Wine T-shirt

I've had this piece of synthetic fabric (I think it's polyester) for about 6 or 7 years. T-shirts are just about the easiest thing to make, but I also wanted to experiment with creating texture and pattern. I made bias strips out of the same fabric. Down the center of each strip, I machine stitched a piece of fuschia trim I bought for 50cents /yard. The trim stiffened the strips, which made them easier to lay into curves. I sewed them by hand onto the shirt.

Since it was a small piece of fabric, I had a seam running down the back of the shirt, so I covered that with the same stripe.

Now I only have about 5 more pieces of old fabric to use up!

Amber Dress

My friend Amber asked me to make her a summer dress in the style of a Splendid sun dress she had borrowed from our friend Jean. I love Splendid's colorful knitwear by the way, but sadly they are usually designed for taller women than I!

Amber picked the fabric and colors for the dress, and here's the result! She's quite discerning when it comes to apparel and styling. Note how her gray suede heels dress up the dress. She even remarked on the hand-sewn blind hem, so I'm happy she likes the dress. She did a good job selecting a print. It was hard to picture what this would look like in the fabric store. Hmm...maybe I should enlist her opinion more often.

Cotton Tweed CC jacket

My mom asked me to make her a jacket to wear to medical conferences, then she decided to retire after practicing medicine for 43 years. I made the jacket anyway out of a beautiful white and black cotton tweed I found online. It has an A-line shape with a 60's vintage style (Butterick B5254). I thought my mom would appreciate that, since she was quite the fashionista as a young intern.

My mom tried it on and decided she no longer needs the jacket, now being completely absorbed with the grandbabies. I was tempted to keep it for myself, especially after my friend Carol remarked that it reminded her of Chanel (one can always count on a best friend to make you feel good, even if it's a stretch of a compliment. Carol earned herself a new jacket with that boost to my confidence). Rather than wear all my own stuff, I had my sister try it on, and she loved it. She can wear it at her executive job, and not worry about holding the babies when she gets home from work. It's cotton!