In sewing, as in life, there's nothing I hate more than backtracking. (I'd rather get off the bus one stop early to avoid overshooting a destination, and if you ask me to repeat myself, I think hard about whether what I said was in fact worth saying twice before complying).
And unpicking stitches is enough to make me abandon a project all together.
With that, I have to say: Really, Burda? REALLY?
Botched Burda 141 Top For Girls
Alright, the blame should really be on me.
And the thought of unpicking an entire project is not enough to elicit a little sympathy this rainy Wednesday, take a look at my kitchen. I have less counter space now than I did at age 20 when I lived in a camper trailer:
Please note: no dishwasher
Pity party over. Check out the LBD I've been sewing from McCall's 6319. No mistakes, no backtracking (too bad I had to use a flash for the pics though; it's dark in NYC today!)
I used the black ponte knit that Gingermakes so generously gave to me. I love it. Sometimes something easy to sew is just as easy to wear. I'm still deciding on a hemline. I keep trying it on with different shoes, which each demand a different length. With heels: longer. Flats: short, obviously, am I right?
love the zip!
How about you people? Screwed anything up lately? Feeling down in the dumps thanks to mid-winter weather and incomplete pattern instructions?
Everybody's doing it. And even though the best things I made this year were actually made in 2011 (make sense to any of you?), I'm throwing down my best/worst of 2012 post.
I find doing something like this is instructive: looking at what self-made things I loved best this year tells me a lot — most importantly, that my favorite projects weren't even for myself. (And many of them weren't even sewn). Which explains why I have nothing to wear.
This shirt was perfection. Unfortunately Ryan's new job demands much more sitting than he's used to, and he has to work really hard to keep his weight down. So this shirt doesn't fit him right now, and I cut the actual paper pattern for the size medium (resolution for the New Year: trace, goddammit!), which means I would have to grade it up to a large if I want to make him another that fits. That seems like a lot of work. Instead I'll just hope his new gym membership makes a difference.
I'm still really proud of this one — even though on Halloween my kid refused to wear the hood because she was hot (we were outside and it was cold, but her Scandinavian/Canadian blood runs hot; lesson learned. Next year she can go as Tinkerbell, who basically dresses like a burlesque performer).
3. Bombshell Dresses
This clearly illustrates why I don't have much that's practical in my closet this year. I love making bustiers, I guess, and spent the better part of my few sewing hours making these three dresses. Still, looking at the photos above, I just want an occasion to wear these dresses I made.
I wore this jacket a ton this year (thanks to global warming, it has been appropriate in nearly all seasons in NYC in 2012), and got compliments on it every time I did. I still want to make another, but this time with pockets on the outside. I just can't deal with no-pockets.
I love the print on this dress I made using Burdastyle's Cap Sleeve Dress with Dirndl Skirt Pattern — which required A LOT of alteration to make fit so nicely. (I also nixed the dirndl skirt because I already have hips, thankyouverymuch. I drafted an A-line skirt to go with this bodice instead.)
Honorable Mentions (all the stuff I made that you can't wear):
This took me nearly a month to make, and involved learning so many new things. I can't wait to make next year's video. We already have a concept and a plan (Anyone in NYC want to be an extra?)
I would still stand by this pattern (McCall's 6404) and this concept, it's just the fit is bad around the knees, and the faux leather is cheap — so I find little black flakes everywhere when I wear them. Yuck. I'm currently ripping them apart, so I can try to remake them in solid grey. I love the ponte knit I used, and don't want it to go to waste.
I can't reflect on this one without getting mad about this wasted fabric. I love this cotton print, which I also used to line my Minoru coat. But I didn't make a muslin to test the fit, and the neckline gaped so badly, I ended up cutting off the skirt and throwing a waistband on it.
Alright, I know that's only two misses. But I didn't sew as much as I would have liked this year, so I didn't have as many chances for failure as I did in past years. Still, the lessons I've learned from looking back are:
• Trace your patterns; don't cut. People grow!
• Test commercial patterns by making a muslin before you cut into your fabric. (I know; duh.)
• Avoid cheapo fabrics; you won't end up wearing them because they're hot, uncomfortable, and fall apart.
If you haven't already seen it, there's a lovely video of Amy Poehler giving advice to a teen girl about how to love her body. In the video, which is making the rounds on the Internet, she suggests considering the parts of your body that are awesome (like 20-20 eyesight, for example), and giving thanks for those, rather than fixating on all the things you dislike. She also wisely suggests to compare your inner dialogue to what you might say to a future daughter or younger sister. "You would tell her she was beautiful — and you would not be lying. Because she is. And so are you," she says. Try not to tear up. Just try.
