Blue-Sky Sewing - Rose Embellished End of Summer Frock

Since I got my sloper done, I look at other woman's frocks with a new eye. I ran into Rebecca, on a toasty day while we were waiting for our devices to get fixed at the apple store, and she was kind enough to let me photo her in this great rose-embellished, gingham summer dress.

Looks like maybe six tiers in that nice big rose. It starts above the natural waistline, and extends below the full hip.

This great gingham cotton frock also has bust darts.

I would try to recreate something like this by simply eliminating the front torso fisheye darts in my sloper, and maybe also grading the pattern out from beneath the bust darts?

Uniform Sewing: The Birdie Vest

I'm very happy with my double sided flannel Birdie Vest, even though I didn't include the pseudo-welt pockets I usually make. I do miss those little front pockets. The tradeoff, of course, was that I got the project done more quickly. BTW The time spent adding decorative machine stitching for a sharper front edge didn't add much time to the project, as I wrote about previously.

The vest looks good with some black, light weight wool pants I made last winter, and a long sleeved black tee. The combination was just about right for a long walk I took today. The thermometer was in the high 40's. I had a pair of half done light weight blue denim trousers hanging up next to it as well (I'm having issues with the waistband) and it looks like that will be another good combination. Inspiration to finish my fight with the waistband!

I used McCalls 2260, a classic pattern from which, I've made maybe ten vests.
If the lining fabric looks familiar it's because I bought extra fabric for my husband's nightshirt to use for this.

Birdie Fabric Source Details .

I'll talk more about this project in my Enchanted By Sewing Podcast show for January. The theme for that episode will be vests.

Seasonal Sewing: Scarves O' Flannel

I try to always buy an extra yard and a half of flannel when I'm creating a nightshirt or nightgown. I like my scarves to give good cold season coverage, so a nice big 45" length, folded on the diagonal provides a good big width of warmth.

No sewing required, of course. I fringe a little along the edge if I'm in the mood. Mostly they just keep my neck snug with no itchiness. They're highly washable and compliment a lot of outfits. Indoors, tucked into a neckline, they often take the place of a light sweater. Outside, down inside a light weight jacket they are the finishing touch that keeps me cosy.

In a pinch, if I'm out walking a little later than normal or hit a sudden cold spot, I can tie one of these beauties over my head for an impromptu head cover. When I do that I feel a little bit like Maureen O'Hara in film "The Quiet Man".