A Sewn Wardrobe

From Pondering Pants, to Tackling Trousers

2012-02-05T17:14:00.000-05:00

It's been almost a year since I decided I wanted to try a pair of pants. I'm not going to lie to any pants-sewing virgins out there: fitting is frustrating. After - no lie - 3 weeks of fiddling with muslins, I believe I have a respectable fit. I present you with the final muslin (made from a random almost-one-yard scrap of black stretchy-wool):

The pattern is Burda 4-2011-116A, size 40:

The original straight size 40 had a lot of pulling at the crotch which I couldn't solve even after playing around with the crotch and inseam. Finally, I tried the pin-fitting method in Pants for Real People; when the crotch was loose and un-pinned, the pulling disappeared. The pants did not feel tight in the low hip area at all, but alas they were, for as you can see from the photos above, the pulling disappeared after adding about 1/4 inch from the low to high hip.

So next up: I might try to bang out a few pair, assembly line-style. Palmer/Pletsch states that 2 pair of pants can be made in 4 hours. Them's fighin words, don't you think?

Spring Wardrobe Planning

2012-01-14T08:35:00.004-05:00

Every January my thoughts turn to sewing spring clothes. Perhaps I associate tweeds and plaids with fall, perhaps post-holiday blues make me wish for a new season. It's going to be a high of 25 degrees here tomorrow, but that isn't stopping my warmer weather daydreams. Here are RTW inspiration images (from Polyvore) for a sewn spring wardrobe:

It's going to be very navy-heavy: I have a ton of navy blue fabric in my stash, so it's clearly time to start sewing it. Navy is the ultimate neutral: what doesn't it go with? (Seriously, think about it. Black. And perhaps brown. But there are arguments for both of those.)

The navy palette will be punctuated with shots of yellow, kelly green, and apricot. (Speaking of apricot, my dream spring outfit would be a deep lavender skirt, an apricot shell, and an olive jacket. May have to hunt down a lightweight lavender wool crepe or thick cotton...)

A la those at JCrew and Madewell, I'd love to sew up a gingham button-up shirt. Or two. Or four: yellow, blue, green, red... It will be a challenge to learn how to sew plaids/stripes: something I haven't done yet.

I also plan on sewing a few tan jackets. I love beige: not on my walls, but in my closet? Definitely. I wear a lot of solid-colored sheaths to work, and neutral jackets to throw on top would be great wardrobe builders.

Patterns are still TBD. I'll probably sew a lot of Burda patterns from my 2011 subscription. I'm a converted Burda devotee, and it was such a treat to receive the magazine in the mail each month. But I can't keep up with the patterns. There are so many pieces I wanted to make, but I only had time to sew 1 or 2 before the next round of patterns arrived. It became almost overwhelming. This may be a strange solution, but my plan is to start my subscription again next year after I've sewn from the 2011 magazines.

Are your thoughts turning to spring - or even summer - sewing? What are your plans?

Teal wool flared skirt dress

2012-01-12T20:45:00.004-05:00

Now matter what I sew, I think I will always like dresses the best.

This is my a sort-of self-drafted pattern. The bodice is princess-seamed Simplicity 2648. The skirt is... an altered pattern! My aunt gave me "How to Use, Adapt, and Design Sewing Patterns" by Lee Hollahan for Christmas last year. The book's plain language and simple illustrations make alterations seem do-able. I used a pencil skirt pattern, and slashed and spread the skirt, eliminating the waist darts, and adding about 5 inches to both the front and back pieces (so 20 inches total along the bottom perimeter of the circle) to turn this into a flared skirt.

The fabric is definite stashbusting: a deep, teal wool from bought from Mood right around when I started sewing. And it barely wrinkles. Don't you love a pleasant fabric surprise like that?

I wore this to work with a deep purple cardigan, the (faux) snakeskin belt, and heeled-platform loafers. I felt great in it. Can't beat a simple dress!

1930s Sofa Slipcovering Odyssey

2011-11-13T12:02:00.002-05:00

Warning: to those fashion sewers who abhor home dec sewing, may want to move along.

We needed a sofa for the living room of our new house, and I found this 1930's settee at an antique store in the Stonington Borough, CT (sorry for the bad iPhone photo):

The light blue striped (silk?) fabric was terribly sunstained and had to be replaced. For some reason I got the idea into my head that I could slipcover the sofa. Having never slipcovered a thing in my life. I mean, the library has books about DIY slipcovering, so it can be done, right?

After about 40 hours of hard labor, it can be. Below, the photographic evidence:

The robin's egg blue and red fabric is Robert Allen, purchased at a wonderful discount home decor fabric store, Just Fabrics in Cranston, RI. I draped the fabric on the sofa, and traced out where I thought the seams should go using tailor's chalk. I then cut out the pieces with a 2 inch seam allowance using my Olfa rotary cutter arm.

My sewing garment skillz applied to this project: I added side panels, stengthened with cording, to accomodate the curved back (like princess seaming!)

I also inserted a regular - but massively long - upholstery zipper on the cushion, which is down-filled. I added these little tabs to cover the zipper ends!:

This part was tricky to do because I had to seam the inner arm, side arm, and deck (bottom part underneath the cushion):

Picture of the back:

In order to get the fabric to curve along the back of the sofa instead of hang straight down, I cut and basted the pieces, and pulled them very taut while on the sofa, temporarily anchoring the pieces with pins, and then re-drew seam allowances based on their new taut positions. Okay, that part was tough, too. Because the slipcover is so fitted I added 2 invisible zippers on the back side seams to enable the cover to come on and off.

Despite leaving a 2 inch seam allowance, the bottom edges came up short in a few places so I had to finish the bottom with self-made bias binding. It was actually very easy to do: just a lot of straight line sewing.

Whew. Though I still need to sew curtains for almost all the rooms in the house, I need a break from home dec sewing for awhile. A long while. Back to garment sewing, yay!

* * *

Do you tweet? I scornfully opened a Twitter account in order set up a Pinterest account, eventually began following things I like, and am now hooked. I randomly tweet about sewing, style, life.... Like how Connecticut was hit by a freak Nor'easter 2 weekends ago and we lost power for 10 days. That was unpleasant. There's a "follow me" button in the upper corner. If you Tweet, please let me know, becuase I'd love to follow my sewing friends.

Summer to fall transitional dress: Burda 7-2011-122B

2011-09-13T20:51:00.005-04:00

Though the nights have turned cool, the days have retained a sunny warmth, and with these last days of summer in mind I recently made Burda 07-2011-122B:

Burda 7-2011-122B

Really, I was desperate to sew with this divine cotton voile from Elliot Berman ($13/yard). The fabric is so soft and flowy that I wouldn't be surprised if it contains a bit of silk.

The only change I made was to raise the neckline slit a bit (rather scandalous as is, don't you think? I love how Burda billed it as 'businesswear" in the magazine spread!).

I finished the entire inside of the dress with french seams, including the pockets thanks to Trina's super-helpful tut.

Though I had so many summer fabrics that I never got a chance to sew due to our moving, my mind is now fully committed to fall sewing. I'll undoubtedly find new fall fabrics at this weekend's rescheduled NYC Garment District meet-up. Hope to see some of you there.

Fall 2011's Color: Teal

2011-08-23T21:40:00.001-04:00

I read it in the New York Times, so it's official: teal is the color of fall 2011. I'm quite pleased by this "news" as I have a number of teal fabrics in my stash that I intend to sew up for fall.

The first is a deep, rich lightweight teal wool purchased at Mood 2 falls ago.

I might use this to make an altered version of The Perfect Dress pattern (McCall's 5753, now sadly OOP), changing the skirt from a pencil to a flare, like this Elie Saab dress. But in teal.

Elie Saab, Fall 2011 RTW, from style.com

My second teal textile is a thick Vera Wang boucle, purchased from fabric.com during its $1.95/yard sale last year.

I would like to make a collarless winter topcoat with this fabric, like the original Vera Wang coat this fabric was used for. For this project I might use Burda 9-2011-103, from the new September issue, sans the tri-tier collar:

Burda 9-2011-103

Could we make teal the new black? Really, what color won't teal work with? It would happily marry brown, maroon, lavender, navy, mustard. As proof I present to you this Lela Rose multi-color jacket/blouse/skirt combination, and rest my case:

Lela Rose, Fall 2011 RTW, from style.com

* * *

Will you be at the New York City Shopping Day (via Pattern Review) this Saturday? I am going to be a naughty bird and attend, despite having taken the train into the city for MPB Day two weekends ago, and despite having a bajillion things to do around the new house. Both Metro Textiles and Elliot Berman, normally closed on the weekends, are opening especially for the group, and I just can't resist!

McCall's 5433: Milly sailboat print button-up

2011-07-08T07:19:00.001-04:00

I thought a dock down the street would be the most appropriate setting to shoot this top:

Paired with JCrew 3" chino shorts in modern red

This fabric was a fabulous score acquired on my recent trip to the Garment District: while getting ready to check out at Metro Textiles, I reached over to look at a bolt of fabric and bumped into a pile of propped up bolts. A small roll plopped out onto the floor, and I (mentally) gasped with delight... You see, I stalk net-a-porter, and I had recently saved an inspiration image of a shirt made of the fabric that just tapped my foot...

Milly "Elisa" top, net-a-porter.com, $230

Detail of fabric from net-a-porter.com

I would have added sleeves to this top, but unfortunately, there was just over 1 yard left of this soft cotton voile, which was $12/yard. In fact, I was so tight on fabric that I had to reduce the seam allowance on the sides and finish the edges with the serger instead of French seams.

The pattern is M5433 by Palmer/Pletsch; I made the shorter version, but with no sleeves:

McCall's 5433

Because the fabric is relatively sheer I underlined the entire shirt with plain white cotton voile, which of course added to the construction time.

An inside-out view of the top showing the underlining.

This shirt took at least 8 hours to make - significantly longer than the 3 hours Palmer/Pletsch suggests this will take to sew. Ah well, perhaps next time now that I've sewn the pattern once. I cut a 10 in the shoulders/armscye and a 12 in the rest of the top; the top is quite fitted because of the 2 front darts and vertical back dart, which I think makes for a flattering button-up. I used vintage buttons from my large button jar stash.

The total cost of this designer fabric knock-off top was under $20. Why again doesn't everyone sew?

Burda 03-2011-122: tropical wool pencil skirt with pleats

2011-06-25T11:16:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the recent radio silence: last month my husband found a job in the same town I work in and we are in the throes of buying our first home. What an undertaking. I found the offer contract confusing, the negotiation process stressful, and the post-inspection bartering antagonistic. And I'm an attorney.

Really, I'm thrilled, as the quality of my regular and sewing life will improve ten fold with this move: my commute will drop from over an hour each way to ten minutes (more sewing time!), I will finally have a dishwasher (more sewing time!), a washer/dryer (easy preshinking!), and a dedicated sewing room (self-explanatory). The appraisal was yesterday, and now we are waiting to set a closing date with the mortgage lender. So if my posting is a little spotty over the rest of the summer, my apologies ahead of time.

While I've been away for a few weeks, I have the most exciting project to show you (are you getting my e-sarcasm?): a beige pencil skirt. Wah wah. It is a terribly boring garment, but as well all know, these utilitarian pieces are wear twice-a-week, wardrobe staples.

The pattern is from the Burda March 2011 issue. The pleats in place of darts add a bit of interest beyond the usual pencil skirt.

I wore the skirt to work yesterday with a JCrew knit cardigan and S2599,

one of my favorite homespun pieces. The glasses are the Japhy by Warby Parker.

Burda 3-2011-122

Pleats aren't always a hippy girl's best friend: I sewed this in a size 40, with a 3/4" seam allowance, because the pleats gaped slightly on my size 38 muslin.

The fabric is a lightweight tropical wool with a bit of stretch purchased at Paron's Annex on my recent trip to the Garment District. I picked this fabric for trouses, but was able to make this skirt with the fabric as Paron's generously gave me at least an extra yard - perhaps more - gratis becaues it was the end of the bolt.

I'm proud of the finishing I did on this garment: following instructions in Marcy Titlton's Easy Guide to Sewing Skirts, I added a French vent in place of the slit (which I've read don't hold up well).

After basting the lining to the skirt wrong sides together, but before attaching the waistband, I flipped the skirt inside out and used the zipper foot to attach the lining to the seam allowance around the invisible zipper.

I stitched-in-the-ditch to attach the waistband, and for the first time ever uniformly caught the waistband on the inside.

I'm officially a Burda devotee: this skirt solved a long-standing issue I've had with the Big 4 patterns: skirt dumpy butt (such an elegant description, no?). Have you experienced this? I feel that the backs of the Big 4 skirt patterns are shaped too wide, and don't curve in to hug a woman's shape. But this Burda skirt cuts in under the bum and mimics RTW skirts in a way that the Big 4 don't. Burda, j'taime. Thank you to you readers who suggested that I move on to Burda. I'm so glad that I did.

Such a Perfect Day (in the Garment District)

2011-06-05T19:27:00.002-04:00

Do you ever just need a break? Life gets overwhelming (or perhaps blah and underwhelming) and you need a little pick-me-up? I've been feeling a bit stressed lately, so I decided to take a random week day off of work this past week and treat myself to a trip to New York. It was such a fabulous day; the weather was bright and sunny but not too warm: perfect for an all-day fabric shopping spree in the Garment District.

