Lucy from London, as I affectionately call her, sent me her latest pattern and it's just as amazing as all of the other ones. She's my favorite indie pattern designer because her patterns look like of-the-moment ready-to-wear, and that's what I'm always looking for.

This is the TPC 18 Twist Dress. There are two variations: this one with the center front twist and the other one with the side twist. I plan to make that one too. For this one, I cut the size 14 and I added an inch to the hem. 

My fabric is a blue and white striped cotton shirting from Fine Fabrics. Per usual, Trend Patterns uses the Metric System and 1cm seam allowances. So, make sure that you measure twice and cut once, because there is no room to let out.

Creating the twist was pretty simple and the instructions and photographs in the instruction booklet are exceptional, especially if you're visual like me.

The neckline and the sleeves are faced.

The dress has an invisible zipper and fish eye darts.

I have a new found love for easy to wear dresses like this, that can work with heels or flats. And with this weather, you can't beat a dress made from a crisp, cotton shirting.

There is no other reason for me making this dress, other than I had some red fabric and this dress looked interesting. As a sewist, that's a damn good reason!

When I bought McCall's 7775, I liked both versions. Usually when there are two different patterns in an envelope, the styles kind of go together. I don't see the cohesiveness in these two designs. That's not a bad thing... because I feel I got two dresses for the price of one. And I decided to go with view D first. Only because I didn't have a red invisible zipper on hand. I still plan to make the other one.

My fabric is a red poly crepe, that I think is probably a peachskin that I purchased at Fine Fabrics. This fabric has no stretch, but the drape is incredible. It's as lovely as a 4-ply silk crepe. 

I cut the size 14 and graded to a 16 at the hip. I didn't have to add any additional length, because I plan to wear this dress with heels and flat sandals. This pattern has only 3 pattern pieces (front, back and back facing). But don't be deceived that this pattern has no level of difficulty or lacks design interest.

There is a lot of pleating and I carefully transferred all of my markings, because there is no way you can wing this.

The pleating and the interesting collar is why I was drawn to this dress.

And also, it has really good cut-in shoulders.

Even the armhole has a nice style, and it's not too low that your bra will show.

There is a center front seam that ends in a slit. You can adjust that to your own particular comfort level.

This dress is unlike anything I have in my closet. And it's also a machine-washable pullover. Plus, it looks just a great with flat sandals. So, I plan to really enjoy wearing this.

Very rarely do I sew something with the intent of wearing it the same day. When I woke yesterday morning, my day was pretty routine... I got up, went to gym, came back home and sat outside with my morning coffee and scrolled Instagram, while the news played in the background. I saw one of the local accounts that I follow was a sponsor for the Art on the Rocks at the Birmingham Museum of Art and they were giving away tickets for last night. As soon as I entered the drawing, I immediately thought, "If I win, what will I wear?"  And lo and behold, about 30 minutes later, I actually won! Thanks Bromberg's! 

I typically attend at least one of the Fridays each year, but I definitely hadn't planned on attending last night. So, I was a little caught off guard. Sure, I have plenty of options in my closet that I can pull from, but me being the me that I am -- I wanted something new! 

I'd already been contemplating this outfit, because I had the exact amount of fabric it would take - 6 yards! And it seemed simple enough that I could cut it out and sew it up in a few hours. My fabric is from my bundle that I bought from Fine Fabrics that I showed in my latest haul video. I'd bought with the intention of making something else, but I decided it worked better for this look.

Normally, I cut a size 14... it's my go to Big 4 size. And I sometimes go with a 16 for bottoms. So, I thought it was best if I bought the pattern envelope with the size large because I can always take in. The top is pretty big. I could have actually made the medium. 

And I probably could've made the medium in the skirt too. The one good thing is everything was the right length. Aesthetically, I love a floor grazing maxi. 

But for the sake of my own clumsiness, ankle grazing works best for me. I've been known to step on the hem and fall walking up steps. I am not the most graceful gal!

I found the most perfect grosgrain ribbon that matched my fabric. So I narrowed the waistband on the skirt and used the ribbon as the ties. It was a perfect transition!

And the skirt has pockets. 

And who doesn't love pockets?!

