Debora Coelho

#39 Dress “Bluer than blue” Dress - Simplicity pattern #1537 Here is this week’s project. I must say, I like the lines and floral combination of this dress. It all works well together. The dress is elongating. Very comfortable and cool to wear. I plan on using it as an everyday dress. I can do just about anything in it. It moves easily in any setting. The colors are so vibrate, I can’t help but be totally happy in this dress.

#38 Dress Silk Garden Dress Simplicity pattern # 2178 Cynthia Rowley collection. You may remember this dress from three weeks ago. Yesterday, I wore it to a beautiful garden party in support of the New Bedford Art Museum/Artworks. The setting overlooking the water was perfect for this dress. The dress as well as the orchids were noticed. I was so happy wearing them both. It’s all wearable art to me. I love creating it.

Bluer than blue” Dress - Simplicity pattern #1537 This baby is finished! I’m really excited at how great the whole matching of the fabric came together. This project turned out expensive due to matching up the print on the fabric. Wow, I hope I don’t try attempting something like this anytime soon. I learned my lesson. I’m very stubborn in making things happen. One of my good qualities, I guess. I never give up. This was yet another learning curve for me. I’m getting bold in picking up bright color linings. I think it’s fun to have a burst of color in the inside as well. Also, if you look closer at the drop waist, you will notice a sewn in band to offset the seams. This was an after thought. My husband actually suggested it. We both thought it needed something to break the lines. It was so simple, but it really worked. Small detail, big visual impact. The sewing went smooth. Next week I hope to go at it again. I’ve been studying drop waistline dresses on line seeing what else I can

#37 Dress This is a very practical dress that I made this spring. I have been getting good wear out of it. It’s a mix of a couple of patterns which I made my own. I don’t even remember which patterns I used. The skirt is cut at a bias. Anything cut at a bias loves to hug the flesh. I try to be a bit careful when I cut anything at a bias. Even so, it can be very flattering with the right material. The material is very airy and sheer. I lined it with a beautiful pink stretch knit. I thought it went well together. I can wear this dress to just about anywhere. Which I do. Tonight, I wore it to a meeting. I like it so much, I thought it deserved a post. Hope you enjoy it.

“Bluer than blue” Dress - Simplicity pattern #1537 I spent much of this morning enjoying time in my sewing studio assembling this dress. Earlier this week, I spent extra time matching the fabric on the cutting process. In the meantime, this dress ended up using more fabric than I anticipated and I made a quick emergency trip to JoAnn’s fabrics. Lucky for me, they had just enough fabric left. I got the end of the bolt. The fabric is very rich in color and design. It has about seventeen different colors. I’m using the same dress pattern as last week, Simplicity pattern #1537. The sewing part is going fast. I didn’t have to spend much time on adjusting the fit. I did that last week. That’s why I’m obsessed with repeating the same pattern over and over again. I find that the repeative process really makes for perfection allowing for more creativity. It builds a constructive foundation layers in your brain. I find that it works in all aspects of life. It makes us better not only at wh

#36 Dress - “The seedling” Simplicity pattern #1537 Good evening everyone. It was a beautiful summer day today. I had an awesome time wearing my new dress. It’s so comfortable and easy to wear. My husband took me for a ride after church. He’s been very supportive and patient with my sewing project. The dress is definitely a winner. Fits well, wears well. I feel I can wear it anywhere. Very practical. Let’s see what I can do next week with this same pattern. Till then, enjoy and let’s keep creating.

This week went by so quick. I just finished this week’s dress. I’m naming it, “The seedling.” The print reminds me of flowers at the end of their season letting go of their seeds throughout the land. I feel like that when I wear my dresses. Like I’m inspiring creativity all around me. This dress was easy to sew. I did however, fuss over the perfect fit. You can see how I added boning all around the midriff. I also tailored the sides a bit. I didn’t like how the pattern just dropped the dress without any definition. So, I just went ahead and did my own thing. I want to repeat the dress again next week and perhaps add some detail to it and make it a bit more exciting. This pattern is a great block piece. You can do a lot with it. Well, I hope you can gather something from it and carry it to your own creative world. I’m inspired with the sewing and excited about wearing it tomorrow. Have a great weekend everybody and thanks for sharing in my sewing journey.

Simplicity pattern #1537 Hello everyone! Today I started a new dress. It’s from Simplicity patterns #1537. I cut out the pattern as well as the dress. The fabric is a light weight cotton. I enjoy pinning the pattern to the dressform ahead of time to see how all the pieces fit together. You can learn a lot from this process. I enjoy seeing what the designer saw as well as feeling my way through the lines on the dressform. I think this pattern does deliver what it promises, an “amazing fit.” All the pattern pieces are ready to go. I also cut out the entire lining. Everything is already assembled and the basic stitching is all set. Tomorrow, I hope to continue with this dress project and fuss over the details. Sometimes, I get so carried away with the sewing, I completely forget to take pictures. I was in such a sewing marathon all afternoon. It was a perfect rainy sewing day.

