M7121 - Meh

before and after modifications,
with a hefty dose of why-I-am-putting-these-pictures-on-the-internet?

 Excuse the potato quality pictures.  I was pretty lazy about getting these.  

I'd been particularly excited about this pattern, as I thought the chevron would solve the fabric problem I was having.   My lovely stripy fabric (found on the bargain table) stretched ALONG the stripes, instead of perpendicularly to them.... (which is probably why it ended up on the bargain table.)  But with a bias cut, I could avoid horizontal stripes and still manage to get into it.

Silly me.

Straight out off the pattern (I know.. but I didn't bother to muslin this) it was a mess.  Despite being a knit and what looks to be a fairly close fit, it has an elasticized waist  -- but not enough material to make it bloused -- just enough to make it pull oddly.  Plus, the whole thing hangs rather low.

Anyhow, I have since taken out the elastic, taken it in the waist and pulled the shoulders up by about three inches.  It's helped, but I'm still not very happy with the fit.  (Greg's verdict: 'It's okay, but your other dresses are nicer')  

Whoever drafted this pattern really punted hard - rather than facings or binding or lining or anything, it just calls for folding over and sewing.  Not even with stabilization - no way the armholes won't grow like crazy.   So, someday, when I'm less disappointed by this dress, I'll probably do a binding of some kind.  However, for the moment.  meh.  Mostly just a bit annoyed over wasting fabric I really liked.

If you are thinking about using this pattern, make sure to plan some significant redrafting into your plans.

Renn Fest Prep

It's that time of year again - I usually try and pretend I'm doing something sort of historically accurate - but this year, nothing doing.    This year, I'm screwing around.

The nonsense started with a masking tape double.  I didn't feel like fitting a corset properly, so I popped on a trashbag and made Greg run around me a zillion times and did the fitting the lazy way.

After I'd been extricated, I drew the shape I wanted, front and back,  cut them out (and folded down the bust to get the right, flat, "historical" shape, and blamo!   Corset pattern.   The boning will take up just enough space, so that with the lacing it will be skin tight, but not actually compressive.  

As of writing, the shirt is also finished (no pictures yet) and the skirt is in progress.   One of the pattern weights was very helpfully holding it down for me.

(Oddly enough, she is the 'helpful' one.   Goshu likes to pull the pins out...)

fitting Greg's suit

Somehow, between us, my boyfriend and I got invited to seven weddings this summer.  Then, I shot myself in the foot by convincing him he was insane for wearing heavy jeans all summer, extolling the virtues of linen and seersucker.   Naturally, this wobbled and warped until it became a request for a lovely, lightweight summer suit.   With a deadline.    He needs it for June 21st, which is terrifyingly close.   

Greg's butt. 

As usual, following Vogue's envelope sizing resulted in WAY too much ease - I ended up taking a good inch or two of width out of each leg to get even a vaguely reasonable fit.   I also ended up taking a big wedge out to get it to lay more or less flat.  (show in his right leg - conveniently on the right side of the picture)   The problem with men's pants is trying to find that sweet spot, with enough ease for comfort, but not so much they look lumpy.

I would have preferred a few more test runs, but the wedding this is destined for in in a week and a half, so I'm about a third of the way through the real version of the pants.  (Think happy thoughts) 

super wrinkly

 Th jacket is still very much in progress and we'll be doing a third fitting on it this weekend.   Its still sitting oddly on the shoulders and back, and I'm going to need to add more ease to the area to allow him to comfortably drive.   (I tried to convince him that stylish men take their jackets off to drive and don't really need to pick things up.   He was skeptical.)

Has anyone else made this pattern?  Or a seersucker suit?   (they aren't quite like regular ones, having no real lining, to keep everything as cool as possible)   I'd welcome any advice on getting the fitting set.

V8988

a wedding bolero

Long and incredibly rambling story short (its been a hell of a month) I made a bolero for my friend's wedding from the excess tulle of her dress.

look, she's all bride-tastic

We used the perfect shrug pattern, modified to work for a woven (if tulle counts as woven) rather than a knit, in fittings spanning 200 miles and four weeks.

We were both very pleased with how it came out -- but in the end she only wore it for about five minutes.   She also had a birdcage veil, and decided with it AND the bolero, she looked too encased - one had to go and she wanted to keep the veil.  Such is life.  But it turned out well and she was happy, which is really all that mattered.

