"V-List" Giveaway Last 4 Items & Winner!!!!

First off, thanks so very much for your kind words and compliments on my Jacquard Holiday Dinner Dress!  They were much appreciated!!!!

Well tonight I'll announce the last 4 items of of the "V-List" Giveaway (see original post HERE) and the Winner. Here are the last 4 items......

Giveaway item #7- Butterick 5760---this is a great group of patterns. I love the cardigan pattern and
                            plan to make it soon. Can't ever have enough cardigans.
Giveaway item #8- McCall's 6559--- I made 2 of these maxi dresses this Summer! Definitely a
                            wardrobe staple!
Giveaway item #9- Clear elastic---- I used this stuff like crazy to stabilize shoulders (and sometimes
                             necklines) in knits.
Giveaway item #10-  4.5 yards of 45" black and white, floral stretch poplin. I LOVE stretch poplin.
                               It's an excellent fabric for a dress, cute top, pair of shorts, etc. With this much
                               yardage you probably could make all of these:)

Now for the winner of the "V-List Giveaway"........drumroll please.................

Congrats to Rebecca from the blog "Ugly Cute designs"!!!!!! 

 You are the Winner and won all of this loot......

Rebecca please email me your contact info at tenthousandsewinghours@yahoo.com. Thanks for everyone who joined in with the giveaway fun!!! And a THOUSAND thanks for following my blog and my 10,000 Hour Sewing Challenge!!!!

McCall's 5269--The Jacquard Holiday Dinner Dress

Sigh.....This has been a long week! Since my last post the "Wee-One"didn't shake her cold entirely and got a little worse. Fortunately after another doctor visit, countless nurse calls, and some much needed TLC she began recovering. With her doing much better (and great Godparents who gave us the night off) the Hubby and I were able to attend the Holiday Dinner on last night. It was sponsored by a wonderful group of ladies belonging to the C2IT Ministries who work to encourage and empower Women. I was able to complete my jacquard dress (mentioned in my last few posts) in time. I ended up really loving this dress and am so happy that I went with this dress instead of my original Vogue 8850 plans. Well here's the review and pics. The image quality wasn't the best since these were captured at night but I believe the beauty of the dress still shines through........

OOP McCall's 5269

Time to Sew:

About 8 hours or so.

Sewing Ease (scale 1 easy to 10 difficult):

This dress wasn't difficult at all. It's basically a princess seam dress but the sleeves required a bit of work since they had lots of pleats. I'd give it a 5.

(a closer view)

Pattern Description:

Straight, fitted, lined dress, below mid-knee has princess seams, yoke front, back zipper and cap sleeve with pleats.

Pattern Sizing:

I cut the size 12 for bodice and graded to a 14 for waist and below.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes!

(Back View)

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Pretty much. This was a very uncomplicated pattern.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I loved the neckline and sleeves.

Fabric Used:
A lovely shimmery & iridescent polyester jacquard with bronze, black, and various shades of gray. I picked this up at a Hancock's in Chattanooga, TN this Summer and was told it was a premier fabric and was only being sold in 10 stores. I was pretty blessed to get my hands on it!

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
*I omitted the vent.
*Did my usual short back alteration--- 1" tuck above the waistline tapering to side seam.

What would you do differently next time?:
*If I used poly jacquard again I would definitely interface all the pieces. The weaving characteristic of the fabric made it a little prone to stretching which I noticed in the neckline. When I made a muslin (see my facebook page for pic) the neckline wasn't as wide. But in the jacquard it was a bit so and posed the risk of my bra showing. This is mainly the reason I decided to wear a shrug---you know for modesty's sake. Next time I'll probably just widen the yoke a little more and raise the neckline just a tad.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I may make this in a casual fabric. It's just a cute dress all around.

Wardrobe Versatility:
It can be worn with or without a cardigan. Also a belt would be a great accessory for it as well. This pattern can be glammed up with fancy fabric or even dressed down.

(I styled the dress with a cute black shrug, black Nine West pumps with patent leather toe, bronze bracelets, fancy earrings and a black little purse that I added a matching fabric flower to.

(I made the fabric flower using the pattern on pg. 27 of THIS BOOK. I originally intended to wear it on my cardigan since I didn't get to buy a necklace in time. When it didn't work right I put it on the purse. It was a cute little detail.

(Earrings up close. Love these!)

Conclusion:
This is a LOVELY dress! So glad I had it in my stash.

BTW: Don't forget about my V-List Giveaway I'm hosting. See my original post here for qualification details. I'll reveal the last 4 items and the winner on Sunday night the 9th instead of the 8th (note: I'm pushing back the deadline 1 day)!!!!

Touching a Hot Stove....

