My Summer White Mini Dress...

I recently completed this simple summer white mini dress re-drafted from a blouse pattern. The inspiration for this dress can be seen in the pic below. My design changes were the length, the hem band, the ruched bodice and the halter-like back. I lined it fully with a nude knit lining, because the white was a bit see-through. Not trying to display the goods. I'm happy with it! And to my excitement and delight, I was recently notified that my dress had been published to New York Magazine's website! Beyond awesome :)

My Summer White Mini Dress...

I recently completed this simple summer white mini dress re-drafted from a blouse pattern. The inspiration for this dress can be seen in the pic below. My design changes were the length, the hem band, the ruched bodice and the halter-like back. I lined it fully with a nude knit lining, because the white was a bit see-through. Not trying to display the goods. I'm happy with it! And to my excitement and delight, I was recently notified that my dress had been published to New York Magazine's website! Beyond awesome :)

My Camouflage Romper...

First off, I have no idea why or when I purchased all this camouflage fabric. None. I can only recall that I've had it for a while. And it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I even knew what I wanted to do with it. I decided to sew a romper! Click below to see how it turned out:


The fabric was a heavy denim type fabric, but that made it easier to work with. Lightweight fabrics like chiffons are much more difficult to steady. Outside of the collar on the bodice and getting the fit of the shorts where I wanted them (modified the shorts pattern about 6 times before being satisfied with them) everything else went pretty smoothly. And of course I added side pockets.



This is my romper all sewn together with the center front basted and pinned together with the zipper pinned in and ready to sew (above).


The back view of my romper. I decided pretty late that I wanted back pockets, so I measured the back width of each side and drafted a pocket pattern a few inches less than the back measurement width of each side. The pockets are only faux pockets, so they're there just for a "look."


And voila! My completed camo romper! I'm happy with it. See a couple more pics of it HERE. Now on to the next one...

My Camouflage Romper...

First off, I have no idea why or when I purchased all this camouflage fabric. None. I can only recall that I've had it for a while. And it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I even knew what I wanted to do with it. I decided to sew a romper! Click below to see how it turned out:


The fabric was a heavy denim type fabric, but that made it easier to work with. Lightweight fabrics like chiffons are much more difficult to steady. Outside of the collar on the bodice and getting the fit of the shorts where I wanted them (modified the shorts pattern about 6 times before being satisfied with them) everything else went pretty smoothly. And of course I added side pockets.



This is my romper all sewn together with the center front basted and pinned together with the zipper pinned in and ready to sew (above).


The back view of my romper. I decided pretty late that I wanted back pockets, so I measured the back width of each side and drafted a pocket pattern a few inches less than the back measurement width of each side. The pockets are only faux pockets, so they're there just for a "look."


And voila! My completed camo romper! I'm happy with it. See a couple more pics of it HERE. Now on to the next one...

The Making of My "Sabrina" Dress...

This dress started out as a fitted halter blouse that I re-drafted into a drapey, flowy swing dress. I'm always blissfully naive and excited when I get pattern ideas. It never fails. I always go into them thinking it's going to be a simple and quick re-do and it never happens for me like that.  Looking back, I really wasn't fond of any of my pattern classes when I was in design school, probably because it always felt like I could never win and get that "perfect" grade (you're penalizing me because I was off one/eighth of an inch? Seriously?) but I can honestly say that I truly appreciate the close scrutiny and the invaluable knowledge that I gained from those classes now.


Overall I'm very pleased with the way my "Sabrina" dress turned out. I especially like the way it drapes. It's a beach/poolside/cocktail party "I'm on a boat" dress all wrapped into one, lol. 

The Making of My "Sabrina" Dress...

This dress started out as a fitted halter blouse that I re-drafted into a drapey, flowy swing dress. I'm always blissfully naive and excited when I get pattern ideas. It never fails. I always go into them thinking it's going to be a simple and quick re-do and it never happens for me like that.  Looking back, I really wasn't fond of any of my pattern classes when I was in design school, probably because it always felt like I could never win and get that "perfect" grade (you're penalizing me because I was off one/eighth of an inch? Seriously?) but I can honestly say that I truly appreciate the close scrutiny and the invaluable knowledge that I gained from those classes now.


Overall I'm very pleased with the way my "Sabrina" dress turned out. I especially like the way it drapes. It's a beach/poolside/cocktail party "I'm on a boat" dress all wrapped into one, lol. 

Done! My Prabal Gurung Dress is Complete...

I completed my green inspired by Prabal Gurung dress about a month ago, and I think it turned out great! Click here to see the designer dress that inspired it.

Done! My Prabal Gurung Dress is Complete...

I completed my green inspired by Prabal Gurung dress about a month ago, and I think it turned out great! Click here to see the designer dress that inspired it.

Inspired by Prabal Gurung...

