Yay, It's My Birthday/Butterick 5100

I love, love, love my birthday - so much so that I'll use any excuse to celebrate for the entire month of November even though it's actually on the 13th. On Friday I celebrated with a cake and dinner prepared by my husband and boys.





Yummo! White cake with rum custard filing and whipped cream icing.







Blackened catfish with Cajun lemon butter sauce served with mashed potatoes and broccoli. Pretty good for someone who never cooks.


Then on Saturday, I went to my mom's for my annual birthday dinner which ends up being our Thanksgiving warm up.






Cornish hens and dressing, greens, banana squash, corn and salad.





Followed by a yummy dessert of birthday apple pie (doesn't everyone get one of these?)



And homemade brownies for the chocolate lovers.

Of course I needed a new dress to wear and I settled on Butterick 5100 after some mishaps and great advice (see post below). Thanks ladies! Hubby took the pics so they are not the best but I wanted to post pictures of me actually wearing the dress.

Pattern Description: Pullover, sleeveless tunic in two lengths and dress have deep V-front neckline and extended shoulders, separate tie belt or purchased belt. D: cowl collar.

Pattern Sizing: Y(XS-S-M), Z(L-XL)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? I think so.

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions for this were super easy with the exception of one bump in the road but other than attaching the facing to the neck after putting on the cowl, I didn't even have to look at them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I loved that this came together rather quickly (other than my aforementioned bump in the road). It could have been that I was working on it so late (3:00 a.m. - I know this was the reason I cut the front in two instead of on the fold and had to go back and get more fabric, the last on the bolt) or that the instructions/diagrams weren't clear but when it was time to put the facing on, I couldn't figure out where to place the cowl so that when I turned the facing it would work because they only showed the V-neck version in the diagram which is pretty straight forward. It wasn't until I put the dress down for a day or two that it came to me that with the cowl attached, you're supposed to attach the facing inside the cowl (right sides together) then when you turn the facing inside you have a nice finished seam. I'm sure they could have found a better way to illustrate this.

Fabric Used: Ponte Roma Knit

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't make the belt because I just don't feel the need or think it would be flattering to have something cut me in half.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I plan to make it at least one more time. In Black.

Conclusion: This is a great little dress. It's comfortable and stylish. When made in basic solids, it gives you a lot of options with the change of tights, tops and accessories. I made it for something else but this will make a great little work dress, something that allows me to look pulled together but is simple to make and wears well.

Inspired but no time.

Is it just me or do you notice that your mood is directly related to how creative you've been. I haven't made a wearable garment in about a month (I've only attempted two, 1 is a total wadder and 1 just didn't get finished when I wanted to wear it) and I am feeling more and more frustrated. I realized a long time ago that my sewing style was more that of an "event sewist" in that rather than just sew for sport, I would only pull out my machine to create a new dress or outfit for a special occasion be that Christmas, a wedding, graduation or something more basic like a family bar-b-que. It's been my association with PR and the inspiration provided by the very talented and supportive folks there that have me wanting to sew more/most of my wardrobe but now I'm at a point in my life where I have the least amount of time. This dilemma lends itself to all nighters and stolen moments, both of which for me have been main ingredients in the recipe for disaster. Case in point, after doing an FBA on M5752 and carefully constructing the bodice and waist band, I realized I didn't not fit the waistband and therefore cannot wear the dress, ruining my beautiful fabric. Disaster #1. On this past Saturday/Sunday I stayed up to 3:30 a.m. feverishly cutting and sewing B5100, (my second attempt by the way since the night/morning before at 4:00 a.m. I cut the front in two pieces instead of on the fold.) only to give up and go to bed after attaching the cowl incorrectly. While this is definitely salvageable, I didn't get to wear it the next day at brunch like I wanted to, which qualifies it as Disaster #2. Something has definitely got to give. I can't imagine not being able to create custom fashions for myself but if I don't get any sleep nothing productive is getting done anyway and who knows what the next thing I cut in half might be. Any suggestions?

I did it!

I finally got layers to work in Paint.Net. I've been working on this for weeks to no avail and then miraculously it worked this time so simply I can't believe I ever had problems with it. Thanks so much to Em over at Em In The Studio for her post about Paint.Net free download and how to make these groovy garment mock ups. I don't really have much else to say other than it is definitely time to abandon Summer sewing around here and get to my long list of Fall/Winter projects. First up McCall's 5752 in a nice fall polyester knit I picked up at Hancock's for 40% off.

Is this cool or WHAT!!

I'll post pics of the finished dress as soon I can.

