The Slapdash Sewist

Pants. This is Why I Do Not Make Them.

2012-01-24T10:37:00.000-05:00

Although I prefer skirts and dresses, there are times in the winter where I wish I had a pair of nice-looking, professional, trouser-y pants. I am SO glad to have discovered Levi's 512s, which fit my body perfectly, so I don't need to worry about jeans. But dress pants? They do not exist.

Everyone loves the Burda crotch, and Burda fits me well in general, so I figured how hard could it be? I traced off 02-2010-102 and blithely set to it.

V.1 Front

V.1 Back

V.1 Out of the envelope (with larger SAs, to increase size to about 40 at the hip). There was no way I was going to document the original front fit before I let out the CF seam and cut open the front waistband at CF to release it. Horrible. I do not have a pants body. Smile does not even begin to describe it. More like grimace.

The back is a wrinkled mess.

V.2 Front

V.2 Back

V.2 Saddlebag width increase; lengthen back crotch by 3/8"; add more room at CF seam for belly; knock knee adjustment to square off inseam from crotch as shown on Debbie Cook's blog. Front smile lines continue and little appreciable change to back--the wrinkles may be slightly less deep but they are the same shape. It is odd how doing a HUGE adjustment with the knock knee (in the case of the back crotch, moving the inseam 2 inches toward the inside) can have no effect whatsoever.

V.2 Front on V.3 Back

V.3 Back on V.2 Front

V.3.0 Added huge wedge to back by cutting from knee up through dart and spreading; same front as V.2. The additional booty room does allow the wrinkles to relax a bit, but the much larger back is folding over the front at the inseam.

V.3 Front

V.3 Back

V.3.1, in addition to back wedge, increased front crotch length slightly; shortened waistline by 1/2" at CF, tapering to nothing at side seam. This helps eliminate the front smile lines. No appreciable effect on back.

V.3.2 Back

V.3.2: took up the back crotch by taking a horizontal dart, which lifted out the diagonal wrinkling on the legs

V.4 Front

V.4 Back

V.4 Further increase to front crotch length; removed back width wedge; shortened back crotch seam at about mid-butt; kept original length of CF crotch (too high to be attractive, I think). Some wrinkling is reappearing at center front. (I had eaten some cookies by this point, I'm not gonna lie.)

V.4.1 Back

V.4.1: even more length pinned out of back crotch. It seems to help but the center back waist is now pulled down and there is still some wad of kleenex at the back crotch. In addition, the more the back is shortened, the more the smile reappears at the front crotch.

At this point I was SO FRUSTRATED. I decided to approach it from another angle and tried on all the pants in my closet. All but one had the smile line at the bottom of the front crotch.

RTW Pants 1 Front

RTW Pants 1 Back

The best fitting crotch is on a hideous, unflattering pair of pants. I think it has to do with the high waist and narrowish legs, but they are awful pants. However, no smile. Interestingly, the crotch intersection is way, way up front, slightly more than two inches below the zipper--totally the opposite of what I've been doing to the pants pattern (shortening the back crotch and extending the front). There are some strange folds on the front inseam right at the crotch, though, that appear to be a bit...how to put delicately?... a la Georgia O'Keeffe. This may be a result of the forward crotch. Because of the shape, I think they are worse than a smile. (Sorry the photo is so terrible, they are a rich, matte black and I do not have enough photo wizardry to make them very visible.)

The back fit exhibits the diagonal folds present on all my pants coming from upper outseam and heading toward lower inseam.

RTW Pants 2 Front

RTW Pants 2 Front with "lengthened" front crotch

The other pants have the smile line at the bottom of front crotch. Tugging the center front upward eliminates the smile (indicating more length needed on front crotch???).

RTW Pants 2 Back

RTW Pants 2 Back with fisheye dart under booty

Back view shows the same diagonal folding from upper outer thigh toward lower inner thigh. Pinching out a fish-eye dart under the booty straightens out the leg wrinkles.

The whole mess can be seen here.

I think I may have to give pants a rest. I have 3 decent-looking pairs in the closet (got rid of the rest, except the hideous ones with the fitting crotch as a curiousity), though they are not the classy trousers I envision but fitted at the booty, as you can see in these examples. They are not wool and are not lined, but they are better than my muslin, which does not necessarily seem to be getting better, only different.

Pants! Ugh!

Frankenpatterning the Perfect Knit Wrap Dress

2012-01-19T09:56:00.000-05:00

I have tried several knit wrap dress patterns in my quest for the perfect one. I've gone from the horrible disaster that was Butterick 3078 to the ok-but-not-great of Vogue 8379 to almost there with Butterick 5454 last year. My two main issues with B5454 were the Pleat to Nowhere in the shoulder and the slightly skimpy overlap on the front skirt.

When I bought this lovely and expensive (for me) silk jersey ($12/yd) from Michael's Fabrics last year I was determined to make it into a high-quality well-fitting DVF-style wrap dress to last the ages. And so I called upon all my past wrap dresses (no seance needed) and took the best parts from each to create: The Perfect Knit Wrap Dress.

I would like to thank the following patterns for contributing:
Butterick 5454: Bodice and Tie
Butterick 5451: Skirt
Vogue 8379: Sleeve, Cuff, and Collar

The last one, B5451, is not a knit pattern. This is the one I made in the double-sided acetate polka dot fabric and hated the fit of so much that I gave away the pattern. The only good thing about the pattern is the generous and secure front wrap. Ding ding ding! So I had to rebuy the pattern when Joann had Buttericks on sale. The skirt is a fabric hog, but it would take a gale-force wind to expose you under it. At the same time, the side seams are cut almost on grain, unlike the circle skirt of V8379, which is much more flattering to my saddlebags than 8379's bias.

I kept my original broad back and small bust adjustments on the bodice. As I planned last time I made it, I converted the Pleat to Nowhere at the shoulder into gathers. The gathers still kind of open up into nowhere (I have been actively avoiding a sloping shoulder alteration, but I know I need to start doing it eventually), but I like them a lot better than the pleat.

I ended up adding darts to the back bodice, because it seemed a little gapey when I tried on the bodice without the skirt. The fit conforms to the shape of my back.

To fit the skirt onto the bodice, I matched the centers and side seams, and then did inverted pleats in front and a dart in back with the excess fabric.

Because silk jersey is lightweight and somewhat flimsy, I reinforced the tie opening in the seam allowance with lightweight interfacing.

I fused the collar and cuffs with tricot interfacing to give them body without crispness. I considered fusing only one half of the collar but ended up doing both the upper and lower, which seemed the better choice.

To keep the cuff's seam allowance in place, I topstitched with a twin needle.

I cut the collar on the fold of the fabric. It took some major origami to fit my pattern pieces onto this quite narrow fabric and the shape I ended up with to cut the collar out of worked well on the fold. I did not lay the fold on the seamline, but on the cut line, thinking I would end up sewing the seam. But I liked it on the fold, and it does not seem to large.

Vogue 8379 has a facing to finish the neckline, but when I made the pattern I found the facing just too thick, especially at the shoulders. So I just turned the neckline edges under and topstitched with a twin needle, enclosing clear elastic. I finished the wrap portion of the skirt and the hem the same way, minus the clear elastic.

.

I used the tie pattern from B5454. In my first version of B5454, I had limited fabric and had to improvise the tie, which ended up shorter than I'd like. This time I used the pattern piece and it turns out that as drafted it is still shorter than I'd like. I like the width and both ends are slanted, which fits the bodice well. But next time I'll lengthen by about 8 inches. I like to be able to tie a bow.

I am very happy with this combination of patterns. The front wrap is very snug with no gape, the skirt has a large overlap, and the collar and cuffs add a nice touch to the look. I will turn to this combination again the next time I want this look. However, I will stick with the B5454 sleeve if I am not doing a cuff--the Vogue sleeve has more ease and was difficult to set in.

Just so I don't mislead you into thinking I am an actual glamourpuss, I actually wore this dress with the rainboots on the right. It was pouring!

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Vogue 1020, Side Gather Dress in Directional Stripes

2012-01-10T09:17:00.000-05:00

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Trena on Pinterest

A while back I helped Cidell work on her sewing basement and in return took home a few goodies she was culling out of her fabric collection. Among them was this striped knit.

I have a whole Pinterest board on directional stripes, but never find any striped fabric that I like. This is a great knit--beefy, with good recovery. I like patterns that play with the direction of the stripes without using seaming, just the pattern drafting, as in this T by Alexander Wang ($140).

Vogue 1020 seemed like a good pattern choice for the experiment. I had been wanting to make it again, as it is my winter "date night" dress and I was getting a little sick of the first version.

Mindful of my experience with the fit the first time around--way too tight, way too much belly--I cut it in a larger size at the waist this time, using the size 12 marking, the largest size on my pattern. Unfortunately, it is still way too tight with way too much belly, and I don't like this version any more than the last one. :-/

Last time I made this dress I gathered and stayed both side seams before sewing them together, which did not work well. My side seam was gathered more than it should have been (despite cutting my stays to the gather length provided by the pattern instructions). This time I sewed the side seams together and then gathered, as per the pattern instruction. Rather than use the instructions' stay length, I gathered it while wearing until the hem was straight and then stitched on a ribbon to keep it in place.

I did my now-usual picot elastic finish at the neckline. I am sure I will eventually get sick of this, but it is much more enjoyable to put in than clear elastic and I think the look is cute.

I think I am giving up on this pattern as a dress. It just doesn't suit my body shape (and/or the dysmorphic body shape in my mind; also keep in mind that I am totally sucking in for these photos). However, I think it would make an awesome sleeveless tee in sailor stripes for summer, so I am keeping my eyes open for a suitable stripe.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Burda 06-2010-126, 1930s Old Hollywood Glamour Evening Gown

2012-01-06T09:43:00.000-05:00

One of our PR Weekend DC events (in addition to cake!) was visiting Exquisite Fabrics, which has to move out of the creepy Georgetown mall after only a couple of years because the mall's developer plans to renovate it, hopefully to make it less creepy. Exquisite has not yet found a new space, but they are open through January 2012. In the many years I'd visited it periodically, I had only bought one piece of fabric at Exquisite because much of it is high end (and high dollar) and I don't share enough taste with their buyer to spend the money. They carry a huge selection of wool in all colors, and the one piece I bought was to match a wool jacket purchased at a thrift store--found the perfect piece. Anyway, for their moving sale most things are 50% off, so I went bargain hunting.

Joan Crawford

When I found a roll of Fortuny pleated fabric in gray with subtle purple effects, I fell in love. The owner at Exquisite told me it was from Mary McFadden's warehouse. It was originally $60/yd, on sale for $30/yd. It was in two pieces, one about 1 1/4 yards and the other 2/3 yard. I bought the larger piece, thinking it would make a beautiful skirt. Then I got it home, and started thinking about the wedding I would be attending on New Year's Eve. I hadn't come up with an idea yet and suddenly had a vision of 1930s old Hollywood glamour and knew I needed the rest of that fabric.

Jean Harlow

The boyfriend works in Georgetown, so on Monday I called Exquisite to see if the 2/3 yard piece of fabric was still there. My heart was pounding! I really wanted to make my vision into a reality but the piece I had was not large enough. They answered the phone. The fabric was still there. They put it aside for me. I called the boyfriend several times to remind him to pick it up after work. Mission accomplished. So happy! The next time I saw him we were off to South Carolina for Thanksgiving. I'm not going to lie to you, I put the fabric in my suitcase and took it with me so I could caress it occasionally. At about $75 for fabric and supplies, this is one of my most expensive projects ever. But I think it was worth it (and looks like more than a $75 dress).

Next step was to find a pattern. I wanted a triangle top front and back, but of course I purged all the sundresses out of my pattern collection because of my fear of sunburn (over the summer I realized that I want at least one strappy dress for evenings). I went through my Burdas and came up with Burda 06-2010-126, which has the requisite triangle top, and a midriff band, which is flattering for me.

I wasn't into the shoulder ruffle, but the shoulder line is the marked gather line so it was easy enough to leave off the extra ruffle bit.

I started by muslining the bodice. Well, I was hoping the muslin could become the lining, but I had to change it significantly enough that it was just a muslin. Before cutting the muslin I shortened the diagonal neckline and narrowed the gather area on the front bodice for a small bust adjustment.

After muslining, I took another tuck in the diagonal front neckline to shorten it further.

The muslin revealed the armscye to be uncomfortably high. This is unusual on a BWOF pattern for me. I lowered the armscye about 1/2 inch.

I also found the shoulder too tall at the shoulder edge. This might have something to do with the gathered design, but I gathered my shoulder as well, just without the standing ruffle. I had to shorten the shoulder about 1/2 inch at the shoulder, tapering to nothing at the neck (this also influenced how much I had to lower the armscye).

Then it was time to make the terrifying first cut into my most-expensive-ever and totally-irreplaceable fabric. I pinned the pattern in place and walked away a few times before taking a deep breath and cutting.

Of course, I did make a mistake! I combined the midriff pieces so that it would be a single length of fabric with a CB seam. I also changed the shape--the original shape was narrower at the top and wider at the bottom. I am shaped wider at the ribcage and narrower in the waist, as are most people, so the design was a little odd. I cut the midriff on the fold, and it turned out I didn't have the fabric laid out perfectly on the underside of the fold, and the pleats started wandering downward at the CB seam on one side. Ugh!!!!

As it turns out, I had to fix that anyway. For the midriff, I cut my usual size 34 at the ribcage to 36 at the waist. It fit in the muslin, but somehow in the real fabric I found it *much* too small. I added a squidge over an inch at each side using fabric insets. I was so upset to have to interrupt my smooth line, but it had to be done, and it allowed me to re-cut that wandering, off grain side (didn't have enough fabric to re-cut the entire midriff).

I underlined the midriff with lightweight lining fabric. The weight of the skirt was hanging from it and it had to be stabilized. I hand-stitched in the ditch at the side inset seamlines to keep the midriff fabric in place.

I was not 100% sure how I was going to do the skirt when I started the project. I figured I'd get the bodice done and then drape the skirt in place. I figured I would need to do some side-seam shaping. But while making the bodice, I saw that the pleated fabric gathered unexpectedly well, so when it came time for the skirt I just used the entire large piece of fabric.

I did not want to cut off the upper selvage as the fabric frays weirdly (more like fuzzes), even after being serged. So I determined the skirt length (based on my shoes--I wore heels, OMG--Born Divinity, which is as comfortable as a heel that high can possibly be, which is to say, not very unless you are sitting down), which turned out to be 3 inches shorter than the manufactured width of the fabric. I chalk-marked the skirt seamline and put my gathering stitches in above the chalk-line. Then gathered and stitched to the midriff along the marked line.

I was so relieved with how easy this was, because I had been really sweating the timing. I *planned* to have loads of time over the holiday, as I had two days off work after I returned from Texas. Well, those days just evaporated and it got to the point where I had about 10 hours of available time before the wedding (assuming I sewed up to the moment I needed to leave) to finish the bodice, drape the skirt, and do miles of hand-sewing. I had budgeted 1.5 hours for the skirt and it only took about 40 minutes. Once it was on I breathed a sigh of relief that I would actually finish in time!

After the skirt was on it was time for the hand-picked zipper. I use invisible zippers almost exclusively, and have completely lost my ability to install a regular zipper by machine. After the last disastrous attempt, I decided that any time I need to put in a regular zipper, I will just do it by hand. It's faster and nicer looking in the long run. I didn't want to attempt to get an invisible zipper past the heavy seam at the midriff, so hand-picked zipper it was.

I started doing a beaded hand-picked zipper, but sadly it just looked like a total non-sequitor on this dress. So I ripped out the beads and started over. I had a couple of false starts, but eventually got the zipper in and looking pretty good. The prick-stitching is practically invisible in this fabric, so all my hard work can't be seen!

After that hand stitching was done, it was on to hand-stitching the edges of the walking slit. Although I *could* walk in the dress if the CB seam was sewn all the way down, I did have some restricted motion so I went with a slit. I used the selvage as the hem.

Next I needed to hand-sew the midriff lining in place over the skirt/midriff seam. This had been on my schedule as a "dress can be worn without this" item, but I ended up having loads of time in the end. So it was properly finished on the inside. I used a lightweight but color-matching lining for the bodice in because I thought I would twist the shoulders, and a nicer but non-matching lining at the midriff.

My original vision was to twist the shoulder straps before sewing the side seams, as I did several years ago on the Vogue 8386 I'm wearing in my profile photo. Unfortunately, the fabric was just too thick for it to look nice. I needed to have re-drafted the bodice to have a thin strap, rather than a thick gathered one. Alas. So I gathered the shoulders (by hand).

The final step was embellishment. This is always a mine field for me because I do not trust my eye. I have a magpie instinct to pile on the shiny and the frilly. When I was buying the fabric, the owner at Exquisite had said it was a great purchase because you can use every inch of it. He demonstrated by folding a bit of the fabric with the pleats running vertically and then fanning out the pleats. I was suitably impressed.

So I took my scraps and made them into flowers, using a sort of modified yoyo technique. First, I cut rectangles of fabric, with the pleats running down the short side.

I took them to the serger and finished all the edges, due to the fuzzy fraying.

Next, I sewed the edges together, with the pleats running parallel to the edges, to make tubes.

Then folded them in half, wrong sides together (with the seam along the inside), and did a running stitch by hand around the edges.

Pull the running stitch tight and knot in place, and then open out the flower. Voila!

I bought some purple ribbon flowers in Dallas while visiting the fabric stores there. I put the dress on my paper tape double and pinned the self-fabric and purple flowers cascading over the neckline on one side. When I tried the dress on I couldn't tell if it was cute or 70s bridesmaid. I unpinned all the flowers and started over, but just couldn't find anything I like. Then as sort of a joke I put two big flowers on my shoulders and oddly, it totally worked. Who would have guessed? They are "upside down"--cupping the shoulders. I covered the messy middles with sparkly beads.

My last embellishment was to sprinkle (and by "sprinkle" I mean individually hand sew) small, very subtle smoky glass beads in the pleats of the midriff. I'm not sure if they show at all to anyone not specifically looking for them, but my hope is that they randomly catch the light on occasion. I like them, at any rate.

I could not believe how smoothly this went! I had time to put my hair up in pincurls, make my dangle earrings, and even take a nap--which turned out to be very smart as we were out until 4:30 am that night!!!

I was entirely thrilled with the way the dress came out. I felt that it captured my inspiration without being costumey and I felt utterly glamorous after an initial panic with my hair (when I took out the bobby pins the curls stuck straight to my head and I looked more Little Orphan Annie than movie star--combing, weighing down with clips, and using the curling iron as a straightener finally took care of it). The fit is good and it was comfortable to wear and move in.

I wasn't the only person in a full length dress, thank goodness, and several guests gave me really nice compliments. The bride told me I looked like a movie star, which was so sweet.

I LOVED wearing this dress. It was my first true evening gown. Now I need another occasion to wear it!

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

2011 Year in Review

2012-01-04T09:34:00.000-05:00

The Stats
Number of completed garments: 64 (excluding some miscellany)
Woven dresses: 12
Knit dresses: 10
Woven tops: 5
Knit tops: 10
Skirts: 7
Coats: 1
Sweaters/Shrugs: 4
Shorts: 1
Pants: 2 (jungle pants, though; they hardly count as pants)
Sport tops: 4
Hats: 2
Nighties: 2
Slips: 2
Rain gear: pants, pullover, spats, mitts, and 2 helmet covers

Number of pattern reviews written: 44. I had been aiming to hit 250 reviews, but only made it to 243. If I had reviewed everything I made I think I would have made it, but only just. After 243 patterns reviewed (and hundreds made before I discovered PR), I have actually started repeating some!

Number of items sewn for others: 5. I made two tops and a skirt for my mom and two pairs of boxers for the boyfriend. How's that for selfish seamstressing?!?!

Proudest Project: Navy wool herringbone coat with velveteen trim

Greatest ratio of compliments to work involved: Velvet beret. Seriously, I get compliments on this every time I wear it, way more than on the coat. It took about an hour to make.

Most useful items: Four tops for the gym. Wear these pretty much daily, twice most days.

Biggest Fail: Simplicity 2615 Prison Matron Dress. *shudder*

Longest planned: Yellow eyelet Burda 7658 shirtdress. I bought this expensive fabric from Mood in March 2007, using a gift certificate that was a thank you from a friend for sewing lessons. I was so glad to finally make this up, after waffling on a pattern for it for 4 years.

Most worn: Butterick 5283 asymmetric twist tee. Any time I needed a top in Spring, Summer, and Fall, I reached for this tee. It's a combination of the interesting pattern, the rich color, and the fantastic quality of the fabric (a fluke, unfortch; I bought it from Stretch House and it was the only color of that particular beefy but stretchy, slightly textured fabric).

Overall favorite: It's a little unfair because it has the shine of newness. but the dress I made for the New Year's Eve wedding I just attended (not blogged yet), a modified version of Burda 06-2010-126. I felt fabulous in this and got many unsolicitations from other guests.

Thank you so much for reading and sewing along with me this year! Having sewing friends makes such a difference in enjoyment, as well as encouraging me to try new things and improve my techniques. I appreciate every comment I receive and love reading all that you write as well.

You can see my whole slideshow for 2011 here. It does not contain all 64 items, because there are things I never photographed or reviewed. So sue me.*

*As a lawyer, this is not an action I recommend that you pursue. I disclaim any and all warranties, express or implied.

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I don't have any particular goals for 2012, just to sew what I like and try not to buy too much fabric. There were several stretches in 2011 where I didn't have time to sew and it made me cranky, but I think my life isn't going to get any less complicated or busy. I need to learn to accept those busy times and enjoy the sewing that I get to do--time to sew is more of a luxury than a right, alas. I continue to marvel at those of you who work, have children, *and* sew. I just have work and sewing and can't always manage to fit it in!

Burda 09-2010-111 High-Neck Wrap Blouse

2011-12-30T09:06:00.000-05:00

I fell in love with the Burda 09-2010-111 wrap blouse as soon as I got the magazine. It only took me a year and change to get to it, ahem.

I first did a wearable muslin out of this plaid silk dupioni from The Carol Collection (which somehow didn't make it into the photo of all the fabric, but I'm positive that's where it's from). I had it in mind for a different pattern, but when I pre-washed it--and thank goodness I pre-wash silk by hand--the bleeding was more like hemorrhaging. It used to be a very crisp plaid with no white parts, now it's more like tie-dyed into vaguely plaid shapes. So glad I pre-washed!!!!

It's a fairly simple pattern, if a bit fussy. You have to mark pleats at the neckline and a dart near the hemline.

After the first version, I considered whether I should sew the collar pleats after the center back seam was sewn. I decided to follow directions, but as you can see my pleats are embarrassingly offset. Well, I mean, not *that* embarrassing--I don't think anybody actually cares--but still, offset.

I like the button and loop closure on the original pattern, but was skeptical that it would work for me. It would be a flattering look for a rectangle or a large bust, but a small-busted pear such as I requires waist definition and I figured I would need to do a tie. I got the project to the point where it could be pinned together to try on and decided, yep, I need the tie.

I planned to sew the tie into the dart, so I reinforced it with interfacing, cutting out a triangle of interfacing just inside the dart seam lines so it wouldn't be too stiff. I marked the dart on the right side with tailor's tacks, and then drew a chalk line down the center of the dart.

I constructed the tie--I had to piece it for the plaid version so I amused myself by calling it "madras"--and then pinned the tie about 1.25" down from the dart apex and just to the side of the marked center line; it doesn't matter which side you choose, but it does need to be next to the center line rather than at it so the dart will fold properly.

I stitched the tie in place, and then stitched the dart, enclosing the tie.

The sleeves as drafted (on this version of it) are meant to be overly long and then scrunched up with a tie. Several reviewers mentioned that the tie was impractical and kept dragging through food and dishwater. Just as well, because I didn't have enough of either fabric to make the really long sleeves. For the plaid version, I finished the edge of the sleeve with self bias tape, and made a bishop sleeve with a cuff for the green version.

The pattern works much better in the fluid olive georgette than the rather stiff dupioni. I would never recommend it for anything like a cotton, and I wouldn't make it again in dupioni.

I like the blouse enough to make it twice, obviously, but it is not my One True Wrap Top pattern. The drape on the green version is gorgeous, but it is a little fussy to keep closed, and the style is not amenable to a strategically placed snap.

There is also more fabric billowing under the arms than is flattering for me, I think. I always feel self-conscious about that because to me it's like a giant neon sign saying "SMALL BUST HERE. BOOBS TOO SMALL TO PUSH OUT THE FABRIC PROPERLY." But the style is not really amenable to an SBA, which would completely change the look anyway.

