Instant Gratification sewing

Since my sewing time this weekend was re-allocated to other important activities like napping and hanging out with friends, and since we are in for a hot spell this week, - perhaps the last of autumn – I decided to spend my 2 sewing hours today renovating 2 pr of trousers into shorts for hubby (at his request). I am very happy with the results, as is hubby.
I then took one of the cut-off legs and turned it into a pouch to go in hubby’s book bag for his wallet and phone. Hopefully he won’t have to spend as much time fishing them out of the bottom of the bag now.

Simplicity easy chic suit skirt part 2

Today’s Sewing Philosophy: stop, look, and listen (to yourself).

Today I have stitched the darts and side seams. The last time I made this skirt it turned out too big, and even though I’ve taken it in to sit properly on my hips, it still feels a bit ‘baggy’ and frumpy. So I made sure to stop and try on after I did the side seams this time. As you can see from the first 2 photos, it still looks a bit loose, especially around the hips. Before going any further, I thought I’d pin the flounce on to see how that affected the overall look. I am glad I did – look how frumpy this is!

Looking at the pattern envelope, the skirt is supposed to stop mid patella. I re-pinned a few times until I got the length right. This told me I needed to take out a (whopping) 7 cm of length. That was more than I thought I could manage by just pinning and cutting. So I unpicked the side seams, folded the pattern at the designated spot, pinned the darts in the pattern, laid the paper pattern over the fabric, and re-cut the pieces.

I then re-stitched the side seams, and have decided that is enough for today.

P.S. Photos apear to have uploaded in reverse order - opps!

Simplicity easy chic suit 4885: Part 1

First things first – the pattern:

http://www.simplicity.com/Search.aspx?SearchTerm=4885&x=0&y=0



I have previously made the pants, quite successfully and the skirt, less successfully. I have a First Draft* of the jacket and a muslin of the top on the mannequin, and it’s my intention to make a complete 3 piece suit form this pattern together with a couple of the tops.
I decided to have another go at the skirt, using some mystery green suiting fabric that has matured nicely in my collection. I checked my measurements and decided that I fall between the 20 – 22 sizes on this pattern. Then I remembered something from Carolyn’s interview on Gertie’s blog, and took my waist, hip and thigh measurements while sitting down – after all, I want this to be a skirt for working, and I work sitting down. Based on the sitting measurements, I decided to cut the size 22. If it turned out too big (as the first one did) I could always cut it down half-a-size.
After cutting the pieces, I pinned together the main skirt part, leaving off the flounce. Looking in the mirror, standing, walking and sitting, it seems to be the right size.
Next I cut the interfacing and pinned it to the skirt facings. That’s enough work on the skirt today.
Next I returned to the top muslin. I had previously pinned it in where I thought it was a bit loose around the bust/back. Again keeping Carolyn’s advice in mind, I tried the top on sitting down. This helped me to decide that I had taken it in too much and it was a little bit too snug for sitting and typing in at work. So, I will be taking it in about 2 ¾ cm at each underarm seam, but only at the under arm for about 4 -5 cm; the rest seems right. Next I’ll sew up the new seams, and get Hubby to pin me in where the zip goes to double check.
Finally, I pinned in the shoulder pads I bought for the jacket. I had previously suspect the shoulders are too broad, and with the shoulder pads in pace, I am quite sure they need to be taken in by about 1.5 cm. SO I have unpicked the sleeves and will be fiddling with about resetting them in an effort to find the right fit.

