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Another dress completed, and just in time for my upcoming vacation! I'm going to be in Florida so the color combination still works even though we're now in the midst of fall here in Virginia. I'm on a wee bit of a roll here, 2 dresses in a week, very satisfying indeed. The dress color is a little washed out in these photos, but scroll to the end to find a detail shot for the true pink color. ...The Basics... Fabric: 2 yards of pink and white striped seersucker from Joann's Pattern: None! Self-drafted, but based on this dress photo  from a class offered at Sew L.A. Details: Straps forming an X in the back made from the fabric's selvege; handmade self-fabric belt Time in Stash: (fabric) a little over 1 month; (pattern) in my imagination for about 4 or 5 months My aunt gave me these 2 yards of fabric from Joann's last month after I told her I liked her seersucker blouse. I knew I wanted to make a dress with it, but most of my patterns call for...

I just couldn't pass up this week's theme challenge over at  The Sew Weekly .  You choose a movie that has been nominated for an Academy Award in Costume Design as your inspiration and have the week to complete the look.  The first thing I did was look through the list of nominees and pick out ones I'd seen.  I love old movies, but in the end I settled on Pleasantville .  The idea of making a '50s style dress and doing the black & white/color photo was too fun to pass up!  Plus, I love Pleasantville .  I watched it again the other night and enjoyed the thought-provoking story line. I based my inspiration on the dress Margaret Henderson wears when she and Bud go to Lovers Lane, the scene she changes from black & white to color. Margaret at Lovers Lane So, what's outside of Pleasantville?  Why, this hand-dyed batik print from Bali!  I bought the fabric on a trip to Hawaii and it was such a good price I bought 4+ yards of it ...

Here it is! My second Oolong dress, which I affectionately call the Sydney Harbour Dress, or "Hey Ma, I finally finished it!" Yep, after almost 2 months this dress is ready for the holidays. I've also included this in the Sew Weekly's "Free for All" challenge . Hereby Proclaimed: The Sydney Harbour Dress Pattern: Oolong Dress from Colette Patterns Fabric: Slightly over 3 yards (3 meters) of navy Japanese cotton from Tessuti Fabrics in Sydney, Australia(!) Pattern Level: Intermediate Size: 4 Alterations: Raised the waistline 1 1/2"; shortened the hem to above knee length Oh joy of joys, it's thrilling to have a completed project to share with you on the blog! I have been sewing away, but more so Christmas presents and other projects I can't chat about just yet. So, anyway, if you have been reading along with me this year, you'll know I've already tackled this pattern before in the spring. I loved the style and ease of constr...

Hello! A busy and rainy week delayed me in finishing this dress, but it finally happened and I'm very happy with it! This is my Music of the Night Dress, which was made using the fantastic Lonsdale Dress from Sewaholic Patterns . I've loved all of Tasia's versions, and knew I wanted to make it when she first sent out the announcement in her e-newsletter. She loves fitted bodices and full skirts (like me!); I can't wait to see her future designs. ...The Basics... Pattern: Lonsdale Dress from Sewaholic Patterns (2011) Fabric: 3.5 yards of thrifted black and beige poly/silk (?); cotton underlining for the skirt Notions: stay tape at the front bodice neckline; fusible woven interfacing at the waistband, black 16" zipper trimmed down to about 13"; black hem tape at inner hem. **Time in Stash: only a few months for both pattern and fabric! **I'm trying to use as much of my fabric/pattern stash as possible these next few months; I've even set a personal goal...

Hi everyone! Just wanted to say I am sewing these days - the Lonsdale Dress from Sewaholic Patterns, to be exact. I've cut out all the pieces and have sewn the bodice together. It feels so good to be sewing again! 2011 has been a really tough year personally, but I am all focused on happier things now (such as patterns and fabric in my stash just waiting to be tackled!). Here's my dress preview. Please excuse the not-so-great photo taken with the flash late at night. Also visible is a cute mini dress form pincushion my aunt recently gave me! I love, love, love it! And, yes, I'm very, very sad not to be able to attend the Sew Weekly extravaganza in NYC at the end of the month. Mena, Meg the Grand, Debi and Oonaballoona all in one day, how cool is that going to be!?!?! Quel dommage, indeed!

It was such a beautiful day out today, really more of a summer's day warmth-wise, so I took the opportunity to take a few photos of my newly completed Oolong dress from Colette Patterns. The day was also quite windy, which you can see in some of these photos (cue big hair!). I bought this pattern last year, but only got around to it when I included it as one of my pieces for the CP Spring Palette challenge! An Oolong in Dandelion Fields? I used this coral-colored cotton lawn from Sew L.A. Fabric along with a local purchase of Bemberg rayon for the lining. I've dubbed this my "strawberry fields" dress both in reference to my favorite band and one of my favorite places in New York's Central Park. Before my trip to NYC a couple weeks ago I had this idea I'd take photos of me in this dress in Strawberry Fields, but I know this time of year all too well in the northeast and decided against it. This is not built for snow and frigidness!  Anyway, back to the dress. I...