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

A New Spring Jacket/Style Arc Grace Trans-Seasonal Coat

Have you ever made something and loved it so much that you are apprehensive about using it? Well, that's how I feel about the Poppins Bag that I made back in January. But, I am determined to sweeten the pot enough that I will use it, and that's why I decided to make the Style Arc Grace Trans-Seasonal periwinkle jacket :)

The pattern is a bit deceiving. From the drawing, it looks as though the collar will hit just below the chin. In reality, the collar actually hits above the chin, and just below the mouth. I do not have a short neck, so something to keep in mind if you do make the jacket.

The fabric that I used for the jacket is a wool gabardine that I have had for quite some time. It was actually a remnant that I purchased from Vogue Fabrics here in Chicago(actually, Evanston, IL) I only had 1 7/8 of a yard. The pattern calls for 3 yards :/, but I was determined. No matter what I did, I could not get the facing, or the pockets out of my fabric. What to do??? I had the raw silk, and as I was going through my "collection," I thought, "well, maybe." 

In the end,the jacket would have been too light had I not lined it. So rather than just using the silk as the facing, I used it to line the entire jacket. I love how well it worked out!

The instructions that come with the jacket are a bit sketchy, so I would not recommend this pattern to someone who is fairly new to sewing. The instructions for the pockets are not included in the pattern, you must go to the website to find the tutorial. 

The pocket is a welt pocket with a flap. Pretty when finished, but can be a bit tricky. I used a lining fabric for my pockets. 

As I mentioned, the collar is quite high. Rather than take it out and cut it down, I played around with it a bit and decided that I rather like the asymmetrical look if I wish to use the top button.   

Rather than top-stitch the jacket in a matching thread, I used 2 thread colors. Using the 2 colors together gave interest and an extra pop that using a matching thread would not have done.

Buttons!!! Buttons can be such a challenge. I am so very fortunate to live so close to Soutache. Such a lovely shop, like a trip to Paris without the jetlag, and she has the most amazing collection of buttons. I thought that this set of vintage buttons worked perfectly :)

I have enough of the raw silk to make either a skirt or a pair of pants. Not sure which I'll choose. If I go with the skirt, I'll also have enough for the cute Susan Khalje Boat Neck Top. If I do the latter, I will have the beginnings of a wonderful travel ensemble.

Once I get the buttonholes done, and sew on the buttons, I think I am going to really enjoy this new jacket. It also looks great with jeans, so very versatile. 
Happy Sewing!

Rhonda

A Bag To Pop Over!

Last Friday and Saturday, I had the opportunity to take a class, and make the Poppins Bag by Auntie's Two Patterns. It was a lot of work, but so much fun! 

As with any project, the big question is, what fabric should I use? You may remember the watercolor I did last summer and had made into fabric on the Spoonflower site. 

I had a piece printed in a 2 yard piece of cotton, just to see how I would like it. The quality was fine for basic cotton, and I had thought that I would do a skirt, then I changed my mind and thought of a kimono jacket...and then...I did nothing with it. I am so happy that I didn't as it became the focus fabric for my bag. Below you see the front of the bag once the quilting had been completed. Look closely as there is a pocket in the center panel.  

The bag has made some progress below. Rather than put another pocket on the back of the bag, I elected to do a strap so that I can carry it on the handle of my rolling suitcase. 

My finished bag. There is a frame inside the top of the bag that folds in when the bag is zipped.

 And then pops out when the bag is unzipped.

Here you can see the inside of the bag. There are 2 pockets, and loads of room! I think I could pack my entire wardrobe into this bag. Not really, but it is quite roomy.

I used this super fun rainbow zipper. 

And I love the stars that were provided for the zipper pulls. 

I made the bag at the sweetest store in Granby, Colorado. Tina, the owner is just the best! If you would like to make a bag of your own, you can order the pattern from her. The frame for the top of the bag comes with the pattern. If you do decide to make the bag, I would also order all of the foam pieces that are needed for the structure of the bag. You can find her website HERE. Just tell her that Rhonda sent you :) Don't worry, I get no compensation for this, I just love to pass along great projects, and great people :) Tina also carries the rainbow zipper and the fun star zipper pulls. 

If you do decide to make the bag, just a little word of warning, it is labor intensive. It took 2 full days to complete the bag. But, in the end, it was so worth it!