Sharon Sews

As I was browsing through the latest Neiman Marcus mini catalog I came across this summer top and cropped pants. The designer is Joan Vass. The cotton top sells for $155 and the cotton pants sell for $115. Mmm-hmm, you read that right, $155 and $115. By the way, I do not shop at Neiman Marcus - I can't afford it. However, my incredibly fashionable and well-dressed co-worker gives me her high end store catalogs and mailers when she is done looking at them. What really caught my eye was the design. Not so much that it is a "wow! I gotta have that and I don't care what it costs!" It was that I had purchased this Butterick pattern - 4814 - last year when it was first released. In fact, I already sewed the top, decided I disliked it and donated it to the local thrift store. Now why can't all designer ready-to-wear be so easy to knock-off?

I don't know about you but the office I work in cold! Between you and I, not only do I keep a heavy sweater tucked away in a desk drawer but a pair of lightweight gloves! I'm serious. I've even been known to drape a blanket around my shoulders ...well, okay, that was only once and it was to prove a point. And it did work...the cooling system was looked at. Of course then there are the days that the temperature is perfect! It sure makes it difficult deciding what to wear for the day. So what does my sometimes cold, sometimes perfect, office temperature have to do with sewing? Well, let me tell you. I am always on the lookout for a simple and versatile jacket that can be worn with multiple summer dresses or tops. I thought the jacket from this pattern - Vogue 8232 - just might be one of those jackets. It has a simple shape, short sleeves, and a trendy shorter length. No lining, no buttons, no zippers. The jacket itself is basically a peasant blouse gathered into a rounded yo