Category: Sewing

August Sew your View

The Tecoma Blouse

Well hey, I know I have been missing from my blog, but Lord knows it feels so good be back behind my sewing machine. I have been working on a few projects, this one I just completed about a week or so ago, but was unable to do photos outside, due to the smoky air here in California. On the evening I took these, well my daughter snapped them for me, the air was no better. I really need to set up a space in the house for photos for times when I can’t get outside.

I was really afraid to make this blouse as I wasn’t sure of how the wrap with the off the shoulder would turn out for me. Well I absolutely love it. This blouse pattern is free on the Mood Fabric/Sewciety page. Instructions and fabric selections are listed for this pattern. You can also see comments/questions from others regarding this blouse.

The fabric was purchased from one of the Fabric boxes from My Daily Threadz, can’t remember which month, check out her site for more details of upcoming boxes.

Pattern Description: The Tecoma Blouse free sewing pattern is an easy to wear, style, and lounge in off-the-shoulder wrap shirt

Pattern Sizing: 2 to 30

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes it looked like the photo when completed. I was afraid of the wrap and the off shoulder not looking good while I was making it.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes the instructions were easy to follow.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked that it is a versatile blouse and can be dressed up or dressed down.

Fabric Used: Linen

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: No alterations needed for this pattern, that’s another reason why I love it so much.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would make this again in a solid color. Yes I highly recommend this top.

Conclusion: I love my new top.

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Me made may – 2020 UFO’s Completed

I was busy…

I love when my sewing plans fall into place and I am able to make something or in this case, finish up some things I started. May was a busy month and I ABSOLUTELY love it. I always look forward to Me Made May every year, seems that’s when I am most productive.

Besides my me made garments I was also able to make over 500 face covers for local veteran’s, local hospitals, and family and friends that were in need.I was happy to be able to make and provide them, it was tough making them knowing that this may be the new normal for a while. I just hope and pray that will be a vaccine to help with the virus.

One thing that I did that I am so proud of, is that I went through my stack of Unfinished Outfits (UFO’s) and started finishing those off. I found some of the garments I could wear and others were just way too big, I am a good 12-15 pounds lighter than when I started some of these projects. So with that comes the good and the bad.

Simplicity 8638

So let’s start with the bad….it’s not a bad pattern, but was a bad fabric choice, wondering if that’s how it ended up in the UFO stack. The fabric as you can see is completely see through and it is really, cheaply made if that’s a word. It wouldn’t hold up for a everyday summer dress.

McCall’s 7741

This one I absolutely love, the fabric is fun, the dress is cute, but…it’s way too big. So big that I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking a photo of myself and posting it, as the whole left side of my girlie parts (boob) is completely out of the dress. I would love to take it apart and size it down to fit, but not sure if that will happen. I may take the fabric and make something else out of what I can salvage. This dress was the dress I was going to wear to my daughter’s college graduation 2 years ago. I ended up wearing a store bought dress instead.

Vogue 9112

If you know me, you know I love a good jumpsuit and this one was no different. I started making this one 2 years ago, I must have had a lot going on in 2018 to have so many UFO’s. This one fits, I did have to seam rip the bodice and shorten the elastic a bit, but other than that it works perfect. I can’t remember where I purchased this fabric from, but I definitely need some more.

Butterick 6330

This one fits also. I used a border print on this on this one. Fabric was purchased from Michael Levine’s about 3 years ago. I did make a rookie mistake on this one. I should have cut the back on the fold, to not interrupt the pattern on the back. It’s okay, I usually wear a cardigan over my dresses when working in the office, so it wouldn’t be seen and if I wear it at home, no one really cares. LOL!!!

Still in the stack…

Here are a few that are still in the stack.

Style Sew Me – Bree

I do plan on completing this one, just haven’t gotten to it. This is a great dress and the fabric I have chosen is super soft and great for the heat we are already getting here. Today it is a high of 104 degrees, that’s okay as I am currently working from home.


Simplicity 8334

This one I am going to have to work some magic on. I don’t know what I did to the area on the front of the dress for the front facing goes, but it is definitely cut the wrong way. I am going to get creative with it, I can’t just let some good camo fabric go to waste. Like a good jumpsuit, I love camo.

Simplicity 8601

This one is coming soon. I started it and the pattern didn’t line up and I took it apart, did it again and the same thing. I need to get the walking foot out and get started. I made this one and love it. I need tops in my wardrobe. I feel as though I wear the same ones all the time.

There are also a few coats, which I won’t post on this blog post, as they will not see the light of day, it’s too hot for that. Look for a blog post next week, with all the new garments and a few collaborations that I have done in May. I will also be re-taking pictures of me in the UFO garments, my lighting was horrible on the ones I took and now I have access to more lighting.

Please remember to stay safe! Happy Sewing!

Bye for now, time to go Sew Something!!!!

The Sewcial Sewist4 Comments

McCall’s M8035 – Dress

My Mother’s Day Maxi Dress

This McCall’s 8035, Misses’ Dresses, and the Sew Your View Instagram pick for April. I decided to save it as my Mother’s Day Dress. This dress is also going along with my May theme to make Me Made Maxi dresses, I love a cute Maxi and this one was easy to make.

I purchased this Cotton Shirting Fabric from Joann Fabric the link is here. It is selling fast so it may not be available anymore.

With the whole Quarantine thing still going on and a lot of us Sewist still practicing Social Distancing, my Sew Sister, Nola and I have been doing “virtual” sew alongs. This has been fun. We pick a pattern that we like and we make it. We have tons of messages going back and forth about what we are doing. We change our minds a lot, LOL, about pattern selection, fabric choice, what order we want to sew the patterns, and we even scrap some patterns, because the pattern says easy and there is way too many steps. It is working out as if we were face to face, we laugh at each other and have the best time. I think this quarantine thing has made us closer. Love that. I plan to visit SoCal, once we are able to travel again and hopefully we can get a full photo shoot going with us together, for now it’s the photo collages we put together and that works for us. Love my sew sister.