*A First Draft is when I hope to both work out fit issues and that the garment turns out presentable and wearable, but use inexpensive fabric in case I have to bin it.

skirt + top = summer frock

I bought the skirt part of this dress on sale at a Salvos that was closing down. It was the first thing I bought expressly to re-fashion. It was a size 12, i.e. 2 sizes too small for me, but I liked the colour, shape and nifty embroidery detail at the hem. I started by removing the waistband, leaving me with 3 tiers. I was going to combine it with a men's business shirt I bought at the same time to make a shirt-dress, but I couldn't figure out how to do it nicely.
The top was #3 in a series of 4 tops made from a Very Easy Vogue pattern. It was a bit gapey at the front and I was not very happy with it. Although it didn't photo so well, I quite liked the narrow stripes, and thought I'd keep it as a vest to wear over long sleeved tops in the winter. When the shirt-dress was obviously not coming together right, I thought of this top instead.
A quick finish of the skirt's raw edges, another quick hem around the waist/hip line and voila a new summer dress!

A new jacket at Salvos

2 Saturdays ago, quite on a whim, Hubby and I stopped by our local Salvos shop. We found loads of things for him, as we always seem to do and a few for me too: 3 patterns, a length of fabric, and a brand new with tags on “Mechanical Jacket” from emerge brand.

A quick Google tells me that emerge is sold through ezibuy. The tag says RRP $49.95, and I got it for $15. I wonder if someone bought it, was not happy with it, and then never got around to returning it, so it ended up donated. So even though its form an op-shop, since it’s brand new I feel I ought to hand over my get-out-of-jail-free card (I lasted a month! But it’s my first pledge).

I have also been sewing and have a refashion semi-complete to show you all in the next week or so. My M-i-L has been visiting, so no sewing for me this weekend, but we did buy her a vintage dressing gown pattern.

A sheer adventure

This blue blouse is a ‘first draft’ of Burda pattern ... Unlike a muslin, which is for working out pattern tweaks and is never intended to be worn outside the fitting room, when I make a first draft I use nice but inexpensive material, in the hope of ending up with a wearable garment, but prepared to bin it if it’s a disaster.
The fabric is a remnant of cornflower blue ‘soufflé georgette’ that I bought on sale at Cleggs specifically for this project. I decided to do a first draft for a few reasons. My old machine doesn’t like lightweight fabrics, so I haven’t really worked in sheers or light fabrics before, and the pattern calls for silk or cotton batiste, which I understand to be quite fine. Also I was not convinced that this shape was going to be flattering on me. Third, I am still figuring out my Burda size. According to my measurements I fall between sizes 46 and 48. In Burda world that puts me into the ‘plus’ size range; however, since I am smaller on top than on bottom, with a little tweaking I think I can make some of the size 46 tops work for me. This top, and my brown kit cardigan jacket, are both size 46, and are both loose and unstructured, which I think is why they work. For this one, I added about 1.5 cm at the entre fold front and back, resulting I suppose ion an additional 6 cm all around, as font and back were cut on the fold. (it was unclear from the instructions if I was supposed to add width here, but I could tell from the tissue fit that it would be too snug without it).
The pattern is quite simple and went together fairly easily. I trialled a few flashy finishing stitches on the cabbage, but given how light the fabric is, they didn’t really take, and rather than spend sewing time faffing about with tension and whatnot, I mostly stuck with straight and zig-zag stitches. I zig-zagged the seams to prevent fraying, then pressed them to the back as much as possible. The straight stitching caused a gathering effect, most noticeable on the shoulder/top of arms seams. I am not sure if that is supposed to happen, or typically happens, but the effect is quite nice.
I left it too late to research how to mitre the neck band, and consequently had applied it incorrectly,. The finish is no as neat as it could have been, but is probably only noticeable to me (and now to my readers).

My First Official Re-fashion

Here is my first Wardrobe Re-fashion entry. Take one yellow promotional shirt, plus the cabbage from the orange knit top, to make a colour block skirt just like on the catwalks – well, maybe.
Next time I’ll remember t shape the waistband before attaching it to the skirt portion, making sure to include a sway back adjustment.

Wardrobe Refashion Pledge

The Pledge

I Belle pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months, starting 1 Jan 2010. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!

Signed: Belle.

