A Fall Hope

This is the last garment that I made in 2024 and haven't blogged.  BTW, this garment was shared on my Instagram page during it's first wearing. I was lazy and just didn't blog it. However, since the Hope extended pack has become an important TNT to me, meaning you should expect to see more versions in 2025, I wanted it shared here.

Supplies ~

4 yards of a poly blend border print purchased from Fabric Mart

Construction ~

This was my fifth Hope Dress using the extension pack. While the original pattern is pretty and I made a version of it, the extension pack really ignited my creative juices. 

Here are some construction and layout pictures...

Laying out the sleeve to get a good placement of the border for the hemline

Another view...

Stitching down the bias band on the neckline which is discussed in this post.

Checking how the border print is working on the dress bodice.

There are no construction changes. I made it exactly as the pattern states.

A few photos ~

A note...getting my daughter scheduled to take pictures is challenging.  When she picked me up from the train station after work we headed to the grocery store.  It was the perfect opportunity to get some pics so we took it.

Worn with my denim jacket

I love the large raglan sleeves on this pattern.  

This print really highlighted them.

...and a back view

I'm not done with this pattern. You will see it again. I have a few ideas for fall/winter tops that I will hopefully get to this year.  And I will definitely make this as a summer dress again.

This was my last catch up post. New makes will be in future posts.

...as always more later!

Fabric In...Fabric Out

Quick Note:

If you're commenting using "Anonymous" and I understand because google is not playing nice with blogger - would you kindly sign your name at the end of your comment.  That way I know who I'm replying too!  Thanks...

Now to the blog post...

While I only made 6-7 garments in 2024, I bought a lot of fabric and notions...especially buttons. It didn't help that M&J Trimming in NYC is going out of business. 

Some fabric was purchased because I got really excited when I started sewing again in the middle of the year. Then after the election, I bought ALOT more. I bought a lot of everything that America imports from China and Mexico.  All because I truly believe that prices are going to rise on everything during the next administration and I want to be prepared.

So I bought.  Then I bought some more.  Because honestly when you start shopping it seems like it activates a chemical in your brain that encourages you to continue. *smile* That's my theory and I'm sticking to it whether it's an actual fact! Anyway, I allowed myself to buy in 2024 so I wouldn't buy in 2025. 

Now I know I will probably need to purchase something because as hard as you try to prepare, you're never ready for everything. But my goal is to NOT have to buy to create. I want to create from what I already own, especially since I now own so much!  

That leads me to this...do I track fabric in and out (hopefully primarily out) for 2025. My concern is that it will add pressure to my desire to sew.  Because my desire to sew while consuming, it's not all consuming like it use to be. Before sewing was my primary creative outlet...but now, I read, I crochet and I venture out into the world more. Well I did in 2024, let's see what 2025 brings.

I've decided to try tracking.  I want to know what I'm using and hopefully encourage me to sew more of my collection. Yes, I'm trying everything to "encourage" me to sew consistently. More complicated projects, more challenging garments, things that stretch my creativity.

So tracking tentatively begins this month. My only question is, and your thoughts would be appreciated here, do I track fabric that was ordered in 2024 but delivered in 2025.  It's just 8 yards and I've already offset it with the 8 yards I've used so far in 2025. But do I track it?  Also, do you track your in and out fabric usage?

This is my first Question of the Day in 2025 and the first since 2023.  I hope you will talk back to me because I'm truly interested in your opinion.

....as always more later!

 

Water Lilies Myosotis

I've thought about why I return to this dress pattern over and over again. Like why don't I use another pattern? Honestly it's because this pattern checks all of my boxes. It's comfortable to wear. It works in a variety of fabrics, patterns and colors. Mostly I feel pretty in it.  Let's not forget that!

At the end of May 2023, I spent my birthday with my bestie in Lancaster, PA.  The home of cheap sewing supplies and a short ride to Fabric Mart.  The true Disney World of my life! We visited a few quilting stores and shocked several employees with me stating that I wanted to use some of the quilting cottons for clothing.

At one quilt store (Burkholders), I purchased the Water Lilies border print by Michael Design Works and the coordinating striped water lilies & print pattern because as I held the fabrics in my hand, I could see another Myosotis.  So why would I deny this fabric what it wanted to become! 

One thing though, this is a complicated sew. Therefore, there are a lot of progress photos making this a very long post.  Right here I'd like to thank my pass self for being diligent in taking them because when I finally finished this a year later I would NEVER have remembered these details without them.

Supplies ~

5 yards of 100% quilting cotton Water Lilies

2 yards of 100% quilting cotton coordinating Water Lilies print

9 - 5/8" green sheer and patterned buttons (purchased from the Quilt Store) Normally I use 12 buttons but they only had 9 so I made due.

Construction ~

Working with a border print is always a challenge. It makes me think outside the box to make the fabric sing yet end up with a wearable yet amazing garment. This was a complicated sew because I was basically remaking the pattern pieces to fit the vision in my head.  There was some pattern work done to accommodate the fabric.  

Bodice:

The bodice piece was enlarged and then the button front piece was removed.  I made a separate piece for the button front. 

I knew I wanted the bodice to be from the lighter part of the fabric. So I needed to sit on it a minute to figure out how to make the fabric work for me. I ended up cutting it on the crosswise grain to make the most of the lighter fabric.

