Have Dress, Will Travel

As Gus so aptly pointed out, most of my "recent" entries have started with "I know it's been a long time..."  Yes, I have once again fallen off the blogosphere.  And once again I reemerge, hopefully to stay.  Back in September 2012 I lined up several projects.  I'm happy to say, I have FINALLY finish some of them.  Here is the first: the Lisette Traveler Dress. 

I made this shirt dress primarily for work.  I've worn it several times, and it performs wonderfully.  My first graders were full of compliments. The soft linen fabric does wrinkle a bit, but nothing a little starch can't fix.

This photo also shows our awesome new baby blue front door with stained glass!
 
Here you can see the gathering on the sleeve - a feminine touch that is absolutely necessary for me when using this masculine brown stripe.  I have the tendency to look a little man-ish if I go with straight menswear shapes. 


I may try this dress again in a fabric that doesn't wrinkle.  It would be great for traveling (as the name suggests.) I'd love to throw it in a suitcase and go.  This version works okay - most hotels have an iron for post-suitcase straightening out.  It's comfortable, long enough, and can be worn with heals or flip flops.  Other belts work nicely as well.   What's your favorite travel outfit?

Multi-Tasking

I'm trying something new this fall: multiple projects at once.  I've been inspired by Hurricane Isaac - during whom I made a little mental back up plan for prolonged sewing outages: cut all pieces for the next few projects.  The outage (thankfully) was only one day, but the impulse to get several things going at once still lingers...

Here is what I'm working on for fall.

Shirt Dress (for school)

When I decided to give sewing a serious try...back in 2010...I intended to download the Coffee Date dress off Grosgrain's Frock by Friday series.  Instead, I accidently downloaded a shirt dress.  It was a disaster.  Photos later.

This put me off shirt dresses for a while... but now I'm ready to get back in the saddle.  With this dark brown pin stripe linen blend.  On the dress, the stripes will be going in the other directions. Obvi.

Tea Length Dress (for an October wedding)

Victory Patterns

Okay.  I'm a sucker for a sweetheart neckline.  The Macaron dress was the original catalyst of my sewing appetite, seen here, so you can imagine the DROOL when I saw the Ava pattern by Victory.  (Side note...I love independent pattern companies!)  I plan to make the Ava every which way...so this round is just the beginning. 

I'll be making it out of another Egyptian gift fabric.  Gus made more than one black and gold selection while abroad - a nod to the Saints?  Also Steelers compatible.  Makes for a versatile fall wardrobe. 

Blouse (for school)
So I have been blessed with a long waist.  I don't know if blessed is the right word, but anyway.  This means that most pants look funny when I tuck in a shirt.  Consequently, I need blouses that look nice untucked... which can be a bit tricky.

Not so if you sew!  As I said earlier, I love me some independent pattern companies... and one I haven't tried yet is Sewaholic.  Luckily my Alma Blouse pattern came in the mail today!  First up is View A...in this linen blend.

Much better than last September's line up...which ended in a sewing hiatus of six months.  Commitment: history doth not repeat thyself. 

Presents from Egypt

Over the summer, Gus went on a whirlwind adventure to Egypt - touring the pyramids, the white desert, the Nile.  While sleeping in a dorm at my summer job, I awoke to a text from him at 4:30am - a picture of his head in front of the Sphinx.  You can imagine my jealously.

But leave it to Gus...all my jealously evaporated when he arrived home and showered me with gifts... most of them of the fabric variety!  This fantastic printed fresco fabric has the feeling of lightweight cotton, but is considerably more durable.  Fresco is a very lightweight wool...I found a good description at The Gentleman's Gazette.  I guess its no surprise that Egyptians have perfected hot weather fabrics.  Sorry this picture is so yellow.

My current philosophy of sewing patterns is to choose something with elements I haven't tried before.  With that in mind, it was time to add a wrap dress to my repertoire.

Pattern: Vogue 8646

Fabric: Fresco, gift

Belt: Banana Republic

Closure: Tie on the inside panel, hook and eye on the outside panel.

