On the verge...

First, thank you all for your kind comments and wishes in response to my last post.  I have a photo that shows the back of my dress, which I will have to post.  Again, thank you SunnyGalStudio for pointing out the best starting point for my dress!

Now... what do I sew?  I've been making separates, but there is the possibility of another big project in my future.  My sister is getting married next summer, and can't quite put her finger on what she wants (it does not seem to exist.)  Perhaps when she figures out what it is, I might be able to help her with that.  I also am on the hunt for a good down jacket.  I have a Primaloft jacket from high school, which is enormous on me but I haven't gotten rid of it - instead, patching it as needed, all to the embarrassment of my Very Stylish Husband.  He has to be seen with me after all, and is merciless about this jacket.  I wore it to meet up with my parents for dinner last year and my mom asked me why I am wearing it still!  So I'll be honest, it's not just my husband who's on my case but pretty much anyone who has seen this jacket.  And I will admit, this jacket has lived out its useful life.  I need something that will fulfill many functions and this jacket can't do it.

I want a lightweight down jacket that I can wear under my hard shell for skiing, will keep me warm at the crag (I am entertaining the thought of ice climbing), and can be worn out and about as a stylish kind of thing.  This jacket has to live up to a lot!

And, as I've been trying on jackets - not naming names - I am finding that they are just too big if they are women's sized and too childish (what is with the colors for girls?) if from the girl's section.  I am in this weird land between L or XL girl and XS woman.  It's really the sleeves.  I think I could handle a boxy jacket torso if only the sleeves did not engulf my hands. 

So I am toying with the idea of making a down jacket.  I've gotten so used to having sleeves that fit (I now hate trying on ready made button down shirts) that I likely never buy another shirt or dress for as long as I can sew.  I've made coats.  Why not a down jacket? 

Just imagine cleaning this up.  This is what I imagine making a down jacket will do to my house.

Or should I suck it up and deal with the 2" extra length on said jacket?  Down jackets are pricy, but this seems like a worthwhile price to pay for something that I'm not really chomping at the bit to try to make myself.

Wedding update and other catching up

Hi everyone!  Thank you all for your thoughts on whether to hang or fold my wedding dress.  I figured I've been away too long because I've started getting some rather spammy comments as well... most are deleted now as I've done a bit of housekeeping on the blog.  The wedding was everything I hoped it would be - a very small ceremony in Acadia, Maine.  It combined our favorite things, mountains and oceans.  We went climbing at Otter Cliffs, which has long been on my to-do list with amazing views of the ocean and awesome sand blasted granite.  We are so lucky to have so many loving people close to us.  My new brother in law took photos that make us look taller/thinner/smarter (the one I've posted here was taken with a large format camera), a dear old friend flew out from California to officiate, a friend baked our cake, and another made AMAZING meals for all to share.  Even our jeweler got in the on the action with a blog post singing our praises.

My wedding dress in silk crepe back satin.

In case you're wondering what I ended up wearing under there: Va bien backless plunge bra (it has shoulder straps) and Va bien control top shorts.  I ordered the shorts on a whim thinking they'd hide panty lines, and honestly didn't think they'd make a difference otherwise (not to brag but just a statement of fact - I don't really have much extra skin around the middle), but they did.  Seriously, wearing the right undergarment is all about letting the fabric skim your frame and not get cling on your skin or catch in strange ways.  It was the difference sleek and well, not so sleek.

I am still sewing, but I realize my life has changed since I started this blog and I can't keep up on all the blogs I like to read as well as keep track of my sewing projects.  It's unfortunate because I sometimes I'm about to sew something and wonder whether I've already made it in the past, or wonder what I altered the last time I sewed it or something similar.  Blogging and keeping records is helpful.

A note for Mairead: I'm sorry, I'm not selling my Burdas at the moment.  I've often had good luck looking on etsy and eBay for past issues, and I hope you will as well!

Hang or fold bias cut garments?

Hello.  It turns out I am going to sew two wedding dresses.  One for a civil ceremony at City Hall to be held in 3 weekends (!) and one for our ring ceremony in Maine.  The ring ceremony dress, the one that I've been blogging about off and on for the last few months is done.  Note, the dresses are the most fun thing about the planning.  With less than two months to go I'm realizing that I need to line up several essential services: caterer, rehearsal dinner venue, guest entertainment. 