I'm glad I finally have a replacement for my beloved McCall 5314 green silk wrap blouse. I didn't know I needed a broad back adjustment when I made that and the seams are going to burst if it's worn again. :(

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

===============================

Sertyan asks:

I have been reading about many SBAs in your post and would love how to do them, I read about 'narrowing' the dart. How do you narrow a dart?

I have made a post with all my different SBA methods explained and illustrated here. Hope that helps!

Butterick 5677, Joan Holloway Colorblock Dress

2011-12-20T10:26:00.000-05:00

Source: saksfifthavenue.com via Trena on Pinterest

I have a whole Pinterest board on colorblocking, but one of my favorites is this VPL Lichen Shift Dress ($525). I really love those curved lines and the contrast print rather than using two solids.

Source: saksfifthavenue.com via Trena on Pinterest

I am also into the curves on this Helmut Lang ($485). It makes great use of the colorblocking medium to enhance the figure. While there is much to be said for fun geometric colorblocking like this one, for pure figure flattery, curves are where it's at.

So it was a no-brainer to pick up Butterick 5677 at the first available opportunity. When I got the faille knit I used as the contrast here from Fabric Mart for $1.99/yd a couple months ago, my plan was hatched.

The first thing I did was the write the numbers of the pattern pieces on the back of envelope, as shown at left. I highly recommend you do this, as it makes every subsequent thing easier. The first thing is to choose your contrast panels. In the pattern envelope example, I feel like they went just a bit too far. I have never been a believer in "get all the way dressed and accessorized and then take one piece off." Restraint is not my motto. But I felt by making the sleeves contrast it just went too dangerously close to formal cheerleader category.

If I were to make this again, I think I might combine 2 and 3 in to a single panel and make it contrast. I feel that the upper slice of contrast in panel 3 is too thin compared to the width of panel 5 on the lower half.

To make sewing easier, I wrote the pattern number on the back of the cut fabric pieces. Make sure you do this in a chalk that wipes off and/or won't show through!

The dress does not come with full length sleeves, just the cap sleeves in the line drawing. As it is made with ponte/double knit, however, it seemed to me suited to be a long-sleeve dress for cooler weather.

Because the sleeves are cap, you can't just lengthen them, you have to draw in the lower curve of the armscye. This took me SO LONG to figure out. I really do not have a 3D mind. Eventually I got the sleeve pattern figured out, marking the shoulder, neckline, sleeve hem, and joining with piece 2 (front) and 8 (back). Then I used the helpfully included lining pattern to draw in the lower armscye curve. After I finished I realized it would have been easier to use the connecting piece (2 or 8) that completes the armscye. You can see both sleeve pattern pieces here

There are a lot of seam intersections in this pattern. I was impressed with how well all the pieces fit together, which is my general experience with the Muse line. They are well-drafted patterns that sew up nicely.

To improve my odds on the seam intersections, I took a hand-tack at each match point before sewing the seam. A meticulous person would have hand-basted the whole shebang from armscye to the lower seam intersection, but I am not that person. I didn't get it exactly perfect, but the match is pretty darn close.

The dress is meant to be lined, and the neckline (and armscye, on the cap sleeve as drafted) is finished with the lining. Lining a double knit seems unnecessary and would add bulk so I skipped that.

The neckline is fairly wide, and needs to be snug in order to fit closely. I first tried to finish the neckline with a facing, drafting from the lining and sleeve pieces, but it was just too bulky and a little stretched out (operator error).

I never would have considered finishing a knit neckline with a woven bias tape until Amanda suggested it on her blog, but in this instance it was the perfect solution. The neckline more than ample to pull over the head without stretching, and it needs to be very stable.

I used this tutorial to make a giant pile of bias tape. I think my math is correct here. I used a piece of fabric about 54" x 22". Using length times width, the area of that piece of fabric is 1188 inches. I then reduced the width to 2 1/4" (the width of my bias tape--I prefer a wider bias tape), making the length...528 inches, or more than 14 1/2 yards. That is a lot of bias tape, my friends.

I did not use Amanda's (very neat) method for finishing. I folded my bias tape in half and sewed the raw edges together to the right side of the neckline, slighting easing in the neckline as I did so; the bias tape is probably about 1/2 inch shorter than the neckline. Then I turned under the bias tape and pressed. I hand tacked the bias tape to each seamline. It stays in place nicely and gives a flat, snug finish on the neckline. So much better than my disastrous facing.

Totally dig the dress, and it is just as I imagined. The only thing I'd change in the future is to combine panels 2 and 3 (and 8 and 9). The upper contrast strip looks skimpy and unbalanced compared to the width of the lower contrast strip. Combining those two pieces would be just about perfect, I think.

I was highly impressed with the fit out of the envelope. The only changes I made were to do a swayback tuck in the center back, and to add an 1.25 inches to the length. Keep in mind that I am a shortie. My final hem ended up just about at the cutting line on the pattern. This is drafted SHORT.

I see that I still don't have a perfect fit in the back (it seemed good in the mirror, but the photos say otherwise). I think I need to pin piece 11 to the back (piece 10) and take a little swayback width out of that as well.

One of my friend's husband's bands (The Burning Hearts) was playing a show on Friday and I wanted to wear the dress. I'm not going to lie to you, I wore it out with the horrible faced neckline.

The boyfriend approved, asking if I had worn my rock'n'roll dress for the occasion. I played along like it was a rock'n'roll dress, but really it is so Joan Holloway! (I couldn't resist the opportunity to put myself in an office at Sterling Cooper in my thumbnail photo.)

I am just now watching Mad Men on Netflix. I was kind of annoyed before at how everyone was all, "Oh, Joan!" but now I totally get it. She is confident and sexy, but not in any way cheap or insecure. If Joan were plopped down in the here and now, I feel this is totally what she'd wear. It's all about curves, but is completely covered up and tasteful. It's all about illusion.

I'm not sure I'll make another of these--it's quite distinctive and colorblocking has a habit of looking extremely dated fairly quickly (judging by 80s colorblocking). But I suddenly had a vision of one in orange, red, and hot pink for summer. So dynamite. If only I knew a reliable source of good quality double knit in a million colors...

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Winter Work Tops: Tridux

2011-12-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's that time of year again. The time of year to try to imagine separates for work that have sleeves. I don't know why sleeved tops are so different from sleeveless ones. I don't have too much trouble envisioning, creating, and wearing cute summer tops. And yet, stick a sleeve in the picture and my mind goes blank and grumpy.

So I did some snoop shopping.

It appears that I am not alone. The offerings are SAD. After going through literally THOUSANDS of long and 3/4 sleeve tops on Saks, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale's I found a handful of interesting pieces. There's nothing I want to copy outright, I don't think, but I identified some elements that I like.

Source: bloomingdales.com via Trena on Pinterest

The best of the bunch is this one (Velvet by Graham & Spencer, $174). Sequins are having a moment and I do like them, but I think for day I'd go for something a little more matte, lol.

But I love the way this drapes from the shoulders and LOVE the shaped hem (I would tack it in place to mitigate the fear of belly show-through, horrors). I haven't seen any patterns like this, so if you have suggestions I am all ears.

Source: bloomingdales.com via Trena on Pinterest

Something about this piece (BCBGMAXAZRIA Marlene Studded Sleeve Top,$278) speaks to me as well, but it's definitely more about mood and elements than the whole top. Of course it's a given that I love the color(!!!), but what I'm really into is the shape of that sleeve hem. I just picked up Burda 7519 at the Joann sale (LOVE that they are now putting Burdas on sale occasionally) and am going to see if I can work something out like this sleeve hem.

I also like the banded hem, but in reality that does not work for my pear-shaped body. I need waist definition, and it needs to be relatively high.

Source: saksfifthavenue.com via Trena on Pinterest

Although I still like the classic tie top, with a lower neckline as in this one, I really dig the scarf top on this Philip Lim ($375). It still has flair but is not too girly.

I would make the scarf a little smaller and shorter, but love the pull-through loop.

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Trena on Pinterest

In case you were wondering, ruffles are still a thing. I cannot believe how much longevity this trend has had. They have been in style for at least 4 years now; I can't remember far enough back to know if it's been longer.

I still saw plenty of your usual ruffles around the neck, but there were some creative twists. My fave is this RED Valentino sweater ($395) with the asymmetric shoulder ruffle.

I also appreciated the feminine but not-too-sweet take of this Boss Black; the "ruffles" are straight strips of fabric sewn diagonally across the blouse. Takes it up a notch in terms of being taken seriously as a professional versus girly girl ruffles.

Source: saksfifthavenue.com via Trena on Pinterest

I'm always drawn to pieces like this (Chelsea Flower Wrap Front Silk Blouse,$275) with the billowy dolman sleeve, or this fabulous kimono sleeve top, but in reality they end up horrible on me, as in this project. But it doesn't stop me from looking.

You can see all my picks here.

And that's really kind of it! There is a whole lot that is shapeless out there. Cutout shoulders are another trend I'll pass on.

Would it be terrible if I made an entire wardrobe of winter tops that are all variations on the cowl and the wrap? Because that's all that's appealing to me right now. This is why I wear dresses!!!

A Visit to the White House and a New Dress

2011-12-13T10:03:00.000-05:00

When we did the Tweed Ride, my friend Courtney mentioned that she was thinking of planning a White House holiday tour and asked if I'd like to join. I said of course, and asked her who her friend is. To see the White House (at least for people who live here--I don't know how out-of-towners do it) you have to have a friend who works there and can get you in. It turns out that her job is considered part of the White House and she *is* the friend. How wonderful! So yesterday morning we headed over to see the White House all dressed up for the holidays.

The decorations were somewhat modest for, well, the White House--a mansion of size and importance--in keeping with the economic times, but they were all clever, festive, and still tasteful. I just LOVED these felt trees in the entrance area. I don't decorate for the holidays because I'm not religious and because I always travel to Texas, but I could actually see having one of these adorable little trees. And check out the giant felt Bo!

Bo was quite a decorative theme. There was a Bo in just about every room/display. My absolute favorite was this Bo made of buttons! Could you die? It was just so clever and absolutely adorable. This wasn't the only place that buttons showed up. I glanced down at the tree skirt of the large family tree (decorated by the children of active duty service members) and noticed that the tree skirt was sprinkled with what appeared to be antique and vintage military buttons. Clearly, one of the decorators knows a little something about sewing.

The annual Gingerbread White House is always a big attraction. It keeps getting more and more elaborate and amazing and this year was no exception in this perfect replica of the White House in white chocolate. Apparently, it took six weeks to make. It was surrounded by macaron trees. I think white chocolate is gross so I'm ok with many pounds of it being used to make a decorative objects, but I had to object to wasting perfectly good macarons--very difficult to come by in the States--on decoration! Though the trees were cute.

Of course I had to have a new dress for my visit! I bought this giant border print fabric on G Street's $2.97/yd table last November and thought the red flowers would be holiday-evocative without being too literal. I made it into another McCall 6363 knockoff, as described in this blog post. I didn't make any changes to the pattern--even did the same picot elastic trim on the neckline! I'll try to get a better picture of it later but there's really nothing new to tell about it. All photos of McCall 6363 are here

Again in keeping with the festive spirit--and the quite cold weather--I wore my Vogue 8307 Armani-style coat. It's just about getting too cold to wear this, but I love the cheery color and the shape of the collar so I've been wearing it as much as possible until it gets well and truly below freezing.

Here's my parting shot as we walked out of the White House and back to real life. I love the way the clean lines of the White House, the Washington Monument in the distance, and the colors of the flag converge. It was quite a different feeling to be on the inside of the White House grounds looking out, and not one I'll repeat too often LOL.

With all the real trees in the White House, and the wonderful decorations, and the high school choir singing wonderful a capella carols, this is a magical way to get in the holiday spirit!

All the White House photos are here.

McCall 6279 Trench dress

2011-12-02T09:44:00.000-05:00

I fell in love with McCall 6279 as soon as it came out. Although I bought the Butterick 5598 Suzi Chin trench dress when it came out a couple of months later, I like the McCall better and when I found this seersucker-esque fabric on the $2.97/yd table at G Street I couldn't wait to make it.

I cut my usual size in the pattern, 8 at the shoulder and bust, 10/12 (somewhere in between) at the waist, and 12/14 at the hip. As usual for a princess seam, I flattened the bust curve on the side front for a small bust adjustment. Once it was put together it was still a little loose at the bust and waist, so I took in the side seam on the front only to fine tune the fit.

In addition to the SBA, I did a swayback adjustment similar to this as per usual. I have a hard time fitting dresses without a waist seam--to get a true fit would require so much distortion that it would change the grainline and alter the hang of the fabric. So you can see there is still some swayback bunching. I would be hesitant to take it in more, however, because it could use a smidge more room along the back princess seams for the booty. It is not tight, but it is more fitted in that area than the rest of the dress and I'd like just another inch of ease. If I tried to take more width out at the swayback, the curve back there would become too extreme and would point and pooch over the booty. I guess this is what is meant by over-fitting.

I have not made too many items with a back yoke and a collar, so I can't recall how the neckline is usually finished (I probably should have looked it up). The directions for this dress have you tuck the neckline's raw edges into the collar sandwich. With my fairly thick fabric, I thought that would look sloppy, so I created a back neck facing. This was not a perfect solution as it added bulk to an already bulky seam (two layers of collar plus inner and outer yoke), but it did give a neat finish to the neckline. I will have to research this issue before I make the pattern again.

I thought the tiny pinstripes of this fabric would work better with the pieces, creating fun directional stripes effects, but instead it just looks sloppy (and I forgot to cut the back yoke on crossgrain, boo). I tried to rescue it with some topstitching, but that just made it worse, as you can see at right.

I never use the marked button placement on a pattern; because I am short and have a very specific preference on where the top buttoned button is placed (about 1/2" above the center hook of my bra--I have no cleavage, so I can totally get away with this for work) the marked placement never works. But although I actually carefully marked the two rows of buttonholes on the dress, using a ruler and everything, they came out so uneven!!! I couldn't really tell until I had cut open the buttonholes and sewn on the buttons, so nothing to be done.

I really love the look of this pattern, but this dress is a fail for me. When I got it to a point of try-on-ability, I realized to my horror that this seersucker stripe of white, charcoal, and red resolves into the color of chewed up gum at a distance of more than 12 inches. The bluish-pink color is the same hue--though a different shade--than my skin, as you can see in this photo. Wearing it as a jumper with the red shirt makes it a little better, but it is just too disappointing. I also don't like the armscye finish; the bias tape kind of sticks out and doesn't lay well.

I wore the dress one time--the day I took the photos--and then gave it to a co-worker who is almost the exact same size and shape as me, but with long dark hair and a rosier complexion (no blue undertones). She reports that it fits like a glove and the color looks fine on her. I hope she wears it to work one day!

Although this project was a fail, the pattern definitely is not. I spent 6 months on the hunt for the right fabric earlier this year and now I have to go on it again! I'm still contemplating the copper denim I got in New York, but still thinking it would be too much.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

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Brenda asked about the bra strap keepers I bought at Steinlauf & Stoller. They do not seem to appear on the S&S website (I've looked before and also just confirmed). Dritz calls them "shoulder strap guards", I call them bra strap keepers. When I described what I was looking for to the guy working the counter--a little length of ribbon with snaps on each end that you sew into the shoulder seam to keep your bra strap in place--he figured out what I was talking about. They are in bins at the front of the store. Your best bet is to call or email asking for the name of them and whether they'll sell them by mail. They come in black, white, and beige, and are 90 cents per pair (at least in-store they are). These little things are invaluable! I hope you can get some.

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Still haven't heard from Abby or Lydia re: the stash purge I have up for grabs. Neither of you left any contact information. If you're still interested, please leave a comment on this post with an email address where I can reach you. Don't write out the full email address to avoid spam harvesters--write it something like "example at yahoo." (Anyone else in the DC area is welcome to respond as well--you come pick up the fabric, and you must take the whole lot.) Will be listing it on Freecycle soon.

Stashoholism Confessional: NYC November 2011

2011-11-29T10:24:00.000-05:00

I went to New York to speak at a conference a couple weeks ago. I was a tiny bit grumpy about going because I had been traveling so much the previous few weeks and had a cold coming on. But at least, among all the work, I found a little bit of time to visit the garment district.

The bulk of my purchases are pretty boring--lining and interfacing--but I did get a few pretties in fashion fabric. On the train up to New York I had actually been thinking that I need to let go of my snakeskin Burda 09-2009-123 wrap blouse. I really love the blouse and it is so different for me, but without a broad back adjustment it's just not wearable. I popped the underarm seam on first wear from the strain of, you know, reaching onto my desk to get a pen. I cannot move in it. So I had given myself permission to seek fabric to replace it. And lo and behold I found this piece in Chic Fabrics, a silk chiffon with a crepey texture for $10/yd. I don't like the print quite as much as the original; the diamond motifs will be annoying to cut around, but it will help me pass the top along to someone who can wear it without being straitjacketed.

I was trying to focus on cool weather fabrics, as I am really all stocked up on warm weather fabric. They had this wool sweaterknit in a couple of colors. I hemmed and hawed over turquoise (of course) or this royal blue. It is a good color for me, but I avoid it because I feel weird wearing any shade of blue with jeans. I don't wear jeans a ton, but we are allowed to wear them at work on Fridays and I do wear them on the weekend when it's cold. It will be a waterfall-type cardigan. Maybe I will even practice wearing it with jeans.

There was more sweaterknit at Fabrics for Less. I fell in love with the multi-blue striped wool knit but at $12/yd it seemed a little steep for me. I wandered around the store for a while and heard a woman aggressively bargaining with the guy working the store, who reluctantly (or not--I guess that's part of the game) knocked a couple dollars off the price.

I started with the copper denim in the middle. The picture does not do the fabric any justice. It shows the color, but not the gorgeous sheen of this fabric. I broke my cardinal fabric-buying rule with this piece. I have to be able to envision a specific project for a piece of fabric before I can buy it, but with this my imagination failed me. I am looking for some replacement fabric for the McCall 6279 trench dress (review forthcoming), but I'm not sure how much I'd wear a shimmery copper trench dress. Maybe a lot. Who knows? The fabric is a denim, but quite lightweight; good for a dress, not quite beefy enough for a jacket or pants. It was marked $7/yd, but I talked him down to $6 because it was narrower than the rest of the denims.

The green stripe caught my eye for some reason, though I'm not sure I don't regret the purchase now. There is a striped tunic I've been wanting to try so this will be a cheap way to try it.

Then it was time for the wool knit. I paid the marked price for the green stripe to butter him up. The wool knit was marked at $12. I asked what he could do for me. He said he couldn't knock down the price, that it was already rock bottom. I started walking away. He offered me $10/yd. I was sold.

Most of what I bought is actually, gasp, practical. I bought a lot of lining and interfacing. At Paron I found a bolt of 100% rayon lining in the Annex for $3.50/yd, an excellent price for what I assume is Bemberg or its equivalent knockoff. I also bought some silk habitoi; at $5.25/yd it will make a wonderful, luxurious lining for something. My splurge was the light sage stretch silk charmeuse. I want to try pants this winter and I have a nice stretch wool (though I found it quite wrinkled during my stash reorg and am a bit worried I might have ruined it). Stretch fabric needs a stretch lining and how luxurious would silk-lined pants be? I wear pants only on the very coldest days of winter and a silk lining would be much appreciated. Of course, the fabric is so lovely that I am now questioning whether I could sacrifice it for lining!

One of the things I was hoping to pick up while in NYC was interfacing. I couldn't recall ever having seen interfacing in all the trips I have made to all the stores, so I contacted Garment District Goddess LindsayT at her blog, Shop the Garment District, for her advice. She responded that Mood, of all places, was the best source for reasonably priced interfacing.

After Project Runway hit, I visited Mood along with every other fan of the show. They do have a wide selection of beautiful fabric, but the prices are so, so high compared to the other stores of the Garment District that I haven't been back. Well, Mood's popularity has not waned. The store was *packed* and I passed several groups of pre-teen girls, one group receiving a lecture from one of the store employees about how he and Tim Gunn are tight. I managed to squeeze my way back to the interfacings and, sure enough, they are good quality and reasonably priced ($2.50/yd and relatively wide at around 40 inches). LindsayT had warned me that they are not labeled; you have to know what you're looking for.

In addition to the reasonably-priced interfacing, they also have good prices on lining. I picked up a bunch of this stretch lining for $5/yd.

I had to stop by Steinlauf & Stoller to pick up some more bra strap keepers at 90 cents a pair. With my sloping shoulders, I've gotten in the habit of putting them in just about every garment that can't be worn with a racerback bra. No more bra straps falling down! I also got these two specialty elastics at $0.90/yd. I use my black picot elastic fairly frequently on underwear and outerwear and have occasionally wished I had some white. The black ruffle elastic I just thought was cute.

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You'd think this would have sated me for a while, but when I went to G Street for Fashion Sewing Club they had some really good stuff on the $2.97/yd table. On the left is a black & white knit with a boucle-like texture. It was make a cute cardigan and skirt combo for a very low-end faux Chanel look. The yellow fabric was, of course, immediately sewn up. The fabric on the right is a stretch lace in a deep sage color. I got it in case I decided I didn't like the yellow netting when I got it home. It will be a top as well.

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When I posted about the Tweed Ride, Bijoux asked about the shoes I was wearing. I bought them at 6pm.com last year, where they are unfortunately no longer available. The shoe is the Born Gellar; a google search shows a few random sizes available on various places of the web. Good luck!

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Abby and Lydia both expressed interest in the stash purge I have up for grabs, but neither of you left any contact information. If you're still interested, please leave a comment on this post with an email address I can reach you at. Don't write out the full email address to avoid spam harvesters--write it something like "example at yahoo."

Pattern Review Meetup DC

2011-11-22T10:18:00.000-05:00

To celebrate the anniversary of PatternReview's founding, sewing meetups were held around the world last Saturday. We were lucky enough to have Nikki to organize us in DC, and we had a wonderful day together. While I got photos of some of our stops, I totally spaced on getting pictures of actual people so I've borrowed this one from SewandWrite.

We started our morning at The Textile Museum, a gem of a place near DuPont Circle. I admit that I don't come here as often as I should because I am spoiled by all the free museums available, but the Textile Museum asks only $8 as a donation and the exhibits are always top notch. The museum was very welcoming to us--they offered us coffee and tea and let us congregate in a conference room until everyone arrived.

The current exhibit on the ground floor focuses on the weaving and embroidery of central Africa, roughly in what is now the Congo. The textiles are created with threads processed from palm frond, which are fairly short. This photo shows examples of short pile embroidery, essentially tiny rug hooking. The geometric patterns, though actually flat, give an amazing impression of depth and dimensionality. These cloths, created by female relatives, were amassed by men as status symbols, and no practical use was given for them. They were generally buried with their owners.

The upstairs exhibit is on textile recycling. While I think we generally tend to think of patchwork quilting as an American art form, it is practiced the world over as a practical way to use up scraps of fabric and to repurpose worn-out textiles. The pieces on display in the museum show astounding intricacy and patience in both the tiny scraps used and in the embroidery dressing up the pieces.

Of course we had to make a stop in the gift shop on the way out! The Textile Museum has a wonderful gift shop with items ranging from affordable to aspirational. In addition to its regular stock, the offerings are coordinated with the exhibits on display, and several status cloths--of the quality shown in the museum's exhibit--are available for purchase right now. The price for these works of art is quite reasonable, in the $125 range. However, I am not in the market for art at the moment and contented myself with an adorable felted clutch made in Nepal for only $18. If you're looking for tasteful and imaginative gift options I recommend a visit (they have an online store as well).

We left the museum and headed off to lunch at Bistrot du Coin just down the street, where we enjoyed socializing, a tasty meal, and passing around our goodies for trade. Nikki also held a drawing for door prizes, and I won the PR 1000 Tips and Tricks book!

We had planned a fabric swap to be part of the event, which turned out to be quite fortuitous for me. The night before I figured I ought to go through my fabric shelves and find a few pieces to throw in the pile. Well, that morphed into me going through my entire fabric stash and considerably culling it down--to the tune of three garbage bags' worth of fabric off the shelf. I had done a big cull earlier in the year but had left some things on the understanding I'd need to sew them up reasonably soon to justify keeping them. I didn't and now they're gone!

Well, not actually gone, but moved from the sewing room the living room to await listing on Freecycle. DC area residents: if you want first dibs, just let me know. The conditions are the same as Freecycle: 1) you come pick it up, and 2) you gotta take the whole lot sight unseen.