I finished this dress last Saturday and I've already worn it twice.  It debuted at the Ira Glass event at LSU on Sunday night.  Three cheers for public radio!  Then I wore the dress to school on Monday (the day before Hurricane Isaac put us out for a week.)  It did very well in the humidity.  I did have to pin the neckline together.  I plan to add a snap at the neckline to keep it in place without worry.

I'm excited that my sewing fluency is growing.  I was happy to be able to look at this fabric and decide what to make with it - sans agonizing over pattern choices and worrying about the quality of the finished product.  Now if only I could get my blog background to stop changing to random things...

Infinity Banana

Yikes! It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry. Life.

Good news, though! I made my first article of clothing for another person! Soul sister of mine, S, professed a deep love of my Palindrome Dress, so I made her a variation... here's how it went down:

S: I love this dress!
Me: Bring me the fabric and a Diet Dr. Pepper and I'll make you one!
S: I can pay you.
Me: How about you don't pay me, but if I screw up you don't hate me either.
S: Deal.

S showed up with some fabulous stretchy banana fabric. And two months later (I got distracted), voila:
Fabric: Banana yellow cotton jersey - 50% stretch, fabric.com
Pattern: Palindrome
Belt: Banana (Republic)

Why am I calling this dress Infinity Banana, you may ask. Let's break it down.

Infinity:
I did use the same pattern as my Palindrome dress - but the fabric S chose was slightly see through. I decided to do a double layer of fabric. My brilliant idea was to have the inside layer be like a facing for the arm holes and neckline. I lined it up and sewed the pieces together as such - but when I went to turn it inside out, I found that I had turned the dress into an infinity circle. You could keep turning it forever!

A bunch of stitch ripping later, I settled on the facing technique for the neckline only. I ended up just hemming the armholes.

The lining side is also a little shorter than the outer dress, which makes the bottom of the dress a little translucent.

Banana:
I'm not going to explain this. I know you get it. I would, however, like to recall the wonderful palindrome "yo, banana boy!"

S was a willing model, so I give you Two More Views.

Dancing:
Showing off the Saab:

Needless to say, making clothing for others makes me nervous. The fabric sucked itself into the sewing machine several times and I nearly panicked. It's not like the fabric was super expensive or anything - my competence was just on stage, I guess! I'm happy with how it ultimately came out, though. What was the first article of clothing you ever made for someone else? Did it make you nervous?

How Tropical Storm Lee Thwarted My Plaid Ambitions

Self Stitched September Day 1!!! Blue plaid flannel Anda dress. One of my first successful projects. Vintage belt. As you can see from the background, I'm at work here.


And now for the story of why this is the only Self Stitched September photo I have so far:(

Tropical Storm Lee. Actually, it was Tropical Storm 13 when it started this trouble. As you probably noted in my last blog post - I had some great ambitions for Mad for Plaid week - a plaid pencil skirt AND a plaid Sorbetto. The former to be fitted on Friday evening. The latter to be whipped up on Saturday morning. All so I could take said items to Martha's Vineyard with me (I'm here for the week) to show my mom.

But then it started raining. And I got nervous. And my mom got nervous. And my coworkers said "get out of here while you still can! There won't be flights on Sunday!"

So I listened, and I flew out of New Orleans on Friday afternoon - no plaid in hand :(

Already, I'm modifying my Self-Stitched September promise. I did bring self stitched attire, but in my haste to pack, I did not bring anything weather appropriate. See, it's raining on Martha's Vineyard too. Except not as hard, and much colder. To be honest, I've been wearing one outfit all week, made up of all the warmest pieces I quickly tossed in my suitcase on my way out the door.

Yikes.

So here is what I can offer you:

Photos of the completed (but not perfectly fitted) pencil skirt:


2. This photo of Gayhead on Martha's Vineyard. It's gorgeous, even in the cold rain.


I return to Louisiana on Sunday evening... to reassess SSS'11 and get back on track! I think the best solution is to disregard vacation week. Sigh.

Tutorial: Burda Dress Bodice Instructions

Burda, Burda, Burda. I love your patterns, but your instructions are confounding.