Did I say that planning is my forte?  I lied.

Now I'm fretting about where and how to keep it until June.  Should I fold it (and then re-press it closer to the date), or hang it (I'm afraid of it getting growing longer and longer on the bias)?

And because I don't want to make this a completely pictureless post, here is the inspiration for the civil ceremony dress:

Drape Drape 1 No. 5

Ready for prime time

Hi guys, this happened a lot faster than I thought it would.  Your comments along the way have been most wonderful!

It took 10 muslins to get the top right, which I made up out of an old bedspread (I'll spare you photos) and then this version in poly crepe satin.  I've got swatches of red and gold crepe satin on their way from Mood to pick from.  I decided to choose colors that I would probably want to wear again.  Oh, and I need to figure out what to do about a low back b.ra and get a manicure before I handle real silk (too many calluses from climbing means fabric pulls!) But that should be pretty easy.

This is what I look like if you look down at me (photo taker is much taller than I am.)

 

From the front. 

Please forgive my hair.  What a mess.  Good thing we don't get to see ourselves from the back very often, eh?

And from the side.  I'm pretty happy with my decision to ditch the train.

Getting there

It took about 8 drafts but I think I've come very close to approximating the drape on the top.  Now I need to drop the waist; draft and mock up a corselette; draft and mock up the skirt.

The waist drop and skirt don't worry me as much as the prospect of making up a corselette.

Getting closer to the right drape

This Threads tutorial has been handy:

How to create a draped cowl neckline

It worked great for the front, not so much for the back.  I am very close to getting the back to resemble that of the inspiration dress, thanks to this photo.  Drafting a triangle rather than slashing and spreading (as suggested by the Threads article) wasn't intuitive until I saw this picture.  Thanks, internet.

Someone pinned this image... while I couldn't find it on the website in the watermark, moldesedicasmoda.blogspot.com looks like it is worth a visit.  It shows you how to knock just about anything off through pictures.  If you can read Portuguese, you'll get even more from it.

Pretty/sexy/sweet/edgy/tacky is all in the eye of the beholder

My long time blog friend, Gail, posted an interesting comment on a previous post about wedding dresses.  She commented that one of my dresses looked very sexy, raising the question of whether brides should be sexy.  Good question, Gail!  What is a sexy bridal gown?

Interestingly, when I search Google Images for "sexy bridal gowns," the top hits are a variety.  Withholding judgment (for now), here they are.

Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

Exhibit C.

Exhibit D.

Exhibit E.

Now, I'm not about to wear a dress like any of these for various reasons, but I imagine that most of you reading all have your opinions about these dresses.  For example, I don't think any of them are sexy.  I think dress C is rather sweet looking and a little bland (this appears to be a very common design for sale in the States right now), B is a yawn as well, E is arguably modes with its sleeves, and A and D are outright tacky.  I don't know why D is bothering with a veil, as her dress is split to her navel, has a front hemline that looks like it's shorter than the length of her arm (if she straightened it) and the bodice is see through.  But you know, there's no accounting for taste, eh?  Maybe she can get a second wear of it if she becomes a can-can dancer? 

All that trash talking aside, this opens questions about what is sexy, what is modest, what is classy, and what is tacky?  I guess part of this is cultural, and part of this is personal preference.  I have friends from Africa and Southeast Asia who are very modest about their upper arms and shoulders but have no issues baring their bellies or lower backs.  On the other hand, although I enjoy wearing sleeveless tops and dresses, you will never see my belly unless I am in athletic wear.  Or maybe it's more contextual than that.  I remember a few years ago I had the awkward conversation of "just because it's nice doesn't mean you can wear it to work," with an intern who showed up every day of her first week in club wear.  But I guess the thing about a wedding dress is it's all individual taste, right?

There are two sides to this argument.  One, if you can't wear what you want on your big day, well, when will you ever get to wear it?  Two, your "big" day is more than "your" day -- it belongs to all the people who helped you get there, whether it's your parents, friends, and your husband, so shouldn't they see you in something respectful?  Frankly I'm somewhere in between these two camps.  While you won't see me in a can-can dress with see-through bodice and navel exposure, that doesn't mean I'll knock you if you decide to wear it yourself.  Hell, props to you for having the nuts to wear that in front of your grandmother!

