Shoe and Dress Update

Finally! The shoe decision was made, and yet I still managed to pack 4 pairs in my carry-on. And still wished I had my sneakers. But let's get to the dress first. You saw the picture on the mall and it was covered by the lovely green raincoat. How about the end result and just a few details (like what pattern is it, after all!).

Jacket: Vogue 8640. Originally blogged here. I shortened the length by 2" to make it less weird and somewhat wearable, but the honest truth is this is not a good shape jacket for me. Too boxy. I obviously forgot that I was not shaped like the drawing on the pattern... i.e., model tall and thin.

Dress: Bodice is McCall's 7569, a vintage pattern from 1964. Skirt is the Colette Macaron.

Fabric: from fabric.com. A cotton/linen blend designed by Valori Wells for Free Spirit. These 2 patterns were from the same collection which is a couple of years old, and now the remaining bits are on clearance.

The Starting Point:

 (which I had in my Etsy shop, but is now sold)

And my dress:

Many of the sizing changes were mentioned in this post, complete with pictures of the muslins, and the altered pattern pieces, so I won't repeat myself here. I will mention that instead of the ruffle from the pattern, I used self made piping from scraps from the jacket.

The piping went around the armscyes and the neckline, and down the back. Subtle, but I like it. Don't you love the birds?!

I tacked the crossover in the back just to avoid any gaping, though I don't think there would be any.

An alternate jacket (and possibly a better look than the jacket I made)... a linen Talbots blazer I bought a few years ago, that I don't think I've ever worn:

And the shoes?

Well, I wore the wedding shoes for the Friday graduation, but took them off after the walk to the restaurant. Those were seriously not walking through the city shoes. Last Sunday was drizzly in Washington, DC, and tromping across the Mall was way better in these closed toe, T-strap Naturalizers, with a sensible 2" chunky heel.

Finally... pockets!

Yeah. Barrett walked up to check out the photoshoot, and I was bracing for the "kiss".

Puppy love!

Last Mini Me Made Vacation Day

But not the last post about it. I definitely have ways to drag this thing out. For instance, the whole adding links thing. Edit: I've, with a little help, have attempted a few links. Fingers crossed.
But more than that, the last two days have debuted some new stuff.
Let's start with yesterday (Saturday). Side note...sometimes the weather does not turn out to be what you're expecting when you pack. It turned cool and rainy, and I really wished I had packed a pair of jeans. I didn't, so there was some layering and borrowing involved.

Top is a brand new Sewaholic Alma made on a white with red polka dot quilting cotton. In spite of what appears to be pulling across the bust, I love the fit. The skirt is a refashioned Colette Crepe. Black cardigan for warmth, and raincoat draped over my arm, Laura's (though it used to be mine).
We're visiting the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum.
Today (Sunday) was the main graduation for George Washington University.

Lovely weather.

This is the dress/jacket that I made to wear. Covered up with a stunning green raincoat. Shoes you haven't seen before... More on those another post. Well, frankly more on the whole outfit, complete with better photos.

Walking the grand puppies. Post graduation meant another outfit change. Me wearing my pavlova top with a RTW skirt. I wouldn't have chosen this combo if I wasn't out of other options, but I do kind of like it.
Synopsis complete. I'll add pictures to the Flickr group tonight, and work on some of the links in the next couple of days.
Stay tuned, and have a great day!

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Mini-Me-Made-May Officially Started

Yesterday. It was a day of travel, so I opted for total comfort, and wore this ol' thing:

I originally made it in 2011, but this spring felt like the arm holes were too gape-y, and just sewed the side seams together more. Maybe not the official fix but it worked. [Edit: I made it in June 2010! Time flies, right? Vogue 8575]

The picture was taken outside of Red, Hot and Blue, a favorite BBQ joint in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Today, was a very casual, and slightly hot day, so I wore the black kwik sew shorts and the cotton voile jasmine top, both made last year. [oops, let the record show that I made the shorts in 2011!]

We are concluding our visit to the Pentagon Memorial, which is very moving and well done. Blue t-shirt behind me (son, Kyle) and the rust t-shirt (husband) spent at least 15 minutes discussing how the significance of that concrete wall works. The design of it does have some significance. I'll link to it when I sort out how linking works in blogsy.

So... links to all things linkable will come later. I am still a certified blogsy beginner, aka "wow, I am so slow at composing anything on my iPad."

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Mini Me Made May 2

Today is my 2nd day off this month, hence the title. I won't have another day off until my vacation starts next week, so this was the day to finish a couple of big sewing projects. Those will debut during the vacation, so tomorrow you'll get a peek of at least the hem. It's a shoe thing.

Anyway. Today was sewing and laundry, with a brief outing to the grocery. That meant super casual, and this me made outfit totally fit the bill:

Sewaholic Renfrew blogged about here.

Denim skirt, made from Colette Patterns Crepe, blogged here.

I'm standing in my sewing studio. Do you like my red sconces? They used to be brass! Technically, I guess they still are. I really need to do a post about them.

It's a bit of a mess, but I'm actually getting ready to finish the hem, so this is more than just a posed picture. On the TV behind me... the last disc of Season 3 of Dr. Who. I had to find out for myself what all the hoopla was about this show, and now I'm totally hooked! Besides, it's a great thing to watch while sewing.

New Black Shorts from a Frankenpattern

Chihuly Update: Yesterday evening there was a hailstorm that hit Dallas, and specifically the neighborhoods that included the Arborteum.

View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

Only one sculpture suffered damage. Read the entire story here.


Back to the Shorts!


Just to refresh your memory from yesterday, here they are again:

The basic pattern I used was Kwik Sew 3614, and this is the 3rd time, so I've got the fit down pretty good. The thing that I was never quite satisfied with was the pockets. Behold the new pockets and see if you can guess which pattern I used (I used a flash and fill light to enhance some of the details on the black twill):

Did you guess? How about now:

If you guessed the Colette Rooibos Pattern you would be right! But wait! Isn't that a dress? Yes, but the piece for the pocket area worked great. Basically, I took the original front piece for the shorts:

It's kind of hard to see, but overlaying the Rooibos exterior pocket section piece, I traced the top, curved line, and the right edge, indicated by the left and right arrows. The center arrow indicates the cutting line for the top portion, to the waistband piece that is sewn to the (not seen) pocket facing. I used the Rooibos instructions for sewing assembly.

I did want to preserve my original pattern piece though, so I traced new pieces. The right center piece did have a seam allowances added running down the left side:

Again, the curved pocket piece I used is the original Rooibos piece, shortened to the length of the shorts. Yes, there is a seam from the waistband to the hem that is completely off center, but with my black fabric, it's not noticeable at all. Or at least minimally noticeable. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments, and check back for a reply directly in the comments.


Check out the cute lining:

The End of Me Made May Fun

Geez, the month of May is over. Not sure how I've let the last week slip away unblogged, heehee, but there ya go. Not sure if it was Me Made May fatigue, the kitchen project (updated pictures here), or the fact that we went to Tennessee for the Memorial Day weekend.


On the plus side, I did wear something I made every single day in May. This past week, when the house was crawling with workers, I just wasn't up for picture taking. OK, I did take a picture on Tuesday:

 

My Jasmine (Colette Patterns) top. This has to be the most complimented thing I've made. I think every time I wear it someone comments on it. I took the picture mostly to see how it looked (and how I look) in these somewhat trendy-ish skinny jean capris. Not too bad from this angle.


Also, I think I pledged to make 4 new things, so let's see. Changed my Crepe dress into a crepe skirt. The Cambie dress (not officially made in May). A vintage ponte knit dress that is actually still kind of unfinished (oops). A pair of shorts that have not yet been blogged about, and I'm really excited about. Can I just say perfect fit?!! (They have been worn, just not pictured yet.) Oh, and a cover for my iPad (still unblogged, and it is SO cute)! Not actually 4 complete things, but I'm still happy with the end result of my May "production".


OK, enough words. Let's have some photos. After my photo "sessions", I often do some silly pictures. I use the self timer, so when the little red light starts flashing fast, the jumping and silliness begins. Wait. That's more words. Here come the outtakes...

Let the June fun begin!!

Frozen English Muffins

These Me Made May posts can get, well, honestly, a little dull. This is what I wore today, yada, yada, yada. Today, I thought I'd start with a little story. You know (or really, you should because I think I've mentioned it) that we're about to remodel our kitchen. Before the contractors start their magic though, we're required to empty everything out, and pack it up. We won't be using our main refrigerator since we have a back up in the basement.


In order to go down from two fridges to one, that means some cleaning out. Yeah, the frozen chicken drumsticks dated 2005 had to go. Straight to the trash. But the frozen English muffins from a couple of years ago? Well, someone might be able to eat those, right? Someone furry or feathery that lives outside? Hubby Roland would think I was crazy (well, he might anyway), so while he was getting dressed this morning, I went out to fling the frozen hockey puck-like muffins into an inconspicuous area near the driveway. It has to be the front yard because I don't want my own doggies to eat them.


So, I quietly fling and get the job done. Alas, the bathroom blinds were not closed, and as he was crossing the bathroom, he noticed odd white objects flying onto the upper "pasture". Totally a WTH moment for him. He's hoping the critters aren't on a low carb diet, and thankfully, it was warm enough (upper 70sF) that no squirrel would chip a tooth on a muffin and sue us. 


Day 14 (Monday)

Top: Butterick 5328
Shorts: Kwik Sew 3614

 I have a love-hate relationship with this top, and I think the hate is winning out. The gapping drove me crazy, so I deployed the safety pin, but this may be the last wearing.


Day 15 (Tuesday)

Top: Ann Taylor
Skirt: Sewaholic Crescent Skirt

Day 16 (Wednesday)


A better look at what I wore yesterday:

Top: Renfrew Pink
Skirt: Half a Crepe Wrap First seen on Day 1

Day 17 (today)

Top: Vogue 8536
Skirt: Denim "half a Crepe" worn on Day 7

I've worn this top a lot, and sadly, it has shrunk in length, so tucking was really my only option, but I think it looks ok.


Finally, wanna see the English muffins? Some of them have been eaten.

It's Me Made May Time!

Before I show what "me made" thing I'm wearing today, I just want to let you know that I'm not planning a daily "here's what I'm wearing" complete post. Only if I'm wearing something brand spanking new. That I haven't blogged about before. On the days that I'm wearing older stuff, I'll just post a picture and a link to the original post. I might even show 2 or 3 days of those kinds of outfits at a time. So, with all that in mind, Happy May Day!


Day 1

White blouse: Chico's
Linen Wrap Skirt (ties attached): Colette Crepe (skirt only)
Shoes: Land's End espadrilles 

If you were hoping for just a picture today, nope! Well, you have seen that skirt before, but it was part of this dress, made with Colette Patterns Crepe. Which, in spite of a handful of positive comments, I positively hated. Especially the way it made my shoulders look. I wore it once, washed it, and left it in a heap in the ironing basket (it's linen).


Two nights ago, I spent about two hours separating skirt from bodice (there were 3 lines of stitching. Go figure. Yesterday, I made a 1-1/2" wide waistband (3" interfaced and folded over), attached it to the skirt, slipped the long ties into the ends of the waistband, and stitched them securely.


I like the wrap to open in the front as well, so turned it around from the original "open in the back" way of the dress.


This blue linen will go with so many tops I have, so you'll be sure to see it again this month!

Flowers for Jasmine

Thanks for indulging in a little craziness!! I have Juanita Weasel on the "lock screen" on my phone and everytime I turn it back on, she makes me jump just a little, but I love her anyway!


But, back to the sewing... I made my second Colette Patterns Jasmine top last week, and gave it the debut wear today after enduring a little cold snap the last few days.

I made a few changes this time around. The sleeves are the most obvious. I used the cap sleeve pattern piece from Butterick 5328, and instead of just easing it in, I made a little inverted pleat at the shoulder seam.


The fabric is a print design from Anna Maria Horner, a voile, that I think I bought at fabric.com, and I didn't want the center seam. The floral print is in a line at a 30 degree angle from vertical, and after cutting it on the bias it's now at a kind of unfortunate angle that looks like I just didn't cut it straight, but, well, it doesn't bother me. Anyway, I cut it on the fold, and added vertical darts in the front and the back to give it a better fit.

I just wanted to show you that the center of the flowers match this skirt perfectly, and I'm not really color blind or anything.

I made the collar just a teeny bit wider, and the neckline just a bit lower.

I like it with the bow untied, too. So, the next time (and there WILL be a next time), I need to make it just a bit snugger around the waist. You obviously can't see in the pictures, but it kind of does this weird flip out thing at the hem. I'd also make the collar even wider in the back and around the shoulders, tapering back to the current width for the tie. Or I'll just leave the collar off. I'm thinking boat neck. Maybe sleeveless.


I'm working on a vintage Vogue right now, and I'm too lazy to go check to see which one. You'll just have to be surprised! :D

The Imperfect Ponte Pant

I had such high hopes. I used my already fitted Colette Clover pattern, and purchased some lovely navy ponte knit from FabricMart. Of course they would turn out fabulous, right? Not so much.


I'm only giving you one picture, so let's save it til the end, m'kay? Scroll down if you just can't wait another second, but if you can wait, here are some highlights and lowlights, in no particular order.

• Decided on some pockets, a la Sallie. I think it was the ponte, but I do take some responsibility.
• There are pockets, but they have been sewn shut.
• The pants turned out oddly high waisted. I scooped out about an inch and a half down in the front, because the back seemed fine.
• The back really isn't fine, needs to be just a bit lower.
• Decided on the side zipper, but not an invisible one.
• I caught some skin when wearing my other pair of clovers that do have an invisible zipper. Ouch. Plus, I live in fear of invisible zipper failure.
• Decided to do a lapped regular zipper.
• Ripped it out one time.
• Re-inserted. Yikes, it was oddly lumpy in places where I don't actually have lumps.
• Ripped it out again.
• Decided on NO zipper. With the knit, I can pull them on.
• The inside looks like a dog's breakfast. (I love that phrase, I hope I'm using it correctly... like is it A dog's breakfast, or just dog's breakfast?)
• No one can see the inside, thankfully.
• Ponte doesn't fray.
• I made a blind hem. It looks great. They are maybe a tad long. That's ok.
• I'm not sure I'll wear them in public.
• Then again, they would be really comfortable on a plane trip.
• Still. Maybe they will just be house pants.

I know. Super cute shoes, right?!

I Didn't Forget How to Sew! Just Look!

It's just like riding a bike, right? I've gone many more weeks, months and, yes, even years between sewing projects, but I was just feeling a little disoriented, and right in the middle of a project! I don't think I even told you what I was making, so let's start there.

Simplicity 4530 at Down the Street

A fabulous pattern from 1953, that is indeed for sale in my shop (click on the caption to go see the details). You don't think I can amass all these amazing vintage patterns without making up a few of them, do you? Often they sell before I get my chance, but I trace my real favs for that eventuality. This one is still available! Still, I traced, because I did make some semi-extensive alterations. I do not have a 1953 waistline! I'll plan show you those changes on Thursday, because I think more than a few of us do not have 1953 waistlines.


So, I pulled out the tripod, went outside because it is a fabulous day here today, and took pictures. I'll show you a few of those, but alas, there's no mirror out there, and the collar is a little wonky. I took one inside with the collar going the right way. I can see this could get to be a wearability issue if I start messing with it.


I made view 1 (the green one), out of some fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics (still available). I used the "wrong" side. Buttons are from Sunny Buttons (an Etsy shop).

This style just screams out ... wear pearls!! By the way, the cuffs, arghhhh!! They were much harder than they should have been, and I really did them my own way. More on them in the alteration post.


