Monday Morning Inspiration/Oscar de la Renta Resort 2017

Last week, I told you about a book that I was reading, Gary, The Most American of All American Cities. I found the book to be extremely interesting, and enlightening. Rather than watch the Grammy Awards last night, I finished my book. How are you when you finish a book that you have thoroughly enjoyed? Maybe you're like me, I close the book, hold it for a moment, turn it over and re-read the back cover, hold it in my hands for a few moments longer as I ponder what I've just read, and then rather sadly say goodbye. Isn't it wonderful though when you read something that really touches you? Now the search is on for the next great read :)


I've been sharing quite a bit of lace inspiration recently. The Haute Couture Club of Chicago will have a lace challenge at our next meeting. What usually takes place is our speaker will have about 45 minutes to give their presentation. Then we move into the challenge. Everyone who participates will have made something that they feel fits the criteria of the challenge. They put on their garment and then explain what they have done. It's always a lot of fun to see what everyone has made. So I am hoping that with all the inspiration that I've found, we'll have some knock out pieces for our fashion show which will be Sunday, May 7, 2017.

When I was looking for a fashion show of the Valentino 2017 Resort Collection last week, I stumbled upon the Oscar de la Renta Resort Collection. It's a beauty! This collection also showcases a number of lace pieces that I thought were especially lovely.

The collection mixes tweeds with lace and little sweaters. Love the peek-a-boo lace near the hem.

Lace godets add an airy touch to a tweed dress.

Love this little flapper inspired lace cocktail dress. Perfect combination of 2 laces and feathers.

This dress has applied lace on the tulle. The back of the bodice is lace.

Lace insets in the jacket.

Crochet is also a form of lace.

Love the combination of the stretch lace tee with the pieced skirt. 

I left the last 2 images in their larger size so you could really see the application of the lace. So pretty.

If you would like to see more still pictures from the collection, you can find them HERE at Vogue.com. 

There are many other pieces that are especially pretty, and there's nothing better than actually seeing the clothes move, so I've included the fashion show below. It's not too long :) 



Hope you enjoyed the show!
Have a great week!!!
Rhonda

Sunday Night Reflections

Making A Terrific Tee and A Giveaway!!!

About a week ago, I received a lovely package from Londa of Londa's Creative Threads, a thank you gift for featuring her on The Wednesday Showcase. So nice, and so unexpected. 

Like so many of you, I love a good t-shirt. A great fitting pair of jeans, a comfortable t-shirt, my completely worn out pair of pink cowboy boots, and I'm a happy girl. You should see these boots. Unless you look closely, they look worn, but not so bad(at least that's what I tell myself). But on closer inspection, 1 layer of the sole has worn through, and there are cracks in the leather. My husband even remarked that he's surprised that I haven't gotten rid of them. But for anyone who knows and understands a good old pair of boots, there's nothing more comfortable, and even more than that, they actually take on the persona of a good close friend. How can one throw away a friend? ;) 

Included in Londa's lovely gift was a pattern for her Terrific 'T'. 

As you can see, there are a number of mix and match options for sleeve lengths and necklines. The instructions are in booklet form, something I really like, no big pages to deal with, or shuffling around of pages. It comes with a tissue pattern, so no printing or taping of a PDF pattern, and even better, there's an option for a darted tee and an un-darted tee. 

If you've ever sewn with Londa, you may already know that she has a very unique feature to her patterns, and that's a link to the talking pattern. There you can see large color photos and Londa walks you through the process of making the garment. It's like having her right by your side! 

Over the next week, I will be making up a few of the tees. One can never have too many! 

In the meantime, if you would like a chance to win a Terrific 'T' pattern of your own, just leave a message on this post. You'll have until midnight Wednesday, February 15, 2017 to leave a message. I'll announce the winner on Thursday, February 16, 2017. 

So, you'll have the chance to make your own Terrific 'T'. The only thing that will be missing is a worn out pair of cowboy boots. I'm not giving those away!!! 

Good Luck!

The Wednesday Showcase

Happy Wednesday! 
Looks like the ground hog was right, winter continues on, and snow is on its way. I look at it this way, it's good for my roses. Always a silver lining :)

My husband and I had an early date last night and went to see the movie Hidden Figures. Wonderful movie...do see it.

I'm reading a book that most would overlook, but I am finding it to be absolutely fascinating. The title is, Gary, The Most American of All American Cities. You may not know, but U.S. Steel purchased the land that is now known as Gary, Indiana in the beginning of the 20th century in order to increase their size and production. The city was built to house workers, a company town of sorts. The book not only tells the story of Gary, but explains the connection with Chicago, and the ultimate decline of the city. It reads a little like a good novel. 

I have a brand new, and when I say brand new, I mean that she has only been blogging since December 2016. So super brand new!!! Meet Maddie of Maddie Made This. 

Not only does she love to sew, she finished her master degree in Library and Science in the fall of 2016. And if that wasn't enough, she's  currently working on a Master of Arts in Public History which she'll complete in May. WHEW!!! 

She recently jumped on the Toaster Sweater band wagon and made this super cute top. She said that she hates matching, but the window pane pattern was a nice compromise. You can read her thoughts on the pattern HERE. 