What are your thoughts?

Draft 0: Testing V1351

I bought Vogue 1351, thanks to Beth at SunnyGal Studio for the recommendation.  I also had a spurt of Crazy and bought Vogue 2880 in hopes that the corselet pattern will be handy.

Vogue 2880 has a corselet pattern that looks like it could stand on its own.

I've just finished a first test of 1351 to get an idea of how it fits right out of the package.  I sewed a size 6 and made a poor choice of fabric for the front drape.  The default design has a side zip, and front drape and skirt pieces cut on the bias.   The front lining and the back bodice/lining are cut on the straight grain.  The front lining is just as promised - keeps the cowl from rolling out and as drafted keeps you modest. 

I think that this dress is a great start to get to the inspiration dress...  I need to redraft the front so that it is lower and has a drape at the waist.  I also need to draft a drape for the back and redraft the back bodice so that it is low cut to match.  But so far, so good - at least I know that this fits out of the envelope!

Front of the 0th draft.  As drafted the bodice is quite fitted except for the cowl.

Side of the zeroth draft.  I think I might have a bit of a swayback, or perhaps excited about taking pictures?

The contenders

Sorry, no photos of my latest projects.  I made a plum colored brocade shrug for my mum (sleeves need to be shortened) and an Amy Butler flannel tunic (believe it or not, it works) for my sister.  Both gift recipients are happy with their gifts.

After they so graciously accepted these gifts, I dragged the two of them out to watch me try on dresses.  I turns out that there is no escaping piles of lace, sequins, beads, or at the very least a pile of crinoline or a train.  Even the shortest train seems to envelop me.  I don't want lots of glitter, and I don't want lots of seams.

Dress #1
There is one dress that I tried on that is a possibility, but I don't want the little blingy thing on the waist, the buttons down the back, and wish that the top were a little more draped.  I learned, though, in trying on this dress that even a simple looking dress like this has a substantial structure inside.  It's like a strapless dress within a dress, and I am keeping that in mind because I think it makes a big difference in the way the dress looks.  More on that later.

Behold, Casablanca Bridal 2128 from the Fall 2013 collection.

Front of dress.

 I think that this is possible to piece together.  This is a bias cut skirt with a halter top similar to Cynthia Rowley's Simplicity 2281, minus the flutter sleeves.

Halter top, with keyhole back, spot on.

The tricky thing was to find the right kind of bias skirt draft.  I won't go into details, but if the bias skirt wasn't a circle skirt, it has an elastic waistband.  While there's nothing wrong with elastic waistbands, I want to be sure that the skirt waist matches my own waist.  I spent a few hours yesterday scouring Etsy for a narrow bias skirt with fitted waistband.  I came up with McCall 4258.  I have several bias cut dress patterns with trains so figure I can combine patterns to make a small train - I wanted to be sure, though that the waist would fit.

McCall 4258.  Bias cut skirts with fitted waistband and narrow fullness options.  Harder to find than I'd have thought.

Dress #2
I found this dress during an internet search trying to figure out whether I wanted crepe back satin, 4-ply satin, or charmeuse.  It's made by a now defunct company called Alix and Kelly.  If they were still in business, I'd very likely buy this dress On The Spot.  Because that is not an option, I will probably try my hand at a draft of this with a few tweaks.

Kate by Alix and Kelly.  I love the drape and look of this dress.  I would make it with a shorter hem to avoid dress puddle, though.

This skirt is seamed at the waist to the bodice.  Through my internet stalking, I saw that there is a seam at the waist.  The bias skirt is split at the back to add a godet (I'm not sold on that, though.)  The killer part of this dress to me is the draped, double cowl bodice.  Is there or isn't there a zipper?  I can't make this dress as a pullover style because I value structure too much and don't want to run the risk of (a) showing everyone that I'm naked under my dress by leaning over too far (b) have the top slide around because it's not anchored to anything, (c) not that this is ever happened, but I don't want to run the chance of being cock-eyed or pancaked.

Not to worry though, because through my research, I've discovered that it's possible to have a blousy top WITH A ZIPPER.  Win for everyone!

There is a zipper there!  And it's blousy!

