The LBJ - Little Black Jumpsuit is now the new LBD - Little Black Dress.

Sometimes when I'm going out for the evening, I really don't want to wear a dress.  But I still want to look chic and evening appropriate.  So for this season, I decided to put the LBD aside and create a dressy little black jumpsuit instead!  So I commenced to creating a look in my head!

I decided to "Frankenpattern" most of my look.  I used black matte jersey that I keep in my stash... it's a staple.  For the front of the bodice, I used Simplicity 2187.  I lengthened it by 2 inches so that I could get some blousing.  

For the back, I drafted a 2-piece yoke and opened-back.  The back is cut similar to the front in an overlapping "wrap-style".

For the pants, I used Vogue 1308.  For my jumpsuit, I wanted a tapered leg.  I lengthened the front and back pieces by 5 inches and tapered the leg to a 13" opening.

When I attached the bodice to the pants, I created a casing.  And I added 1/4" elastic at the waist.  And even though the jumpsuit bloused enough to actually cover the elastic waist, I still added a leather obi-style belt.  I like belts!  I matched it up with a sequin jacket that I found last year at Express while shopping with the girls and pair of killer pumps that I bought from Zara.  This was only my second time wearing these shoes because these are what I call "valet shoes".  Because that's what you'll need when wearing these because they weren't made for walking!

The LBD will always reign supreme as the queen and hold down the throne for date nights and cocktail wear.  But for those occasions when you want to shake things up, try a LBJ!

We invest a lot of time, money, effort and even sometimes frustration into the garments that we make.  Are you loving what you sew?  If not, then why?  This subject has been on my mind because when the seasons change, I always take EVERYTHING out of my closet and do an inventory.  I check to see what needs to be donated, what is showing signs of wear and tear, and what I feel like I need for the upcoming season.  And upon doing this, I always discover different outfit combinations, like this one.

I'm at a place in my style where I love what's going on in my closet.  When you can handpick everything from the pattern/design concept down to the last button, it really is amazing when you think about.  You never have to settle for what someone else has selected and made available to you -- like RTW.  The possibilities are endless!

I'm probably more of a fan of separates than I am of dresses.  With separates, you have endless mixing and matching.  They can be paired with different pieces and you always have a completely different look.  And you'll always have something to wear!

Wearing:  top: Vogue 1248; skirt: Butterick 5285; Asos.com Gladiators.

I've never been a t-shirt kinda girl.  If I'm going to wear a white knit top, it better have some kind of interesting detail about it.

Like this one!  I love the back of this shirt.  This is Vogue 8879 - view B.  It's an open back drape top.  

It was very easy to sew and I only had to add an inch to the length.  And I decided to omit the sleeve bands and just have a plain cap sleeve.

I added clear elastic to stabilize the neckline and the shoulder seams.  Because I could easily see the lightweight rayon spandex knit stretching out of place.

The fabric was perfect for this style of top.  Because you need to use a knit fabric with significant drape.

And I love how effortlessly it paired with my sequin pencil skirt from Asos.com and my DV by Dolce Vita sandals.  

And with my printed pants and Steve Madden pumps.

This is my first piece for fall!  I'm pretty much over summer and ready to sew my "transitional wardrobe".  Even though September is quickly approaching, the weather will still be warm for a while and will not allow for real fall pieces.  But I plan to make fall-like clothes that can be layered and worked into fall outfits for the coming months.

This skirt is Vogue 8928, view D.  When I saw this pattern, I was instantly drawn to the chicness of the style.  But after I cut my fabric and started assembling the skirt, something seemed off about it.

This was *supposed* to be a wrap skirt.  In my opinion, there is a flaw in the design.  Now, it may just be me, but I feel that the front of the skirt is not angled right.  If you notice the model on the VP site, even standing -- her "lady parts" are barely covered.  Imagine sitting down!  There's no way this skirt wouldn't just fall open. 

So I started pinning it in place... making it look how I needed it to look.  Because this gorgeous, bright yellow brocade from Mood Fabrics was NOT going to waste.  I had to make it work!  I edgestitched down the opening to where the angles meet.  Which still left a pretty high front opening that I can work with, but a lot better than just allowing it to hang free.

Other than that, this is the length of view D on me.  The illustration lead me to believe it would be more of a midi length and it barely hit the knee on my frame.  So be aware of the length on the shorter versions.  And I pegged in the bottom of the skirt (4 inches smaller than the widest point of the hip) because the skirt's shape is very boxy.

The skirt wasn't exactly what I had it mind.  But it still works for me and will get plenty of wear this season.  And it paired nicely with leather peplum top and mixed animal print sandals from Shoemint.com.

And in case you don't read Redbook Magazine, I had the privilege of being featured in the September issue.  Take a pick at it on their site!  And here is the original post.

It's been a while since I've sewn anything for Amber.  And since I've been in the mindset of sewing for the girls, we made this happen.

She needed a dress to wear to a wedding this evening.  And of course, me being me, I totally procrastinated.  I ended up cutting, sewing and fitting this dress on yesterday.  I pressed it and put it on a hanger at 3 a.m.  Sleep is for mere mortals!

