Liberty of London Top & Skirt

Where do I start to explain my love for Liberty of London fabrics? Ever Since I laid my eyes on Liberty of London fabric decades ago (I think I was in Jr. high), I have been a huge fan of their beautiful prints.  I got my first job in high school and bought my first Liberty tana lawn fabric. Even though it was a small pack of precuts, and I didn't know what I was going to make with them, I was so happy that I finally had a piece of beautiful and fine designed fabric in my possession.  Over the years I have bought from them here and there with the intent of sewing something, but cutting into gorgeous print is extremely hard for me! What if I mess it up, what if  I don't care for the clothing I made or I might find a pattern I like better?  Ugh... Welcome to the world of indecisiveness. 

If you have been reading my blog for a long time, you might know this, but I have used them for smaller projects such as; Shoes makeover, Mod podge mini tree, fabric thread on the wood spool ornament, Christmas ornament, and button bracelet. 

Ok, I got a little side tracked, let me go back to the fabric and this project... you might ask why I finally decided to use these precious fabrics. As usual, I was looking at my collection and thought to myself "well, my daughter is not interested in sewing, and I never know how long I am going to live. Why am I just letting that fabric sit on the shelf? What kind of "special occasion" am I waiting for?? I should totally sew something with them and enjoy it while I can!! I was going through another health issue at the time (it turned out ok, not life threatening) and made me think of organizing my life better;  both lifestyle and things I own. I took the plunge and decided to sew a wearable. Guess what? I have no regrets!

I used the patterns I drafted a few years ago, and modified them to create this look. I love how it turned out, but I would make a few changes to the skirt if I was ever going to make same skirt again. Also, I like how the back of the top turned out, but it was not planned. While I was cutting the fabric, I realized that I didn't have enough main fabric to sew the top, so I had to improvise and added the secondary fabric to the back, haha, I am looking forward to wearing this through the fall, I am thinking about where I put my favorite navy sweater...

Rifle Peper Co. Wildwood Top

I bought this fabric by Rifle Paper Co. Wildwood a while ago, but being that I am indecisive, it was forgotten in a pile. In the last few weeks, I have been going through my fabric stash and patterns and doing my own "Sew My Stash Challenge". I haven't formally announced the challenge or anything, but it feels good to make decisions and to sew with the fabrics on my shelves (or in a closet or on the floor, haha), it's about time! I used pattern Burda 6204, it has three different styles. I chose a style with ruffles on the sleeves and the bottom, but I modified the pattern a little. I brought the neckline a bit higher, narrowed the armholes and reduced the ruffles and decided not to add the ruffles on the bottom.

It is easy to sew and wear; a perfect top for summer! As I was wearing it, I noticed my teenage daughter was eyeing it and complimented it a few times. She normally doesn't care about clothing and she hates going shopping, for her to say something like "ooh, I like that" or "that is a cute top" is a big deal for me, I was giddy inside! When she wore it, it looked better on her than on me. I have a feeling that the shirt may end up in her closet for good and I don't mind at all. :) I have more projects lined up, so come back to check them out soon!

Sewing ~ Strip Knit Set Up

First of all, please let me apologize to the people who left comments on the post about my breast cancer journey a few months ago Breast Cancer Awareness Month and My Story, This is the Morning and Update ~ Post Surgery. I didn't get an email notification for the comments and didn't know there were comments for the posts. I happened to be poking around and found a bunch of comments and I was so touched by each one of your kind comments. I am so sorry that I didn't reply to them, but I deeply appreciate them. I changed the setting, so now I finally get email notifications.

I can't believe it has been almost 6 months from my mastectomy. I had quite a rough time after the surgery from the reaction to the anesthesia, bleeding problems on both breasts resulting in me going back to surgery the next day, infections and low grade fevers that lingered for a few months. I just didn't feel like writing a post about it during that time. My fever finally went away and the last couple of months I have been sewing a lot more and enjoying my family. But this morning, I am ready to go back in to get the second part of reconstruction surgery. Wish me luck!

In the month of March, I sewed several clothes using the fabrics I already had. It was a very good experience to revisit the fabrics and patterns I already had and complete the projects. I am very much motivated to continue this even though it is April, in fact, I would love to keep going till I use up all my apparel fabrics. I finished this knit set up a couple days ago.

I have been looking for a T-shirt with V-neck in the back, but I never found one with just the right amount of opening. I drafted a pattern and made this one and I. love. it! I found this knit probably a year or two ago and couldn't decide what to do with it, so I stashed it in my closet. I am usually intimidated by knits, but this one is thicker and it was much easier to work with.

Clothing like this is comfortable to wear, you can mix and match with other things, and with the right accessories you could instantly look put together and that is exactly what I love about them. My newest project is also a knit set up with a slightly different design. I didn't have time to take pictures, so I will share it after I recover from the surgery. Stay tuned!

