...and after a storm, there's calm.

This is such a happy dress!  The spectrum of colors remind me of the rainbow.  And how apropos on a day that was gloomy with rain and storm clouds.

This day was like life is at times:  full of gloom and cloudiness.  And yes, sometimes there are storms.  But the storms do pass.  And out comes the sun and the rainbow, signifying a better future and a hopeful tomorrow.  It's been raining a lot here, and almost everytime I spot a rainbow.  It's a constant reminder of something awesome is coming my way!

Wearing:  Vogue 8870.  See the original review here.

This week was epically busy.  All I have a desire to do right now?  Sleeping and eventually waking to drag to the sewing room in my PJs.  But that's not hardly going to happen! But I shall persevere!

On yesterday, I needed to get dressed and I needed to dress quickly.  So I grabbed this LBD from years gone by, but still so relevant.  This is what I tell y'all about making things that will stand the test of time.  A little black shift dress will work wonders in your wardrobe.  A dress like this can go from day to evening; from trendy sandals to a classic pump.  Mileage people, mileage!

This dress was probably the first project that introduced me to the exposed zipper.  The instructions for insertion were great.  That's the thing about VP's designer patterns:  you learn so much and so many different techniques.  They're worth buying and making them for the finished garment of course, but for the lessons taught.  

This dress is Vogue 1151 by designer Cynthia Steffe.  You can see my original review here.  It's currently out-of-print, but if you have it, it sure is a great one!

I bought this pattern - Simplicity 1373, as soon as it was released.  It was the back that sold me on this one.  This spring and summer, one of the major trends has been that of the "Dramatic Back".  Cutouts, criss-crossings, plunging backlines are ruling this season.

For this dress, I wanted a sexy day dress.  I chose a casual fabric, this great light canary yellow striped viscose ponte-blend knit from Mood Fabrics.  And I also am particularly careful about the amount of skin I show at once.

This raglan sweetheart neckline aided in a "demure" look for the front of the bodice.  

For my modifications, I cut the size 14.  And with this knit, it was still way too big.  I ended up having to make a larger dart than suggested.  And for the peplum, I added 19 inches to create the skirt and created an a-line silhouette.  For a style like this, personally I needed a skirt with a loose fit.  It is a summer daytime look I was going for.

For the straps, instead of following the instructions to add button closures, I just stretched them over to the front bodice and finished with seam binding as suggested.  Even without closures, this dress still has enough ease to slip on and off over my head.  And yes, I'm wearing a bra.  Somehow, the fashion goddesses made a regular strapless bra work with this dress.  I tried a regular bra and the back of the dress just seamed too wide to hide the bra straps.

I love this pattern!  It's adorable and I hope I get around to making the version that ties in the back. 

This year I decided that, ground sweeping maxi dresses will probably not be in the cards for me.  I've been dragging around, closing my car door, getting my heels caught and tripping over these elongated hemlines for a few years now.  I'm not the most graceful gal and I've literally fallen UP stairs from my feet getting caught in my dress.  And with the temps already dipping into the mid 90s with high humidity, I just don't want to be swathed in yards of fabric this summer.

So when I have the desire to wear a longer length, it will be a midi hemline.  I can still get the same coverage and flowy, without adding to my clumsiness!

I love this dress so much!  Y'all already know how much I LOVE details and design elements.  And this "simple" black dress has a few!  Notice the cut-in shoulders... lace insets at the waist and an exposed zipper!  I'm addicted to those things.  I know one of these days, I'm going to wake up completely out of the blue and be totally over them.

Wearing:  Vogue 8900.  See my original review of this dress!

Please bare with me, new sewing is coming.  Life has been so busy these days -- hence the reason I've actually had to get up and get dressed!  But I currently have a project cut out on the sewing table.  Now if I can only find the time and muster the energy!  Pray for me!

A floral print is the perfect way to evoke the spirit of summer and this dress is a perfect look for date night.  I've mentioned before that I'm quite particular in selecting prints.  And this is probably the boldest print I have in my closet.  And that's why I chose to keep the accessories simple:  very little jewelry (a watch, bracelet and a gold ring or tungsten rings) and a simple sandal, but a bright color pulled from the print.  

I haven't worn this dress in forever.  And honestly, it was because I was very conscious of my middle.  There's no concealing in this dress and wearing a wide belt was out of the question with this busy print.  But these days, I've been feeling a lot better about myself.  I'm revisiting a lot of things in my closet that previously didn't fit or didn't "fit right".

Often, I read comments advising women to rid themselves of clothing that no longer fits.  Well... maybe so.  But if you have it in your head and your heart to make changes for the better, then shut down those naysayers, keep your clothes in your closet and put in the work!  And before you know it, you'll be where you want to be.  Maybe those people give out advice based on their on personal resolve.  They don't know you or what you're willing to personally accomplish!

The dress is (OOP) McCall's 6348.

The short suit is one of the hottest trends this spring.  

It says, "I'm smart, sophisticated, confident and oh so pulled together!" 

My blazer is Simplicity 2446. I love this pattern so much that I made it twice!  Both in bright colors!

My cobalt blue lace shorts are Vogue 8865.

My white peplum top is Vogue 8815.  I think I made 3 versions of this top!

There use to be a time that you couldn't get me to go near bright colors.  I don't know what the fear was about.  But now, I love them and they make me just feel so cheerful!