Anyway, I didn't find takers for all the fabrics I brought to the swap, but about half of them were claimed and I felt ok claiming a few pieces on my own. The red print on the left is a Marc Jacobs cotton from Fabric.com (the sticker was still on it). Perfect for a crisp summer sheath! In the middle is a very lightweight fine cotton batiste or lawn in an aqua color. It will be perfect for lining a summer dress. The fabric on the right is a crazy stretch mesh with sparklies. It would make a very festive tank top for holiday parties.

Did the thought of those three garbage bags give me pause in buying more fabric to fill the shelves back up (and let's be clear, they are still full)? Erm, I plead the Fifth. All I know is that Exquisite Fabrics was having a moving sale, as that creepy mall in Georgetown is to be renovated, apparently. Almost everything is 50% off, with a few exceptions at 30% off. Although I have purchased various buttons, zippers, thread, and so on at Exquisite, I had never actually bought any fabric from them. I don't share much taste with the buyer, apparently. However, at 50% off I found two splurge fabrics.

The first is a bright pink wool crepe. I love my hot pink corset waist pencil skirt, but it is not bikeable. I need a substitute that I can bike in, and this is a very similar color. I love bright colors!

The second is my big splurge, a piece of Fortuny pleated fabric (not sure the content, but I doubt it's silk). The owner of Exquisite said it came from the warehouse of Mary McFadden. Coincidentally, the National Museum of Women in the Arts had an exhibit on Mary McFadden two years ago that I visited. I am going to a wedding on New Year's Eve and this fabric will be perfect, though I don't have enough to make the dress I envision in my head. :-/ I don't really want to use a contrast fabric but am cooking up some ideas.

What a lovely day we had, including fancy cake enjoyed in DuPont Circle! Thank you to Nikki for organizing, and it was so fun to meet new people. We were all pleased to get together and have plans for future events...

You can see all my photos here.

Burda 08-2008-108, Raglan Sleeved Mock Turtleneck Knit Top

2011-11-16T09:54:00.001-05:00

I was at G Street Fabrics on Saturday for the totally innocent purpose of attending Fashion Sewing Club and picking up my serviced machine (woohoo! you cannot imagine how I missed it). Well, the classroom for FSC is over by the $2.97/yd table so I was practically forced to look on it. I had been quite unsatisfied with my top options for the Tweed Ride and then I saw this fabric which could not have been more what I was looking for than had I designed the textile myself. I love, love the mustard color, and the sheer mesh with polka dots was just so appealing to me that I snapped it up.

I knew I wanted a high-necked top--it just seems part of the style--which is not something I normally go for. I went through my back issues and settled on Burda 08-2008-108, a mock turtleneck knit tee with raglan cap sleeves. I was at first unconvinced about the raglan sleeves--with my narrow, sloping shoulders they are not always a great look for me--but in the end I just love the curved lines of them!

The collar is one of those draft-your-own pieces; Burda gives you the dimensions and then sends you on your way. I made a pattern piece based on Burda's instructions, and when I went to sew on the collar it was 4 inches too short. Totally weird. It's probable that I was taking seam allowances that were a little too small, but not a total of 4 inches too small. When finished, the neckline and upper back were way too big. I really don't know what I did there.

I interlined the collar with a piece of bias cut white silk organza to ensure that it stood up straight. I was pleased with how invisible it is. I originally cut the bias piece as wide as the collar so it would be doubled when the collar was folded down, but that turned out to be a little too much, so I cut the piece the height from the seamline to the foldline.

As drafted, the collar is meant to be 2 inches tall, but that is waaaaay to tall for my short neck, as it turns out. As you can see, I turned it under and hand-stitched it to shorten. The finished height is now 1 inch.

I used self-fabric loops and some buttons I already had in stash that turned out to be a perfect match for the closure, rather than a zipper as suggested by Burda (my fabric wasn't very stretchy--in a more elastic material no closure would be needed).

I have been really into the idea of visible seaming in translucent or transparent fabric lately, and I just love the way the raglan curves at the sleeve show up in the wearing.

I can also recommend transparent fabric as a great way to muslin--I could see exactly how closely the shirt fit when wearing it without a tank top underneath.

The cape is coincidentally from the same magazine, 08-2008-101. I made it three years ago, and am just going to acknowledge that I will never review it. But it was a really fun addition to my outfit and I finally got some wear out of it!

I was so happy to find the perfect fabric and the perfect pattern *and* finish the top the evening before the ride. I was just delighted with my outfit!

This pattern comes in a 34 so I didn't have to grade, plus it's on the old pattern sheets. Heaven! My only gripe with the pattern is that I wish it came with full sleeves, rather than cap sleeves. I really like the fit of this top on me and would like to make one with long sleeves for layering, but I will have to do some drafting to get sleeves that set into the entire armscye.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here

Dc Tweed Ride 2011: The Photos

2011-11-14T11:48:00.001-05:00

The Tweed Ride was a huge success! I would guess that around 250-300 people participated (it was hard to tell, exactly--bikes take up a lot of space so you can't really clump people close enough together to see them all at once).

As you can see, I went with the brown booties. At the last minute I was able to make a top, and I felt brown went best with the overall outfit. They ended up working well and I really do love the style of these crazy shoes.

Here's the whole outfit, on a fun set provided by BicycleSpace for our rest stop there. The yellow top was my very last minute addition to the outfit--I found the perfect fabric at G Street on the $2.97/yd table on Saturday and made the top late Saturday afternoon. I made the cape three years ago, but never wear it because it is so motion restrictive and impractical. I was glad to give it another wear for the event! My mom gave me the kilt, a sturdy Pendleton wool from her younger days. The hat came from my trip to Ecuador, and the feather pad was found at Mood (had a quick trip to NYC for work last week; more on that at a later date).

Cidell was in the same cape, a pattern from BWOF 8-2008, in the shorter version. I just love her bright turquoise with hot pink lining! The feather fascinator in her hair is just the perfect touch, isn't it?

Everyone in the crowd was dressed to the nines! I am amazed by how much creativity people showed, and just how much tweed resides in the closets of DC. One clever thing several people did was to create "knickers" by wearing regular pants, pulling a pair of long argyle socks over the pants, and then blousing the fabric a little over the top of the sock. There were hats galore, which I just loved, and so many cute vintage bikes. The people-watching was superb!

Our route was so fun. We started at Meridian Hill Park, which is on a large hill (large by DC standards). While you had to get yourself up the hill, after the ride actually started much of it was a comfortable downhill or flat. We visited DC landmarks both famous and obscure. You may recognize this location--Lafayette Square in front of the White House.

We also stopped at the more obscure Titanic Memorial. I've visited this before because a friend of mine used to live near it, but it's Southeast Waterfront location has kept it a bit of a secret. It's a strange, ethereal monument, put up in gratitude by the women and children saved by the self-sacrificing men of the Titanic, who stayed on the ship to make more room on the lifeboats.

We ended at Lincoln Park in Capitol Hill, where Cidell and I were spotted by a kind blog reader. It's always so fun to meet people who actually read what you write!

All in all, a wonderful event and a nice day for it--a bit cool but not cold with no rain--you can't ask much more than that from mid-November! All the photos are here. A review of the top will be coming soon...

How to Build a Tweed Ride

2011-11-11T08:30:00.001-05:00

The Tweed Ride is here! The Tweed Ride is here! I am so excited. Dandies & Quaintrelles will be hosting DC's Tweed Ride this Sunday, November 13. Registration for the ride is free; the party is $15 (may be sold out). You need to register for the ride in order to get route information.

Of course, the most important part of a tweed ride is the outfit. There is definitely no formal dress code, it's just vaguely vintagey/old timey. Check out this flickr pool for inspiration.

The hat is crucial, and I have several to choose from. I'm pretty sure I'm going with my new green bowler hat from my trip to Ecuador, but how cute is the purple cloche I picked up at the thrift store a couple months ago? But is it as cute as my Japanese pattern fedora? And then there is the fabulous black hat that I bought on my first trip to London at 17 years old (for 40 pounds--I didn't quite grasp the exchange rate, but it has lasted 20 years and still looks good so I suppose it was worth the then $60).

Then there is the actual tweed. It's supposed to be around 60F/16C so I probably won't need the vintage coat with fur collar (far right) I inherited from my grandmother. I love this beautiful coat but I feel really weird about the fur and have only worn it once, to the ballet. It would be perfect for the ride, but too hot for the weather I think.

On the far left is a wool tweed jacket I bought from a thrift store in high school. It desperately needs a new lining as well as new buttons, but is very tweedy. Next to it is a cape I made about 3 years ago; I wore it on a trip to Germany but not since as a cape is so darn impractical. You have to carry a handbag, not a shoulder bag, and I just don't do that. The last option is a fairly generic blazer, but it is a nice fabric and I like the greenish color.

I also have plenty to choose from in the shoe department: two pairs of booties (one black, one brown), a pair of green t-strap wedges, and some cheap but suitably costumey granny boots. One of the many great things about biking is that you can wear uncomfortable shoes and still go great distances! I'm leaning toward the granny boots just because when else am I going to wear them? But I also love the brown booties and they get no wear.

The big dilemma is: What about the actual clothes? I'm actually a bit stumped there. I haven't fortified my winter wardrobe with biking skirts; all my tweedy type skirts are pencil skirts. I might be able to pedal once on the bike, but getting on and off of it and stopping at traffic lights would be extremely unpleasant in a pencil skirt.

After much playing of dress up I came up with an outfit of a high-necked lacey blouse, a calf-length wool plaid kilt, and one of my obis, but then the obi would be the only thing I'd made. The blouse is from Ross about 6 years ago and my mom gave me the skirt from her younger years (vintage!). It's a cute and very old timey outfit, but I hate not wearing anything I've made on a normal day, much less to a dress up event! We'll see what inspiration strikes that morning.

Even if you're not riding along, play dress up and tell me what you'd wear! Or vote for your favorite hat, topper, or shoe.*

*Voting is for novelty and entertainment purposes only. The Slapdash Sewist will wear whatever ends up pleasing her, regardless of majority rule.

Burda 06-2011-111, Adventure Shorts

2011-11-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

I have not owned shorts for many years. I mean, I have the old denim shorts I use for painting and really dirty chores, but nothing I'd wear in public. Even my exercise shorts are years out of date and therefore worn only in extremely dire (90+ degrees) circumstances. But when I planned a hiking vacation, I figured it was finally time to bit the bullet.

I knew Burda had been publishing some cute shorts styles, so I went through back issues and found Burda 06-2011-111 in the Brigitte Bardot feature. While shorts are not the first thing that come to me when I think of Ms. Bardot, these are nice shorts. I like the side zip (no scary fly situation), back darts, and front released darts. Pleated pants are always a gamble, but in this case that front released dart is small and looks nice rather than Mom Jeans.

I cut the shorts straight off the pattern sheet in a 36 at the waist and a 38 at the hip with no alterations other than lengthening. The inseam is meant to be 4 inches; mine is 7. Actually, that's not true. Given my experience with Burda pajama pants, I added 1.5 inches to the top of the back at center back, tapering to nothing at the side seam, to accommodate the booty. But when the shorts were put together it turned out I didn't need the extra height and I cut it off to the originally drafted line.

I was pretty impressed with the fit, given that I made no alterations. The back crotch fits well. The front crotch is slightly long, at least I assume that's the proper description when the back crotch hugs the curves (with comfortable wearing ease) but the front crotch hangs down about an inch too low.

When I saw the back photo I was slightly less pleased. I mean, for the adventure shorts I think the fit is totally fine, but if I were making real pants, which I am considering doing this winter, I would want to deal with that folding that goes toward the inner thigh. Wrinkle-reading gurus?

The fabric is something I found in stash. I have no idea how long it's been in there, but I'm certain I've had it at least five years and likely much longer. I have no idea where I got it or how much I paid, nor the fiber content. It is a really interesting fabric--it's a double layer fabric and when you look closely there are rows of tiny pinholes spaced fairly close together. They obviously have something to do with how the layers are kept together.

While the fiber content is a mystery, it is a natural fiber according to the burn test and I think it is probably a linen or linen blend based on how it behaves. Whatever it is, despite the double layer it is a fluid fabric that I did not trust to stay stable, so I stitched a length ribbon at the upper edge of the waistband, where the outer and inner waistbands are joined at the top. The waistband did not stretch while wearing it during fairly strenuous activity on the trip.

I realized while stabilizing the waistband that I probably should have stabilized the crotch as well. However, as I mentioned in my Ecuador post, these were Adventure Shorts in more ways than one! I took my sewing machine into the shop several weeks ago and borrowed a vintage machine from a friend. The machine was not enjoying sewing through all the layers of the shorts, so I fired up the treadle machine I bought for my birthday a couple years ago. The topstitching on the waistband is too bad to show--the treadle has incredibly heavy presser foot pressure and it created diagonal wrinkles between the upper and lower edges of the waistband. The treadle got the job done, but I did not want to try to get too fancy and go back into the crotch seam to add a stabilizer.

It turns out that shorts are not as bad on me as I feared. I do not think I will be adopting them as any kind of uniform, but for occasional outdoor activities they totally work.

I think I will use this pattern again if shorts are still in style next summer. There's a limit to how short I can wear them, given the extreme whiteness of my legs, but I think I could take a couple inches off the inseam and be both stylish and flattering.

This review is a little late in the year to be useful for the Northern Hemisphere (though shorts with tights and boots can be cute), but Aussies looking for summer patterns should have at it!

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Back from Ecuador: Adventure Shorts, Jungle Pants, and Bowler Hats, Oh My!

2011-11-03T09:00:00.001-04:00

I am home safely from my wonderful trip to Ecuador. There was a lot of hiking, some ziplining, and even some horseback riding, which was truly comical. An equestrienne I am not (Betty Draper makes it look so easy...). You'll recognize the tops from my bike trip to the Netherlands. For hiking I figured I should break down and actually wear shorts and pants, rather than my usual skirts.

I took my machine in for service a few weeks before the trip but *needed* just a few new things for the suitcase. First up were my Adventure Shorts. I will review them eventually. Suffice it to say that the sewing machine that was graciously loaned to me did not enjoy sewing them and I actually busted out the treadle. They are not my most well-made item ever (the treadle has incredibly heavy pressure on the presser foot that caused pulling and wrinkling on the waistband topstitching) but they were Adventure Shorts in more ways than one! These got the seal of approval from my travel companion. One morning when I put on a pair of Jungle Pants, he actually asked, "No Adventure Shorts today?" I thought it was so cute that he used their proper name.

Then I made not one but TWO pairs of Jungle Pants. Jungle Pants are lightweight cotton pants that cover the legs against bugs and brush but allow for air circulation under steamy tropical circumstances.
Both pairs are made from the same pajama pants pattern as my waterproof biking pants for the Netherlands, so they are not the most flattering item. I put cargo pockets on the seersucker pair and in-seam pockets in the blue pair. This ended up being perfect because I'd put my camera in one pocket and my money purse in the other so my two most valuable possessions were on me and everything carried externally was dispensable. They both got a lot of wear, though they won't see the light of day in an urban environment! (I think the blue pair will officially become pajamas.)

I also added another top to the mix, but apparently didn't get any photos of myself on the days I was wearing it! Must inquire with my travel companion.

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We stayed in the Old Town of Quito ("Centro Historico") near the Plaza Santa Domingo, and we turned out to be in the middle of the Garment District! There were lots of fabric shops, many of them combination fabric shop and custom clothing store. Cidell and I had just been lamenting that we wished it was possible to buy a suit jacket and then a length of fabric for making your own skirts, pants, or dress. I should have looked into that in Quito, though I think it's not like Asia where the sewing happens in a day or two.

The fabric stores all had enticing displays in the window, as at right. I went into a couple but *gasp* didn't buy anything. The fabrics were generally very nice English and Italian wools (with fancy woven selvages bearing their country of origin), shirtings, and colorful polyester prints. I couldn't find anything that was made in Ecuador or that seemed very special (English wools are definitely special, but not to Ecuador). I already had my souvenir (described below), so I passed on a fabric souvenir--I would have been buying just to buy, not because I found something I loved.

All the photos from the trip are here (you can see them broken up by day and destination here)

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I was very much inspired by the traditional dress. There is a short description of traditional Ecuadorian Andean dress here. The women wear a dark, knee-length dirndl skirt, light colored stockings (usually white), and low heeled black shoes, generally in a brogue or what we now call "shootie" style. The blouses are generally white, but aren't seen very much as they are covered with a shawl, generally dark but you see the occasional brightly colored shawl. 99% of the shawls I saw were solid colored. The crowning glory is a bowler hat with a narrow brim (2 inches at most), turned up in the back and flat in front, with two dimples in the crown at the front. A long braid is worn down the back, coming out of the hat.

I did not want to take pictures of people without their permission, assuming there would be thousands of examples on the web. Not so! I can't find anything truly representative. The photo at left is close, though her shawl is smaller than most and would generally cover the top and I never saw anyone in a print skirt (they were a bit fuller, too). The photo at right shows the back (though the skirt is longer than most). While I still think that the sari is the most beautiful traditional dress I have encountered, the women of Ecuador in Andean highland dress is one of the most dignified things I have ever seen. They just exude thousands of years of civilization. Amazing. This was only worn by older women. I don't know if it's not adopted until one gets older or if the tradition is dying out in favor of track suits and jeans as everywhere else. I really hope it's the former.

My favorite part was the hat so I had to get one of my own. It is forest green and will be making an appearance at this year's Tweed Ride, Sunday November 13, woot! It does not look anything close to the authentic on me--I don't have the right demeanor or the long dark braid--but I love it so.

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I'm off to Texas for a family reunion this weekend, and will be traveling for work next week, but I will eventually return to regular posting, I promise...

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Blog Housekeeping: I know some people have been having trouble with comments. I finally had a chance to investigate and it appears that Blogger has a bug in its comment form that is embedded at the bottom of the post. I switched to this a few months ago because it's cleaner. I've gone back to the pop-up format, which appears to have fixed the problem for most people that were experiencing it. Sorry it took me so long to deal with it!

An African Safari...of Fabric

2011-10-13T11:40:00.001-04:00

A dear friend has spent the past year working in Liberia. Liberia has no real mail delivery; everything must arrive by private carrier. She had an emergency need for novelty keychains (no, really) so I went to one of DC's souvenir stores and DHLed her the keychains. I told her that rather than reimburse me for the shipping, she should use the money to buy me some fabrics. She has had wonderful clothes made in Africa and loves shopping for fabric for them.

She came back with an amazing haul for me! I love bright colors, as you know, and they are to be found in abundance in the markets of Liberia. The prints are also a lot of fun; large scale with nature motifs such as fish and flowers. The fabric on the right of this bunch is unusual in its geometric design. It would make great curtains if I ever sewed such a thing.

Apparently, these packaged coordinates are quite popular, and are used to make tiered styles. I love lime green and my mom loves purple, so I think I will find a way to use both of these sets. The un-printed fabric is a lightweight jacquard weave. The fabric has a plasticky feel and I assumed it was synthetic, but a burn test shows it to be cotton. I am going to have to figure out laundering to get whatever amazing array of chemicals is giving it that hand out of the fabric.

The peacock print may be my absolute favorite of the whole stunning array. I love blues. The two right-most fabrics are not from Liberia but from Ghana, where the fern and the conch are popular motifs. The fabric on the left would make a great St. Patrick's day outfit!

G Street had a Columbus Day sale where most everything was 25% off. Then they offered a coupon online for 20% off one item already on sale. They have a table of "Novelty Silk" for $7.97/yd (I swear it used to be $6.97, but I could be wrong). With the 25% + 20% off, it came out to around $5 yard. This olive is one of my favorite colors. I could not leave it behind. I believe it is a georgette weave; it is somewhat sheer but not as sheer as chiffon. I have been wanting to make the Burda 09-2010-111 wrap blouse since it came out in the magazine, and this seems the perfect fabric for it. It will replace my beloved silk-cotton McCall 5314 wrap blouse; this was before I knew I needed a broad back adjustment. I is just too tight across the back and the fabric can't handle the strain.

When I went to Cidell's to help her tidy her sewing area and she offered me this knit stripe I just couldn't turn it down. I have been wanting to make another Vogue 1020 with a little more ease and I think the stripes would be a fun way to play with the pattern.

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Are you overwhelmed yet? I am! Eeek. I feel a little bit like I'm drowning in fabric. Look for giveaways coming soon. Speaking of which, Aroura, I still haven't heard from you on the khaki knit. t r e n a [dot] b at g m a i l.

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I haven't done any sewing the past couple weeks because I have been ridiculously fracking busy. It is driving me crazy. I won't do much sewing for the foreseeable future either, as I have back-to-back-to-back travel for 3 weeks. I'm going to Ecuador next week! I think the only thing I'll get sewn is a pair of lightweight jungle pants (nothing complicated, just elastic waist--I don't want to sweat it out in jeans or yoga pants) and possibly a pair of shorts, identical to the pants except in length. Let's just hope I get some time to myself this weekend!

Let me live vicariously...what are you sewing?

Burda 7418, A Slip of a Thing

2011-10-07T10:04:00.000-04:00

I mentioned in my animal print dress post that rather than line the dress I opted for a slip. The only problem was, I didn't have a slip. I have a knit half slip I made last summer that I wear all the time. I technically have a full slip. I bought it in a secondhand store 20 years ago. I don't know if slip technology has changed since then (other than the advent of Spanx; I only go there when absolutely necessary), but the slip is kind of problematical in that it has no shape. So all the extra fabric around the waist bunches up under whatever I'm wearing (I have one or two sacks, but 99% of my looks have a defined waist) defeating the smooth-line purpose of the slip. Plus, it is a sweaty nylon and a weird length. It has lace on the bottom but with the lace it's too long, but turning up the lace makes it so short it barely covers the booty when belted.

The point being, I needed a slip, and preferably two: one in batiste to wear under knit dresses in summer, and one in silk to wear with tights in winter. When Joann had their Burda sale (the first I can ever remember), I snapped up Burda 7418. Luckily, Melissa has already made it and handily put up a review on PR.

The pattern is designed for stretch satins. Melissa was trying it out for a non-stretch silk. Her muslin told her to go up a size in a non-stretch, so I cut a 36 at the bust, 38 at the waist, and 40 at the hip. I also cut the side panel (for both slips) on the bias. I think in the end I could have cut the side panel on straight grain, but I didn't want to take any chances.

I also flared out the pieces from the hips to the hem, to ensure that I would have plenty of biking mobility. I did not do this in any scientific way, I just added extra width in cutting.

I did not do any of my usual adjustments. No small bust on the batiste and no swayback. There is some swayback puddling, but surprisingly not too much.

At the bust, I found the batiste garment flared out a bit under the arms, presumably to accommodate a larger bust. For the silk, I straightened the flare at the yoke side seam, narrowing it about 3/8 inch at the top of the yoke, tapering to nothing at the bottom. The underarm is more flat/flush in the silk version.

The main challenge in sewing this pattern is the almost square bust seam. I have never executed a perfect inset corner. I see them fairly frequently in RTW and the corner is always sharp with no puckering. I wish I knew what they did. I should consult Kathleen Fasanella...

Anyway, my first piece of advice: do not get a polyester or other synthetic within 10 feet of this pattern. You need to be able to press the seam well with a lot of steam. Pressing doesn't do much to polyester except melt it.

My second piece of advice: Mark the match point on the front piece carefully. It is marked on the pattern. The front piece is shaped like a T, with the upper yoke going to the side seam and the center panel the full length of the slip. The match point is on the inner corners of the T.

Once you have marked your point, put a dot of Fray Check over your marking and let dry.

After the Fray Check is dry, clip all the way to your marking. That is the nerve wracking part. I HATE clipping to the stitching line, due to my paranoia about finishing every edge of every garment. You cannot finish an edge that has been clipped to the stitching line. Hence the Fray Check.

When sewing the front to the side panel, spread the clipped inner corners of the T so that they are a straight line. Pin your match points together. Stitch slowly. Make an offering to the sewing gods (they prefer seam rippers, in my experience).

I am afraid I have no real pictures of this process as I was holding my breath the whole time and that could only go on for so long. You can see in the photo above on the left the straight line made by spreading the front's clipped edges, zigzagged to the side's pointed seam allowance. The photo on the right shows that my seam still isn't perfect--I have some puckering--but the match point is not too bad.

I prefer to use French seams with silk, just because it's traditional (though I do cheater French seams, using the serger for the first pass). And in batiste, I love the garments Burda always does with the beautiful French seaming shining through the sheer batiste.

