Sewing Through the Motions

Christian Dior Polka Dot Dress

2012-03-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

Admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of Cameron Diaz's style. So I was extra-surprised by how amazing she looks in this Christian Dior during Paris Couture Week. I love the sweet simplicity of the dress, and it would probably do me some good to make a dress that ISN'T floral with a gathered skirt.

I had this photo saved in my inspiration photos, so when I went to Mood a couple weeks ago, polka dots were high on my priority list. I think the Dior dress actually has white squares, but that would be impossible to find and Mood had endless bolts of polka dots in all colors and sizes. I went with this, which is a thick cotton sateen with a little stretch, and I got two yards.

Next step was finding the perfect pattern. I thought maybe if I had a similar pattern, I could adjust it a little bit, but I didn't even have anything close! I had no patterns with boatnecks at ALL, and I only had a couple with short sleeves and they weren't right. The dress has raglan sleeves, and my patterns either had regular or kimono sleeves. I found this one on Etsy for $6. The skirt is all wrong, but I do have several patterns with full darted skirts.

Like a good sewer (who doesn't want to waste $28 worth of fabric), I made a muslin. And good thing I did because yikes, it was bad.

I added two tucks to the front bodice, and they are terrible. They're too close together, so they make the dress pouf out from my chest instead of fitting closely.

And the waist is WAY too small.

I also didn't like the neckline on me. It wasn't boat-y enough, and it felt bulky in the shoulders and just generally frumpy.

Onto Plan B: McCalls 5587, with an adjustment to the neckline.

The pattern is scoop-y, and I wanted it more boat-y. Like a good little sewer, I made another muslin. Since I usually hope, on the off-chance my muslin works out, that it ends up being wearable, I used "real" fabric. This is some thrifted chambray, and I have a ton of it, so I wasn't worried about wasting it.

It's better. It's still frumpy. I think I need to make the neckline a little lower. The bodice fits great, though!

At this point, it's going to end up being nothing like the Christian Dior dress. Now the fabric is wrong, the neckline is different, and I had to eliminate the tucks on the bodice. I'm plunging forward anyway because I still want a polka dot dress.

So far I only have the bodice cut out and the darts done. I hope to make some progress on it tonight!

Recommend me some blogs!

2012-02-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

I subscribe to or follow a ton of blogs, but I'm always looking for more. Google Reader's recommendations are never quite what I am looking for. They tend to recommend a lot of "personal style" blogs with a ton of followers, which aren't too interesting to me, and even if I say "no thanks", it's there again the next time I look. Of course I like to see what others are wearing, and I do subscribe to several personal style ands street style blogs, but I prefer to see what other are creating. What are your favorite knitting and sewing blogs?

Dye Success

2012-02-19T10:19:00.000-08:00

I tried on the sweater, and the difference in color was really obvious. So, in the dye bath it goes! I used RIT Lemon Yellow.

The color difference in the yarn is less noticeable. There's nothing I can do about the texture, though. I washed and dried it and it seems to have improved a little.

I still need a white sweater!

I broke the cardinal rule of knitting

2012-02-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

I ran out of yarn, so I bought more and didn't worry about the dye lot. I thought "How different can it be? It's white". I bought the first two skeins at about two years ago to make a cardigan that never happened. After I made my first sweater, I wanted to start on another while the pattern was still fresh in my mind. The yarn is a cotton/angora blend from a large national company, so I figured I could pick up another skein and there wouldn't be any variation.

Well:

Not only is the color a little yellower, the texture is different. Dare I say cheaper? The part made with the older yarn is so thick, soft, and smooth. The bottom where I used the new skein is spongy, stretchy, and thinner.

The color difference is worse in artificial light. It looks dirty.

I played around with some dye last night and dyed a piece of the old yarn and a piece of the new yarn yellow. Both pieces came out the same color. So that is always an option, even though it won't help the texture difference. But, I'm pretty scared to put a whole sweater in a pot of dye!

So, when they tell you to make sure all your yarn is from the same dye lot, they're not just doing that to get you to buy more yarn!

New York, New York!

2012-02-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

Frontier had a $40 fare sale from Milwaukee to New York, so of course I jumped on the chance! I've been to New York several times before, but not since I started sewing. Obviously, my first stop was the Garment District.

Which of course meant a trip to Mood! I didn't take any pictures inside because I didn't want to look like a tourist, but it is exactly how it looks on Project Runway. Huge, overwhelming, and loaded with bolt after bolt of insanely gorgeous fabric. There was so much to look at, I couldn't even focus! I headed towards the silk prints first, since none of my local stores even have a bolt of 100% silk, let alone an entire section. I went with two yards of this beautiful crinkle chiffon with a tropical bird print. I think it would make a lovely blouse or caftan, but I also recently purchased Colette Patterns' Chantilly dress, which calls for a sheer fabric.

I'm glad I had saved some inspiration photos on my phone, because it helped me focus. I adore this Christian Dior dress worn by Cameron Diaz, so I got some black and white polka dot cotton sateen.

I plan on using this pattern with a slight modification to the neckline and a fuller skirt.

I seriously could have spent ALL day going in fabric stores. Along 39th st, literally every store is a fabric or trimming store. It's amazing. I had to keep it in check because I only brought a carry-on bag, and I also planned on buying a ton of clothes! I would love to make a return trip for the sole purpose of buying fabric.

We also headed to the Brooklyn Flea, which I have seen many other bloggers post about and have always wanted to go. In the summer, it's outside, but for the winter, they move it inside to an old bank. It was really beautiful. It didn't end up being the treasure trove I had hoped for (I didn't see any patterns or fabric, and the vintage clothing was pricey), but I'm still glad I went. I bought one dress from the 40's, and then ate my way through the Flea. I had a delcious pork sandwich, an Earl Gray donut, and homemade raspberry rose saltwater taffy.

Zooey Jacket

2012-02-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Last week, I decided to give it a try and make my version of the jacket I loved so much on Zooey Deschanel. I dug out some doilies from the wedding box in the basement, and the three yards of navy rayon crepe I was mistakenly sent when I ordered black. I knew that would come in handy some day. I don't have many jacket patterns, but this one minus the collar seemed good.

Since my fabric didn't have a wrong side, I marked it with chalk. I've made too many mistakes in the past because of this, and I didn't want to have to rip out stupid mistakes.

Putting the bodice of the jacket together was pretty quick. I eliminated the darts at the waist because I wanted it to be boxy, so all I had to do were the ones at the bust and shoulders. I used some stiff interfacing on the bodice front.

Next up was winging the doily lace collar. I cut out the center and laid it on my jacket. Having a dress form really came in handy for this project.

I pinned the doily in place and trimmed off the excess.

I basted it in place, sewed on my facing, and turned the doily collar to the outside.

I even made doily covered buttons! I painted the silver buttons with tan nail polish first.

And, here's an unflattering photo of me wearing it (seriously, I need to get better at this "posing for photos" thing) with my Jason Wu for Target dress. First in line, baby! I saw a picture of Michelle Obama wearing the same dress today and I got ridiculously giddy.

It's not my best effort. I wish the sleeves were more fitted, and it was less cropped, but it's pretty good for winging it. I have more crepe and more doilies if I should choose to remake it with a different pattern.

I think I just figured out...

2012-02-06T07:46:00.000-08:00

What to do with the 23 doilies left over from my wedding. Now I just have to find a navy jacket or a pattern for one.

I wish I could raid your closet, Zooey.

Pattern Grab Bag

2012-02-05T07:02:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I picked up this pattern grab bag at the American Council of the Blind thrift store, for $4. The bag was sealed, so I could only see the pattern on top, but for $4 I thought I'd take my chances.

They're all pretty 80's-tastic sportswear.

But some could be cute with better fabric and styling? This V-backed top could be kind of sexy, and the square-neck one could look cool with a skirt. Everyone needs a basic tank top, too. Think I'll be staying far, far away from View B, though.

This dress is pretty basic, and it looks like it would be quick and easy to make. I could knock out a few of these for casual summer days. The best part - no zipper. The back buttons!

This is the pattern that was on top, which convinced me that there might be some hidden gems in the grab bag. I would wear all of these blouses. My work's dress code is casual, so I could wear these all summer long with skinny jeans and flats.

This one is pretty hilariously 80's, but I'm drawn to the off the shoulder sweatshirt. I haven't worked much with knits, and it would be a good opportunity to practice with my serger.

There's a couple other good ones, too, that with better fabric could have potential. Not bad for $4!

Butterick Retro 4792

2012-02-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

I know, it's February, but I couldn't resist sewing a summer dress. I recently bought this out-of-print Butterick on Etsy after seeing a few other bloggers make it. I don't really have an occasion or fabric in mind, but it's never a bad idea to make a muslin to see if the dress is going to fit or if it's even going to work on your body. There's no sadder sewing moment than putting on your finished dress and seeing that it looks horrible on you. That's happened to me a couple times and one is still in the "fix" pile and the other has been completely abandoned.

My biggest concern about the dress was the lack of darts on the bodice. There's no shaping at all, really. There's a front center seam, and you artfully scrunch up the neckline along the halter strap. I was right - when I put it on, there were huge gaps under my armpits. I love the neckline and the low back though, so I was determined to make it work. I put it on my dress form (! Best Christmas present!) and pinched the fabric so that it was fitted and pinned it. Then I made sure they were even, and sewed my new darts.

HUGE improvement. It's fitted through the bust now and not gaping at the pits. I marked where I placed the darts on my pattern piece for when I make it again in the future.

Since the bodice was completely done and I had more of the fabric, I just threw on a quick circle skirt and a zipper. I probably do not need one more floral sundress, but oh well. I like the print and it seemed like such a shame to do all that work and have nothing to show for it.

When I make it again in "real" fabric, I will probably eliminate the front center seam since I don't really understand it's purpose. Especially if I use a print, because the seam would break up the pattern too much. I think this one is a success, though, and I can't wait to start looking for the perfect fabric!

A Night at the Speakeasy

2012-01-23T15:24:00.000-08:00

This past Friday, Mike and I went to The Hamilton for their "Night at the Speakeasy". Basically, I wanted an excuse to have fancy cocktails and make a 20's style dress. Look how pretty The Hamilton is:

I Googled some pictures of 20's dresses and scoured my pattern stash for anything with a loose bodice and a tiered skirt. I didn't have any tiered skirt action, but I figured that would be easy enough to create without a pattern. I found two 1960's dress patterns with the type of bodice I was looking for and made a hybrid of the two. Unfortunately there was no time to order fabric, so I had to make do with this poly chiffon from Joanne's, which I underlined in white. I wanted it to still be sheer, but not completely see-through.

Like a good little sewer, I made a muslin first. I used one pattern for the scoop neckline:

And another for the perfect darts.

Not bad! Kind of shapeless, but I figured we'd be in business once I made it in the chiffon and attached the skirt.

Boy, was I wrong. The poly chiffon was HORRIBLE to work with and was shredding like crazy and stiff and not draping nicely. The worst part was, stains kept appearing out of nowhere.

I used bias tape for the armholes for the first time and that turned out nicely. I used a flesh color, and you could not see it through the outside of the garment, so that is good. The real disaster was when I tried to do the skirt. The fabric was shredding like crazy and would not gather and was a bunchy, horrible disaster. I can't even bring myself to show you a photo of it.

So, I turned to Plan B: Buy something on eBay and beg the seller to overnight it to me. I found this stunner with 5 minutes left on the auction, and I scored it for a song! Even with the overnight shipping, it was well within what I was willing to pay.

I have to admit, the whole appeal of this event was getting dressed up. I actually had more fun at the pre-party at my house. I had 5 friends over and we had appetizers and Brandy Old Fashioneds and listened to 20's records on the Victrola.

Here's a slew of photos for your viewing pleasure.

Sittin'. Knittin'.

2012-01-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

Hi! I hope you didn't all forget about me. I've been pretty busy lately and have not had much time to sew. I I've been knitting a lot, actually. Sewing is still my one true love, but knitting feels like a more appropriate winter activity. What's better than sitting on the couch with a blanket and a cat and knitting while watching some Netflix? It feels more social too because I'm not upstairs all by myself.

I finished my sweater and wore it to work last Friday! I am SO glad I ripped it out and started over. I ended up having to go down two needle sizes and make the small instead of the medium. Now, it's the perfect size and there are no mistakes like there were in the first attempt. It fits me really well and it's comfortable and the wool is super soft.

Here's some detail shots. I ended up using a tiny circular needle and knitting the sleeve trim in the round, instead of with straight needles and having to sew up the underarm seam.

In true Amy fashion, I already have another started in a different color. For this one, I am using white cotton yarn that I had from an ill-advised attempt at knitting a cardigan two years ago. I've heard people advise against knitting with cotton because it doesn't hold it's shape as well as wool, but I love cotton. It's the fabric of our lives. I am planning on doing the seed stitch trim in another color, but I haven't decided yet. What do you all think? Gray? Yellow?

Mike and I spent the whole weekend painting our dining room and upstairs bathroom. The dining room was a terrible Army green (you can see the "before" in my sweater photo above) and the bathroom was a stereotypical "bathroom blue". Now they are both the color of my sweater! I think I am in an aqua kind of mood lately.

Have a great Sunday and good luck with all your projects!

It's 2012!

2012-01-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a lovely time last night, and a merry Christmas. I haven't been up to much sewing lately, but I thought I'd share with you my Christmas dress. I stupidly didn't take a before picture, but let me tell you, this thing was hideous. I loved the bright pink silk, but it was huge and frumpy. I chopped off about two feet at the hem, two ugly ruffles around the waist, and then I used the excess fabric to make a waist tie and pockets. I love how it turned out! Not bad for a $2 1980's dress from Value Village.

I've had such a busy month! Sorry for the radio silence, but I have been too busy to sew, and therefore have not had much to post about. I went to Kansas City for a weekend, I did a ton of antique shopping, and Mike and I painted the living room. Before it was a drab cornflower blue (this is not our decor, btw):

And now it's a nice, soft cream. Our living room doesn't have a ton of natural light, so the lighter paint color makes a HUGE difference in terms of light and making the room feel larger. Also, Christmas tree!

I've been doing a lot of knitting lately. We've been out of town several weekends, and it's so easy to bring along and do a row here and there. I completed an infinity scarf and gave it to my sister for Christmas. I used a free pattern from Ravelry, and the yarn is a merino wool blend called Lamb's Pride. I bought it mostly because I liked the name. My cat's name is Lamb, and I like the idea of the lambs being proud of their pretty wool.

I also started a sweater for myself, the St. James knit from Ravelry. I guess my knitting plan is "knit whatever Tasia knits". Ha. I've done two projects in a row after seeing them on her blog. My first attempt was a mess - I had the gauge wrong and it ended up WAY too big. I had SO much done, too. It was so sad to rip it out. Here's what I had before I decided to start over:

It's looking a little crooked in that picture, so maybe it's a good thing I had to tear it out. Now I know what I'm doing and it looks so much better. I switched to a smaller needle size and I am making the small instead of the medium. Here's what I've got so far.

It's a really quick knit. I just started it on Tuesday and I've gotten about a third of it done. I'm using the recommended yarn, which is Cascade 220. It's soft and smooth and not itchy at all.

Here's to 2012 and to a great year of sewing and knitting!

