Walk of Fame/Shame — Highs and Lows of 2012 Sewing

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.

1. Baby Blue McCall's 6044 Western-style Shirt for my husband. 

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.

2. Twilight Sparkle Costume

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. 

4. Minoru Jacket

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. 

5. Graphic Print Cap-Sleeve Dress

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):

Cardboard Skeeball Game for my daughter's 4th birthday party

This took so many hours to make, but it was so fun. And now I'm contemplating career choices that involve building in cardboard.

Our Family Christmas Music Video:

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?)

And now for the WORST of 2012:

Leather Patch Leggings

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.

Burdastyle Cap Sleeve Dress 

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.

Happy New Year everybody!

The Big Reveal! Amy's Dress I Made

My favorite wedding photos are always the ones where the bride or groom is overcome with emotion. Not, like, Claire Danes cryface:

More like, holding back tears gracefully. Especially if it's the groom at the moment he first sees the bride. That just kills me.

 But I'm going to do my friend Amy a solid and not post the pics of her in tears at her recent post-wedding celebration at a castle in Scotland — even though those pics are my favorite and technically she said I could post ANY of the pics in her album. Instead I'll let you see her in the dress I made, using the print she designed using Spoonflower's tool.

Amy accessorized beautifully. How much do you love her brooch by Poppie Jasper, an American living in London?

And the purple shrug made by Amy's new husband's Aunt — love that deep purple color paired with the autumnal hues in the print!

Of course the best accessory is a big smile (and a heart filled with love): 

Regular readers may remember that this dress was sewn from Burdastyle.com's Bustier Dress With Draped Detail Pattern, with a skirt drafted by yours truly. I've sewn the bodice several times now, with the aid of Gertie's Bombshell Dress class at Craftsy.com. Though Amy lives in London for now, we managed to do fittings via snail mail and Skype. Somehow it worked out. Look how amazing she and her cute new husband Lewis look!

Congratulations Amy and Lewis! 

(All wedding ohotos by Flash Munki)

Amy's Bombshell Dress (My First Dress Commission!)

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. 

Two Canada-bound Bombshell Bodices

Badass Bombshell!

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):

The skirt is simply a gathered rectangle, with two layers. I tried Cynthia of Dapper Duds' dental floss technique for making the gathers (in mint, so I smell fresh!). It worked really well. So well, I did it twice this week:

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?

I Hate to Play Favorites, but....

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!

Turning Your Scraps Into Pure Sexy

 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?

Fun With PhotoShop and a Dress Project

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.

Anyway, to help Amy make her decision, I was inspired by Mika of Savory Stitches' cool Photoshopped illustrations that combine the line drawing from a pattern with the fabric she intends to use for a particular garment. She helpfully pointed me toward this easy-to-follow tutorial at The Curious Kiwi,
which tells you step-by-step how to make a mock-up of your garment. Here are a few of the ones I made for Amy's dress:

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.

Finished Project: Perfect Bombshell Dress in Peacock

See me on the lower left corner there above? That would be Burdastyle.com giving me a little love for my Peacock Print Perfect Fit Bombshell Dress, which I finished and finally wore last weekend, yet still haven't posted pics of yet here. We are still so overwhelmed with moving/work/life, that I have had too little time to write here. My daughter is at her new preschool this morning, and I wrote two (paid) blog entries for BestofNewYork.com, did a little research for some law stories that are going to overwhelm me completely because I know NOTHING about law, hung a shelf and some pictures...and now am drinking an iced coffee before running to pick Lucy up in 12 minutes. Ack!

Anyway, I loved Gertie's online class at Craftsy.com. I think everyone deserves to have a dress that fits so well and garners so many compliments (my husband's aunt said I was a "sexpot," and an elderly man at the wedding told me, "That dress looks good on you and YOU look good on it." Everyone was surprised that I had made it myself. I've been sewing for many years, but I think even a new sewer could handle making this dress. The videos are as detailed as could be. Plus Gretchen is a delight to watch. It makes you feel better when you see her sew her skirt to her bodice (or something to that effect; I can't remember, but I know it's something I have done before too).

