Elegant Maternity Dress - Vogue 9277

It is finally done. After seven years, yet!

Of course it doesn't really fit me (well, it wasn't supposed to be for me) but the important thing is I have finished that project and it is no longer weighing me down!

Despite my whining about working with the material I turned out loving it. So maybe in the future, once I get back to really enjoying sewing again I'll make something else in velour. Maybe some lounge pajamas and a comfy robe?

Pattern: Vogue 9277

Pattern Description: Misses' Maternity Dress, Tunic, Skirt & Leggings, View A

Pattern Sizing: Sizes 12-14-16, I made a size 12

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, very much.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the versatility of the pattern. Even though this pattern is from 1995, every piece is still wearable and wouldn't look dated.



Fabric Used: A stretch velour, which is exactly what the pattern suggested.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I made no pattern alterations. On all hems and the neckline I did do a second row of stitching 1/8" from the first row to give it a professional twin-needle look. This was also the method that they wanted you to follow for all the interior seams.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes. If anymore of my friends have babies this would be an easy but elegant and practical sew. However, it seems everyone I know have already had their "after-40" babies.

Conclusion: A very easy and comfortable knit pattern for expectant mothers that can be done in less than a weekend by anyone that IS NOT ME.

From back From side

These pictures are proof that this was meant to be a maternity dress and the main reason I probably will never wear it. I'm thinking of selling it in my shop, what do you think?

Images: My own photos.

Knit Top - New Look 6807

Pattern:New Look 6807

Pattern Description: Misses Easy Two-Hour Knit Tops, View C

Pattern Sizing: Size 12 tapering to a 14 at the hips

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, very much. There isn't much to them but I did appreciate that New Look starts the pattern off with some tips on sewing knits. Therefore, I used a combination of straight and zigzag stitches.


What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the neckline and drapiness of the design. However, there was too much ease for a knit pattern and there was no need for the opening and ties in the back of the garment. Because of the deep neckline I can easily slip this over my head even with it tightly tied in back. In fact, it may be too big to wear comfortably at work.

Fabric Used: A rayon/Spandex knit in Potent Purple from Jo-Ann Fabrics.



Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I made View C with the 3/4 length gathered sleeves. I had made a size 12 and tapered the pattern to a 14 at the hem but I am sure I could have used a size 12 or maybe even a 10 tapering to a twelve because of the excess ease. I also hand sewed the neckline inside edge because I didn't trust my machine to topstitch through the knit fabric.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes. But next time, I will cut the back on the fold and eliminate the back opening and ties. I recommend it but others might find the neckline too low so you should definitely test that out before you make it. Because of how wide and low the neckline was, I will have to be cautious when I wear it as it could slip off the shoulders easily.

Conclusion: A very comfortable top that can be done in a few hours like the pattern said, even shorter if you eliminate the back ties.

Slips, They Make Me Feel Dainty...

I saw Gertie's tutorial and I knew I had to try it. I already had fabric purchased for making some slips a while ago. However, I had lost my motivation once I found out the pattern I wanted to use was not suitable for this fabric. Update: I forgot to say what the fabric is. This is lining fabric but it has a sueded finish to it as opposed to a slick surface. Nothing expensive, about $5 a yard from Jo-Anns.

I used Stretchrite lingerie elastic (64% poly/36% rubber) from Jo-anns. It came in a dual pack with 30" of 1/2" wide for waistbands and 54" of 5/16" wide for legbands. As it turns out, I preferred the more narrow elastic (legband) for the waist of the slips. I will try to use this technique as much as possible. It's very similar to the look of the Vogue skirt in that, once on, the elastic doesn't add bulk to your waist because it and the fabric stretches just enough to fit. With both designs you need just enough width to get it past your hips.

Wrights 3/4" wide Flexi-Lace hem tape in #167 Colonial Rose*

For the hem, I originally tried to find wider scalloped lace but there was only black and white available in Jo-ann and Hancock Fabrics. I wanted to try more sophisticated combinations like Angry Chicken did with her homemade underwear. What I did find was this cool aged rose color to spice up the ho-hum pale pink color of the fabric. If my first thought hadn't been to buy one color that would work with both fabrics I probably would have used lavender on the blue and orange on the pink. Perhaps, next time?



