Sharing, Inspiration and Project Photos XVIII

[BetsyV]

really fun fabric, Stash. I 'm sure it will be great on your DD!

[marciae]

Interesting fabric Stash - great top for you DD.

[fzxdoc]

PattiB, thank you for the additional info on fitting that jacket on a small person.  That pleat correction looks familiar, as I have to do it for myself and for my DD. It sure makes a huge difference, doesn't it?  The upper sleeves is where I saw a lot of volume on your first muslin, but you sure handled it nicely in the final muslin, and the jacket itself looks marvelous.  How cute that your muslin went over so well, and that your "victim" wanted to wear it, too. You certainly made her happy.  Congrats on all your hard work and your meticulous attention to fit. It's a joy to see.

Stash, you may be sick of sewing those Jalie tops, but I'm sure the girls in your family are loving their new clothes!  This one is really cute as well.  I can see it as a "go to" top, and a nice way to spice up simple black pants. Great job!

Liana, I love your new avatar.  Very flattering!

Shams, your skirt is wonderful, with the diagonal seaming and the way you echoed the drape of the top at the skirt hem.  With your wonderful drafting skills, I'm wondering whether you ever really need to buy a pattern!  Thank you for the inspiration--I always enjoy seeing your creations.

Kathryn

[Diane Egelston]

Patti, that beautiful tailored linen jacket is an accomplishment to be proud of. So much work went into making it fit so beautifully. I love the fabric -- so much versatility -- truly a dress up or down garment, and perfect with so many skirts and pants. The "petite-ing"  alteration you did in the second muslin is one I rely on frequently. It makes a huge difference in range of motion and avoiding a certain mamaw look (of course your DD's friend is way to young to worry about mamaw, but for we of a certain age it's a look we will run a marathon to avoid).

Stash, what a darling top. Terrific fabric. I sure understand the frustration with a "favorite" pattern, though. There's something great about being able to sew something with your eyes closed, but it can be so boring, and why isn't it really easy? You sure get great results, though!

And Shams, your new skirt is one for which you'd pay a boatload in a boutique. Inspired use of a flounce. Pretty pretty outfit! What's the fabric? It looks so lovely and fluid.

[Karendee]

Stash,

Despite your "eye for detail" evaluation, to me this top is adorable. Think how wonderful DD will look in this with black skirt or pants. She will love wearing her new top, I'm sure. Great job as always.

Karen

[Janis]

Stash, love the fabric on this top!  Still want to try this pattern, but I need to talk to you about the FBA on it.  Your DD will certainly love this one!

[mardel]

Stash, your newest top is just darling and I am sure your DD will just love it.  That's the thing about patterns that we use a lot, they get awfully boring, and it seems that familiarity does not always lead to ease of construction.  But I am sure the results are appreciated.

Shams, fabulous skirt.  You have such a great eye.

PattiB, the jacket is just gorgeous.

[shams]

Thanks for your comments, Kathryn, Diane and Mardel.  Diane, the fabric is a rayon jersey and yes, it's very fluid .

I finally took some photos of DD2 in her Winter Concert outfit.  The Winter Concert was last night and she went directly from school and then got home quite late, so I made her put the outfit on again today so I could get some photos.  Last night her hair was dressed and she was wearing earrings and eyeliner. 

Sorry it's so hard to see, but the dress required for the concert was all black.

Entire outfit:


Burda top.  I got this Burda WOF magazine from Patti B when she was cleaning out her stash.  It is from May 2004.  I first saw the pattern thanks to Ruthie's blog.  Thanks both to Patti and Ruthie!  I am now ready to draft this pattern in my size. 


I made the same pencil skirt with flounce for her that I made for myself a few days ago.  Her outfit is in a thin wool jersey.


More on my blog:  http://communingwithfabric.blogspot.com/2009/12/burda-world-of-fashion-knot-front-top.html

[BetsyV]

Shams

what a great concert outfit for your DD! It looks like she really likes it too. Love the skirt flounce detail

[stashpanache]

Shams,

What a great concert outfit.  And, I must say, the model is lovely.  You always do such fine work.

Stash

[Madrona]

Shams your daughter is so lovely.   