XO
Amy

New Sewing Space! (And an almost-finished dress)

2011-12-04T19:17:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! I took a little hiatus from sewing due to lack of motivation, but I'm back with a shiny new work table and a dress to show for it.

A few weekends ago, my husband and I were driving home from his parents' house and we hit a deer. The car was totaled, which was a huge bummer. It was paid off, and we had just spent a ton of money on repairs, including new brakes and tires. It also had a full tank of gas, natch. The insurance company decided it wasn't worth fixing, so it was time to buy a new car. We test drove five and ended up with a Mitsubishi Outlander. I was less than thrilled at first, but then I realized something - I can start trolling Craigslist for furniture! Our guest bedroom is empty, so my first stop was for this antique dresser and mirror. I replaced the knobs with glass ones and I'm waiting for some handles from eBay to arrive. I hung up a few of my antique undergarments as decoration, too.

Second stop was IKEA, for the Norden table. Guys, this thing is GENIUS. The table top is two huge panels that fold in, so it basically takes up no space.

Check it out. No more laying fabric on the floor to cut it! No more hunching and backaches.

And when I'm done, it goes in a corner and takes up zero space.

I had to test it out, so I started this dress. There's nothing really vintage about it - it's a New Look pattern and cotton sateen fabric from Vogue. It definitely has a retro vibe, though. It's fully lined, and all I have left to do is the hem and the zipper.

Cheers to renewed motivation and a house that's finally coming together!

The Party Dress

2011-11-17T16:57:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before that I don't have a lot of "going out" clothes. Milwaukee is a pretty casual city, and I don't really hit the bars too often. When I do, I usually just wear a casual dress and some heels and call it a night. I came across this fabric at Bargain Center (a Lutheran thrift shop) and it's pretty much a party in fabric form. It's real silk, and I got about 3 yards of it for $8.

I've been wanting to remake Butterick B5209 for a while now, but it uses quite a bit of fabric because it is self-lined and has a full skirt. I had plenty, and I like the juxtaposition of the crazy 80's fabric with the 40's dress. I put it together much easier than last time, but not completely error-free. The fabric doesn't have a "wrong" side, so I sewed a sleeve on backwards. I didn't realize it until I was sewing in the lining, but it was easy enough to rip out and fix.

And boy, did I ever party in it.

Half that beer ended up spilled down the front of it!

I love this dress. It's colorful, it's comfy, it's easy to accessorize, and most of all, it just feels fun to wear. I need more party clothes. If I had more party clothes, I'd try to find more reasons to party! It could be a cycle of awesomeness.

Blogiversary giveaway winner!

2011-11-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

Congrats to comment #7, Alana from Lazy Stitching!!

lazystitching said...

Happy aniversary! My current favourite is a white lace tee I made a couple of weeks ago.

Send me an email to amy.b.chojnacki@gmail.com and I'll send out your patterns! Thanks again to everyone for their lovely comments and for reading my blog.

Amy

I bet you didn't know this

2011-11-07T07:55:00.000-08:00

But I also knit! I learned a few years ago when my friend Ellie's aunt taught me. We go to her house every Tuesday and have dinner and chat, and sometimes work on craft projects. Now that it's cold, we've all been knitting again, so I started on a scarf.

I first saw the Honey Cowl on Tasia's blog and thought that it was gorgeous, and easy enough for me to do. So far, I've only made a few hats! I haven't tried anything more complicated than that.

It took a few tries to get started because my scarf kept getting a twist in it. I ripped it out and started again, but I got another twist! I had to have my friend start it for me since I had no idea what I was doing wrong. I thought I had made sure everything was straight!

Knitting is nice because you can do it sitting in front of the TV, on the bus, talking to a friend, etc. It's totally portable, unlike sewing. As much as I'd like to bring my machine to work and sew during my lunch break, I don't think that will ever happen.

I'm not very far on my scarf yet, but here's what I have so far.

It seems like a lot of sewing bloggers are also getting into knitting. Have you been bitten by the knitting bug?

One Year Blogiversary and Giveway

2011-11-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe I've been sewing/blogging for a year already! It's gone by so quickly. I definitely think blogging about my projects has made me more likely to finish, mostly because I really enjoy the feedback I get from everyone, and I get really excited to share it with everyone.

Some things I learned about sewing:

Never say "I can make that for you!" It'll end up being a chore and you'll put it off and hate it and it's not fun.
If you sew a sleeve on backwards, it's okay. There's no need to have a tantrum and throw it out. Just take it off and fix it! I've definitely gained a lot of patience.
As hard as it is for me to find clothes I love, it's just as hard for me to find fabric I love. Etsy and eBay are my saviors.
You CAN do that super hard Vintage Vogue, if you have the will to do it.

I thought I would do a retrospect of my sewing projects and tell you which of three categories they've fallen into: Wardrobe Staples, Middle of the Road, and Never Saw the Light of Day.

First up, the worthy Wardrobe Staples.

This is my favorite dress, and the most worn.

I've worn this one to death, too.

And this one surprised me by being one of my favorites. I almost gave up on it three times! I'm so glad I finished it because I've worn it at least 15 times.

These are also staples that I love and have worn over and over. I think of these as solid additions to my closet that I will wear for years to come. Not surprisingly, they are mostly all floral sundresses.

These, not so much. Here are some of my greatest failures. None of these have ever left the house.

I look terrible in red, this fabric is so slippery it's impossible to wear a cardigan with, the neckline is sloppy and droopy, and no shoes on the planet look good with it.

This shiny, ill-fitting mess needs to be burned. Ugh. What was I thinking with this polyester nightmare?

This dress caused me to rip the pattern to shreds and throw it in the garbage. It never got finished or worn. What I'm the most sad about is wasting that beautiful piece of vintage rayon. I repurposed the skirt into a bodice of a different dress, so I'll tell you about that once it's finished.

This is the same pattern as my blue chain dress, but fit issues have caused it to be in the reject pile, instead of being a closet staple like it's well-made sister. The neckline is too low, the lining peeks out, and it didn't fit, so I added a panel next to the zipper, which just looks ridiculous. I think this one is worth tearing apart and fixing, so it's on the to-do list.

And, our Middle of the Road entries. Some of these don't get the love they deserve, and some I am just unenthused about.

This one is well-made, took FOREVER to complete, is made of high quality fabric, and fits nicely. Unfortunately, I have only worn it once. It's wintery in print and color, but the slippery fabric and sleeves make it hard to Winterize with a cardigan. I am never really sure what to wear it with, so it sits in my closet unloved.

I thought this would be a good work dress, but unfortunately I can't muster up the enthusiasm to put it on. Is it the drab color?

I think this dress is really beautiful, and it fits really well, but again I am running into the Winterization issue. The fabric almost screams "Christmas" but it's a super slippery rayon that you cannot wear a cardigan with. Also, it's too low-cut for the office but not fun enough for a night out.

I love this dress, but I wore it for NYE. I can't really think of any other place to wear it. Maybe a holiday party?

I wore this once and felt dowdy in it, so it got pushed to the back of the closet and forgotten.

I adore this, and I wore it once poolside on vacation, but I never got the courage to take it public. I wanted to wear it to a music fest but I put it on and felt very naked. I hate to demote it to beachwear, but that's what it might end up as.

This top is adorable and I really wanted to wear it more, but I have this thing against wearing jeans in the summer. I will have to try it with a skirt next year.

So now for the giveaway! I'm so happy to have so many kind readers who are always there for me with an encouraging comment, so I'd like to share two of my vintage patterns with you. All you have to do is leave a comment. Tell me about your favorite project you've ever made, something you'd like to make, or just say hi. I'll announce the winner next week!

Both are size 16, B36.

Update to my fabric drama

2011-10-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

I got an email from Fashionfabricsclub.com today apologizing for the short email and offering to credit my account. The fabric was navy and was posted wrong on their website. So I have a few yards of actual black crepe on their way to me! Yay!

The navy skirt will definitely not go to waste. I found some navy and red cherry-print rayon and I'm just going to cut a new bodice. As for the other 3 yards, I'm not sure! I guess I will just keep it in my stash until the need for navy arises.

So, fashionfabricsclub.com, we are good. Your customer service does not, in fact, suck.

Hey Fashion Fabrics Club - your customer service sucks!

2011-10-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I ordered from fashionfabricsclub.com for the first time. I needed some black crepe, and I don't like synthetic fabrics, and they had a 100% rayon crepe and I thought it was my lucky day! I ordered 4 yards, thinking I could make a new orchestra dress and knock off a couple of those Miu Miu dresses. It came, I liked how it felt, and I set it aside for later.

Two nights ago, I finally got around to using it. The lighting in my sewing room isn't the greatest. My husband was like "is that blue?" and I was all, no, it's black! I cut out a pattern for a skirt and started sewing. After a seam or two, I was like "This IS blue!"

Look, totally blue:

Did I order the right thing? Sure did:

I had used less than a yard for the skirt, and I still had three left. I sent the following email to their customer service:

Hi,

RE: Order 520551

I ordered 4 yards of item #7069 black crepe suiting. I just got around to sewing with it yesterday and after I cut out my pieces and started to sew, I noticed the fabric was NAVY! Not black. I compared it to some black and navy fabric I owned and it's definitely blue. I have three yards (and a useless, half-finished dress) left and I was wondering if I'd be able to send it back in exchange for black? It is definitely not what I was expecting to receive. Thanks! Amy

I got the following lovely one line response:

We are not able to accept fabric back that has already been cut.

Uh, that's not fair! I am not asking for anything for free, I am not asking to exchange fabric I didn't like, I just want to get what I ordered! I think they are being completely unreasonable and there's no excuse for them not exchanging the fabric that they sent me in error. I just want what I paid for.

So now I am stuck with 3 yards of navy crepe. Can I dye it? Does anyone have a dye recommendation? I can safely say I am definitely NOT ordering from fashionfabricsclub.com ever again. What a waste of money.

RunUp to the Runway

2011-10-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

Remember how I was going to turn this:

Into this?

To wear to a runway show my sister was walking in? Yeah, it didn't go so well. I got the skirt done and it looked great. Then I sewed on the bodice, and it was so loose and bunchy and unflattering. So then I took off the bodice, made some more adjustments, sewed it on again, and even though it technically "fits", it still looks saggy and sad. So I abandoned it and quickly made a skirt so that I didn't have to go naked.

I think I have skirt body dismorphia, because I cannot make a skirt fit me to save my life. This thing is tiny. I had to wear it under my boobs to get the dang thing zipped. But then I put on a jacket over it and you couldn't tell anyway.

Alisa in her model hair and makeup. The fashion show was a mix of local designers and students.

Sparkly shoes!

I hope Lori doesn't kill me for posting this picture, but she was in London and bought the Alexander McQueen royal wedding Pippa bridesmaid dress. She was demonstrating how Alexander's expert cut and seaming gives her an ass worthy of royalty.

It was a good night in fashion for Milwaukee!

Butterick 5747, or the "Princess Leia dress"

2011-10-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

Remember this dress?

I think I started it over a month ago, but I kept screwing it up and losing motivation. I finally finished it! I borrowed heavily from the pattern envelope for my fabric choices, and I used a rayon crepe from Trimfabrics.com. It was really hard to find the light brown fabric for the waistband. I originally wanted real suede, but it was really expensive. Ultrasuede looked super cheap to me, so this sat for a good long time until I found some plain brown rayon at Hancock fabrics.

The crepe was a little sheer, so I did French seams throughout. I kept screwing up and sewing them backwards, but in the end it turned out really great so I'm glad I put in the extra effort. It looks neater and more "finished".

The back isn't perfect, but oh well. I used an invisible zipper for the first time in ages, and I had a little trouble getting it in. The back waistband doesn't match up exactly perfectly, but pretty close. The top of the zipper looks kind of bad and I will eventually have to fix it. For now, my hair covers it so I can wear it a few times until I muster up the desire to fix it.

I wore it to work last week! Mike kept calling me Princess Leia. I felt cute in it though and I think it'll become a regular work dress.

I'm impressed with myself for the fact that I 1) made real sleeves 2) they are long enough 3) I can lift my arms.

I just have to try to get my hair as tall as the model's!

Simplicity 8181 Revisted

2011-10-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

My favorite part about being able to sew is looking at your closet and thinking "I have nothing to wear" and then just whipping something up! That happened to me yesterday. I was invited to a party that was sort of a baby shower but mostly a "let's get together one last time before the baby arrives" kind of thing. Husbands were invited, and the only shower game consisted of guzzling wine from a sippy cup.

I literally have no fall dresses that I'm excited about. I started digging through my pattern stash, and came across this:

I've made the sleeveless version twice already, but never the one with the sleeves. I had a very similar fabric in my stash, so it looks almost exactly like the pattern envelope. I'm not really sure how old this fabric is. The width (37") suggests that it's very old, maybe 40's, but the print is so wild and retro, maybe it's 60's. It's rayon and I got it at the antique store for $5.

The sleeves were SO easy. I wonder if I can do all sleeves this way! It had you sew them on flat before the side seam was sewn. Does that make sense? Then you sew the underarm seam and side seam all at once. It was the quickest sleeve I've ever done and NO bunching! It's amazing. It took about 3 hours total.

I got a new zipper foot and I am still working on machine zippers, so it's showing a little more than I would like. Otherwise, it's perfect. It was really quick and I liked it better than hand-sewing, which is what I've always done in the past.

I didn't get the black/white/gray memo so I stand out a little, but I still love it! It's comfy, sassy, and exactly the kind of "easy" dress I love to just throw on. I could even wear it to work with tights and boots.

I can't wait to make another!

All over the place

2011-10-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

That pretty much sums up my sewing of late.

I started this dress nearly a month ago and got everything done but the skirt and lost steam.

The bodice turned out great, and I even did the version with long sleeves! I'm super impressed with the sleeves. They turned out perfect and without puckers for the first time ever. The fabric is a 100% rayon crepe from Trimfabrics.com and it was so wonderful to work with. Soft and drapey and easy to iron, just the way I like it. Um, I borrowed inspiration heavily from the pattern envelope. I even wear my hair like that most days!

I keep having issues with the skirt. Since the seams sort of show through the white fabric, I'm doing French seams. I keep sewing them backwards! I've ripped it out and re-sewed them three times. I've finally got it straight and attached to the bodice. I'm waiting until I hem it to show a picture because the length is looking a little sister-wife at the moment.

I also finished this dress, which was my muslin for McCalls 6511. I was worried the fabric looked a little dated, but Mike assured me I have far more elderly prints in my wardrobe. Heh. I don't know if it's going to become a wardrobe staple, but it's bright and comfy and barely took any effort to complete it since it was almost done anyway. I just added a basic gathered circle skirt.

I also started muslins for my two new 40's patterns. I'm using this ugly rayon I got at a thrift store since it's the same drape and weight as the dress fabric I'm going to be using. They don't look like much at the moment, but I'm making progress!

I am making View 1, and it will eventually be made in this fabric.

I bought a similar sweater on eBay, so I am hoping it looks good with the skirt and my sparkly Miu Miu boots!

I also made a muslin for this McCalls pattern. I wish I had a real dress form so you could see it better. This one is super skinny and boobless!

I'm making it in black rayon crepe, and inspired by this dress, I purchased some gold sequined appliques. I'm bummed I couldn't find lillies of the valley, but I knew that would be an impossible task.