If you were confused by the instructions for the 02/2011 Dress with gathered rectangle skirt and cap sleeves, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s how I did it and recommend doing it too. But before we get to the instructions... a refresher on the finished project:

Burda Bodice Instructions

Pattern Found Here

1. Cut out your bodice pieces from BOTH the MAIN FABRIC and the LINING FABRIC.

1 front piece on the fold, 2 back pieces

2. Mark the darts with non-wax tracing paper.

3. Sew the darts.

4. MAIN FABRIC: With right sides together, sew the shoulder seams together. Repeat with LINING FABRIC. Press seams open.

5. With right sides together, sew the MAIN FABRIC to the LINING FABRIC along the arm holes and neck line. Press the seams open. NOTE: You have not sewn any side seams yet.

6. Turn the bodice right side out by pulling the two back pieces through the shoulders. Press seams.

7. Open the MAIN FABRIC and LINING up at the side seam (which is not yet sewn). Match the arm hole seams and edges - MAIN FABRIC to MAIN FABRIC and LINING to LINING. Pin, with right sides together. Make sure the arm hole seams lie flat. Sew the side seam. Repeat on the other side.

8. Your options now are to put a zipper up the back of the dress or buttons. If you choose to buttons you will need to make a button placket.

BUTTON PLACKET:

1. Cut two strips of one of your fabrics. I used the LINING FABRIC. The strips should be 2" wide and however long your bodice is.

2. Stitch rip the neckline in by a stitch more than two inches. The idea is that you are sewing the strip into the seam of the neckline. (Yes, this could have been done when I originally did the neckline, but I hadn't decided on buttons yet.)

3. Turn the garment so that you can put the neckline right sides together. Insert the end of one of the strips and line it up with the center back edge. Resew the ripped part of the neckline seam and turn right side out again. Your strip should now be sticking out of the seam.

4. Fold the strip down the right side of the MAIN FABRIC and pin the edge to the center back edge. Sorry, this photo is from the opposite side from the last photo. I also used pinking sheers on the other side of the strip so I wouldn't have to hem it.

5. Sew the edge of the strip to the center back edge, catching both the MAIN FABRIC and the LINING FABRIC.

6. Turn the strip to the inside of the garment, gently poking out the corner. Press the seam down. If the seam is bulky, clip the seam allowance.

7. On the inside of the garment, pin the open edge of the strip down. Sew the other edge of the strip down, about a quarter inch from the edge.

8. Repeat on the other side of the center back seam. As you can see, I had extra length on the strips. If you do, just cut it off at the end. The strips only need to be as long as your bodice.

9. Before sewing the skirt onto the garment, overlap the button plackets and hand baste them together at the base of the bodice. Then use the Burda instructions to sew the skirt onto the garment.

*** BEFORE MOVING ON, SEW THE SKIRT ONTO THE GARMENT****

10. Decide how many buttons you want to use. I used 5. Place one button at the neckline and one at the skirt line. Evenly space the other buttons between these two. I used a ruler. On the side that lies on top, mark where the button holes should go based on where you want the buttons. Follow your sewing machine manual instructions for making a button hole. I did a test run on some scrap fabric.

11. REMEMBER: put your button holes on the placket that lies on top of the other placket. The buttons should be sewing to the lower placket. Sew your buttons on.

Good luck!

Sweet Swiss Dot Dress

In my last post (which I know, was forever ago) I complained about a lack of fabric shops in Baton Rouge. Well, my friends, I have discovered a shop I overlooked! It's called Village Fabrics, and it specializes in wedding and special occasion fabric... which means it had some lovely shantung for my bombshell dress! But we'll get to that later...

Village Fabrics also had some lovely white batiste that I purchased to line my Burdastyle cap sleeve dress. Here is the finished product:

Fabric: Swiss dot
Lining: Batiste
Pattern: Burdastyle Dress with Rectangle Skirt and Cap Sleeves
Changes: Buttons up the back instead of a zipper up the side

I rushed to finish this dress in time to wear it to an Enchanted Forest party on Bourbon Street... but ended up wearing jeans due to the presence of a mechanical bison. I didn't end up riding it, but when you hear a mechanical bison will be there, you want to leave the option open. I'm glad I didn't wear the dress - my clothes smelled like Bourbon Street when I got home. (For the uninitiated, its a slightly metallic combination of piss and liquor.)

