Amanda's Adventures in Sewing

Spring Vogues!

2012-01-26T15:15:00.000-06:00

I've been stalking the Vogue website waiting anxiously for these. The posing for this set of designs is a little weird and kind of obscures the clothing in certain pictures. Is Vogue consulting with Burda now?!

V1280 - Donna Karen

Very interesting neckline and seaming details that are hard to see in this black. Donna Karen always knows how to dress the female body flatteringly.

V1281 - Donna Karen

This is another fitted Donna Karen dress with interesting neckline and draping details. The colorblocking isn't my favorite and makes the front neckline look strange to my eye. I'll probably make it in a solid color.

V1285 - Tracy Reese

What a cute little wrap dress with fun notched collar, inverted darts and sleeve bands. The description says there's a lining which must be something like a slip.


V1286 - Tracy Reese

I love the fitted shape of this dress and all the banding. The back neckline is just gorgeous. However, that is a whole lot of boobage in the front. Which I do not have a problem with on other people, but on me, well, let's just say it won't look the same. Perhaps I can figure out a way to alter the front neckline to cover the girls a little more and allow me to wear a push up.


V1287 - DKNY

I just adore all the pleating on this design and the fact that it's a pull-over dress. With pockets. The design is lost in that busy print they used, though, so I included the line drawing so you can see what's happening.

V1296 - Bellville Sassoon

Can I just have the whole outfit, please? WHAT a neckline! Wow!

What do you think? Anyone else excited by these new offerings?

I do have some FO to blog about if I can get moving on actually photographing them.

February Burda picks

2012-01-18T08:20:00.000-06:00

This month's magazine has some truly awesome dresses among the offerings so I had to purchase another single issue.

Up first is tunic 108 A. It's a typical Burda design that I've seen before, but the thing that caught my eye was that little inset of contrasting fabric at the sleeve hem. It looks particularly pretty done in a shiny silk charmeuse as well.

Dress 110A I wasn't sold on until I saw it in person. It is so on trend with all the color-blocking you see these days. Plus I adore how they used the same hue for the top and the same for the bottom, but one side is shiny and the other is matte. Fabulous! I am thinking of doing it in hot pink and red or maybe red and orange.

Dress 111 is the reason I bought the magazine this month. It is a modern take on a traditional Asian style and I especially loved the black with yellow bands they made it up in. Love the neckline. Love the hemline. Love the little cap sleeves. Did I mention how much I love this dress?!

Dress 117B is another awesome design totally in line with the color-blocking trend and the neon color trend. Check out those design lines! Check out that back exposed zipper that goes from the neckline to the hemline. The only thing that gives me pause is that this dress is made for stretch jersey, and I am imagining some problems with getting the zipper to behave in such a stretchy fabric. It might need to be a doubleknit instead. Oh, and I'm not sure the seam across the left bust is going to be all that flattering. But it's an awesome dress non the less.

Some of the little girl dresses from this issue are nice and I can see the maternity designs being very popular too. I liked the colorblocked jacket 122 but it has no shape to it and I'm not a lover of boxy jackets. I thought skirt 123B was going to be really cute but it turned out to be just a square with belt loops.

How about you - did I miss any of your absolute favorites?

Oliver + S Sailboat Pants

2012-01-16T18:03:00.001-06:00

This is my first try at the Oliver + S pattern line. I actually own 7 of their patterns but haven't been able to use them thus far since the size ranges start at 6-12 months. Rachel is 16 months old, but still wears 3-6 month clothing and 0-3 month skirts/shorts/leggings. She is a tiny little thing.

I made the smallest size and took out 1/2" per leg, resulting in a 2" narrowing of the all over width. They are still really baggy.

Her legs are tiny little toothpicks and these are swimming on her. The backside is really baggy as well:

I know she's just a baby and nobody else will care about the sizing issues, but I care. I made these to fit her body and they don't.

Anyway, it's a nice design and the pattern is drafted perfectly, but it's too big for now. I thought at first I might try to tweak it to get a better fit, but that seems like a lot of work for a pair of baby pants. I may use the front "pocket" piece with another pants pattern that goes down to newborn size and create my own frankenpattern.

I am going to try the sailboat top from this pattern next. Look for that in the next few days.

10-2008-131 - Black & white silk cropped jacket w/ leather details

2012-01-11T16:00:00.002-06:00

I've loved this jacket since the issue came out over 3 years ago. You may remember I attempted it before, but chose the wrong fabric. This time around I used a very nice silk suiting from Fabricmartfabrics.com in a smaller scale geometric print.

Now you can see the details of the design. I love the separate collar and lapels and the fact that the collar has a collar stand which makes is stand up crisply. I used black leather for the underarm piping and back triangles since I had it on hand and find it takes to ironing really well. This pattern includes some tabs and buckles on the back sides - which I made as well - but later removed because they were too much.

I wanted my sleeves to look like the example and had to trim 2 inches from their bottoms before sewing the cuff in place. These look a little wrinkled but I have since gone back and starched them. This pattern calls for only the hems of the cuffs to be interfaced which I tried but didn't like. The bottoms were nice and crisp but the tops would collapse when I bent my arm. So I completely left off the interfacing but, if I had it to do over again, I would interface the whole cuff.

Haha - here I am mimicking the magazine pose:

Raglan sleeves aren't my favorite because they make me look really broad-shouldered. I did put in raglan shoulder pads but later removed them to avoid the football player silhouette. There was quite a bit of top-stitching on this jacket which is always fun for me. You can see the welt pocket opening in this picture. It is a very small pocket and might hold a lipstick.

The back has a small vent detail with leather triangles securing the top and bottom.

Here is a nice close-up of the collar area:

Shoulder close-up:

The full lining was done in Ambiance:

Now, I made a straight size 38 because that is what I had traced from the first attempt. This is a VERY loose fitting jacket. I think they have it pulled back on their example picture because mine is so much looser then their jackets normally fit me. Here is their example:

This is the first time I have experienced garment manipulation from Burda and hopefully it is just a fluke. I was more then a little unhappy with the largeness of this jacket. Of course I could have done a muslin, so I've nobody to blame but myself for being lazy. It's growing one me - and I do like it - but it's not what I had in my mind's eye.

I'll be making a few things for Rachel next from an Oliver + S pattern. Also, the February issue of Burda is another good one that I just placed an order for. Perhaps I should just renew since they have gotten so good lately...

Vogue Patterns magazine torments me + a fun indulgence

2012-01-01T13:00:00.000-06:00

Last week I received 2 fun things in the mail on the same day and squealed with joy. The first was my copy of Vogue Patterns magazine February/March issue. I love this magazine. They have awesome articles, new sewing techniques that are explained through pictures, input from other sewing bloggers, etc. It's also relatively inexpensive and that makes me happy too. However, check out page 90 from this new issue:

Does this fabric look familiar to anyone? It is none other then my favorite silk charmeuse of all time that I sadly turned into a wadder as seen here. Thanks alot Vogue!!! If only you had published this picture last spring, I would have made that exact dress up and totally loved it. I still might salvage the skirt portion for a simple bias skirt this spring.

The other fun thing I got in my mailbox was a zipper color card from Zipperstop.com. I have ordered zippers from them in the past but have always guessed on the color I wanted based on my computer screen. I have ended up with some colors that didn't match what I bought them for. SO, even though it was definitely a splurge ($34.95 + very pricey shipping) I bought it anyway in order to get the exact colors I want.

There are over 500 colors to choose from, although most of their zippers come in certain stock colors and you can't get the other colors unless you order 50+ zippers of that one color. But I have found that I can find one of the stock colors that matches the fabrics I have.

Get your own here or look for it on Ebay and pay slightly lower shipping.

Vogue 8634 + glittery skirt = Holiday outfit

2011-12-28T08:36:00.001-06:00

Here's the outfit I made to wear to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert we attended on December 22. They play rock music so I wanted something a little edgy but Christmas-y too.

These 2 fabrics were bought independently from each other. The top is made from a cranberry wool knit from Fashion Fabrics Club and the sequined cranberry stretch wool fancy (whatever that means) is from Hancock Fabrics. I have a ton of the wool knit left over and will probably do some sort of skirt with it. They were both easy fabrics to work with and the top was simple enough to be finished in a day or so.

The skirt was a good two week ordeal. I should have just done a simple straight skirt from my TNT straight skirt pattern but no, I seem to like to complicate things. The top was so simple that I thought I needed something with interest for the skirt. I muslined a skirt from Burda but the fit was way off and I didn't feel like doing the necessary alterations to make it work. Then I cut the fabric for a pleated mini using my TNT waistband. Well, the waistband did fit but the pleats did not take to the fabric well. And no, I did not muslin that one first. Then I had to salvage it somehow so used another pattern for a straight skirt that I'd not made previously and had to add 6 darts to the area under the waistband to make it work. The zipper I'd sewn into the center back and foolishly not tried on until after the waistband facing was completely hand sewn in place stuck out at the bottom like a tail, and no amount of fiddling with it could get it to lay smoothly. It was moved to the side seam where it now behaves itself. After all that I chose not to line it and added some wide ribbon to the inside to keep the sequins from scratching my skin/tights and to act as a hemline facing. However, I really should have lined it because the fabric bags out in the bottom when I sit down for 5 minutes. I may or may not fix that little issue but for now it is going in the back of my closet so I don't have to think of what a nightmare it was to sew. It's a good thing I made the top first because otherwise the skirt would have been in the trashcan.

I wore this outfit to the concert (and did not have the shortest skirt there by far) and also for Christmas Eve with my husband's family. They didn't say anything about it so I'm thinking they thought my skirt scandalously short and chose to ignore my festive clothing completely. What do you think - can a 30 something mom of 3 get away with a mini skirt if she's wearing dark tights and boots with it?

I am cleansing my palette from the nightmare skirt with a very fun little lined jacket. It is coming along s-l-o-w-l-y but now that Christmas is over I hope to finish it up quickly. And we are going to see Les Miserables in early January and I was suppose to make an entire outfit for that as well. It's not happening and I've got to figure out something else quickly.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!!

Simplicity 2459 - Black baby overalls w/ apple embroidery

2011-12-16T12:42:00.001-06:00

I have had these overalls completed for at least 2 weeks but haven't gotten them posted until now because:

1. I'm in some sort of blogging funk and don't feel like it.
2. This garment attracts SO MUCH lint that every time I put it on the baby she is instantly covered with hairs/dust/threads (maybe I should vacuum more...)
3. Taking pictures of something black on an uncooperative model isn't easy.

These aren't the best pictures ever but oh well. I'm going to have to live with them so I can cross this post off my to-do list.

This fabric is a small wale corduroy from Hancock fabrics. The only tough part of working with it was the cutting layout. More on that later. Rachel is a skinny baby, as I've mentioned before. I cannot find any pants to fit her because if they fit in the waist, they are super short in length. Good thing I can sew. I made these in an x-small for the width and a medium for the length. The straps could stand to be a little longer as they're already buttoned at the last button hole.

Please ignore the Target bags. It's about impossible to get a picture of her not turning to look at me!

I liked the elastic casings at the outer legs that you might be able to see if you stare long enough. The back straps meet in a V which I also though was cute. I did NOT LOVE the snap tape at the inner leg seam. Ugh! What a pain! Plus, she wiggles so much when I'm trying to re-snap them that it's not any easier having diaper access that way. The next pair will not have it.

Now because of the evenly spaced apples, I had to be careful when laying this out that the apples continued the same spacing across the center front/back of the legs and the bib. If you look back at the top picture, you will notice that the apples along the outer leg seams are a lot more clustered. There was no way around this.

Front

Back

I am planning to make this again, maybe in denim. The ruffly dress from this pattern is also really cute and is the reason I bought it in the first place:

December Burda picks

2011-12-09T12:13:00.001-06:00

I told you last month I'd be purchasing the magazine for December as well. If you are interested in where I get them, I order from GLP International. They charge $10 per issue, and that's with the shipping included.

The reason I had to have this month's copy is because of this coat:

I love all the seaming, the Peter Pan collar, the oversized pockets. I really want the exact ivory color as seen on the example, but lighter color wool coatings are hard to find. There seem to be an over-abundance of dark and muted colors available from the online fabric stores I frequent, but hardly any bright or light hues.

Skirt 105 is also a pretty, flattering style. It reminds me a lot of this skirt, but without the front ruffle. I also very much like the skirt suit they've created with the shortened version of 104, but think all the beautiful seaming on the jacket is lost by using such a textured fabric.

Dress 107 is gorgeous! Love the intricate tucks of the bodice, fitted & shaped midriff panel, double ruffled sleeves. There are a few things I'd tweak about it - mainly those front gathers below the midriff panel and the unnecessary vertical seams in the front and back bodice.

Faux fur jacket 113 is the sewing course for this month. I have seen these little fur jackets popping up everywhere lately and want one too! It should be an easy project to whip up using some fabric that's been languishing in my stash for at least 5 years.

Lastly, I really like the looks of gown 129, even though I have no where to wear it nor any possible reason in the future to need an evening gown. Maybe I could use it if I cut it knee length...

The January preview is already online here, but there's really nothing much that interests me in it. Perhaps this is the last copy I'll purchase for awhile. Are there any of your favorites that I've missed?

I was going to post Rachel's new overalls earlier this week, but she got them dirty before I could take any pictures. Kids are so messy! Anyway, they have been laundered so I should be able to snap some pics later today.

Butterick 5521 - Mixed materials sheath dress

2011-12-02T15:43:00.001-06:00

I saw a picture of this Johathan Saunders dress on Michelle Obama months ago and absolutely adored it. The mixture of fabrics really resonated with me, and I knew I wanted to make something similar.

However, finding the right materials proved something of a challenge. I had the black leather already in my stash, and was able to purchase the black wool gabardine quickly, but the dark gray tweed was a challenge. I thought I had some at one point but it sold out before my order was cut (an online purchase.) All of my local stores had some in polyester, but if I was using leather and wool for part of the dress, I really didn't want to use polyester for the main body. Just when I had given up the search, look what I found at the Goodwill secondhand store:

It was a Ralph Lauren 100% lambswool gray tweed maxi skirt in size 2P which was too small for me even if I liked wearing maxi skirts. But the fabric was LOVELY and at $2.99 I couldn't pass it up. I was just barely able to squeeze out the necessary pieces to make my dress, and had to put a vertical seam in the back bodice area that is hopefully not very noticeable.

And no, it is not an exact copy of the inspiration dress but I am okay with that since I didn't have to do any pattern drafting. (It was really cold and windy the day these pictures were taken. My face is saying oh-my-gosh-I'm-SO-cold-hurry-up-and-snap-the-picture-already!) I did make a muslin and only had a few minor tweaks at the hips and center front bodice. The pattern did not call for any interfacing and I didn't put any in, but now I'm wishing I had along that center front slit. As is I had to spray some starch on it to get it stiff enough to hold its shape.

I have this thing about sleeveless winter dresses. Maybe it's because I like long sleeved dress a lot, I don't know. Anyway, my plan was to include sleeves even though my inspiration dress didn't have any. I cut some out and stitched one to the dress but really didn't like the looks of it. By this point, of course, the bodice had been completed and the zipper was in. This forced me to iron the SAs in on both the dress and lining and stitch them together invisibly by hand.

I think this was a good project for my first go at sewing with leather. The amount necessary was relatively small and didn't make me quite so nervous of making a mistake with it. At first I glued the leather SA to the outside leather where it gets folded back, but that was noticeable from the outside. So I found our rubber mallet and hammered them down instead.

Here you can see where I had to piece the center backs together because of fabric limitations. I hated to do it but now think it blends in perfectly. Also, this pattern was top notch for having all the various pieces come together neatly. Notice how the width of the flanges is the exact same as the distance between the back skirt darts:

The leather flanges were backed in the same black wool as the dress sides.

Here is the pattern envelope picture:

This dress fulfills item #5 in my fall/winter must haves list and I absolutely adore it. I have two more projects almost complete including some overalls for my little girl. Hopefully I'll get at least one posted by Sunday. I hope you all have a really great weekend!

