Sew Tall Soprano

Love this new casual top from Butterick. It is not a new pattern, but the style is pretty new. It combines an on grain upper with a bias lower part.  I used a lightweight tan plaid shirting. It is soft, but with a little bit of body. You can see the lightweight fusible interfacing adds just the right amount of stiffness to help the collar stand up without being rigid.     Tip: I topstitched the collar edge ever so slightly rolling the         seam toward the under collar before topstitching.  Finally, I had to rip out the bust dart a couple of times. The one on the pattern is so short, about 2 inches long, and really big. So, I had to rip out the dart and re-pin it while I was wearing it. I ended up lengthening it about 2 more inches so it landed 1 inch away from the bust apex. After I sewed it, I kept getting awful points at the end of the dart! So I started researching why this was happening. Apparently, because the dart ...

I was going through my closet on Sunday and decided to re-vamp my summer skirt. I think it looks pretty good. I could even see it with black booties in the winter. But. seeing as it is still in the upper 80's here in Texas, I'll keep to the short sleeved sweater and sandals. It was an easy skirt I found on the internet that has a fold over yoga style waistband. So comfortable and best of all it's long enough!

So, my abuelita from South America would come visit us when I was little, She could not speak even a little English, but she taught me how to knit! I was probably 8 years old. So, I've known how to do the knit stitch all these years, but never applied it. Recently, I found a class on Craftsy called My First Sweater. It takes you step-by-step through the process of knitting a sweater. I had to try it! Here is my first sweater! I used a Lion's Brand wool in this cool butterscotch color. I had to lengthen the sleeves an inch to accommodate my wide shoulders and longer arms. But the pattern could be altered to widen the sleeve cap, which I would do next time. You can see the lovely little eyelet detail along the raglan sleeve that adds interest to an otherwise plain sweater. I think I would like to knit another one day. I have a friend that spins and dyes wool. Maybe I can talk her into parting with a few skeins. And maybe a new neckline, or cardigan style..... ...

 Hiked up to see the 1200' IAO Needle.  The park is just fabulous and solo green. We were lucky that day as there was a clear view of the needle. But, every inch of the park, that we saw, was beautiful! Here is the famous needle...                Another beautiful shot... This is what I wore: Burda Magazine  Cute detail gather at the neck on the lightweight cotton. I think I will lower the neckline next time.

So, I have been going back to my closet lately to find old pieces and giving them a new look. Here I have a floral straight skirt I made using my pattern software. I paired it with a men's look tailored striped shirt and pearls. I think it gives a rather modern look.                                           Tip: I created a 1" waistband so I could wear it with                                           a top tucked in or over the top. Makes it very comfortable                                          (especially for singing;-) It is a cotton twill I found at Hancock's years ago, but I loved the print. Not quite floral and not quite abstract. I put in an invisible...

Yes! Another gorgeous day in Maui! We were sooooo lucky, this was the view from our room... There really was no reason to leave the room, but we decided on another morning walk. Lovely group of trees right on the beach. Made me want to climb up and sit there all day. Alas, I'm not that young anymore :-) This is what I wore: McCall's 6658 The morning was actually cold! Luckily, I brought a really cool top made from a textured white medium-weight cotton knit. The top has a funnel neck that is put on using reverse construction so there are no rough edges along the neckline when you fold it over. Tip: I used my top stitching machine in several places BEFORE I sewed the seams together. That way all finished edges are stretchy. Definitely use a double needle if you don't have a top stitching machine. I love the asymmetrical look of this shawl-like pull-over. Only 3 large pieces. And it is so snuggly to wear!  Especially when sitting on the...

 Oh Yeah! It's hula time. Went to a Luau on a beautiful, breezy evening. Had pictures taken, grabbed a Mai Tai and a seat, and prepared to enjoy the show. This is what I wore: Skirt from Simplicity 1663  A light, ruffled, cotton jersey top from the Loft, and a gauze skirt that I made. I found this sunset inspired gauze at Hancock Fabrics and knew just what to do with it. The store also had the nude stretch lining that I love to use.  I lined it down to the knee slit... The pattern has several options for knee slits, but I decided one was enough for me :-) The skirt was absolutely a breeze to make and sooooooo comfortable to wear! Tip: No need to finish the edge of the stretch  lining because it will never fray! Love it!! Unbelievably, this was the only time we were on the island that the skies opened up and let loose. We stayed to watch the whole show, but were drenched in the process. My lovely family an...