Taking a leaf from Botticelli Babe’s book

Botticelli Babe has resolved to maintain her commitment to fine construction detail in 2010, following on from her commitment to take time to finish garments neatly in 2009. Go say hi to her - http://botticellicraft.blogspot.com/
I find myself inspired to do the same.
Monday I wore my new knit top (4th in a series of 4 made from the same pattern, in different fabrics, of which 2 fit really well, one is a bit loose and one turned out a bit big and gapes, which I blame on the fabric). The knit is a burnt orange colour and I did the construction seams using an orangey-gold coloured thread from an earlier project. I also tried out a couple of stitches for the first time – the stretch straight stitch and the single overcast stitch – which gave an extra neat and secure finish to my seams, without adding any bulk.

When it came to topstitching the neck and arm holes and the hem, I toyed with using the orangey-gold thread as an accent or design feature, but in the end wound some orange thread onto the bobbin that was a much closer match to the fabric. I am glad I did as I am very pleased with the finished garment. And as further proof that I made the right choice, a colleague told me that the top does not look like it is homemade – which I take to mean it looks RTW.

Christmas gift - pink dress

Today I made this dress for the 1 1/2 y.o. daughter of some friends. Originally I put a deep hem in, but when I measured it, I realised the dress would be floor length - not really practical for a toddler. So I turned up the hem a second time. I hope that next summer her mum can let down the second hem, revelaing the froggies on the bottom of the dress. The out of focus photo at the bottom is a length of uncut fabric, taken before I cut it up for the straps. The gingham is in the first deep hem.

Re-fashions in green

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These were both quick and easy refashions. The green knit top was not flattering, and not worth sending to an op-shop. Instead, I put it on over a favourite singlet top and traced the neckline of the singlet top onto the front of the knit. Then it was simply a matter of cutting off the neck, evening up the new neckline, and doing a roll-hem by hand. All up it probably took about 1 – 1 ½ hours (I’m a slow stitcher).

The sleeve of the woven shirt tore and was irreparable. Not wanting to toss it out, and knowing its only a matter of time until a similar tear appears in the body, I took off the sleeves and the collar, stitched the collar edges together, and finished the arm holes with bias binding. This was one of the first projects to come from the new machine, and with the 30+ days we had in Nov, I was very glad of it.

These are a few of my favourite things

About half-an-eon ago Villana asked me to post about some of my favourite sewing blogs. So here they are:

http://www.dressaday.com/dressaday.html
This is the one the probably started it all. I think I found it via mrsbrown’s f’list, but it may have been that someone else pointed it out to me (if it was you please do let me know, I like to give credit where its due.)
I think the next few came from Google reader’s recommendations.

http://nikkishell.typepad.com/wardroberefashion/
I think I found this one via google reader, its one of the most recent additions to my reading list, and it has inspired me to look at my wardrobe off-casts in a whole new light. I think I will take up the pledge for 2 months.

http://missceliespants.com/
I really enjoy Miss Celie’s writing style. I enjoy the way she talks about selecting fabrics, patterns and notions, her thoughts about pattern alterations, and the way she rocks her finished garments. I think this is where I first read about Burda magazine http://www.burdafashion.com/en/index.html (formerly Burda World of Fasion or BWOF) and http://sewing.patternreview.com/news

http://sewingfantaticdiary.blogspot.com/
I love reading Carolyn’s blog. She has such a joie de vivre and a joie de sewing! Sewing is Carolyn’s one and only hobby, and her blog is full of tips and tricks, great ideas in inspiration. I love watching a garment develop from an idea – often inspired by catwalk fashion – to wearing it out in the world. She is happy to answer questions, is very encouraging of less-advanced sewers, does a weekly New Sewists post, and generally makes me feel really good about where I am at in my sewing journey – I want to be like Carolyn when I grow up!
Reading Celie’s and Carolyn’s blogs have also alerted me other sewing/fashion blogs, some of which I have enjoyed, others I have passed by after a few entries. Here are some examples that (I think) came from these ladies’ recommendations:
http://betweenlaundrydays.blogspot.com/ (I don’t think she sews, but she makes jewellery)
http://daddylikey.blogspot.com/ (check out her “Don’t Showcha your Chocha” entries. They will change the way you view the world, I promise)
http://www.lindsaytsews.com/ (Lindsay and I have completely different aesthetic, life stages and experiences. Some days I scroll right over her posts, other days I am intrigued by what’s going on in her world.)