She recently gave the free Orla Dress pattern a try, and LOVED it! You can read her review HERE.  

Maddie thought that when she began sewing that she would concentrate on items that she couldn't get to fit in ready to wear, but she succumbed to the call of bra making. 

I think you are going to absolutely love Maddie, so by all means, pop over to her blog and say HI!

The Wednesday Showcase is usually reserved for bloggers who are following my blog, but this morning I received a note from G of lin3arossa. I showcased her blog a looooong time ago ;) She's always great about finding interesting people and she thought I should check out Ellen of Ellen Sewing and in particular this amazing puzzle dress that she made.

You can read all about how she did it HERE. Ellen lives in Norway and has a HUGE passion for sewing and really enjoys sharing her makes with like minded creatives. So, please do pop over and say hello and compliment her lovely creation. 

Isn't it great that we can travel all over the world with just 1 simple click, and meet some of the most amazing people?!!!

Have a wonderful day!
Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/Not Your Grandmother's Lace Part 2

Last Friday I received an email from Mood Fabrics showcasing a piece of red lace and a red polka dotted tulle. The dress below was the inspiration piece, and I was in love. If you are wondering...yep, I bought the fabric!!! HERE'S a link to the lace, and HERE's a link to the polka dot tulle. After all, misery loves company :)

I really don't care for the top of the dress, but I love the skirt. As it turns out, this is a piece from Valentino's 2017 Resort Collection, so I just had to take a look. What I found were some really beautiful lace pieces.    

I wouldn't wear the skirt without a slip or lining, but I think it's really pretty.

Another beautiful piece, and it looks wonderful paired with the coat.

Here again, I need a lining, but I do like the dress. The collection gains its inspiration from Cuba.

Love this little top below and the lace insets in the skirt.

The embroidered tulle is amazing.

Not a fan of a sheer dress, but I do like the print of the lace paired with the jacket.

Look at this amazing piece of lace!

Love the fitted lace top paired with the full skirt.

There are a number of pieces in the collection that have a wonderful tribal feel. 

Check out this amazing embroidered tulle skirt.

If you have a lot of lace strips that you don't know what to do with, combine them and make a circular skirt!

All of the pieces above are from the Valentino 2017 Resort Collection. By all means check it out. I only pulled out the lace pieces. There are some beautifully draped pieces in the collection as well. You can see the entire collection HERE at Vogue.com. 

The pieces below are also rather interesting. They are from the Red Valentino 2017 Resort Collection. It has a similar, but then again quite different feel.

The Haute Couture Club of Chicago will have a lace challenge at our March meeting. I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone creates. 

As it turns out, lace is HUGE for resort as well as spring this year. I can't wait for my lace and tulle to arrive!

Have a wonderful week!
Rhonda

Sunday Night Reflections

The Wednesday Showcase

Happy Wednesday Everyone! 

Well, it has been quite a week as I've been to the emergency room twice. Once is bad enough, but twice is not nice. The nasty cold I've been dealing with for far too long turned into a rather awful and quite painful sinus infection. Due to the tumor I had, and the resulting reconstructive surgery, I have lots of scar tissue in my sinuses, making the whole situation just that much more fun ;) The second trip was just a stupid thing. I was moving a piece of furniture that had a metal brace under a drawer. I hit it just right and sliced my finger open. This is one situation where I hope things don't come in 3's!!!!

Now on to something a little more fun :)

I am so happy to see that Erin of Sie macht has her blog up and running. I had hoped to showcase her blog last week, but she was in the process of preparing a shiny new blog. So it's up, and I think you are going to really enjoy meeting her!

Erin is the mother of 2. She lives near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, such a beautiful state. Her life has had quite the transformation over the last few years. You can read all about it HERE on her about page. 

Erin is absolutely adorable. She has quite the passion for sewing. You can find a fun and informative new post each and every Thursday. The picture above is from a post she did on researching sewing tables. It's a very informative post, so if you are thinking about a new table, by all means, check out her information. 

She made up the Erin Skirt and the Molly Top from Sew Over It and loved both. It goes without saying that she looks super cute in both :)

Erin has also been doing a little quilting. Hey, she does live in Wisconsin where a quilt is not only decorative, but necessary! Just check out the picture below.

Erin took a blogging break...for FOUR years!!! She came back last March, so by all means, I hope that you will pop over and give her a great big warm welcome back!

Next up is Joyce of School of Custom Clothing and Alterations. Her blog and website are not only informative, but a fabulous resource!

Joyce has a passion for fit, tailoring, and even alterations. Below is a picture of an article she did for Thread's magazine. The article was written 10 years ago, but she says that the logic remains as true today as it was then. You can find her entire article HERE. If this all seems somewhat familiar, you're right. A few weeks back, I showcased Tomasa of Sew Much Fashion. The class that she took to create her amazingly fitted pants block was from Joyce's book on creating a Pant Block.

On her blog, you'll also find info on designing pockets.

This is a woman who actually love's, not likes, to alter clothing. You can find out why HERE.

Joyce is a wonderful resource. She has a such a passion for sewing and fitting. If you would like to find out a little more about her, just click HERE. I think you'll be so happy that you did :)

Hope your week is going well. Mine can only improve from this point forward, at least that's what I'm hoping for :)

Rhonda