tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82186339557856194912024-02-02T09:27:34.417-08:00Sewing Through the MotionsSewing my dream wardrobe, dress by dress.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-32415716157536951392013-12-30T20:31:00.000-08:002013-12-30T20:31:31.247-08:00Top 5 Hits of 2013Hi! Happy New Year, everyone! I know I have been MIA for a while, but I can never resist a year-end rundown or a hits/misses list. I haven't necessarily been taking an official break from sewing, but I have been spending a lot more time tailoring or altering clothes I already have. I recently took two HUGE boxes of clothes to Goodwill and it made me feel bad about how much stuff I have. So I am trying to make do with less. Also I have been going to the gym a lot lately, and I noticed that when I work out a lot, my sewing suffers. Conversely, when I sew a lot, my working out suffers! I seem to only be capable of having two hobbies at a time (and cello will always be my #1 focus). So without further adieu, here are my bests of 2013! <br />
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#5: "All The Way Mae Halloween costume. <br />
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Is it unfair to put a costume on my list? I am doing it, sorry. I love this costume so hard. I ended up wearing it FIVE times. I went to two parties the weekend before Halloween, one the weekend after, and then I wore it to orchestra rehearsal the night before Halloween and to work the day of. I was so sad when I had to pack it away! I wish there were more times in year to wear a costume. <br />
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#4: White Eyelet Sewaholic Alma. <br />
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I've made a couple Alma's in my day, but this summery white eyelet is my A#1. I wore it to death this year and I am already counting down the days until I can pull it out again. I love that it's simple but not boring for days I really just want to wear jeans. <br />
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#3: Colette Patterns paisley rayon Chantilly. <br />
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If you would have asked me earlier this year what my #1 was going to be, I for sure would have said this dress. It turned out so nice, better than anything else I have ever made. The reason it has slid down to #3 is because I lost some weight since I made it and it's a little loose now, and it seems really daunting to try to take it in. So many seams! So much lining! It is still a great dress that I have worn a million times, but it's not quite as flattering as it used to be. <br />
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#2: Patriotic Vintage Simplicity. <br />
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Based on my tagged photos on Facebook, you would think I wore this dress every day this summer. I probably did! I have made this Simplicity pattern quite a few times before, but this one is my favorite. This is one I entered in the State Fair (and won a ribbon for women's one-piece dress) so I made sure everything is finished impeccably. I hand-picked the zipper and bound every seam with a cute contrasting bias binding. Even though it's way too cold to wear now, I couldn't bear to pack this one away in my summer tub. It's still in my closet, waiting for a warm day. <br />
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#1: RE-re-make of vintage blue coat. <br />
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My second attempt at remaking my vintage blue coat is by far my #1 favorite item! I wore this well into December and froze my butt off, but it was worth it. It brightens up every outfit and just makes me so happy. It's a perfect replacement for my beloved. Also, here's a bonus shot of my new short hair! It's been about two months since I cut it, and I still really love it. I miss my bun on weekends, but it still fits in a ponytail. <br />
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Happy 2014, everyone!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-49517706108592985872013-10-28T19:11:00.000-07:002013-10-28T19:13:54.362-07:00Happy Halloween!Poor, sad, abandoned blog. I have been sewing, just nothing exciting enough to post about! I have been doing a lot of tailoring of existing clothes of mine, and buying fixer-uppers at thrift stores and eBay and working on those. I think I get this way every fall? I lose my motivation to sew and revert to wearing leggings and sweater dresses every day. I really dislike fall and I just want to be warm and comfy.
One thing that IS exciting enough to share is my Halloween costume. You all know I LOVE Halloween, and I start thinking about my costume way in advance. I have no idea where this idea popped into my head, but one day I decided I wanted to dress as "All the Way" Mae, and I was set. A League of Their Own is one of my favorite movies (and it was my first "date" with my still-best friend, in 1992!)
Besides,
I freaking love Madonna.
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My first mission was to find a pattern. I searched eBay and Etsy for weeks for the perfect 40's pattern, but I never found one that was quite right. They were either too formal, the wrong size, or too expensive. I set an eBay saved search for "double breasted dress pattern" and this 60's McCall popped up one day. It's a little bit too big, but for $6 I decided to work with it. I also found 3 yards of peach cotton twill on eBay.
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Finding the uniform's patches proved to be difficult. I tried to find official ones, but I think they either don't exist or I missed the boat. I ended up outsourcing someone on Etsy to embroider the dress and hat for me. It didn't cost that much, either! I found the socks at Target, the belt and shoes at Goodwill, and I made the red cotton shorts.
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I hadn't planned on wearing a wig, but I cut my hair really short a week ago. 8'!!! I wasn't going to go so short, but my stylist said a couple more inches and I could donate it, so I said do it. I really love it! It's super cute and takes like 3 minutes to style. And I found pretty much the perfect wig. It was a "burlesque girl" wig, and it had the perfect curls and rolled bangs.
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I loved this costume so much!! I am going out again this Saturday just so I can wear it again. I kind of want to wear it to work on Thursday, too. I got so many compliments! And I wish I had kept tally of guys who yelled "There's no crying in baseball!" at me. Haha. I still think Effie Trinket was my favorite costume ever, but I am pretty proud of this one, too.
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I hHope everyone has a fabulous Halloween!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-3225851327013440602013-09-16T18:25:00.002-07:002013-09-16T18:25:52.294-07:00Introducing the Emery Dress!A few weeks ago I had the honor of being a pattern tester for <a href="http://www.christinehaynes.com/">Christine Haynes' new pattern</a>, The Emery Dress! It's been hard to keep it a secret for so long but we just got the go-ahead to blog about it. I was lucky enough to meet Christine this past January at Sew L.A. at the launch of Gertie's book. She was wearing the most incredible black, white, and yellow rose print dress, which of course she made. I am thrilled I get to make my own version! <br />
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When she emailed me and said it was a 60's style cocktail dress, I knew exactly which fabric I was going to use. I bought this from Fashion Fabrics Club for my remake of my beloved blue coat, but when it arrived, it was the totally wrong weight and feel. I'd been saving it to use for a Jackie O-style cocktail dress. Okay, let me tell you about this dress. It's basically the perfect bodice, with endless customizable options. There's short sleeves, 3/4 sleeves, an optional peter pan collar, and optional bow belt. I went with the short sleeves and the bow belt. I pretty much hate sleeves, but these were a dream to set in. It has the perfect amount of ease and I did both without having to unpick and redo anything.<br />
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The neckline is suuuuuper flattering, and I love how full the skirt is. See? Perfect amount of poof! <br />
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It zips up the back with an invisible zipper, but since I didn't have one, I used a metal zipper and a lapped application. It looks real good. I unfortunately did not notice the line of fading along where I cut my back pieces! Boo! I don't know if I would have had enough fabric to work around it, but I sure would have tried. I don't think it is TOO noticable, so I will pretend like it doesn't bother me. <br />
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I was asked to cut the size 8, which I did without making any alterations. I normally do a full bust adjustment, but I wanted to make this pattern as-is so I could send my feedback to Christine. It's a little tight and I could use an extra inch of wiggle room, but it's not uncomfortable. I'm already making a second dress, this time with the 3/4 sleeves, and I did do a little adjustment in the bust. The dress is also lined, and has pockets. I know a lot of people are pretty crazy for pockets, but I'm just not into them. It's not that I find them difficult to sew or anything, but they're an extra step and I don't really ever use them. I always have a purse, and I never really stick my hands in my pockets. So for future versions they will be eliminated. I wore the dress out for my Mom's birthday and I felt so cute in it! I got a lot of compliments too. So if you want to make your own super cute Emery dress, head on over to <a href="http://www.christinehaynes.com/">Christine's shop</a> because it's in stock now!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-74603303795806976972013-09-02T18:55:00.000-07:002013-09-02T18:55:41.953-07:00One Pattern Seven Bloggers - The Reveal!I was sewing up until 2 minutes ago, but I finally got my Macaron done in time for the big reveal! I wouldn't say this pattern is <em>difficult</em>, but there are a LOT of small pieces, lots of seams (and lots of seam finishing!) and the pleats on the skirt about killed me.