November Burda picks

2011-11-18T22:59:00.002-06:00

Yeah. I ordered another one. And I really like the looks of the December issue too. Now I am thinking about re-subscribing. But you can bet the minute I do they will go back to pillow-cases-posing-as-dresses and already-seen-it-a-thousand-times designs. As long as I don't buy the subscription they might keep up the trend toward more interesting clothing, right? You may all chime in with your thanks now.

Wait, what was my point for writing this post? Oh yeah.

Up first is jacket 104. Lets see - fitted jacket, interesting design lines, really cool collar and shoulder tabs - it pretty much has my name all over it. I will have to un-petite it, though.

Next are some rock'in leather pants, 108. I'm posting the picture of the garment as the drawing is pretty ugly looking. These are made from metallic leather, but I do have plenty of cream leather hides that would work. Do I need leather pants? Where the heck would I wear them? I've never had a particularly warm leather jacket, but I'm wondering if leather pants would make me hot (temperature wise). Lots of questions for this one, but I like the looks of them non the less.

It's a jacket - no wait, it's a cape. It's a ~~jape~~ ~~cacket~~ jacket-cape. Well, whatever it is, design 118 is definitely interesting looking.

I reserve my final opinion of dress 119 for when Allison finishes hers. It's hard to see how this dress looks from the magazine pictures. Both the short and long versions have the model sitting down; one is made up in black and the other photographed half hidden in shadows. Again, though, I'm intrigued by originality of the design.

Dress 120 is THE REASON I bought this issue. I love a dress with long sleeves and that ruffle down the front is perfection. Love. It.

Dress 123 is certainly a sexy little number. It's relatively simple but still interesting with all those front pleats coming together at one focal point. The one on the model in the magazine doesn't fit her all that well, so I'm anxious to see this made up.

Dress 126 is a formal gown that I have nowhere at the moment to wear it to. You never know, though, I might decide to make it up for some future theater show. Again, this dress does not fit the magazine model. I am wondering where they got this poor woman. All of the clothing they gave her to take pictures in are skin-tight and puckering at the seams. Except for the long blue taffeta one, where she appears to be sans clothing and is holding it up to herself while smoking a cigarette. Bizarre. I do think this dress is really pretty, despite the fit issues.

So there you have it. I'll be purchasing the December issue as well because there is a coat in it that I just cannot live without.

Vogue 1261 - Navy tie-dyed asymmetrical hem top

2011-11-14T11:52:00.001-06:00

This is one of the new fall Vogues that I liked because I saw other women wearing the same style and found it surprisingly flattering. Plus I loved the neckline, reglan sleeves and interesting exposed seaming included.

And since I ~~was intimidated by my next leather project~~ wanted something quick and simple, I decided to give this pattern a try. I used a fun tie-dyed matte jersey that has a pebbly texture from fabric.com. Originally it was going to be made into a dress, but had runs down both edges about 15" in. So, I had to find another pattern that would fit inside the runs and was no more then 30 inches in length.

I cut a size small with no fit adjustments. The back was cut on the fold to eliminate the double ribbon detail original to the pattern as I didn't want to break up the print.

Here at the neckline you can better see the exposed seams along the reglan sleeves and bias bound neckline. The pattern instruct you to use a twin needle, but I could only find one with narrow spaced needles. Instead, I simply topstitched it 1/8" from the seamline on both sides of the sleeve seam and then trimmed the excess fabric away.

I thought about leaving the hems raw with a double row of topstitching per the pattern instructions, but it just looks unfinished to me and is not to my personal taste. And since I so liked the bias bound neckline with raw edge, I decided to do the same for the sleeves and bottom hems.

I had to miter the binding at the side points, but otherwise it was very simple to do.

So there you have it! A simple knit tunic in a silhouette that is new to me that I like very much! I plan to make view C from this pattern as well and have a really neat idea for it. But first I have to find the right fabrics...

Gray pinstripe wool dress - updated pictures

2011-11-06T13:51:00.000-06:00

The weather has cooled off here in Texas and I decided to wear this dress for the first time today for church. It didn't fit last year because I was nursing my baby, but now is just right.

I took out the top hook and eye from the neckline to let the collar relax a bit. Beforehand the sides of the collar were sticking up in a weird manner.

I opted for no cardigan today as it was pretty mild outside and this dress is made from wool suiting. I froze! Which is making me doubt the 100% wool label on the fabric bolt. Next time I will take a wrap!

BTW, per the discussion in my last post, I hope you all do not think I am walking around Target or the grocery in high healed pumps. I only wear those for pictures, occasional date nights, church or special occasions. Just wanted to clear that up!

Vogue 1127 - Badgley Mischka sleeveless bow blouse

2011-11-03T13:20:00.003-05:00

Bow blouses are hot right now, and this was trend #1 on my fall/winter must sew list. To be honest with you, I never even noticed this pattern until I saw this review for it on Patternreview.com. Then I got to looking at the pattern envelope, and noticed the fabric they used for the example reminded me of this pink houndstooth charmeuse I purchased from JoAnn's around the same time. I could see it all made up in my mind's eye, easily worn with a sweater or jacket in colder months or by itself when warmer. That's pretty much all it takes to convince me to purchase a pattern!

Here's mine, being worn with a black wool skirt I made several years ago that is finally fitting again. It's amazing how many items in my closet this blouse matches - my hot pink wool skirt, my gray leopard wool skirt, my gray tweed pleated skirt, etc., not to mention various jackets and cardigans. I would have gotten some pictures of it with other things, but my photographer isn't especially keen on taking tons of pictures of me in different outfits. He can be a tiny bit cranky sometimes. :)

Here at the side you can get a feel for the looseness of it through the torso. It is actually cut like a trapeze dress with no indention for the waist. Since I wanted to wear it tucked in, I decided to cut the sides smaller and used Simplicity 2554 as my guide. Without having much shaping, the horizontal lines of the fabric needed only to be matched at the side seams.

My hair should probably be worn in a bun with this top as I think the back of the neck a really fun design feature. Incidentally, getting this over my head is a bit of a squeeze. I do have a larger then normal sized head, though, but wish I had made the opening an inch or so bigger.

Because of fabric limitations, I had to cut the bow a lot smaller then the pattern piece provided. Can you believe I cut off 8 inches from the center back ends of both sides of the tie?! I also cut the width down by 1 inch! That was one ginormous bow!!! Closer inspection of the pattern envelope leads me to believe it must also have been reduced in size.

I usually do not go for these sorts of loose and flowy designs, and I especially don't like my neck being constricted with too much fabric. That fear of feeling choked, coupled with my fabric shortage, caused the need for some modifications to the collar. Here it is without the ties around it. This front part I cut on the bias as instructed, but cut the height down by the same inch as the ties.

For the inside of the collar, I cut a much narrower height - 3.5" including seam allowances - the same height you are instructed to gather your back collar to, and also cut it on the bias. Then I fused knit interfacing to the back to give it some stability but still enable it to stretch a bit. The outer collar was attached to the inner collar, and rows of gathering stitch were put in at the side seams. Then I sewed the outer collar to the gathered neckline of the blouse, stitched the backs of the collars together, and slip-stitched the inner collar to the inside of the blouse. Make sense?

After the collar was attached and finished on the inside, I gathered up my side gathering stitches and topstitched the outer collar to the inner collar at the sides. This was done to further restrict the fabric from bunching up under my neck. It turned out to be a very neat finish, and is completely hidden under the ties when being worn.

This pattern provided for some nice finishing inside touches, including directions for french seams and a piece for bias bound armholes. Oh, I forgot to mention that I made the size 8 and I'm normally a 10-12 for tops. The underarms were a pretty tight fit, so I cut them down by 1 inch. The bias binding still worked, though, so I didn't have to recut larger pieces.

It's a fun little top with lots of outfit variations. And incidentally, I had a question from Veronica when I posted that Cynthia Rowley plaid skirt. Here is what she asked:

Cute skirt! So, I've been a lurker for sometime. I love your blog. Question...I see that you're a SAHM. Where do you wear most of these items? I ask because I want to sew more for myself but I work from home so I'm torn with wanting to make more clothes like what you make and just making lounge stuff over and over...know what I mean? I'm trying to "justify" making nicer clothes, I guess...if that makes any sense! :)

I find myself being asked ALOT why I am so dressed up on what appears to be an average day. I am a stay-at-home-mom after all, I should adhere to the jeans and a t-shirt dress code for my job, right? The problem is I like pretty clothes. I like to feel put together and that I look nice. What is the point of having a closet full of nice garments if you never plan to wear them? I recommend all of you stay-at-home types try it for at least a week. You'll feel better about yourself; find yourself eating better and taking care of your body. You'll get better service from salespeople at stores and more smiles from complete strangers.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T10:50:00.001-05:00

Here's what my boys went as this year:

Nathan was a magician. We bought the hat, wand, bowtie and gloves off Amazon.com, but the cape was made by me several years ago. I really need to make another one, they often fight over wearing it.

Daniel went as a viking. The helmet and battle ax (it's all about the weapon for boys, right?) were also purchased online. Those pants are a permanent fixture in our dress-up basket - don't tell but I got them in the girl's section of Walmart. The tunic and breastplate were made by me from Simplicity 5520.

Having used this pattern before for the knight costume and headpiece of Nathan's spider costume from last year, I knew the hood would need to be modified. I cut it longer and eliminated the front part that is suppose to close under the chin. A small area was left open at the back of the neck to stretch over the head. Then I stitched it to the tunic so it's an all-in-one hoody. This is a straight size 5.

The breastplate was actually really fun to make and was my first time using batting. I couldn't find the exact shade of pewter metallic fabric, so was forced to buy some really shiny silver. However, after visiting the cutting table I wandered over to the isle with the fabric dye and guess what else was there? Fabric paint! I bought some in black and distressed the breastplate after it was completely sewn. Pretty darn cute, right?

The fabric paint was actually really easy to use and I can see myself creating some custom painted or stenciled fabrics in the future.

My boys were thrilled with their costumes and already have ideas for next year. Of course I was finishing this up on Saturday with the fall festival to attend on Sunday. Why do I always wait until the last minute with costumes?!

Fall/winter must-haves

2011-10-27T10:40:00.003-05:00

Here's my list of trendy garments I'd like to sew this fall and winter:

1. Pussybow blouse

Zara blouse

I've actually completed a sleeveless version of this blouse and am just waiting for some good lighting to take pictures.

2. Cape

Burda October 2011 issue

I love this cape! The fabric has already been ordered - a lovely olive wool and angora blend - and will be here on the UPS truck next week. I hope it's as nice a fabric as I'm envisioning!

3. Military inspired jacket

Duchess Kate's Alexander McQueen coat dress

I actually have two jackets planned in the military look, but am not sure I'll get to both.

4. Something in mustard yellow

Victoria Beckham dress

I do love yellow, so this trend was a no-brainer. I'm planning a fitted skirt in mustard wool crepe, and already have the fabric in my stash from last spring.

5. Mixed fabrics garment - like leather & wool doubleknit

Stella McCartney dress

I don't love this dress but it's a good example of this multi-fabric mixing trend. I have two garments planned - a skirt and a really awesome dress. The dress is up next after I complete a Halloween costume and another something for Rachel.

6. Statement skirt

Vionnet skirt

This will be a simple straight skirt in an incredible green and yellow silk dupioni print.

7. Metallic garment

Marc Jacobs skirt

Burda October 2011 issue

Metallics are hot right now, as I'm sure most of you know. I'd like to have both of these exact pieces in my wardrobe. The metallic leather was purchased last spring and the metallic jersey I recently bought from Fabric.com. (I just checked, they seem to have sold out of it.)

8. Lace dress

Milly lace dress

If I could figure out how to knock off this exact dress, I'd be one happy camper. I bought some pretty cotton lace from Gorgeousfabrics.com some time ago - a Milly fabric from their Spring 2011 show - and am planning to die it navy.

9. Tuxedo jacket

Jason Wu tuxedo jacket

Okay, I love this exact jacket with the double lapels. However, I'd already planned a velvet & satin version last fall which I never got around to and have the fabric purchased. This will be part of a fancy outfit I'm making for Les Miserables, which we'll be attending in January.

10. Menswear-inspired suit

I do not have an example picture for this one, but it will be in a grey checked wool suiting and will include pants.

11. Leather shorts

from the blog Atlantic-Pacific

These might be more of a cold-to-warmer-weather transitional piece for me. I'm not against the whole shorts with tights look, but leather shorts with tights and tall boots seems a bit tart-ish in my mind. Maybe it will be fine, I'll have to wait and see. Or perhaps a different shoe would be a better choice.

12. Wool shorts

Karl Lagerfeld's Macy's collection wool shorts

Now these I could wear with boots and not feel like a painted woman.

Isn't is fun to be able to sew and try out some of these trends without having to spend the mega bucks on the designer originals? What trends are your must haves this season?

Simplicity 4243 revisited - Brown & green corduroy baby dress

2011-10-19T12:01:00.005-05:00

This is the cutest thing I've ever made for Rachel. Not that I've made her that many things yet, mostly because she's been so tiny and I've not wanted the headache of redrafting patterns. You can see the first dress made from this pattern here. It was pretty wide on her and didn't get worn much. The good thing about being so slim is that most of her dresses can be worn again the following year as tunics with stretch pants underneath. I made this dress in the same x-small size, but added 4" for length, and you can see it hits right below the knee. I also carved out 1/2" from the underarm to make it wearable as a jumper over other shirts.

I just love non-traditional colors for girls. When I can find something that's not pink, I get excited, and I thought this brown and green combo was really fun. The main fabric is a small wale corduroy purchased recently at JoAnn's; the brown band also is a thin wale corduroy but was purchased at Hancock's. The ric-rack is the prepackaged kind in x-large.

I paid special attention to lining up the trees on the sides and back. It wasn't difficult, just took a little extra effort during cut out.

I chose to put in a lapped zipper at the back. The first dress had an invisible zipper and I thought it was a bit stiff for a baby dress. Also, as I hand basted it in first, the trees were easier to align.

If you look closely, you can see where the ric-rack joins at the side. It's kind of like bias tape in the sense that it can be stretched or condensed without causing ripples, so joining at a continuing spot is possible. The bottom band was machine stitched to the ric-rack, and then folded up and invisibly stitched on the inside.

The armholes and neckline are finished with green bias tape, per the pattern instructions. Doing it around the armholes isn't too easy, especially since I sewed the side seams before finishing the armholes. I wanted french seams on the shoulders and sides, though, so did it that way despite the fiddly nature of such a small opening.

Here is the pattern picture. I can't take credit for the ric-rack idea, but I think it's pretty brilliant. I still want to make the red & white gingham dress, perhaps next summer.

Now that she's finally fitting into patterns, expect to see a bunch more sewing for her. (Especially pants and overalls this fall/winter as they are impossible to find for such a skinny-minnie.)

Simplicity 2512 - Cynthia Rowley plaid skirt w/ front drape

2011-10-18T10:27:00.000-05:00

Hello! It has been a few weeks since I've posted anything because I've had several wadders in a row. However, this skirt turned out really well, probably because I made a muslin. Also because I really thought about the fabric and what it would look best as.

This Cynthia Rowley pattern has been languishing in my stash for some time. I bought it for view C, which is the view I made, but view B has really grown on me and I want to make it too. (Probably in the spring - the fabric I want to use is a pink and gray silk charmeuse.)

This fabric is a cotton suiting purchases from Fabricmartfabrics.com. I loved the kelly green color running through the grey plaid and first thought to do some sort of bias skirt. However, the plaid is rectangular and not square, and I was afraid on the bias it wouldn't be very pretty. Plus a recent wadder was a bias garment, and they intimidate me. This pattern seamed a better fit for the fabric, especially since it had no right or wrong side, a necessity for the cascading drape in the front. I plan to wear it with some other layers for fall and not just this green t-shirt.

I used my TNT contoured waistband from this pattern, and had no other fit issues. I also added a full lining since the fabric was a bit see-through and I want to wear it with tights. Matching the seams at the sides and back was fairly easy to do, and I cut the waistband on the bias to eliminate any need of matching seams there.

Here's a close-up of the back waistband and invisible sipper area. I used Eugenia's invisible zipper technique to get a smooth edge at the top, and am happy to report that it worked like a charm. Thanks for posting that, Eugenia!

