Thanksgiving Pajamas :)

My sister decided she wanted to have a comfy Thanksgiving this year where everyone wears pajamas for dinner. Makes sense to me since it'll be easier to nap after if you have sweats on. I was gonna buy some fabric this weekend to make some pants but then I remembered I had fabric at home. Gotta save money where you can.

I found a heart print snuggle flannel today, not quite Thanksgiving-esque but I'm not about to wear turkeys on my pants :) So I whipped these together really quick tonight. They are pretty simple so it was fast to make them and get it out of the way for the other projects I'm working on.

These'll work for what I intend, eating a lot of turkey and taking a loooong nap :D
They're fun and comfy and will even work for February lol

~JV

Blue Bow Shirt

This is one that brings back great memories of school. I made this shirt my senior year at State to wear to the SADA fashion show I made a collection for. I chose blue because first and foremost it brings out the blue in my eyes :) Second because it went well with the garments I designed. It is the McCalls pattern 5708 (I had done enough designing for the show that I just wanted to make a quick top from a pattern)

Front

(I love the bow tie)

Back

McCalls 5708 View C

(Yes Hilary Duff designs patterns, who knew?)

This is definitely a shirt that I wear with a belt, otherwise it's way too loose.

~JV

Chevron Cardigan

This is one that I absolutely love. Sometimes I feel like I could go crazy when I look through fabrics. I want to buy them all. I was drawn to this chevron multi-colored knit. Even though is is a crazy print (which I usually don't wear), the colors are dark and muted enough that it's not too bold of a fabric for me. It's a medium weight knit so I made a cardigan to keep me warm during the winter.

Front

Up close view of wide collar detail, hook and eye closure

Cuffed sleeves and pocket detail

Back

Butterick 5528

I just bought some more knit and plan on making myself another sweater.

Another reason I like this cardigan is the color options I have when wearing it. There are an array of hues to choose from and that's always a good thing when you want to switch up your wardrobe.

It's such a comfortable garment, I could wear it all winter if I could!

~JV

Floral Shirt and Blue Jacket

I'M BACK!!!! I've finally got internet at my place and I'm ready to get back to blogging. This is something I've been wearing quite a bit for work (mixing it up with different pieces). The jacket was made from a Cynthia Rowley Simplicity pattern. The shirt I designed myself by draping on my dressform.

Front                                                       Back

I love the dark blue cotton fabric that mutes the print of the shirt but also shows some of the detail of it by having a sheer effect on the back. It's a simple wrap design with a belt that ties around the waist twice to a bow in the front. It's a great jacket to mix up with different pieces in my closet. 

Front                                                    Back

When I was designing this shirt, I wanted to create a neckline that would show from the front of the jacket. I also wanted to make sure it could stand on its own. I like the look of a layered ruffle with a cascade down the front. The print is more busy than I usually wear so I decided a simple design of the actual shirt was best. The cap sleeves have a single ruffle around the edge.

Simplicity- Cynthia Rowley 2250

Here's hoping I keep at it!!

~JV

Yellow Dress

I just moved and don't have internet yet so I have to come to my Mom's to steal her internet. So bear with me for not posting as much as I'd like.

This yellow dress was actually in a plastic storage bin for a very long time. I had cut it out a couple years ago and set it aside because the yellow was shear and I didn't know what I should do about that (and I wasn't sure about the whole design). I was cleaning and organizing my sewing room when I came across it and decided to take it out and look it over. I tweaked the design and added a lining. It's from Simplicity 2694

Front

Back

Simplicity 2694

I promise I'll be back asap

~JV

For a Wolverine Wedding

This weekend my cousin got married in Ann Arbor. Her and her husband are both graduates from Michigan. The first night football game was even taking place that night. First and foremost I was excited to see her dress and the bridesmaids dresses. They were gorgeous!! They were perfect for what she put together for the whole wedding and everyone looked beautiful.