I've never been one for doing risky things! I was the kid who (usually) heeded the first warning (on some occasions I may have needed more LOL!). The "Don't Touch the Stove" warning, I ALWAYS heeded with unquestioning seriousness. My curiosity wasn't worth the pain of a blistered and burned hand. But despite my careful nature, every "blue moon" there comes a time where I want to defy all of the warnings in my head and venture out to try something daring. Something that could possibly "burn" me.

Such is true with McCall's 6396. I have been wanting to make this dress since last year when I picked up the pattern and the perfect fabric for it. This is the cutest pattern and I'd planned to lengthen it a bit and add it to my Winter wardrobe but never got around to making it.

(McCall 6396)

(This is the gorgeous plaid I bought for the project!)

Fast forward to now and I'm ready to sew it up but just realized that  it's got 2 negative reviews on Sewing Pattern Review.com. The explanations for why the pattern doesn't work are pretty clear and concise. But there's a part of me that still wants to give it a shot and if necessary even re-draft the skirt part, which is described as the most problematic part. I don't really have a good reason for possibly walking into this potential mess---- besides the fact that I REALLY want this dress and I feel like taking on a CHALLENGE. My rationale is that the reviews describe the bodice as being fine but it's just the skirt that's the problem. Looking at the pattern---I can see that. Surely I can do something to make this skirt work for me. Well I'm gonna try and take on this--before December ends. Hopefully I won't get burned.......

What's the "Riskiest" sewing project that you've taken on? What was the outcome? Do tell!!!

Project Update, Monthly Sewing Goals, Giveaway items 5 & 6!

Happy December to ya!!!! The last few days have flown by and I intended to post. My "Wee-One was under the weather so I've spent that time giving her a little TLC (thankfully she's doing much better) in addition to trying to finish up my  dress and start a new project--an unlined coat.  Minus adding the sleeves and hemming, I'm almost done with the Holiday Dinner dress I have to wear on Thursday. Here's a sneak peek of the bodice.....

(Just need to add sleeves and hem. The fabric is a gorgeous jacquard. Sad you can't really see the metallic bronze, silver colors in my dark sewing room. It' really pretty fabric. Hope to get a better pic when I wear it)

I must admit that I had a little snafu. Something I've NEVER done before. I accidentally cut the lining of the dress while pinking the neckline. So there's a chunk of fabric missing over the armholes.

 See it at the top of the armhole? Crazy, huh??? Well there's a FIRST time for everything. And I was SURPRISINGLY calm about it. I'll repair by adding a black fusible over the area and that will fill the space. No need to cry over spilled milk. Now if it was the jacquard I'd cut up like that I probably would've fainted! LOL!

Ok, moving on. We're in a new month so I need to discuss my sewing plans and recap them from last month AND announce more prizes in my GIVEAWAY!!!!

10,000 Hour Sewing Challenge Recap: Ok, for November I sewed the....
1. Animal Print Peplum
2. Snow Leopard print skirts for ME and the "WEE-ONE"

Some client work and the Thanksgiving holiday slowed me down a bit but I plan to pick up the pace for December. I still to plan to follow my sewing goals listed HERE.

Alrighty then, that's that! Last but not least I want to reveal the next 2 items (#5 & #6) in my "V-List Giveaway". You can find details  HERE on how to qualify.

Giveaway Item #5-- Kwik Sew Tracing cloth 5 yards---I often use tracing materials in place of muslin or to trace on if I want to preserve a pattern piece!
Giveaway Item #6-- Super Glide Tailor's chalk---can be removed when ironed. LOVE THIS STUFF!!!

Don't forget to visit THIS POST for details/qualifications for the Giveaway!!!

Ok, that's it for me! Hope all is going well with you. Until next time....Happy Sewing!!!

Sometimes I just feel like quitting.....

 I never knew what Yosemite Sam was saying when he got frustrated but whatever it was I sure felt like saying it on today! LOL! Yeah, you read the post title right! Sometimes I just get SO frustrated with my sewing/sewing related decisions that I feel like throwing in the towel. Ugh... Seems like an odd thing to say just 2 days after celebrating my 3rd Blogoversary (BTW, a thousand thanks to you guys for all of your kind words! Don't forget to visit the post HERE for details about my Giveaway). Ok, let me get back to my ranting.....

Seriously, my day just took a few frustrating twists. For some odd reason I got the notion that the dress I picked for my Dec 5th upcoming Holiday dinner was TOO Fancy. Let's just say I got overly self conscious! In truth I don't like to Then I decided to do all sorts of research about what constitutes a semi-formal dress---BTW there are NOOOOO clear answers. It's so subjective. Some websites suggest understated 2 piece ensembles, shunning any satin dresses, etc. I was in a tizzy over what to do. Then I consulted an attendant from a previous year and she said that I was safe anyway I decided. Then I tried to figure out what shoes would go well with a hunter green dress if you DON'T have hunter green shoes. That took some research. The answers were nudes, metallics (provided you use them as accessories too) and black.

