Back on Track with Simplicity 1754
To start this party, I think I should first say that 2015 was sort of a tricky year for me in oh so many ways. Honestly, I think it left me drained as we rolled into 2016. My desire to sew took a hit but because I love to create new things to wear…well, it’s my passion so I just had to transition back into the sewing mood. I’m happy to say…I’m back on track! And in an attempt to keep things simple, I dug out an old pattern that caught my interest, but as I said, it was old, tucked away in a big bucket of patterns and unfortunately no longer in print though I found it still available through Joann Fabric on-line. It’s Simplicity 1754 with an interesting style.
I got creative and went for option B, the little green drawing of it in the bottom right corner. Below is the pattern instruction diagrams.
To make this dress, I had to go on a hunt for fabric. Is it just me or is there a lot of nothing available to us non-commercial sewers?! I combed through some of my local fabric stores, and had almost given up when I stumbled across this.
It is cotton with spandex so has a wee bit of stretch. It is soft and was very nice to sew but it does make a rumpling sound that kind of annoys me!
I have no idea why…but the lining queen forces within just won’t let me make something with visible raw seams. It would be easier to not line, but for whatever reason, my brain thinks that a garment feels so much better to wear and is more special if it’s lined! I’ve decided to not fight it, it’s truly easier that way! Naturally the pattern construction did not provide for this pin head notion so I had to be very creative. To top it off, I also decided that I wanted to use piping and of course there were no instructions for that either.
To get the job done, I relied on this…a fabulous handy dandy tool to have for sewing piping…a piping foot!
1. It took some extra time, but I first positioned the piping under my piping foot and using my 5/8″ guide on my machine, basted the piping in place, however, I moved my needle to a more narrow stitch, maybe 1/2″ because I didn’t want my final seam to overlap this basting seam because the threads get tangled and it’s sometimes difficult to pull the basted seams out.
2. I then sewed together the two fabric pieces with the piping sandwiched between, again using my piping foot and sewing the usual 5/8″ seam. I took my time and did this slowly.
3. After checking to be sure it all looked good, I removed all the basting and then clipped the piping to the seam along all the curves and sharp corners.
Dare I say…I finally learned how to apply piping properly to clothing. My corners and edges at the back of the neck were a success!
I didn’t take any pictures of the construction process because what I was doing would have made no sense in pictures. I had to throw the instructions out the window and totally think it through like it was my own design. It was slightly unnerving at first but once I sold myself on the idea that this was no different than when I make my own designed garments, I let go of any fear and just figured it out! I think that’s why I had fun…it was like not having to worry about coloring in the lines!
This is the front bodice of the dress. I’m thinking of adding buttons diagonally along the right front but it has to be just the right ones! HA!
This is a close up of the neck with the piping.
The dress is designed like a sheath but the front and back cut fabric pieces are split just below the waist. When sewn closed, the seam is a princess line in the bodice of the front and back. Here is a picture of the fabric layout to show the pattern pieces. At the bottom of the split, a pleat is created when sewing the two sides together.
I lined just the bodice and zigzagged the seam edges below it. This is what the bodice looks like inside.
A second picture to illustrate that just the bodice has lining. I should mention that I only tacked the lining along the front bodice seam and at the center back where the zipper is placed. I finished the remaining untacked areas with a silk thread hem. I love using silk thread!
The back princess seams start just below the waist line area and are kind of hard to see because of the fabric design, but they end at about the middle of the back of the armhole.
Okay…yes, I’m going to model it. Here it is!
The back…
It’s going to be a nice day!
Just to much fun!
So there you have it…and thank goodness I’m back on track. I’ve really missed my sewing time; I find myself feeling more balanced in everything else I do when I’ve spent some time with my creative side! And on the subject of sewing…news flash… I just received my package from Mood Fabric, it’s arrived! Enough fabric for two different… yep… dress projects and I may even have a little extra left for several cute little summer tops! Of course, on the back burner has been the pants saga which I’m getting ready to return to! Stay tuned for that adventure!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms that visit Sewlikeinparis!
À la vôtre! Jessica
Read MoreMcCalls 6887 Impressionist Dress
Impressionist Fabric
When I stumbled across some fabric at Joann’s (no I was not drinking!), for whatever reason, I saw it as perfect for making this McCall’s 6887 dress.
So what does the fabric look like? Well, the picture below is it.
When my son, Jared, saw it, he said it looked like impressionist fabric! My mind was whirling away as I heard him say this… the word was familiar, it had to do with art, but who was I kidding. I never paid attention to the art part of any lecture in my college classes. Nothing is worse than when one of your children seems to have one up on you; so I decided I better investigate and educate myself quickly! Because I like to share, I’m going to present a cliff notes version of what I learned. A glass of wine to sip while perusing my ramblings would fit in nicely about now! Hint Hint!
QUICK BIT OF HISTORY:
In the early 1860’s four young painters met while studying under a Swiss artist, Charles Gleyre. They were Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Frédéric Bazille. They were all interested in painting landscape scenes but wanted to accomplish this by paying less attention to details, instead using lighter brush strokes and brighter colors. It is said that at an exhibit, a reviewer-humorist Louis Leroy, who wrote his criticism in the Le Charivari newspaper, coined the word “Impressionist” from Monet’s painting entitled Impression Sunrise. He said that he considered Monet’s work to be nothing more than unfinished sketches.
He sarcastically wrote:
Impression- I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it… and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape.
What an A-hole right! Below is that picture, Impression Sunrise, Louis Leroy was speaking of.
Anyways, Impressionist art depicts scenes where there is less definition and specificity, with the intention of portraying an image that leaves some of the perception to the viewer.
Please keep in mind that my son is not an “art nerd”… he’s a “history nerd“! He’ll probably have some interesting words to describe me if he happens to read this particular blog article!
Since I’ve now talked a wee bit about Monet, I think I’ll go one step further and share one of his pictures that I think resembles my fabric. It is entitled “Garden at Bordighera, Impression of Morning” by Claude Monet, 1884.
One thing for sure, I’ve concluded that I most definitely made an Impressionist dress but not because of the fabric, but rather because I was less focused on detail, and instead paying more attention to the bright colors of the fabric! I was so mesmerized by it during the construction process, I don’t think my brain was functioning properly. There were tell-tale signs when I made my bodice muslin but I guess I was too eager to sew my Impressionist fabric!
The afterthought… should have made the whole damn dress out of muslin first and then I probably would have made something different out of my precious fabric! There were a number of problems. Here is the list:
1) The band across the back seemed a smidge too high when I put on my muslin, showing my bra strap but my thinking was that after I sewed the skirt to the actual bodice, its weight would pull it down. WRONG!
2) After finishing the bodice, I discovered that the shoulders had a weird curve that caused them to not lay right over my shoulders. So I would do what any creative soul would, I cut off the outer curve portion of the straps, AFTER I removed under-stitching seams and stitching seams. All that time and work and I was redoing it! This did not set well for me! In the end, the shoulders still aren’t right! In the picture, they do extend wider in the back and that’s what I slimmed down! I think I’m starting to hate this dress!
3) Attached the skirt and discovered that the back waist was 2 inches to much and sagged down my back. Lots of cussing commenced at this point! Since I had already put in the zipper this meant tearing it back out for my adjustments! More work!
4) When I was done hemming the skirt and skirt lining, I held my breath as I tried it on…the stinking back waist was still to big! I took 2 INCHES out of the center back! To top it off, the left shoulder was still doing something weird (probably because I have a weird left shoulder!) and the cross strap in the back did not cover my bra strap!
I left my sewing room, gulped down a glass of wine, and decided that I would sew elastic on the seam allowance in the back waist and call it good. Maybe when it’s 90 degrees I’ll wear it because it will feel cool on my back and everyone else will be so hot that they won’t pay attention to my wardrobe malfunctions!
Well I guess I better get this over with. I decided to do a photoshoot in my backyard. It’s beautiful outside and after a long winter indoors, I plan on spending as much time as I can outside!
Here it is!
Here is a view of the back which I am going to do some more work on but decided to share it and then tear apart later so I could get this posted! (Part of my bra strap in the back popped out – I didn’t Photoshop it out. This is one of the problems!
And just because…
Honestly, I did like the pattern and the instructions were easy to follow but because of the styling in the back of the dress, I sort of failed at getting it to fit properly so a word to the wise, be careful with this one!
Almost forgot… remember the picture at the very beginning of this post? Well that’s fabric for my next dress! Wish me luck!
Salut, Jessica
Read MoreMcCalls 7088 In Spring
My Wisteria in full bloom!
Finally…the rain has slowed down and April is turning out to be a very beautiful month! The setting at the winery I visited last weekend was fabulous. It was a beautiful 76 degree day and I got to enjoy time with friends while listening to Ty Curtis play the blues and of course, sipped a glass of lovely rose wine… or two…or –uh…we’ll stay at two! Needless to say, I had the feeling that life just couldn’t get much better!
Spring days like those at the winery always inspire and motivate me to push ahead through the winter drudgery mood that I develop, slap me in the face with new ideas and prod me on to the sewing machine to get back to creating clothes! I posted a picture of my Wisteria above because it kind of reminds me of my fabric for the McCall’s 7088 dress I just finished. Well sort of! I bought it from Mill Ends in Beaverton Oregon.
Now you’re thinking…What? What McCall’s7088 dress are you talking about? Well, here’s the pattern:
I really enjoyed making this dress. I got caught off guard with a surprise, but nothing disastrous. If I made this dress over and over, there would be no surprises, only perfection! But that’s how it is for us “home sewers”. The beauty of this though is that with all the surprises and mistakes, we get very good at problem solving which is where that lovely creative part of us really kicks in!
Instructions for the dress construction are pretty straight forward. I’m still working on improving SHARP pivots like that in the bodice so do whatcha gotta do! My fabric was sheer so I tread traced all the darts and used the pinking shears on all my seams. I would have done french seams but the fabric has a slight stiffness to it and I was concerned how the seams would hang so decided to avoid them.
The bodice lining was easy. I used a very fine white cotton that feels almost like silk. For the price it should have been!
You might notice in the picture above that the waist seam allowance is pressed under 5/8″ inches. I decided to not sew it into the waist with the skirt but rather sew it over the seam allowance of the skirt and skirt lining for a nicer finish. This is when I realized that the right side of the lining would not be facing my body, the wrong side would. Why? Because that’s what the pattern instructions tell you to do! I was okay with this here because my fabric was shear enough that I didn’t want the seams to show. I had to iron out the fold and press the fold to the outside. No problem though because I always baste a line of thread to follow when I press, which I remove later.
In the picture below, the dress bodice, skirt, and skirt lining have already been sewn together and the zipper installed. I went ahead and did the finish sewing that secured the skirt lining over the zipper tape. Now I was able to hand sew the bodice lining to the waist seam allowance and finish the sides along the zipper.
Here it is finished, laying on my working table with the sunlight shining in! Not a very good picture for displaying work but it just seemed right because it’s sunshine!
I decided not to sew the lining straps to the dress shoulder. If it becomes a problem, then I can easily do that at any time.
Here is the back with the zipper open.
This is the back with the zipper closed.
The front. In both this picture and the last one of the back, it is easy to see the lining.
A close-up of the neck. Notice how the zipper rolls ever so slightly. And I tacked it down!
This is the skirt and skirt lining. Really no purpose but I took the picture and figured, why not!
I simply loved how this dress went together. Probably the beauty of the fabric played an enormous role too. The colors and brightness of the white lining lifted my mood. I’m going to have to get back to a fabric store soon and buy some more cheery fabric and make another summer dress!
I suppose I better show you how it looks on me. I keep worrying that it may be the boring part of my post but from some feedback I’ve gotten, it seems that’s sort of like the drum roll! The question of what shoes I’ll be wearing is sometimes the grabber! I’ll probably never know for sure, but as the old adage goes, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it! So, until then, I bring you me!
Yes… hot pink shoes! Below is the back.
A close-up so you can see that the fabric is shear above the bodice back lining and of course, the strap that I chose not to sew to the inside of the shoulder is peaking out!
Back to the front…
And because I’m a ham!!!!
So there you have it… McCalls 7088 in Spring! Speaking of spring… the sun is suppose to grace us with it’s company for the next four days, as you can see behind me through the window but for the moment, it’s time for me to sit, relax and enjoy a glass of Nebbiolo Wine and decide where to wear my new dress!
A Votre Santé! Jessica
Read More
Butterick 6054
Spent this last weekend with 10 of my bestie gal pals at the February 2015 Seafood and Wine Festival in Newport Oregon. It was lots of fun… well maybe even more than that, especially when wine, champagne, Fireball and a bunch of “ladies” are involved! (please note the quotes, italics, bold print and underscore. Its important that I make this point clear – I want them to remain my forever gal pals!) Seriously though, one of the highlights for me was getting to spend time by the ocean. I love our ocean here in the Pacific Northwest… even if its not as warm as bath water and doesn’t have palm trees swaying in a toasty summer breeze around it. Heavy sigh… gonna have to leave that thought behind though because now it’s time to talk about important stuff… like sewing!
It was my hope that my next post would be about pants but with work schedules, time… life, my friend and I have not gotten together yet to do my fitting but no worries, the pants post will arrive soon! In the meantime I’d like to talk about a project that I just finished and involves the Butterick 6054 pattern.
The fabric and look of this dress is what immediately drew me in. You know… that comfortable summer look… it reminded me of those swaying palm trees and sipping a tropical drink on the beach while lying on a lounge chair! You’re really getting the picture now… I’m ready for summer! And a vacation!
But honestly, the biggest reason for why I bought this pattern was because the Buttericks were on sale, 5 for $5.00! Anyways, light weight jersey is the suggested fabric to make this dress out of and it just so happened that I had some. And can you guess what color… yep, black. I had actually bought the fabric to make a top out of but never did! Yeah, I bet many can say, been there, done that!
At this point I have to admit something… though I really like wearing garments made out of jersey, I don’t especially like sewing with it. And, I really don’t like cutting pattern pieces out of it. It’s so s-t-r-e-t-c-h-y!!! However, this was not the worst of my problems. I had to figure out how to cut all the pieces from my 1 and 3/8 yards of black jersey when the pattern instructions called for 1 and 7/8 yards. For several hours, maybe more, I arranged and rearranged. At one point I had to walk away and decided that a glass of wine might ease my frustration! Because my cutting table is not very large, I attempted laying the fabric on my big cardboard cutting mat on the floor where there was more space but discovered that my knees were gonna hate that idea so moved the mat and fabric back up onto my table. I persevered and in the end, won! There was barely any waste which I was actually quite happy about!
The instructions for putting this dress together, for the most part, were easy to understand but I would say that it is not the easiest dress to make. There are 5 pleats in the top of the right side of the skirt, 4 that stack one on another requiring a lot of basting, and then after the skirt is sewn to the bodice which I found a little tricky doing when I reached the glob of pleats section, the 5th pleat is then folded over the top of the others. The tie comes next which is basted over the top of all this.
This picture shows my beautiful black jersey as a gray… with fuzz balls on it! I so hate that!
With the tie folded to the left, it’s easier to see along the edge of the bodice and skirt.
It was at this juncture that I understood why “light weight” jersey is suggested because the next step was to sew on the front right facing which layers over the top of the other ?? layers at the waist area that I’ve lost track of at this point!
This was when I got a little confused but… right or wrong, this is what I did and it worked fine. I laid the facing over the top, right side to right side, matching the waist and facing edges and notches, and sewed across in a 5/8″ inch seam but stopping on the left at the pivot point where the arrow is pointing.
Then I pivoted the facing upwards to match along the bodice edge and then sewed a 5/8″ seam along that edge. Important point: I did discover that this seam has to stop at the pivot point otherwise the facing doesn’t turn to the inside properly.
After I took out part of the seam which is a pain in the derriere when the fabric is black and stretchy jersey, this is how it looks turned to the inside. Note the big glob of fabric hence the light weight jersey!
Just got to thinking that I forgot to mention one important little detail that was suppose to happen after sewing the skirt to the bodice. The pattern instructions call for plastic elastic to be sewn into the waist seam allowance. I hate wearing elastic in most anything I wear, bras I suppose are the exception to the rule and so I avoid making garments that require it. However, just to be a good sport, I did try once to apply the elastic. When finished, it was my opinion that it looked like crap, would probably feel like crap to wear, so removed the crap! Since the dress already fit me like I liked, I determined that I didn’t even need elastic so end of story! We’ll see how I do on my wear test… hopefully there will be no regret!
The rest of the construction process went smoothly. There is a bit of double top stitching but I like the look and it’s easy sewing! Well I guess it’s time to share. Oh yeah… there is one other tiny little thing about light weight jersey… it’s very thin! Still trying to work out what to wear underneath but at least in a controlled environment like in my studio, there’s no worries! After looking at the pictures, maybe I don’t even need to worry!
Forgot to move my hair but the back looks like a back for whatever that’s worth.
Was trying to do a side shot so the tie would be visible but since the dress is all black it’s hard to see.
And as far as I can tell, there’s no undies showing so light weight jersey certainly rocks this dress!
Tomorrow is February 28 and then we roll into March… and Spring! I’m getting antsy to start sewing my summer dress wardrobe and will share of course. Also just finished up my pants fitting so have some up and coming news about that too. Until next post!
Salut! Jessica
Read MoreMaking Pants is Rocket Science Part 1
This picture illustrates clearly how I feel as I start my pants challenge!
Happy New Year! We’ve just pushed off from the starting line of 2015 and personally, I’ve got my fingers crossed that this year is gonna be the best ever yet!
With regards to years, while writing this, I’ve realized I just passed my 2nd anniversary of starting up Sewlikeinparis. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been banging away on my keyboard for that long! I remember when I started… I was so scared. It felt like I was jumping off a high dive into a pool with no clothes on in front of a grandstand of spectators, worrying I would belly flop! And I felt bombarded by all the warnings about the dangers of the internet! On occasion I found myself entertaining the thought, “what if there are internet boogie men who try to steal my personal information and expose me in Facebook, Twitter, Spokeo or some other sensitive information vacuum sucker up-er! Well I’m over that now! It’s been an awesome experience that I’ve truly enjoyed… and I’m certainly not done yet!
I’ve shared many things through my posts, feelings of success, frustrations accompanied by rants, a few disasters, songs, jokes and toasts, but I’m not sure if I’ve shared enough epic fails! Believe me, I’ve had my share, especially when it comes to making “PANTS”! I know there are those that get to enjoy the sweet taste of success from accomplishing this great feat, I’ve met some of them and they say it’s easy. I call BULL. I think making pants is rocket science. I’m sure of it! I’ve lost track of the number of muslins I’ve made, say…7, maybe 10, nah… more like 15! I’m actually not sure – I quit counting after 6. I’ve even sewn from good fabric 4 pair of trousers and 2 pair of jeans, and all ended up in the trash! Certainly sounds like an “epic fail” to me. But I’m tired of failures and ready for success so I’m challenging myself to learn how to make pants that fit!
