Sharon Sews

Remember this jacket? It was one of my UFO items that I finally completed last January. I liked the jacket so much that I purchased a groovy retro look stretch twill already knowing it would become another version of this jacket. And here it is! Love the retro print, love the colors, love the fit. I don't care that the pattern is from 2004 and that short boxy jackets are all the rage - I like this one. I like it paired with a pair of pants as well as the slight flair that isn't evident when viewing the jacket from front. I had a hard time deciding which buttons to add. Don't you like the convenience of a digital cameras? I do as I can take a photo of the buttons and then view the photo and color combo easily. I decided to add the square white buttons to mimic the squares and rectangles in the fabric. I also decided to eliminate the one button closure at the neckline as I have never worn my other jacket with that button closed. The facing on my other jacket wants to fli

What a sweet little dress pattern! My friend, A (the friend I did the bridesmaid's gown alteration for) wanted a flower girl dress for her one-year-old daughter. Now A does not know how to sew, but she wants to learn. Quite a few months ago, we spent an evening going over some sewing basics and she did sew a pillowcase that evening. That's the extent of her sewing knowledge. Her plan was to learn to sew by sewing her daughter's flower girl dress. She went to the fabric store and purchased a cute little sundress pattern marked "Easy". She showed it to me, I looked at the cover photo, said "yea, sure, I can help you sew that one", and helped her determine how much fabric to purchase. The fun began when she arrived for her sewing lesson. Now remember, the pattern is marked "EASY". And it is easy ... if you think that sewing a size 1/2 sundress with a complete lining, a side zipper and tulle underskirt is easy. Not exactly encouraging for a b

Alteration Station. That's what my sewing room was converted to the past weekend. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate to do alterations? I never take them on any longer for pay but I have a hard time saying no when family or close friends ask for assistance. It helps that they are aware of how much I hate alterations and only ask when they really, really, really need help. I always say yes, but somehow manage to tuck the item away in my sewing room and promptly forget it ever existed. Last week, when I was tidying up my sewing space, I guiltily looked at three items that I needed to finish. There's actually more than three, but I refused to let my eyes dart to the shelf where the others are waiting for their turn at the sewing machine. If I don't see them I don't have to work on them :-) I desperately wanted to continue work on the McCall's 5466 dress, but knew I should complete my obligations first. So I quickly hemmed a dress for a co-worker and repaired a rip