Debora Coelho

Simplicity pattern 1011 Well, hello everyone! It’s a beautiful time of the year here in New England. It’s nice to cozy up and sew. I’ve finally got around to completing this fall dress. I used Simplicity pattern 1011. The fabric is a gift from my sister Dorinda from her last trip to the Azores, Portugal. It's vivid flowers with a feel of the island itself. The skirt is my own design with panels on the sides and of course pockets. I've come to enjoy pockets in all my garments. The dress is fully lined and the top is layered to create support. I've spoiled myself with this look. It's hard to go back to wearing store bought flimsy dresses without any built in foundation. Well, that's all for now. I’m hoping to make a few more pieces this season. It’s exciting just thinking about it.   It’s such a great feeling to create. Hope to post again soon. Meanwhile, I hope your exploring new ideas and creating things only you...

Hello everyone! Here’s another 1920’s piece that I wore for the first time today. I’m still obsessing with the 20’s. Actually, the more I make of these dresses the more I want them. They are very comfortable, slimming, easy and carefree. I feel great in them. I also think they go well with my persona. The kimono style top, I actually made over a year ago. It hung in my closet like a lost soul. I think we all have lost souls in our closet. I thought at the time I made it that it would hold as a single piece. It didn’t. I just couldn’t seem to wear it with anything else. Finally this year, I committed myself to finalize some of these pieces into outfits. I have a  few left I hope to do the same for. The Kimono was made from a pattern. I don’t remember the make. As for the rest of the outfit, it’s all my own cut and design. The dress underneath looks like a two piece, but it’s not. It’s all sewn together and the skirt is pleated, and with side pockets of course. The pleat...

Honeycomb Smocking Dress Hello everyone! I’ve been working on this dress for some time now. I never thought I could take so long in making a dress, but I have. First, I pleated the material and then I cut the dress. I kind of made it up as I went along. The dress was too big at the waist, so I decided to smock it. It’s a long process. It was the first time I’ve ever did anything like it. I had no idea where I was going with it. But that’s what makes it exciting. Overall, I’m pleased with it. I’m just tired of looking at it. I still have two more rows of smocking at the waist and I want to make a matching purse. And when I’ve completed this dress, I will be putting it away and hopefully only look at it next winter. I don’t have anything lined up right now for a new project. Which is a good thing. I want my sewing adventures to be fun and un-expecting. Sometimes, it’s good to just take some time to reorganize yourself. I might just do that for a short while. Meanwhile, I...

Jacket - Simplicity  #2149 Hello everyone! It’s been a quick month. We are enjoying early signs of spring. My most recent project is this light wool jacket fully lined with a zipper. This is a great pattern and fairly easy to follow. It does not come with a lining, but you can easily use the same pattern pieces and it should work. The sleeves ran a bit short, at least for me. Which is OK, seeing it’s a light  weight jacket and not meant for extreme cold temperatures. The pockets too were a bit small. And the collar could have been higher up and closer to the neck front. Overall, I think it has great lines and wears really comfortably. This is a pattern I hope to revisit soon. Meanwhile, I’m working on a dress that is nothing like I’ve ever made before. It’s all pleated and more pleated. It’s driving me crazy and it’s been taking up a lot of my time. I’ve become obsesses in making it work. I believe that by the end of this week I should have it ...

Happy Valentines everyone! I’ve been doing more sewing than posting lately. Here is one of a  few pieces I’ve made in the past several weeks. This is a beautiful coat I made using Vogue pattern V8164. The fabric is a new super fleece from JoAnn’s fabric store. The fur collar I’ve had for several years waiting in my closet for the perfect coat. I think the burgundy fabric was a nice match up to the brown fur. This coat is so warm and cozy. Perfect for the cold spell we are experiencing here in New England. Well, I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Meanwhile, I hope your exploring new ideas and creating thing only you can create… and as always, thank you for sharing in our sewing journey. Debora

Hello everyone! I wrapped up another dress using 1960’s pattern Simplicity #1284. You may remember I’ve used this pattern several times in the past couple of months. This is the final one. The pattern is finally put away. I’m afraid if I left it out, I’d go at it again. I highly recommend this pattern if your looking for simple lines. It’s an incredible comfortable dress that you can wear to just about anywhere. Meanwhile, I have a few other projects pending in the sewing studio. I like to show them when I actually get to wear them. I’ve made a few more hats and a casual winter coat which I hope to post soon. Meanwhile, I hope your exploring new ideas and creating thing only you can create… and as always, thank you for sharing in our sewing journey. Debora Here’s a quick view at the other four dresses I made from the same pattern. It’s amazing how they all look so different. I truly love all of them.

Why should “Lara” have all the fun? I’m a huge fan of the Doctor Zhivago film. I have watched it countless times through the years.  I love everything about the movie…the romance, history, location, snow scene, ice palace and of course the Russian hats and furs. So much so, that for years, I’ve experimented with making some hats and coats of my own. This past week, old man winter set in. And all of  sudden, I had an inspiration to make more hats. And so I did. A few at that. They are all made out of fleece. They are all different. The brown hat, I actually decorated it with a braid from the same material. The blue, I added pleats and the cranberry, I made a matching hood. I love the hood combination. It’s warm and very comfortable for walking in the winter months ahead of us. I hope your inspired to create your own hats. I used no pattern. I learned a lot about hat making through the years. There is no limit to what you can create. I already have a few more ideas I’d li...

“2016” Happy New Year! This is my first creation of the year. Again using vintage 1960’s pattern Simplicity #1284. This time I added a red strip down the front center middle of the dress. I thought it would elongate the body. In addition, I made a matching pillbox hat and clutch bag. No pattern, just cut what was fun of the left over material. As always the dress is entirely lined and I added my own side pockets. This has been such a fun pattern to work with and incorporate into different fabrics and designs. At the moment. I’m working on the last dress from this collection. I hope to have it ready for next week. Meanwhile, I hope everyone is having a great weekend and as always, thank you for sharing in our sewing journey. Debora