wearing one of my all time favorite dresses. It's the Yuki Dress Pattern from Tessuti Fabrics. I love how the side seams aren't side seams, but angle toward the front. The dress has pockets, always a plus in my book. I also love the scrunchy collar. So easy to wear, just throw on and go. Well, if I had somewhere to go!!! BTW, if you are ever in Chicago, by all means, go by Fishman's fabrics. You would have to feel this fabric to believe it, so soft, just an amazing piece of lightweight wool. They have an incredible selection of remnants that are so well priced.     

Just a couple of notes on the pattern, As you can see from the above picture, the dress hits just above my knee. I didn't want it any shorter, so I finished the hem with a bias binding. 

One of the downsides of side seam pockets is that they can float around on the inside of your garment. A great way to prevent this is to take a piece of scrap ribbon and sew it to each pocket. The pockets will now beautifully stay in place. 

I hope that all of you who happen to drop by are doing well. It's easy to fall into a trap of feeling sorry for ourselves, or feeling deprived. I hope that some happy memories come to you like that of my grandmother for me. When I think of her, I can't help but feel so very blessed.
Rhonda   

A 2019 Look Back

A belated

Happy New Year!

This past year has was a little quiet, blog wise anyway. Last February, I broke my arm in 2 places just above my wrist, and that kinda set the tone for a quiet year. But, all in all, it really was a great year. I found a cousin that I had no idea that I had through Ancestry. She is such a lovely person, and someone that I am very proud to call a cousin. I also reconnected with a family member after 30 years. This brought home to me that no matter how bleak something may appear, never lose hope. 

I've posted more on Instagram than I have on the blog. Not that I am moving exclusively to Instagram, it's just a platform that's been quick and easy. So, to close out 2019, I thought I would share my most liked Instagram posts.

My cargo pants, they have been a favorite. This was a challenge that Cennetta of The Mahogany Stylist and I did. Berkley and I do a lot of hiking, and cargo pants have become my favorite go to pant as I can carry my phone, money, credit cards, and I am still completely hands free.      

I took my first ever weaving class at Chicago Weaving School. Loved it! I don't know that it will become something that I will invest a lot of time doing, but I would like to learn and explore more about the craft.

This is an old make,but I posted it as an outfit of the day. The jacket is one that I made from a Kantha quilt that I ordered from India. When I initially made it, I went back and forth about cutting down the collar. I finally elected to just leave it alone. The jacket is a free pattern from Sew News. You can read more about it HERE. My jeans are the Ginger Jeans from Closet Case Patterns. I don't think I will ever purchase another pair of jeans as this pattern is absolutely fabulous.   

This dress was a favorite go to dress this past fall. I began with a t-shirt pattern and then added the rectangle drape. So easy to make. It's from my Fabulous Free Pattern Friday collection. You can find the original post HERE.  

Another favorite. I wore this jacket throughout the holiday season. You can see my post on the making of this jacket HERE. 

Another Closet Case Patterns favorite, the Ebony T-Shirt and Dress pattern. I have worn the dress with heels, flats, and even tennis shoes! Fun and easy to wear.    

This is one of my favorite outfits for summer. In the top picture on the right, you can see that I am actually wearing 2 layers. The top layer is sheer. I can take off the sheer layer and just wear the underneath layer. The sheer layer can then become a wrap. Perfect combo for traveling. 

A favorite go to pattern for pants is the Barb Pant from Style Arc. I think I may have 4 or 5 pairs of these pants. The t-shirt is another that I have made more times than I can count. It's the Molly Tee from Pattern Union.  

The top that I am wearing was made from vintage tea towels. The pants are linen, and I added a drawstring casing to the side seam for a little added interest. Wore these all summer long. 

The dress below was one that I did for Sew News. It's the Magic Bias Dress from Fashion In Harmony. This is another dress that's easy to throw on. Love it!  

Another Magic Bias Dress. It's also a summer favorite. I didn't shorten this version. It's amazing how different the dress looks in another fabric.

Yet another Closet Case pattern, the Amy Jumpsuit. I had a few fitting issues with the pattern, but all in all, I like it and plan to make it again.

And finally, my favorite make of 2019. Thankfully, I took the class prior to breaking my arm. I used my own watercolor painting that I had printed at Spoonflower for the center panels. The bag pattern is the Poppins Bag from Annie's Two Patterns. You can find all the info HERE.  

I love to laugh. After all, it's good for the soul. I saw this on Facebook and just had to share it! I think that most of us can relate :)

Here's to a fabulous new decade. May it be our best yet!

