"Aubrey and Me" Top

I've been honored to be a contributor to the FabricMart Fabrics blog.  We all know how much I enjoy embroidery so I'm happy to share a new post for the FabricMart blog on embroidery and my "Aubrey and Me" top.

I know I've said this before, but, if you're a piece of fabric in my sewing room and you hang around too long you're bound to get embroidered.  I am and always will be in love with fabrics but more and more embroidery seems to be taking up residence in the creative side of my brain.  Fabrics can now be canvases since "Aubrey", my embroidery machine, moved in (yes...I named my machine…don't judge).

This blouse inspired my "Aubrey and Me" Top.  The combination of the embroidery, lace and silhouette makes a top that's feminine without being fussy.

Because a simple pattern lends itself to embroidery, I chose Salme's Kimono Style Angel Sleeve Top for my blouse. It's a two piece pattern plus facings (it doesn't get simpler than that) with a soft flutter sleeve.  I lowered the neckline 3/4" because it's more flattering on me and left everything else the same.  I chose this dreamy blue/gray J. Crew voile from Fabricmart Fabrics (the color is out of stock but this color would be lovely!) and a cotton crochet trim for the neckline and hem.

The Mendhika Medallion machine embroidery pattern from Urban Threads is stitched three times at the neckline.  The middle medallion is sized to 3" in diameter and the two outer are 2 1/2" in diameter.  The medallion comes as a three color design but I changed it to two colors, dark ecru and ecru, and stitched it out in 40 weight rayon embroidery thread.

In constructing this blouse, and for almost all of my embroidery projects, I have "Aubrey" do the embroidery before I actually cut out the pattern piece.  This makes hooping and placement easier. This voile is very lightweight so after a couple of test runs I found wash away stabilizer the best choice for stabilization during embroidery.  My final step before actually sewing the blouse together was adding 17 rows of twin needle stitching in ecru thread.  I know 17 rows sounds like a lot but none are more that 2" long and the result is a design that looks pulled together.

I'm looking forward to wearing this blouse all spring and summer with jeans and skirts.  Thanks "Aubrey"!

Here are my reviews on Kollabora and Pattern Review.

Simplicity 2373 - My Wedding Box Dress

I'm continuing to work hard on organizing and decorating my sewing room with lots of sewing in between.  Here you can get a peek at what my cabinets look like.  The painted box on the desk is a "wedding box" I received when I got married and it's filled with wedding cards and our guest book.  As I was planning my new room, one of my thoughts was to paint this box and give it a fresh start but as I was moving things around in the room I realized I still love it....23 years later .... 80's tole painting and all.  When I put the dress on the mannequin and took the picture I wasn't thinking about the box but now that I look at it they are a match made in heaven.  So here is a review of Simplicity 2373, my"Wedding Box Dress".

I've made this two times before, one for me and one for my daughter and this one is for me.  Because the dress design is simple it's easy to change up and be creative. 

I used the "Boho Border" from Urban Threads (I love their designs) on the bodice, lengthened the bodice 2" and distributed the gathers on the skirt evenly instead of concentrating the gathers in the front like the pattern suggests.  I bought the fabric at Mood on my trip to New York and I'm really happy with the finished project.


Here's my review at patternreview.com:

Description:
View A sundress with empire waist, shoulder straps and softly gathered skirt.
Pattern Sizing:
I made a size 12.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
This dress went together so easily. My favorite part about the pattern itself is the shaped strap. It makes the shoulder strap really stay up on the shoulder so I'm sure I'll use that pattern piece for other dresses. This was a fun dress to make.
Fabric Used:
I made the dress from a 100% cotton lightweight stripe.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I embroidered the bodice front and lengthened the bodice 2" to accommodate the embroidery.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I've made it a few times.  It's a really easy dress to wear.
Conclusion:
This is a great pattern and a great dress for the summer.