It was great to finally meet Ming in person. Plus, I got to see Lisette who I hadn’t seen in two years despite living 30 minutes apart. And, of course Trena was there too. I also met SewRock who lives in the same neighborhood as my friend Liz.

Thank you for the comments on my Trina Turk dress. It proved very popular that night too! I thought I’d answer a few questions.

Lakaribane asked if I was wearing sheer pantyhose. Yes, I am. A few years ago I bought about two dozen pairs of this color marketed as the perfect skintone match for women of color. Most time people don’t even realize I’m wearing pantyhose. And, of course because I adore this shade, it was discontinued. I’m down to my last six pairs. So, I’m on the hunt for a new perfect match. I never really stopped wearing pantyhose. They’ve never bothered me and I never disliked my legs. I just thought you wore pantyhose to work / church / nice events. Well, apparently the Duchess of Cambridge is bringing them back, LOL.

GPetunia suggested “by increasing width across entire back from neck to hem before making another swayback adjustment.”

This is a good idea. I’m a 32 underbust and tend to make smaller sizes on top and an FBA. I could use some more ease in my upper back.

ReRe asked if there were any hiccups. Absolutely none. I do wish I had paid more attention in the hemming and made the back a hair longer. I really need to mark these better!

Several noted trepidation over the sleeves. I just want to reinforce that they are not tough at all. I had some puckering on the first pass with the sewing machine. But, serging (and reducing the seam allowances) made it go away. And, of course, press, press and press some more. I’ve always believed in fearless sewing.

I may have caused some confusion on the length of the dress. Kelly pointed out that I mentioned lengthening the skirt (which I did say before). I did hem by about 2.5 inches. I think the pattern calls for a 1.25 inch hem. So, it’s not what I would call ‘short’. I did lengthen the pattern at the bust for my dartless FBA. But, that didn’t impact the length.

Shirley told us about a navy blue and lime dress similar to the Trina Turk copy. I don’t want to tell you how much time I spent online Monday looking for those colors in double knit or wool jersey. I did find torquoise which I may indulge in. But, am still looking for lime green…. you know, if you see any, let me know!

That’s all for now! Thanks again and happy sewing

Butterick 5522 (above) is inspired by designer Trina Turk. I only know this because Cindy did an ah-Mazing job knocking it off before the pattern even came out.

I know there is the occasional chatter on not posting reviews on PatternReview.com any more because of the lack of comments. I’ve been remiss in not posting reviews lately too.  I still find the reviews incredibly helpful. Well, good reviews are incredibly helpful.  Reviewers generally noted the lack of shape in the dress. But,this is not something I found. As I noted in my earlier post, I made a dartless FBA. I suspect I either could have made a bigger adjustment (as told by some folds pointing to my bust) or actually put in darts. Also, I could benefit from teeny shoulder pads in this dress.

I didn’t find the dress tentlike at all. Perhaps because I’m sewing a size I wore a few years and pounds ago (!). But, more likely because I measured out the pattern  The color of this double knit is a blood red. This piece is another gem from the Carol Collection. The color is brighter in these photos because my beloved SLR is in the shop. So, I’m working with a point a shoot for the next few weeks.

I made a 3/4 inch swayback adjustment and omitted the zipper. I could easily have done 1.5 inches and had a nicer fit in the back. The poly doubleknit is super stable and I do a bit of wiggle to get the dress on.

I hemmed by two inches from the length. Interfaced the hems and edges and used a twin needle to top stitch the hem. I really kind of wanted something shorter. In retrospect, it’s not gonna really be work appropriate at this length.  But, I wasn’t thinking about work when I sewed it!

The sleeves are somewhat bell shaped and pieced together.  I didn’t find them to be crazy large. Maybe in a drapier fabric they would seem more elaborate. I think I would have like a larger bell. But, again, I’m a dramatic kind of girl.

Overall I am very happy with this dress. It works super well on my figure and gives a lot of fashion impact with minimal effort. What’s even better is I’ve seen some women in the RTW version of this. Heh.

Finally, here is a photo with the birthday boy. Don’t worry, we didn’t have dinner in a basement. This is the afterparty with his friends.

And, after my pontificating, I dare not neglect  my review on PR.

Fashion Fund

I finally bit the bullet and cancelled my satellite TV last month. Not that I don’t love TV. But,  I am currently living sans roommate with no immediate plans to change that.  No roommate means super limited disposable income. Satellite is $75 a month and I spend far more time on the internet. Any rate, I’ve been embracing my Hulu and Netflix through my Roku device. One new show I saw is Fashion Fund. It covers the CFDA Fashion Fund process. Serious fashion porn with people actually designing clothes and telling their story. It’s terrific.

