For those of you in or from the U.S., happy Independence Day weekend!
from instagram
We’re headed to my sister’s place to enjoy time with the cousins for a few days before S heads off for her big annual Grandparent Extravaganza. Sadly, we’ll be missing the Macy’s fireworks just outside our door, but it will be worth it to spend time with family.
I’ll keep this one short, since it’s a busy holiday weekend for many of us.
Pinterest picks
This dress reminds me so much of the Butterfly Blouse lengthened to a dress! Now I want to make and wear one myself!
pinterest link
A stunning and very simple quilt from Robert Kaufman.
Such a sweet Croquet Dress! (Also, don’t miss all the cute Independence Day sewing on the Oliver + S Flickr group. You’ll find some really cute and clever outfits there.)
These jeans have inspired me: I just cut out the wide-legged Lisette trousers (B6183) from Robert Kaufman’s linen denim because they seemed perfect together. I think I may crop mine a little shorter than these, but we’ll see. I like to cut longer than I think I’ll need and shorten once I can try them on. Do you do that too?
The sweetest wallpaper!
Weekend reading links
- Why kids shouldn’t be called “fashion icons.” (Hint: because they’re kids!)
- After reading an article about Ruth Hogben, a fashion filmmaker, in the New York Times, I stumbled upon this stunning film she made featuring pieces from the collection of Isabella Blow.
- I really appreciated this thoughtful piece about sewing for curvy little girls. How many of you are sewing for full-figured children? (And are you familiar with our tutorial about lengthening and shortening a pattern? This would be a good place to start with adjusting sizes.)
- What are your feelings about sugar? I’m just coming off a month of no sugar, and last night I ate ice cream for a little treat. I think I’ll try going another month without it to see if I can eliminate my cravings.
Have a wonderful weekend!
I can really see the “Downton” influence in the fashions right now. Your croquet dress pattern has been out for awhile, and was a ahead of this trend. But the white linen dress has a distinct “Mary Crawley” look to it. Simple and sophisticated.
Thanks for adding the link to the tutorial for where to splice patterns for lengthening/shortening. I made a comment that I needed one on you survey results post; I love how you guys listen!
Please post your finished denim wide legged. This is exactly on my to do list, as soon as my daughters wardrobe is updated!
I have a question for you: I made a pair of trousers out of that fabric (or very similar) and I had the problem of the seams of high stress points looking very pulled (and white due to the loose denim weave) after wearing them. I haven’t been able to figure out how to avoid that problem for a subsequent pair. I really love the pants but I don’t know how to make the seams more durable. I’ve tried sewing with a very short stitch. I’d love any suggestions you have to offer.
Ah yes, linen does that. It’s called slippage. Best ways to avoid it are flat-felled seams or topstitched seams. You need reinforcement, for sure. And also it’s best to sew things that aren’t very tight. I’m sewing the trousers a bit loose so the seam won’t get too much stress.
I wonder if it might also work to interface the seams before stitching them? I’ve never tried it but have been tempted to give it a whirl. Maybe I’ll try it on the trousers!
Great ideas. Thanks!