Saturday, May 30, 2015

Mystery Challenge - Florence Nightingale Inspired

Its another month of #sewingmagic for me.  Working on wedding preparations (my son is getting married a week from today!) and I joined in the Mystery Challenge Blog Tour for May . . . .




This month's theme is Moments and People Throughout History.  I was assigned Florence Nightingale.  The idea is to #create through inspiration . . . and I learned more about Florence than I ever knew.  

She's not just a Nurse.  She's not just an old maid born in the 1800s, with a trust fund.  

She is the #LadywithaLamp; so I chose the photos I found of her with the Lamp . . . with a twist on what Florence promoted most in her life.



". . . Every woman, or at least almost every woman, in England has, at one time or another of her life, charge of the personal health of somebody, whether child or invalid,—in other words, every woman is a nurse. Every day sanitary knowledge, or the knowledge of nursing, or in other words, of how to put the constitution in such a state as that it will have no disease, or that it can recover from disease, takes a higher place. It is recognized as the knowledge which every one ought to have—distinct from medical knowledge, which only a profession can have.
If, then, every woman must at some time or other of her life, become a nurse, i.e., have charge of somebody's health, how immense and how valuable would be the produce of her united experience if every woman would think how to nurse.
I do not pretend to teach her how, I ask her to teach herself, and for this purpose I venture to give her some hints."

 --Florence Nightingale, from the Preface of her book (Notes on Nursing:  What It Is and What It Is Not).

Flo improved the health of households.  She promoted cleanliness, sanitation, sunlight and concern for well being.  The inspiration came from her service as a nurse in the Crimean War.  Through her book, "Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not,"  she provided detailed guidance on how to care for the sick, which in turn encouraged us all to maintain a clean and inviting environment in our homes (as well as hospitals).  

With that in mind, I found a free picture of Florence with the Lamp (above).  I decided to digitize the photo and embroider onto an apron, adding my take on "here fishy fishy" for the woman who wears the apron.  


I used a photo program on my computer to erase portions of the photo. 

Then digitized the photo using my Brother PE Next Software and started stitching!
For the apron, I chose Sew4home's Pleated Apron.  I used this as a base and used my sewing magic to create an apron that had enough space for the embroidery.  I used fabrics from my #fabrichoard and leftover ribbon from my ribbon collection.  





I hope you're inspired to "Go with the Flo" 

when you've started your household chores!


Find more inspirations from this month's theme 
by visiting the Blogs of other participants 
in the May 2015 Mystery Challenge:  

5/26 │ Create 3.5 - George Sand
6/3│ Mae & K - TeslaPretty Little Blog - Moon LandingKnot Sew Normal - Lutie Eugenia Sterns



Happy Sewing!
gloria june









Wednesday, May 6, 2015

#bundleUP for Women Continues - VFT Ginger & FBA (Full Bust Adjustment)

You've seen lots of Violette Fields Ginger for Women variations during the blog tour . . . 


did you #bundleUP?


For me, the Ginger doesn't work without 

a Full Bust Adjustment.  

  


To learn more about the advantages of properly fitting your bust & small or full bust adjustment, visit Everything Your Mama Made & More for the blog series:  "All About the Bust"  





So today is just a look at how an FBA can make your Ginger hug your curves!






Oh, and look how cute my new shoes are . . . my first pair of flats!


Show some love to the bloggers on the Pattern Revolution Women's BundleUP 2015 Tour:



happy sewing!
gloria june

Friday, May 1, 2015

Pattern Revolution 2015 Women's PDF Pattern #bundleUP - Jocole

Another year has passed, another birthday candle added to my cake . . . .and more patterns to add to my collection of Women's PDF Sewing Patterns!  

During the #bundleUP Blog Tour, I'll post my versions of a few of the patterns offered. 



Are you ready to #bundleUP?

together with several PDF Pattern Designers, have created several #selfcaresewing patterns
 just for You!

bundle pricing is only available during the #bundleUP sale

May 1 - 8, 2015




Day 1 of the #bundleUP Blog Tour:

Jocole A-Line Shift Dress for Ladies



 Jocole's contribution to the #bundleUP is a Ladies A-Line Shift Dress or Tunic with boat-neck or scoop-neck option.  
  • Sizes XS (0-2) to XXXL (24-26) included
  • PDF Pattern, printable on US Letter, A4, and Copy Shop (36" x 77") sizes, included
  • Knit or Woven fabric friendly
  • Fabric Yardage Guide, Suggested Fabrics, Notions & Tools, included
  • Sizing Guide, with Body Measurements only, included
  • Line Drawings and Inspirational Photos, included
  • Tips to find the perfect fit as well as links to various tutorials and contact information, included
  • Quick Guide Instructions and Glossary of Sewing Terms, included

This pattern suggests "Finding the Perfect Fit" as it is drafted with average/standard measurements.  As I have several fitting issues, I made a muslin with Michael Miller woven fabric.  

I found that I needed alterations to the torso portion.  
Back to the pieces I traced . . . . 

At the lengthen/shorten line, I shortened the torso area, and worked on my "sway-back" issues.  

Information on how to "find your perfect fit" is provided in the pattern instructions.

Links to various tutorials and blog posts are included to help you achieve a great fit.  

(I traced the pattern and marked my Apex, an important point in placing darts on a fitted garment; and used a Full Bust Adjustment later to better fit my body.

Both garments shown in this post are my muslins. This pattern suggests making a "Shell" which is also known as a muslin.)



For my next version, I sized down a couple of sizes to use this lovely floral knit from #girlcharlee (from a KnitFix sale).  


With the modifications made to my pattern pieces, 
I have the fit I wanted.  Yay!  

Follow the Blog Tour May 1 - 8 (during the sale).  You'll get a look at all the patterns included, with reviews and inspirational photos to 
help you choose.  

More information can be found here (click on the image):  
Image and video hosting by TinyPic




Happy Sewing,
Gloria June