Lace & Bleu Denim Skirt......

Welcome to my Fashion Friday post!  I have been sewing with lace & denim this week...do lace & denim go together?  I think so, it makes for a feminine edge type of look.  I have always loved lace and have an appreciation for seamstress's that make beautiful dresses & gowns with it!

For my design I started by looking at different types of lace at the fabric store and was surprised as there were some beautiful  floral lace that looked modern but I ended up choosing this circle lace that I liked as soon as I saw it.

 I already had the denim from my Bleu Denim Dress and I made a straight skirt with a side zipper this time.  This denim skirt is the underlay to the lace so it is a simple skirt. 

For the lace skirt I was a bit nervous cutting into such fine fabric but I used the circles on the lace as a guide along with my own pattern to keep the cut straight.

This lace is a medium weight lace so it is actually feels warm when worn with the denim if that makes any sense at all!

I had to sew this a bit slower on my machine because the lace was a bit thicker than most of the lace I have seen or sewn with.

This is what I found looking for inspiration this week!

This gorgeous Denim Dress!

 Chanel Spring RTW 2010

Chanel RTW Spring 2010

This is my Fashion Friday project for this week!



Have a fabulous weekend!

Mother Daughter Denim Fashion

Mini-me & I have been sewing denim skirts together this week. This is my 2nd denim project that I have sewn for my month of bleu sewing projects.  It started with a blue/pink denim jacket that her older sister passed on to her. This jacket has some history as it is about 17 years old & has been worn by my 3 girls. She was so happy that it finally fit her & asked if I could help her sew a skirt to go with it. This is another project that she completed on her own-from pinning the pattern to the fabric..

cutting the fabric, ironing.....

and sewing!

I was the photographer for once & she did a good job of threading the machine & winding the bobbin! 

These are her 2 flower designs that she wanted added to our skirts.

We made the zipper flower designs by sewing down one side of the zipper & pulling the thread to gather.  We then hot glued a section at a time as we made a circle shape. 

We hot glued felt to the bottom to pin to our skirts.  This is also easy to remove for washing.

These are skirts cut on the bias & is my own pattern.

Her denim skirt has a pink under tone that matches the 17 year old denim jacket!

This is our Fashion Friday projects for the week!

I am late in posting this project as our thoughts & prayers have been with the people of Japan during this terrible devastation.  Also with a warning to the West Coast here it has been quite a stressful time!  If you would like to help you can donate through the Canadian Red Cross on line or

Canadians wishing to help support relief efforts underway are encouraged to contribute by:

Calling 1-800-418-1111

By texting the word ASIA to 30333 to make a one-time donation of $5*

By contacting their local Red Cross office. Cheques should be made payable to the Canadian Red Cross, earmarked “Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami” and mailed to the Canadian Red Cross National Office, 170 Metcalfe Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2P2.

Bleu Denim Dress

This is my denim dress that I have been working on this week! I am sewing Bleu fashion projects for the month of March & wanted to try sewing with denim.  This is my first time working with denim & it went great. I used  New Look pattern 6934 & it was easy!

 This pattern is great for new seamstresses!



This is the bodice & it was pretty straight forward to put together.

I also used my new embroidery machine (finally) & added flowers to the bodice!

I always thought inserting a vent would be difficult so I have always avoiding them, not now!

I used a denim needle & denim thread so the sewing of the bodice & the skirt was no problem.

I only had to pleat the front bodice because it fit a little large.  Next time I will cut the bodice down a size.

 I like this dark blue denim.

 I put in a white zipper for contrast to go with my blue & white design.

This is my Fashion Friday project for this week!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Retro Circle Top.....

I actually did not think I would have enough clothes made by me to participate in this 31 day challenge but I have been going through the garments I have sewn these last 6 months & I might just get by!  This top I sewed last year along with a skirt but I have not yet posted it.  I really do not post everything I sew because some of them are just hideous and need to be reworked or they need to be completely taken apart by the seams.  If I run out of clothes it will force me to fix these garments.

Today I am doing the "Mom" thing & driving mini-me to her doctors appointments & running errands all day.  This is a knit/spandex fabric with retro circles that I really like.  This is my own design & I finished the edges with black & white bias tape.

I am spending most of my day driving but least the snow has melted from yesterday & it is sunny today! Yeah!

I also have been sewing denim clothes this week that I cant wait to share with you!  I am almost done!  I also am working on the Fashion Friday Runway linky party & post with a new March Glamorous giveaway to followers which starts tomorrow night!  I cant wait to see your projects this week & if you have been sewing any denim fashion garments I would love you to link it up!  See you tomorrow!

