"Our ability to handle life's challenges is a measure of our strength of character." - Les Brown
Happy Saturday Loves! Life changes in the blink of an eye. This past week has been a true test of our strength and faith and even with the roller coaster journey we all have been facing with the COVID-19 pandemic, my personal outlet and solace were to cut, sew and create. I had so many great plans for this blog post in support of Women's History Month and even wanted to create a YouTube video for Part II of my collaboration. Our life as educators were affected suddenly on March 12 when we were called into an emergency faculty meeting for a possible shut down of the schools in our district for a few weeks.
I sighed knowing that we could not meet and sew together for weeks to come. I honestly at the time did not truly understand the severity of what is going on. We made the best out of the situation and decided that we would all meet up at my home on Monday to finish on our Fabric Mart linen collaboration project. We truly enjoyed sewing and working with the linen we selected that was shared in the PART I series 2 weeks ago. Even though we were unable to shoot together and share different ways to style our looks, we made the best out of it. We hope you appreciate each shot because the challenges we encounter did NOT stop or break us.
Ms. Clark, the comedian decided to work tirelessly on her RED linen set over the weekend and shoot on Monday as she had no choice but to travel the next day to help her daughter return home from College. Unfortunately, this red color is sold out but Fabric Mart has a wide selection of linen available here.
Ms. Clark smiled, joked and late Monday night after completing her pants I had to capture her look. I truly enjoyed her warm spirit in this amazing two-piece set made using Vogue 9375 easy to sew pattern. She loved the vest so much and decided to cut another one after seeing the red look. For the vest and pants, she cut a size medium with no modifications to the vest. For the pants, she added an extra inch to the width of the front and back pattern piece and lengthened view C crop pants by 3 inches.
Instead of cutting two separate pieces of the pants, she opted to join both back pieces together eliminating the seam. This came out beautiful and she will surely rock it to her sorority events later this year.
Ms. Clemmons, the cool, calm and collected one of the group is so determined to grow and master the art of sewing. She was bright and cheery even with her car challenges on the day of her shoot. I truly enjoyed capturing her make and even though my children were not available to shoot, we found a stranger to capture a few photos of us together. Her jacket is Simplicity 9059 VIEW C size 18 with no modifications and the pants Simplicity 8885 VIEW C size 16. Next time around, she will cut a size 16 in the jacket as it is a bit looser than she wanted it to be.
So proud of Ms. Clemmons as she has been only sewing for about 6 months with us. She actually made most of her pants without any help except for the waistband modifications. In addition, it was her first time learning to insert a zipper and plans to make these pants again without any assistance from me.
She truly enjoys sewing and has a passion to sew what she loves to wear to work; palazzo pants, cardigans, and jackets. These black linen pants using Simplicity 8885 fits amazing except she forgot to lengthen it by 3 inches. For the most part, when she makes a jacket or top, I will be teaching her how to do a swayback adjustment, a modification required based on her body type.
I felt a bit down the last few days and could not decide on a pattern to use for my dress. I was indecisive and debated about hacking the Ogden Cami as a maxi, midi or knee-length or use Simplicity 8909. After grabbing a few of McCall's and Simplicity's latest Spring patterns on sale, I decided to make something different, a neutral short dress using McCalls M8084.
I honestly was not sold on this dress at first. I did cut a size small in the bodice grading to the medium waist and change the skirt to an A-line style. I hated the fit of the bodice and the tie front as it doesn't drape well and felt like I used the wrong fabric for this pattern.
I decided to simply just roll with the punches, style and rock it with some wedges rather than trying to whip another dress up in a day.
I was a bit heartbroken that we could not shoot together but with the cards that we were dealt, I chose to focus more on the journey rather than the destination. We all made pieces with colors that we love and styles that fit our personal taste. These last few days have taught me to embrace life and enjoy each moment as it comes. We never know what can happen and we should always be ready for a mindset shift.
I am happy to support and share my talent with my work colleagues and create linen looks that we will rock! Amidst the quick personal, life, and work changes, I will accept the next few weeks away from work to recharge and reignite the passion that is within rather than worry about things or factors that are outside of my control. THANK YOU for following our journey! I pray and hope all is well with you and your family. Remain strong and continue to follow your state or city guidelines.
Be sure to stop by my Instagram page to check out what I will be working on over the next few weeks. I have learned so much about myself having to slow down quite a bit. In closing "there is more to life than increasing in speed."
One Love,
Marica - Overdriveafter30
I am inspired by your abilities, beauty and determination. You must be the best dressed educators!
All of these outfits are wonderful.
I enjoyed this process so much. You are an awesome teacher. The linen is the best I've ever felt before.
Awwww thanks
Awwww thanks
Wonderful job, ladies! I love each and every one of your creations! Hope that you can get back to your classrooms soon!
Very nice work!! I love all the pieces
Your gold dress is stunning and looks great on you! The other ladies' outfits are great also!
Thank you
Thanks Ann! We are watching and waiting while we teach online.
Thank you so much!