Inspiration...Shirt Dress

 Shirt dresses are still running strong.  This particular shirt dress is a little different:

This is the Denver Eyelet Belted Shirtdress by Lafayette 148 New York.  Price tag: $798.00.  Details:  Spread collar, button front, elbow sleeves, dropped waist, a-line silhouette, d-ring cloth belt, below the knee, cotton lining, approximately 44" from shoulder to knee.

I really think this is the same fabric from the last inspiration post.  However the dress is lined and that makes it much better.  I would love to add this dress to my summer wardrobe but the price is not something I would pay for a dress.

I think this would be easy to duplicate with a shirt pattern that is already fitted.  You might need to add a little to the circumference to get the loose effect, decide where you want the gather to be and then add/substract length to the bottom of the shirt, and decide on the best length of the dress for you.  The gathered amount should probably be 1 1/2 times the bottom of the shirt.  

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration...Sleeveless Blouse and Jeans

 It has been a while since I have made an inspiration post.  It has been a while since I have seen anything that was inspiring to me.  However summer is coming and we must be prepared.  Here is a cute idea:

This is the Ari Sleeveless Eyelet Blouse by Lafayette 148 New York.  Price tag: $398.00  Details:  Sleeveless, spread collar, button front, box pleat at back yoke, relaxed silhouette, shirt tail hem, approximately 26" from shoulder to hem.  

The eyelet fabric is fabulous but I do not think I would make a top with that particular fabric.  I would be very self-conscious which is probably an age related thing.  This is the pattern that I would probably use:

This is the Seamwork Willis top.  This is a pretty close match to the inspiration photo.  However if you have an already fitted shirt pattern, save time and use it.  Remember all you need to do to use a shirt pattern with sleeves is raise the armscye to a point that you are comfortable.  As for finishing, use a bias tape either purchased or home-made.  

This is the Reeve High-Rise Straight-Leg Jean by Lafayette 148 New York. Price tag: $398.00. Details:  5-pocket style, high rise, straight legs, button/fly zip, belt loops, cotton/spandex fabric,  29" inseam with 29 1/2" outseam.  

Here is a pattern to consider:

This is Seamwork Tessa pattern. This is a high-waisted jean.  It may be a little more relaxed than the inspiration but they are pretty much perfect.  If you already have a jean pattern fitted, use it.  

I have a yearly membership to Seamwork.  So I do try to use the patterns.  A membership is only worth it if you use it.  There are many other patterns available that could be used for either the blouse or the jeans.  Hope you are inspired to create something beautiful.

Happy Stitching!

Sewing Machines...

The last year has been hard on my sewing machine collection.  I have a Husqvarna Rose which was stitching just fine and I decided to drop the feed dogs.  This was a mistake.  There is a plastic part that that function depends on.  The feed dogs never came up again.  Okay, the machine has lived a long live.  I have had it more than 20 years and it was a used machine from the dealer.  I also have a Husqvarna Lisa which I purchased after the Rose so I could sew while the Rose was embroidering.  The Lisa is 20 years old this year.  I noticed that the stitches were no longer consistent.  I called the dealer about a repair and was told that parts were no longer available for that machine.  That made me so sad.  I really love using Lisa.  It is not a fancy machine.  It is computerized but it only has 29 stitches.  You can't purchase this type of machine anymore.  

I do have a collection of machines.  It is nice to have a machine that you can travel with.  With the Rose and Lisa down, the only traveling machine I have left is a Singer Featherweight.  This machine is fine for sewing wovens.  I am using it right now.  However, I think I may want another machine to replace the Rose and Lisa machines.  I spend most of my days at my parents and sew while I am hanging out with them.  So, my traveling machine spends all the time there.  I am not a hasty purchaser of sewing machines.  I like to look at them and try them out.  Is that really possible right now?

I have kinda narrowed it down to two or three or four machines:  Bernette 38 (then the Bernette 77 caught my attention) and Husqvarna Opal 670 or 690Q.   You know you can not look at these machines at the same store.  The Bernette machines have pretty much the same pricing across the board. They can be purchased on line.  The Husqvarna is a mystery.  You have to visit a store to find out the price. Sometimes, you can see prices on Pattern Review but amazingly no has reviewed an Opal in a while.  

If you have any thoughts on these machines, I would love to hear about them.

Happy Stitching!