For the lining, I used black Ambiance and had to make it several inches shorter then the skirt so it wouldn't show in the front where the hem is curving. All the seams were finished so it could be thrown in the wash and not ravel out.

I'm nearly finished with THE CUTEST dress for Rachel, then I'll try to get some good pictures of her wearing it. We got our first cold front of the season today, which really makes me want to make fall clothing even more!

Vogue picks

2011-10-01T12:54:00.001-05:00

The new winter Vogues have been released, much to my surprise. I thought they would send out the magazine first, like with the fall ones. I wasn't even stalking the website. Anyway, I am trying to be discerning and buy only the ones I absolutely love.

First up is 1265, a Pamella Roland design. I love the jacket looking front and the full swishy skirt in back.

It looks like this Kay Unger dress is going to be a favorite among seamstresses. Those sleeves! The tiny half belt with decorative buckle! The neckline reminds me of another Kay Unger pattern, Vogue 1241, which I have yet to make. I think this dress is really pretty, but this fabric is too shiny for my taste.

I own the famed Jalie jeans pattern - not that I've made it up yet - but really want some narrow legged red jeans. Skinny jeans found in stores are just too tight for me. I've tried on a bunch, but never seam to like them. They make my lower torso look huge in comparison to my legs, and I can't get use to the proportions.

So those are my picks! I like 8780, but every time I try on a vest or cardigan with waterfall front at a store, I'm swimming in all the fabric of the front. Those seem to be designed for women with larger "girls". I also like the colorblocked draped dress 8763, but am unsure how the back of it will turn out. If these patterns get made up and I like the looks of them, I will probably purchase them too.

I'm currently trying to get a silk top completed but am running into some fit issues. (Too big in the bust.) Hopefully that will be finished today. Have a great weekend, y'all!

October Burda picks

2011-09-25T15:42:00.001-05:00

Look what arrived in my mailbox last week:

Love this issue! There are a ton of styles I can see myself in, a few of which I previously blogged about. BTW, I ordered this single issue directly from GLP News, and it was $10. The price on the front is 6 Euros - that's around $10 US, right? So I'm not sure how much less expensive it would be to buy it in a store. Not that I can find a store that sells them anywhere in San Antonio.

(I like to document the styles I like from each issue, as they're easier for me to look through here on my blog instead of going through 3 years of magazines for a specific design.)

This is design 101, the same cape as the magazine cover photo, except slightly longer. I really like the shape of it. Other capes I've seen have more volume coming off the shoulder; this one has narrow shoulders and fans out at the hemline. I'm also liking the front zip and hood.

For a long skirt, 103 definitely has a lot of shape. Love the bias plaid paired with a chambray button down.

Pretty and interesting blouse. The Peter Pan collar is a fun girly touch.

This dress is the same pattern as the blouse before it, but cut longer. I'm not sure I'd need one of each in my closet. I have been looking for a 3/4 sleeve like this one for awhile now. Most have too much volume but this one looks just right. Even if I never make the dress, I will certainly be tracing off the sleeve to use with other patterns.

Cute! Like the black and white. It's a simple dress that can be worn lots of different ways.

Nice basic skirt with front buttoning pockets and topstitching. Reminds me of this skirt without the front pleats, which I have gotten a lot of wear from.

Love. Sleeves have too much volume to me with all those ruffle and tie going on. Maybe I'll use the sleeve from the white blouse.

Pretty, although I've been over puff sleeves for awhile now. This dress is sized for petites, so I'd have to figure out how to un-petite it.

Nice pants. I like the leg shape and front welt pockets.

This is a pretty tie-neck blouse. I would love to find the same fabric for mine.

This vest looks like a great layering piece. Not sure I'll ever make it, but I do like it.

That makes 11 designs in total that I could see hanging in my closet, an all time record from a single issue I believe. I am so pleased to be able to buy single issues of Burda. Thanks again to everyone who chimed in about where I could purchase it!

Vogue 1252 - Tracy Reese knit dress w/ front drape

2011-09-22T10:57:00.003-05:00

This pattern was not in my original picks from the Vogue fall pattern offerings. I loved the other Tracy Reese dress with the front twist and wasn't sure I needed another similar dress. Then I looked at the pattern construction at the fabric store, and was sold that I needed this one as well. It is gorgeously constructed, which I will write about further down.

The reason this jumped to the top of my fall sewing plans is that I already had this knit on hand. It was purchased this past spring from JoAnn's and was part of their green/camo inspired line which I have forgotten the name of. It was going to be for a sleeveless summer dress but I thought it looked very fallish so got reassigned.

I LOVE the ruching along the midsection, the elbow length sleeves, the front draped overlay, the full skirt, and...

the back exposed metal zipper. When I first modeled this for Justin, he was not all that enthusiastic about that design element - he thinks it is an eyesore in an otherwise pretty dress. I think it adds a bit of oomph to the back. This is my second dress with this kind of closure and possibly my last. It's a fun look, and I enjoy jumping on a trend now and then, but metal zippers are honestly a little irritating along the spine. Perhaps I need to wear a cotton undershirt with it.

You can see the front drape in this neckline close-up. The other side of the neckline has ruching along it's top and bottom as well. That side gave me a bit of trouble at first because the outer fabric hung off the lining fabric. It wasn't at all taut like ruching should be. I remedied this by cutting the extra fabric off of the outer fashion fabric. I had to repeat this process in other areas of ruching too.

When I first attached the full skirt, it was gathered all around. However, I don't like gathers along the sides of my waistline because they add bulk to my already square shape. So I took the skirt off, regathered the skirt, and reattached. This dress has a TON of gathering. If you aren't fond of gathering, I suggest you pass on this pattern.

Along the sides of the fashion fabric, I cut 3/4" from the side seams, so that when they were gathered and attached to the lining, the ensuing gathers would be taut. I basted the zipper in by hand, and then went back and stitched it with the machine. These sorts of zippers always make me nervous. It went in twice as well since the first time I stretched the fabric too much and had a pucker at the bottom.

This is the fullest skirt in my closet and I love it's twirlability. The length was really dowdy at first and I kept second guessing weather I would like the finished dress or not. Does anyone else do this? About 50% of the time when I'm making something, I convince myself that it won't turn out as cute as I'd hoped. Then I flounder around for a few days wondering if I should put any more hours in on it, and finally decide to just power through. I usually end up loving it. When I hemmed up the skirt and cut off the excess length, it magically transformed into a really lovely garment.

This full knit lining is what sold me on the design. I have never put one in before and have never worked with knit lining fabric, but I do love a beautifully finished interior and was excited to try something new. This lining is tricot from Fabric.com in a beige color and was a dream to sew. It had lots of side to side stretch but no top to bottom stretch, so the ruching along the side seams stayed put without having to use stay tape.

I didn't want to ruin the clean finish of the dress interior, so I added bias tape along the sleeves to enclose that seam. The neckline is also finished prettily with a bias facing included in the pattern. I basted it in first so I could machine stitch along the outside of the dress and get a nice uniform topstitching. I'm becoming a big fan of basting stitches lately, and like to use a really bright color like red so they are easily seen and removed.

Okay, so I'm actually really excited to have this completed because it took a full two weeks of sewing time with lots of little stumbles along the way. After figuring out how to get the ruching taut, the next main obstacle was the length of the bodice. I should have measured it - this is an alteration I often have to make lately as bodices seem to be drafted shorter and shorter. But I looked at the example dress from the envelope picture and thought it would be long enough. It was not. Without the skirt attached, the bottom of the fabric hit me well above the belly button. I had already invested at least a week for the bodice and was extremely depressed over this blunder. After sleeping on it and thinking about the problem in the shower (does anyone else work out sewing issues in the shower?), I decided that I could add to the bottom of the bodice and it would be invisible amongst all the ruching. That involved drafting 4 more pieces - front and back lining and front and back main body fabrics - and more gathering and matching up of side seams. I ended up adding 1 3/4" to the length, as you can see in the picture below. This was taken before the outer bodice lining was put in.

I used the tricot as an underlining in the bodice to gather the side gathers onto and to eliminate the need of stay tape, which I didn't have on hand and thought might add some bulk to the sides. This worked extremely well as the tricot was very thin and remember it has no top to bottom stretch. One thing I love about this pattern is the tacking of the ruching to the inside. (That's what looks like black thunderbolts in the above picture.) WHAT a great idea. In the other dresses I've made with ruching, I find myself constantly adjusting that area while I'm wearing it. But with the ruching tacked, there is no to do that! Also, with having an underlining, I could tack my ruching to that and the actual lining covers up and protects those stitches.

Other tweaks I made were to cut the sleeves slightly longer so I could take a deeper twin needle hem and left off the front pockets. I cut a size 10 and the waist is very snug, so I eliminated the waist elastic.

Whew! I am relieved to have this project completed. I originally thought I might remake this dress without the front drape, as the neckline is so pretty and interesting underneath it. But with all the gathering and fiddling about with thin stretchy fabrics, that is unlikely to happen. Besides, I still have the other Tracy Reese dress with the front twist to make up, and it has a ton of gathering in it as well.

Thanks!

2011-09-12T08:30:00.000-05:00

I just called GLP News and placed my order for the October issue of Burda. It was $10 with postage. A regular yearly subscription is $90, which breaks down to $7.50 per month. Paying $2.50 extra to just get the magazines I really love is a good deal to me, especially since I can't find it anywhere locally. Thanks to everyone who chimed in on this. You guys are awesome!

I knew this would happen

2011-09-09T14:12:00.003-05:00

Check out these beautiful creations from the October fall preview of Burda:

You may recall that I've let my subscription lapse after August. September didn't have anything I was too crazy over, but the October magazine I love. So here's my question - is there a way to buy just one magazine? Perhaps a website that will sell the single issues that you know of?

BTW - I have called all the Barnes and Noble stores in town and none of them carry it. Apparently they don't think there is a market for the magazine in my city. Any other suggestions?

Making basics

2011-09-04T20:25:00.000-05:00

Hello! We were on vacation for 2 weeks in August - pictures coming soon - and I was too busy before we left to do any sewing or posting. Even though we've been home for nearly a week, I am still trying to get caught up and completely unpacked. Vacationing sure is a lot of work.

When my boys were gone to their grandparent's the latter part of July, I had an entire week mostly to myself. I decided to sew some basics. Of course I had a huge laundry list of garments planned, and was only able to get three done. These are the two I actually like.

I normally do not make skirts with yokes. It's not that I don't like them, it's that they never fit my body. They are shaped for a more hour-glass figure, and I am a square. The Selfish Seamstress coined the term Full Waist Adjustment, which I think is funny and needed by me in most cases as well. Too bad I'm horrible at figuring them out in yoked clothing. However, after the success of these shorts and their shaped waistband that fit me perfectly, I think I have found a TNT waistband.

I ended up using the "slim" cut and my TNT waistband and made a muslin. A few tweaks later and I had myself a great fitting black straight skirt:

This fabric is a black denim from Fabric.com that has a little stretch to it.

I also wanted a white shell top for layering under jackets and sweaters for fall, and picket my TNT shell pattern, Vogue 2925, also made here and here. I do like it, but the fabric I chose had too much texture to really be worn under other items.

This textured polyester knit was purchased from Fabricmartfabrics.com. It is a little big even though I've made this pattern before and didn't do anything differently. The fabric is just more expansive, if that makes any sense to you. This skirt was also made by me and posted about here. I removed the small front pockets so that I could wear it with untucked tops.

And yes, I do have the same pair of shoes in two different colors. I love the yellow ones so much that when the red ones went on sale, I had to have them too.

Even though it's still in the 100's everyday around here, I am so ready for fall clothes. This week while I was suppose to be unpacking, I switched out all the stuff I didn't get around to making this summer (so much!) for the cooler weather items left over from last year. I can't wait to get started!

Sophia Doubleknit fabric review and a wadder

2011-07-30T14:42:00.001-05:00

Anybody remember waaaaayyyyy back in January when I made this winter white double knit dress and wrote that the fabric was Sophia Doubleknit from Fabric.com? I then went on to write that it seemed exactly like the Ponteroma knit at Hancock's which can be bought at a cheaper price. Well, turns out I was mistaken about that fabric, (I knew I had bought some, just forgot which pattern I paired it with) because I just used the winter white Sophia Doubleknit for Vogue 1087, with unsuccessful results. Observe (and please excuse the poor lighting):

Looks pretty nice, right? I had only a few more steps to do but unfortunately won't be finishing. Because of the construction process and all of those draping elements, it cannot be tried on until after it's mostly completed. Check out the back:

The back of the skirt looks painted on - not a look I prefer. This Sophia Doubleknit is some really nice stuff. It's slightly thicker then the Ponteroma, which I do like for structured garments. The one big difference is that while the Sophia is a knit, it behaves like a woven as far as ease is concerned. In a Ponteroma knit this same size wouldn't be so tight, and the negative ease would look well fitted instead. A fitted jacket would be perfect for the Sophia, since it retains its shape so well. Hmmm, that might just be a great look for fall.

I just placed an order for 2 yards of navy Sophia doubleknit this morning, to remake the dress in a larger size. I love the pattern, and really want to add it to my wardrobe. I am bummed this dress wasn't better fitting, and I did like it in winter white like the pattern envelope, but honestly, how many winter white doubleknit dresses does one girl need?

August Burda picks

2011-07-29T20:30:00.000-05:00

In answer to a few commenters from my last shorts post, yes, that was a Burda magazine pattern. Whenever you see me write Burda with a string of numbers behind it, the first number stands for the month, the second the year, and the third number is the pattern number in that specific magazine. So Burda 06-2011-111 is pattern #111 from the June 2011 issue. I had several questions about that and wanted to clear up any confusion.

This is my last magazine unless I renew my subscription, which I'm not planning to do anytime soon. Those white shorts I just made were my first use of the magazine this year, and I don't feel like I'm using it enough to warrant the cost. Plus the designs just aren't that innovative lately. There seem to be lots of repeats. I still LOVE the magazine, but will be taking a little break from it for awhile.

Jacket 101 I really like. It has interesting design lines and detailing with that double buttoning front, and y'all know I love topstitching.

Jacket 102 is my favorite from this month's designs. What an awesome military look with the shiny brass buttons and red piping. I would love to copy the example and use a navy wool. It's just gorgeous!

A while back I over-did it on the puff sleeve and couldn't get enough of them. Now I'm totally over that design element and don't even want to wear what I've already made. So blouse 107 isn't an obvious choice. But once you look past the puffy sleeves this really is a cute top. It's fitted, has ruffles but no collar so could be worn under a tailored jacket for fall/winter. (Duh, Amanda, see how they've styled it above.) Leaving off the sleeves and finishing the armholes with some bias tape should be easy.

Skirt 121 is a fun little pencil skirt. And I always love tummy ruching on garments.

I'm really not sure why I'm drawn to dress 125. It's not very practical with that scarf thing around the neck (winter) and short cap sleeves (summer). Plus it's a tall pattern. Maybe I like it because they've made it up in such a fun black and white fabric. I'll probably not make it but do like it.

Okay, dress 126 is super cute! I love the shape of it and the use of two different fabrics. A little bit of camisole showing through adds a nice layering look. I'll be shortening it to the knee.

Honestly, when I started looking at these patterns previewed on the Russia Burda site, I was a little miffed. How dare they go from hum-drum to interesting for my very last month?! Are the next few magazines going to be awesome now that I've decided not to renew? Then I looked at the September preview in the back and saw that folk-styled designs are back again and thought - Nope! Same old Burda! Now it feels like a really nice send off instead.

Did I miss any of your favorites?

Burda 06-2011-111 - White short shorts

2011-07-25T14:54:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Allison and her upgrading Blogger instructions, I can now do all of the things I've seen on other blogs but couldn't figure out how to do - like super big pictures and crossing out words. Did I happen to mention that it's HOT here? So hot I considered putting off taking pictures of these shorts for a few days. But I was too excited about them so I braved the ensuing perspiration just to bring this post to you.

Holy cow, I haven't made anything from Burda magazine for a really long time! (I'm not mad at them, just have been busy with other patterns.) When I first signed up for a subscription 3 years ago, I had heard that their pants designs were the most like RTW, and I was really excited to try a pair. And then I ~~chickened out~~ got side tracked. Making pants and shorts is daunting to me because every time I've tried it something was off: the rear was wrinkled, the inseam too far towards the back or the waistband sitting too low in the back.