It was a lot of work, but I think my dress turned out really similar to my inspiration dress.
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I LOVE the bodice so hard. Dare I say more than anything I've ever sewn. It was such a treat to put together and I really took my time on it, making sure each seam was matched up perfectly and finished on the inside.<br />
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I used the lace's natural edge for the sleeves, so obviously I had to disregard the instructions and just wing it. I also slightly lowered the neckline in the front and back.
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I think it's going to be a great party dress.
I'm invited to two weddings next month and I'm sure it will make an appearance at one of them.<br />
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For the lace, I trimmed the seams to 1/4" and overlocked them. I wasn't sure how to bind the neckline, and after lots of failed Google searches for "sheer bias binding", I just used some narrow lace trim to bind it.<br />
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So here's the deal. I LOVE the bodice, but I am "eh" on the skirt. It's really not my style, the short bubble skirt. I would like it much better if it was a little longer, a little more a-line, and gathered. I really want to love the whole dress, so I might actually cut a new skirt. We'll see.<br />
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I had so much fun doing this challenge! I hope we can make it a yearly thing. Please make sure to check out my fellow stitcher's Macarons because they are all gorgeous.<br />
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Marie -<a href="http://www.astitchingodyssey.com/"> <em>A Stitching Odyssey</em></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.jenniferlaurenvintage.com/" target="_blank"><i>Jennifer Lauren</i></a></div>
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Kat - <a href="http://www.petticoatsandpeplums.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank"><i>Petticoats and Peplums</i></a></div>
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Rachel - <a href="http://www.mymessings.com/" target="_blank"><i>My Messings</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://reanalouise.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank"><i>Reana Louise</i></a></div>
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Sam - <a href="http://buckinghamroad.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank"><i>Buckingham Road</i></a></div>
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And now for the giveaway! We had a staggering 711 entries and needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed (and thrilled!) by the huge response to our little challenge. Thank you SO much to all of the generous sponsors and everyone who read and commented. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AkAi6nXTzdFj3l5ma9ghjZVFwQY549OUli_3gcCkR0u4sEMN6D0d2-XvYsQfj8ZiL8HMh00-aVOJnOY6j8bzlyLYRSX90f-mfw1x3wJd2znaBJRSRA1Ju7RFPyowlY-7LogsYSTVtls/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AkAi6nXTzdFj3l5ma9ghjZVFwQY549OUli_3gcCkR0u4sEMN6D0d2-XvYsQfj8ZiL8HMh00-aVOJnOY6j8bzlyLYRSX90f-mfw1x3wJd2znaBJRSRA1Ju7RFPyowlY-7LogsYSTVtls/s200/PicMonkey+Collage1.jpg" width="200" /></a> <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;">Lil</span>- 1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to</span> <a href="http://www.colettepatterns.com/" style="color: #d6265d; text-decoration: none;">Colette Patterns</a>
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<b>Josephine</b> - 1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to <a href="http://www.guthrie-ghani.co.uk/" style="color: #d6265d; text-decoration: none;">Guthrie & Ghanie</a> </div>
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<b>MaciNic </b>- 1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to <a href="http://www.stitch56.com/" style="color: #d6265d; text-decoration: none;">Stitch 56</a></div>
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<b>Elizabeth</b> - 1 x Pattern of your choice thanks to <a href="http://www.sewsquirrel.com.au/" style="color: #d6265d; text-decoration: none;">Sew Squirrel</a></div>
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<b>Kathleen S</b> - 1 x Colette Pattern of your choice thanks to <a href="http://www.indiestitches.bigcartel.com/" style="color: #d6265d; text-decoration: none;">Indie Stitches</a> </div>
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<b>Joanne</b> - 1 x Colette Pattern of your choice thanks to <a href="http://thehabygoddess.blogspot.co.uk/" style="color: #d6265d; text-decoration: none;">The Haby Goddess</a></div>
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<b>Amy </b>- 1 x $20 gift voucher thanks to <a href="http://www.fabricworm.com/" style="color: #d6265d; text-decoration: none;">Fabric Worm </a></div>
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<b>Sew Charleston</b> - 1 x $30 gift voucher thanks to <a href="http://www.afashionablestitch.com/" style="color: #d6265d; text-decoration: none;">A Fashionable Stitch</a> </div>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-27612024125932146762013-08-26T19:35:00.001-07:002013-08-26T19:35:45.533-07:001 Pattern 7 Bloggers - InspirationHoly crap, I can't even believe the response to my last post! That is definitely the most comments I have ever gotten. I'm sure that little giveaway had nothing to do with it. :) And if you haven't entered yet, there is still time!
I sat on my copy of Macaron for a long time, not really sure what direction I wanted to go. For dressy occasions, I tend to wear vintage, but on the other hand, I already have a TON of casual dresses. I did a lot of Google image searching and looking at the Colette Patterns Flickr stream, but nothing was really speaking to me. Then on a completely unrelated web search, I came across this dress.<br />
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The bodice and shape of the skirt is basically perfect. It's Valentino, and retailed for $3290.00. My version is costing me $28! I'm using an apple green silk dupioni (purchased with a 50% off coupon!) and a vintage lace tablecloth I already owned. I plan on using sheer bias binding for the neckline and keeping the natural lace edge for the sleeves.<br />
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Don't forget to check out what the rest of the lovely ladies are sewing!