I was interested to visit stores that aren't open on the weekends, like Steinlauf & Stoller for notions, and Metro Textiles and Elliott Berman.

Metro Textiles just has the best prices; I picked up a few yards of clearly high-quality, navy-colored lightweight Italian wool for $12/yard and a kelly green cotton poplin for $4/yard (45").

I spent a bit more than I intended at Elliott Berman: I couldn't resist 2 1/2 yards of soft, sapphire blue linen of such nice quality that it has a slight sheen to it ($16/yard, 45"), and a printed cotton voile ($12/yard).

Joyce Buttons & Trim - a bit outside the traditional Garment District on 38th, on the other side of Fashion Avenue- was the surprise of the day:

What a great store for trims. I felt that the prices were a bit high for comparable items (invisible zippers were $2.95, compared to the usual $1 price of most Garment District stores), but Joyce's had an expansive selection of gorgeous trims that I haven't seen in other shops:

Gorgeous belt buckles and rings, lengths of beaded trims, stunning leather accents. I purchased matte gold sequins for an upcoming project that weren't for sale anywhere else.

With a few more stops at Mood, Paron's, and Fabrics for Less (I had read on Shop the Garment District that Kenneth King sources $6/yard linen here, and I snagged a few yards in navy), I got home at 11pm with bulging bags and aching feet. I wish it could be every day!

Burda Trouser Muslin, Take 2: Pants that (essentially!) fit

2011-06-01T20:24:00.002-04:00

I took a sudden fancy to Burda # 04-2011-120:

Burda # 04-2011-120

- so I decided to trace that pattern for my second try at a pants muslin - this time in the size 38. They were easy to put together and fit rather well:

The front is a bit tight in the waist (the gathers are pulling), and perhaps in the crotch as is there a bit of whiskering there:

But the back, IMHO, fits dead-on:

Looking at the magazine picture, I think these pants could have been made in the next size up, as the fit is rather slouchy in the model shot:

As the pants are now, to be honest, I don't love the gathers.

The back fits so well, though, and the leg's wide shape is perfection: fitted enough through the thigh, but with a nice, wide flare. Could I change the double gathers to 2 darts? Any online tutorials or book resources out there that give instruction on how to do this? I believe that I've seen how to add gathers instead of darts, but no information on how to do the reverse...

So can you believe that I sewed a pair of pants (well, a muslin)? I am so happy! I see a whole new world of well-fitting pants opening up to me...

McCall's 5977: Ruffle Neck Linen Top

2011-05-22T16:58:00.005-04:00

This weekend I made McCall's 5977, a pattern that's been in the sewing queue for awhile.

The fabric is a natural-colored 100% linen from WinMil Fabrics in Boston. The inside is finished with French seams.

I suppose I made view D, though I made the neck ruffle substantially larger:

McCall's 5977

I had cut out the drapey sleeves in View D, but realized after the neck ruffle was stitched on that both that and the sleeves would have resulted in way too much ruffle goin' on.

If sewn per the pattern instructions, the neck ruffle would be quite twee, which I don't think would have looked right. The pattern piece is an approximately 8" by 4" rectangle that is folded in half and basted together. The piece is supposed to be cut 3 times and sewn together. I widened the ruffle by 3 inches, lengthed it by about 6, and cut it only twice; I cut the second piece in half so that the ruffle seams could be placed at the shoulder seams. Instead of folding the fabric in half to finish it, I did a narrow hem along the whole edge, which was super-easy and faster than it sounds.

I don't know how I feel about this top; at times I feel that I love it, but then feel that it's just okay. The pattern irritates me: it's a pull-on style, and to accomadate getting into the garment without a closure, the shoulders are wide - wider than the pattern envelope would lead you to believe. Because of the wide neck, it feels almost like an off-the-shoulder top, and that wasn't really the look I was going for. I think that's the slight hesitation I have about this one.

A lady today commented that she loved my top; I dunno, maybe it is a winner. How do you feel about it? (No offense will be taken if you think it's meh!)

Burda Trousers Muslin, take 1

2011-05-08T15:34:00.001-04:00

So, ummm, yeah, I'm not a Burda size 42:

Is it bad when you can get into a pair of pants without needing a zipper?

OK, in my defense, per my hip measurements I'm in between 2 sizes, so I went up, figuring that European sizes run a bit small. That, and I must have measured my hips in the wrong place? I'm normally a 12/14 in the hips in Big 4 patterns, size 10/12 bodice. I'm going to try a Burda 38 next time.

There goes a few hours of tracing and sewing. Sigh. Oh well. I don't even have fabric to sew "real" trousers in, so perfecting the fit of these is going to be my summer project. Time to get out the tracing paper again.

* * *

I did have one successful sewing project this weekend: I spruced up an old wicker chair we got at a tag sale in Philadelphia years ago when visiting friends. Why my husband and I were both so taken with this random piece of furniture, I don't know. Perhaps because it swivels? Here's the before, and after:

I spray painted the chair with a glossy black indoor/outdoor paint, and stitched up the cushions with peach chintz remnants from a local fabric mill. Though we never had it in our house in the 80's, I just love chintz. A chintz skirt could work, right?!

Falling for Burda

2011-04-28T22:48:00.004-04:00

Does this statement summarize all that I've heard about Burda?: The patterns are well-drafted, stylish, and have a sophisticated European cut, but are frustrating to trace, with all but worthless instructions? This is my general impression of Burda - with the latter being why I've avoided sewing the patterns for this long - but, I will tell you, I'm starting to really get into Burda.

I ordered the March 2011 issue because many of you recommended Burda pants for their great fit; while I ordered the issue solely for pants pattern 03-2011-116, I'd like to sew no less than 10 patterns in that issue.

This was the "wedding" issue, but that section's patterns could be made in casual fabrics for workaday wear. These 2 jacket patterns render me weak in the knees:

Burda 03-2011-120

Burda 03-2011-115

Will skirt patterns fit as well as Burda's pants? I'd like to try out this simple skirt with a waist band and pleats:

03-2011-122

Despite all the lovely Lady Greys out there, I never thought I'd sew an outerwear coat. Never. But my winter overcoat was on its last legs this past winter, and I couldn't find a coat that I liked (I even brought home a JCrew coat but ultimately returned it because I just didn't do it for me). Burda 03-2011-123, though, is exactly what I want:

Burda 03-2011-123

I've become so obsessed that I picked up a Spanish version of Burda April 2011 (Burda is sold at sidewalk newstands in Spain, and was only about $5). Hey, if the instructions are that pointless, does the language even matter? Really, I could use Google translator if I need them.

I want this entire outfit from the April issue:

Pants 04-2011-120 & Jacket 04-2011-102

So this week I took 2 aspirin and traced the above 2 pants patterns. It really wasn't that bad. I'm actually glad I picked up Burda after the patterns were compressed; it would have been hard to go from the easier format to this rather confusing and chaotic one. It required a bit of "Where's Waldo?" concentration to identify the various pattern pieces, but the tracing only took about half an hour and I got the hang of finding the pieces rather quickly.

I picked up this nifty Olfa Rotary Cutter Arm Guide which I can use to add the seam allowances while I cut.

This product was recommended in the comments - thanks so much for that - and will make adding the seam allowances fast and easy. I snagged mine on Ebay; it appears that they are available for sale here (scroll to the bottom).

I'm hoping my praise of Burda isn't misplaced; perhaps I should reserve judgment until I've used the instructions and sewn the patterns? I'm going to start a pants muslin after I finish a few projects ahead in line, and if they work out, I foresee a many other Burda muslins in the future (hello, winter jacket!).

Why do you sew (or not sew) with Burda? Are you a devotee? Or do you not want the extra bother? Or are you a beginner like me who was (and still is) rather frightened of the magazine?

* * *

We arrived home from Spain last week; we had such a great time. The atmosphere was amazing: the parks in Madrid were full of color, the orange trees were blooming in Cordoba - simply perfuming the air with the fragrance of orange blossoms - and in Seville, the trees lining the streets were already replete with oranges. Spring was a magical time to go to Spain.

Wow, did I pack poorly. The weather was forecasted to be sunny and in the low 80's: we thought that meant the temperature would touch the high for an hour or so, like it does here in the US's spring, but have a chill much of the day. So wrong! It was gloriously sunny and hot (and even got close to 90 in Seville) all day, every day, for the entire trip, without a drop of rain or a pouf of clouds.

I brought a long a few of my self-stitched items. I won't bore you with a ton of pictures (my husband took over 400), but here's B5486 in the Parque de María Luisa in Seville on Palm Sunday:

Remember the vintage pattern cotton ikat shift that is still awaiting trim detail? It was on top of my sewing pile, and I randomly threw it into my suitcase at the last minute because it was so lightweight. I'm so glad that I did, because it's probably the item I wore most on the trip. Here it is at the Mezquita in Cordoba:

The columns were begun in 786AD!

And me looking rather elated (and hot) after walking to the bottom of Ronda's gorge, in the White Hill Towns, to get a great view of its famous bridge:

I will admit, even with so much fun sewing to be done, it was difficult to return to real life.

Vogue 1229: Vena Cava Ikat Print Dress

2011-04-07T22:47:00.002-04:00

In furtherance of my plan to sew summer clothes early, I made this Vena Cava asymmetrical ruffle dress from the Vogue spring pattern release:

Vogue 1229

I feel almost goofy wearing this dress right now, it's so lightweight and summery. The fabric is a lightweight cotton ikat print from JoAnn Fabrics. I know. This is one of the few nice, polyester-free fabrics I've found at JoAnn's. This is true stashbustin': I purchased this fabric right when I started garment sewing, about 2 years ago.

Warning: the bodice is ridonculously short. I made a quick muslin of the top, and ultimately added 1 1/4" because, as drafted, it only made it half-way down my bust. I also added 3" to the length so that I wasn't married to the super-short length at the end.

Other than those changes, the dress was easy to make, even the ruffles (they are self-lined, instead of finished with a narrow hem).

The entire inside, except the waistband, is finished with french seams - including the bust dart. Here's the pattern piece, and the finished dart.

I don't think this is vastly different from a regular dart - I've never been that offended by them - but it was different and fun to sew.

I probably won't make this again. It's a really cute dress, but the gathering is a little poufy. It's more pronounced than on the pattern envelope, and this is a really lightweight material. My husband likes the dress, but noted that it could double as a maternity garment if we were ever to have children. Ouch. He backpaddled by pointing out that it really only looks blousy from the side.

Regardless, I think it will be a great alternative to shorts on those 90 degree days that just seem so far away right now...

* * *

We're headed to Spain tomorrow for 10 days of sightseeing and jamon-eating (and perhaps some fabric shopping: a reader suggested Ribes & Casals in Madrid. Thanks!) See you back here in a few weeks!

New S2178 (or how the sewing powers are smiling on me)

2011-04-02T23:19:00.001-04:00

Recently I've been obsessing over this Cynthia Rowley Resort 2010 dress:

Cynthia Rowley, Resort 2010, at style.com

... thinking it'd be the perfect match for a primary-colored Japanese cotton print in my stash. I'd considered using the fabric for a simple shift, trapeze dress, or tunic, but I'm trying to think like a designer: rather than go for the obvious, I believe a designer would pair a graphic print with a softer shape.

Yesterday morning I sat eating my cereal with a pattern alteration book in front of me, pondering how to alter a pattern to create this dress. Perhaps I could widen the shoulder area and waist of New Look 6912 to add gathering? My research had been unsuccessful in instructing me how to go about doing that, though...

Later in the day, while trolling the Simplicity website, I spotted this:

Simplicity has released its new summer patterns, and Simplicity 2178 is my recent resort 2010 obsession (with a modified shoulder strap and the addition of a bow). I truly cannot believe my luck!

(Below is the precise RTW version of Simplicity 2178; I don't like it as much as the coral version, do you? Perhaps it is the ill-fit on the model:)

Cynthia Rowley, Resort 2010, at style.com

To really cinch the eeriness, I called my local JoAnn's to ask whether the new Simplicity patterns were there - usually a pointless inquiry as it can take weeks for new patterns to arrive after they're released online - and was informed that they had just been dropped off. And there's a Simplicity 99 cent sale going on right now. I'm not sure what good deeds I've done lately to receive this kind treatment from the karma police, but I'll take it!

Florida Party Dress: Butterick 5486

2011-03-29T22:01:00.001-04:00

How was your weekend? We flew down to southern Florida for a quick 3 day weekend trip for my husband's grandmother's 90th birthday party. The weather was amazing: 85-90 degrees, no humidity. I actually laid out by the hotel pool for a few hours and swam a bit. It was pure heaven after departing from a chilly 27 degree Boston Saturday morning.

I wore Butterick 5486 to the party:

I had to wear a jacket (Old Navy) and scarf (Saks) inside because of the AC! I accessorized the dress with my great-grandmonther's Chinese turquoise necklace, Ann Taylor silver heels of a few years' vintage, and a Banana Republic clutch. And a coral pedicure - yay spring colors!

I think this pattern is one of those releases that flies under the radar. Because of the busy floral print, the main pattern envelope shot doesn't show off the dress's lovely lines. But look at the drawing: isn't the shape great?

