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!

Scarlet is Ready for the Beach!

Recent interchange in a restaurant:


Roland (husband... observing a woman walking by): I hate maxi dresses.


Kyle (son): Me too.


Me: I'm making me one.


Silence.


Me: It's from a vintage pattern that is remarkably similar to the dress that lady had on.


Me: For the beach trip.


End of that discussion.


So, not only have I made a maxi dress from a vintage pattern, but I made it from fabric that used to be curtains a la Scarlett O'Hare. If she were going to the beach and not to a prison to see Rhett Butler. These curtains:

About 4 yards of a soft cotton batik. That glinty spot you see is some beading I had added for fun. It became a problem.


The pattern I used, McCall's 3246, copyright 1972:

I don't actually have that much to say about it. Bust 34 is really a little small for me, but there isn't much fitting. I did a tissue fit, resulting in a full bust alteration (FBA) which added some needed width for the midriff. I made the midriff bands
a little longer on each side (somewhat unscientifically), and added 1/2" to the lower side edges of the back bodice which was plenty. I did narrow the shoulders about an inch.


I didn't have the instructions, but this is a pretty easy and straightforward pattern. It doesn't call for lining, and I didn't want to anyway. Remember, beach. Hot temps. The V-neck has a foldover lining, and I secured it with some machine embroidery using one of the fancy stitches on my machine. I used the same thread hogging stitch around the midriff as well.

Oh! When I did the FBA, it also lengthens the bodice a bit. I removed that length along the center edge, eliminating any gaping. That's also what's causing the midriff band to sag a bit at the sides, something I can live with. If you want to see the embroidery better, I think clicking on the pic zooms you in a bit.


I did have to shorten the dress a bit, and initially, I just gathered the full widths of the rectangle, but that turned out to be way too much volume around the middle. I had traced the skirt pattern, which has an a-line shape, effectively removing about 8 inches per side.

Yep, the midriff band does sag a bit around the sides, and while I know why (see above), I didn't realize it until after all the embroidery was done. Remember... beach dress, not a couture gown.


I used an invisible zipper which admittedly is not as 1972 as it is 2012, but it was the only matching one I had. The seams and embroidery don't match up perfectly... beach dress. Now for a little test... the back skirt panels had to be pieced because of the fancy beading on the curtain which was sewn into a seam, not just put on top. I'm hoping it's not too noticeable.

I haven't gotten Roland's opinion, but frankly, my dear... well, you know the rest!

A Cambie Skirt for Day 9

A Cambie skirt? You read that right. As a pattern tester for the Sewaholic Cambie pattern (have you ordered yours yet?) I made the full skirted version, but that A-line skirt was calling my name, and I had the perfect fabric. Yesterday, a friend of mine and I went to the Roswell Womans Club Showcase Home to oooh and aaah (and support the fundraiser), and I had her snap a picture in the showhouse of my entire me made outfit, featuring this new skirt. (Disclaimer: she had never taken a cell phone picture... I know.. so it's a really bad picture.)

Raincoat: Sewaholic Minoru Jacket
Top: McCall's 5522
Skirt: A-line Cambie skirt

A few more details about the skirt... I made the straight size 14 without any alterations, except maybe the length. The length was dictated by the border print on this Echino linen. I lined it because the linen is kind of scratchy. I put an invisible zipper in it and had it go all the way to the top of the waistband. And that's about it. It's a great a-line skirt!

This picture is a little better. The rain had stopped and the sun came out, but it was still on the cool side, upper 60s. I did some topstitching around the waistband and the pocket openings, and you can't really see it, but my thread color matches that yellow strip at the hemline.


Day 10


Might as well add today's outfit to the post. It's a rerun. Temperature in the mid-70s, sunny and gorgeous. I got to enjoy the morning at the dentist, and the afternoon napping off a headache. Yippee. Once the headache subsided, I did finish another skirt and think I'll wear it tomorrow.

Top: Vogue 8151
Jeans: Talbots
Can you see the dog?

Weekday Roundup #2, Days 12, 13, 14, 15

September 12

Dress: Butterick 5181, blogged here.

Shoes: Sofft

Thoughts: This sundress is comfortable enough, and fits pretty well, though the bodice is kind of weird. Not visually, looking at the picture, but more of a weird feeling when wearing. And it's really... flower-y. Maybe better suited to spring and early summer.


September 13

Top and belt: Talbots

Skirt: Simplicity 2211

Shoes: Sofft

Thoughts: I still need to write about the construction of this skirt, but it's really comfortable, fits well, and this is how I imagined wearing it. I think the belt really finishes the look, and I have a lot of black tops for fall and winter, so add tights and boots, and I have a year-round skirt.

September 14

Top: McCalls 5522, blogged here.

Shorts: Kwik Sew 3614, blogged here.

Thoughts: These are two pieces in my closet that have gotten lots of wear this summer. I find chambray to be a fabric that can go with so much, and the shorts are seersucker, the perfect summer fabric here in the south. It's water theme day over in the flickr group, and while I'd love to be at the beach, my journey with water today involved the washing machine and dishwasher. I turned on the sprinkler for the pic, and got a rainbow for a little decoration.


September 15

Top: Colette Patterns Violet

Skirt: Talbots

Thoughts: This is Violet's debut, hot off the sewing machine just yesterday. I'll do it's own post about some of the construction, but it's made of a quilting cotton that has a little green houndstooth pattern. Click on the pic to enlarge and see it.

But, a fitting question...

Do you see those diagonal wrinkles leading from the yoke to my armpits? I have a couple of ideas on how to fix them, but what do y'all think? Wider bottom piece with more gathering? Deeper armholes? The sleeves are a titch tight, and I'm wondering if that is contributing to the pull. Ignore the bad tucking in job, I've had this on all day, hence all the skirt wrinkles, too.

