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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Pinstripe Magic ~ Dress & Skirt

I bought four yards of a wool crepe grey & cream pinstripe from Fashions Fabrics Club, that is presently sold out.  As an aside, I remember now why I stopped purchasing from them...it takes forever to get the fabric!  And it didn't help that a snowstorm shut the middle of the country down a few days after I ordered. However, that's neither here nor there because the fabric did arrive and only scraps of it remain now.



In my quest for more basics...what could be more basic than a gray wool crepe pinstripe fabric.  It's perfect for the conservative environment that I work in. So after a quick trip through the dryer (love, love, love this pretreating method now!) I was able to get a basic sheath dress, a pair of pants and an elastic waist longer length straight skirt from the fabric.  This post is about the dress and skirt which are the next pieces in my "It's All About the Basics" series.

A basic sheath dress from my TNT dress pattern ~





Notions:
22" invisible zipper
white braided satin piping
polyester charmeuse print lining
gray rayon seam binding
bias binding

This is my TNT sheath dress with some white piping at the neckline and armholes to give the dress a little pop!  To make the dress a little less boring, I used a vivid print polyester charmeuse print for the lining...


Lining Alone

Lining inserted into the dress

...and I used the last of this striped bias binding from the notions collection at the armholes.  I'm going to miss this bias binding...I've used it in quite a few dresses and made piping from it too.

T

This is how I will wear it to work...




...with a RTW ivory cotton cashmere cardigan and some Kenneth Jay Lane pearls that I purchased several years ago because they reminded me of Michelle Obama's Erickson Beamon pearls.



Gray long straight skirt ~


Notions:
1" non-roll elastic
polyester lining
gray rayon seam binding

This is literally a large rectangle based upon my hip measurements with elastic in the waistline and a slit for walking ease.  I wanted the skirt to be close-fitting but not so tight that I couldn't sit in it.  I sit for most of my day so it needs to be comfortable.  To figure out the right measurement, I sat in my sewing chair and took my hip measurement, then added an inch.  This measurement is larger than my standing hip measurement, because let's be frank here people, fat spreads.


I added a lining to the skirt even though initially I wasn't going to.  I was going to do a quick and easy sew and wear a slip.  But me being me, I just couldn't let it rest. So the lining is the same rectangle just a little shorter with a 1" lace trim added to the hemline.




Honestly, I chose this length for the skirt because I wanted to wear it with these shoe booties. Hey I'm cold and I'm using everything I own to stay warm! *LOL*  



A few more pics of the skirt and cardigan, how I'd wear it to work...



Yes by this time I'd gotten quite silly!

I'm onto my next sewing adventure.  I'm finishing up another sheath dress before I return to the Crazy 8 wardrobe pieces and the Simplicity 3833 dress. I'm believing that it's not going to remain frigidly cold forever. When we return to decent winter weather, I'll pull out my new sheath dresses to wear.

...as always more later!








44 comments:

  1. Haven't seen you in that length before--looks good!

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  2. Love your sense of fashion but I especially love the things you make in the length of your new skirt. Great lines. Please try a sheath in that length.

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  3. Your pictures are looking good!! I love the basics trend in your sewing. I need to do more of and have a hard time picking out fabrics for it.Bravo to you! Also, "fat spreads," LOVE IT! I take sitting/standing measurements as well. I think of it as "I'm squishy," haha! Something that fits me well in the waist standing will be too tight sitting. Glad I finally figured that out! :-) Thanks for sharing!

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  4. The "Askimet-###..." comment is actually from Amy @ BlueHippoArts.com. Sorry, not sure what happened!
    -Amy

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  5. I love how the insides of your garments are as nice as the right side, the lining you chose is so gorgeous it's a pity it won't be seen by many. Lovely and very usable basics, hope they keep you warm!

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  6. I always love reading your blog but i am so loving these new photo shoots of yours. Just awesome, love the joy!

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  7. That lining for the dress is so awesome! All of these pieces look great.

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  8. I don't know why but you look so bubbly! The dress is very cool (I love the contrasting lining!!!) and the skirt as well.
    You look like you are having so much fun with your camera as well. It is, as always, a pleasue to read you!

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  9. Tell me again who thought they couldn't take photos? These are awesome! Your garments are too.
    -sewingelle

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  10. I am loving this basics series and also your new way of taking pictures! You look happy and radiant. The gray pinstriped dress is fabulous!

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  11. I love your creations. Thank you for taking the time and effort to share them. You have inspired me to sew for myself.

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  12. Drooling at the piping!! Love both pieces! You made that fabric do WORK!

    I haven't mustered up the energy to give fabric.com another shot. 3 orders, 3 disappointments. Meh.

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    Replies
    1. Nakisha - that piece is from Fashion Fabrics Club not fabric.com. I'm not a huge fan of fabric.com either. It is too hit or miss with them. However, I did buy a load of their Liberty of London prints because of their pricing (which are still in the collection) and I still have a load of their Vera Wang fabrics (again because I had an idea of the quality) but otherwise no not a big fan...but this is my personal preference.