Butterick 5486, View A

The fabric is a pink linen (-esque?) material from WinMil Fabrics in Boston, a purchase from last year (stashbustin'!). I made the version without the wrap, view A.

I like that the top isn't too spare, and the full straps provide more support and coverage than spaghetti straps (and allow for a bra). The gathered waist skirt is perfect: floaty and girly, but not at all bulky. The back and front skirt patterns are rectangles, so the skirt isn't A-lined, but hangs straight down. I think it's a flattering, modern skirt shape. The bodice is lined, the skirt isn't; I took my time with the interior of this one and finished the linen and pink lining fabric with french seams.

While this is a more casual dress, I think I could get away with wearing it to work by topping it with a long cardi, cinched with a belt and heels.

Try this pattern out! I think you'll love it, too.

Spring Blouse and Skirt (w/ bamboo embellishment!)

2011-03-17T07:07:00.000-04:00

I made another version of Simplicity 2599 using the green silk/cotton print recently purchased from Emmaonesock. I can't get over how much I love this material: the saturated colors, the faint sheen, the crispness combined with a magical failure to wrinkle. I decided to make a simple top with cap sleeves, because I felt the fabric stood so well by itself. I finished the back with a cream button culled from a Banana Republic shirt.

Simplicity 2599

To go with the simple shape of the top, I decided to embellish this yellow cotton version of McCalls 3830. The fabric is a thick, textured cotton by the designer Philip Lim, purchased at Parons Fabrics last March (stashbustin'!). The bamboo rings are from Pacific Trimming in the Garment District, and the gold studs were purchased at Daytona Braids and Trimming (also in the Garment District) for a long since-forgotten project. They hide the attaching stitches well.

The idea is from a skirt by the designer Milly; I saved this image back in 2009 after seeing the skirt in Saks. So this skirt is not only stashbustin', but ideabustin' as well.

Milly, Raffia cotton jacquard skirt, net-a-porter.com

To make the tabs, I meausured the ring's width and determined that tabs should be about 1 3/4" wide. I cut strips of spare fabric in that width, and played around with the different lengths on the finished skirt on my dressform. When I determined the right length, I made "patterns" out of the fabric strips (using cut-off pattern scraps).

I added 1/4" seam allowances, lined the tabs in a lightweight yellow quilting cotton to enclose the edges, and attached the tabs to the rings with the zipper foot.

It only took a few extra hours' of "designing" work, and it was really fun. The weather is supposed to be lovely at the end of the week, so perhaps I'll get a chance to wear this colorful spring skirt.

* * *

I really appreciated your comments and thoughts on sewing pants. I'm inspired to try them now. Many of you commented that Burda pants have the best fit, so I actually... ordered a Burda magazine. I've never sewn with Burda magazine patterns. The March 2011 edition had a pair of fly front-free pants that have great lines (images accesible on the Burda Russian site, which I translated by posting the page's link into Google translator):

Burda #116a 3/2011

Burda #116b, 3/2011 (same pants, but with cuffs)

I'm intimidated by having to trace the patterns and the lack of clear instructions that Burda is infamous for, but I'm impressed by your positive thoughts on Burda pants' fit, so I'm going to try it out. I'm really, really excited. Stay tuned...

Pondering Pants: Working up the Nerve to Attempt Trousers

2011-03-07T21:56:00.000-05:00

I was on a mission to buy pants this weekend. I own only 3 pair of trousers, and they are years old. Despite going in about a dozen stores, I could not find a pair that fit. They were either too big, too small, too tight in the back, whiskering at the front... backed into a corner, I finally faced that perhaps I should try to make my own.

I've been sewing for 2 years - and I feel that I've sewn a lot - but I'm still terribly intimidated by trousers. The thought of sewing a fly front gives me heart palpitations, but even worse, how are they altered? What if they don't fit in the rise? Or pull and whisker at the crotch? How is that fixed?! I have 2 fit books: Fit For Real People and Fitting & Pattern Aleration. I find the latter to be too technical to be helpful, and FFRP doesn't address pants. Isn't that a bad sign?

I spoke to my Mom and Mr. Lappin over the weekend, who both tried to assure me that pants are, in fact, easy. My stash contains a very simple pant pattern, Vogue 8679, and.... I might give it a go. I love a bold, wide leg pant, but it can be a hard style to find. What if I could sew my own?

Vogue 8679

Vogue 8679 is essentially 2 pieces of fabric with side zip. Really, how hard could it be?? Right? Right??

My dream would be to one day sew these:

Alice + Olivia, Vogue 1051

Do you remember your first pair of trousers? How did it go? Do you avoid them like the plague? Or are sewn pants the only ones that fit you? New sewers, do you have the same (hopefully irrational and unfounded) fear that I do?

A Bevy of Blouses

2011-03-03T21:39:00.002-05:00

I'm lacking in tops to wear to work under jackets and cardis, so I'm going to make a slew of them for spring, and have made a few blouse fabric purchses recently:

WinMil Fabrics in Boston had a rainbow of colors of silk charmeuse: I picked up a cream (goes with everything!) and a super-happy bright yellow.

L - cream silk charmeuse, M - Milly silk, R - yellow silk charmeuse

I've never worked with silk charmeuse, and may have to underline so they're not too slick to work with. Though it'd be such a luxury to have these against my skin...

The middle fabric is a 100% silk by the designer Milly from Metro Textiles in New York. I just love the equestrian-esque print, and in my favorite colors - neutrals.

I've finally decided to become a big girl sewer and begin using "real" (i.e. non-JoAnn Fabrics) interfacing. I purchased a few yards from Emma One Sock - Linda advised that this is interfacing that designers work with. I'm excited to use it. While at the (online) store, I couldn't resist throwing a few bolts into my (online) cart. The fabric on the left is a crosshatch print silk/cotton in lovely olivey-tones (now sold out, but looks like new colors in this print were added yesterday). I thought the colors were rather unusual and not often seen in RTW. The fabric on the right is a sheer rose print silk by designer Thakoon.

L - silk/cotton print, R- silk Thakoon rose print, both from Emma One Sock

Both of these will need to be underlined because they are rather sheer, especially the Thakoon silk.

I have a few shell patterns in my stash: Simplicity 2599, McCall 5977, and McCall 5661.

Simplicity 2599

McCalls 5661

McCalls 5977

I planned to use all 3, but Joanne recently indicated that M5977 had to be taken in significantly for it to have shape. Interestingly, I compared both patterns, and S2599 is much wider! Perhaps I'll use the details of M5977 on S2599, which I know fits well since I made it last spring. This is by far my most-worn sewn wardrobe piece - I wear it constantly. It's made from a cheap cut of silk dupioni from JoAnn's: I don't think the top cost more than $10 to make. Cost per wear is into the pennies at this point.

Simplicity 2648: Cythina Steffe (material) dress

2011-02-22T21:27:00.001-05:00

This is Simplicity 2648, a pattern that I've been wanting to make since last year.

Simplicity 2648

The fabric is a thick textured cotton/poly from the designer Cynthia Steffe, purchased last spring at Paron Fabrics in New York (stashbustin'!).

This pattern has cup size variations, and calls for 1 inch seam allowances on the sides so that the dress can be fit as you go. I originally cut a size 12 in the B cup version, my normal size, but even with the extra 3/8" allowance, I had to grade out to a 14 at the waist and hips. Too much sewing and not enough working out over the past months!

I've been taking a new approach to muslining: I make a "muslin" out of the garment's lining fabric, making sure I have extra in case I need to cut new pattern pieces. I baste together the seams I know I'll have to rip out to construct the garment (like the bodice side seams). It's been working out so well because - if the "muslin" fits - the lining is done and ready to be essentially dropped into the fashion fabric. I never liked constructing a piece and then having to construct it all over again in the boring lining fabric.

I had another fitting victory with this dress: there was major gappage at the top of the princess seam near the underarm. Increasing the seam allowance at the problem area didn't work because the 2 seams would no longer meet evenly at the fabric edge. I tried the alteration in Fit For Real People - which requires removing some of the seam allowance but also popping out the top of the piece so that the 2 seams align at the fabric edge - and it worked perfectly.

The altered pattern is on top of the original so that you can see where the top of the pattern is dropped and shifted to the left, and more armscye curve is added. (Ignore the line - I use scraps of old patterns to as tracing paper).

= no gapage!

If you are a new sewer, I highly recommend getting this book. I did not buy the book for a long time, thinking that a book could never teach me how to alter patterns, and that I wouldn't be able to learn on my own, but I in fact have been able to achieve pattern alerations with this book. I'm rather amazed, frankly.

This pattern has been made by so many sewers for a reason: classic style, nice shape (neckline perfect - not too high, not too low), great for work or dress. I think this will become a TNT pattern for me. It won't supplant McCall 5753, The Perfect Shift Dress (now OOP), but perhaps this will be my Perfect Princess Seam Shift Dress.

Mid-Calf Spring Skirt Patterns

2011-02-12T18:09:00.002-05:00

Full skirts were really popular last year (and always will be "in" to me), but the mags are showing another feminine skirt shape for spring: the flowy mid-calf skirt. I'd never thought of wearing this shape on the weekends:

Images from the February 2011 InStyle

What a chic casual-wear look.

The look isn't as voluminous as a circle skirt, and the pattern couldn't be gored, and definitely not pull-on. New Simplicity 2257 would be perfect:

Simplicity 2257

Love the pockets on McCall 5431. Love:

McCall 5431

The skirts in the coordinates of Vogue 8679 and Vogue 1132 would work as well:

Vogue 8679

Vogue 1132

The full skirt would have to be balanced with a spare top, like:

Banana Repbulic silk flouncy ruffle tank

Gap woven shoulder tank

RD Style Floral Model Tank

Splendid striped layers tank

What do you think about this look for spring? Would you wear this length in your off-work hours? I'll definitely be making this for spring/summer, perhaps in a lightweight chino or chambray.

Vogue 1206: Red Wool Kay Unger Ruffle Bodice Dress

2011-01-30T20:13:00.002-05:00

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

2011-01-21T12:59:00.001-05:00

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"

2011-01-12T12:06:00.005-05:00

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

2011-01-03T07:02:00.000-05:00

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.

Obsessing Over: Woven Blouse "Tees"

2010-12-27T14:35:00.000-05:00

After seeing it in Lucky a few months ago, I can't stop thinking about the shape of this JCrew brocade blouse. It's so appealing to me because it's dressier than a knit tee, but less "office" than a button down:

While holiday shopping I saw it on sale at my local JCrew, but of course I couldn't buy it: the simplicity of its shape would make it oh-too-easy to sew.

It's suprisingly difficult to find a pattern matching this top's simple shape. New Look 6808, View A, approximates the look:

The 3/4 sleeve version of McCall's 5661, which I've made before, comes close, though it's a bit too fitted. I could leave out the back darts:

The best match may be to make a short, shirt version of the Burda dress I just made!

* * *

Did you receive any sewing swag from Santa? My mother completely surprised me with a dressform!

I also received new notions in my stocking, and my aunt gave me "How to Use, Adapt, and Design Sewing Patterns" by Lee Hollohan. It was a nice holiday, though it's also nice to be back home and back in the sewing room!

Carolina Herrera (fabric) Party Dress

2010-12-22T18:14:00.000-05:00

It was a stressful week - this dress took hours to make! - but I was able to finish my Carolina Herrera (fabric) Burda 03/2010 # 104 dress in time for the party Saturday. I really love it!

The dress is meant to be essentially a pullover - the pattern's closure calls for only a loop and button - so it's supposed to be A-line and rather blousy in the back and middle. I modified the shape significantly: I inserted back darts (see prior post)

Regarding the Happy Birthday balloon, I became further entrenched in the 30's by turning 31 on Sunday.

...and used a 12 inch invisible zipper instead of the loop and button (I had to add a 5/8" seam allowance to the back, and cut the pattern with a back seam), firstly because I didn't want to have to tug the rather delicate fabric over my head, but secondly, I took the bottom in so the skirt is more straight than A-line. Because this made the dress more fitted, a zipper was definitely required.

To counteract the still-present blousiness, I hemmed the dress pretty short. I like the final effect of a less-fitted dress with a sexy short length.

Because I went luxe on the fabric, I had to go budget on the jewelry: the necklace is from one of my favorite accessory stores, Love 21, Forever 21's accessory-only sister store.

I've bought pieces from that store, all <$10, that garner mad compliments! Once, a lady at the airport asked if my necklace was from a foreign country. I had to tell her the truth!

So my version is not as intricate as the dress Carolina Herrera made with this fabric:

Carolina Herrera, Spring 2011 RTW, from style.com

But hey, I think mine's allright, too.

* * *

I'm home in western Pennsylvania with my family for the week for Christmas. Tonight I'm going to try a recipe for "Black Jack Gingerbread" recipe, which I found in my great-grandmother's recipe book that my Mom handed down to me last year.

My grandmother, who had emigrated to the United States from England in the 1950's, must have brought it back with her at some point, and I'm so lucky to now have it. It's a hand-written book full of traditional British recipes such as Sussex Potato Cheese Cakes, Christmas Pud, Breton Cake, Saint Catherine's Cakes, along with less-intriguing instructions for Minced Kidneys and Spanish Liver & Bacon (the addition of "tomato sauce" apparently makes it Spanish).

I found a notation on the back that the recipe is Grammy Senior's recipe, so I think it's my great-great-grandmother's, or her grandmother's. So cool!

