After a very, very slow 3 months since my concussion, I can finally see well enough to sew and now to blog! I feel a bit rusty about all of this – I took pride in posting twice a week for years, and now I’m a once a month kind of gal!
My husband gave me some sparkly teal earrings for Christmas (along with fabric gift certificates for every month from January to June) and I asked him to pick some fabric from my stash that he thought would pair well with the earrings! He picked this ITY knit, and informed me that it should have an unbroken silhouette (aka. no waist definition, no gathering, no fuss). I showed him some pictures from my Pinterest board and talked about style… and while I can’t say this is remotely like anything I showed him, I really enjoy what I came up with!
This is a Groove dress, which I’ve sewn several times before… Jamie had picked slimmer shift dress styles, but I was afraid that the gold reflect on this fabric would show every bump and lump after Christmas dinner, so I went for something looser instead. It was longer cause he said I look good in knee length, but then it looked frumpy as hell and I shortened it. Basically, I had fun getting his advice and then did whatever I chose!
For the sleeve, I rotated the pattern piece as I cut, and ended up with something like this:
I put elastic in the cuff, and that’s all!
Or is it? I had two pairs of earrings, and two family Christmas dinners… so I used the scraps to make a tank! This is the Closet Case Pattern Amy jumpsuit, sewn in a knit and shortened into a tank. I think it’s a pretty nice alternative to the Ogden cami – similar neckline but with bra-friendly wide straps and boob-friendly darts!
My face in the middle photos says, “It’s winter, why am I photographing a tank outside?”
Quick, put on a sweater!
Ahhh, that’s better! This Concord cardigan hack from last winter is one of my most worn, and I really need to make more soon!
Finally, let us admire this ITY in all it’s glory! I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s my favourite blend of garish and fabulous. I liked it so much I bought it twice! I was planning to make a maxi-length wrap dress with it, but I think I probably ended up with two more wearable pieces instead – much thanks to Jamie for the earring inspiration and the style advice!
Crafting A Rainbow 
Looking good Gillian! That Concord cardi has shown up a few times now, and I see why. I’m glad to hear that you’re recovering!
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Thank you! I’m hoping to be back at work full time in the next two weeks, and finally return to “normal”!
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So happy to have you back blogging, always enjoy your posts. Absolutely lovely makes, both winners. I had to laugh at your comment that you asked him for input then ignored it! I find myself doing that all the time. I guess we are lucky to be married to someone who isn’t bothered by our habits.
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Indeed we are! I love finding out what particular features he likes about ideas I show him – like, is it the neckline or the sleeves or the colour or the fabric or what? And while I didn’t make exactly what he picked out, it wasn’t what I would have made on my own either, and that was fun!
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Very flattering! Happy you are feeling better and on the mend. Take it slow.
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Looks lovely! Happy you are feeling better and on the mend. Take it slow.
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Why does your site keep saying “duplicate comment” Very flattering!
Happy you are feeling better and on the mend. Take it slow.
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That’s so weird! I just got all 4 of your comments at once. I guess wordpress was being glitchy! Sorry, and thanks for taking the time to let me know! ❤
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Why does your site keep saying “duplicate comment” ??
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Absolutely adorable!!!
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Thank you!
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Glad you’re on the mend and able to sew again!
I love that fabric! Both the dress and tank are fabulous and stand-out without being over the top.
Also, I totally had to FBA and add darts to my Ogden!!
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Honestly, I can’t believe that pattern has been so popular *without* darts!
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Lol at your description of hearing Jamie’s suggestions and then doing your own thing! Just what I do too! Very sweet makes. A really great fabric. Thx for the inspiration. Keep it coming pls. ❤
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Hehehe – he is a very amenable man! 😉 It was fun to pick his brain and see what he thought!
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oh…those earrings…. it’s kinda hard to see but do they have sort of an oil-slick quality? (I don’t have my glasses on! LOL) I love them!!!
Excellent pointer on the CCP jumpsuit-turn-tank! I haven’t made the Ogden for those very reasons – I need some bra strap coverage and boob-darts.
The Peacock Blue family is one of my top favorites – we have that one in common. Good for Jamie for being brave enough to help. It can be intimidating for SO’s to put in opinions when we’re dealing with personal image. That’s some LOVE.