In order to meet this new challenge, I decided to start from the basics; meaning, no fitted jeans, no low-rise waist, no skinny legs, but rather, plain classic women’s trousers. And I’m not going to draft my own… I’ll save that for later. I’m going to take baby steps on this project, meaning that I’m not going to be in a hurry and the perfect pattern for this, I think, is Vogue 7881.
Claire Shaeffer’s Vogue 7881
These pants are straight-legged with a contour yoke waistband. They can be made as dart-less (option A) or with darts (option B). The pattern is part of the Claire Shaeffer Couture Collection so couture techniques and construction are given for option A and stream-lined instructions for option B for quality ready-to-wear. I know I said baby steps… but to me, this is baby steps. Yes, there is lots of hand sewing involved, specifically, thread tracing the major construction lines but I see this as really digging in, one baby step at a time. All the thread tracings will show me what is going on when I’m trying to fit the pants to my butt! Yes, the butt! This is where all the action is happening… all the unwanted wrinkles, or pooling bagginess, or uncomfortable tightness! Getting pants to fit my butt is the maker or breaker here!
I have a friend who studied pattern design at Parsons in New York and she sat with me this last week and explained how the “pitch” of the curve of the back center seam affects the fit of a pair of pants. Hopefully I’ve understood it well enough to explain. The curve of the back center seam of a (back) pattern piece for a pair of pants is at a “pitch” that matches the shape of the model’s derriere. Since no two butt shapes are alike, the pitch of the curve will vary. Darts, go figure… are what is used to adjust the curve and change the pitch. With every pair of pants I’ve made, it’s always the same; there’s a pooling of fabric to the right and left side of the center back seam under my butt cheeks! This I’ve learned, may be a pitch of the curve problem. I guess I’ll just fly by the pitch of my pants and see what happens!
Below is a picture of my pattern piece with a fold (dart) at the center back seam. It’s 1″ inch that decreases to nothing at the side seam. I don’t want to change the side seam because it has to match the front side seam. My friend warned me that this dart may cause some tightness a little up from it’s location and if so, I will need to add back in some of what I just took out! It’s all about the dart!
Because I’ve taken out 1″ inch on the back center seam length, I need to add that 1′ inch back to the top of the back center seam, and from that point re-draw the waist ending at the top of the original side seam. See picture below. I will also need to re-draw the crotch area seam line where the fold (dart) creates a discrepancy.
Below are some miniature pants back examples to provide visuals of what happens to the pitch of the curve on the back center seam when a dart is added.
Picture #1: The pants back pattern piece before doing anything.
Picture 2: I have drawn lines on the example to show how the fold (dart) is created that will change the pitch of the curve.
**Note: The lines I drew on my actual pattern piece were not arbitrary. I’ll explain:
At the back center seam, I started the bottom line at the point where the bagging is most problematic and drew it diagonally upwards to the side seam at the point where I’ve found through fitting with muslins that it seems to start. The point is about 4 to 5 inches down from the top of the side seam, including the waistband.
The top line I started 1 ” above the bottom one at the back center seam, ending at the same side seam point of the bottom line.
Picture #3: I’ve folded the bottom line up to the top line. Now the top of the back center seam has dropped lower and so the amount folded out will have to be added back to the top and a segment of the curve will need to be filled in to correct the discrepancy.
Picture #4: I have laid the folded pant back on the top of the original one that has not been changed which gives a visual of what is happening with the pitch of the back center curve. This change does not change the width or circumference of the back of the pants, just shifts the curve in the seat area. This adjustment will hopefully clear up the bagginess I get in the back. It will be with the fitting of my muslin when I will know for sure!
**Note that because my fold in the miniature example is roughly 1/4″ inch instead of 1″ inch, the change is not as drastic.
After I completed the adjustment I just discussed, I then traced my back pattern piece using tracing paper I purchased by the roll from Nancy’s Notions, and also drew in the corrections resulting from the adjustment. I went ahead and traced the front pattern and waistband pieces as well, preserving them in their original form in the event this fails and I have to start over!
I think I’ve reached a stopping point for this post but no worries… I’ll be back with Part 2 after I’ve met with my friend who is going to help me with my fitting! It will either be on to making my fabulous pants or back to the drawing board!
Salut! Jessica
Read MoreMcCalls 6801 Little Black Dress
The beginning of my collection of LBD’s
For the last several months, it feels like time boarded a jet that’s flying at mach speed with absolutely no definite destination! The holidays are screaming their way in and right now, I have utterly no idea about anything! Well… I do know one thing. I’m still in “little black dress” mode which is really perfect for the up and coming holiday season!
There is something about black that I just love! Black shoes, black coats, black leather jackets, black underwear… maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that last one… Anyway — black dresses are just way cool to wear so I just keep making them. And the good news that comes out of this ongoing extravaganza is that my eyes are getting better adapted to seeing the black thread in the black fabric! So then, what of the latest LBD or the little black dress? It came about from the McCall’s 6801 pattern.
I think you could call this a “wiggle” dress. I like the fabric of the one on the pattern envelope but I felt certain that it would look stunning in black. I found some beautiful knit at Mill Ends in Beaverton, Oregon but that was probably the first mistake I made. I wanted a heavy enough knit that It would compliment my derriere and other things, rather than illuminate the weaknesses that I don’t think I want to talk about anymore! Ahem… so that mistake I said I made; well, I think the fabric was too heavy for the design of this dress. It started off not too bad, but I think the disaster happened after I finished the step where you sew in the two drapes (strips of fabric) that crisscross over the bust. When I went to try the dress on, I looked like the Michelin man! In simple terms, I looked like a big black blob! Somewhere in all the folds was me!
*All rights belong to Michelin
I speak the truth even though I have no picture to prove it. I was very disappointed to say the least. In sort of a fury, I took the damn dress off, rolled it in a ball, threw it on my work table in my sewing room and poured myself a glass of wine and sat down to watch a show on Netflix. By the second glass of wine I had decided that I could make some sort of a top out of my “little black flop”!
After a week of stewing, I got to thinking… maybe I can still make the dress… I just had to let go of the idea of having those cool drapes across the bust. AND, the dress is shown on the pattern envelope without drapes. Why didn’t I notice that before! Anyways, did I mention that the bust of the dress does not drop as sharp in a V in the front as on the pattern envelope. My only assumption is that the model has big… Nevermind!
It took me a day to remove all the stitching. Try pulling black thread stitches out of black stretchy knit fabric! Thank goodness for my Ottlite Magnifier Lamp I got at JoAnn Fabric Store. Mind you, I did not drink wine while doing this! I ended up with only a few little holes (with wine I’m pretty sure there would have been more). Also, because I’m still learning to fit when sewing knits, fortunately the dress was a little big so my new seams would land beyond them! Yeah! Finally I felt like I was winning this battle!
My Hero!
The next day, I turned on my sewing machine, sat down and once again began to create a little black wiggle dress. I didn’t tear apart the lining, just left it the size that it was. After a few calculations I figured out that I needed to make the bust and shoulders a little smaller so I made adjustments on the pattern pieces and then laid them over the dress front and back pieces and removed the extra fabric. Fortunately I still had a little fabric left as well as those damn drapes so I was able to cut out a new yoke front and back neck facing pieces. Now I was ready to start sewing!
The pattern instructions say to pin a strip of seam binding to the side seam allowances, one for each side, after marking them to match notches on the front and back fabric pieces. They ensure that the gathers in the front and back are equal in length and match. Yes, it sounds confusing and yes, it is sort of a pain, but if you make this dress, when you get to this step, you’ll understand. Besides acting as guides, these strips are a definite plus for holding all the gathers and making the seam more sturdy and stable. I used a good quality black twill and was happy with the results.
Here is what the side gathers look like on the inside.
As I mentioned earlier, the lining I left intact just as it originally was. Here’s how it looks on the inside in the bodice area. Tricot catches all the light so it looks like it’s glowing!
The outside neck, like I mentioned earlier, is not a plunge like it looks on the pattern envelope.
The shoulders of the sleeves are gathered and a little poofy. I wasn’t sure if I would like it but when I wore it to a Wine & Cheese pairing party recently, they were one of the features of the dress that I got compliments on so I decided they were totally cool!
Sleeves on most garments tend to be a bit long for my arms so I reduced the length 1″ inch. Shouldn’t have done that! I ended up with sleeves shorter than I expected! However, even if I hadn’t shortened them, I wouldn’t have got the length I wanted which was long! So… I made cuffs!
So here it is!
See! The fabric is thick enough to pull off the derriere look!
This dress is very comfortable to wear so I am really happy that I didn’t give up and make a top out of it! Once again, I’ve had another lesson in patience!
Take care and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Until next post…
Salut! Jessica
Read MoreDKNY Vogue 1160 as Little Black Dress
It looks like summer is about over here in Oregon. How do we know this… it’s raining! And when it starts, it seems like it never stops. But the good news… this is when I find myself sitting at my sewing machine quite regularly, forgetting the cold wet dreary weather outside and focusing on what I can create to wear that will pick-up my mood through the winter months. I think bears have it made! They just hunker-down in a cave and sleep until the sun comes back out. However, it’s hard for me to to picture myself hunkering down in a cave… well I do love to sleep, but I’m a social creature who loves to spend time with family and friends, love my wine drinking activities and don’t want to miss out on any fun stuff! Hmm… Better re-think the hibernation business. One thing for sure though, I will definitely continue to cling to my Little Black Dress mode because the LBD makes me think of the warm summer evenings, sipping wine or champagne, laughing, eating and dancing the night away!
This is where the sound of a needle dragging across a vinyl record is heard…..and a voice in the distance crying out “BACK to EARTH JESS! Ahem…. So — the point to my ramblings is that I am ready to share my new LBD I made using the DKNY Vogue 1160 pattern. I had fun making it! Well… most of it was fun… except for all the “n-a-r-r-0-w” hems… especially on the slip that is cut on the bias. But this too I eventually conquered and I think will not be as big a deal with future projects. Most of the seams are “french seams” so plan to use lots of thread!
Recommended fabrics are Chiffon or Georgette for the dress and Silk Twill or Charmeuse for the slip. Definitely jumped ship at this point. For the dress, I used a rather stretchy mesh. Why?! Well because it’s polka dots, it’s sheer enough to see the slip underneath, it’s black… and because it’s just plain cool!
The dots are not much larger than a dime!
The sleeves are an interesting design, but unfortunately my picture could not really capture what’s going on. Nonetheless, here it is.
The bodice midriff piece is suppose to be lined with the same fabric as the dress, but I chose to use China Silk because I didn’t want all the seams to show.
There is a side zipper which fortunately isn’t real long, 7 ” inches to be exact! Kind of a pain because of the fabric I used.
So I was zipping along, making good progress, though all the while thinking… there’s a LOT of skirt to hem… in a “n-a-r-r-0-w” hem. Don’t get me wrong, the skirt is really neat. It’s a little shorter in the front than the back… but there is a lot of gathered fabric that creates it! I never measured it, didn’t want to know! When I finally made it to the hemming step, I had concluded there was only one way to take on this bad girl! I was gonna do a “rolled” hem! Do I know how to do this. NO! Not really! But one of my ASG (American Sewing Guild) friends, Suzanne, shared a most awesome link with our group that was gonna save my butt!
What’s a hand sewn rolled hem? Watch this video and you will see! This is a gem done by Ami Simms, who is a quilter, teacher, author and fellow blogger, who has most graciously allowed me to share it with you.
Pretty nifty huh! And here is a picture of my “rolled” hem. I know you can’t really see the stitching, but truthfully, I couldn’t either! That’s mesh for you!
Yes, I did use Silk Charmeuse for the slip and overall, it went smoothly. Admittedly there was a wee bit of hair pulling but I persevered!
The straps which I call “spaghetti” straps (cuz that’s what I learned growing up) were really really really easy to do with Charmeuse! This fabric has lots of “slippage capability”! Yes, it slips when cutting it, it slips when sewing it, it slips when “n-a-r-r-0-w” hemming it! But don’t be afraid. We must dive into pits of horror to learn that we CAN get out! And it makes us better sewers!
I contemplated not doing a photo shoot with me as the model and using Phoebe instead. She’s so easy to work with. Just hangs around and doesn’t talk back! Phoebe is my full bodied dress form for anyone wondering what in the world I’m talking about. I sometimes wonder if I come across as narcissistic, with all the pictures of myself. Truly I’m not, I am actually quite camera shy and so it usually takes a glass of wine to put my mind at ease. Okay… you figured me out. I guess photo shoots are wine drinking opportunities! Well, on with the show!
Moi in my LBD!
See how the back is a little longer than the front.
The back of course!
Cheers to another photo shoot!
Right around the corner is one of my favorite times of year… Halloween! To everyone sewing costume(s)… I raise my glass to you. This is when the artist in each of us gets to really shine! I am presently working on mine like a mad fool in order to get it done pre-Halloween and posted to share with you. Be back soon!
Salut! Jessica
Read MoreButterick 5919 with Petticoat
The photo above is me during a hockey game I was playing in last week. Mind you, at the moment it was taken, I wasn’t sure if I was going to skate off the ice when the game was over, or have to be carried off on a stretcher from total exhaustion. I took a break from hockey for a few months so being in game shape I am not! My options are to either adjust or bail and since I’m not a quitter, somehow I will endure!
So what’s the point of this image? Please note the orange jersey over the 10 lbs. of gear. First of all, the orange is a horrid shade, is not my color and I did not choose it! My apologies to whom it may concern. And good-by to any idea that I might be a female! Feeling like I look pretty? NOT! After an hour and half on the ice sweating profusely with a bunch of guys also doing the same, when I leave the smelly locker room, I mentally return to my pink fluffy unicorns and glitter mind palace, envisioning myself wearing a dress! Truly, I do love to play hockey but this is one reason why I like to sew dresses for myself. So that being said, now I want to share with you a really cute one that I’ve finally finished.
I first saw it last year on a Burda Style web page and no where could I find who the pattern maker was. Then on a pattern shopping day this last spring, you know, when you can buy 5 for $5.00, there it was, Butterick 5919 in their book and I knew I had to make it. It looks a little retro with the boat-neck and large peter pan type collar with a poofy skirt. Being short like I am, it’s maybe not the best style for me to wear but… I really liked it, it was pretty and so I was making it!
This was a design that definitely required a muslin. There was no way I was going to start chopping on the very beautiful fine cotton that I discovered at Mill Ends nor the silk that I chose to line it with until I did a practice run. Below is a picture of the fabric. I choose it from a selection the fabric store called the Downton Abbey collection. Get this… my choice of print was one of those thought characteristic of “granny” played by Maggie Smith. Hmm… I’m not talking anymore about this!
I ended up making 3 muslins of just the bodice before I was ready to make the dress. Why three? Well, it started off the way it should. I made the usual fitting adjustments and discovered when putting it on that the gathered bustline (see in picture below) didn’t feel right nor look right on me. It felt way too high! At least that was my opinion and that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Just to clarify, I have made so many dresses for myself that much of the time I don’t make a complete muslin because I have the feel for knowing what I need in circumference for my waist and hips and find it easy to adjust the bodice to those measurements. Plus, it’s less work! However, if I was sewing something really special, I would make a full muslin.
So Anyhoos, I’m pretty sure I was having a “derp” moment when I started making my 2nd muslin. I tweaked and adjusted the pattern pieces in order to drop the bustline and that’s when it happened! Thank goodness it was a muslin. I got to looking at my 2nd set of pattern pieces that I traced from the originals which included my new pattern changes and that’s when I saw the boo boos! Feeling totally frustrated, I quit working on the dress for several weeks… or more! When I once again felt the wind back in my sails, I broke out the tracing paper and then created muslin number three. Yeah! this time it worked and feeling happy and pleased, I was ready to make my dress!
Since I’ve already shared with you the “Happy” song by Pharrell Williams to express my happiness, I decided this time I would share this lovely postcard.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jok22
It was fun sewing this dress because it had such a neat design. I did discover however that when sewing the bodice to the bodice lining, sewing the armholes first before the neck, opposite of the pattern instructions, made it easier to check that the sleeves didn’t need any fixing! For me, one sleeve was error free and the other I needed to fix a tiny imperfection that I didn’t like. This would have been harder to do if the neck had already been sewn. If you make this dress, you will totally understand what I’m talking about! Here is a view of the collar and one sleeve on the finished bodice.
The upper back opening at the neckline closes with a single button and thread loop. An afterthought… maybe an elastic loop?
Of course, the back has the center cut-out which is why I thought this design was so cool!
This is the front of the bodice. You can see the collar but unfortunately the gathers at the bustline are not easily seen due to the type of print on the fabric.
It is printed on the Butterick 5919 pattern envelope that the model in the picture is wearing a petticoat with the dress. This got me to thinking. I had just bought a McCall’s skirt pattern recently that included a petticoat, option F.
Before making it up, I wasn’t so certain that it was worth the trouble. Gathering petticoat netting! Yuck! It was actually not too bad though. I used black tricot and black petticoat netting and for some pretty, I chose this pink lingerie elastic.
I did discover a minor problem with the construction. The instructions have you sew the seam that connects the gathered netting to the upper section on the inside. I think it should have been on the outside. Why do I know this? Because when I wear it inside out… it doesn’t scratch!
Well, here’s my black petticoat, right-side out for the moment. It’s really not much to look at…
But when I wear it under my dress… it makes a difference!
The back is a lot of why I wanted to make this dress.
This is without the petticoat and there is a difference in how the skirt hangs!
Go Petticoat!
Yes… it’s champagne, not wine! What am I celebrating? Well… I think being alive, feeling pretty, and happy that I get to write about my wacky sewing adventures with you!
Salut! Jessica
Read MoreSimplicity 2362 LBD Part 2
Waldport, Oregon
Okay… I’m back and ready to share with you my LBD (little black dress)! As to where I’ve been… well, the last few weeks have been pretty crazy. It’s summertime and that means spending time with family and friends, and going on adventures! Some of the highlights… Portland Blues Festival, a winery concert, and last weekend, a coast trip, hence the above picture taken at a beach in Waldport Oregon. What’s really cool is that we’re only about half way through summer, which means there’s still more time to play before the sun and its warmth leave us!