http://twoontwooff.blogspot.com/
I’m not sure how I found Dawn’s blog, but I enjoy her writing. She lives in Alaska, has 3 kids (twin girls and a son), works as a teacher, runs something like 5 miles a day, and yet find time to sew more garments in a week than I finish in a month. She has been sewing for a relatively short time, sews from Burda quite often, and is at the level I;d like to reach in the next year or so. Her “courageous” sewing, i.e. experimenting with her sewing, is inspirational.

http://botticellicraft.blogspot.com/
This is my friend A. Although we’ve lost touch over the last year or so, both busy with our respective lives, I enjoy seeing what she’s been up to, and what she is producing in her sewing/craft room.

I hope that you enjoy reading some of my favourite blogs. Please feel free to comment leaving links to any of your must-read sewing/fashion blogs that you’d like to share.

Going about sewing the wrong way?

As I came back to the office from my coffee run today I was struck by the notion hat I am going about my sewing preparation backwards. Inspired by Caroline of diaryofasewingfanatic, I have for some months been intending to use my week nights to prepare fabrics, patterns and so forth, so that on the weekends I can sit down and sew (or perhaps more accurately, construct). The problem has been that I often can’t be bothered with the ironing board, fold-out dining table, patterns and fabric on a weeknight, so inevitably I fall behind on my sewing plans.

This week I have been working on construction of SammyHubby’s robe for Armageddon. I am finding it quite easy to come home, have dinner, then sit at the machine for an hour to get a few seams done than I find it to start on project preparations. The added bonus being when its time to stop, I can just get up form the machine, throw the dust cover over everything and walk away, whereas if I am cutting, ironing etc, I feel I need to tidy up and put away at the end of the evening, especially if I have been working in the lounge room rather than the sewing room.

So perhaps I will try doing things the other way around – prepare for projects on weekends when I can dedicate several hours to it at once, then sew in fits and starts on weeknights.

BWOF & PatternReview

I have recently discovered Burda World of Fashion Magazine (BWOF) thanks to some sewing blogs I have been following – which I have also added to my blogroll here, in case you are interested in who has been inspiring me.
I have just joined PatternReview.com, mainly because I wanted to read the 3 reviews of the pattern I am about to tackle: BWOF Aug 2008 Jacket #119A. Turns out you have to be a member to read reviews older than 6 mths old. So my username over there is Bellestar. Not sure if I’ll be active and posting or if I’ll just use it as an info resource. I may sew along with some of the competitions; whether I actually enter them is yet to be determined.

Wardrobe in Progress: Merovingian - coat

I have almost finished the reconstruction of the brown wool/silk blend coat – or as I affectionately call it, Mervin. I removed the collar, pulled it apart at the side seams, took 15 cm off each side of the body panel, raised the gores to start in the underarm, added extra length and width to the gores, put it all back together and reattached the collar. All that remains now is to hem it.
In spite of the initial frustration of trying to get it figures out and the disappointment that many people looked at the first version and declared it unattractive or, worse yet, inaccurate, I am very proud of my work on this project, and with the finished product. Firstly, I took the research and had a go. I still stand by my initial interpretation of the construction. If I had made it up in a very light silk, as was the extant garment, I believe my original garment proportions would have been appropriate. However, I listened to and took on board people’s comments and observations, and decided to rework the garment, necessarily reinterpreting the research, to make it more practical, and more appealing to the modern aesthetic.
I showed the coat to (Mistress) Margie last night and we had a good chat about the difficulties of reproducing garments from early eras when there is so little surviving extant evidence. We also discussed the fact that, as modern people, we view things through our own filter, and make assumptions about how garments were made or looked in the period, based on our own aesthetic bias. Perhaps big, sack-like coats were how it was done, we will probably never know.
In any event, I will be warm, comfortable and dry at Festival in my woollen coat, although I worry a little about rain on the silk collar. On the other hand, the collar is easily detached and replaced, so I will try not to fret too much.


