“May My Heart be Brave, My Mind be Fierce and My Spirit be FREE!”
Hello loves and happy Monday to all the fabulous creative souls! Wow, can you believe I’m actually here on my own blog ready to settle in and share some love with all of you. It feels like forever since the last time I was able to sit and share my creativity here in my own space. I’ve been so busy that I was scrambling to find time to do the one thing I love most and that’s blog and check in with the wonderful loves who have supported me along the way. I promise to be better about checking in even when I feel overwhelmed with work and MDT responsibilities.
The good thing is I’ve been busy in such a good way thanks to all of you! The fabric Box is a huge hit and the planner work is moving along! I joined the Minerva Fabrics & Crafts sewing/blogging team and started a new position in my field (my nine to five). Needless to say I sew when I’m not falling out from exhaustion which at this point seems to be any time I can fit in during the weekend. At the rate I’m going it may be time to hire an assistant to take over some of the responsibilities I just can’t find the time to do especially some of my social media tasks. Once I get some of these holiday sewing projects done I can focus on wrapping up the planner work in time for the holiday’s for all you planner babes that have been hitting me up about our 2020 planning goodies. Don’t worry I plan to have it done and ready for pre-sale at the end of November, so keep it on your radar.
For now I want to share one of the holiday looks I finally had time to finish and take pics in this past weekend. For those that have been following and purchasing the the Nina Ramel Fabric Box you may recall seeing this fabulous double sided baby blue and metallic brocade that is beyond AMAZING! If you missed it i’m truly sorry because beauties like this don’t come along that often. I’m not a real lover of brocades but when I saw this one I knew I had to have it for our fabric box. While I wish I had more I’m just happy I remembered to take out five yards for myself! lol From the start my mind was set on creating a fabulous holiday look that was, chic, sexy, full of drama but not overly done. I pulled back on my original design and to be honest I’m glad I did! Sometimes less really is more and if you add just a touch of drama in the right places, it’s all you really need. I decided to use commercial patterns for several reasons, one being I didn’t have time to drape from scratch and second I wanted to inspire all my fabric box supporters to get to work with their brocade boxes. Overall I’m thrilled with the way things turned out and while I don’t have anywhere to wear this baby just yet I definitely will come the holidays. Until next time loves keep hustling and creating like only you know how to do!
Hugs & Love
Duster Pattern: Simplicity 8648 View B with alterations to the sleeve.
**Please note I fully lined the Bodice, waistband and upper sleeve! I the bottom portion of the sleeve with the pinched fabric did not warrant lining and I still accomplished a clean finish by hand stitching the upper sleeve lining closed hiding the upper seam and the cuff hides the sleeve hem.
** Let me just warn you that this baby is extra long I mean seriously. When I added the ruffle that baby was dragging the floor more than anyone in their right mind would want unless you’re about 6’feet tall. My suggestion would be if you want the full effect of the ruffle cut the skirt portion down before adding the ruffle! I altered the sleeve myself by cutting the sleeve pattern in half just above the elbow and spreadk the bottom half apart evenly to add volume. This meant the bottom half would have to be gathered so the pieces would fit together again. Once the sleeve was sewn together again I used my favorite pinching method to create a little drama on the bottom portion of the sleeve check out on my video (half blouse pinched sleeve) for details. I also added a small cuff to the bottom of the sleeve to ensure it would hold it’s shape once completed. Feel free to email me if you have specific questions about the sleeve process.
The pants: Cynthia Rowley for Simplicity 1371 View C
***The pattern is simple but be warned it runs a little big in the front and hip area. I mean I know I lost weight but this is ridiculous! The beauty of this pattern is the high waist but the crotch was lower than I like and the front fit required some altering to get it where I wanted. Instead of a tight fit I opted for lose fit in hip area and tight around the ankle/hem. I have to admit I kind of dig them now! LOL