Believe it or not, amid all this fun, I have actually been sewing too! It’s been difficult at times though because my machine and work area are upstairs and on days when we have hit the high 90’s, it’s been too hot to sew! No, I don’t have an air conditioner. Maybe I’m nuts, but I like the windows open, rain or shine… or heat! And I like cheap electric bills! The worst is only about three weeks out of the year and so why not bond with mother nature a bit, even if it gets a little wickedly hot! I’ve been wanting to sew some of the Up-Coming Projects posted here on Sewlikeinparis so I can share them with you but alas… I’m kind of stuck in “little black dress” mode so I’ve decided to change things up a bit! This means… get ready to see a bit more black!
As for my LBD made from Simplicity 2362…
I purchased some black China silk from Mill Ends in Beaverton, Oregon, like I said I was going to do. Making and sewing in the lining was simple. I used the same skirt pattern pieces. Because the bodice was already attached to the main skirt, I just hand sewed the lining to the inside of the skirt, wrong side to wrong side, stitching in the seam allowance along side the actual seam. Then I folded the center back seam allowances under along each side of the zipper tape and sewed them in place.
Here is the inside…
The black isn’t as dark as it really is, but I decided not to change the lighting because it’s easier to see the details.
Along the zipper.
This is a close-up of the front of the bodice on the outside. I sewed a rhinestone button on each pleat. When I was preparing the pictures for this post, I noticed a lot of fuzz or lint! My excuse… I was out of lint roller paper which I like to use but I have more now!
The straps are pleated on both the front and back ends rather than gathered. Yes… I didn’t follow instructions but I’m notorious for this!
This is a close-up of the bodice though this picture came out more like its true color.
So now I’m ready for an evening out!
The back of course… hmm… got some weird tan lines going!
Back around…
The front again…with pockets!
And without pockets!
That’s a wrap-up for the 1st “little black dress”. I have already purchased the fabric for two more and the work is in progress. Also ready to share with you another one that is in the final stages of hemming. Lots to come! However… Right now it’s time for a glass of wine!… or two!
Salute! Jessica
Read MoreSimplicity 2362 LBD with Shoes I Love
Dresses, and more recently skirts, are my favorite things to make because I really like wearing them, especially in the spring and summer months. They are comfortable (most of the time) and when I wear them, I feel pretty… even with no make-up and hair from hell! But, dresses and skirts don’t stand well alone… they must be accessorized with shoes! Me and my girls feel shoes make or break the outfit! We try to hold onto comfort, but if going to an event that involves mostly sitting, comfort often goes out the window and instead we wear what we term “fashion shoes“.
Recently I went on the hunt for a pair of black strappy heels which my wardrobe is lacking. I was hoping to find comfortable ones that still looked like “fashion shoes“. I started with wandering through the pages of internet shoe shops looking for my black jewels but there were none to be found. Then, on a brief trip to my local Macy’s, hence the heading picture above, I stumbled onto my dream shoes. Why I didn’t see them on-line is beyond me but now that I have a style name, up they pop on a brief search!
They are Anne Klein’s Akopolize, 3″ heel (comfortable) yet still simple gorgeous high heels! On the discount rack no less! It was a total hands down win in my book and I can’t wait to wear them with a few of my new dresses that are in the works. One that I’m just finishing is made from Simplicity 2362.
The instructions are not too difficult though trying to match up dots in the pocket areas and bodice to bodice seams may make one want to throw things… only temporarily! It’s a pretty cool design and there are a number of variations that make it a jewel to have. My plan for its first test run was a “little black dress” My inspiration for an LBD (little black dress) started with a magazine my kids gave me for Mother’s Day, Designer Techniques, from The best of threads Collector’s Edition.
There is an article in it by Susan Khalje titled “Make your own Little Black Dress from Start to Finish” that includes step-by-step couture details. It was after reading this article, that I decided to make myself an LBD and incorporate some couture techniques while I was at it! Admittedly, there was another reason for wanting to do this… I realized after rummaging through my closet several weeks ago, that I didn’t have any LBD’s! I do have several long black evening gowns and a casual yet dressy pair of flared pants with a matching sleeveless top made from black cotton lycra but no LBD’s! Can you believe it! Not one! Truthfully, I kind of feel embarrassed. I am going to change that though. I have plans for more LBD’s in the near future so be prepared to see a bit of black!
As to why I would want to bother with all the extra work of couture methods… well, because I’m worth it! And an added benefit is that many of the techniques really help to improve sewing skills. Plus you get the pleasure of creating with beautiful fabrics, especially silk. I absolutely love working with silk. Yeah, it can be a pain in the butt to cut your garment pieces out of but I love the way it feels and the ruffling sound it makes when I handle it.
So on with my LBD. The fabric of course is black though unfortunately not silk (the couture idea came after purchasing the black fabric) I didn’t bother taking a picture of the fabric because… well… it’s black! The texture was the reason for my choice. Let me explain… when I think of a black dress, I envision a tuxedo — more specifically, a man wearing one. There is a breathtaking elegance that resonates from the wearer which can pull in eyes from every direction. The white shirt looks crisp, the bow tie perfectly held in place and the black coat and pants so complimenting. So when I was choosing my fabric, I kept these thoughts in my mind and settled for a black sateen which has a subtle diamond shape pattern in it, is a deep black (is there such a thing?), and has a small bit of stretch yet holds it shape.
http://davidreevesbespoke.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/tuxedodinner-suit-special/
To start the process, a muslin was in order. I usually always do a muslin. Yes, I know it’s extra work but so worth it! There’s nothing worse than sewing your heart out and dreaming of wearing the garment when it’s finished and then discovering that it doesn’t fit properly and likely will never get worn! Been there done that! For this dress, I only made one muslin and it was just the bodice since the skirt I felt confident wouldn’t be a problem. This is because I have made so many dresses that I pretty much know how much circumference I need in the waist and hip area but if I was sewing for someone else, I would have made the whole enchilada! Here is the front of it.
I basted in a 22″ blue zipper so I could close up the back properly, to check for fit.
Notice that the pleats are not matching up. I didn’t even think about matching pleats when I sewed it, and then when taking pictures, they got my attention. This is an example of a good reason for a muslin. I was now aware to pay more attention when sewing my actual bodice.
For interfacing, I used dark brown silk organza. I chose it for three reasons. 1) It was silk organza, 2) the color brown wouldn’t interfere with my black fashion fabric, and 3) the brown was 60″ wide at $15.99 a yard whereas the black was only 44″ wide and $15.99 a yard. It was a no brainer!
The pattern instructions have you interface the lining, probably because the pleats in the bodice front could get to bulky, but I wanted those pleats to hold their shape, remember the bow tie and white shirt crispness… so I hand-basted my silk organza interfacing pieces to the actual bodice pieces.
The right side of the bodice front.
The back side of the front.
I applied interfacing to all my other bodice pieces in the same way, using the silk organza. Below is a picture of the front bodice side pieces. I didn’t take a picture of the back bodice pieces because I think you’ve got the idea! 🙂
Okay, so this is where I have to confess… I didn’t follow the pattern instructions for assembling the dress. Yeah… what’s new! I’m such a rule breaker! I did start off in the right direction. I sewed the bodice front pieces together… but the back bodice pieces I set aside. I did attach the straps next only there is an important point here… with “visions of tuxedos dancing in my head”, I had decided to create pleats rather than gathers at the ends of the straps. I planned for this when cutting them out of my fabric. Lastly, I then applied the front bodice lining, not silk, but rather a $10.99 a yard beautiful drapey perfect shade of black lining fabric. I did not understitch. I decided to do the understitching after I sewed the front and back bodice together.
With the front bodice finished, I was now ready to tackle the assembly of the pockets #7 to the front yoke #8 pattern piece and then attach this to the skirt front. Keeping couture techniques in mind, I first sewed the pockets to the pocket sides in french seams. I did this by matching the left and right pockets to the front yokes, wrong side to wrong side. I sewed a 3/8″ inch seam, cut off all but 1/8″ inch, pressed the seams flat, then turned each right side in and sewed a 1/4″ inch seam as far as possible to the dot that matches up to the skirt front dot. It’s a little tricky but the finish is worth it. I then finished the upper pocket/skirt seam allowances using my own method which I explain in more detail shortly. The underside seam allowance of each pocket that doesn’t show when it’s folded towards the front, I trimmed with pinking shears. This fabric really attracts lint. It doesn’t look especially black in the picture below.
Now I was ready to finish the edges of the side seam allowances. I do have a serger and yes, I have serged many an edge but this is my couture LBD so we can’t have that! I have several books on couture that describe the technique for finishing seam allowances but because I have never really done it, I was a bit confused. So I do what I always do when I am not sure, I wing it! With that, I cut 1 and 1/4″ inch strips of black china silk for this task. I use the real china silk, not the polyester. Silk chiffon is the fabric of choice for doing this as mentioned in my books, but I didn’t have any of that on hand so I decided the china silk would suffice. I first sewed the strips to the outside edge of the seam allowance, raw edge to raw edge in a 3/8″ inch seam.
Next, I pressed the seam flat, then turned it out and pressed again.
Then I turned the skirt over and turned up the edge of the silk strip to the edge of the skirt seam allowance edge, creating a fold, and then pressed again. It’s hard to see the fold in this picture.
Lastly, I folded the strip one more time, up and over the edges, holding it firmly in place and at the same time stitching a 1/4″ inch seam.
As you can see, my work looks a little lacking. The seam should follow along the inner edge of the strip, and it doesn’t, even though I think I sewed a pretty even stitch. I must not have been exactly accurate when first sewing my strips on. Also, I may not have cut my 1 1/4′ inch strips with good precision either. At least I now have an idea as to how finishing seams work, so I will go back and read the instructions again… it may make more sense now. It certainly seems anal retentive to be so fussy about seam allowances, but in the couture world, perfection seems to be one of the reasons for why a garment is so expensive. As to my efforts… well, they will improve with practice but what I’ve done here is acceptable and I can live with it and feel good about it, so end of story!
After finishing the raw edges but without disrupting the 5/8″ inch seam allowance, I was then ready to assemble! I first attached the front bodice to the skirt front.
Assembling the back of the dress started with first sewing the 2 bodice backs to the 2 skirt backs but I did not sew the center back seam. Instead, I finished the edges of the seam allowances like I explained earlier. Now I was ready to install the zipper. I am an invisible zipper addict, so this was my closure choice. Regardless of the kind of zipper, they are easy to install when you are working with flat pieces which is why I chose to assemble the dress the way I did. After the operation zipper closure installation process was completed (whew, that’s a hefty bunch of words!), I went ahead and sewed the center back seam.
Now I’ can finally attach the front and back of the dress together. Here are a few pictures to show you how I did it.
Step 1: With the back side face up and the front side face down (right side to right side), laying on my sewing table by my sewing machine, I was ready to baste the straps to the top of the back bodice pieces.
Step 2: Before I sewed the back bodice facings permanently on, I first basted the sides and tried on my dress. Two things I discovered were: The straps needed a bit of adjusting, and I wanted a little closer fit in the bodice. Both of these issues were easy peasey to fix! After removing the basting stitches from the sides, I laid the two parts back on my sewing table like I did before, adjusted the straps and then basted them in place again. Now I was ready to sew on the facings.
Step 3: Next were the side seams. I wanted to tighten the bodice up a smidge so instead of 5/8″ seams, I sewed 6/8″ inch (3/4″) seams. It was a little tricky at the bodice level because of the angle at the top of the side seams, but with patience, I got it. Actually, I DID do a bit of swearing… mainly because I couldn’t get the seams of the bodice front and back to match up on one side. Okay, I did a lot of swearing! I sewed a seam starting at the bottom of the lining (top of the picture), continuing on through the bodice and down to the bottom of the skirt in a continuous seam.
After pressing all my seams, I was now ready for another try-on. I was happy! It fit perfectly. However, there was this little nagging thought that I just couldn’t shake. What about a skirt lining. The pattern doesn’t call for it but… but… I am the queen of lining! How can I not line? And lining feels so soft against the skin, especially if it’s silk… or Bemberg lining fabric… Bemberg would be nice. Of course, this meant another delay getting this post posted! Hmmm……. well crap… sorry to do this but I can’t help myself… I am going to have to post this in two parts. I will be back really soon! Right now it’s time to go to the fabric store!
Salute! Jessica
Read MoreVogue 8972 Out in Yellow Daisies
All the spring showers we’ve been having are destroying the only flowers
I’ve got to plant so far this year.
We’ve had oodles and oodles of rain in the last few weeks. It can get a little old after a while, but on a positive note, this means lots of beautiful flowers for summer… provided they survive! Rain, however, has really been the least of my worries. I must of jinxed myself or something! I should have known better than to say “look out 2014, here I come”! It seems like it’s been one thing after another. The latest attack came about three weeks ago when I came down with a creeping crud that has made me sicker than I have felt in a number of years! Well… on the bright side, the sun is suppose to shine all this week… so maybe everything is going to start coming up daisies? My fingers are crossed and since we are talking about daisies, I would like to share with you my latest sewing project(s).
Yep, I’ve somehow managed to get some sewing time in during this miserable plague, in between the fevers, the fiery sore throat and major coughing fits. I’m probably not a trooper, but rather an obsessed nut case when it comes to sewing! Fortunately I was stocked up on sewing supplies I needed since I had visited my local JoAnn fabric store just before this damn crap virus hit me! On that particular day, it was pouring down raining, as usual but it felt like the sun had started shining when I stumbled upon this fabric… it was beautiful white daisies on a background of sunny yellow, reversible no less and I knew that I just had to have it.
The daisies are about 1 1/4 inches in size.
The really cool thing though was that this fabric looked like maybe it was what was used to make this Vogue 8972 dress.
There are various options in making this dress. Princess seam sheath style or flared style, no sleeves, little sleeves or 3/4 sleeves and then there is a contrast yoke.
I loved the sheath style shown on the envelope but I’ve always had a fondness for flare because they are so comfortable and allow easy sitting! I consulted my fashionista assistant, my daughter of course, and after much discussion, I decided to make dress B (sheath style) and dress D/E (flared with contrast). And… since my sunshine daisy fabric was reversible, I would make both dresses out of it! This meant another fabric run to Jo Ann’s and fortunately my son, who grew up with a sewing mother, had no fear with doing this favor for me, especially given that I was quarantined!
The pattern instructions are very easy to follow and the design made assembling it quite easy. Admittedly though, I did swear a few times when putting in the little sleeves. Trying to match things up was a bit tricky but eventually I had it under control.
Putting the bodice together is a breeze. There is the front with left and right side fronts that are then sewn to a yoke. The pictures below are dress B on the inside.
The back is attached to a yoke like the front, only there are left and right sides, later connected by a zipper. The princess seam skirt attaches to the lower edge of the front and back yokes. All the seams, except for the back and sides, are pressed towards center and then edge-stitched on the outside along the front and back seams.
A fabulous technique incorporated into this Vogue pattern is that in the assembling process, you are instructed to install the zipper before sewing the back to the front. In this way, the back section gets to remain flat while you are sewing in the zipper. This is a very important thing in any sewing project you do… that is, being able to keep whatever pieces you are sewing, flat in the process. And of course it also helps if you are working on a flat surface rather than letting the fabric hang over the arm of the sewing machine. Hence, sewing machine tables, or acrylic sewing machine extensions like the one I have.
View A
ViewB
There are little legs under the acrylic extension that can be adjusted so that the table can be aligned to the arm of the sewing machine. As you can see in the pictures above, I store various tools that I can quickly grab when I’m sewing. There is a table, a computer table in fact, to the left side of my acrylic extension, creating a continuous flat surface.
I had mentioned earlier that the sleeves challenged me a bit, but this was during the insetting of them. Before doing this, things went super. You first have to make a narrow hem along the bottom of the sleeves. I have developed my own tried and true method for a narrow hem and though it uses extra thread, I think it’s worth it because I avoid headaches later.
The pattern instructions call for a 5/8 inch narrow hem so
1) I basted a 5/8 inch seam along the bottom of the sleeve.
2) Then pressed up the fabric along the basting. I pressed carefully so my 5/8 inch hem width was equal along the entire edge.
3) Next, I turned under the edge so that it touched the inside crease of the 5/8 inch fold and pinned it in place all along the hem fold. I love pins and I use them a lot!
4) With the side that I pinned, facing up, I stitched a 1/4 inch seam along the edge. *Note: If I am worried about how it will look on the outside, I will baste this first a smidge in from where the actual seam will go, remove the pins, and then turn the piece over to the right side and sew in my 1/4 inch seam along the edge, then remove basting. Extra work, but in the end, it always turns out nice!
Underside and outside of sleeve for Dress B Option …
As I said early, insetting the sleeves tripped me up a little. They have to fit at the usual marked spots on the armholes while also matching the lining that you have already sewn in and understitched via the neck and lower armholes. I think the understitch step was the pest! But, my fabric was also sort of stretchy which may have also attributed to some of the problem. Nonetheless, I weathered the storm and figured it out.
My second dress, option D/E turned out gorgeously lovely and and to think I was worried about it being a little heavy! My beloved sunshine daisy fabric is a denim and I was concerned when I started. But I have to admit, I am almost more partial to it than the option B dress!
So here are the twins!
And here they are with me wearing them.
Introducing Vogue 8972 Dress Option B
The back of the skirt has a slit at the hemline.
Here is a close up of the back so you can see the yoke. I think I was twisting so there is a wrinkle on the left side but it’s just due to the twist! You may note that I use invisible zippers. I really love the finished look!
Then… this is Vogue 8972 Dress Option D/E
The back of course! And there’s that damn twist thing going on again!
A close-up of the yoke in front. I used the underside of the fabric for the main part of this dress but cut the yoke out on the right side. Of course, you might say all of this in reverse because it is… reversible fabric!
And one more cuz !
I’m pretty sure I’m on the mend at this point in time. The doctor said that this goofy stuff hangs on, sometimes for a month! EWWWW… YUCK! Well I’ve about logged in my time and looking forward to this weekend. It’s gonna be a day with the girls… and… Curtis Salgado again! Thinking about wearing one of my new dresses, unless it starts raining in which case it’s my good old stand by… leather! Ooh la la!
Salute! Jessica
Read MoreBurda 8836 in Blue
My new calendar for this year! I’m liking it!
