1970s Vintage Mod Dress

Well Sandy has passed over but the after effects are enormous.  Gas seems to be the necessity of all NY residents and still there is none.  So people and cars line up waiting for hours on hours just to receive the limit mandated. 

But I am assured that my great city will get back on its feet.  So in the meantime I got myself busy again at the sewing machine.  I'm telling you there is never a reason for me to be bored because I have an outlet.  My sewing machine.  So this time I created a dress that I really really love.  It is a 1970s Mod look.  I love that era of dresses where the skirts were kinda flared the necks were high and the fabric was amazingly great quality.  I like to call it the demure era where women and their clothing portrayed confident yet sexy; Classy yet Sexy.  Sexy did not require revealing your genetic makeup.  Modesty was sexy and there is nothing wrong with bringing back an era of Modesty.

I have always wanted to make dresses that would speak to that era; the problem was getting the right fabric.   Well hooray! I finally found a piece that would qualify. 

This is what I call my 1970s Mod look.  It is a high neck collar, with a slightly flared skirt and some buttons in the middle to really bring it into the 70s era.  The design of the fabric is also quite Mod to me.  Check out this beauty.

I wish I could say check out my etsy channel; that, I will be selling them there but I can't because I have no more of this material but I can definitely create this look in a different fabric and might do just that and add to my etsy store.

Here is another view which shows the pattern a little clearer.

Thanks for looking.  Hope you like it.  Don't be afraid to leave a comment :)
I have a video of this dress on youtube.  Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vZptB9Wvps

Simplicity 2452 Blazer -- In Progress

This is what I call a Sandy Work in Progress.  Work on this blazer, like the city of New York, had to come to a crashing halt.  We did not lose electricity but we had no heat so it was impossible to sew under the covers. 

This project is special to me because even though I have tons of patterns, I usually do not make what the actual pattern suggest but rather, I mix and match them to create something that I can be pleased with.  However, I decided to try making the actual pattern this time. 

This is Simplicity Pattern 2452.  I have not made a blazer in years;   I am very much into making dresses, but I love blazers and I had a paisley piece of fabric that I thought might be a good fit. 

I got very far in making this piece.  I simply have to adjust it a little more to my size, finish the hems, and get some button holes on there which I still do not do well.  I will show you all the end result when I am finish but for now here is the Simplicity 2452 corduroy/velvet paisley blazer in progress. 

More Sandy Pieces....

If there is anything good Hurricane Sandy did, it was to take me to Sew Heaven.  If you love to sew then you have loads of fabric in your home and somehow, I know, you always manage to purchase more.  So being locked in the home to a seamstress is glorious. 

I have a soft spot when it comes to the fabric stores especially when I get a good deal.  I have a favorite fabric store on 35th street in Manhattan.  They have some of the best fabrics there and they are always getting in new styles....They know me all too well because I treat it like my second home.  So, I think I may have gotten this fabulous piece there.  I just wish I had purchased more of it.

The pics will probably not do this fabric justice so let me describe it.  It is black velvet with gold glitter dots.  Some kinda fabulous trust me on that.  :)  I envision this at a New Years Ball or something.  Here is a close up pic of the fabric. 

Well without further chatter, here is the dress.  It is a bateau neckline with a V neck back topped off with a bow.  Initially I had the V back a little deeper but I was worried about bras showing and all so I hiked it back up.  Still a V just not as plunging and my bow in the back can be easily missed by this pic.

So what do you think?

Bonus:  Check out my youtube video.     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFlCALwK00g&feature=youtube_gdata

NYC Under Water but I'm SewHappy.

Never in a million years would I have ever imagined the great NYC forced to its knees.  And you are probably wondering why am I SewHappy about that. 

Hurricane Sandy swept through the big apple and left herself a legacy.  The great NYC-- the city that never sleeps was forced to come to a halt because now LIGHTS were out.  Electricity out, tunnels and subways closed, fallen trees, broken power lines, and the residents of NYC left to take it all in.  I drove through the area of Canarsie and was amazed at Sandy's end results.  Beautiful home awnings cracked from fallen trees,  streets blocked by fallen trees, huge trees uprooted-- all by wind and water....

But that's not all the water damage was severe.  Streets were flooded therefore homes with basements were flooded.  As I drove through Canarsie everything that was once used in the basement of homes were now damaged and left for the garbage pick up. Beds and more beds, TVs, furniture, carpets, you name it and it was lost.  The great city and its residents were left to start afresh but more importantly to slow down.  No one could go anywhere because the train stations were heavily flooded.  It was stated that it would take NYC transit at least a week to get all the water out of the stations.

