Debora Coelho

2015 - Year in Review - Sewing It’s always nice to look back at our accomplishments. Especially when it gives us great joy. Here is a quick look at what I made this year. I took some chances and made a couple of designer pieces. With other garments, I repeated the same pattern making it different every time. I learned a lot this year with both design and garment construction. I’m looking forwards to incorporating all this experience and skill in the new year “2016” ongoing sewing project. Sewing has definitely made my life better. Happy New Year everyone! I hope your year is filled with love of creating. 

Kimonos for the Holidays Hello everyone. Hope all of you are enjoying your holiday season. I’ve been enjoying wearing what I’ve made to events and Christmas parties. This afternoon I had a simply delightful brunch with a few dear friends right in the sewing studio. It was fun decorating around the sewing machines. I didn’t fuss over anything, just added to what already existed. I love wearing kimonos this time of year. They are very festive. I made this one a year or two ago. I’m also wearing the new jean skirt I made for the first time. You can look back on my blog for the skirt details if you’d like. As for the kimono, I usually just cut and make them without any pattern. I have no two alike. There’s no rules. If you find a fabric you like, just drape and cut to whatever shape pleases you. Well, I hope to do some more sewing tonight. Let’s see if I have anything to show you by the end of the week. I hope you enjoy the brunch pictures. I also hope you find some inspiration to s...

Hello everyone! I’m still working with the same vintage 1960’s pattern Simplicity# 1284. This is the third time using the same pattern and I’m just as excited about it. This week I used a beautiful stretch weave material that my sister Dorinda gave me as a gift from her latest trip to the Azores. Anyone familiar with the Azores, the islands of Portugal, knows sewing is still a big part of many people’s life’s . That’s where my sewing roots originated. Going back just a couple of generations, both my grandmothers, aunts, cousins and sisters all were brought up learning how to sew.  It was out of necessity of course. But it’s such a great gift to enjoy and share with others. Some of the women in the islands  are also great weavers, knitters and embroiders.   As for this weeks dress, I like the black yoke contrast. I hope to experiment more with that. This pattern is becoming easier to assemble as I go along. The pattern is now perfectly fitted to my body. The who...

Indian Peacock Floral Dress Good evening everyone. This weeks project is another dress once again using Simplicity 1284. A 1960’s Vintage Dress pattern. The fabric is just so bright and beautiful. I picked it up at JoAnn’s Fabrics from their cotton quilting selection. I ended up using more fabric due to the matching of the seams. I ended up making two trips to the fabric store to get the fabric I needed. Well worth it. The dress is very comfortable and great for everyday use. I like that. Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and to the rest of the world thank you for sharing in our sewing journey. Debora

 1960’s Vintage Dress - Simplicity 1284 To all the sewing fans out there, here is the latest dress I made this week using Simplicity pattern 1284. The dress has an easy comfortable all around fit. There’s nothing complicated about making or wearing this dress. The pattern itself is easy to follow. I made a few changes such as adding lining, side pockets and a few inches to the hemline. The fabric is from JoAnn’s fabric from last years’ fabric stash. It has a nice illuminating look and very rich texture. I’m so excited about the simplicity of this dress that I’ve already started making another one for next week‘s project. The way this dress is designed with a yoke leaves you with so many possibilities of creating different looks with each dress. Overall, I’m extremely pleased with my latest creation. I see myself wearing this dress a lot this winter. It’s both light weight and warm. Perfect for New England. Well, I hope my latest’s sewing creation inspires you to sew something ...

Hello everyone! I know it’s been while. I’ve been busy with serious life events. Even so, I’m very happy to finally be back into the sewing world. I’m currently working on a dress that I hope to finish and post by the upcoming weekend. On this photo,  I’m wearing one of my hats and scarf  I made last year. I found matching gloves when I wasn’t  even looking. I love different colored gloves. So when I see them out in the stores this time of year, I usually just grab any new colors available. They’re inexpensive and fun to wear. Well, this is it for now. Just wanted to say hello and give you a quick sewing update. See you all soon, Debora.  

Hello everyone! The leaves are changing all over New England. It’s a most beautiful time of the year. Very rich colors bursting all around us. Everything is changing, including my wardrobe. This week, I finally had the opportunity to wear one of the new skirts I made recently along with a top and matching bag from my collection dating back to last September. Sometimes, pieces sit in my closet waiting for their match to come along before they are completed as an outfit. In this particular case, the top waited over a year before it came out for the very first time this week.  The other thing about me, as some of you have seen from some of my sewing projects, is that I like to make several pieces of the same pattern. Once I figure something out, I might as well run with it. Repeat, repeat, repeat. It’s a way of improving and growing in most areas of life including sewing.  Anyways, hope you enjoy the outfit combination and as always thank you for sharing in ou...

Hello everyone! Here is my completed sewing project for the week. I made four skirts all the same for fall. The fabrics range from cotton, jean, to faux suede. Great fall fabrics and colors. I didn't use a pattern. I just simply cut according to my own measurements and paneled it down the fabric. These skirts take up about one yard of fabric and two lengths in lining. You can easily make them for about $15.00 worth of supplies. It's totally worth it and a great way to build on your own wardrobe. The best part is that you can wear them long, still have a bit of leg showing and of course wear boots. Boots are necessary in New England. We put them on usually in late September and only start wearing shoes again sometime in April.  Here you can see the matching lining. You don't have to have an exact match. In this case I was lucky.  All the skirts have invisible zippers. They are easy to sew once you get the hang of it. I did all four at the same time. It sa...

Last night was the perfect opportunity to wear the latest Emilie Floge dress. My friend and professional artist Deborah Macy had an opening exhibit at the Gallery X downtown New Bedford. I’m a big fan of her art and she is a big fan of my dresses. In turn she and I collaborated in a painting where I posed for her wearing one of my gowns. She added so much detail to the dress it was incredible. It was the first time I saw it in person. We displayed the gown side to side with the painting to give viewers a feel of what went into the painting. It was a lot of fun sharing the experience with others.  OK sewing world, here is my second Emilie Floge inspired dress. I feel like these dresses belong to everyone to enjoy. It is truly a work of art. I’m very happy with it. The whole process of putting it together was just so exciting. The fabric is a combination of weaved silk, linen and embroidered light cotton. Again, I love the elongating lines of Emilie Floge ...