Floral Hues ~ Pullover Top

Have you already hear about Floral Hues designed by Sue Daley? She is a talented quilt and fabric designer. Also, she is well known for her amazing English paper piecing skill and knowledge. A few years ago, I had the privilege to meet her in person when she was in Utah. I will always treasure the night I spent looking at her beautiful quilts and talking with her.

I was given a chance to work with her new fabric collection, Floral Hue from Riley Blake Designs. I was so excited to find out that they are 100% cotton lawn. Lawn is lighter weight than regular cotton and great for making clothing as well. I decided to make a relaxed flowy top for summer and fall.

Searching for a perfect style, I came across a pattern by Simplicity; number 8417. There are several design options for this pattern, but I liked option B which combines a couple different fabrics. I chose Floral Hues Main Gray and Floral Hues Daisies Gray for my top.

I finished sewing it and I am ready to try it on!

I was wearing it at home at first, but I thought beautiful floral fabrics such as these deserve nice outside light for the photo shoot...

That's exactly what I did (Thank You Mr.Tea Rose Home!)

It was over 100 degrees outside and I was wearing this 3/4 sleeve top but because of the light weight fabric I felt fine. :)

I hope you hop on over to Riley Blake Designs to see the other color schemes. They are worth checking out!

Clothing Construction Book Review

When I first started to sew clothing, I had no clue where to begin. The pattern that I bought (in Japan) had instructions, but as I was making progress, there were a few areas that needed more explanation because I was new to sewing. Eventually, I bought a sewing book that covered more details of how to do things; it had lots of pictures and that helped me a ton!

The book I had the pleasure of reviewing and introducing to you today is "The Complete Photo Guide to Clothing Construction" by Christine Haynes. The title says it all, very straight forward and the content is true to the title. When I read through the book I was very impressed with how the author paid attention to detail and explained things so well. There are over 600 colored pictures throughout the book to go with the explanations!

The author, Christine Haynes, has her own line of sewing patterns, writes regularly for many sewing magazines and teaches sewing in Los Angeles and online. Wow, no wonder this book so well organized and written from cover to cover, she is an expert!

In the book you will find the anatomy of various garments:

Introductions of all sorts of notions:

Instructions and tips on how to read patterns properly so we can get a jump start to creating quality clothes.

In addition to all the basics, she also added some beyond the basic techniques; such as French seams and rolled hems!

I look forward to returning to this book often while I sew clothing in the future, my bookshelf definitely has a spot for this gem. If you are thinking about starting to sew, still new to sewing clothing, and even somewhat advanced, you will find this book very useful. Yes, I totally recommend this book.:)

New Top for Spring

One of the things I have been wanting to sew is a new top for spring and summer. Not just any top... I had the exact design in my mind of how I wanted the top to be like. There are similar patterns out there, but I haven't found one that I was completely satisfied with. For example, the neckline is too wide open, or the arm hole is too big so when I move around it shows everything, or the tip of the shoulder is pointy and stands up the way I don't like and so on and so forth.

I bought a yard of beautiful tana lawn by Tula Pink last summer with the intent to make the top. I wanted to make sure that I created a pattern that I love and use that to sew the top so I would definitely wear it.

After some measuring, drawing lines, erasing and drawing again, I finally had a pattern that I was pretty confident that I would love. Right away, I put the pattern to the test and here is what it looks like...

My favorite type of neckline is a little below the collar bone.

The arm hole is open just right, it is comfortable and I have full range of motion, but it is closed enough that you don't see anything from the side when I raise my arms.

I also added belt loops on the side seams. I made it very close to the fabric, so it is not very noticeable. I thought I could wear it with or without the belt.

There are a few options that I was considering for the bottom seam. I decided to go with a nice curved line instead of a straight cut.

It was so fun trying it out, but it is a bit too cold to wear it outside. Tana lawn is very thin material, and it is perfect for sewing tops like this. I can't wait for spring and summer though.

I am so happy with how it turned out, I am going to make a couple more tops with different fabrics (I already have some Liberty of London in my stash. Yay!). I know I can use this pattern as a base and tweak it a little bit to create something different as well. I wore this with a skirt, but it would look cute with skinny pants and pair of flats. Wouldn't you agree?

Stylo ~ Flannel Jacket

It was really hard not to spill the beans for a while. I was invited to contribute to a section of "1 fabric 5 designers" in Stylo magazine. Stylo is the first fashion forward eMagazine centered around children's sewing patterns and style. After I accepted the challenge happily, I received 2 yards of beautiful flannel from Miss Matatabi, from japan. After going back and forth, I decided to use a pattern I found in a Japanese sewing book ‘ほんのり sweet 女の子の服 ‘ by 荒木由紀（Ｙｕｋｉ Ａｒａｋｉ). Here are the results...

I also made a headband to go with the top.

