Misty Pull-On Jeans Sewalong Parade of Jeans

Friends, here is the moment you all have been waiting for (maybe)!  The Misty Pull-On Jeans Link Party is open for business.

The Details:  You can begin posting at any time.  You are welcome to post as many pair of Misty Jeans as you are willing to make.  You can post pictures until the end of the day (EDT) on November 30th, 2015.  Then the voting begins.  Voting will continue until days end (EDT) December 10th, 2015.  The winner will receive a prize packet including a $50 fabric.com gift certificate, and 3 patterns of your choice from Style Arc.  More prizes may be added as the contest continues.  Good luck, and let's see those jeans!

One more thing...please head over to the Curvy Sewing Collective and post your Misty Jean Photos on their flickr group.  Nothing would make me happier than seeing lots of jeans on the CSC, so that we can help other women overcome their fear of sewing pants!

An InLinkz Link-up

Rocking the Curvy Sewing Collective Wrapalong

Well friends, in case you haven't heard...I totally rocked the CSC Wrapalong!  

Here is the dress that I made, and you can read the details of the dress back at this post.

There were two other winners as well, and they really rocked their dresses too!

Debbie who blogs at Stitches and Seams made a classic black and white wrap with a twist, using the Gillian pattern from Muse.

Sabrina who blogs at I Sew, I Knit also made a Vogue wrap dress but used a different pattern than I.  I LOVE the print that she used!

Amazingly, Sabrina and I were both first time sewalongers!  

We each received a $50 gift certificate to Smuggler's Daughter!!!  Woot woot!

I have my eye on a few things...

Maggie London Blue Water Lillies from smugglersdaughter.com

 I can already see the floral dress this would make in my mind's eye!

Tyrian Purple Ponte from smugglersdaughter.com

Yes, I may have a purple addiction.

Teal Sweater Knit from smugglersdaughter.com

Because I need teal leggings!

Congratulations to my fellow wrapalong winners!!!  I can't wait to see what you get from Smugglers Daughter.

Vogue 8784 Wrap Dress - Curvy Sewing Collective Wrapalong

Sorry that it has been like crickets around here lately!  I have a pretty nasty case of bronchitis, and were it not for the deadline of needing to get this posted for the Curvy Sewing Collective's Wrapalong, I would not be posting right now.

I will start with the end result:

If my cheeks are a little red, it is not because I have blush on.  We were doing this shoot between coughing spells and wheezing fits.

All in all I like the dress.  Any dress that I can wear patent heels with makes me happy.  The ponte that I used for this dress is actually heavier than I realized but with 50 degree days setting in here in Indy, it just isn't a problem.  I think the dress will be great for Holiday parties and gatherings.

I love the length of the dress.  Normally I find that dresses that aren't really cut for plus size gals tend to be shorter than I would like, but this one covers just enough knee.

Obviously it makes me happy!  And even leaning forward there was no gaping neckline.  What's not to love?  

I will be posting this on the Curvy Sewing Collective Wrapalong page, so make sure you go give me a vote when voting opens.

Now for the pattern.  Vogue 8784 only goes up to a size 22 so there was a bit of grading to be done.  For the bodice I added an inch at each of the side seams, resulting in 4 extra inches.  I also added an extra inch at each of the side seams of the skirt for a total of 4 inches there as well.  The back of the bodice of the dress is actually three pieces and I like the way it added to the shaping of the dress.  

I was able to sew most of the dress on the serger which made it come together very quickly.  I decided to hand sew the hem and sleeve cuffs because this textured fabric would not have been happy to have topstitching.  I hand picked both so there is no seam showing on the exterior of the dress.  I did not line the dress as called for in the pattern and instead finished the edges with a contrast black band that I decided to run all the way to the hem.  Were I making it again, I think I would consider going with a thicker band for more contrast, but ya'll I just love the richness of this fabric.

I was surprised at how well the pattern ended up working for me, and would surely make it again.  Next time I will tie the tie on the correct side and just blame this faux pas on the cough syrup.

So tell me friends, what do you think?

Fall Sewing List 2014

With my wrist and hand injury, since I can’t really sew (though I did finish off a t-shirt yesterday and am paying for it today) I am working on things like organizing my sewing area, making my Fall sewing list, and cooing over fabric that I want to buy but can’t justify at this time.

