SewBaby News

Left- shortened top by 2-1/2" and repositioned tie.                                                Right- Original length One thing about blogging that I love, is photographing the clothes that I sew helps me to know how things REALLY look on my body.  Often, I'll think something looks great in the mirror, but then when I see the photos for the blog, it doesn't look nearly as great as I thought!  Sometimes it's fit, sometimes it's color, but in many cases, it's a matter of proportion.  The photo on the right is one that I took of a new top that I made.  I loved the color, got a good fit on the bust, which was exciting, but then, it just looked dowdy in the photos!   So, I thought about it, and the next morning, I got up, took 2-1/2" off the hem, took off the tie, and re-attached it so that it didn't wrap around the waist, but just tied at the front.  Then I paired it with a slightly longer skirt- and that is the photo on the left.  Isn't t

I am off work during the summer, so this is the perfect time for me to sew what I want to wear to work once school resumes.  I am being optimistic that we will eventually be able to work in a building with other people.  I realize that I am kind of putting the cart ahead of the donkey by making these items when I really am unsure when I will be able to wear them in a work setting.  But, I think the styles and colors will be just as good in 2021 or even 2022, if that's how things turn out.  I just have to make sure that I stay the same size- which is good incentive for me to not snack all day long!  Exercising has not been working out for me- I tore a quad muscle doing yoga at home, and once that healed, I hurt my back gardening.  So, I just decided it was safer to stay inside and sew!  So far, no sewing injuries this summer!  Sewing is my sport of choice and this month was my decathlon.

It's almost the 4th of July! Even though there will be no fireworks this year where we live due to Covid 19, I still made a dress that would be something that I would wear on a typical 4th of July.  This is a shirtdress using McCalls 7351 for my pattern and  stretch poplin with a border that reminds me of a string of firecrackers! I used View C hem, and View D sleeves to get this combination. This is what the fabric looked like before I cut into it.  It had a solid red border on both sides, and a slight stretch.  I was perplexed as to how to use the solid red in such a way that it would accent the main fabric,  and decided to have one solid band down the front, at the sleeve hems, and the other solid band on the sides of the handkerchief hems. This meant turning the grain of the skirt pieces horizontally.  Here it is on my dress form in progress.  I would have loved to have made the collar in the solid red too, but just didn't have enough of the red border left.