The Sewing Sweet Pea

Stash-Bust 2011: Eggplant Tweed Jacket

2011-01-22T14:44:00.004-07:00

(So those super-easy pajama pants I was making? They're now in the "I don't know what went wrong but these are totally not what I wanted and now have to be completely ripped apart and remade" pile...otherwise known as "April's Sewing Room Graveyard" because I never seem to get around to working on the stuff in it. Anyway...moving right along...)

My next project (for myself, anyway...after I finish the two pillows and four Roman shades I got from my boss today to work on) is going to be a jacket/coat made out of this eggplant and fuchsia plaid tweed. I think it will be quite a "statement" garment. Hopefully, I'll be brave enough to wear it when I get it done! ;-) I got twelve yards of the fabric at the Hancock's going out of business sale for $1.20/yd. (I had to buy the whole bolt.) I've already made a knee-length, four-gore skirt out of it, but I feel like the fabric is just begging me to make a jacket, too. And no, I will not be wearing the skirt and jacket together. That would be too much of a statement (somewhere along the lines of "I have no taste!!!").

To be honest, I'm pretty much petrified of this project. Maybe that's a good thing, since my pajama pants project, which I was so confident about, turned out so wrong. If I know and acknowledge that I don't know what I'm doing, maybe I'll be more careful. While I'm using the pattern in the picture (princess-seamed jacket with a single row of buttons and collar), I'm planning on making some changes and constructing it following the instructions in Claire Schaeffer's Couture Sewing Techniques. That means I'll be doing backings and interlinings and linings and all kinds of other scary things. I've never made something tailored before, so I have that "fish out of water" feeling.

And hopefully I'll get it done before spring! Wouldn't that be novel?

Hello, 2011

2011-01-04T11:45:00.005-07:00

Dear little sewing blog, how I have neglected you! It's not that I haven't been sewing...I just haven't been blogging about it! And, dear me, how you do desperately need an overhaul!

In honor of the new year, I am making just a wee little resolution about my sewing. What with the drain being a full-time student has on my finances, I know that buying new fabric will not really make it in the budget this year. That's okay, though, because I have so many bins of fabric, not to mention the entire bolts of fabric I bought when our local Hancock's went out of business. (What a sad day that was...but at least everything was 90% off!)

My first project will be a highly complicated and technical pair of.........pajama pants. ;-) I actually have never made any before, but after this past week's contract job (six roman shades with accent banding along the tops and sides that took me probably 30 hours start to finish), I'm looking forward to a simple hour or two, instant-gratification job. The fabric is a blue and black plaid flannel that I bought eight years ago to make...something...I can't remember what.

Also on the roster of other projects are a couple of summer dresses. I will be accompanying my sister to a conference in North Carolina this summer, and I'd like to have a couple of new dresses to wear. At least one of these will be out of my Hancock's stash, and I'll see what I can dig up for the other.

Are you planning any stash-busting projects this year? I'd love to hear about them!

Purple taffeta bridesmaid gowns

2009-05-19T13:27:00.006-06:00

Patterns:
Vogue 2842
McCall's 9126

Fabric:
Acetate taffeta (provided by customer)

Last fall, a dear friend of mine asked me to make the bridesmaids' and flower girl dresses for her wedding this spring. She had a design from Kathleen's Bridal that she loved, but they only had a few left, and none in the right color. I was so honored to be a special part of her day!

Here you can see a little more the draping/ruching effect in the front of the gowns:

This photo shows the back details:

The bride also asked me to do the flowers...so much fun!

The amazing photography is by Bethany Tiss (http://www.bethanytissphotography.com/).

Apricot Regency Gown

2008-06-14T12:55:00.006-06:00

Pattern: Sense & Sensibility Regency Gown

Fabric: Provided by customer

I made this gown for a customer, and I love this peachy, apricot-ty fabric she picked! I can't wear this color, so it's always fun to sew for other people who can wear different colors than I can. I made the skirt a bit longer in the back for a train effect, and changed the bodice to have fan-front gathers.

Buy this as an e-pattern by clicking the link below:

Winter Sky Rennaisance-esque Gown

2008-06-14T12:40:00.001-06:00

Pattern: McCall's 3010

Fabric: fabricclub.com

This is a dress I made for my sister from the same pattern as my Aubergine version. The only differences are the sleeves and the smooth bodice front (versus the pin tucking on my gown).

The underskirt is floor-length on my sister, but I left the overskirt at the full pattern length, so it forms a train when she's wearing it.

Aubergine Rennaisance-esque Gown

2008-06-14T12:30:00.001-06:00

Pattern: McCall's 3010

Fabric:
Chiffon - fabricclub.com
Satin - Denver Fabrics

I made this dress during the time that my friends and I were really into tea parties. :-) I'd purchased the chiffon when Fabric Club was having a sale, and then bought the satin when I picked the pattern. It actually matches better in person than in the pictures. The diamond pintucking on the bodice was a lot of work, but I think the effect was worth it!