[AnnRowley]

Your daughter looks lovely in her concert outfit Shams, I hope she will be able to wear it again.

[vtmartha]

Sham, thanks for sharing your photos of your DD in her concert attire.  It's a super outfit and so cheerfully modeled.  I am inspired to see if I have that BWOF issue in my collection.

[fzxdoc]

Shams, what a stylish and beautifully made concert outfit! You did such a nice job on it.

Your DD looks radiant, even without the eyeliner and updo.  She has your eyes and beautiful smile.  She must be thrilled to be able to wear such wonderful custom designer duds! Lucky girl!

Kathryn

[marciae]

Shams - great outfit for your daughter - she looks very pleased!!  In the "Territory Ahead" catalog I noticed they too, are showing a "cascade" skirt!!

[fzxdoc]

Here are a couple of photos of a little tote that I made and machine embroidered for a gift exchange at our local yarn shop's Christmas party.





You can read some details about the gift on my 'blog here:  

Kathryn

[Patti B]

Shams, I was just ready to post about your skirt and here are the photos of your daughter's wonderful ensemble! They are both very chic -- stylish with a twist. And I am happy to enable you!

Thanks to all for the encouraging comments on the jacket. I feel a bit like I've been released from (sewing) jail! But she will enjoy it and that was the goal. Now, on to some holiday sewing!

Kathryn, very cute bag ... I don't knit but would love to be in on this gift exchange!

[mardel]

Oh Shams, your daughter's concert outfit looks lovely and she looks very happy, stylish and chic. 

Kathryn, what a darling bag.  What a truly lovely gift for your holiday exchange.

[shams]

Thanks so much to Betsy, Stash, Madrona, Ann, Martha, Kathryn, Marcia, Patti, and Mardel for your kind words about DD2's ensemble.  

Ann, she will most likely wear the outfit to Christmas dinner at the former in-laws.  They tend to go quite fancy for the holidays.  I sent these pics to my former MIL yesterday and she was very pleased with the outfit, though she generally doesn't like the kids in black.  

Marcia, thanks for the info on Territory Ahead.  I haven't heard of them but looked up their site.  That Cascade skirt is a different sort of draft than mine.  I love it!  Maybe I'll make one like that for myself.    You can see that skirt here:  

Thanks again for the Burda magazine, Patti, it's a great design and there's another top in there I may also use for one or both daughters.  

I didn't mention it, but DD2 is very difficult to dress up.  She hates to wear much besides jeans and a t-shirt and always always has her hair clamped in a pony tail.  (Much to my chagrin because I love her hair.)  Her only nod to fashion is that she generally wears large hoop earrings.  You can't imagine a more practical person who hates frippery or fuss and her current favorite garment is an Apple Specialist iPod t-shirt (cause you have to work there to get one).  So I had a challenge getting an outfit that she would put on and I knew it had to be easy to deal with and comfortable to wear.  DD1 is my girl who will suffer for fashion.  

Kathryn, that tote bag is AD-OR-ABLE.  I love love that partridge in a pear tree embroidery.  I don't have a machine capable of embroidery but you make me think it could be so fun.

Today is my sew group's holiday luncheon.  That means later today I can finally post the gift I made for that event as some of those folks read this forum.  I have been looking forward to this event for weeks.  

eta: image as name of link 

[Liana]

Shams,  As everyone has said, your DD is adorable in that outfit.  I can see why she likes it, and you've done very well finding a style and fabric that she'll wear, and that looks appropriate.  I imagine as she finds that she can look like this and be comfortable as well, she'll become less resistant.  I hope everyone compliments her unstintingly to reinforce the effect. 

Kathryn,  That tote is just darling!  You put your embroidery machine to such good use.  I'm sure the recipient was thrilled.  I hope you got something nice in return.

[vtmartha]

Gorgeous bag, Kathryn.  That must have taken quite a bit of embroidery time.

Shams, I can totally relate to DD2's style.    Unfortunately, no nearby Apple stores to supply me with a tee.

[stashpanache]

Kathryn,

I would guess your knitting group is extremely happy to have you as a member.   For a lot of reasons.  The tote is adorable.