#35 Dress - Simplicity Patterns #1801 Surprise! I finished and wore the dress today. It turned out to have an 80’s flare to it. I totally re-made a new skirt. Lucky for me, I had extra material. I actually ripped apart the skirt from the bodice and just started over. This time with a simple bottom with no gathering at the waist. The skirt is straight cut with side slits on both sides. It’s fully self lined and wears beautifully. I also added a black lace appliqué on the “V” neck line. I wasn’t really comfortable with the low cut. I like to feel comfortable and age appropriate with all my dresses. Most of which, I wear to church. I’m really pleased with this dress. It gave me a real hard time but, it was worth it. The pattern was not hard to follow. Actually, it’s a fairly simple dress to make. I’m the one that took it to the extreme. I totally lined it, used canvas material at the neck and midriff and added an additional layer for the built in boning at the midriff. I learned a few

This dress appears finished, but I can tell you it’s not. As a matter of fact, right now this dress is upsetting me. I had the lining all attached with beautiful pockets on the side seams. So what went wrong, you may ask? Well for starters the dress was too big. When I tried to tighten it, it unbalanced the whole waistline. The side seams on the bottom had to be taken in as well, meaning the pockets had to go. I also damaged two invisible zippers trying to sew them through the boning at the midriff. When I tried it on, I found the dress to be too long. The pattern overwhelmed the style of the dress. I cut 8 inches of the hemline and removed the entire bottom lining. It lightened the whole dress. I also cut the side seems. Tomorrow I will be placing in new pockets as well as relining the bottom without any gathering at the waistline. I think it will slim the dress. I’m only going through this amount of trouble because I actually love the bodice of this dress. It fits beautifully. I also

This weeks dress project from Simplicity Pattern #1801, Cynthia Rowley collection is starting to take shape. I’m trying something new. Instead of interfacing, I’m just using an extra cut of the facing in canvas black material. So far, I like the way it holds up on the shoulders, bodice “V” neckline and the midriff. I’m still incorporating a full lining to both top and bottom and boning at the midriff. I like when a dress stands well on any body shape. I find that now a days that store bought dresses are cheaply made. The manufacture uses the least amount of fabric as possible and basically no underlining. I also find the entire cut of the dresses to be either too low cut or too short or even worse both. The shoulder line usually doesn’t stay in place either. At least not on me. Stretch knit dresses are fine, if you are under thirty, fit and weigh less than 130lbs. Other than that, ouch! Anyways, that’s why I’m working structure into all the dress I’m making. This one sure is holding it

This weeks dress project is from Simplicity Patterns #1801, another beautiful piece from the Cynthia Rowley collection. I’m figuring out her style and building on my own sewing experience as to how to work in a solid foundation, especially at the midriff. Her dresses are very form fitting. I’m not crazy about the gathering at the waist, but it’s only fair that I use her whole pattern layout as is, at least once. The material I’m using is very light weight rayon and I think it will fall well. I’m also looking more into making dresses with sleeves for the Fall, seeing I already have enough summer dresses. Well, I’m excited with my dress project choice for this week. It’s my first time using this pattern. I’m not sure what to expect as far as the fit goes, but we shall see. That’s the most exciting part of sewing, everyday it builds into something, everyday you can make it and fit it into something beautiful…into something that’s truly yours.

#34 Dress - 1920’s I made this dress earlier this year. I wore it today for the first time. It’s partly my own design. I used a simple pattern for the top. I made it a drop waistline and added a band to bring it together. I did some research on 1920’s dresses and this is what I came up with. The sleeves are my own as well as the skirt. Pleated skirts can be hard to make. I went a little crazy, but I figured out how to make it easy to sew. This dress is fully lined. Out of all the dresses I’ve made, 1920’s style remains by far the most slimming, fun and relaxing dresses to wear. There’s no tension on curves or shapes. The body shape is not the focal point of the dress. It’s all about feeling, movement and lots of freedom and room for fun. Enjoy! 　 This is the pattern (View A) I used as a reference for the top of the dress. This pattern calls for stretch knit material. I had to modify it for non-stretch material. This is a great pattern for tops or as bodices for dres

Pink Flowers on a Silk Garden Dress Simplicity pattern # 2178 Cynthia Rowley collection Well, it’s a wrap! Literally around the dressform. This style dress is too fitted for the dressform. I did however finish it just about now. It would have been done earlier if it wasn’t for my husband telling me he did not like the bodice to the waistline and asked me to sew up the midriff like last weeks dress. So much for the relaxed look. It came out as nice as the one from last week. I do like the “A” line skirt, but I have to admit that this style looks much more elegant on a straight long skirt like the designer Cynthia Rowley intended. It will be several weeks before I have an opportunity to wear it, and that's just fine. Every week the objective is to learn new skills and find new sewing techniques. The finished dress is art to me. I wear it as such. It’s fun and memorable. Even if it’s only worn once. Some dresses are so spectacular they have a life of their own. It’s been a gre

Pink Flowers on a Silk Garden Dress Hi readers. It’s been a busy week. Even so, it’s important to keep working on this weeks project which I set aside for the hat decoration art project. This weeks’ dress is once again from the same pattern Simplicity pattern # 2178 Cynthia Rowley collection. I made some changes on the pattern. I lowered the bodice to the natural waistline and replaced the skirt. It makes for a relaxed feel and look. The sewing went a lot faster, seeing I already had the pattern figured out from last weeks sewing experience. The fabric is once again silk. Really beautiful. I need to stop spoiling myself with these silk pieces. I know if I had to pay full price from the roll of fabric, I would not be able to afford it. Tomorrow lets see if I can finish it. No promises. After all it’s the 4 th of July.  

Update on the "Restoration of Beauty" gown. My friend and professional artist Deborah Macy just completed this painting of the Charles W. Morgan, "the worlds last wooden whaleship." I was happy to model for her this summer and I'm really pleased with her work. You can see the changes and detail she added. It's incredible. Well I hope you enjoy the end results. I can't wait to see this painting in person. Sewing and painting and whaling history all coming together in canvas. Amazing!   #33 Dress. Hi readers. There’s been a lot of excitement this week in New Bedford with the return of the Charles W. Morgan Homecoming to our waterfront. My friend who is a professional artist wanted to take some study shots by the ship. She wanted me to wear hats depicting the Victorian era with my dresses. I only had one hat. So, I went out and purchased some supplies and made a few more. I have some millinery skills which I acquired from the twenty years in my bridal b