Here we are, same dress, different pattern. Check out @alohafornow on Instagram.

Pattern Description: Misses’ Dresses

Pattern Sizing: XS-M, I cut the Medium 

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes it looked just like the pattern envelope photo.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes the instructions were easy to follow. 

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I loved everything about this pattern, from the look of the dress on the envelope to the ease of the instructions. 

Fabric Used: I used this Cotton Shirting Fabric Blue Tropical Leaves & Hibiscuses on Ivory from Joann Fabric. It is no longer available online. I actually bought this in store before the whole stay at home orders were in place. 

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I needed to cut off 4 1/2 inches on the bottom to meet my height. I could have cut off 5 inches, but my plan is to wear it with high heel shoes. 

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would sew it again, but in a solid fabric color, and maybe a fabric with a little bit more movement to it like a Gerogette or Challis. I would recommend this to others, it’s a great dress for summer and it is easy to sew.

Conclusion: I am happy with the outcome of the dress and loved that I was able to complete it for my Mother’s Day look. Although we stayed inside for dinner it still made me feel beautiful. 

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    McCall’s 7946 Misses’ Dresses

    I bought this pattern last summer for a quick summer. I typically lean towards the quick, Learn to Sew for Fun Patterns for quick outfits. Mostly when I need to get my sewing inspiration back up. It feels good to have a completed garment and it encourages me to keep sewing. This one did not disappoint.

    I used some fabric in my stash that I purchased from Fabric Mart maybe 2 years ago. It was on sale and I bought about 2 yards of it. It has been sitting on my shelf that long.

    I went with View A, although View D is also cute and I may end making it later. I love sleeveless or off the shoulder dresses, maybe because I like the way my arms look and I don’t feel constricted in sleeves during the summer months.

    I love the sun on my skin, the warm sun makes me happy and gives me that natural glow. Love it!!!!

    Pattern Description: Misses’ Dresses Learn to Sew for Fun Level 2

    Pattern Sizing:4- 12 I cut a size 10

    Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, it came out just like the pattern envelope photo.

    Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were easy to follow .

    What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked that is was quick, easy, and very stylish.

    Fabric Used: It’s a cotton blend of something. I have had this fabric for over 2 years and couldn’t remember exactly what it was, so the best way to describe it is a cotton blend.

    Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I only used 2 rows of elastic, instead of 3, this was a personal choice, I am top heavy and have a tummy, I was trying to avoid the stuffed sausage look.

    Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, I would sew this again, because it was easy and I love the look, but I think one dress in this pattern is good enough for me.

    Conclusion: I loved the dress and how it turned out. The fit for me was perfect.

    Happy Sewing!!!!

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    Sewing Plans, what’s next?

    Now that my mask orders are slowing down, I decided today to go through my UFO stash, yes I have a stash of UFO’s, so not proud of it, but after watching Tipstitched YouTube video on her next sewing plans it sparked me to go into my UFO stash.

    Well my plan is to complete these for Me Made May, along with a few other garments. I am fortunate to be working from home which gives me more time in my day. I am not needing to get up at 3:45 AM to complete workouts and although I work close to work, I am not having to sit in the evening traffic. This gives me more time in the evenings, once my work is completed to focus on my garments.

    Here are the garments that I will be working on, not all at once, I will add some new garments in here to keep things fresh.

    1. Butterick 6330

    I had this beautiful border print fabric that I selected for this one. If I remember correctly it was purchased at Michael Levine in Los Angles, CA.

    This is the top of the jumpsuit that I started, the weather changed and it was placed in the UFO stash. Pay no attention to the dress in the back, a blog post for that one will come next week., Mother’s Day edition.

    2. Vogue 9116

    For this one I choose View B with another border print fabric. I love a good quick easy jumpsuit and the weather changed on me, before I could complete this one too.

    3. McCall’s 7741

    I started this dress to wear to my daughter’s graduation from college, something happened, not the change in the weather this time, and I didn’t have time to complete it. I ended up wearing a ready to wear dress. This month marks 2 years that she graduated from college, so for me it’s the perfect month to complete this dress. Don’t mind the T-shirt on the dress form, I need it for extra padding as it doesn’t adjust to my size correctly.

    4. Simplicity 8638

    I picked View A for this one, if anyone knows me, they know I like my arms and shoulders out during the summer time. I am proud of my arms and shoulders, I work hard to keep them in shape, its one part of my body that I love. I love all of me, but my arms make me proud.

    5. Simplicity 8334

    I started this dress and couldn’t get the front placket right, I think I cut to far into it and it doesn’t lay right. Instead of trashing this fabulous Camo fabric I am going to cut it down the middle and make it a long duster. I will try to make the dress again at a later time, but for now I am all for saving this fabric.

    6. Style Sew Me – Bree

    Not sure why this ended in the UFO stash, I am going to bet that it was the weather again, it’s usually what causes all my UFO’s to become UFO’s. There is a step by step YouTube video for this one and I watched it and it is easy to follow. This one will be completed for sure this time. I love the fabric for this, too bad I can’t remember where I purchased it.

    7. Simplicity 8601

    This one I became frustrated with, because I was unable to get the pattern design on the fabric to line up. I have a good walking foot for my sewing machine, so I am going to give it another try. I made this top before in a black and white that I loved. It gets worn a lot.

    Well Happy Sewing Sewists,

    Please stay safe, wash your hands, wear a face covering if recommended or required when going out, and enjoy the time at home with your families.

    Love you all,

    The Sewcial Sewist

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