Hallo. Hallo. Many of you know that it’s Ashton August both in the blogosphere and on Instagram. For those that may be unfamiliar, it’s a month long Ashton Top Pattern inspiration party. Hacks, tweaks, tips…it’s almost daily that Helen’s Closet has something to share.  Throughout this week the Helen’s Closet Blog is featuring guest bloggers sharing their Ashton Top hacks. And…you guessed it…I’m a party participant, sharing the details on how I execute my Ashton Dress Hacks   The basic dress hack, exaggerated silhouette, full lining…it’s all there accompanied by Helen’s clear illustrations. My post went live yesterday…the link is here.

Hello and buon giorno. Perché l’taliano? Well…because that’ll be me wearing my new Cielo Dress. It’s one of a trio of patterns in the newly released Rome Collection by Closet Case Patterns. The mini capsule features Cielo, a top and dress pattern; Fiore, a skirt pattern; and Pietra, a pants and shorts pattern. Unlike their usual naming tradition, Heather and her team turned to the ever beautiful Italian language for words that were evocative of their newest designs. Heather’s inspiration for her Rome Collection was the Eternal City herself. And I GET IT. I too find the city to be enormously inspiring. The name Cielo (which fyi is Italian for sky) resonates with me…I remember being quite smitten with Rome’s sky. Ah Roma….it’s a good thing this pattern is rated as beginner friendly…because seriously…I…