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 ...

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...

A few months ago, Fabric Mart had 50 meter spools of ribbon available for $2.50 and a bag of 30 beads for $1.  I don't usually sew with ribbon or beads, but on a whim, I bought a spool of ribbon in coral pink and a bag of beads.  I thought I would probably use them for my after school sewing club to make drawstring bags, but then Covid happened, and we haven't had a sewing club meeting since.  So, as I was walking by them multiple times a week, I started to get some ideas on how to use them in my own sewing! My first project was this handkerchief hem knit t-shirt from Vogue 8651.  This is an out of print pattern, but there are plenty of newer patterns with similar style lines.   I made View B out of a coral pink rayon knit. I decided to use the ribbon to make an attached necklace combined with some gold beads.  How I created this look was by taking three lengths of ribbon, and then spacing the gold beads on the ribbon until I had a ple...

Burda Plus isn't being produced in English anymore (I don't think- please correct me if I'm wrong), but I really love having all of the plus size patterns in one issue, so I ordered the French version from Burdastyle.fr.   It took a month to get here, and I am thrilled with it!  The dresses above are style #407- a Blouson Dress for knits.  I, like many, don't fit into a standard single size pattern, and with the Big 4 patterns, I have so many adjustments to do, that sometimes it's just too much trouble- especially if it's a simple design.  Typically, I have a full bust adjustment, rounded back adjustment, narrow shoulder adjustment, narrow chest adjustment, and length adjustments.  You would think that I was a terribly oddly shaped human being based on all of the adjustments I have to make to get a pattern to fit!   However, I can usually wear the Burda plus 44 without hardly any adjustments- maybe just narrowing the shoulders a bit and adding ...

The tragic murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the events of the last few weeks have brought to the world's attention that racism is alive and well, and deadly.  The grief that each of their families must be going through is heartbreaking.  Each one of us has a responsibility to stand up and fight against racism in our own communities. I've been reading a lot of accounts from black people who are sharing their life experiences and feelings.  It has really made me reflect on the times in my life when I could have stood up to say something to combat racism, but didn't.  I grew up in a small Midwestern town where there were just two black families that I knew of at the time. I ended up being best friends with the daughter in one of those families, and she was the Maid of Honor at my wedding. We first met in first grade, and I can honestly say at that time, I didn't know that there was any difference between us.  All I knew was that ...

Addendum 6/2/20.  I have to say that writing a blog post about sewing during this time of intense social upheaval feels very strange.  The photos of myself smiling for this post belie the fact that my heart is breaking for the black community and the injustice that they have had to endure.  I stand with the protesters and support change in our justice system and equality for all in our society. With Compassion, Ann **************************************** Today is my youngest daughter's 27th birthday.  Ahh, how time flies!  Unfortunately, we can't spend it with her because she lives in California, as does our middle daughter.  It was my plan to visit both of them this summer, but it looks like those plans are on hold until a vaccine is developed.  But, in my Illinois imagination, I have made this ocean blue watercolor like caftan, as what I envision a California mom would wear by the poolside to celebrate her adult daughter's birthday....