For this project, I did a combination. On the straight panel seams (side to back and back yoke to front) I used French seams. But for the front/side panel seams, with the above described inset corner, I used a regular seam finished with the serger. I did not even want to go there with French seams. Also, pressing is a huge part of that seam and I wanted to get it as flat as possible. I actually don't think the inside looks too bad with this mix of methods.

The second challenge with this pattern is not nearly so nerve-wracking or precision-requiring, it is more annoying. The way Burda proposes that you finish the neckline of this slip is to clip to the 5/8" seamline at the center of the V and then just turn the neckline under and stitch, leaving it completely raw and vulnerable at the V. No go.

As with the match point, I started with a dot of Fray Check on the seamline at the center of the V, then clipped when dry. Next, press the 5/8" seam allowance to the outside. It seems weird, I know. I confess I did it wrong first time around on the silk--which was the second version I made!

Once you have marked and pressed your turn down line, trim the seam allowance. The neckline will be finished with ribbon, and the seam allowance needs to be narrower than the ribbon. On both iterations I was a little too conservative in my trimming and should have gone shorter.

Once you have trimmed, zigzag the now shortened neckline edges. Here I used the zigzag rather than the serger because I needed total control and wanted to minimize bulk.

Now comes the other weird part: attach the straps, with the edges on the outside of the garment. I know I have uneven shoulders, but wow does this project show it. In order to get both bust points in approximately the same place on my bust, the straps are noticeably different lengths and the back hangs crooked. I really don't even want to know what it takes to fix that problem, because I'm pretty sure I would never do it.

To reduce the problem of strap slippage off my sloping (and uneven) shoulders, I attached the straps closer to the center back than marked.

Once the straps are tacked in place, trim the edges even with the trimmed seam allowance.

Now you are ready to neatly finish the neckline. Turn under the edge of a ribbon (I like to use Fray Check on the ends) and place it at the V, overlapping enough so that the center of the V at the turned under edge is fully covered.

Lay the ribbon over the neckline, keeping the edge exactly even with the fold. Stitch the ribbon as close as possible to the edge. I found it helpful to move my needle one click to the right.

For the batiste, I used a cheap satin ribbon from stash. I would have preferred a better quality ribbon, maybe even a silk so that it could be molded with an iron, but I didn't want to hold up the project until I could get to the fabric store. I also should have stay-stitched the neckline, as I think it stretched out a little with the ribbon application (didn't have that problem in the silk).

For the silk version, I made a self ribbon out of a 1.5 inch wide bias strip. I folded it into thirds and pressed, so the raw edges were turned to the inside and the outside showed folded edges. I stitched it on the same way.

Miter the edges at the peaks of the fronts where the shoulder straps attach.

When you get back to the center of the V, trim your ribbon with enough to fold under, fold under, and overlap over the beginning edge. It takes a little massaging to get a good overlap. Mine isn't perfect, though it improved on the second go-round in the silk version.

While my ribbon application wasn't perfect, I think it is a vast improvement over Burda's terrible idea. What were they thinking??? Another option would be a facing, though I hate facings. You could fully line the back yoke and cut the front piece as a yoke as well (straight across the top of the T). I don't know how that would look on the inside with the center front piece being full length with a shorter yoke. Might be ok.

You can also do a traditional bias binding edge on the neckline, but you run into the issue of the straps. You could attach them with ends facing up (the strap running down into the inside), then bias bind, then turn the straps up. I suppose the bulk with this method wouldn't be too bad. You could also bias bind then attach the straps to the inside, but that leaves them with a raw edge and who wants that?

My one quibble is the length. As drafted, it is knee length on me. Who wants a knee length slip or negligee? I mean, I am short, but that is going to be too long on all but the giantesses among us. I shortened it by 3 inches.

I am happy with this pattern. It is more interesting than just a plain slip and has a lot more shape to avoid that bulkiness at the waist. The design and style of it are interesting. In fact, when I was getting dressed on Saturday I came out into the front room in the silk slip to do something and the boyfriend got kind of excited about my "dress." I am just so glad to have filled the hole I have been avoiding for years! Now I don't need to fret about sewing knit prints with white in them (the white is always sheer). No need to line, I have a slip for that!

I can see myself making another one with the narrower as-drafted hemline for a negligee.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Butterick 5672, Side Pleat Knit Dress

2011-10-04T10:41:00.000-04:00

I have been looking forward to making Butterick 5672 for a while--and if you want to make it it's on sale for $2.99 through 10/9/11 as Butterick's pattern of the week (very fortuitous). Here is the much anticipated animal print dress, of the nice rayon knit I just got from Fabric Mart for $5/yd.

The fabric sewed up very nicely--actually, I've sewn up all 3 pieces of it already. It is beefy and does not seem to stretch or grow, which is amazing for a rayon. I am resigned to the possibility that it will pill fairly quickly.

The pattern is well designed and includes the thoughtful and unusual touch of a separate pattern for a full lining (well, a separate front pattern; the back is the same). You are meant to use the lining to finish the neckline and armscyes. However, I skipped the lining for this iteration. I just wear it with a slip.

Instead, I finished the neckline with picot elastic. I loved this look for my Burda 12-2010-105 biking top and have been looking for ways to use the technique again. I scooped an additional 1.5 inches or so out of the neckline--a crew neck is just not flattering on me. Then I just turned under the neckline and armscyes and twin needle topstitched over the elastic. Voila!

I skipped the zipper on this project, as it was completely unnecessary. The pattern has you put the zipper into the pleated side, which seems unnecessarily difficult and bulky to me.

The rayon has good recovery, but on the two projects I sewed for myself I had to take in the side seams by about an inch on each side to get a good fit. I don't know if it was the pattern or the fabric.

Anticipating this issue, I assembled the dress in panels. I added a center back seam to the bodice and skirt with a small swayback adjustment in the skirt (similar to this). Then I sewed the right back bodice to right back skirt, left back bodice to left back skirt, and front bodice to front skirt. Then I sewed the full length vertical seams--sides and center back. This made for easy adjusting. The biggest problem here was gaping under the arms--I assume this is a small bust issue (I made no small bust adjustment). It was also somewhat loose at the waist. Taking it in a couple inches at the side seams from armscye to high hip took care of all the problems.

This pattern is meant to be cut on the bias, with a straight grain knit lining. There may be some benefit to that if you are using a heavy double knit with minimal stretch, but it would have been madness in this drapey rayon. I followed the marked (bias) grainline on the front skirt, but put everything else on the straight of grain. The pattern repeat on this fabric is too small and the dark spots form stripes; you can see how the stripe runs diagonal on the front skirt. I wish I had cut it on straight of grain as well.

Unfortunately, I think the pleat detail is a lost in my print when you get more than 3 feet away, but I am definitely a fan of the pattern. The style is simple but flattering and gave a good fit (after taking it in). I like that it has a waist seam at natural waist. I will be making it again in the version with sleeves for Fall/Winter. Next version I need to move the shoulders in by 1/2 inch.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

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The Random Number Generator has chosen Aroura to receive the beige knit from my FM bundle! Please email me your postal address at t r e n a [dot] b at gmail (no spaces) and I will send it off.

Fall Looks and Fashion Blogging

2011-09-30T10:35:00.001-04:00

Source: saksfifthavenue.com via Trena on Pinterest

So, I finally joined Pinterest. I didn't have to get someone to send me an invite, just signed up and within 24 hours I had my invite. So if you've been hesitating because of the hassle, I think it's safe to join!

My top "mood board" item for Fall is this Red Valentino dress, $695 from Saks. The dresses in this post are not necessarily items I would like to knock off, just items that inspire me. I love the simple shape of this dress that makes the most of all the textures involved. I can't quite tell, but it looks like a tweed bodice and skirt, with an organza overlay on the bodice, and lace sleeves. Opposing counsel wore a dress to a meeting this summer that used black organza over a black-on-white print to play with color and I loved the way it worked. I also like the bike-friendly full skirt!

This is just the perfect up-to-date classic style, if that's not an oxymoron. No strange shapes, natural waistline, and a beautiful fit (not tight, not a paper bag)--some variation of this will always be wearable. But the mix of materials brings in the lace trend and the colorblocking trend in a subtle, wearable way that keeps the overall look fresh. It is entirely suitable for day but still brings a lot of personality to the table. I would wear this dress weekly if it were remotely in my budget, but it's not something I would attempt to make myself. The fabric is everything and I just don't have access to the same fabrics as the house of Valentino (and if I did the dress would not be significantly cheaper!).

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Trena on Pinterest

Another look that I have no intention of copying, it's more about the mood. I love the extravagant sleeves of this DVF Madeline dress, $345 from Nordstrom. These kind of sleeves are impractical in real life because they drag through the dishwater, get ink-stained from writing on note pads at work, and generally fall into your food. But with the unabashed red they just barely evoke the sumptuous textiles of Renaissance paintings without being too obvious and without being costumey. The overall impression is richness, saturation, and sumptuousness--but restrained by taste.

Source: saksfifthavenue.com via Trena on Pinterest

The wrap dress is everywhere! I guess it never really goes out of style, but it is definitely in style now. I saw lots of classic wraps in jersey--no wonder Diane von Furstenburg wants to be able to copyright her fashion designs--but this silk woven Fendi, $1880 from Saks, really caught my eye. You know how much I love BurdaStyle 02-2009-123--I've made it three times. This is sort of a bolder version of that wrap blouse, with the shawl-type collar writ large and emphasized by the coordinating sheer. The style has so much movement that the normally bland neutral colors convey elegance rather than boringness.

Source: saksfifthavenue.com via Trena on Pinterest

As a shortie with a proportional neck (that is, a short neck, though I don't look like my head is sitting on my shoulders), I generally avoid high-neck looks. I need some depth at the neckline to neutralize my shortness, and a small bust works best with a lower neckline so there aren't acres of fabric between the chin and the bust point. However, this Ralph Lauren Collection, $1898 from Saks, really speaks to me. I love the ruching, and the demure high neck does not look prudish or coy, but merely elegant. I think elegant is my theme here.

Source: saksfifthavenue.com via Trena on Pinterest

I am glad to see the tie neck is still in style, like this Dolce & Gabbana, $2495 from Saks. For all I love frills and furbelows, I have only dipped into one pattern in this trend, the McCall 5708 Hilary Duff tie neck blouse (I've actually made another version of it; I need to show that sometime). Although I'm sure I'm coming in on the tail end of the trend, I have a tie neck dress on my sewing plan.

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My previous method for gathering inspiration was somewhat laborious, with screen captures, adding text, exporting to the my photo program, and then uploading to the web. Pinterest is a lot easier, though it's not 100% what I want. Ideally, I would be able to rearrange the pins on my board (please tell me if I'm missing something). I also find it hard to deal with the image posting code the service generates for blogging--it has a lot of extraneous code that doesn't play well with Blogger and must be massaged. I wish that the text you add on Pinterest would be added to the image for blogging purposes. And it can't capture flash images--Neiman Marcus is out. I've also had a not insignificant number of images disappear, never to be seen again--maybe 10% or more--so I have to go and re-pin them (the FAQ says to wait 24 hours for all images to populate, but a week later the images still hadn't populated). But all in all, so much easier.

Source: saksfifthavenue.com via Trena on Pinterest

I've been creating boards like crazy. My main board right now is Fall Dresses 2011, with a subset for knit dresses in particular. I've also saved ideas for color blocking and directional stripes.

I'm most proud of my RTW + Pattern board. Inspiration pieces plus patterns to achieve them, all matched up! That's where I wish I could rearrange the pictures, because the inspiration garment is not always next to the pattern. Can you guess which pattern works to re-create this fabulous Oscar de la Renta boucle dress, $1890 from Saks?

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The New York Times recently published an article on the monetization of fashion blogging, specifically, fashion bloggers getting agents. While there are a few sewing bloggers who make a living from their blogs, I don't think home-sewing clothing creators are in the same market as clothing consumers. Our looks are not as easily replicable and home-sewing lacks the prestige factor of a fashion blogger's high-end looks (even the fashion bloggers focused on the budget shopper eventually gravitate toward the aspirational, from what I've seen). People can look at a designer garment and "objectively" know that it is valuable. It's harder to do in sewing. You actually have to decide for yourself if you like a look! Workmanship is part of it, of course, but style is also a big component. That is where the magic happens, as they say.

As for me, I cannot commodify my blog because it would violate the terms of employment in my real job. While it would be nice to get a little google ads mad money for fabric shopping, I actually like that the decision is made for me and I don't have to think about it. That said, I have no problem with bloggers who have found a way to turn their hard work (and it is work, no question about it) into financial remuneration.

So what to do you think--Can sewing bloggers increase our influence and penetration in the larger fashion blogging world? Should we? And how? (On the how question, I'm looking at you, social media-savvy LindsayT!)

Stashoholism Confessional: Fabric Mart Bundled Me In

2011-09-28T13:44:00.000-04:00

I had gone a while without ordering fabric from the internet--my last order was in July, knits from Fabric.com. But I opened one too many Fabric Mart emails, and they enticed me with their sale on ponte knits. They were doing a promotion for a free 10 yard bundle with a $75 order. It's amazing (or horrifying, depending on your perspective) how quickly you get to $75. While I definitely enjoy carefully selecting my fabric, dreaming up projects for them, the anticipation of waiting for them to arrive, there is something about a mystery bundle that is too much fun.

I have no idea how they select and package their bundles, but the times I have received one it seems almost as though they look at my selected order and actually make an effort to give me fabrics I will use. And they did an excellent job here!

The pick of the litter is the rayon print in cream, hot pink, and black. I immediately saw it as a pussybow blouse, and then I thought "Why make a blouse when you can have a dress?" I am hoping I have enough fabric to make the Cynthia Rowley Simplicity 2305 dress with a tie neck.

The navy and green print is a polyester knit; you can't have too many of those. At least, I can't.

The black fabric is a nice lightweight high quality glossy cotton. This was extremely fortuitous. One of the items in my selected fabrics is a black cotton "lawn." I need a lightweight black cotton to make bias tape and for lining pieces where white batiste won't do. Well, the "lawn" is actually a heavy-weight faille; a wonderful fabric, but not at all suitable for the purpose for which I ordered it. The bundle fabric is exactly what I was looking for.

The pastel print rayon is not my style and not great quality, but it will be perfect for muslining lightweight projects (maybe my sari silk?).

The only thing I won't find a use for is the khaki/beige knit. It's a nice heavy knit and it appears to be pre-fused with a lightweight interfacing (in other words, the black side cannot be used as the public side). It would be perfect to make a waterfall cardigan or unstructured knit jacket. I do not wear brown, ever, and if I were ever to wear brown it would be rich brown, not khaki. This fabric is too close to the color of my skin.

If you would like this beige/khaki knitfabric, sign up for the giveaway drawing in the comments. I'm limiting to US only; so sorry to my international readers but this heavy fabric would be quite expensive to ship internationally. As usual, you must have commented on my blog in the past six months to be eligible.

And here is what I actually ordered. I love the faille knit in black with blue print. And such a steal at $1.99/yd! It is high on the list to make Butterick 5677 (on sale today for $1.88!), the colorblock dress, with black.

I was hoping the blue in the faille print would match the midnight blue ponte next to it, but they are completely different colors so no go there. LOVE the midnight ponte. I haven't decided what to do with it yet. Maybe Butterick 5559, the Maggy London with the pleats radiating from the side seam.

I mentioned before that I passed my yellow and gray fan dress Simplicity 2754 on to the Goodwill, as it never stopped feeling like a nightgown to me. I liked the pattern a lot, though, so I got this pink and gray rayon knit fabric to replace it. The bad thing about new fabric is that it pushes planned projects to the back of the line. The good thing is that it is inspiring to sew up. So all that remains on this project is the hem.

For my long awaited animal print dress, I will use Butterick 5672. I have high hopes for this pattern. It is a nice basic shape, but the pleats give it a little extra interest. This animal print rayon knit appears to be the same thing as the Style Studio Stretch Rayon I got from Fabric.com in July, as Fabric Mart had a different colorway of the print I got from Fabric.com in their selection. It is a nice weight and appears fairly stable (with a little bit of growing at the hem). I'm not sure it will totally work as a slinky number like this; it is stable but not the type of fabric that will stay highly fitted. We'll see.

The next rayon knit print is to match some purple satin from G Street to make an outfit for my mom. I'm not sure she'll love the bright bold print, but I think it will be cute on her.

The fairly unappealing olive textured knit is to underline the gorgeous olive sweaterknit I got from Golden D'Or in Dallas last Christmas. I wanted a similar color, not a flesh tone, to underline the sheer sweaterknit and this is the first time I've found something that will work. I have been puzzling over the content of that sweater knit, btw. It burns to a hard plastic bead, but the smoke isn't thick and curling and it doesn't smell like poly. I pre-washed it by hand and when wet it is clear there is some wool in it. Woot! I think it is a wool/nylon blend, but no guess on percentages. I am kicking myself for not getting some of the hot pink, too!

The last is the cotton "lawn," which, as noted above, I speculate is really faille. As far as I know, lawn is a smooth, lightweight weave. This fabric is quite heavy (bottomweight at the least; it would be hard to wear as a dress), ribbed along the cross-grain, and has a sheen that made me suspect that it was actually poly--I was pleasantly surprised when the burn test said all cotton. I don't wear a lot of black. I think it looks good on me, but when I'm reaching for something to wear I am almost never in the mood for darkness. So I was contemplating whether to keep this. However, I think it would make a spectacular less-than-formal suit with a Chanel-style jacket. I don't see myself doing the full Chanel treatment, but I have McCall 6041 and it gets good reviews on PR. I will not, however, be "making it crafty." I see black-on-black grosgrain ribbon trim for this. Very chic.

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I have been doing some snoop shopping for Fall! I can't wait to talk about all my ideas (in addition to these--my sewing time delusion is going strong). What's appealing to you right now?

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Thank you for the advice on the project that reveals itself to be a fail midway! I ended up finishing the dress. Love the style, and it was good to make this "muslin," which showed me a few needed fitting tweaks. I will try to take photos this weekend and show it to you next week.

Simplicity 2360, Fluttery Top of Anna Sui Silk

2011-09-22T10:07:00.000-04:00

I scored this beautiful Anna Sui silk at PR Weekend Philly last year during our trip to London Textiles. If you recall, we went bin diving into their huge stash of remnants. Silks were $5/yd, everything else was $3/yd. There was a touch over a yard of this fabric, so I paid $5 for it. I have since seen it pop up a few times in places like Vogue Fabrics and Fabric.com, for around $12.99/yd. Score!

The fabric's selvage says Anna Sui (copyright 2006) so I went hunting in her collections around that date and found this look in the Fall 2007 RTW collection. Frankly, I like my use of the fabric better!

When I bought this, I was planning to make another Simplicity 2938 pleat neck tank for wearing under a suit jacket. Although the print contains two of my favorite colors--turquoise and hot pink--somehow it looks very subdued and I wasn't sure I'd love the finished item.

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Trena on Pinterest

However, when I pulled out the fabric to make it (I decided in the Spring that the next time the serger was threaded in black I'd make the top first thing so I could at least cross one thing off my sewing list--I do not sew a lot of black!), the first thing I noticed is that it takes a little looking to tell the right side from the wrong side. I started thinking if there was a way I could take advantage of that, and remembered that when I made Simplicity 2360 the first time, in the green poly charmeuse fabric from Spain, I thought it would make a lovely top. So I scrapped my sensible plan for a suit-suitable shell and went with fun (are you at all surprised?). It is fun that is still in fashion, at least! I saw several variations on it during my recent snoop shopping forays, including this Julie Dillon dress for $138 from Nordstrom.

I did not change much on this go-round with the pattern. Instead of a drawstring, as I did for the dress and later regretted, I went with the pattern and turned the waist seam allowance into a casing. When I made the dress, I thought that I might want to lengthen the upper bodice pieces to move the waist seam down around an inch or so to my natural waist. When making this iteration I put on the dress and considered it, but then decided to keep it as drafted. When it was complete I wished I had lowered the waist. The top looks great with skirts, but does not work with skinny jeans *at all* because the waist is too high. I was hoping it would be a good top for jeans. Now I have to make yet another! The waist seam is the only exposed seam; for the rest I used French seams.

When it came to finish the neckline I had two problems. First, there wasn't enough fabric left to cut a bias binding, even a pieced bias binding. And second, it was too wide. I knew it was too wide from making the dress, but somehow didn't think to fix it before cutting. I actually (gasp) stay-stitched the neckline to keep it from stretching out.

I finished the ruffle with a serger rolled hem, as before. I also used it to finish the armscye edges. Then I got the crazy idea to use it for the neckline and then gather the neckline somehow. I liked this little gathery ruffle feature in Burda 12-2010-105 as drafted (I ended up turning the ruffle under some picot elastic because my fabric was too floppy) so that's where I went. I serger rolled the neckline close the staystitching. I always lift the knife when I'm doing a rolled hem on the serger; I find I can't get the fabric to stay on the stitch finger if the knife is engaged.

Then I found center front and measured 3 inches on either side of it, cut the shortest length of elastic that would stretch six inches, and then zizagged it in place while stretching. Love this feature! It totally looks intentional, and not a way to hide my bra straps.

Love this top! The pattern definitely works for a blouse, with the caveat about lengthening the upper bodice, as mentioned above, if you want to wear it with pants. I originally thought this top could be added to my Endless Combination wardrobe from last Fall as a match for my Burda 01-2009-112 hot pink corset waist pencil skirt given that the print has hot pink in it. But the hot pink in the top is so subdued that it is not strong enough to counterbalance the flourescence of the skirt. However, it goes with several other items in the closet (the most tame and predictable being the black skirt I paired it with here). There is one crazy outfit I am looking forward to wearing in cool weather. Cidell will not approve.

I would like to see what this pattern looks like with the longer sleeves. They are cut-on dolman sleeves, so it could be cute or sloppy. Nobody else has made it that way (that I can find), which certainly gives me pause! But I can envision another one of these in the closet, if the right fabric presents itself. Not that I can do any more fabric shopping, given my recent escapade on Fabric Mart's website (details forthcoming).

The pattern review is here and all photos are here.

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On the sewing machine right now is a dress that I know I won't wear. I realized halfway through this project that the color is terrible on me. The fabric is a seersucker type denimish with tiny stripes of white, dark gray, and red. These colors individually look fine on me, but their overall effect from a few feet away is a pinkish-blue that is very similar in hue to my skin tone, several shades darker. I look like putty in it. I debated whether to just stop and throw it away, or finish it to wear a couple times and then donate. My enviroguilt stopped me from throwing it away. I am trying to finish the remainder of it with dispatch, taking shortcuts here and there, but it is still driving me crazy.

What is your strategy in this situation? Just toss? How do I talk myself into that?

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Thanks to all for the info on your Bernina walking feet in response to my difficulty with it. I tried oiling the needle bar and the foot bar, per Jne4sl's excellent suggestion, but it made no difference. I think I need to face up to putting my machine in the spa and living without it for a while. I'm not sure I *can* live without it! I have been trying to devise projects that can be done entirely on the serger, and/or contemplating actually using my treadle as a sewing machine instead of decoration.

Awesome Birthday Gift Revealed and Vintage Dress Revived

2011-09-20T09:11:00.000-04:00

I was talking to my mom a couple of months ago and mentioned that I had decided on my birthday present to myself this year: a walking foot for my Bernina. I am one of four and my parents now have 7 grandchildren; we have never been wealthy so big presents just are not a thing in my family. I was just prattling, definitely not angling, but she got all excited and said she wanted to get it for me! It is true that I am hard to shop for. I don't want much (except fabric...) and what I do want I can easily get for myself. She was thrilled to have a solid gift idea of something I would love and use often.

A big package arrived around my birthday, containing not only my Bernina Foot #50, Triple Soled Walking foot (WARNING: a video auto-launches if you click the link; turn the sound off), but also a couple of books and some home-grown and dried herbs.

I had occasion to put it to use right away, sewing on the shiny side of satin. It was fairly easy to set up on the machine and worked extremely well. However, I would love information from those of you have a Bernina and use a walking foot. It made the machine "heavy" and tight--I could definitely feel the machine struggling to keep the needle bar moving and when I used the hand-wheel it was quite hard to turn. Any ideas what I am doing wrong? Or is this normal? I think it can't be normal because I couldn't have sewn much longer with the walking foot on or the machine would have completely frozen up. It took a little while to recover after I returned to a normal foot; the tightness did not immediately release when I took off the walking foot.