Finding this photo opened my eyes to several possibilities.  I could have a side zip and maintain the blousiness but create the fitted inside structure that I need.

Resources
I will need to figure out how to create an interior structure to these drapy dresses... a quick Google search told me the right reference would be Susan Khalje's Bridal Couture.  Talk about precious.  It's out of print and nobody's willing to sell their copy for less than $75.  I realize that's cheaper than any one of my engineering textbooks from my college days, but I've decided to check it out from the library before taking the plunge and buying my own copy.  

Regrading pattern and rejoining the world

Hello.  I've been absent for a long time, no?

I was sick for a while, and am now returning to my normal self.  Over the summer, I had an autoimmune condition that caused my body to attack its own muscle tissue.  As you can imagine, this presented a lot of problems and I couldn't do much of anything.  I don't recommend it as a way to lose weight, though it is quite effective!

Right now I am just bookmarking a note to myself on how to shrink a pattern.  I sewed up a test muslin of Vogue 2241 in size 8, which of course, is the smallest size available and too big at the same time.

Threads article on pattern grading

I would love for the dress to fit like this.

Instead it looks like this (Thanks SJP for modeling!)

Relearning pattern alterations for Simplicity 1607

Do you remember this Tracey Reese dress?  I do, and when Simplicity came out with this, I figured, close enough.  I'd change the full skirt for a straight skirt.

Simplicity 1607

Turns out that was easier said than done.

I've gotten lazy and used to how well Burda patterns fit me.  I am one of those lucky few who can just trace off a straight size and get it to work.  I know, don't feel bad for me.  So I didn't know how to make this pattern work.  The bodice is a princess seam pattern and I've done plenty of princess seam full bust adjustments in the past.  But that didn't work this time.

The first time around, I traced a size 6 and added 1 inch through slash-and-spread for a D cup adjustment.  The result (Sorry, no photos.  I threw it out in a fit of rage after cutting it off my body -- I know.  So. Frustrated.) was a floppy mess of some kind of hammock like sack on my chest.  I think it's because the bust point ended up getting shifted pretty high.

First attempt at full bust adjustment.  Bust point shifted up and out of place.  However, I liked how this adjustment tightened the armscye.  That is my ironing board in the background.  Yes, it needs a new cover.

The next attempt was making a straight size 10, which was too big all over (and again, no pictures, because there were too many undergarments showing and again thrown out in frustration.)

The last attempt, which is the closest to fitting (though I still like the armscye fit of the first adjustment) was a size 6 in the shoulders, shifting to size 10 in the bust and below.  This seems to have worked out well, because I do not have the 23 inch waist that Simplicity thinks I should have...  Again, don't feel bad for me.  I ended up borrowing the straight skirt from Vogue 9668, and in my muslin realized that my hips are not a size 10.

So all in all - size 6 in the shoulders, size 10 bust to waist, tapering to size 8 in the hips and below.  So much work.  So many muslins, so many seams to rip and re-sew.  So not surprised that people hate sewing with the big 4.  Don't even get me started on how Simplicity suggests you insert the zipper and then tack down the zipper ends to finish, so ugly and amateurish.

Size 6 in the shoulder, size 10 in the bust and waist.  I don't know how or why this worked.

After this project I'm ready for something easy.

Let's talk wedding dresses!

Enough time has passed that I think I've told all the people who need to know in real life - Lee and I got engaged.  I know this may seem strange to my blog friends, but I'm one of those weirdos who isn't on Facebook so that when Lee proposed around the winter holidays, I couldn't just post a status update (besides, who wants to find out that way?)  For the last few months, I've been catching up with friends and family.  It's been great to have happy news to share and then to learn about what's been going on in their lives.  So... if you know me in-person and this is the first you're hearing of this news, call me!  I have exciting news to share and want to know what you're up to!

All that frontspeak before we get to the good stuff.  We haven't picked a date, but of course, I am thinking of dresses.  I've been looking at ready-to-wear dresses and haven't really been all that inspired.  I guess I'm kind of boring.  I don't want a dress with a train (why would you want to drag all that expensive fabric on the ground?!) and I don't want to look like a layer cake.  Because I have ruled these two things out, I feel like there are few options to draw from. 