Rhonda

OOTD and a Sneak Peek

Happy Wednesday All! Well, I have blown my goal of posting everyday this week, sigh. Sometimes, the best we can do, is the best we can do :)

I had a fabulous week last week, such diverse experiences. I was invited to a party that was hosted by a heli-skiing group out of Canada. They gave everyone who attended the chance to virtually experience what what heli-skiing is like. Wow!!! It was so realistic that I had to hold on to the chair that I was sitting in. We flew to the top of a mountain where we got out of the helicopter. As the helicopter began to fly away, I felt a tiny bit of panic and wanted to scream out, "don't leave us here!" One thing I do know is that this level of skiing is truly above my ability!!!

On Sunday, we attended the most wonderful concert. A friend of ours has just been named the new conductor for the Northbrook Symphony. What a delight it was to be there for his inaugural concert. He has worked so very hard for this opportunity. Isn't it wonderful when you see someone's hard work pay off?!!

You've seen all of this before, but to get myself back into the swing of things, I thought I would share with you my outfit of the day...from yesterday. I wore my Ginger Jeans from Closet Case Patterns. The jacket is a free pattern from Sew News. You can find the free pattern HERE. It was a cool, rainy, grey day, so something a little bright just seemed to fit. The fabric that I used for the jacket is a Kantha quilt that I purchased from India. Love it!!!

The only thing I am wearing that I did not make is my scarf. My t-shirt is the Molly Tee from Pattern Union. At this point, I think I have made at least 10 of these babies. And the sweetest part of the picture, Mr. Berkley, my little sidekick :)

I never finished my portion of the challenge that Becky of Trial Balloons and I had back in August, thanks to me coming down with shingles :/ Anyway, our final challenge was to take something and re-create it into something that we will enjoy wearing.

Our first thought was to head to a resale shop and find an old pair of pants that we could redo into something new. Like Becky,the idea of taking apart some old pair of pants that I had no idea of where they had been was a little icky. So, I headed to my closet instead. After all, it's not like my closet is anywhere near empty ;) What I found was the dress you see below. A friend of mine had given me the dress, something she had found in a resale shop. Had never been worn. First issue is that the dress is a little too large. I could take it up, but as I looked at it, I realized that I would never really wear it enough for it to merit continuing to be a dress, especially a long dress. The fabric is a gorgeous silk, and it is underlined in silk. 

There is a lot of fabric in this dress. Below you can see that I have pulled aside the front overlay. The overlay is completely backed with the same silk fabric. So yes, lots of fabric, and plenty for a fun pair of pants, pants that I will actually wear and enjoy. As a dress, I would only enjoy wearing it maybe twice. 

What I actually made is the surprise to come :) 

Be sure to check out the fabulous bag and skirt that Becky made from her overalls. The bag is the perfect shopping tote as she incorporated all the pockets from the overalls. The zipper treatment she did on the skirt is super sweet. In the end, all she had left were minuscule scraps that only a bird who is building a nest could find a use for!!! You can see it all HERE.  

Believe it or not, I actually had to make myself sit down and do a blog post, but I am so happy I did! It's nice to be back :)

Rhonda

Are Those Pants???

Over the weekend, we took my mother out to dinner to celebrate her birthday. At one point during the evening, I went to the restroom. As I walked in, I saw a woman peeking out from behind the door of a stall. She said, "I am so happy to see you. Can you help me?" With that, she walked out from behind the door and I could see that she couldn't get the center back zipper of her jumpsuit pulled up. She said that she had been struggling with it for quite some time, and was so aggravated with herself for having worn the outfit. I told her that she wore the outfit because it was cute, which seemed to calm her down a bit. I felt so sorry for her. Poor thing, struggling so to try and get her zipper up. 

A few weeks before Becky of Trail Balloons and I started our August pant challenge, she sent me a note and said that she was putting a little package in the mail for me and thought that we could use it for our challenge. I was quite delighted when I opened the package as it contained not only fabric, but some of the most wonderful vintage buttons, and some lovely lace trims that were handmade. Such treasures!

When I saw the fabric, I immediately thought of making a jumpsuit. Becky had initially thought, pajamas. No, this fabric needs to see the light of day.

Becky is quite tall, with lovely long legs, the kind of legs that I always dreamed of having :) But, just as I said about round bottoms and flat bottoms...those of us who have round bottoms think the flat bottom girls have it made when in reality they struggle with fit just the same as those of us with round bottoms. And so, the girls with long legs also struggle to find pant legs that are long enough. Becky shared that she hated having pants that were just a little too short. But, the style of late is to have a pant leg that shows off the ankle. So, with a little bit of hesitancy, Becky jumped in and made the cutest jumpsuit with a cropped pant leg.

You can see her full post HERE. Be sure to take a look as she used 2 patterns, and then did a bit of drafting to put it all together. The back is absolutely adorable!

Once I received the fabric, I left it laying out so that I would see it multiple times a day as I knew that I wanted to make a jumpsuit, but what kind of a jumpsuit? I finally settled on a self-drafted piece, but then as I was looking for something totally unrelated, I came across the Amy Jumpsuit pattern from Closet Case Patterns.