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Marie from <a href="http://www.astitchingodyssey.com/" target="_blank">A Stitching Odyssey</a></div>
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Reana Louise from <a href="http://reanalouise.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Reana Louise</a></div>
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Kat from <a href="http://petticoatsandpeplums.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Petticoats and Peplums</a></div>
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Rachel from <a href="http://www.mymessings.com/" target="_blank">My Messings</a></div>
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Jennifer from <a href="http://www.jenniferlaurenvintage.com/">Jennifer Lauren Vintage</a></div>
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Sam from <a href="http://buckinghamroad.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Buckingham Road</a></div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-10057941339328534822013-08-19T17:55:00.000-07:002013-08-26T19:36:51.232-07:00One Pattern Seven Bloggers - Revisited (+Giveaway!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A little over two years ago, 6 fabulous and talented ladies asked me to be part of their One Pattern Seven Bloggers project. <em> </em>I was a sewing newbie, and an avid reader of all their blogs (seriously, if you are not familiar with these you need to do something about that!!) so I was honored to take part. We all made the same Burda pattern and put our own spin on it. Well, we're back with another challenge: Colette Macaron! I LOVE Colette Patterns, so I'm super excited it was the pattern we chose, and I can't wait to see the unique garments my fellow challengers come up with. I am sure they are all going to be fabulous!<br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
Without further adieu, the wonderful sewists joining me are:<br />
<ul>
<li>Marie from <a href="http://www.astitchingodyssey.com/" target="_blank">A Stitching Odyssey</a></li>
<li>Reana Louise from <a href="http://reanalouise.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Reana Louise</a> </li>
<li>Kat from <a href="http://petticoatsandpeplums.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Petticoats and Peplums</a></li>
<li>Jen from <a href="http://www.jenniferlaurenvintage.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer Lauren Vintage</a></li>
<li>Rachel from <a href="http://www.mymessings.com/">My Messings</a></li>
<li>Sam from <a href="http://buckinghamroad.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Buckingham Road</a></li>
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Another
incredibly exciting thing is that this time around we are able to offer
a huge giveaway thanks to a group of amazing sponsors!<br />
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<a href="http://s111.photobucket.com/user/achoj891/media/Random%20junk/PicMonkeyCollage1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo PicMonkeyCollage1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/achoj891/Random%20junk/PicMonkeyCollage1.jpg" /></a>
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<strong><u></u></strong> <strong><u>The Prizes</u></strong><br />
1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to <a href="http://www.colettepatterns.com/" target="_blank">Colette Patterns </a><br />
1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to <a href="http://www.guthrie-ghani.co.uk/" target="_blank">Guthrie & Ghani </a><br />
1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to <a href="http://www.stitch56.com/" target="_blank">Stitch 56 </a><br />
1 x Pattern of your choice thanks to <a href="http://www.sewsquirrel.com.au/" target="_blank">Sew Squirrel </a><br />
1 x Colette Pattern of your choice thanks to <a href="http://www.indiestitches.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Indie Stitches </a><br />
1 x Colette Pattern of your choice thanks to <a href="http://thehabygoddess.blogspot.com.au/p/shop.html" target="_blank">The Haby Goddess </a><br />
1 x $20 gift voucher thanks to <a href="http://www.fabricworm.com/" target="_blank">Fabric Worm </a><br />
1 x $30 gift voucher thanks to <a href="http://shop.afashionablestitch.com/" target="_blank">A Fashionable Stitch </a><br />
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To enter, all you need to do is <b><u>comment on this post before Saturday 31st August</u></b> with your email address!<br />
Make sure you head on over to all of the other participants blogs for up to 7 chances to win!<br />
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<b><u>Terms & Conditions </u></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Prizes will be randomly allocated to each of the 8 winners across all seven blogs. </li>
<li>One entry per blog. You can comment on each of the 7 blogs for 7 chances to win (!). </li>
<li>The winners will be drawn and contacted by email on the 2nd September 2013.</li>
</ul>
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So,
keep an eye out on the blogs of the other ladies over the next day to
see their announcement posts, and remember that you can comment once on
each blog for up to 7 chances to win one of the giveaway prizes.<br />
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Also remember to come back on the 26th of August for Inspiration posts and then on the 2nd of September for the big reveal!
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com91tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-21429705631518830472013-08-03T20:10:00.000-07:002013-08-03T20:10:14.946-07:00SummerSummer is really getting in the way of sewing. I have been crazy busy lately! We just spent four days visiting friends in Kansas City, and then tomorrow I'm off to Chicago for Lollapalooza. I get to see Beach House, Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, The Cure, and Postal Service. I am so freaking excited, you have no idea. It's basically my dream lineup.
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I did sew one thing recently, just a quick little sundress with this strange fabric from an estate sale. I am not 100% thrilled with how this turned out (gapes under the armpits) so I might have to rip some seams out and fix it. I used the same New Look pattern as my Paris dress, but I made the straps longer so I could tie them.
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Is the print...nursery rhymes? There's geese. Fishing. A guy chasing a girl. <br />
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Speaking of sewing, I had entered 4 items in the Wisconsin State Fair. In the "Independent Pattern" category, I entered my beloved Colette Chantilly and I was SURE I would win 1st place. In "Adult Halloween Costume" I turned in Effie Trinket. I really thought that one was a lock as well. Then in "Misses One-Piece Dress", I entered my Flag Day dress. It's not the most exciting thing I've ever sewn, but it's well-made and I thought the judges would appreciate my patriotism. Finally, in "Misses Cocktail or Dinner Dress", I entered my New Years Eve dress, as a total afterthought. It's great fabric, but pretty basic design. I was not confident about either of those.
Well, guess what. I won ribbons for the two that I thought were NOT my strong contenders. I got 3rd place for the cocktail dress and 4th for the misses one-piece dress. I got to see my items displayed today!!
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I was feeling pretty happy about my wins! So I decided to check out the competition. Uh. I seriously hope I don't offend anyone with what I'm going to say, but I'm pretty baffled by the judging. Some things were really great, like this 2nd place winner in Misses One-Piece Dress. Super adorable. I would wear that in a heartbeat.
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The 1st place winner for Cocktail Dress was also super adorable and very much something I would wear.<br />
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But, uh, this one (the white dress) won 1st for Misses One-Piece Dress. It's just a basic bodice with a gathered skirt. Any of us could knock that out in 2 hours. Maybe it's impeccably made? The scoring was 40 points overall presentation, 35 points for construction, and 25 points for materials.
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And this weird patchwork quilting cotton vest won a ribbon for the Independent Pattern category. I am seriously shocked that this is considered better than my lovely Chantilly, which in my opinion, is the prettiest and most well-made thing I've sewn. Boo.
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But then I saw what won Best in Show for the misses fabric garments division.
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I can SEE a pucker on the right sleeve cap. It's maroon wide-wale corduroy. So I feel a little bit better because obviously the style the judges prefer is very different from my style. I don't mean to be a Bitter Betty, and I seriously hope I don't hurt anyone's feelings. I am really happy to win two ribbons. Just a little surprised I didn't do better.
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Okay, I gotta go pick a Lollapalooza dress. I have two muslins done so hopefully I will have a real sewing update soon!
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-11400375293079191132013-07-15T18:29:00.001-07:002013-07-15T18:29:45.500-07:00Bad BloggerWow, I've been a terrible blogger lately. I haven't updated in nearly 3 weeks! Sorry, friends. This summer is CRAZY. I'm invited to 7 weddings (and a few of the corresponding showers), I'm visiting a friend in Kansas City in a couple weekends, then going to Lollapalooza, then to Baltimore for a friend's baby shower. That's in addition to all the usual summer things like festivals and parties. I have not had much time to sew at all.<br />
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I haven't made anything new lately, but I have been updating and fixing a few things. I mentioned in my last post that I was planning on altering a couple vintage dresses. What are your feelings on that? Personally, I am okay with doing alterations that don't take away from the original feel of the dress. I will hem things shorter, or take it in or let it out if it doesn't fit. I'm not talking about hacking 3' off a 1940's dress and making into a mini here, either, just an inch or two to make it more wearable. I recently did a little work on this dress.<br />
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It was a bit too big in the bust, and it had a layer of netting. The netting was torn in places, and it was SUPER scratchy. I get itchy just looking at that. I didn't want to have to wear a slip all the time, so I removed it and finished the waistband with bias tape. I also took it in about an inch on each side.<br />
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I don't feel bad about the alterations, because before I probably would never have worn it, and now I feel like it's a part of my "forever" wardrobe. I will wear it for weddings and parties for years to come. I wore it to a wedding last weekend!
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Another dress I altered had been sitting in storage since about 2008. I've always wanted to wear this, but a turtleneck maxi in a giant bold print? I felt like it was TOO MUCH. I wanted to either shorten it or change the neckline, but year after year I just never got around to it. I finally did a couple weekends ago, which makes me wonder what the hell took me so long, because I have worn it like 6 times since. It's totally one of my new favorites. Here's the neckline before:
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And after alterations. I finished the neckline with purple bias tape, and I made the back super low and scoopy.<br />
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I am so bummed I didn't get any pics wearing it! It's on a bit of a hiatus now because I ran into a personal trainer from my gym while wearing it twice, and I don't want people to think it's the only thing I own. It's pretty memorable.
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I am also in the process of altering two more dresses right now - repairing holes and fixing up a 1930's feedsack dress, and restoring a 1960's cocktail dress I bought on eBay that is in rough shape. It pretty much needs every seam re-done since the chiffon overlay is tearing away from the lining. I've made good progress on it, and I hope to have it finished for an August wedding.