Then, it's off to the local dive bar for 25 cent wings...

Hoping that you're enjoying the holiday season!

Just Breathe, and Cut

2010-12-15T06:08:00.005-05:00

Wow, it is scary cutting into $27/yard fabric.

I made sure to double-check, a few times, that all seams were lined up properly and.... cut.

My cutting board, aka guest bed, and pattern weights, aka coasters and office miscellany.

I'm working in a Christmas party dress from Carolina Herrera sheer copper fabric using Burda 03/2010 # 104 (downloadable on the website).

It is difficult to photograph this fabric, which has an embossed copper floral design over black netting.

This shape of this dress is so basic, but I have never sewn with Burda before, and because I don't know my size in this brand, I spent a long time tweaking the fit of my muslin. I generally wear a size 12bust/14 hip in the Big 4, and determined that I'm a Burda 36. Burda patterns do not include seam allowances, and I decided to add a 5/8" allowance rather than a 3/8" allowance as the pattern calls for.

I dropped the bust point down just slightly, by 2/8"; anal, perhaps, but it's an alteration that's just too easy not to do: draw a box around the bust point, and drop it down the length you need (for ex., here's a 1/2 inch):

I also added darts to the back to remove excess fabric in that area. As you can see below, the inspiration dress has back darts as well.

I did this by placing a blouse pattern that has back darts onto the Burda pattern, and tracing its darts onto the dress pattern. (Yes, this is an alteration, beginner's style! But it worked.)

I'm hoping to finish the dress - and my Christmas shopping - this week in time for a party Saturday!

Further Muslin Mayhem + Christmas Dress Planning

2010-12-01T23:42:00.002-05:00

I'm having the worst time achieving a perfect fit on Vogue 1026. After doing the FBA, I further scrutinized the fit and determined that while the bust width fits well, the chest or (perhaps cup?) area is too big: it is gaping rather seriously.

Once I made little darts, tucking in the spare fabric, the area laid flat.

The bodice needs to be raised a half inch as well - rather scandalous as is!

I tried to pinch out that fabric on the pattern, and made yet another muslin of the bodice, but this "alteration", if you can call it that, made the front bodice piece shorter, and it became too short to ease into the side bodice piece. Argh. Despite scouring Fit For Real People, I'm not yet sure how to fix this one.

Combined with the extra width at the waist (big thanks for your help on figuring that one out!), this project is becoming quite a pain. I became stressed out and sad whenever I walked into my sewing room and saw the pile of fabric.

I'm going to have to put it aside for the meantime, because I have to make a Christmas dress for upcoming holiday events. I had a pattern in mind, until I saw the Presserfoot.com ladies' idea for making this Milly dress with a Burda pattern:

I couldn't stop thinking about it! I almost ordered the gold lace, but spotted this Carolina Herrera copper fabric at Emma One Sock, and fell in love. The fabric's on its way.

This will be my first foray into sewing with Burda patterns. I am concerned about sizing, and was even trepidatious about downloading and printing the pattern, but that process was painless. The dress printed onto 25 pages (I used the backs of scrap paper) and the pieces are taped together matching numbers printed on each page. So easy!

I'm first going to muslin this dress too, but with essentially only 2 pattern pieces, this one should be stress-free. I hope?

FBA Triumph, then Despair

2010-11-13T19:24:00.005-05:00

I've spent my recent sewing time working on a muslin of Vogue 1206. The first trial-run of the bodice fit well, except for some noticeable pulling below the bust.

I let out the princess seam at the full bust and stitched it back up with a 1/8 allowance, and the pulling went away...

I'm just barely a C student, and so far, I haven't felt that my patterns needed a FBA, thankfully because... I'm terrified of pattern adjusting: I feel that it's way over my head and skill level. However, I knew plunging ahead with the dress was not the right thing to do, so I got out my copy of Fit For Real People, and proceeded with actually completing a FBA. When I put the bodice back together, the pulling was gone.

To any new sewers out there, like me, who are super-intimidated at trying a pattern adjustment, get out your instruction book, and try it! You can probably do it! (But perhaps you should stop reading now, because a bump in the road was hit...)

I ran into a serious problem when attaching the bodice to the waist inset/skirt:

There is a ridonculous amount of ease:

I've checked that the seams and notches line up, and let's assume there's not a pattern drafting error. Does a FBA add waistline width? Argh, what is going on here?

I'm off to drown my apparel construction sorrows in Indian takeout and The September Issue...

Sewn Apartment Accessories

2010-10-24T22:03:00.008-04:00

Some apparel sewers deride home dec sewing. If you are one of them, you may want to click away now! I am an unashamed home dec sewer: I want to have as nice and unique an environment as my wardrobe. If one has sewing skillz, and needs new curtains, why not DIY?

My mother has a business meeting in New York this week, and she's going to stay with me in CT for a quick overnight visit tomorrow. This spurred me to do some of those housekeeping projects that we've been putting off - like re-arranging rugs, dusting heating boards, re-caulking the shower - and... sewing a few decent throw pillows to replace these nasty, old ones:

I don't remember where they even came from. So today I made these!:

Instead of doing all plain, square pillows, I learned how to do piping today using this tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew. It was so easy! (Though a bit time-consuming the first go-around.)

The lime zebra fabric is a 100% cotton remnant from JoAnn's. I also did a little rectangular stripey pillow. That fabric is from a fabulous local store: it's an old 19th century textile mill that today makes high-end designer upholstery fabrics, and sells the leftovers and mistakes in a small shop below the factory.

Are you a garment sewer who also sews items for your home? I actually began sewing by doing home dec items - curtains, pillows - and I think it's a great way to start sewing: it's mostly straight stitching, no complicated darts or zippers, relatively fast projects. I realized today that it can even be a good way for the apparel sewer to learn a new skill: today I made bias strips for the first time and learned how to make piping.

I'm not trading in my dress patterns for quilting projects, but it was a fun change today to sew pieces to spruce up the apartment. How do you feel about home dec sewing? Do you appreciate it as another fabric craft? Or are you firmly a Home Dec Hata?

A Gathered Waist Skirt That Works!‏

2010-10-21T22:55:00.003-04:00

I couldn't get the idea of a full skirt for fall out of my mind. I again used Butterick 5285, but this time cut 4 inches off each side. I used a lightweight wool from an Ebay seller who said it was from a Liz Claiborne factory in Fall River, MA. It's a lovely, soft fabric that lets off that great wooly, sheepy smell when pressed. The wool is much more drapey and lightweight than the stiff cotton poplin in my first version, so this one actually worked.

This pattern doesn't call for a lining, but I wanted to line it since the skirt's wool. A commenter helpfully said that she lines gathered skirts by making folds (pleats) in a self-drafted lining. I dropped the lining in, matching up the side seams, and made folds until the lining was the same size as the skirt.

The waistband is then stitched over top of both layers. I was intimidated by the thought of how this would work, but it ended up being SUPER easy. (Thanks, Slapdash Sewist!)

I wore this to the office with this JCrew cropped jacket and pointy heels. (The shoes are the Nuncio from Nine West. It's the perfect dress shoe! The heel is high enough to give that sexy lift, but short enough to be comfortable and walkable. I have 2 pair, and ordered a black pair on sale from DSW yesterday! I'm all about buying in pairs [or triples] when I find something I love.)

Classic Pencil Skirt with Vent

2010-10-12T21:19:00.003-04:00

This weekend I finished the pencil skirt with a vent, inspired by the Cupcake Goddess's tutorials which instruct how to put a vent plus lining into a pencil skirt.

Most skirt patterns include a vent, but the patterns don't call for a lining (isn't that obnoxious on the part of the Big 4 patterns? Obviously, if the pattern suggests wool, it must be lined in most cases.) If you've never lined a skirt with a vent before, it does take some mental work to figure out how to do it.

My skirt was different from the tutorial's model - the Burda Jenny - as McCall's 3830 does not have a waistband. These are the slightly different steps I took to construct the skirt:

I inserted the invisible zipper into the fashion fabric.
Attached the fashion fabric and lining at the waistband.
Finished the bottom of the vent from the inside.

That method was suggested by Connie Long in her Easy Guide to Sewing Linings (partly accessible on Google Books). Putting the vent's right sides together inside the skirt, I took a guess at what vent seams should be sewn together, and it worked.

A commentor indicated that her skirt pulled once the lining was attached at the waist; I recalled that Eugenia countered this by adding "wearing ease" to her vented skirt's lining, so I drafted my skirt's lining this way as well. As Eugenia noted, it doesn't make the inside very pretty, but I don't have unsightly pulling issues when I walk.

As you can see, it was difficult to get the puzzle piece part of the lining to ease in, so that part doesn't look very pretty either, and the edge is pulling up a bit. Hopefully I can perfect that in future versions.

I'm so pleased with how this skirt turned out. I've started taking more time and care on my projects - serging the fashion fabric, pinking lining edges, sewing all possible seams in the same direction - and the results have been more satisfying to me.

* * *

I'm suddenly in a skirt mood, so I have a few in the immediate queue. Though I ordered a vintage dress pattern, and it's calling my name, too. There just aren't enough hours in the day!

Perfecting the Pencil Skirt

2010-09-28T21:43:00.003-04:00

Last month The Cupcake Goddess did a comprehensive multi-part tutorial on how to sew a perfect pencil skirt. Her tutorial included adding a back vent. I couldn't wait to try it out!

I'm using McCall's 3830; I have previously sewn this skirt, but after wearing the earlier version a few times, I've determined that the fit could be improved.

McCall's 3830

The fashion fabric is a very dark navy Vera Wang poly suiting (purchased from fabric.com last spring during its Vera Wang $1.95/yard fire sale).

The lining is vintage Aquascutum lining fabric snagged on Ebay (oh, the fabulously random items that can be found there!).

I am about half-way there, and am excited to see how the vent turns out (assuming I can determine how to attach the lining and fashion fabric vents together, which looks to be the trickiest part).

I would like to draft a godet for my next pencil skirt; I think it's another elegant way to finish a hem slit.

The classic reference book Vogue Sewing (which my sister fortuitously gave me as a gift years ago, well before I started garment sewing) has really good instructions on how to insert one.

I actually learned about godets from Project Runway: a contestant was discussing her hem finish, and another contestant - who was not professionally trained - lamented that he did not even know what a godet was. I didn't either, so I looked it up!

* * *

It was a Wadder Weekend for me. The second in a row, actually. I planned to make a dress from an amazing graphic silk, but the bodice just wasn't working with the lightweight silk. I used the silk instead for a simple shell with Simplicity 2599, which I've made before, but the armhole facings did not attach properly. I had already trimmed the seams and understitched, and needle marks will not come out of silk. It was time to just let this material go.

Argh. Really, isn't it just awful - gut-wrenching - when you spend hours cutting, stitching, trimming, and the garment does not work? My husband noted that I can always learn something from a failed project; when I retorted that I knew what I did - I clearly did not mark the facings properly - he indicated that I can learn not to be sloppy. Ouch. But you know, he's right. No more cutting corners on pattern markings! Sad it's taken me over a year to internalize that...

Going forward sewing strategy

2010-08-23T20:19:00.001-04:00

I will admit that I'm ready to go on a shopping bender. I'm ready for some new stuff, because (here's my conclusion): it's tough to sew all your own clothes!

I found that it is difficult to sew all of my own clothes primarily because of time. I just don't have enough of it! It takes me a week or 2 to sew a garment like a dress: I can sew about an hour every other day, and perhaps 3-4 hours on the weekends. (Especially in the summer, when I don't want to sit indoors at my machine.) I have other hobbies that I like to indulge: road cycling, reading, cooking, and Mr. ASW and I love to take little weekend road trips around New England in the fall.

The second is skill/inclination: I want a military-style jacket for fall, but I'd prefer to spend $50 on one than spend a month piecing together my own, if I could even find the right materials - the pattern, knit neckline, little zippers, grommets, materials - and then execute it. I could make a few skirts and tops in that amount of time.

Old Navy Cinched Zip Front Jacket

A cost analysis does come into play: sometimes it's cheaper to buy than make. For example, the military jacket above: after all the materials are added up, it might cost more to sew the jacket. Or little summer tops: Forever 21 has super cute blousy pieces to wear with shorts for well under $20. One could be sewn up for under $10, perhaps, but I'd prefer to use that time to sew distinctive skirts or dresses.

Forever 21 Smocked Chiffon Top

Forever 21 Woven Shirt

My going-forward sewing goals will be much less ambitious than this past year's: I'm going to sew to fill holes in my closet... just not all the holes! And I'm not going to shy away from a pattern because it may be time-consuming or a challenge. I'm going to take on more adventurous pieces this year now that I have a basic understanding.

I have definitely been bitten by the sewing bug. I don't think I could ever stop sewing now. I almost threw the towel in when I could not get the McCall's 5753 dress to work. I was so frustrated. But there are just too many cool patterns and great fabrics, and I have too many ideas. Too many pieces that I want that I couldn't buy - they exist only in my imagination right now! But with sewing, they don't have to stay there. Don't you just love that?

Almost at the end of my one year challenge + honesty time

2010-08-17T21:29:00.009-04:00

I am almost to the end of one year of sewing my own clothes!

