meleliza

We got a petty good snow and it’s still coming down thick. Plenty to play in! Not much sewing accomplished, I’m afraid, because the kids wanted to be out in it all day. I still have to set the sleeves and the hem facing. I did cut the denim shorts.

Another snow day today! probably our last. We’ve just finished a huge amount of work on the house, so I’m due for a day off from cleaning. Trying to finish the Puppet Show blouse I started ages ago and some shorts too. However, the kids keep wanting to go out to play….

I’m a fan of the maxi skirt with button down blouse. Seriously elegant.

We went out without hats and gloves yesterday. I didn’t even zip up the down puffer. It was raining and in the 40s and it felt like spring!

Of course I’ve also observed ladies in Atlanta wearing full length fur coats in 50 degree weather. So funny.

ooooo, that’s an interesting idea!

50 in May is not summer, it’s spring. Spring means lighter colors, pretty florals and flowy dresses. I stand by a pretty dress with a wrap. Although a really dressy pair of trousers and a lovely blouse could work too. Or a maxi dress. Is it an outside wedding? Will you be walking there? If not, I wouldn’t worry about being cold. A room full of…[Read more]

I’ve a lot going on just now, but I’ll try hard to check the Cherry Hill, NJ store next weekend.

another reason it’s better to have leftovers: what if something goes wrong and you need to cut a new piece? Even the best of us make mistakes.

I’d definitely rather have a little left over than to make a mistake and not have enough to fix it. I always seem to find a way to use the scraps. For a while it was baby clothes, but now it’s bias trim,…[Read more]

Thanks for the heads up! That would be worth a quick trip over the bridge.

Joann’s sale price is usually $1-$2. I know that’s a bargain to those overseas!

@mkhs, marine blue linen sounds stunning!

I’m sorry, but tights and boots in early May? That seems very strange to me. That’s a fall outfit and would look really weird in May, the epitome of a spring month. It’s a spring wedding and you should wear a lovely spring dress! Even if you do need a pashmina or cardigan. Bistro would be a nice choice, whatever the sleeve length. You could…[Read more]

I’ve never used the full yardage listed on an Oliver and S pattern, I have to say. BUT, I seem to have inherited a seriously depression era fabric scrooge ability from my grandmother. 🙂 I would take your challenge, @Todd. Computer software is only as smart as the person who programmed it. Computers lack the ability to problem solve and are not…[Read more]

A sexy date night pencil skirt. That is unfortunately probably about it.

I had a meter of Irish tweed my grandmother brought back from Ireland some 50 years ago. I just barely cut a simple skirt out of it – and that was after I saved the fabric for when I lost all the baby weight. It was a size 10 Colette skirt from the sewing handbook without…[Read more]

I think the blazer question has been asked and answered. I’d sew it, but then only a few of us probably would. I’m will settle for buying making myself one after I come home from Ireland with lots of gorgeous tweed!

I was thinking it might be nice it have a simple easy cardigan pattern. Everyone is on the knit bandwagon anyway, right? I just made…[Read more]

Next time, you could cut a slit into the center back skirt and finish it with bias. No interfacing needed. Then align the bias under the placket. You can actually get a neater finish anyway because now you can more easily turn up the bodice lining and slip stitch or top stitch into place covering the wait seam allowance.

Do you mean underlining with flannel and then lining with something slippery? Or do you just mean underlining with flannel and no additonal lining? Because that will have the same sticky effect as lining, but you’ll also have lots of messy seams showing. You could line the body in flannel for warmth and the sleeves in slippery fabric so it can go…[Read more]

Of course, this tulle is between layers, so it doesn’t matter too much how it feels, more how it behaves. If you want just a little extra fluff, regular ordinary nylon tulle is fine. Check fabric.com. It should only be 2 or 3 per yard. If you want more puff, use more tulle or something a little stiffer like net.

I often skip the tulle,…[Read more]

Oh, I don’t unpick any of those seams at all. I don’t think it would work even if the time was worth it. I might start raiding my dad’s closet instead of hubbys, though. Dad retired and doesn’t need any more dress clothes. Plus, he’s like 6’3″, so his clothes give me more to work with than my short husband.

I was so taken with the puppet show outfit on the blog last week I decided to copy it. Today I cut a size 5 puppet show blouse out of two old Brooks Brothers dress shirts of my dads.

The shirts are cream colored and very grand dad looking and dated. Plus, they had tears that made them unusable. But, the fabric is gorgeous and they have lots of…[Read more]

If you are doing sleeveless, you need to google threads magazine quick linings and read the sleeves dress part. It’s so fast and easy and professional you won’t believe it.

I have found the fit forgiving or roomy. I have also found that sizing up too much on this one looks sloppy. The gathers make it especially good for those adorable buda bellies and the cuffs are a fantastic growth room detail. I’ve been able to layer thin sweaters underneath, like a cardi, but it’s not a coat as Liesl says.

I’m just thinking…[Read more]