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Also, funny story. I got a new iPhone, and the pictures I was taking with it looked like garbage. Compare the before and after pictures of the maxi dress. The before was taken with the old phone, the after taken with the new phone Why is it so grainy and soft-focus? Um, hi Amy. You have to remove the protective plastic sheet from the back of the phone. Durr.
I had the phone for like a month before I figured that out.<br />
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ANYWAY, I hope everyone is having a lovely summer! I miss you all.
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-79226515614659724442013-06-23T20:32:00.001-07:002013-06-23T20:32:49.735-07:00Another Vintage recreationSo last week, I was browsing on Etsy for vintage dresses that I absolutely do not need, and I fell in love with one. It wasn't my size, or really my style for that matter, but something about it drew me in. I don't normally do psychedelic patterns, or straight skirts, and I definitely don't do crewnecks. It wasn't expensive, per se, but I wasn't really down with shelling out $90 for something that may look horrid on me.<br />
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So instead I paid $15 for a psychedelic curtain panel. I already had a couple similar patterns, so I decided to go with the top from this Simplicity and the skirt from this McCalls.
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I made the McCalls dress two-ish years ago, but I don't think I ever wore it other than for photos. I used some brown and blue plaid, and it was just kind of blah, and I hate collars, and it was a waste of time. The Simplicity pattern was purchased at a farmer's market, and it was one of those things where I was browsing and I didn't actually NEED it, but I bought it to be nice. It's an a'ight dress, just not very exciting. But the bodice was perfect for this particular project.
So, this dress took like 3 hours, and I'm super happy with the result. I underlined it in teal cotton, mostly because the fabric was on the sheer side, but also because I wanted to bring out the teal tones. I think the inside looks pretty sweet. I did Hong Kong seams with a contrasting bias tape, and I did bias tape again for the neckline and armholes. Bias tape 4LYF, yo.
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I had a teal nylon zipper that was the exact right length and color, and while I do not love nylon zippers, it was true to the era. I did a lapped zip just like the inspiration photo.
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I finished in on Wednesday night and wore it to work the next day. It is FINALLY hot here. I don't think this dress would look good with a cardigan (maybe a jacket, but doubtful) so I was happy for it to be hot enough to go without. The best part is, I sat all day and it barely got wrinkled.
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My peony bush is out of control. Seriously, they were half this size last year. A massive storm beat them up a little bit too, so I have about 18 jars full all over my house. Anyway, the dress. If there's anything I'd complain about, I wish the skirt flared out a little bit more. I had to hem several inches off and it lost a little bit of it's shape because of that.
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See? Only a little bit wrinkled! This picture was taken after work too, so I'd been sitting for like 9 hours.<br />
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Is this lighting better? Probably not.
I didn't get much sewing done this weekend since it was hot and gorgeous. Yesterday was Mike's annual birthday tailgate and we had about 30 friends come and drink and grill and go to the Brewers game. Today was hot and sunny again so we hit the beach for the first time this year. The little bit of sewing I did consisted of altering the pink vintage dress I got a couple weeks ago. I know there are a lot of strong opinions about altering vintage, so I think I will do a post about that this week. I'd love to discuss the pros and cons.<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-25042094756155046282013-06-11T09:58:00.000-07:002013-06-11T09:58:45.713-07:00Summer UpdatesSummer is getting busy and there hasn't been as much time for sewing the last couple weeks. We went camping the first weekend in June, and last weekend, we went to a baseball game on Friday, a birthday party in Chicago on Saturday, and Locust St. Fest on Sunday. In addition to that, I joined a gym and have been taking group fitness classes. All of this is cutting significantly into my sewing time. I'm not fretting, though. I have a few projects in the works that I am excited to start.<br />
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First off, let me share a few pictures of me wearing my Flag Day dress! I wore it Sunday to the Locust St Festival and I even did the Beer Run in it. It's 1.8 miles with 4 beer stops. Okay, I walked. I've run it other years, but I didn't want to have to bring clothes to change into, and I didn't want to walk around the rest of the day all sweaty. <br />
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I had around 8 people come up to me and say they liked my dress and asked where I got it. Several people said they would buy it if I sold them. Hmmm. It's tempting, but I know that once I start doing that, it will become an obligation and it won't be fun anymore. I am pretty happy with sewing things just for myself. <br />
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My next project is going to be to recreate this dress I saw for sale on Etsy. It's priced reasonably for a great vintage dress, but it's not my size and I know that I can make myself something similar.<br />
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Cute, hey?! If anyone would like to buy it, I found it <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/120199638/on-sale-vintage-1960s-mod-green-and-blue?ref=usr_faveitems">here</a>. I bought this vintage curtain panel, also on Etsy, for $15. Since I already have a pattern, that's all the dress is costing me.<br />
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I am hoping to start on that this weekend! Oh, I have one more exciting thing to share with you! I decided to enter a few things in the Wisconsin State Fair. They have a Textile & Craft exhibition, and I am entering in four categories. The one I am most excited about is Class 10: Independent Pattern - using an independent pattern company pattern. Rad. It's like that one was made for me. Obviously I am entering my Colette Chantilly. I think I've got this one in the bag. <br />
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I am also entering in Class 6: Adult Full Costume. Hopefully my hard work on Effie Trinket will pay off! <br />
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Thirdly, I am doing Class 12: One Piece Dress. I'm entering the Flag Day dress because it's one of the most nicely-finished dresses I've made, and I think they will appreciate my patriotic spirit! <br />
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Lastly, I submitted an entry for Class 8: Cocktail, Dinner, or Bridesmaid dress. I am not sure what I am going to make yet! I have until July 16th to drop it off at the fair, so that should give me plenty of time to decide.<br />
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I'm off to enjoy the weather. Happy summer, everyone!<br />
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-56107202935774788212013-06-06T16:46:00.000-07:002013-06-06T16:46:30.055-07:00A Flag Day Simplicity 5891Mike and I are having a Flag Day party next Friday, well, really for no other reason than it's been a long time since we've had a party and we're due. We're going to wear patriotic clothing, drink beer, play games, and grill meats. America! Fuck Yeah.<br />
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So, I need a dress. I wanted something with stars, maybe, and definitely stripes, and obviously red white & blue. I ended up finding some cream Swiss dot with a red and blue floral pattern that I fell in love with. It's nowhere near as tacky as I imagined, but hey, now I can wear it on days other than patriotic holidays.<br />
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I used Simplicity 5891, which I have made several times before. I made a <a href="http://sewingthroughthemotions.blogspot.com/2011/04/lacking-sew-spiration.html" target="_blank">wearable muslin</a> back in 2011. Then I made the <a href="http://sewingthroughthemotions.blogspot.com/2011/04/i-hope-everyone-had-wonderful-easter.html" target="_blank">real thing</a> using some sheer white shirting with blue polka dots. The pattern sat idle for a few years before I dug it out to make a collarless version, which became my ill-fated <a href="http://sewingthroughthemotions.blogspot.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-dress.html" target="_blank">Thanksgiving Dress</a>. Then it redeemed itself with another collarless version, this time with the pencil skirt, to be worn to a <a href="http://sewingthroughthemotions.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-christmas-dress.html" target="_blank">Christmas party</a>. <br />
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Despite past problems, I really do like this pattern. The skirt is pretty full, but it uses pleats for fullness instead of gathers. I love me some gathered skirts, but it's nice to change things up a bit. I did things a little bit differently this time. The pattern has a back zip, but I changed it to a side zip. The fabric is pretty thin/sheer, so I wanted as few seams as possible. I also slightly lowered the neckline, both in front and back.