I'm sure you're curious whether I really didn't buy any new clothes: truly, I was pretty good! I previously 'fessed up to buying a coat at the A.P.C. outlet in Paris in November. Also, I did break down and buy 3 merino cardigans from Nordstroms in March.

I was desperate for spring-color sweater cardis, which I can't sew... I bought 3 colors of the same style, so can we pretend that it was one transgression? And really, that was it! I'm proud of myself for sticking (for the most part) to my goal.

I was hoping that I'd begin wearing many of my own pieces as the year went on, but, to be honest, not all of the pieces I've made this year have went into regular wardrobe rotation. There are a few reasons for this: (1) some pieces were a flop, and (2) I wasn't sewing for my life or wardrobe.

Reason #1 is pretty obvious. Not only were some projects a failure, but my early garments weren't of the best construction. I'm not beating myself up - I was a complete novice at apparel sewing! There is a learning curve, and I think I'm now on the upward swing of it (despite recent poor fabric/pattern choosing - while I admit the skirt does look rather cute in the photos, I just can't bring myself to wear it!).

For example, I could not figure out what ~~underlining~~ (EDIT: understitching!) was when I first started sewing. But now I think it is the most important construction step (after pressing, of course). I've learned to sew French seams, and have begun doing them on the interiors of dresses and linings.

I also think it looks more professional to match the invisible zipper to a project's colors, even though just the pull is seen. These techniques make a piece look and seem more RTW, and make me want to grab them out of my closet.

Reason #2 needs explaining: I bought patterns or material because I loved the style or fabric, for that reason alone, without much thought to what I really wear. For example, I purchased a gorgeous, soft, high-quality thick satin from WinMil which I turned into this Cynthia Rowley shift:

But I haven't had the occasion to wear it. I'm a suburbanite, and very rarely go to cocktail parties or clubbing (instead, I like to sit at home and sew on a Friday night, heh heh). Or this sheath dress in the awesome jungle-esque material: the material is a bit much for work, but the shape is too stuffy for going out/casual wear. Not a good fabric/pattern match.

I will get so much more mileage out of my hard-sewn pieces if I carefully consider whether I'd really wear the piece (Where? With what shoes? What pants? Etc.). While I might want a jungle print dress, if I'm never going to wear it, it's a waste of my money and time.

I don't think one should sew only black pencil skirts and button-ups, ignoring that special occassion dress pattern, or passing on a lovely faux fur for a shrug that will only be worn a few times. But if you're aiming to build a better wardrobe via sewing, "I will sew for my real life!" has to be your mantra.

I've been thinking a lot about what my future approach to sewing will be… thoughts on that soon!

Cynthia Rowley Simplicity 2586 Sundress

2010-08-07T00:10:00.007-04:00

My husband and I went to a concert in Boston recently, and I wore this dress, which is Cynthia Rowley Simplicity 2586:

This dress was so easy to make. There are no darts - only gathers at the front - so it was very quick to sew as well.

I made it in a tomato red cotton with a hint of stretch from WinMil Fabrics in Boston. I serged the seams to finish the inside; I wanted to do French seams (an obsession now that I know how to do them!), however the dress has pockets which would have interfered with French seams.

The dress is rather short as I forgot to add the bottom band! I didn't even cut it out. (I was wondering why it was so short!) I'm not tall (just under 5' 4"), so the length's not too bad. My cheeky husband took a picture of me walking away to confirm that the length wasn't too scandalous. Oh well, even if it is a bit short, it's great to wear during these humid days!

Another "Perfect Dress": McCalls 5753 Sleeveless Silk Sheath

2010-07-25T19:27:00.003-04:00

I made another M5753, this time sleeveless, and in a (stiffish) silk from Paron's in NYC. It was $14/yard, but the pattern requires only 1 1/4 yards of fabric, so this dress cost less than $20.

I learned how to do a blindhem stitch on the machine, using this tutorial on youtube. It may take a few more attempts to perfect this skill, but it wasn't hard once the light went off about how the fabric was to be folded.

Here is a close-up of the fabric, which I adore, though it tends to hold a wrinkle:

I am so obessed with sheath dresses for work. Seriously, they could be the only thing I sew.

Are you tired of this pattern yet? I don't have any immediate versions planned, though I'm sure I will sew a few more of these in the future.

Finished!: Butterick 5285 skirt

2010-07-12T21:32:00.006-04:00

Despite taking over a foot of width off the front and back of this skirt, it's still rather crazy poufy. This cotton sateen drapes like cotton duck! I've learned a valuable lesson: fabric matters. Yes, it has taken me this long to grasp that. I don't think one has to slavishly follow the pattern's suggestions, but I do need to think carefully about drape before embarking on a project.

Really, it's not that bad, but I just don't know where I'd wear this. It's too wide for work, but too prim for casual-wear.

I have since swept under the sofa - yeesh!

The back is still extreme. The thickness of the cotton makes it very stiff:

I tried topping the skirt with a cardi (short and long) and it just doesn't seem to work. My kind husband texted me today that he saw a girl wearing a similar wide skirt... I dunno, I'll keep it in the closet for awhile... I will let you know if I do wear it!

To end on the positive side, the top I'm wearing with the skirt - Simplicity 2599 - has turned out to be a favorite. I wear it constantly! When I spot it in the closet I don't think "I made this" but instead: "Ooo yay, this top! I should wear this today!" It's definitely a pattern worth trying if you need a fun shell for work (or casual-wear: check out the version MushyWear just posted).

Full Skirt Obsessing

2010-07-06T22:03:00.002-04:00

I thought the Butterick 5285 gathered skirt was a total lost cause, but thanks entirely to your kind words and encouragements, I ripped the whole thing apart and took more width off the sides (twice), and put it back together (twice).

Butterick 5285, view A

I think it turned out fine. Unquestionably, I made the wrong fabric choice. It still has crazy poufiness in the back. But you all seemed to like the craziness, so I'm going to wear it; if I'm laughed at, it's your fault! I need to finish the closure and hand-hem it - I promise pics by the end of the week.

* * *

Despite Butterick 5285's lackluster end result, I'm obsessing over full skirts for fall. I'm excited at the thought of sewing up wide, blousy skirts to replace my pencil skirts, which seem yawn to me right now. I can't stop thinking of Tasia and Ali's versions, using McCall's 5803, so I ordered the OOP Hilary Duff pattern from Ebay.

So I'll have a gathered or pleated full skirt pattern, but I want more!

You noted that the lovely Louis Vuitton below is a circle skirt (not gathered, doh!):

Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 RTW, style.com

But what about this Oscar de la Renta number? I think it's a bias skirt?:

Oscar de la Renta Fall 2009 RTW, style.com

As is this Louis Vuitton dress? (Seriously, is this not the perfect outfit: the dress, the cardi, the colors, the shoes? Heaven):

Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 RTW, style.com

Is it a dress with a bias cut skirt?

My goal is to make versions of these skirts for fall. I may try my hand at making my own circle skirt pattern, though I do adore this vintage pattern. Do you have a bias cut skirt pattern recommendation? Any other full skirt types I haven't thought of?

Project flop: Butterick 5285 full skirt

2010-06-24T22:15:00.002-04:00

This one is all my fault: I was bad and made up Butterick 5285 in a navy cotton sateen when the pattern calls for lightweight fabrics.

After putting this together, I found out why the pattern calls for lightweight fabrics: significant gathering is required, and the (admittedly) thick cotton sateen made the skirt blousy to the extreme. I spent an evening ripping the skirt apart, took 6 inches (3 inches each side) off the back, and stiched it back together. The result is still craziness:

At first I thought (more likely, tried to convince myself) that the front was cute, but it is nuts, too:

I wanted it to be this Louis Vuitton:

But it turned out this Louis Vuitton...:

Images from style.com

Not good.

I would really like a full skirt for summer, and I adore the shape of this skirt. While the pattern is very easy to work with, I think it has an inherent flaw: it would require a really lightweight fabric, but it doesn't call for a lining, so the skirt would be see-through. Lining the skirt might make it too thick for the gathers.

I have Simplicity 2413 in my pattern stash, and I may sew the full skirt in that pattern. But for now, the poor navy sateen is in a pile on the sewing room/guest room floor....

Overlooking New Look?

2010-06-17T20:11:00.004-04:00

I forget about New Look patterns. Perhaps becase the patterns are not prominent on Simplicity's site. Or because New Look patterns are never on sale; while they are always a cheap $3.99, it seems that every weekend either McCalls, Butterick, or Simplicity are on sale for 99 cents, so I gravitate towards those.

In any event, I shouldn't overlook New Look as there are some real gems.

This could be another version of The Perfect Dress - but this one with a great tie neckline:

I want that red dress in that fake red/white fabric...

I've been seeking a pattern for the white top below: just a 3/4 length-sleeve woven top pattern that's not a tunic. It's suprisingly hard to find, so I was excited by NL6868:

It got so-so reviews on Pattern Review because of a wonky facing (if you look closely at the model's top on the site, the neckline facing is a little crazy), but it's such a great top that I may have to make it work. Can't you see it in an eyelet?

My favorite is this skirt:

The short length and pleats look high-end RTW! It is definitely on my (huge) to-sew-list.

Gathered-back slouchy top: Vogue 8514 (first knit project!)‏

2010-06-15T21:12:00.003-04:00

I bought Vogue 8514 because I thought - based on the pattern picture - that it was for wovens, and didn't even bother to look at the fabric suggestion. You'd think the lack of darts would have tipped me off, but moving on…

I adored the gathered back of this casual top, so I decided to use this pattern as my first venture into knits! I was going to make a solid top, but Peter suggested a stripe knit we saw at H&M Fabrics. While his outfit choice Saturday was questionable, his fabric intuition wasn't: I love how this turned out!

Vogue 8514

I made View B, but ended up taking over 4 inches off the length: unaltered view B is crazy long! Like, beach cover-up or knee-length dress long. A Pattern Reviewer felt that the instructions were goofy: there is no discussion of serging and the facings are interfaced. As a novice knit sewer, I didn't notice any of this, and felt that the pattern overall was incredibly easy: the sleeves are kimono shaped instead of set-in, and the gathering was super-easy to do.

It wasn't lightning fast, as the sleeves are also gathered and finished at the bottom with a band - details that took some time to complete:

I'm mixed on sewing knits: I found it difficult to prep the knit before I cut it. It kept shifting and stretching on the mat. However, once I wrestled it down and began sewing, what a breeze. The material was easy to maneuver, and the lack of darts makes a project much faster.

Frankly, I don't wear really wear knits, so I don't think I'll sew with them often. Also, I think I'd like to spend my precious, limited sewing time creating dresses or skirts that are more expensive to buy than knits. But the overall ease does make sewing with knits very attractive...

Details of Simplicity 2599 Top

2010-06-07T20:27:00.004-04:00

We luckily made it to and from England without any volcanic interference. In fact, we had amazing weather - in the mid 80's in London, and only a day and a half of rain throughout the rest of the week. Despite my fears, we adjusted to left-sided driving. While the roundabouts were shockingly easy (why don't we have them in the US? So much better than stoplights!), the tight, narrow roads, flanked by high hedgrows, took some getting used to. Some "roads" were essentially Victorian-era, one lane cart paths that were supposedly 2 lane roads. My cousin said that an oncoming car often has to reverse backwards down a lane to allow the other car to get through, which can lead to show-downs as to who is going to back out. And I thought my commute was bad!

Here are more pictures of Simplicity 2599, the top I made before left:

As you can see, it's not a particularly fitted top. In fact, it doesn't look particularly flattering in the first picture! But the blousiness makes it more casual than a fitted shell like McCalls 5661 (which I made last year).

I originally cut this in a size 10, C cup (this pattern has cup size variations, a lovely bonus) but it looked huge when held up to a RTW shell in my closet. I cut down to a size 8, but when sewn the top was a bit tight at the hips. To loosen the area, I ripped out the (French!) seams 3 inches up the sides, and made vents.

I lazily finished the top closure with a snap (hidden in the picture below) as I made an error in the placement of the button loop when stitching. It can be seen peeking out at the top of the seam!

This pattern is easy and basic, and should work in both casual and dressy fabrics; it's a definite-make again. Perhaps my next version will be the view with cascading ruffles.

* * *

Are you ever inexplicably attracted to an incredibly random pattern?

This arrived in my mailbox from Ebay today. It's a double-breasted, poufy-sleeved, tunic-length blouse. I am strangely drawn to its uber-low cut neckline. New patterns wouldn't have the guts! I can see myself it for fall in the cream silk (perhaps this crepe de chine from Gorgeous Fabrics). Camisole underneath optional: it is an 80's pattern after all.

Vacay Top: Simplicity 2599

2010-05-21T12:06:00.006-04:00

It wouldn't be vacation without a last-minute sewing project, right?

I put Simplicity 2599 together this week, in a pinkish-nude color dupioni silk.

The color was inspired by this Essie nail polish color - "Mambo" - that JCrew was randomly selling.

No time to take pics as it's off to the airport soon; I'll try to get shots with it on while we're away! We're spending the weekend in London, and then will be staying with family the rest of the week. First time driving in the UK, so if you don't hear from me in the next few weeks, I may be stuck in a roundabout somewhere in southeast England...

McCall's 5753: The Perfect Dress?‏

2010-05-12T20:07:00.004-04:00

I think it might be! I am so happy with how this dress turned out after all the work.