Still on the ‘to do’ list:
Re-hem the red tunic, taking about 10 – 15 cm off the length
Finish green linen tunic
Make 1 – 2 more pair of hose
Make red coat (maybe. I hope I get time, but it’s not essential)
Make 2 more under tunics, hem and alter current under tunic.
Buy 2nd pair of shoes – I wore my leather shoes with my hose last night. Not only were they comfy, but they also attracted compliments, so I will definitely buy a 2nd pair - Perhaps a red pair? Or black?
Have belt made to fit new buckle fittings from FC Pewter.

Birthday Dress – the beginning

I really wanted a new dress to wear for my birthday outing at the end of the month. I don’t need a new dress - I have plenty of lovely things to wear, but I wanted one. I had thought of going to Fashion Incubator and splashing out on a designer dress (http://www.fashionincubator.com.au/), but I also want to save my pennies for my trip to Festival at Easter.

The other day I was running through my stash in my head, thinking about another project I suspect, when I remembered the purple crepe I bought earlier in the year. I had planned to make a Golden Age Cat Woman dress for a fancy dress party (http://www.goldenagebatman.com/catwoman.html), then realised the party clashed with a mate’s gig at the Espy. Since we was driving overnight from Wollongong to do the gig, the least we could do was attend – so the dress was never made.

With less than 3 weeks until my birthday, rather than trying a new pattern, I have decided to make a new version of a dress I made several years ago: Simplicity 9258. I chose the pattern size based on measurements Villana took of me in January – does anyone else find they take bigger sizes in patterns than in off-the-rack clothing? Perhaps it’s because the patterns are not Australian.

Last weekend I cut out all the pieces. I have realised that, for me, I need to break sewing from a commercial pattern down into small steps. First, I cut out the patterns pieces, then I leave it until the next day/weekend to construct – otherwise I suffer delusions of grandeur about the speed with which I sew, and get upset when the piece isn’t finished in a day.

Today, I constructed the bodice section. I am taking my time, reading the instructions carefully and following them precisely, not cutting corners or rushing. And as a result, I am not only enjoying the process, I am really happy with the results (so far). It means I haven’t finished my dress in a day, but I think I will end up with something of which I can be really proud.

So I am not a fast seamstress – I can live with that, as long as I look good doing it.

The Tim Gunn Challenge (1)

In his make-over show, Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, Tim Gunn asks his subjects to select ten items from their closet that they cannot live without, and explain why they selected each item. These items, says our stylist, should be ‘soul stirring’. Inevitably the subject chooses practical, comfortable, “safe” garments that have been in high rotation in their wardrobe. Rarely are the items classic, inspirational or irreplaceable – and rarely do they meet with the approval of Tim and his co-host Greta.

In the interests of investigative fashion reporting, I have decided to share with you some of the garments I cannot live without. For the purpose of this challenge, I define item as a garment of outer wear, excluding underwear, hosiery, shoes or accessories.

1. Black tulip skirt from Camden Markets, England – so called because of the embroidered tulips, not because of its shape. I love the drop waist with full skirt, which I think is flattering as well as comfortable; the flowers are beautifully done and the red border gives the piece interest and contrast; it moves well when I walk; it is appropriate for a variety of situations and weather conditions.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mskilian/2460355427/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mskilian/2461188744/in/photostream/

2. Brown vintage wool coat – well to start with it’s not black! Again, the shape is beautiful and flattering; the black velvet ribbon detail is elegant and glamorous; it works with pants or skirts; it’s practical for winter without being dull, bulky or ugly.

