Firecracker's Blog

43 Comments

• The Cat replied 6 years ago

  Love your purple dress with the silver necklace and silver chain shoulder bag.

• Janet replied 6 years ago

  Wow, gorgeous! That is a great dress, and it’s perfect for you. Beautiful color. I like some shades of purple but have almost none of it in my closet anymore — the color you have chosen is one I would welcome back to my wardrobe!

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 6 years ago

  Thank you, the Cat and Janet!
  I know what you mean about shades of purple, Janet. It's very hard to find the right ones for me, too.

• dianne replied 6 years ago

  What a stunning dress!!  You look beautiful.

• SarahD8 replied 6 years ago

  You look gorgeous! The dress looks luxe and the sleek boots and metallic accessories really complement it well.

  Can I ask what pattern you used?

• Stagiaire Fash replied 6 years ago

  Purple velvet? Yes please! You did make one for me, right?

• Dianna replied 6 years ago

  I am always impressed with your skill.  The dress is just fan-tas-tic. 

• JAileen replied 6 years ago

  Gorgeous dress. I love your accessories, too. You look fab!

• Joyce B replied 6 years ago

  What a beautiful dress! I also love purple and it suits you beautifully. The whole outfit is fantastic. You should market your designs, you are very talented.
  Your dress is fabulous for both occasions, anniversary (happy anniversary!) and Christmas.

• Murph11 replied 6 years ago

  Spectacularly-festive! 

• approprio replied 6 years ago

  Lovely! Always a sucker for home couture. It's the best. I particularly like the sparkle over the darker colours. I miss purple in my wardrobe. 

• karen13 replied 6 years ago

  Ooo la la! I love it! Color and style are so great on you! I bought some navy and some hunter stretch crushed velvet a week or so ago with the intent of making some simple tops, but haven't found the time. I accidentally got 2x the navy i wanted so wish I wore dresses. You are inspiring me.

  What direction did you run the nap? I noticed in some RTW tops I tried that had the nap running different directions on different color ways, that I actually preferred the look of the opposite of what I was taught (smooth if you run your hand top to bottom. The ones that had the nap running up had a more consistent reflection of light, where the the nap down tops were light above my bust and darker below. It took me a while to figure out why I liked one color so much better than the other in the mirror.

• Angie replied 6 years ago

  KILLER stunning. And so is your hair. Much love to you, Sharan.

• Bonnie replied 6 years ago

  Love it!!

• rachylou replied 6 years ago

  Woo! Now that’s a party dress!

• Suz replied 6 years ago

  Wow, you look like royalty! What a stunning and festive colour. 

  Do you remember velvet dresses at the holidays in childhood? I had red ones, green ones, blue ones -- and loved them all. But I'd have loved this one even more!!

• Aida replied 6 years ago

  Ooh the dress!! Love that front pleat; fab swingy action in motion and enough structure when not. Fun with the more casual tall boots and will look lovely with the dressier tall ones too. I might go chunky metal or stones on the jewelry with that one for contrast. So nice to see you :D I still owe you lunch sometime, too.

• Joy replied 6 years ago

  OH, you had me at "purple velvet". The style will allow you to eat your dinner in comfort.
  You have most of the considerations in Angie's blog post...color, texture, shine. Toy don't need pattern but could easily add a patterned scarf or footwear or bag. I especially like the chain-handled bag. You look stunning. Warning: Everyone will want to touch that velvet dress.

• Beth Ann replied 6 years ago

  I had a purple velvet dress, and still miss it!  Yours is swingy and modern, and both festive and practical!

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 6 years ago

  Thanks, everyone, for your kind comments and support!

  Sarah, I started with Style Arc's Mary dress, a simple t-shirt dress that I've made several times. I was trying to copy an OSKA dress, so I added a 7" pleat down the front (stitched closed for the middle portion of the dress). The released-pleat cowl didn't lay the way I wanted, so I stitched it down into a placket design and centered my pleat at the bottom.

  Fashiontern, you are sweet, and you crack me up!

  Approprio and Joyce, I was really taken with the idea of purple this season for the holidays. I love purple, too, in the right shades, anyway, and have less of it than I would like in my wardrobe.