Please ignore the sitting-at-a-desk-all-day wrinkles!

The pattern, of course, is McCall's 5753. I added the cap sleeves from Butterick 5316. I used those instructions to make the dress, as it explains how to insert the lining by machine. Why do patterns still recommend inserting a bodice lining by hand?!

McCall's 5753

The fabric is a shimmery turquoise and gold/cream woven blend from Paron's in NYC ($14/yard) which I purchased last summer. I had been so excited to sew with it since I bought it.

This project has been really fulfilling - I used a stash fabric I've been fantasizing about for almost a year, and of course, I began learning fitting techniques.

I think I've found the perfect sheath dress pattern: the low neckline, darts instead of princess seams (to me, darts are less distracting when sewing with prints), no strange finishing instructions (like using purchased seam binding on the armscye - shame on you McCall's 5972!) and options for front pockets and sleeve variations. I plan to make so many more versions of this dress. This blog may get very boring...

Nina Ricci Vintage Pattern Splurge

2010-05-06T19:08:00.004-04:00

I somehow stumbled across this 1970 Vogue Paris Originals pattern while perusing current Nina Ricci pieces.

The jacket is unremarkable, but isn't the dress fabulous?! The fitted bodice and long sleeves, the exaggerated skirt, the center pleat detailing... I just had to have this dress pattern! Even though it was $25.

What is the most you have spent on a pattern?

A fitted Perfect Dress muslin. Finally.

2010-05-03T06:13:00.000-04:00

I apologize for having had the lamest blog ever lately. I have made 4 or 5 muslins of McCall's 5753, the potentially Perfect Dress, and I didn't want to keep posting sob stories of how it didn't fit. I had achieved a good fit on the bodice a few weeks ago, but when I attached the skirt, it had issues:

There was extra fabric above my derriere, and the bodice suddenly was big again.

I took some time away from it, cut some new patterns, and went back to the dress. I took the sides in slightly under the arm, tapering to the original waistline (size 12 waistline, which fit; so under the arm is about a size 10).

But most importantly, the instructor at the sewing studio I've attended suggested that I make the 4 back skirt darts slightly wider (in light blue marker below) to add more three dimension to accomodate my more 3D than average derriere:

And it worked!

Ok, the darts really need to be pressed, but I think this is the one. The top wrinkles should even out when the lining goes in, as they did in the top photo (the yellow bodice in that photo is lined).

Sadly, I am insanely happy about this dress finally working out. I really need to get a life! I envisioned so many iterations of this dress that I was crushed at the thought of it not working. I'm also pleased that I'm learning how to fit. I finally purchased Fit For Real People, and am beginning to feel that I could attempt some of the alterations on my own.

I cut the lining of the real version of this dress, which I will hopefully be able to put together by next weekend. Stay tuned for what might be The Perfect Dress!

Now With Improved Fit!

2010-04-11T13:40:00.001-04:00

After more muslins and attempted solo tissue fittings, I've finally achieved a decent fit on the questionably perfect dress.

So what seemed to work was pinching the fabric at the top of the pattern piece and a slight rounded shoulder pie-shaped adjustment, shown here in my last post.

I think the yellow bodice above is much better than the original, yikes!

There is stilla bit of poufiness in the back, but guys, I think I've gotten it as good as I'm gonna get it. I'm sure a skilled seamstress could achieve a flawless fit, however I'm not a skilled seamstress!

I've fallen strangely in love with the bright sunflower colored textured cotton I used as trial fabric ($1.95/yd from fabric.com that I threw into an order to reach the minimum shipping amount), and I'm going to finish the dress with it to make sure the back fits with the skirt attached. I question whether the skirt is a bit snug in the hips which was pushing up the bodice, causing more fit issues, so I want to test this. After that, I'll finish the chino dress.

Hopefully I can complete the yellow dress soon. It's been hard finding sewing time! I'm on the Board of Directors of 2 non-profits, and my evenings have been busy with meetings. I went home for Easter for 5 days, and am going to Chicago next week for work.... It's just craziness lately!

Knowing When to Seek Professional Help

2010-03-30T21:16:00.003-04:00

Well, I've finally hit my sewing wall: despite hours of research (and muslin work) I just cannot figure out what is wrong with this dress's bodice. I agreed with your essentially unanimous thought that the bodice is too long. I had Mr. ASW pinch the back and determined that there is about an inch and a half of extra fabric; I folded the pattern one inch at the adjustment line on the bodice, and re-drew the side seams. (I also graded down one size at the shoulders, as the shoulders were too big, which accounted for the remaining half inch that needed to go). Here is the result:

Slightly better on the left side, but no real difference on the right. To make matters worse, the front turned into an 80's style half-shirt, ending just under my bust. (I'm not entirely surprised by this, as I felt that it hit in the right place at my waist originally.)

I came to the realization that this is a problem I can't seem to solve on my own. I endeavored to seek out a tailor in my area who I could cajole into giving me sewing lessons. I was pleased to discover a sewing studio near my job (what did we do before Google?!) that has open sewing classes on Monday evenings.

After reviewing the dress's bodice, the instructor believed that I am cutting the size appropriate for my bust, but not my my frame. She took my measurements and determined that my high bust (upper chest above my bust) is a scant 32", while my bust is a 34". I've been cutting a size 12 for the 34" bust.

She suggested that I cut a size 8 (on this pattern, a 31.5" bust), but add to the side seam to get my waist size (I had to add about an inch on each side, so I'm probably back to about a size 12 at the waist). After tissue-fitting the pattern, she recommended a full bust adjustment to accommodate a 34" bust. The instructor showed me how to do a FBA; here she had to add a side dart in addition to the previously sole large dart that went from the waist to the bust.

I'd need to refer to an instruction book, but I do think that I could replicate a FBA adjustment again. It was so helpful to see someone execute it.

As to the offending back, the instructor thought that I needed to do a forward should adjustment (apparently I have a bit of a slouch from sitting at a computer all day); she did this by adding about a half inch to the back shoulder seam, and removing that amount from the front shoulder seam. Super easy!

In addition to pinching out a bit of "fabric" on the pattern near the shoulder where it was still gaping (the fold in the picture below), she felt that I needed a rounded back adjustment (the pie-shaped addition).

It was really helpful to actually watch someone cut the pattern to make adjustments. My next step is to lower the front bust dart slightly as it is not hitting at my "apex" (the fullest part of the bust), and then sew this up to see if this fits. I'm hoping these alterations do the trick! They looked right in the tissue fitting, but frankly, I'm slightly wary of the Palmer Pletsch's much-exalted tissue fitting method. Firstly, it only shows one side, and secondly, fabric must hang so much differently than paper. But I'm new, and these are just my impressions! Perhaps I will turn into a convert. Do you have any thoughts (negative points or love stories) about tissue fitting?

When I began sewing, I thought that I could do it on my own. I do feel that sewing is like cooking: if you follow the instructions in a cookbook, you can make a meal. Similiarly, if you follow pattern instructions, you can make a garment. For me, I'm realizing that while I can learn to sew, fitting is something that I just can't seem to grasp by reading it in a book. That's just me. I think that attending this studio will help me to perfect the fit of muslins I plan to make of classic patterns that I'd like to sew in multiples: a Chanel-style jacket, wide-leg pants, the perfect shift dress...

Imperfect Fit on the Perfect Dress

2010-03-23T21:28:00.005-04:00

I'm making a test run of the potentially perfect dress, McCall's 5753, in a chino fabric, which I cut it out in my usual size 12 (34 bust). The neckline is a lovely shape - wonderfully dipped, but not too low. The skirt pockets took a few tries, but are a great feature. I got the zipper in, slipped it on for a full-dress fit test, turned around to peep at the back and saw this:

OMG?! WTF?! Why is the bodice ridonculously wrinkly and baggy? And the right more than the left?

I couldn't tell from looking in the mirror what the problem is, but I think it is clear in these pictures that the bodice is way too big. This is so strange, because a size 12 generally fits me well.

At first I believed the front bodice fit, but it too may be big, as the top is gaping:

I cropped out the full decolletage shot, as it is rather scandalous! The Captain is lurking in the background.

Conversely, I may have a bit of a "large buttocks" issue. Referring to my newly purchased "Fitting & Pattern Alteration: A Multi-Method Approach" reference book, the pulling going on here:

Is awfully similiar to that in the picture. However, the behind area doesn't feel tight; instead, it almost seems as though the lines are due to too much fabric above the behind to the waist. Has anyone experienced this before?

I believe my new book, which was recommended last year on Miss Celie's Pants, will be really helpful in solving challenging fitting issues. But I wonder if this fitting issue is even more basic: should I simply go down a size in the bodice? Even then, I question whether the bodice will be small enough, because it seems very big. Perhaps I need to shorten the bodice itself? I do believe that I have a shorter torso than most.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

V7975... in cotton sateen? Possible?

2010-03-17T22:11:00.002-04:00

I think I am the only sewer who has not made a Chanel-style jacket with Vogue 7975. It has 26 reviews on Pattern Review!

For some reason I have been obsessing about making it in a thick, navy cotton sateen for summer (of which I have 4.5 yards). I would wear it with my camel-colored RTW wide leg pants, a yellow skirt and khaki skirt (that are in my "to be sewn" queue - just twinkles in my eye at this point). I might even make a matching pencil skirt with the fabric for a summer suit... so many options! So wearable!

But cotton is soooo less forgiving than wool. Would I drive myself insane trying to do a princess seam with a thick cotton? I just can't get this vision out of my head! I'm all about making this jacket in wool for fall/winter, but right now I'm dreaming of a cotton version...

Desperately Seeking: The Perfect Dress

2010-03-15T19:59:00.002-04:00

I love dresses, especially for work. One of the reasons I began sewing was because I couldn't find or couldn't afford classic day dresses. So since I began sewing, I have been seeking the perfect dress.

In fact, my first project was a shift dress: Butterick 5316.

I have made 2 versions of this pattern, including this jungle-ish print one.

I definitely like it, but the pleats are a little tricky to nail, and the neckline is way too high. Not ideal for these reasons.

McCall's 5845 was another early dress that I tried. It was great for a fun sheath dress because of the low back, but it was not the classic sheath dress that I'm seeking.

These two dresses caused me to realize that I'm seeking certain specifics in the perfect dress: a lower neckline (not high or boatneck), simple darts (no pleats), and a separate bodice and skirt. In sum, a classic, simple sheath. So I was really excited when I saw McCall's 5972 because it met the requirements.

However, I should have read the instructions closer before I cut it out: the dress has a side zipper, but instead of requiring the lining to be finished by hand (which would have taken it out of the running for the perfect dress anyways), the armscye are finished with purchased bias binding. Ugh?! What RTW dress is finished with bias binding?! Yes, I could make my own, but this is surely not the perfect dress. I will finish this UFO at some point, maybe, but for right now, I'm too angry to look at it.

I never noticed McCall's 5753 as a candidate for the perfect dress because of the poufy sleeved, bedazzled brown v-neck cover dress.

But look at the sleeveless dress: a simple sheath, plain darts, a back zipper, no bias binding required.

Stay tuned: my search may be over!

P.S. At the next Simplicity pattern sale, I'm going to grab Simplicity 2648. For some unexplainable reason I prefer darts, but after spending 4 hours yesterday marking and sewing all the darts in the lining and fashion fabric of M5753, I'm going to try princess seams. I really like sewing princess seams, and they are much less time consuming! I'm not getting too excited, though, as it'd be greedy to wish for two perfect dresses.

Half-way through my one-year challenge of not buying clothes

2010-03-06T18:52:00.004-05:00

As you may have noticed in my "About", as of September 1, 2009, I challenged myself to not buy new clothes for one year, but to sew my own. Despite that I had no sewing skills and only started sewing in June 2009…

I challenged myself because I was so excited to begin sewing that I wanted to learn as quickly as possible. My goal was to focus on gaining sewing skills since I wouldn't be able to buy my own. And though I knew it would be maddening, I thought it would be fun to try, an exercise in self-restraint (which I have little of, especially when it comes to sweets). While I didn't have a shopping addiction by any means, I often had the urge to shop and purchased random pieces either because they were on sale, or because I liked them despite that they weren't a good fit for my wardrobe or style. I wanted to curb that desire.

I also wanted to see if one can save money by sewing... I think cost per piece, for the most part, yes. But it really depends. This topic is a whole post in itself! We'll see at the end of the year...

I haven't written about this challenge much because I've been so preoccupied with dreaming up and sewing new projects. And... frankly, I haven't felt significantly deprived or inhibited by my shopping moratorium. Isn't that amazing?

I don't want my last statement to imply that this challenge hasn't really affected me, because it has. I did a lot of shopping around Christmas-time, and wasn't tempted by anything in the stores. I think that I look at clothing so much differently now. I no longer lust after $200+ Milly shells...

because I could find great fabric online or in NYC and make my own with McCall's 5661 for a fraction of the cost.

Or the lovely wool or cotton $100 JCrew pencil skirts that are the staple of my work wardrobe could be made with McCall's 3830. And I can make them in the color or fabric that I want.

Really - even though I just began sewing less than a year ago, I question whether I will ever buy another skirt or dress again. Even if a dress is a style I would not be able to make, or is in a fabulous material, do I really need that dress? Couldn't I make one that I'd love just as much?