Meanwhile, in sewing, the adjustments we need to make for fit can go a long way to highlighting those things about ourselves we feel most crappy about — AND even give a bad name to the things we thought were pretty awesome.
For example, I previously would have called myself long-legged. But now I know I am just short-waisted. I was also pretty happy with what I'd call my skinny-back/round butt combo. But unfortunately in the sewing world, this is known as "swayback" — a term that sounds a little close to "hunchback" for my liking — and requires constant vigilance when it comes to adjusting patterns to prevent against fabric "pooling" on the lower back. It's enough to make you want to wear lycra every day.
This August I sewed a very special dress for my husband's friend who will be taking part in a wedding-like event in Scotland this fall (Ryan keeps asking me: is Amy getting married? There's no ceremony but people are traveling from continents far and wide for the event, so let's just call this a non-traditional wedding dress).
Anyway, Amy liked the Peacock Print Bombshell Dress I made, and wanted something similar. And, an artistic person, she wanted the fabric to be special. So she made her own print, using Photoshop and a photograph she took while vacationing with her boyfriend/fiance/husband in Prague, and had it printed by Spoonflower.com. If you look closely in the print below, you can see clocks. And the repeating pattern nearly looks like plaid, appropriate considering the wedding-like event is at a castle in Scotland. I love it:
The challenge with this dress was the fact that Amy is living in London right now, so there was no opportunity to fit a muslin on her in person. So she bravely commissioned me to make it, and we agreed to fittings via Skype. She gave me her measurements and I made a draft bodice (using the Burdastyle Bustier Dress pattern), which I mailed to her. Then she tried it on and I studied the fit while we had a video chat.
Sometimes I sew something for myself and the results are such that I say (to myself): "Self, THIS is why you sew." And these two dresses, sewn from Burdastyle's Bustier Dress With Draped Detail pattern (using Gertie's "Bombshell Dress" Craftsy.com class, which I highly recommend), validated my most consuming hobby this week, as I stole precious minutes to finish off these detailed bodices. (That's how I felt, sewing these: like I was stealing — that's how busy I've been, and how rewarding it was to take the time to actually sew for myself.)
Anyway, somehow I managed to pull them together in the final days before I leave for Canada for nearly a month. The gray cotton printed with Russian doll owls and branches is from Snoozer Loser. I won a few yards last year in a Burdastyle contest. The black skirt is cotton-silk voile from Mood in NYC. I didn't have enough of the print to make a skirt too, so I opted for something simple on the bottom. I don't love it. I may go back and change it one day, but not now. Definitely not before I leave on Friday for Vancouver Island, my Home and Native Land — and where I plan to wear these two dresses, to a stagette (that's what we call a bachelorette party in Canada) and a wedding reception.
Here's the other, in navy and pale peach bow print cotton by Marc Jacobs (I got it for $5/yard at Metro Textile Corp. in NYC's Garment District; still mad at myself that I didn't buy more of it), plus a peachy pink skirt (also a cotton-silk voile from Mood):
I can't say enough good things about this bodice. With only a few adjustments, it fits perfectly. And Gertie's class: amazing. You all know that already, right?
Each bodice has seven pieces of boning in it. (I ordered boning in bulk because I'll be making another of these dresses soon — not for me; for a friend). But my husband didn't make a single joke about all the boning in our apartment. Off his game, I guess.)
I sure like to put my hands on my hips.
Just don't tell me the skirt should be shorter. I'm not that young anymore
I don't know how to pack light for this trip when I have so many dresses I need to bring (plus a kid and all her crap, and a carseat, stroller — don't judge me; she's the lazy one). I really loathe traveling by plane.
But that's for another day. Today is all about two-for-one Bombshell bodice dresses! How would you style these dresses?
Not quite done, but wanted to share it anyway today: my super sweet Marc Jacobs print Bombshell Bodice Dress. This thing really is a feat of engineering. I love, love, love it!
I love apparel sewing, yet don't get off quilting and other types of sewing that involve using up small pieces of fabric (Home dec sewing? Hate it!). That would be why I donate any pieces smaller than 3/4 yard to a seniors center where they apparently use them in craft projects or whatever. Because even a yard is nothing much when it comes to apparel sewing. And I'm not about to start sewing up a bunch of pot holders. You're going to have to look elsewhere for that, my friends. (My three-year-old is right; leftovers ARE yucky!).