3. Light tan cotton coat from Cotton On – again I like the shape; it’s comfortable; the button detail adds interest; it goes with pants and skirts; it’s a good weight for trans-seasonal wear.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mskilian/3103625326/

4. Green vintage coat – again, shape is a big factor; the fabric and collar details are interesting and I love the colour; it’s another trans-seasonal piece; it’s a one-off (in fact I think it’s a bespoke garment); and I have altered it for fit and flattery, so it is now bespoke to me.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mskilian/3003797105/

5. Jeans from Sara
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mskilian/2571959405/

6. Brown Ojay wrap dress – although this is getting on a bit, it’s still one of my go to garments; it can be worn alone or over pants, with boots, sandals or heels, and works for a variety of occasions and weather conditions; the shape and fit I think are flattering; the colours are good for me (I think), and the pattern is interesting.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mskilian/2504933078/in/photostream/

As you can see, there are only 6 items on my list. I had listed more garments, but upon contemplation, realised they are not soul stirring, merely comforting and comfortable.
So, over to you – what 10 items can’t you live without? Do you have 10 in your wardrobe that are soul stirring? Can you limit it to only 10? Leave a comment here letting me know you’ve taken up the challenge including a link to your own Tim Gunn challenge results.

Yours in fashion,

Belle.

Quickie Update

I am trying to finish some of my half complted projects, especially mending and alteration proijects, before we move. To that end, I have finished the mauve palla (photos may be posted eventually), mended a skirt and have ALMOST finished dolls clothes for my niece. Just need to buy some more press studs, because I was short by ONE. V annoying.
Since we move in just under 3 weeks, I think the rest of the projects will be packed in their partially completee stages. I hope to get a few hours in the sewing room on Sunday to sort them out, label and bag them.

Vikings and Favours

I went to the Viking Games on the weekend, which was a really fun, low key event. I’d like to see more of this type of event. Baroness Aefled was wearing a lovely Viking style dress with appliqué figures around the hem. I would like to publicly denounce my former statements about Viking garb, and acknowledge that on some people it does look quite pretty.

I caught up with Maeve, who gave me my silver bell for coming equal second in the Roman Garb competition at 12th night. I am going to sew it onto my purse together with the butterfly token from the event so I know that’s where I won it.

I have done some reading and thinking about favours both in period and in game. It seems that, in period, love tokens did not tend to bear any symbol denoting the giver’s identity. In SCA, a favour typically bears the arms of the giver or other identifying image. So, my plan is to make a SCA-style favour for Finian to wear, in addition to a period-style favour. I hope to enter them both in the Kingdom comp at May Crown. This is a plan and not a core promise ;)

More Shiny Things

As noted before Christmas, the Kingdom A&S Competitions at 12th Night Coronation this past weekend included a Roman Garb competition. I decided to enter my green Egypto-roman inspired outfit with my new burgundy palla and sash. Since the competition cam at the end of 3 weeks’ holidays one would think Belle had plenty of time to put together her supporting documents. On the contrary, Belle’s brain switched off completely and so the entry was accompanied by: an article from the internet; a few pictures printed out; and a piece of pink note paper listing the items that formed the entry, all of which I was wearing. Not surprisingly the 3 judges all said they’d have like to see details of what I had done, how I made the pieces and why I made the decisions I made. In spite of that I got marked in the high 20’s (out of 50) and the balance of the comments pleased me. I was also glad that I had entered, ensuring that the competition could run.

I wasn’t in Court on Sunday when the results were announced, however I was delighted to learn that Artemisia had won the garb competition and was declared overall Event Champion. I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that I had been awarded a highly commended for the garb competition, and that a token was on its way. I was also amused that my dear friend Blayney, who was relaying the news, hadn’t recognised my full SCA name when used in Court, he he he.

So, I have entered 2 competitions in the past few months, won the first and received highly commended in the second. I think I will enter a few more. Some Kingdom A&S Comps I might enter this year: Favours; Household items; Men’s clothes; Beauty treatments; Earrings. Stay tuned.