A collection of shirts

When I first saw the Tilton sisters shirt patterns, I thought they were so similar, I didn't need to get them all.  Then, I saw various ones posted on blogs and liked them.

So, I decided to make up as many as I could, staring with this Japanese cotton from Marcy's website

It fits ok, but I'm not crazy about the fabric, a cotton that really is limp after laundering.  I used just the collar stand and didn't put a pocket in, but did nothing else to a medium size.

Next, I tackled this newspaper print cotton blend from Marcy's website.

Using this pattern

It has a weird stuck-on peplum like piece, but I love this pattern.  Currently making it again in a Mood patterned navy linen print.  Soft pleated collar is a real design feature.  

Also a favorite pattern I'll make again soon in a Japanese cotton that's firmer is this pattern 

My next to the last post had this featured over the "killer green" linen knit dress.  The design feature here is the side "not a pocket"

Last but not least, a Style arc tunic shirt pattern in a double gauze fabric 

All these shirts are very comfortable to wear, but this tops them all.

Dresses 2 & 3. Have been copied

Dress 2, the short one has actually been copied twice.  Once in the Citron color at the end of the last blog and once in this periwinkle linen knit.

The originals were made in linen/cotton knit which is a little less transparent, but with a coverup this linen knit covers well, i.e., my dummy wears no underwear!  Here's the back view

Found a Flax top in the same color in my, closet.  Wow!

Dress #3 is my fav, I think, with that cute little built in pocket in a longer length.  Here is the original.

I made it a coverup using V9170 out of a stretch cotton shirting from Michael Levine

I'm not usually a big check fan, but they are all over ready to wear this season and I liked the one I bought for our Europe trip.  Loved the stretch, for sure.

Anyway, this pattern really uses the check in interesting ways.

Plan to wear this out tomorrow night

So, back to the dress.  Copied it and made this more subtle marine blue linen knit from High End Fabrics on eBay (same place I bought the periwinkle for dress #2)

Had a Chicos jeans jacket with the tag on to go with the dots in the denim

After I took the finished garment to my closet, I also had a Tribal shirt that I teamed it with today, as it's much too muggy here for denim jackets!  The Tribal shirt has an interesting thing going on with stripes, so I'm glad to have something to wear with it.

Spring into summer -dresses!

I bought these three dresses at, where else, Rupert Cornelius in Madison, WI

The first is kind of a seersucker Indian woven that's an incredible fabric.  To be able to wear this confidently, I have to have a top or shrug, they sometimes call it.  

I purchased this chambray piece from Craftsy that seemed ever so plain when it arrived. It became just the ticket for a SW West End jacket as a topper for this dress.

Dress number two was this cool Cut Loose brand linen cotton knit which I used some of my knit and Marcy's latest topper pattern to complement.

The collar is ruched by the tie.  Used a piece of stretchy cord in two colors from Gayfeathers that went well, I thought.

The third was black, but I loved the style, with little gathers all the way down the front pieces and copied it in some Marcy linen knit

Made Marcy's new shirt in a bold linen stripe to cover it.  Neat design on both!

More blogging, by popular request. . .

I managed to walk away from my sewing machine and take some pictures today.  

First up, another rain coat, Marcy Tilton V 8934, which I blogged about before under the title December rain.

Background story: last fall at an ASG sponsored Sandra Betzina seminar my good friend, Deb, and I purchased this wonderful Aztec embossed leather, from our local Madison, Wi. fabric store Gayfeather Fabrics, who helped sponsor Sandra and was a vendor at said event.   Since we couldn't imagine what each of us would make, let alone use the whole skin individually, we purchased it together.  

Then Deb's life led her to move to Asheville.  One of our last "sewing" related events together before her move was the Splitting of the Leather.

I purchased a really water repellant fabric from Marcy Tiltons website, which was as drab as a rainy day, in color.  

Then, I remembered the "patches" pattern, which up to this point I'd only made without the patches, as Marcy's patches were so incredibly neat and cool, I couldn't imagine what to use.  

Enter, the Egyptian embossed leather!  Truly project worthy!

Detail shot, please:

I marshaled my Sandra Betzina training and went for it on sewing all the patches.  I had "just enough" leather to make good choices.  

And, when I found these "stone" buttons at Gayfeathers, I knew my garment was complete!

Now, where did I put that matching hat?  ( I'll post it later if I can find it!)

Score card on London, Portugal, Wales packing

I wore everything but the two extra dresses I packed for Portugal.  Did actually wear a linen J. Jill

dress the day we went to Porches to look at pottery.  But, the other two never saw the light of day.  

I did wear everything else, including my scarves, but no bracelets or tights either.  

This was a hard trip to pack lightly for, since we were essentially in two different climates.  But, my little Susan Sez polar fleece coat kept me toasty at all times.  

Next time, fewer dress up things, although that will be hard headed for Paris!

Day 16,17 Wales to Manchester, U.K.

KI think I lost a day in there some way, but at least we didn't show up to MAN airport a day early, like 20 yrs ago when I had more of a mind, even!

We decided not to push things in the drive down hilly, narrow roads from Wales to Manchester airport on the day we were to fly out.  So, I booked a hotel near the City Centre of Manchester, on our last night in UK.  No windows in it, but a new rehab of an old building with a great roof top garden/bar,

within short walking distance of the City Centre with loads of restaurants and a great modern bath and a first for this trip, pillow top mattresses!!!!

Had an ok dinner meal last night, deteriorating from the asparagus toast, down through hake tapas.  Found our fav restaurant from DC, Pret something, for fresh croissants for breakfast, and ran a little late heading out to the airport, but suffered no consequences gassing up, returning the car, and checking in for our flight.  Even had time for a "spot of tea" after security clearance.  

We are on board AA Flight 55 (Boeing 767-300, my fav plane and not even close to full) to Ohare, five hours out, with minimal turbulence so far and free flowing wine.  Even Rex is taking advantage, relieved as he is to have turned in the rental car with no incidents (they didn't even spot our side mirror repair complete with my custom spit polish to remove the white car scratches from the plastic part I made Rex retrieve)

Thank you Uk and Portugal for all your courtesy and kindness.  We had a wonderful time!

Days 14,15 Last Days of Wales

Day 14-Drove down the other side of the Dyfi valley to Aberystwyth, this big town with a castle.

Took a train ride up the coast of Wales on our last full day.  

Had to be careful which car we sat in, as the train split in two and went two different ways at the foot of the estuary we were on.  

Nice electric train, though.

Our destination, Portmerion, a two hour one way train ride.  The train dumped us off in the countryside.  The resort director had reassured us there would be taxis to take us the 2miles into town.  Course, she probably went in busy season, like the above photo.  We were the only ones off the train and had to walk both ways a bit to figure out where this "fake Italian village", Portmerion, even was.  After a totally delightful 2mile hike through the woods, 

we came upon the "village", Portmerion.  Rex was shocked to learn the entry fee was more than our round trip train tickets, just to walk through the dang place.  It's supposedly been used for numerous movie shoots, most famously The Prisioner (not a film I remember), but. . . 

Posh hotel at the bottom of the hill on what, another gorgeous estuary.

Plentiful bathrooms and a small tram ride and we were finished with Portmerion, aka Wales Disneyland.  So we hiked again and had a big snack and waited forty-five minutes more for the return 2hour train ride.