I mentioned last month that I participated in the Dandies and Quaintrelles Full Moon Ride (if you click on the link, you'll see that I made the collage of photos!). This month was the last of the season. The theme is "White Nights" and you dress up in white or light-colored clothing. D&Q rides are all about the vintage fashion, so you can really do it up without looking ridiculous.

When I went looking in my costume closet last month for white dresses I ran across a vintage lace dress I'd forgotten was in there. I bought it as a freshman in college. It looks home sewn, though it has a label that says "Nadine." I love the metal zipper! (I don't know why the photo is upside down. I've been having a little trouble with image rotation in Flickr recently. It is right side up in my Flickr account, if you click on the photo.)

It had a lot of dark discolored stains on both the lace and underlay and nothing I'd tried had lightened them, but I couldn't bring myself to the rid of the dress. Since I last tried to treat the stains, OxyClean has come on to the scene. I figured I had nothing to lose, as the dress was unwearable, and soaked the lace in OxyClean for several hours. Amazing! I didn't take photos of the stains on the lace beforehand, unfortunately, but here is an example of a stain on the sheath underneath. The sheath did not respond as well to the OxyClean, but still showed some lightening of the discoloration. The dress is still not fit for prime time, I don't think, but was definitely wearable for a night-time bike ride.

I was entirely thrilled about the dress. Then I put it on. Hmmm. I recall it fitting like a glove when I was a freshman in college. Although I managed to zip it up this time, I was a little concerned about getting out of it. One of the hazards of living alone is that your only option for getting out of too small clothes is calling the fire department! As it turns out, I am somewhat larger than I was as a (under 100 pounds) freshman.

Even if it had fit, however, it would have been impossible to bike in, as the sheath was, ahem, very tightly fitted. To those of you for whom vintage is sacred: You should probably click away. Though to be fair, I was not the first to change up this dress. I am almost certain that it was once full length, very Jackie O. in Camelot (she loved long white dresses). When I got it, the sheath had been very roughly chopped off and I believe was hanging raw and much longer than the lace. The person had taken the trim off the hem of the lace, shortened the lace (albeit somewhat unevenly, as I discovered when hemming the sheath), and sewn the trim back on. So I don't know what happened when they got to the sheath.

At any rate, when I went back in to alter this, I realized I must have altered it when I first got it to let it out at the waist a bit. Even when I was teeny weeny this was too small for me (perhaps a girdle is the difference). The photo shows the narrowed seam allowance where I let it out before.

This time I undid the hem (which I had put in, somewhat badly, nearly 20 years ago) and then unpicked the side seams to within 2 inches of the underam. I drafted a side insert panel that would give me the maximum amount of body movement for biking, though I narrowed it after I took this picture and thought to measure the maximum width of the lace. No point in having extra, unusable volume in the sheath!

The sheath fabric is a polyester crepe underlined with some sort of tricot, otherwise unlined. The fabric edges were left raw. After the Oxy Clean soaking and air dry the sheath part seems to have shrunk a bit while the tricot did not. So I had to do a little smoothing in my sewing. I sewed the matte side of my rayon satin as the outside; I didn't want the panels to shine through the lace and advertise that I needed more room! The color match is amazingly almost perfect, and the panels are completely unnoticeable in the wearing. The shiny side of the fabric is on the inside. Since I was sewing on the shiny side as the "wrong" side, I used to the walking foot to keep the satin from sliding around and feeding unevenly. It was perfect (aside from the machine tightening up, as mentioned above)!

Finally, I was ready to ride! Here is proof of how unphotogenic I am. The photo was taken by a friend who is very photogenic; those people do not understand that you can't take one picture and call it good! It was another lovely ride through city (don't worry, I wore my helmet while on the road). This was the last Full Moon Ride of the season and seemingly hundreds of people showed up! Our caravan was about five minutes long and the passersby kept asking us what we were about. We ended back at Logan Circle again for a lovely impromptu party. Now the next thing we have to look forward to is the Tweed Ride. I can't wait!

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You MUST check out this awesome YouTube video. It condenses 100 years of fashion into an amazing 100 seconds. Apparently it's an ad for a shopping complex in London.

Stashoholism Confessional and Q&A

2011-09-16T10:13:00.003-04:00

I blame Amanda S. for this purchase from G Street Fabrics. She recently made a top out of textured fabric and I liked the way it jazzed up a simple design. This is a fairly bright orchid color with a crinkled top layer that forms roses. I'm wondering if this might be good for a simple cowl dress.

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I know I have more questions to answer than this, but here are a few recent reader questions:

Lynn Mally asked on my Swiss dot birthday dress post if I have ditched the Danskos for pretty shoes. Ha! You can pry my Danskos off my cold dead feet. If you see me in heels, you can be sure that I have worn them no further than to walk over to the camera to hit the self-timer button. I did take those pink flowered shoes with me (Borns, so as comfortable as heels can be) to my birthday happy hour, and put them on when I was assured I would have a seat.

Amber Elayne asked on the same post if I had trouble moving the zip to the back of the dress. None! It worked perfectly. So much better than the side zip. As noted in the post, do not run the zipper all the way up to the back neckline. Sew the center back seam from the neckline down about 2 inches and install the zipper from there. That way you don't interrupt the ruffle.

Beth Conky said on my planning for Fall post: Girl, you need to move to Texas. We have 10 seconds of winter and a good six months of summer. You'd be the happiest girl in Texas.

Ha! My family lives in Texas and I spent a total of 7 years there. Even though it gets really hot and sometimes it's too much, I never took for granted that it doesn't get too cold for too long. If DC could be transplanted to a warmer clime, I'd go for it in a heartbeat.

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The Kitchenaid Ice Cream Maker Attachment is quite a success! I need to find a go-to ice cream base recipe. I did well with the Jeni's Splendid base from the Washington Post on my first batch, but the second batch had a bad texture. I suspect this is because I only rested the base until it cooled. I think it really needs to rest overnight to get all the air bubbles whipped in with the whisk to release. Also, my first batch was sort of a hybrid and included egg yolks, which might be a difference. Most recently I made Fig Honey Mascarpone Gelato from the LA Times and it came out very well.

I highly recommend this device. The only problem is, I'm going to have to buy an auxiliary freezer. I have a fridge/freezer on the small side as I am in a condo not a house, and my freezer is full already. Jiggering the ice cream making bowl into the freezer is an extremely irritating operation not for the faint of heart, involving taking most everything out of the freezer and then putting it all back in. I've been fantasizing over chest freezers...

Vogue 8633, Yellow Pique Funnel Collar Split Neck Dress

2011-09-13T11:52:00.000-04:00

When I saw Vogue 8633 it was love at first sight. I bought the pattern last March and was in a feverish hunt for the right fabric for months. I finally found at PR Weekend Montreal, this stretch yellow pique from Goodman for $5/meter. So if I found the fabric in June of last year, why did it take me until almost the end of the next summer to make it? Who knows. So many projects, so little time!

I started with my usual litany of adjustments. First, the swayback adjustment. I split it between the midriff piece and the skirt. During construction I ended up shortening the bodice back as well, as it was dipping low at the center. I was somewhat surprised by this, as the bodice back is well above natural waist and my swayback starts immediately below natural waist. But I got a great fit so I won't question it.

The small bust adjustment gave me a little pause. On a standard darted bodice the adjustment is quite easy: narrow the dart. Here there are two vertical darts as well as two neck darts to create shaping. The neck darts and the second vertical dart are quite small, so I decided just to narrow the large vertical dart. I got a good fit at the bust here, so I appear to have made the right decision.

I also did my usual Broad Back Adjustment.

To make sure that the cut on collar stands up properly, I interfaced the upper edge of the fashion fabric in addition to interfacing the facing. I finished the edges of the facing using the interfacing stitch-and-flip method. I am addicted to this!

This pattern can be made with a little cut-on cap sleeve or with a full sleeve. However, the set-in sleeve is set into the dropped cap sleeve. I am just not a fan of the dropped shoulder. I considered actually being methodical and tracing a regular armscye onto the Vogue pattern. But it seemed to hard. So when the bodice was constructed I marked my shoulder line and cut off the cut-on sleeve extension. The I used the sleeve from Butterick 5321 and set it in. Disaster! Huge diagonal wrinkles radiated from the armscye toward the bust. They were awful.

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to deal with it, and ended up taking out the sleeve and making a diagonal dart from the armscye toward the bust to try to take up the fabric that was wrinkling. The end result is not perfect, but it is much better than it was without the dart. I don't know if the wrinkling came from my haphazard creation of a set-in sleeve armscye or if it was a fit issue with the pattern as drafted. It's not something I recall encountering before.

Perhaps related (or not), the neckline and shoulders fall to the back on me. If I made this again I would probably need to figure out how to rotate that shoulder seam a little forward. It does not sit squarely on top of my shoulder; it's about 1/4 inch behind the shoulder line. I don't know if that would help the back neckline stay against the neck rather than pulling back or not.

I also had to hand-stitch the neckline slit closed about 1.25 inches higher than marked. This is quite low as drafted.

I used a mix of linings on this project. I left the bodice unlined and just used the facing, for breathability. However, I see this dress transitioning into Fall so I wanted a slippery lining in the midriff and skirt so it won't stick to tights. For the midriff, I used a stretchy nylon, to preserve maximum stretch at the most fitted part of the dress. For the skirt I used a stretch poly I purchased from Fashion Fabrics Club last year for $5.25/yd.

Because I am short, I always have to shorten dresses and skirts by a lot, especially in the Big 4. I took out about 1.5 inches of length in cutting this dress. Imagine my surprise when it turned out a little short! Well, not short, but the raw lower edge was about the length I wanted the final product to be. I finished the hem with a facing, and sewed it to the hem edge with a teeny seam allowance. I then used a machine blind stitch to turn up the facing.

This dress was a long time in the making, both in contemplation and in actual sewing time. It was on the machine for about three weeks, mostly because I was busy during that time but also because the shoulders/armscye/sleeve gave me so much trouble. It was one of those pieces that has to go in the magic closet for a while so I stopped thinking only about those diagonal wrinkles, the misplaced shoulder, and the lack of balance of the dark yellow flowers on each side.

However, once it did its time, I was thrilled when it re-emerged. It's a very flattering dress for me and I love the sunny yellow color. I envisioned it as a work dress on dress-up days when I am meeting with outside counsel, but unfortunately the cut-on collar does not play well with a jacket. So I'll just wear it on days when I need a little pick-me-up.

The pattern is supposedly drafted for knits, but I had no trouble fitting it (in my usual size) in a stretchy woven. I don't think I would need to size up even for a non-stretch woven.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here

Simplicity 2497, Swiss Dot Ruffle Neck Birthday Dress

2011-09-06T14:38:00.000-04:00

I bought this swiss dot fabric from Kashi at Metro Textiles in NYC two years ago for $5/yd. Although it wasn't expensive, for some reason it had almost become too good to use. I just think it is so darling. However, of all my fabrics, a swiss dot is one of the most replaceable and I confirmed that it is available online--and even for around the price I paid for it when I looked a couple of months ago--and decided I needed to challenge myself to come up with a project.

I made this Cynthia Rowley dress, Simplicity 2497, last year in fancy fabric for a wedding. I was very happy with it, other than the way-too-low neckline and bulgey side zip, but didn't have plans to make another...until I took a closer look at Meli88a's seersucker version and saw what a cute casual dress this makes.

So I put the project on my project list and didn't give it too much more thought. Until, that is, I realized it was a week to my birthday and I had nothing to wear! I mean, of course I could re-wear one of the millions of pretty dresses in my closet, but I love having a new birthday dress each year. The serger was threaded in white, I evaluated my project list in terms of what could get done quickly but still be festive, and this project emerged the winner. Not a very glamorous way to choose a birthday dress, but I love the result!

The weave of the swiss dots is horizontal from selvage to selvage. As this is a voluminous dress, I didn't want to increase my perceived width with sideways stripes, so I cut on the cross grain (except for the midriff piece, so it would act as a "belt").

I didn't have enough fabric to cut the giant collar on the bias as directed, but as the cotton batiste fabric is very lightweight I wasn't concerned about drape. In fact, I was afraid there would be too much drape, so I backed the fashion fabric with a slightly narrower collar (cut on cross grain as well) cut of silk organza, which incidentally takes a serger rolled hem like a dream. This is a puffy collar, to be sure! The organza definitely makes sure it stands up straight.

All pieces of the dress are underlined in cotton batiste; the swiss dot is extremely lightweight and sheer. In addition, I lined the midriff and skirt with rayon satin. This is a dress I can see working for Fall with a long sleeved tee underneath, so I wanted to make sure it wouldn't stick to tights. Rather than sew the skirt lining to the midriff lining, I sewed both midriff and skirt lining to the upper seams of their respective pieces.

I left the last couple inches of both unsewn on either side of the zipper so that I could stitch them to the zipper tape, rather than having them under the zip tape for more bulk. I admit this is where I ran out of time for my actual birthday. All the public parts of the dress were complete (just barely!), but I did not have time to do the hand-stitching to make the inside nice. I took care of that this weekend.

The pattern comes in two views: this ruffle neck version, sleeveless, and a neck binding version with a sleeve. Loved the sleeve so I decided to add it to this version. Of course the bodices of the different views are different, and the armscye is not shaped the same. But I was on limited time here and decided to cut out the version I knew and assume I could ease the sleeve into the wrong armhole. In retrospect, it would have been just as easy to correct the neckline on the other version. As it turns out, I didn't have any trouble easing the sleeve into the armscye. However, I cut a size 4 sleeve to match my armscye and really should have cut larger. I had to let out the sleeve's underarm seam to get room for my bicep. It fits, but is noticeable while wearing.

My second problem was that I didn't think to do a broad back adjustment. Curses! I don't have any trouble with the first version, but of course it's sleeveless, which gives me the range of motion I need. With the sleeves I definitely need more room across the shoulder blades.

I moved the zipper to center back, because I hated the way the zipper coil created a bulge at the side seam in my original version. I sewed the center back seam from the neckline for about 2.5 inches below the neckline seam allowance, so as not to interfere with ruffle application, and then inserted the zip. To give myself as much room across the back as possible, I sewed it with about a 1/4 inch seam allowance (much narrower than the zipper tape). It helped a little.

My other change was to raise the neckline 3 inches in cutting just to make sure I had plenty of coverage. I cut two of those inches off after the dress was assembled. My neckline, in addition to being raised, is also slightly narrower at lower center front than the wide U as drafted. I am 1000% more comfortable with the neckline on this one, which does not show my bra.

Unfortunately, the expensive matching rose trim I bought for this fabric didn't go with this project, so I'll have to come up with another use for it.

But I love everything else about it! It was so fun for a birthday dress. I wore my "tiara" to work and met up with friends for a fabulous outdoor happy hour at Poste after.

I got myself the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchenaid and have already made one batch of ice cream, chocolate peanut butter. Unbelieveable. And I am hoping that my gift from my mom arrives today--you will all be jealous. All in all, a very good birthday this year.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Planning My First Fall Project

2011-09-01T09:48:00.000-04:00

The 1st of September is always sad because it means (1) my birthday is over, and (2) the end of summer is near. I am so NOT ready for Fall. Not because I don't like Fall per se, but a short, beautiful Fall is then followed by endless months of cold and sadness.

To console myself for the imminent return of cold and sadness, I have my first Fall project picked out. Simplicity has a new line out called "Sew Simple." They are designed to be easy patterns for beginners with minimal details. What they're really doing is getting you used to only having one view per envelope! But kudos to them for updating the pattern envelope artwork. I admit I was sucked in by it and had to get Simplicity 1998.

I don't think I will wear it quite that short, but I am picturing it as a great piece for the colorblocking trend, with an obi, brightly colored tights, maybe a turtleneck underneath. I have several gorgeous wools in the turqouise/teal family from The Carol Collection. I chose a deep peacock; for the colors to go with it I'm thinking orange, chartruese, yellow, purple...the possibilities are endless!

What is your first project for (*shudder*) Fall?

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I got my birthday dress *almost* done under the wire for yesterday. The inside still needs a bit of hand-sewing, but the outside was good enough to wear. I can't wait to show it off! (Didn't have time to download and edit the photos yesterday.)

Stashoholism Confessional: Gifts from Foreign Lands

2011-08-26T14:14:00.000-04:00

*Somebody* went to India without me (for work!) at the beginning of the month. India is one of my top destinations, so I was pretty jealous. I let him know that he would need to bring me back a present, and it should probably be a sari. I like a man who can take direction, because when I surprised him at the airport he forked it over. It is gorgeous! And I took a tiny sample from one end (the ends aren't finished) to burn--it is 100% silk. This is a truly special gift, and I was completely touched by it.

I don't want this gift to sit on the shelf, and Burda has totally come through for me the past two months. When I got the fabric I immediately thought of the Antik Batik exclusive design from August, Burda 08-2011-142 (line drawing on the left). Love the drapey look and luxurious use of fabric (the sari is huge, I think something along the lines of 7 usable yards). But then September arrived, and I was equally drawn in by the cover dress, Burda 09-2011-104, the line drawing on the right. The Antik Batik is still the front runner, I think, because I like the long sleeves. However, I have read through the directions several times and am still completely in the dark about how the skirt construction works. I'm really going to have to figure out that fabric starching-for-cutting thing before undertaking this project.

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My next indiscretion I blame entirely on my participation in the Dandies & Quaintrelles Full Moon Ride! I wrote about it on my other blog, but suffice it to say it is incredibly fun and an opportunity for dress up. I wore my McCall 5045 50s style dress--the dress code is white or light colors, and vintage style is always welcome.

So when I went to G Street Fabrics for the usual Fashion Sewing Club meeting the next morning I mind was buzzing with Full Moon Ride outfit ideas. I had to check out the $2.97/yd table and the $6.97/yd silk table, as usual. And was tempted, as usual. And fell, as usual. The silk is totally excusable, I just bought a yard for lining the bodice of my final Burda 08-2009-128 boatneck dress. The houndstooth, though, I mean I was in such a vintage frame of mind. The fabric is polyester, make no mistake, but it is definitely the old school kind. The houndstooth is woven, not printed. How great will this be in an unfitted shift with a white jacket (not that I currently own one) over it? So great, that's how great. Totally mod.

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Thank you so much for the nice comments you left on my McCall 6363 knockoff post! So, here's why the photos came out so well.

First of all, I was taking the pictures in the afternoon. My photo "studio" is a piece of fabric looped over my canopy-less canopy bed. I usually take photos in the morning before work. It faces west, so when I try to take pictures in the evening the setting sun reflects off my glasses. I took these photos before going out for the evening so I didn't wear glasses to avoid the glare. I have made my peace with wearing glasses, and consider them fun face jewelry. But let's face it, nobody ever had the mousy secretary put glasses *on* in the movies to reveal that she is a gorgeous vixen.

Since I wasn't going to wear glasses, I figured I should put makeup on to define my eyes, as I have blonde lashes and eyebrows.

Then I had taken a shower. My hair was taking a long time to dry so I used the blow dryer. While I was blowing it dry, I figured I might as well haphazardly apply a round brush.

So, that is me when I actually make an effort. Don't get used to it.

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I have a bunch of questions I plan to answer soon, but today I need to work on my birthday dress! I am being whisked out of town for the weekend (far enough inland to avoid the hurricane, it looks like) to celebrate my birthday with hiking and nature, so I've got work fast today to get my dress ready for Wednesday.

McCall 6363, Mock Wrap-ish Knit Dress (Self-Drafted)

2011-08-23T11:15:00.002-04:00

I first became aware of McCall 6363 when Debbie Cook did a series of posts on it. You all know how I love a knit dress, and a knit dress with interest and tummy disguise? Fuggedaboutit. I had to have it. When I went looking for the pattern I realized why I'd never seen it before, as it is available only in plus sizes.

Debbie's ultimate conclusion on the pattern was "Don't buy it," so perhaps it is lucky it only comes in plus and I had to draft my own. I bought the pattern to study the pieces and use the instructions.

To draft this pattern, you start with a basic t-shirt dress. I used Burda 01-2009-106. Can I tell you how nice it was to trace a pattern that already came in size 34 and didn't have to be graded, and is on the old, less dense pattern pieces? It was sooooo easy. I raised and slightly widened the neckline, but otherwise used it as is.

The back is used as is. All I did was alter it for swayback.

For the front pattern piece, I first doubled it so I had a full size piece (the front is cut single layer).

Next, I marked the waistline all the way across the piece and cut from the left side almost all the way over to the right, leaving a little hinge in the seam allowance. If I were to do this again, I would split it 1" or 1.5" above the marked waistline. I found that having the growth right at the waistline means that the weight of it falls below the waist, so I lose a little bit of waist definition.

I spread the bodice up almost to 90 degrees (in examining the M6363 pattern piece I extended the grainline full length and then created a horizontal grainline to determine the angle at which their bodice is tilted) and then filled that in with a diamond of tissue, rounding the extending edge.

The front grainline runs down CF of the skirt, and the bodice bends over to be almost on crossgrain. I was surprised by how little fabric this took (my fabric was 60 wide, though). I had only 1 5/8 yard, but the front and back fit together along the width of the fabric so I only needed the length of the dress, a little more than a yard. I have plenty left for making panties.

My pattern piece is not shaped entirely like the McCall's. On theirs, the right side (without the tissue extension) runs straight down from the armscye, while mine is sharply angled. I think they did not split the pattern all the way to the side seam, but stopped short of it and added the extension to 2/3 of the bodice rather than the entire bodice (a possible alternative I discuss in my video).

Debbie Cook observed (and I confirmed) that the front neckline and shoulders on M6363 are not symmetrical. She thought that might be necessary to compensate for the differences in grainline and volume. Mine is symmetrical and I have no trouble with the way it sits--but keep in mind that I am flat-chested, which makes things easier fitting-wise (in this instance, at any rate).

Once the pattern is created, it is very simple to cut out and sew. The dress is just four pieces, a front, back, and two ties. I cut my ties 6 inches wide and about 25 inches long.

To construct, you first create "the growth." It is my guess that the drafter of the McCall pattern was influenced by Japanese design. The idea of adding a growth seems similar to some of the pieces in Drape Drape 2, as well as what I've seen of Pattern Magic (never seen the book in person, just on blogs).

Anyway, you first hem the tip of the growth to create an opening. The sew together along the edges until you get to the waistline (i.e., the end of the tissue extension and back on the original pattern).

Next you place your ties and sew the side seams. This is where I found McCall's directions confusing. In the McCall version, both ties are sewn to the right side, a fact that they do not actually come out and say. The growth radiates from the left side and then is pulled across the body to the right. One tie is sewn to the outside of the dress, and the other to the inside. The inside tie is pulled through the hem on the growth. I did mine differently, with the outside tie sewn into the left side, the side from which the growth radiates. It is pulled across the back. The inside tie is sewn to the right side, the side to which the growth will be pulled. This closeup shows the draping.

I found it hard to take photos and explain how this works, so I used my new favorite blogging toy and made another video:

To finish the neckline and armscye I used a twin needle. For the neckline, I used clear elastic slightly shorter than the length of the neckline to ensure that it stayed snug. I have never made my base pattern, Burda 01-2009-106, as drafted. A Burda size 34 is usually perfect for me at the shoulders and bust and #106 is meant to be close fitting, but I found this somewhat large. I'm not sure if it's all the result of my added tissue or not.

The hem on the M6363 pattern is straight and I used the same on mine. I think that is the right call, though the hem drapes a little weird at the front. Tweaking the depth of the hem didn't seem to correct it, so I think it's just a function of the extra fabric. I did not want to call attention to the not-perfectly-parallel-to-the-ground hem by using a double line of straight thread, so I used a machine blind hem. It came out truly invisible in this fairly substantial poly knit.

It would be fun to experiment more with this pattern. As mentioned in the video, I would like to see if there's a way to make the growth work if drafted smaller and pulled the other direction (pulled left instead of right). As I was playing with it, I realized the design principle is somewhat similar to the Vogue 2064 Donna Karan top and dress I made several years ago, only without the wrap skirt.

I didn't know exactly what to expect when I had this all put together, but I was pleasantly surprised! I love the casual-chic vibe this dress gives off, and the slightly bloused front is right on trend.

I made this as a muslin for my Very Special Silk Jersey that I am determined to sew after 3 years, but unfortunately it came out more trendy than I thought. I don't know how long that blousing will be in style, so it's out of the running for the Very Special Fabric. I definitely plan to make another for Fall/Winter, though. Maybe my chain link fabric, to play with the stripes? The snakeskin pattern on the fabric for this dress is vertical, and I love the way the vertical design gets modified by the front pattern piece.