I ended up making three slips in different lengths, 16", 17" and 22". The two I made in pink for shorter skirts and dresses, I finished with the lace trim in two different ways. The first one I applied the lace 1/4 inch over the edge of the fabric, stitching close to the edge of the lace, and then folded the fabric back up and stitched again. With the second slip I thought I was doing it the same way but I ended up sewing the lace near the bottom edge; therefore, having it peek down from behind the skirt. I prefer this look.

I decided against using the pink lace on the longer dark blue slip and luckily Gertie had also posted an alternative way (the scallop stitch) to finish the hem, which is the way I decided to go with this one. Even though I had read the instructions before; when I got down to doing it I totally forgot about using spray starch to stabilize the fabric. Luckily, it still worked out and my needle didn't get jammed and ruin the stitch on the slinky fabric.

I officially will never buy another half-slip again! These were so simple and quick (less than two hours to make all three) that I highly recommend them even for beginner sewers/sewists.

* The color of the pink slips and lace are more accurate in the pre-sewn picture.

Funky Tunics/Dresses - Simplicity 2804

Simplicity 2804

I rarely ever sew a pattern twice (except for this and soon to be this). I tend to get bored with same details, however, I can definitely see the benefit because sometimes you find a better way to do something.

The second version (purple) of this dress was so much easier to sew than the first (green*). When I cut the fabric out weeks ago I was intimidated by the thin yet heavy weight of this rayon/spandex knit. When I was younger I sewed quite a few knit garments but knit with Spandex or Lycra wasn't readily available so I always used more stable knits. Now those I loved. I guess I just like fabrics with enough weight that they don't stretch out of shape.

Because this knit did. In fact, I hated cutting this stuff out, it oozed where it shouldn't have and got tugged out of place with the slightest touch. However I think I'm over it now. The feel of these dresses once finished changed my mind. Slinky and sexy feeling for sure.


On my nieces who actually do have perfectly beautiful faces

I actually made these for my twin nieces but I might have to buy some more this fall and make another for me in the purple. The twins are very athletic (and bustier) and the dresses fit them so much differently, in fact I probably should have made them one size larger for them and will just make it even one size smaller at the top (an 8 tapering down to a 10) for me.

I did buy a little bit more of the purple (so pretty!) to make a top that I cut out last weekend and even started on already. Yes, I know it's not on my to-do list but I don't want to give myself time to get scared of the fabric again, so...

Pattern: Simplicity 2804

Pattern Description: Knit mini dress or top with neckline variations and tie belt

Pattern Sizing: View A & B

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, very much. There isn't much to them but I did appreciate that Simplicity wrote them with both regular machines and overlock machines in mind.

More photos here.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? What I liked was the simplicity and the drape of the design.

Fabric Used: Rayon/Spandex knit in Potent Purple and Calla Green from Jo-Ann Fabrics, which had some great colors at the time.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I made both View A (the dress) and View B (the top) as dresses by adding the skirt panel from one to the other, resulting in dresses with different sleeve treatments. After making the dresses according to the printed measurements, I also felt they needed to come down a size. This is something you can't anticipate until the garment is practically finished. However; with this design alterations are easy as it only means increasing the side seam allowances by the desired amount.

I had a problem with the neckline of the green dress not only because the fabric had stretched but also because I hadn't figured out the right tension and length for the zig-zag stitch I used. It ended up stretching the fabric even more; in fact, the back neckline kept rolling to the wrong side. I set it aside and started on the purple version which was freshly cut out of the fabric and I was able to do it correctly. Therefore, I recut the binding strip and redid the neckline of the green dress.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes.

Conclusion: A very cool and sexy design that is an extremely quick sew and can be done in a few hours.

*Green dress photograph is before I redid the neckline and skirt portion.

Dress as Finished Project! - Burdastyle Anda

The Burdastyle Anda is finished and has been worn to work successfully. I will definitely remake this dress sometime because it really was easy.