Project Walk Away Dress Take 2

This is my finished Walk Away Dress (Butterick 4790) for the Vintage Sew Along that I joined. This was my first sew along so I am happy that I completed my project!  This was also my first time sewing a vintage pattern.

 The bodice part of the dress is a black retro square cotton fabric that I purchased over 12 years ago!  It was one the first fabrics I purchased when I bought my Singer.

I really like this full circle skirt & I added a little ruffle trim with a daisy charm on the neckline.

I added waist ties that I made my self.  I serged the trim in hot pink for contrast.

 I also sewed all the black trim on my 1960's Singer that is always threaded black.

It was a sunny day for a change but was cold!

I like this picture showing mini-me's shadow (taking the photo)

 This is a fun dress to wear!

The back view.

I really enjoyed taking a silent view in this sew along as so many of these ladies are extremely talented and the issues they had with these vintage patterns were way beyond my expertise! I did learn quite a few new techniques and found that I have a new addiction to vintage patterns & soon will be looking for more dress patterns.

Modern Tulle Skirt

 It has been gloomy & raining here lately so I have surrounded myself with some new spring fabric!  I have started to sew some Spring skirts hoping that winter will soon come to and end!  This is the first time I have worked with tulle and found it not too bad. 

 

 The cutting of the fabric was a little time consuming to line up, and I had to be extra careful in cutting the fabric straight.  I did the gathering on my sewing machine by sewing two straight lines

 and pulling the bottom threads on either side to make a gather.

 This tulle is called a shimmer tulle and the skirt fabric is a stretch cotton from the new Spring Collection at the fabric store.  I bought 4 meters of this modern cotton fabric & plan to sew a fitted dress with the remainder.  I just have not decided on a pattern.  Any suggestions?  This is an A line skirt that is my own pattern & I added the tulle for a little glamor. 

I have not worn a  tulle skirt since I was trained in classic ballet, modern jazz & tap many years ago.  I have been asked to volunteer in a children's ballet class soon & decided to sew my own ballet skirt.  I was surprised by the selection & vibrant colour of the tulle.  After I sewed my ballet skirt I layed it on top of the cotton skirt I had already started to sew and I thought how pretty it looked together. I decided to add it to the outer layer instead of the usual inside.  This is my first tulle skirt design so I thought I would share it with you!

I attached the gathered tulle on to the waist band of the skirt and folded over to sew.  I used my pinking shears to trim excess fabric to keep the bulk around the waist down.

 I purposely did not add too much tulle as I wanted  it too look like an overlay & not a ballet skirt!

Here I am thinking is this too poofy?

I serged the hem in hot pink thread.  The top is made by me with the last of my bamboo fabric using a boat neck pattern.  It is so easy just 2 pieces! 

This was another project that took more time to design than sew!

Project Walk Away Dress - Take 1

 I am participating in the Vintage Sew Along 2011 and I chose the Walk Away Dress Butterick 4790 to sew.  One of the requirements is to make a muslin & then sew your garment. 

This is my muslin even though it it not made of the muslin fabric.  I had this material in my stash & I would use this instead of purchasing more fabric. 

 I changed the neckline to a sweetheart neckline & used part of a leftover heart as a guide.

I really enjoyed making this pattern but I was also well informed by other blogs of all the problems with this pattern.

I found the shoulders are too big & I added front ties instead of buttons.

There is too much of a gap around the sides below arm.

I shortened the length by 4 inches.

 This is a really fun dress to twirl in!!  I also put in a hook & eye in the back bodice so it does not ride up.

 I also found the front bodice to be loose even with darts etc so I gave a little pleat to tuck in.  It changed the look on the front but it fits me better.  When I sew the "real" dress I will add in deeper darts.

 It is comfortable to sit in and I wore it all day.

A couple more twirls because the skirt is so pretty!  This fabric is linen & cotton.

The back.

I cheated & I sewed the hem on my serger in hot pink!

Like I said, I really like this pattern and have made all the changes to the pattern for a better fit.  If I learned anything from this sew along it is that it does make a big difference to sew a muslin (before I thought it was too much work) because you can make all the changes and when you cut into some expensive fabric it will be worth it & your wont have any surprises! I have already started to cut out my fabric for my "real" walk away dress!

 These are the roses my sweetheart got for me today!  I hope everyone enjoys Valentines Day!!

Pretty in Pink Fashion Friday

This is my Valentines dress that I made from hot pink bamboo!! It is another version of my shift dress this time sewn on the serger without gathers in the front. 



I also made the length longer on this dress.

I made up my pattern for the sweetheart neckline.