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LOL – I had some better pictures of the earrings, but they all involved leaning over and showing my whole bra! 😛 Those didn’t make it tot the blog. Both pairs are Swarovski crystal in a teal/green/blue colour, and they are a perfect match for my new blue glasses! 😉
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Good to have you back! The earrings are lovely–Jamie picked a great “Gillian” color! And 6 months of fabric gift cards?!? Does he give “sewing spouse” lessons?? xD
I am right there with you on listening to suggestions from my partner and then promptly doing whatever I want: one of my next projects will be a very oversized dress and Tom said, “Nice potato sack!”; my first instinct was to stick up a middle finger, lol. 😉 I’m still going to make it! (And possibly in a very “potato sack” color…)
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Mwahahaha – it’s nice to make our SO feel part of the process AND make sure they appreciate our right to do whatever they hell we want! 😉
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Here’s a shout out to Jamie who is an excellent partner!! Also, you are endlessly adorable. You are my cutest blog friend in the land. (Which isn’t to undervalue my other blog friends who are adorable and superlative in many ways.) The tank is perfect with the waterfall cardigan. I am feeling my sewing urge lately – though I’m smart enough to know I have to be slower than I would like to be. When my machine returns (did I tell you how flippy I was with the poor woman at the Workroom. I was all like: Take care of my baby. Do not let harm come to her!) I will make more lounge pants. I need more. The others are developing holes. And I might even make some kind of top. But if it takes me 3 weeks to cut it out, do the alterations and sew it up, I don’t freakin’ care. I have enough clothes.
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I just slow-sewed a garment for the first time… um… ever, because I was pattern testing and I really wanted to sew one thing this month come hell or high water… and it was really interesting to just feel pride from doing each little step every few days when I could! I hope you can have a similarly chilll experience!
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I love the sleeves you came up with! And the fabric looks like so much fun – you picked excellent garments to showcase it!
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Thank you! I do love a print that says “I didn’t come from a big box RTW store!”
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Nice choice of fabric and patterns
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Thank you!!
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I love this fabric and both these pieces! And I’m so excited you can sew (and blog!) again!
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Me too! Actually, the part that’s been holding me back most on blogging is being able to edit the photos (needs a bright screen and functional hands), and then of course actually writing something! 😛
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Yeah, you do put a bit more into your posts than the average! (Er, than me. I’m probably well below the average. 😂)
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Two very lovely makes! I loved hearing the brainstorming process between both of you – of course you chose in the end, because you’re the one sewing it and wearing it.
I’ve been thinking about the Amy jumpsuit as a top from when it first came out. So glad to see it worked! How was the fabric usage? The Ogden gets so much praise for busting small scraps, would this work out as well? I really like this neckline for a cami!
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Personally, I HATE when people boast “Oh, this pattern can be made from so little fabric!” cause that’s only true if you are a small size! Even my bras take way more fabric, and I certainly could never make any kind of top from 1m of 45″ wide woven fabric. For a size 18 like mine, the pieces are quite wide because it’s flowy at the hem… but what I meant to mention in the post is that I actually pieced random triangles to both the front and back because my scraps form the dress weren’t large enough! In a busy print, even i can’t see the seam lines! 😉
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That’s very true! I was definitely shocked the first time I tried to sew panties – nothing I’d call a “scrap” would fit my pattern pieces 😀 I had to adapt my idea of which scraps are even worth keeping. On the top, I’m a “cusp size”, so that’s not as often a problem. Thanks for making me aware of this again, it’s so easy to get lost in other people’s descriptions. (Still, having recently tried to look for an easy top pattern for a friend, my Burda stash mostly yielded patterns that needed 2-3m of fabric, just from weird pattern pieces and lay-outs! That’s unfortunately not something I’d just try out on a whim for a body I’m not experienced in fitting and no try-on…)
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So glad to hear you’re recovering!
Fabulous fabric. Very you.
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The dress and tank top look wonderful – that fabric is fabulous and looks great on you!
Also, I’m so sorry to hear you had a concussion, I’ve had a few in the past and my heart really goes out to you. Recovery can take such a long time and be so difficult. I’m so glad you’re starting to feel better and are able to start doing the things you love again. I never would have guessed from these pieces or this post that you were a little “rusty” – you did an excellent job!
💜💜💜
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