Hello friends!
Today is the last day of our Gelato Blouse + Dress sew-along. How is yours coming along? I’ve finished my dress, and I’ll show it to you next Monday. I’ve already worn it twice and it’s going to be great for this summer, especially when we’re back in hot, humid NYC in a couple of weeks.
Summer vacation has officially started here in Madrid, and S couldn’t be more excited. We celebrated her first day of freedom with a bubble tea, and now she’s busy making no plans at all for a few days. Meanwhile, I’m busy sewing the fall patterns and doing all the problem-solving that’s always involved in each new design. I’m really excited about these new styles! Can’t wait to show you. I found this fabric for really cheap, so it’s becoming my wear-testing version of one of the styles. Can’t wait to wear it!
Pinterest Picks
Independence Day is just around the corner. Any special plans? We’ll be missing it by just a few days, and we’re a little sorry about that.
Here are two more Gelato Dress ideas. The dress below, left would be easy to do using some of the techniques in our Building Block Dress book. Anyone up for giving it a try?
Two summer projects on our list: I just recycled an open-weave curtain from our bedroom in NYC and made a simple scarf for myself, and now I’m saving my avocado pits to dye it. And we picked up this fish backpack kit at a craft fair a little while ago. S and I are going to embroider it like the designer did. Isn’t it darling?
S is also really into wearing scrunchies lately, so we may try sewing some versions like these.
Weekend Reading
- This article about marriage, divorce, and one of my all-time favorite TV series, Thirtysomething, nearly broke my heart.
- We tried this the other day and it works quite well! You can compare subtitles, pause, and spend as much time learning as you like to help learn a new language while watching films on Netflix.
- I really hope this refillable packaging trend catches on, especially with regard to larger items we use daily like dish soap, shampoo, cat litter, etc.
- What do you think about clothes that don’t need to be washed very often?
- Lovely interview with Sarah Burton, who I think is one of the most talented people designing right now.
OK, have a wonderful weekend! We’ll be back next week with a couple of Gelato Dresses, some other sewing I’ve been doing, as well as lots more for your entertainment and inspiration. In the meantime, happy sewing!
Love both dresses
Oh my YES to that tricolour dress!! If only it wasn’t winter down here.
I think the Pinwheel dress pattern would be useful for how to attach the skirt to the inverted V bodice at the front.
Off to buy three different tencel twills right now!
I love the merino clothes. I bought my husband a merino wool shirt for yoga. I’ve washed it twice this year. He loves it. Thanks for the links. I want that dress! But, I think I have to get the spouse more shirts. Last year Costco had some long sleeve Merino women’s T-shirts. I bought one and promptly returned and bought 4 more. They are terrific. Just the right weight to never be cold or hot. Thin enough to layer over. While on a trip to the coast, my husband was freezing. The heat would just not come on in our hotel room. I finally tossed him one of my shirts. He was totally convinced. He went back and bought 4 more for himself. They’ve become our winter uniforms.
Thirtysomething was also a favorite of mine. Loved the article although, you are right, it’s an emotional one! I was a stay at home mom when that show aired in the late 80s. I felt like this show legitimized my decision to be at home – really we couldn’t afford day care so it was hardly a ‘choice’! But there they were, smart, sassy women at home, having some of the same highs and lows I was experiencing. I loved every episode. I really don’t know how it would feel to watch it 3 years later…..
That’s 30 years, not three!
This is not a comment but a cry for help. I don’t know how to post photos of clothes I have made with hashtags. Is that what you use for Pinterest? Don’t laugh. I am an e ngineer but I have a rare brain disease. It bothers me to use the computer. I get dizzy spells. So what steps do I take. Or do I do that for I Instagram?
Susan
Susan, hashtags are used on Instagram to provide a way of grouping together user-generated content on a specific “theme.” The hashtag works as the thematic grouping element as all photos posts with that hashtag used in the description will show up together when you click on the hashtag in any post. On all our pattern pages, we list the suggested hashtags that people can use for the pattern to show their garments in the collection with others. You can go to any of our pattern pages and click on the link for a hashtag to see what people have posted to Instagram using that hashtag. Does that make sense?