Standing by the getaway mobile

 I wasn't sure how flattering the skirt would be on me, so I made this flared skirt instead. I drafted it myself, but it was easy.

 

The bodice ended up being slightly too big because I lost a few pounds over the past month due to stress. I wore a padded strapless bra with it, and it looked great. When I can eat proper meals again, I think it will fit without a bra. 

And that's ALL I have time for. Time to go get my kid!

Back With Scars to Show

It has been weeks since I posted here. For one, we moved apartments and didn't have Internet access for a full week. But more importantly, every time I sat down to write anything, all I could think to say was, "I'm so overwhelmed, I don't know what to do." My stress level was at a solid nine because finding an apartment in New York City is like this really fun roller coaster. Because roller coasters are fun, right? That's what I hear. I've never been on one because I don't need more fear and uncertainty in my life. BECAUSE I LIVE IN NEW YORK, where you can't be certain about anything, especially where you are going to live in a month. 

Anyway, we found a great rent-controlled "Junior 4" apartment in Riverdale, a lovely quiet neighborhood in the Bronx near the Hudson River. The demographic skews about 60 years older than our old 'hood, which means it's quiet at night. No drag racing. And no crackheads. Because we live at the top of a really big hill, and crackheads, if anything, are lazy. They will choose to punch a lady in the face at the bottom of the hill every time. We don't even have a gate on our fire escape (please don't come kill me).

But it came down to the night before we had movers booked, and we still didn't know whether we had our new place for sure. We'd signed a lease after much delay. But still no keys. Our guarantor had to work out his concerns with the forms (in New York unless you make a million dollars a year, you need someone to sign in blood on your behalf). We kept packing though because the movers were coming, and new tenants were moving into our old place within days. I had Manhattan Mini Storage bookmarked on the computer in case we had to call them at the last minute to see about moving all our stuff into a giant locker and staying with friends. See what I mean about the roller coaster?

Our broker (yes, in New York, RENTERS need brokers. You have to pay a full month's rent for the opportunity to see three apartments and get an application. Our broker was great, and we don't regret working with her, or paying her fee, which she discounted — probably because we were so pathetic. But I still resent a system whereby renters have to pay to see available apartments. The only other choice is being scammed on Craigslist) reassured us. Then finally, at 6 p.m. Wednesday night, we were told it was ours. The broker would pick up the keys in the morning for us, no problem. 

The movers were on time, and worked quickly. But we had more boxes than my husband had estimated, so not all our stuff fit in the truck. And then a monsoon hit. We waited it out, and the movers left to head to our new place. My husband and I had borrowed a neighbor's car for a few days, so we crossed the street to pack in our computer and a few belongings we didn't want in the hands of the movers. But when Ryan leaned over to open the back hatch of the Volvo, his backpack split open and his laptop plus two file folders fell into a foot-deep flash flood that was racing down Riverside Drive. The computer and the file folders were gone in a heartbeat, under the car and then down the street. Ryan ran through the water and caught the file folders, but the laptop was nowhere to be seen. He took off down the length of the street, which was lined with submerged cars, all the way to the giant pool that formed at the low point near Broadway. I looked under the Volvo, thinking about how heavy this old laptop was and how it couldn't have gone far. Halfway up to my knees in dirty street water, I got a long stick and started poking at the piles of leaves trapped behind the tires, thinking maybe the laptop was also trapped. I came around the car and there it was, behind the right front tire. I pulled it out and let the water drain. The battery was gone. (Elsewhere in the city, all the sewing bloggers I read and love were having a great time at a meet-up I missed. I'm still sad about that).

The following day when we were cleaning out the old place, the police detectives who were on my case called to see whether they could come over and swab me for DNA. The guy who punched me had blood on him when he was arrested. I guess it wasn't his own. It would be great if he had my blood on him. That's unequivocal evidence. So they came to our empty apartment. It seemed so fitting that on our last minutes in the old place I would give evidence to help prosecute the guy who had effectively run us out of the neighborhood. They were so nice, it made me cry for the 10th time that day.

