Years ago, when my brother talked me into making him a western cut shirt, he told me he didn't care what color as long as it was blue and solid. I made a few shirts of different shades of blue.  Then a few years ago I made him go with me to pick out some fabric.  He picked a bright geometric purple and yellow print.  I made it and he loved it.  

Then I showed him a shirt with white collar, cuffs and plackets - he got a big smile on his face.

You will notice that none of the pictures show my brother's face. He may like to dress a little flashier but he hates attention.

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The best reaction was when I showed him the purple shirt with very colorful fabric for cuffs, plackets, yokes and piping. He was very excited.  It is about knowing your customer and my brother, like me, loves bright colors. So much for solid blue. 

Although, western style shirts are not my favorite to make, I am always well rewarded by my brother's reaction when he gets another shirt from me. I wouldn't make them for anyone else.

​You will note that the yokes and cuffs are more elaborate in shape and I experimented with different pockets that mimic the yoke curve.

I love creating beautiful clothes that fit well. This dress is Aubree.   Aubree has a princess line on the bodice, two box pleats in front and zips up the back. There is some slight gathering which makes this skim over the body. This version has pockets which are always a plus. It is, of course, 100% cotton a premium fabric with a butterfly print on a purple and blue background. My husband says it is camo when I sit in my floral armchair.

There is a reason I call my dressmaking studio - Joyful Fashion. I love creating with happy fabrics. I couldn't resist this fabric - it is a little deeper than coral but not quite orange with random dots of white and orange.  It is 100% cotton with a smooth finish and is very comfortable to wear.  Natural fabrics are the best - easy to wear, breathable and wear for a long time.

​The style is a combo of Phoebe and Juliette. The 'V' neckline has asymmetrically placed straps. The sleeves have self cuffs.  And there is a surprise about halfway down the front. Pockets!

This dress has a very flattering silhouette created by the raised waist and the 8 gored skirt.  Combine this with great fabric and a good fit and you have a treasure in your closet that you are going to wear again and again.   The fabric is 100% cotton with the feel of a fine linen/cotton blend.  It is luscious to wear and holds up to repeated washing.

Self covered buttons give both a sense of elegance and a great canvas for accessories.

Horizontal tucks give a cute kick to the sleeves adding even more interest to the dress.  Sleeves seem to be absent or skimpy in most dresses.  Not only does this dress have great fitting sleeves they are cute also!  Bonus!

With a little surprise in back--ruffles.

The ruffles are not hemmed so they have a little frayed fringe on the edge as does the narrow ruffles down the front.  The button placket, cuffs, collar and ruffles are all cut on the bias, just to add a little more fun to this cute blouse.

​Then I knew exactly what I needed to do. 


I was excited for this beautiful woman to have a beautiful dress.  That is my passion to create a garment that causes my clients to ‘feel pretty’. 

It was so much fun to work with this client because she just so darn excited to be marrying her sweetheart. 






​The end of the story is she looked fabulous in her wedding dress as you can see.

It is always my preference to work with a client face to face, taking measurements, fitting the muslin, then the final fittings - making sure everything is right. ​  
​My sister-in-law wanted me to make her a dress.  Granted she does not live half way across the world, but she is 1450 miles away from me and my sewing machine.

  Fortunately, I was able to take her measurements when she was visiting with our family.  ​

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So excited that she wanted another dress same style.  

​This time it was made out of a wonderful lightweight linen, lined with a silky coordinating fabric with small polka dots.  Fun to slip into.  The lining will help with wrinkling.

Making her happy with her dress made me happy!  Love to see the smiles.

​Recently, I was challenged by a friend with six girls to make a simple girls dress.  Frustrated with what she could buy, my friend wanted a dress pattern that could be used to whip up modest dresses for her girls. Her two youngest daughters would wear dresses all the time – so they need lots of dresses for play and church. 

Well, I lost sight of the goal and just had fun making Christmas dresses for these three beauties.

The youngest one informed me that although I thought Christmas Candy print fabric made a Christmas dress - she thought that it didn't look very 'Christmasy'

So, I tried again.

She looks happy with the results.  

This dress is more like the simple dress her mom wants in pattern form. More to follow with that project.

There is even a little surprise in the sleeve - it is faced with the same contrasting fabric.  

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​Made to order, crafted to fit and fun to wear!