Ocean Blues Titanic Tea Gown

2008-06-06T10:00:00.003-06:00

Pattern: Sense & Sensibility Tea Gown

Fabric: fabricclub.com

I made some changes to the pattern for this gown. The pattern instructions have you line the whole bodice, but I wanted the sleeves to be sheer, so I made an alternate pattern for the bodice lining, which also caused me to have to do a lot of handsewing the attach the two! I also changed the shape of the bodice front seaming. On the skirt, I moved most of the gathering to the back, as I don't like front gathers on my skirts.

Buy this as an e-pattern by clicking the link below:

My Graduation Outfit

2008-05-31T09:25:00.002-06:00

Patterns: Simplicity 5683 & vintage Simplicity 7308

Fabric: fabricclub.com & Denver Fabrics

This was my first foray into pattern tweaking back at the end of 2003.

I changed the blouse pattern to have flowy bell sleeves, and made it several sizes smaller and added back darts to make it fitted. I also added a side zipper.

On the skirt, I used the two-gore pattern, but pinned the pieces together so the front and back wouldn't have seams down the middle. Then I cut it out on the bias. Considering that I had no idea at the time of how bias behaves, it actually turned out quite splendidly!

Ocean Breeze bridesmaid dress

2008-05-30T16:01:00.005-06:00

Pattern: Simplicity "It's So Easy" #3829

I made this dress for a friend of a friend. It was very simple to put together; the only alteration was to lengthen it from the knee to the floor.

Isn't the color scrumptious? It reminds me of the ocean in Hawaii.

Afternoon Dress in Black & White Toile

2008-05-30T15:09:00.019-06:00

Patterns: New Look 6557 and vintage Simplicity 4706

Fabric: fabric.com

Spring of 2007 found my wardrobe with no suitable dresses for the coming summer, so I decided to make this one. The fabric is a linen/cotton blend.

I had always liked New Look 6557, but the back was a little more bare than I wanted, so I used the back piece from my vintage Simplicity pattern. I also changed the cummerbund/waistband a bit to be straight across the waist instead of curved, and I made the skirt as full as the 60" wide fabric would allow. The dress closes with a side zipper.

Dollies (Part 2)

2007-08-03T17:12:00.001-06:00

Shortly after my first doll wardrobe went to Slovenia, the little missionary girl's sister received an American Girl doll of her own, and wanted some clothes. Out came the cute little patterns and cute little notions, and out marched my dolls modeling these cute little outfits! ;-)

Dollies

2007-06-03T16:37:00.000-06:00

Earlier this year (MUCH earlier...), I made a few dolly outfits for a missionary girl in Slovenia. I have always loved making doll clothes...the first things I can remember making were doll dresses. It wasn't a very illustrious beginning, as doll clothes can be quite tricky with all the little seams! Nonetheless, I still enjoy the making of them very much...I call doll dressmaking "instant gratification" sewing! :-)

The Girls' Bathroom

2007-03-29T15:06:00.000-06:00

The Inspiration:

My sister and I have our own bathroom (to share!) for the first time in our lives. We found this cute bathroom set called "Shopaholic," which includes this soapdish, a toothbrush holder, and lotion/soap pump. The walls have been painted pink with pink and white striped wainscoting. All that we needed was a shower curtain to match!

My sister took a picture of this lady, blew it up on the computer, printed it to make a pattern, and I did the rest!

Here's the finished product in our teeny little bathroom:

Bridesmaid 2006 (Part 4)

2007-02-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

It's done! After making a complete bodice out of my fashion fabric with my original pattern, I discovered that I hated it! ;-) After some brainstorming and re-working, I am very pleased with the look and the fit (and that there was enough fabric to make a completely new bodice and lining!). There are definitely things I would do differently if I were going to do it over again, but I am satisfied.

This is the first time I have changed a pattern so much that it is indistinguishable from the original. It was also the first that I constructed completely sans pattern instructions.

Bridesmaid 2006 (Part 3)

2007-01-18T15:33:00.000-07:00

I finally have my pattern fitting the way I want it to. (Although I was about ready to tear my hair out for a little while...) It doesn't fit my dressform as well as it does me because I'm still working on padding her out correctly, and obviously the skirt will be much longer!

I also found fabric in the color the bride asked us to use. All the other maids are ordering their dresses (or the fabric for their dresses) from one company, but I found a great match at my local fabric store for just $2.98/yd.!

Bridesmaid 2006 (Part 2)

2006-12-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

The first toile is finished, and I have a lot of work to do!

Notes:

Cut CF 3/8" over fold
Increase SF piece side seam by 3/8"
Raise BP on F and SF pieces 1" according to Simp. inst.
Take 5/8" dart in BN edge

Bridesmaid 2006

2006-12-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

I am making the bridesmaid's dress that I will wear in Joe and Jessica's wedding. My original inspiration came from this wedding dress bodice picture that has been in my files for quite a while. My plan is based on Vintage Vogue #2903, and Sense & Sensibility's Swing pattern. I am also thinking of doing some piping around the neck edge and along the edges of the cummerbund.

Working on the toile for this dress has been on my t0-do list for the last two days...hopefully I'll get to it tomorrow. I have less than three months to complete this, and I was hoping to get some other clothes done to augment my wardrobe before I go out to California for the wedding.