Well of course I had to make a dress to wear to it. The fabric was the first step in choosing what to make because I had a turquoise fabric that I wanted to use for a long time. I also had a floral print fabric left over from a shirt I made (see one of my previous posts) so I wanted to make a jacket to wear over the dress. So I looked through my patterns (didn't have enough time to design one). Simplicity 2250 by Cynthia Rowley was perfect. 

Front                               Back

The bodice hits at the waist and the skirt has a mix of pleats and gathering. The skirt even has pockets. So cute :)

The top has an asymmetrical design with a mix of pleats and darts and elastic in the back to make the fit better.

Front                               Back

I LOVE the jacket. It's a wrap with a tie around the waist. The front has a black lining but the back is kept sheer which I find so appealing. The tie and binding around the entire edge are a black satin. The shine of it is one more detail I love.

Simplicity 2250

I decided against the ties in the back of the dress because they were too bulky and a little awkward.

It was perfect for the event, dressy but still comfy. The jacket was perfect for the ceremony and then I could take it off for a fun reception to dance and party in.

One more perk about the jacket, I can wear it to work :)

~JV

Good-Bye Summer

Ten days is not acceptable to me to not blog. I'm trying to keep up and make sure I keep this a regular thing but sometimes life gets in the way :(

Anyways, I wanted to post one last summer dress in honor of the end of summer slowing creeping upon us, although the weather is not making up it's mind. This was made for my sister Katie. She wanted a cute maxi dress and so I took her shopping for fabric and she picked a beautiful floral printed knit. I used a turquoise knit underneath because it was a little sheer. I actually made the dress reversible because I loved the color of the solid fabric.

 Front                                Back

 

And this is how the other side of the dress looks when it is reversed.

 Front                                  Back

 The back was done by using the elastic shirring I had done on previously.

The dresses I had made for myself with the shirring is made her want me to make her a dress, so I had to add it.

 Forgive the strange shape of the bust. My dress-form's bust is small :/

To be honest, she might even be able to wear it in the fall because the fabric is actually pretty warm, considering she's got two layers to keep her cozy. Just have to find a cute cardigan to go with it.

~JV

Framed Art

This past week I have done a lot, and I mean A LOT of sewing. Especially on Thursday, where I practically did it all day, except for a few breaks and for food. I had 4 armchair slip covers and 4 bench covers (4'x4') to make for a wedding that was today. Hopefully I can get some pictures to show all the had work I did. Lots of fabric and lots of stitching,

To say the least, it's the first time I've been tired of sewing. To keep myself sane, I decided to do a fun little project for my sewing room. I had bought a super cute wall decoration that I couldn't pass up, a couple months ago. I had been waiting to put it somewhere because I knew it would have a permanent spot once I put it up.

Then I saw a picture online that inspired me to do something different. Use picture frames and make my own artwork that I can take wherever I have a new sewing room. After some fussing and switching pieces around, this is what I came up with...

I love how they turned out! They are plain colors so that whatever design/color scheme I might have, they'll go with it. I can't wait to put them up! And I have another project I'm working on that is super cute and hopefully will go with these pictures.

What do you think? Did I put them together well? All artists start somewhere :)

~JV

Floral Skirt- Metal Zipper

Sorry sorry sorry! That's an apology to myself too. I promised myself I wouldn't slack on my blog but I have. It's been a busy two weeks after vacation (doesn't that always happen?). I don't want to make excuses so I'm doing a quick blog tonight to keep myself happy.

This skirt was something I made from extra fabric I had left over from a shirt I made. The fabric was too shear to not add a lining under so I made it from an old dress I found in my grandma's basement. I liked the ruffle so I wanted to add it underneath for a cute feminine touch.

I've been wanting to make a garment with an exposed metal zipper so I used that technique on this skirt.

It's a unique touch but not too drastic because of the print. And to me it really doesn't matter if you wear it at the front or the back. Guess it depends on you mood :)

Hope you are satisfied with this fast blog- for now!

~JV

Suits Me Well

Hello Everyone!!! Sorry it's been so long. I had a great vacation and since coming back I have been working a lot. Thus my neglecting my little blog here. Well now that I've had a nice long nap I'm ready to start posting again.

