Here's to wearing what I sew in the new year!

Colorful dresses

Dresses with cutouts

Skirts

Then I took my dresses and skirts to the MAX!

Maxi Dresses

Maxi Skirts

Tops

Gingham Style

Pants:

Colorful Pants

Fancy Pants

Everyone's Favorite Trend:

Peplums

Sewing for Mikaela

Everything else!

And my most worn garment...

Simplicity 2250

I wore this a LOT more than what was photographed!  

Sometimes... well, most of the time, I feel overwhelmed by life and all that I have going on at home.  I really didn't feel that productive sewing-wise.  But when I look at it all -- here together, I did a lot and I'm proud of myself!  

I hope you guys feel just as accomplished in your sewing.

Here's to a brand new year of making everything you want!

I wore this a few days back when I was still feeling kind of bad from my cold and needed to brighten up my mood.  What better way than wearing vibrant hues. 

This is one of my favorite jackets.  Yellow is such a happy color that I can't help but feel much better when I wear it.

I feel like I've been sick for months and everytime I feel recovered, here comes the sore throat and that crazy inner ear itch eeking it's way back.  So this year, our holiday was small because I just wasn't here for it.  But I hope yours was everything you wanted it to be!

Wearing:  Yellow trench jacket: Vogue 8480; neon yellow sweater: J.Crew (old), but similar to this one; Not Your Daughter's Jeans; wedges from Lotus Boutique; Karen Walker sunnies.

My wonderful friend Pam Howard sent me her great class on "The Classic Tailored Shirt" over at Craftsy.com.  And if you've ever wanted to really explore all of the magnificent details in depth, then this is the class for you!  I'll be posting my version after the first of the year.

Right now, Craftsy.com is having one last sale before the end of the year.  

The sale starts today and ends at midnight Monday, December 24th!  Click HERE to get your discount!

Fancy jeans has been a really big trend this season.  And my favorite way to follow a trend and come in under budget, is to sew a garment myself. 

Sources one, two and three.

This is Vogue 2973, an out-of-print pattern by Montana from 2007.  Yes, I'm still reaching in the filing cabinet for old patterns.  I've been intending to sew this pattern since I bought it 5 years ago... but I was always waiting for the perfect fabric for the jacket.  

For the pants, I used a black damask printed Italian denim (cotton 85%/polyester 13%/lycra 2%).  When I first ran across this fabric, I knew it had to become a pair of jeans. 

While researching reviews of this pattern, I was surprised to see there were only two reviews for the pants.  I thought they were pretty great looking on the envelope which is sometimes a rarity with the pattern companies.  So when I read and reviewed the images, I saw why.  This pattern has an enormous amount of ease.  I wouldn't want to wear jeans with the type of "relaxed fit" that this pattern would yield IF I'd stuck to my proper measurements.  Which leads me to wonder, why the pattern didn't produce a garment that looked like the designer sample in the envelope photo?!  Could it be a case of a poorly drafted pattern?

So instead, I cut the size 14.  I still had to sew them and nip/tuck as I went along.  The leg was not originally as tapered as I wanted them to be.  I didn't want a "skinny" skinny jean... but more of a grown up straight-legged style.  For my pants/jeans, I try to keep in mind my hip to leg-opening ratio.  I'm not trying to look like an ice cream cone.  So I based my measurements on favorite pants in my closet.

Even though with the print, you can't see it, but there is a lot of topstitching and edge stitching.  I felt that gave them a good RTW look... that is when given a close-up inspection.  

And I didn't follow the instruction very much.  I know the order in which I like putting pants together.  Plus, I always use this method for fly-front zipper installation.

My favorite detail of this project was the welt zippers and the topstitching on the waistband.

This is a cool pattern that fit the bill for what I'd envisioned.  But please be warned, this pattern is not for the rank beginner.  It's for someone that knows how to take the pieces given and modify them into what they actually want.

I've been doing battle with a cold for about the last 3 weeks.  The cold seems to be winning.  Everyone at home has been sick and no matter how much we medicate and Lysol (v.), we can't get rid of this bug.  Ugh!  And as much as I would love to convalesce while luxuriating in my bed all day, that ain't gonna happen.  Life and responsibilities aren't taking a break because I have a cough and a runny nose.

And as much as I'd rather be home in my pajamas, I still have my daily errands to run.  And I'm NOT that chick that would ever be caught dead out in public in PJs!  Just as sure as I step out the house looking crazy, that'll be the day I'd have to get out of the car for whatever reason while picking Mikaela up from school.  She'd be horrified! LOL

So even when I'm feeling cruddy and must be seen in public, I default to my go to style of comfort, pull my hair back (since it's grown out), add blush, bronzer, lipstick and a pair of oversized sunglasses.

Wearing:  wrap cardi (similar to THIS); Helmut Lang dress (old, similar to THIS); faux leather leggings (similar to THESE); BCBG boots (old, similar to THESE).

Every year, Pantone, the global authority on color, watches the trends, designers and brands to see which colors are making a splash. After conducting polls and research, the institute picks one color that will act as a sort of "running thread" throughout the tapestry of fashion and design trends. Their pick for 2013 is lively, radiant and lush emerald green.

Emerald is a jewel tone. It mixes perfectly with rich purples, blues, reds, golds and brightens up black like what I'm wearing.

I decided to pair my green pants with a black turtleneck sweater and my black cape.

Emerald is a perfect hue for accessories such as handbags and jewelry.

It's not surprising that emerald green is the "IT" color for 2013.  It was already popping up everywhere back when I first made these pants.  It was one of my must have colors all summer.

Do YOU have any emerald green in your wardrobe or fabric stash?  If not, do you plan on incorporating any?

I loved all of the details on my cape so much, that I decided I wanted an actual coat on a similar style.  And lately, I've been more than obsessed with oversize jackets and I've naturally gravitated to the cocoon style.

I knew exactly what I had in mind:  I wanted something that fit oversize and had a dramatic collar.  I've also been checking out blanket coats as well.  So while flipping through my pattern cabinet, I came upon Vogue 8696.  Okay... not really a coat... more of a sweater, yet all of the details are there.  My fabric is wool-blend coating (purchased at Hancock's last year), with NO-STRETCH.

Well... being the ME that I am, I decided to make it work anyway.  Hey, it's only fabric.  And the only way to learn if something will work is to test it out.  So I went for it.  I cut out the size large and I didn't make any alterations to the body of the design.  Since I was using Views A/B (minus the belt), I lined mine with fabric from my stash.  Here is the only change I made:

I had a small piece of lambskin leather in my stash and decided to add it to the sleeves.

Leather sleeves are a major trend this season and I knew this would be a great detail.

With the bulk of the fabric, I decided to omit the belt and just let the coat hang free.

I added cognac accessories to play off of the winter white:  bag from Steve Madden and boots from Sam Edelman.

I can already tell you that this coat will see a lot of wear this season.  It's so warm and comfy that it'll be the one I reach for the most!