Lastly in the "Miu Miu Knockoff" category, I bought this 80's dress with the intention of making it more like this dress.

So far I have removed the collar, made a seam down the front instead of it wrapping, and reworked the skirt. I detached it, turned it backwards, and used a pattern piece for a fitted skirt to make a slit. It still needs a lot of work (namely, the bodice is WAY too long), but I like the direction it's going.

I'm having a lot of trouble focusing on one project right now and I think it's because I am not excited about fall. It's much more fun to sew a pretty sundress. I hope I can find my motivation and finish some of these or I'm going to have to go naked.

Birthday Dress

2011-09-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

The shoes came! They are even sparklier and more magical in person! I wore them out for my birthday dinner last night, so now would be a good time to tell you about the birthday dress I made.

I have been stalking McCalls 6511 on eBay and Etsy ever since I saw it on Mena's blog. I set an eBay saved search, and I checked Etsy every couple days. Finally, I got an email from eBay. It wasn't my size but not too far off, and only $4.99. Problem was, I was going to be in the middle of the woods with no internet when it ended! So I bid $20 and hoped for the best, and I won it for the starting bid!

I had a piece of fabric in mind, but oddly, this pattern uses a TON of fabric. I was surprised. I think it's because the front of the skirt is gathered. The pattern piece for the skirt front was huge and I was thinking "I must just cut one" but no, it was definitely two. So I moved onto my second choice fabric, this mauve and blue rayon from the antique store.

Putting this dress together was so easy! I didn't even have to look at the instructions. It was a really quick sew and I can't wait to make it again. The pattern was a couple inches off from my measurements, so all I did was trace it onto an old sheet, make a couple adjustments, and use the sheet as my pattern piece. It's not really "proper" grading but it worked.

I used a metal zipper and some white hem lace I already had. Total cost, $5 for the pattern and $7.50 for the fabric. Pretty good deal for what is essentially a vintage 40's dress.

For my birthday dinner, I paired it with my glittery Miu Miu boots (!) and my favorite 60's jacket.

My parents told the server it was my birthday, so they came over with cheesecake and a sombrero!

Then Mike and I came home and had an impromptu dance party with the cat, who didn't have as much fun as we did.

The hem looks like it's hanging lower in the front, but I think that is because there's more fabric and it's heavier than the back. Would a waist-stay fix that?

Gratuitous shoe shots!

I can't wait to make more dresses to go with my awesome birthday shoes!

I Did It.

2011-09-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

I took the plunge. These are arriving in 2-4 days.

I feel shaky and sweaty palmed in a "what did I just do?" kind of way. They have been selling out like crazy and I checked online for the hundredth time this week, and one website had the pink, and only in my size. It's a sign, right? So I did it. My birthday is Thursday and I hope they arrive in time!

And just to prove even more of what a crazyperson I am, I got up early this morning and made a dress to go with them. I sewed a dress to go with shoes I had not yet purchased.

I will for sure post a picture of them together when they arrive, and more about the dress!

To assuage my guilt, I listed 12 vintage patterns and a yard of the leftover fabric on Etsy. You can find them here if you are interested. They are mostly 36 bust and from 1948-1965ish.

My Etsy Sales

I also made a sizable donation to the American Council of the Blind thrift store (clothes and shoes) and listed a pair of Nine West boots on eBay. I feel happy and relieved!

Two projects I forgot to tell you about

2011-09-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

I was a bad blogger in August and made a top and a blouse and didn't post about them. I recently got to wear both, so better late than never, right?

The first is a 1968 minidress made with Simplicity 7689.

I wanted to make it out of this vintage seersucker, but I baaaaarely had enough and it ended up a little shorter than I intended.

I made view 3 which is mini-length and sleeveless. Since it's a simple dress, I did my darnedest to make it the most well-constructed simple sundress ever. I finished my seams:

I skipped the instructions which said to use a grosgrain ribbon for the tie, and instead made my own of out the seersucker. I had to piece together scraps, but you can't tell.

I needed to keep as much length as possible, so I made the tiniest hem ever with the help of some thick hem lace.

I wore it to a BBQ yesterday! It is super short so I have jean shorts on underneath. Don't want to flash anyone if I have to bend over!

I also made a lovely 40's inspired blouse out of some vintage rayon and Collete Patterns' Sencha. I found this blouse half-finished in a drawer. I must've started on it last year and got into a rut and set it aside. It was cut out and the darts were marked. It only took two more hours to complete it, and my buttonholer didn't even act up. My only complaint is in the length - I wish it was an inch or two longer. It comes just to the top of my jeans. I wore it to work last Friday and snapped a picture for you.

I think the 40's vibe is similar to the dresses I posted last week from the Miu Miu Fall 2011 collection. With some encouragement from my Mom ("Get the damn boots! You never splurge on yourself!") I am going to order the glittery boots if I can track down the pink ones in my size. We were meant to be together...

Fall Inspiration

2011-09-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

It's really hard for me to get excited about Fall. The changing colors of the leaves aren't beautiful to me....they're dead. I like fresh green leaves, sunshine on my shoulders, and cotton sundresses. "Crisp" air is downright cold to me, I prefer bare arms to sleeves, and I'm on a never ending search for the perfect brown boots that don't exist. All that, and it's only going to get worse. So needless to say, I'm in a little bit of a funk.

Then I saw these:

Which I am pretty sure are the most amazing shoes that have ever existed in life. I love them so much that I am actually considering (just a tiny bit) splurging on them even though they are $890. I know that sounds insane, but I am so frugal with every other aspect of my life that I have somehow convinced myself that I deserve them.

The shoes led me to the rest of the Miu Miu Fall 2011 collection, which is equally amazing. I could get excited about fall if these were in my closet.

So my focus for this upcoming Fall/Winter is going to be 40's with Miuccia Prada in mind. Hopefully I can make it through until Spring.

Sigh.....

JACKPOT

2011-09-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day, friends! I hope everyone is having a great day off work and enjoying the "last" weekend of summer. Who's grilling? And what time should I be over?

My family rents a cottage in Minocqua, WI and we go up every year for Labor Day weekend. It's a great getaway filled with relaxing by the lake, playing Rummy, eating more chips than you can shake a stick at, and best of all, ANTIQUE STORES. The antique stores up there are amazing. They're huge and packed wall to wall with reasonably priced treasures. I have never left empty-handed. Usually I am looking for vintage dresses and slips, rhinestone jewelry, and Jadeite kitchenware, but this time I realized it could be extra fun since I'm now on the hunt for vintage patterns and fabric.

It did not disappoint:

TWELVE 1940's and 50's patterns all (more or less) my size and for $9.50? Holy crap. I have been looking for a playsuit pattern in my size and for a reasonable price since I started sewing, and right there is two in a bag for less than a dollar each. Holla! My favorite of the bunch though is the tiered Advance pattern in the middle picture. I can't wait to make the version on the left.

I also scored bigtime in the fabric department. I am not sure if the seller didn't know what they had, or just wanted to get rid of it, but I found five huge (like 4 yards each) pieces of vintage rayon marked "silky fabric $7.50". SHUT UP. I look for vintage rayon on eBay and Etsy all the time and damn if it's not $45 for a piece that big. Here's what I got:

I'm sorry I've been such a neglectful blogger! I have so much to tell you all! I hit 100 followers (107, to be exact!) so I am definitely planning on having a giveaway. I also made a dress and a blouse I shamefully did not post about, so I will have updates on those soon.

Have a great Labor Day!

Finally, some sewing!

2011-08-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

It's cooled off outside and it's finally not 85 degrees in my sewing room! So tonight I did some more work on the bodice of McCalls M6331. Last time I had some trouble sewing in the cup, but it went much better today. It turned out perfectly even with the bodice front piece.

Getting the cup in the opening without any puckers was really difficult! It's like sewing a princess seam, but on a much smaller scale. I had to use a ton of pins and sew very slowly. Pressing was a bit difficult, too. It was one of those times where a tailors ham definitely would have come in handy. The bodice front is done and looking pretty good, if you ask me.

All that was left was to sew the bodice side pieces on:

And see if it fits. You know, I am thinking this is not the pattern for me. Even though there are pieces for a D-cup, this is definitely designed for a lady whose cups don't runneth over. The piece that's between the cups should be flush with your breastbone, but it stuck out a good two inches from my body.

Aside from the cups not fitting right, there was some weird bunching going on underneath. I don't think it looks terribly bad though and could probably be fixed. The big probem is the side view, which is hilarious. Pointy boobs! While I love Madonna, I don't necessarily want to evoke her Blond Ambition tour.

So, I think this one is going firmly in the "no" pile.

All quiet on the sewing front

2011-08-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hi, friends! I didn't mean to take such a long hiatus, but summer is getting in the way. There's too many things to do outdoors, and also, it's about 85 degrees in my sewing room. No A/C in this house, baby! So I've been spending as little time inside as possible.

In the absence of sewing, I have done the following things:

1) Ran a 10K. My friend Leah and I did the inaugural Summerfest Rock & Sole 10K on a blisteringly hot July day. The race course was amazing and went over a very famous (and long) bridge in Milwaukee. The problem? It was 85 degrees at 8 a.m. and every water station ran out of water. The planning was kind of a mess and a lot of people got sick or hurt. I am glad I did it though, it's a nice personal accomplishment.

2) I'm on a boat, yeah! Mike and I went on a University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point alumni boat cruise. It cruises up and down the Milwaukee river and stops at three brewpubs. Rock Bottom Brewery (yes, I know it's a chain) was my favorite because they had a delicious fruity beer called Jazzberry, and a couple that weren't using their drink tokens gave us theirs. Score!

3) Bastille Days! Leah and I did the Storming of the Bastille 5K on Thursday night, then Mike and I went back on Sunday to check out all the vendors. We ate brie on a baguette and I bought a pretty sundress and we took pictures in front of a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

4) More running! Leah and I did the German Fest 5K in tacky Halloween costume dirndls. Boy, was that a hot sweaty dirndl, but it was so much fun. Strangers stopped to take our picture!

5) Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em! Yeah, that's right, we saw MC Hammer at the Wisconsin State Fair. $15 well spent, let me tell you. I had so much fun, and Hammer is one of those singers where you think you don't know any of their songs, but you know them all. I was singing at the top of my lungs to everything.

6) Eating corn dogs. Yeah, I've had two of these babies at the State Fair so far. Going back for another next weekend!

Even with all that running, eating, and drinking, I did manage to sneak in a few minutes of a new project in between heatwaves. It's the second variation of McCalls M6331.

Normally I wouldn't dream of wearing a bustier dress, but it comes in cup sizes, so I thought I'd knock out a muslin and see if it could work for me. I got a good portion of the bodice done, but I got a little frustrated on the cups. There is a LOT of ease to work in and I got a couple puckers.

I ended up off by about 1/2" on the inside of the cup. But so far, it is fitting well and seems like it might work on my body. I might end up sewing in bra cups because it would be pretty impossible to wear a bra with this thing.

That's all for now! It's supposed to cool down this week, so if my sewing room gets to a bearable temperature, I might get back in there and finish this. Have a great week!

McCalls M6331 Redux

2011-07-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

If this bodice looks familiar, it's because it's the same one as my McCalls romper. It was so easy to put together, I wanted to make it in dress form. I wasn't a fan of the pieced, scalloped skirt, so I ditched it altogether and just drafted my own.

I used my 3 yards of vintage seersucker from eBay, and it turned out to be just the perfect amount. I didn't self-line the bodice per the instructions, instead I used soft cotton broadcloth from Joann's, leftover from a previous project. I only used the fashion fabric for the folded bust detail.

Unfortunately, I noticed Sharpie scribbles all over the fabric as I was doing the back darts. Of COURSE this was not listed in the auction details so I did not know about it and therefore did not cut around it I am having really bad luck lately with things arriving stained/in worse condition than described. I didn't have enough fabric left to cut another piece, so I had to use it. It's on the bodice back along the zipper and hopefully not noticeable.

It took about three hours to complete. It was a really quick sew! I immediately took it out on the town to Summerfest.

Enjoying my two favorite things in life, ice cream and beer.

At Michelle Branch.

Sorriest metalhead ever. Ha. I told you I couldn't pull off "rock". I like listening to it, but definitely not dressing like it.

The best part was, as I was waiting for Mike to take the picture, a guy yelled "My wife loves your dress!" It's always feels good to get compliments from strangers on things I made.

More from Colorado

2011-07-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

I hope you don't mind if I take a break from sewing and share some photos from my trip to Colorado! It was so beautiful there. I feel like it would be hard to get anything done if I lived there because I'd always want to be outside or hiking or sightseeing.

We had some time to kill the morning before the wedding, so we went to the Air Force Academy. It was right across the freeway from our hotel. They have a guided tour, but we decided to skip it and just wander around on our own. The main attraction is a church and I was kind of skeptical, like how cool can a church really be? But it was gorgeous!

Check out the inside. What looks like solar panels from the outside are actually hundreds of colored glass blocks.

We talked to a girl at the gift shop who said that she got to have her wedding there because her husband was a student. Can you imagine? It would make for the prettiest wedding pictures ever.

There were lots of bronze renderings of planes and pilots, and an actual plane, which gave us the opportunity to act like dorks. Do I make a good pilot?

Lots of running around with our arms out pretending to be an airplane ensued.

The wedding reception was on a cattle ranch, and I think it was the prettiest setting for a reception ever. Dinner was served in a log cabin with a fireplace, and it had big wooden doors that opened so that you were basically outside. The rest of the ranch was decked out with wood burning fireplaces, huge swings, a little river, and sleepy cattle.

Sleepy steers!

This picture reminds me of a Disaronno ad, but it shows how rustic and pretty the ranch was.

Saturday we stayed in Colorado Springs during the day and went to Garden of the Gods. It's a red rock formation/hiking trail/mountain climbing attraction. I sort of assumed we would just be walking around on a paved path, so I wore a dress. We ended up doing some actual climbing on rocks and walking through dirt paths, so I looked a little silly.

My appropriately-dressed friends got to have all the fun.

Sunday we were in Denver, and we spent the morning walking around downtown and at the Molly Brown Museum. We had to take the obligatory "one mile above sea level" picture at the Capitol.

Then we walked to this Coliseum-type place that I have no idea what it was used for, but was super cool. There was a stage and seating all around. We went up on the stage and I'm pretty sure the "wings" are just a big public urinal. It smelled so bad. So we got out of there and went to the Molly Brown Museum.

If you don't know who Molly Brown was, she was a woman who fought for equality and actually ran for Senate three times before women could even vote. She also founded Denver's humane society. Most people would probably be more familiar with Kathy Bates' portrayal of her in Titanic. I'm sort of Titanic-obsessed, so it was cool to see her house and touch her things. Our tour guide said she initially refused to get on a life boat, opting to help others instead. She said "I fight for equality on land, so I will practice equality at sea". She eventually got on a lifeboat and shared her clothing with women who were cold, and told stories to keep their spirits up.

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so we just snapped a couple of the house.

I'll wrap it up with one last picture. Denver really knew how to take it up a notch for Independence Day.

I started a sewing project last night that I hope to finish tonight! I'll have an update soon. Until then, happy sewing!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July!

I spent this past weekend in Colorado for my friend Sara's wedding. She moved to Colorado Springs about 5 years ago, and this is the second time I've been out to visit. It's so beautiful there. There is nothing quite like opening the blinds on your hotel room and seeing snow-capped mountain peaks. And pink roads! The gravel and concrete everywhere had a terra cotta hue thanks to the abundance of red rock.

