Purple Pontedness

This really is just a picture post because I made this purple ponte dress last summer as a quickie.

It's Vogue 9245 and it was the second one I made from the pattern.  It wasn't a perfect dress but it wore well and believe it or not I received quite a few compliments when I wore it.  After making it, I had about two yards of fabric left over which I used earlier this summer to make a cardigan, Butterick 5760.

It's been so hot here lately that neither have been worn...but I did take pictures of the dress and cardigan (in the air conditioning) together with a scarf I made with some leftover trendy rayon fabric that I used for a wadder this summer.  Yeah okay don't ask about that, this is about the pictures, remember! *LOL*

Back view

Side view

My daughter says that I shouldn't wear my purple shoes with this outfit because it's too much purpleness...that I should wear the shoes in the pictures above. I was definitely getting a "you look like Barney vibe" from her but she denies it. Ummm yeah right, I've been her mother for 24 years, I KNOW when she's lying! So I won't be wearing this outfit with the shoes and I'm thinking I will need another necklace or scarf for it too.  Barney is just not a good look...y'know what I mean!

Two other quick notes ~
I can't believe that The Closer's final episode was tonight!  I loved this series and Kyra Sedgwick in it.  I even loved the way it ended...but I'm gonna miss this show. Now to wait for a boxed set of the series to show up on Amazon so that I can own it...*sigh*

A Wearability Update for the Mosaic Vogue 1250.  This is one of the lightest, coolest dresses I've worn and it's all about the fabric. I love the silk jersey! However, one of the qualities of silk jersey is that it has a wonderful drapiness and boy was my drape in evidence! *LOL* I don't ever remember having to adjust the front drape on this dress as much as I did. That aside the dress wore wonderfully and received quite a few compliments.

Next - I still haven't worn the green rayon dress...probably will this week.  Also the Valentino Panel Dress hasn't been worn yet either and that is on purpose. It's been so danged hot here that the subway is a sauna. Be down there two minutes and everyone around you is glowing...by five minutes everyone is mopping sweat off of them and let's not talk about 15 minutes. This dress is important to me and I don't want the silk ruined by sweat...so it won't get worn until it gets a little cooler.

Well that's it for now...I'm counting down days now until I leave.  Did I say that I was so excited!  *LOL*

...more later!

A hot mess = help!

I have a plan of things I want to sew...it's written out and I should be following it right?

Of course not...I saw this pic in my email this weekend:

And since I've recently been handling all of the fabric in my fabric closet (more about that later) I knew I had this cool piece of "leatherish" fabric and I thought I could make a dress from that.

Well I made the dress...but I can't get the fabric to stop sticking to everything...even after I put a lining in the dress:

So I'm coming to you asking for suggestions to make the fabric less staticky.  Should I use a product?  Is there a trick to anti-static?  Anything you suggest would be appreciated because I actually think this would be a funky kinda dress to wear on weekends and on casual fridays at the office...

(the flash made this look really shiny

it actually looks more like the first picture)

...but I've learned something today...I need to stick to my list and not free-style.  My list is well-thought out for all happenstances...when I free style I end up with messes...interesting messes but messes just the same.

...any help you can provide would be appreciated...

...more later!

A Quickie...

As I said in my last post,  I needed a quick project to finish off the week.  The Designer Inspired Series Dresses were labor intensive full of pattern alterations, hand stitching, lining and involved embellishments.  A quick and easy project was needed badly...

Enter Vogue 9245...I've been wanting to make it up in a ponte knit...and the purple ponte knit was calling out to my purple slingbacks...so it became this:

Now when I say quickie...it truly was a quickie!  The longest part of making this dress was making the pattern alterations I made last time permanent by making up an actual pattern piece instead of pivoting and sliding the pattern on the fabric.   Again the entire dress was sewn on my serger. 

I even only serged the neckline because even after raising it an inch it is still a titch too low for me...

...and the hemline of the dress.

However, this is still in the wearable muslin stage because even though I've got the sleeves to fit my bodacious biceps and enough fabric around my abdomen, I need to make an adjustment to the shoulder seams.  They are about an inch too long so that the sleeve cap is hanging down on my shoulder, a problem I don't remember experiencing when I made it up in the ITY knit.  Even though I never like to emphasize my booty, I will have to make a swayback adjustment if I want to continue to use this pattern.  This is just too poor of a back fit...

But the dress looks good with my purple slingbacks doesn't it!  *LOL* 

Now this is a do as I say - not a do as I do moment...because I am going to wear the dress out of the house...with a sweater on top of it! *LOL*  And I've already made the alterations to the pattern so that the next version will fit better.

I guess you're witnessing the process of a pattern getting to TNT status...since this particular one is better than the first but not yet at the point where I can lay it down on the fabric and end up with a great fitting dress.  Don't worry, I have plenty of ponte knits to make additional versions...so stay tuned for the next one!  However, it did fulfill two of my requirements today...it was quick and easy and it went with the purple slingbacks!

...more later!

A Wearable Muslin

On Sunday afternoon when I went back to my sewing machine I just did not feel like working on the pea green linen dress.  I wanted something quick and easy.  I went to the fabric collection and pulled some knits and briefly pondered making another Vogue 1250 dress.  But truly I've worn that pattern out...I only want one more rendition and that should be in black...so next...

Last month I got a bunch of patterns from Sheila at Out of the Ashes.  This one caught my eye when I headed back to my bedroom.  It has a copyright date of 1995 and the pattern description says, "Misses Jacket & Dress close-fitting, A-line, pullover dress, above mid-knee, has short sleeves and narrow hem."

...and I thought it would look amazing in a ponte knit...specifically a grey ponte knit...or a navy blue ponte knit...and even though I knew they were in the fabric closet, I didn't feel like digging for them...so I opened the closet door and pulled the first interesting knit that I put my hands on.  Seriously, that's what I did.

This ITY knit was purchased from Fabric Mart several years ago and I didn't mind sacrificing it if the pattern didn't work out.

I started with a size 22.  After doing a quick tissue fit, I realized that I would need to add some in my middle section (natch!)...so I did a quick pivot and slide with the pattern on the fabric.  (I will need to go back and alter the pattern now that this dress works.)  Added one inch to the back pattern piece, which the instructions tell you to cut on the fold, but I decided to make a center back seam instead.  Of course, my sleeves had to be enlarged because of my bodacious biceps.  I also lengthened the sleeve because a cap sleeve just isn't appealing to me...and I added 3" to the hemline of the dress.

The entire dress was constructed on my serger.  I used stay tape in the shoulder seams and besides the hems, this was the only time I used my sewing machine.  The sleeves were inserted flat instead of in the round...and the hems were pressed flat then stitch witchery was pressed into the hems...finally the hems were topstitched with a twin needle.  The neckline was pressed under 1/2" and stitched down with twin needle stitching too.

I love this dress.  It has a drapey hem.  It fits closely but it's not tight.  It is unlined but future renditions may be.  It went together really quickly and I can make it again in a variety of knits that are presently residing in the collection.  The only change I will make to it is to raise the neckline about an inch.

Here it is with a cardigan:

I will definitely make more versions of this dress.  I want about five of them in various colors and fabrications.  They will be wonderful to wear during the transition from summer to fall...so expect to see more of them...especially since they go together in about three hours!

...as always, more later!