Oh brrrr! Outdoor photos in December! In Vancouver! In my Pretty Party Dress! Trust me, it was a very short few minutes sans puffy jacket. Okay…’nuf said about my foolish ways…I want to catch you up on a couple of stellar happenings chez A Colourful Canvas. First up…no words really to describe how much fun my most recent blogger meet up was…you’ve been introduced to Suzanne from Suzanne Carillo before here…When Suzanne and I first/last met in May 2014, we conspired to have the most awesome Melanie of Bag and a Beret join us at our next visit…and WHOOP….it all came together just a few weeks ago. {Errmmm…that reads like it took us eight months to secure an attendance with The Diva Miz Baggs Herself…hahaha} The three of us Canadian peeps spent the day in Gastown, Vancouver’s oldest historic neighbourhood. Lunch, long and leisurely as per Suzanne’s request {we aim to entertain our out-of-town guests in the style they are accustomed to}, followed by some cool and quirky thrift store shopping, made for three very happy blog friends. Melanie and Suzanne, both brilliantly funny writers, have waxed poetic about the day here and here….and, errm…I don’t want to come off as a bossy boots, but I am strongly encouraging you to read their posts…NOW…No. Wait. Not NOW NOW…but NOW, right after you’ve read my post NOW. And by the way, both Melanie and Suzanne; they’s not just funny gals, they are wildly creative…ROCKSTAR PAINTED PANTS AND JACKET and Society6/Suzanne Carillo.

Suzanne, Sue and Melanie

Up next, My Pretty Party Dress. and isn’t it ironic, my dress today was sewn from the fabric I purchased when Suzanne and I shopped together in the spring. Whaaaat? I know. A little bit of finesse was required when laying out my trusty Simplicity 2444…you see the fabric was a finished piece, like a sari I think, and each end had an embroidered edge and then the flower pattern was artfully woven from each end back towards the middle of the yardage (about 1.5m in length). The front and back skirt rectangles were cut from each end, and then I played around a bit aiming for the most pleasing bodice layout. Although this is pattern 2444, it is my heavily altered version, originally drafted for my Betty Draper Roses Dress. A reader had asked for instructions on altering the bodice as I’ve done; it involves a good deal of pattern drafting, making a new seam, transferring the dart ease into those seams, etc. Although I managed to figure it out for myself, I haven’t worked up the courage to do a tutorial. Is this something that many of you would like to see? On my Pretty Party Dress, I chose to gather the bodice rather than pleating it..which worked just so-so. The embroidered flowers refused to be gathered, and even after two attempts, things look a bit uneven. Lucky for me, the pattern is busy enough that even I don’t notice it, and nor should you, unless you are spending a little too much time looking at, well you know….mwahahahaha. The only other minor hiccup appears to be the length of the hem lining, maybe just a little too long. I didn’t allow for wind gusts whilst standing on a rock at the beach…in winter. The good news? This lightweight, as in almost sheer, fabric was well suited to an invisible zipper. And I’m beginning to love the sleeveless version of this dress more and more.

Okay, you’ve been subjected to Simplicity 2444 for two posts in a row, {not intended I promise}, and you’re done. Over it. I get it. Let’s move on. If sewing an invisible zipper in lightweight fabric is good news, then the imminent arrival of 2015 can only be better news. New year, new patterns! Now, you’re excited, yes? I have purchased a couple of Indie Pattern downloads that I’m eager to try. But, here’s the thang…that whole printing off and taping together thang. I’m a little overwhelmed even thinking about it. So, my question for my readers that sew these Indie patterns ….However do you store these patterns after printing? Do you try and fold them? Or do you remove all the tape and stack the papers together? Or roll them up…and then store them, how?

My other bit of stellar news is that I received a very special package in the mail just before Christmas. The lovely ladies, liZ and Elizabeth from Project Sewn, drew my name from the proverbial hat for their latest, and probably final, Project Sewn Linky Party. To say I was overwhelmed with my gifts would be an understatement. Thank you so very much, not only for your generous gift, but also for hosting the fabulous Project Sewn Competition! I discovered a lot of talented sewers, and was inspired over and over, by both the official contestants and also the sew-along participants!

Squeeeee!!! Whimsical, colourful, and outstanding quality!

Last, but not least…I want to wish you a Happy Christmas Season…and if not your thing…my most heartfelt wishes for a blessed wintertime…things have been quiet here…our Christmas Day guest list dwindled down from a comfortable group of six to just the two of us, the mister and I…I admit I was a bit anxious about it all…I have very conflicted feelings about all the merriment that blankets the planet at this time of year. It’s with a bit of relief that I can say that the day was really quite lovely…we were blessed with the gift of time…I baked chocolate ginger cookies…we walked along our beach in brilliant afternoon sunshine…we cooked a traditional Christmas dinner minus the pressure to have everything anything on the table at a certain time…and we puttered away at the annual jigsaw puzzle. Truthfully, with the exception of my over-the-top tree, Christmas is pretty low-key chez A Colourful Canvas. Even so, I now have an even greater appreciation for simplicity. Thank you all for reading my little blog in 2014! I’m really looking forward to sharing more creativity, colour and whimsy in 2015! See you next year!

Joining up with Patti of Not Dead Yet Style for her final Visible Monday of the year!

Other Simplicity 2444 Makes: