Uncle!

Since a picture is worth a thousand words...

NEXT!

One more try

This navy blue sueded silk faille:

(purchased at JoMars during PR Philly Weekend)

and this pattern:

will become my second attempt at creating this dress.  Now I know all of you who love to make a muslin are asking why don't I just muslin it first, but what would be the fun in that?!  I've made the alterations to the pattern. I've cut the fabric out.  I've figured out how to add a lining and a different type of embellishment that will give this dress a totally different look from the first one.  However, on this version I will baste the dress together first to check for fit before adding any of the special touches...if it works I'll move on.  If it doesn't then I will let it go.

I have more fabric and patterns but not a lot more time before summer runs out and since there are many more garments clamoring to be made before summer's end...it will be time to move on!  NEXT!  *LOL*  

So this is what I will be doing this weekend.  What about you, what are you up to?

...and as always, more later!

You have some questions...

Let's start with the questions that Bunny and Serenity Love Sincere Peace Earth asked:

1.  Does this adjustment add more to the neckline? Is that OK?
2.  If you add width to a bodice in a part that includes the neckline, won't it be too wide at the neck and hang of your shoulders exposing your bra?

These are both really good and valid questions.  And I decided that a picture would fully explain what I'm attempting to do:

The alteration occurs center front and will spread the front of the dress to the side lengthening the extension and giving me some more room...some much needed room.  This alteration will not affect the shoulder or the neckline extensively.  Please don't forget that there is an underpiece that helps to form the v-neckline and those two pieces are sewn together to form the dress front.  Did I share too much?  Do you understand the alteration or will you need to see the finished dress to understand?

There were a few questions from the "A Trio of Cardigans" blog post:

Animat asked, "Please how did you sew the lace on your machine?"

It was really simple.  I used a small stitch and sewed it together.  This lace is pretty dense and didn't have a lot of holes or open spaces without stitching and I think that's the key to using a lace for a piece like this.

Melissapedsrn asked, "tell me more about the application of stitch witchery before hemming the cardigans,was that too stabilize the fabric first before hemming?  "

I measure up the hem, press it flat and then open the hem and place the stitch witchery between the two pieces...like a sandwich...then I press it flat.  I like stitch witchery (now know as "sw") because it gives it a real solid finish...some sewists think of this as hard, not flexible and that's why they prefer steam-a-seam over sw.  Oh and I use a 5/8" wide sw that I buy on a 50 yard roll because my hems are typically 1" wide and the sw sandwiches well into the hemline...and yes it does stabilize the hem.  It also reduces the tunneling effect that you can sometimes get when you use a twin needle stitch finish.

elizabethe asked, "Why do you stitch and then serge just to finish the seams? Why not use the serger to construct the garment?"

That is a perfectly good question and I think I have constructed the cardigan this way once just using the serger but I prefer to use this sewing sequence.  Probably because I'm not an advanced serger user and primarily use my serger for finishing seams...the same way that I use my microwave just to heat things up in. *LOL*

Bunny asked, "Can you talk more about they dyeing?"

I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't clear.  I did not dye the fabric.  I was speaking about the actual manufacturing process of the fabric.  It is a printed on design and you can tell that the fibers reacted to the process differently when the varied colors of dye were applied.

Finally, thanks for taking the time to ask for clarification...a good question never hurt anyone! *smile*  And thank you for all of your kind compliments on both the cardis and the V9666 dress...you are too kind especially regarding that dress! *LOL*

...as always, more later!

Altering the pattern

Here is a pic of the last pattern alteration for Vogue 9666:

I've thought about it and thought about it and decided that I would like the fit of this dress so much better if it has just had two more inches in it.  Two more inches to gracefully fall over my abdomen...two more inches to determine the difference between sausage casing and well fitted garment!