But back to the dress... the directions were simply awful (as opposed to awfully simple). I love Burdastyle, but I think we all know its big weakness (written instructions). I used a technique similar to the bodice for the Green Goddess Dress, which is Simplicity 2219. I will post a tutorial on how I put the bodice together soon. In the meantime... here are a few more pictures.

Got Silk?

First, I chose the wrong pattern. Now, I think I chose the wrong fabric. Let me tell you a story:

I went to Hancock Fabrics (the only fabric store besides Hobby Lobby in Baton Rouge) to find material for the Gertie's Bombshell Dress Online Course I just signed up for. I picked my way through a sea of polyester (all in ugly colors), just past the dance costume fabric, to a tiny little shelf of silks. Most of them were balled up and shoved on the shelf (that was half concealed by another shelving unit) and the tiny available bit of end-of-bolt dupioni was laying on the dirty floor. ARGH.

Now, I'm not completely aimless. I do have a desired color/print. Something like one of these:

Source: poetrie.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Source: poetrie.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Source: modcloth.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Source: modcloth.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Source: modcloth.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Alas! The only fabric that involved light blue or antique flowers was, of course, in the quilting cottons section. I vacillated, knowing it would never work, trying to convince myself it would. I finally bought a few yards (it was on clearance) and figured I'd decide later. I could always use it for something else.

After bringing it home and washing it, I know I can't use this cotton for this project. I'll have to buy some shantung online. This experience is a good example of my ongoing struggle with the sewing resources available in my city.

Baton Rouge, and probably most places in America, really doesn't have the resources - fabric-wise, or sewing education-wise - to support making your own clothes. Luckily we have the internet, and online fabric stores are becoming more user friendly. Websites like Craftsy.com and PatternReview.com are offering more style-savvy online classes.

But none of this can beat a little human interaction. I guess I'm frustrated that the in-person sewing world in mid-sized America is dominated by crafting. Not that there is anything wrong with crafting - I just don't want my dress to match my place mats. Or fall apart in the wash. And I'd like to learn more advanced dress making techniques. Or be able to buy non-polyester dress material.

I usually like my mid-sized city lifestyle, but MAN do I wish I lived in in the Big Apple some days. Anyone else get jealous of the big city sometimes?

Wrong Pattern; New Plan

You know... I probably would have really enjoyed Montessouri school as a child. I love jumping into something without reading the directions. A dose of Discovery Learning always does me some good.

That is how I began in my "fake it 'till you make it" muslin making process. I chose this Burda pattern, which I planned to make in some fancy fabric and wear to a couple weddings. I successfully fit the bodice so the neckline wasn't so gosh darn baggy. Here are some visual aids for what I did:

First, I put the bodice pieces together and put them on the dress form inside out (notice that I did not press the seams...oops.)
The neckline was enormous, and at a strange angle. Plus, the waist was just fine. So I took in the neckline by 1/2" on either side, tapering it to nothing under the arm.

This looked right to me.
So I measured and cut the pattern piece, taping it back together with the little wedge removed.

I cut out the lining (left over from my failed July 4th dress... it was supposed to be the sash:(

With right sides together I put the lining and outer bodice together. When doing this, you are actually supposed to handle the shoulder seams differently, so the seams are on the inside. But in my laziness, and since its a muslin, I just sewed them together after the fact.

Here we go! Looking good! I actually kind of like the seam from the neckline to the side. I can see doing some color blocking along those lines at a later date.

What I realized though, in my best Nina Garcia inner voice (my inner voice often impersonates Project Runway judges...today it was Nina) - is that it just looks a little bit junior. If I made this dress in an evening wear fabric the whole thing would look best for a teenager.

At the same moment, I stumbled upon Gretchen's announcement, at Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing, that she has launched an online class at Craftsy.com. This class, thrillingly, is on how to construct a bombshell dress. PERFECT. Not only that, it includes a number of techniques I haven't tried yet - boning, underlining, bust padding, hooray! I promptly signed up and started drooling over fabric online. I've already watched several lessons, and I love love love Gretchen's teaching style. So happy!

What will happen to this little Burda pattern, you ask? FEAR NOT. Sitting on my couch, right next to the dress form (but not quite in the picture), is two yards of swiss dot fabric that will look awesome as this dress. Hmmm... I'm starting to have a sewing queue. Yikes.