I sewed the bead feather trim around the neck by hand.

I made this overlay from a fashion fabric that is a new spring fabric collection  that just came out! I love the design & colours of the fabric.

I cut out a hood & made the front part shorter than the back.

 This overlay can be worn several different ways so I can wear it with other outfits.

I took my inspiration for this dress from my new shoes I bought in Las Vegas!

 This is my Fashion Friday Runway project for this week!

Thanks everyone for sending me your fashion sewing links!  I have set up my 1st  linky party to make it easier to post your creations and to visit other fashion sewing blogs!!  You can still link up your fashion project on my previous post listed below to be featured in next weeks Fashion Friday Runway post!!

These are the fashion sewing projects submitted & are my favs for this week!

1.   This is a modern maxi dress submitted by Couture et Tricot just gorgeous!  Check out her blog to see her modern & designer projects!

Thanks Tany you are entered in my Glamorous Giveaway for February!

2.   A beautiful chocolate ruffle top by Seamingly Smitten

Thanks Jenny and because you are also a follower you are entered in my Glamorous Giveaway for February

3. I love this beautiful Heart Dress by Sewing Adicta - check out her blog to see more gorgeous fashion projects made by her!

You are also entered in my Glamorous Giveaway!!

Have a fabulous weekend!!

Mother Daughter Graffiti Fashion

 Mini-me picked out this graffiti fashion fabric last summer and I finally had time to sew her a twirly skirt.  She had originally wanted us to sew matching dresses but with it being cold now I suggested we sew her a skirt and me a top.  We are going out this weekend and she has been asking me to make us an outfit to wear together!

Her skirt was made by measuring her waist and cutting the fabric three times the width. 

I serged the side seams and hem.

 I measured her waist for the sparkly wide elastic waist band for a snug but not too tight fit and serged the seam closed.

I then pleated the skirt with pins every 2 inches and then sewed on to the elastic waist band. 



I sewed the waist part on my sewing machine.

  The length is 16 inches and I added pockets with black trim.

This was a fun and easy project to complete in a few days.  We did the skirt in a evening before I went on a business trip.  I designed the top & cut fabric in a evening when I returned and finally sewed the top the third night.  The top is my own design with a small cut out back.  I folded over the trim but next time I will make bias trim for better strength because it was a bit hard to sew the circle. 

This is my Fashion Friday Runway project for this week!

 

Tany from Couture et Tricot submitted this beautiful modern maxi dress for this weeks Fashion Friday Runway!

Thank you Tany!  You are entered in my Glamorous Giveaway for February!  Go check out her blog to see her beautiful style & creations!  She is so talented!

Las Vegas Little Black Dress



I have had a busy time this week with moving my sewing space, working, sewing for the girls and getting ready for a last minute business trip!

I needed a little black dress for dinner & cocktails during my trip so I decided to sew this black cotton bamboo dress.  I also needed a garment that can be folded and crammed in a suitcase as I always like to travel light with a carry-on suitcases for business trips. This was a another simple shift dress that I sewed by gathering the middle bodice for a better fit and detail.  I sewed most of the seams on my serger and I had no issues sewing the bamboo cotton fabric - it was a dream to sew with.  With this fabric I did not put in a zipper - I usually don't with jersey and bamboo so this dress was very easy to sew!



 I also serged this silver oh so soft shawl for cooler nights.  It is a knit fashion fabric that I got on sale!



I added the feather & beading trim by hand sewing.  It was time consuming because the thread kept getting caught in all the feathers & beads but I did this when I was watching my fave show Top Gear so it wasn't too bad.

I sewed this chiffon polka dot scarflette using my same pattern as my other ones. I think I have a hoodie

scarflette addiction. This will be my last one - for sure!  This one was entirely sewn on the serger ( a first) - I like the lines it gives the hoodie.  I always have problems sewing chiffon on my sewing machine it puckers so the serger was great!

When I wear it though, you can not tell from these pics because my hair is so dark.

When I knew what kind of trim I wanted - I searched 3 fabric stores until I found what I was looking for!  My daughter has asked me to sew a similar dress in white and I have started (a month ago) but I cannot find the white bead/ feather trims anywhere!  Her dress will have to wait or I will have to create my own trim!

 This will be my first business trip that I will be wearing clothes that I have made for my self!  I finally have a few garments that I feel are sewn correctly and look great!

My inspiration for this dress came from the Chanel Spring Collection 2011.  I love glamorous & glitz so this dress is perfect for Las Vegas!  The city  where I can wear my rhinestones during the day!!!

This is my Fashion Friday outfit this week. 

Have a spectacular weekend!!