This was a totally fun project, and I promise you that anyone with a t-shirt dress pattern can make this happen. I urge you to give it a try!

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Burda 08-2009-128, Classic Boatneck Sundress

2011-08-19T07:58:00.000-04:00

As mentioned about my backless walkway dress, although I have avoided boatnecks in the past as unflattering to a small chest, I found that I really liked the neckline on that dress. I liked it so much that I immediately made a back-ful version of it. The bodice is from Burda 08-2009-128.

I bought this fabric from Fabric.com in May 2010. This print is part of the Alexander Henry "London Calling" collection, a not so subtle attempt to cash in the public's love for Liberty of London. At $8/yd, it was pricey for me. I was disappointed in the print when it arrived, as I expected it to be more saturated. I don't wear much by way of pastel. The fabric itself is nice, though nothing like Liberty lawn. It is thicker, a little coarser, and although was listed as 100% cotton has a small degree of stretch that can only come from lycra. That said, it is still nice fabric. Anyway, I couldn't picture this as much of anything because of the pale colors, but it seemed perfect for this project.

The full-skirted boatneck dress is a classic look, which is partly why it appealed to me. Although I guess by "classic" I mean "50s" since both of these images are 1950s. Audrey Hepburn is genuine '50s, of course. She is the ultimate wearer of the boatneck. Betty Draper is meant to be in the 50s. Yes, I am finally watching Mad Men now that I have the Netflix. I've only watched the first two episodes, but I felt it was too perfect that she was wearing this dress in the second episode as I was working on this post!

I have one more of these planned. I made this one in the last few days of the One Pattern, Many Looks contest last month and briefly considered trying to bang the next one out, but decided to wait. I think I will lower the front neckline slightly in the next version.

I found when I muslined the front bodice for my backless dress that the neckline was much too wide. I consulted Fit for Real People, which I finally purchased, for a narrow shoulder alteration. I had to bring in the shoulder 3/4 of an inch, and after completing this version see that I can probably bring it in another 3/8 of an inch for a total adjustment of over 1 inch! I knew I had narrow shoulders, but wow. The photo on the right is not the actual pattern piece, just an illustration I quickly drew up. The pencil is the original line and the purple is the new shoulder. I basically just moved the shoulder over, then redrew the armscye and neckline, tapering to the original line.

Because the fabric has a little stretch, I didn't want to lose that quality by using non-stretch lining. I visited the stash and found this light blue with black pin dots and a little stretch. Perfect! I used the all-machine clean-finish technique illustrated in this post. I took the opportunity to make a video of how to turn it right side out! I'm not going to be winning any cinematography awards, but it hard to do this yourself with a tripod and know exactly where the frame is.

I'm happy with the way the lining came out. Trimming the armscye and neckline edges of the lining 1/8" before lining up the cut edges of the lining and fashion fabric and sewing really makes a difference. It creates such a lovely turn of cloth, as you can see on the straps and the armscye at left. The polka dots also turned out really cute with the fashion fabric.

When it was finished I found that the back neck was rather gapey. As back neck darts are a common feature of 50s patterns I figured adding them would look appropriate rather than an ad hoc fix (ahem). The darts worked perfectly to snug up the back neck, but created a little bit of gaping in the front neckline. This is what makes me think I should narrow the shoulders even more.

As usual I pleated the skirt lining rather than gathering it to reduce bulk at the waistline. I used french seams on the skirt, and took a deep machine blind hem to get plenty of weight to it.

All in all, I am happy with the way this project came out. I think I managed to find the best use for this fabric, and I love the classic look of the dress. It is also very comfortable to wear.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

My Walk Away Dress (as in, watch me as I ...)

2011-08-12T08:36:00.000-04:00

I always felt the vintage reissue Butterick 4790 Walkaway Dress was misnamed. First of all, I made this dress and let me tell it did not just take me an afternoon! I made my bias tape so that added some time, but even if you use commercial bias tape all that binding takes a while. And second of all, to me the term seems to mean that people might not notice you coming but all eyes will be on you as you walk away. So this is *my* walkaway dress! Demure and sweet from the front, and eye-catching (if not eye-popping) from the back.

I've already described my pattern drafting process for this dress, so now on to the construction. I made it out of a sturdy wax print cotton that a dear friend who is living in Liberia this year bought at the market in Monrovia. She said that this fish print is all the rage, and every time they come out with a new colorway all the women rush down to the market to get it.

The cotton has plenty of body and opacity and didn't need to be lined, so I finished the neckline and armscye of the front bodice with bias tape. As mentioned in the pattern drafting post, in order to get in and out of this dress I needed a variety of closures and release points. There is the back tie, of course; and also a side zip in the skirt and buttons on the shoulder straps.

To get a nice finish at the shoulders I first interfaced the self-facing where the buttonhole or buttons would be sewn.

Next, I sewed the bias tape to the shoulder edge with a half inch seam allowance.

Finally, I folded along the self-facing line. I am not a technical writer and every time I try it does give me new respect for the writers of pattern directions. So this description is inartful. So, you have your seam allowance with bias tape attached. What you want to do is have the self-facing extend beyond where the bias tape will be. So you fold along the self facing line, so the two layers of self-facing extend above the sa/bias tape. Then stitch, right sides together.

When you turn it right side out you end up with a beautiful clean finish. Although I could have used a touch more length on the self-facing, as it turned out.

I did a similar type of finish for the back strap shoulder edge, although it's less complicated to explain and the photo is more useful. Interface and fold down the self-facing, stitch in place, turn right side out. Use the seam allowance at the self-facing as a guide for turning the rest of the seam allowance under. I could have done something fancy, like double-folded the seam allowance to hide the serged edge, or more bias tape, but I didn't want it to be too thick and plus I kind of enjoyed doing some simple, basic style sewing.

After all this was done I put in the buttonholes and buttons.

Because the wrong side of the tie would show when tied, I did line the tie portion of the back. Here I chose a contrasting navy rather than a self-lining, which I think helps emphasize the knot in a cute way.

To get a nice-looking, non-droopy tie, I interfaced the tie portion of the lining. I caught the back strap between the tie and lining, as shown in the photo, and stitched the tie and lining together along the top and bottom edges, turning right side out at the side seam.

Once the tie portion of the back bodice was complete, I stitched it to the front bodice at the side seam. I spent some time debating whether I wanted to put in a full side zip, running from armscye past the waist seam, or just a short skirt zip. I concluded that I wanted to be able to press the seam allowances at the side seams onto the front so I could get a neater finish at the armscye and there would be no danger the SA would peek out at the top and bottom of the back bodice. If I made this again, I would probably do a full side zip. It is a pain to put the dress on, as I have to tie it in the front, then turn around, and if I need to tighten the tie it is nearly impossible. I think it would be a little easier with a full zip.

However, I did get a nice finish at the side seams, so I got something for my trade off! I lined up the finished upper edge of the lined tie with the finished upper edge of the front bodice, allowing the bias tape to extend, then stitched the side seam and pressed the seam allowance toward the front bodice. Then I folded the bias tape down over the seam allowance and hand-stitched in pace for a neat finish.

The skirt was easy, just a dirndl rectangle with one seam. I put an invisible zip into the seam and used it as the left side seam. Then I gathered the front half of the skirt and stitched to the front bodice, pressing the seam allowances open. I turned down the remainder of the seam allowance on the back half of the skirt and stitched it down for a casing. The elastic is tacked near the zipper and near the right side seam. I had to pull it fairly tight to keep the skirt from drooping in the back.

I could find no evidence on the internet that it is a tradition in Africa to use the selvage as the hem, as I have heard asserted. It makes sense to me, as it saves you hand-stitching. Certainly, the elaborate printing on the selvage of this fabric was meant to be enjoyed and appreciated by someone! So I made it as my hem.

Love this dress! It is so much fun for our super hot days and I feel like it is a great use of the print. I have never cared for the boat neck on me, because I have always felt like it emphasizes the smallness of my chest. However, I found this very flattering. So much so that I actually made a full-bodice version of the dress shortly after finishing this one.

I did not have my usual stylist to take these photos so the knot in the real life photos is a little wonky. The dress form photo illustrates the ideal.

I did not even realize there was a similar Simplicity pattern, as pointed out by Amanda S. I made the real thing contemporaneous with the muslin and was in it as much for the thrill of pattern drafting as the style itself.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Pattern Drafting: Backless Dress

2011-08-09T10:46:00.003-04:00

There are two reasons I will never be a real designer. Well, many more than two, but two specific to this project:

1) I don't really have any of my own ideas. For this project, I saw a girl on the street wearing a dress that showed a triangle of skin in the back above an elasticated waist and loved the way it looked. So I took off from there.

and

2) I cannot draw. Man, I really cannot draw. And believe it or not I took art classes for a few years in the not too recent past. I liked the watercolor abstraction part, but the drawing part had me in tears every week. On Project Runway when it's a contest to see whose look(s) will be produced in a group challenge, they have 30 minutes to sketch and then do a presentation to whomever is doing the deciding (usually the celebrity judge of the moment). A few people have gone in without sketches. They haven't fared well. The ones who get chosen are generally not necessarily the best designers, but the best illustrators, who draw not only the clothes but fabulous stylized girls that everyone wants to be. Needless to say, my fabulous stylized stick figures would not get me very far. Nor would my beauteous drawings of clothing, as seen above.

From the glimpse of the girl on the street in her dress with back interest I moved on to my idea for a dress. I contemplated how to draft the back pattern piece, as you can see in the sketches, and then worked out the construction details, as you can see in the notes (you can see the largest version of that photo here if for some reason you have a desire to read it).

My plan was to start with an already drafted bodice and alter it from there. I thought that was another reason I'd never be a designer: no knowledge of how to draft from scratch, and no desire to create my own blocks. However, Kathleen Fasanella wrote that real pattern makers take existing patterns that fit well and alter them for the details they want. This is sort of the block or sloper concept, but if I understand her correctly it's even less formal than that. It is, in fact, exactly what I do when I "design." Of course, as Kathleen often points out, there is a different between designing and pattern-making, but they are somewhat blurred in the context of a home sewist creating patterns to fit her own vision.

I figured it would be easy enough to find a pattern that I already know fits me well, but, if you can believe it, I have apparently not made a dress with a plain darted bodice in the recorded past. I mean, I'm sure I've done it at some point, but I looked at all my 232 pattern reviews on PR and unless I accidentally missed one, there are no plain, darted bodices on the list. Wow. So I had to start with an untested pattern. I thought of The Selfish Seamstress's Paris dress, Burda 08-2009-128. I looked it up and it was perfect.

I traced out the pattern and then got to work marking up the back bodice. I followed my original drawings, marking the line for the back tie piece starting right at the armscye for maximum bra coverage. The tie gave me some trouble, as real life didn't match my drawing. If I had stayed inside the armscye curve it would have ended up really skinny, so I extended into that curve. In the end this worked out fine and is not restrictive or weird.

The front was not so great. I mean, the general shape was fine, but the shoulders were way too wide, like falling off wide, and the bust dart was oddly long. I have finally purchased Fit for Real People, so I looked up how to narrow shoulders in there rather than making it up by taking the width out of CF as I have it pinned here. I'll talk about that alteration on a later project, but suffice it to say that I had to narrow the shoulders 3/4 of an inch. The boat neck on this pattern exaggerated the problem, because the shoulders are drafted as wide as possible for the neckline, but I should probably alter the shoulders on every pattern I make by at least 1/2 inch. It is so annoying to do a thousand alterations so I'm not committed to it.

From the side I could see that I needed to lengthen the back tie piece to run down the entire side seam. I had intended to have a gap there of about an inch, to keep the back as bare as possible. To check the fit of the muslin I pinned a piece of elastic in the back to signify the skirt. You can see that the front bodice buckles in that inch between the bottom of the tie piece and the elastic of the skirt. I had no reason to believe it wouldn't do that in the real thing, so I determined to extend the tie piece along the side seam all the way to the seam allowance for the skirt.

I had *no* idea how long to make the ties, so for the muslin I made them super long and then determined the proper length from there. Although I had folded out the back dart when drafting the tie piece, I saw that it needed a little more width pinched out like a vertical dart from the bottom. And the straps needed to be a little wider on the inside. I added about 1/2 inch of width to the upper straps, and really wish I had added more for the final product as it is still a little skimpy and therefore fussy with bra straps (yes, there is a bra under there!).

When I showed her the finished dress on Skype, Cidell felt that the back was obscenely low. However, that is truly an optical illusion. The bodice sits slightly above natural waist, and as you can see by the line of elastic marking the skirt placement it is a good six inches above any kind of plumber's crack situation, and 3 inches above these relatively high-waisted shorts.

Here is the final pattern, as cut. The drafting actually went quite smoothly and was much easier than expected. Although the sewing got a little complicated in terms of finishes, when I realized that for a person who lives alone and has to tie herself into this dress rather than have a helper do it, I had to be able to separate the straps at the shoulder. You can see the extensions on the shoulder for the button "placket" (there is an identical extension on the front bodice shoulder).

Stay tuned for the final result...

Stashoholism Confessional: Knits Edition and The September Issue Movie Review

2011-08-05T09:49:00.002-04:00

Knits are my downfall, man. There are a bunch of knit dress patterns I want to try (not least one from a Knip Mode I bought in the Netherlands and painfully translated the instructions for). Do I have knits in stash? Of course I do. And yet, I have fallen. Fabric.com sucked me in with its discounts and free shipping.

The green stalks and the brown and aqua chain fabric are Stretch Jersey ITY Knits. All the other ITYs I have seen, purchased, and used have had a micro-rib type texture, like very miniature slinky. These are slick and a little shiny with an even more micro-ribbed texture, so small that it hardly exists, which I find a little odd. I am not sure if I had not yet experienced the full range of ITY (which stands for "interlock twist yarn, as I understand it, implying some sort of texture) or if they are mislabeled. The hand is a bit like a nylon knit, but they are 92% poly, 8% lycra. I was impressed by the high lycra content on the website. It is actually not that stretchy, but has excellent recovery. I'm not sure I would recommend this due to the shininess, which I think looks a little cheap, and how thin it is (both items will need a slip), but I will be perfectly content sewing up the fabrics.

The chain link (impulse purchase in honor of Cidell, who loves this classic preppy stuff) will likely become another Butterick 5454 wrap dress, with a collar and cuffs to mimic the classic DVF style, although I am tempted to find an origami-type pattern that allows for play with directional "stripes." I guess I could cut the stripes diagonally for the bodice of the wrap dress, as the pattern is drafted. For the green stalks, I am not quite decided. Maybe the aforementioned Knip Mode.

The black and white is the Starlet Stretch Jersey. This I can unequivocally not recommend. Ugh. Very thin and sheer with an icky plasticky hand so reminiscent of the early polyesters that gave it a bad name. While I almost always avoid polyester wovens, I am all about poly knits in general (until my budget arrives at silk jersey for every project). It has good recovery and is colorfast, unlike the cottons (fade) and rayons (no recovery) I have experienced. It doesn't make me sweat more than other knits. Actually, I am somewhat cursed because the sweatiest fabric of all for me? Silk. Even in winter. Forget wearing it in summer.

I was really disappointed in this one because the point of the whole order was this print. I plan to make a purple skirt for my mom and wanted a black and white top to match. I'm just going to use it as a muslin to see if she likes the style I choose (not that I've chosen a style).

I took a chance on the Style Studio Stretch Rayon Jersey Knit. I have never found a rayon knit that wasn't poor quality. All the rayons I've tried have absolutely no recovery, crease permanently and become shiny along the creases, and pill instantly. I fell in love with this print and was excited to see that Fabric.com had made one of their videos of it. I hadn't looked at one before but assumed it would explore the qualities of the fabric. Well the video, which is no longer up, was totally useless! They just showed two lengths of folded fabric sitting on a table and talked about the prints. I was thinking they would hold up a single layer for the camera, give it a tug to show stretch and recovery, and give some idea of the thickness and the drape. I mean, the prints we can see in still shots!

Anyway, I made Burda 04-2009-110 recently in a lightweight rayon thinking it would be a good nightgown. But the rayon fabric just spread and spread and spread and at this point the neckline is down to my navel. I want to make the pattern as a real dress, and this print in all my favorite colors sucked me in. In person, the fabric is relatively beefy for a rayon knit and seems to have good recovery. It pre-washed well, without the shiny creasing. It's now $3.50/yd (bought too soon!). I can't guarantee how it will perform but I think it's worth a shot at that price.

===============

I finally signed up for Netflix (streaming only). Why yes, I do live in 2004, why do you ask? Would you like to see my cell phone? It's the new flip phone style! I am so cool! Smart phone? Well, I don't know. It remembers all the phone numbers I tell it to. That seems pretty smart.

I have a medium-sized DVD collection (maybe 30?) and haven't rented a movie since I moved to DC 9 years ago, so it had gotten to the point where I finally tired of all my movies and I caved. My first order of business was to watch The September Issue, a documentary about Anna Wintour and the creating of the massive September issue of Vogue. One of the movies in my collection is The Devil Wears Prada. Love it! (And it's one of those rare cases where the movie is better than the book.)

The September Issue is sort of an answer to TDWP. It shows Ms. Wintour being tough and critical, sure, but in the context of being an editor who has to be the one to make the final decision. It also shows how she has to manage up to her publisher and to her advertisers and that she is making the business work. The "fashion is stupid" role that Andi plays when she first starts at the magazine is played in The September Issue by Ms. Wintour's siblings, who consider her work silly and useless. I can't say that she was totally humanized, and I'm sure she is not pleasant to work for, but it was a fascinating look into a world in which I will never directly live, but that influences me every day as I get dressed. Aside from which, she must have a sense of humor somewhere--she employs Andre Leon Talley! Although I'm sure ALT would object to the notion of himself as an "employee," I assume money is involved somehow.

Last night I started watching Valentino, The Last Emperor. Loving it so far! (I am incapable of watching a movie at one sitting now, as I am so long out of practice.)

Any movie recs for me, fashion or non-fashion? I have a weakness for rom coms, as long as they are not too terrible.
How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days: terrible.
The Proposal: not too terrible.

Burda 07-2011-105, Drapey Yellow Silk Top

2011-08-02T11:09:00.001-04:00

When I got the July issue of BurdaStyle magazine, 07-2011-105 immediately caught my eye. I love the drape of the silk at the shoulder and it seemed like a simple pattern to showcase a stunning fabric. It is in the vein of the giant sack that Burda has been showing for the past two years, but I imagined it with a cinched bottom band. The drop waist is not a style that has worked for me in the past due to my pear shape, but I see it all over the place and think it looks cute on other people. I decided to expand my horizons.

The fabric I chose is a beautiful sheer yellow silk from Kashi at Metro Textiles in June 2009, an impulse purchase made on the strength of the color. He called it a Thai silk; it had a bit more body than chiffon before pre-washing, though it mostly lost it in the washing.

Before cutting into this relatively expensive fabric ($10/yd), I muslined. I know, collective gasp. One of the reasons I muslined was to determine if this really needed to be cut on the bias. The muslin looked fine on straight of grain, so I cut the real thing on straight of grain. It might have helped to cut the batiste lining on the bias, but no way would I ever EVER try to cut silk chiffon on the bias. It would be the death of me.

In the first iteration, altered only to narrow the bust dart for an SBA, the stitching line that creates the flounce was too low, and I also felt to far over to the side. While it looked ok with the flounce all tucked up and arranged for final wearing, it exposed my bra underneath that. With sheer fabric, I didn't want to take that chance.

I modified the pattern to move the front stitching line one inch toward the center on both left and right front and raise it by 3/4 inch. Only a teeny skimpy flounce remained on the left front, so I added an inch back to the flounce, as you can see in the brown pattern tissue addition. Rather than re-make the muslin, I just sewed the placement line 1 inch closer to the middle and 3/4 inch higher. No more show through.

I also found that the back was too tight. I had not adjusted for a broad back because the style is drafted to be large, but it turned out I needed more room not just at the shoulder blades but also the hip. So instead of doing my usual L shaped adjustment, I split and spread from hem to shoulder to add width. I had taken a swayback adjustment in the muslin and found that the back tended to ride up to my natural waist rather than stay dropped over the hip, so I undid the swayback adjustment to give myself more length to the hip.

Rather than have to wear a separate camisole (unthinkable in this heat, truly), I drafted a lining for the front from the right front piece, which conveniently had the center front marked. For the back lining, I used the back pattern but dropped the neckline an inch so the lining would not peek out. The lining is Vogue Fabric's cotton batiste ($3.50/yd).

Man, dealing with silk chiffon sucks. Why do I keep torturing myself with it? I really need to learn how to do the starching thing. But where do you spray it? I don't have any outdoor space and I don't want to spray a bunch of starch inside my house to create a permanent film of stickiness!

Anyway, to mark the placement line on the fronts, I thread traced. I put the pattern piece down on top of my cardboard cutting mat and the put the cut piece of fabric on top of it, in the process realizing that my cut piece of fabric bore very little resemblance to the pattern piece. Moving on. I then stuck pins straight down into the cardboard about an inch and a half on either side of the placement line, like a beetle on a specimen card. Then I thread traced. Even so, my thread traced line wandered amiably like a country creek but it gave me an approximation of an idea of where to line up the two pieces!

The pattern is designed to have a contrast band run the whole length of the bottom, including onto the flounce. However, I wanted to have a casing at the bottom, so it required a little engineering. My plan was to finish the flounces with a serger rolled hem and sew the seams as French seams. So I did not add seam allowance to the flounces, while the shoulders and the SA below the flounce stick out from the pattern as "notches," as you can see above on the right front pattern piece and in this closeup of the two front pattern pieces.

Before I serger-finished the flounce edges, I clipped horizontally below the flounces to create the seam allowances. Then I finished the edges up to the end of the clip before sewing the french seam underneath. I couldn't get the serger in all the way, so the final little bit is just a machine zigzag, but I I was happy with the way my idea played out; it looked great once the band was sewn on.

I attached the band as per my usual procedure for things like this. Rather than first sew it to the right side and then attempt the impossibility of stitching in the ditch while catching the underside of the fabric, I sewed the band first to the wrong side then turned over and topstitched to the right side. I left an opening in the seam on the left side, the side closest to the flounce, for the tie.

The lining was constructed separately, the neckline finished with a bias binding. The lining and fashion fabric are sewn together at the armscye and the lower band. The armscye on this was oddly tight as drafted and I had to trim off about half an inch at the lower half of the armscye and probably could have done more. I added a small cap sleeve (I stupidly used the sleeve from a knit dress and it had to be drastically shortened to allow for any arm movement). The armscye below the sleeve is finished with bias tape, which I hand-stitched to the lining to keep in place.

The last step is attaching the strap to the flounce and creating the drape. The directions for this in the magazine were atrocious, and the line drawing makes it look extremely complicated. In fact, it is super easy. I made my first video to show how it's done! Exciting.

1. Sew your fronts wrong sides together to create the flounces.

2. Pin strap to the corner of the left front (larger) flounce; stitch.

3. Pull the corner of the right front through underneath the strap and arrange.

I obviously showed no creativity in the color of the bottoms that I paired this top with, which I did not realize until I was putting together the collage. Oh well, navy is a good match for yellow.

I'm not going to call this project a fail, but my instinct that this silhouette wouldn't work for me is confirmed. I was envisioning something like this DVF, and in the muslin the elastic banded bottom seemed to work, but when the real thing came together it just didn't look any kind of good with elastic. I don't know if I didn't have enough length or width or if the batiste + silk was just too thick at the band, but it looks like a balloon rather than a sophisticated top.

I took out the elastic and just did a tie, but the style is still not flattering. You can really see the sackiness with the eyelet skirt. I think this is a style that works for apple and rectangle shapes but is hard for pears. Most tops in this style are made with jersey and I think there's a reason for that. Even lightweight silk and cotton batiste have too much body.

It is also a little fussy to wear, as the short end wants to flip up over the neck (as you can see in the jeans photo in the thumbnail at the top).

However, I do like it tucked into the lace skirt so I have a way to wear it that doesn't make me look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Sewing in DC: Singa, Inc.

2011-07-29T09:45:00.000-04:00

So remember Garment District, the pop-up emporium for local designers in the Spring? It was a bummer that it had to come to an end, and the beautiful building where it sits at 7th and New York Ave NW has been empty since. So imagine my delight when I was walking home from the gym one night and saw this sign in the upstairs window advertising sewing lessons. So exciting! This is a prime location a fairly easy reach from all 5 metro lines near lots of night life and some retail with a lot of foot traffic. Sewing has gone high profile!