I didn't end up wearing the dress I made for the wedding, to the wedding. I heard that it was on a cattle ranch, so I was like "Oh perfect, I'll make a blue eyelet dress". After talking to the bride and groom, I realized it was a little more formal than I was expecting. I packed it anyway, but after seeing my friends' dresses, I ended up wearing a mint green silk dress I had previously bought and worn to a wedding a few years ago.

Other than that, I packed all my homemade favorites! This dress actually got worn twice (carry-on luggage is oppressively small), once to the Air Force Academy for a few hours, and then again to walk around downtown Denver and go to the Molly Brown Museum. I added the snakeskin belt to make it feel less beachy and a little more "city".

Speaking of packing poorly, this is what I wore the day we went hiking. It was incredibly hot that day, so I was comfortable but definitely looked a little bizarre compared to everyone else in shorts and hiking boots.

I even climbed in it!

My McCalls romper got plenty of play, too. I didn't think to bring a swimsuit, because mostly hotel pools are small and indoors and full of kids. Not the Denver Sheraton! It was a huge pool on the roof with a bar and cabanas. I didn't want to miss out on the pool fun, so I donned my romper and waded.

My husband told me to romp around and since I'm terrible at posing, that means more jumping photos.

Lastly, I wore my eyelet dress intended for the wedding out to dinner our last night. I was having one of those nights where I felt blah and uncute and like something was missing from my outfit, but it must've just been a fit of self-consciousness because I think it looked adorable in pictures. I'm never going to be able to pull off sassy or urban like my friends do. I like girly poufy dresses and I think they work for me, so I might as well embrace it.

My 10K is on Sunday, so I am going to be pretty busy this week with training and all that fun stuff. So there probably won't be any sewing updates unless I get a burst of inspiration tomorrow. I did get a beautiful piece of fabric in the mail from eBay today that's dying to be made into a sundress!

Finally, Some Sewing!

2011-06-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

I didn't mean to take a two-week hiatus! Summer just gets crazy, you know? Last weekend I went camping, then I had plans on Tuesday and Wednesday, so there just wasn't any time to sew. Last night I had a couple hours, so I put together almost a whole dress.

My friend Sara is getting married in Colorado next Friday, and I have nothing to wear. It's casual-ish and the bride is going to be in cowboy boots. I first bought this dress, which everyone hated.

Okay, so the boots look terrible. But I like the dress! I felt like a daffodil in it, and they are my FAVORITE flower. Plus, isn't the skirt nice and flirty? Apparently the cape is "ridiculous" and "too costumey". Boo!

Then I bought this dress from Etsy.

It's gorgeous, but HUGE. I don't know if the measurements listed were wrong or what, but it seemed like it was going to be my size and it was four inches too big all over.

I don't really want to wear something I've already worn (it feels less special) so I made something! I used Simplicity 5822 and made the sleeveless full-skirt version on the bottom left.

It only took three hours to put together, and I didn't even have to look at the instructions. It was a really easy dress. It still needs a zipper, a hem, and buttons, but I am saving that for Tuesday when I'm going to a friend's house to do crafty things.

Mike wasn't home to take a picture of it on me, so picture it with a tulle petticoat and a pair of retro heels. Should I wear a bow in my hair like the model?

It was a super easy pattern, and I'll definitely make it again in a different fabric. Have a great weekend!

Rompin' in my Repurpose

2011-06-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

My McCalls romper is done! I finished the zipper and hand sewing last night. I LOVE it.

It even looks good inside out!

It was 91 degrees when I got home from work today, so I had the perfect excuse to throw it on and romp around. I'm really proud of this project. It fits amazingly well, and I'm so happy I gave new life to a piece of fabric I regretted ruining. It's super short, but I am generally not self-conscious and will wear anything, so I'm hoping I can take this little number out in public a couple times. I'm thinking a music fest on a hot day or maybe a summer bbq or just a day of relaxing in the yard.

Still Repurposing: McCalls M6331

2011-06-06T18:05:00.000-07:00

I am still hard at work on my McCalls romper repurposed from an ugly Burda dress. I did a few more hours of work on it last night, and now I have basically everything done but the finicky stuff - attaching the bodice to the shorts, hem, zipper.

I couldn't find lining in the right color of purple, so I used this Robert Kaufman Kona cotton in Lagoon. It was $5.99/yard and I only needed one. I've never used Robert Kaufman fabric before and I am definitely going to be using it again. It's so sturdy and thick and irons like a dream. It's vastly better than Joann's Symphony broadcloth and only $2 more/yard.

I mentioned in my last post that the bodice is self-lined, meaning that you cut 4 of each bodice piece out of your main fabric and use two of the pieces as lining. Truthfully, I don't really ever see the point to that, especially if your fabric is a print on a light background where it would possibly show through. I usually just use a contrasting cotton. In this case, there is a piece of the lining that folds over and is visible on the outside. To remedy that, I cut just the bodice points out of some scraps of my seersucker and pieced it together with the lining.

Then I placed my pattern piece on top just to make sure it was perfect, and just trimmed off a little excess.

Here's what it looks like from the inside:

And outside. Pretty, hey?

Lastly, I made the lining for the shorts.

Shorts are done! I even have the left leg bias-taped and ready to be hemmed. Then I ran out of purple thread. I'm hoping to have everything finished tonight save for the zipper and hemming the legs.

In the spirit of repurposing, I also gave a makeover to a little dresser I found in the alley. It was sad and scuffed and needed some love.

And after! A few coats of paint and some new knobs and my sewing desk has a mate. I'm going to put all my fabric in it, which is currently precariously piled on a wire rack.

Happy Repurposing!

Make & Mend 2011: Repurposing

2011-06-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

Three-ish years ago, I made this ugly dress from a Burda pattern. There were no instructions, so my friends Ellie, Jess, and I decided to wing it and put it together as best as we could. In addition to no instructions, there were no sizes or seam allowances! But it was free, so I guess I can't complain. The resulting dress was obscenely short, too high-waisted, and poorly constructed. I didn't even hem the facing edges? I just left them all raw and frayed.

The saddest part of that dress was the wasted piece of vintage seersucker. Oh, the gorgeous dress I could make with that now! I check eBay and Etsy frequently for vintage seersucker and have only ever found one piece with enough yardage, that was affordable. What a waste!

Since I didn't have a lot of fabric to work with, I picked this McCalls romper pattern and I'm hoping the finished project looks like a vintage bathing suit.

I made my muslin out of a sheet, and it's wearable. I lined it and did a zipper and everything. I somehow sewed the lining for the shorts in backwards? Not sure how that happened, but it didn't seem to affect the fit too much. The shorts fit great, but the top is a little loose. I just need to make minor adjustments to the side and back bodice seams.

Sorry for the self-portraits, Mike was busy and I didn't want to bother him.

I barely had enough fabric. It took me almost an hour to figure out how I was going to cut everything. The bodice is self-lined and says "cut 4" but that was no way that was happening. So I cut out just the foldover bust detail and will piece it together with the lining fabric. From the outside, you won't even be able to tell.

I put together the entire bodice and shorts tonight, but that's as far as I got. I need to run to the store and pick up some purple cotton for my lining.

I'm going to Chicago for the weekend, so no sewing for me until Sunday. Have a great weekend and good luck with all your projects!

One Pattern, Seven Bloggers: Finished!

2011-06-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

Six weeks ago, six bloggers and I set out to make this Burdastyle dress and put our own personal spin on it. Muslins have been made, fabric has been selected, tutorials have been done, and now it's time for the big reveal!
My inspiration for my dress was a winter-turning-to-spring, simpler times kind of thing, and I think I acheived that. I love how it turned out. It's the perfect summer dress for hanging out in the yard and grilling. The best part is, it only cost $10 to make! $5 for the pattern, $2 for the fabric, and $3 for the eyelet ruffle around the bottom.

The bodice ended up a little loose on top, but I'm okay with that. You don't want something clinging to your flesh on a hot summer day.

Obligatory photo with a surly orange cat!

The entire dress is lined in comfy cotton muslin and it feels really good to wear. It's so soft. The great thing about this pattern is that it's really a blank canvas. You can dress it up or dress it down depending on the fabric and embellishments. When I make it again (and you know I will, I'm all about sewing multiples) I want to use a dressier fabric for going out. The only changes I made to the original pattern were adding a full lining and making the neckline higher. The original neckline was REALLY low. Like obscene-style on me. I raised it about 1.5".

There isn't a pattern piece for the skirt - the instructions just say to gather a rectangle of fabric. I took some liberties and used four yards of fabric in that skirt! It was about an inch thick when I was sewing through the gathers. I used my serger to attach the ruffle which ended up being a huge time saver. No hemming! Hemming that much skirt would have taken me hours.

The rest of the ladies already have their big reveals posted, so make sure you stop by their blogs to see!

Sam: http://hand-quilter.blogspot.com/
Marie: http://asewingodyssey.blogspot.com/
Reana Louise: http://curvespatternsandpins.blogspot.com/
Kat: http://petticoatsandpeplums.blogspot.com/
Jen: http://the-paperdoll.blogspot.com/
Rachel: http://mymessings.blogspot.com/

Make & Mend 2011

2011-05-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

My fabric stash is steadily growing, as is my pile of unfinished items, so when Shelley announced this sew along, I was immediately on board. My husband has been making snide comments about the amount of fabric I've been bringing home from thrift stores, and even though I feel like I'm sewing something every week, the pile is getting out of control! I also realized that I have half a dozen unfinished projects that I either am too lazy to fix or have given up on.

I need to fix the zipper on one of my favorite homemade dresses. It came unraveled and I've been wearing it with safety pin holding it up.

I also started taking apart this vintage skirt with the intention of making the waistband a little bigger. It's kind of snug on me, so I thought I could cut a new waistband since there's about 6" of fabric in the hem. But, then I have to re-hem it. And my button holer sucks. So it sits, in unwearable condition.

This skirt is completely done except for the zipper, but I don't have one in the correct size and color.

This skirt is completely finished, zipper and all, but I got cocky while making it and never tried it on along the way. It's a good 2" too small in the waist. I've been toying with just giving it away...but I like it, and I have extra fabric, so I should just make a dang new waistband.

Finally, remember this guy? All that's left is one measly sleeve! I even have the facing already sewn on. I've just lost interest.

For my re-purpose, I was thinking of cutting this dress apart. It's Burda's Coffee Date Dress, and one of the first things I made when I took up sewing again. It's so poorly made, too short, and too high-waisted. I've always been sad about ruining that amazing piece of vintage seersucker, so I think it's time to give it a new life.

I've got the scraps saved, so I'm hoping I can eke out enough fabric to make this pattern. I've got the muslin started!

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T14:27:00.001-07:00

Well, That Went Fast!

2011-05-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it was already a year ago that Mike and I got married. Yesterday my sister asked if it's true that the first year of marriage is the hardest, and I said no! It wasn't hard at all, it was amazing. We have so much fun together and every day gets better and better. Happy Anniversary, Mike!

One Pattern, Seven Bloggers: Lining a Bodice

2011-05-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

I dislike doing facings. How about you? I find them to be very tedious. Iron on the interfacing, fold the long edge under and topstitch, sew it to the neckline/armholes, clip the curves, pin the facing back away from the bodice, understitch, iron again, and then hand tack the long edge to the bodice. Whew! You know what takes just about the same amount of steps but looks a million times nicer? A lining. I substitute a lining for facings whenever possible.

This dress was a little tricky in that it had a side zipper instead of a back zipper. It's harder, but not impossible! For reference, I consulted a bathing suit pattern I previously sewed.

I must've been in the zone while working on my dress, because I forgot to take pictures of some of the steps! Luckily I have the photos from my muslin.

The first step is to prepare the lining in the same manner as the outer bodice.

Sew your bodice pieces back to front at ONE side seam, and do the same for the lining.

Pin right sides together, matching seams and raw edges. Press under the shoulder edges of your lining 5/8".

Sew all the way around the bodice starting at the open side seam, leaving shoulders open. Turn inside right and press. Your shoulder seams should be unsewn and look like this.

Sew shoulder seams straight across, as close to the lining as possible without catching it in the threads. Tuck the raw edges inside the lining.

Slipstitch lining opening shut.

You now have a bodice that's as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside!

Don't forget to check out what the other ladies are sewing, and stay tuned next week for our big reveal.

Sam: http://hand-quilter.blogspot.com/
Marie: http://asewingodyssey.blogspot.com/
Reana Louise: http://curvespatternsandpins.blogspot.com/
Kat: http://petticoatsandpeplums.blogspot.com/
Jen: http://the-paperdoll.blogspot.com/
Rachel: http://mymessings.blogspot.com/

Weekend Finds

2011-05-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday, everyone! We finally had a gorgeous day in Milwaukee and I spent the entire afternoon outside enjoying it. Mike and I grilled and had a picnic, and I wore my pear dress! I also got to take another one of my Simplicity wrap dresses out on the town last night, in Chicago at a friend's party.

Kim and I making raspberry lambic floats

Stretching out my jimmy leg (I had run a 5K that morning)

So there is some proof I do wear the things I make!

Thursday I got to skip work and go to a Sales & Use Tax seminar (I know you are all jealous) which ended at 3:45, so I stopped at the antique store I never get to go to since it closes at 5:00. I didn't find any fabric or patterns, so I hit my favorite thrift store, Bethesda. I got a pretty good haul there! The bandanna print cotton is not vintage, but I thought it would make a cute skirt. The three floral prints seem to be, judging by how skinny they are. I love sewing with vintage materials, but those 35" and 43" widths can be a little tricky for pattern placement. Luckily, there's quite a few yards of all of these.

On Friday, I hit up a church rummage sale during lunch. Those are usually pretty fruitful, but this one wasn't that great and mostly had children's clothes. I only found a bag of Christmas ornaments and two patterns.

In non-thrifted sewing news, my Simplicity 6341 arrived! Luckily it is cut so I can save myself the guilt of doing it myself. Also, the previous owner had shortened the pattern (with pins, not cut) and it was the perfect length. So, thanks for saving me the trouble! I also won this amazing Simplicity pattern and fabric from Marie in her Blogiversary Giveaway. I'm planning on making the view on the right.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Patterns I'm Currently Coveting

2011-05-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

1940's Simplicity found here. Has there ever been a prettier sundress pattern? No, I don't think so. If only it were my size!

Simplicity Navy inspired playsuit found here. SO cute, but honestly, where would I wear this?

1950's Butterick Playsuit/Dress pattern found here. I think this might be the prettiest pattern I've ever seen, and I really want a playsuit/skirt combo, but the instructions are missing. Better leave something like that to a talented sewer like Peter!

1940's one shoulder dress pattern found here. Isn't this amazing?! Alas, it's tiny.

Happy Friday!

Swirl Wrap Dress Project

2011-05-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

I've been a very busy sewer lately! In addition to the One Pattern, Seven Bloggers project, I've churned out four of my knockoff Swirl dresses using Simplicity 4986.

I think this is my favorite pattern I've ever sewn. It's so easy and quick and the best part - no zippers! The only closure is the one wrap tie. I stopped at four because at the rate I was going, my entire closet was going to be only this dress. Here's a rundown of my finished dresses.

