Project MyWay #18–Silver Charmeuse Blouse

I did it again–we were invited to a holiday party last Saturday night and I spent all day Friday and Saturday making an outfit to wear (this blouse with the black velvet jeans in the previous post). I guess I work better under pressure, but just once I’d like to have my outfit ready and hanging in the closet while I take a leisurely bath and get ready to go. Happily my outfit did turn out great and I’m sure I’ll wear it a few times this season. Read more

Project MyWay #17–Black Velvet Jeans

I made these velvet jeans with Burda 8085. I love them! They fit great and sewed up beautifully. I used cotton velvet. I didn’t make ANY changes to the pattern. They look just as good as RTW jeans that sell for over $100. That’s all!

Ta-ta for now!

Project MyWay #16–Phillip Lim 3.1 Knock-off Jacket

This is the first jacket I’ve made in a looooong time–several years…it was a fun project, if a little frustrating. Read more

Project MyWay #15–Wrap Top

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Project MyWay #14–Theory Knock-off Skirt & Top

  I wanted that Theory skirt, in a different color which I showed you in Fall Wardrobe ‘08–Part 5. I decided on fatigue green (again!)–the color feels fall-ish and I love how it looks with black. Read more

Project MyWay #13–Ella Moss Knock-off Dress

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Project MyWay #12–Top Sewn with Fabric from India

 

I knew the fabrics I brought back from India would easily find a way into my wardrobe. It was cool enough to wear jeans last week (yea!) and I wanted something fresh to wear with my favorite pair. I whipped up this Butterick 3385 top with the Salwar Kameez fabric I showed you in my post, Fabrics from India. Read more

Project MyWay #11–Green Linen Shorts

I wanted to make a pair of shorts to go with my DVF knock-off blouse and fatigue green linen was the way to go. I think the brown shorts paired with the blouse on the Bloomingdale’s site are cotton, but I wanted my shorts to be a little dressier. (See the original outfit in my post Project MyWay #9–DVF Knock-off blouse.) Read more

Project MyWay #10–Silver Linen Blouse

On Friday night I met some old High School friends for “tennis” (I haven’t played in 10 years or more, plus, I’m still on crutches, so I was the audience) and drinks at the country club. I grew up doing things like this and don’t have much interest in it any more, but I wanted to see my friends and look nice.

I pulled this picture of Ellen Pompeo in a J. Mendel blouse out of In Style magazine’s June issue. I thought it was really classy looking. I’m so tired of poofy clothes! I think women over 40 look ridiculous in empire waisted billowy tops and dresses.

Unfortunately, the pattern I used for this blouse is a discontinued Style pattern. You can re-create the look with any sleeveless blouse pattern.

I cut my own collar from the collar stand pattern piece included with the pattern. As long as you have the correct neckline shape from any collar pattern piece, you can redraw to your heart’s content! This is how my change looked (I tapered it at the upper edge):

I bought a gorgeous piece of white silk organza with the idea of making a sheer blouse, but I keep whacking off hunks of it and using it as interfacing! It’s great to use inside light weight fabric when you want some stiffness, it makes my collar look nice and crisp.

I wanted a really clean look, like the Ellen Pompeo blouse, so I finished the fronts with a 1″ topstitched facing and then sewed the fronts together (topstitched) instead of using buttons or snaps:

It really turned out great and looks chic and casual with a pair of white pants.

Ta-ta for now!

Project MyWay #9–DVF Knock-off Blouse

I featured this blouse in my post, Spring Wardrobe ‘08 part 6 , it’s part of a Diane von Furstenberg outfit I found on Bloomingdale’s site: Read more

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