Well I’m back! You were probably wondering if I fell off the earth… or something! Happy to say, nothing of the sort, just recovering from the holidays and adjusting to the beginning of a new year. It started off with a bang. Spent all day the 5th of January at Oregon Health Sciences University in the surgical waiting room… one of my sons had to have his gall bladder removed. Imagine that! He is a 27-year- old male and so this is sort of an odd thing. After the dust settled from that, I decided I better get busy and make my little Burda 8836 dress in blue. This project also ended up in the emergency room which is why I am so late in getting back to you. Oh… and did I mention that this same now gallbladder-less person is having a birthday at the end of this month and asked me to sew him a flannel shirt for a birthday present?!! Yes… I have definitely been feeling overwhelmed.
So I suppose you want to hear the grizzly details… of making my Burda 8836 dress, that is. Let’s see – where do I begin. Maybe a picture of the pattern first!
Originally I had imagined this dress in black, however I found myself not to excited to take on another black project since making the black jumpsuit, mainly because I need to improve on my lighting. I think what I need is one of those big bright lights you see at a road construction site! That would be so awesome! Okay, never mind, not logical, but you know where I’m coming from. Anyways, after much deliberation, I ended up deciding on blue. I have never owned a blue dress so I was feeling pretty jazzed about this idea. I spent about an hour at the fabric store wandering… and wandering… and…. then finally, I found a small bolt tucked in between several others that I just didn’t notice before. It was blue but with a red hue making it almost purple but not quite.
Interesting thing about this fabric. It was in the Georgette/Chiffon section which is the kind of fabric that I wanted but it feels like silk… sews like silk… even the lady at the cutting counter thought it was silk, but it was not in the silk fabric section. Hmm… maybe I got lucky and things are going to start shaping up!
And this is my lining…
Okay… moving right along – this fabric business is where my disaster happened. The width of the fabric was less than 45″, can’t remember the exact measurement now… I think it’s intentional memory loss due to trauma! Anyways, I think what happened is that after much discussion with the lady at the cutting counter, I ended up with a converted amount of yardage and so I was a happy camper and off I went. After pre-shrinking, I laid out my fabric and as confident as can be, started cutting out the pattern pieces on the fabric. I really was paying attention in the process and it was when I got to the last piece, a skirt front to be precise, I realized that there was not enough fabric! Panic began to set in. My daughter had to go into Beaverton that day so I asked her if she would swing by the fabric store, in hopes that she would be able to buy me another yard of that same fabric. WRONG! No fabric, no where, no how!
Some days passed as I stewed on what I should do. Then the light bulb finally turned on in my head and I figured it out. You see, the dress pattern calls for two skirt layers and since I did get all the bodice pieces and one entire skirt layer cut, all I needed was to find a second fabric that blended, contrasted, or whatever, that I could use as a 2nd layer that is sandwiched between the top layer and the skirt lining! It wasn’t what I really wanted to do because I saw in my mind two matching layers flowing with each other along the hem but since that wasn’t going to happen, this was certainly a solution to the problem. I went back to the same fabric store and wandered… and wandered… you know how it works. I finally had to settle on my best option, a solid blue Georgette in a totally different shade, but it was not to dark or too light so it didn’t change the shade of my original fabric when I tested it with a scrap. This is a picture of my blue Georgette.
Alrighty! I was ready to sew now. I had already made a muslin of my bodice which I was happy with. The front…
and the back…
I am fussy with the inside of anything I make. I don’t think it’s an anal retentive thing! It’s just that when I feel my clothes are made really nice, then I feel good wearing them. Enough said right? So I really liked this Burda dress, but the design challenged me with finishing concerns. For the butterfly sleeves, I sort of did what was suggested in the pattern but not! I actually created an edge that looked sort of embroidered. Sort of…
The way you put the bodice together does not allow you to use seam allowances to fold under to cover the stitching of the attached skirt or the installed zipper. I decided to use hemming tape to cover up both areas. I am not sure I am happy with the look of the hemming tape but I went with it.
I am an invisible zipper addict and since I used one in this dress, I had to definitely bind the edges.
The pattern instructions said to finish the hem the same as the sleeves so that is exactly what I did. I did however make the Blue Georgette layer shorter because I wasn’t liking the contrast. It looked to me like the slip was showing!
Alright then. I finished the dress and I really love it. I think sometime this spring I am going to make up the option A style with the ruffle around the neck… AND I think the fabric will be yellow!
Here is the finished Burda 8836 in Blue! The hat is a little goofy but I was having trouble getting into photoshoot mode…it was part of an outfit my son had to wear for his bachelor party!
The back of course….
Goofing off as usual…
Now I’m ready to head out to the Wine Cellar and celebrate! Feeling pretty good in my blue, maybe silk, dress. And lots to celebrate… including that I’m almost finished with my son’s flannel shirt, got my 2013 taxes done and started bottling my wine so everything is momentarily alright in the world. Look out 2014… Here I come!
Salute! Jessica
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Edith Blouse Paired with Wool Butterick 5613
Yes.. I am one of those who drags the yule log in the house and decorates it… with the help of my kids of course! There were absolutely no squirrels in the branches this year but… there was another problem. Monday morning at about… say 6:30 am, there was a tinkling, ringing, clanking sound that came from the downstairs room where this pretty little tree WAS (I’m emphasizing the “was”) standing. The ornamental carnage that came with the falling of our tree drove me to drink!… Tea! HA… you thought I was gonna say wine! I am unwilling to take the responsibility for this fate so I am blaming this incident on either the South Pole Elves or the crappy tree stand that we used. Since there was no evidence of elves, I determined that the blame would be placed on the tree stand! After a trip to Lowe’s and the purchase of a new improved tree stand, we were able fix the disaster. I did have to wait until today for the carpet to dry so I could put the skirt underneath but now it is finished and ready for Christmas.
Interestingly, this holiday season here in Oregon has started off with truly cold cold weather that has caused a lot of us to actually freeze our butts off!
For the last three weeks it has been in the teens and low 20’s during the day, getting even colder at night. My understanding is that this hasn’t happened since the 70’s! Believe it or not, during all of this coldness, I have managed to continue sewing, albeit a bit slower of a speed than my usual. I haven’t left my skirt making mode and while making them, I got to thinking that I need tops to go with my skirts.
MariaDenmark, a fellow blogger has designed and created a blouse pattern, the “Edith Blouse”, that you can purchase on Craftsy . She shares a little story on both Craftsy and her “Wool and Weeds” Blog about how this cute blouse came to be. Last summer I purchased it with the intention of making it then but alas… so much was going on that it didn’t happen. However… now, in my skirt-making-madness-mood, it seems the perfect time to make it.
This is a picture of the blouse. The pattern also includes a dress, which actually is just added length below the level of the blouse. It has that Retro look yet still looks modern and given that the blouse fits me so well, I think the dress will be a fabulous spring project!
This is a download pattern which arrived to me via PDF file. I have never downloaded a pattern before so admittedly, I was a little nervous at first. However, it truly went very smooth. I opened the PDF file and after reading all the instructions, printed off only the pages for the blouse. While piecing all the printed sheets together, I kept the full pattern layout sketch picture that’s included, on my computer screen while I was cutting and matching and taping.
Before I started, I considered to first cut off all the right sides and bottom edges of the printed pages along the red dotted lines but… since I am really getting tired of re-doing ANYTHING.. I decided against this and instead, went one page at a time. Here is a picture of my system.
Now that the printed pages were all taped together…
I was ready for step two. Using tracing paper that I purchase by the roll from Nancy’s Notion’s, I traced the pieces that I needed for the blouse, adjusting sizes between bust, waist and hip. I next made a muslin to see where I was at in the fitting. Too much shoulder length, perfect bust, waist to narrow and hips WAY to wide. It was back to the drawing board so-to-speak. I rolled back out my taped together Edith Blouse pattern and re-traced my pieces making adjustments for all my fitting issues. Now it was time to make muslin number 2! It was a success! The happy dance commenced!
I had found some fabric at Mill End’s in Beaverton, Oregon that I felt so drawn to. Not sure why… it was a very nice fine cotton, but I knew that matching cut fabric pieces with a pattern like this fabric had would be tricky! Nonetheless, I was determined to make this fabric into the E. blouse.
I spent a little time pondering my tactics before I started cutting. I pre-washed, dried and pressed the fabric and when I laid it out to cut out my pieces, I discovered that it was not on grain! Yuk! I paid $9.99 a yard for this fabric which was only about 42 or 43 inches wide resulting in having to buy additional yardage to cut out all my pieces. I decided to do what seems to be my usual these days… I tossed my fate to the rain and cut my blouse pieces the way that I thought the printed pattern would look best. I haven’t washed it since I’ve made it so I don’t know if I will get twisting or what, but…I will worry about that then!
The blouse sleeves finish in such a way that I was concerned about them raveling even if I used my pinking shears so I decided to dig out my old dinosaur serger. I hate that machine! If I was a better operator maybe I wouldn’t get so frustrated with it but it’s so rarely that I use it. That is why I’ve not considered taking classes or joining a serger group but maybe I should reconsider. At least I would know how to fix most of my problems! It must have taken me an hour to finally get it to sew a decent seam and so now I was ready to actually sew together the blouse .
I had fun sewing it. It was a little time consuming making all the darts but they are what makes the blouse fit so nicely. There are two long ones that go to the hem in the back piece and one on each of the front pieces that are almost as equally long as the back ones. The front center edges fold over to the outside towards the top like a lapel and blend nicely into the collar.
Next up was my skirt. I found some beautiful wool flannel in black that I couldn’t wait to sew so I could wear it! I am thinking really warm here! I tried to take a picture of the wool but because it was black, the camera had a horrible time with it. I was getting grays which were not at all true to it’s color so I bailed on the picture. The skirt that I decided to make was a style from the Butterick 5613 that I made my previous skirt from. My lining skirt that is!
This time I chose the option C style with pleats. I made a few changes however. There are five pleats in the front section and per the pattern instructions, all are folded in the same direction. You are told to make the pleats on the outside, creasing along the lines of the small circles and then bringing those creases to the lines of the large circles. I did this for the 2 outer pleats on the right side but did the opposite for the 2 outer pleats on the left side. I still had the center pleat to contend with. I decided to divide the width of this pleat in half and marked this as the center. Then I folded one side of the pleat towards that center and then folded the other side of the pleat the same. I pinned them in place and then basted them. I wanted the pleats to hold their shape so I then top-stitched each fold, 6 in total, down 4 1/2 inches from the top edge of the waist. The back pleats I folded per the pattern instructions though I did top-stitch them like I did the front ones.
The pattern doesn’t give instructions for lining the pleated skirt but because I made mine from wool flannel, I considered the itch factor so decided to line it. An added plus would be that the pleats would drape better, especially if I used the straight lining that comes with the pattern. This straight skirt lining is intended for the pleated skirt if you make a bubble hem so that’s why it’s included. My method was my own for attaching the lining. I followed the pattern instructions through until after inserting the zipper (excepting the change I did in the front pleats). Then I made my lining and basted it to the skirt selvage, raw edges even, in a 3/8 inch basting seam with my sewing machine.
It was a toss up on what to do next, either sew the waistband yoke facing to the waistband yoke, or slip stitching the lining to the zipper. I decided to sew on the waistband facing first. I followed the pattern instructions for this… it’s pretty easy. Just matching up seams and markings. Next was slip stitching the lining to the zipper.
Almost there… now it was time to slip stitch the folded under waistband yoke facing over the skirt seam.
Then finally, the last thing to do… hem the lining. Mind you I did do this before I attached the lining to the skirt but I had an oh crap moment! I didn’t hem it short enough so it hung down below the hem of the skirt after I basted it in place. I just hate it when that happens!
I contemplated top-stitching the waistband yoke on the top and bottom, but for some reason my mind doesn’t want to let me. I kinda like the plain wool look, it is so beautiful. I absolutely love sewing wool flannel. I don’t know what other colors it comes in but I plan on making more skirts from it. It will be so warm and cozy to wear.
I am not sure if my cotton Edith Blouse is the best match for my wool flannel pleated skirt but their colors compliment one another so I decided to pair them up for pictures. Here they are!
The back actually hangs quite smoothly but because I was turned a little, I think this feature was lost!
My daughter told me to tip my head a little, and then shortly later said left giving me a direction but I thought she said laugh!
That’s a take then! We are finished. I hope to next start on something blue. I have never made myself anything in blue before but the ladies at one of my favorite fabric stores did a poll with some customers while holding the fabric up alongside my face and it was unanimous that I could pull off wearing blue! So please note that if I look like crap, I am not responsible! 🙂
Salute! Jessica
Read MoreButterick 5613 Causes Skirt Making Madness
These are a few of our favorite beverages we like to partake of during the coming season. The Pyrat Rum is for the hot buttered rum that warms us on chilly winter days and evenings. There is a fresh batch of batter, heavily seasoned with Caribbean spices that I made last night, patiently waiting in the chillerator for us to add to the rum with steaming hot water that begins the kick off for today’s festivities. We can’t leave out my favorite… wine, the fruit and nector of the gods! And last but not least, fine scotch, Laphroaig 10 Year single malt, the water of angels!
This year, the feast is being held at my son and daughter-in-law’s home. On this day every year, my children grab the opportunity to dress up for dinner… ties, sometimes dinner coats, dresses and occasionally hats! A very fashionable and fun revelry that transcends into the New Year! And what will I be wearing? Well…
I recently purchased a new pair of leather riding boots because I decided that it’s going to be skirts and warm tights for the wearing this winter. The problem however with making this decision… there is only one winter skirt in my closet. I guess it was a DERP moment! This one and only skirt I have is a heavy cotton/spandex that I purchased from the GAP back in… try 2004! I have no explanations or excuses for the no skirts syndrome… just never thought much about them. All of that is going to change though – now that I have my Butterick 5613 pattern!
So what do I like about this pattern? For starters… the wide yoke. They seem to be feel so much more comfortable than a narrow waistband. Then there is the style options: pleats, bubble hem or a lightly gathered flare. The pattern calls for the light weight fabrics Broadcloth and Faille but also throws linen into the mix. I need winter skirts not spring/summer skirts which these fabrics work well for so… since I like to bend the rules, I decided I would try something that would be heavier and warmer… like wool flannel. But before going wild, I thought it best to practice with a fabric sort of similar and less expensive… like the wool crepe remnant that I couldn’t bring myself to throw away after making a dress out of almost two years ago. It is sort of a red rose color.
The piece looked big enough to make a skirt from but it was not going to be big enough to make the pleated skirt. I kinda figured but I had to try. My good fortune still came forth however! It just so happens that the pleated skirt has a lining if you want the bubble hem so guess what I did? Yes… I made a skirt from the lining! The beauty of this is that I made a muslin that is actually a skirt I WILL wear. An added plus is another style of skirt to add to my style options. Of course, I now also know how to line the pleated skirt which I am making next.
I definitely wanted to line my skirt because I find that wool crepe is scratchy on my skin. I ended up with a polyester lining that was not what I was after but the color matched so perfectly with the wool crepe that I went for it. It sure didn’t like to be ironed, even at the synthetic heat setting on my iron which is cooler than silk.
The pattern lining is really simple: A yoke styled waistband (front and back), the front skirt section (cut on the fold) with 2 darts, two skirt back sides, each with 1 dart. I cut all of these from my Wool Crepe and then a second set of all of them from my lining. Oh yeah, and also cut interfacing pieces for the yoke.
However… Before I cut out my lining (after I cut out the actual skirt), I first shortened the front and back pattern pieces 1/2 inch in length. Let me explain… the Butterick 5613 pattern “D” option for the pleated bubble skirt uses the lining to create the bubble hem by instructing you to sew the hem of the lining to the gathered hem of the pleated skirt. The lining is shorter than the pleated skirt so when you do this, the lining pulls the skirt hem up and under, giving a finished hem in the process. I wanted to do the same but since I was using the same pattern pieces for both the skirt and lining, I had to shorten the length of the skirt front and back tissues before cutting out my lining pieces.
Another cool thing … because I didn’t make pleats, the hemline width of my skirt and lining were the same and so sewing them together was easy peasy! I just sewed the bottom of the skirt to the bottom of the lining, right side to right side, then folded the lining back under to the inside that I later basted to the inside top of the skirt. But First!
Important Tip: I didn’t sew the two hemlines together until after I first applied the fabric yoke and installed an invisible zipper ( I love the finished look of these). Doing it this way made it easier to sew the lining onto each side of the zipper and gave a nicer finish. I basted the lining to the seam allowance of the yoke and top of skirt, matching seams and notches. Next, I top-stitched the outer bottom edge of the yoke, giving both a nice finish and more permanently attaching the lining. Is this a correct way to do this? Well… the art of sewing has developed through experimentation so is there a wrong? I figure that if you get what you are after… then it must have been right!
This is what the hem of the skirt looks like finished.
It was now time to add the yoke facing which I did per the pattern instructions. However, instead of under-stitching I chose to top-stitch the top of the yoke on the outside to match the bottom. I did this after I turned the facing to the inside and slip-stitched it’s pressed under edge over the seam.
My first day of this season’s revelry attire includes my new skirt!
It’s hard to model a skirt! Maybe this is why they never get a lot of attention. They are tucked in under everything. Trying to show the darts here but it’s not working. Sure got a laugh out of my daughter though!
Up and coming soon, expect to see my black Flannel pleated skirt, my “Edith Blouse” by Maria of Denmark AND my Burda 8836 black Georgette dress. But right now… it’s time to start this season’s revelry so… with a glass of my favorite Chardonnay… here is my toast to you!
“May the coming season bring you joy and happiness in all that you do!”
Salute! Jessica
Read MorePattern Review McCalls 6760
I bet you’ve been wondering where I’ve been huh?! Well… besides finishing up making wine, I just started on another mission… apple butter and applesauce! Several of the family favs so they are necessary items for the pantry. To complete the juggling act I have also been sewing… and sewing… and sewing on the same damn project! Don’t get me wrong, I am really excited about the project I chose and I can’t wait to wear it but… well, let’s start at the beginning.
The pattern I chose for this project is Fashion Star McCall’s 6760. I love the dress but I feel totally charmed by the jump suit. Yeah I know – jump suits haven’t been cool for a long time – not since Diana Rigg rocked them in the original Avengers T.V. show.
I’ve seen a few in clothing catalogs recently but with skinny legs. I can wear skinny jeans, have five pair of them, different colors, several in prints but truthfully, I have to be in just the right mood to wear them, which is most of the time NOT.
The pattern calls for Georgette, Jersey or Crepe de Chine fabric. The jump suit looks gorgeous in what appears to me to be Royal Blue and I considered this but then decided that I would go classic black because the holiday season is right around the corner and I needed something elegant to wear.