I looked around for more information and found this set of flyers on the door at street level. Apparel, fashion, and textile classes? Be still my beating heart! I wrote down the information and checked out their website when I got home.

I liked what I saw. They have a good solid set of classes, from comprehensive Sewing I-III courses, to one day fun classes on topics such as crazy quilting and refashioning. I sent an email to singainc [at] yahoo (don't want to get them spammed!) to learn more.

The founder, Ms. Jackie Hart, quickly got back to me and arranged for me to visit a class. Singa, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1996 with the goal of promoting local fashion in DC. Offering sewing lessons to the public is only a part of its mission. DC has an active summer youth employment program, to keep kids out of trouble and introduce them to earning money. Singa has participated in the program several times, taking 100 kids who have never sewn and by the end of the summer they've made at least 6 of an item (tote bag, apron, etc.), created and defended a business plan, and taken their items to Eastern Market to sell. One of the students ended up with an order for 25 more aprons!

And of course there are the sewing lessons in DC! For a 10 week session with two hour classes fees range from $130-$160 (do the math--that breaks down to less than $10 per hour). They also have one day courses, such as for a crazy quilt or altering jeans into a skirt, for $50-$60. For the small class size, professional equipment, and talented and experienced teachers these are a real bargain. The class I observed was a Sewing II class taught by a former sewing teacher at Wilson High School. The students were clearly learning good fundamentals in a logical way, including the importance of precise cutting, good pinning, and careful stitching. As there were only 3 students in the class I visited, each of them got plenty of personal attention.

Ms. Hart's true passion is design incubation in DC. She is a graduate of FIT and was a buyer for DC's venerable (and now departed) Woodward & Lothrop department store. In addition to her work with Singa, she teaches fashion history and textile science at the Art Institute of Washington. There are very few local internship opportunities and job opportunities for the students and graduates. Rather than seeing all the graduates have to move to New York or overseas to engage in their passion and profession, she would like to create an incubator/coop space where designers can go to work, get marketing help, and be connected with local boutiques looking for local designs.

This young lady in the sewing class is a designer--working under the name Thembe Fashions--who wants to learn how to sew to improve her skills. She will be participating in a fashion show next month.

Do these professional dress forms make you swoon? I sure did. Turns out these are just a few of the forms Singa owns. How about these little half-size ones for draping? And then Ms. Hart mentioned that 20 industrial machines along with industrial sergers, hemmers, tackers, and zigzaggers that the organization has in storage.... These are meant to go into the design incubator space. Potential DC Project Runway contestants, take note of where you can learn how to use an industrial sewing machine!

The Fall session of classes will begin in September and will likely be held at the 7th and NY Ave NW location, 1005 7th St. NW. Singa is looking for a more permanent home (that beautiful old building is in some disrepair and does not have adequate heating for the winter). Visit Singa's website or email them at singainc [at] yahoo for more info on the classes.

All photos are here

Simplicity 2601, Midriff Peplum Blouse

2011-07-26T10:41:00.002-04:00

I was drawn to Simplicity 2601 by the shaped midriff and peplum, both elements that I find flattering for me. I also like the choice of collars and sleeve variations. I like it so much I've made it twice! These are both old projects that I never got around to reviewing. I made the polka dot one in July 2008 and the pink version last September in my sewing mania for my trip to Turkey.

POLKA DOT FLOUNCE VERSION

I made this cotton blouse from a small G Street Fabrics $2.97/yd table find (of course). I bought the fabric in March '09 and sewed it up in July '09, which is not too shabby in my world of stashing. I don't find a lot of plain woven cotton on the $2.97/yd table (and in fact they now have a separate table for woven cotton prints, I think it's $5.97/yd), so I wonder if this was a small remnant from a higher priced bolt. I know they occasionally toss those onto the $2.97/yd table.

For some reason in 2009 I got the idea in my head of wearing red, white, and blue the entire week of July 4th. The blouse went together pretty quickly the weekend before. I used the rolled hem foot on my machine to hem the flounce--a serger rolled hem is so much easier! When it was all done, the flounce barely showed up and the blouse just looked like undifferentiated polka dots. I was so annoyed! All the work to hem the flounce for nothing.

After some thought, I decided to take a cue from the pattern envelope, which shows random rickrack trim on View C. I didn't like they way they had placed the rickrack on that view, but rickrack seemed like the perfect choice. I love rickrack but it is hard to find a place for it in adult garments. I think it works here--it doesn't come off juvenile to me and it allows the midriff and the ruffle to pop on this blouse.

I have become a lot more picky in the past couple years about how things look on the inside. I used commercial bias tape to finish the neckline of this version because I happened to have some navy on hand, but it looks so ugly on the inside! At least I lined the midriff.

I styled it with my Burda 03-2009-104 white skirt for my 4th of July red, white, and blue extravangza. I still have this skirt in my closet but I never wear it because I'm afraid of getting it dirty! This blouse, although it had been pre-washed, bled dark blue onto the waistband. I was able to get it mostly out with oxyclean, but it made me paranoid. Plus, I can't bike in it.

================================

HOT PINK SWISS DOT VERSION

After I made the polka dot blouse I was looking through the other reviews of the pattern. I love how Katie N turned this pattern into a dress. Her review inspired me to make the little collar, as it has such 40s retro appeal that was not apparent to me from the pattern envelope.

The hot pink dotted swiss is from Fabric Mart in September 2010. At only $1.99/yd, how could I pass it up? And how fortuitous that the rayon satin I purchased from fabric.com last year for linings ($2.79/yd) matched exactly for the bias tape? I sewed up the fabric within a few days of receiving it. I got three fabrics in that order, two of them specifically for my trip and I decided if I sewed this one too the entire order wouldn't count! (I still have quite a bit of the pink left, though.)

I cut the peplum a little longer on this version to play with it. At first I lined it with silk organza and folded it completely in half for a full balloon effect, but that was a little too much. So I ended up using the silk organza as as extension to make it a little longer. It still has a balloon hem, but the effect is fairly subtle.

I really didn't have any buttons that looked good with this blouse but because I was making this under a time crunch for my trip I didn't have time to make the long trek out to G Street and Joann. It's honestly not *that* much quicker for me to get to Georgetown, but at least I can go by bike rather than relying on the bus so I headed over to Exquisite Fabrics. I was pleased to find these sweet little buttons in clear with a pink tint (the pink tint is lost in the photo in competition with the pink of the fabric). They were perfect!

The inside of this blouse looks much neater! I made my own bias tape of rayon satin in perfectly matching hot pink. As I usually do for finishes, I just pressed the bias tape in half, rather than creating double folds, and stitched the raw edge to the blouse's raw edge. Then I turned it under and pressed. Because this blouse is underlined I was able to hand-stitch the binding to the underlining to keep it in place.

I used the tie sleeves on this version because I thought they were so cute, but I am not entirely sure they work. Even though my swiss dot is a very lightweight batiste, the ties seem rather bulky and the ends stick out rather than laying down.

I think this is a great pattern. The cut is flattering and it has interesting details with lots of them to choose from. The only thing I don't like about it is that there is a gap below the underlap that makes the blouse suitable for wearing only with high waisted skirts or pants, lest you show skin there. Unfortunately, it is an inherent problem with the style. You could extend the underlap, but then you'd lose the flow of the peplum there and it would look heavy.

I still haven't made my dress version of this, but I am sure I will get around to it someday!

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Pattern Review Photo Posting

2011-07-24T18:03:00.003-04:00

I have posted this information at least a dozen times on Pattern Review, so to save myself the trouble I am making this a blog post so I can refer people to it. Sorry for the housekeeping, regular readers! Just skip over this.

There are two places you might want to post photos on PR: in your review and on the message board. I will explain both.

However, for either one, the first thing you have to do is host your photos somewhere online. They must be uploaded to an internet server. PR cannot reach into your computer to display your photo to the other users anytime they want to see it (a good thing!--you don't want other people to be messing around in your computer). Instead, PR will query the server where your photos are stored in the internet. Flickr, Picasa, and Photobucket are free hosts. PR offers a very small amount of space to members, about enough to hold 15 medium (600 px or so on either dimension) photos. Some internet service providers include some hosting space in their packages.

It doesn't matter what size your photos are, as long as your host will accept that size.

Once you have uploaded your photo, you need to find the photo's URL. The photo's URL is NOT the address of the webpage on which you view the photo, it is the address of the photo itself (when such a URL is pasted into the white bar at the top of your browser, you see a page that just has the photo and nothing else, like this. Do NOT click and copy the white address bar at the top of your browser. The URL will end in .jpg (with a few rare exceptions for other photo formats, such as .gif).

To clarify Alexandra's point: For pattern reviews, you are not *required* to use the photo's URL. if you use the URL of the webpage where the photo can be seen, rather than the URL of the photo itself, the link will work. When the review is opened and the reader clicks on the thumbnail at the top of the review, a new tab will open displaying the page where the photo can be seen. However, the shrink/magnify function in the gallery will not work.

Using the URL of the webpage where the photo can be seen, rather than the photo's .jpg URL, will NOT work on the message board. No photo will be displayed, and there will be no link generated.

The screencap below shows you how to do it in flickr. That is the hosting service I use; I do not know exactly how it's done in Picasa or Photobucket (users of those services, I'd be grateful if you had screencaps to donate).

The fabulous sewing community has come to the rescue for other services!

Sandi explains: With Photobucket, you can click on your picture's info and there are four options below the preview. Clicking on the URL will automatically copy it for use on PR. You can also right click the photo itself (any photo) and chose "Copy URL" from the options.

AllisonC investigated Picasa: You click on a photo and the information comes up on the right of the screen. Under Tags, click on "Link to this Photo" and it will give you 2 options. One for linking [the webpage on which the photo is displayed] and one for embedding the image [the photo's URL].

ADDING PHOTOS TO A REVIEW

There are two steps to putting a photo in a review: the larger photo that displays when clicked and the tiny the thumbnail that displays in the gallery, and

First, the larger photo

Copy the photo's URL, the one that ends in .jpg, into the box indicated in the screencap above.

Second, the thumbnail. When you have finished your review or when editing your review, you need to upload a photo from your computer to be the thumbnail in the gallery. Yes, this is confusing because I just said you have to host your photo somewhere on the internet. PR hosts this tiny 100 by 100 px photo on its own servers. PR automatically resizes your photo to 100x100 so you do not have to do anything about the size of the photo (but keep in mind that anything but a square will be cropped funny--it's best to start with a square; more on that here).

The can be uploaded in one of two places.

This is how you add a thumbnail to a review on the first go-round. This screen appears after you have published your review or saved it as a work in progress:

If you miss that screen, don't worry. You can edit the review and add a thumbnail in edit mode: This is how you add a thumbnail to a review you are editing:

ADDING PHOTOS TO A MESSAGE BOARD POST

In addition to reviews, you might want to put a photo in a message on the message board. Now, for posting on the message board, the size of your photos DOES matter. Huge photos are not automatically resized and you end messing with the formatting. The photo hosts listed above allow you to get code for various sizes of the same photo. You want one that is no more than about 500 pixels wide. The default image size on Flickr is a good size for the message board, though I sometimes go a little smaller if it's not a detailed photo.

To post an image on the message board, you must be in "full post" mode you can't use the "quick post" box at the bottom of the page. Either hit "reply" to a message in the thread or hit "post reply" on the lower right below the posts.

Once you have the full post window open, click on the button that says "Image" above the text box on the right. Then enter the URL of the photo (ends in .jpg) in the dialog box that appears. Once you press "enter," the formatted html will automatically appear at the bottom of your post. If you intended to insert the photo in the middle of your text, well, it still goes to the bottom. Go down there and highlight the code, which will say something like < IMG SRC='xxxxxx.jpg'> (extra spaces added so blogger wouldn't read that as code) and cut and paste to where you'd like it to be.

Do note if you're using the PR photo album, that the code provided for displaying the image actually won't work on the message board.

In the photo album, when you click on "html" just to the right of the photo a window pops up. The second bit of code in red looks something like this (spaces added so it wouldn't be read as a link)

< img src = " http://www.friendsofpr.com/nicegirl/IMG_2414.jpg " border="0" alt="photo" >

However, the message board html uses the single quote rather than the double quote, and doesn't accept the border data.

So copy that text, paste it into your message and then edit the text to change the " to ' and delete the
border="0" alt="photo"

Make sure that there is not a space between your .jpg' and your closing bracket >

I can't demonstrate what the code should look like because it will be formatted, but with spaces it should look like this:

< img src = ' http://www.friendsofpr.com/nicegirl/IMG_2414.jpg ' >

In real life, the only space in the code should be between img and src. When the auto-format Image button is used IMG SRC is capitalized, but that *shouldn't* make a difference.

Alternatively, you can just copy the http://www.friendsofpr.com/nicegirl/IMG_2414.jpg part of the code, the photo's URL, and then use the "Image" button as illustrated above.

I provided this information on PR here.

Please let me know if you have any more questions and I will add to this post if needed.

Burda 7658, Yellow Eyelet Notched Collar Shirtdress

2011-07-21T09:50:00.000-04:00

I bought this lovely yellow eyelet fabric from Mood in NYC in 2008, using a gift certificate given to me by a friend as a thank you for sewing lessons. The eyelet was $18/yd--I would never have paid that on my own but it is gorgeous. And because it is gorgeous and expensive, I felt that I had to find the perfect pattern. It has shown up in various sewing plans over the years, but I never found the platonic ideal pattern.

But then last year I was innocently walking down the street and saw a woman in white eyelet shirtdress with cutaway shoulders and a notched collar and realized I had found my pattern. I bought a Vogue pattern (OOP 8383) but it wasn't *quite* what I was looking for. Then I randomly lucked into Burda 7658 for $1 while pawing through a huge table of patterns at G Street Fabric when they discontinued Burda and Simplicity. What luck! It was truly meant to be.

The underlining is an embroidered cotton-poly Cynthia Steffe fabric from Paron's Annex, purchased in 2009 for $4/yd. I wasn't keen on its original pale yellow color so I overdyed it with turmeric, which actually worked really well. But it's a thin fabric that would need to be lined and it read more "poly" than "designer" or "cotton." I had a pattern idea for it but wasn't enthused to sew it up any time soon. I assumed I'd underline the eyelet in white. But then, they were sitting next to each other on the fabric shelf and I had an "I wonder...." moment and put them together. LOVE. The yellow underlining works so much better than white for this project. And plus, using up two fabrics in one project? Even better than killing two birds with one stone, particularly since I am a vegetarian.

To save fabric (I ended up with a few scraps of the eyelet, but not even an inch of remaining yardage) and reduce bulk, I cut the undercollar only of the underlining. To get a good turn of cloth I trimmed the side and outer edges just a fraction. The
end result is sharp, and the undercollar does not show unless flipped up.

I finished the armscyes with bias tape cut of white cotton batiste (which is going to get gross from my sweat--at least the underlining is already yellow!) and hand-stitched the tape to the underlining.

For the back facing, I did the now usual Sunny Gal Studio clean finish facing method of sewing the interfacing right sides together with the facing along the outer edge and then flipping to the inside before fusing. I hand-stitched it down to the underlining to avoid any kind of facing flappery.

I wanted to have a similar clean finish on the self-facing for the skirt, and because I was underlining I was able to do so. First, I fused interfacing to the underlining's wrong side from the outer edge minus seam allowance to about an inch past the fold line. I zigzagged the long edges of these interfacing strips so that if the glue gives the interfacing won't start peeling off in sheets (yuck!). Next, I placed fashion fabric and underlining, underlining wrong side to fashion fabric right side along the outer vertical edges and serged. (The wrong side to right side thing is because I wanted the right side--the embroidered side--of the underlining to show through the eyelet holes.) Then I opened out the pieces and folded along the outer vertical edges (front opening edges) to enclose the serging and pressed. The serged stitch shows through the eyelet holes, but as this is the self-facing that was folded to the inside and would never be seen, that was totally fine.

It worked out very well. As with the back facing and sleeve bias finish, I hand-stitched the front facing (including skirt self-facing) to the underlining for a very tidy finish.

As mentioned, it was a very tight squeeze on the eyelet fabric and I couldn't fit two full pockets into the layout. It's common to use a different fabric for the front pocket, which is folded to the interior, so it was a no-brainer to cut one set of pockets from the underlining fabric. But the pocket is set into a yoke, and at least part of the back pocket is meant to show. I thought about it for a while and then took my inspiration from jeans. I cut the yoke part plus about 1.5" out of my eyelet, which fit into the little spot I had left, and cut a another set of full pockets of the underlining. I stitched the eyelet pocket yoke to the underlining pocket piece and treated them as one when setting in the pocket. Nobody would ever guess my secret!

Confident in my Burda fit--after all, the envelope claims it is "The Pattern that Fits!"--I cut my usual sizes: 34 at the shoulder and bust, 36 at the waist, 38 at the hip. The envelope says the dress is "Fitted" and boy was it ever. This was quite snug, much more so than I would expect a 36 to be even with my fairly bulky fabric layering. I was extremely frustrated by that. I let out the side seams from below the bust to waist, and on the underlap placket I folded the facing outward to give myself an extra quarter of an inch there (click the photo to enlarge). It fits now, with a small amount of ease. But only a small amount of ease, which is not ideal for (1) summer heat or (2) longevity of garment. Boo! Next time I sew from a Burda envelope I will look more closely at sizing.

I purchased the buttons at a Goodwill trunk show a couple of years ago and LOVED them. I couldn't get a great shot; they are resin-y with embedded white bits near the base, a deep rich color, and lots of shine. I tagged them for this dress as soon as I had my shirtdress epiphany and am so happy with how they look on it! There were seven of them, which worked out just about perfectly. I never follow the button placement guide on patterns, spacing the buttons according to my preferred neckline and their size.

Because of the bulk of the fabric, I didn't want to do a turned under hem. In hindsight, I could have used hem tape or ribbon for a neater look. For the most part, I sewed the fashion fabric and underlining as one. When sewing the side seams, I left the seam unsewn about 6 inches from the hem so the fashion fabric and underlining would be free of one another. I marked and pressed the hem on both the fashion fabric and underlining. Then I turned under and stitched a small hem on the underlining. Once it was hemmed, I finished the side seams, catching in both fashion fabric and underlining. Finally, I serged the edge of the fashion fabric about 2 inches from the fold and stitched the hem to the underlining by hand, enclosing the underlining's hem. I had shortened the hem about 1.5 inches in cutting, due to my limited fabric, and cut off another 1.5 inches after marking the hem. This is meant to have a long skirt I guess?

I did not do a perfect job on this. I should have treated the floral cutouts as stripes, but they are not lined up at all and somehow I cut the collar way off grain (doesn't affect how it lays but the floral motif makes it obvious). But it is an adorable dress and I am so happy finally to have sewn this beautiful fabric! It came out just as I had envisioned. I love that it can be worn with brown or white (and I'm sure other colors). It can also be worn without a belt on those crazy hot days such as we are having now (given that it is inappropriate to come to work in a bikini). Although I do not wear much brown, that's how I ended up styling it the first day I wore it because I really liked the touch of safari to the look.

I am trying to make this summer all about fearlessly sewing Too Good to Use. My current project is a beautiful silk impulse buy from Kashi, and I *will* get to the silk jersey I bought with the same gift certificate.

What Too Good to Use fabric are you going to sew up next???

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Two Peas in a Pod

2011-07-18T10:12:00.002-04:00

Cidell invited me to be her (platonic friend) date to a party for Artscape, a wonderful Baltimore street festival for art, food, and music. I wasn't sure what to wear so I sent her a list of about a dozen dresses to choose from and she felt that my Burda 06-2010-123 silk jersey sack dress best fit the vibe of the summer cocktail party.

In fact, she liked it so much for the party that she made her own! We discussed whether it would be weird to wear the same dress, but concluded that your average non-sewist would never know it was the same dress because the fabric is different. It is my guess that people would actually be more likely to think we were wearing matching dresses if we wore completely different dresses out of the same fabric than dresses from the same pattern in different fabric. Alas, I had already given my dress of the yellow and gray fan fabric (purchased together at Jomar) to the Goodwill; it never stopped feeling like a nightgown to me. So doing the real twinsie thing was not possible. This is probably a mercy.

When I finished this dress last year, I realized that it really needed a swayback adjustment. Not only do I have a fairly extreme swayback to begin with, but the weight of the elastic casing along the back shoulder pulls the dress down in back so that the front neckline comes up as high as possible. According to the line drawing, the dress is supposed to be a more balanced and hang from the shoulder rather than the front neck, but I don't know how to make that happen.

So the combination of my swayback and backward pull of the dress were resulting in major puddling over the booty. I opened out the shoulder/yoke seam and shortened the back by 2 inches at center back, as you can see on the left. It really could have used another inch and a half but that just seemed crazy so I stayed at two. it still has a little draping over the booty, but is much improved.

As predicted, nobody seemed to notice that we matched, just that we looked fabulous (heh). We spent the evening chilling on a rooftop, mingling, and watching fireworks before I headed back home on the Amtrak. I actually had not worn my silk jersey sack dress but once, because of the swayback problem. I'm glad Cidell prompted me to fix it so I can wear it for the rest of summer. I am loving the way it looks with my 06-2009-151 obi.

All the photos of this dress are here.

Stashoholism Confessional: I Have No Excuse

2011-07-14T09:58:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have fallen. After I was getting all smug about it, too. However, I took to heart KBenco's comment on this post:

"My theory is that if you don't keep buying pretty fabric when you see it, the what-was-i-thinking fabric multiplies and takes over the stash."

Ha! I love that. I am blaming all of this on you, KBenco!!! I think what really happens is that you eventually skim off the cream of your stash, leaving only the serviceable but boring fabrics. However, I can't really pretend that I am in any danger of doing this, since I keep track of projects waiting for me in stash and there are more than 20 on the list. At the rate I have been sewing lately, I have the next 10 months or so set up for me.

But I think that's the key. I have been SO BUSY lately, uncharacteristically so, and haven't had time for a good sew since before I went on my trip. Even over the 4th of July, which was a 4 day weekend for me, I had about 3 hours to sew in total. Boo!!!! I have found that when I don't have time to sew, I am actually more likely to buy fabric because it's a way to stay connected to my hobby. I need to carve out some time for me and my sewing machine.

However, I did keep to my mindfulness goal and bought fabric only for which I could envision a specific project. On the far left in the photo is a sort of seersucker, sort of denim, stretch on grain (rather than crossgrain) fabric that immediately brought to mind McCall 6279. I just love this dress, even though I am not usually crazy about safari styles. I considered several fabrics in stash for it, but nothing worked quite right. This fabric, which probably looks like a plate of spaghetti on your monitor, is a dark off-white background with tiny pinstripes in chambray blue and red. Frankly, I don't know how it will look as a dress in real life, because it's the kind of fabric that if you look at it too long you kind of go into an acid trip; it must have to do with the colors creating illusions of shadow and depth. Sewing it will be interesting.

Next is the one fabric I meant to buy, a random knit for muslining my self-drafted version of McCall 6363. It was the only knit of suitable weight of which there was enough fabric, I hope. I was hoping for 2 yards but it is only 1 5/8 yard. I can make the muslin short.

The purple stretch sateen made me think of my mom. Purple is her favorite color and she asked me a couple of weeks ago if I thought someone her age could wear satin. She is making a passel of junior bridesmaid dresses for a friend out of blue satin and apparently anticipates having some left. I saw the purple sateen and just couldn't resist. I've ordered (oops) a black and white knit to make a top and will make a simple elastic waist A line skirt (per her preference) of the purple. I'd prefer a trumpet skirt, but I think she will be more comfortable in an A line.

I was so thrilled to see right after I bought Vogue 8706 that Amanda S. had made it, particularly her hints on the small bust situation. She used a double knit, which it hadn't occurred to me to choose for this pattern but it is nice to have a sturdier fabric in a very fitted dress. So here is my animal print. Not quite a double knit but a fairly sturdy knit. I don't know if it will "count" with the boyfriend--I think he is more into traditional leopard--but it is much more palatable to me!

The last fabric is a lightweight gray denim, again with the stretch on grain rather than crossgrain. I think G Street must have gotten offcuts from a denim manufacturer. I have been thinking of (*gasp*) shorts for this summer. They are very fashionable right now and there are lots of polished styles out there. My objection to shorts is their informality, but the styles I'm seeing now are not for athletics (do NOT get me started about people wearing athletic gear as real clothes) but are meant for nicer occasions. Burda has published several shorts patterns lately, including a couple with size zips so I don't have to deal with the whole fly front situation. I also got enough of this fabric to make a skirt as well. It's a nice color and weight.