We weren't even going anywhere driving because the streets were flooded, the tunnels were closed because they too were flooded, and our cars were floating down the streets and on top of each other.  NYC had come to a halt.  The city that never sleeps was forced to stop. 

And never mind trying to call a taxi because they were all buried in water.  Can you imagine the insurance claims that would come after this.  Hertz received over 3500 claims today just in Brooklyn.  WOW! 

But this blog is all about my sewing ventures so in the midst of all this chaos, I was SewHappy.  I was SewHappy because I did not suffer a loss of electricity so I had all the time in the world to concentrate on my love -- sewing....I couldnt go anywhere or do very much so I was attached to my sewing machine.  So, here are some of my Sandy pieces. 

The first night we learned we would get a storm I found a great piece of fabric in my stash.  It was only a tiny piece so there was not much I could do with it so i decided to turn it into a mini dress.  I initially made it for myself but my niece decided it was all too cute and she needed it so I sized it down for her. 

I love this little number.  Nothing oh so fancy but it is certainly a great lounge dress that you can dress up or put on some tall boots and go. 

The other Hurricane Sandy pieces will be featured in the next blog.  I decided that I don't want this blog to be so long you get tired of reading so check out my Hurricane Sandy Pieces post.  But here is a sneak peek.

SewHappy!

Peplum Love.....

Peplum, Peplum, Peplum.......it's all about the Peplum this season and in fact I love a peplum look whether its a peplum dress, top or skirt.  So I decided to make one to show my blogging family.

This project was originally thought about because I wanted to do something constructive with my scrap fabrics.  I knew I wouldn't have enough fabric to also make a waistband so I decided to make it with another piece of scrap fabric.

This is a stretched ribbed material in a solid blue color paired with a printed waistband.  So here is how the peplum skirt turned out.

I think it turned out well with my different scrap fabrics.  My niece decided to play around with it and also wore it as a dress...So here's another way you can wear it.

 

So which look do you like best? skirt or dress? 

BONUS:  I like to give you all an opportunity to make some of these things on your own, so if you have a sewing thumb (get it, get it....lol) check out my youtube channel for how to make this skirt below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRyPXS03bBE

Oldies but goodies......

So I decided to dig up the past a little and show you guys two of my older dresses but two of my favorite dresses.  These are two of the first dresses I made.....and made without using a pattern.  I actually don't like using commercial patterns but instead to think of the idea and try to execute it.  My niece often had a singing engagement so this is really what began my sewing ventures. 


For the first dress:  Peplum is in now but it was already in my mind May of 2011. I wish I could say that I was the one to bring peplum back but somehow I doubt that.  This peplum dress is made in a dark blue taffeta.

So you are getting a two for one deal here.  Two dresses in one post.  As I mentioned my niece often had a singing engagement with her school and always requested a new dress.  The above dress, though its a little snug now (remember it was made over a year ago) was made for her to sing the National Anthem at an event. 

 The dress below was made for one of her many school performances.  This performance she sang I'm Here for a black history program.  This dress is made using a black brocade.  I might even add her performance at the end. I am one of her biggest fans so you would have to excuse all of my chatter in the video.  But for now, let's focus on the dress.

And now as promised, here is the video of my niece singing Fantasia's I'm Here from The Color Purple.  She wants to do a broadway musical someday.  Any leads, just message me folks.  :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoHZDeRUT2U&feature=youtube_gdata

Enjoy!

Polka Dot Sheath Dress

I"m back........I got really into creating this blog and then somehow none of the pics would show up when I posted from my iPad -- the source for all my pics.  So I had to regroup but I am back and back with a nice dress for you guys.

This is one of my newest designs.  I purchased this polka dot fabric over a year and could not quite decide what to do with it but I knew that when the idea came to me it would be fabulous.  Well, I cannot take all the credit for the dress design because I got the initial idea from my cousin and ran with it.  I know, I know....It would appear that I was on a long run considering I bought the fabric over a year ago and we are not two months away from the close of 2012 and I am now making the dress but great things take time.  :)  At least that is my excuse.  

So check out the dress and let me know what you think.  The underneath is a fuschia stretch satin with a polka dot organza overlay.  I just love this dress.  Here it is....