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  13. Pretreating in the dryer? No washing? Does that work with most fabrics?

    And love the pop of lining! It's like a little secret your keeping under that conservative work exterior. As always, you style your pieces perfectly... Love the boots with the midi skirt

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  14. These look great! I love that you make the insides of your garments look so fabulous too. Quite inspiring! Love the photos, plus the new fun poses are awesome and shout "look what I made" in a way that fellow sewists can truly appreciate.

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  15. You are getting to be a real pro at modeling and snapping the pics all on your own. The garments look great, but I have to say I'm impressed by how many items you cut from a 4 yard piece of fabric. I'm assuming this was 54 in wide, but still sounds like you are able to cut wisely. Do you have any special tips for laying out the pattern pieces and cutting to get the most from your fabric? Do you use a single layer cutout? I've heard this is more economical, but I don't really understand why. Thanks!

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    1. Laura - these pieces of fabric were 62" and/or 64" wide...that 10" makes a huge difference on getting my plus size pattern pieces on the fabric side by side. Which of course means that I use less length. Also I always use a nap layout when cutting out, if I can help it. That way I never have pattern or color shading issues!

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  16. All your basics you've been making are lovely. I find when I make things that are everyday wear that I use them so much more. I always wonder why I don't do more of it because I use them so much more than the items I make outside of my comfort zone.

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  17. Adorable pictures, you're getting very good at taking them! I really like the long skirt/grey cardigan combination.

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  18. Beautiful work as always. I love to read your "how I did it comments". They are great reminders and new ideas for me as well.

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  19. Everything looks great and you photos look great too. While I do like making those "out there" things, it is the basics that I wear day after day. They may seem boring, but they are the workhorses of my wardrobe. I have a dozen versions of a simple knit skirt I wear almost everyday--even in this Michigan winter, I have not worn pants to work a single time!

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  20. Thanks for the tip about taking your measurements sitting down. I learn something new every time I read your posts! Your new items look fabulous and even though they are "basics", you style them to be so "you"!!!

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  21. Love the details in your garments. Can you do a bit of an explanation in a future post about this pre-treating in the dryer? I've heard of the wash/dry as you expect to treat the garment, but just the dryer??? Curious minds want to know, so please explain!

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  22. love that skirt outfit you look so NY city to me in that. (like I know what that is, ha ha)

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  23. Really like the dress with the cardigan.

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  24. i am LOVING your new photos! you look so fresh and full of life!

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  25. Outstanding job!!
    Great set of wardrobe basics, you'll get many outfit variations out of these!

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  26. Great makes! How clever that you took the hip measurement while sitting.

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  27. You are so smart to make ups some fresh new basics! I still can't get over how infrequently you repeat outfits. But that means your clothes must look absolutely pristine. These gray pieces are impeccable as usual, and your styling is terrific.

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  28. Nice outfits!! I love the fabrics from Fashion Fabrics (or Denver Fabrics), but I agree that it takes forever to get them. If you are not in a rush I guess that is ok, but sometimes I just want to get started already!!

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  29. Look at that fun lining! Are you tempted to wear the dress inside out?!

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  30. Such classic, polished looks! I LOVE the grey pinstripe! And such sexy lining in dress :)

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  31. So the insides of the skirt and dress are uh-maze-ing. LOL. The dress is fabulous and the skirt length on point! Great additions to any woman's wardrobe.

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  32. The lining of the dress looks like it would make a great dress itself. Love the fabric. The skirt looks fabulous on you! I must whip one up for myself. You are on a roll!

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  33. Love that fabulous lining in the dress!

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  34. I love these basics. How do you launder your wool garments, do you dry clean them? And I have never seen a lining with bias tape finishing, would love to see a step by step about that. Great photos!

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  35. I love the way you add special touches to your garments like the pretty linings, piping and lace. Just started back sewing so any sewing tip in your blog are much appreciated. Was wondering about the dryer pre-treating method for your fabric. Never heard of that before.

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  36. Love, love these pictures. I love the length of this skirt and think you could wear it with one of the floral cardigans as well. g

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  37. love your lining of that dress; really makes it pop!

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  38. Great idea about the lining... it looks like you already have a slip on! Storing that idea away! It's my file recall (in my brain) that doesn't always work! Guess I need to just realize that your blog has files too! Love the boots! Cute!

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  39. You are getting the hang of that camera! The outfits are gorgeous, but man the pictures really capture the beauty of them!

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  40. Carolyn, that lining in the dress is AMAZING. Way to put some zowee into an outfit. Totally love it. And I'm glad to see you having fun in front of the camera! :D

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  41. Love love love that skirt on you, and the booties are a great idea. Hmm, must borrow that idea.... I've learned to also measure my waist sitting down, for blouses. I made a few beautiful woven blouses, then realized how uncomfortable and unflattering they were while I was sitting. Lesson learned.

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