If only I could buy sewing time at G Street, I'd be all set!

Let me live vicariously through you. What are you sewing?

=================

Bunny asked what I used to underline my gray voile flounce dress. I edited the blog post (sorry I didn't put it in the first place) to reflect that I used cotton batiste to underline the bodice. I almost always use cotton batiste as bodice lining for summer dresses, because it is very lightweight, breathes well, and sweat evaporates from it more quickly than traditional lining fabrics (the downside is all that sweat makes it start to look icky and yellowed after a while). I usually line the skirt with something more substantial and slippery.

I ordered my cotton batiste from Vogue Fabrics last year, after researching to find the best price. I am pleased with the quality and it has sewn up well.

Simplicity 4074, Knit Trumpet Skirt

2011-07-12T09:42:00.000-04:00

One of the biking skirts I made for my trip to the Netherlands was the knit trumpet skirt from Simplicity 4074. This is one of those patterns with fairly ugly illustrations that turns out lovely garments. I made the mock wrap dress in 2007 and again in 2008. I still haven't made the V neck view but I'm sure I'll get around to it someday. The pattern is still in print.

Fear not, I didn't get Botox. (Not saying I haven't considered it.) The picture on the left was taken four years ago, when I made the gray skirt (if the date on my computer is to be believed the photo was taken on 1/27/2007). I made the rest of the gray fabric into an unsuccessful version of Vogue 8386 (the bust was too large and droopy). That dress is long gone but I still wear the skirt quite regularly. I have no idea what the fabric is--it's not a double knit but is very thick but still stretchy and has wonderful weight and flow and not a single pill in all these years. I wish I knew because I'd look for more of it. It is fantastic. From the $2.97/yd table at G Street, of course.

When I was planning my wardrobe I thought I would make a gored A line skirt out of my Spain fabric, but was not enthused about it as I don't find A lines very flattering on me. For most knit skirts I make a simple fitted tube as in this outfit, which is bikeable in a commuting situation but not comfortable enough on the bike for a full day. I don't know why it took me so long to hit upon the trumpet skirt as the perfect compromise between pencil and A line.

This is a simple skirt and I don't have much to say about it! As with Simplicity 5914, my TNT woven trumpet skirt, the front and back are cut from the same pieces. As my front and back are not shaped the same, I have to take in at the side back seams for swayback and general fitting. Unfortunately, I was in such a hurry when making this skirt that I did not take any photos to document the process, but it is intuitive once you have the skirt cut out and initially constructed. Just try it on and pin out the excess.

To make it easy on myself when getting dressed, I sew a button into the center back waist so I can tell which side goes where. You can use a length of ribbon as a faux tag (or a real tag, if you have them), but I have a glut of buttons due to Fabric Mart's 4 pound bags (alas, no longer available).

This is a great TNT to have in my pattern arsenal. It is a flattering shape for me--giving the idea of "curvy" rather than "wide"--but it has plenty of volume and movement at the hem for biking or other activities. I have been wearing my Spain fabric skirt a ton since I made it, as I love the colors and it goes with just about every top I made for the trip.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

==============

As for the Prison Matron dress, the random number generator has chosen... lsaspacey! I've sent her an email.

Burda 04-2010-105, Flounce Dress (or, I Don't Hate Gray, I Promise)

2011-07-08T11:06:00.003-04:00

I bought this fabric from Vogue Fabrics last year; when I bought cotton batiste from them I figured I might as well throw in a fun fabric if I was paying shipping anyway, and it was only $3.99/yd. It's a beautiful cotton voile with a very subtle sheen and a texture I have decided is really large scale swiss dot. Amazingly, when I purchased it I had it in mind for Burda 04-2010-105 and did not change my mind in the intervening year. Well, in one sense I did--I meant to make this as the blouse but in the end couldn't resist making it a dress.

I raised the neckline by 1.75 inches, and correspondingly altered the ruffle piece according to Eugenia's helpful instructions. Raising the neckline is easy as the neckline is just a slit along the center front.

I made an SBA by narrowing the bust dart. I ended up adding vertical waist darts before sewing on the skirt, because it was just too big in front for my taste, but luckily the bust still fits well and is not too large. I also did a broad back adjustment. I thought I might want to sew the back dart up higher to control puffiness, but the loose fit of the dress doesn't require it. You can see the fullness I added in the back view, but it doesn't look terrible and I have plenty of movement.

I did not make a swayback adjustment to the pattern, as the bodice is cut off right at natural waist. I make my swayback adjustment just below natural waist, so I assumed I would need to make it on the skirt rather than the bodice. I basted (all right, I didn't baste, I just sewed) the skirt to the bodice and whoa! Horrifying swayback dip in the back bodice. You can see the line of pins there where I tried to mark a straight line (it's a little high). I took off the skirt and pinned it back in place with a larger and larger seam allowance in the bodice CB, tapering to nothing extra at the sides, until I got it right.

I checked the new position by tying a piece of elastic around my waist. The waist either still isn't straight or I have a tilted waist. I never understood what "tilted waist" meant but seeing the elastic I think I get it now. I ended up shortening the bodice by 1.5 inches at center back. That is some swayback!

The voile is very lightweight so it had to be lined or underlined anyway. Because there is a yoke I went with underlining, using cotton batiste from Vogue Fabrics. To finish/line the yoke, I used the burrito method from KBenco's blog again, and the yoke turned out gorgeous.

The rest of the bodice was underlined. So I would have lovely finished side seams, I used the faux Hong Kong finish method of cutting the underlining 5/8 inch wider than the fashion fabric at the vertical seams, serging along the vertical seams right sides together, then turning out and letting the excess underlining fold over the serged seam.

Burda wanted you to finish the armscyes with bias tape before putting on the zipper. That seemed like a missed opportunity to tuck the ends of the zipper tape into the bias tape finish, so I waited until the zip was in. I had been undecided what method to use to finish the armscyes, but in the end I like the binding. I used every little scrap of the fabric and each binding is made up on 3 very short bias lengths sewn together.

I got into a little trouble with the neckline. First, I really did try to be all neat and precise with the point at the bottom of the neckline, but in the end it's all held together with indiscriminate zigzagging and Fray Check. Thank goodness for flounces, which were easy-finished with a serger rolled hem; they cover a multitude of sins.

Second, when I went to sew on the collar, it was way too long. Like 3 inches too long. I did not cut any extra off the vertical slit of the neckline, though I did take a 1/2 inch seam allowance at the upper edges. Nobody else mentioned the collar not fitting onto the neckline, so it must have been some imprecision on my part. It was thoroughly annoying.

I drafted a back facing for the neckline. I wasn't going to like it with a front facing and then the back neckline finished only by turning under the seam allowance of my (now inexplicably shorter) collar. I did the Sunny Gal Studio method of finishing the edges of the facing: sew shoulder seams of facing and interfacing separately; serge facing to interfacing along outside edge, with non-glue side of interfacing to right side of facing; turn right side out and then fuse interfacing in place.

To get the facing to lay flat, I had to notch it. Does anyone else hate notching around curves? I feel like it is going to make the garment fall apart on the first wash. I notched around the collar, but fray checked every single cut.

I did a catch stitch by hand to stitch the facing to the underlining all around, so there was no chance of flopping.

For the skirt, I used rayon satin from Fabric.com's massive sale of Vera Wang fabrics last year. I wish I'd bought 20 yards of the satin, as it is lovely and luxurious as a lining. To reduce bulk, I pleated the skirt lining rather than gathering it as for the fashion fabric.

I had limited fabric left after cutting the bodice. I could either have a shorter-than-I'd-like skirt cut on grain, or a crossgrain skirt at a length I prefer. The "swiss dots" are ovals, and the ovals on the bodice are sideways (grain). I debated for a while, but decided I'd rather have a longer skirt and ovals in a different orientation; I figured it would be a rare person who would notice the orientation of the ovals.

I kept the full length of the fabric and took a very deep hem to give weight to the skirt. The hem is a full double fold, and I stitched the edge of the fabric in place right at the fold so that it couldn't crinkle up in there after washing. Then I did a machine blind stitch for the hem.

Love this dress! The gray is a sophisticated color that offsets the flounces. I happened to catch the famous Seinfeld "Puffy Shirt" episode recently and wanted to make sure I didn't go down that road! I purposely kept a bit of ease at the waist, even with the added vertical front darts, so on hot days I can wear it without it touching me and making me sweat.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here

==============

Some commenters accused me of being a gray-hating colorist (lol) with regard to my Simplicity 2615 Prison Matron Chic. But really, I don't hate gray! I think it's a great color, sophisticated and a blank slate for bright contrasts. Above you can see that I used this dress with orange and hot pink; it also looks great with red, lime green, yellow, teal...just about anything but brown. I also made this gray dress a couple years ago, which is still in my closet (though I admit I'm kind of over it, but only because I did a bad job on the neckline of the underlying bodice; it is kind of bulgy and too low).

Really the issue with that dress is that I know this is what it looks like in real life. It actually does not look as bad in the photo is it does in real life. Trust me, it is like two sad tiny little boobs and then a bigger belly punctuating a duct-tape expanse.

Now that I've made the voile dress, I am going to officially give up on the Prison Matron dress. A couple people mentioned they would like it on that post; leave me a comment letting me know how to get in touch with you and I'll send it on (I'll do a drawing if more than one want it). Keep in mind that it is hemmed fairly short for 5 foot tall me, with not a ton of allowance to let out. I'm keeping the sash, because I will wear it with other things, but will send you the leftover fabric so you can make your own.

Hitting the Pattern Sale

2011-07-06T10:56:00.000-04:00

Joann had McCall patterns for 99 cents (rare--the sale is usually $1.99) and Vogues for $3.99 over the holiday weekend, so I undertook the epic journey by bus out to Seven Corners to stock up. My focus this year is on mindfulness when it comes to new fabric, which has cut my buying drastically (I am, however, hoping to lure Cidell into a visit to Fabric Mart's brick-and-mortar store eventually, at which point all bets are off.)

I am definitely happy with my restraint; looking at my over-full fabric shelves makes me feel a little panicky and the downward trend in their groaning overload must continue. However, I have never felt any such compunction when it comes to patterns, even though I have way WAY too many of those as well. Patterns are smaller, store more neatly, and are much easier to part with (I have a whole stack for Freecycle already pulled out). I don't feel weighed down by patterns as I do by fabric.

I love knits and I love knit patterns, so of course there were several of those in my basket. The Palmer/Pletsch basic tee on the upper right has a French dart. A friend with a large (to put it mildly) bust has asked me to help her come up with a basic tee pattern that she can make several of and I thought this might be a good place to start. I don't like that it's "semi-fitted" and neither will she (she is otherwise slim and if her clothes aren't fitted she looks much larger than she is due to her bust), but the marked lines on the pattern will help me with fitting.

If I ever find an animal print that I can stand (I have had several hints from the boyfriend that he would like to see me in animal print), the Vogue dress on the lower right will be the perfect pattern. I considered the ones that Fabric Mart just had on sale--I actually liked some of them--but I do not trust rayon knit and won't buy any that I can't feel first.

And the drapey, cowl-y top in the lower left is just fun.

I neither make nor wear jackets, but why should that stop me from buying jacket patterns? I do plan to make a suit at some point this year. My 12 year old interview suit is not cutting it anymore. It was sold as a suit, not separates, so the skirt was a wee bit tight to begin with (the ol' pear shape situation). It is now unbuttonable, and it's not comfortable to have it zipped all the way. This is fine if I don't take the jacket off, but come on.

And yet, that still doesn't explain me buying these patterns, because the replacement suit will be the conservative, plain, and uninteresting, unlike these jackets.

And of course, dresses. I really like the shape of the bodice on the vintage Vogue. I am very into the cut-on sleeve lately. This looks (of course, drawings can be very deceptive!) like it will have a nice shape over the shoulder.

The DKNY does not appeal to me much in the fancy satin fabric as shown, mostly because I do not need any more dress up dresses. However, when looking through the catalog I realized that it could be made in an everyday fabric for a flattering, sophisticated, but not fussy look. Must contemplate my stash.

I was drawn to the V neckline with collar on the Palmer/Pletsch shirtdress, though again the semi-fitted part of it gives me pause. I would want to tighten that up a bit. As it's a princess seam, it would be a cinch (do you see what I did there? har har).

I've been looking at the McCall with the drapey skirt for a while. It looks somewhat similar to my Drape Drape birthday dress, though actually looking at the pattern and instructions I saw that the drape skirt is actually an overlay, not the full skirt. I don't know that I have any plans for it, but I figured at 99 cents, it was less dangerous to my well-being than a candy bar.

I got obsessed with M6363, in the upper left corner, from the moment I saw it on Debbie Cook's blog, even though she determined that the pattern drafting was a bust. So it may be a blessing in disguise that this is only a plus size pattern and I'm going to have to use it as a model to draft my own. I bought it so that I could see how the front is drafted. It seems obvious that it's a slash and spread, but I don't know where exactly it is slashed and how much to spread.

I bought this silk jersey in 2007 from Mood Fabrics, along with an eyelet that I am sewing as we speak (well, not literally, but it is my current project). It is time to sew this Too Good to Use! I have been looking for the perfect pattern for over four years and it is time to decide. If I can get M6363 to work for me, it is exactly what I have been looking for. Doesn't break up the print too much, but has tummy disguise and some style.

Who knows when I will get to any of these projects, but there's nothing wrong with a little fantasy sewing, right? What are you fantasizing about?

Outfit of the Week: Orange and Navy

2011-06-30T09:54:00.000-04:00

I made this blouse, McCall 5426, in the Summer of 2008 of souvenir fabric from Vietnam. I never wore it much, though, because I couldn't figure out what to match it with. It doesn't look great with gray, and I just cannot bring myself to wear orange and black together (it's just too Halloween--and I love Halloween!). Also, it gapes between the buttons. I finally sewed on snaps between them, but I think I have figured out the reason it gapes is that the self-facing for the placket is not sewn down on the inside, so it pulls open. I need to hand-stitch the placket facings to the underlining and I think it will solve the problem completely.

Last Fall I was walking down the street and saw a girl in a navy dress and orange shoes and she was an epiphany: orange and navy! They look great together.

So come Spring, I matched the blouse with 04-2008-108, which I made in the Spring of 2008 for my trip to Paris (I wore the skirt to visit Notre Dame and eat Berthillon ice cream). Obviously this photo is a few months old because I was still in tights.

The outfit doesn't entirely work, due to the belt and the shoes. I think they need to match. I wish I could find some comfortable gray shoes! But the orange and navy are spot on, I think, and with the addition of the navy I think the gray works too.

What are your epiphany color combos? I am planning a yellow and white blouse and not having a lot of success coming up with skirt ideas other than gray (although thinking about it, navy might work with that combo too).

McCall 6070, Double V Surplice Knit Dress (de Espana)

2011-06-28T11:49:00.000-04:00

I picked up McCall 6070 last year because I was attracted to the casual breezy look of it. I'm not sure why I bought the pattern, as there is an almost identical view in Simplicity 3503, which I've already used to make my maxi dress. I guess I just like variety!

Samina asked about this fabric as the skirt to go with my ruched front top. It is a rayon knit that I bought in Barcelona in September 2009 while shopping with Paco! I love buying fabric as a souvenir, as it reminds me of the trip every time I wear the garment.

I did my usual small bust adjustment for a crossover front of shortening the crossover. In this instance, I'm not sure it was totally necessary. With both the front and back being equal V crossovers, the weight hangs evenly from the shoulders and keeps the bodice flat against the chest, unlike with a higher back neckline that can cause a top to ride forward, resulting in front gapeage. With this alteration on this dress, the center front of the skirt is a little shorter than the sides because of the shortened bodice. But no gaping, so I won't quibble.

I did *not* narrow the gathering area below the bust. It is the perfect amount of gather for my A cup, so I would think larger cups might want to consider slashing and spreading to add more room there.

Because the weight of the fabric holds the bodice flat against the chest, I did not use clear elastic in finishing the neckline as I normally would, just folded over and twin needled. In retrospect, I should have used the elastic--not to snug up the neckline, but to help support the weight of the dress. My rayon knit is rather thin and so I lined the midriff and skirt, which puts a lot of pressure on the bodice to carry the weight.

While this is better quality rayon knit than most (I have a whole rant of that for a later post), it is still rather wimpy with little strength and recovery. After a day of wearing, I realized that, with the progressive stretching of the rayon, after several wears the apex of the V was going to show my navel. So after the first wear I sewed ribbon "suspenders" in to support the weight. The suspenders are sewn to the midriff seam allowance (for maximum strength) and tacked to the shoulders to keep them in place. I haven't worn it with the suspenders yet, but a try-on showed that the shortening of the CF hem nearly disappeared and that the bodice felt much more secure than before. They do not create a line on the outside.

Because of limited fabric, I did a serger rolled hem on the skirt to preserve as much length as possible. However, the benefit of the rayon stretching is that I will eventually be able to put a regular hem in (the skirt is already about an inch longer than when it was finished a couple weeks ago). Looking on the bright side here, people.

For swayback, I shortened the waistline edge of the back skirt by about an inch at center front, tapering to nothing at the sides. I should have done something about the midriff and/or pleated the skirt lining rather than gathering, because the back fit is not gorgeous (doesn't hug the back but kind of hangs off the upper midriff seam), but it is not noticeable either.

This dress ended up exactly as I had hoped. It is cute with a little bit of style and also very comfortable to wear for summer. The downside of Super Special Souvenir Fabric is that if anything goes wrong with the project it is a little devastating. Luckily, there was nothing devastating about this! I left off the back tie, because that seemed to be just too casual for work, and I did not have any trouble with the shoulders falling off.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

This is Why We Finish Our Seam Allowances!!!!

2011-06-24T10:41:00.000-04:00

I first developed my slapdash ways as teen rebellion when my mom was teaching me to sew. One of the things she insisted on that I absolutely loathed was that I had to finish all the edges. To this day, my mother does not own a serger as she fears the threading. So all those edges were finished with zigzagging. Zigzagging takes forever and is ugly to boot. So in my rebellion, when I sewed unsupervised I did NOT finish my edges. It was liberating.

I actually never had a garment fall apart, surprisingly, but at some point in my later teen years I came around to my mom's side and started finishing all edges, a habit that persists to this day--though I now blessedly have a serger. I might even go overboard in finishing my edges. I know that many people don't finish edges that are protected by lining but I do: both the fashion fabric and the lining have every edge serged. Unless I am doing a very narrow hem, the enclosed edge of the hem is serged. Every.edge.

You can imagine my annoyance, then, when after the sticky of some mango sticky rice I purchased a street fair leaked all over my backpack and I put it in the wash I pulled it out of the washing machine looking like this. Argh! Because the edges of the pocket bag had not been finished, they just disintegrated beyond the stitching line in the wash.

I was especially annoyed because only a couple weeks earlier I had finally gotten around to fixing the bottom. It had a rip in it from law school (let us note that I graduated from law school 10 years ago last month), from carrying sharp-edged binders in the same place and same way. The hole had finally gotten to the size where things were going to fall out of it. I cut a double layer of rectangles in the heaviest fabric I could find in stash, a linen(ish) tablecloth purchased at a thrift store several years ago. I stacked the rectangles and attached them to the seam allowances on the inside so the weight would be supported on the already proven seams rather than the hole-y bottom. Then I stitched around the hole to secure it to the fabric. Voila! Good as new.

Some might say I should have taken this as a sign to just get a new backpack, and I was tempted. This is not my every day backpack, a black affair that is more "professional" (lol). I commute on foot or by bike, grant me the backpack. But I use this backpack weekly for grocery shopping and other schlepping. It would be a justifiable purchase.

Nowadays, backpacks--like iPods--are available in a variety of colors to express your personality (I mean, so cute, right?). Back in the dinosaur age when I went to college, backpacks were like Model Ts: you could have any color you wanted, so long as it was forest green. (They might have also had black, but I'm pretty sure that is the extent of the choices available.)

This is actually not the first iteration of this backpack. Jansports have a lifetime guarantee, and I actually ripped an identical hole in the bottom of another backpack with the same binders in law school. I believe the original backpack was purchased for college. In law school I was too poor to buy a new backpack, so I used the lifetime guarantee to send old ripped backpack to Jansport (after trying unsuccessfully to fix it myself) and they sent me this one in return, basically the same as the old one, in the same forest green color.

I thought for a while about how it would be fun to have a cute backpack instead of a dinosaur-age non-self-expressing forest green one, but damn it, this backpack is perfectly good (other than the ripped bottom and shredded front pocket). The materials and workmanship (other than failing to finish seam allowances) are still in perfect condition--which is why Jansport offers a lifetime guarantee!

So I bit the bullet and took a couple of hours to fix the shredded pocket and zigzag every last exposed edge in the entire backpack. For the pocket, I first trimmed off all the shreds, then zigzagged the edges. Then I sewed the pocket edge back onto the backpack, approximately following the still-extant original stitching line. You can see in the lower right how much seam allowance was originally used for this operation--I lost nearly an inch in the shredding incident. It took time and patience but wasn't difficult.

And now it's as good as new! Or close enough for my taste. I am sure someday something irreparable will happen to the old forest green dinosaur and I will replace it with something self-expressing in the turquoise or floral family. But the old forest green dinosaur has lived to see another day, and will cart home groceries for years to come.

Consider this your PSA, when you find yourself mind-numbingly bored while finishing your seam allowances: Yes, it really does make a difference!

Burda 05-2011-107, Ruched Front Top

2011-06-22T09:25:00.003-04:00

As Cidell and I discussed in our recent podcast, the May issue of BurdaStyle gave me hope for the future. Although it still provided a diverse selection of giant sacks, it also contained some clothing with actual fitting and great details. One that immediately caught my eye was this top, Burda 05-2011-107, as well as the dress version. I love me some ruching, it is great for a little bit of tummy disguise. I was in the mode of looking for top patterns for my trip and it immediately went into the mix.

While I like the twisted strap idea--I used it in the Vogue 8386 dress in my avatar--I wanted shoulder coverage in the tops I was making for the bike trip. I also was not keen on the back view of this pattern, which is a single piece V. I am not crazy about patterns that have only a separate upper bodice and skirt in the front and not in the back.

For the upper bodice and lower back I turned to BWOF 08-2007-105, which I have used several times as the base for other patterns, such as my knockoff of New Look 6729 and my adaptation of plus size Burda 04-2008-128. I pulled it into service once again here. So technically I should probably review this as the 2007 pattern, but the most distinctive feature is from the 05-2011-107 pattern so I'm going with it.

I used one of the wicking waffle weaves I bought from FFC ($3.95/yd). The fabrics came in two different textures, a thick cotton-y texture, like the green for my S4076 twist top, and a thin, slightly sheer version that I used here. Because it was slightly sheer, I fully lined the upper bodice. This was also an easy way to finish the neckline and armscyes. I raised the neckline on the original draft simply by sewing up the center front seam further than marked.

The instructions for the ruched lower part have you gather both center front edges separately and then sew the pieces together. It seemed like it would be a challenge to sew two gathered edges together, so instead I sewed the center front seam with ungathered edges. Once it was sewn, I put in gathering stitches on either side of the seam and gathered. That worked ok, but I couldn't get the seam to stay gathered. I tried zigzagging over it, but that did nothing. Then I hand-gathered, which was ok but still not very stable (if my gathering thread popped I'd be SOL) and the gathers wouldn't remain evenly distributed. My third method was the charm: cutting a length of elastic to the finished length I wanted and stretching the elastic while sewing it to the CF seam. I probably should have stuck with the method in the directions!

This fabric, though it is a jersey, is not very stretchy. I didn't really notice this until it was made, but you can see from the back that I really should have sized up. It is super tight over my large lats (need to do a broad back adjustment on knits, too). It is also much clingier than I would prefer at the waist, but if it is not well-fitted there the ruching will droop so I think showing waist lumps and bumps is what you get for disguising tummy lumps and bumps.

Something ended up weird about the bust on this top. Though I have used the pattern several times and not had any trouble with it hanging off the bust rather than gently cupping the area, here there was no cupping. I did a little bit of hand gathering under the bust to try to create some shape, but it is not a perfect solution. I'm not sure what I'd need to do in the future; maybe gather the upper bust piece before stitching to the lower bodice?

Although the fit of this top isn't perfect, I quite like it. It was as flattering (from the front) as I'd hoped, and has a great style. A pattern with a separate upper bodice was a great fit for the thin fabric; it would have been needlessly hot to double the entire top, and self-lining the upper bodice dealt with the sheerness factor nicely.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.