Thanks to everyone who offered their suggestions on fixing my “muumuu”. I may have over compensated on one side, so now it’s perfect on one side and two tight on the other. Uggghhh. I am not giving up hope, though. I will consider that my muslin and redo the dress, going down a size or two.
I also have failed to respond to my wonderful Sisterhood Award. I am grateful to all those that read my blog and to actually get an award to boot….amazing. Thanks to: Knit Machine Queen, Mimisatin, Omega, and Tanya. Since I am so late on the draw, I won’t nominate anyone, but know that I have good thoughts going out to all those who deserve an award!
I traced the pattern for the Butterick 5329 dress on Saturday and sewed the back up last night. I think I will stay home from the Infinite Knitters Group tonight and work on finishing up the front. I’d like to wear it to work tomorrow, as well as to wear it to my Tuesday night sewing class. For lunch, I traced a skirt using Butterick 4710 and pants using Butterick 5237. I will try to cut the fabric out for these two this evening as well. I’m pausing on my Burda skirt. Just not in the mood to work with a silky, slippery material right now. These two projects will keep me busy during class! If I’m able to know out these three items this week, my next project will be the Maggy London twist top (Butterick 4789). I think I’m in need of another wardrobe update, since I’ve gained too much winter weight to wear the same size. That’s the great thing about sewing; I can whip up some fashionable items without shedding a tear.
I had a bit of inspiration this weekend. A friend of mine called to tell me about the 3-day Hispanic Fashion show that was happening in downtown San Diego. Each night, three different, up-and-coming designers are show cased. I made it to the second day’s event. The pictures I’ve posted are from the second line. I think I will try to start to incorporate a bit of trim or dazzle to some of my sewed pieces, to add a bit of flair and individuality. 
In an attempt to further my beginner skills, I have placed an Amazon order for three fitting/pattern adjusting books: “Pattern Fitting with Confidence” by Nancy Zieman, “Fit for Real People: Sew Great Clothes Using any Pattern” by Pati Palmer, and “The Perfect Fit: The Classic Guide to Altering Patterns”. I even got inspired and bought bins for fabric stashing and bins to fit the enormous stash of patterns I’ve accumulated in only 6 or so months. I am confident that I can stash bust and avoid future fabric/pattern shopping for quite a while now. In addition, I have received my April Burda issue, which is the 3rd from my subscription and the 5th that I own. These can give me a lifetime worth of patterns, too!
I have not done much sewing. I started a dress using Butterick 5259. I only have the belt, loops, and hem left, but it seems huge on me. I might cut the back, remove the zipper, and take in the sizes. Right now it looks like a giant lilac muumuu. Not my style. The belt could make a difference, too. We will see....Other than that, I have been making a bit more progress on my circle shrug. I am working on the sleeves right now. It's coming along nicely so far. Tonight I will try to finish my dress and start a top.
I used the New Look 6433 pattern to make a quick and satisfying FO. I had a bit of trouble with my last Burda top. I made the puffs on the sleeves too tight! They looked soooo cute, but were cutting off my circulation. lol. So, I'm keeping my Burda skirt project for my school project and focusing on quicker, instant gratification projects at the house. It's spring in San Diego and I need to update my wardrobe with some "happier" clothes. Less dark and drab and more color.
My skirt material was one of my great knit finds at FIDM. This was only $1.00! Plus the cost of the elastic for the waistband. Next up, a circle skirt and a few cute tops....stay tuned.
I have completed my latest top - New Look's 6729 knit top. It is a very different construction for me and even though it was an easy pattern, it took a bit of time to wrap my head around putting it together. I made view C without the ties. I opted to take in the sides more, so it wasn't needed. 
This is a very comfy top and it made its debut all around LA and Venice Beach. Yup - I went to FIDM, the Fashion Institute of Direct Merchandising. We talked about the different fabric spots in the LA Fashion District in my sewing class. A classmate came back with wonderful tales of fabric galore, so the Sicilian and I took a drive to LA on Saturday. I didn't have a chance to make it to the different stores, but managed to go to FIDM, where the future designers study. They have a Scholarship Store where they sell clothes in front and behind the curtain.....there's lots of fabric. 
I picked up yards and yards of knit fabric for only $30! I mean really great fabric for only $1/yard. If there were any cut outs on the bottom, they would throw in an extra 1/2 yard. Perfect! 