Rainy days are days when I prefer to be home... doing something productive like -- SEWING!  That's not always the case.  When you're managing a household and a family, you have to keep going, be it rain or shine and sometimes snow!

So when I have to go out in the rain, I prefer to just make the best of the situation and put together a cute outfit.  And with the rainy weather we've had for the last week, I've had plenty of opportunities to do just that.

For this look, I pulled out (OOP) Vogue 1224 by Tracy Reese.  I always thought this was such a cute little dress.  And I absolutely adore this fabric. I'm very and I mean VERY particular when it comes to prints.  Some prints range from granny to upholstery.  Some prints are so busy that I feel looking at them gives me vertigo!  So I always try to find something that leans more-so towards  "chic".  That's one of the main reasons that this dress has lasted this long in my closet... it is such a great print.  It's a very simple mixture of animal print: zebra and giraffe, but in only two colors.  I can live with that.

Every now and then, I like to remind my readers that I do wear the clothes that I sew.  And I like to also show the importance of selecting items with "staying power", classical lines, colors and only trends that will be around for a few years and not just a season.  And most importantly, the best fabric you can afford.  That was a hard lesson to learn.  I love discounted fabric, but sometimes you get what you pay for.  There's nothing like making something you love and then having the fabric fade or pill.  And also, at my age I sew like I shop -- investment pieces mostly!  My sewing time is hard to come by these days, so I don't take it for granted.  I just don't have the time or energy for "throw-away" pieces.  When I make it, I make it to last and  to get all of the mileage out of it that I can!

I love an all-white head-to-toe look.  It just looks so fresh, crisp and clean.

I know a lot of people can't make it through the day and stay pristine.  But as long as there aren't any accidents, I'm good.  

This is one of my favorite all-white looks.  The top is New Look 6130.  It's one of the most awesome peplum patterns I've used.  I was immediately sold on the asymmetrical pleated peplum.  

I'm so glad I chose to make it in white so that it would go with everything!  Especially my favorite pair of NYDJ.

Summer is in full-effect here in the South.  And cool, casual, chic and comfy looks are required.  And one of my favorite summer fabrics is silk crepe de chine.  I love it in everything and I can always find a garment that it'll be perfect for.

When I saw this beautiful magenta 2-ply silk crepe from Mood Fabrics.com (which unfortunately has sold out.  Here is a great alternative, I knew that I would make something fabulous where the fabric could do all of the singing.  So I picked this romper.  In my area, as soon as the mercury touches 80 degrees, everyone pulls out the shorts!  So why not a pair of silk ones?!  Because when it boils down, a romper is basically a tank top and shorts.  But the best part is that it's one-piece dressing.  I love mixing and matching separates like nobody's business, but sometimes I like to grab and go!  

So for this look, I chose Simplicity 1355.  The lines were perfect to showcase such wonderful fabric.  And wonderful fabric it is indeed!  This silk is the PERFECT weight!  And the drape is off the charts!  It cut beautifully.  I didn't have any problems with "crawling" as some silks and sheers are known to do.  And it sewed problem-free also.  I used a Microtex needle and made gorgeous French seams.

For this romper, I made my usual alterations:  

I cut the size medium and added an inch to the bodice to insure a blousing effect.  

And I added an inch to the crotch and an inch to the hemline.

The back was huge and the faux back wrap-style was DEEP!  It's summertime and we're already having days that heat up to the low 90s.  Adding an additional layer of a tank or cami underneath this is out of the question.  And also, I feel that it takes away from the original fabric.  So I had to come up with a "seamstress' solution".  When dresses plunge to deeply in the front, seamstresses add "modesty panels".  So, why not add one to the back?  And that's just what I did.  This solved the problem of the bodice being "bra-UNfriendly" and also the oversized issue of the straps falling off the shoulder.  I basically measured crosswise from where the bra band would go and cut a triangle and sewed it in using a topstitch.  Problem solved.

This fabric is amazing and the photos just don't even do the color justice!  It's one of the most vibrant jewel-tone magentas that I've ever seen.  And I've made a mental note to buy extra of a fabulous fabric the first time!

This week, I seem to be leaning more and more towards one-piece dressing.  It's so easy and all you need is a pair of shoes!

So today, I reached for this adorable fit and flare dress from last fall.  Even though it's a wool-blend, it was really comfortable for the high temps.  And during the cold weather months, I never get to wear it without a jacket.

I'm so addicted to this cut-in shoulder style.  It seems like everytime I make something sleeveless, this is the style that I want to create.

Here is the original review on this dress.

Do you ever forget about clothes in your closet?  I do, all of the time.  That's why every season, I shuffle my closet.  I move the previous season's wardrobe further away and the current season forward.  And in doing so a few weeks ago, I rediscovered this top!

This is McCall's 6702 and it's still available!

I love the easy-breeziness of the linen.  And the open-back is what originally sold me on this look.  I mean, I have plenty of shirt patterns.  But this one had that little bit of extra "something-ness" and I had to have it. 

It pairs so well with everything, especially a pair of chino Old Navy shorts that I live in during the summer.  I have these shorts in almost every color!  Which reminds me, I need a new white pair (for $15, I'll buy instead of making)!

And it was cool and comfortable especially for playing in the park!

Isabella is 2 1/2 now.  And she's so big and so smart!