Now I know you muslin fanciers are shaking your head and thinking, well if you had just made a muslin in the first place, you wouldn't be doing this now.  And I will admit that you are right...HOWEVER, I did learn a few things about making the garment in real fabric versus muslin.  I learned that I want a drapier fabric not such a stable one.  I learned that when thinking and working outside of your comfort zone you have to appreciate the pattern and and the new look that you are going for...and most importantly I learned that I STILL wouldn't make a muslin.  It's just not me! *LOL*

Okay...so I cut the pattern on the center front line and added a full two inches from top to bottom on the front pattern piece.  I added two inches near the bottom of the pattern for length so that the dress won't be so short.  That was something that was irking me too.  I made the same two inch change to the back pattern piece as well as adding a 1/2" to the waist and hipline down to the hemline on the side of the pattern.  The same two inch alteration that was done to the main front piece was done to the left front pattern piece.

So that's where I'm at with the pattern alterations.  I originally pulled two linens from the fabric closet to try this version in, but I've since decided to use a rayon.  One ~ because a rayon is drapier than linen and two ~ because I just can't figure out how to line this dress.  It's that extra front piece that's throwing me off.  Without a lining this dress needs to hold up to daytime wearings and I think a rayon fabric will work better with a half slip under it than the linens would.

I will pretreat the fabric during the week and hopefully next weekend will find me once again fighting with this pattern.  But I will end up the victor...bet on it!  *LOL*

And as an aside, is anyone else watching The Tudors?  I can't believe the final episode is next Sunday?!!

....as always, more later!

A Closet Tale

A couple of weeks ago I said that I was going to clean out the closet by boxing up the winter stuff and moving it to another location.  At the time it seemed like a good idea...but I do live in an apartment with limited closet space.  Even though it really does have good closet space, I'm maxing it out by using the largest one as my fabric closet.  So my overstuffed closet sat.

This afternoon when I went to hang up the clothing I wore to work this week, as well as put away the laundry, I decided enough was enough.  I mercilessly went through the closet and removed anything that hadn't been worn in a year, was too tight, too faded or just out of style.  This is the result:

These bags of clothing will be donated to the Salvation Army this week, along with some baby stuff from The Little Prince.  After that exercise, there is more space in the closet...not alot...but enough so that I can add a few new garments, as well as, a few more hangers to hold those new pieces.  I'm also thinking that I need to hang some things a little differently, i.e. those hangers that hold multiple skirts and pants.  I see a trip to Wal-Mart is in my future...

I also found a skirt that was way too long and cut it off so it appears more on trend.  This will make an appearance in my work wardrobe this week:

And I found a dress that I made years ago, never hemmed and never wore.  I will put it on with a cute little white sweater and although bright it will be perfect for a Friday outfit!

I also realized that I have a few holes in my closet...how can that be with all the clothes I make, right?  But my black linen pants, alongwith my natural linen pants are worn and need to be replaced.  I also think that I need a pair of navy blue linen pants to match that awesome navy cotton cardigan that I made for my SWAP. I believe that I can find all of these fabrics in my collection.  Although I need some basic colored sheath dresses, too.  I have loads of pretty floral and print dresses but very few solid colored or tweedy colored work dresses.  These will also need to go on my sewing list.

Finally, the black/white Vogue 9666 dress has been haunting me.  I won't fix that one, I just believe it is beyond repairing, however, I have to make it again.  I've pulled some fabric candidates and will work on altering the pattern yet again to make another dress this weekend. *sigh*  I just can't let this pattern get the best of me!

...as always, more later!

Week 5 of 17 - Part 3

Well the air conditioning was finally fixed this morning and I've been in air conditioned splendor all day.  However, to hedge my bets I took a trip to Wal-Marts for fans.  How is it that I never leave that place without 18 more things than I came in for?!  Does this happen to anyone else? *LOL*

Lunch with my mom and daughter...plants placed on the balcony...several of the 18 things I didn't go to Wal-Marts for...and it was boiling by the time we got home!  Thankfully the air conditioning was working but I was pooped.  A late night, an early morning and too much heat meant I needed a nap!

So I finished the dress up later this evening.  Here is a headless shot...just didn't feel like hair and make-up:

Some stats:

Fabric:
black/white doubleknit print from Fabric Mart
white ponte knit from fabric.com

Notions:
20" invisible zipper
4 yards of black satin piping

Construction:
1.  Additional space was added to the abdomen and hip area by slicing through the center front line on the front pattern piece and spreading 1/2" (in the abdomen area) to 5" at the hemline.  This was also done to the left side front piece since it is secured to the dress at the side seams.