I'm returning to blogging by posting an ensemble. This suit was made for a job interview I had. I didn't end up wearing the jacket, but I've been waiting for colder weather to pair the it up with a cute pair of jeans and some boots.

Both fabrics were purchased from Jo Ann's from the red tag fabric so I got a lot for a little (which I love). So I do have both left over and will be making more stuff from them. Eventually. One is a grey metallic suiting that isn't very heavy, and the other is a sheer floral print with strips of bias tape, made from the same material, sewn in swirls around the entire fabric.

Front                                         Back

The front of the jacket has a 3/4 length sleeve, two welt pockets on either side, a notched collar, princess seams, and I added two silver buttons to bring some pop to it.

The back has princess seams as well and two tabs with the same silver buttons on them.

Front                                           Back

The shirt is a basic design with a short kimono style sleeve and shoulder seams that come towards the front with a gathered detail to them. I added a solid teal bias tape to the sleeves for a fun pop of color.

The skirt is a pretty simple too. It has a thick waistband with four pleats in the front. The zipper is at the side seam. The skirt fits at the waist and hits a little above the knee.

This ensemble is a perfect business suit but can also be broken up to wear as individual pieces so I will most definitely be making more pieces to wear with them.

I hope this was an enjoyable post considering there haven't been some in a few weeks :)

~JV
P.S. Sorry about the wrinkles

Triple Threat

7am I will be on my way up north for a week long vacation. Because of this, I wanted to post a few outfits to keep you happy for a week (hopefully). Luckily I had a day off on Tuesday so I was able to crank out a few garments.

This first one is a skirt I made for my boyfriend's sister. She likes green and so I found a cute swirled green print fabric to use. It's a simple skirt with elastic at the waist. It can be worn either under the bust or at the waist.

This second one I also made for his sister. I had started to make a dress with the grey top a couple weeks ago. I decided to use it to make a dress for her. It was hard to choose what to use with it. Finally I chose this cute striped fabric (that I have enough of to make a million dresses) and used it horizontally. I think it turned out super cute and looks great on her :)

It's got elastic around the top and under the bust.

The back has the elastic shirring to keep it fitted to the body.

Does this fabric look familiar?

I had extra of the teal and grey striped knit and wanted to make a fun tube top dress out of it. I found the perfect teal fabric to use for the top to keep the stripes from being too powerful.  Again, I put elastic around the top and under the bust. Although the top is a little longer than I wanted, but I can always wear it at the waist. 

The back has the elastic shirring to fit to the body.

Back Close Up View

I wanted to add a little more fun to the dress by making the elastic shirred section out of the striped fabric but used it vertically. I wanted to make it a little surprise when I turn around.

I will definitely be wearing this dress during my vacation :)

I'm not one to toot my own horn, and even though these are more simple designs, I'm proud of myself for being able to make all three of these in one day. It makes me want to challenge myself even more.

See you in a week!!!

~JV

Striped Kimono Shirt

This shirt I made last year out of some clearance fabric I found at Jo Ann's. It was a quick project I made to wear out somewhere (just can't remember what it was). It's basically a piece of fabric folded in half with a neckline cut out, sewn on the sides to create the kimono sleeves, and elastic under the bust. Really quick and easy to throw together.

It's got a deep V-neck which is mimicked on the back as well, just not as deep.

I love the grey and teal together, and its a nice loose fit for the summer.

~JV

Floral Shirt

Here's something I made quite a while ago and decided to pull out and wear recently. This shirt comes from Simplicity 2998. The fabric is an old fabric that my mom has had for a long time. I love the floral print and even though it's vintage, it's still stylish. It is a polyester so it can be a little uncomfortable to wear in the summer without something under it, but I still love it. I think it's best to wear it with shorts or some leggings (you could wear it as a dress if you were really daring).

Front 

It has princess seams and front pockets, with a band around the bottom

Side View

Back

Simplicity 2998 View B

I have thought about making the length longer so you really could wear it comfortably as a dress. Just another project to work on :)

~JV