She may have been trying to sign her marriage licence when I grabbed her.   I pick my moments well.

two steps forward, one step back

You'd think I'd have figured this out the first time I made this pattern, but somehow I needed to take over an inch off the bodice length to get it to sit properly.

Yes, I know - not much progress.  Things have been stupid busy lately.  But the wedding is on Saturday so I have to get this finished up soon.....

The plan is to sew up the side seams tonight (Wednesday), baste in the zipper and get the straps placed.    Then, if I can attach the lining tomorrow (Thursday) and sew in the zipper (I hand-pick.... so it takes a thousand years.  But I cannot for the life of me do a machine zipper properly), Then Friday I mark the hem and head down to the venue and Saturday morning I can sew up the hem.....    The wedding isn't until 3pm, so I've totally got time.

Right.

Lots.

Gah.

I have other dresses.  I will bring a back up.

winter sewing and a new year's dress

There is something about winter that means I take a lot less pictures.  (Hah... 'something'.  There is no light by the time I get home, its all cold and I want to be a hermit.  I am a happy hermit holed up high above the horizon, hoping for higher heat.)

blech

..and with that... the coat.   Excuse the terrible picture.  I blame winter.   Also a lack of professional photographic equipment.  I feel this could mitigate winter.  but I digress - I find I don't like any of the swatches, so I am forced (forced I say) to go to the fabric store this weekend and play with things.    It's going to be rough.   

Anyhow. Continuing my recent streak on sensible decisions, I've decided this time of travel and work deadlines is when I need to sew a new dress for new year's eve -- and not just any dress -- a fancy franken patterened dress with lace and beading. (I have three kinds of beads) (I make good decisions)  

Specifically these two dresses: Vogue 1174 for the body and 1304 for the straps.

The main dress

The straps

Not being completely insane, I'm skipping all the boning and foundation in 1174 and just doing the shell, relying on the straps to hold everything in place.   I needed to reshape the back a bit, as it lay oddly on my pointy pointy scapula and ditched the cap sleeve, as they almost invariably look terrible on me.

 The first fitting went pretty well - other than the straps, the biggest change is some reshaping around the cups to get everything to sit closer to my chest and prevent any gaping.  (The majority of the wrinkles are due to the fabric being smushed up in a ball for a couple of months before I used it for the muslin... Its not actually way too tight)

Next up:  make new pattern pieces, check them in  a second muslin, and move on to the actual dress!

RennFest Part Two - the return of the bodice!

and I'm back ... with renn fest costume fun times!

I've been sewing quite a bit, but just haven't been in a bloggy sort of a mood - however, a new renn fest costume (yes, its the second one this year) seemed to deserve a proper post.

It was started for the historical fortnightly 'wood, metal and bone' challenge - although having missed the deadline by about two weeks, I think I'm going to push it forward and have it be my 'something green'.   The bodice / pair-of-bodies / corset / stays is an update of the one I made a few months ago.  I think I'm slightly short waisted - so I took about an inch off the length of the bodice.  I also narrowed the whole thing and added tabs for shoulder straps.

update = purple, original = white

 I find the updated version to be much more comfortable.  It doesn't pinch at all, and having the boning (zip-ties) extend down into the tabs prevents pressure points.

 The outer fabric is a brocade drapery remnant of in determinant material and the lining in a thick cotton twill I used for a skirt many eons ago.   (The whole costume is actually a glorious stash bust!    The green dress is muslin I dyed forever ago and never got around to using and the black is an embroidered cotton that I loved in the store but was a little two sweet when I got it home.   For costuming it worked perfectly.   In fact, the only thing I had to buy was the bias tape for the binding and the lacing cord.)  the green under-dress is your basic huge shift with not enough shirring at the top and the back over-skirt is a large square with the circle cut out of the center.

The final fit of the bodice still isn't quite right (it needs to be tighter on top - I put the tabs too far to the sides and my arms prevent it from sitting correctly...  c'est la vie) However, all in all, I'm really happy with this costume and plan to use it for another yer or two.  (Ideally with more elastic in the sleeves...)  (They are actually even... it was really hot again and I kept tucking them up, out of the way)

The Challenge: #19 'wood,metal and bone' or #21 'green'   (you know... whichever makes you happy...)

