Me-Made-May'14 Week 2

Turns out that wearing me Mades everyday isn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I already do that because I'm so proud of my makes. Even the less than perfect ones. so let's take a look!

Day 5: Wool circle skirt 

Worn to: work in an office

Pattern: circle skirt

Thoughts: this skirt is fun but the wool coating that I used is so thick that it has some serious body to it. I also noticed that due to my posture the skirt hem hangs much lower in the front than in the back. I'll have to cut the front about 1" shorter to make it feel more proportional. I felt like I needed to pull the back of the skirt down all day as I felt the difference in hem lengths. 

Day 6: Mabel skirt

Worn to: work

Pattern: Colette Mabel skirt

Thoughts: incredibly comfortable. This skirt is great. I do need to readjust the waistband as it's larger than is comfortable for me. But I like my waistbands to really hold everything in. I used black Ponte on the back and side panels and this cool zigzag Ponte I scored while in Los Angeles at the end if March. Great for work and it transitions well into the evening. 

Day 7: spring flora!

Worn to: work

Pattern: Flora Dress By Hand London

Thoughts: after altering the pattern pieces to all my adjustments I think this is the first dress that is almost perfect to my measurements. It also marks one if my first successes using a non-stretch fabric.  Love this dress. And everybody else compliments it too. 

Day 8: fail

Why? I was sick all day and I have yet to made myself any pj sets. 

Day 9: The perfect knit dress

Worn to: work

Pattern: McCall's 5974

Thoughts: this dress is so comfortable. Yum. But after a day of wear I noticed that I'll need to go back and stabilize the neck and cross front pieces with clear elastic to make it a little more safe and help maintain it's shape all day. Otherwise this dress is still great for hiding my tummy yet being so stretchy and soft. 

Day 10: splotchy goodness

Worn to: shopping and lunch

Pattern: vogue 1395

Thoughts: easy dress to wear. Fun colours. Cute back bodice ties that wrap around front. I'll have to super iron my neck line as the rolled hem I did is slightly wavey. great length. Finished and worn the same day! Unblogged.

Day 11: deep v drape drape

Worn to: fancy brunch (with a lace shirt underneath)

Pattern: drape drape no.5

Thoughts: although this dress certainly is revealing and unless I was going to the beach, I doubt I'd wear it just as is, but with a lace top underneath this dress is super comfortable. the back is super low though and the materials recovery isn't great so my unstabalized shoulder seams  stretch out as the day continues. 

Another week down and another week happy. I think I'll try to make another cardigan this week as I depend on the two black ones I purchased so much it would be wonderful to replace those with me Mades!

Hopefully I can get outside this week to photograph all my new makes! There's my belladone, Mabel, v1395.... Woots. 

Happy me-made-may'14 Mother's Day!! I'm the proud mommy to a wonderful pupster!

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The tale of two Flora's

Day after day my Feedly was swamped with various versions of the new By Hand London girls Flora dress. The fabric patterns, the fit, the happiness it brought to everybody's face lured me. I couldn't resist and purchased my own copy (After much waffling only because those patterns are NOT cheap, especially to ship to Canada - yikes).

I received and within an hour had my size 14 traced out and ready for making. I grabbed a purple gabardine I had in my stash and got cracking. cut cut sew sew. Instructions were simple to follow. Lining went together perfectly. Inserted my first invisible zipper with my new invisible zipper foot for my machine (what a joy! I'm no longer scared of zippers!) from start the finish it took me under 5 hours. With the majority of time spent sewing the 12 total darts (too Many darts!!!).

I tried it on all excited. Wait, I'll back up. I measured the pattern and everything seemed fine in flat measurements and I don't toil so just got on with it. now, back to me trying it on all excited - zipped it up, ran to my full length mirror, slipping on hard wood underfoot, and stare at my new creation. But wait, why doesn't it look as nice sad everybody else's? This bodice is gaping. So is the back bodice around the neck. So are the under arms. What the!

So, turns out, this pattern isn't perfect for me. And my shoulders are too narrow for the standard pattern drafting. So the dress fits bad across the top. To solve this I ironed interfacing across the front neckline to stiffen the material and provide more support, but because of how wide the bodice is across my cheat, putting my arms down pushes the bodice inwards causing it to gape. sad. I should simply cut the bodice narrower, but that's so much work, and I still think this is wearable.....so I made a second flora!

let me break down my alterations I made to the pattern for my second flora!

