Chanteuse Designs

A bright light on a Seattle afternoon! My new customer Rachel at the end of the day with two of her gorgeous daughters.

A picture is worth a thousand words! Come join us at Pike Place and Gig Harbor (starting in May).

Chanteuse Designs……..Often imitated, never duplicated  ;-)

Here is a great little pattern for all the men in your life. This pattern comes with a toddler outfit, shirts for boys and a shirt for your man! I believe if it didn’t have button holes it would be a super fast and easy pattern. Not sure why it’s not but it’s a great little basic pattern to make summer tops.

Here are a few tike tops I made from some Fabmo fabrics. As you can see, with some of the fabmo children’s fabric the design was cut out in a way to capture the intermitent design. Some I even had to make sleeveless, which with a summer pattern would be quite comfortable.

I love the lines on this pattern. You couldn’t see them very much from the pattern photo as they used a busy print pattern. But if you are going to use a solid piece of fabric, those lines just pop! Love this dress. And I do love the fabric I chose. For a change it came together effortlesstly, was fun to make and I can’t wait to wear this dress. Hmmmm, now for the shoes!

Thank you Kay Unger!

;-)

I love just about anything Khaki-Jackety-Safari looking. This was so much fun to make and it came together pretty flawlessly.

It’s lightweight…or I suppose you could make it heavier, but I love the lightness with the sleeveless accompanying dress. Cool for this summer’s heat wave….(hurry up and get here!!)

Love my new top!!

One thing: I wasn’t sure about the lace ribbon ties, and ended up making the entire coat without them leaving that seam open until I could decide. Couldn’t decide if I wanted something a little more low maintenance or toggles for a cleaner look.  But as you can see I ended up finding a perfect ropey type trim/ribbon which is more for a khaki type jacket but I love that it made this very casual but still dressy.

One last thing, being tiny-petite I found the toggle tabs really too big and I took about 5/8″ off the ends.

Photos at: www.chanteusedesigns.com/kathleen’sblog

Can’t wait to finish the dress!~

Butterick Pattern 5637 is a comfy (you can tell I am into comfy for sure) and casual summer top/dress. I love this top. I made it for a friend. She’s the best, what can I say.

I also have plans to make this into the dress for me this summer. It’s a fun top to make. Basic easy sewing, nothing too challenging.

Cool and breezy for summer and fabulous to match with some great neck beads!!

Happy Sewing~

Cheers,

Kathleen

Another dress from my Dome show, turned out really well. This dress was a really nice looking, pretty easy and comfortable dress. I had some issues with the lining at the neckline and sleeves. It keeps wanting to crawl out and say hi to everyone which had me pulling it down from the bottom. (A dreadful problem which I hope I found the cure for future situations) There is a cure for this ill,  and it entails making the lining smaller or rather a gather type stitch prior to attaching the lining to the dress.

Other than that the lines matched up magically and the lines are just really pretty. You may not be able to notice it in the photo, since I only did it in one color. The pattern uses two tones, but being petit I have to be careful with how much pattern I use. I would love to make it again using the two tones. And for that I will keep you posted!

Happy Sewing~

Cheers

Kathleen

This is another dress I will make again. And this time I am thinking no sleeves or the long sleeves. I had a small issue with the sleeves or rather I should say “don’t sew after midnight if you have never made the pattern”.  Hence I tended to put them in at a wrong angle! Looks nice from the front, but looks funny from the back because I put them in with the center being matched to the front marking. Yeah, don’t sew after midnight is all I can tell you.

It is really slimming with the two toned, so take advantage of this comfy knit dress. SUPER easy. Great for a beginner. Love the black and white the pattern offers. Now I will be brave enough to try that.

Also, one last tip: the lining rides up in front. So I watched a video on gathering the lining prior to attaching so it will not ride up. Tends to do that a lot.

Cheers,

Kathleen

YES, It’s too embarrassing AGAIN to say how long ago I started this pattern. I found it in my stash and being a knit dress had to finish it. That was my fear to overcome this year…….Knit fabric.  Yep Knits, and funny timing on the Kathy Ireland pattern. I had no idea what a power house she was. Cover of Forbes, socks, laminate flooring…..sky’s the limit. Well, this pattern was a delight. Will I ever wear it since it’s 10 years old? Very good question! ;-)

This was so fun to make. I have to tell you that it was easy, the knit being interfaced laid down nicely on the front “peek a boo”  and really turned out nice. I notice that I have to play with the fabric to install the zippers. Which seems a bit odd  but it lies down flat if you sew a few inches and then lift up the pressure foot, then continue on a few inches and lift up the pressure foot. At least, that is my experience with getting zippers in knits.

Did I put you to sleep on that one…………zzzzzzzz……zzzzzzzzz……….zzzzzzzzzzzz? Probably! But just sayin!

Happy sewing.

Cheers,

Kathleen

It’s too embarrassing to say how long ago I started this pattern. One day while I was downtown on my lunch hour, I saw a gal walking down Sutter Street in San Francisco with this fabulous skirt on. Thought I was in a 1940’s movie. Then low and behold shortly after I found the pattern to make that skirt. Too bad it took me so long to make it but it wasn’t that it was difficult. Quite the contrary. Skirts are a dream to learn how to sew. I can’t even tell you how many skirts I have made, but I can guaranty that I have made more skirts than I have dresses, tops, pants but certainly not aprons! If you are wanting to get your feet wet in the sewing world and you like skirts then give them a try. You will become addicted……especially if you take a few small steps to fit yourself.

The rest as they say will be history!

I made item D. Happy Sewing.

Cheers,

Kathleen

This was my favorite of all the dresses I made for the Tacoma show. Comfy, cool when you are working and really elegant. A customer favorite too.

It is tricky about the top sewing bodice to interfacing…..translation “It’s a lot of hand sewing” and I couldn’t imagine why they said you could even sew part of that. Lots of hand sewing, especially if you hand sew the hems like I do, but worth it. I am going to be making more of this one. I think I should have it in black and a blue or orange/burgundy.

Cheers,

Kathleen