Happy Sewing

I am such a pattern junkie, buying new patterns makes me feel like I actually own the clothes. The Vogue Holiday/Winter 2009 patterns are out and I did see a few that caught my eye. Although I don't know how many I'll actually get to this season, I will definitely pick these up so that I can capture the possibilities.

V1150 - I like this because it's simple, chic and sexy. Give me some tights and a nice shoe boot and I'm ready to go.

V1147 - I'm actually pretty ambivalent about this one but I think with the right fabric and embellishment it can be pretty stylish.

V1143 - What really needs to be said about this other than this is HOT!

v1138 - This is definitely a great party dress and I can see it in a nice jewel tone for the holidays.

What about you? Do you see anything you like? Did I miss any of your favorites?

KREATIVE BLOGGER AWARD

Thank you Eugenia of Eugenia's (Fabulous) World of Fashion for nominating me for the Kreative Blogger Award. I will gladly and proudly display this logo on my blog.

As most of you know, the rules for accepting this award call for me to tell you seven things that you don’t know about me, after which I may nominate seven other blogs to receive this award.

So, here we go.

1. I'm married to my high school sweetheart whom I've known since I was 12 years old.

2. Even though I've been sewing for more than 20 years and have made bridesmaid dresses, ball gowns, skirts, casual dresses, blankets, you name it, I didn't make my first top until this year. The truth is I never even thought about making tops until browsing the review gallery when I first joined PR.

3. I plan to sew at least 90% of my wardrobe over the next year. The remaiing 10% leaves room for the ocassional layering piece.

4. I am the only family member of my generation that knows how to sew even though my mother and most of my aunts do.

5. When I was younger (read slimmer), I used to be able to sew straight from the envelope.

6. Part of the reason I stopped sewing for so long was because of fit issues when I got older(read heavier) .

7. I will never again let pattern company sizing deter me from my passion for creating fashion.

I too follow the blogs of many who have already received this award, however, I have found a few new talented women who are also very deserving.

'Toya at Stitch and Snitch
Jayme Grace at Sew it Seams
A Sewn Wardrobe
Busy Bee Crafting
Seams Fabulous

I am so thankful to be part of such a supportive sewing community.

Happy Sewing!

Burda October 09 - My Picks

I received my October 2009 issue and found a few looks that I like.

Dress 119B - I can see myself wearing this is a lightweight gray wool with tights, a thin knit turtle neck and boots.

Jacket 136 and Skirt 137 - Although I NEVER have occassion to wear a suit, if I ever did, this would be the one I'd want to be seen in. I love the combination of the shawl collar and rounded cut-away detail at the hem of the jacket and skirt. Very stylish.

While on the site, I took a look at the Burda Plus Fashion Autum/Winter 09 offerings and found a few things there that were of interest, enough that I'm contemplating subscribing.

Dress 401 - This dress looks so comfortable and classic but with just the right contemporary touches.

Skirt 408 is fantastic. It's shown in the magazine as part of a holiday cocktail outfit and may very well appear at one of the many holiday parties I usually attend but if the maxi trend holds up, I can also see this made in a more casual fabric for Summer.

Top 417 - I like this top because it's very simple but the layered use of fabrics make it pretty special.

Skirt 423 - Love this! It's made up in suede in the mag but it will likely show up in denim in my wardrobe.

I'm a pretty recent Burda subscriber and have yet to actually sew a Burda pattern likely because of the tracing involved (adds an extra step when I already have so little sewing time) but the clothing is so fashion forward, I feel like I have to collect so that when I do have the time, I can make something from here.

How often do you sew Burda patterns? Did I miss any of your favorites?

Happy Sewing!

Simplicity 2599

Pattern Description: Misses Tops With Trim Variations

Pattern Sizing:12-20

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Pretty close.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes the instructions are super easy to follow as long as you make sure to find your view.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? It went together quickly and had separate pattern piece for D cup. I also liked how easy it was to do the ruffle. The ruffle is a separate piece cut on the bias, gathered down the middle and basted then stitched on at the neckline after the facings have been attached, all in all, pretty simple.

Fabric Used: Yellow Cotton BroadclothPattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I still had to make a FBA however not as big because of the different pattern pieces. I also used my serger to do a rolled hem edge on the ruffle instead of folding it under as directed because I think it looks better.

Here are a couple of close ups of the ruffle and the rolled hem.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I don't think I will sew this view again but I might try one of the other views. I think this is a great top for a beginner.

Conclusion: Quick addition to my warm weather wardrobe during this heatwave that we are having here.