- took a 1/2 inch wedge out of the bodice front and back in the middle of the neckline to reduce gaping issue

- cut out the arm hole and moved the entire piece 1 inch towards the centre (this narrows the front bodice while maintaining the bust and waist proportions)

- removed a 1/4 inch wedge from under the armpit to reduce gaping under the arms

- moved the front bust darts towards the centre front by 1/4 inch

- widened the front bust dart base by 1/8 inch tapering it the fit the original dart about half way up. (To reduce the fabric pooling just under my bust and at my waist) (alternatively I could have adjusted the bodice side shaping , but dart adjustments are easier for me)

- reduced the shoulder piece length by 1 inch

Phew. That sounds like a lot of alterations, and in fact my pattern pieces are looking really mangled (especially with the blue painters tape!) but hey - this flora turned out near perfect! And just LOOK at this print!! It SCREAMS spring! It's the first pattern that I made alterations to, on my second round, to produce a better fit. And you know what? It was totally worth my time!

and next time I'll stay stitch the bodice waist as it stretched and is a little loose. I might take in the sides another 1/4" each and sew the waist seam another 1/4" just across the stomach to reduce the slight drooping that's occurring. Little things.

Beautiful invisible zipper (Especially considering it is my FIRST invisible zipper with my zipper foot!). Front knife pleats and back pleats. So beautiful

This flora is my demand to the Canadian weather gods to give me spring!!

Pattern: By Hand London Flora dress - Variation 2: Tank

Size: 14

Fabric: purple gabardine & floral polyester

Alterations:

• front dart placement and width
• narrow shoulder adjustment
• hollow upper chest adjustment
• rounded upper back adjustment
• gaping under arm adjustment
• shortened shoulder strap

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Renfrew Mod of Me

When I go to work and I am not wearing a turtle neck and skirt people comment. You know you have a style when. And I am happy that I embody the turtle neck. I can rock a turtle neck. So I decided that I would rock my turtle neck in dress format in a bold print. It is winter after all and a bold print contrasts the dreary weather and makes me oh so delightfully happy.

I used my Renfrew pattern as a base. From making my last Renfrew I understood the alterations I required to make my turtleneck dress a reality. For the bodice, I cut a size 8, as my fabric has some good stretch and I needed it to withstand the weight of the skirt without pulling any excess fabric downwards. Cut an 8 and cut the waist at the lengthen/shorten line. Then to make it a turtle neck I raised the neckline 2 inches. Next I measured the neckline and cut a rectangle piece 1" shorter than this length. 

I made a circle skirt late at night. Never make a circle skirt late at night. I was clearly too tired to function as I cut my waist circle correctly, but then cut the skirt 18 inches from the corner, NOT 18 inches from my waist circle. Ooops. So this made my skirt length WAY too short. Damn. So I solved my problem by cutting two 4" stripes of fabric and adding them to the hem to length my skirt. It is like a pieced circle skirt now. No problem for me. The skirt is still very much on the short side as the bodice sits slightly higher than my natural waist. I didn't add length to the bodice when I cut a size 8. I didn't accommodate for the horizontal tautness of the bodice raising it by an inch. My bad. 

Otherwise, the dress went together quickly. Sent everything through the serger. Added clear elastic to the shoulder seams to stabilize them. Full length sleeves. Turn and stitches the hem and the sleeves. And done. 

The shape and the high waist make me feel like a figure skater or that I'm wearing a leotard. But I don't even mind, this dress makes me so happy. You can barely see my arms in many of the photos as I did the ENTIRE dress in the fabric. Why? because the fabric is a luscious Rayon knit with a very soft hand with a slightly fluffy feel to the outside of it. YUM. 

This is my Renfrew Mod of Me: Turtle Neck, Circle Skirt, Bright Print, and Needs Slight Modifications. 

Details

Pattern: Sewaholic Renfrew - Modified

Size: 8

Fabric: Rayon Knit

Cost:  $7/metre - 2 Metres used

Alterations:

• Raised the Neckline by 2"
• Cut the bodice at the lengthen/shorten line
• Added a circle Skirt + hem band
• Added a Turtle neck
• Made the sleeves full length

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New Year New Dress

 

All my Christmas dreams came true this year; I received a Serger! A Brother 1034D to be exact! I couldn't be more thrilled because now I EASILY have finished edges on ALL my items AND be able to tackle knits without hassle.

New Years is always the best excuse to dress up- Pretty Little Dress for me! For Christmas I also received this stunning flower tulle. Look at it! I'm in love. It has all that texture and has that drama factor I love! All in one easy to sew fabric. Luckily this flower tulle had stretch to it which set my mind at ease knowing I wouldn't ruin my fabric sans zipper.

This fabric is almost identical to the one used in the new Burda Magazine (01/2014) to showcase The Rose Dress #107 and the similarities were too much for me NOT to make that dress out of it. It is one of my favourite patterns from that issue.

I busted out my tracing paper and pencil, and traced the size 42. Typically I would size up with Burda patterns, but since the plan was to use Ponte Knit for the bodice, I knew I would need a smaller size to accommodate the stretch it the fabric. Turns out I should have cut an even smaller size, but that is ok - ponte's are oh so forgiving that is why we are in love.