I am normally not one to deprive myself when I find a fabric that really grabs me.  But, there is a lot of potential change that is happening around here, and the thought of adding to my stash and having to drag it half way across the country is just not appealing at all.

There are a lot of great things that I want to sew for Fall 2014, and I have a lot of light sweater knits in the stash that are screaming at me right now to make something beautiful out of them.  Most of the things that are really inspiring me right now have nothing to do with sweater knits though.

A few weeks ago when the temperatures dropped in to the 40s at night, and before I went on the disabled sewers list, I sewed a red and white stripe sweater knit into a self drafted dolman style tunic.  It is really cute and is already getting a bit of rotation in the wardrobe.  It is great with jeans, which I wear a ton of this time of year.   It is just a really nice transitional piece that I have been .

So what am I looking forward to sewing this Fall?

First things first, I am looking forward to sewing my wrap dress for the Curvy Sewing Collective Wrap Dress Sewalong.  For the sewalong, I am sewing Butterick B5898 but I will be sewing it with either long sleeves or three quarter length sleeves (can't make up my mind).  This is going to be done in a great red and black ponte that I found at Hancock Fabric.

Green Style Creations has a great raglan t-shirt that I am looking forward to diving in to this Fall.  I see many great things in this pattern, including a spirited shirt for my favorite college football team.  I may split it down the middle and make a raglan cardigan out of it as well, but we will see if I manage to get to that.

Burda Style #7168 in view C is also on the list.  I have a piece of eggplant purple faux suede that is calling out to be made in to this casual jacket.  Paired with a fitted t-shirt, skinny jeans, and tall boots, this jacket will become a Fall Classic.

I also intend to make Burda Style Animal Print Dress #133b from the downloadable site.  Am I the only one that thinks things get confusing between the patterns in the magazine, the downloadables, and the paper patterns all from Burda Style?  I have a cream and black animal print ponte from Fabric Mart that I am going to use to make this.  I really like the shape of this dress, and think it will be very cute paired with tights and ankle boots.

I know there will be many more items that will be on my Fall 2014 sewing list, but these are the ones that I will be sewing as soon as my wrist heals.  

So, I gotta know is there something that you are looking most forward to sewing this Fall?

Fabric for the CSC Wrap Dress Sewalong

I am just so excited about this Sewalong I can't stand it.  If you haven't already heard, the Curvy Sewing Collective is hosting it's first Sewalong and the best part is you can make any wrap dress that your heart desires.

As I contemplated this Sewalong, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't just sewing to be a part of the Sewalong.  I wanted to make sure that I am going to be sewing something that I am going to use.  I thought about what needs I am going to be having in the next few months, and how I can make this dress fill those needs.

There is an outdoor wedding in late October which will be pretty chilly here in Indy.  And then of course all the holidays will be upon us, and I know that I will need a go to dress for those events as well.  With all those events in mind, I went looking for fabric.  I am not great at searching for fabric online.  I am a very tactile person and I need to actually feel the fabric.  So I headed out to my local Hancock fabric.  After perusing a multitude of fabrics, I found the perfect ponte for this dress.

Such Luxury!

With a beautiful back like that I may make sure it peaks out on occasion!

It drapes beautifully and is sooooo soft!

Luckily it is also available online here.  The photo online doesn't do it justice nor do my photos.  It is a rich Christmas red scroll on a black background, and the fabric has great texture.  The back of the fabric is solid red but you can still see that there is scroll work on the front.  I love it.  It is a perfect weight and I won't have to add the lining.

So I am wondering, have any of you picked out your fabric for the Sewalong yet?

Wrap Dress Sewalong

I guess really soon is a relative term.  Four months is...well...a little too long.  I have been sewing away, and reading tons over at the Curvy Sewing Collective.  The gals over there are doing a great job getting this project off the ground, and I hope that as I get better organized I might be able to make some contributions to the site as well.

With that said, I look forward to the first sewalong that the CSC is hosting.  Jenny from Cashmerette is hosting a Wrap Dress Sewalong.  Just click on the button below for all the details.

Jenny has chosen to sew the Christine Jonson pattern that is her TNT wrap dress.  Since this pattern doesn't go up to my size, I have chosen to sew the Butterick B5898 pattern that goes all the way up to a size 6X, which is much more accommodating for us gals with serious hips and a little extra junk in the trunk!

I think I have chosen the fabric I will use, but I will wait to share that.  More later...