With all of the new knit fabric, I plan to watch the last 2 episodes of Season 3 of Lost with my roommate and sewing up a storm. She is hoping to work on the McCall top I did previously and I am looking to work on a Burda skirt and top that I have already traced out. Keeping my fingers crossed that we will be productive in sewing and Lost! lol. We still have Season 4 to get through before catching up to the rest of the world...Season 5. (No spoilers please).
Update: The shrug I'm wearing is called Fusion by Leanne Prouse & Lorraine Tweddle. It's found in the Ella Rae Book Seven. I used Ella Rae Shibu, the called for fiber. I made this shrug for myself last year and then another for my Sister.
I had a wonderful time going to Morgan and Ashley's wedding in Boca Grande this weekend. I won't give you too many details, since it was their special day, but I will say that it was beautiful. 
In honor of the special occasion, I attempted my first Burda WOF pattern. I traced my size (42) and cut out the fabric (adding my guesstimate for the seam allowance, since I couldn't find my new Olfa attachment that does this for you) on Wednesday. I also ironed on the Vilene Bias tape, which I ordered from the UK a while back, in preparation for making Burda patterns. On Thursday I sewed it up, finishing just before Midnight. 
After giving up on trying to make my relationship work (aka my long, sad post), I ended up patching things up with the Sicilian. He accompanied me to the wedding and even took snaps of the special occasion, along with lots of pics of my dress. All I can do is move cautiously, and take things one step at a time. It's nice to be able to get my feelings out and vent, and feel support, regardless of my decisions. Thank you for listening and offering so many words of encouragement.
Back to Burda.....I have not seen another version of the 02-2009-119 dress, although quite a few people have made the 02-2009-118 shirt, which is from the same pattern. Reading reviews for the 118 shirt, there was a lot of discussion about direction difficulty, especially with the puffy sleeve portion. In a "get-r-done" spirit, I dove in, without giving too much thought to the directions. I sewed up the side seams on the lower portion of the dress first and then sewed the upper bodice. This was the opposite of what the directions called for. I even managed to gather the puffed portion of the sleeves and pin it to the shoulder, before realizing that I was running out of time and actually liked how my dress looked without adding it. Since I want to learn new techniques and like the design element, I am planning on making shirt 118, keeping the puff sleeves in the design. I'll make sure to use a less busy fabric than my dress so
it's not competing with the shirt structure. 
I'm very happy with how it came out and will dive into the 118 top very soon. I also picked up the latest Lucky magazine and saw that wild print fabric, especially in stretch silk is in for Spring. This is right up my alley. I'm going to look for a few new fabric pieces soon.
Last, but not least - I have separated the sleeves for my Circle Shrug and have to complete the sleeves before starting on the neckline. With the progress I'm making, I'll have this completed sometime this month, which is better than I've been lately.
Here's a quick post to say I'm off to my friend Morgan and Ashley's wedding in Boca Grande Florida. I managed to cut out my first Burda WOF pattern on Wednesday and last night I sewed it up for the wedding. I made 2-2009-119. For the wedding, I did keep the sleeves clean without the added puffed sleeves, but with add that when I return. Pics to come.....
I have finally finished my Tunic and it is a slam dunk! I'm wearing it with my leggings I made a while back, which I still love too.... Here are the stats:
Pattern Review
Pattern Description: Misses Tunics D has self-faced middle section, gathering, and close-fitting upper front.
Pattern Sizing: Lg-XLg. I made the large, but could have gone down a size to the medium.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes – maybe better!
Were the instructions easy to follow? As everyone before me has already stated, the format led much to be desired. The instructions are super simple, but instead of duplicating sections for each top variation, the pattern continually says “See Section….”. They used this extra space to put drawings of two women that suggest adding “sparkles and beads to make the top different”. Skip the cutsie stuff and the bare bones of the pattern directions are perfect on their own.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I had a bit of trouble using my serger and had to re-cut the top and back section. Second time around, I used my Bernina for the entire thing and then serged the seams after the fact.
Fabric Used: A poly/Lycra knit from Gorgeous Fabrics. “It’s called Red Bull's Eye - Red/White/Black”. Because I had to re-cut some of the pieces, I used almost all of the 2 yards.
Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: Nothing.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes. Actually, my roommate is going to make one two!
Conclusion: After the initial pause, this turned out to be a quick and easy pattern that has a sexy meets comfortable feel. A winner for sure.