I found several Jersey fabrics on-line that I really wanted to buy but without being able to see and touch the fabric, I couldn’t bring myself to clicking the pay the “Your Total” amount key for 3 yards at $16.99 plus shipping! Since I go to Beaverton frequently, I decided that a Mill Ends Fabric Store visit was in order. I imagined a row of black jersey somewhere in the finer fashion fabrics section. WRONG. There was nada, zip, zilch, zero! I was in a total awe crap mood when I then stumbled across some black Rayon. I struggled with this notion because while Rayon drapes so beautifully, it is a wrinkle magnet! After about another half hour of wandering, I finally threw my fate to the wind and decided that I would make my jump suit out of Rayon!
For my lining, I wanted something matte and that would hang similar to the Rayon so I ended up with a slightly stretchy 60 inch matte “lining fabric”. Yep, that’s what it was called and so I don’t know exactly what it is but it complimented the black Rayon so beautifully that I decided not to argue about it and purchased it as well.
Now that I had my fabric, I was ready to make a muslin for my fitting. I didn’t cut the entire leg pieces, just a shorty version. I’ve gotten very adept at making muslins; I go through lots of muslin fabric. But… this is not because I am smart… this is because I learned the hard way by making too many garments that flopped! Anyways, one of the things I quickly discovered was that the design of the back bodice was going to be a problem. While it was really stylish with it open clear down to the top of the high and wide waist band, it was going to show my bra strap where it hooks. There was no way I was going to give my female cupcakes air time so I decided to create an insert just high enough that it would cover the strap of the bra I would be wearing!
My designed insert was to be 1 1/4 inches wide, 3 inches long and tapering to nothing at the bottom. It had 5/8 seam allowances around it. Somehow I ended up with extra width on the bottom, 1/4 inch to be exact which actually worked out quite well. This is a picture of the pattern piece I drew up.
Using my new insert pattern piece, I cut three, one from the Rayon and two from the lining fabric. I sandwiched the rayon piece between the two lining pieces and sewed top, bottom and one side. There was some planning here because when I turned it right-side out, I wanted the rayon to be on the outside with the raw selvages open on the left side. Then I laid my insert face down, selvages flush with those of the left bodice back, 5/8 inches up from the top center back edge of the waist band. Now I was ready to sew the lining to the bodice per the instructions on the pattern which would enclose the selvages of my insert and voila. Here it is.
So why did it take me so long to make this garment? Well there were actually two reasons. The first… I chose Rayon.
I wanted flow-y and drape-y but I knew that it would cost me, more than just the purchase. Now that I look back, I had to really take my time cutting out my pieces but with the sewing, it went better than I expected. I just had to take my time and be one with the fabric! Time! That’s the part I need to reiterate! I couldn’t plow through the sewing process the way I usually do, I had to be patient. EWWWW! And I didn’t sip wine while I was sewing because I had to stay keen and alert, not relaxed! I think that’s why it took me so long though. I should have been MORE relaxed! Note to self: Drink more wine while sewing!
Reason 2) I don’t know about all of you but I have concluded that sewing with black fabric, black thread, black lining and black interfacing sucks! You can’t see! At least that was what I struggled with. Everything was the same color and so… black! I love to wear it but I don’t like sewing it. One thing for sure, I definitely need to improve on the lighting in my sewing area. Majorly!
Here is the finished insert that has two small BLACK snaps.
Here is a fuller view that includes the upper back.
This is an inside view with the invisible zipper down in the back.
The shoulders gather with ties that you make sewing long one inch strips folded in half lengthwise. I hate making these when you are asked to sew the ends closed and turn inside out from the center. I decided to do it my way and knotted the ends. It may not look quite as finished but I rather like it and that’s what counts right?
The pattern instructions also had you top-stitch all of the bodice as well as the waist band and hem. I am usually pretty good at top-stitching but I wasn’t liking the results I was getting sewing with Rayon. I also thought the bodice looked more elegant by not doing this given the fabric I chose. My daughter concurred so I was happy with my decision!
I tried to get a nice close up shot of the front bodice but it was kind of difficult because the Rayon was so slippery. This is the best I could do.
I guess it’s time for show & tell… my new jump suit!
This is the back…
Gotta show the legs!
And… I got brave and gave my glamorous jump suit “pockets”.
It is actually quite comfortable. The real test however will be sitting in it. If there are going to be wrinkles, I think that’s when it will happen. I’ll have to get back to you on that! Until next post…
Salute! Jessica
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Simplicity 2851 Feathered with 2966
Feather fashion is said to date back to the 11th century with the birth of plumes in head dresses of the wealthy. Twelve century venetian masks were adorned with them. Through the middle ages, feathers were a wardrobe staple for high society. However, when the 1800’s rolled in, feathers were for everyone! AND… the boa stepped into the spotlight! They were actually an accessory in the 1700’s but didn’t catch on very well. Thank goodness some dear soul was determined not to give up! I Love boas and would own dozens if my practical side wasn’t so dominating! I saw a beautiful pink one at the Oregon Fabric Depot in Portland a few years ago. It was $55.00 and about a foot in diameter. It was gorgeous and I remember how I longed for it but there were many other things that my family needed… things that cost less than that boa! Besides, it would likely have ended up in the basket with all the other boas that I do have… but they are special boas.
This one I wore several years ago at the Seafood & Wine Festival in Newport, Oregon along with about 10 other ladies wearing them too!
In 2008 I visited Trinidad and stumbled across one of the biggest Carnival supplier shops in Port of Spain… Samaroo’s Limited on Abercromby Street where I found this black one!
This one was my daughter’s that her grandmother (my mother) gave her when she was about 10-years-old. A few years ago she was reorganizing her room and stumbled across it somewhere in her closet. She asked me if I wanted it because she grew up and was not into pink anymore. I told her Y-E-S – I want it!!!! Does a bear poop in the woods! End of discussion and now I have a pink boa!
So about now you are asking what all of this has to do with a costume! Well… this next costume I want to share with you is a cornucopia of feathers! To start, let’s take a flight with Simplicity 2851.
This costume pattern includes what they call an apron. When I think of an apron, I think of what you wear when you’re cooking in the kitchen however, the apron you can create using this pattern is a whole lot different, really cute… AND certainly perfect for a Moulin Rouge costume!
I started off constructing apron B, using black fabric that I chose for it’s draping qualities but for the life of me don’t remember what it was. I do know that I didn’t want to use cheap fabric so I was picky when I chose it. I was happy with the way it turned out but I knew that we needed some extra poof in the back, bustle poof to be exact so I made a giant bow out of black petticoat netting and fastened it permanently to one side with a snap that fastened to the other side when worn.
When it came time to sew the train, I knew that it was going to be too long for what I had in mind. I used only one puff and sewed the long train onto it just like if it was puff number #2. The train was still a little too long so I gathered the sides from where it was sewn to puff number #1 and down about 10 inches on each side. I took a picture to share but the picture looked so stupid and confusing that I decided not to post it. I think it would be easy to understand what I am saying if you were sewing this.
Now that I had got the apron/puff/train finished, it was time for my daughter to try it on. It just wasn’t working. Then an idea hit me… wasn’t sure how I was going to do it, but I saw feathers all over the back somehow attached to the puff/train. To the internets I went and after a bit of surfing, ordered three six-foot 60 gram boas. from Rhode Island Novelty. Why here? Well, they were the only ones that had a red AND black boa.
I spent an hour or two figuring out how I was going to attach them and when I finished, had my daughter try it on again. It was DA Bomb! This is it and the puff/train that it’s attached to is underneath.
Now that the bottom half of the costume was taken care of, it was time to create a top. We already had a vision… a corset of course! After much thought, I decided not to draft a corset and instead used Simplicity 2966.
I had already made a few corsets and I knew the proper way to construct them so I used the pieces of this pattern but did my own thing for all of the construction. I used a Brocade for the outer fabric; underlined this with Coutil that I purchased from Tutu.com; and lined it with black cotton batiste. I think lacing looks cool but I wanted the corset to be a one-person job, in other words, I wanted my daughter to be able to dress herself! I therefore decided to use a 12 inch busk for the front which I purchased from Corsetmaking.com.
Below is a picture of the front of the corset. To finish the edges, I made bias strips to encase them using remains of the black fabric that I used to make the apron/puff/train.
This is what the busk looks like when it is opened.
I put lacing in the back, but it doesn’t have to be undone so it gets to stay put and look cool!
If you are a regular reader, by now you know that I really have a thing for accessorizing my costumes, a condition which all my children seem to have developed… even in their everyday attire! Calley and I decided that the right hosiery was necessary for our version of the Moulin Rouge costume so she chose these from Art of Adornment.
We thought a fan was in order!
And there has to be something to adorn the head so I made this using sinamay, satin, lace, netting, red trim, lots of feathers, a red jewel and rhinestones.
For shoes, she chose these.
And… when you lump it all together.. Voila! You have Lady Calley!
The bustle of boas!
Hair adornment…
And a picture of my lovely daughter that was just too pretty to pass up.
Well… there it is, our version of a Moulin Rouge costume. Next week is zooming in fast and of course the grand finale of my costume presentation… It has taken me months to make this last one and is definitely an eye catcher in the light! Until then…
Salute! Jessica
Read MoreButterick 4827 Medieval Dress
Here is my son in total bliss in the vineyard. You might think it’s because he is spending the afternoon outdoors on a beautiful day. But nope… that’s not it. He is laughing his derriere off because he knows that he’s dragging home 300 MORE pounds of grapes for me to make wine out of! As of today while writing this, I have almost 500 lbs of grapes fermenting in my kitchen! We are going to be very happy people for the next year!
So there it is… since I’m knee deep in grapes, I’m a little bit late posting costume number4 for you but better late than never eh! In my last post, I mentioned that I was going to show you something renaissancey! I should clarify that what I am actually going to show you is medieval. The difference between Renaissance and Medieval is really nothing more than two different periods of time in history with the medieval period coming before the renaissance period. There… now that I have that covered, we are off!
The Butterick 4827 pattern is a very nice put-together medieval dress ensemble.
The only challenges to making it, from my perspective, are in the fitting and putting in the eyelets if you happen to get some of the crappy gold ones that I used! (Sorry to say it but I think they were a Dritz product) They did not set well and so have snaggy edges that are messing up the cording that laces up the back, replacing the need for a zipper. Yes! No zipper, but… be eyelet aware! They have some very nice grommets in assorted colors at corsetmaking.com which I have used since making this dress and they are definitely worth the trouble ordering. Grommets are just a little bit more heavy duty than eyelets but so is a zipper! Oh.. also a bit of warning… since the back laces, you will need help getting dressed AND undressed but that’s none of my business!
For the dress I used drapery fabric, a little heavier than I would have liked and which may have have played a little part in the eyelet disaster, but I loved the look of it and couldn’t resist!
The instructions are pretty easy to follow though I did get tripped up a little when it came time to make the bands that the eyelets are inserted in. The instructions talk about “the band” and it’s not until step 21 when the instructions say to apply eyelets to each band! Maybe I was just having a dork moment but there it is just in case it’s confusing to any of you.
The finished dress has princess seams with a small chapel train built into the length of the back. As I mentioned earlier, the zipper is replaced by lacing down the back.
I made this dress several years ago for an SCA event and at the time did not make a skirt so to give this pattern a fair review, I decided to go ahead and make the skirt. I envisioned some sort of gold taffeta fabric with embroidered somethings on it but the fabric gods were not interested in helping me out! I had to keep reminding myself that it was just a costume so I found myself settling for some gold metallic fabric. I had many reservations, clear up until it was time to cut out my pieces. Following a glass of wine, I decided “who cares!” and started cutting. It was actually really fun sewing with it and I am quite happy with how it turned out. No zipper here either… just a button and buttonhole though you can finish it with hooks or whatever type of fasteners please you.
I loved the look of the belt that the model is wearing on the pattern envelope and assume it is made using the belt pattern pieces included. However… where do you find that kind of fabric?!!! Once again, I detoured and decided to go with something that I had stuffed away in a costume basket. I don’t know where it came from but I think it use to belong to my daughter.
Of course there is footwear that must be considered! I purchased these medieval boots on-line at Costumes of Nashua. You have to scroll down a ways before you see these.
Okay! So there’s the necessary garb for a medieval female. And here she is doing her best to not look too tired! LOL
The fabric of my dress was too heavy to really look good hanging over the gold skirt. Fortunately it is being held up with safety pins that I can easily remove!
No skirt, but now you can see the dress and train.
Of course there is the interesting back…
And one with my hair. Hey… it’s about the only thing that I was born with that I half like! I keep toying with cutting it off though…
And you always have to have a fun one! I was trying to show some boot!
Okay then. That’s it for this week… I hope this is helping give you some ideas for your Halloween debut if you haven’t already set to work creating something fabulous! Next week’s costume line up involves lots of feathers! Will see you then. Now I have to go check on my wine… and have a glass to celebrate finally getting this posted!
Salute! Jessica
Read MoreButterick 5662 with Simplicity 3677 For a Pirate
What you see above is a few of the tools of winemaking. Yep! It’s that time of year. I get to make believe that I am a genius chemist while brewing up my wine (Einstein would roll his eyes!). Tonight the first batch of grape juice gets inoculated and fermentation begins. For the next few weeks, my son Jared and I will be spending time taking temperature readings, punching down the popping up grapes, doing lots of taste tests and drinking a bit of wine and beer in the process! Certainly a good reason to love the fall season, but not the only reason! Besides the winemaking harvesting mash-up that occurs, there is also the cherished evening where everyone dresses up in all sorts of sorts, Halloween!
Yes… it is creeping up fast and I have got to stay on task and do what I said I was going to do. So… this week’s featured costume is my interpretation of a sassy fancy Victorian pirate! It’s made up of 3 different patterns and a few accessory purchases. I think we will start with the Butterick 5662 pattern.
Corsets are a always a good topic for discussion among women. It’s quite entertaining to listen to! Some women absolutely hate the whole idea of them and have a bazillion reasons for why. Then there are those of us, myself included, who have a fascination with them. Why? Well… they are feminine, pretty, and just too cool to not like!
Before we go any further, I should clear up any confusion you may have. In brief, a corset is designed to cinch in or narrow the waist and the bustier, a more modern style, is intended to boost the bust! For me, I really have no interest in the squeezing or boosting part because I just want to feel comfortable. This is certainly do-able with this pattern.
I should also mention that the true traditional corset would use spiral steel boning and either strong cord for lacing or a busk. With regards to the boning, I have used the plastic featherlight boning and it just doesn’t have what it takes like the spiral steel does. As for corset closures, I have tried metal grommets, metal eyelets, creating eyelets by using an attachment for my sewing machine or using a busk such as this one from Corsetmakingsupplies.com.
Photo: Corsetmakingsupplies.com
All of these work but if you apply grommets or metal eyelets and don’t install them properly with the required pliers, they can snag your lacings. (Yes, I have learned this first hand 🙁 ) Corsetmakingsupplies.com does offer grommets that install quite nicely and they do also carry spiral steel boning, cording and lots of other goodies too!
I will buy strong cording by the yard from a fabric store and then cover the tips with shrinkable corset lace tipping which is nothing more than skinny plastic tubing that you melt onto the ends of the cord (another tidbit at Corsetmakingsupplies).
Last but not least, a traditional corset would be made of or at least under-faced between the outside fabric and lining with Coutil. My source for this is Tutu.com.
The Butterick 5662 pattern can be made as a traditional corset using any of the things I just mentioned but you can certainly make it out of whatever you choose. Be prepared however when doing this pattern because if you follow the instructions exactly, you will be making your own boning casings which you sew on the outside! My advice if you want it – get yourself a Clover Bias Tape Maker (range in sizes 1/4 to 2 inches) and will make things easier, especially when pressing your biased cut strips for the casing.
Photo: Clover USA Bias Tape Makers
This is my corset with a view of the inside of the front so you can see how the extension or flap is sewn so that it lies under the cording. I should say that there is a proper way to lace the cording and when you look at my picture… it is NOT done properly!
It ties in both the front and back which is nifty so there is an extension or flap for the back lacing as well.
I made the casings from the same outer fabric of the corset, a brocade.
The front of the corset.
Then there is the Simplicity 3677 coat and pants that we have to talk about!
The coat in the top left corner grabbed my attention and I knew immediately what fabric I was going to use.. a bargain special from the Red Tag section at JoAnn fabric store that I purchased and stuffed away several years ago! It’s sort of a brocade but sort of not. Likely it is a drapery material that has gold metallic embroidery. Being that I am “Queen of Lining”, I lined it in Ambiance or Bamberg though I kind of complicated it more than necessary when working around the godet in the back. It all worked out though.
The sleeves are way to cool! I love the big cuffs. I would so like to just wear this coat with everyday wear. The pattern gives instructions for adding a flap as shown in the picture but I went one step further and also installed pockets. Hey! I needed a place to stash candy!
I saw the pants in my mind so clearly under the coat, in gold… I always have such big visions that sometimes send me landing on my butt! Once again I ended up with none other than drapery fabric I think! The cardboard bolt label had silk printed on it… what kind of silk I know not!
There is the matter of a “doilie shirt”, a name my son Dylan has dubbed them because of his dislike of the ruffles they have. Making mine was sort of a process. I started with making the top from the Simplicity 8855 pattern. Unfortunately it’s no longer available, even in the out of print section of the Simplicity web site though I have seen it offered at various on-line web shops.
It was simple looking and went with the skirt and vest that I also made. However… I needed a pirate shirt so I liberated it from the rest of the outfit and converted it to a “doilie shirt”. I went a bit nuts sewing ruffles all around the neck! Then I decided that it needed color so I dug through my craft drawers and found cording and baubles!
Keeping in mind that my costume is a sassy fancy Victorian pirate, I decided I needed some additional panache so I created a fascinator.
And of course a tricorne for good measure though I did not make this but ordered it from the internets!
There is the stockings and gloves that I just had to have! Compliments of Icing and Claire’s respectively though I do not see them on either on-line web site. I purchased them last year so that is probably why.
So here the sassy fancy Victorian pirate in all her shiz!
The coat has a godet in the center back.
I guess that wraps up this post. For next week I think we will roll the clock back even a little further and try out some renaissance wear! Until then… Adieu! It’s now time to get back to work on our wine!!
Salute! Jessica
Read MoreButterick 4891 Bonaparte Style
Napoleon Bonaparte’s throne
I think most everyone knows who Napoleon Bonaparte is and what you see in the picture above is his throne displayed in the Louve in Paris, France. There is an entire apartment within the Louve dedicated to all things Napoleon and it is breathtaking to see. My son, Jared, loves history and so it was a given that during our last visit to France that we had to visit the Louve and most definitely not miss this!