The skirt pieces aren't meant to be cut on the fold, but my fabric was wide enough, so I did. I think a seam running down the front would be pointless and distracting, anyway. I did French seams on my skirt.
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And Hong Kong seams on my bodice. I have a shoebox of packages of double-fold bias tape, so I better start using it.
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Speaking of bias tape, I used it for binding the armholes and neckline. I used a pretty blue and white polka dot tape and it looks adorable and was super easy to do. You know what? Fuck facings. I am never doing them again.
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I even finished my waistband! The fabric was thin and gauzy, so in addition to looking nice and neat, it reinforces the seam.
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It looks just as clean inside out as it does right side in.
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My only flub was the zipper. It looks mostly good, except it pulls away a little where the bodice meets the skirt. I will have to fix that. I think that's because it got too thick due to the bias tape I used to finish the waistband. I should have had it end before the zipper. I did a lapped zipper and I hand-picked the part you can see.
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And here's some shots of the finished dress.
I don't want to wait a whole week to wear it, so it's going to make it's debut at a birthday party this Saturday!<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-9533589296165209292013-06-04T12:02:00.000-07:002013-06-04T12:02:10.398-07:00Me-Made May '13 Final Week and ReflectionsMe-Made May is done! I am so happy I took part this year. It made me really appreciate all my homemade clothing and the effort I put into it. I never ran out of things to wear or got bored with my wardrobe, which is pretty incredible considering I often stare at my closet for upwards of 15 minutes thinking "I hate everything". I'm sure it helped (okay, it helped a ton) that it is warm out and I love summery clothes, and that is primarily what I sew. If you remember, I failed spectacularly at Me-Made March 2011.<br />
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Here's what I wore the final week! Day 27 I wore my old friend the Colette Sencha. This particular blouse is one of my favorite things I've sewn and I think it will be a wardrobe staple for a long time to come. <br />
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Day 28 I wore another Colette pattern, the Chantilly dress. This is my #2 favorite out of the four I've made, and I like that I was able to transition it from winter and tights + cardigan to summery with bare arms and sandals. You can see a little peek of the next day's shirt on my ironing board! <br />
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Day 29 I whipped up another Sewaholic Alma with some vintage fabric from my mother in law. My husband thought this top looked a little childish, but I got a ton of compliments on it and even had someone ask me if I bought it from Anthropologie. It was a quick sew and I will probably make a few more with the different sleeve and neckline variations. <br />
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Day 30 was my least favorite outfit of the week. I used to LOVE this dress, but it fits terribly, and fit is one thing I have gotten MUCH better at. I ended up having to pin the straps shorter mid-day because my boobs were hanging out. It's in the "fix" pile, but truthfully I might never get around to it. The fabric is faded and has some stains, and it's just not very well made. It serves to show how much better I have gotten in the last three years. <br />
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And finally, Day 31 I wore my favorite variation of my Swirl dress project. This dress was a pain to make, but it looks really great, inside and outside. It's definitely one of my summer staples. <br />
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So, what was my favorite garment that I wore? I'm going to have to go with my white eyelet Sewaholic Alma. I have worn this blouse a shameful number of times in the last month. I know it's going to be something that will wear out long before I stop loving it and I'll have to painfully part with it. I can always make another, though!<br />
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Yesterday, even though my pledge was over, I still reached for a homemade dress. I've decided for now to stop buying store-bought clothes, and to only buy vintage or make my own. I mean, there will be obvious exceptions like workout gear and underwear, but I'm going to try really hard to limit what I'm buying new. This month has been really great for me, and I'm excited to continue. Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-46548671492524264932013-05-26T16:57:00.000-07:002013-05-26T16:57:21.747-07:00MMM Week 4 Wrap-UpHome stretch! Only a couple more days left in the month. I know I'm a little late on this post, but I had a really busy weekend with Mike's brother's wedding that I'm just getting around to it now.<br />
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Still loving my homemade clothes, still sucking hard at taking photos. I resorted to selfies this week.<br />
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Day 18, I spent most of the day running around and doing errands, and I wore my chambray Colette Sencha blouse again with pink Gap jeans. Later that night we went to a friend's birthday party and I changed into a non-me made dress.<br />
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Day 19, I was pretty lazy and spent a large portion of the day in pajamas. Later that night, we headed to Chicago to see the Shins play at the Aragon Ballroom. It's a nearly 2-hour drive, so I wanted to wear something that would not wrinkle, and also be cool and floaty since it's always approximately 120 degrees in the Aragon. I wore my blue chain-print Butterick Retro, which I have worn and you have seen a million times, so I didn't take a picture.<br />
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Day 20 was super hot and sunny, so I wore my Bernie Dexter ripoff Paris dress. I love this dress a lot. My version was $170 less than the original! You can also see a peek of the curtains I made in the background. P.S. brand new carpet!!<br />
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On Day 21, I wore my pink and white striped derby dress again. I'd worn it previously this month, but it was my first time wearing it to work!
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Day 22 got chilly, so I wore jeans and blouse that I never blogged about. It's a McCalls pattern from the 70's, and I used my Marc Jacobs bird-print silk that I got at Mood. I'm not 100% happy with it. The elastic waist is too tight, and I did a godawful job hemming it. I will get around to fixing them eventually. The sleeves turned out really sweet and I'm super proud of them. The cuffs look great.
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Day 23 was also cold, and I wore my Simplicity 40's Retro reissue pattern blouse I made when I had the flu, for the first time. I don't know why it took me so long to wear it, but it is cute and I DO like it, I just am not sure that skinny jeans are the best thing to pair it with. I wish I had a navy skirt.
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And finally, Day 24 I was a failure and wore jeans and a tee for the drive up to the wedding, and then a J. Crew dress to the rehearsal dinner.
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Something I was NOT a failure at this week was vintage shopping. I tried to make a dress for the wedding (more on that later) but it was a disaster. I tried on everything in my closet, but I didn't want to wear any of it. Which meant an emergency trip to my old standby, Antiques on 2nd. It's never let me down, and it sure didn't this time either. I first found this dress for $38, which is kind of plain, but I love the shape and the sheer overlay, and I have plenty of accessories to make it more exciting.
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Then I saw this one for $20, and although I'm not 100% sold on the length, it fits great and I can always shorten it. For $20, I couldn't leave it there.
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I ended up finding The Dress, hanging all by it's lonesome, with no price tag. I was super scared I wouldn't be able to afford it, but they offered it to me for $48. Um, YES. Come to me.
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So I wore that one to the wedding. I felt like Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer. It is by far my favorite thing I've ever worn.
