Vogue 1206: Red Wool Kay Unger Ruffle Bodice Dress

I'm so excited - I finished this dress!!

I tried to make V1206 in November, but the bodice gaped at the bust: a piece of the bodice needed to be folded in, but I didn't know how to add a dart to the bodice without interfering with the dress's design.  A few weeks ago I realized: the design of the dress saved me - the ruffles would hide darts! 

I folded in the excess fabric on my muslin, measured that amount, drew it onto the pattern, and sewed the dart onto the front bodice piece.  Just what was needed!  I laid the ruffle pieces onto the bodice to make sure the darts were covered: they seemed to be, but I decided to extend the left ruffle slightly just to make sure. 

Based on my muslin, I also raised the neckline 1.5".  It would have been NSFW otherwise.

The fabric is an amazing red lightweight, gabardine-esque wool from Pendleton.  The lovely ladies at Pendleton took pity on my desperation at being on the opposite coast from its fabric outlet, and kindly sent me a few cuts.  Unfortunately, I'm fiending even worse now: this fabric is so amazingly lovely and quality and so... RTW.  It took me a long time to work up the nerve to cut into it.  It's spongy and drapey, so it works for this pattern, though it was difficult to press the darts.

This dress is not a weekend project.  There are many components: the pleated sleeves,

Detail of the back sleeve.

Pleats on the front sleeves.

...the ruffles,

the waist inset.  But it was a very well-drafted pattern, and when sewn in steps over the course of a few weeks, was actually... easy.

Can I gloat a bit?  I've always had a problem lining up the skirt and bodice at the waist when using an invisible zipper, and was terrified at having to line up 2 waist points.  But they lined up perfectly the first go.

I marked the distance from the neck to the 2 waist seams on the zipper, and hand basted the zipper in place.  Hand-basting the zipper took only minutes, and saved so much time and aggravation: previously, zippers have taken multiple tries to insert.  I'm a convert.

This is a time-consuming pattern, but I think the results are really dramatic.  My husband proclaimed it the best piece I've ever made.  I think I agree - I really, really love it.

New Years Sewing Resolution #2: Pre-Season Sewing

I've always been an anti-procrastinator.  College papers were done with days to spare.  When I was in litigation, briefs were ready for submission a week before due date.  I have an absolute terror of cramming, putting things off til tomorrow, waiting til the last minute, cutting it down to the wire, etc. 

I've decided to let this rather anal part of my nature apply to my garment making.  My spring/summer wardrobe stinks.  I'm desperate for cute summer tops, dresses, and perhaps even shorts, and I'm going to start now so that when the warm weather arrives, I'm ready with a (hopefully) awesome collection of homespun pieces. 

Burda's Ruby shorts, a possible shorts pattern contender

I'm going to try to justify my crazy planning tendencies here: sewing - obviously - isn't like retail shopping, with one being able to pop into the mall and emerge a few hours later with an entire season's worth of clothes.  Let's admit it: sewing takes time.  I'm frustrated with having so many ideas for great seasonal pieces that never come to fruition because I run out of time.  Does this happen to you?

It helps that it's that strange time of year when dark tweeds and plaids feel too Christmasy or fall-like.  I'm definitely in the mood to move onto new colors and lighter fabrics...

....even if I won't be able to wear them for a few months.  Mr. ASW and I booked tickets to Spain - Madrid and Andalucia - for early April, where the weather should be balmier than New England, so I will need summery clothes a bit earlier than usual (any fabric store ideas in Spain?!)...

So do you think I'm being nuts or pragmatic?  You can reserve judgment until you see shorts in March, then decide!

Satin-Backed Crepe Woven "T"

I've been mooning over JCrew's woven blouses, and here's my version of a blouse t shirt!:

I was a greedy little sewer and rather than wait for a pattern sale, simply shortened the recently sewn Burda 03/2010 # 104 to tunic length.

The necklace is from Anthropologie.  I love big, chunky necklaces!

The fabric is a Vera Wang mustard colored satin-backed crepe purchased last year during fabric.com's $1.95 Vera Wang fabric sale. Stash bustin'!

The top is loose enough to be essentially pullover; I did add a button and loop to the top.  I used small rectangle of fabric and a loop turner to make the loop; if you're a new sewer, I highly recommend that you grab this nifty little notion.

Sticking to my resolution, I tried a new finish at the bottom: I sewed a small stitch at the seam allowance and frayed the hem (inspired by the JCrew Francille fray blouse in the last post).

I dunno, what do you think?  I kinda like it!

I saw a few of these silky T's in January's InStyle:

You had suggested that Butterick 3030 might be a good woven blouse T pattern (and SO easy: raglan sleeves and no darts).  A may try it in the spring in a linen version: Gray Line Linens in the Garment District had lovely metallic coated linen that had my name all over it...

New Years Sewing Resolution #1: Apply Trim

Over the past few months, I've had a feeling that an element has been missing in my sewing.  I couldn't put my finger on it.  It started with this dress that I made at the end of the summer - I wore it once to a Pattern Review meet-up, but never blogged about or wore it again because it didn't seem... finished. 

To me, it just looks like 2 pieces of fabric seamed together, not a garment.  It's missing something.

Recently I was browsing wool matelasse garments for inspiration (having picked up a crazy awesome wool matelasse at Eliott Berman!) and came upon this Elie Tahari jacket:

Satin facings!  Rosettes!  Pleats!  These are what are missing from my homespun garments - trim!  Even simple items, like the JCrew basic woven blouses I'm currently in love with, have some sort of embellishment.  Note the frayed trim at the neckline:

JCrew Francille fray blouse

As a beginner, I'm so concerned with construction that I've rarely thought about embellishments and detailing.  Now that I'm picking up more skills, it's time to delve into the world of trim.  This year I'm resolving to consider trim in every garment I make.  Trim may not always be appropriate or necessary (for example, I'd like to sew a simple, wear-all-the-time navy cotton sateen sheath), but I will at least analyze each garment for possible trimming.

A number of bloggers have posted about storing inspiration images on sites like flickr or pinterest; I may set up an account to track trim ideas.

As for that ikat, elastic waist sheath: I'm thinking of adding beading at the neckline in a contrasting color.  (Note to self: must learn how to bead.)

These are from Pacific Trim in the Garment District, NYC.

What are your favorite detailing options?  Are there any resources I should consult?  I'd love to hear your thoughts and tips on using trim.