If you want a basic, straight forward pattern, this is it! This is a super easy maxi dress that doesn't take long to sew. I finished it in a day. The marriage of fabulous fabric and pattern is what made this dress turn out nicely. The sizing for this dress runs true to the measurements. I did not make any adjustments to it at all. This dress looks like the picture of the pattern. It doesn't sag either. Sometimes wrap dress open too much in the front. I don't have this problem with this design. This dress is great for a beginner or an advanced seamstress. It is always nice to sew up a dress that looks fab and feels fab too! The instructions were extremely easy to follow, and it went together quickly. Best thing about this pattern is that it is well written, and a guarantee that will look great on many types of figures. I always hit a home run when I buy fabric from Emmaonesock. com. I love vibrant colors, and I don't always have time to get to a fabric store because of work. That makes Emmaonesock convenient for a working seamstress like myself. The only pattern change I made is lining the dress. I used the short version of this dress for the lining. You can see the bright yellow in the pictures. I have found that you cannot see the lining unless I pose silly. I didn't want to do a full length lining because I wanted to make it light and airy. The lining is a mesh fabric. Full length lining would make the dress heavy, and in the sunlight, you can see the silhouette of my legs! My hubby enjoys that special effect! If you're looking for an easy dress to sew up, this is it! It is a basic design that I think most women would look fabulous in. Also, light , airy fabric helps the dress hang nicely, and keeps it comfortable to walk in.

Fast and fabulous fiesta top! eHP1142

I finally made a quick top last week. It sat in my closet all this past week and I finally wore it yesterday! It seems like every project I have been doing lately takes forever. I love to sew something that I can complete in an afternoon, like it, and wear it soon afterwards. It doesn't happen often, but when it does-Yahoo! So a little info about the construction of this top: This top was easy to make. I did not follow directions because I almost never do! I did read several reviews about this pattern company before on PatternReview.com which I found extremely helpful. Most of the pattern reviews say that the patterns run big-yes this particular one did as well. I have made a top before a few years ago from this company- I like the edgey styles, but the construction of the pattern peices don't always go together very well. After I started this top, I remember that I had to do some major adjustments to a top I made a few years ago. It was made of a fabulous, expensive sweater fabric, however, it was not comfortable. I liked the idea- it needed a lot of tweaking. I don't have time to tweak. I am a 2-4 in commercial sizes. Because I knew this top probably ran big, I took off an inch all the way around. I downloaded this top from Hot Pattern's website, and I didn't see the pattern piece for the neck. The directions had you cut two more pieces neccessary for the armbands. So, I made my own pieces for both the armband, and neck. I actually used the banded v-neck technique from the book The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques written by Lynda Maynard. It recommends that you use this technique on wovens, but I interfaced the silk jersey with a great stabilizer and it worked just fine. Other changes I made to this top were-I eliminated the back seam and cut it on the fold. I don't see the need for a seam down the back anyways. I had a beautiful silk jersey that I purchased from Emmaonesock.com, and I didn't want to interrupt the design. I used my serger mostly for seaming, and then used my sewing machine to do the details on top. My Artista 180 is in the shop getting a new faceboard(ouch!), so I have been using my mechanical Bernina 55 that I got to teach sewing lessons to my little ones on. So far, I have liked how the machine has sewed. It has handled the jersey very well. Overall, I like the style of this top, and I think it goes well with skinny jeans. I don't always like tight tops, and loose fitting tops during the summer feel better to me. I caution you to piece the pattern together first, and check to see if you have all the pattern peices, too, if you use a pattern from this company. I will probably make this top one more time because there is a style change idea I have-ruching. Happy sewing, Timi