If you follow me on Twitter, then you already know about my strong affinity for this Prabal Gurung dress from his Spring 2010 collection. I can't seem to shake my mild really out of control obsession with this dress for some reason. I LOVE IT! So much so, I want to attempt it. The pattern paper is already on my table. But I don't have any polka dot fabric. What I do have is some green satin I purchased recently just because it's March and March is usually green everything, right? Well I showed the pic of the dress and the green fabric to my husband and of course he side-eyed ME real good (which isn't out of the ordinary for him) He pretty much stated the obvious to me about doing the dress in green with the big oversized bows. So, ok, YES. The dress with the big bows in green COULD turn out looking like a huge "lucky charm" or a "four leaf clover" dress, but you know what? I'm willing to risk that. I already think I have a cute black and white braided belt in my arsenal that will look cute with it. Stay tuned...

RELATED POSTS:Inspired by Juicy CoutureInspired by L.A.M.B. and how it looked finished ON ME.Inspired by Michael Kors

Inspired by Prabal Gurung...

If you follow me on Twitter, then you already know about my strong affinity for this Prabal Gurung dress from his Spring 2010 collection. I can't seem to shake my mild really out of control obsession with this dress for some reason. I LOVE IT! So much so, I want to attempt it. The pattern paper is already on my table. But I don't have any polka dot fabric. What I do have is some green satin I purchased recently just because it's March and March is usually green everything, right? Well I showed the pic of the dress and the green fabric to my husband and of course he side-eyed ME real good (which isn't out of the ordinary for him) He pretty much stated the obvious to me about doing the dress in green with the big oversized bows. So, ok, YES. The dress with the big bows in green COULD turn out looking like a huge "lucky charm" or a "four leaf clover" dress, but you know what? I'm willing to risk that. I already think I have a cute black and white braided belt in my arsenal that will look cute with it. Stay tuned...

RELATED POSTS:Inspired by Juicy CoutureInspired by L.A.M.B. and how it looked finished ON ME.Inspired by Michael Kors

My Navy Blue Swing Dress...

Ok, about this navy swing dress, I've made it before (see the same dress in red and white polka dot here, it's the first one in my "handmade" video) I had an event to attend where I wanted to wear the same dress silhouette in blue. This is my latest completed dress to date, having finished it on March 20, 2010.



And this navy dress was not without it's challenges. I know. You're shocked. Because I always just blow through all of my sewing projects with such ease, style and unparalleled grace. Then you remembered who you were dealing with, lol. Listen, I've said this before, but I think it bears repeating on occasion. I'm a DESIGNER. And I can sew a little. Period. The end. I "make it work" like Tim Gunn always says. I love, love, love the end result of sewing, but my patience with actually doing it could be a lot better. And shoot, since I'm bringing clarity to my sewing situation, I hold a fashion design degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, so no, I'm not a "seamstress." When I think of a seamstress, I think of someone who can sew more than "a little" so again, no, I'm not altering your pants, making prom dresses or sewing brides maid gowns, so not asking me to do these things goes a very, very long way. On my business card, I list myself as a "designer of cute dresses" because making cute dresses is what makes me happiest. It's what I love to do most. Ready-to-wear. Made to size. That custom design that you dreamed up and want made needs to be shown to a seamstress. Not me. And please trust that I'm saying all of this with the utmost love in my heart.


Now back to what we were even talking about in this post, which is my completed navy blue swing dress.  Isn't it cute? :)

My Navy Blue Swing Dress...

Ok, about this navy swing dress, I've made it before (see the same dress in red and white polka dot here, it's the first one in my "handmade" video) I had an event to attend where I wanted to wear the same dress silhouette in blue. This is my latest completed dress to date, having finished it on March 20, 2010.



And this navy dress was not without it's challenges. I know. You're shocked. Because I always just blow through all of my sewing projects with such ease, style and unparalleled grace. Then you remembered who you were dealing with, lol. Listen, I've said this before, but I think it bears repeating on occasion. I'm a DESIGNER. And I can sew a little. Period. The end. I "make it work" like Tim Gunn always says. I love, love, love the end result of sewing, but my patience with actually doing it could be a lot better. And shoot, since I'm bringing clarity to my sewing situation, I hold a fashion design degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, so no, I'm not a "seamstress." When I think of a seamstress, I think of someone who can sew more than "a little" so again, no, I'm not altering your pants, making prom dresses or sewing brides maid gowns, so not asking me to do these things goes a very, very long way. On my business card, I list myself as a "designer of cute dresses" because making cute dresses is what makes me happiest. It's what I love to do most. Ready-to-wear. Made to size. That custom design that you dreamed up and want made needs to be shown to a seamstress. Not me. And please trust that I'm saying all of this with the utmost love in my heart.