There is lots to read about Napoleon, lots of history, lots of tidbits which makes him interesting enough to style a costume after… such as the Butterick 4891 pattern.
I thought this would be a fun pattern and costume to share with you and so included it in my scheduled line-up of costume posts. Then when it was time to dig it out of the costume closet and begin writing this article, I experienced several shockers! First, I have discovered that the Butterick website no longer has this pattern. It is not even listed in the out of print section and is spoke of on the internets as a vintage pattern. It’s selling anywhere from $26 to $38 dollars… Qu’est-ce que c’est? (English…What is this!) And secondly, I made this costume for Jared a few years back and… well… his sizing has changed… A LOT! Once again, what I thought would be quick and easy has turned into a laborious job but hey – since I have been making shirts for Jared, I have learned some things about fitting him which has saved my butt!
The jacket was my biggest obstacle to change up. Fortunate for me, while this pattern is considered a historical costume of a Napoleon French Revolution Uniform, it is not exact nor does it use period garment making techniques so I had free range on how I managed the changes. The pattern instructions are easy to follow and the design of it is well put together and an enjoyable sew. For the main part of the jacket, I used a royal blue denim and as per the pattern added a white garbardine overlay to the front. It is a lined jacket and so I chose the only obvious color to line it with… red! I loved working with the contrasting colors and for the first time, sewing on buttons was a treat because that’s when I began to see the jacket really become officially a uniform!
As you can see in the picture above and below, I chose to make the collar in red since that is what all the Napoleon images on the internets show it to be. I think the mandarin style makes it quite attractive. I do wonder though when the mandarin collar was introduced into military fashion. I guess I have a homework assignment!
Given that this is a mens garment, I chose to use big jumbo hooks for closures.
Of course the red cuffs brought it all together.
When I first made this costume, I didn’t do any research to see how close to the real deal it was, I just followed the instructions and made it! Now that I’m back re-doing it, and at the same time searching on-line, I’ve discovered that the shape of the tails, the cuffs, as well as the kind of buttons, etc, may not be correct so you can’t very well call this a true historical period costume but it certainly is easy to adapt it to what you need. For instance, the back of the jacket seemed so plain that I decided to borrow a detail from some of the images I viewed and with some scrap fabric I had left, did this.
Next is the vest. It is simple and quite traditional. As you can see, I did it all in white using the same gaberdine fabric as in the pants and jacket.
The pants are nothing more than two legs with an elastic waist. I hate elastic but when I made these pants, I was following pattern instructions so I just went with it. And… the costume was for my son and I knew he didn’t care one way or the other as long as he had a costume! I thought the Gaberdine fabric I used was too thin so I lined the pants with Bemberg (Ambiance) and this made a big difference. I didn’t take a picture though because… because… I’m a nerd and forgot!
The sash definitely gives this uniform some panache! I used a lining fabric from the JoAnn store that cost me $12.99 a yard and it was not silk! The gold fringe is oh so uniform.
Shoulder boards seemed to be in order as I was re-working this costume. I found a gorgeous pair on a historical costume site for 400.00 euros but… I decided that it might be better to eat and have electricity so decided to try making them myself. This is what I ended up with.
Now – there is the matter of a bicorne hat. Long story short… after spending most of the week rebuilding the costume and another day making the shoulder boards, I decided to bypass the bicorne and get this posted! The hat sure would have made the costume complete but I am choosing not to stress! I think you all would agree with me! 🙂
We dug up a shirt and a pair of boots from our costume collection but for the life of me, I can’t remember where I purchased them from. I do know that I found both on-line. The shirt, my son Dylan calls a “doilie shirt”. You know… like doilies that you put on tables and set nicknacks on! He has an attitude huh! We tried to find medals that looked like what Napoleon wore that wouldn’t cost a fortune… it didn’t happen. It was compromise. I created something from what Jared decided he could accept.
Now it is the time for the man of the hour in all his regalia that his mom made!
On the back are the bands that I added. They are really suppose to be a little longer based off the historical images that I’ve seen but I was working with scraps!
I think the shoulder boards or epaulettes really stand out on the costume.
Probably need to include this one…
Jared is a fencer and so is having a bit of fun here!
Well…it is 4 1/2 weeks until All Hallow’s Eve and I’ve already started counting down! I hope you are enjoying the costumes so far. Next week’s show-and-tell will be a bit of a mix-up… a little bit of pirate, a little bit of Victorian and a whole lot of fun!
Salute! Jessica
Read MoreSimplicity 2172 Rocks Steampunk
Yes in deed! I made it to Oktober Fest and had way to much fun. The Weingarten was fine, however… the Biergarten was a hands down winner! It felt like we did a non-stop conga until the cows came home! There were lederhosens everywhere (mens attire). There were also some very pretty Bavarian maidens wearing their dirndl dresses. All of this Bavarian regalia reminded me of another important up-and-coming event… Halloween! This is my most favorite time of year. It is the one day that you can be whom ever you want and wear a fantastic outfit – or in Halloween terminology, a costume.
Sewing costumes opens the door to the creative part of my mind and I become so involved in the process. I find myself pouring over details. I think that’s why I have fallen madly in love with steampunk and with the Simplicity 2172 pattern.
About 1 1/2 years ago I started making this costume, the jacket to be exact. I had planned on wearing it to the 2012 Mardi Gras in New Orleans except that didn’t happen. Well the Mardi Gras part did, but I never wore the jacket. This has turned out okay though because now I can finish this ensemble exactly the way it’s suppose to be!
The fabric I chose was something I have had for over 15 years! No kidding. I don’t even know what the fabric is exactly but when I purchased it from Sprouse Reitz (don’t think they even exist anymore), I was going to use it to make curtains for a camper! Now that’s rocking steampunk philosophy eh … re-invent, recycle, re-use and make it better!
The pattern includes the jacket, a skirt, and a bustier. They are not the easiest garments to make and no matter the skill level, I think it will take some time so I would advise getting started now if this is what you would like to wear for Halloween 2013. Since I made the jacket some time back, I unfortunately can’t offer up many tips. One thing I might say about it though is that the pattern piece that is provided for making the back tie for lacing is not long enough. In my situation, this may have been because I didn’t want the jacket so wide that laces would have to pull tight to fit so I fit the jacket exactly to my back width. I wanted the lace just to be decorative and so I needed a lot more length.
As for the skirt, get ready to do some pleating… LOTS of pleats, 108 pleats to be exact! There are 9 sections that you will have to sew end-to-end and each will hold 12 pleats, the 12th overlapping onto the next section.
TIP: I did not sew all the sections completely together into a ring or circle. Instead, I left one seam open so that I could work on a flat surface which made things a whole lot easier. It’s a little tricky sewing that last seam once you have the pleats finished because there’s a lot of bulk but I still say it’s worth it. It’s totally up to you though. There is no wrong way, just what ever ways works the best for you. I made snips at each pattern marked pleat along the top when cutting out the sections but I didn’t snip on the bottom because you have to sew in the hem before making pleats. The pleats are each 1 inch. Once you start, it doesn’t take long to find your groove!As you can see in the picture, I used chalk. Chalk is your friend!
In the picture below, I have started pleating.
When I was done pleating and pinning, I laid the whole “shabang” on my sewing table that fits my sewing machine.
The best thing I can advise is to relax, be patient and realize that when you are done, you will feel like you have done something amazing!
The pattern instructions tell you to iron the pleats in before basting but I decided to baste them first. When I finished with the basting, I laid the pile of pleats gently on my ironing board and section by section, I removed the pins and ironed as I went. The thing that kept flashing in my mind was how much work it would be to iron all these pleats back in if I ever launder the skirt! Maybe I’ll be lucky and the pleats will stay even after a cleaning. Sheesh…given my luck though, this is probably a NOT!
So here they are all finished!
I was so fascinated with the pleats that I kept taking pictures! I know! I”m a dork!
So as to not mess up my nicely pressed pleats, I made the main skirt with the yoke and waist band separately and when they were finished… then I sewed on the pleat section. After I did this, the skirt was finished! I did have to remove a part of one section of pleats however because I shortened the skirt and I didn’t take into account that the width of the skirt would change at the bottom. However, trying to figure how this would play into the length needed of the pleat section would likely have broke my brain!
So the next order of business was the bustier. I have made more than a few bustiers and corsets and so happen to have on hand a number of corset making supplies. One of my favorite places to buy all my special goodies is Delicious LLC., Corsetmakingsupplies.com. They have pretty much anything you need. The Simplicity 2172 bustier is a really nice design. The finished front bottom reminds me of a vest and looks really spiffy under the jacket. Instead of interfacing, I used Coutil which is a fabric intended for corsets, etc. For the boning I used spiral steel boning that I purchase by the yard as well as the casing that holds it. You can buy metal ends to cover the boning after you cut it since it is pointy, but I have trouble getting them to stay on so I put glue on the ends instead. Below is a picture of the inside of the bustier after I sewed in my casings and put in the steel boning. I sewed the lining to the top, then trimmed the seam and pressed the lining flat like it would be when finished because I thought it might look better in the end. Alas… in the end I don’t think this was necessary but now I know.
I did change up the way I installed the zipper because I wanted it more hidden though this made things a bit challenging… not to mention that my separating zipper was a MASSIVE white plastic one! (I should have known better!)
And the front…
Now… remember how I feel about details. If I am a steampunk lady, then my ensemble will not be complete without accompanying the bustier with drawers! Yes, that’s what they were called. Edwardian drawers to be exact. Maybe you know them by the name “bloomers”. The pattern I used to make my drawers was the Folkwear 203 pattern.
The drawers in this pattern have plackets on each side, similar to long sleeve shirts. So far, I stink at plackets which is why I have been stalling making long sleeve shirts. Also, it is recommended to finish the seams using flat felling. I figured out that if I make a whole bunch of drawers, it might help me with my shirtmaking! Hmmm…
So this is the finished placket on one side. Notice that the back waist band folds over the front waist band (yes, they are separate) and fastens onto the button sewed on the front. The placket with the point is sewn on the back and so is not connected to the front. I am sorry but I forgot to get a picture showing how they open up… Crap!
For the flounce, I decided to use some lacy fabric that I have had FOR-E-VER! The width was not quite what the pattern called for but hey… remember – this is steampunk and so you re-use, re-cycle and re-invent!
And now, last but not least, the finishing touches… A mini Top-Hat which I am still working out the bugs on… like a way to easily pin it on my head, myself!
Decorative goodies…all the parts I found at a Super JoAnn store on the 60 to 75% discount racks which was so totally awesome!
And the perfect shoes! Where did I get them? I’ve seen them on various sites but I purchased mine at Clockwork Couture.
Okay… so now I need to show you the real deal and since I made it all, I guess I will show it all! My pesty spammers are probably going to really give me fits but hey, a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do!
So here is my bustier and my drawers…
Now for the rest of the ensemble! Mind you I was in a bit of a hurry and so unfortunately forgot my lace fingerless gloves and walking stick which would have made the outfit so complete. Oh well… doodoo happens!
The back of course…
And the only prop I could think of was a phone. It’s not steam powered machinery but it’s sort of techy, I guess!
So there you have it. Simplicity 2172 rocking steampunk. If you decide to make any or all of the pieces in this pattern and you have any questions, please e-mail me or post a comment. I will help you anyway I can.
We have about 6 more weeks before Halloween which means I will be delivering up 6 more costumes for you to view! Be sure and come back to check it out. Next week is mens week! Until then…
Salute! Jessica
Read MorePattern Review McCalls 6705
Well it’s September and you know what that means… yeah, summer is about over and school is starting but that’s not what I was thinking. The end of August and beginning of September means that the peaches have finally ripened on the trees and are ready for picking. An alternative band, The Presidents of the United States of America, rocked a song about peaches so I know I’m not the only one that’s got a thing for them! My children are also caught up in the peach frenzy so they most willingly helped me last Sunday, after our morning brunch, can 28 quarts of Canadian Harmony peaches and cook 16 jars of jam. The almost 80 pounds of peaches that we blanched, peeled, pitted and halved or chopped are now nestled in their jars and will rest in the pantry until their debut this winter. Yummy… can’t wait. Incidentally, peach jam is bodacious on scones!
So yeah, Summer is about over and for us Oregonians, the imminent rain will be arriving before long, but… I actually do look forward to the season change because this means having to spend more time indoors and getting back in full swing with my sewing. My projects have backed up on me, a basket full to be exact, and it’s going to take a bit to catch up. I’ve still managed to get a few things finished though, one being the McCall’s 6705 top which my daughter has been patiently waiting the whole summer for (I’m glad she loves me). Maybe I should rephrase my words a little and say that I made the top and THEN re-made it again! Stay with me and I will explain.
This is the McCall’s 6705 pattern.
It is designed for knit fabrics and the word “easy” on the pattern I can agree with! The instructions are easy to follow, only 3/4 of a page!
The fabric I used was a red t-shirt type of knit and for the lace overlay, a red stretch lace.
A useful tip: Baste the lace overlay onto the top, all around, and stitch the inner edges along the stitch line (1/4 inch) BEFORE sewing the front and back together. However, don’t baste and sew the lace clear to the edge of where the side seams will be; stop about 2 inches before reaching them. Remember, the lace overlay has to go over the side seams so you will have to fold it out of the way when you sew each of the side seams. With the first top I made, I did it per the pattern instructions, the 2nd time around I did it this way and it was a lot easier to stitch the majority of the inner edge of the lace before the front is sewn to the back. And when I had to finish stitching the overlay that goes over the side seams, there was a lot less sewing to contend with so it went pretty smoothly. (I still haven’t explained the top #1 and top #2 but it’s coming!)
If you choose to apply the lace to the front first – remember not to baste and stitch edge of lace near the side seams. You can finish doing this after sewing the side seams.
A close-up of the basting in front.
After you sew the side seams, you can then baste the remaining lace overlay and then stitch it down permanently. The pattern directions aren’t just for directions! I inserted them between the front and back to make it easy to baste.
Okay… so this is where my dilemma started. I didn’t care for how the neck and arm bands were styled. There are 2 bands, one wider than the other, that are applied as one to the neck and each arm hole. They are a raw edge finish.
For the last several years, many RTW (ready-to-wear) tops have been made in this same fashion and quite frankly, I think its crappy looking! No doubt it’s probably part of the trendy shabby chic look that is great when all you want to do is put on some comfy kick around clothes when you are canning peaches or something else messy and work intense but… I don’t want that look on garments that “I” make! That’s just plain wrong! Against my better senses though I went ahead and made the neck and arm bands the way the pattern instructions were given so I could live to tell about it! In the end, I was not happy… not happy at all but it wasn’t the unfinished raw edges that were bugging me, it was trying to sew the 2 bands as one onto the neck and armholes and getting the finished edges equal widths from one another all the way around. If that sounds confusing, I’m sorry, but I think it’s one of those things where you have to do it to really understand.
Anyways, after I finally felt I had those damn things sewn on the best I could manage (cuz that’s how I felt about them), I was nearing the end. It was now time to cut the fabric off from underneath the lace and hem the top. It must have taken me a half hour or more to so very carefully cut that fabric off and when I was nearing the end… the last little section… those nasty evil scissors took control and snipped a substantial hole in the lace!
It was over! The four letter words came spilling out. I hated my Kai scissors even though I loved them before I started cutting the fabric from underneath the lace. I was more than pissed! I contemplated many things in that moment… chopping the damn thing to pieces with my evil scissors, burning it, or better yet, laying it out in the street and letting the cars have their way with it. Then… after a deep breath and a little dread for fear of her disappointment, I went to tell my daughter what I had done. All she said was “that’s a bummer.” Okay… wasn’t sure how to react to that! Did this mean she understood or did she just not care. It was a trap! It was then my turn to say something. So I did what I thought was the mature thing to do and said – I have enough fabric to make another one if you would like me to. She was thrilled that I was willing but wondered if we could do something different with the finished look of the neck and arms. Now that’s my girl! She has taste!
When I made the 2nd top, to change up the finished neck and armhole edges, I decided to just sew on bands like you see on a t-shirt. To do this, I took tracing paper and traced over the wider width neck and armhole bands but re-drew the pattern width of 1 1/4 inches to 2 1/2 inches. The original band is 5/8 inch wide with a 5/8 seam equaling 1 1/4 inches so by doubling this you end up with a width of 2 1/2 inches. After cutting them out, I just sewed the ends of each band together and then folded them in half lengthwise, wrong sides together so you have a circle and then applied them to the neck and armholes just like in the pattern instructions.
This is the neck band when finished…
And the arm bands…
Then it was time… being ooooh so careful, I cut the fabric off from behind the lace and it was a success. Absolutely no holes!
Well, there you have it. The photo shoot commenced this morning and I am happy to share with you the finished McCall’s 6705 top with my daughter wearing it!
The right side…
And the left side.
And one just because!
Calley really likes this top and wants one… or two… with long sleeves to wear this winter. Minus the lace overlay of course which is just fine by me!
I have mentioned it before, but as a news update – with October creeping up and Halloween in its grasp, costumes are going to be my focus in some of my up and coming articles! Hope you enjoy them. As for September events, the October fest at Mt. Angel here in Oregon is next weekend and yes… I am going, with my sons! They have a r-e-a-l-l-y big wine garden!
Salute! Jessica
Read MorePattern Review Simplicity 2703
Hope you all are enjoying your summer. Likely taking a holiday to some special place…the beach, the mountains, going home to another state or country, or visiting family and friends you haven’t seen for a while. If so, tell them I said hi! 🙂 As for me, well – not seeing a holiday in the near future… there just seems to be more work that needs to be done! My herbs, flowers, bushes and grass are in constant need of watering, especially in the 90 degree days we seem to be having quite a bit of. Who said we were approaching an ice age? Honestly though, I’m not really complaining because I love doing these seasonal things. It means that I get to spend more time outdoors, I get to appreciate the smell of flowers (though there is something with hot days and dog poop that I don’t especially appreciate) and I also get to do my yearly canning. Canning, you ask? What’s that! You know, I think it’s becoming a lost art. I was fortunate enough to learn it from my grandmother. I remember my visits to her house so clearly. The first thing I always did was hit the pantry, strategically planning my meals based on what grandma had canned since my last visit. My favorite was peaches! Naturally my children have been indoctrinated into canning and will help me (most of the time) when the fruits and vegetables start rolling in. Every year the pantry gets filled with the usual items for the winter months; peaches of course, raspberry, strawberry and boysenberry jam, apple butter, spaghetti sauce, spicy tomato and mango chutney, and of course pickled dill green beans which explains the picture above.
Somewhere though in all of this chaos, I still manage to find time to do my sewing which brings me to my latest project, a dress I made using the Simplicity 2703 pattern.
