 One of my students brought this fabric into class and I immediately fell in love! Not with my student (although she's wonderful and has amazing taste) but with the fabric. I thought about sliding it into my work bag when she wasn't looking or offering to buy it from her but instead she told me she got it from Craftsy and I was giddy to discover it was still available! Yay! For those of you that haven't purchased fabric from Craftsy, all of the their fabrics either come in kits or in precut lengths. I purchased a 4 yard cut so I still have enough for a blouse or shell.  I made McCall's 7381 View A in a size 12 straight out of the envelope but ended up making quite a few changes after I wore it the first time. This is a polyester/spandex knit and although I usually sew with natural fibers, I love the way this dress looks, feels and washes (which is a good thing since I purchased another knit just like it.) The dress calls for a woven fabric and has quite a bit of ease built in, so sizing down to a 10 would've minimized the alterations I needed (and the amount of time it took to take it apart!).  Here are the changes I made:
 I'm happy I took the time to make the changes even though it took me almost as long to make the changes as it took to make the dress. Every time I need to make changes that require a lot of ripping out I spend days deciding if I should do it or not. I'm always happy when I take the time. "Unsewing" can be very discouraging but I highly recommend taking the chance sometimes.  I've been sewing faster than I've been blogging so I have more to share with you. Summer sewing is in full swing and I couldn't be happier.
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 One word friends...pockets! What's better than a dress with pockets? And a pink dress just in time for Valentine's Day with pockets that can hold Reese's peanut butter hearts (in case you want to buy me some uh-hem!) This is Simplicity 8258 and I picked this pattern up the minute it came out. I've been looking for a good basic dress pattern and here it is with pockets as a bonus. I sewed it up in a pretty pink and white 100% cotton suiting that was easy to sew. Now I have simple, classic and comfortable dress to add to my wardrobe that lends itself to some great accessories or a cute jacket.  I've made quite a few of these Amazing Fit patterns and find they're easy to work with and since they come with cup size options and offer slim, average and curvy fit it's easier to get a good fit right out of the envelope. That said, here are the small changes I did make:
I will definitely be using this pattern again. It'd be cute in a cotton print or even a lightweight denim. So many possibilities...never enough time. I must have pink on the brain because I just finished this denim bag with pink stitching. A happy accident!    Happy Valentine's Day! Diane
 This is a brand new pattern from McCall's that I picked up at the, you guessed it, pattern sale. When I walk outta the store with a new stack of patterns in hand I feel like I just made money and that feels great! Especially when I pick up one I can use over and over like this one.  It's McCall's 7534 and although I was thinking ahead to spring when I made this it is truly a seasonless dress. A simple cardigan would make this great in the fall. The pattern in suitable for woven fabrics although I chose an ITY knit. It's not a fabric I choose very often even though there are plenty of them out there but it turned out to be a perfect choice for this dress. It's comfortable, flows nicely and washable.
The pattern is really simple and goes together quickly. The most time consuming part of putting it together was matching the graphic design before I cut it out. I added 4 inches to the length as I'm a knee length gal but other than that I made it just like the pattern.  I can certainly add this to my TNT pattern list. I'm excited to make it again. Wouldn't it be cute in one of those drapey linen/rayon blends in a pretty color? Happy Sewing Friends!   Hello! I'm glad to be back on the Fabricmart blog and joining the other Fabricistas with a new summer project for May. Well, I may have been one of the few people on the sewing planet that hadn't made Wiksten's Tova Tunic, but folks things have finally changed. I'm bringing summer in with a sunny sunburst Tova.  There are plenty of reviews of the Tova tunic out there so there's no need for me to review it here. But I will say although the blouse has simple lines and lends itself to all types of fabrics and embellishments, I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner. It's a seasonless pattern and would be a great project for an intermediate sewer.  Some time ago I pinned a Steven Alan shirt onto my I Wanna Make This pinterest board because I loved the fabric. Eureka! I found it! Fabricmart's abstract bursts 100% lightweight handkerchief linen in white, blue and pale coral is just that fabric! This linen is lighter than any other I've ever worked with but still is crisp like other linens. I machine washed and dried it before I cut it out and it came out lovely.  The colors are beautiful in this fabric and I decided to highlight the coral on the bib of the tunic using embroidery thread and my sewing machine. Reverse bobbin work is popular among art quilters but I don't often see it anywhere else. Quilters take decorative threads that don't fit through sewing machine needles and wind them on the bobbin instead. When you sew from the wrong side, the decorative thread from the bobbin shows through on the right side.  For the reverse bobbin work, I used DMC embroidery floss and wound it by hand on a bobbin and loaded it into my machine without changing any settings. Don't be afraid...just do it...it'll be okay.   Working from the back of the blouse, I stitched along the seam line of the bib of the tunic so the bobbin thread would show on the front. It's as easy as that.  It's subtle but isn't it pretty? I also added some to the band of the sleeve. Once you get going it's hard to stop. And yes, reverse bobbin work washes well.   I ended up shortening the blouse 4" (I found it longer than the drawing suggests) but otherwise made no other changes. I will probably make it again this fall in a cozy flannel. Wouldn't it be great? But right now I'll enjoy my new sunny blouse.  Have you made a Tova?  |
About MeHi! I'm Diane, a wife, mom, sewing teacher and pattern designer from sunny Southern California. I share my sewing adventures here on the Blue Dot Blog formerly Gatorbunnysews. For more info click here. 
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