As promised a very long time ago, here is the Attache Blouse (Simplicity 1666) I made in one of our fun, summery prints. I really love how it looks and feels when I wear it! It’s very comfortable and flattering and can even be dressed down with jeans or with cute shorts.
This is a really quick, easy pattern, made particularly quick and easy because of the kimono-style sleeves (hurray, no set-in sleeves!). I used an invisible zipper because I think it’s the easiest zipper to sew and I like the clean line it gives. I’m really happy with how how this top turned out.
Have you tried this pattern yet? I’d love to see it, if you have. I just took a look at the Lisette Flickr group for the first time in a while and was pleasantly surprised at all the wonderful sewing that’s been showing up there! I want to feature some of your projects, so watch for them here over the next few weeks, will you? I’m so impressed by everything you’re making!
There’s a lot of print mixing happening in fashion these days. Some of it is easy and straight-forward, and some of it requires a certain bravado. The more dangerous print mixing throws out the usual rules and embraces a bit of chaos: clashing colors along with similar scales and textures, rather than coordinating colors and varied scales and textures. This knit top from J. Crew is a great example of the new wild:
If that feels like a bit too much to you, however, you might test the waters by mixing prints with a similar color palette, and challenge yourself only with the proximity in scale and texture of the prints. This way, you’re taking a little bit of a risk but not really jumping into the deep end.
I’ve shown coordinating Lisette sateen and lawn fabrics here, and they could be very cute together sewn up as a Souvenir Blouse so you get the same raglan sleeve effect as the J. Crew top. This could be great for spring and summer!
Have I mentioned yet that we have a new Lisette pattern out for spring? No, I didn’t think so.
After staying up late for two nights in a row to finish my new Lisette Attache Dress (Simplicity 1666), there was no way I was going to let a little problem like being alone in the studio yesterday with no one to photograph it stop me from showing you! (It’s been a quiet week in the studio, which has allowed me to make some terrific progress on next spring’s Lisette fabric collection.) The envelope for this pattern doesn’t do the dress justice, so I wanted you to see it on someone. That would be me, I guess.
This dress is so easy to make, especially since there are no sleeves to set in, and the princess seams make it easy to get a nice fit. You can take a little in here or there, as necessary, to tweak it for your own shape. This is a semi-fitted dress, which means that it’s designed to fit closely to the body but not tightly. It should skim the body, not restrict it. It’s also very flattering because of the built-in cap sleeves and the shaping. The cap sleeves and flared skirt really help give the illusion of a tiny waist!
I know some of you really like to wear a belt, and here’s a photo to show you that it can be done with this dress.
I sewed my Attache Dress from raisin-colored wool crepe because I didn’t want to wait until spring to wear it. I love sewing with wool crepe. It’s so forgiving and drapey. I lined my dress, which is why it took a while to sew. The pattern doesn’t include a lining, but it’s easy enough to add one. I plan to wear this with jackets and sweaters, and it’s been fun to pair it with boots and tight in this cold weather. I’ll swap them out for other accessories as the weather warms up.
I just finished cutting out the peplum top from this pattern in one of the new Lisette fabrics, too. If I manage to finish that new Lisette fabric collection and get through next weekend’s big birthday party (theme: pink, number of little girls: 6, number of craft projects planned for the party: 3, number of things I need to finish before the party: 37?) I’ll sew it up and show it to you soon. At this rate, who knows when I’ll get to the skirt or the bag patterns that are also included in the envelope!
I’m so excited to introduce you to my newest Lisette and Little Lisette fabric collections for Spring 2013. They are now available in all Jo-Ann stores across the USA. Select prints should be available at Spotlight stores in Australia shortly.
As always, these cotton fabrics are specifically designed for apparel, with lots of terrific lawn, sateen, poplin, and twill in pretty, wearable, colorful prints. Obviously you can use the fabrics for other sorts of sewing projects too, but the prints are specifically scaled for clothing, so they’re easy to work with.
These fabrics will be great for spring and summer sewing, so you can get a head start on warmer weather and longer days during the dreary part of winter. (And I can’t think of a better way to endure the long winter than sewing with lots of inspiring color as you look forward to spring!)
I can’t wait to see what you’re going to make with these new fabrics.
I know you’re going to be asking about new Lisette sewing patterns, and I’ll address that issue soon. Our Spring 2013 pattern release will be available next month.
For the last few months I’ve been obsessing over caftans.
I love how this silhouette works at all lengths. It can be made as a top, tunic, dress, or maxi. It accessorizes well, works with jeans (which is how I’ve been wearing it as we move from summer into fall), and can be made in different fabrics. I’ve been making all of my summer caftans in linen because of all the crazy hot, humid weather we’ve had here in New York. But I’m moving toward silk for fall because it can be dressed up.
Anyway, the caftan I’m wearing here is my newest project for Creative Bug, and it’s quick and fun to make. It’s a great advanced beginner project, and you may notice that it’s based on a simple rectangle so there aren’t a lot of pattern pieces to deal with. In the video, I even demonstrate how I printed on my linen versions. You can watch the trailer for this project here.
Interested in registering and making the project? Creative Bug has generously put together a special offer, just for you. You can take $10 off any 1-month, 3-month, or 6-month subscription package if you use the promo code CAFTAN10 when you sign up. The discount code is good through October 15, 2012. I love this because you an watch as many workshops as you want.
And if you need a little more caftan inspiration, I’ve also got a caftan Pinterest board going with some cute prints and details that might get you thinking. And plotting your own style.
We were so excited this week to see the Lisette Passport Dress featured in a Wall Street Journal fashion feature! The piece profiles fashion worn by employees at one of our favorite cultural institutions, the New York Public Library.
As it happens, our friend Jessica is a librarian and an avid sewist. She makes a lot of her own clothing and she’s done some really clever things, including converting Oliver + S patterns to make dresses for herself. I love what she did with the Passport Dress, and how she’s wearing it more like a jumper with a blouse underneath. For this dress Jessica used a sturdy black cotton twill with a subtle silvery grey stripe.
Click through to see the rest of the photos. Everyone looks great, and the men in this crowd really have it going on, don’t they? It’s nice to see that fashion has a place, even in the heady world of the library.
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