We've been in the old place now for a week and a half, and are still unpacking. We haven't hung a single shelf or picture. We still have to rummage through boxes whenever we need something. And everything with a pipe has busted in the first week we lived here: the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, the tub, the shower. No one has lived in this place for six years, apparently, so everything needs to be fixed. Our new super has spent so much time in our place that my daughter renamed all her baby dolls "Juan."

This past weekend we flew to Kansas City for a family wedding. Of course our flight was cancelled, because that is the kind of luck we've had this past month, and the only flight we could get was out of Newark NJ, which meant a $110 cab ride. Someday soon my stress level will return to normal, I hope.

On a more positive note, the dresses I made for the wedding (including my Perfect Fit Bombshell Dress) turned out absolutely amazing. Here's a preview (I'll be blogging them more in the days to come):

This Bombshell Dress Made me a Believer

 

What is it that capital-B Believers say? "When God closes a door, he opens a window"? That phrase doesn't make much sense when you live on the fifth floor (and you end up arrested for climbing the fire escape to enter your apartment), but the sentiment is nice. And I may not be a capital-B Believer, but I finally see the light when it comes to this Bombshell Dress I've been sewing.

Made from the stunning peacock-print silk I originally intended for Vogue 1207, which turned out to be super flawed and straight-jacket-like, it's really turning out beautifully, non? How blessed am I that the other pattern didn't work out. I think this was a much better use of this eye-catching print.

I had to take this picture with a flash, which adds more shine to this silk than exists in real life. Plus the skirt is still just pinned to the bodice. But you get the idea, right? It's like hundreds of evil eyes watching you. Nervous?

 

I cut my own skirt pattern, because I didn't really like the draped sarong the pattern came with. I wanted something simpler, with a bit of flare to it. Plus this silk hangs so beautifully. It deserves to be free.


Wanna see the guts of a bustier top? I lined my bra cups with felt because I couldn't find the needle punch recommended in the course materials. It seems to have worked fine. Plus it will keep me warm:

 

And here's my lining, with spiral steel boning sewn into the channels. Nothing is perfect, but I think it will look super hot in the end anyway.

 

Have I preached the Gospel of Gretchen enough yet? Take the class if you're interested in sewing a super hot dress that fits you like a glove. The video tutorials walk you through every step, and you can watch them again and again, until you get it. You can also post questions and see what other students have asked. I think even if you were a novice sewer, if you took your time and paid attention, you could pull this off easily. No one step is super hard. It's all about pacing. 

Oh, and we still don't know yet about the apartment, which is giving me heart-palpitations. Also, they've already found someone to move in our place, so who knows if we'll be homeless at the end of the month. Life better cut me a break soon.

Making the Muslin for My Bombshell Dress

It's not your fault that the clothes you buy don't fit your body. They were made to fit someone who is a "perfect 10" (or 4, 6, 8, 12, etc. etc.), which few of us are. And making something as fitted as the Perfect Fit Bombshell Dress is the fastest way to understanding exactly why the clothes you buy don't fit your body. Like today I learned my back is three sizes smaller than the rest of me. I guess that's better than the alternative, but it can throw things off — bra size, for example. 

I made it through the first five lessons in Gretchen Hirsch's online sewing course at Craftsy.com. And as you can see, I have a pretty decent muslin made for the bodice now. I had to adjust my pattern to make bigger cups to account for the fact that my boobs start in my armpits. If the tummy looks loose on my dressform here it's because it was made to fit me, not my mannequin (this dressform hasn't had a baby).

 Want to see how many pieces go into making something so fitted? Nine pieces for the front bodice:

Four pieces in the back. Plus it's all lined. And there's a skirt of course. Still, I am making decent progress. I may actually pull this off. But I don't have boning, needle punch, Petersham or boning casing in my sewing studio/apartment foyer. In fact, I don't even know what three of those four things are. SO this project could still go off the rails. But I'm loving the video tutorials at Craftsy.com. I think this will be so worth the $25 course fee. I was watching one of Gretchen's videos today when my three-year-old walked in. Lucy stared at the screen and then said, "Is that you?" Gretchen has short, dark bangs, distinctive black framed eyeglasses — and is covered in tattoos. Sometimes I wonder if my family even looks at me at all.