Enter this tunic, which has been unworn and hanging in my closet for over a year. I could not figure out what to wear it with. Not pants, not a skirt, not the mid-thigh white shorts I already own, not capris. It's a problem of proportion. I have a long torso but short legs, and have just discovered that shorts look best on me if they're on the short side - makes me appear taller. But not too short, I do prefer to be modest. And no vertical pockets please, those always jut out and make my hips look bigger. Hmmm, kind of a tall order to find at a department store. I suppose I'll have to break down and make my own.

I know they're kind of hiding under the tunic so here are some close ups for you:

Pretty rockin' fit, right? I traced the 38 and added 1/2" to all the side seams. Then I made a muslin. (It's my new thing. Makes sewing so much more fun and I don't waste fabric or rip out seams.) It actually fit without any fiddling. So I guess what I heard about Burda was true, they have well fitting pants and shorts. I left off the pockets - vertical side pockets are not my favorite - and made the view with the darts in front and not pleats. The hemline is somewhere between A and B with a 2.5" inseam.

The fabric is a medium weight cotton purchased recently from Denverfabrics.com. For the waistband facing, I used a cotton/poly blend broadcloth fused with interfacing to cut down on bulk. I also discovered that my machine makes a stitch similar to an overlock stitch. I accidentally spilled the remains of my frappachino on these shorts right as I was finishing them up, so they've already been through the washer/dryer and had minimal fraying. I'll be using this newly discovered stitch to finish off garments from now on.

There's an invisible zipper at the left side:

I used the same cotton/poly broadcloth to make hemline facings. On the muslin the hem puckered because it was smaller in circumference then the shorts. I was going to flare it out a bit to eliminate the problem but then thought I'd try this method instead in order to reduce bulk through the thighs.

Conclusion: I love them! I think the next pair will have a wee bit smaller leg holes though. This is a fast project. I traced off the pattern, sewed up the muslin, cut out the white fabric and got busy at the machine on Saturday, and only had a bit left to do after church yesterday. Now I'm off to work on my next project, a much-needed black denim pencil skirt. Stay tuned!

McCall's 6039 - Turquoise floral jacket w/ orange piping

2011-07-23T17:32:00.012-05:00

When this pattern came out in the spring of last year, it had my name written all over it. I love fitted jackets, interesting construction lines and piping. The fabric is one of those front and back reverse weave cotton/poly jacquards, purchased from JoAnn's. I have several of these types of fabrics and was pleased to have a fun design to make one up in. The orange piping is regular Wright's brand piping bought at any fabric store. I originally wanted a brighter orange, but wasn't willing to go to the effort of making my own with this carrot color readily available.

This pattern is drafted extremely short through the waist. I made a muslin (proud of me?) and had to add 1.5 inches to the lengthen/shorten here line! And I'm short waisted! I also added .75 inches to the now new waistline for a total addition of 3 inches at the waist. I do have a square body but that is way more then what I usually have to add. This is not an easy pattern to make because of all the miles of piping and those super tight square turns in front.

I'm sweating through my camisole in these pictures. Besides the heat wave, this is not something I'll wear during the summer. It looks horrible unclasped so is better suited for cooler weather. I'm thinking early spring with these bright colors. It would also look better with a white skirt, not that I have one at the moment. I really need to make myself some basics.

I love the piped cuffs at the sleeves.

Here's a close-up of the neckline:

The lining is some kind of linen look polyester purchased at Hancock's. I wanted an orange that matched the piping and this is the only one they had. Usually I use something slippery for a lining but this doesn't have to slide on and off over an under layer. Although it does add a bit more bulk then I was anticipating.

I've had the sewing on this jacket completed for a week and have been slowly attaching these silly hooks and eyes. There are 16 of those suckers! First I started out with the larger coat hooks and eyes, but those allowed some skin to show through. Of course I did not notice the gapage until after I had them all sewn down. I am D-O-N-E with making something that needs hooks and eyes for at least 6 months!

I love it - but - won't be making another. One is enough for my closet (and sanity!) The boys have made their yearly pilgrimage to my in-laws and will be gone a week. I am hoping to get a ton of sewing in amongst other non-fun chores (the budget - blah!) More coming soon!

New fall Vogues!

2011-07-13T11:45:00.000-05:00

Oh goody, new patterns to drool over! Vogue's designs are by far my favorite. They are often complicated and challenging, with interesting tucks and drapes and other delicious details. And having a pattern with a high-end designer name is really starting to appeal to me, whereas I never use to care about such things.

This first dress is a Tracy Reese design. I love all the gathers, the interesting bodice, the fun exposed zipper, and the beautiful way the straps attach to the back. If I could rip this very dress right off the envelope and hang it in my closet I'd be one happy lady. I'm not sure why this is a fall pattern, seeing as it's sleeveless and has an exposed back, but I'll take it just the same.

V1253

This next dress from Anne Klein is really beautiful in the magazine, but did not photograph well here at all. It is made in a glen plaid fabric and the bodice is tucked in such a way that the bottom is straight grain and up towards the neckline it's on the bias. That little dark spot in the front is actually a cutout, and the collar is bias cut and doubled and stands away slightly from the shoulders. Plus is has sleeves! I cannot wait to see what the pattern pieces look like.

V1254

Here's a picture of the drawing so you can see what an interesting neckline it has:

I can't decide what I think of this next dress from Badgley Mischka. The color is gorgeous, and I don't know if I'm drawn in by that or by the design. It's for a knit, so I'm guessing they left the front ruffle unhemmed. Finding the right jewels to add to the waist might be hard, and I'm wondering if they give you any instructions for making that part. Anyway, I'm still undecided about it, but I find the design unique and interesting.

V1256

This top and skirt combo from Donna Karan took my breath away when I first saw it on the cover. I am already thinking of a maroon knit in my stash slated for another dress that could be reassigned to this pattern. I LOVE it. The only thing I'd do differently is raise the hemline of the skirt a few inches, but that's just personal preference.

V1259

These asymmetrical hemline tops have been around for awhile now, and I've never been tempted by them. However, I saw a lady wearing one the other day and it was so cute and flattering on her. This pattern adds in some fun details - exposed seaming and raw edge finishing. This view has raglan sleeves and a really pretty neckline. I like it. It's effortless style and perfect for a mom-on-the-go.

V1261

Finally there's this simple knit dress with ruching along the sides of the center panel. The back has princess seaming as well with a little zipper just at the neckline. It's for a knit and has sleeves. (I'm a big fan of sleeved dresses in the fall and winter, in case you don't know.) It's pretty and easy to just throw on with some boots and look put together.

V8742

So those are my picks. I would have enjoyed seeing an intricate jacket pattern and some separates with more details, but these are gorgeous designs and I'm not complaining!

Invisible zipper tutorial

2011-07-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

I'm sure there are tons of invisible zipper tutorials floating around the internet, but I sometimes get asked about how I install one, so thought I'd do a tutorial about it. I am a self-taught invisible zipper seamstress. I used regular zippers in all my garments for years and years, mostly using the lapped zipper method. A few years ago I had to use an invisible zipper in some long forgotten garment, and was so pleased with the results that I vowed never to go back!

I thought my recent yellow linen dress a good subject to document the process on, since it has numerous intersecting seams that come together at the zipper.

FIRST AND POSSIBLY MOST IMPORTANT - UNZIP YOUR ZIPPER AND IRON IT REALLY FLAT, PER THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH IT. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AS IT INSURES YOUR ZIPPER IS COMPLETELY INVISIBLE, AND NOT PEEKING OUT FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE SEAM. I took a picture of me doing this, but it unfortunately got deleted.

Next start pinning one side, starting from the top. I like to leave about 1/4" from the top seam to the top of the zipper stop. That way when the facing gets folded down it has plenty of room to lie flat.

Use one of these useful ruler gauges to make sure you're getting the correct seam allowance. They only cost a few dollars and are a sewing necessity, IMO.

Here I've got it pinned all the way down. Make sure not to stretch the fabric or zipper while you do this, or the fabric at the bottom of the zipper will pucker up.

Here it is all stitched. Check the other side to make sure no fabric got sewn folded the wrong direction.

Close the zipper and fold it away from the finished side.

Use a straight pin and poke it through the unsewn side of the zipper exactly at your first seam intersection.

Now fold the unsewn zipper back over the sewn side. Use a chalk pencil to make a dot at the pin hole. I used blue chalk for this dress, and have a white one for darker colors.

Repeat the process at each seam intersection. This one is for the top of the midriff band:

Here's the mark for the bottom of the midriff band:

And for the bottom of the zipper opening:

Now pin the unsewn zipper side to the other side of the garment, centering the blue dots over the intersecting seams on that side. Sometimes zippers move out of that spot, even when pinned. In order to save myself from inevitable frustration, I started sewing only a few stitches over each intersecting seam.

Here you can see where I only sewed a few stitches, then zipped it up to check my placement. That way if you are off, you can rip out just those few stitches and not the whole row. For this dress I started checking my placement stitches at the top midriff band, then continued to the bottom of the band and bottom of the zipper opening, and then went back to the top. But you can do it in any order you choose.

Here I am checking the intersection of the bottom band:

And here's the intersection of the bodice band. This one I did have to rip out and redo, if I remember correctly, because it didn't match up.

Now, after you get through sewing the top of the zipper in place, BE SURE TO FOLD YOUR FACINGS DOWN AND CHECK TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE NICE AND STRAIGHT ACROSS. Otherwise it will look very obviously homemade - and not in a good way.

And here is the finished zipper on the side of my dress, truly invisible with the top tab hidden under my arm.

I hope this helps someone! Leave a comment for any other tutorials you'd like to see me post.

Simplicity 2608 - Knit shorts in green snakeskin

2011-07-06T22:01:00.007-05:00

I've written before that I have a terrible time finding shorts to buy at stores. Those knee-length walking shorts that are suppose to look good on everybody (per Stacy and Clinton on What Not to Wear) look like men's work pants cut off at the knee on me. Vertical slash pockets always pooch out and make my hips look bigger. I no longer feel comfortable wearing the short shorts I wore in college. It's so annoying! I've been meaning to make myself some shorts for several years now, and finally got around to doing so. Since I made the skirt from this pattern in December 2009 and really loved the fit, I decided to use it again.

I chose a stable doubleknit for my first pair, but that proved to be too thick of a fabric, so I'll just call that wadder a muslin. Here's the second pair, made from a thin ITY knit purchased from Gorgeousfabrics.com last year I believe. How CUTE are these shorts?!!! I could not be more pleased with them! They are elastic waisted but the fold-over band hides it and enables me to wear shirts tucked in. They are super simple to whip out and require no fit adjustments since they're knit. You can expect to see more in my immediate future.

The only adjustment I made to the pattern after my "muslin" was to cut 1.5" off the top. They were really high-waisted, and I prefer to wear most short/pants/skirts about an inch below my navel.

I just bought these shoes too. A girl who loves the color yellow definitely needs some casual summer sandals in that hue, right? Plus they're kind of a muted shade and match half my closet. Well, that's what I'm telling myself to justify their purchase anyway. ;)

I am in love with this pattern!

Vogue 8706 - Red doubleknit dress w/ asymmetrical neckline

2011-06-30T20:31:00.012-05:00

This pattern came out in early spring and I instantly loved it. It's fitted, has interesting design lines, a fun piping finish to the armholes, and would look great in a doubleknit - all elements I adore. I obviously also liked the red dress on the envelope, seeing as mine is identical.

This fabric is a pontaroma knit purchased from Hancock fabrics. I bought it half off with a coupon but I've noticed they've since raised the price by a few dollars. It must be popular stuff.

I had very minimal fit issues with this pattern. Based on the tissue printed measurements, I cut a size 12. I added 3/8" to the hips at each side seam, for a total of addition of 1.5" in that area. The printed bust measurement for a 12 is 34", which should have given me only a few inches of negative ease. However, I had to take out at least another inch from the side seam with the gathers, as it was way too big and ballooned out. Also, the left front underlap was really snug and positioned too far down for me. Raising it 1" took care of the problem. I also raised the gathers on the right side to just below the armpit. Anyone with a fuller bust should really like this pattern, just be aware that you might want to cut the front underlap (piece 2) longer where it joins the side seam.

I'll not be eating any big meals while wearing this. I got out of the habit of wearing Spanx when I was pregnant and now find them terribly uncomfortable. Maybe after the weather cools off I'll change my mind.

I love that the dress is form fitting but has a high asymmetrical neckline and modest length skirt. Contrasting design elements are pleasing to the eye, don't you think?

This is a detail shot of the piping finish along each armhole. The facings are cut as one with their corresponding outer piece, so the only edge that needs to be finished is the armhole. What an interesting way to finish off an opening! The piping pattern piece is included, so there is no guesswork needed.

Here's what it looked like before I pulled in the front piece at the right side, raised the gathers and repositioned the front underlay - way too voluminous for my small girls.

Two posts in one day - am I a crazy productive blogger or what?! Haha. We are going to Lake LBJ for the weekend for some jet skiing, fishing, swimming, family fellowship and, of course, fireworks. I wish all my fellow Americans a fun and safe Independence Day!

July Burda picks

2011-06-30T14:15:00.009-05:00

Well, I've had a dress finished for several days but keep forgetting to take any pictures before twilight. Hopefully I'll get those taken tonight and posted before we are off to the lake for July 4th. In the meantime, here are my favorites from this month's Burda.

One of my favorites is top 105. I like the front folded ruffle-type treatment and that the bottom and skinny strap are made from a solid color. It's not that fitted but is sheer so that some body shape can be seen through it.

Dress 122 is a simple jersey style with cinched waist. I bought a really fun belt from Target several months ago that needs a simple solid colored dress to wear it with. The armholes of this dress have two different widths of bands - each folded together so that the unfinished edges are not showing (hard to explain) - but I'm wondering if 5 layers of fabric might be too thick in one area.
This next one is blouse 113B. The sheer fabrics along the neck, sleeve edges and ties are left unfinished. I like it - it's different and interesting.
Okay, so I love the IDEA of dress 130 - the colored lace, unlined sleeves, piping down the sides forming the outsides of the pockets. Theirs is too boxy for me and the neckline too high. I might decide to use this design with a more fitted pattern.

I've already seen dress 131 made up on patternreview.com with piping along the neckline and sleeve edges. LOVE! What a cute square neckline and cap sleeves!

Five designs that I really like from one month's offerings is great for me. I also appreciated their organza butterfly DIY instructions as well as the fabric necklace shown on page 58. (Am I crazy to like it? Would you wear something like that?) The preview for next month doesn't look too promising but maybe Burda will surprise me again.

New fall patterns from McCall's!

2011-06-22T12:00:00.012-05:00

I received an email from McCall's this morning advertising their new fall lineup. In the last year or two, they haven't released much that I've been super excited about. I have bought a few here and there, but most of it has looked very 80's to me. However, these new fall patterns look really fresh and modern, and I'll be snapping them up at the next pattern sale!

This first one is 6396. Now it's been a long while since I've worn a jumper, and it might be too young of a look for me, but I really like the plaid view on the left. Especially with the tights and booties they've styled it with. I have several shades of booties and TONS of tights. What do you think? Is it too young of a look for a 34 year old woman?
Several of these new designs combine pleather and fabric, which I find texturally interesting and different. I'll be using my stash of black lambskin instead of pleather. 6397 is yet another jumper. I LOVE the first design with leather bodice, tweed skirt and exposed zipper. I'd add the pockets from the other views.
Top 6401 has a long sleeve version, but I prefer the sleeveless one with shoulder tabs over gathered "sleeves". The collar looks to have a stand which is a necessity for me in shirtmaking.
Skirt 6402 has another leather/fabric combo that I like. The other views are great too, and I usually prefer to have a waistband on a skirt.
The stretchpants resurgence still looks 80's to me, but I adore these from 6404, with leather insets sewn down the legs. They're a little hard to see in this picture, so I've posted the line drawing as well.

Check out this little shrug/cardi/jacket design from 6407. It's super chic in the stripe and contrasting bias along the edges. The back is cinched in so it's got some shape back there. My only problem will be finding the perfect fabrics to make it up in.