I bought the pattern back in February or March, I think, and then added it to my “collection” and forgot about it. I hope I’m not the only one that does that! Anyways, then in the beginning of June, when I was buying fabric for the McCall’s 6745 dress that I made, I stumbled across another fabric that I had no idea what I would do with but had to have. Now I know I’m not the only one that does that! There was only 2 1/6 yards left and I made it mine. So last week when it was time to start a new project, I pulled out this fabric and pondered again on what I should do with it. I contemplated designing something of my own, but it was hot, I was tired and so I decided to take the easy road and rummage through my pattern “collection” (notice how I’m avoiding the word stash – collection sounds more artsy fartsy!). Lo and behold, I found the Simplicity 2703 pattern and wow…my fabric looked almost the same! The point here is to say that I didn’t mean to do that! But… since it happened, I decided to go all the way and I even added the two rows of twill tape. So here’s the fabric which turned out to NOT be fine cotton which I had originally thought but instead sateen. The white fabric is a pongee.
The pongee is for the lining. Yes… I am a liner! I don’t line my garments to hide ugly seams since I am pretty particular with how I finish seams. I like to consider myself sort of an “haute couture” kind of girl. I should be clear though that I don’t always use haute couture techniques for finishing seams, but I am fussy. There is something about a lined garment that gives me the feeling of quality – maybe it’s what the RTW (ready-to-wear industry) has done to me! But it’s also that it just feels nicer to wear. I like to use china silk, but when I”m not sure I’m going to like a garment I’m making, I hesitate to splurge and spend the extra money so pongee is always my fall back. At $3 to $4.99 a yard, it’s a no brainer! Pongee does sort of feel like silk to me, is nice to sew and since this makes me happy I’m good with it!
It is such a pain in the derriere every time I start a new sewing project because there is a whole fitting process that I have to go through. My shoulder width across the front is about 1/2 narrower than most standard patterns, my bust cup size is somewhere between an A and a B and my torso length is about an inch shorter, especially noticeable in the back if I don’t shorten the pattern pieces in length. I have learned this through trial and ERROR! Depending on the style line, all of these details can be easy to remedy or become challenging. This dress did create a bit of a challenge for me because the darting happens in the neck line. I started off thinking I might not like this dress but after three muslins, I finally nailed it down and thought otherwise.
The pattern instructions are easy to follow. I did make one change – I added a skirt lining made from my white pongee by sewing it to the bodice facings that I cut out of the dress fabric.
The back tripped me up a bit. I initially sewed darts in the skirt back lining and then when I went to attach it to the bodice back facing, the skirt part was too narrow. It was a total DERP moment! I removed the darts, though now have dart markings that hopefully will wash out but hey… now they fit together perfectly!
Whether it was the fabric or the pattern, or both, sewing this dress went very smoothly other than the lining foo-bar. I wish all my sewing creations went this way. (I’ve still not gotten over the experience of sewing the Simplicity 1797 dress) As to some of the details – here is the bodice showing the neck line pleats and the two rows of 1 inch twill tape. The pattern calls for 1/2 inch but I wanted the trim to be more bold! What’s new huh!
Here is a close up of the neck line pleats.
The dress closes on the left side with a zipper. I used my favorite, an invisible zipper and so I did not sew the fabric and lining seams below it until after it was installed.
Well there you have it – a dress made from the the Simplicity 2703 pattern.
Now the moment of truth, a picture of moi wearing it.
The back of course!
And one for fun!
So there it is, another new dress! A special event is coming up this next month that I might wear it to unless I think of something else before then… it’s called “Dragging the Gut”. My youngest son and daughter are going to drive their cars and I’ll drive mine of course. Probably have some friends join our herd and we’ll all drag the gut for part of the evening, along with hundreds of others on a route that will take us down a main street of a town we live near. After a bit of dragging we will cruise on back home, have dinner and I will indulge myself with a glass of wine! Or maybe two! A hot August night adventure … can’t wait!
Salute! Jessica
Read More
Pattern Review McCall’s 6751
Well I made it to the Blues Festival this last weekend and it was fabulous! There were so many different blues artists playing on stages all over the park in downtown Portland. At midday on Saturday, my chicadees and I left land and stepped on the Portland Spirit and took a blues cruise down the Willamette River. The Sister Cruise, it was called, with blues singing sisters that rocked that boat! For a short spell, we stepped out on the lower back deck to see some sights and that’s when I took the above picture. I wonder what it would be like to live in a houseboat? Lived on a sailboat once for about six months (that’s another story!) but I don’t think that’s the same.
Anyways, I wore my latest dress, the McCall’s 6745 halter dress for this day and guess what? It happened again. When I was standing on the deck taking my pictures, the wind whooshed in and blew up the hem of my dress, I mean UP! It took me a couple of seconds to realize, but by then it was too late! I quickly grabbed the skirt of my dress and pushed it down, turned around and there was an elderly woman and her husband sitting in chairs watching me. I asked her how much I flashed and she said “well, quite a bit, but don’t worry, it didn’t look bad.” Hmmm… I wasn’t sure what she was saying but with as much dignity as I could muster, while holding onto my skirt, I gave my best smile and headed back into the cabin.
Maybe I should have worn a top and shorts instead of “the flashing dress” to the Blues Festival… if I had, I think I might have worn my new McCall’s 6751 top.
Mind you, I haven’t made the top shown above – it is top B. I made top A which shares the same front, but has a different back. Below is the drawings that includes top A.
Since the pattern is drafted for x-small through XX-large, I decided to throw my fate to the wind, pass on sewing a muslin, and just cut and sew! I was using some fabric that I had in my stash so other than the time I would spend sewing it, I wouldn’t be out anything so why not. I usually wear a size small so I decided to stay with this size, but I did adjust the pattern pieces to be medium at the waist because sometimes RTW (ready-to-wear) tops tend to be a smidge tighter in this area than I like.
The fabric that I used is a pale pink rayon and has a slight stretch to it. I didn’t particularly like sewing it. It was kind of like sewing peach skin fabric which I will never be sewing again, don’t like to sew that stuff at all! This rayon was not quite that bad, nonetheless, the 2 yards I have left may never see my sewing machine.
The pattern instructions are really easy to follow, however, I am not real fond of the finishing technique used for the neck and armholes. Maybe it’s me, but I cannot get a nice finish in these curved areas by simply folding the fabric into a narrow hem. The second technique they suggest is to use bias tape. I am not a big fan of packaged bias tape – yes, I have used it, but it feels and looks sort of cheezy to me. Instead of either of these, I opted to make my own bias tape, which I made from the pink rayon and used my Clover Bias Tape Maker.
It comes in two sizes, 1/2 and 1/4 inch. I have the 1/2 inch. Using this little gadget is the easy part of making your own bias tape. The work comes with cutting out your strips and sewing them together. An important point in your success is making sure you cut every strip a width of exactly 1 inch. Sewing it to the neck and arms can be a bit tricky too, especially with certain fabrics like pale pink rayon.
When it was time to apply the bias tape, I baled on the instructions and attempted to do my own thing. While writing this review and re-reading the pattern instructions, I now realize that I made it harder than it had to be so I will not even explain what I did but I’m such a dork! You can still follow theirs using your own bias tape and be just fine.
I wanted to add my own touch so I opted on making a pocket different than the one given with the pattern. This is what I ended up with.
The back is interesting. I’ve seen lots of tops in clothing stores in this style and really like the look.
Wearing them is sort of different though. Still not sure what I think, but this is it.
And then there is the front view of course!
I still haven’t decided whether I want to make top B or let it rest. If I did make it, I’d get more practice making bias tape and applying it… hmm… guess I will be making top B after all! When we started our photo-shoot, my daughter informed me that she wants one of these too. I guess you know what that means… it’s time to start drinking this glass of wine!
Salute! Jessica
Read MorePattern Review McCall’s 6745
We are having a heat wave here in Oregon, first one for the summer and given that this is Oregon, it could be the only one. Some dismiss us Oregonians as whiny because our warmest days don’t usually get much higher than 99 to 103, but keep in mind that we have few of them, so how can we get use to them. AND there are many of us who do not have air conditioning! Why? Well, most of the time we are wearing fleece so why do we need air conditioners?!! This is heat wave day 4 (89 , 91, and 95 for the last 3 days) and my house is barely cooling down enough to be able to sleep at night. I have looked so forward to the summer because I was tired of cold and rain… I am determined not to get grouchy, to stay positive, to stay cooooool. Speaking of cool, this weekend is the Blues Fest in downtown Portland and since the temperature prediction is the high 80’s, I plan on wearing a dress that I recently finished, one that I really love, made with the McCall’s 6745 pattern.
I think what fascinated me most about this dress pattern was that piping was used to trim the bodice. Piping creates a look that has always caught my eye when it is sewn into a garment. I have used it enough times that I eventually purchased a piping foot for my sewing machine and it makes the job much easier. The pattern instructions say to use a zipper foot…I don’t know about that. I would love to hear from anyone that has tried sewing piping with one.
This is what my piping foot looks like. I have a Husqvarna 750 Platinum.
It took me over a month to find fabric that I could see this dress in. I loved the colors in the fabric of the dress shown on the pattern envelope but I’m not big on the southwest look. I do love teals as well as the deep cobalt blue that I’ve been seeing in lots of RTW (ready to wear) garments shown in magazines but alas, no printed fabrics with these colors in either fabric stores or on-line fabric stores. What’s with that! I probably know why but I won’t go there because it could cause me to rant.
I eventually decided on this, far from blue, but I really love this color too. (wow-I just rhymed) The fabric is fine cotton and for the lining I chose a salmon colored voile.
Before cutting into my beautiful fabric, I did what has become habit, made a muslin. With experience I have learned how much circumference I need for my hips and waist so I chose not to make the skirt part of the dress, just the bodice. Thank goodness because there was naturally a fitting issue. It seems to always be the same for me, the area just above the bust and next to the armhole. I need a size 8 everywhere but this spot. I decided to try something different since up until now I have remedied this problem by making adjustments to either the shoulder and/or center front neck, though neither really fix the problem that well. I have to share this even though this is suppose to be a pattern review because it was a major revelation for me!
I first traced the front pattern bodice piece on tracing paper. Next, I marked a spot 2 inches up from where the armhole starts. From here, I made a second mark 1/4 inch further up from this mark. Using these two marks, I created a dart drawing a line from each all the way to the top point of the waist dart. After briefly admiring my lovely new dart, I cut it out! I then drew a line from the bottom of the waist dart at the center between the two dart legs, all the way up to almost the tip of the lovely new dart I cut out, leaving a smidgen of tissue paper to act as a hinge. (the standard method is to cut the waist dart leg closest to the side seam but I was was in experimental mode, and being a rule breaker, as usual!) Using the hinge, I then swung the section of bodice nearest center outwards closing my lovely dart! Essentially what I did here was to remove the extra fullness at the armhole I didn’t want by first drawing in a dart that would remove it but then moving that dart and it’s fullness to the waist dart. It was then the final test. I made a 2nd muslin and when I tried it on, I tasted sweet success (like eating chocolate if you are chocoholic like me). It worked!
I love chocolate!
Now back to our review. The pattern instructions are clear enough to understand, but I would consider this pattern to be an intermediate skill level, partly due to the piping, but also because of the pivoting that happens in the center front of the bodice and all the pleating in the skirt. I am not sure if I pivoted properly, but did achieve a look I could live with. It might have been easier if piping had not been involved! (Sounds like I’m dancing)
The darts are to be cut open and ironed flat. By doing this, you distribute the extra fabric of the dart evenly creating balance. This is an haute couture technique which I love, but you certainly need to be sure that you have done your fitting because once it’s cut, there’s no changing anything!
I basted the piping to the bodice but had a difficult time removing the thread after sewing the bodice and bodice lining together. I used the loosest stitch my machine sews. I try to always remove any temporary basting after the final seam is sewn because the fabric seems to lay smoother, especially when there are a number of layers.
With the bodice finished, I was ready to move on to the skirt. Be warned, you will need some patience for this. I made all my markings for the pleats on the wrong side of the fabric but the picture instructions show you how to do the pleats on the right side of the fabric. Maybe the best way to do this would be to make tailor tacks (marking all the large and small dots with thread) on the right side but because I was not paying a lot of attention to the pictures when I first read the instructions, I missed this kind of important detail. There was a whole lot of pinning and I think a whole lot of swearing going on and fortunately the fabric I was using was forgiving of the pins and me!
The two back pieces each have four pleats.
The front has two double (yes double) pleats on each side of center.
Here is a close up so you can see what I mean when I say double. It may be a bit confusing looking at the picture, but the main point here is that I want you to know that two pleats are stacked on one another which I found sort of confusing at first when following the instructions. I need to find out the techy way of putting pointers on my pictures so your eyes are directed to what I’m talking about. I’ll get there, soon, promise 🙂
I was a little worried about the thinness of my fabric and the skirt without a lining since it was not called for but when I finally finished my skirt, I knew exactly why there was no lining. And I certainly didn’t need to worry about see through. There’s a lot of fabric in that skirt, especially when it came to having to hem it. I made a 1 inch hem instead of a 5/8 inch like the pattern recommends since dresses are usually too long for me. Now I wish I would have made it a 2 inch hem but it took me an hour to sew by hand so I think I’m good with how it is!
So here’s my dress!
And the back.
Notice the interesting color line on my back. Got this after 20 minutes in the sun watering my plants on Saturday. Lots of Aloe Vera Gel for the first 24 hours!
So there it is – McCall’s 6745. I’m not sure if it’s the fabric or the style of dress but I feel girly when I wear it. Several weeks ago I wore it to an American Sewing Guild Garment Lunch and when I left the restaurant, the wind caught my skirt and blew it up. I mean UP! It was sort of a Marilyn Monroe moment but I wasn’t feeling very Marilyn. I was worried more that someone saw my butt! Oh well – it made for an interesting moment. Wonder what I should expect this next weekend at the Blues Festival. Part of the day I will be on a boat cruise floating up the Willamette River listening to Blues singing women and drinking wine and the remainder of the day sitting in my beach chair, listening to more blues singers and socializing. Hmm…I’ll have to get back to you on that!
Salute! Jessica
Read MorePattern Review McCall’s 6754
When I first saw the Eiffel Tower, I was awestruck. It was gargantuous! No doubt I looked like the typical tourist at the time, snapping away on my camera, picture after picture. It was a magical moment for me that is hard to describe and one that I will never forget. So when I saw the McCall’s 6754 pattern with the model standing in front of a back drop picture of the Eiffel Tower, there was no question… I had to get that pattern. Yeah for me that it happened to be a dress – I love dresses because they are so feminine and to me, this dress had a look of french-ness, especially with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
The pattern is designed for knits and instructions suggest a stretch lace specifically for dress B, the adorable one shown on the envelope. It’ rated as an “easy” pattern and I would agree, however, if you plan on making dress B with stretch lace, get ready for a LOT of hand sewing. Both the dresses and tops require 1/4 inch wide elastic in the waist. I personally do not like using elastic because it feels to me like I am cheapening the quality of a garment that I have poured my heart and a lot of time into. But… the design utilizes the waistband seam allowance as the casing to hold the elastic so it is a lot less intrusive to the outside appearance which eased my mind quite a bit.
For a test, I decided to first make the sleeveless top that’s like dress B from some left over knit fabric that I had when I made McCall’s 6708 sweater.
It fit quite nice aside from the neckline in both the front and back which hung so low that my bra was sticking out majorly, a demi-bra that shows some cleavage! I wasn’t sure what to attribute this to. It could have been a combination of things: the knit fabric I was using, my shoulders may be more sloped downward than I thought, or just maybe the pattern size I was using was to big. Whatever it was, I managed to repair this problem somewhat in this top through shortening the shoulder straps but decided that when I made the dress, I would add 3/4″ to the neckline on both the front and the back and definitely do a fitting right after assembling the bodice to the skirt before I started finishing the neck and armhole edges.
After looking at myself wearing this, I think I will take the elastic out of the waist.
Now that I was armed and dangerous, I went to what I thought would be a decently stocked fabric store to get some gorgeous stretch lace and 60 inch wide tricot for my french-ness dress. Mind you I was really hoping to find fabric just like what was used for the dress shown on the pattern envelope. I bombed! There was only one lace that was stretchy, 60 inches wide and red…too red and I would later discover, really snaggy!
Then there was the 60″ wide tricot that I needed… well forget that! There was nothing, nada, zilch, zip, zero in white. It was suggested by one of the ladies at the fabric store that I try using swimsuit fabric which I did. DON’T DO IT! I think it is too heavy and the skirt of the dress will not have that billowy or light flouncy look you see on the envelope.
So… moving right along, remember all that hand sewing I was talking about? It starts when you are done cutting out the lace pieces AND the underlining pieces. ALL the lace pieces have to be basted to their matching underlining pieces (in stitches that can easily be removed) and then handled as single pieces. I did not take pictures to share because I was too busy basting and forgot! I used green thread that looked obnoxious which was my intention because then I could easily see it to remove it! When I finished, I begin the assembling.
For finishing the seams, I decided to pink the seam allowances so there would be less bulk. I think I need new pinking shears because they kept catching on the two fabrics.
After attaching the bodice to the skirt, I was ready for the moment of truth…would the front and back neckline adjustments be positioned properly and would the shoulder straps be where they were suppose to be? YES!!!!! All was right in the world EXCEPT… I did not like the red over-lay look nor did I like the way the skirt hung. Remember what I said earlier about the fabrics I used? The way too red snaggy lace and the heavy swimsuit fabric… Well there was nothing I could do. The dress was almost done. I would not blame myself I decided. These were the only fabrics available to me at the time and being the determined person that I am, I gave them a whirl. Now I felt like whirling the damn dress into the garbage! But… I decided I would be better than that. I would think positive… see the glass still half full! I had successfully made a dress hadn’t I? It fit perfectly, and as my daughter timidly added, “it would be real nice to wear for a day on the beach”. Okay – so there it was. It’s not a french-ness dress, it’s a “beach-ness” dress and I can live with that, I think? So all that was left now was to sew in the hem.
Oh yes, more hand sewing, lots more hand sewing! Why not use the machine? Well… early on I had decided that the lace overlay would have a richer look if it didn’t have machine stitches in it which proved true when I hand sewed the neckline and armholes. Therefore, I decided to hand sew the hem as well. It took a while but eventually I finished. I then hung the dress in my closet for a few days before looking at it again to decide how I felt about it. With a little reluctance, I decided to have the official photo shoot so you could decide for yourself. Is it a “french-ness” dress or a “beach-ness” dress?