I think the basics of sewing can be learned relatively quickly. Having sewn pillows and curtains, I was slightly ahead of a complete novice for I knew how to thread a machine and sew a straight seam. However, I had no knowledge of sewing construction, i.e. darts, insering a zipper, understitching. Looking at the first dresses I made, I can already see significant improvement in the past 9 months. My first pieces felt homemade; my more recent ones don't.

The negatives of sewing? You know them!: Sewing takes a lot of time - I work full-time, plus have an hour commute both ways, volunteer for 2 groups, am in a book club, go to the gym 3-4 times a week, cook dinner 5-6 nights a week… that doesn't leave a whole lot of time for sewing. I've wanted to create a better wardrobe, but can only make 2-3 pieces a month, if that. So at this point most of what I currently wear are older clothes, not items that I have sewn.

Additionally, sewing is so frustrating at times. It is awful to spend days, or weeks, on a project that turns out meh. For example, I made a jacket in the fall that I thought I'd love, but have never worn. I gave it away.

However, it is a great feeling to press that last seam, fluff out your new garment, wear it and receive compliments, and think "I made this!". Or get an insatiable urge for a green wool dress, and then be able to make one (hopefully, this month!).

Jason Wu RST 2010, style.com

I will be honest with you: I fell off the wagon once, while in France in November. While I was not only in a different zip code, but a different country, it still counts: I bought an overcoat at A.P.C. Surplus in Montmarte. I didn't even need it, I just really wanted it. I was in France, my little sister was getting a coat, it was a pretty good price for A.P.C., and I just caved in... There is no excuse.

Before I started this challenge, I knew I wanted a grey merino turtleneck. It's just a piece, like my camel merino turtleneck, that would go with so much and that I'd wear over and over.

When returning a shirt for my Mom at JCrew after Christmas, I saw one in the sale section, in my size, for $30. But because I am not buying new clothes, I walked away from it. I'm hoping that makes up slightly for my French lapse.

I will admit that recently I've been hankering for new spring-color cardigans.

This would go over everything I own and would make my life complete! (To be said in a dramatic, whiny tone.)

Two winters ago I snagged 3 long merino v-neck cardigans from Banana Republic for $12.99 each (?!?!), and I wear at least 2 of them a week. However, they are in dark colors and will not be appropriate to layer over lighter-colored duds. I don't know what I'm going to wear over skirts and dresses for the next few months, before I can break out my linen summer jackets. (I'm ignoring that I apparently made it through last spring allright.)

I guess the project is getting a bit tough, but don't worry, I will not given in to temptation again!

Boucle Suit Update

2010-03-01T19:57:00.008-05:00

I recently had the courage to take another look at the DKNY boucle suit. I had put so much energy into the suit that I needed to take a break and come back to it with a fresh outlook. I really appreciated your thoughtful and honest feedback about it! While I made this to wear as a skirt suit... I'm with you that the pieces look much better as separates. Worn together, they wash me out. And it looks a bit Ladies-Who-Lunch?

Your suggestions to bring this to a professional tailor - such a good idea! - made me realize that I hadn't pressed it enough. While my iron isn't the best, I cranked the steam to the highest mark and pressed the h*!l out of it. It definitely took away some of the sponginess.

I have a very friendly Greek tailor that I'm going to bring this to to do a real pressing job, once I figure out what to do with the collar...

The collar does not have turn of the cloth, and it grates me each time I look at this. I need to do something about it: either rip off the collar and trim down the under collar, or take the collar off and make this a Chanel-style, collarless jacket. I don't know if I could do these two options because I trimmed the seam allowances on the collar stand.

I was browsing the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute site, seeking inspiration for how I could liven the jacket up, and came across this skirt suit from Fall/Winter 1962-1963:

This gave me the idea to bind the edges, perhaps in a light yellow to bring out the yellow flecks, or an oyster grey satin, leftover from the Rachel Comey blouse I made, as the color of the jacket is a grey-blue. I may add a second set of pockets for a bit more interest:

I completed the skirt, which needed a bit of re-working. I wanted to take it in, for it felt too big after wearing it to work. However, the waist had felt rather bulky with the boucle facing, so in addition to bringing in the sides, I ripped out the facing and lined it all the way to the top. I understitched, and the facing stays down well.

This skirt - McCall's 3830 - is so easy. If you want an instant gratification project, this is one to try!

Boston Area PR Gathering

2010-02-22T19:18:00.001-05:00

Pattern Review is holding a gathering at the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, MA, on Saturday March 13. Lowell was a center of textile production in the nineteenth century, employing thousands of workers, primarily women. In addition to collections about mill life, machinery, and early fabric production, the museum has textiles and clothing displays. And - bonus - an apron exhibit!

I believe we are meeting in Lowell around 11am, having lunch, and will spend the afternoon at the museum. Let me know if you plan to attend too!

* * *

I saw "An Education" this weekend; the movie was quite good, but the costumes were amazing!

Loved Olivia Williams' prim style!

Rosamund Pike's accessories were especially envy-inducing:

Has anyone else seen this movie and had an overwhelming desire to race home and sew a wiggle dress?

Vogue 1170: Rachel Comey blouse

2010-02-16T07:27:00.004-05:00

This is the blouse in Vogue 1170 by new Vogue pattern contributor Rachel Comey.

I wasn't really aware of Rachel Comey until I saw her apartment featured in Domino (RIP) a few years ago. Rachel Comey began at Theory, and has been designing since the early 2000's. I am especially enamored with her Spring 2008 RTW collection - grown-up, intelligent warm-weather duds (or maybe I just love the chunky glasses).

I made the blouse in an oyster-colored crepe-backed satin from fabrics.com. It was very soft, but did not slip at all and was easy to work with, to my surprise. It was one of my $1.95/yard fabric purchases. I love how a sewer can have a designer blouse for under $10!

This pattern has the features of a Vogue designer pattern, and I learned new skills in making it.

The inside is completely finished with French seams. I've never done French seams before - they look amazing, and are so easy! However, this obviously made for a lengthier construction because the seams are sewn twice. (And while overall easy, it is a bit of work to do French seams on a curve [here, on the back yoke].)

The blouse is secured with a back placket, which is another first for me. Plackets have intimidated me. Now I feel that I can attempt a button-up shirt. I used oyster-shell buttons, which match the fabric almost exactly.

The sleeve knots and keyhole opening are finished by trimming the seam allowance and double-folding the fabric to hem the edges, which took quite some time.

The knot was fun to do! I'd recommend tying it from the inside out so that the seams are on the inside, and the pretty part of the knot is on the outside. I had to play around with the knot before I got it to look the way I wanted it to.

The negative of this pattern: it is described as a "very-loose fitting top", and it is truly that. I made this in a size 12, my usual size. I know this is the right size for the top because it fits accurately in the bust. But as you can see, the back is incredibly blousy. On the hanger, the shirt is very boxy; there is no definition at the waist. However, I was given fair warning on the pattern envelope and pic.

I wore this to work, so please excuse the extreme back wrinkles.

I thought it added a lot to my standard-issue Ann Taylor triacetate suit.

I don't know if I will make this again. I think it would look amazing in an emerald green or peacock blue tafetta, or even in a casual cotton for summer wear. But I just don't know if I need two of these. It does have a lot going on - the large knot, the arm ties, the blousiness. Still, it's a fun pattern overall that I'd recommend... at least once. I would love to see your version of this!

Great sewing detail on Kate Spade's shirtdress

2010-02-12T07:25:00.000-05:00

At first I thought this was just a pretty shirt dress:

Kate Spade Amelia Island Cassie Shirtdress, $355

Easily replicated with Butterick 5315:

But check out the bottom detail:

This definitely takes the dress from Old Navy to Kate Spade price tag territory. They're bias cut strips of fabric, but how are they hemmed? How are they sewn on? I can't spot topstitching. And how are edges where the "x's" meet finished so perfectly?

* * *

What do you think of the magenta tights? I totally love the look, but perhaps it's too much, too girly, for office work wear? Unfortunately, I feel that wearing such a shocking color in a very untraditional way is not apropo for a corporate environment. Sigh.

Finished: Vogue 1067 DKNY suit

2010-02-08T21:02:00.010-05:00

This weekend I finished the DKNY suit jacket after weeks of work.

And I must be honest (sigh): I just don't love it! My main problem with the jacket is that the pattern does not seem to allow for "turn of the cloth" and the seams are very visbile on the collar and facing. This may be because, per the pattern instructions, the edges are supposed to be raw and have a fringe trim. Also, the thickness of the boucle adds bulk, despite that I trimmed the seam allowances. I dunno, I think it looks homemade.

This stinks because I so adore the fabric. It's a wool boucle from Paron's in the Garment District that I purchased over the summer (3 yards at $14/yard). I just love the flecks of primary colors: red, yellow, green, light blue, black. It's such a distinct material.

I spent a lot of time making this: making sure that the princess-seamed lining eased in without wrinkles, covering the jumbo metals snaps with fabric, hand-stitching the pockets and sleeves. But I question whether I will end up wearing this much because of its "loving hands at home" feel. I fear that I'm not at the point where I should be making jackets. I made one earlier in the fall, and I liked it, but I didn't end up wearing it. I feel so much better about the dresses I've made.

The one good thing about this project is the skirt, which I am obsessed with!

I couldn't wait to wear it to work today!

The pattern is McCall's 3830, which Amber recently raved about. I agree - it's a great pattern. This is the view that hits right above the knee.

I ripped out the side seams a few times before I got a perfect fit: I had cut a size 12, but graded out to about a 14 at the hips, and tapered the skirt in 2 inches (an inch on each side). The wool seemed to stretch a bit today, so I may take it in, and perhaps taper it more, before I wear it next. The pattern itself is super easy, especially if you follow the instructions and don't line it (though I did).

I'm trying to look on the bright side here: I got experience making a jacket, including constructing a collar with a stand (shockingly easy!).

And I do rather like it styled casually! Here with 7 for all Mankind Ginger high-waist jeans, a yellow knit shirt I from a store in Rome (a random foreign purchase, I know, but when do you see yellow shirts here?!) and Nine West flats.

So all I wasted was a bit of money, and some time. No big deal.

"But dost thou love life, then do not squander time, for
that is the stuff life is made of." - Benjamin Franklin

Oh, shut up Ben.

Boston Store Review: Windsor Button

2010-02-01T06:57:00.003-05:00

On Saturday the Husband and I took a trip to Boston on the pretense of my wanting to visit the Harvard Museum of Natural History, with a "quick stop" at Windsor Button in Chinatown. He asked if I wanted to visit "that fabric store nearby" (WinMil) as well. I'm a lucky girl!

(Well, I later learned that my husband wasn't being completely altruistic - he believes that if he enables my fabric purchases, I won't be able to give him crap for his expending significant sums on golf every summer weekend. I really don't care that he does, but he is insuring himself. If you can't tell, he's an attorney, too.)

I wanted to stop at Windsor to find covered snaps for my DKNY jacket, which the store ultimately didn't have. I did find plain jumbo metal snaps, however, which JoAnn's does not seem to stock. (And I found a solution for them.)

I was expecting a huge notions emporium, and was slightly disappointed. The right-hand side of the store is mostly craft items and yarn, and JoAnn's notions section is just as big.

However, as the name would suggest, Windsor does have an extreme selection of buttons. Half of the store's left wall is covered top to bottom with buttons. The prices were okay: about $1.49 - $2.49 for most one inch buttons; smaller were less, larger buttons were more. The service was great: the young clerk was more than willing to pull down as many bins as I wanted to see, and was helpful with suggesting other options. In addition to the snaps, I ultimately chose coconut shell buttons for an upcoming project, and picked up decorative bamboo rings.

If you are looking for a completely random belt buckle or obscure snap, it might not be at Windsor Button, but you will be able to find any button you could wish for there. And if you live/work downtown, it'd be easier to get notions here than driving to a big-box JoAnn's in the 'burbs.

View Larger Map

* * *

Every time I visit, I can't get over the fabulousness of WinMil Fabrics. It doesn't rival the size of Mood or even Paron's in NYC, but what the store lacks in selection it makes up for in price and quality.

The winter woolens are all marked down to $6.98 a yard. There were some nice pieces, though not a whole lot left.

In preparation for spring/summer, there was a rack of Nantucket-appropriate cottons for $4.98 - $5.98 a yard. I picked up an oversized plaid for a sundress.

WinMil has a small, but enticing, selection of silks and satins. I was thisclose to purchasing an uh-mazing floral watercolor 100% silk. I mean, this fabric was gorgeous. Even Husband exclaimed a "Wow". For *9.99* a yard. But it was even less than 45", and I had to buy 3 yards of it, as WinMil has a policy of not leaving less than 2 yards on a bolt (the store's one negative).

I wanted this fabric so badly, but I really need to start saying no. It's not as much a matter of cost... budget is of course a factor, but in the past I would have sprung for a $29.99 Banana Repbulic dress. Instead, time is the issue: I have a bin of fabric (not including the winter box upstairs) and a list of at least 20 projects. Of course, this was an ultra-special fabric.... but I just didn't need it. Aren't you proud of my restraint?

Lying in bed last night, still thinking of the fabric, I realized that it would have made a perfect dress for my little cousin's North Carolina wedding in June. Ugh.