Lastly is cardigan 6408. There are several views that I like. Check out the back of the longer version with asymmetrical hemline - so pretty and cozy for winter!

Anyone else excited about these new offering like I am? Did I miss any of your favorites?

NewLook 6774 - Yellow linen dress

2011-06-18T15:09:00.011-05:00

This pattern was picked specifically for this yellow linen border print. I went looking for a dress pattern with a fairly straight bottom and somewhat simple top. My favorite was the view with the pockets and flutters on the shoulder straps. But lately I have noticed that while I'm drawn to these younger styles, I feel childish when I'm wearing them. So I went with a straight front, no flutters and no pockets. (The pockets would have just been in the way, as it turned out.)

This gorgeous yellow linen with embroidered floral border was purchased last year at either Hancock's or JoAnn's - I can't remember which. For all my love of yellow, I really don't own that many garments that feature it as the main color. After it was 90% completed, I was not happy with how long the skirt was. Not wanting to lose any of the embroidery at the bottom, I created 3 tucks which are 3/8" in length, and they pulled the skirt up to the desired length. I think they turned out to be a really interesting design element, and gives this simple dress a bit more detail.

The front and back gathers were spaced out evenly around the waist inset to avoid any poofy pregnant look, a necessity with this limited draping fabric.

As you can see from the tiny line drawing, I did make some changes to the back. Since I wanted to space out the back gathers more, having a zipper right through the middle was going to be a problem. This was easily solved by cutting all the back pieces on a fold and moving the zipper to the side seam.

Here's the invisible zipper at the left side seam. I took lots of pictures when I put it in for a zipper tutorial. I'll try to put that together and get it posted in the next few days.

The line drawing would have you believe there is some sort of banding along the top of this design. It turned out to be topstitching. It bothers me to have only one tiny bit of topstitching on a garment, plus I didn't want to have to interface the entire bodice when I only needed stability along the very top. Adding a band was simple enough, and I was sure to make it the same width as the shoulder straps.

The banding along the inside was the one to get the interfacing, as you can see in this next picture. Since I was using linen, I added a skirt lining to avoid having a baggy bottom when wearing it. The lining is inexpensive cotton/poly broadcloth from Hancock's. I wanted to be able to wash this dress and finished all of the exposed seams in the skirt.

I love it!

Butterick 5645 - Green & yellow knit cowl top

2011-06-12T12:44:00.010-05:00

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions for my recent dress fiasco. I have decided to save the bodice and replace the bottom with a straight black skirt in black wool crepe. BUT, I am totally sick of working on that project. So I did what I always do to cleanse my palate - make something easy out of a knit.

This fabric is a polyester knit from Gorgeousfabrics.com which was purchased several months ago. Y'all know by now my love of all things yellow, right? This is one crazy print, and I needed something simple so as not to cut it up too much. And with cowl necklines being so popular right now, I decided to jump on a current trend while it's still current.

I made a small because the finished bust measurement printed on the pattern was around 34". Well, it is A LOT bigger then that, which I'm okay with because it's suppose to be really loose. Probably you would not need an FBA if that is usually a concern. Also it is not nearly as blousey around the stomach area as the picture depicts. I still really love it, despite those small quibbles.

I did cut 1 1/2" off the bottom before I sewed the elastic casing. Also, I finished the back neckline with bias tape for a neater finish. The top has a tendency to pull towards the back a bit which throws the sleeve slits off the center of the shoulder. To remedy this I installed lingerie straps with snap closures and now it stays put.

Here at the shoulder you can see the back neckline finish and lingerie strap. This was my first time to make them and I'll definitely be doing it again - super easy!

I'm busy working on a simple yellow linen dress. Have a great rest of the weekend!

Waving the white flag

2011-06-02T18:19:00.007-05:00

Here is the dress I've spent the past month working on. Gorgeous, right? This is one of my favorite fabrics. Ever. It's silk charmeuse. I bought one yard from Gorgeousfabrics.com and another yard from Fabricmartfabrics.com.

If I was a paper doll it would be perfect. Too bad I'm three-dimensional. Check out the lower back. And oh yeah, the side seams are undone because they were wobbling horribly.

Here's the back.

Yes, I made a muslin. Several in fact. They were all of the top, because how hard can it be to fit a bias skirt? Aren't they just suppose to float over your curves? I took out the center back seam and put in darts because of limited fabric - I had 2 yards but they were one yard pieces. That is self-made black silk charmeuse piping along the neckline and armholes. The top fits perfectly. The skirt is abominable.

I'm going to spare you all the sorted details. I am currently heart-sick. If I had more fabric I could make the straight skirt version. But I don't. Bias skirts tend to eat up yardage.

Why do I torture myself with bias garments?

June Burda Picks

2011-05-30T09:55:00.006-05:00

Boring. Voluminous. Simplistic. Those are the words that come to mind to describe this month's design offerings. I've said it before - I'll not be renewing my subscription when it expires in August.

T-shirt 120 is a nice basic top that I may make if I ever need a basic T in a specific color and can't find it at Target. I probably never will, though.
Top 124 is pretty in the sheer white on page 31. I probably will make this one as I'm always wondering what to do with sheer fabrics.
And... that's it.

I'm still working on the white floral silk dress I started the first of May. More white Ambiance had to be ordered from Vogue fabrics (who has a fabulous selection of Ambiance, BTW) so I won't be able to finish the lining until that arrives.

Here's a picture of my beautiful Rachel, who is 9 months old today. Can you believe that?!

Butterick 5562 - Taupe floral knit top w/ gathered sleeves

2011-05-23T20:05:00.010-05:00

Wow! It has been three weeks since I've posted anything. I wish I had something really special to show you, but unfortunately I've not had the best luck lately. The dress I was making for the Celtic Women concert had some problems and I ended up wearing this dress instead. Then I thought I could whip out a little little refashion of a RTW skirt that was too tight in the waist, but botched that as well. I finally got some pictures of this top I finished a week or so ago. The first photo shoot was yesterday but I realized I had red lipstick on my teeth so had to retake them. Whew! Anyway, here's the pattern picture. I have made this design before using a different view.

I made this top because I was sad about first the dress and then the skirt not working out, and I wanted to have something new to wear to church last Sunday. It was to match this skirt, but as is fairly often the case with sewing, I did not like the them paired together after the top was completed. Actually, this outfit looks more fall then summer to me. At least it turned out and didn't become another failure.

This fabric is a thin polyester floral purchased from JoAnn's a few months ago. I liked the pop of blue leaves amongst the gray and have also recently discovered that I can wear brown toned tans.

The sleeve treatment is what makes this top special. I made an small through the shoulders, graded in to the XS through the torso and out to the medium at the hips. But see on the side view how the neckline is drooping out? This SO bothers me. I really need to figure out how to finish a neckline with clear elastic. Next time I will make the XS all over and take out a bit at the center front fold during cut out as it is very wide at the shoulders too.

I used the bias tape finish for the neckline and even went back to cinch it in more in order to eliminate the drooping. Didn't work, though.

I didn't get a picture of it but I used clear elastic and a zig-zag stitch to make the sleeve gathers. The hems were done with a twin needle and walking foot. Oh, and I used french seams for all seams except the sleeve/armhole.

I do like the pattern and want to remake it using a solid color. I may even make the long sleeve version for winter.

Vogue 8711 - Red bamboo knit skirt

2011-05-02T11:04:00.010-05:00

I like to wear lots of knits during the summer, and I love interesting design lines, so this pattern was right up my alley.

Picking a fabric for this pattern was not as simple as you might think. With the front and back yokes being double layered, the folded waistband casing and skirt with gathered overlay, there are sometimes 4 layers of fabric being sewn together. Also the back is very fitted and I wanted something slightly substantial back there. Hmmm... beefy but thin with good draping ability. I decided to use a bright red bamboo knit purchased from Fabricmartfabrics.com.

I tried to pair this skirt with a looser top and short heals to avoid looking like a tart. And just in case anybody wants to know, I'm wearing seamless vanishing edge boy shorts under this, but some sort of spanx would work as well. I cut my typical size 12 and the fit is spot on with some great negative ease.

Unfortunately most of the interesting design lines disappear on this fabric. One change I made was to sew the front and back yoke side seams together first for the top layer and then for the bottom layer. I also stitched the side seams of the skirt fronts and back together before attaching the yokes. That created far less bulk at the sides and enabled me to grade the seams easier. Another change was to start the gathering of the overlay right under the first pleat, and not extended above it.

This is not a skirt easily whipped up with a serger. Here you can see where I graded the 4 layers of fabric along the yokes and waistband. Some intense pressing was also a necessity.

I like the look of the lace option, so may make this again. Fabric with some texture might make this a little less bottom enhancing.

Up next is a slightly fancy dress for a concert we'll be attending in 2 weeks. I was going to use Simplicity 2253 for it, but I think it needs some sort of fitted corselette attached to the bodice, and I don't feel like expending that much effort at the moment. I'll be using an OOP Vogue that I've had in my stash for nearly 10 years.

Updated picture of my yellow floral "tunic"

2011-04-28T13:08:00.005-05:00

When I first blogged about this blouse, I had made it to wear during pregnancy. Except it ended up too tight so never got worn then. When I tried it on a month or two ago, I decided the hem was too long. (I always think tunics are cute but never seem to like them on my body.) It then sat in my mending pile for awhile until I finally got around to fixing it. Aren't alterations a pain?

What do you think? I really like the new length, and only have issue with the warmth of polyester fabric during summer months.

Simplicity 2668 - Brown w/ white polka dots baby dress

2011-04-26T21:31:00.009-05:00

Surprise! Rachel's and my Easter dresses matched! You might be rolling your eyes or think it's super corny, but I have always wanted to do that if I ever had a daughter. It just seems special to me. And it's not like every dress in her closet has to match mine. She'll probably think it's really un-cool 10 years down the road, but for now it was fun.

Notice her dress has a little bow over the left shoulder just like mine. I did the bottom panel in pink to make it girly and young. I bought some white lacy trim to stitch where the two fabrics come together, but decided against it at the last minute. Also notice the pink bias tape I used to finish the armholes. That was just for fun.

Here's the story on this dress. I procrastinated and finished it up right before midnight on Saturday. Sunday morning rolled around and we weren't running early. (We never are, really.) I figured we would just take pictures after church like we did last year. I wasn't thinking about the fact that Rachel is a baby and her dress would be wrinkled and spit up upon several times, nor that she'd be exhausted when we got home and only interested in going to bed. So here we are a few days later after a fresh washing and pressing, but still looking ever so smart and sassy!

This pose cracks me up. It's a little blurry, but I love how she appears to be dancing.

This was suppose to show you a close up of the bow, but getting a baby to cooperate during a photo shoot is so difficult. I finally gave up.

I still want to get some pictures of us both wearing our matching dresses.

BTW, my Vogue 1176 dress was featured on Vogue's facebook page. I'm not a huge facebook user, but I think the pattern pages are so fun! I've discovered some new talented seamstresses through them.

Vogue 1176 - Michael Kors brown w/ white polka dots dress

2011-04-22T20:49:00.012-05:00

This is my Easter dress for 2011. I didn't get one made last year while I was pregnant and was determined to finish it this time around. (And for the record this was completed by Wednesday evening, but I was asked to help out at my church's AWANA club meeting that night, so am just getting around to taking pictures today.)

Gorgeous, right? I LOVE this design. It's simple, sophisticated and a little retro all at the same time. The pattern was a dream and all fit together perfectly. I couldn't wrap my mind around how that front tucked area worked until I actually had the fabric cut out and followed the instructions.

I knew when I first saw this pattern that I wanted it in a polka dot like the envelope dress. Only I couldn't find a polka dot in grown up colors for anything! I looked for months before finally locating a few on Denverfabrics.com. I bought this one and another in navy and white. They were both 100% cotton, but this one was a bit beefier so I went with it. The lining is a silky polyester something or another that I've had forever. It raveled like nobody's business but was thicker then normal lining fabric so was easier to work with.

Since this dress has a full lining, I decided to fit the lining first and eliminate any need to muslin. Then I could just cut the polka dotted fabric out and stitch it up without any issues. The problem was, the main fabric and lining fabric are totally different and did not behave in the same ways. I got the lining to fit like a glove and then had to totally refit the main body fabric to have it tailored to my form. I let this seam out and pulled that one in, over and over, and it is simply an answer to prayer that this thing fits and all the seams lined up. Honestly!

Here at the side is the invisible zipper. I restitched the bottom part below the waist seam several times and finally had to throw it in the dryer on hot to get the fabric to shrink back to normal.

I added the pink shoes for a little pop of color. And also to match Rachel's dress, which you shall see soon.

Oh, I just love this front bow area. SO CUTE! The fact that this is a Michael Kors design just has me brimming with pride. I don't know that many designers, but I certainly know him, and I am tempted to tell people this is one of his dresses without any further information. I won't, but I'm tempted.

Notice how the width of the top pleat is exactly the same as and lines up perfectly with the shoulder strap. This is fantastic drafting, people. This is the kind of detail that makes me happy.

Okay, here are the changes I made:
1. Took in the front bust cup seams 1/4" on the lining, and then had to really pull in the one vertical bust seams on the outer fabric. It is not at all a fitted seam and if you want a good fit you are going to have to adjust yours as well.
2. Shortened the length by 3" and eliminated the back slit. I always eliminate back vents when possible - just my personal preference.
3. Interfaced the neckline facings. Really, this is a must IMO.
4. Cut down the width of both bows by 1 1/4". They looked a tad disproportionately long to my eye.

And since I knew I'd be cold in church, I bought a white cabled cardigan at Target the other day to match. The buttons were plain and casual, so I replaced them with a bit of bling. JoAnn's is currently having a 50% off sale on buttons. I toted all my summer projects there in 3 large shopping bags and stocked up!

I love this dress. Truly. I haven't been this excited about a finished project in a really long time. It fits perfectly and I feel so pretty wearing it. It has restored my confidence and I'm back to loving this hobby once again.

May Burda picks

2011-04-19T20:01:00.009-05:00

Guess what showed up today in my mailbox? My oldest came running up the driveway grinning from ear to ear and shouting "Mama! Your fabric magazine is here!!!" Haha. He knows me so well. I was excited to see it, even though I watch for the preview each month on the Russian Burda site. Here are my picks:

Dress 106 is suppose to be for tall people. I'm not tall, but it will be easy enough to shorten. I always like clothing that has tummy ruching - it's ever so flattering. That neckline looks a little low and will need to be raised. This is for a knit and will be saved for winter sewing.
Cute, right? I'll probably opt for a less loud print.

Okay, jacket 113 is by far my favorite design in this month's offerings. Honestly, I've not been this excited over a jacket pattern since this pattern back in 2008. I like fitted jackets with lots of details. This one looks pretty perfect. In fact, I already bought some army green textured cotton fabric from JoAnn's with this jacket in mind. I'll be purchasing the buttons at the next 50% off sale. After all, it takes 20 buttons! I might as well get them half price.

Here it is, all made up in denim. I just LOVE it!Top/short dress 114 is cute with skinny lace trim inserts and a smocked neckline, with some blanket stitch thrown in for more interest. The smocking directions definitely have me scratching my head, though.
Long skirts are not something I like to wear. My legs are my favorite feature, so I usually like to show them if I'm wearing a skirt or a dress. However, I really like the dyed fabric treatment described in full detail in the directions for this skirt. I'll certainly be trying it, but most likely on a shorter style.

Vogue 1176 was suppose to be completed last night, but that silly side zipper has given me fits. I had to dampen my fabric and throw it in the dryer on hot in order to get the fabric back to its original non-stretched state. I'm skipping a girls night out tonight to get it finished up. Good grief! It's looking adorable though, so is worth all the hard work. Pictures tomorrow... I hope!

Gratuitous baby pictures and thanks

2011-04-18T17:29:00.006-05:00

Thanks so much to everyone who chimed in on the breastfeeding issue. I just wanted to let you all know that I have NOT decided to stop nursing. I had my milk tested and it has higher calories then formula so there is no reason to switch. The pediatric endocrinologist also gave Rachel a clean bill of health. I suppose there might be a few more visits to specialists in the near future, but I have decided to stop worrying about her weight and just enjoy her for the joy she brings us.