But then there are a few beloved prints that I just can't part with — scraps I hang onto just in case I can make them work in some way (as pocket lining? cuffs? a headband?). Take these two dresses I made in 2011, both made from precious printed cotton:
Sewn from Snoozer Loser printed cotton I won from Burdastyle.com
Yes, that bow print is Marc Jacobs!
Anyway, even after several stash culls, just enough of these two printed fabrics remained for me to sew the bodice for Burdastyle.com and Gertie's Bombshell Dress. I seriously had nearly nothing left of these two fabrics, but just look at what I was able to muster:
LOVE!
Of course this bodice is fairly revealing, so it's on the itty bitty side as it is, but also it has 13 pieces, so if you are working with scraps, none of them has to be very big. Matching stripes (or bows, in my case) calls for a little more fabric if you're picky like that. But even so, you really don't need much for this bodice. The skirt, however, is another matter. But I think pairing a printed bodice with a solid skirt is a cute look. I'm thinking of choosing the lightest possible cotton voile and making a gathered skirt with lots of summery volume. (Black to go with the owl matroska print, and peach for the bows). Here's another look (keep in mind this is just the outer shell of the bodice, which will be lined with cups in it and even boning eventually.
I congratulated myself for tossing the last remnants from these two favourite fabrics. Surely nothing could be done with the six-inch-square odds and ends. What do you like to make with your leftovers?
One of the perks of having my husband go back to school for advertising is we finally have a legit copy of Photoshop, which I recently (five minutes ago!) discovered can help with dress planning.
My friend Amy is having a special event next fall in Scotland, and she has asked me to make a dress for her. She really dug my Peacock-print Bombshell Dress, and wants something similar. And being an artsy gal herself, she's designing the fabric and having it printed via Spoonflower.com. Her designs are all based off of photos she took while on a trip with her sweetheart, and the event is a meet-the-parents, not-exactly-a-wedding type thing, so the personal print will make it super special.
This illustration combines the line drawing of the bodice for Burdastyle.com's Bustier Dress With Draped Detail and the Linda Skirt. Cool, right? I'm totally hooked now on this technological advance.
In other news, my crushing allergies seem somewhat abated by last night's rain, which is a relief. I've been so ill. I hate the Spring.
I didn't participate in Tilly's One Week One Pattern challenge, though at the rate I've sewn Burdastyle's Dress With Gathered Skirt and Cap Sleeves, it would have been possible. I didn't get in on the fun because I didn't know about it until quite late, and I don't have enough items sewn from a single pattern to make wearing it for a whole week possible. (And though I now have three of these dresses, the weather has not been co-operating lately for such summery clothing.)
Anyway, I was still not quite satisfied with the fit of this dress even after a bust dart rotation took out a bunch of ease at the neckline. The back was still big for me (I'm short through the waist) , so I found a way to remove the excess. I slashed a straight line from the neckline through the armhole, overlapped the two pieces by 7/8 of an inch, then taped it together, and reshaped the neck and armhole using my French curve. It looked like this:
The fit is pretty darn spot-on now:
I had this lightweight cotton leftover from a peplum blouse I made for Patternmaking class at FIT a couple years ago. I bought it at Mood, and I love it...it's sort of Starry Night-inspired, but Spring-y:
This time around, I went with the simple gathered rectangle skirt, even though i think dirndls generally look straight out of the Von Trapp Family Spring Collection:
So am I satisfied with this pattern now? The bust is a little pointy due to the size of the dart, which makes me just want to create a princess seam for a better fit. But then, you know, it's basically a whole new pattern at that point. I think it's time to move on. So long. Farewell. Auf wiedersehen, goodbye Burdastyle Dress With Gathered Skirt and Cap Sleeves!
I'm not afraid to admit this dress has issues. I was pretty happy to use the remaining lining from my Minoru jacket in this blue dress here, made with Burdastyle's Cap Sleeve Dress With Gathered Skirt pattern. But unless I stand with perfect posture, shoulders drawn back, lungs fully inflated, it's a little loose around the neckline.
To be perfectly honest, it gapes:
This is the family friendly photo. In case you can't tell, I can see clear to my naval down the front of Burdastyle's Cap Sleeve Dress With Gathered Skirt
But I like this look, and wanted to try it again. So to figure out how to adjust the bodice pattern to better fit my chest, I began pinching and pinning the fabric until I found a dart on the neckline about 2 inches from center front took up enough ease to make it fit better through the bust.