So I finally got the info I needed to proceed with the project. Great! After all of that worrying I discovered upon closer examination that my fabric was a little too heavy for the project.  What?!?!?!?!?!? All that worry and headache for nothing!!!!! So that put me back at square one!!! Scrapping this project and needing to find another one. I decided to find another pattern and fabric from my stash.

I dug and dug and was able to turn up something while simultaneously  On days like this I'm happy to have a fabric stash and decent pattern collection. After much digging around I turned up what I consider to be a lovely dress pattern and I pulled out a fancy piece of jacquard (gray, black, and bronze) that I'd bought this Summer while visiting family in TN.

So here's my new sewing plan for the Holiday dinner and I'm happy with it. Now I've got to get to work!

Whew! Glad all of the raucous has come to an end. It's kinda like the old song goes..."Mama, said there'd be days like this". Oh I wish sewing was all rainbows and unicorns. But as you know it comes with it's share of frustrations. In my world, it's ok to feel and accept the frustrations but by NO MEANS will I ever succumb to them. There's no giving up as far as I'm concerned. I've got 10,000 hours to get under my belt. Hey if you gave up anytime anything got frustrating you'd never get anywhere in life. Heck, I think all parents would've stopped after just having one kid! LOL!

As always I'll keep pressing on! Besides, I'm a firm believe that opposition makes you sharper and will reveal your focus. I'm excited about my new sewing plan and am working on the muslin now. So my question for you is how do you handle sewing frustrations?

My 3rd Blogoversary & the "V-List" GIVEAWAY!!!

I'm feeling a bit on cloud nine! I had a successful muslin fitting with a client just a few hours ago! And on top of that today is my 3rd BLOGOVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAAAYYYYY!!!!! Seems just like yesterday I reluctantly made my first post and introduced my little self to the "blogoverse" (aka the blog universe, just made that up LOL!). I was SO nervous! The lovely Knitmachinequeen left  the very first comment! Since then you guys have always been SO gracious, welcoming, helpful, and supportive. I've always appreciated that.

So I'm hosting a giveaway to celebrate this milestone. You've heard of the O-List, a list of Oprah's favorite items, well I'm hosting the V-List----yep as you guessed it---a list of my 10 favorite things (things that were significant to me this year) that I plan to giveaway to ONE LUCKY WINNER!

All you have to do is.....
1. Leave a comment below. 
2. Follow my Blog (box is on right side of blog)
3. Like my Facebook page (box is on right side of blog)

 Here are the FIRST 4 items of the giveaway......

(top left going clockwise: )

1. The Science of Sexy Book (See info HERE This is an excellent book that shows you which clothes flatter your figure. The illustrations are great and there are lots of other figures shown as well. 

2. Butterick Pattern 5601 sizes 14-20 (I made it HERE. This was a great little Summer dress.

3. The Illustrated Guide to Garment Construction. (See info HERE I'm all about properly constructing clothes and love resources that help me improve my technique. This isn't the most indepth book on the market but it's pretty handy).

4. 1 1/2 yds, 60" wide teal taffeta with black embossed velvet (used to make my daughter's dress HERE. I purchased this fabric while visiting NYC earlier this year. It's absolutely gorgeous!!!)

Over the next few posts I'll unveil the remaining 6 items and ultimately announce the winner on Dec 8th. Update: changed to Dec 9th.

So to make sure you got this here's the "V-List" Giveaway details at a glance.....

What: I'm giving away 10 of my favorite items to 1 lucky person
When: Nov 28- Dec 8. The Winner will be announced on December 8th. Update: There's been a slight change and the new end date is Dec 9th.
Requirements: All are eligible just.... 1. Leave a comment Below.  2. Follow my blog. 3.Like my Facebook page

Ok, that's it! Be on the look out for the next items in upcoming posts. And again, thanks for all of your support and following along with my 10,000 hour sewing challenge/adventures......  *hugs*   ~Victoria

The next Daddy Daughter Banquet Dress....

I hadn't realized Butterick's Spring patterns were available until today. I haven't really tackled my Winter sewing yet and now I have to think about Spring patterns. Geesh---that's how it is every year! The seasons move fast. Well while looking through a few I stumbled across this little girl's dress Butterick 5845.  I think my jaw hit the floor. It's ABSOLUTELY a showstopper! I love the front, the gathered waist and the lil' train in the back.  I immediately thought about the upcoming Daddy/Daughter Banquet that's held at my church each year. My daughter has gone with her dad for the last 2 years and I always make her dress.  You may recall her first dress and the one from last year. Each year there's a different theme for the banquet. I don't know what this upcoming  year's theme is (or the date---think it's Feb or March) but I hope this dress fits into it. If so I hope to make this in a bright color and do some small tweaks to it to make it my own (probably lower the front hemline and add more drama to the tulle underskirt. Anyway I'll keep you guys posted.