I used New Look 6208, with modifications.  Instead of using the pattern's open-back version, I created my own and used a satin ribbon as a closure.  Amber is also quite petite, she's 5‘2" and she's pear shaped.  So I cut a size 8 and graded out to a 14.  I made a petite adjustment at the waist by removing an inch.  And I also gave the skirt a subtle high-low hem by removing 4-6 inches from the hem.  And I fully lined the dress.  And I moved the zipper to the back and used a 9" zipper instead of the suggested 22". 

I used a synthetic taffeta from Hancock.  It cut and sewed decently, but just touching it caused it to wrinkle like crazy.  If I were to make a dress like this again, I'd want to use a silk faille.

But the turquoise color is fabulous though and looks great on her!

This pattern has been on my "To Sew" list since last year.  I was determined to get it made this season.  And I did, in the nick of time!

This pattern is Vogue 1305.  And it's a designer one -- Lialia by Julia Alarcon.  She was also profiled on "All on the Line with Joe Zee" last season.

The description of this dress is as follows: semi-fitted, lined, pullover dress (fitted through hips) has draped right side extending into sleeve, left side slit, shoulder opening, and back opening with button/loop. Note: shoulder opening can be worn as neck opening.  

I had two major decisions regarding this dress.  The first one was, what fabric?  I knew I was going to make this dress in white.  White fabric would just seal the deal on the beautiful Grecian design.  But it couldn't be transparent, because this dress leaves very little to the imagination.  So I found this "perfect for me" fabric at Mood Fabrics.  It's a medium weight, cotton lycra jersey with a lot stretch.  With a dress like this, I didn't know if heavy stretch would work for me or against me in this design.  I chose a medium weight fabric because I wanted to be able to omit the lining... which was my second decision.  This is a white dress for summer, and I didn't want it to be hot and heavy.  So where the instructions suggested attaching the lining, I just serged and used a 5/8" hem to finish.

The only problem that I ran into was the right side and its draping.  I follow Cennetta's advice and added pleats to create ruching and maintain the draped effect.  Because there was no other choice with the weight of my cotton lycra jersey.  

Where I would normally lengthen everything, this dress is long!  So long that I decided to belt it so that I could blouse it and wear it with flats.  No lengthening alteration was needed; that really surprised me.  So I basically sewed this one straight from the envelope.  

And the only alteration I made was to raise the back opening.  With the amount of stretch this fabric has and  as low as the back opening was -- to the butt crack, it needed to be raised.  And I also made the side slit a little higher for walking ease.

So, before anyone asks -- here's the bra:

This is the Maidenform Combo Wing Push-Up Bra.  Yes, it sticks on using adhesive tapes that come with the bra and it also converts with the straps to halter or one-shoulder.  I also keep Topstick tape in my lingerie drawer and I was prepared to use them in case the original tapes weren't going to hold.  And yes, I wore this around the house before I went out in public to make sure it would hold.  

Okay, the thing you have to know about a "contraption" like this is to use common sense.  Obviously, you can NOT wear lotions, creams, body oils, etc... when wearing this, or the adhesive won't hold.  If you have a really large bust, this isn't going to work for you.  I'm a 36D and I bought the size 6.  I probably could've gone up to the largest size, a 7.  But it worked fine for me, for the few hours I had this on.  It's good as a "special occasion" bra.

All in all, this was a pretty simple pattern to cut and sew.  But I would be very particular about the side draping and forgo the instructions and create ruching.  I don't know if I'll sew this one again.  I'd like a short version in black.  I think it would make a great cocktail dress.  But this long version is definitely a one of a kind of your closet.

I love a fun top!  And McCall's 6702 is just that!

I cut view A.  I thought there was something adorable, with the Peter Pan collar, yet edgy at the same time with the open back.  That's why I was drawn to this.  And I felt that the asymmetrical high-low hemline is right on point with this season's trends.

Even though linen wrinkles like crazy (as you can see), it's still one of my favorite fabrics to sew.  I love how easily it handles.  This medium weight black one is one I've had stashed for a few years.  

I took flat pattern measurements and decided that I should cut the size 14.  I added an inch to the length.  I've sewn enough shirts to know all of the steps to eliminate the handsewing that the pattern instructions always suggest (i.e. sewing the yoke at the shoulder seam; the collar and front bands).  

The only problem I found with this pattern is that it runs a little big.  I don't mind the fullness and oversized style of the tunics, but I felt this top should've been cut a little closer to the body.  I ended up having to take in the sides a tad.  And also, the armholes were pretty large too.  But my side seam alterations solved that problem.  Just something to be aware of if you sew the sleeveless version.

The directions for the back opening suggested using seam binding as a finish.  I decided to serge and give it a 5/8" hem.  I also did the same thing for the armhole finish and the hem.

Even if you're not a fan of the open back style, this is such a great pattern with other shirt and tunic variations.  I'm thinking of perhaps turning one of the tunics into a dress!  It would be great worn with a pair of tights and riding boots!