My New Best Friend!!! And Other Updates!!

Every once and a while you come across a new product in the store that is something you can not live without. My new toy is the Off Clip On!!! If you don't have one, you definitely have to get one. They are a hot commodity in the stores and are selling out pretty quickly. But if you visit the store at the right time, you just might hit the jackpot.

Anyway, I bought mine not by choice, but I'm glad I did. A few weeks ago, I got stung by 2 yellow jackets and couldn't walk for 3 days. Bad allergic reaction. To make matters worse, 2 weeks later, the day after my red dress vava voom moment, I was bit by a swarm of gnats. My face, neck, arms back, and butt were covered in bits. I had to go to my family doctor who in turned yelled at me. That's the treatment you get when you've been going to the man since you were in grade school. Anyway, he told me that I should have gone to the hospital after being stung. Well, my lovely doctor put me on steroids for 6 days which I finished last Saturday, and I've been wearing my clip on ever since. And yes my friends, I see an allergist in 2 weeks for testing.

With the clip on, there is no spraying involved. It's battery operated. All you have to do is turn it on and you're ready to go. Here's a link to see how it works.

In knitting news: The guys in my band have been complaining that I'm always knitting but I haven't made anything for them yet. A week ago, I started Turn A Square by Jared Flood.

4 down, 4 more to go. My husband saw the hats and liked them, so I guess I'll be making one more for him. The pattern is Turn A Square by Jared Flood. I love this hat. It is so easy and it knits up quickly. It's a great stash buster and uses up leftover yarn. In terms of time, I'm knitting a hat a day. The yarn I'm using is Noro Silk Garden for the stripes and Noro Amagi for the main color.


Last night I started Sursa.It's from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton Collection, Book II put out by Noro. I think the book is discontinued. But the pattern is a major hit at one of the two yarn shops that I like to visit. Even though it does call for Noro yarn and I am a huge fan, I wanted something more summery. The yarns I'm using are Cascade Sierra . It's the pale pink and Araucania Pomaire. The multi colored yarn. I love how the 2 yarns are working together, and the pattern is such an easy knit. It's great for television watching.

I have no sewing news but I have been buying fabric. Fabric Warehouse had a 50% off Sale last week. I couldn't pass that up. I was very good. I only purchased 4 pieces and paid $23 for the whole lot. I also purchased fabric from Fabric.com. I bought some stretchy lace and some ITY Knit. I think some underwear and lingerie are in my future. Who knows.

Anyway, what do you all have planned for the weekend? I'm giving someone a refresher on sewing tomorrow. Mr. D doesn't have to work this weekend so I'm hoping we'll be doing something fun. I also have to do a little house cleaning.

McCall's 5584 My VaVa Voom Dress!!!

This is the first time that I've tackled a cocktail dress, and I am very pleased, scratch that. I am ecstatic on how it turned out. I'm also jumping for joy because this was a stash buster project. I only had to buy fabric for the lining, a zipper, and red serger thread. I purchased the fabric a few months ago at JoAnn's from their clearance department with no particular pattern in mind. The dress portion was made of a 100% Polyester/Taffeta fabric and was a dream to sew with. I'm so glad I purchased more of the fabric in other colors. Anyway, enough of my blabbering, on with my review.


McCall 5584

Pattern Description:
Lined, flared dress, close-fitting at bust, above mid-knee length has upper bands and back zipper; dress A has contrast bands, shoulder straps and bow; dress B has contrast bands and ties; dress C has shoulder straps, lace trim and contrast ruffles.

I made View B with an overlay.

Pattern Sizing:

14 - 20

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes, most definitely. It was a cross between view A and view B since I did the dress portion with an overlay.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

I really didn't follow the directions, but I did look at the pictures briefly. In looking at the directions now, they seem pretty straight forward.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

This is a great pattern to pull out and make if you want something to wear in a jiffy and I highly recommend it. It's also great for when you don't feel like wearing something close fitted especially on the bloated days. You can still look put together, and very chic.

Fabric Used:

For the dress, I used a Taffeta made of 100% Polyester. At least I think it was a Taffeta. It was in the clearance section of JoAnn Fabrics and sometimes the fabrics aren't named very well, but the fabric was a dream to work with. For the overlay on the dress I used organza fabric with 3 dimensional appliques.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:

In cutting out the pattern I used the dress length for view A. I'm 5'9 and I don't like my dresses too short. I also used the full length of the pattern piece for the tie. I didn't shorten it for the length of the dress size. It made it easier to tie, and I think it hangs nicer. I had to take it in a little more only in the band/chest area to help it so it wouldn't slide down while wearing

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I love the dress, and it is exactly how I envisioned it, but I don't know if I'd make it again. One is enough for my wardrobe. I highly recommend it .

Conclusion:
This was my first time working with an overlay, and it was a little of a challenge, only because of the appliques and scallop at the bottom. I threw caution to the wind when I cut the skirt portion out. You really can't follow the layouts on the pattern instructions when there's crazy stuff going on on the fabric. My dressform really came in handy when I was figuring out where everything should line up.

Overall, I LOVE this dress, and it was a hit at the wedding I went to last night. It also made my night when I was walking up to the bar, and I hear this one woman say to another guest who was also a woman " I LOVE HER DRESS!! " I beamed. If only they knew I made it.

By the way, this review/post is dedicated to Smoking Needles. I thought you'd like this one for your CBM.

In knitting news I started Coachella this week.

This pattern is pretty easy to work up, and great if you want to knit while watching television or a movie. The yarn I'm using is Maggi's Linen by MaggiKnits. It's a mix of 48% Linen and 52% Cotton. I've never worked with linen before so I think this was a nice introduction.



I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far, I know I am. The wedding was in Cape May, NJ. I stayed over, enjoyed the beach this morning and drove back this afternoon. Tonight I'll be making a pound cake for a knitting pool party with some friends tomorrow.

Hope everyone is having a great one!! Cheers!!