[Karendee]

What lovely items are shown here today! Shams, your daughter is adorable, looks quite like you, and is wearing her concert garments to perfection. Great job on that!

Kathryn, you inspire me to think about an embroidery machine; I know I'd love one. The tote bag is just a perfect canvas (literally) for your darling holiday embroidery.

Karen

[KathrynT]

Shams, I love the phrase "hair clamped".  That perfectly describes my DD's low pony.  Does your daughter's have to be low as well?  Your daughter definitely looks happy and proud in the outfit.  I find if I consult very carefully I occasionally have a hit.  I do want her to express her own style and I can occasionally persuade her to leave her hair out.  Why not make another top the same in another plain colour?

Kathryn, nice bag.  I like the rectangle turned that way, both for aesthetics and practicality.

[fzxdoc]

Thank you soooo much, Karen (Karendee), Stash, Martha, Mardel, Shams, KathrynT (great first name, BTW   ), Mardel, and PattiB for your sweet compliments on the little gift tote.  For those of you sitting on the fence or just dipping your toe into the machine embroidery wading pool, (Liana, Shams  and Karen(Karendee), I'm thinking specifically of you) I say go ahead! Jump in! The water's great!  I'm still in the wading pool and enjoying every minute of it!

For years I looked down my nose at machine embroidery.  After all, I was (am) a garment sewist and I'm not too enthusiastic about sewing small ducks across a shirt. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just not my thing! Then I broke my leg and couldn't zip around a sewing room with any dexterity or, more to the point, verticality at all, and, at the height if a pity party, bought myself the Janome 300E.  Well, I have to say that I have had a ton of fun with that machine.  

I make lots of hostess gifts and personalized birthday gifts for friends with it. The first gift I made was a grill apron birthday present for a close friend of my DH's from med school days.  He was so touched that the called me the minute he opened his present. I was hooked. It was great to make something so simple that was so appreciated!

Plus, machine embroidery feeds into two of my passions: computers and sewing. So although I am still a bit circumspect about embellishing some of my own garments with embroidery (only for lack of imagination!), my daughters have loved their personalized pajamas, my friends have loved their hostess gifts, and my close friends have enjoyed personally-embroidered spa robes, t-shirts, aprons and the like. Plus, if one lets one's imagination run wild, it makes a great gag gift, since you can embroider virtually anything on a tea towel or an apron   .

Since I am a garment sewist and a purist by nature, I wanted a machine that only did embroidery. I didn't want my beloved sewing machines to be compromised in any way to accommodate an embroidery unit. It was simply a personal preference. I loved my sewing machines and didn't want to have to trade them in for a sewing/embroidery unit.  That said, some of the finest sewists I've ever known, both here on SG and elsewhere, have combo sewing/embroidery machines and turn out masterpieces on both fronts.

So if you're thinking even remotely about the possible fun of machine embroidery, I say get a simple, relatively inexpensive (relative to the combo units, that is) embroidery-only machine, and jump in!  

Kathryn

[stashpanache]

I am just chiming in here to echo what Kathryn says about machine embroidery AND her machine of choice.  (Which is mine also)  I originally bought mine so I could put those little ducks on DGD things.  In fact, one of the first things I did for her was a "beach" towel with a little duck in an innertube.

Also, I totally agree about the embroidery only aspect.  If I have a sewing project going, I do not want to have to dismantle my set up to do a little embroidery.  And, I also thought that if the embroidery function broke, I would have to send my whole machine to the repair shop and then I wouldn't be able to sew?  I do not believe in having machines with too many combination functions.  JMO.  My machine does 4x4 and 5x7, which is all I need at present.  Occasionally, I yearn for a larger stitch field but in reality, would probably not use it as I like my embroidery in small doses.....collar points, cuffs etc or for the kiddies.  And, my machine works so well and has never given me a moment's trouble so I would be nervous about trading it in on a different machine anyway.

It is FUN, FUN, FUN!!

[RuthieK]

Shams, love your DDs outfit, she looks smart and yet comfortable and relaxed. That top worked on her a whole lot better than mine did on me.
Kathryn cute embroidery, it gives me ideas of things I could try.