A Refashion: But is it Better?

Normally, things don't get refashioned so quickly, but you may remember this:

I made it in May, and wore it officially the first time in June on our vacation. The whole time I wore it though, I just felt silly. Like I was wearing either a maternity top, or one that just felt too elementary school. I think a 9 year old would look adorable in this. Not sure if it's the style or the fabric or a combination of the two, but I just wasn't feeling it.


A remake was in order, and I knew just what I was going to do. A Frankenpattern combining the Claire cami for the bodice and McCalls 5522.


OK, we're friends, right. I'm only showing you this because I like you. So, be nice. Anyway, I know what the problem is. The top to just below the casing is where I cut it off, and that part of the Claire cami is longer than the McCalls top, and I didn't take that into account, so the fit is off. But I'm not going to go back and change anything. Nope, third time will not be the charm.

There's a serious buttoning issue. It's pulling for one thing, and for another, I can't comfortably button the bottom button. Now, I'm kinda working on that issue, but for the time being it now doesn't really fit. When we got ready to go out to lunch yesterday, Kyle gave me the look of horror, as in "mom, what are you wearing?!! and will I be seen with you?"


So I decided to try to "style" it another way. How about as a vest?

Um. No. Ok, it does address the buttoning issue, but for one, the necklines don't work. As a vest, the neckline is really all wrong. Kyle gave me another thumbs down, and I changed. One of the sewing bloggers has a "magic closet" (I can't remember who, if you know, please let me know... it's a great name for it) and I'm going to let this live in the magic closet for awhile. Either I'll lose some weight and revisit wearing this, or hmmm, maybe it will fit Laura.

I Thought It Was June

I was going to do my first Me Made June post, and daughter, Laura and I took some pictures, and upon uploading, well, that's when I discovered that it is actually still May. So, I'll show you the top I finished last week with some commentary. It's not one that will get heavy rotation so you won't get bored.

Yep, we've had a hard couple of days around here with some incredibly sad news, and you'll have to forgive me if my brains are scattered. Frankly, I'm pleased that I still kind of know how to type, but this is a welcome distraction.

This top, McCalls 5661, has been cut out for awhile, but I finally got around to it. It's the first Palmer/Pletsch pattern I've made, and it's "The Perfect Fit Top". The instructions are fantastic, complete with fitting instructions. Lines for making alterations are printed on the tissue. Sprinkled throughout are "Fit Tips" and "Quick Tips" (which are sewing tips). I decided to glam up the hem, and for the record, my top was already cut out when Gertie posted about the scalloped day dress.

I will most likely not wear it with this skirt, but I wanted you to be able to see the hem. And it fits amazingly well, Except for one teeny little annoying problem.

I followed the sway back alteration lines to a t, and when doing the tissue fitting, all seemed well. When doing the pin fitting, all seemed well. But you can see that all is not well. The print is busy enough though, that I'm probably the only one that notices, and it feels kind of weird.

I do envision wearing this top with black trousers, and maybe a black cardigan (or an ivory one). But mostly, I made it to wear with this:

How about some belted options?

I even have a wider belt that mimics the black border, but forgot about it when I was taking the pictures.

For the inside facings, I ran into a wee little dilemma. First, here's a picture of how I had to redraw the facings, which I ultimately traced onto their own tissue. This is just the front facing.

Can you see the red line? On the front piece, I had lowered the neckline about an inch, and had to take a tuck at the armscye to make it lie flat. That raised the armpit portion of the armscye. The shoulders and upper bust are the size 12, and then I made my usual widening out to the 14 + to accommodate the tummy and hips.

Oops, not enough fabric to cut out the front facing. After making the scallops, I made a facing to match for the hem, and followed instructions from my Vogue Sewing Book.

Finally, a knitting tragedy to share, but not really a serious one in the scheme of things. Darn dog.

McCalls 5522 -- Top #2 -- Done!

There were 2 button front tops in my haul from Faye's giveaway, and originally, I had planned to make the Simplicity one for this challenge. In a last minute change of thought, I went with McCalls 5522 instead. I made View B, without any sleeves.

I really had not anticipated it taking me all week, so I'm a little behind schedule in both this challenge and the RTW Jacket sew along. Hopefully, this weekend, I can make better progress. Luckily, I have a couple easier knit tops that will be next in line (and have just been added to the queue), to help that along.

This was my test photo and other than the lighting (doesn't it look sunny?), and I wanted to show off the iris behind me. I had nothing to do with them as they came with the house. Right after the self-timer went off, it started raining and my outdoor photo session came to an abrupt halt.

Back to the top... I love it! The fabric is chambray from fabric.com. This envelope had the sizes 12-20 in it, and it was perfect. I started with the 12 at the shoulders, used the size 12 line for the armscyes, ending at the size 14 line for the rest of the upper pieces. For the lower pieces, I started at the 14 line, and graded my way out to the 16 for the hips. I ended up using more like 3/8" seamlines for the lower pieces, except at the top where it connects to the upper, because while it fit, it just felt a little snug.

Inside now. The back fits pretty well. I possible should have scooped in just a bit for the sleeveless-ness look, but that's a minor quibble.

I tried to crop in up close for the topstitching which is kind of a light khaki color that I feel like blends really well, but still adds some interest. The "buttons" are really snaps that I just found for a quarter at a recent estate sale. You can really see them that well (can you click on the photo and see it larger--maybe) but they look like regular white shirt buttons. They probably didn't go on any quicker though, because there was a learning curve for getting them "installed". One button was crushed from over vigorous hammering. When they mean place it upside down on a thick fabric pad, well, they kind of mean it.