I had intended to make it over the winter in a light weight wool, and wear it with a turtle neck sweater, but then I broke my arm :/  Oh well. I looked at the yardage requirements, 3.75 yards of 45" fabric. I only had 3 yards, and the print is a directional print, so every piece had to be cut in the same direction. Well, I wasn't going to give up that easily! I carefully laid the pieces out, 1 piece at a time, and low and behold...I could just make it happen!!! Well, the facings were cut with the print upside down, but who's looking?! ;) In the end, I literally had just a small pile of tiny pieces left over. I rather love it when that happens!

Here's my version of the Amy Jumpsuit. It's like wearing a jumpsuit, a pair of culottes, and a dress all wrapped into 1 little garment.  

My thoughts for the next time I make the piece:

1. I will lengthen the crotch 1". I have always had a problem with jumpsuits being just a bit short in the crotch. This garment is fine, but a smidge more room would be nice. 

2. I took about 3" out on either side of the waist at center back. The jumpsuit does have a side zipper, but it is only a 7" zipper, so it opens the garment to allow one to get into it, but not enough to have a closer fit. The garment is meant to be rather free and breezy, but the next time I make it, I will put a longer zipper in the side seam. This will mean working around the pocket, but that's doable. What I took out does not keep me from being able to comfortably get into the garment, but for a closer fit, a longer zipper will be needed.  

3. For a future garment, a belt would be great. I just didn't have enough fabric left to squeeze out even a strip of a belt. I love the Sobi Belt from Pattern Union. You can find the pattern HERE along with more pictures of the belt.  

Before I go, a funny story...

I got the jumpsuit to a point so that I could try it on. Rather than open the garment up between the 2 straps, and slide into it from the middle, I tried to squeeze in from the zipper opening side. I thought, "how am I ever going to get into this garment?!!!" Then it occurred to me that all I had to do was slip in from the middle. I felt like a nitwit ;) 

And 1 last word of advice...

Try not to put a zipper in the center back of a jumpsuit. You just might get stuck in the bathroom, and I may not be there to help!!!

Our final challenge is a fun one. Stay tuned:)

Rhonda

A Closet Case Ebony Wardrobe

This past weekend was rather eventful for me as I turned over the reins of presidency for the Haute Couture Club of Chicago. It was a wonderful 3 years, but time to step down. 

A few weeks ago, I received a message from the loveliest lady, Julie of Sew Chica Sew. Sadly, she is no longer blogging, but she does post her beautiful garments on Instagram. She told me that she was going to be in Chicago, and asked if I might have time for tea. I told her that this past weekend was actually the June Banquet for the Haute Couture Club, and asked her if she might like to come. It was such a delight to meet her. The dress she is wearing is entitled, "The Dragon Dress" as it has 2 fabulous dragons that showcase the bodice. Julie is so inventive with her wardrobe. Be sure to check out her feed on Instagram. I think you will fall in love with her!

Here I am saying my goodbyes as president :)

There's a line in the movie, "Working Girl" where Melanie Griffith is asked what she will do now that she has lost her job. She replied, "oh, I'll travel, redecorate the country house." This is one of my favorite movies, BTW :) So, what am I looking forward to now that I am no longer the president? I'm looking forward to just being a participating member. 

Last January, Closet Case Patterns had a fabulous year-end/beginning of the year sale on their patterns. I succumbed and bought a few. The Ebony T-Shirt Dress has become a favorite! Below is the first that I made. Such a fun print. I call it my "Another Face In the Crowd" dress.  

Here I am in the dress. So easy to wear as it swooshes about the body. 

I loved the first so much that I just had to make another. I decided to use the scooped neckline on the lemon dress.

Then I made the raglan sleeve tunic version.

I had a very busy day, out at the airport, and then a visit with my mom. I was comfortable all day long!

I decided to do 1 last version and that's the cropped top. I still need to hem it and add the neckline trim. I made the top out of a black slinky knit and I plan to wear it with a fun black and white pencil skirt. Should be finished soon! 

If you are looking for a top, or dress that's super easy to wear this summer, you might want to give the Ebony pattern a try. I have just about worn my out!

One last thing before I go...

Yesterday I shared the story of Berkley's adventures at daycare. It occurred to me that there's a great moral to that story. Because of Berkley's size, he was placed with the small dogs. In his mind, he is not a small dog, and was very happy once he was with the big dogs. Sometimes others look at us and make assumptions about us based on our gender, our size, our ethnicity, our age, our education, and the list can go on and on. The assumptions of others are just that, their assumptions. Thankfully, Berkley had me on his side, and too, I didn't just accept where he had been placed. I ASKED for what I felt he wanted. Remember, so often, we have not because we ask not.

Hope you've had a wonderful day :)

 Rhonda