Oscar de la Renta - Ink splotches

I know that embroidery is coming back this year as a trend. I'm not really into embroidery except in ethnic clothing. However, I can see that it can add a little something to a plain dress or coat.

These Ink splotches are more my kind of thing. They are on the Oscar de la Renta 2018 Spring/Summer collection. I think they add a little something fun to the outfit. The 3 quarter length straight jacket looks very nice. I have lots of sewing patterns that can make this open spring jacket. Hey may be I can even try to do my own ink splotches!

source: Elle.com

source: Pinterest.com

Plaid Oscar de la Renta Dress - the plan

The plaid dress I was salivating about yesterday doesn't seem too difficult to master. It looks to me that it's a standard princess seamed top above the waist. Then below the waist one side is an a-line skirt and the other is a larger overlapping bias pieces. A row of bias self-fabric fringe adorn the collar, while some of the edges of the skirt are frayed.

I have this McCall pattern in my stash already for the top part of the dress:

source: McCall's pattern

I'm pretty sure I can figure the bottom out with muslin and trial and error.

Plaid dress inspiration - Oscar de la Renta

See! It didn't take me long to salivate on a dress I want to make later!

I came across this OSCAR DE LA RENTA Asymmetric Fringed Checked Cotton-Blend Tweed Midi Dress while surfing. I love plaid and love these asymmetric things:

source: FarFetch.com

source: net-a-porter.com

The good thing about making this dress is that one doesn't really match the plaid (because I'm lazy and because I hate wasting fabric when having to match the pattern). But where would one go with this dress? It's not really for the office (too on-trend to be taken seriously). And it's too casual for a special occasion. Perhaps I could make the asymmetric skirt less flappy so that it can be for daily use?

Is a Summer Tweed Dress to hot to wear?

I had wanted to make a summer tweed dress for a few years now. I tried making one last year and it was a disaster.

So this year, I really want to try to make another one, especially after I have seen this incredible one on Pinterest:

The colour, the various self fabric trims.....it's a magnificent tweed dress! I'm salivating just looking at this picture. Of course I don't have that gorgeous tweed in my stash and I am not buying any new fabrics. So I'll have have to make do with whatever tweed I have. The only question I have is: is it too hot to wear tweed in the summer?

Blogspiration - The Refashionista!!

I love Refashioning and I'm a fan of many amazing Refashioning blogs. One of my Refash Idols is the 'Refashionista'. She is quite well known by mainstream media now (she was featured on American network TV). She finds these $1 not-so-attractive garments from her local thrift stores and made them into awesome fun garments. One of her recent refashions had me floored - A simple and quick refashion from Ugly Gaucho Pants to Awesome Sexy Dress. 

source

Isn't she seriously talented? I think yes! You can check her out all her awesome refashion projects at her blog: refashionista.net.

Blog-spiration! Another Amazing Blog to enjoy and learn from

Since I'm a self-taught sewist, I learned my basic sewing techniques from books in my local library (not much on sewing) and lots from the internet. There are many wonderful, generous Bloggers who are willing to share their experience, knowledge and techniques on the blogsphere. I'm soooo grateful for those bloggers. One of the blogs that I am obsessively reading lately is StudioFaro's 'Well-suited'. She is an amazingly knowledgeable lady from Australia who posts these intriguing pattern puzzles weekly for sewists to solve. There are many lovely patterns that I would love to learn how to adapt from my tried-and-true patterns that I have already tweaked for my body. She has truly inspired me to think more out of the box, and try to take bigger risks in modifying the designs of my TNT patterns.

Go check out her weekly pattern puzzle now! Thanks StudioFaro!