Fabric:  mystery brocade and cotton twill
Pattern:  pair-of-bodies: Elizabethan Custom Corset Generator, 
Year:  circa 1550
Notions:   heavy-duty zip-ties, grommets, cording, bias tape
How historically accurate is it? the shapes and patterns behind both items are actually pretty accurate.  The fabric and construction methods were modern.
Hours to complete: About 6 - I was able to reuse the zip-ties from the last time, which saved a lot of effort.
First worn: October 6, 2013,  To the Maryland Renaissance Festival
Total cost: free - I made it from scraps left over from other things  (well, the bias tape and cording, so maybe $10)

Fitting B5748

I really need to start paying more attention to finished garment size, rather than the sizing on the back of the envelope, as Butterick and I have rather different ideas about reasonable amounts of ease.

a straight size 14 - no alterations.

Anyhow, to lop this sucker down to a more sensible size, I pinched out an inch on either side, shortened the strap in the back (and smoothed out the neckline after), and cut the back of the armseye a bit deeper (this last isn't shown in any of the pictures above - last minute alterations...)  However, other than that, it was a really good fit.   I didn't have to move the darts or make any other major alterations.

Scribbled on parts were removed.    The fold on the piece 2 got rid of the droop over my shoulders.

 now with alterations! and a skirt! and two crinolines!

(I'm pinching down the seam allowances on the sides - otherwise its hard to see the changes...  fun with lousy lighting late at night.)  Anyhow - the result is looking pretty close to the design on the package - I think their scoop neck is a bit lower than mine, but I can easily fix that during construction.

I think I'd need three crinolines to pull off the level of pouf the pattern models have going on. Not sure I really want to travel with that much fluff... so we shall see. 

Victory over Simplicity 1801

prior to alterations

post alterations

(equally crappy pictures, for fair comparisons - scroll down for nice ones taken in actual sunlight...)

Dearest Hive-Mind,

Thank you for your help!  As you can see, I redid the bodice and am now infinity happier with the fit.

                                             All my love,

                                                               Allison

This was a bit insane, as I had to take the dress almost completely apart - I got to be *amazing* at pulling out serging.  However, at long last, victory was mine!    I ended up taking in the shoulders by about a centimeter, elongating and shaping the midriff, and this last one hurt, taking out the pockets.    I love me some pockets, but with material this drapy it just wasn't working.  I mourn the pockets.

alterations to midriff

As in the nature of things, this picture is properly rotated in file and 90 degrees off on the blog.   I have no idea...   Anyhow.  I lengthened the the midriff about two inches and added a shaping section to the center front, so it would better sit over my hips.  (the back was expanded in the same way, slice and add!)  This allowed the gathers to sit *below* my natural waist, which I think is far more flattering in general.   In terms of other changes to the pattern, I moved the zipper from the side to the center back and removed the gathering from the small of the back on the bodice. I also raised the neckline about an inch (and its still a bit lower than intended....)

All in all, I'm rather pleased with this dress.   The rayon was a pain in the ass to work with, but lovely to wear.   (It grows... not only on the bias, but everywhere... I'm also pretty sure the bodice expanded while I was wearing it.   gremlin-fabric....  but awesome-summer-wear gremlin-fabric, so I'll give it a  pass)

I felt terribly elegant.  Despite having removed a good 8 inches of width from the original pattern version of the skirt, I still found I had plenty of room to walk.  The skirt itself is a bit wider than my natural stride, and I hike it up a bit if I want to run.

Somehow I neglected to get a proper picture of the back.... so this will have to do.   I call this one, watching-people-walk-by-trying-to-figure-out-if-I-know-them.

Dressed Up Practicallity

As you may recall, a few weeks ago I was planning on making this dress - V8319 for summer work events when I needed to be dressed up, but wanted something cool and comfortable.... (this last bit is about to be key)

 I started muslining it up - it was getting close (there are still tons of pulls and wrinkles and I'm a crazy obsessive) but I found it really wasn't comfortable sitting down.   There is a reason I almost never wear straight skirts - I fidget like mad and prefer my clothes to accommodate me.   Then I also realized, it really looked better with heels -  and I wear heels *maybe* once a year.   And even then its rarely for the whole day.  Clearly, this was not a sensible option.   So, I decided to make a fancy shirt that would go with the pants I already have (which happen to look just lovely and totally professional with flats) that I could wear in the summer and still be able to fidget and climb and get strangers to take me seriously, provided they haven't caught me hopping over things.


