More Savile Row than Hugh Hefner

And that's a good thing :)) My dad turns 80 on June 24 and this Dressing Gown will be my gift. It's been a wonderful trip down memory lane this past week as I locked myself in my room to sew. He's been an extraordinary father and I have learned so much from him. It's also bittersweet; just a few days ago he called to tell me he had sold our summer house...

It was too much maintenance to keep up with and I can't blame him. The winters in Norway are harsh so every year painting and other fixes has to be dealt with. And of course the boats. The house is on an island which makes it even more complicated. But it sure is spectacular and I bet the new owners will adore it as well.

My dad is a traditional, conservative man, very well traveled, who speaks the Queen's English :)) I chose to add his initials to a chest pocket, which I made by scanning the patch pocket and downsizing to 60%. I used silk thread since I didn't have the deep blue in the rayon, but I actually like it; works well with the fabric.

And the fabric: Lush woven cashmere with silk charmeuse lining and piping. Below is a picture of the embroidery on left facing:

To my

dear father

From Birgitte

Here is a mini tut on making lined patched pockets with curved corners:

And this is the pattern I used, vintage Simplicity from eBay :)) I really like the Raglan sleeves, they are so well drafted. I added the lining and used a lightweight hair canvas in the hem.
It will ship tomorrow and I'm crossing my fingers it fits. Before I started this project I did a google search and found the below link that made me feel real good- the price I mean :))

Cashmere Gown

Also; apologies for not leaving comments lately; I hope to make up for it soon.

Forever Plaid - Not!

I like the jacket, but oh am I ever tired of sewing with plaid! I don't think I was made to work with so much match-up. I literally get dizzy from staring at all those lines...

As you can see the shoulders are a bit on the wide side. If there's a next time-without plaid- I'll take in the shoulder point. This jacket is pretty much straight out of the pattern. It's BWOF 1-2009-114B.

I took in some in center back to curve the seam in toward the waist, and also shortened the sleeve about an inch- I have very short arms :)) The sleeve vents with working buttonholes were also added.

This is how I'll wear it most often, and maybe a rowdy gray tee- I live in Tinseltown after all :))

The buttons are mis-matched to get out of the"perfect" mode...

I was planning to add my label and a chain at the neck, but due to the neck facing it just didn't look right. I love the piping and silk lining- don't think I can ever buy anything but silk for lining anymore, it just feels sensational.

The shoulder pads were customized according to Roberta Carr's book, and I really like this method. They shape so nicely and make the garment hang correctly without any fudging.

----------------------

DD is feeling better, but now she has pink eye :( Giving her the drops is not a lot of fun... And I was planning on taking her picture since she has a meeting with an agent next week. With that red droopy eye I think I better wait :))

Here she is inside Sprinkles Beverly Hills, the hottest cupcake place in LA. The line outside is always long, so she got to wait inside while we were waiting in the cold:))

Fun-Fun-Fun!!

Did I ever have fun today! I spent more than two hours shopping at F & S. And I wasn't shopping for me, oh no!! I was shopping for glorious Lori :)) It will be a surprise for her- and all of you as well. All I will say is it is delicious!

Lori: I have to do something before I ship, so please wait a few days :))

I really need to do more giveaways- I love them!

-------------

And I'd like to thank Cennetta of The Mahogany Stylist for nominating me for the Kreativ Blog award. Thank you, Cennetta!

------------

Cindy: yes they are flamingo stockings :)) Ever since we spent a month and a half in Daytona Beach putting up a show, we've been dreaming about moving to Florida. We even have flamingos in the yard :)))

------------

Now, back to the plaid jacket I'm making:

Erica B. wrote a post today- maybe her shortest post ever ? :)) Check it out if you haven't already. I'm a wimp when it comes to SO MANY THINGS! I hate roller coasters,  I can't stand being cold, my head can absolutely NOT get under water, and if water gets in my eyes it hurts like acid - what's with that??? Anywho, that was the SHORT list and I won't bore you with stuff like that :)

But there's ONE thing that's not on that list: Sewing. I'm absolutely fearless and I how no clue how that happened. All I know is that I'm passionate about it. Maybe that's the secret: passion = fearlessness.

This started out as a simple project. But it's not any more. If you want plaid to match up, it's not going to be a simple project, period. And as soon as I figured as much, the rest of the project took on a life of its own. The lining will have piped seams in contrast (fuchsia), all the buttons will be different, and I think I'll embroider my logo and add a chain to the neck like Erica B. did on her recent jacket.

As you will see below, the neck facing is the only place where I had my head on backwards :)) I completely forgot to cut to match the back. And the pocket bags... all I can say is I didn't have the lining fabric when I did them :)) A little bit of bubble gum for breakfast, maybe... :))