Now the outside shots, which show different ways to wear it. (Ignore the collar.) Pants: Clover Pattern, Blogged here.

With a Skinny Belt

No Belt, Untucked

Tucked In

Which way do you like the best?

Colette Patterns Rule!

I don't know which part of this post to do first, so, since I'm about 2 days late...


Thank you to The Coletterie (the blog for Colette Patterns), for featuring me and my Jasmine top in their Monday Featured Seamstress segment. If you missed it, you can click on the name and see the post. I was so flattered to have been chosen, after they had seen the Jasmine top in their flickr group. They made my Monday!


And on Monday, I finished my first pair of Clover pants. I say first pair, because I will definitely make more. I didn't actually have to make too many changes... traced the size 12, messed around with the crotch depth length. Is that the right term? The length that goes from your front waistline to the back waistline?


Anyway, after making the muslin, I had to tweak just a wee bit more, and they fit! OK, they are just a touch tight, but I'll take care of that with eliminating a recent obsession with Halloween candy. Done. The only change for the next pair is to lower the back waistline about half an inch. I did make the pockets, but I think I'll probably just leave them out for future pairs. I have several pieces of fabric already pulled in my stash for said future pairs.


These are made from an inexpensive poly gabardine from Hancocks. And it's black. Not too exciting, but I predict a lot of wear.


Oh, and p.s., no Wilma on Wednesday today, but the holidays are coming up, so lots of opportunities for hitting the dessert section of her cookbook pretty hard.

A New Jasmine

Boy, have I been a blogging slacker! I can't really blame self stitched September, though that would be tempting. No, I've actually been doing a little traveling, meeting with some of the friends I've made on Etsy for a little get-away in Providence, RI and other points east. Aren't we all adorable?!

I had planned to sew lots of adorable outfits for the trip, and did manage to finish one top. And it's not the one I'm wearing in the above pic. But, on the Friday before I left, I was furiously sewing and finished the Colette Patterns Jasmine top.

I did wear it, but didn't get a picture with my camera. So I wore it again today and it's time to fill you in! I love it, by the way. Before I do any reveal, let me just say that beginner is the right rating. It's super easy, and so far, it's been the easiest to fit (for me) Colette pattern yet. I suspect I know why, and it definitely has to do with user error.


I made a muslin, and for the first time in my history of making Colette Patterns, I just traced a straight size 10. Usually, I try to do a little tweaking before the muslin stage, but not this time. And the muslin told me that I only needed minimal tweaks. Having a center front and center back seam made things easy.


My usual narrow upper chest problem was solved simply by pinching in the excess at the center seam. I did the same at the back center, though not quite as much. I shortened the dart by about 1/2", and shortened the length about an inch. I also shortened the sleeve about 3/4". Finally, I pinched out about 3/4" from the length of the back armhole, because it was a little long, but left the sleeve seam alone because it was gathered at the top anyway.

The fabric is a madras I had in my stash, and I picked up the dark navy linen contrast at Gail K's in Atlanta. I did interface the collar pieces (not in the instructions) because the linen was a bit floppy.


One other big change was in the cutting out... I actually cut it on the bias cross grain. Is that a thing? Instead of placing the grainline arrow on the vertical, I placed it on the horizontal because I wanted the chevrons to look like the V's that you see and not upside down with the widest part pointing to my hips.


Finally, I have this thing about being trapped in my clothes. Do you know what I mean? Anyway, I put a 9" invisible zipper from the hemline up on the left side and solved that problem.

The madras colors varied greatly from stripe to stripe, so the matching is as good as it could get. I'm thrilled with it. Even the sleeves mostly match.


If I make it again, I'll pinch just a bit more out of the center and that's it.


Yesterday, we had a visit from Kyle, and after packing up more cool-weather clothes and a few other things, he went back to school today. It was fall break after all, so we were thrilled he gave us a few hours.

So is Danny the Dog saying "who is this boy?" or is he thrilled, too?