DKNY Suit Jacket: Almost There!

2010-01-27T07:06:00.004-05:00

I decided to disregard the pattern instruction's raw edges and finish the jacket the traditional way.

Your comments made me question whether the raw edges - and the style - would hold up. This is a traditional piece that I want to wear for years, and the wool was already starting to fray in some spots just from being cut; I began to doubt that the edges would last for even a few wears.

I have a lot of hand stitching to do - adding the pockets, fasteners, and attaching the lining - but will hopefully finish later this week!

DKNY Vogue 1067 is one weird pattern...

2010-01-21T22:34:00.005-05:00

Thanks for your help in deciding what suit jacket to make - though it was about an equal split between Vogue 1067 and Vogue 7975! I like them both, too. I decided to use the multi-colored tweed fabric to make the DKNY jacket, because I began to envision the classic Chanel-style jacket in a still-yet-to-be-found cream boucle.

Tthe lining of the DKNY jacket is complete:

Fine so far. Though the side panels were a pain to ease in: it took a lot of snipping and spreading of the seam allowances. But I wouldn't settle for a wrinkly seam. The sleeves were much easier to insert: this is the first time I used the gathering method to attach the sleeve, and it was so easy!

But it's gonna get crazy: the lining is attached to the fashion fabric in the oddest way. The strips of fringe surrounding all the edges of the jacket are to be sandwiched between the wrong sides of the fashion fabric and lining, with the raw edges showing! The layers are topstitched together. Wha....?!

Click to enlarge the instructions - I'm not crazy, right?!

I searched for the original version to determine if the edges are raw, but can't see enough of the detail:

DKNY RTW Fall 2007, Images style.com

I fear this will look terribly Becky Home-Ecy. I don't know if I will admit that I made this, for fear people will say/think: "Yeah, I can see that." But then again, I've been feelin the deconstructed look lately, so maybe the raw hems will seem... kinda cool? Perhaps the point is to make the sophisticated style of the jacket less stuffy?

Yikes! I'm excited to see how it turns out, good or bad...! Stay tuned....

Vera Wang Lavender Label Fabrics $1.95/yard

2010-01-16T10:21:00.007-05:00

Fabric.com has marked most of the Vera Wang Lavender Label fabrics to $1.95 a yard. The fabrics appear to be from the Fall 2008 collection.

I purchased 3 yards of this purple red-flecked wool:

To make a similiar skirt suit:

I had originally pegged this teal boucle:

for a skirt suit, but I love the coat Vera Wang made of the material:

I also grabbed a yard of this chartreuse woven:

for a skirt:

The "techno tafettas", which the above jacket and top are made of, are on sale, but there aren't many colors. I wish the blue above was available, as I adore the yellow and blue combination!

There are other fabrics from the same collection (which I did not get), such as the jacquard for this dress, and a navy circle jacquard as well:

Ultimately, I picked up enough to make 4 skirts, 3 suit skirts, 3 shirts, and 3 dresses (plus 2 lining fabrics) for *$35.42* (with a 30% off a $50 order coupon code). I almost feel guilty about how cheap the order was. Most of these fabrics will go into storage for next fall, though I did get some spring/summer appropriate cuts.

I just love off-season shopping: insane prices and, if you pack the items away and forget about them, a pleasant surprise later on. I purchased a large order of Ralph Lauren chino from fabrics.com last year when they were marked down to $1.95/yard, and now have a large stash to pick from for spring. Since I am not buying clothing, I'm glad that I can still get an off-season bargain thrill from fabric shopping!

If you have Monday off as I do, happy long sewing weekend (or shopping?)!

Party Frock: Cynthia Rowley Simplicity 2472

2010-01-12T07:26:00.001-05:00

I made this dress for my husband's aunt's Twelfth Night party this past weekend.

It is Simplicity 2472, view B (the middle-length dress). It appears to be a simple tunic (the muslin looked like a hospital gown!), but the neckline band, large band at the bottom, and gathered sleeves give it interest. This is a shape I don't often wear, but I love it! I think it's my favorite sewn item yet.

I *heart* the fabric - it's a navy and cream (snakeskin print?) satin from WinMil in Boston. The fabric is very thick. It was $5.98/yard, and the pattern takes 2 yards. Overall, this cost well under $20 to make.

Pear-shape girls beware: this pattern is designed for thin, straight up and down figures. I usually sew a size 12 in dresses, but I made this in a 10 because I thought the fit would be blousy. However, I had to go out an inch at the hip, so this is probably more like a 14 at the bottom. Seriously, save yourself the heartache and add some width to the pattern's bottom before you even make a muslin. I ultimately had to make 2.

I stitched-in-the-ditch to fasten the neck facing, something I am mysteriously competent at (the pattern says to topstitch). I couldn't get the arm facings to pull in far enough to catch the edge to stitch-in-the-ditch, so I used 2 rows of topstitching to secure the band. There is top stitching above the bottom band as well.

I think there is an error in the pattern instructions for attaching the bottom band; I could not figure out what it says to do. So, I treated the bottom band like the neck or arm facing, and just folded the band into the inside. Ultimately, it looks like the pattern picture.

I really love this. I think the fabric has a lot to do with it, but I also like the modern, fun shape. I'm pleased with my construction, too. I can wear it now with navy opaque tights and strappy silver sandles, topped with a cream tuxedo jacket, and in the spring/summer with neutral heels (with accessories, of course, which are seriously lacking in these photos).

Deconstructed clothing: has it gone too far here?

2010-01-07T20:43:00.005-05:00

A recent Threads article commented that "we're living in an era of deconstructed clothes. Raw edges have become fashion elements." I am all for it! I love the modern touch that exposed seams or obvious zippers can bring to a garment, especially a more traditional one.

For example, the obvious seams on this skirt in Twinkle Sews give it a rough edge that keeps the long skirt out of old-fashioned territory.

You either love or hate an exposed zipper. Personally, I like the bit of cool it brings to an outfit, especially on a conservative piece like a pencil skirt or shift dress:

Stella McCartney

Ann Taylor

I covet Gertie's exposed-zipper shift dress here.

But I think deconstructed detailing has its limits, and my limit is ripped clothing. I've always hated the idea of "distressed" jeans with manufactured holes. I still remember a neighbor's teenage granddaughter's shredded acid-washed pair, circa 1987, that made me think, even as a youngster, "WTF?". But well-loved jeans are supposed to develop holes at stress points, so if you want to force that look, fine I suppose. But I just can't stomach rips as a design feature on what would otherwise be very beautiful clothing.

Images from style.com

I think Raf Simons for Jil Sander Spring 2010 RTW went too far here. It's just too subversive, for the sake of being subversive. It's too much for me.

Or am I being fuddy duddy? What do you think of rips as trim?

DIY Michael Kors Sleeveless Coat & a New Skirt

2010-01-05T21:31:00.007-05:00

I'm calling this a DIY project because I did not sew this coat, which is my homemade version of this Michael Kors number:

(Image from Style.com)

At first I thought this was an impractical piece akin to winter shorts or sleeveless turtlenecks. However, I loved it styled in October's Vogue - like a chic sort of puffer vest.

This Calvin Klein coat hung unworn in my closet for a few years. (I thought I'd wear a car coat when I bought it, but always bypassed it for my longer, warmer wool coats.)

I used a seam-ripper to take off the sleeves, tucked under the raw edges of the lining and wool fabric, and then hand-stitched them together.

Hopefully I can get some wear out of it when the temp goes above 30 degrees!

I came across this fashion blogger's how-to for the Michael Kors coat. I like how she left the little cap sleeves on. She used a thrift store coat - such a great idea, because the coat does not need to be perfectly fitted, and why spend a ton of time constructing a labor-intensive coat that will, admittedly, be worn more as a novelty than an everyday item? (BTW, this blogger has some hot sewing projects. Love the Victorian ruffle collar!)

The skirt is Simplicity 2758, and was inspired by this tweed skirt.

I removed the waistband of the skirt, and used it as facing, securing the facing with contrasting green hem tape. (This is actually 1980 hem tape that I picked up at Brimfield for $1 - still adhesive 20 years later. Go Wrights!) I secured the hem with the tape as well. Ummmm, is this not the best stuff ever? I don't know if it is considered a sloppy shortcut, but I see myself abusing hem tape in the future. What a time saver.

I won't make the skirt again. While the instructions were straightforward, it turned out to be way A-line. Almost poodle skirt-ish…

EDIT: Husband commented that my legs appear really thin in this skirt. Perhaps I will make another...

'Til Next Year, Plaids!

2009-12-29T22:21:00.003-05:00

Despite it being literally 16 degrees outside, I put away for the year the winter woolens that I did not get a chance to sew.

I am tired of wearing plaids and dark tweedy knits when fall is over and the new year begins. Deep brown, dark green, maroon feel so very autumnal, and while Jan., Feb., and March are obvs winter months, I'm ready for lighter colors. But because of the arctic temps, the garments still have to be in heavy fabrics.

I'm really inspired by J Crew's color combos. I generally dislike wearing pastels - I'm definitely a neutrals kinda gal. But I am so drawn to this outfit of blush pastels in JCrew's recent mailer. I want a creamy peach, or barely pink pencil skirt NOW.

Isn't the color combo here genius?

Michelle Obama's outfits in this InStyle feature would also be perfect - the colorful skirts topped with warm sweaters:

I left out this woolen that I picked up at Paron's Annex in the summer.

I need help deciding what jacket to make with it: I'm leaning towards the DKNY jacket Vogue 1067 because of the peter pan collar. At first I was going to make a classic Chanel-style, but I'd have to add trim, which I fear would compete with the colorful weave.

Do you also struggle with what to wear in these in-between months? What colors do you wear?

My New Years Sewing Resolution is to begin sewing clothes earlier in the season, so that I have items to wear when that season's weather arrives. So don't be suprised to see floaty dresses in the upcoming months! Hold me to this!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-12-17T21:59:00.003-05:00

There's just no time to sew! I've been following your blogs, and I don't know how you all are finding the time. I've spent the past few weekends baking cookies with my mother-in-law (she makes close to one hundred different kinds each year - it's crazy!). The weeknights have been filled with shopping, holiday strolls... and watching Christmas movies while drinking eggnog and bourbon (discovered that combo this year... so bad).

I've actually worked on a few projects - ripping apart the unflattering black skirt, starting another one, and beginning a DIY knock-off of a Michael Kors coat (can't wait to finish it and post the styled pics!). I simply haven't had time to sit down and finish the hand sewing.

In the past three weeks since returning from vacation, I've finished one project: placemats for my mother-in-law for Christmas. I used instructions from Martha Stewart, but used thin batting instead of interfacing, and did a double row of top stitching.

I have next week off, but am going home to Pennsylvania for Christmas, so the placemats will probably be the last sewing I'll do this year. Much more planned once life is back to normal. Enjoy the holidays, and happy sewing... even if it's only in your dreams....

Vogue 8511

2009-11-19T21:06:00.004-05:00

A few years ago at Christmastime, I got the idea that I wanted a long-sleeved dress for the office holiday party. I was never able to find it. The stores had a smattering of long-sleeve jersey dresses, but no long-sleeved wool or cotton dresses. I'm so glad that I can make my own now.

Back's a bit wrinkly from sitting at my desk all day...

This is the long-sleeved version of Vogue 8511. I luhv the skirt's double pleats, with a single inverted pleat in the middle. I think it's a very distinct detail.

The fabric is a cotton/wool blend from WinMil Fabrics in Boston.

I'm not super thrilled with the sleeves. They are wider than the envelope picture indicates. The shoulders are slightly dropped as well, so are less fitted than I'd have prefered. However, the pattern would likely not be Very Easy Vogue if the top were more tailored.

Only the bodice of this dress is lined; I put a full lining in this dress for winter-wear. I did a straight lining, using the skirt back as a guide. The bodice is shaped by princess seams, which were so easy to sew. Even the sleeves went in very easily. I inserted an invisible zipper, which for some reason did not want to go in easily. All of these steps made the dress relatively time-consuming. Thankfully, I did figure out how to insert the lining by machine, which saved a ton of time!

The dress could veer into prim territory - so when I wore it to work today, I paired it with sexy pumps, a loose ponytail, and what I think are my slightly subversive vintage specs from Brimfield. I was going for a Michael Kors look:

(I am endlessly inspired by his Fall 2008 RTW show.)

Overall, I really like this dress. A lady at the elevator said: "That's a great dress you're wearing - it's.... different." In a good way, I think!

* * *

Off to Paris Saturday night, and I need to pack. I'm remembering the advice to pack light. Have a great Thanksgiving week!

Inserting a Dress Lining by Machine

2009-11-17T21:58:00.002-05:00

I am very proud of myself for figuring out how to attach a dress lining by machine. I can now avoid slip stitching linings to the zipper as most patterns indicate.

Ok, I can't take the credit for myself, because I adapted Two On Two Off's tutorial on attaching a skirt facing by machine. And many sewers probably already do this.

After attaching the invisible zipper, I turned the dress inside out so that the dress and linings' right sides were together. The zipper is on the inside, underneath the lining.

Using a regular zipper foot, I stitched down the center back seam to the end of the zipper. You can't sew too close to the zipper underneath or it will be difficult to zip it up when turned right side out.

Here is the inside with the dress turned right side out:

Yay, no hand-stitching!