Sharon Sews

Basic black. Mock turtleneck. Raglan sleeves.  Sounds a bit bland doesn't it? Perhaps. But it's just what was lacking in my winter wardrobe.  However, the added design detail of a right-side button closure and contrast faux leather cuffs kicks it up a notch.  The textured knit was in a Fabric Mart Fabrics bundle I had received free with purchase during one of their fabric sales. The pattern is Vogue 8670 (c. 2010).  I've sewn it a few times, and have it altered to fit thus the handwritten " Keep | FBA " note to myself.  Otherwise I'd likely toss the pattern during one of my "I have too much sewing stuff" phases!  The darts are the reason I originally choose this pattern as I find it  quicker to do an FBA when there is an existing dart on the pattern. That button closure along the right-side?  It's functional.  But it could simply be decorative if you only wanted to sew on buttons versus creating the placket.   The ...

"You're not wearing that to church are you?"  "I was planning to." "But those pants! They look like leather!"  "Um, yea, they're supposed to. They're faux leather leggings."  "But it's black. You should dress more festive." "It's a candlelight service. Nobody will notice what I'm wearing." Traditional Christmas Eve attire? Nope. At least not in my family.  Even though hubby would have preferred a brighter color (his words), I wore the outfit to our Christmas Eve service and the family gathering after church. Well, okay, I admit I changed the faux leather leggings.  And while the top is black, I'd like to point out that it does have sequins which sparkled beautifully in the candlelight.  The top is Butterick 6289. One of the new releases. And I'm shocked that I actually purchased a pattern and sewed it within one month.  New patterns usually sit in my stash for quite some time before...

I think I must love black and white polka dot fabrics. **************************************************

I don't know what possessed me to purchase - and proceed to sew - this ultra bright green lightweight wool. I hate green. Well, hate might be a bit too strong of a word. It's not that I really hate the color green. I think green is a lovely color. It works beautifully on my lawn. And it frames the flowers in my garden quite nicely. It even looks fabulous surrounded by luscious red tomatoes in my salad bowl. It just doesn't look good on me. Which is why I've avoided wearing and sewing green for many, many years. Possibly since I sewed this jumpsuit back in 9th grade. And even then I only choose green because green and white were the school colors. So you might be wondering what ever led me to purchase a yard of bright green fabric from Fabric Mart Fabrics this past spring? It's simple. It was still rather drab outside and I was seduced by visions of a brightly colored spring wardrobe, complete with a bright green pencil skirt. But the sewing didn't happen u...

Does this fabric look familiar? It might, as I posted a photo last February as soon as it arrived in my order from Fabric Mart Fabrics . In fact, that posting was dated just days before we discovered my son had a brain tumor. Last February feels like a lifetime ago, yet in reality it was only five months ago . Five months of surgery, recovery, radiation and chemo. For me, and certainly for my son, it really hit home how your life can change in an instant. During that period I went through a time when I lost all motivation to sew. It felt like such a silly activity. In fact, I went through my supplies and made a rather large sewing related donation to a local thrift store. Included in that donation was yards and yards and yards of fabric. But not this piece of fabric. Instinctively I knew once we got past the initial shock and treatment I would once again find sewing to be a relaxing retreat. Which is where I'm at today. My sewing time is still more limited than it was, but ...

We had a brief moment last week where temperatures soared into the upper 20s, resulting in a sudden urge to sewing something for spring. Looking around my sewing studio I saw myself surrounded by lots of wool and lots of dark colors. So I did what any self-respecting fabric-a-holic would do. Indulged in a little fabric shopping over at Fabric Mart . One knit was described as "a must to brighten your wardrobe". I think that might have been an understatement. See for yourself. I dont' know yet what I'll use this one for, but I admit it does bring a smile to my face.

We've been blessed with quite mild weather so far this fall season. Mild enough that we do not yet have snow on the ground, nor have we had to break out the heavy wool coats, leather gloves and winter boots. This coat - McCall's 5987 - is perfect for this mild weather . It is unlined, does not have any closures, and has an attached collar that doubles as a scarf to make a fashion statement. The collar can be worn down, tied in front or tossed over one shoulder. With no front closure, I find tying the scarf helps keep the coat closed While the coat went together very quickly (there are only six pattern pieces and it is unlined) I found it to run large. This coat is a size 12 with no pattern adjustments and I found it to be too big . If I sewed another one for myself I would go down one size . If you're thinking about sewing this I'd suggest measuring the pattern first, something I did not do. The fabric was a lovely wool that had been in a wool bundle ordered fr...

After sewing the fun BWOF skirt (blogged about here ) I realized there was a striped shirting fabric hiding in my closet with the exact blue of the skirt that would look great in a button front shirt. The end result is a bit more casual than what I usually wear, but it's good to try new things right? The shirt is sewn from Simplicity 3684 . It's not only one of the Threads Magazine Collection designs, but it's one of Simplicity's B,C,D cup size patterns. Which means no fiddling around with an FBA. Which means more time for sewing. The pattern includes a bib front version as well as a button front version. There is a separate front band as well as a separate collar stand for the collar. Both take a bit more time to sew but, in my opinion, are well worth the extra time. The shirt can be sewn tunic length with side hem slits or shorter with a curved shirt hem. The darts in both the front and back combined with the curve side seam of the pattern result in a nicely shaped...

I had plans to sew one more late-winter dress before heading full force into spring sewing. After all the ground *is* still covered with snow. The dress was a long-sleeved button front number from a 1975 pattern - Simplicity 6894 - in a silver/gray stretch suede purchased from (where else) Fabric Mart Fabrics . (In the 3 yards for $5 section.) But when I realized this piece of stash fabric matched my new shoes... ...well, you understand why I had to change my sewing direction don't you?.

Whew - we had a busy weekend - how about you? Hubby volunteered for an overtime job and ended up putting in almost 24 hours this weekend. Me? I spent most of Friday and Saturday at a fantastic seminar. Needless to say, we didn't see each other for more than five minutes and neither of us had a chance to get the necessary stuff done - you know, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and paying bills. Since I was home today and hubby was not, do you think I took care of all of those things? Nah, not all of them. I figured I can grocery shop tomorrow, we have enough clothes to get by a few more days and the dogs don't care if the floors haven't been vacuumed yet. I allowed myself some sewing time. Even though the seminar was uplifting and refreshing, there's something therapeutic about spending time sewing. My goal is to continue to build my work wardrobe. I have lots of basics - pants, tees and skirts - especially in solid colors, so I began work on another jacket. Some o...

When I read a Shannon's post about using these beautiful Anna Sui silk's for linings... well, what can I say? My fingers typed in Fabric Mart's web address on my keyboard and in minutes and order was placed. The package arrived today and I must say, these silks are even more beautiful in person than they appear in the photograph. Oh how I love the way silk feels!