Fabric: Thrifted sheet from Salvation Army, $2. This is the first one I made and I didn't do a muslin, so it was slow-going and a learning process for me. It turned out a little bit big, and I don't love how high the neckline comes up. Also, for the tie strap, it had you hem the edges. Unless you tie it perfectly, you can see the wrong side of the fabric. Even with it's minor issues, t's cute and I can see myself wearing it a lot this summer. I already wore it once to work.

Fabric: Thrifted curtain panel from Bethesda Thrift Shop, $1.99. This is my favorite of the bunch. It fits the best, and I LOVE the fabric. Yes, it's a curtain, but you would think it was just regular old eyelet fabric if I hadn't told you that. I love the buttercream color, too. I've already worn this one three times! I didn't have enough fabric, so I left out the pockets and and the skirt is not as full as it should be. I also slightly lowered the neckline and hemmed it shorter.

Fabric: Tropical print cotton from my friend MaryLee's stash, $0. This one is Mike's least favorite because he thinks the color is drab. It sort of is, but my entire closet is like Joseph's Technicolor Dreamcoat. I thought it would be beneficial to have something neutral for a change. I had TONS of this fabric, so the skirt is full like whoa. I wore it to work yesterday with a bright green necklace and orange flats.

Fabric: Vintage pear print cotton from eBay, $25. And for my piece de resistance, I used an expensive (for me) piece of vintage cotton I bought on eBay. When I started this project, this was the fabric I initially had in mind as it's the most Swirl-esque of any fabrics I own, but I was waiting to cut until I worked out every kink of the pattern. I had three yards, but it was skinny - 35". I didn't want to sacrifice pockets or skirt fullness, so instead I used plain white cotton for the facings and made the skirt as short as I possibly could. I normally like to do a deep hem, but I kept this one to under an inch.

Next up for my Swirl project, I take on Simplicity 6341 with this butterfly print cotton from the antique store!

One Pattern, Seven Bloggers: The Fabric

2011-05-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

I feel like it took me forever to find my fabric for this project, but I finally found three yards of vintage calico! Bethesda Thrift Store came to my rescue with this pretty piece of cotton for $1.99. I also picked up some eyelet curtains from the antique store for $3, which I am going to use to make a petticoat to peek out of the bottom of the dress. It fits with my summer/country theme, and I hope to wear it on my trip to Colorado next month.

The other bloggers are working on their muslins and fitting this week, so be sure to check them out!

Sam: http://hand-quilter.blogspot.com/
Marie: http://asewingodyssey.blogspot.com/
Reana Louise: http://curvespatternsandpins.blogspot.com/
Kat: http://petticoatsandpeplums.blogspot.com/
Jen: http://the-paperdoll.blogspot.com/
Rachel: http://mymessings.blogspot.com/

Quick Saturday Summer Top

2011-05-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday, everyone! I had big plans this morning - get up at 8 and go for a run, and then go to an estate sale at a fancy hotel. They were selling things guests left behind along with the owner's private collection of antique goodies. Unfortunately it was pouring and 40 degrees. To warm myself up, I made some coffee and a quick summery top.

I bought this table runner from Bethesda Thrift Store for 75 cents. I wasn't sure what I could use it for, but for that price, I couldn't pass it up.

It wasn't long enough for a top, but it was plenty wide. I figured I could cut it in half and double it up to make it longer. First, I removed the binding on top. It'll make a pretty trim for another project.

Then I pinned my two pieces together.

It's long enough now!

I measured an existing top of mine, and it was 14" across at the elastic portion and 20" at the bottom.

I cut my piece to 20", and then fed a piece of elastic through the top band.

I thought this would be a good opportunity to practice French seams. Look how nice and neat on the inside! I might have to start doing French seams for all my projects.

And it's done!

Then I tried it on, and I wasn't loving the shapelessness. I gotta have some waist definition! So I added a second band of elastic at the waist by sewing a piece of hem tape all the way around to make a casing.

It's underneath a ruffle, so you can't even see the stitching! Now it's really done. Can't wait until it's warm enough to wear!

One Pattern, Seven Bloggers: The Muslin

2011-05-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

This week my fellow sewers are posting about their fabric choices, but I'm having a hard time finding the three yards of vintage navy calico I am imagining in my head! So I am adjusting my schedule a little bit and starting on my muslin first.

If you have never worked with a Burda pattern before, it can be somewhat difficult. You purchase a PDF and print the pattern yourself at home. A lot of Burda patterns have European sizing and no seam allowances, so you really have to thoroughly read the instructions. This particular pattern only has pieces for a bodice, and the skirt is just a big gathered rectangle. I cut out my pieces.

I realized afterwards that I should have taken my sewing gauge and marked 5/8" all around since this pattern didn't have a seam allowance. Instead I cut it right on the lines, so I had to add the 5/8" when cutting my fabric.

I did the darts first, and since I hardly ever post pictures of myself doing actual sewing on my blog, here's some live action sewing shots with a bonus kitty. I made the dress I'm wearing this past weekend but I'm a bad blogger and haven't posted about it yet. It's part of my Swirl dress knockoff project.

I intentionally left out the back center seam because I thought it was pointless. Instead, I just cut the piece on the fold.

Turns out it's NOT pointless, and I wasn't quite sure just how I was going to turn my bodice right-side out after sewing in the lining. Then I remembered this swimsuit I made a few months ago had a lining, so I consulted the instructions.

You sew one side seam of the bodice and lining, and match right sides together, pinning at the armholes and neck/back.

Sew all the way around, leaving the tops of the straps unsewn, and voila! You have a lined bodice. You'll need to sew the straps front to back once you have turned it inside right and pressed everything. I did the straps wrong on my muslin by accident, so I will be sure not to make the same mistake on the real thing.

It fits great in the waist and across the back, but it is a little loose around the neck and WAY too low-cut. I'll definitely have to raise the neckline a little bit and make the straps less wide because I don't like how much they hang off my shoulders. But overall, I'm pleased with the fit. The changes I need to make should be pretty easy.

I can't wait to see what my fellow bloggers have been working on!

Sam: http://hand-quilter.blogspot.com/
Marie: http://asewingodyssey.blogspot.com/
Reana Louise: http://curvespatternsandpins.blogspot.com/
Kat: http://petticoatsandpeplums.blogspot.com/
Jen: http://the-paperdoll.blogspot.com/
Rachel: http://mymessings.blogspot.com/

I Found It!

2011-05-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

I found the perfect pattern for replicating Swirl wrap dresses. It came yesterday and it's still factory folded and perfect, so I think I'm going to have to pick up some tracing paper. It's too pretty to cut!

I am going to start on this tomorrow, in addition to working on my muslin for our One Pattern, Seven Bloggers project. I have the perfect pink floral fabric I picked up at Salvation Army for $1! It was my lucky day there, for real. I found three huge pieces of floral cotton from the 60's, and when I got to the register it was half price day. So I got about 12 yards of fabric for $3.

Lest you think I've abandoned my feedsack blouse, I am still working on it and it should be finished soon. I lost a little steam after sewing a strap on backwards, which I did not realize until I had trimmed the seams and hand-sewed the edges. I've got the facing on the correct way now, I just need to finish up the strap and put in the zipper. It's already hemmed!

Have a great weekend and a great Mother's Day!

One Pattern, Seven Bloggers: My Inspiration

2011-05-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to have been asked by Sam to be part of her project One Pattern, Seven bloggers. The goal is simple - seven sewing bloggers, one pattern, and endless possibilities for fabric and inspiration. We voted on three Burdastyle dresses, and this pretty cap-sleeved number is the one we all agreed on.

The other six talented ladies rounding out the project are:

Sam: http://hand-quilter.blogspot.com/
Marie: http://asewingodyssey.blogspot.com/
Reana Louise: http://curvespatternsandpins.blogspot.com/
Kat: http://petticoatsandpeplums.blogspot.com/
Jen: http://the-paperdoll.blogspot.com/
Rachel: http://mymessings.blogspot.com/

Lately I've been feeling really inspired by my favorite band The Decemberists, and their new album The King is Dead. It's a bit of a musical departure for them, being heavily influenced by country and Americana. There's lots of harmonica playing and lyrics about simpler times.

A common theme on the album is winter turning to spring. The opening line of the album is "Here we come to a turning of the season." Spring is my FAVORITE season of the year. Everything is green and blossoming and alive, and with summer on the way, you know it's only going to get better.

The album has a light country feel, so I was thinking I could make a pretty calico dress, the kind you wear with cowboy boots to sip lemonade on your porch. I haven't purchased my fabric yet, but my Etsy Favorites list is brimming with dusty calico prints. Some that have caught my eye are:

I've got my pattern cut and ready to go, and I can't wait to see what my fellow bloggers come up with!

An Ode to the Swirl Wrap Dress

2011-05-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a little break from sewing and talk about a beloved favorite of mine, the Swirl wrap dress. About a year ago, I came across a dress at the American Council for the Blind thrift shop. The colorful print immediately caught my eye and I grabbed it and added it to my pile. I didn't feel like trying it on (I was actually on Vase Mission for my wedding) so I threw it in the trunk of my car and forgot about it. Eventually, I dug it out, washed it, and tried it on, an it was love at first sight. I paid $2.75 for it, and it gets a lot of wear. I wore it to a birthday party last weekend, to see the Decemberists a couple weeks ago, and for walking around in NYC on my honeymoon, among others.

It had a label:

Intrigued, I did some research. Turns out, the company was founded in 1944 and originally marketed the dresses as wrap-around aprons, but then evolved to be sort of a "housewife on the go" kind of thing. The kind of dress you could just throw on and go straight from the kitchen out to running errands. I love this advertisement from the early 1950's.

I started keeping an eye out for them in vintage and thrift stores. This spring, I acquired another one at my favorite resale shop for $18.

I regularly look for them on eBay and Etsy, and whoa, they are expensive! This cheery floral one from Daisy Fairbanks Vintage will set you back $75.

This adorable red and gingham Swirl from FlirtVintage is going for $158!

I feel so lucky to have found mine for $2.75 and $18, respectively. I'd really like to start collecting them, but I have a feeling it'd be a hobby that would set me back a lot of money! So I got to thinking about sewing (of course) and I started looking for similar patterns.

This Simplicity from the 70's is basically perfect! The sleeves are exactly like the Swirl and I love the keyhole.

This 1950's Advance looks a little fancier, but still has the basic idea.

This 80's McCall's also has the right idea, and as a bonus, there are plenty of sizes available on Etsy for a good price. Love the sexy low back!

I think one of these patterns is going to make it's way into my collection. Hopefully a few more real Swirl dresses, too.

Pattern Cutting Guilt

2011-04-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else experience pangs of guilt when cutting into an unused vintage pattern? My Simplicity 4732 from '43 arrived a few days ago, followed by the fabric I intended to make it out of.

I opened the pattern envelope.....and it's still factory folded. Uncut, unused, in pristine condition. I couldn't bring myself to unfold it. It's over 70 years old, how could I be the first to use it? So back into it's protective bag it went.

My Simplicity 1625 from '56 also arrived, so I decided to start on that first. I'm making View 3. For fabric, I'm using this feedsack from Etsy. I've had it for a couple months, but it's been a little too small for any other pattern. According to the envelope, it should juuuuust fit!

I open up my pattern envelope....and it's also uncut. Perfect. Factory folded. Guiltily, I unfold the pattern.

It looks so nice. So crisp, so new! With a heavy sigh, I lay it on my fabric. Perfect! Just enough.

I get all my pattern pieces cut out, and start to assemble the bodice. What's that? I was supposed to cut FOUR of each facing piece? Uh oh. Dig the scraps out of the storage bin and see what we're working with.

Hey, just enough.

The construction is pretty straightforward. There's four darts in the front and two in the back, and instead of a neckline facing, you simply fold it over. I left off with the bodice done and saved the straps for another day.

Maybe someday I'll get over it and unfold my Simplicity 4732. For now, I'm happy just to have it in my collection.

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-04-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be bestowed this honor by Molly of Molly's Sewing and Garage Sale Adventures. The only thing I had been previously nominated for is "Most Likely To Forget Which Class I'm In" in middle school. So, thanks!

The deal is, you post 7 things about yourself and then list 7 blogs you are reading. Here goes.

1. I used to be the pickiest eater in the world. Up until a couple years ago, I hated strawberries, cream cheese, sushi, most cooked vegetables, hummus, tea, tomato products (I would scrape the sauce off pizza, seriously), mushrooms, etc. I've gotten much better and I now love all those things on my former hate list. My only holdouts are organ meats, ketchup, and onions. No thanks.

2. I have freakishly large hands, with really skinny fingers. They're as big as my husband's but I wear a size 4.5 ring. I should have become a piano player.

3. I was not allowed to have pets growing up, except for a bird, so the first thing I did when I moved out was procured two cats. Their names are Bone and Lamb and they are 9 this year!

4. My New Year's Resolution in 2009 was to not eat fast food and I haven't broken it yet. I count "fast food" as anything with a drive-through, so like McDonalds, Taco Bell, KFC, Wendy's, and so on. The only time I sort of cheated was about a year ago and I was in the middle of nowhere, and it was either Dairy Queen or starvation.

5. I haven't bought clothes at the mall since I started sewing. New clothes don't excite me at all. I prefer sewing my own lately and I also like thrifting and vintage stores for the thrill of the hunt.

6. I have the cutest husband in the world. Fact.

7. I live for warm weather. In the summer, I am outside as much as I possibly can. Nothing makes me happier than sunshine on my face and a pretty sundress, and having beers on a patio.

Blogs I am currently loving:

Ellie from Good Morning Idea
Sara from Ohhh Lulu
Kate from Orange K8
Astrid from Sew Sixties
Vintage Girl
Camelias and Crinolines
Sam from All things quilty....and sewy

2011-04-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! Mine was pretty great, actually my whole weekend was good. Friday, Mike and I took off work and drove down to Chicago for the day. We hit two antique stores and the outlets on the way and bought some decorations for my sewing room (me) and jeans and two pairs of sneakers (Mike). Then we went to see Arcade Fire! I've been to hundreds of shows in my life, and I am declaring that one in the top five. Probably #3. The energy from the crowd was so good and I wanted to dance and sing at the top of my lungs and I wanted it to never end. Mike said afterwards that he knew it was a good one because his face hurt from smiling so much.

Saturday we met up with some friends for breakfast, and then stopped at another antique store on the drive home. It was mostly overpriced furniture and kitchen stuff, but then I found this in a basket full of old linens. It's from the early 1900's and it fits great and is in nearly perfect condition. No holes and only one small rust stain. And it was $18. I've been trolling eBay and Etsy for Edwardian dresses for months and I never find one my size, and never for that cheap!

I can't wait until it's warm enough to wear it! I also bought this 30's Vogue pattern catalog page to hang in my sewing room. I would love to own either of those dresses!

I bought a couple pieces of fabric and they're not the most interesting, but they were big pieces for cheap. Both were around $3, and each are 4 yards. I could use the feedsack print for an apron, and the striped seersucker could make a cute summer skirt. I could try to get fancy and do a chevron?

We didn't leave with this fur hat, although for $10, maybe we should've. Everyone needs a hat that makes them look like Big Bird, right?