After the bodice piece was cut out, I did a trial of how the fabric from the other pieces of fabric would work with the bodice.

I also did a test with the buttons I choose to see how they would work once the bodice was completed.

Skirt:

The skirt is cut on the crosswise to use all of the border print in the design. 

I removed the original border and added the border from the coordinating piece of fabric after adding the button band to the front.

Sleeve:

Was cut from the main border piece so it coordinated with the dress' skirt. I added elastic to the sleeve to make them short and puffy.  I like this style because it adds some grown up whimsy to the dress and it covers my bodacious arms.

Collar/Front Band:

This was made entirely from the border piece of the coordinating piece. It's the ultimate border/stripe to the entire piece. And the reason it took so long to finish the dress.  Fussy cutting that border held me up for WEEKS! 

Then I had to recut the collar and collar band because of the way I added the border to the front of the dress.  I was hoping that I had enough of the border print left to just cut larger pieces. Ummm no.  The collar had to be pieced to get the length I desired.

I will admit that this went through a few iterations before I settled on this one. But this one highlights the water lilies but yet brings the drama a good border print garment should.

It took me over two months from the time I started this to finish it.  When I say my sewjo had been vacationing, I wasn't kidding.  However, I had a few days off at the end of July/beginning of August 2023, so I finished this up.  When I say this was an involved sew, please believe me that it was.  I had to rethink everything to make the border print work the way I saw it.  All of this took time and since my sewjo was weak, those things took longer than normal.

Then it sat while I waited to get the urge to sew the buttons and buttonholes on the dress.  It sat almost a year before I decided I needed to wear it to church one really hot July Sunday. Then and only then was I motivated to do the last 2 steps!

I'm calling the sewing I'm doing now, "Art Teacher Chic" cause I'm all about the fabric.  How can I manipulate it.  How I can make something unusual and different. I know I will make another Myosotis because it's my go to pattern.  Right now I don't have any planned. 

Sadly I wore this beauty only once last summer.  It is a stunner and I received so many compliments though I didn't get a photo of me wearing it.  Hopefully I will this summer.  However, since this was such a complicated sew, I wanted to make sure I posted it in case I wanted to refer to it in the future.

...as always more later!

A Pretty Poppy Border Print Mysostis

It is common knowledge that I love border prints. Like my brain stands up to attention when the good ones are around.  Cause we know all border prints are NOT created equal.

My Idea:

Use the main piece as the skirt part.  The bodice would be cut from the fence part so that it would flow into the skirt piece. I personally dislike when the border print doesn't flow so I always try to plan for that. 

Here are a few photos of the cutting layout:

Cutting out the bodice, sleeve and collar

Dress bodice and skirt layout

And because I can here are...

My Top Five Border Print Rules:

1. Overbuy the amount of fabric that you usually purchase for a garment.  If a dress/shirt takes 3 yards, purchase 1.5 to 2 yards more.  Why?  Because it allows you extra fabric to match and play.  One of my very first border print dresses, I was cheap on the fabric and this was the result.

The internet was not kind. A lesson learned and never repeated because the comments were so cruel I never wore the dress.  Though I guess I really do like poppy print fabrics!

2. Find a resource that helps you with placement and how to purchase border prints.  I wrote a blog post based on an old Sew News border print article.

3. Take your time. Move the pattern pieces around until you get your desired result.  DON'T RUSH!

4. Use a pattern that doesn't have a lot of seams - though I have done that. 

5. And TNT patterns work the best because you don't have to work out fit issues.

The Poppy Print Dress:

Using my TNT Myosotis Dress pattern meant there were no fitting challenges.  Just how to manipulate the fabric to get the most pleasing result.

As I said above cutting out and using the fabric to it's best advantage is key with any border print.  Here are some photos of the finished dress...

...and a video.

I finished this and wore it back in October 2024.  Just getting around to blogging about it. If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen it already.  Just sharing a few details now.

...as always more later!

Closing out 2024 and walking into 2025

I didn't sew much in 2024 nor did I blog much. I spent the first half of the year reading. Then something kicked in shortly after my birthday, and I picked up a pattern and fabric that was previously cut out but not sewn. I ended up finishing seven garments with one UFO I'm letting go reluctantly and another that I'm rolling into 2025 hoping to finish it up.

This post is the intro post for the sewing that I completed in 2024 and for any new sewing that I'm going to do in 2025. My sewjo has come home.  Not as potent in years pass where all I wanted to do was sew, but definitely there and making me want to create.

I just won't talk about all the fabric, buttons & notions, and patterns I bought in 2024. Honestly though I was like a squirrel stocking up for the winter because I believe that prices on everything are gonna rise in 2025.  If I have to choose, I want to be able to eat and then create without limitations. Basically I'm treating my collections like I did pre-Covid, knowing it will sustain me in the years to come. So even though I did a big giveaway in June, clearing out over a hundred yards of fabric, I've restocked with pieces I will probably use more in this stage of my life.

I'm making this my motto for 2025 - "I Was Created to Create!"  I may not create in the prodigious levels I use to, but I'm trying to find my way back to my first love. This is waiting for buttons & buttonholes...

...following in the next couple of days will be two blog posts for garments completed and worn in 2024 but not shared here.  

...as always more later!