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