Sewing patterns don't offer much interest either, because I think most people either buy dresses or are pretty happy with the standard ballgown, mermaid, or full skirted silhouettes.  And then my moment of zen came to me - I remembered being at the Strand bookstore years ago and coming across a book of Vionnet designs.  That is what I want.

Vionnet on display at the Met.  They probably won't let me borrow this.

Another Vionnet with simple lines and beautiful draping - I love the ombre effect in the skirt.

I almost didn't include this one because of the photo quality, and because it's got Crazy Cape going on but it is still gorgeous and I can forgive the cape.

And so where to start for a dress like this?  After turning up my nose at all the readily available bridal and evening patterns available from Vogue and Simplicity I then remembered that the internet is a big place.  And you can find vintage 1930s patterns somewhere on the internet.  Turns out eBay isn't such a great place.  Etsy is even better.  I ordered one of these to make a muslin.  The reviews on PatternReview aren't exactly glowing but I figure this is worth a try.

OOP Vogue 2241, a reproduction of a 1934 dress. Stunning!

I did keep looking around and hit the motherlode when I found Mrs. Depew on Etsy.  All I can say is this is an Amazing Work of Love.  She is an avid pattern collector turned pattern designer who is digitizing and selling vintage patterns for download that can be graded to any size.  I am intrigued to say the least and will work up the courage to try this.  Sometime soon.  The selection is amazing and overwhelming.  I scoured the internet for that one Vogue pattern but here Mrs. Depew has 4 patterns that I want to try - FOUR! 

And just for good measure because there are other beautiful dresses from other eras:

Know when to fold 'em (Vogue 1221 and 1304)

I'm the the rebound from a sewing failure - I tried sewing Vogue 1221 (see my first fail here) which just didn't fit although I remade it in a size 6.  It was saggy in the bust, and kind of wide in the hips and the front drape didn't work no matter how much I fiddled with it.  I think there's a reason why the envelope photo shows the model with her hands on her hips.

Maybe V1221 would have worked out OK if I could figure out a way to spend the day holding my dress in place.

Here we have my muslined bodice of the LiaLia dress (Vogue 1304) that I liked so much about a year ago.  I don't think that this is a go.  I still think this is a cute dress, and the alteration to make it work would be pretty easy.  As it is, the seam under the bust falls under my bust, but the top of the bodice... well, I'm sure you're all grateful I'm wearing a bra.  This would be a simple princess seam full bust adjustment, but I'm not sure I'm sold on making this dress.  Maybe for a winter formal event?  It's very close-fitting, boned and lined.  All I can think of if I were to go through the trouble of making it is... sticky sausage casing.  Granted, it's not hot and humid all year long.  Maybe I will adjust the pattern and test it out so that it's ready to go if I want a winter fancy-dress.

Sorry for the blurry Myspace style phone photos.  Sometimes it's not worth the trouble to get the camera out.

Back

I think the benefit of making muslins is that it gives me a good idea of fit (even thought it doesn't always work out - as in the case of Vogue 1221) and have a better idea of what I'm getting into with the finished garment.  I didn't realize that the LiaLia dress is self lined and boned (I don't read the back of the envelope, just like I don't read the introductions in books) or that my b00bs would be hanging out until I put the muslin together.  They're kind of mashed in and up, which I guess I should have picked up on in the envelope photo.

See, it is a cute dress.  Just not what I'm looking for right now.

Separates parade

I've been sewing, and lax at blogging.  I feel like there's a tradeoff between sewing and blogging about it (I definitely enjoy seeing others posts about what they're sewing) as in, I only have so much time to sew and I'd rather sew than write about it.  The problem, though, is that I forget what I've sewn.  I need to start keeping notes on what I muslin up (and doesn't work) as well as what I've sewn that does work.  This weekend I wanted to make a second pair of cropped pants and couldn't remember what pattern I'd used.  So, here I am.

There's something in this post for everyone.  I've covered the big 3 (though McCall is new territory for me!) and Burda, all in a variety of separates.

I changed my closet over from winter to spring/summer today, so it made sense to catalog as much as I could before I put it away.  There are some things that are in the wash, so didn't make it into this blog entry.  There were also several things that I didn't blog from last summer that didn't make it into this summer's wardrobe - it's really something what you can learn about fit in one year, and I'm not going to settle for wearing pants that don't have a curved waistband anymore.

