The Pleat Front Dress

This is my second Pleat Front Dress form Christine Johnson.  Like all CJ Patterns, it goes together well, fits well, and looks RTW.  This time, I made it sleeveless, which was very easy to do.  The bodice is lined, so I left one shoulder seam unsewn, turned it right side out, then completed the shoulder seam.  This dress will be great for a conference I'm going to next week.  I will wear it with a white draped cardigan.  After the conference, I have to catch a plane to go see my daughter.  It think it will be very comfortable on the plane.

The fabric is from Sawyer Brook and is a french knit.  It has a vintage feel to it and was a dream to sew on.  

Below is my first pleat front dress.  The fabric is from Textile Studios (I miss them!) and is one of my favorite fabrics I ever purchased.  I have warn this dress over and over again!  I think the pattern would look great sleeveless in a black knit.

The Blouse Perfected

This is Louise Cutting's new Blouse pattern.  It is updated from a previous pattern and has many options - collar and band, just the band, darts in front or back, straight hem with vent, curved hem, straight sleeve, or with a cuff and placket.

I have a wonderful pattern drafted with my Sure Fit Designs Dress kit, but wanted this pattern for Louise's excellent instructions and the collar and placket that come with the pattern.

I especially love the front band.  It is folded three times, and on the last third fold, is stitched and turned toward the front. That detail alone was worth the pattern.  I also like her collars, which are stitched in the center back and folded at the center front to alleviate bulk

I made a couple of alterations.  One was for a rounded back. The other was to alter the sides some.  The pattern has the sides going inward by about a half inch on the sides.  With my hips, they need to go out about a half inch!  So I just swung the sides out about an inch.

The fabric is a cotton/silk Ikat print from Dana Buchman that I purchased at Fabric Mart.

I'm sure I will use this pattern over and over again.

A Day Gown for Lydia

Every precious child coming into this world needs a sweet day gown.  My granddaughter is no exception.  this was the first dress I have pleated on my new Mary Jane Pleater and love how easy it was to use.
It took awhile for the smocking mojo to kick in, but with the help of the A to Z Smocking Book, I was able to get it done.  This is the first dress I have smocked in about 20 years.

The pattern is the The Tucked Infant Gown by Michie Mooney.  I love her patterns and have bought two more to work on for Lydia this summer. Here's a closer view of the front.

And here's a view of the hem with the tucks, lace, beading, and entredeux.  The #16 gathering foot for my Bernina came in handy for the lace on the neckline, sleeves, and hem.

As I was making this dress, I kept thinking about the fact that little Lydia will be wearing this in just a few weeks.  I can't wait!

A Quilt For Lydia

My precious granddaughter, Lydia will be arriving in mid June.  This is my first completed project for her, a quilt.  This is the first quilt I have quilted by machine with my Bernina Stitch Regulator, and I'm hooked!  It was so much fun and I loved the colors.  Thanks to Kudzu Quilts in Montgomery, AL for helping me pick out the colors.  The picture doesn't due it justice.  The colors are much more vivid.

It is wonderful sewing for a little girl again.  Currently, I'm working on a day gown that has been smocked with pale pink thread.  I hope to have it completed this weekend.  My goal is to make one more dress for Lydia before I go to Houston next month to see my daughter on her first Mother's Day.

A Trio of T-Shirts

For some reason, I had a large amount of brown knit fabric in my stash.  Some of it was a piece of ITY knit from Fabric Mart Fabrics.  The other was a rayon jersey.  I decided to try out my Sure Fit Designs dress kit to make a series of T shirts - long sleeve, short sleeve, and a tank; all with a different neckline.  Here are the results.

 This T-shirt has a fold over neckline.  I used the idea from a Jalie pattern.  To accomplish this, I transferred the front dart to the top and used, added a tab, gathered, and folded over.  Neckline finish is a bound edge with the same fabric.  Here is a close up of the front.

 For this T, I used an idea from a new Linda Rholfing booklet and used a ruched edging for the neckline.  You just cut out a strip, gather and sew.  There is no hemming.  I first turned down the neckline edge before adding the ruching.  This was actually the first shirt I made from my Sure Fit Designs blue print, and felt it should be longer.  I added a lace edge to the bottom, which I think gave it a little more styling and added the length I wanted.  It does have the darts from the dress kit.  Initially, I only went down one dot on my blue print, but because this ITY fabric is so stretchy, I took it in 1/2 inch on both sides and liked the results.

 Here's a close up of the ruched edging.  

Last but not least is a tank top using Glenda Sparling's instructions from the booklet she offered in February for free to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Sure Fit Designs.  The booklet will be a saleable item soon on the new Learning Center from Sure Fit Designs.  I highly recommend it.

I have several other T-shirts cut out, but certainly not in brown.  I believe I have four ready to sew plus a pair of capri length pajama pants ready to sew!

Friendship, Community, and Love

This post will have nothing to do with sewing.  My mind has been elsewhere the past couple of days.  Monday morning, I woke up to the sad news that a dear friend died suddenly of a heart attack at 49 years of age.  Lee was a fun loving, happy go lucky guy, who always lit up the room when he arrived.  He was gifted in so many ways.  He was an artist - creating the most beautiful flower arrangements I have ever seen.  My daughter was fortunate to have him work his magic at her wedding.  He could also make a house into a home by his designing and decorating skills.

I have been reminded of some important lessons this week.  Lee lived 2 1/2 hours away, in the town I lived until moving to Montgomery.  He was a part of a faith community that loved everyone, no matter the size, age, political affiliation, race, or sexual orientation.  We all have one thing in common in this faith community - we are all children of God.  This week has brought so many of us together, and has healed my heart in some ways that are too long to explain here.  However, I am honored to know, love, and be loved by some of the most remarkable people I have ever met.  I am truly blessed to call them my friends.

Lee was part of the choir, as I was.  Many of us who have moved away are coming back tomorrow to celebrate his life, and to celebrate the miracle of God's love and how he shows it through this community.  I will be blessed to see Christ in all those around me.

Sheath Dress the Sure Fit Designs Way

I have been thinking about all the garments I have made with Sure Fit Designs and realized I had not included my sheath dresses in my blog. They became a staple in my wardrobe last summer, and I'm sure will be a repeat this summer. Hopefully, with weight loss, I'll need to take them in. This was my favorite dress. I loved the fabric from Sawyer Brooks. It was my first order from them, and I hate to admit how many times I have ordered since. I used the dress kit from Sure Fit Designs with the instructions to make it into a princess seam design without sleeves. The instructions that Glenda provides for drafting designs alone is worth the amount paid for the kit. The fit for everything I have drafted has come out perfect.

Here is the second dress I made. Again the fabric was from Sawyer Brook. This looked great under a black jacket. If you want to know more about Sure Fit Designs, you can find their website here: Sure Fit Designs