I bought this dress last summer in anticipation of having another large baby. When she was born I was a little sad that so many clothes I bought her would never be worn. However, since she's still very tiny, I am finding that lots of them are fitting this spring. (This dress is size 0-3 months and hits right at the knees.)

Oh! I almost forgot to mention that I have changed my pattern choice for my Easter dress. I decided not to make Vogue 1174 right now since the top has to fit so snugly and the girls will be shrinking down to regular size after I'm done nursing. Vogue 1176 was my next choice, and aside from a few minor fitting issues, it should be done by tonight. Then it'll be a race to see if I can get Rachel's dress completed by Sunday.

McCall's 6243 - The Patricia dress

2011-04-10T20:34:00.010-05:00

Two weeks ago when my friend Pat was over for her sewing lesson, I happened to mention that my newest project contained several exposed zippers. She expressly let it be known that she was not a fan of the trend; that in her opinion zippers ought to be kept on the insides of garments and not used as decoration. So, as this dress has not one but three exposed zippers, and also because I enjoy being ornery from time to time, I have named this dress after her. Ha!
It's pretty loud. Feel free to get your sunnies!

This pattern is designed for a knit. But for some reason I got it in my mind to use this stretch cotton sateen in lieu of that. You'd think I would be smarter about it, seeing as how I have had more then my fair share of wadders lately. It certainly did present a number of fitting problems, but in the end I'm happy with it.

This fabric was purchased from Ebay and the zippers I ordered from zipperstop.com. They have a HUGE selection and you are sure to find just exactly what you want. (It makes me feel so special to order things from NYC.) I also ordered the perfect zipper to match this dress, but will have to find some other project to use it for.

On of the main problems that came up was the bagginess of the fabric under the bust. I remedied that by adding in vertical darts and pinning them in with the help of my dressform. That thing is so handy! When I restitched the panel under the darts, I had to cut off some of the sides to even them up. The front is actually a really good fit.

Aren't those bright pink zippers fun? I moved the front zippers 2 inches in from the side and shoulder seams. I also widened the neckline slightly because it was choking me a little.

The back is a little tight. I have purposefully put on a few pounds in the last few weeks. My daughter is very skinny and every time I bring her to the doctor for a well baby check-up, the doctor can't seem to talk about anything but her weight. She now has to be seen by a dietitian once a month and it has been recommended to me that I pump and add formula to breastmilk and feed it to her in a bottle. This is a pain and will take me a lot longer to feed her. The dietitian also said I could give up the breastfeeding and just do formula - she seems to think my milk doesn't contain enough calories. I don't want to do that either. I have issues with some of the ingredients in formula, not to mention it is very expensive. SO, all that to say I have been trying to eat more calories and more fat in order to boost the fat in my breastmilk. We shall see. I am having it tested at a lactation center on Tuesday. It would be awesome if I could solve the problem through my diet, but there is also the possibility that she has some sort of hormone imbalance. Tomorrow we go to the pediatric endocrinologist to see about that. Big sigh. I really don't love doctors.

Too much information for you?

Here it is on Her Highness and the fit is great. Notice that I had to add darts to the back as well.

Besides the fit issues, the inside finishing was a lot of work. ALL the seams except for the shoulders were finished with bias tape. The zippers were sewn in by hand and then the fabric around them was zigzagged to the zippers with hot pink thread. I finished the neckline and armholes with even more bias tape.

Whew! I'm ready for a new project. Up next is Vogue 1174, which will be my Easter dress. I found the perfect little matching sweater, so it has been approved to be worn to church. I'll be making and posting a muslin in the next few days. I'm very excited to sew my first strapless dress!

Simplicity 3790 - Red & white print knit top

2011-03-27T14:05:00.011-05:00

I have a bright orange RTW top in this same style that I wear all the time, so knew I would love the fit of this pattern. The top is loose and casual through the midsection, but still fitted with the lower band and not too dumpy. Waist definition - even when low - is something I really like. Also, we are flying to Oregon this summer for vacation and I'm planning to fit everyone's clothing and such into carry-ons to avoid baggage fees. This ITY knit will be perfect as it hardly takes up any space and never wrinkles.

This fabric is from Denverfabrics.com - AKA Fashion Fabrics Club - and I've had it for a year or so. I cut the inside shell and bottom band on the cross grain to give it a bit of interest and so the design of the top didn't get lost with my busy fabric.

I love the addition of elastic at the shoulders.

I cut a straight size 10 and am usually a 12 in patterns. The only change I made to the construction was to use a bias tape finish for the neckline. I made a tutorial for that awhile back - check it out if you're interested. I've read on several blogs how necklines in knits can also be finished with clear elastic and am going to give this method a try soon.

You can see more of the bias tape finishing along the inside shell:

And look! I made a muslin! Okay, not really. It was yet another wadder, can you believe that?

When I finished cutting this out out, I wanted to try to make it per the pattern instructions and not be so fussy with the insides. I'm always reading how others have taken only a few hours to make a garment, and thought I needed an instant gratification project. So I folded over the fabric and stitched in place for the shell, and did a 5/8" double folded hem for the outer neckline. It stretched out horribly!!! The thing was practically falling off me! So now I am back to my bias tape finishing because that certainly does not stretch out. I didn't cry about this one though, just rolled my eyes a bit. I must be getting use to wadders. I wasn't too crazy about the fabric either, and think it resembles a black trash bag, especially from a distance when you can't see the snakelike texture.

I'm almost finished with a little denim skirt for my baby, and will be back in a few days with pictures of that. It is just adorable!

April Burda picks and some Q&A

2011-03-23T10:47:00.004-05:00

IMO, this is another month of duds. When my subscription is up at the end of August, I will not be renewing. Arg! This is so sad! What happened to the interesting and innovating designs they had for so many years?

I felt like I had to pick something from the magazine that I could see myself in, and I do like pants 104. (Although I've seen this same design in several other issues during the past 2 years and haven't gotten around to making those either.)
Sorry for the negativity. I feel like I've been posting all downers lately.

Awhile ago Sally asked:
I have a couple of random questions.How do you decide when you have to match a print? The girls at JoAnns always tell me that you don't need to but somehow that doesn't sound right.Also, do you ever so formal wear or maybe your wedding dress? I Would love to see that if you did or how you use dressier fabrics.

Well, I always match the fabric when I'm working with plaids or horizontal stripes. I don't usually match prints. If I'm using a fabric with a big print I'll look for a pattern that doesn't break up the print much, like a pencil skirt with only seams at the sides. As for formal wear, I do have an occasion I'll need a dress for coming up in May. I have all the materials needed to get started, but with my current humongous rash of wadders, I'm scared to get started. I need to sew a few winners in a row to get my confidence up. My mother actually made my wedding dress, although it was more of a suit. I had plans to show it last May on my 10th wedding anniversary, but got busy with something and didn't get around to it. Perhaps I'll do it this year.

Sewsister asked:
Any tips on how you lost the baby weight so fast? My son is 18 and I still have baby weight! ;D

Thanks for noticing! I have no magic tricks for weight loss. I have high blood sugar which I'm expecting to turn into diabetes later in life as I have a family history of it. Because of the high blood sugar, I have to eat a ton of protein and very little sweets to keep from getting horrible headaches. Limiting sweets happens to cause my body to loose weight. Also, I live in a 2 story house and am very forgetful, so I end up running up and down the stairs at least 20 times a day. That's pretty much it!

Bonnie D asked:
I noticed you live in San Antonio. Are there any independent fabric stores there? I am in SA frequently for business and I'm always looking for new sewing and knitting shops.

I do a lot of online fabric shopping for a reason! We have a few JoAnn and Hancock Fabrics, that's about it. There are also 2 quilt shops in town that I never go to as I'm not a quilter. I guess it's not much of a high-fashion town. There's plenty of fun things to do, though.

If I've missed your question please feel free to ask it again. I promise I am not ignoring you, I just happen to be busy with daily life. :)

Lesson learned!

2011-03-18T10:17:00.005-05:00

Just look at this pile of beautiful purple silk crepe de Chine all cut up into various pieces for Vogue 1223. What a crappy pattern! Unevenly spaced pleats, some left open over the bust but at different levels on the right vs. left, hemline short in the front and long on the sides, etc. I cannot recommend this pattern! And I cried over the loss of this gorgeous and expensive fabric that is now ruined. Why did I not make a muslin?!!! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Learn from me - IF YOUR FABRIC IS DEAR, MAKE A MUSLIN!!!

Vogue 8635 - Wrap knit top in bright turquoise

2011-03-15T19:24:00.005-05:00

Hello! It's been a few weeks since I've had something to show you, even though I have been sewing all that time. This has been a tough year for me and wadders. I thought I couldn't go very wrong with a doubleknit top, and am pleased with the outcome. This fabric is a ponte knit from Fabricmartfabrics.com. I first saw it when Trena made this dress from it, and I bought some for a dress as well. But when it arrived it looked really bright - too bright for the dress I had envisioned - but looking at it now a dress would have been fine. Anyway, it matches this skirt perfectly, and I'd long since gotten rid of the original top made to go with it. (It was too tight and was made with a really cheap quality fabric.)

After my machine had such problems stitching my winter white doubleknit dress, I fully expected it to rebel against this fabric too. But, for whatever reason, it sewed it up without incident, even though the fabric is the exact same just a different color.

I really liked the front bands and neckline of this design, and the fact that it is was a wrap top designed for a knit. I did buy it for the cap sleeve version, but had plenty of fabric so opted for the 3/4 sleeves for this one. I'll make the other version some other time.

I cut a straight size 12 and made no changes to the pattern for fit. Here at the back you can see where I changed the neckline to include a band as the fronts do. It was a very simple change, but makes the garment look congruous. The other change I made was to cut 1.5" off the sleeve bottom, because the sleeve was too long and bubbled up awkwardly around my elbow.

I have been forcing myself to sew for a particular season for nearly a year now. First I made winter so I could wear it after my baby was born. Now I'm making myself sew spring styles, but what I really desire is to make some pretty summer dresses. So, that is what I'm going to do! And if I suddenly get an inkling to make something for some other season, I've given myself permission to do that as well.

March Burda picks

2011-03-02T14:24:00.007-06:00

Here it is already the 2nd of March and I've yet to do my Burda picks for this month! Time is sure flying around here lately.

I was a bit underwhelmed by this months offerings. Bring back fitted and detailed garments, Burda. Pretty please? The only one I can see myself making is jacket 115 - which I do really love - so this issue isn't a total waste. Isn't it so pretty?!

In other sewing news, I have been busy making a dress since my last post a week and a half ago. It's really a simple design and I've had zero fit issues, but it has miles of handstitching. It will be super cute if ever I finish it, but I sure have sore fingers right now.

As it's been awhile since I posted a gratuitous baby picture, here you go. Rachel is 6 months old now and is just as tiny as ever (not that you can tell that from this picture.) Her hair has been plentiful and crazy ever since birth, and I finally decided to see if I could tame it:

Butterick 5566 - Green floral straight skirt

2011-02-21T21:08:00.006-06:00

Don't get too excited. This was a near wadder save. I was going for view A, with the interesting pleated overlay. Super cute look, right? Too bad I chose a polyester shantung that totally stretched out while sewing both the bias pleats and front bias facing. It looked wonky and horrible and I was even more upset because this was my second wadder in a row. After taking a shower (I do some of my best planning in the shower - anyone else?) I realized it could easily be saved by removing the front overlay.

So here you go, a boring old pencil skirt. I do like the colors in the fabric and am glad it was salvageable, but I'm bummed the skirt I wanted to make didn't turn out. Although I did learn two lessons from this experience. One - this view needs to be made with some stiffer fabric or perhaps a thinner fabric that is starched before sewn to prevent being stretched out. Two - skirts with 4 darts in the front and 4 in the back just don't fit my body very well. I'm too much of a square.

I have already worn this outfit (hence the wrinkles) and do think it's cute. I made the white top in these pictures as well. It really sees a lot of wear.

I added a full lining in flesh toned Bemberg.

I've received several comments lately about how unbelievable it is that I'm so productive. Well, that might have been true several years ago, but these days I'm lucky if I get 3 things done a month. And most of the stuff I'm making has been simple garments. But thanks! I'm glad you think I'm productive, because I feel the total opposite.

Answers to more recent questions coming soon. I've got one hour before bed to get some stitching done!

Updated picture of my twisted bubble skirt

2011-02-20T18:03:00.004-06:00

Okay, I did finish a skirt last week and even got some snaps of me in it today, but I wanted to include some pictures of the insides for my review and didn't get to it before we lost the light. I'll get to that tomorrow, promise!

Here's yet another updated picture of a garment made while I was pregnant - hope I'm not boring you with these. It's that pesky hard-to-style bubble skirt that I wasn't sure I even liked once I was able to try it on. The length is what I don't love. It would be perfect if it were a little shorter or a little longer, but as is hits me right at my bottom thigh muscle. I have found that if I wear a short top and this cropped jacket they make the proportions even out a bit.

The color of this skirt was hard to work with as well. If I put it with a white top the whole outfit was too light in color. Paired with a dark brown top it was too matchy-matchy. I must have tried on half the tops in my closet searching for something that would work before finally settling on this pink one.

And BTW, I found this hot pink 100% cashmere Ann Taylor tank top at Goodwill a few months back for $3.99. Can you say SCORE! And that wasn't the only cashmere item I picked up that day. I am in love with my local Goodwill!

Fun stuff in the mail!

2011-02-14T17:08:00.008-06:00

Hello! It's been a few weeks since I've posted because we've all been sick. First my boys were ill for 4-5 days, then they passed it to my husband, then I got sick for another 4-5 days, and then poor baby Rachel got sick despite my best efforts to keep the germs away from her. This is the first week in nearly a month that nobody has fever/chills/pukes etc. Whew! To celebrate our wellness and also because the weather was just beautiful, we took the day off from school and went to the zoo.

On the sewing front, after I finally started feeling better, I managed to create two wadders in a row. Well, really just one and a half because I was able to salvage the second one into something other then my original vision for the fabric. I'll have that to show you in a few days if DH happens to get home from work at a decent time. The sun hasn't been setting until 6:15 around here lately.

I usually make at least one online purchase a month from my various fabric haunts but don't always get around to posting them. However, I always like to see what other people have gotten, so thought you might be interested in what the mailman has delivered in the past few days. This first picture is a recent haul from Gorgeous Fabrics during a 20% off sale:

From left to right there's a poly panel print, a cotton stretch sateen with yellows/reds/greens, a fun madras-type fabric with more yellow (my favorite color, btw), an interesting jersey animal print atop ruffles, and (my fav) a gorgeous purple tie-dyed poly that has thin bias strips sewn on in flower designs.

But wait, these next two items are the most exciting! Last year Fabricmartfabrics.com had a 50% off sale on their animal skins, and while I was thinking about how cool it would be to sew something with leather, most of it sold out! When they got a new shipment last fall I put a few colors in my wish list and waited for the sale. It was a week ago and today the mailman delivered my order:

This first one is a beautiful lipstick red lambskin that is incredibly soft. They were advertised as being 5-6.5 sqft each so I bought 3. I am planning to make a pencil skirt of some kind. This will be my very first project out of leather and I'll definitely be making a muslin first and doing some research.

I also got two skins of black lambskin. These were 9-11 sqft and I thought I might have enough for some pants if they were on the 11 sqft end. But they are both right around 9 and I doubt there's enough for pants. So possibly these will become another skirt or I might use some for trims here and there.

Please, no hateful comments about my purchasing leather. I wear leather shoes/belts/purses. I eat meat. I married into a cattle ranching family. I am not at all opposed to sewing with leather. If you are, please keep it to yourself. Thanks!

Updated picture of my plum wool military jacket

2011-02-03T16:31:00.003-06:00

Thanks for all the wonderful comments about my recent dress. Wow! You guys are such a self esteem boost! I received a few questions about it, and I am trying to answer questions promptly.

1. How is the sizing? Well, I cut my typical size 12. This doubleknit does not have a huge amount of stretch and the dress is very fitted and has to be pulled on over the head. I definitely wouldn't size down if you are using a stable knit.