Today I ran three miles and went to Easter brunch with my Dad and sister Alisa, but I still managed to get in some sewing! I finished Simplicity 5891 and it turned out adorable and almost a little sailor-ish. I like it so much I'm wearing it tomorrow even though the high is only in the 40s. Is it ever going to be Spring?

In other sewing news, I think I'm abandoning my plaid Butterick. The plaids don't match on the side seams, the neck band is uneven, and it looks huge. I'm not too disappointed, I'm only wasting $6 worth of fabric, and I'll try the pattern sometime later with a knit. It seems better suited for jersey. Here's where I left off.

Plaids match on the back, at least! The sides are a mess, though.

I'm not too sad, though, because I already moved on to a blouse pattern from 1956. I'm finally using a feedsack I've had in my stash for months, too.

Happy Easter!

New Patterns and Things I'm Working On

2011-04-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hi! I haven't totally disappeared. I've just been up to my elbows in paint all week so I haven't gotten much sewing done. Our downstairs bathroom was painted the darkest, angriest shade of red ever but now it is Beach White. Behr Premium Plus Paint, I am shaking my fist at you! Your commercials say you can cover red paint in one coat, so why did it take us three? Nevertheless, it looks great and the paint itself smelled like eggnog. It was making me hungry!

I am simultaneously working on two dresses and I've made good progress on both. The first one is Simplicity 5891 again, this time in a white and blue polka dot cotton.

I intended to make view 1, but I ran into some bunching issues because my sewing machine doesn't have a sleeve arm, so I took them off and made the sleeveless version instead. I think I'll like that better anyway - I can go sleeveless on warm Summer days, or add a cardigan for work and not have to deal with bunched-up sleeves underneath. I have the bodice completely done, but I haven't started on the skirt.

My second project I am in the middle of is a frankenpattern of the bodice of Butterick 4304 and the skirt of Butterick Retro 5209.

I made a muslin and it turned out cute, so last night I cut into my real fabric. It's this crisp plaid cotton I got from a fabric.com $1.99 sale.

Matching plaids is hard! I got them to match on the bodice back and right underarm seam, but the left one is totally off. I don't know what happened there. I also purposely made the bodice and the skirt plaids going in different directions, so hopefully once it is all together it will look cute and not like a total mess. I have the skirt done, and the bodice mostly done except for facings. Then I just have to connect the skirt and the bodice, hem, and zipper! Maybe one of these days it will actually be warm enough to wear all these Summer dresses I'm sewing.

I've gone a little crazy with pattern and fabric buying lately, but I'm justifiying it by selling dresses on Etsy. I'm using whatever money I make from sales to buy new things for myself!

I am super excited for this project, but also a little scared. I have never tried an unprinted pattern before. It doesn't seem too hard, though. It's a simple wrap dress so it should be pretty straighforward. I'm using this awesome pear print fabric I bought on eBay.

I also bought this blouse pattern (for $3!) because I am seriously lacking in tops and both views are adorable. I am going to make the square-neck version with this white cotton eyelet I bought from Etsy.

Lastly, I bought this pattern from Etsy. I love the sleeveless version on the bottom left, but wasn't so sure about the collar. Then I read the description, and the collar is detachable. Perfect! Sold. I have some fabric options saved in my eBay favorites, but I think I should finish up everything I've started on before I buy.

Have a great Easter, everyone! I will leave you with a picture of a four-headed kitten pile. I got to scoop and snuggle these babies last weekend!

Oh, Hi

2011-04-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

Look what I found for $9 on a website I've never heard of named Bonanza:

It's a couple sizes too small, but I have a book on pattern grading and this will be the perfect time to learn. Bonanza seems just like Etsy and has all sorts of patterns and vintage fabric. Just what I need, ha.

Pattern Inflation

2011-04-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I was such a downer in my last post! It's kind of inevitable that I would get a little burned out, considering how quickly and how completely I threw myself into the world of sewing. I went from finishing a dress every year or so to trying to churn one out every week. I think I was so enthusiastic in the beginning, and there were SO many things I wanted to make, that I stressed myself out instead of enjoying it. I don't have to make my dream wardrobe in a month, right? I have plenty of things to wear and it's okay if I get into a creative lull.

The other day I had a thought. When did the cost of patterns start growing exponentially? In the 1940's, a Simplicity pattern was 25 cents. (P.S. that is the dream house dress pattern I was bidding on and lost. If you are the lucky winner, wanna trace the sleeveless version for me? I'll pay you for your trouble!)

In the 60's, they were 65 cents.

A 1960's Vogue pattern was $1.

A current Vogue pattern will run you anywhere from $16.50 to $27.50! That's a 2750% increase! An inflation calculator tells me the actual rate of inflation was only 605%. That Vogue pattern should only cost around $7, and a Simplicity would be a paltry $4. I might actually buy a new pattern if they were that cheap! The inflation adjustment between the 1945 pattern and the 1965 pattern is dead on, as is between the 1965 pattern and a 1985 one that retailed for $3.50, so what happened in the last 20 years?

Yes, I know that New Look patterns are around $4, and Vogue and Simplicity regularly have $4.99 sales. I just think that more people would sew if patterns weren't so expensive. It's just printed tissue, and poor quality at that! I recently bought a Butterick pattern with a four-gored skirt, and it only came with one skirt piece and instructions to cut four. It makes it really difficult when you're trying to lay out the pattern on your fabric to see if you have enough!

Wow, I've just veered into downer territory again. How about something happy - my husband's parents took in a stray cat that was hanging around their house, and it turned out she was pregnant! So I will get to play with a litter of tiny kitties when we go up for Easter. I am going to take tons of pictures! I hope they find a good home for all the kittens. I heard there were no orange boys in the litter, so I'll leave you with my favorite orange boy, Bone.

Lacking Sew-spiration

2011-04-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

Readers, when you get in a rut, where do you turn for inspiration? Do you look at sewing blogs, current fashions, or your friends' wardrobes? I need some ideas. The last couple days I've gone in my sewing room and just stared at the wall. I have no idea what I want to make next! I have no patterns I'm excited to try, no fabric I'm dying to cut into, and a half-finished dress I've lost interest in.

I bought this pattern today, and while I'm sure it's going to make a cute summer dress, it makes me realize I am always buying "easy" patterns. Why am I so scared to try a Vintage Vogue? Why can't I tackle a dress with real sleeves? Will messing something up make me think I'm a terrible sewer?

I don't want to get to the point where I'm literally sewing through the motions, so I need your help. Help me get back my sew-jo. (Wow, I can't believe I just said something that lame.)

I did sew a dress last weekend I'm pretty proud of, so that is something good. I used Simplicity 5891 and a thrifted bedsheet from Target. My friend Ellie recently saw the bedding in a movie!

I think it turned out great and it even got an outing to the Art Museum with my friends Ellie and Janie.

I think it looks prettiest hanging in my sewing room, so that is where it will live until I get my inspiration back and something prettier takes it's place.

Simplicity 8684

2011-04-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Ever since I got back from Mexico, Spring clothes have been slowly making their way into my closet and long sleeves and tights are being packed away. This is one such dress that has been sucessfully integrated into my Winter-to-Spring transition wardrobe. It's shorter length looks great with tights and a slouchy cardigan, and the black base makes it a little more appropriate for chilly days.

I bought it at my favorite vintage store, and the style is totally unlike what I usually wear. For one, it doesn't have a waist. Also, it has a super short pleated skirt. It's exactly the kind of comfortable, easy dress I tried to make a few months ago and failed. I'm a better sewer now, and I know what shapes are going to be flattering on my body, so I tried again. I bought Simplicity 8684 from Etsy. View 3 is perfect!

The pattern is a size too small, so I graded it up and made a muslin. I used a $2 sheet from the Salvation Army, which just happened to be the perfect 60's print. I figured, if it turned out, I could wear it.

Since it's a sheet, I completely disregarded the suggested layout and just placed it wherever it would fit. That short rectangle is the skirt!

Okay, by "graded" I mean I cut an extra inch on the center back and facings. I figured one size wouldn't make THAT much of a difference in placement of darts and armholes. I would do it properly if it were more than one size off or if it was a super fitted dress instead of a belted rectangle.

My machine went crazy and ate a dart.

But once I got that taken care of, I put the bodice together in no time! It was super easy. I had no idea that you could sew on the armhole facings before sewing the side seam, and that has basically changed my life. No more whining about not having a machine with a sleeve arm! Here's my finished bodice inside out.

The instructions had you hem the skirt before you sewed it to the dress. Scary, right? I mean, how do you know if it's going to be the right length? I used an existing dress from my closet for reference and went for it. I used this pretty Boiltex (that is an awful name) hem tape that matched the green flowers.

The hem actually only took 20 minutes, and I did it while talking to Mike. I enjoy hemming though, you all know that.

The skirt portion wasn't hard, just kind of time-consuming. First I marked all of the pleats with a pin. Then I had to fold each pleat on the solid line, pin, and then baste. I was expecting a disaster but it actually worked and fit.

Lastly, I pressed my pleats into place.

It still needs a zipper (I don't have one the correct length and color) but it fits and looks great and I gave myself the green light to cut into my vintage fabric.

I'm definitely planning on getting a zipper and finishing it and wearing it. I already made the "real" version and I'm wearing it today! You can see the finished dress hanging on the wall here.

And in typical fashion, I already have a similar pattern on it's way from Etsy. When you find something you like, just go with it!

Weekend Finds and a Sewing Room Overhaul

2011-04-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

I would normally be in bed right now, but I have off tomorrow for Brewers opening day! I have had a crazy busy weekend. I sewed two dresses with a 60's scooter dress pattern (more on that later), hit the thrift stores and antique stores for fabric and patterns, and made a complete overhaul of my sewing room.

First off, I stopped at my favorite antique store. I've noticed that the merchandise never changes, just what I am looking for changes. I've seen both these fabrics before and passed on them, but once I had the perfect pattern, they were exactly what I needed.

I got three yards of this blue and yellow floral cotton for $8.

And two yards of this cotton for $6. It's flowers! It's butterflies! It's flowers MADE out of butterflies!

I lost the dream 1940's wrap dress/house dress pattern I was watching on eBay, but I found a pretty similar one at the antique store for $4. The only difference is the eBay one had cap sleeves, but those should be easy enough to add.

I also hit the Salvation Army and got three big pieces of fabric. I got this great upholstery fabric that I'm going to use to recover a chair. I love when the selvedge has a date! This one is from 1980.

Is this too 80's? I can't decide. There's about 3 yards of it and it reminds me of this outrageously overpriced piece of rayon I've had in my eBay favorites for a few months now, and it was $2, so I bought it.

Lastly, I got this new-in-package sheet from Target. I love how it looks like a mid-century print, but it's clean and brand new and there's TONS of it. I already have a pattern in mind.

But the most exciting thing I purchased has to be this sewing machine from Craigslist! It's a New Home (endorsed by Simplicity!) and I am not sure of the age, but the couple I bought it from said it was their grandmother's and she sewed on it until the day she died. I didn't even care if it worked, it was just so pretty that I wanted it in my home no matter what. I got it home and set it up and it works perfectly. For only $30! I love it the most.

It inspired me to completely overhaul my sewing room. First off, I painted my hideous desk a 1950's combo of seafoam and white. I found the desk on the side of the road last year and dragged it home with the intention of painting it. It was bright purple. I think this is a huge improvement.

I also put up a shelf for my thread rack, and my iPod dock is going to eventually go up there. I bought a pretty box from Marshalls and my patterns fit in it perfectly. It's actually supposed to be a a photo box, but it is the exact dimensions of all my patterns.

Lastly, I hung some pretty hooks so that I can hang/display finished sewing projects or works in progress.

I loooove the cabinet. And the chair opens up and has storage under the cushion!

I love spending time in my sewing room, but now I want to be in there even more. I've always been so envious of bloggers with dedicated sewing spaces because mine was such a mess and a hodgepodge of crap. But now I have something worthy of showing off!

I made two fantastic 60's dresses this weekend and I can't wait to tell you about them. For now though, I gotta get some sleep because tomorrow is going to be a long day. We're meeting at the ballpark at 9:30!

Sew Your Own Dirndl Skirt Part Deux

2011-04-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Sewers! When we left off, you had just sewn up your side seam and made a waistband. Now it's time for the best part - gathering. You know how to gather, right? It's pretty easy. You'll need to set your stitch length to the longest setting. It's 8 on my machine, but it's 4 on my friend Ellie's. If it's confusing, you can consult your owner's manual.

With your machine set to the longest stitch, sew a straight line across the entire top of the skirt, leaving about an inch at each end for your zipper placket.

Once you reach the end, it's time to do it all over again! Put your skirt back under the machine and stitch another row, just right inside the original one.

Just like you marked the center of the waistband, you'll want to do the same with your skirt. Fold it in half and mark it with a pin. A safety pin works the best and ensures it won't fall out while gathering.

Starting from each end, gently pull the bobbin thread until it starts to pucker. Smooth the gathers towards the center of the skirt and keep pulling, then smoothing, then pulling, then smoothing. It is VERY important that you pull gently enough to not break the threads. If the thread breaks, you're screwed. Okay, not really, but you have to pick out both rows of gathering stitches and start from scratch. Trust me, it's not fun.

Keep pulling and smoothing from both ends until it's roughly the size of your waist.

With right sides together, match the center pin from your waistband with the center pin of your skirt. Pin the waistband in place at the center and both edges of the side seam.

Adjust gathers to fit waistband and pin into place. Once your gathers are the perfect length, tie off the bobbin threads to prevent them from stretching.

This is what the inside of your skirt should look like.

Sew your waistband to the skirt gathered side UP. It's very important to have the gathers facing up so you can push and smooth them into place with your fingers as you sew. Otherwise, your pleats could end up sideways and you'll have to rip the entire thing out and start over. I learned that the hard way the first time I made a dress with a gathered skirt.

Once you've sewn your waistband on, your skirt should be looking like this:

Fold your waistband over and pin into place. This is why we fold it in half and iron it before we sew it on. It makes it so much easier when we get to this step!

Slipstitch the waistband in place, and everything is done except the zipper and hem!

For the hem and zipper, you can use whichever method you prefer. I like to do both by hand because my machine freaks out when I try to use the zipper foot, and I secretly really enjoy hand hemming things. For a casual skirt, I think a simple machine sewn hem looks fine. If you're making a skirt out of fancy (or thin) fabric, hand sewing is best.

Good luck with your sewing and leave me a comment if you have any questions!

Anyone Can Sew a Vintage-Style Skirt!

2011-03-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been a little obsessed with dirndl skirts. They're so fun and girly and so completely 1950's, and best of all, easy to sew! It's pretty much a giant rectangle. I thought I'd put together a little tutorial for anyone who wants to follow along. Sewers of any skill could easily make this, and it doesn't even use a pattern.

The first thing you need to do is buy a 7" zipper and two yards of fabric. I like cotton the best, so this would be a great time to get that quilting cotton you've always wanted to buy but were always told that it's not meant for apparel. The bolder the print, the better.

Lay your fabric flat on the floor or cutting board. With a measuring tape, mark where you want your hem to hit. I want the final skirt to be 25", so I marked it at 27".

Cut into the fabric, and then just give it a good rip. It should tear off into two pieces.

Now you're ready to start sewing. Take your big rectangle and fold it in half, right sides together. Pin up the seam, leaving room for a zipper. Sew your seam. This is now your center back.