2.  1/2" was added to the center back of the dress piece.

3.  Sleeve pattern was altered to accomodate my bodacious biceps and lengthened from the original cap sleeve.  One sleeve was cut from the black/white print and one from the white ponte knit.

Sewing Changes:
*I added piping which is not included in the original design.  But since I used two different fabrics, I felt I needed something to define and tie the two fabrics together.

*The dress pattern is shorter than I like so I ended up serging the hem and leaving it.  You can barely tell that the hem is unfinished.

*The pattern instructs you to use bias binding to finish off the front edges of the dress.  I used a roll of unfolded bias tape that I had on-hand.  I encased the piping by folding the bias binding around it.  All of the bias binding was then hand stitched down.

Another shot of the dress:

I won't be wearing this dress this week...we have some pretty important meetings and I need to look banking professional...so I won't know how it will wear.  However, even with my alterations the dress is close-fitting...alot more close-fitting than I normally wear my clothing.  Because of that, I don't know if I will actually use this pattern again...although, it is a different type of dress than I normally make.

All constructions pics, can be seen in my Flicker Album.

I'm disappointed that I didn't get to sew more or all of what I had actually planned.  Which is funny because this time I thought I planned conservatively...only 2 garments instead of the 4 I would normally have thought I could make.  But it is one more finished garment in the closet and available to wear to work...so I'm grateful!

...as always, more later!

Week 5 of 17 - Part 2

...or UGGG!  As I've come to think of this weekend...

Okay, this is as far as I got before the air conditioning in my apartment went out yet AGAIN!

And while the Super came and worked on it one more time this afternoon, the central air conditioning blew cold air for about 2 hours and then the temperature managed to ease its way back up into the 80s in the apartment so all sewing ceased.  I'm getting ready to go out now...and the super probably won't be back until tomorrow morning but to say that I'm annoyed is an understatement.

I know that the two dresses I planned on creating will not make it out of my sewing machine this weekend...and that was a major part of my weekend fun...so for the sake of my date tonight I'm trying not to let this ruin the weekend...but between you and me...*sigh*...the weekend is ruined because I just don't do well in extreme temperatures...

...more later...

Week 5 of 17

This is a three-day holiday weekend here in the U.S. so I hope to spend some quality time with my sewing machine and spit out a few new pieces for work next week.  But before I get to my current project, I would like to ask you a question.  My mom stopped by this afternoon and while discussing my sewing asked me how many dresses I made last year.  Since I wrote a year end post about it, I knew immediately how many I'd made...proudly I said 21. Then she replied, that's alot of dresses...you wouldn't have bought that many.  Why do you have so many clothes?

This really threw me...and I said something like well I like to sew and it's how I spend my time...and it's more about the creation than the wearing (liar, liar, pants on fire!) and she just nodded and changed the subject.  So I thought I would throw it out there to you all...Do you think 21 dresses is too much?  And do you think we as sewists, sew way more clothing than we would naturally buy?  See how a parent can totally mess up your sewing groove! (*LOL*)

NEXT....

This is hopefully the first of the two projects that I have planned for this weekend:

The pattern is Vogue 9666 which has a copyright date of 1997 and recently arrived from Lanetz Living.  When I saw it on the site, immediately I saw a myriad of possibilities for the shorter length dress, so I had to have it!

Fabric is from Fabric Mart and fabric.com.  The lightweight black/white doubleknit print is from Fabric Mart and purchased recently during the fabric buying frenzy.  The lightweight white ponte knit is from fabric.com and was bought to go with the print.

I've made all the adjustments to the pattern...even though I'm starting with a size 22 pattern.  Geeze, does anyone make garments straight from the pattern envelope?  I mean I know that most everyone has to make some kind of alteration ~ FBA, length, something, but sometimes the slicing and dicing can get to you, y'know!  Anyway, since this dress is being made from a doubleknit, I'm not lining it.  If this one works (not just fits but passes the wearability test), I will be making a couple more versions...hopefully one using one of the border prints that I recently purchased.

The pattern is altered and the fabric is cut out.  I will start working on the dress' construction since I have no plans for tomorrow (during the day), I'm going to hang out for awhile tonight and see how far I can get!

...as always more later!