2. Did I overlap the tucks over the darts? I am not sure what this question is asking. I followed the instructions and did not deviate. Hope that helps.

Hard to believe right now but when we went outside to snap this picture, the temperature was in the high 70's and I was sweltering in head to toe wool and that warm turtleneck. Now of course it is super cold and we might even see some snow tonight. Snow! In south Texas! That just about never happens.

Anyway, I still really love this jacket, although I have not had an opportunity to wear it yet because that skirt just started fitting again. I bought a plaid boucle with plum in it to make another skirt with. That just may get saved for next winter, though.

I hope all my fellow Americans are staying warm!

Butterick 5559 - Winter white doubleknit dress with decorative tucks

2011-01-30T17:19:00.008-06:00

I loved this pattern the second it came out in the fall. Such an interesting and unordinary design! And the way it is sewn together with darts running along the bias hidden under tucks was fascinating. I bought fabric for it and cut it out right after New Year's. However, I never thought I would be able to finish it due to technical difficulties. My machine absolutely hated sewing on this material. It's what initially made my bobbin housing break. After that was fixed, the stitches kept skipping and skipping. Believe me, I tried every technique known to man to get it to sew properly. Then I took it back to the repair shop to see if it was misaligned when it was serviced. I cried. I put it aside and made other things. (I NEVER do this. If I start a project it is always either completed or tossed out.) Somewhere along the line I remembered an old Viking sewing machine (purchased in 1976) my MIL had given me years ago. Usually I get rid of things that aren't used regularly, but I held on to it for some reason. It made horrendous noises before it got warmed up, and has zero bells and whistles, but it can sew on doubleknit fabric without incident. Anyway, here's the dress:

What is this highly offending fabric? Just a Sophia doubleknit from Fabric.com. It actually has no displeasing qualities, and I don't know why it gives my sewing machine such fits. It's a nice quality knit and a good weight for garments that need a bit more structure. Incidentally, while I was perusing the fabrics at Hancock's the other day, I happened to look at their collection of Ponteroma knits. They are the exact same thing as this Sophia doubleknit IMO. The only difference is that Hancock's charges $9.99 a yard, but with a JoAnn's 50% off coupon, I can get it for $5.00 instead. Which certainly beats the Fabric.com price of $10.99.

There's nothing like taking pictures to showcase all your flaws. After these were taken I realized I need to wear a full slip and a different bra. Blah! But cute tucks, right?

I have this thing about wanting my garments to look congruous, so the double turned 5/8" hem on the sleeves per the pattern instructions looked out of place on a garment with a 1.5" hem on the skirt. I decided to cut the sleeves longer so that they could be turned up the same 1.5". Then they were whipstitched in place by hand:

It was the perfect length without a hem in place, and was my mistake not to take note of the finished length printed on the envelope back before I cut it out. That was easily solved by making a hem facing that I stitched to the bottom of the dress with a small SA. It was whipstitched in place as well:

I am currently in love with this winter white color and have a few more things to make using it. Up next is a short white corduroy skirt that I'm halfway done with. The invisible zipper broke while I was inserting it last night. The corduroy is a little thick and there are several horizontal seams running through the zipper seam. I just bought a regular zipper today and will be attempting a lapped zipper for the first time in several years. More to come!

February Burda picks

2011-01-26T10:52:00.008-06:00

Hi there! Thanks for all the nice comments on my hot pink skirt. A few people asked about the top I had on the dressform with it. Yes, I made that too, and you can read about it here. Angie wanted to know about the lining fabric. I'm sorry to report it is nothing special and is probably that cheap acetate stuff. I like to use Ambiance when I can but I usually buy it off Fabric.com and they have limited colors. That hot pink was purchased at JoAnn's.

So, the February Burda didn't disappoint. I found several designs that I can certainly see in my wardrobe. This first dress, 101, is SO pretty in the magazine. It's a simple shape but the fabric they've used is gorgeous! Too bad "white organza with taffeta appliques" isn't a fabric I ever come across. However, I do have a pretty floral stretch charmeuse in my stash begging to be sewn in this pattern. Look for that in spring.
This next top, 102, is like the first dress only without the skirt and with a horizontal seam under the bustline. It's for a stretch fabric. Hmmm, why the zipper, then? I just love the shape of the neckline and the extended shoulders. I'll bet we'll be seeing a bunch of these made up shortly. Little knit tops are always popular patterns from the magazine.
Wowza, skirt 103 is one hot little number. On page 13 they show the back of it made up in a pinstripe. I just love the way the lines come together along the center back seam to make a chevron pattern. Perhaps I'll use that black stretch suiting with pink pinstripes I picked up last fall.
The boucle they've used for this next jacket is not my favorite, but I really like the blackline drawing of it. It's the ribbon trim that I adore, along with the two-piece sleeves with buttoning bottoms.

I have a hard time finding shorts I like in stores. They are always either too short or too long. For the past few summers I have taken to wearing fitted capris that end right under my knees, as seen here. Well, I like the shape and length of view B of design 122, and think I will give them a try come summer.

This whole safari-inspired outfit looks super cute to me. I can't wear that tan color anywhere close to my face, but a nice army green would probably do the trick. I love the big pockets and tie belt.

How about you? Did I miss any of your favorites?

Vogue 1170 - Hot pink wool Rachel Comey skirt

2011-01-24T15:09:00.012-06:00

Now I know why I left all my winter skirts to the end - I like my clothing to be fitted and didn't want to sew any more garments that wouldn't fit right when I got finished with them. Whoops. I must have thought I was totally back to my pre-pregnancy weight, because it was a total surprise that this skirt didn't fit. It is horribly tight and I look like a stuffed sausage in it. But look, it fits Her Highness, so it is sure to fit me. Soon.

This is a hot pink wool crepe purchased in early fall from Fabricmartfabrics.com. I love bright colors for winter clothing. They make me feel so cheerful and hopeful for spring weather. I was drawn to this design because of the interesting construction lines and fitted/flared shape. However, it was only 17" long out of the envelope, so I added 2" to the length.

The side back panel does not sit right at the side, which bugs me slightly. If I make this again in a lighter fabric for summer, the pattern pieces will be adjusted so that the sides are actually at the sides. Although if you stare at the pattern picture long enough, you will see that the same thing is happening on the example skirt as well.

One of my favorite things about this pattern is the curved hem facing. I opted not to interface mine because I didn't want the skirt to stick out at the hem and my fabric has a lot of body. I whip-stitched the bias finished facing by hand to the skirt body so it would be totally invisible. Plus I just like doing a bit of hand sewing.

I thought the waistband a little too wide so I cut mine down a bit. It is still really wide, though. You can see here that I added a hot pink lining.

For the hem of the lining I ran a gathering stitch close to the edge to pull in the extra fabric. Then I made a simple 5/8" double folded hem.

I love it and am hoping it fits before the weather gets too warm to wear a wool skirt.

This past week was a very frustrating one for me and sewing. At one point I cried to my husband, "I hate to sew!!!", which he greeted with a skeptical look. You've had those weeks, right? When you wish you didn't have such a passion for fabrics and patterns and could just throw in the towel and resign yourself to endless shopping at the mall for what you want. Sigh. I'm hoping this week will be more fun.

McCall's 3830 + NewLook 6541 - Black & royal blue plaid skirt

2011-01-17T16:56:00.008-06:00

This pattern is now OOP, and I cannot figure out how to use the scanner, so I snapped a picture of it instead. Originally I purchased this pattern for the overlapping bottom ruffle view and tried to shorten it to knee length. Only I hadn't thought it through, so while the back of the ruffle was knee length, the front was super short. I made it several years before the blog, and used a cheap crepe-type fabric if memory serves. It was an all around wadder. But I kept the pattern because I liked the pleated version.

When the time came to cut it out, I was worried that the lack of front darts would cause the skirt to hang funny. It kind of pooches out under the waist on the pattern envelope example. So, I decided not to reinvent the wheel, and used McCall's 3830 (my TNT straight skirt pattern) for the top. This fabric is a medium weight polyester suiting from JoAnn's, purchased last fall. The faux leather vest I'm wearing was made last month.

Because it was a plaid, I decided to cut the pleated flounce on the bias. I cut the bias strips 6.5" wide and folded them along the outer edge so there would be no need to hem and possibly stretch out. I was going to make this an inch or so longer but couldn't because of fabric shortage.

There was no pleat at the side seams of the NewLook pattern piece, so I added extra length to include one. I used an invisible zipper along the side and cut the back of the skirt on a fold. The less need of matching plaids the better, IMO. This matching of plaids at the zipper was a pain. And I had to do it twice because when I first sewed up the skirt I made some miscalculation during cut out and it was 1.5" too big in the waist.

I used Bemberg rayon for the lining and wish I had made it 2" longer. It sometimes likes to creep up a tiny bit and gets caught on the top of the flounce seam. Although this pattern doesn't include a lining, it is super simple to add it in. Just cut the front and back in your lining fabric to the length you want it, and use the facing pattern pieces to cut fusible interfacing for the lining.

I am half way done with another skirt, this one a hot pink wool crepe. Look for that next weekend. I really need a camera with a remote control and a tripod!

New Vogues - Dresses!!!

2011-01-13T20:10:00.012-06:00

They are finally up! The newest patterns, I mean. I have been stalking the Vogue website for a week now, hoping for a peek. New patterns are always so exciting, don't you agree? On my first pass through, I got a little panicked. There are so many beautiful dresses that I want to make. And I already have a TON of dress patterns in my stash! But, I have just decided to give myself permission to wear dresses as often as I want to. It will make me happy, and they are much cooler during the summer.

Justin just picked up my machine from the repair shop and I am anxious to get stitching, so I'm not going to gush about each design or provide pattern numbers and such.

This one actually has a lot of pretty pleating that you can't see with the bold print used. Don't get me wrong, the fabric is gorgeous, but I would probably look for something with a smaller print or a solid color.

Okay, must gush about the back of this dress. SO PRETTY! I don't like those tie ends hanging down over the armpits in the front, but they should be easy enough to leave off.

The front placket that extends up onto the collar makes this dress unique. The fabric they've used is divine.

Wouldn't this look great in some stretch denim? WHAT a show-stopper. I think it's my favorite out of the whole bunch.

Super hot! I like the contrast of high non-revealing neckline and curve-hugging shape.

These belts are so fun! I'm not one who usually ever makes accessories, but this pattern is definitely coming home with me.

Okay, maybe I can get something completed by this weekend. I managed to cut out 4 skirts in the past week, and already had a knit dress ready to sew when my machine threw its tantrum. Oh, by the way, there was an actual part broken in the bobbin area, so it's a good thing I took it in.

Lack of sewing progress and Spring patterns

2011-01-09T13:23:00.010-06:00

Last Wednesday I was able to finish school with my boys early, and when they went outside to play I sat down at my sewing machine. It is a rare thing these days for me to get any sewing time during the day, and I was excited to get something accomplished. My machine had other ideas. It would not sew a stitch, and I spent the next hour and a half troubleshooting to find the problem. The thread kept getting all wound up in the bobbin housing. I took the metal plate off and blew out all the fuzz balls. I changed the needle. I re-threaded the machine multiple times. I turned it off and back on. Finally I threw up my hands and decided to have it looked at. After all, it's been 2 years since I bought it and could probably use a tune-up and oiling anyway. So, it is out of commission until Monday or Tuesday and I am left to twiddle my fingers.

Actually, I've been busying myself with cutting things out. I'm trying to finish up winter sewing, and have for some reason saved all my skirts for last. And they are mostly all plaid. There is a reason I cut things out one at a time and sew them one at a time. It's tedious to cut patterns out! Especially if you have to pay such careful attention to matching plaids.

As I have nothing new to show you, I thought it would be fun to blog about the new patterns I purchased last week. I'm not sure when Simplicity put these new Spring ones up. This may be old news to some of you.

I'm sure this first one is going to be popular. It is the cutest sundress I've seen in quite awhile, and people seam to gravitate towards the designer patterns as well. I already have the fabric picked out - an awesome border print cotton I've been saving for the perfect project. I am salivating to make this up, but will wait until the weather gets a bit warmer.

I saw this next dress and knew I had to make it. These diagonal seamed dresses have been in the department stores for awhile, and I've always loved the look, but this is the first pattern I've seen that copies it. Justin wants to attend the Celtic Women concert at the Majestic Theater in May, and I'm going to need a fancy-pants dress to wear. I'll probably make the shorter version, only maybe a few inches longer.

Y'all know my affinity for jacket patterns, right? I like empire seaming and double lapels on the top right view.

I need a tan skirt in my wardrobe, so am planning to copy view C of this next pattern, only with dark brown leather trim instead of black.

I get cold in summer a lot, and am always toting some type of cover-up around with me to restaurants and such. The cardigan with cuffed sleeves looks like a simple and easy piece to serve as a cold buffer, and would be light enough to throw in my bag as I'm running out the door.

We are off to spend the afternoon bowling. Fun, fun! I love to bowl. Have a great week, and I hope to have something new to reveal soon.

Butterick 5562 - Striped knit top w/ shawl collar

2011-01-03T13:03:00.016-06:00

After 2 (unblogged about) wadders in a row, I am starting this new year of sewing out on the right foot. I cannot claim any credit for the idea of this top. Originally I purchased the pattern for the short sleeve version, and never gave a second glance to the shawl collar design. It's sort of an uninspiring drawing, right? But recently Sharon made this top up in a horizontal stripe and I loved it. And just had to have one.

Unlike Sharon who whipped hers up in only a few hours, I spent most of my New Year's Day cutting out and stitching this up. Y'all know I'm super pokey when it comes to sewing, right? I'm blaming these wide stripes as well. They were matches along the side seams, arm seams and collar seams. Isn't this collar dramatic?! I love it! (Can't you see Tany wearing something like this? I kept thinking of her while I was sewing it.)

Although the envelope describes this top as being "close-fitting", I found the measurements printed on the pattern pieces to be somewhat big. Because my knit was really stretchy width-wise but not length-wise, I cut the XS at the sides and the S for the shoulders, armholes and neckline. This pattern will be really big on someone who is actually an XS size. I am not.

The fabric is a wool and modal knitted jersey, purchased on Ebay from the seller highendfabrics. I first read about this seller on Mimi's blog, and have had nothing but great customer service and beautiful fabrics from him. This fabric came from my third and most recent order. It's pretty thin, which I thought would work well with the gathering along the collar.

This picture is of a side seam where I paid a lot of attention matching up the horizontal stripes. I used my double needle to do all the hems. This row of stitching ran mostly through a navy blue stripe, so I used navy blue thread for it. The sleeves and collar were hemmed with off-white.

I tried something new for this top. I've been reading on a number of blogs where the sleeves are sewn in flat, followed by stitching the side of the garment and the sleeve seam all in one. I decided to give this a try, only took it one step further and did a french seam at the sleeve head. It worked and looks awesome! (Be sure you are working with a thin fabric if you want to use this method.) The sides and shoulders were also stitched with french seams.

The collar is gathered at the sides with a piece of elastic. I ended up turning the french seams at the collar into casings for the elastic instead of stitching the elastic to the fabric.

Where the collar meets the neckline I stitched a row of reinforcing next to the original seam and cut off the excess seam allowance. I then zigzagged it down to the inside of the top instead of the edgestitching/topstitching the instruction suggest. This knit looks like it might ravel a bit, and I didn't want to take any chances that it would ravel out at the neckline.

The only other changes I made were to cut 2 inches off the hemline and flare the sleeves out at the bottom slightly.

I love reading sewing blogs and regularly get inspired to try something new. So thanks for the inspiration, girls! I would never have given this a try or reached for it on a hanger at Macy's, but I love it!

Updated picture of my Cynthia Rowley border print skirt

2011-01-02T17:22:00.005-06:00

Just kidding!!! I know I wrote in my previous post that this skirt wasn't my favorite because the fabric pooched out in an unflattering manner around the tummy area. Well, today I was playing dress-up in my closet to find out which clothing is starting to fit, and I happened to put this top on that I made last January. Then I paired it with a gray and black cardigan which was a recent purchase from Target (clearance rack!). And then I was reaching for a plain black skirt and my eyes fell on this one. Hey, I told myself, these burgundies totally match! And when I pull the top down over the fabric in the front, the poochyness disappears. What a fun outfit! I love it!