Press your center back seam open. I trimmed the excess with pinking shears.

Set your skirt aside. It's time to start on the waistband! Cut a strip of fabric 4" wide and the length of your waist, plus 5/8" on each side. An easy trick if you don't know your measurements is to measure the waist of a garment that fits you well.

Fold the edges in 5/8" on both sides and iron into place.

Fold waistband in half and iron into place.

Mark your waistband center with a pin. Set aside for later.

I think that's enough work for tonight. Tomorrow, it's time for the fun part, gathering!

Closet Cleaning Etsy Sale

2011-03-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

I cleaned out my spring clothes this morning and decided to try listing a few things on Etsy. I'm not sure if this is going to be a one-time thing or if I'm going to actively have listings, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

You can go to the listing by clicking on the description.

1950's Silk Floral Watercolor Blouse Vintage 1960's Brown Eyelet Wiggle Dress

Vintage Lanz Pink and Black Cotton Dress Vintage 1970's Rayon Floral Romper

Vintage 1940's Rayon Floral Dress Vintage 1940's Watercolor Dress

Simple 50's Blouses

2011-03-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else have trouble finding cute vintage blouses, or even patterns for vintage blouses? I've been exhaustively looking for a simple white blouse to wear with my new printed skirts and Etsy, eBay, my favorite vintage store, and the antique mall have all left me cold. Everything was too lacy, too high-necked, too nylon. Sometimes "simple" is the hardest thing to find. I come across this a lot with footwear - last year when looking for brown boots, I couldn't find a single pair that was not studded, grommeted, or covered in a million buckles.

I did find one blouse at the antique store. This simple (yay!) black 1950's blouse for $6. It was missing all the buttons but no problem, I sewed on pretty vintage ones I bought on Etsy.

It's basically perfect, and when I tried it on with a few skirts, had the exact look I was going for. But, it's black. Then I had that "duh" moment where I said to myself, I could make one! I had some plain white broadcloth (okay, it's a sheet) and although I don't have any blouse patterns, I could just use a dress pattern and cut it off at the waist.

This one had all the elements I needed - flattering neckline, darts at the bust and waist, and since it's a shift dress, no waist seam. I chose the scoop neckline.

I measured the black blouse, and it was just under 24" long. So I laid out my pattern pieces, marked at 24", and cut below.

For the back, I wanted to make a button placket instead of using a zipper, so I left a couple extra inches of fabric when I cut.

I didn't want my markings to show through the thin fabric, so I marked them ever so lightly. This would be a good time to use tailors tacks or pins, but I really prefer the pencil method because not only is it quicker, I think I'm more accurate that way.

Darts are done!

I did my back darts, and then I sewed my fronts to my backs at the side and shoulder seams. Then I put together my facing pieces, and sewed those in place as well. Once I was done with my facings, I referred to my Colette Patterns Sencha blouse for how to do the button placket.

It's super easy! It only took a minute and my button plackets are looking good. I love how the facing edge is hidden inside the fold of the placket. No need to tack it down!

I should have been done, but then I remembered something really important. Sleeve facings! Since the dress had sleeves, there was no pattern piece for a facing. Daunted by the prospect of drafting my own, I did what every lazy seamstress does - I reached for a similar Simplicity shift dress pattern and used it's facing piece. Looks like it fits!

I would not normally machine stitch a hem, but since this blouse it meant for tucking and no one will ever see it, I skipped the blind hem. I still think it looks nice, though. A quick check of my closet reveals that most blouses were not hand-hemmed anyway.

Lastly, it was time to do my buttonholes. I did two tests and they looked perfect. Then when I went to do them on my blouse, my machine went crazy. When I pressed the foot pedal, the cover plate started to pull up.

I did a million more test buttonholes, and that happened every time. I have no idea what the problem is. All the settings were correct and the buttonholer was securely in place. Does anyone know what might be the cause of this?

I think it's time for me to get a new machine. Mine is great for doing the bulk of my stitching, but I hate that it doesn't have a sleeve arm, and I can't deal with a busted buttonholer. Time to start searching Craigslist! Any recommendations?

No-pattern 50's skirts and upcoming projects

2011-03-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

It's about 30 degrees here, but I've been thinking Spring for a good month now. Brightly colored floral dresses are slowly creeping their way back into my closet, boots are being traded for open-toe flats, and I officially retired my winter coat. I'm cold, but I've got Spring Fever so bad I can't bear to look at dark colors, long sleeves, and wool.

Probably from 2005-2007, my summer uniform was a printed skirt, a simple tank, and my tattered Gap denim jacket I bought in high school. I haven't taken much interest in skirts in the last few years, but recent blog posts about 50's skirts and the declaration that denim jackets are the new leather jacket (which look great but never caught on with me, too uncomfortable) has got me reconsidering. Luckily, 50's skirts are super easy to make and don't even need a pattern, and my old Gap standby is still soft and perfectly worn in all the right places.

I was able to complete both of these in under two hours each.

For the plaid one, I used vintage cotton sateen that came as part of a lot I won on eBay. The strawberries were originally a 90cent tablecloth from Salvation Army. Both have metal zippers, and it was great to finally put to use those 7" ones that always come in eBay lots that I previously had no use for.

Making a skirt like this is SO easy. I'm serious. The most novice sewer ever could whip one of these up. All you need is two yards of fabric, at least 35" wide. There's one seam, a waistband, and a zipper. I didn't take any step-by-step photos of these, but I've got some fabric on the way that I plan on making into a skirt, so I will post a tutorial.

Speaking of fabric, Fabric.com is having a huge sale right now. I've been coveting this eyelet for ages now, and it was finally on sale for $7, so I ordered three yards. I plan on using it to make simple button-up blouses to wear with all my new printed skirts.

This is Michael Miller quilting cotton, but it's going to become a skirt. I've been dying over this skirt for years, and exhaustive Google searches of "tan + teal floral fabric" haven't turned up much. This is the closest I could come and it's not exactly what I was looking for, but I still think it's a pretty decent match and I know it will look good with that Gap denim jacket!

For $1.98 (!) I got three yards of this white 100% cotton with light blue dots.

And from Etsy, the perfect pattern! I'm going to make the sleeveless/poufy skirt view.

Also for $1.98, I got three yards of this cheery plaid. I found the perfect pattern on eBay and I'm currently the high bidder, so fingers crossed!

I feel like I got in a sewing rut there for a little bit. I started two blouses that I was so unenthused about that I gave up before I even got to the sewing stage, and I finished a dress that wasn't exciting enough to blog about (and probably not exciting enough to wear). Hopefully these projects will snap me out of my sewing coma.

Have a great weekend!

Me-Made Mexico

2011-03-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Sorry for the long hiatus but I was in Mexico all last week, and then totally overwhelmed with housework and the need to relax this weekend.

Mexico was awesome! We went to Playa Del Carmen and stayed at La Tortuga, a boutique hotel on 10th Ave, just a block up from 5th Ave which is the shopping/dining epicenter of Playa.

I did manage to sneak in me-made outfits on a couple of the nights. The first night we got there, I couldn't wait to wear my favorite homemade dress.

On Saturday, we took the ferry to Cozumel and shopped, ate, walked around, and drank lots of $1 beers. I also wore a homemade sundress, this one is made with a New Look pattern and vintage seersucker.

As luck would have it, the very first store I wandered into in Cozumel was a fabric store! It was called La Parisina, and the first thing I saw when I walked in was bolts and bolts of colorful woven Mexican fabric. I was a little overwhelmed, so all I bought was two yards of this hot pink knit. I'm not sure what I'm going to make out of it yet. It's a little too flimsy for a dress, but it could be cute for a skirt.

Look how excited I am to have found a fabric store! I wish I would have bought more, but I was feeling indecisive, and I wasn't really sure how to go about getting things cut. My husband stepped in with some hand gestures and that definitely helped.

I went a little crazy with the blouse-buying in Cozumel, though. I just can't resist the crisp white cotton and the colorful embroidery. My favorite is the green striped one - it's so soft and perfect with jeans and leather flats. I love the cropped one, too! Multicolored squirrels!

I actually did a little sewing this weekend, so I'll have an update on that a little later. Adios!

Fraternal Twins and MMM Day 5

2011-03-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

In the absence of sewing, I've been spending a lot of time looking on eBay and Etsy. I was mostly looking for patterns, and I found a blouse one I loved, but when I went to purchase it, it was money order only. What a bummer. There's no way I'm driving to the bank on my lunch hour to get a money order. Instead, I decided to look for some vintage blouses, and I came across this guy:

It is the fraternal twin to my swimsuit!

The strangest part is they aren't even the same brand! I love it when I come across a vintage piece similar to one of my own.

Other things I did this weekend in place of sewing:

Spa treatments! I got a facial, a pedicure, and my eyebrows waxed.
Coffee! I met my sister and a friend at a cafe and had coffee and caught up.
Cooking! I made corned beef on Saturday (St. Patty's Day tradition) and enchiladas on Sunday.
Netflix! I watched 4 episodes of Say Yes to the Dress.
Laundry! I did a billion loads and I actually folded them and put them away.

I also went out on Saturday for a friend's birthday, and in honor of Me-Made March, I wore this little number I whipped up a few weeks ago.

KIDDING! I actually cheated and did not wear something homemade, which turned out to be a really good thing. As I was leaving the restaurant, I brushed against a corner of a booth which had really sharp wood splinters and snagged the hell out of my dress. I'm so glad I was just wearing a cheapie thing from Target and not something I loved, because it's ruined. I can salvage it by shortening it into a top, at least.

I also shipped off the 40's skirt I made for another blogger. I hope she likes it! I've never made clothes for someone else before, so it was a little nerve-wracking and definitely brought out my inner perfectionist.

I used vintage crepe for the skirt and vintage silk for the lining, and trimmed it with white lace. Lastly, I used a carved shell button from my collection.

Tonight I would normally be doing tons of sewing since my husband doesn't get home until 7:30. Instead, I am going to stop at my favorite vintage store to see if there's something I can't live without, and then I'm going to finish packing for Mexico.

A replacement for the piece I broke on my machine is already on the way from eBay, so hopefully I will be back in business when I get back from vacation!

MMM Day 3 and 4

2011-03-05T14:19:00.000-08:00

I was so distraught by my busted sewing machine I almost forgot to post these!

Here's day 3. I made this dress out of a Simplicity pattern from 1948 and crepe from the 30's I purchased at an antique store in Wisconsin. The fabric is so wonderful and feels so great against your skin. And it's unbelievably opaque, too! It's not lined and I'm wearing black tights and you can't even see through it. I guess it's name is the "Princess Peach Dress" because that is what my husband was calling me all day.

Yesterday was casual Friday, so I trotted out my one and only homemade blouse, the Colette Patterns Sencha. I paired it with J. Crew "High Heel Flare" jeans (head to toe denim is totally back in style, I swear), a J. Crew gold and lime green chain, and brown leather oxfords I bought at Goodwill. I think this is probably the simplest outfit I've ever worn, but I got a shocking amount of compliments. My coworkers all loved it, even my (male) boss said something!

I shamefully have not gotten out of loungewear yet today, despite leaving the house earlier to get my eyebrows waxed. I have a birthday party to go to tonight, so I will have to wear one of my fancier me-made dresses!

Have a great Saturday!

TRAGEDY

2011-03-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

My bobbin housing got stuck in my machine and when I was trying to get it out, it BROKE. I'm so distraught. I have so many unfinished projects right now. I have a blouse that only needs buttonholes and I wanted to wear it today!

SADFACE.

MMM Day Two: Life on a Chain Dress

2011-03-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

It's really surprising to me that this has become one of my favorite dresses I've made. Considering how bad it started out, and that I gave up three times before I finally finished it, I can't believe it didn't end up in the garbage. It's actually one of my most well-made dresses. I named it the "Life on a Chain" dress after my favorite Pete Yorn song because of it's chain print. I should have worn it to his show last weekend! Ah, missed opportunity.

I'm still terrible at posing.

MMM Day One

2011-03-01T15:53:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd start the month off with one of my favorite dresses that I made. It's a Simplicity pattern from 1948, and the trim has tiny cents signs on it! It's also from the 40's, bought on eBay. The white fabric is just some rayon crepe I bought new.

I am so bad at posing. I'll never be a teen model!

Can't wait until it is warm enough to take pictures in the back yard!

Me-Made March Inventory

2011-02-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

Wow, how is tomorrow already March 1st? This winter has gone so quickly! I thought I could start off Me-Made March by taking inventory of every homemade garment I have, and seeing where there are gaps I need to fill. Obviously one of those gaps in going to be tops! I have only made one shirt so far, so it looks like I'm going to be skipping a few Casual Fridays this month. I've always disliked Casual Friday, anyway. I think jeans are kind of uncomfortable, and so I usually end up wearing leggings and a knit dress. I've proposed Cocktail Dress Friday a few times, but no one seemed to be on board.

Here's what I'm working with. I've got 15 dresses I would be okay wearing either for work or play. Then I have one skirt I made ages ago, my new Sencha blouse, and another blouse I made a while ago out of two vintage silk scarves. I am fine with having to repeat things. It's still cold here and I can change my look with different tights and cardigans.

I also have another Sencha blouse cut out. If I make different versions in different fabrics, it won't look like I'm wearing the same blouse all the time. Especially since it's cold and I have to wear a cardigan anyway.

The fabric is from a Ralph Lauren bedsheet. It was part of my set from freshman year in college, but now I no longer have a need for an extra long twin sheet set. Could I be obnoxious and call it a "reclaimed" bedsheet? Hahaha. That is another one of my huge Etsy pet peeves - sellers who list pieces of old sheets and call it reclaimed fabric. It's not like you stripped 100 year old leather off a train car and used it to upholster a chair. You went to Goodwill and bought a slept on (and probably sexed on) sheet and now you are selling pieces of it as vintage fabric. How is that "reclaimed"?

I have to cheat on Me-Made March a little bit while I'm in Mexico from the 10th - 17th. Since my Vogue sundress was a disaster, that leaves me with only five homemade summer dresses. I have my 60's bikini, but I'm scared about it's swimability, so I am also bringing two store bought bikinis. I have no homemade caftans or coverups, so right now I have three store bought ones packed.

I bought this pattern from Connie the Pattern Peddler (who is quickly becoming my Etsy go-to seller for all my vintage fabric and pattern needs) and if I have time before next Thursday, I'd really like to make it to bring along. I even have a very 1960's print bedsheet I could make it out of. And no, it is not reclaimed - I bought it from the Salvation Army.

I'm really looking forward to participating in Me-Made March! I'm going to try my best to do daily updates. I can't wait to see what everyone else is wearing!

Snowed-In Sewing

2011-02-27T15:23:00.000-08:00

I was mostly snowed in this weekend, which kind of sucks, but I was so productive. I finished my Colette Patterns Sencha blouse, made a dress from a 1948 Simplicity pattern, and finished everything but the waistband on the secret custom skirt I'm making for another blogger.

First up, my Sencha blouse! It's gorgeous, hey? It's the softest, prettiest, most flattering top I've ever owned. I'm still kind of in disbelief that it's something I made, and I can make MORE.

Please ignore the drag show's worth of makeup on my face - I am going to an Oscars party in an hour. Oh, and I forgot to get a picture of the back, but here are the buttons. They are vintage, from Etsy.

