It started off bad. I wanted a dress like my mom and aunt. I wanted it out of this fabric (100% Rayon, which I love) and I thought I could alter this pattern to what I wanted. That’s when my problems started. If you missed it, you can read about it here.
So forget about the dress! I managed to salvage as much of the fabric as I could and I made a top instead. Continue reading
and I’m not quite finished yet!
Let me tell you what’s up …
I have been searching for a pattern and fabric to make a “replica” of my mother’s and aunt’s dresses in this photo. My Aunt was a seamstress back in Europe and she not only sewed for clients but also for herself and my mother. She used no patterns and could make anything! I thought I had the magical combination for this dress with this 100% Rayon Denim Challis I had in my stash – a favourite fabric of mine!
I still think this pattern, Vogue 1395, might work but it doesn’t have the rounded neckline that I want. Being lazy, I thought I might just make two bodice backs and use those to make the bodice instead.
I started the year with the #2017makenine Challenge – pick nine patterns and get ‘er done during the year! So far, I am not too sure if I have been successful though. I started with the dress pattern in the bottom left hand corner. It was Vogue 9202, but it turned into a top, McCalls 6896 – actually rather successfully!
Last weekend I started my second garment of the #2017makenine Challenge. Pants/trousers in the middle row, left side – Vogue 7881, described as “Claire Shaeffer Custom Couture Collection”. How’s it going?
Well I took a good look at that pants pattern again and decided that I wanted to forgo the “couture” techniques just for now – I just don’t have the interest or energy! I just want some pants, quickly, like now. So I switched to another pants pattern of mine, Vogue V2532. A simple pattern – fronts, backs, pockets and waistband – described as a “basic design”.
I managed to get my FIRST Jungle January – #junglejanuary5 – finished prior to the deadline, but my second animal print just wanted to fight with me. It is a lovely fabric – a cream, black and brown 100% Rayon Challis. Just beautiful to the touch. But as I was discussing it with Curls n Skirls I realized that it would be a perfect weight for a top, but perhaps not a perfect weight for a dress. It might need a lining. But then if I was planning to wear it in the warmer months – would I want lining?
So I changed the plan … instead of making a dress, Vogue 9202, I would make a top, McCalls M6896. I’ve made the McCalls pattern before – it was my FIRST Jungle January – with good results. Of course the Vogue bodice pattern pieces were too short. They only reached to the pink line I drew on the McCalls bodice pattern pieces. So I would have to add an extension onto every Vogue bodice pattern piece.
Technically speaking, it is still Jungle January here. Hop on over to Pretty Grievances to see all the WILD garments that she has rounded up! In the last few waking hours of the day I would like to show you my second Jungle January garment – something that I am very happy with… even if I got off to a bad start. Let’s just say that I still haven’t learned the lesson: Read the instructions first!
I have this pattern, Vogue V9107, which is not meant for knits, but who am I to follow the fabric recommendations! (Surprisingly enough, this time it worked!) I decided to make view A, the top.
It’s done! And I’m so pleased! For a while now, I have been eyeballing this outfit from Marina Hoermanseder. I just had to have it! Of course, it’s not my style to wear short shorts to work, so instead I opted for the longer look of wide pants, or culottes. Here’s Marina Hoermanseder’s ORIGINAL…
Just browsing through blogs today, I found a lovely Designer Garment COPIED by Amanda of Sew Deputy, which fit the #DESIGNINDECEMBER theme exactly. I just begged Amanda to let me show it to you. So if you haven’t seen it yet, here it is… Amanda found a Chloe Metallic Jacquard dress and had to have it for her staff Christmas party.
Just Speechless… Tonight for DESIGNIN’ DECEMBER I have the pleasure of introducing the one and only Mads of Life in A “Mads” House. Mads might have come to her design in a roundabout way but she has made a lovely copy of this designer dress by Elie Saab.
Honestly, why is BLACK so difficult to photograph? It must just suck in all the light around it! Anyway…
I have finished my 4th pair of pants, black ones, after spending extensive time with the muslin and making three pairs after that. I thought my blue pair was my favourite – best fitting and lovely fabric. Those were made with Horizon Suiting, 100% polyester. (I actually managed to find and buy more Horizon Suiting in a Navy Blue colour. Whoopie!) I think these black pants have taken their place though. Although in trying to photograph the black, that might not come across!
You know how it is. You finish a garment and there is something that is not quite right about it. So you put it aside for later… and there it sits.
Two weeks ago, I posted about my finished blue pants. The only problem is that I sewed the invisible zipper in too close and after I tried the pants on and zipped them up, the fabric got stuck in my zipper and I had to break the zipper to get them off again!
This is a lovely fabric (Blue Horizon Suiting, 100% polyester), a lovely pattern (Vogue V2948) and I’ve worked on the pants muslin to get a pretty good fit (Pant Fitting Techniques by Sandra Betzina). Now I have the added extra of A BROKEN ZIPPER! Continue reading
