This season, cutouts are the newest unapologetic, body-positive trend that I'm no stranger to:

This dress is McCall's 8175, #VanessaMcCalls. I cut view A/B. 

I'd typically have to do a sway back adjustment. But since the back is open, There were other ways to refine the fit. I had to take the skirt in at the sides to make sure it sat at the natural waist. And I the bodice didn't fit as close to the body as I liked, so I added elastic to the edge.

This was such a fun dress to sew. It's one of those pieces that you can't wait to be done with because you know it's going to be so fabulous. 

The pattern is Simplicity 9114 and my fabric is Aisha All Over Sequin Floral Embroidery Mesh.

This was dress was fits somewhat oversized. It was designed to be worn as duster or dress, so it has a little more ease than a normal shirt dress would. I didn't make any fit adjustments. This one worked for me straight out of the envelope.

This wasn't necessarily a difficult sew, but it was tedious because I had to take my time sewing it. It's not a zip through project. I cut everything out on a single layer. I used my walking foot and size 100/16 ball point needle. 

I didn't interface the collar or the front bands. And I left the cuffs off. I lengthened the sleeves by 4 inches and added 1/2" elastic. The worst part of sewing this was gathering the tiers. I used the yarn method for that. But it felt like it took forever.

I didn't do any seam finishing. I just trimmed the seams down and I left the hem raw.

This dress is the latest release from Eryn at Style Sew Me Patterns. She's called the "Anna Dress". Eryn reached out to me to help launch this amazing new pattern which is available today:

My fabric is Telio Mojito Slub Linen Look Dotted Print Red from Fabric.com. Note: This pattern is drafted to use 60" wide fabric. Based on the Style Sew Me Patterns size chart, I cut the size L (14-16). I have a large waist to hip ratio, so I ended up taking a few inches out of the waist area. 

With any pattern that I sew, I have to make changes, alterations and modifications so that the pattern will best suit me. The neckline on the pattern was too high for me. I look best in deep v-necks and scoop necks. I like visible clavicles and I give good décolletage. 

So, I opened up the neckline by lowering the center front by 3 inches. When lowering a neckline, always draw the line slightly curved so that it will contour to your chest and not gape. And if you have a facing, don't forget to re-draft your facing as well.

This pattern is drafted with an interfaced sleeve facing. I opted to omit that. After I tried on the dress, I decided that I wanted to go with a softer sleeve finish by simply hemming it.

This dress had been cut out and waiting to be sewn for most of summer. So, now it's become a fall dress! It's the True Bias Calvin Wrap Dress that is drafted in such a flattering and enhancing way. 

My fabric is a poly crepe print that cut, sews and pressed beautifully. The pressing part is vitally important because there is a lot of bias binding that has to be created. And if your fabric doesn't press well, it will definitely impact the look of this dress.

According to the instructions, the pattern is drafted for someone 5'5" with a C cup.  I'm 5'9" with a DD cup, and this is the fit with no FBA and 1" added at the waist and 1" added at the hem. So, this dress has a generous amount of fabric at the bust and is drafted long.

This is the second dress recently that I've made where I've had to create a lot of bias binding. And on this one, it's one of my favorite details.

So, Tuesday, September 22nd was my 50th birthday. It took me a week to process it and all that has happened. Since my 49th birthday, so much in my life has changed... for the better. After several YEARS of deep contemplation, I decided to end my marriage during Summer of 2019. December 6, 2019, I packed up and moved to Auburn, AL to be near Mikaela. I needed rest, relaxation and a reset. After 3 months, the pandemic hit and it was the best thing to happen to me. The entire world slowed down to a pace that met my own. I enjoyed the stillness. Since March, I've done a lot of soul searching and reflecting regarding who I am and who I want to be in this new stage of life. Knowing that I made the best possible decision for myself, I'm not bitter, jaded, sad or angry. I'm excited! I'm excited about new beginnings and fresh starts. I'm even dating, during the pandemic! Navigating this has been super tricky and interesting. It takes getting to know someone, their habits and whether or not they are strongly "Covid Conscious". With everything that is going on in the world, this has been the year that I needed and hopefully, it will end on a high note. I'm looking forward to 2021.

I haven't been inspired to make a birthday dress in a longtime. I'd had this pattern, Vogue 1692 since it came out. It had always been my intention to take the pattern and just make it into a casual racerback style maxi dress. But why? Why not create what it was intended to be? Something glamorous.

This is a really simple pattern that sews quickly, but it required a lot of alterations for me. Here is my FBA and the one inch length at the waist.