I love that these two pieces together look like a maxi dress, but they can easily be separated. I love how quick this went together and how comfortable and cool it was for an evening out!

I made this dress a while ago. My husband suggested it would be perfect to save for the Memorial Day Weekend, based on the colors. His suggestion was on point and that's exactly what I did. My dress is inspired by a fabulous $1,700 Gucci dress with web trim that I feel in love with and had to create my own version. For the details, go on over to the Mood Sewing Network!

I've been on this style since last summer. I was drafting and pattern hacking my own tie-front cutout pieces. So, when I saw these new patterns this year, I knew my love of this style would continue.

When I saw Vogue 9312, I knew this would be something I'd want to wear. I don't sew a lot of knits, but if it's something that works with a ponte style knit, I'm all in. That's why I picked this fabulous black and white printed ponte knit.

I cut the size 14 in the bodice. I knew from eyeballing the bodice that it would clearly need a FBA.

Here is how my 1" FBA looks.

The darts provided excellent shaping.

For the skirt, I cut the B length. 

The bodice is attached to the skirt with a 3/4" seam allowance that creates a casing for 3/8" elastic.

This dress is so comfortable. It looks great with heels and just as great with a pair of flat sandals. I will definitely enjoy wearing it.

After I made my last dress, I had about a yard and a half leftover of that amazing stretch crepe. I normally keep the amount as close as possible to the amount needed for a project, but I bought extra because I liked it just that much.

McCall's 7750 was a great way to use up the rest of my fabric. I cut the size medium and I didn't have to make any other alterations. It's very generously sized.

The sleeves are open really wide, exposing the entire sides. So you would need to wear a cami (preferably a racerback style with thin straps) or a bandeau like me.

The only thing about this top is the way the sleeve is tacked. I went the extra mile on that part, because I could see that easily snapping apart if you're lazy about it.

The back has a keyhole opening with a chainloop closure. If you need more of a visual for how to do this, here is my tutorial.

Overall, I like this top. I questioned whether I would after I was finished, but then I saw that I am SUPPOSED to wear it layered over something and it all made sense then. So, this will be something that I reach for often, because of how easy it is to just throw on and wear.

With all of the royal wedding hoopla, I was reminded of Pippa Middleton's fabulous bridesmaid dress. But, since I didn't have a need for a gown, I decided I would go with the short version.

I've had these pictures of the Alexander McQueen Cowl-neck Silk Crepe Dress saved for years. It's one of those patterns that I've kept on my to-sew list, and I'm finally knocking it off of my list.

I used Butterick 5710. I had to make a change to the pattern to get to my inspiration dress. Even though I've had this pattern since it was first released, I'd never looked at the instructions. Even though the illustration on the front of the envelope and the technical line drawing gave the impression that the short version of the dress is a sheath dress... wrong! So very wrong! It was meant to be cut on the bias. That would've cause the hem of the dress to flounce out. And that is not what I wanted!

I cut the front bodice and drape in a size 14. I cut the front skirt in a size 16. And I cut the back in a size 16. 

For the back, I straightened the side seams and the center back edge. I lengthened by 5 inches, because this is drafted pretty short. And I added a walking vent. For the front skirt, I added 5 inches and straightened the side seams. I cut the bodice and drape on the bias as directed. But, if I were to make this again, I would cut the bodice on the straight grain. My fabric is stretchy enough as is, and I feel that it's not as stable as I would like. I cut the back and the front skirt also on the straight grain.

The bodice is low-cut. But not too low to wear with a regular bra. But, if you're making this and it's too low for your level of comfort, you can alter the pattern. This dress was drafted for 1/2" raglan shoulder pads. If you don't like shoulder pads, you can't just opt out. You'll have to remove the ease from the shoulders.

My fabric is a beautiful raspberry polyester crepe with stretch that I showed in my last fabric haul video, that I bought from Fine Fabrics in Atlanta. My lining is a stretch poly lining that I picked up from Jo-Ann. Even though this pattern only has 6 pattern pieces, this is a pretty fiddly dress to sew. And I added to the level of difficulty by adding a vent. But, it was a labor of love, because I really wanted my inspiration dress and I wasn't going to settle for anything less!