In the sewing book, it was introduced as "cardigan" and it was made with knit. I thought if I made it with flannel, Rachel could wear it more like a shirt or jacket.

I added the belt loops and small pom-pom trim with velvet ribbon to finish it off.

My friend Kristina of Kristina Bills Photography took these beautiful pictures for me. Thanks, Kristina!

After waiting for a while, I was so happy to go through the magazine for the first time. BOY it is AMAZING! Other contributors did such an amazing job... I mean the choice of fabric to sewing to such stylish photos. I was in ooh's and ah's, and inspired by them so much. Head over to check out Stylo right now, you don't wanna miss this issue!!

Guest Post at Down East Home Blog

I am guest posting at the Down East Home and Clothing blog today. Please head over to their blog to see what I picked up at the store for Rachel, and the fun we had with our mini photo shoot.

Here is a sneak peek...


I will see you over at Down East Home & Clothing blog!

Trip to Japan ~ Shopping Part 3

While I was there I bought some clothes (of course!). I bought a few items at the mall, but there were some great finds at the recycle shop. I was so surprised by their quality, and the range of selections. I will share the pictures of them in various posts.

I had so much fun window shopping at the mall. I still remember the time that the Japanese economy was strong (years ago), and people would spend lots of money on very expensive designer items. I guess for some people it is still that way, but most of the consumers are looking for more affordable yet high quality items.

When I went to the mall, I was pleasantly surprised to find many stores that carried budget friendly clothing. AND, they were so pretty! It was just so much fun to look at different things that I don't find in the U.S.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, it is no secret that I love clothing, but I am not big into following treads. I would add a hint of "in" items here and there to update my look, but I don't feel like I have to buy the hottest or greatest items.

Just like here in the United States, there were many different styles of clothing, but the particular style I kept being drawn to was clothing made out of linen, cotton, gauze and relaxed style. To some people such style may appear as shapeless, unsexy, untrendy, but I.LOVE.THEM.

I fell in love with this dress... it was love at first sight. The white skirt and the tank is something I had, it didn't come with the dress. It is made out of very light weight cotton.

I see you! I was messing with Mr.TRH while he was trying to take pictures.

Ivory white tunic: I found this at the recycle shop. I love the square neck with lace and it is made out of very soft gauze. I wore it with a skirt and ribbon that came with a different dress I had. I think it would be fun to wear it with skinny pants and flats too.

Blue robe: I honestly don't know what to call this. I guess it can be worn as a dress, but "robe" sounds like a better fit for it. When I found this at a shop in the mall, they had a soft black and Ivory as well. I loved them so much that I wanted them all, but I behaved and chose this one. It is very baggy, and I wish I had this while I was pregnant! :) It makes me so excited to think about the different ways to coordinate this unique piece.

As I mentioned, there are other ones, but I will share them as I have pictures to share. There are a few more posts to share from the "Trip to Japan" series, hang on tight; a giveaway post is coming up soon!

Shopping with a Little Different Perspective

I have been eyeing some little girl’s striped knit dresses for the summer. Some that I saw were 40 to 50 dollars! Well, you know me; I wasn't gonna pay that much for a kid’s dress; something she might only wear for one season.

Then, one day I was at Ross (boy, I love Ross and TJ Maxx! I can find pretty darn cute stuff for killer deals) checking out the teen dress section. Look what I found...


Aren't they cute? I especially love the orange one; I think the color combinations are super. I guess they are a dress or a tunic top, either way, I loved the colors.

The light bulb moment came to me (grin)...they are too tight or too short for my liking, if my daughter is in her teens, BUT they are perfect for her 6 years old frame. AND, they were $5.99 each!

We had a small summer fashion show that afternoon, and of course, a photo shoot...



She LOVEs it!


I simply adjusted the shoulder straps, and the dresses were perfect for her. With a little bit of imagination and perspective adjustment I scored big time. :)

Miss-Matched

These pictures were taken on the same day as my last post, the day I took Rachel to the park. Eventhough I picked the top and the pants, Rachel wanted to dress herself and accesorise herself...

There, Little Miss-Match was born.


Sometimes I don't think arguing to make them wear what I want them to wear is worth it. So, I just let them. I figured that I have to pick and choose my battles. It is good to give them control in some aspects of their lives. Right? That way they might be willing to listen and obey on more important issues.

If I coordinate my clothes like Rachel does, people might think that the busyness of life finally got to me... but, for some reason, kids can get away with this kind of coordination.

I think this was one of the reasons why she was so happy at the park. She was wearing everything she wanted to wear (well, execpt there was light pink and hot pink striped groves she wanted to wear. Thank goodness she forgot them on the kitchen table.)


She makes me smile.

By the way, Monday is the day for the announcement of the giveaway winners! Make sure to come back to see if you are one of the lucky winners!

Have a nice Sunday!