Beautiful Stevie

Yay Stevie!  

Once again, this is my lovely friend Stevie in a dress that I made for her.  It is the same pattern that I used for her last dress, which you can see here.  I'm sure you recognize the fabric since I use it again and again.  It is just the pretties cotton in the world, and looked so nice with Stevie's coloring.  

Stevie was kind enough to take these photos for the blog, and she provided me with lots of poses so that you could all see the dress from different angles.  Doesn't she look great?  She always does, of course.  

Here are some shots of the front and side: 

 And from the back: The back of the dress features bias tape around the zipper.  The same detailing is around the sleeves.

 You can see the small key-hole feature here:

 Thanks Stevie for your support, and for these lovely photos!  You make an excellent model!  I can't wait to sew something for you again.  :)

Tea and Dresses Three

I've been promising to show off some of my recent sewing projects, and finally, here are three at once!  Actually, the first dress I made for my friend Kimmi some time ago, but she just happened to wear it to tea on the same day my sister wore a dress I just made for her, and I was also wearing a me-made dress.  I was so excited that we were all wearing my creations at the same time!

My somewhat reluctant models together (they were actually very patient with me)...

Kimmi...

Rach...

Me...

I love how all of these dresses are so different and show off our individual styles.  My favorite element of Kimmi's dress is the yellow panels, and I also love the structured feel of the dress.  Rachel's dress has a lovely Asian feel.  I wish I had gotten better photos of how the top of her dress crosses, but maybe I will have another chance in the future.  And of course, my dress is very much my style, so I love everything about it!  The cotton fabric used on each of these dresses is very lovely, and I think I made good choices when deciding which fabric to use with which dress pattern.  ALSO- Each of these dresses are at least partially my own design.  :)

Tomorrow's post will feature another lovely lady modeling a dress I made (my gorgeous friend Stevie) so stay tuned!  I hope everyone is having a lovely day, nurturing yourself and your loved ones the best way you know how.  :)

Stylish Surprise #4: The Work Appropriate Shift

Here we have my last Stylish Surprise from this round of Stylish Surprises!  It is by far the most flattering of the bunch with an amazing fit.  It is yet another shift, but the darts in the front of the dress help to define my waist and make the shape of my body stand out in a lovely way.  It also has a hidden side zipper so that the dress can have an even more contoured shape without being fussy in any way.  The engineering behind this simple shift is basically perfect.  It doesn't pucker around my breasts or strain to contain my hips.  It doesn’t become too short when I sit down.  It doesn't hug my tummy or call for restrictive undies to help the dress keep its shape.  It has a soft lining that keeps the intricate lace detailing from becoming itchy against my skin.  It is simply lovely, yet also conservative enough to wear to work.  

Even though this dress isn't 100% me and I might not have picked it out on my own, my guess is that I will wear this dress like crazy.  It is just too comfy not to grab a few times a month.   That is the fun part of the Stylish Surprise.  It challenges me to try new things and not just stick with my usual color scheme and silhouette.  Admittedly, I have gotten items in the past that were so far out of my comfort zone or just plain did not fit that I didn't end up wearing or keeping.  That’s okay.  To me, it was worth the rush of opening that box of surprises and figuring out whether or not I could pull them off.  I like to challenge myself with styling, and I like to figure out how to make something that isn't in my comfort zone look totally purposeful.  I have always enjoyed making clothes my own and trying new things.  The Stylish Surprise is perfect for that.  I really cannot wait for the next round!!!

Stylish Surprise #3- Slouchy Sweater

As usual I've been sewing and sewing, but somehow not remembering to get photos of the finished products.  Hopefully I will get a few shots this weekend to share with you next week.  It's really sad, but I make an average of six items a month, and am on top of my game if I post one.  Sigh.  I promise to get better at this. 

 

In the meantime, here we have Stylish Surprise #3- the slouchy sweater.  I have already worn this sweater several different ways, and in fact, I am wearing it right now.  I absolutely love it.  It is like a wearable blanket.  I have a feeling I will be over-wearing it in the future, but that is a risk I am willing to take. 

 

This is how I styled it last week.  I wore it with a knit hat (forever 21), a green blouse that I got for $5 years ago from The Limited, Anthropologie cords, and nude heals.  It is warming up here, but I still need a little cardi when I leave the house.  This sweater does the trick quite nicely! 

I wear this hat a bit too often.  I need to find a few more just like it but in different colors.  Really, I'm sure a quick trip to Forever 21 would prove fruitful. 

 

Only one Stylish Surprise left to share!  I haven't been as motivated to dress up lately, and that is a shame.  I haven't been feeling great, which tends to lead to me not feeling up to bothering.  The silly part is, dressing up would probably cheer me up!  Another thing I vow to get better at.   

Stylish Surprise #2- Red Lace Shift

Here is my second Stylish Surprise from this round.  This dress is absolutely beautiful, and I am so glad it found it's way to me.  I can imagine that this dress wouldn't be everyone style, so I am extra glad that I got it as it would have been wasted on a less adventurous girl.

In person, this color is a little orange/ red.  It's pretty crazy how much red I own actually.  After green and mint, I'd say it is my go-to color.  This dress is just a tiny bit short when I sit down, but my body does tend to make that happen.  Girls with booties and hips, you know what I am talking about.  It also came with this little cream velvet ribbon as a belt.  I wore it with born saddles (to show off my birthday pedicure) and a necklace my sister made back in college.  Super cute right?

I wore this to work, which may have been sort of a mistake since it is a little short.  You live, you learn.  From now on, it will become strictly a date dress since my husband went crazy for it.  I think it may be his new favorite dress on me!  Again, my Stylish Surprise fairy is encouraging me to show off my curves a bit more.  This is also Jer's favorite way for me to wear my hair.  If only we had had money for a date night after work!  Oh well, such is life. 

 
I have two more stylish surprises to share before this saga is through.  I am so addicted, I can't wait until they have the sale again!