I am having a red phase for Christmas and made this top from Simplicity 4020 (sorry pic is so big)

and remodelled an old long tunic cardi into something a bit more shaped and interesting using Simplicity 4029

More on both at My Blog - RuthieK Sews - http://ruthieksews1.blogspot.com/

[lessalt]

Kathryn, What a great friend you are - anyone would love a bag like that.

Shams, Your DD is adorable and looks great in that outfit. BTW, I also loved that skirt in the Territory Ahead and was tempted to buy it but, when I looked more closely, I can see the yoke that dips down to the cascade. It looks like the SW Lotus Skirt but with more of an A-line than the slimmer skirt of the Lotus. I'm thinking it would be pretty simple to add some fullness and end up with the Territory Ahead skirt.

Ruthie, I love that Simplicity top and have made it twice myself and that fabric is perfect. Nice remodel on the cardigan too.

[Ann]

Patti B, what a great jacket you made for DD`s friend. It turned out very well and this person is very lucky to receive a gift like that.

Shams - an interesting detail on the skirt. The flounce gives it a bit of pizzaz and it looks great with your top. DD`s outfit is perfect for her and you now have mother-daughter skirts. (Don`t know if that is good or bad - I think good.)

Stash - another great Jalie top. I do like the print on this shirt - it was interesting enough I would have looked at it twice.

Kathryn - a really cute bag for a knitter. The knitting tweets is so perfect for this bag. My favourite tweets is Giddyup Tweet. Must purchase to put on a bag for myself.

Ruthie - a nice collection of red tops. I really like Simplicity 4029 - view B without the ruffles. I am looking to make myself a bolero type jacket out of black faux suede (very expensive stuff) and love the top stitching on that jacket. I am sure you will enjoy wearing this sweater.

Embroidery - I am like Stash and Kathyrn and like to have a good machine to sew on while the embroidery machine is stitching out. Hence I bought the Diamond this fall just for that. I hope to do a bit of embroidery on a couple of pieces but it has to be subtle. I do like some of the projects we do in Embroidery Club and it is helping me become better at embroidering. My favourite embroidery jobs are doing our western shirts. I can let it rip and do patterns that I love but know wouldn`t suit me. And I want to do designs on grocery bags also and then some other stuff that I need to get organized before I say much more.

Ann

[vtmartha]

Ruthie, the fabric you chose for the Simplicity top is perfect for it!

Kathryn, I really appreciated reading your thoughts on machine embroidery. Thanks for sharing.  I had no idea that a number of you were using embroidery only machines.  That sounds like a terrific option.

[BetsyV]

Kathryn (fzxdoc) great little bag! Still can't gquite get my mind around machine embroidery, but don't have the room anyway. Maybe in my "dream" sewing room!

Ruthie I saw the red flowered top on your blog this morning - you are really cranking things out! Work must have lightened up a bit for you. Good - nothing worse than being overworked, at any time of the year.

[vtmartha]

Stash and Kathryn, did you purchase your machines from local dealers?  I'm not sure I have one.

[stashpanache]

Yes, vtMartha, I did.

My machine is on sale online now all the time.  It is a 300E and Janome has come out with the 350E so I suppose the online sellers are allowed to sell the 300E.  The only difference is that the 350 has a USB port, I believe.  On the 300, you use a card to transfer designs.  It makes no difference to me so I have no need to get the 350.  They are almost identical.

It is extremely easy to operate and I never had any lessons.  I did join a Yahoo group so I could ask questions if I needed to.  Knock on wood (almost afraid to say this ) but it has been totally trouble free.  In all the times I have used it, I think I have only had one loopy.  I have used rayon, poly and metallic threads with great success.  Have embroidered on canvas, terry towels, cotton, knits and probably more I can't think of right now.

[Myrna]

... and remodelled an old long tunic cardi into something a bit more shaped and interesting using Simplicity 4029

I hadn't noticed that pattern before. The cover photos aren't too wonderful but the lines are great. Thanks for posting this Ruthie. I think I'll be picking up a new (another - LOL) pattern. The cardi makeover looks fabulous.

- Myrna

[stashpanache]

Ruthie, very attractive shirt.  And, what you did with that sweater is amazing.  You certainly improved it.  From plain Jane to stylish!