From start to finish; tracing to walking out the door; it took me less than 4 hours to make. Talk about speedy sewing! All thanks to my wonderful serger! Life is so easy now. But if you are looking at those photos you will notice something IS amiss; why am I using white thread in my serger on a black dress?!? Turns out, many a folk stocked up on serger thread because when I went in to buy spools, they only had 2 black spools left! Jokes right? So, I made due, and used black thread in my upper looper and left needle and white in the lower looper and right needle. Maybe I should have used black in both my loopers, but I just got it - forgive my lack of knowledge!

But while holding back tears in the fabric shop, a clerk told me a wonderful secret; when changing threads, instead of re-threading the machine, simply snip the thread at the spool and tie that end to the new thread colour. Thread the machine slowly, and your before your the knot ends reaches your needles, snip them apart and thread the needle with the new colour. Both upper and lower loopers will be threaded without having to follow the arrows! Easy! Sure this doesn't improve my knowledge of the inner workings of my serger, but easier is always better (until its not). So I'm sticking with that! Thanks Fabricland clerk!

Back to my dress! I didn't bother reading the instructions. Sorry, not sorry. Burda's instructions are more confusing than helpful, so I go without. Not sure where the confidence comes from as I am a new seamstress, but more or less all dresses are made the same, and unless they have a specific detail that is different, I don't bother reading instructions (unless they are independent company patterns because those instructions are phenomenal).

I stitched my pleats in the bodice front, folded over my facing (which I cut as one piece with the bodice so that if I ever needed MORE coverage I could let the facing fold roll out without a seamline indicating this wasn't how the dress was supposed to be worn), and sewed the shoulder seams. Voila, bodice complete. When I tried it on, the back bodice had too much stretch and it felt too loose, especially around the neck, so I added two 1 inch darts to the back neckline reducing the neckline by 2 inches total. It helped. Yay for improper but effective fixes. (I know I have narrow shoulders and back, so I SHOULD have adjusted this prior to cutting my fabric, but sometimes I'm just really really lazy)

I serged every seam except my hem, which I used my twin needle on. I tried to do a blind hem with my serger but could not figure it out with such a short deadline, so I opted for my twin needle. No worries here. The waist seam was a monster of a seam for my serger to conquer. But conquer it did. Across the front of the dress there are two layers of pleated bodice (the faux wrap in front), the bulk of the flowered tulle skirt, and another ponte layer for the under skirt. So glad I didn't blow up my serger after only a week in my possession.

I walked into the party, took off my coat (begrudgingly seeing as it was -51 C with Windchill here in Canada that night - BRUTAL RIGHT?) and immediately lapped in the compliments given to my dress, and oh so proudly blurted out I made it myself that day. There is nothing as wonderful as feeling pride in my accomplishments to both end 2013 and commence 2014.

Pattern: #107 Rose Dress - Burda Style 01/2014
Size: 42
Fabric: Ponte di Roma & Flowered Tulle
Cost: FREE (Christmas Presents)
Alterations:

• Added 2 darts to the bodice back neckline to reduce gaping
• Used a half circle skirt for the top Tulle and a tight mini for the Ponte lining
• Cut the Bodice front facing as one with the Bodice Front to eliminate a seam line and to add extra coverage if needed.

Happy New Years to each and every single person who has read to the end of this post!

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Grey Wool Circle Skirt

I have always loved the cold weather. I love to bundle up, wear fleece tights and wool accessories to keep warm. So when I found this luxurious 100% grey wool coating for the incredible price of $5/metre I knew it had to be mine. The thickness of it, the soft, furry touch of it, and its colour. It was all perfect material in my eyes.

Since I do love the cold weather, I wanted to make this wool coating into day wear instead of outter wear. Was it possible? It has great drape for a heavy wool coating, but I knew it probably wouldn't take darts without adding substantial bulk and gathers would NOT be happening in this without added 50 lbs to my waist line. And forget that right? So I opted for a simple circle skirt with waist band.

This circle skirt has no side seam. I cut it all as one piece. I love the thought of an endless piece of material. AND no seam means no bulk. That works for me!

I added a metal zipper because I prefer the look of them. I wanted to make it a full exposed zipper but realized that I am still terrible at adding zippers so I ended up with a slashed opening basic zipper insertion. Easy for me. It does cover my metal zipper a bunch, whereas I wanted it full exposed, I am just happy that it turned out as not a hot mess.

There is a small sprinkling of snow of the ground and taking these pictures sans fleece tights wasn't my brightest idea. It was cooooooooooold. And we all know that a circle skirt loves to keep it breezy. And Breezy it was. You can't see it but I have many many goosebumps.Maybe the staunch white colour of my legs is testament to the last time these gams saw the sunlight eh?

Here's to a beautiful winter of fleece tights and wool garments!

Fabric: 100% Wool Coating
Cost: 5$/metre - 0.75m Used
Pattern: Self drafted Circle Skirt with waist band

ps. I still have 2 metres of this wool fabric. I'm thinking a beautiful dress next!

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