Fall Fatigue

These army green fatigue jackets can be seen everywhere online and in real life. I already had one that I bought the winter before last and I wear it a lot but it is a winter jacket. Nicely lined in a warm fuzzy fabric that makes it too warm for fall and spring. 

So, when my mom passed on this piece of cotton twill when she cleaned out her stash, I knew exactly what I would make. It is nice to add this jacket to my closet rotation. 

A peek at this inside finishes.

I chose to use Simplicity 2153 for this jacket and made view C. I liked the rolled sleeves and the tabs, and thought that the shorter sleeve length would be perfect for spring,summer and fall.

My Review: 

Pattern:  Simplicity 2153

Fabric used: Cotton twill given to me by my mom.

Instructions:The instructions were fine as far as I can remember...

Changes I made: For once I didn't make any changes to this one! I did however do Hong Kong seams on this one because it wasn't lined, except for the under arm seams, where I hemmed the seam allowances because when the sleeves were rolled they would be seen. 

Repeat worthy? I really like this jacket and have worn is a lot already but I probably won't make another and move on to other coat patterns.

Jacket:Self-made Dress:Gap(thrifted) Boots:Marks Work Warehouse Necklace:Suzy Shier

I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who voted for me last week in Project Sewn's sewalong! It was a huge surprise to win. You guys are so nice.

Don't forget to go and vote for this weeks designs...this is the last week of the competition. Then go back to vote for the sewalong contributors...there are so many lovely entries to choose from. Good luck to all!

I Sewed Along Not Knowing It Was A Sewalong..

It was so nice of a lovely reader from So I Sewed This to make the suggestion that I enter this dress in Project Sewn's Graphic Print sewalong...umm..... sewalong aside for just a moment... where have I been to have missed following this contest from week one!??   Oh my gosh ...these ladies are talented!

I hope you don't all live under a rock like I apparently do and have already voted for this weeks designs that are based on a graphic print theme. If you missed voting for the designers in the contest you can still go and vote for you favorite submission in the Graphic Print Challenge sewalong... 

I am always in awe of the many talented sewists in this blogging community...go check them out and vote for your favorite!

Fierce...ish

This dress was an instant hit with my daughters...no surprise! The reaction from one was, " Mama, that dress is fierce!" Wow. I'm not sure how well I do "fierce". While I do love this dress, I think my girls will get a lot more wear out of it than I will. I'm very okay with that.

I recently received a Janome CoverPro 1000 from husband (that you can read about here), so I was excited to start experimenting with knits. This is a very stable knit, which was a good place to start to ease my way in. I loved the geometric print and looked forward to the challenge of matching it up in the back! I didn't even give a thought to the side seams though....oh well.

 During the process of cutting it out, I thought that the sleeves would be great in a faux leather...a little edgier than my usual taste but I went for it anyway!

My Review: 

Pattern: Newlook 6144

Fabric used: Geometric Print Jersey Knit

Instructions:The instructions were straight forward... a basic easy dress.

Changes I made: Taking into account that I was using a knit for a woven pattern, I cut this dress a size smaller than my usual size. I also omitted all darts. I loved the print so much that I didn't want to distort it with the darts. I also graded the waist down another size at the waist.

The sleeve openings were a bit too big as well. I took them in at the shoulder seam so they didn't poke out so much. I am much happier with them now.

Repeat worthy? Definitely! It may seem like a lot of changes to the pattern but now that I have them made, next time will go much quicker. I love the detailing at the neckline and the faux leather sleeves. 

Must fix that hair!

My Thrift Style...Yeah I Do Casual

While my sewing projects are at a bit of a stand still at the moment, I will share with you some of my thrift scores. These were big  for me because both the sweater and the jeans had the original tags still attached! Score!

It's no secret that I LOVE dresses and skirts. Making them, thrifting them and wearing them...but I also do casual. It's pretty hard to spend all weekend at a lacrosse tournament in a dress. I've done it before buuuuuut .......it's better to wear jeans. Trust me on this one.... This outfit is sooo close to being fully thrifted, here are the details:

Jeans: Puzzle (thrifted)

Shirt: Eddie Bauer (thrifted)

Sweater: Gap (thrifted)

Purse: Ricki's(borrowed from my daughter)

Booties: Old Navy

Necklace: A mystery (cast off from daughter)

Fall Floral

I have always been drawn to floral prints and I was immediately smitten when I saw this one. Now that my stash busting challenge is officially over...I skipped out the door with one meter of this precious print, knowing exactly what I would make.

I have had McCalls 5661 in my pattern stash for quite some time now and haven't made anything from it until this top. I bought it without realizing that the back was a button back which then made me unsure of it...but not any more!!! I love the button back, especially after Heather gave me a crash course on how to button that sucker up by myself! 

Go ahead ask her her secret... I did. :) Very helpful that one.

My Review: 

Pattern: McCalls 5661

Fabric used: Rayon

Instructions:The instructions were straight forward and easy. I especially love how the facing is attached. It fully encloses this little sleeve perfectly! I tried to take pictures of it but the lighting wouldn't give me good pictures...sad face. 

Changes I made: I did have to take in the waist of this one a good 5/8 inch on each side. 

Repeat worthy? Definitely! The little sleeves on this one are perfect for summer and fit so nicely under a cardigan or blazer for the rest of the year. 

Top:self made 

Jeans:Tommy Hilfiger 

Blazer:JCrew(thrifted)

Belt and Bag:Joe Fresh

Shoes:Franco Sarto