My problem (and the reason it took so long) was in choosing this mystery fabric for the muslin. It stretched all over the place, which made it incredibly hard to hem. I ended up just biting the bullet and using the ruled lines on my cutting board, pinned the dress down across the shoulders and at the sides so that it couldn't move around. Then using the lines on the board I recut the hem* straight along one of those lines. This would have been easier to perfect it I had a rotary cutter but it still worked fine. I attempted to use my new 1/4" hemming foot but unfortunately, the slipperiness of the fabric wouldn't feed elegantly into the tool so I soon abandoned that method. Instead I just basted 1/4" from the edge and turned that upon itself between my fingers and winged it. It's definitely good enough for a first try/muslin.

I would love to try this dress again with a rayon challis, because I do love the draped shape of this dress. I have yet to try it with a belt but as the dress was meant to have an elasticized waist I'm sure it will look cute.

Now onto my next unfinished-but-soon-to-be-finished project.

More:
The Goal This Weekend...
Starting Up Again

*It's now a bit shorter than I would prefer; two inches above the knee. No bending over in this dress allowed!

The Hopscotch Skirt - Simplicity 8126

From the moment I saw Simplicity 8126 over at Out of the Ashes I was excited. More so than for any lovely poofy 50's silhouetted gown. Probably because I could see myself actually wearing this skirt, that it could fit into my life easily. I also like how young and "flirty" it looked. For some reason it really makes me think of hopscotch, bike riding or some other outside activity I did as a kid.

As a long-time crafter I'm also a big fan of functional pockets in clothes and I could see the denim version of the skirt as a great work-outfit for crafting. So that's why a denim version was the first one I made.

I found a great Lycra-infused 6 oz. Sew Classic indigo denim at Jo Anns on sale. I followed the instruction to the T except for the pockets. Using the pattern's layout, the pockets ended up being too effected by the stretch in the denim and stretched out of shape. Eventually I'll cut another set out and put them on the skirt.

I love this skirt, I love how it doesn't even look like a typical wrap skirt. The center pleat fools you into thinking it's a regular skirt while the gathered back almost completely camouflages the wrap portion. (Especially if this was made in a floral pattern) And, about the "wrap factor?" Very good! There is basically a double layer of skirt there in the back so there is no lack of coverage. Also in a fabric with heft like this denim the lower layer sort of serves as a petticoat. I think this skirt would be quite fetching in a silk shantung or taffeta. Affordable yet lovely skirts for bridesmaids, perhaps?

The only (small) problems I had was with the pattern itself. The pattern is just four pieces and the two main portions of the skirt are fashioned so that their seam is visible through the center pleat. I'm not a fan of that but yes, it's a small quibble.

I hope to make quite a few of these. I already have a gorgeous purple linen ready for making another one of these, so I think I will change the pattern accordingly. This was an easy sew, the only time-consuming detail was the hand sewing of the hem.

Images: michellebarte.com

Quick & Easy Sewing skirt and Simplicity 4077

My inspiration pics:

In real life:

The mid-calf length is fine but it's not the cute n' kicky feeling I was going for. Now I could keep this one as is and buy more fabric for a fun one, perhaps in a more fun color than GRAY!

Bonus: Here are pictures of the finished Simplicity 4077* blouse I finished a while ago. After wearing these two pieces to work together, I don't think it was the right combination for me. I felt like Laura Ingalls teaching school. I need to go through my clothes and figure out what works with this skirt to give it a more modern feel.

Yes, I know, I have to get better garment photos on this blog, right?

The finished waist.

When I put the elastic in the waist; at first, I only put it in the top casing. Something felt wrong so I decided to add another row of elastic. However, it feels too bulky now. I guess I'm just so used to waistbands on skirts. I'm thinking I might make a sash like the one below so I can wear tops inside the waistband with style.

Isn't this lovely?

Images: Phillip Lim, Devi Kroell, Phillip Lim, my own, Phillip Lim

*Did anyone else find the underarms and cuffs too tight on this blouse, or is it just me?