But, of course, a dart placed like that would look odd. Luckily there's a super easy way to transfer that excess to the existing dart.
To make that change on the paper pattern, I first marked the point on the neckline where I wanted to take out the excess. I measured 2 1/4 inches from center front and marked a point. Then I used my ruler to mark a straight line from that point to the apex of the dart (that's my red line):
The next step is to cut along the inside dart leg, up to the apex. Then fold the neckline excess (I had about 1/2-inch to take out) and tape it down. That will take the excess out of the bust and transfer it into the dart, which becomes wider as a result:
Then all you need to do is reshape your neckline and waistline slightly using a French curve, and re-trace the whole bodice pattern piece onto a new piece of paper, making sure to transfer all your markings.
I should note that having a single bust dart that is TOO BIG can result in torpedo boobs. If you find that you're increasing your dart by a lot, you should consider adding a second dart, which could open into the armhole. My alteration resulted in a slightly pointed bust, but I still really like the results.
I sewed my second version of this dress using a remnant of printed cotton I got at Metro Textile for $5, plus some orange denim (leftover from my Minoru jacket) for the waistband, and really lovely black cotton for the kurt (leftover from my sailor shorts I made last summer). That's some serious stash-busting. The skirt is an A-line pattern I drafted myself. As I was sewing, I thought the black and white print with the bright orange was a little Mondo-ish. (I was totally Team Mondo.)
I centered my print perfectly this time:
Of course, Mondo would have added another color. Or another print. Or both. I was only bold enough to add this orange waistband.
But I'm happy with it. See how happy? Even my hair was happy.
Does this dress remind you of something? Is it a little '80s Lady Footlocker? I can't quite put my finger on it.
There you have it. Burdastyle's Dress with Gathered Skirt A-Line Skirt With Cap Sleeves adjusted to fit the concave chest of a weakling petite-busted pear-shaped lady. No more gape, and if I need to check the status of my belly button, I guess I'll have to pull up my skirt like every one else.
So like a sucker, I follow the link to her blog only to discover that her dress (sewn from Simplicity 2444) is 10 times cuter than the hack job I eventually cobbled together from that same fabric last summer.
My husband was walking by the computer and he said, "Is that you? I don't remember taking that picture." To which I replied, "NO, that's NOT me. She's younger and cuter and has better legs and more blog followers, and she made better use of that precious bow print fabric than I did....and she lives in Portland!! $%&$!!!"
And that's when I ripped our iMac out of the wall and hurled it across the room. Then I went and ate an entire bag of Mini Eggs to get myself together.
Following that heated incident, I decided to give myself a challenge. No, not to outdo Ms. Cynthia. That would be petty. My challenge was to make good use of the remaining yard and a half I had of this printed cotton I had used to line my Minoru jacket. Like that Marc Jacobs bow-print cotton, I bought it at Metro Textiles Corp. on 37th St. for just $5/yard. I quite like the geometric gray and blue design. I think they look a little like pencils, neatly arranged:
I thought the pattern Cynthia chose for her dress was a smart one because it was simple enough to showcase the lovely print. So I opted for something similar: Burdastyle's Dress with Gathered Skirt and Cap Sleeves. I didn't have a huge amount of fabric left, so I knew sleeves were out of the question (hence, no need to buy Simplicity 2444) and the dirndl skirt would be a good way to make what I had work.
I made a muslin and made one adjustment to the front bodice pattern piece, but after sewing I realize I need to do a bust dart rotation to take out the ease that unfortunately lets me check on the status of my cleavage just by glancing downward. You can see from the photos, it fits beautifully through the waist and bust but my upper chest and shoulders aren't really filling this out so well:
Where's the anti-wrinkle filter in PhotoShop?
The fit issues won't be enough to keep me from wearing this dress, though when I make this pattern again, I will manipulate the dart to remove excess from the gaping neckline. And when I do, I will share it with you, because it's an important trick to have in your arsenal if you want to make well-fitting clothes (and are a lady with a bosom). I am most proud of how I laid the pattern pieces on this print. (The way the pencil/spears come together I feared that with the wrong placement I could end up accentuating my nipples in an egregious way. But look at how beautifully symmetrical it is! Suck it, Cynthia! (Only kidding).