So, the current plan it a modification of the Next Big Thing Dress, from Twinkle Sews.   I was very taken with Very Prairie's version (abeit, a dress) and have had it bopping around in my head for years now.

I still need to muck around with the waist band - the original is elastic and getting this thing over my head and chest is a bit of an operation as it is - I think I might sneak in a center back zipper to make getting dressed a bit easier. 

I'm still not sure how I'm going to wear a bra with it... the neckline is rather open and visible straps won't do,   and I'm just not a fan of strapless (shooting myself in the foot perhaps, but c'est la vie) so... we shall see.   However, me thinks I'll just suck it up.

Ladybug Dress - V8727

After a remarkable mess of a project, here we have the complete ladybug dress.  However - this is after buying more fabric and completely remaking the bodice. I'm tempted to make the first incarnation of this dress a PSA on fitting while distracted. 

Friends don't let friends ruin their fabric.

However, ruin it I did.  (late April/ early May where a bit of a mess, hence the constant screw ups.)  I forgot to add an FBA and the bust line was about an inch or so above where it ought to be, resulting in pulls and drag lines and a generally awkward fit.  I'm afraid I didn't get pictures (Afraid. Hah. It was just bad.  Use your imagination.)

A is what I wanted, and eventually did.  B is the screw up.

Anyhow, after getting my head screwed back on, and getting an extra yard of fabric, I redid and refit the bodice (which is V8727, with the skirt from M5292, as usual) for the current incarnation.  Anyhow, I thoroughly recommend the pattern.  Once I stopped being an idiot it was easy to fit, comfortable to wear and generally flattering.

pretend I'm making a better face - this is the only one that shows the back 

As requested: a close up of the fabric.   (Most of the wispy bits that look like dust or fur are actually black printed on black.  Messes with my head something fierce.)

ladybugs!

Adventures in Bra Fitting

Greetings!  Yes, its been a while.... I managed to thoroughly screw up my knee and was basically useless for a couple of weeks.   Anyhow, I return, although this post is being sabotaged by a certain fuzzy beast, who seems determined to help me type.  I'm fairly certain independent use of the keyboard offends him.

Anyhow, as the miscreant has finally settled down....  bra fitting!   Forever ago, I got the book 'Bare Essentials' by Matthews and Fairbanks and have been puttering around with it.    After getting my act together and acquiring the right under-wires, I took another stab at it this past week.

The basic pattern (included in the book) came together very easily, but produced a somewhat wedge-shaped cup  that just wasn't what I was going for.   Now, later chapters in the book discuss shaping the cup in multiple pieces (this is only two), how to draft your own, specialty types (nursing, mastectomy, strapless, etc)   However, being me, and being impatient and not being in the mood for math, I went for duct tape.

What?  Yes!  Duct Tape!   There is no problem it cannot solve!!!!!!!

Basically, the name of the game is to tape your breast in the position you want it (I made a masking tape shield first, so the adhesive wasn't on any of the tissue) and then use the form to make pattern pieces.

Rather than redo the entire bra pattern, I used the band pieces from the previous endeavor  as the cups were basically the same size - just a new shape.  

 As you can see, the result is much less pointy - however, when transferred back onto my body there was a bit to much fabric at the top , so I pinned it down in a demi-plunge (really name, anyone?).

The result is the most comfortable thing I have ever worn.   It is a smaller band size and larger cup size than my current bra, and lets the bridge sit right on my sternum and the band lies horizontally across my back, parallel to the floor.  I wore it all evening and it only pinched when I was hunched over in a rather ridiculous position - otherwise, it was fantastic.

I spent a lot of time fussing about under-wires, and contacted Norma of Orange Lingerie, who advised me to bend them around my rib cage - its amazing how much difference a small bend makes.  Instead of a single, almost fulcrum like pressure point, the wire distributed its pressure evenly.   (By the way - she has a book coming out next month on bra-making.    I'm pretty excited to see it.)

There are still some odd pulls in the fabric, and its not quite as supportive as I would like, so I am going to keep tinkering, but all in all the whole process was a lot easier than I'd anticipated and went together really quickly.

My current plan to so add length to the band all the way around - not to the point of a long-line bra, but about an inch, both for seam allowance and to give the band more space to be supportive.    (I swear, its like building a cantilever)