Now, onto the last week of MMM! I also still need to blog about my 4th Chantilly, and another Sewaholic Alma that I started on today. Happy Memorial Day!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-26391424946497680092013-05-17T07:18:00.000-07:002013-05-17T07:18:00.761-07:00MMM Week 3 Wrap-UpOtherwise known as, the week that I got tired of taking daily pictures. I tried guys, I really did! One day I took a good picture and accidentally deleted it, but I have no good excuse for the others. Just laziness, I guess. I am still wearing/loving all my homemade items. In FACT, I am thinking that I might be done with store-bought clothes for a while (with the exception of underwear, knits, and jeans) and just make things or buy vintage. <br />
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Day 11 I sewed a white eyelet top and put it right on. It's not really what I would consider a "going-out" top but I really really wanted to wear it anyway. Mike and I went out for Mexican and margaritas, and then met a bunch of friends at a reggae show. <br />
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Day 12 was Mother's Day, and I wore Chantilly #2. Not much more I can say about this other than it's my favorite pattern ever and I have more white eyelet and if my sewing room was not in shambles again I would probably be making a 5th. <br />
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Day 13, I wore the white eyelet blouse again. DON'T JUDGE. No one but Mike saw me wear it twice. On Day 14, I wore a white sailor dress sewn from vintage Simplicity 5891, but I neglected to take a picture. I can't find where I originally blogged about it - I'm guessing sometime in spring 2011? I think this dress would look really cute with a red cardigan (I wore a purple one) so I will be on the hunt for one. It has some issues, which I will probably get around to fixing. The collar comes up too high in the back, the zipper teeth show a little too much for my liking, and you can see the armhole facings through the fabric. <br />
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Day 15 I wore my Michael Miller Bicycle dress. It's Bike to Work Week in Milwaukee and since I can't do that, I wore a dress WITH bikes TO work. That counts, right? This is the day I took a picture and accidentally deleted it. So, sorry for the recycled photo. I really tried. <br />
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Today it is cold and rainy, but I decided to ignore the weather and wear a dress anyway. I'm running out of me-made tops, and I don't know where my jeans are because my whole bedroom is crammed into the hallway (for carpet installation). I never blogged about this dress because it's pretty basic. Also, once I got to work I realized I had it on backwards and I had to go in the bathroom and turn it around. It's a poly remnant from Vogue Fabrics, and I didn't use a pattern. <br />
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I traced this dress, which is probably my most-worn item of clothing. I bought it last year in New York at a store called Necessary Fashion, which was basically Forever 21 but things were actually normal sizes. <br />
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The neckline binding isn't perfect (I didn't have enough fabric to cut it on a true bias), but otherwise I really like this dress. It's comfy and cheerful. So that's it for Week 3, and I will really try to take better pictures next week!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-31408099567762764082013-05-13T10:47:00.000-07:002013-05-13T10:47:06.901-07:00More ChantillyI finished two more Colette Chantilly dresses, bringing my total to 4. The pattern is now safely buried away so that I don't end up making 4 more. This was actually the second one I made (before the navy blue hearts) but I haven't gotten around to blogging about it until now. This one didn't turn out as good as the others, and I am blaming the fabric. It's not as drapey as the others I used so the gathers don't look as nice/even. It was really hard to press, too. It's some mystery synthetic from an estate sale. Not poly. Maybe nylon or acetate? It feels silky and cool to the touch and a little plasticky. In fact, I wore this dress on Mother's Day and dumped flourless chocolate cake all down the front, and it wiped right off with my napkin. It didn't even leave a hint of a stain. Magic!<br />
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It's pretty. It's a little twee for everyday wear but it would make a good baby shower/bridal shower dress. I thought it was basically perfect for Mother's Day. It was a really nice Mother's Day! My parents and sister came over and we had brunch at the restaurant at the end of my street. I had a bloody mary and crab cakes benedict, and it was dreamy. Afterwards, my fam came over and we had cocktails and mischief in my back yard, including taking approximately 1000 photos. It was impossible to get a good picture of us all at once (which I take full responsibility for - my patience for posing for photos is limited to oh, one). Mom's not even looking at the camera and my eyes are closed, but this was honestly the best of the lot. At least my sister looks pretty. <br />
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This one's better but dark.<br />
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I'll do a separate post for the 4th and final Chantilly!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-47776935668710571992013-05-11T15:27:00.002-07:002013-05-11T15:27:42.795-07:00White eyelet AlmaYesterday when I did my Me-Made May wrap-up, I noticed that I tend to wear a full-skirted printed dress with a cardigan nearly every day. Not that it's bad to have a certain silhouette you favor, or anything like that. I just don't want to get into a rut. I woke up this morning and decided to do something about that!
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I made a Sewaholic Alma with the piece of ivory eyelet from February's Magical Estate Sale. I underlined it with some ivory mystery fabric from Bethesda thrift store. I've made a couple Alma's before (one good and one very bad) so I made a couple changes. I added about 2 inches of length to the hem, did bias tape instead of the facings, and significantly lowered the neckline. The original neckline was kind of choking me, and I didn't want to have to draft new facings, so: bias tape. As always, it worked wonderfully. I am thinking I will probably never do another facing again.
This one went together pretty easily. I would say it took 4 hours total. I didn't have a lot of the fabric, so laying out the pieces was really fiddly. The sleeves are not on-grain, but it totally doesn't matter. The only mistake I made was with the lapped zipper. It laps the wrong way. I don't understand why sometimes it is the right way and sometimes it is the wrong way, when I swear I do it the same every time. Hmm.
It's not very nice out today (it's sunny, but cold as shit. I thought I saw a snow flurry this morning.) but I'm wearing it anyway. It's May, I'm wearing what I want, weather be damned.
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I lowered the back neckline a couple inches, too. This is SO easy to do with bias tape. You just pin it where you want your new neckline, sew it in place, and trim the excess. <br />
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I always look the same in photos, so I tried to smize. I still look the same. Sorry, dudes.
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So, Mike always takes my photos for me, and when I was uploading them, I noticed this one. Ha! It was too funny not to share. Thanks, hon. I'm SURE he was just trying to show you how sweet my hand-sewn hem is.<br />
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So there you go, one quick top that is a little bit different than what I normally wear!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-64491418863424947632013-05-10T07:01:00.000-07:002013-05-10T07:01:03.628-07:00MMM Week 2 Wrap-UpThe first full week of Me-Made May is done! I am sticking to my pledge and loving everything I've worn. The only thing I am NOT enjoying are the daily photos. I suck balls and posing and I feel so awkward. And is my bun always so crooked?? Jeez. I need a new pose and a new hairdo.<br />
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On Day 4, I was heading to brunch and a Kentucky Derby party in the daytime, and then dinner and drinks for a friend's birthday in the evening. My BIL is getting married at the end of the month, and my husband was hosting the bachelor party. At 12:30, 10 dudes were descending upon my house to drink beer and grill meats. At noon sharp, I made my exit. I came home twelve hours later to find puke splatters on the toilet bowl, so I think I made the right choice in getting the hell out of there. ANYWAY, I wore my new pink seersucker dress that I blogged about earlier this week.<br />
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On Day 5, I sort of cheated. I went to a Cinco de Mayo party and wanted to wear something Mexican-inspired, but I hadn't sewn anything that worked. So I wore this vintage dress. It IS homemade, just not by me. It was a little chilly that day, so I wore my blue coat. That can count as my me-made item.<br />
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Days 6-10 (aka, the work week) I wore a bunch of dresses you have all seen a million times before. <br />
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<em>Day 6: Butterick Retro 5209 sewn January 2011</em><br />
<em>Day 7: Colette Chantilly sewn March 2013 (recycled photo, I couldn't get my shit together that morning)</em><br />
<em>Day 8: New Look 6457 sewn December 2010 (also a recycled photo. I looked at the one Mike took and immediately went inside and fixed my hair)</em><br />