Can you tell I'm excited about figuring out how to style this skirt?

I have the tiniest bit of finishing to do on my newest top before I can take inside shots - more coming soon!

2010 Recap

2010-12-31T14:07:00.005-06:00

I always love doing the yearly review. It makes me feel so productive to see it all tallied up.

This year I made:

Tops - 7
Dresses - 7
Jackets - 8
Skirts - 4
Cardigans - 1
Vests - 1
Kids clothing - 5
Maternity dresses - 1
Knitted garments - 3

That's a total of 37 garments completed! The year before I made 45, but of course at that time was not making baby clothes.

My favorite item from this year was my plum wool military jacket:

Surprisingly, I've made a number of things that I'm just not crazy about. The knit twisted bubble skirt hits me right at the bottom of my thigh muscle and makes my legs look extra wide. The Cynthia Rowley border print skirt poofs out unflatteringly in the tummy area because the fabric I chose for it is a bit stiff. I like the fit and design of my pink zebra print knit top but the fabric is of cheap quality and has already started to pill at the underarms. I also like my white sweaterknit cardigan but it doesn't seem to go with anything in my wardrobe since it's so thin. However, I'm holding on to most of those items for now. They are well made and I'm thinking they might fit differently once I get rid of these extra 10 pounds.

By far, the biggest What Was I Thinking garment was my yellow linen jacket:

I have tried and tried to style this jacket in a pleasing manner. It cannot be done. The sleeves are atrocious! I may decide to redo them at some point, but for right now it'll be living in my "needs attention" area of the closet.

I set some lofty goals for myself last December. Was I able to meet them?

1. Enter at least 1 contest at Patternreview.com.
No, I did not do this. I am going to stop setting this as a goal since I've yet to follow through with it. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what I think about PR lately. I kind of feel like I am wasting my time writing reviews there. So few people even look at my garments anymore. Are they seeing them here instead? I don't know. I still always look there before I start a new project. But, I digress.

2. Make at least one jacket each month.
Well, I did make 8. That's not one a month but still is a pretty good number. I got a little tired of making them. Some months I was excited to make one and some months I felt pressured to fit it in. I did make more jackets then the year before, and that was really the goal in the first place.

3. Make more knit/casual dresses.
I made 4 casual dresses in 2009. This year I made 3. Boo.

4. Make more pants.
Ha! Now this was just poor planning. I knew I was pregnant in December when I set these goals. What was I thinking? Oh, now I remember. I thought I would find a TNT pants pattern in January and sew several more pants throughout my pregnancy using it. That did not happen.

5. Continue learning new knitting techniques.
Finally, one that I actually completed! I only made three knitted garments this year, but I did indeed learn new techniques with 2 of them: making an I-cord and short rows.

Overall, though, I did not meet my goals. I really should have gone back to that post throughout the year to remember what was written there. Sigh.

Okay, onward and upward, right? Here are the new goals for 2011:

1. Sew more casual knit dresses.
I love to wear these during the summer. It is effortless style, IMO. Throw on a knit dress and some cute sandals and you are ready to go!

2. Make pants.
At least one pair. I mean, really, what am I so afraid of?!

3. Continue making lots of jackets.
I love the put-together feeling I get from wearing a well fitting jacket. However, I'll not be setting myself a number goal this year.

4. Learn some of the sewing techniques included in my new book The Party Dress Book.

5. Continue learning new knitting techniques.

Thanks so much to all you wonderful people who have taken the time to visit my humble blog. It has been such a joy these past two and a half years to be able to share my love and passion for sewing with other like minded individuals. I may not always get back to each question asked, nor have the time to respond to you personally, but please know that I appreciate each comment left. Alright, enough cheese! Have a wonderful, productive and dream-fulfilling New Year!

A crafting Christmas gift and a funny story

2010-12-27T14:27:00.006-06:00

A couple of weeks ago Beth from SunnyGal Studio did a post on her fabulous new corduroy jacket. She used a velvet board (a.k.a. needle board) to do her pressing so the pile didn't get crushed. I had never heard of a velvet board, and since I have several cuts of velvet/corduroy in my stash that I am afraid to use because of pressing issues, was immediately intrigued. I hunted around the internet and at local fabric haunts. They are hard to find and super expensive. I did find one at Manhattan Wardrobe Supply in NYC that looked decent and was half the cost of the others on the internet, but still pricey at $75 plus shipping. Then when Justin asked me if there was anything sewing related I might like to have as a Christmas gift, I gave him the link. A week before Christmas the package came in the mail. Here's what they sent me:

Um, WHAT?!!! It's a piece of black velvet glued to a board. I suppose one might use this for displaying jewelry or something? It wasn't what I wanted at all and not what they had pictured online. But wait! Since it came in a paper envelope, it was bent. We paid $83 (with the shipping) for a piece of velvet glued to a bent piece of cardboard. And they don't take returns!!!

I called the company immediately and the salesgirl at MWS was really sweet and apologetic. She said I was shipped the wrong item; that they did carry a velvet pressing board and it is never sent in a paper envelope. They rushed me another one which arrived the day before Christmas:

It looks pretty fabulous, right? I love useful tools, no matter if they are power tools or sewing tools. Keep a lookout for some velvet garments coming soon.

Anyone else have a funny holiday story to share?

January Burda picks

2010-12-22T18:08:00.010-06:00

I didn't do any picks for the month of December because there were zero designs from that issue that I wanted to make. Although it does include a pattern for father and son pajamas, which I plan to use, so is not a total loss. However, January's magazine is a different story, offering lots of feminine patterns that I really like.

This first one is blouse 102. I always love a top with a peplum as it gives the illusion of a smaller waist on my squarish shape. The off-center button and loop closure, wide rounded yoke and squared off sleeve insertion are other fun details. I've never been one to love flutter sleeves, but this blouse is so pretty and breezy with them. (Although I could use the long sleeves from dress 104 if desired.)
Have you ever noticed that patterns for long sleeved dresses are hard to come by? Or that if you find one it's almost always for a knit? Every winter I think I'll find one in the new pattern lines, but they are either sleeveless (for winter!) or for a knit. Now I realize the fabric listed for dress 104 is crepe jersey, but since they have the short sleeve top version made out of silk batiste, I don't see why the dress can't be made from a woven as well. This is one darling dress, and I especially love the grosgrain ribbon they used for a belt and tied on the side.

Jacket 106 also has a peplum and interesting shaped yokes. I like the front pockets and blousy effect of the front and back gathers.
Dress 108 is super simple and the blackline drawing looks like a night gown, but isn't this a gorgeous dress all made up? Especially with an obi belt to give it some shape. I really like the sleeves with buttoning cuffs and the front button closure. This design is simple enough to be made in some really busy fabric.

How cute is coat 109?!! It has a fitted shape from the long front darts and cute welt pockets. I love the blousy sleeve bottoms gathered into bands at the wrists. Here's another simple design that would look great in a busier fabric.

Jacket 127 looks pretty plain from the front, but upon further inspection, I noticed the back peplum is actually an extension of the front piece. So if this was made in some sort of stripe, the center back peplum would meet in a V. I'll leave off the front pockets to show the continuous fabric line on the sides. And I just happen to have the perfect fabric in my stash.

Okay, so I don't actually own any leggings. They so remind me of the 80's and elementary school. And even though I know they're back in style, I'm just not wanting to go there again. However, if I ever get the urge to make a pair, these look like some nice fitting ones. (Probably what will happen is that I'll decide I like them right when the style is changing and they're out again. That is usually how it is with me and fads. Although I never owned a pair of Crocks and am proud of it.)

Many thanks for the compliments on my faux leather vest and to you lovely people who are writing nice things concerning my loss of the baby weight. It is so encouraging to hear that!!! However, I am good at camouflage, and still have a ways to go before most of my clothes start to fit properly. Being a square, I carry weight through my mid-section. It is always the first place I gain and the last place I lose. Most of my pants have started to fit again because they don't extend up to my waist, but none of my skirts are fitting nor are the fitted tops or dresses. I have no secrets to weight loss - wish I did! It's never taken me this long to get back to my normal size with any of my other pregnancies, and I'm frustrated that I still can't wear most of the things I made last summer. But, I will get there. Eventually. Probably after Christmas when my house is not filled with cookies. Anyway, I just felt like being honest with you.

I had a ton of plans for things to make for Christmas gifts, but of course I hardly got any of them completed. Why don't I learn my lesson and start in November?! This will probably be the last post for awhile. I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I pray that you'll remember the best Christmas gift ever given, and that was the Father's gift of Christ:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not parish but have eternal life." John 3:16

10-2008-123 - Faux leather quilted vest

2010-12-11T15:21:00.011-06:00

If you'll recall, I attempted this design last month, but it turned into a wadder because of poor fabric choice. And my zipper insertion looked horrible. And the collar was too tall, making me feel somewhat choked. I'm calling that first try an expensive muslin, because this one I'm actually really pleased with. Here's the drawing again to refresh your memory:

Ta da! You might notice right off the bat that my version has no sleeves. I thought them a little strange but edgy at the same time, and couldn't make up my mind if I should include them or not. As it turned out I needn't have concerned myself; there wasn't enough fabric anyway. I barely squeezed out the inside facings, and had to cut the undercollar with lining fabric.

This time I cut 1.25" off the height of the stand collar and now it is the exact height of the shawl collar, totally eliminating the choking feeling. Isn't this fabric so fun? I bought it a year or two ago from Hancock's for a vest I decided not to make. The front side looks like quilted leather and the back is actually fleece. It's thin enough not to add a bunch of bulk but warm because of the fleece. I was concerned the leather-like layer might melt when being ironed or act willy nilly but it was very easy to work with and pressed like a dream.

I added this 1" elastic casing to the back to give it some shape.

I did include the working front pockets, even though they are tiny and I'll probably never put anything in there. The welts were turned on an angle and have vertical and horizontal "quilting lines".

This project stressed me out because of the silly front zipper. On my last attempt, the zipper was wavy and didn't meet exactly at the top or bottom. However, this one went in with relative ease and didn't have any waving issues. I love the contrast of shiny gold metal and matted black leather. I see lots more exposed metal zippers in my future.

Also, I cut each piece out individually so that all the quilting lines matched up horizontally across the front and back.

The second shawl collar is simply stitched on top of the vest and then zigzagged at the edge. I had to do a bit of handstitching where the tip of the collar overlaps the zipper. Here's where you can see the undercollar cut from lining fabric. This was a happy accident as it cuts down on bulk and never shows anyway.

The elastic casing was easily made by stitching the lining and vest fabric together at the top and bottom of the casing. Then I inserted the elastic and closed the ends.

Even though I live in Texas and we have very mild winters, I get cold often. (I must have cold reptile blood or something.) I think this vest will see a lot of use as a warm layering piece.

Simplicity 2572 - Black baby pants w/ cuffs

2010-12-10T08:48:00.005-06:00

I'm using this pattern again for another pair of little pants for Rachel. She has several tops in black but nothing to wear them with. I cut these the same as the last pair, but with a little more fabric in the width of the waistband. (The last pair are a tad bit difficult to pull up over her tiny bottom.) Isn't she darling striking a sassy pose here?!

I topstitched in white and added cuffs to the hems. I also put some patch pockets on the sides, but the scale was off and they turned out way too big. Off they came.

This should be it for awhile for baby pants. I still want to make her a pair of denim overalls this winter, and I have several more dresses with fabric already purchased. My faux leather vest was finished up Sunday night, and I'll definitely get some pictures of it tomorrow.

Updated pictures of my gray wool jacket

2010-12-05T11:34:00.005-06:00

I made this jacket back in July when I was still pregnant. I wore it to church this morning before a cold front blew in. Brrrr, it's cold now. The weather doesn't seem to bother our cat, who just had to get her furry rear end in all my photos.

Doesn't it look way better on an actual body instead of my dressform? I really love this jacket, although it's not at all warm so I am doubting the wool content printed on the bolt when I purchased the fabric. I also made the dress I'm wearing in August 2009.

I am nearly done with an awesome little faux leather vest, although Justin has to head into work this afternoon so I'll likely not get any pictures of it until next weekend. Arg to you winter time change!

Simplicity 2572 - Skinny jeans for a skinny girl

2010-11-23T14:26:00.011-06:00

My first son was a big baby. He was born at 9lbs. 2oz. and just got bigger and bigger. People use to stop me and say, "Wow! He's healthy!!!" And I would think, "Shut up! He's gorgeous!" Now when I look back at his baby pictures, I realize he really was a chunk. With huge baby cheeks. He was always in the 95th percentile for height and weight compared to other babies his age.

My second son was born at 8lbs. 11oz., and was a very average size baby. He wore the same clothes that his brother had worn 2 years earlier, but they usually fit him for a little longer. I never made them anything because sewing boy clothes didn't seem very interesting, and there were hardly any cute patterns for boys.

Now this new little person has been an adjustment. She started out tiny - 6lbs. 7oz. - and hasn't grown much in the 2.5 months since then. At the doctor's office for a checkup last week, the nurse put her on the scale to weigh her - 8lbs. 14oz.! I was shocked! My home scale read at least 10lbs. I had them reweigh her, thinking surely there had been some mistake. No mistake. She's in the 5th percent for weight and the 10th percent for height. It looks like she'll be a petite girl, and it's a good thing I know how to sew.

Making pants was not high on my list of cute baby clothes to make, but they are now a necessity that I can't find to fit her. We have a few pairs of leggings that don't fall off when I pick her up. Dresses aren't too bad since they don't have to fit in the waist, but no tights fit and her legs get cold. So, I guess I'll now be making lots of bottoms.

These little jeans only took a day and a half to whip up. I used the same pattern as this skirt, which I now realize will never fit. I love the bottom ruffles on this design and decided to do topstitching with orange thread to break up all the denim.

I also added a little heart pocket to the back. Originally there were two hearts on the back, but since her bottom is so tiny, two was too much. I made the XXS. In order to get these to fit, I cut 1" off each side pattern piece, resulting in pants that are 4" narrower then designed. I've compared the original pattern size to other RTW 0-3 months pants, and it is spot on. So other then being off by calling this a newborn size, this pattern should fit other babies with no problems.

This fabric is a cotton denim I've had in the stash forever. I'm not sure what I originally purchased it for, but there's enough of it left over for some baby overalls. These were so easy and such a success that I'll be making a black pair next. I'm thinking side cargo pockets and bottom cuffs.

Butterick 5454 - Black floral knit wrap dress

2010-11-21T14:20:00.008-06:00

Hello! I finally have a new FO to show you. This is a simple wrap dress design that I usually wouldn't have looked twice at (too simplistic/non-challenging) except that I kept seeing it pop up over at Patternreview.com. And as I am attempting to use simple patterns for busy fabrics, it was perfect for this border print ITY knit.

I wish there had been enough fabric to cut the sleeves and bottom tie on the border as well. That would have been so eye-popping. As is the ties get a little lost with all the busyness of the print. With such a short amount of yardage, I was squeezing in pattern pieces wherever they would fit. I did try to match up the skirt and bodice pieces where they intersect at the waist. However, it was a total fluke that the sleeves match up perfectly to the front and back bodice! Honestly, I'm not sure I could have pulled that off if I'd had 2 extra yards and the willingness to try.

At the moment, the girls are pulling the neckline out and the waistline of the skirt up slightly in the front. This is how the dress will lay once they go back to normal non-nursing size. It's a rather low neckline for me, and will still require a cami underneath.

I did make the effort to match up the border motif at the hemline. Oh, and I took a 1.5" hem instead of the 5/8" per the pattern instructions. Otherwise, no other changes were made.

I used bias tape to finish off the neckline so it wouldn't stretch out. I liked the idea of using clear elastic instead, but couldn't figure out how to attach the ties with it and still have neat insides. French seams were used throughout. As I've written before, I have nothing against the use of a serger to finish off seams, and would certainly utilize one if I could. But my sewing space is in the corner of our master bedroom, and I only have room for one sewing machine.

That's it for now! Rachel is in desperate need of some pants that fit her super skinny waist, and I've got another knit dress already cut out. Hopefully it's a productive week. If I don't get another post done before then, happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers!