I sew therefore I refuse to pay for ready to wear! So, I’ve been working on a few Anthropologie and Victoria’s Secret hacks. Anthro has some of the best fashion out there. They must, everyone is trying to hack it. Well, I jumped on the bandwagon too, why? The styles are really pretty straightforward and pretty easy to duplicate on the cheap. Thank you again Anthropologie. 🙂 This is a perfect example! Let me break it down for you, it’s a yard of fabric, folded in half, with side seams and a v neck. There are several tutorials out there. It’s made out of rayon spandex jersey. Which can be found here for about $6 or $7 a yard.
Anthro seems to have a love affair with peplum tops. Just do a pinterest search. I found this one I love it! It’s too early here for tank tops so I’m working on a short sleeve version out of knit. I’ll hopeful finish it today and post the finished product and some hints on how to do it. For a little teaser….hint number one is find a bodice pattern you love and make it fit you perfectly! From there the options are endless!
One of the new trends for 2016 is a high cut bra. The lace shows through the top of your tank. Check it out. They are calling it the new eyelash lace collection. The bonus here is you can make your own tank to display this sexy bra on the cheap. I found some free patterns at Sew City. They seem to be the Victoria’s Secret of the sewing world. I imagine these can be created for under $10. ENJOY!
Happy Anniversary Lucy! Look how far you’ve come from your first, now removed blog post. Content is missing, but overall, I still love the photo.Sewing with knits, published just a day later gained a great deal of popularity. Excitement for me grew as people began to respond to my blogs. Growth in popularity, users and subscribers catapulted me into challenging myself to post increasingly informative blogs. The topics were varied. Capsule Wardrobe drew great interest, close to 200 hits in just a little over six weeks.
I covered fashion, sewing, style, and sewing with two broken arms. That was hard! The more serious I became about sewing, the more you loved the blog. Subscribers increased quickly. Another favorite blog about muslins was a Huge hit. Muslins are so important but such a pain in the butt to do the sewing for one dress two times, ya know? It’s worth it though, I encourage everyone to make muslins before making the garment.
You went MAD about Mad Men fashion and so did I! Mad about Mad Men remained the top post for a long time. You can search to catch the blogs or you can visit the first one here.
Lucy’s Sewing Lab
Lucy’s took on several “looks” before she came up with the perfect fit. But I think I’ve found it. It’s not easy deciding who you want to be, you know?
I have a photo journal page, Lucy’s Photo Journal and added my own Pinterest and more! I look forward to the next year, it will bring many new changes I hope you like. There is a link to all archives on the left of my home page. ENJOY!
Not the most entertaining part of creating apparel, but the most crucial when designing and sewing garments.[envira-gallery id="2923"] [envira-gallery slug="primary-colors"]
Can you believe the first color wheel was invented by associating each color with a note one a musical scale? This was accomplished by Newton.
100 years later psychological studies began on the effects on colors.
Goethe divided the psychological effects of colors into two groups.
*Plus side (red, orange, yellow) colors producing cheerfulness and excitement
*Minus side (green, violet, blue) colors of weakness and unsettled feelings.
THE REAL DEAL (COLOR RULES)
Any two colors opposite each other are harmonious.
Colors spaced around the wheel forming a triangle, or rectangle are also harmonious.
Color schemes——also known as harmonies remain so no matter what the rotation angle is.
BASIC COLOR SCHEMES[envira-gallery id=”2926″]
Monochromatic Color Scheme-The use of color tints and saturations of one color.
Analogous Color Scheme– This color scheme uses colors next to each other with one color ore dominate to enhance the color scheme.
Complementary Color Scheme- One of the most used schemes, the colors are opposite each other on the wheel. This scheme is used best with a cool color with a warm color.
Split Complementary Color Scheme- Uses three colors. One color is chosen as well as the two adjacent to the first color, providing a high contrast.
Triadic Color Scheme
The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it looks more balanced and harmonious.
Tetradic (Double Complementary) Color Scheme
The tetradic (double complementary) scheme is the most varied because it uses two complementary color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize; if all four hues are used in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a color to be dominant or subdue the colors.
You know how it goes, with a palette, the seasons begin to change, Pantone releases the colors, and you are itching to make it work. So, I took a little shopping spree.
Every single solid below matches with all the prints. Not to mention, a great deal of these solids are part of the Pantone’s pick for the season. [envira-gallery id="2899"] [envira-gallery slug="palette"]Look at these prints, I think the first would be an amazing pair of palazzos. The second prints with the mix of browns, pinks, and mustard is simply unique and perfect for a top to accompany the solids below. All the prints incorporate the same palette of colors and will create a unique Spring/Summer 2016 wardrobe. Stand by and watch me work!
Welcome to Fall 2016 Pantone Colors. These colors are so versatile, I love them! You have vibrancy with New Riverside (shades of blue), Spicy Mustard (shades of yellow), New Bodacious (shades of pink), and Meadow Lush (shades of green). Actually they are each their own new shade of blue, yellow, pink, and green. I love them! They can be worn alone and make a statement, or paired with other colors to further define their vibrancy.
Potter’s Clay is one of my personal favorites! I love this color and will gladly mix it with Spicy Mustard, Taupe, and Sharkskin. This color is very versatile and lends itself to a neutral as much as a color that can stand on it’s own.
Dusty Cedar can be as romantic as business. Mixed with Sharkskin and black screams business. While mixing Dusty Cedar with Warm Red and Warm Taupe can lead to an exciting night out on the town, Fall 2016 Pantone has hit the nail on the head once again!
Warm Taupe, I have to admit is one of my favorites. I am biased to shades of brown though. Potter’s Clay would make this 2016 Pantone color pop. It can be mixed with all the colors, a few at a time or all at once. This color can also stand alone. It reminds me of the naked dress from Sex and the City. Airy Blue is a fall version of serenity. This color would look great mixed with lush meadow’s vibrancy as well as aurora red for a punch of confidence
The color combinations with Fall 2016 Pantone’s colors is spectacular! Stock up now. I know a few local stores already selling these colors which is perfect for warmer climates. What do you think of the selection? How will you use it? ENJOY!
Fashion hacks are my favorite sewing inspiration. Do you specifically shop for fashion in pattern catalogs or on pattern sites? I found myself really wondering if these things are really in fashion or just look good to other seamstresses. I started about a year ago shopping in fashion magazines and stores for hacks. I didn’t want to look cool to the sewing community, I wanted to look cool!
Free People Fashion Hacks
[envira-gallery id="2845"] [envira-gallery slug="freepeople-lace-up"]This is one [envira-gallery id=”2855″]of the better descriptions. It not only lists the fabric but also the exact fabric content and points out the seaming around the bust as well as details about the hem we cannot see. Thanks for the help needed on our own fashion hack. 🙂
This dress! [envira-gallery id=”2853″]I cannot wait to make. Do you see the simplicity of the lines? The photo boasts, “Made in suede!” Easy peasy!
We all need casual I don’t care clothing in the warmer months, right? Here’s another of my favorite fashion hacks.[envira-gallery id=”2851″]This is a Raglan top with a wide neckline. They have Shirred the neckline, but you could get a similar look with elastic. I would hem the neckline. Then sew the elastic directly to the hem. Encasing the elastic would take away some of the free spirit. If you want to know how to shir, Seamingly Kitten has a great tutorial. Basically you need elastic thread.
By Gum By Golly is a really hip seamstress. [envira-gallery id=”2849″]She sews like I sew, a lot of self drafting. In case you haven’t heard, the turtleneck is making a comeback! She nails it and gives great instructions to make your own. WHO WHAT WEAR is featuring dark denim. I’ve had dark denim [envira-gallery id=”2847″]in and out of my stash for over a year now and I just bought quite a lot of some very lightweight dark denim at Hancock Fabrics. I love the look of this dress they featured. It’s essentially your favorite tee-shirt, nipped at the waist, and made longer.
I found my serger! After too much research, comparing, interviewing, and asking for demonstrations I found the one! You see, I have a friend whose a “real” designer. One of her designs even made it to the red carpet. I asked her opinion on which one to buy and why. I really, really wanted a Singer. You see, I’m married to Singer! Love at first sight for us. Singer got us through the 80’s and when I started sewing again, Singer was my first choice. She assured me Singer was a great choice.
She then told me she used JUKI. I asked why, I mean, who wouldn’t want to know, right? She told me she worked with and worked on a lot of different machine brands. JUKI is the strongest and best produced machine, in her opinion. So, of course I kept researching. My researched turned up the same information she already gave me. JUKI is a very well made machine and the lowest end of the line performs just as well as the top of the line. The company was given the Deming Prize for quality control in the manufacturing of industrial sewing machines in 1981. If you would like more information and convincing of the brand go here. Amazon testimonials are also a great source for information when looking for a new machine. The machine I am looking at buying is the Juki MO-50E 3/4 Thread Serger, the customer reviews made me a believer! ENJOY
It’s so confusing, which should I buy? The Serger or Overlock machine, which one do I need most? It’s a hard decision, both do basically the same thing. They perform finishing stitches. A serger performs one task perfectly–overlocking, cutting and finishing seams in one step.
The real difference is with the make and model of the serger. Some have 8 spools of thread. WOW how confused can one person be? From what I have been told the number of spools increase the number of stitches the machine is capable of doing. On that note the serger handles knits superbly.
An overlock describes it’s main use, to finish edges with the overlock stitch. They have fewer spools of thread, and less decorative stitches. It does not have a cutting attachment. here they are having a discussion about the differences and the ones they prefer most. If you don’t care about people’s opinion, I found a great blogger who explains the machines very well. Over at SergerPro they advise finding a serger easy enough for anyone to manipulate. I agree whole heartedly!! Automatic or color-coded features are recommended for threading. Of course I’m a penny pincher and I would choose the cheapest one on the market.
aking a final decision on the serger sewing machine starts with knowledge of the most important factors needed in a quality machine. The top serger machine will be easy enough for even an amateur to manipulate. It should have an acceptable differential feed for material versatility along with automatic or color-coded threading features. The serger will have the appropriate number of threads as well as various stitching styles. Along with offering helpful attachments, the machine should be reasonably priced considering how it will be used. I look for FAST machines. I love being able to sew my clothing at a rate to wear it the same day I start if I want. At the time of this blog, I found the Brother 1034D was the top seller.
With the SINGER 14CG754 ProFinish and the JUKI MO644D Portable Serger close behind. I would have to study the machines and their options a lot closer to make a decision. My heart says SINGER, that’s all I’ve ever used. That doesn’t mean it’s the best choice. You can find a great article here comparing options, price, and brand. I hope you find the serger machine of your dreams and ENJOY!
Pantone chose two colors this year. They look pretty much like pink and blue but their names are much more complicated. Rose quartz and Serenity are the official names. The colors made use of gender blur as inspiration relating to fashion. The choice of these colors impacted other areas of design. As gender becomes less important and more equal, this generation’s concerns do not lie in judgement. The generation is not worried about being typecast and expresses themselves through color, pink and blue, if you wish to call it that are statement colors as to what is going on around us. The colors are a celebration of equality!
Whether in soft or hard surface material, the pairing of Rose Quartz and Serenity brings calm and relaxation. Appealing in all finishes, matte, metallic and glossy, the engaging combo joins easily with other mid-tones including greens and purples, rich browns, and all shades of yellow and pink. Add in silver or hot brights for more splash and sparkle. I can’t wait to use these colors! They are compatible with nearly all skin tones and have a playful nature to them.
Knowing the parts of a machine is the most important part of sewing. Seriously! All that tech garbage just gets in the way of creativity. But, nonetheless, these parts of a machine are extremely important to know. If you do not know the thingamajig is actually the feed dogs, no one can help. Because when you ask for help they will have no way of explaining to you how to accomplish what you want. I’m including a video to help you through the darkness of the valleys. Hopefully encouraging you not to quit sewing before you get started just because the parts of a machine are bullying you.
I promise over time you’ll learn these things and sewing will be a breeze. Pretty good graphics but they are not exactly the same on every machine. the best place to look is your menu. Once you learn about your machine. How to thread the needle, what the parts of the machine do, and most importantly how to turn it on, you’ll be ready to practice sewing some straight lines.
Some people start sewing on paper, following a pre-drawn line. I was afraid it would somehow kill the sewing machine. I started with making curtains and pillows. Those are two simple projects that can be made quickly and are fulfilling. ENJOY!
Happy Anniversary Lucy! Look how far you’ve come from your first, now removed blog post. Content is missing, but overall, I still love the photo.
Excitement for me grew as people began to respond to my blogs. Growth in popularity, users and subscribers catapulted me into challenging myself to post increasingly informative blogs. The topics were varied. 
Muslins are so important but such a pain in the butt to do the sewing for one dress two times, ya know? It’s worth it though, I encourage everyone to make muslins before making the garment.
Finding a machine is 
There is a link to all archives on the left of my home page. ENJOY!