  Karen13, I ran the nap so that it feels rougher running your hands downward. Perhaps your reasoning is why I learned to run it that way. I thought I also heard that it wears better that way; with corduroy pants, for instance, there is supposed to be less shine on the seat after sitting.

  Angie, thank you!!

  Suz, yes I do. I seem to recall getting a red velvet dress for several holiday seasons in a row when I was a girl. I think my mother made all of them. One had a very pale pink cotton sateen Peter Pan collar, so lovely against the red velvet. Boy, did my mother spoil me!

  Thanks, Aida! I like your idea of chunky jewelry or stones with it. And lunch! (I had completely forgotten. . .)

  Joy, I'm chuckling! Yes I will be able to eat a big dinner with this dress. I'm hoping I don't encounter any roving hands, though--yikes! (Well, other than from DH, that is.)

  Beth Ann, you look so good in purple. You'll have to find another dress to replace it.

  Dianne, Dianna, JAileen, Murph11, Bonnie, and Rachylou, thanks for chiming in!

• Jaime replied 6 years ago

  Love the purple velvet dress! Gorgeous!

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 6 years ago

  Thanks, Shevia!

• Violettt replied 6 years ago

  Your purple velvet dress and coat you made are just gorgeous!  Real classic styles you'll wear for years!  Well done~ You are so talented to be able to sew like that!

• Brooklyn replied 6 years ago

  Luxe and lovely!

• Staysfit replied 6 years ago

  Super stunning! I love purple and this is a great look! Happy Anniversary!

• Sisi replied 6 years ago

  This  dress is marvelous and you look fab!  I approve the idea of sleeker boots with it.  As usual I am in awe in front of people with such sewing skills.

• lyn67 replied 6 years ago

  This is just the marvelous one! K2K!

• Zibbets replied 6 years ago

  Oh wow! Ten out of ten! That is a gorgeous dress and I love it with the boots.

• Sara L. replied 6 years ago

  Omg!  The dress is beautiful!   I want one now.  I've been struggling with what to wear to my office Xmas party this week and now I want velvet.  Not happening though - I will be shopping my closet.

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 6 years ago

  Thank you, Violett, Brooklyn, Staysfit, Lyn, Sisi, Zibbets, and Sara.
  Sara, you have some fabulous dresses; I hope to see what you come up with for your party.

• barbaraq replied 6 years ago

  Love your dress!

• harmonica replied 6 years ago

  Stunning dress! So festive and luxe. I'm with Suz, you look royal.

• Mirjana replied 6 years ago

  Amazing festive look, you are really beautiful, everything is perfect as usual. I am also with Suz, you look royal.

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 6 years ago

  Thank you, Barbara, harmonica, and Mirjana!

  Barbara, I'm happy to have finished it in time to wear it this season. Buying the fabric and making the garment within a month is pretty unusual for me!

• Jazzy Dance replied 6 years ago

  Purple. Velvet. Dress.  It's absolutely regal!

  Your hair looks gorgeous too. 

• Karie replied 6 years ago

  Gorgeous! I've bee making instead of buying my clothes this past year and I have yet to sew with velvet. Your dress looks absolutely perfect.

• replied 6 years ago

  The dress is fab! I love the colour and your bigger necklace and bling bag are perfect complements.

• Bijou replied 6 years ago

  This is absolutely stunning and reminds me why I love velvet so much. When done well, it really is such a statement - and is wonderful to wear. 

• Column replied 6 years ago

  Sharan:

  You, your talents, and your fashion sense are amazing! I click eagerly with every post--and this one demonstrates why! Just superb!

• unfrumped replied 6 years ago

  Fabulous! Love the style of that dress for you and his you modified it. The whole outfit has just the right combination of dressy and relaxed- effortless look.

• Firecracker (Sharan) replied 6 years ago

  Thank you so much for your kind comments! I'm looking forward to wearing the dress again next week!

• replied 6 years ago

  OH!  Purple!  Velvet!  

• cindysmith replied 6 years ago

  That dress is so good! Purple is the color of royalty, and you have given it the royal treatment. Well done.