Personally, I have concluded that it is definitely a red wine drinking dress so with that… it’s time for a glass of Pinot Noir!
Salute! Jessica
Read MorePattern Review McCalls 6561
A table fit for Mother’s Day
When we went into Joann’s fabric store to look at patterns I had this funny feeling. As we sat and perused the pages of the McCall’s pattern catalog, I watched her scanning, looking for that perfect…unique dress and when I saw her zero in on it, I knew right then that I had my work cut out for me. My daughter chose McCall’s 6561. Don’t misunderstand me. I have nothing against the pattern, they definitely had a cool idea in mind but… 10 pieces just to make the bodice? Just saying.
McCall’s 6561
Needless to say, she had her heart set on it and so I said yes! So the first thing I did was make a muslin. Remember those 10 pieces! We tried it on her and I had an “Oh Crap” moment. I made the muslin up in a size 4 but my daughter is like trying to dress a pencil!
She is lovely, healthy and the eating machine in my household. How she gets away with it I have no idea. Her brothers harbor a little resentment since they have to count their calories, as do I. Somehow she manages to maintain a 24″ waist! We’ll see just how many years this lasts. (that sounds evil huh)
Well… anyways, besides the fact that my daughter is a pencil and size 4 was too large, she was still fuller busted than the pattern allowed for so I had to do some major pattern changes to all 10 pieces! It took me two muslins before I got it right!
While it doesn’t say it on the envelope, if you look at it on McCall’s website, it is considered “easy”! Well yeah…it’s easy to understand how to sew it; the instructions are pretty clear. But it’s a “sewer beware” pattern. I think most of the difficulty lies in the fitting but for new sewers, I think constructing the bodice is not a cake walk. If any of you readers are new to sewing and have already taken on this challenge and did it, I have two words to say to you.. You ROCK!!
Anyways, with the fitting out of the way, we were ready to choose fabric. It was a unanimous vote, white with a splash of red. The fabric is white embroidered cotton and the lining which Calley chose is a white silk cotton. We found some beautiful red satin trim but my concern here was whether it would bleed onto the white fabric when it’s laundered so several pieces had to undergo testing. Cold water brought out red making the water pink, but hot water was worse. I decided to wash the trim in my washing machine on gentle cycle, hang to dry and press it before applying to the dress. (Heavy sigh; more work)
After pre-shrinking all the fabric, I was ready to start construction. Assembling the bodice wasn’t too bad though like I mentioned earlier, there were several pivots in the top and bottom of the front pieces that took me a bit but eventually I got them.
I took this close-up picture so you could get a good look at the bottom pivot on the center front. I fussed with this one the most.
The main bodice is sewn to a gathered skirt and then there is a bodice lining that is sewn to a second or contrast gathered skirt. Suffice it to say, there was a whole lot of gathering going on! It wasn’t hard, just time consuming.
I decided to hand sew the red trim around the waist after the dress was constructed. I did try top-stitching it on first but I didn’t like the look.
To break up the layers, I sewed red satin trim on the top skirt.
And here it is being worn by my daughter.
The back of the dress…
And a just because picture!
The dress was a success, especially because it’s what Calley wanted but I am not real keen on making a 2nd or 3rd one. Unfortunately I think she wants more of them and since she let me make her something versus buying it, how can I say no? I’ll make 10 if I have to. 🙂 I truly love being her and her two brothers mom, and sewing for them is such an honor to me. You can expect to see more of my family creations in the future.
With that, I think I will now go and enjoy Mother’s Day with my children. If you are a mother, a child who has a mother, or know someone who is like a mother to you, take advantage of the opportunity today to give your love. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but today is here, so live it to it’s fullest. That being said, I’m now signing off to go and enjoy a glass, or two, of champagne!
Salute! Jessica
Read MoreButterick See and Sew 5741
When you look at the above picture, you are suppose to think I am draping but I actually have absolutely no idea what I am doing! However, hopefully I will know when I finish with the draping classes I registered for a little over a month ago. I’m so excited! There is not a definition for draping in my 1978 Webster dictionary though under drape it reads “arrangement in or of folds. Then there is the on-line Merriam Webster version that says that “draping is a present participle of drape”. I guess this means that soon I will be “present participel-ing” fabric into a garment! I can’t wait.
I received a student supply list when I registered, so I have been rounding up all the things I am required to have. Of course I was gong to need something to put all of it in and that’s when I remembered a pattern I had, Butterick See and Sew 5741.
I bought this pattern about a year ago thinking that I would do a sew-along with my kids for something cool to do. It’s a good thing I never got around to doing that because I would have probably ruined our wonderful relationships! I don’t think the construction of the bag is quite as easy as the Butterick designers claim it to be.
The fabric I chose is Home Decor…
I fell in love with the purple because it made me think of my blog site (what a dork huh!) and I thought the stripes would be a complementing contrast for the lining and the variations I was planning. (I can never leave a pattern design alone, I’m always messing with it, I don’t know why?)
The bag instructions are easy to understand, but the further into the project you get, the more challenging it seems to become. Admittedly, part of the difficulty might have been my doing. One of the materials called for is hair canvas. I have felt it once in a store 40 miles from where I live, but I couldn’t remember how stiff it was so I opted to head to the local Joann’s and see what they had. I ended up buying Pellon Peltrex 70 Ultra-firm stabilizer. (It sounds like something dangerous!) It turns out it was. My headache really started once I had to assemble the pieces. The worse was when I was nearing the end and still had to do the top stitching on the handles and around the top edges. Words were flying along with spools of thread and various other objects that happened to be to close to my working space.
As to those variations I was talking about…I decided to change the fabric of one of the end pockets from the main fabric to the fabric I used as lining (Piece #5). I did this too for the band that goes across two of the sides (Piece #3 that is barely printed on the tissue).
That narrow band incidentally, was a b…. bear to sew! You had to stitch across 4 layers of home decor fabric which is rather heavy.
Well this is it… I was after firmness and boy did I get it. The handles hold themselves up!
My #5 pocket that is the same fabric as the lining…
And that nasty little band…
I’m really happy with how it turned out despite the Peltex 70 accident! It is an awesome “TOTE” bag. Mind you, nowhere on the envelope did I see the word “tote” bag. I did read that the finished size was 12 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ x 9″ and I did look at a ruler and contemplate this. A “tote” bag caution sign never started flashing before my eyes so I didn’t give it another thought. I just hit the “see and sew” road and never looked back!
Now I am all ready to go to my draping class…
I got to thinking though… it sure would be a bodacious “tote” bag for carrying all the french-ness accessories I would need for a picnic or meal!
Well… that was it and now I am ready for dinner! Oh… and yes, I made the dress. It’s another one of those patterns I have that’s out of print. It’s Simplicity 4224. I am thinking that maybe I should make another one like this. I love the dropped waist.
À tout à l’heure! In English, see you soon! Now it’s time to prepare my French cuisine but first… an apéritif. I think I will start with a refreshing glass of Chardonnay. 🙂
Salut! Jessica
Read MorePattern Review Simplicity 1797
SPRING IS HERE! But…I live in Oregon and — well let’s just say that we Oregonians are still planning our wardrobes for that mildly warm sunny spring weather that will actually be here when it’s almost summer. However, I am not complaining…much. This is actually a good thing because it means that I have a little more time for sewing projects that include those pretty summer dresses that I envision myself wearing to parties, the Blues Festival, wine tasting, birthday parties, or just because!
Since we are on the subject of dresses, I believe it’s time to talk about Simplicity 1797. I decided to make this dress for several reasons. The obvious one of course is that it’s cute! I really liked the sample displayed on the pattern envelope and so I purchased it when it came out last year. Somehow it ended up in my future project stack of patterns and…I sort of forgot about it. Then last month when I was reading the American Sewing Guild Newsletter I made a discovery. A national sewing contest is just getting underway and to participate, you can sew one or all of the patterns from a a selected list and the Simplicity 1797 is on that list! The grand prize and 2nd reason to make this dress…a Babylock! I was so excited that I think I drooled on the newsletter.
My plan was to make this dress from a special designer fabric that I purchased, but I wanted to do a test run first so I chose a floral eyelet that I found in the local fabric store’s linen section along with a pretty rose-red cotton for the piping. The eyelet was regularly $12.99 a yard but with the 30% discount that I noted, I figured what the hey, I can handle this. Keep in mind that during this time my phone was ring-a-ding-dinging text messages from two of my kids. When I left the cutting counter it turns out the fabric was not on sale! I was already late for meeting my son at a local pub for lunch so with as much calm collective-ness I could muster, I purchased my NOT-ON-SALE fabric and left in a dash!
Later, when I got home and started looking at my eyelet, I realized that it was not embroidered threads in pretty flower patterns but rather glued on rubber stuff that looked like eyelet. Sort of flocked, but not! All I could do at this point was hope that this wasn’t a tell-tale sign of what was to come!
I went ahead and pre-shrunk the fabric (if rubber can shrink) reminding myself that it was suppose to be a test-run. By this point I was a little irritated and so I just threw the fabric in the washing machine and then the dryer. Turned out fine so off I went to iron it. That was when I hit the next speed bump! I couldn’t iron it on the right side. Okay I said to myself, “self, don’t let this fabric beat you!” And I didn’t. I ironed it on the wrong side which worked out fine… until it was time to press seams. But I would not lose this battle either so I broke out the press-cloth ammo! During all the frenzy in a room full of colorful expletives, my daughter came in to see what was going on and her only comment…”that’s pretty fabric”. At that moment I swear I saw the eyelet blowing a raspberry at me!
Moving along…I had already made a muslin before I purchased my rubber fabric. With only a few adjustments I was able to find my desired fit; the usual size 8 grading to a size 12 at the waist (yes, I am the shape of a triangle) so I was ready to go. I made style B. I love the look of the little jacket that goes with it and plan on making it with some beautiful white boucle I purchased recently.
The instructions were pretty easy to follow. I left out the pockets because of my previous side-seam pocket ordeal with the floral silk fabric dress that I had to re-do because of the big butt scenario but we won’t go there! I’m sure it would be fine in this dress, but my trauma has not quite passed yet.
I chose to do the piping which was 2 inch strips of fabric folded in half length-wise. The instructions asked you to baste the strips to the bodice and skirt with raw ends together before actually sewing the bodice and skirt sections to one another permanently. The width allowed for a 5/8 seam and 3/8 for trim. I thought it was fun to apply so no problems here.
The only thing that I found difficult was when I was applying the fabric bands around the neck and arm holes. The first part was easy. You simply pinned the binding to the neck and sleeve edges and then stitched a 3/8 inch seam. It was the next step that got me. You were to fold the edge of the binding to the inside, pin and then stitch on the outside in the the groove of the seams. The fabric was not cooperating at all. And…being to fussy, I finally ended up sewing along the top along the inner finished edge catching the underside of the band with it. I don’t know if this is when it happened but the shoulders and bust area seemed to grow a bit larger. My muslin fit so well, so I am not sure what happened, but hey…with that extra space, there is always room for the Wonder Bra!
Well…this is it!
I don’t know if I will make the dress again though I still plan on making the jacket. I think the dress pattern is great but due to the fabric issues, I kind of lost some of the wind in my sails on this project. I will definitely submit a picture to the American Sewing Guild contest. It is totally a long shot but… winning a new Babylock to replace my dinosaur serger would be stupendous!
Well, time to go and enjoy a beautiful overcast day in this pretty springtime dress. Where am I going? My daughter and I are going shopping for shoes! Then go have lunch and with a glass of wine for me at the Cheesecake Factory!
Salut! Jessica
Read MorePattern Review McCalls 6708
I’ll start by saying… I love sweaters! The weird thing though is that I don’t have very many, however that’s going to change because I just figured out that I can sew them! Up until now, I never dared to consider making these wonderful little wardrobe necessities. I figured sewing knits would be an experience from hell and happily chose to never go there. Then after spending some time with some wonderful women in ASG (American Sewing Guild), a door has opened and knit fabric has hit the fan so to speak! I won’t say that I am totally comfortable sewing knits now but my confidence is growing, especially after making the McCalls 6708 sweater.
For the fabric I chose a double-ply knit, black and white stripes on one side with small polka-dot like markings on the other.
My inspiration for this fabric came from the Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show number by Balmain which drew me in and renewed my interest in the black and white theme, and especially stripes.
The sweater I made was a mash-up. I wanted the neckline of A and the length of the bodice and sleeves of E. It wasn’t difficult at all. By overlapping the front A tissue piece over front E tissue worked perfectly. I used the back pattern piece for E. Long sleeves were not a problem either since both sleeves come as one tissue.
McCalls 6708 Options
For size, here again I chose small based upon the circumference of the bust provided on the pattern for that size. I didn’t make a “knit” muslin. I do like adventure and given that there would be some stretchy going on, I decided to throw caution out the window and just sew!
The instructions were very clear and quite easy to follow. Double-stitched seams were suggested for most of the construction. For this I used a twin-needle, a 3.5 mm. stitch and my standard sewing foot. It wasn’t called for but I decided to serge all the edges that would be exposed to make a nice finish.
I was fascinated with the knit that I used because it was double-sided and not too thin. It seems that thin fabric is the norm in store bought garments these days and doesn’t last long but I will save that for another rant! Due to my stripe inspiration, for some fun and to make it interesting, I decided to use the opposite side of the fabric for the neck, front and bottom bands.
All the bands fortunately turned out pretty good, but because of the method of construction with the neck band and my double-ply not-too-thin fabric, it was a real pain in the… derriere to get the finish I wanted. The thickest area was where the top and bottom buttons go. It doesn’t help that I tend to be a perfectionist, sometimes very problematic for me!
As a side note, always up for a challenge, I decided to cut out the sleeves and bands cross-grain so I could have the stripes in the direction that they are as well as to utilize the fabric and eliminate waste. There were no problems with doing this and I have a chunk of fabric left, for what I don’t know, yet…
So…here it is
I have to say, I really like the way knit responds when a seam is sewn in it and I love how it feels to the touch – oh so soft. It is pleasurable to sew! I’m still a bit skittish when it comes to doing buttonholes. It’s a real pain to remove all the threads when the buttonhole is a total bomb and requires a do-over! Moving right along… yes I’m discovering that sewing knits can be a pretty fun thing to do, and that’s why I plan on sewing this sweater again. However, I would like to try and figure out another method for applying the neck band…I need to put on my thinking cap. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. Until then…it’s off to go wine tasting!
Salut! Jessica
Read MorePattern Review Butterick 5646
Believe it or not, I have been sewing while I have been chit chatting on this blog for the last few weeks! And… outdoors soaking up the sun and working in the yard cuz spring is here and it’s time to plant! Even mucked out the small pond and waterfall in my backyard leaving it sparkly and pretty…until next year when I have to do it again! Here I am though, faithfully sitting here at my desk on this beautiful sunny April 1st Monday morning, writing because this is important too. No fooling!
So what have I been sewing? Well, actually a few things, with three more projects in the makings. Sometimes I make myself crazy! Today I am going to start by reviewing Butterick 5646 and with the next several posts McCalls 6708 and Simplicity 1797. I am splitting them up because I think I talk to much and end up making monster posts that you may not want to sit and read! See, here I am, yaking!
Butterick 5646 McCalls 6708 Simplicity 1797
Before diving in, let me first say that each of my projects gets to go through muslin consideration. There’s nothing worse than finding out that something doesn’t fit properly that you were dreaming of wearing when you finished sewing it. Been there, done that!
Also, sewing for myself is sort of like dressing a triangle! I find it a constant challenge with any pattern I choose to make, because my shoulders are a little more narrow than standard shoulders. My bust… well I won’t complain; I am far from gifted in this area, but it could be a lot worse. Then there’s my waist, it’s two sizes up as compared to my bust measurement; what’s with that! Hips are hips; they are always the fullest area but the numbers just keep getting bigger. See… a triangle! What has worked best for me is to cut a size 8 at the top with still a bit more adjusting, then ease this size into a 12 at the waist. Most of the time size 12 is good for the circumference at the hip line, but sometimes I will cut out a 14 just to be sure! I try not to pay a lot of attention to size though, just actual circumference; notice I said try. And go figure, my store bought clothes are entirely different sizes! We are all in this mess together so I’ll just leave it at that 🙂
Okay…so here goes: The Butterick 5646 top
Butterick – 5646 Options
Let me start by saying that I picked this top because I like the long v-shaped back business that’s going on. Besides looking very feminine, it’s a butt cover when I don’t want my butt seen. (have no idea why I sometimes feel this way) 😉
The pattern is sized by XS, S, M, L, XL, and XXL
I chose size Small for several reasons. First, the bust circumference was closest to mine. Second, the waist and hip measurement with ease was printed on the pattern pieces, a number of inches more than I needed. And third, I pinned all the tissue pieces together to see what I was working with and could easily tell that it was going to be loose fitting all the way down; so…with much contemplation, I decided there would be no muslin done and size Small it would be. After the fact, I could have made an XS, since I almost feel like I am wearing a painting smock, but…I am not gonna fret!
I made style B because it has pockets which I thought would make the front more interesting. Chiffon and georgette were two of the recommended fabrics which was why I chose to make it in the first place. I love to wear things made of these light flowy fabrics, but… I thought I would do a test drive with some fabric I discovered in my stash that I bought a year or two ago to make a skirt out of, don’t know what I was thinking, anyways, decided to use it for this top.
The instructions for the most part were straight forward. The band around the neck tripped me up at first, likely because I have not sewn a lot of tops. You had to sew 2 bands allowing for a hidden band where the buttons and buttonholes are to be placed. As usual, I went off the beaten path because I wanted blingy buttons and didn’t want to hide them! The 2 bands got to become one band for my whim. All I did was slip stitch them together along the center edge and then top-stitched 1/4 inch from the edge all around the entire band.
I loved sewing the french darts. I have read that they can be a bit tricky at times. I can see how this might be, especially with certain kinds of fabric but the finish line is so complimenting that I can’t wait to sew them in future garments.
Also, french seams were a suggestion for finished edges which is one of my favs so I did this too. Maybe I will make this again in an XS if I can find some pretty georgette fabric.
The back…
And the front!
Salut, Jessica
Read MoreAbout Me
Portland, Oregon, United States
Hi there! I’m Jessica Brandon and I am a clothes-loving sewing artist. When I am not sewing, blogging or shopping for shoes for my creations, I fill in the remainder of my days spending time with my children, playing ice hockey, gardening and making and drinking wine!
Up Coming Projects:
Vogue 1426
Vogue 7881
McCall's 7089
Vogue 8997
Vogue 1431
Vogue 9006
Vogue 8991
