To the port people!

    The time is here! I've been waiting for it for almost a year and here it is! The end of a working season, the beginning of vacations! To be honest with you, it kind of stroke me! Although I was expecting it to come, I lost track of time and I did half of what I wanted to do until the time had come. Ok everything will be around when I'll get back, but you know how it is... less summer clothes in my luggage ... less creativity spent and now it's boiling inside of me...haha!

    So I packed my sun screen, my brand new hat, a few bathing suits, light dresses, a book and I'm leaving! 

See you around

Maria

Mom's new dress

This is Burda 5/2008, model 117.

Quite easy pattern,with grossgrain ribbon details.

Flatters a woman with a tummy, like my mother.

This is the back.

Simple with no gatherings, just two waist darts.

I used this method to sew the lining to the zip and I loooooooved it so much.

No more boring hand sewing and annoying tape scratching my skin!

Perfectly aligned edges too.

An internal view of the front.

I did this little trick with this dress. I know how to fit me, but with mother is not as easy.

So, since I was bored to cut a muslin and then the dress and then the lining, I used the lining as a muslin!

If something went wrong I would cut a new lining. 

So after fitting adjustments and all, I had perfectly made the lining and all there was left to do is make the rest of the dress.

So much easier. I'm going to do this again.

I also added the seam allowances on the paper pattern.

I don't know why I had never done this before.

I started sewing Burda patterns and I got used to the process of adding the seam allowances, but it gets so boring and mistakes are easy to happen.

I remember my enthusiasm the first time I used a pattern with included seam allowances!!!

You go through the process once and that's all!

The pattern pieces align so much better too.

My only complain is that after all the pressing I did, the fabric still won't lie flat at the edges...

Hopefully I doesn't look like that on her.

See you around

Maria

How do you do it?

    I'm trying really hard to organize my space these days. It takes a lot of efford to gather one's strenght in the middle of the summer, a bit before vacations, to work, instead of kicking back. I should be sewing beach dresses and playsuits, but instead I'm going around chassing my tail!

    I just wonder how you ladies do it. I see a pattern on line or in a magazine and in few days, bang, someone has posted pictures. Why does it take me so long to get around a pattern? Could it be my little free time? How do you find the time to gather all your material (I bet you don't have every little thing in your stash) and complete a project? Could it be there is always a big list of projects in my mind? Urg... It's too early in the morning to keep thinking about it. If I'm lucky I should make a big progress with my work today.

See you around

Maria

Travel in style!

    A stylish girl always has to travel in style. No matter how long and tiring her trip may be, she would be stylish! 

    A dear friend of mine will be coming to visit me and I thought I should give a touch of style to her luggage. So I made her luggage tags. Aren't they lovely?

Back  

and front

A little slit in the plastic cover will allow her to slide in a piece of paper with her contact information.

See you around

Maria

Burda 8/2011 full preview

    This will be another issue I'll be buying. My pattern library is growing fast, but I'm sewing too slow... nothing I can do about it right now. Ok, here are the most interesting patterns of this issue.

Two capes. I prefer the first one, but I still wouldn't sew this one.

I'll be making a cape soon, with another pattern.

This dress is a "must have".

Looks like a two piece, but will be so convenient to have.

Limitless combinations to make too.

Isn't it lovely?

 

I wish they had used another fabric.

I like the pattern a lot though.

It turns out it is not backless and I won't look like a superhero in it! 

Thankfully!

Nice dress isn't it?

 

Shapeless if you ask me. 

Wouldn't sew it. But that's just me.

This ...

 

or this?

Oh it's the same pattern!

See the difference the fabric makes?

I like the first one, it's more drappey.

I'm making this one with a light woven in off white. 

 

Mmm I think I'd make this...

 

Looks comfortable and pretty easy.

I don't know about you, but when I saw this I though of a diver's suit with attached flippers!

 

My favourite!

Love it!

Do you like this?

It's a tunic, not a dress. Do you see the opening in front? Couldn't be a dress.

I guess I could use the body part. 

I don't really like the rest of it. 

Lovely plus size pants.

Just lovely and I love the colour too.

 

One of the limited times you can find in one issue the same style both in plus and non plus size.

If you compare the technical drawings you will see it's not the same, but you kind of get the same result.

So no one gets to complain!

Lovely and such a clean look.

I believe it could work for a Channel like jacket, don't you think?

Don't forget to check the whole preview at burdamode.com

See you around 

Maria

Newspaper shoe bag

Ι had promised a friend to make her a dancing shoe bag, like mine.

The other day she had her birthday, so it was a perfect chance.

I made it two sided, so she can pick her favourite.

At the fabric store, they told me this is a Pop Art fabric.

Cotton canvas if you ask more.

I also got to try my brand new bias binder foot.

It works miracles.

I'm telling you, whoever thought of that was a genius!

I'll soon come back with more to talk about this marvellous presser foot.

Do you give out your creations as presents?

How do people react?

This is a free download pattern from the Singer webpage.

I could locate it if you like.

See you around

Maria