Now back to what we were even talking about in this post, which is my completed navy blue swing dress.  Isn't it cute? :)

Creating My "Sasha" Dress...

Wow, I haven't done a sewing post in a while, right? Well I felt it was time to remedy that, and I've been sewing quite a bit so I wanted to show you what I've been up to. For this particular dress, my "Sasha" one shoulder belted mini, I had the fabric long before I knew what I wanted to do with it. It wasn't until I started seeing all of the one-shouldered trends on the runways that I had my "lightbulb moment" and my fabric and design came together...

I heart finished sketches. I use templates for all my sketches and just draw my clothes on top. I like to go a little crazy with the hair, makeup and accessories though.



Above is my "Sasha" dress coming together... I elasticized the waistline and there's no zipper in my sample dress. But a zipper can easily be added and the elastic waist can be eliminated to make a one shouldered belted sheath without losing the integrity of the dress. And of course, this dress has POCKETS :)


And finally, POW! My finished sample dress! I have to say that the "Sasha" dress is one of my faves. I usually make all of my prototypes/samples in my size to fit them on a real body and this dress is quite cute on. Have you visited my etsy shop yet? Check it out today!

Creating My "Sasha" Dress...

Wow, I haven't done a sewing post in a while, right? Well I felt it was time to remedy that, and I've been sewing quite a bit so I wanted to show you what I've been up to. For this particular dress, my "Sasha" one shoulder belted mini, I had the fabric long before I knew what I wanted to do with it. It wasn't until I started seeing all of the one-shouldered trends on the runways that I had my "lightbulb moment" and my fabric and design came together...

I heart finished sketches. I use templates for all my sketches and just draw my clothes on top. I like to go a little crazy with the hair, makeup and accessories though.



Above is my "Sasha" dress coming together... I elasticized the waistline and there's no zipper in my sample dress. But a zipper can easily be added and the elastic waist can be eliminated to make a one shouldered belted sheath without losing the integrity of the dress. And of course, this dress has POCKETS :)


And finally, POW! My finished sample dress! I have to say that the "Sasha" dress is one of my faves. I usually make all of my prototypes/samples in my size to fit them on a real body and this dress is quite cute on. Have you visited my etsy shop yet? Check it out today!

Creating My "Sophia" Dress...

My "Sophia" necktie sheath dress preceded my "Sasha" dress and the first "Sophia" dress I completed was done in the same tribal printed brown and white fabric.


"Sasha" Dress on the left, "Sophia" Dress on the right
But as prototypes and first patterns go, the fit isn't always on point the first go round so there was some pattern tweaking that had to take place to get the sizing and the fit right. And on top of that, the pockets on this dress gave me MAD DRAMA. The POCKETS. That I LOVE to put on EVERYTHING. I must have redone the pockets on the purple "Sophia" Dress about 5 times. Sound crazy? Go back and read some of my earlier sewing style entries to see how impatient I am as a sewer. You'd think I'd have more patience with sewing by now, but you'd be wrong.



But in the end, I was pleased with the turnout of my "Sophia" dress. Pocket apocolypse and all, lol. The "Sophia" dress is also available to be made in custom sizing in my etsy store. With or WITHOUT *hint hint* the pockets ;) Check it out today.

Creating My "Sophia" Dress...

My "Sophia" necktie sheath dress preceded my "Sasha" dress and the first "Sophia" dress I completed was done in the same tribal printed brown and white fabric.


"Sasha" Dress on the left, "Sophia" Dress on the right
But as prototypes and first patterns go, the fit isn't always on point the first go round so there was some pattern tweaking that had to take place to get the sizing and the fit right. And on top of that, the pockets on this dress gave me MAD DRAMA. The POCKETS. That I LOVE to put on EVERYTHING. I must have redone the pockets on the purple "Sophia" Dress about 5 times. Sound crazy? Go back and read some of my earlier sewing style entries to see how impatient I am as a sewer. You'd think I'd have more patience with sewing by now, but you'd be wrong.



But in the end, I was pleased with the turnout of my "Sophia" dress. Pocket apocolypse and all, lol. The "Sophia" dress is also available to be made in custom sizing in my etsy store. With or WITHOUT *hint hint* the pockets ;) Check it out today.

So Simple (and CUTE!) I Wanna Make it.

Stella McCartney attended a VIP Screening of the Oscar nominated 'Food Inc' at The Curzon Mayfair on February 8, 2010 in London, England I'm assuming wearing her own one shoulder black satin dress. Love it. SEWING PROJECT!

So Simple (and CUTE!) I Wanna Make it.

Stella McCartney attended a VIP Screening of the Oscar nominated 'Food Inc' at The Curzon Mayfair on February 8, 2010 in London, England I'm assuming wearing her own one shoulder black satin dress. Love it. SEWING PROJECT!