If you never saw the HBO / PBS special on the Triangle Fire, it’s now also on Hulu.

http://www.hulu.com/embed/7I1zGXTSLW0kV3Er4ixM-Q?shared_ad_id=82267

Are you in the Chicago area with a vintage sewing machine from the 50s? Mary Beth of Yarn U is giving a demo on vintage sewing machines next month and is looking for machines to borrow. If you are on the north side of Chicago or in the near north suburbs (Wilmette, Evanston, Skokie) and want to spread the vintage love, let me know and I can put you two in touch. If she was closer I’d loan her my Kennie or my Featherweight. Hah! Did I tell you my friend Liz named her Kenmore 1030 Kennita?

My Trina Turk dress is done and it is awesome! Here’s a little preview I posted on Twitter last night.  I’m waiting until I get gussied up for dinner on Saturday night for photos. In the meantime, I’ve pulled out a red bamboo knit and am starting on a Butterick top!

I admit the pattern is marked ‘easy’, and it truly is.

Evening 1: Pattern Alterations

I read on PatternReview.com that the dress is tentlike. So be it. Sacky dresses work on my figure. But, I still wanted to make an FBA. So, on the first night I made a dartless FBA increasing the width by 1 inch (I’m sewing a 14) and the length by two inches.

Evening 2: Cut out fabric and piece sleeves

Easy peasy. I’m using a red poly double knit coupled with a camel wool jersey for the contrast. The even numbers on the pattern are the sleeves and the odd numbers are the contrast. To do the piecing, I just pinned them all together prior to sewing. Hand basting would have been better, but I am lazy. 

Evening 3: Sew sleeves, interface edges and hems

Argh. This is my one slow down. I wanted to serge the entire dress. But, when I sat down to sew, I was reminded that the bulb on my Euro Pro serger is blown. It’s the first time it’s needed replacing in about ten years. The machine has to be disassembled to replace the bulb and the bulb I had on hand a few weeks ago when I sat down to do this was too big. I never put the machine back together.

So, I sewed on my sewing machine. I started with a stretch stitch (slight zig zag) but it was SO SLOW. I just threw caution to the wind and sewed with a long straight stitch. The sleeves aren’t going to receive much stress so I’m not worried about the stitches popping.

No photo of this, but I used bias knit interfacing along the hem, neck edge, sleeve edges and shoulder seams. The fabric is fairly stable, but doing this for knits has become habit for me.

I could have just about finished this dress last night. But, I’m hoping to replace the 15w serger bulb today. That will allow me to finish all the raw edges (above). Hopefully, the next post will be the finished dress!

(RSS Readers, you may need to click through to see the above slideshow)

Well, this was my least productive sewing year as long as I’ve been blogging. And you know what? I’m okay with that. I said last year I was going to sew less throw away pieces and more staples.

First, let’s look at my planned out garments.

Wool Trench Coat: Yeah Girls!!! I sewed a motherloving coat! I pulled this baby out for the first time last week and wanted to just put it on the floor and make a bed. I love every single thing about this coat. Everything. It makes me want to sew a shorter version. Mmmm. LOVE.

Burberry Trench: Done. It didn’t come out the way I pictured, but it’s gotten and obscene amount of wear already. I didn’t finish it in January like I planned. But, it was ready for fall.

Birthday Dress: Ummm. No. I did end up going to Florida and made my mom an awesome blouse. So proud of it. I never sew for other people and she looked amazing and was so so happy I sewed for her.

Rain Gear / Netherlands: Yep. This, I did. I went to the Netherlands and made myself rain pants. Sounds like not that big a deal? I learned all kinds of new things and have actually gotten to wear said rain paints in my every day life.

Formalwear: Didn’t happen. Of the three black tie events I had in 2011. I was out of the country for one. Went in vintage costume for the second. And bought a dress for the third. I’m okay with this.

Seersucker Social: Yes. Done. But, not great. My first skirt was too friggin short. But, possibly the best my legs have looked. Ever. And, I gave away the vest because it was too big in the bust.

Overall, I met my goals. The highlight of my year was my trip to the Netherlands and meeting the Dutch / Belgian based bloggers.

I wish I could do that every year. I always say to my mom I wish I was blogging when we went to Australia five years ago. I’d have  a whole country of people I’d try to meet up with!

So, that’s my sewing 2011. Sorry it’s late!

I don’t make matching bottoms yet.  I have an entire Pinterest board devoted to underpinnings.  If I am stingy with lace placement, I can get two sets of bras out of the lace I have from Amsterdam. I mix the lace with Summerset’s kits. It’s one way of making sure that I’m consistently working with similar materials. I’d rather use  the extra lace in a year or so and make a second set of bras. And, I’m not proficient with my bottoms yet. So, I’d rather wait until I have that skillset down.

I thought I would get a slew of sewing done this weekend.  I have three UFOs and desperately need some slips. My current frequent companion is on a ski trip in Colorado this weekend and I kept myself socially uncommitted. But, instead of just sewing,  I read. I ran errands. I got my dry cleaning done. I washed my car. I jogged in 30 degree temps. Twice! I stocked up on wine. I watched Merchant Ivory type films with lots of crying, tragic heroines and moody music (and the last two weeks of Downton Abbey, Project Runway All Stars and Brad, Brad World). I made two kinds of  frozen deserts (salted caramel ice cream and olive oil gelato). I took down my Christmas tree. I made two batches of Greek yogurt (yogurt maker for Christmas). I went to the Indian grocery store.  I cleaned my house. I’m talking the kind of cleaning that I freely admit my house hasn’t seen since we met. Hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor cleaning.