I stole my outfit inspiration from Mad Men (of course). Look, both Betty and Trudy wore a Sencha-esque blouse with white pants!

I also made a Simplicity dress that I have already made before, but this time I skipped the contrasting yoke and made it all solid pale pink. I made the alterations to it that I wish I had done the first time, which were gathering the waistband of the bodice so it was blousy, and making it shorter. The fabric is crepe from the 1930's and I still have about two yards of it left. I'm thinking I'm going to use it to make some slips or maybe the Colette Patterns Nutmeg.

I also have pretty much given up on my Vogue 5510 knockoff. I put on the zipper this morning, and it looks great from the back, but the front is still a disaster.

I told my husband to cut my head off since I hadn't showered yet, and I think it took it a little too literally. So please, ignore my unshowered half-head. Here's a closeup of the bodice front and the issues I'm having. So bunchy! Why is that? I don't even know what I can do to fix it.

It's time for me to get ready for the party, so I'll leave you with one more sneak peak at my secret skirt!

Colette Patterns Sencha Blouse

2011-02-25T07:24:00.000-08:00

I decided to hang up my Vogue 5510 knockoff for now, and shift my focus to the upcoming Me Made March. I am seriously lacking in shirts; I own maybe two that I like and actually wear. Since there are 4-5 Casual Fridays in a month, I tend to repeat the same shirts or just screw it and wear a dress. I have jeans that I like, I just can't ever find tops to go with them! I tried shopping this past Fall for pretty, feminine blouses in non-geometric prints and I came home empty handed. All the stores I tried only had knitwear or your basic collared button-down, which honestly, I find hopelessly boring.

My friend told me about Colette Patterns; her and Sarai had worked together a few years ago. I checked out their website and loved everything, but was a little hesitant to spend $16 on a pattern. Not that it's that expensive, but when most of my patterns are thrift store and rummage sale finds for about a quarter each, $16 sounds pricey. But I've heard really good things about the detailed instructions, and my fellow bloggers seem to love them, so I went for it and ordered the Sencha blouse.

It arrived a couple days ago, and the packaging is utterly delightful. The booklet is sewn together (adorable touch!) and comes with incredibly detailed instructions.

I started with Version 1, which is the basic blouse. I used some soft chambray I picked up at a church rummage sale. There was enough yardage, but it had a small square cut out. I had to disregard the suggested layout and just place my pieces where they fit. Luckily the fabric didn't have a nap or a print or it never would have fit.

After I cut out all my pieces, I did my usual lowering of the neckline. Gotta show some collarbone! I cut away at the bodice front first, and then laid the scrap on top of my facing pieces and cut away there, too.

Since my fabric is really soft and a little stretchier than most cottons I work with, I reached for the heavyweight interfacing.

For shaping on the blouse front, there are two deep tucks on either side. The tucks were super easy, I just marked the circles with a pin, and then made a little dot with my orange tailor's pencil.

Match up the dots and sew between them, and you're done! It was easier to do than darts. Here's the inside after I pressed them towards the center.

And the outside. I can already tell it's going be really flattering. Anything that is fitted at the waist and then gently skims the stomach area always works really well for me. I have an aversion to anything that clings to my stomach.

After I sewed the backs to the fronts and the shoulder seams, and sewed the side seams, I moved to the sleeves. The directions said to fold the sleeve over 1/4th inch and edgestitch. I followed the directions to a T this time, but in the future I could skip this and hit up my stash of vintage seam tapes and bias tape to finish the edge. Either would look really nice, I think.

The final thing I did last night was finishing the sleeves. I gently pressed them in place and secured them with a couple pins, and then catchstitched the sleeve edge to the blouse. I don't mean to boast, but I am getting really good at that. I challenge you to find a stitch!

All I have left to do is the buttons and hem. This top was so easy that I bet I could knock out one of each version in no time!

I also started another project last night which I can't talk about yet because I'm making it for someone and I want the finished product to be a surprise. It's for a pretty well-known blogger, so there's definitely a lot of pressure to make it perfect. I don't want to give too much away, but it's going to be made out of the prettiest, softest peachy silk from the 1930's. Even the scraps are gorgeous!

No sewing tonight as the husband and I are going to see Pete Yorn. A sexy man with a guitar and 16 oz PBRs? Yes please!

Fit Issues

2011-02-23T20:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday, Everyone. It's been pretty quiet here the last few days because I've been slaving over my Vogue 5510 knockoff. On Monday night, I finished everything but the zipper. Last night, I pinned the zipper in place, went to try it on....

And, it's huge. Like shapeless, frumpy, waist all in the wrong place huge. I have no idea what went wrong, the muslin fit perfect. I laid the muslin on top of my dress and it's somehow two inches larger. The only change I made to the back bodice piece was adding a few inches of length, I didn't change anything about the width!

I was pretty unhappy to have to rip out my waistline stay. It looked so nice.

I ripped the waistline seam all the way out to the sides, and cut off the offending two extra inches of fabric.

I re-pulled my gathers to fit the smaller bodice, and stitched everything up. Now, it fits perfectly in the waist, but I'm still having issues with the bust. The right side is fine, and the left side is gaping all over the place. The armhole is also considerably lower and half my bra hangs out.

I'm going to try one more time to fix it before this dress ends up being a really pretty dress...for someone else.

The ugliest romper in existence

2011-02-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

Hahaha, I can't believe I'm posting these. Don't say I never did anything for you!

**Disclaimer - this will never be worn in public, EVER, and was only completed for purposes related to this blog.

In real sewing news, I got a really good start on my knockoff Vogue 5510. I'm having reservations about the fabric, though. I had something really specific in mind, and Ebay and Etsy turned up nothing. This is quilting cotton from Joann's and it's only sort of what I envisioned, but I liked it well enough in the store. But when the lady at the cutting table asked what I was making, I lied and said "pillows". For some reason, I can never admit to anyone that I buy quilting cotton to make sundresses.

Here's what I've got so far.

On to the skirt!

Vogue 5510

2011-02-20T07:52:00.000-08:00

It has been a great weekend for sewing! Not only did I finish my 60's bikini, I started on a muslin for a dress I'm super excited about. I saw Vogue 5510 on a blog recently, and I think it is pretty much the best dress I have ever seen in my life. I would literally weep with joy if I saw something similar in a vintage store.

Ebay, Etsy, and Google searches turned up nothing on this pattern. I set an eBay saved search, but it's been a few weeks and no listings and I was getting impatient. I searched through pages and pages of patterns looking for something similar, and then I got the idea to search for "cross back dress". One pattern came up. This one:

Holy crap, the bodice is basically perfect! All I would need to do is swap out the totally 90's skirt for a full one and it would be just like the gorgeous Vogue. It was only $5, so I ordered it. It arrived today, and I couldn't wait to get started.

Since I'm pretty much making a Frankenpattern and I had no idea if it would even turn out, I made a muslin. I reached for the rest of the hideous bears/frogs/turtles eating watermelon and started to cut. I found the waistline marking on the pattern, and cut an inch below.

I did the same for the back. Look how tiny the pieces are!

The bodice front was easy, just two darts on either side.

The neckline was a little higher than I like. I trimmed a bit away, and then placed the scrap on top of the facing piece, and trimmed that away too.

The dress had armhole stays, and you measured the stay from a guideline on the pattern. I used some pink single-fold bias tape. I have a ton of the stuff and I never use it.

I sewed together my facings, sewed it to the bodice, and then turned it right side out.

Then it was time to move to the back. It has a dart, which I bet I could omit. The dart is probably just to give shaping around the butt-al region, but since I'm ditching the skirt, they're probably not necessary.

The next step was to baste the straps to the outside of the back bodice, and then sew the backs to the fronts.

And here's the finished back of the muslin. It looks almost exactly how I wanted!

Changes I am going to make are:

Lengthening the back bodice piece by a few inches. The armholes were a little low, and once I sew the skirt on, the bodice back would only be about an inch long. Plus, as is stands, it would be impossible to wear a bra with. I need to at least be able to wear a strapless with it.
Sewing the straps to the bodice front. The directions say to affix three snaps, but it's not necessary. I pinned it and I could easily get it over my head with the straps attached. I think snaps would look messy and be a pain in the ass.

So I think this project is a go! I just need to find the perfect floral fabric.

Oh, and a funny story. My husband doesn't know what a muslin is, so he thought this was an actual dress I was making. I explained that it was just a test to make sure everything fit and worked out. He thought it was a shame to throw it in the garbage after working on it for hours and said I should just finish it. Then I had a better idea - I could sew it to the muslin I made for my bloomers and make the ugliest romper in existence!

Have a great Sunday!

Project Finishing Friday

2011-02-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

Remember this pattern?

I made the top ages ago, but other projects got in the way and I never made the bottoms. I finally got around to it last night. Since it was a "teen" pattern and I had to make some adjustments to the bust, I figured I'd have to do the same for the booty.

So I made a muslin first, out of this hideous fabric that was part of a thrift store grab bag. I'm not sure what's going on here. We've got teddy bears eating watermelon....with frogs? And tomatoes and bluebirds?

I was right, it was a bit tight in the seat. I definitely have a more ample backside than beach-going teens in the 60's. I adjusted my pattern piece for that by cutting a little extra on the sides. Bonus action shot of Lamb helping me cut!

My husband came and talked to me while I was cutting because it can get a little tedious and boring. So he took the camera and took the first ever sewing action shot on the blog.

Live action cutting!

I cut out my lining, marked my darts, and had a gigantic pile of pieces waiting to have darts sewn. Kids, do as I say, not as I do - I got impatient and backstitched the darts on the lining pieces. You shouldn't do this! You should hand-tie the loose thread.

I got all 16 darts sewn, and then sewed the front pieces together, and the back pieces together, repeating all for the lining. Since the seam is curved, you should press it with a tailors ham. I don't have one, so I used the next best thing - one of my husband's t-shirts.

I sewed the backs to the fronts, and my bloomers are taking shape!

The next step (before the lining) was to do the zipper. I would not normally use a nylon zipper, but I had one in my drawer that was exactly the right color and size, and nothing even remotely similar in metal, so I went with it. It's a Coats & Clark invisible zipper. I forgot how easy those are to sew and how great they look. Allllllmost enough to tear me away from my obsession with metal zippers, but not quite.

I sewed in my lining and turned it right-side out, and then trimmed the leg openings with rick rack. That part was super easy; you position the rick rack about an inch from the bottom of the leg opening, sew right through the middle, and then fold it under and topstitch in place. Simple! This it what it'll look like on the outside.

And now I have a finished 60's bathing suit! What kills me is how huge the bottoms look on a hanger. Which I know is because they're made of cotton broadcloth with no stretch, and I'm sure a pair of pants would be that wide too, but it's kind of a self-esteem killer. Oh well, it's adorable and I'm looking forward to traumatizing my husband with it on the beach.

McCalls 7522 and Thrift Store Finds

2011-02-17T18:26:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Orchestra started yesterday, and it has already seriously cut into my sewing time. I haven't gotten anything done since Monday. I did finally get around to finishing and photographing my McCalls 1960's plaid dress, and I wore it on Tuesday. I know I promised pictures of me wearing it, but I failed. My mannequin will have to suffice!

I love the bias cut side bodice pieces, and I'm so glad I listened to the advice of my readers! I think it's one of the best parts about the dress, other than the collar. I wore it to work yesterday with a royal blue cardigan, brown tights, and knee high boots, and it was the perfect work outfit. It's comfortable and fits great, too.

My friend MaryLee went to a thrift store last week and came home with an entire bag of vintage fabric and zippers. She always lets me raid her stash, but I thought I could try my luck at finding a gem, too. I haven't been thrifting in ages, so today at lunch, I hit up the Salvation Army and The American Council for the Blind. My first stop was pretty fruitful. I spent $12 and got quite a few large pieces of fabric.

There's at least 10 yards of this green rayon print. It was so much I couldn't get it refolded after I washed it. The selvedge says Copyright 1991 so not super old, but still a nice piece of fabric I could make a 40's inspired dress out of.

Next up, I got an equally gigantic length of this cheery floral print. It feels like a poly cotton blend, and would be perfect for a 50's housewife kind of dress. I've already added some pattern candidates to my eBay watch list.

Next up, I grabbed this king sized sheet for $2. I know some people might that that is a little gross, but I washed it! I love the eyelet ruffle and I think it would look adorable as a trim for a skirt lining. And I can always use the tons and tons of white fabric for practice. Think about it - if you bought fabric from Joann's to make a tester, it would cost you at least $6. This was $2, and I could make like ten muslins out of it.

Finally in the fabric department, I got this strawberry print tablecloth for under a dollar. You all know my penchant for making dresses out of tablecloths, and I'm pretty sure this one is going to be awesome.

Lastly, I picked up a gigantic grab bag of lace pieces for $3. Most of them were kind of junky and I won't use them, but these three pieces make the whole bag totally worth it.

Next up, I hit the American Council for the Blind. On first pass, I didn't find anything (I always check the dresses, even though I've maybe found three actual vintage dresses that I wear on a regular basis). Then there was a section called Boutique Clothing, and there IT was. The cutest vintage 50's cotton day dress in immaculate condition.

I seriously love easy, casual dresses like this, and I live in them from April to October. I think this one will get a lot of wear this summer. Look at the cute details!

I managed to spend $35 there, which I probably the most I've ever spent in a thrift store in my life. Most of that was spend on these, though. They were $20. A little pricey, but I love them and I actually do need purple earrings, and it supports a good cause.

In the fabric department, I picked up two big grab bags for $2.50 apiece. There was a lot of junk but a couple gems. Namely two yards of gold silk dupioni. After a good pressing, I think this will make one hell of a cocktail dress.

There was also this soft green knit.

And a lovely blue and green plaid wool.

I didn't find any zippers or bias tape or patterns, but I think I did pretty well!

Admitting Defeat

2011-02-13T19:24:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

I got back from Chicago around 2:00 today, and I thought I would be able to make a dress in time to wear for tomorrow. I won this fabric from Sew Weekly, and it's perfect for Valentine's Day. Since I was short on time, I reached for my favorite pattern. My goal was to get everything done but the hand sewing by 7:00, and then settle in and watch the Grammys while doing the zipper and hem.

The skirt for New Look 6723 isn't very full, so I used the skirt from another New Look pattern. I was going for sort of a Valentine's Day cupcake look.

My cat liked the fabric so much she wouldn't move off it!

Things started out badly. The fabric was slippery and hard to sew with, and my needle kept snagging it. I changed needles and that helped, but my bobbin thread was going crazy. The fabric had two different textures (alternating sheer and satin stripes) and my machine was not liking it at all. No matter what I did with the tension, the bobbin thread was loose and skipping stitches.

I managed to get the bodice and the lining together, but I was way off schedule. The Grammys started and I took a break to watch Lady Gaga, and then worked on the skirt. I just got done with the skirt a few minutes ago, and there's no way I can still hem it and zipper it tonight, so I'm throwing in the towel. I'm still going to finish it and I'll totally wear it sometime in the future, but it's just not going to be my Valentine. Here's what I have so far. I still need to tack down the bodice lining, do the zipper, and hem both the skirt and the lining.

I happier sewing news, I finished my blue and brown plaid dress! I'm definitely going to wear it one day this week, so hopefully I'll remember to get a picture.

Have a happy Valentine's Day!