<em>Day 9: New Look 6723 sewn sometime in Winter 2011</em><br />
<em>Day 10: Sewaholic Alma blouse sewn August 2012</em><br />
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I bet everyone is thinking "girl needs a new cardigan and a new style of dress". Oh wait, that is what I am thinking. Looking at these photos, I am seeing that I basically always make the same style of dress (fitted bodice, gathered skirt) and I could stand to try something with a new silhouette. There are definitely some holes in my wardrobe I need filling. For sure I need more blouses, and dresses with tailored skirts. <br />
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I have a pretty packed weekend ahead, so I'm excited to wear more of my "going out" dresses. I hope everyone else participating in MMM is enjoying it as much as I am!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-57493631100258192052013-05-06T08:34:00.000-07:002013-05-06T08:34:09.373-07:00Vintage Inspiration Dress DONE!I had a super busy weekend, but I still managed to squeeze in some sewing. My scalloped trim arrived from eBay on Friday, so I got up early Saturday to finish my dress in time for the Kentucky Derby. I didn't end up using the floral appliques I bought on eBay. My friend Marylee let me pillage her stash and she had some that were WAY better! I sewed the scalloped trim on by machine, and the floral appliques by hand. I am thrilled with how it turned out. Just like the original! <br />
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Marylee could only find 5 flowers but thought she had more of the same somewhere else, so I just put on 4 and saved room for if another one turns up. I bought buttons too and totally forgot to sew them on! Whoops. I went to a Kentucky Derby party on Saturday and I couldn't decide between these two dresses, so I took a poll on Instagram. <br />
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Pink won! It was SUPER bright out that day and I was squinty in every picture that was in the sun, so sorry for the dark shaded photo. You all know what my face looks like.<br />
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I did wear a hat, but I completely forgot about it when I was taking pictures. It was a vintage 60's fascinator with three huge white silk roses. I originally wore it for my bachelorette party because I felt silly in a veil. I was happy to give it another wear! The derby party was really fun. I missed the actual race due to having early dinner plans, but it was still really nice to get dressed up and have a mint julep and see everyone in their fancy hats and dresses. I love any excuse to dress up! <br />
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I have a wedding that falls during Me-Made May, so I am making a dress! It's going to be a very Betty Draper cupcakey dress. I'm using a Vintage Vogue pattern and this great fabric from an estate sale. It's lined and underlined, so it's slow-going. I did the muslin on Saturday morning and liked how it was turning out, so I cut into my good fabric yesterday. I've almost gotten the bodice assembled. <br />
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I hope to have it done by the end of the week, because I have about a million other things I want to start on! Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-39431709972939800022013-05-03T08:13:00.001-07:002013-05-03T13:56:35.021-07:00Me-Made May '13 Week 1 Wrap-upI'm so happy I decided to do MMM this year! The last time I tried to participate, it was in March, and I totally failed. I made it 5 days before I quit and went back to sweater dreses and leggings. I tend to not care how I look in the winter and default to something warm and cozy. But the second that snow thaws, I am all sundresses, all the time. Coincidentally, that is what I love to sew most, so I have a huge abundance of summer clothes.<br />
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Day one! It was hot and sunny outside, so I decided to take advantage of the weather and start with a dress that doesn't work well with tights or a cardigan. <br />
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<em>Simplicity 5822 from 1964, made by me way back in June 2011 out of cotton eyelet. </em></div>
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Day two! The weather got chilly so I skipped the dresses and went for a blouse with my favorite pink Gap jeans.</div>
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<em>Colette Patterns Sencha from February 2011 (one of my oldest homemade garments still in rotation!), made out of thrifted chambray and vintage white shell buttons. </em><br />
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Day Three! Even colder out, and it's Friday, so I decided to wear another blouse with jeans.</div>
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<em>Another Sencha, from sometime in Summer 2012, this time with the keyhole neckline. Made with rayon challis from Vogue Fabrics and vintage gray shell buttons. </em><br />
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Bonus day! This was from Tuesday when it was 90 degrees out.</div>
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<em>Thrifted vintage dress and cardigan dyed by me.</em></div>
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I didn't actually make anything I'm wearing, but the dress is thrifted vintage that I altered to fit. It was too tight in the waist, so I let out the side seams a bit and two pleats in the skirt, one on either side of the zipper. I have been looking for a yellow cardigan forever with no luck, so I bought a white one and dyed it. It's my ode to Zooey.</div>
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I'm really looking forward to the nice weather in the upcoming week and more sundresses! Plus, a derby party tomorrow!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-5603153170872925932013-04-30T19:56:00.003-07:002013-04-30T19:56:57.321-07:00I'm in!<a href="http://sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/me-made-may13-sign-up-here.html/" target="_blank"><img alt="me-made-may'13" src="http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab120/zozowahine/mmay13logo_zps623f9147.jpg" height="60" width="320" /></a>
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'I, Amy, of Sewing Through the Motions, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. I endeavour to wear only me-made outfits each day for the duration of May 2013, with the occasional vintage dress cheat day'<br />
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In preparation, I moved everything OUT of my closet except homemade stuff! My tally is 20 dresses and 4 blouses, so I totally got this. I'll probably do weekly updates here on the blog, but I'm doing daily updates on Instagram with the tag #OOTD. You can follow me at amychillmer. I'd love to follow you back!<br />
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I'm sort of cheating a little bit with the vintage thing, but I've got so many spring dresses that I've been dying to wear, and if it's a beautiful day, I want to be able to. A lot of them are tailored/repaired by me so that kind of counts, right?<br />
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Happy May, lovelies!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-33878185938591571032013-04-28T05:26:00.002-07:002013-04-28T05:26:44.170-07:00Vintage inspirationThe other day I was browsing eBay for vintage sundresses and came upon this one:
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It was Buy it Now for $25, and I was ready to click that so dang fast when I thought I should probably check the measurements first. Of course, 24" waist.
When I first started sewing, it was because I loved vintage dresses but could never find ones I liked in my size. They're all so tiny. Were people really that much smaller back in the day, or is it because the common sizes are picked over? I'm a solid 8/Medium with a 36" bust and 28" waist and I find maybe, once a year, the perfect vintage dress that fits like it was made for me.
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So, I did the next best thing: bought three yards of pink and white striped seersucker on eBay. For $8, it was an even bigger steal than the dress. I also needed some trims, and my friend Marylee helpfully told me they are called "venice lace", so I got those on eBay too.
I used Butterick Retro 5748 for the bodice, and omitted the back center seam, and instead did a front center seam. The bodice pieces are going to overlap and have a row of buttons. There's still a side zipper, so the buttons will probably not be functional and be just for decoration. I used Colette Chantilly for the skirt. I know I could have just done a dirndl skirt, but I don't care about making an exact copy, and I like how full and swishy the Chantilly skirt is.
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I've done about as much as I can until my trims arrive. The skirt is put together and hemmed. The bodice is completely done. The pattern had you line it, but I didn't feel like doing a lining (I hate doing darts) so I did something I've never done before, which is to use bias binding. I like how it turned out! It was really easy. It will be sewn in place too with the venice lace trim, so I don't even have to worry about tacking it down.
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This pattern has a perfect scoopy back. I will definitely make it again. Probably never with the Butterick 5748 skirt, though, as I had one disaster this year with a circle skirt and that is enough for me.<br />
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As far as the trims, this is the closest I could find. Hopefully they look good in person. Marylee is a trimmings expert and she told me to stay away from polyester or nylon so I did, and these are cotton rayon.