 New Favorite skinnies: Burda 02-2010-111

A few notes on these skinnies: I keep thinking they're in 05-2010, but now I should remember they're in 02-2010.  These are very sleek because they don't have a fly front.  I don't know why I was so in loved with the fly front, it's a lot of work.  These are so easy to put together!  They have a side zip, and I think I've mastered my method of inserting a lapped side zip (which was trickier than I thought it would be, as there's a curve in the side) and the top of the zip gets a little exposed by the facing.  I've become a fan of the lapped zip, which pays off because I have like a billion zippers that I bought in bulk from eBay a few years ago.

Top: Gray tropical wool top with flounce (BurdaStyle 12-2010-121), Floral non-stretch twill cropped skinnies I (BurdaStyle 02-2010-111)

A few notes on the top: I haven't worn this very much.  I thought I would like it a lot more, but I think it's telling that I haven't figured out what to wear it with.  I think part of the problem is that it's a top that should be worn alone, but it's too warm for spring or summer and doesn't suit being layered under a sweater in the winter.  The winters here don't suit going sweaterless, so I don't know that I'm going to wear this very much next year either.

Top: Peplum in floral stretch polyester of unknown origin (Vogue 8815 with bodice view B and sleeves view C), Tomato red cropped skinnies II (BurdaStyle 02-2010-111)

 

A few notes on the top: I graded down from size 8 to size 6.  The bust point is a little wonky with my amateur grading job, and I need to fix the loop at the back neck (hopefully you didn't notice), and I hate making repairs.  This fabric is a mystery fabric from FabricMart, and it's really grown on me.  It doesn't wrinkle and is very soft, stretchy, and comfortable.  I am not crazy about the length of these sleeves.  I think that 3/4 length sleeves would be more flattering for this style, but when I sewed this in December, I knew that I would want long sleeves to layer with.  I don't know whether I will sew view C, though I like that style on the envelope... it just turned out like a tent on me, whereas views A and B are far more wearable.  I'm not sure whether I will sew this again, I was annoyed that the pattern did not include a bias strip pattern piece to cut a facing for the neckline - I used pre-made bias from my stash, but I do like a matchy-matchy facing when possible.

Top: Poly-charmeuse abstract floral Grown-up T-shirt II (Butterick 5561 view A) and Cropped Skinnies II (BurdaStyle 02-2010-111)

A few notes about this top: First of all, I have no idea why I'm so blurry in this top.  Maybe the camera just didn't know what to do with so much shimmer?  I will try to re-take these photos because I love the fabric (you can still get some from Gorgeous Fabrics - Abstract Floral Charmeuse), and think it was a perfect match for this top, even though it was absolutely uncooperative to cut. 
You can see Grown-up T-shirt I here.

 Top: Teal wool double knit peplum (McCall 6754) and Cropped Skinnies II

About this top: I coveted a similar cut top at Anthropologie last year, so when I saw this pattern, I had to have it.  I cut a size 6 and used a remnant from this dress.  I love this top, and think that a heavy knit is key to getting a flouncy peplum, but am not sure that I will want to wear it when it's really hot and humid (it is wool, after all!)  I'm on the hunt for cotton or rayon ponte, but it seems every where I look for knits, the trend is slub or tissue weight knits.  I am also not sure what I will wear this with, it's a bit much with these red pants.

Getting out of my comfort zone: shorts.  Burda 05-2010-136

Note: I don't wear shorts.  I just don't.  I've only one other pair of shorts that aren't running shorts, and I've learned that sometimes you need a pair of shorts.  Not a skirt, not pants, but shorts.  So here we are.  They have a lapped side zip.  I'm not kidding when I say I'm on a roll with the lapped side zip!  I thought that these were pretty cute with the pleats and wide waistband. Other options in the 05-2010 issue are to make them longer, add cuffs, add side pockets or welt pockets in the back.  They used up a remnant from this skirt (stash bustin'!).  A note about the skirt: I've decided that the skirt is a little looser than I'd like and have been testing out other pencil skirt patterns... none of them I like so far.  Any suggestions?

And a bonus post, as I was trying to figure out what kind of top to wear with these shorts (the teal peplum just doesn't look right with the pleats of these shorts)  The top is Rachel Comey, Vogue 1170.