The original:
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My eBay finds:<br />
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So that's about what I was up to this week! Today is my orchestra concert, so I'll get to wear my new black Chantilly cello dress for the first time. I have about a million things still to do today, so I'll sign off with a selfie of my last project. I don't think it's worth a whole blog post, but it is cute and I do like it. Happy Sunday!<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-73790672714782361542013-04-22T13:47:00.000-07:002013-04-22T13:47:44.507-07:00Organizing<br />
Hi friends. Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been really busy lately, and I've been sewing a lot of things that aren't blog-worthy or ready to be written about yet. I've gotten a third (um, and a fourth) Chantilly done, but one is very summery and the other is specifically for my orchestra concert this Sunday, so I was planning on getting some shots of it in action. Besides, there's not much I can say about the pattern that hasn't already been said. I love it, it fits me perfectly, it's super flattering, etc. I had to pack it up and put it away or I'd have a whole closet full of them.<br />
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The other dress I made was just a basic, comfy, rectangle-with-elastic-waist kind of thing. It's cute, but not really deserving of it's own post. I'm doing Me Made May this year, so I need some comfy weekend dresses.<br />
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Mike and I have been doing this massive overhaul of our upstairs, and it is taking FOREVER because we are both so busy all the time. Besides the wood in the hallway/sewing room, we are also getting new carpet in the front and back bedrooms, painting, and buying all new furniture. I got a gorgeous mid-century walnut bedroom set from West Elm and it's being delivered in two weeks, so that has lit a fire under our asses to get everything in order. Our house is really lacking in closet space, and Mike's clothes were all in the sewing room, which was getting annoying for him. So we moved all of our dressy clothes into the sewing room closet, and now our everyday clothes are sharing our bedroom closet. We also bought a beautiful 1960's walnut wardrobe, and after minor injuries actually got it in the house and in use. It's housing pants, sweaters, and spare sheets. Not having a linen closet in the bathroom really blows.<br />
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Part of this huge process has been going through my clothes and sorting them into piles. Keep, Fix, Donate, Resale Shop. I've been being pretty ruthless and getting rid of a lot of things, and now I have a huge store credit to use at my favorite resale shop. I've also been painstakingly tailoring, repairing, hand washing, and ironing all my vintage beauties. I've been trying to tackle three a night. I also have an "undecided" pile, and it's largely homemade things. I made a lot of turds my first year of sewing, and I never wear them, but it seems like such a huge shame to just get rid of them. Some are definitely worth fixing and I will, but others I know I will never wear.<br />
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These are the three first dresses I ever made. None of them fit. I didn't know what a FBA was when I started sewing, so the mustard/brown one smushes my boobs. The blue/pink teardrop one is too big. The western one is just bad all around. I hemmed it with glue! <br />
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The two blue ones will probably go in the Donate pile. The mustard one is a'ight and I've worn it, but it's not my favorite. <br />
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This is the fourth dress I made. The zipper is surprisingly decent, but the waist gathers are atrocious, and I can't wear it without a cardigan because the bodice is so loose. I'm not even sure I like the fabric. This is a donate.<br />
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My first attempt at making myself an orchestra dress is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. I can't move my arms in it, which defeats the purpose, right? Plus this fabric is flammable. No question, trash this one. I took off the zipper first, which was a vintage metal one. <br />
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This is in the resale pile. It looks like a poop. It's chain-print cousin of the same pattern is still one of my favorite things I've made, and it still gets worn regularly. I wore it to work last Wednesday. So in this case, it's not the dress, it's the fabric. See ya! <br />
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I will keep this forever just because it's hilarious. OBVIOUSLY I have never worn it. <br />
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This is a muslin that I ended up finishing. It's a sheet. I mean, obviously it's a sheet. Why am I asking if I should get rid of this? Obviously I should get rid of this. <br />
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Also a sheet. This was my muslin for my Swirl dress project. It totally looks like a sheet, right? I should donate it, right? I'm having trouble letting this one go. I sort of like it. <br />
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I don't think I ever blogged this dress? I couldn't find it in my blogger-uploaded photos. It's probably that New Look bodice I made 300 times when I first started sewing, with the skirt from a Butterick Retro. I still love it, but the zipper is crap and the bodice doesn't fit great. I adore the fabric, which is a lovely vintage crepe. It's definitely in the "Fix" pile. <br />
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Anyone else out there have trouble getting rid of their early homemade garments, even when they're crap and you'll never wear them?Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-82520699501838916232013-04-04T17:23:00.000-07:002013-04-04T17:23:14.242-07:00Chantilly #2I finished my second Colette Chantilly last night and wore it to work today. I could just keep churning these out, for real! I love this dress so much. It's so flattering, and there are no frustrating moments when sewing it. You know, like when you get to a part of the pattern that you absolutely dread, and you have to sort of talk yourself into going forward? For me it's usually doing facings, or when you sew in the lining and then have to turn it right-side out. Yeah, none of those.<br />
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For version 2, I used a poly from Vogue Fabrics. I don't usually like to sew with poly, but this seemed less flammable than most, and the hearts/dots were cute. The pattern envelope says 3 yards of 60", which I call b.s. on, because I got this made up out of 2 yards of 60" fabric with a one-way directional print. Okay, I had an epiphany while sewing this dress. It turned out really beautiful. So did my last dress. What did those have in common? They were made from actual apparel fabrics, from the apparel section. I usually make things out of whatever thrift store sheet, quilting cotton, or mystery estate sale fabric I come across, and the majority of them turn out looking like shit. So maybe I should can it with the thrifted mystery fibers and actually buy real apparel fabric MEANT for apparel? Ha.
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I love the deep scoopy back.
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And it twirls!
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This dress makes me so happy!
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Okay, I feel silly. Stop taking my picture.
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And one last shot for y'all, of the bodice. Look how crisp and pretty my waistband looks! This fabric gathered like a DREAM. It was the best. I think I'll be making a trip to Vogue soon to pick up a few more poly prints.
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And now I need to go hide this pattern away before I make it in 5 other fabrics!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-53699816507489247782013-03-31T17:40:00.000-07:002013-03-31T17:40:37.747-07:00Happy Easter!Easter would not be complete without a trip up to Mike's parents' house to scoop freshly hatched baby chicks! Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="http://s111.photobucket.com/user/achoj891/media/39638616-FAA5-4FBB-954A-328CDABE3939-4281-00000792287314F4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 39638616-FAA5-4FBB-954A-328CDABE3939-4281-00000792287314F4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/achoj891/39638616-FAA5-4FBB-954A-328CDABE3939-4281-00000792287314F4.jpg" /></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8218633955785619491.post-49215660263503477092013-03-26T12:28:00.000-07:002013-03-26T12:28:35.981-07:00Colette Patterns ChantillyHave you ever wanted to make an entire closetful of one pattern? That's how I feel about the Chantilly. I LOVE THIS DRESS. I can't believe the pattern sat unopened in my drawer for an entire year. I was intimidated by the amount of hand-sewing and it just looked really complicated. Well, it's not. Once I got over my irrational fears, it came together easily. <br />
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I made a couple changes, nothing major. The instructions had you gather the bodice and the lining separately, then sew the bodice and lining to the neckline yoke as one. Trying to gather both evenly was really unwieldy, so I pulled out the threads and just did them together, like so:<br />
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Also, instead of using my lining fabric for the inside of the yoke, I used my shell fabric in case any wanted to peek out. I used pale blue pongee, which I like because it's soft and sews well (not slippery!) but doesn't get static cling when you wear it with tights. <br />
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I didn't have any invisible zippers and didn't want to buy one because I have an entire drawer full of zippers, so I did a lapped zipper. The closest color I had was gray, which was fine because I used gray thread throughout, and it's hidden anyway. <br />
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I finished my hem with striped hem tape from the magical estate sale! I think it adds a nice touch. <br />
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The last modification I made was to not topstitch the bodice on the shell fabric (I did on the lining). I am TERRIBLE at topstitiching and I knew I would pretty much ruin it. I cut a size 8, and no, I did not do a muslin. I've made a couple other Colette Patterns before and I've always solidly worn their 8. I think my absolute favorite thing about this dress is that I didn't have to do a full bust adjustment! I think it's the first dress I've ever made without modifications where the bust seam didn't end up cutting squarely across my boobs.<br />
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Here's a few photos of the finished dress! I can tell this dress is going to become a solid addition to my wardrobe, well, because I wore it the day after I made it and remembered to take pictures. <br />
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That one medallion ended up a little unfortunately-placed, no? Whoops. Bullseye!<br />
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I thoroughly enjoyed sewing this dress. There were never any frustrating moments and I absolutely love how it turned out. It's the perfect spring transition dress, and it was just the thing to snap me out of my winter funk. And in true Amy style, I already have another almost done... Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17632943287527470666noreply@blogger.com17