And, I sewed two $60 bras for a quarter of the price.

It was delightful. Seriously. Never taking my free time for granted again.

Folks. If you do not learn from your mistakes, you are doomed to repeat them. There was going to be much wailing and gnashing of teeth if my sixth attempt at sewing the Rebecca bra from Sewy didn’t work out for me.

I am thrilled to report that wearing sack cloth and sitting in ashes was not needed!  This bra fits. Did you hear that? Angels cried with me when I finished this bad boy up.

This lace is from my once in a lifetime trip to Kantje Boord in Amsterdam last year. Why oh why did I not purchase a lifetime supply of lace and findings!? Oh. Yes. The crappy exchange rate. I forgot.

I must tell you. The road to this bra was not paved in milk and honey.

I received a new copy of the  Rebecca pattern from Sewy a few short weeks after my posted plea for help. They do ship to the US and they’ve fixed the bug on thier website that wouldn’t let me complete the order. Woo hoo!

Anxious to sew a litlle somethin’ somethin’, I traced and cut out a 70F. I used a bra kit from Summerset and lace from Etsy.

It’s hard to try on a bra mid-sew (sans straps and closures). But, am I ever glad I did! The bra was again too small! Why or why! I hadn’t done any alterations.  The 70F should have fit. Well, at least fit better. Except, well, I traced the wrong size. I know this, because I went back and read my original blog post from Jun 2011:

As I suspected in my last bra post, I did in fact trace and sew the wrong size bra. I made a 70F when I should have started with a 70G.

Grrrr. Do you see that? That means I’d sewn the wrong bra size twice now. Twice! Why? Because I didn’t read the notes I wrote here on my very own blog.

That made  1 muslin, 1 slightly large bra, 1 huge bra, a teeny bra, and now this small bra. That’s FOUR bras I’d sewn and none are wearable (by me). I was *so close* the first time I sewed a bra. But, happily, I got the magic back!

The good news is, these are now a breeze to sew. I *love* how they look. I’ve got all the sewing tricks worked out. For me, that means shortened band, downward hike, some curvature out of the bust apex, a wing and a prayer.

So not to destroy the good bra making vibes, I plan to sew this silver / grey version today before the Ravens playoff game.

I spent Christmas 2011 in Ohio visiting my best friend from middle school and her three daughters. You may remember when we reconnected after 20 years or when I visited them in 2010. Steph and I met in Germany when our families were stationed there. I remember bawling my eyes out on my last night in town I was so upset to be leaving her.

This year when I visited the family in Youngstown, we did the touristy thing in Cleveland.

There, I froze my pajamas off by Lake Erie.For real. FREEZING. I now know what ‘Lake Effects’ mean.

We hit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Loved every single minute of it. I love history and music and this was a perfect meld.

After four hours at the Hall of Fame, we had lunch at the West Side Market. By far my favorite public market is Pike Place in Seattle. But, this is a close second.

I couldn’t get enough of the pasta shop. Mmmm. Pasta.

I don’t have children and I’m the youngest in my family. So, I’ve never experienced the Christmas Morning Wake Up. But, with a 6, 11 and 15 year old around, my presence was requested far earlier than I would have gotten up on my own.

Christmas is seriously magical for kids. I didn’t realize that until now. All that double talk about Santa. I didn’t want to be the one to spoil the ‘secret’.

And, now I’m back home.  I’ll be doing my 2011 recap as soon as I get a new keyboard. What’s that? New keyboard? Yeah. I spilled wine on my iMac keyboard just before leaving town. It is kaput for real. A new one is coming soon and I’ll be able to update on other projects.

Between holiday parties, tree decorating, last minute gift shopping and such, I managed to work on my Sewy Rebecca Bra . I made a second go with this Netherlands material after the last time I made this bra.  Back in August an almost perfect bra was too large in the band and wide at the bridge. This time I had actual Enlish directions thanks to a reader and I used the downward hike technique so the band would not ride up in the back and I shortened the band by an inch or two. I also took some height out of the cup.

The result? Well, the band is great. I love the layout I used for the lace this time (directional change). The bridge is much narrower and a better fit. But, the cup is too small. The center bridge does not lay flush against my breastbone and it gives me a double breast.

I suspect this is about a C cup. I’m going to shop it around at the office and see if someone wants it. It’s too pretty to salvadge for parts.

Now, the bigger problem. I cannot find this pattern in my stash. Normally, it would turn up. But, I’ve managed to throw away some things in the past (a year’s worth of contact lenses, the sleeve to my tuxedo jacket, etc.) in fits of cleaning. And, I think this pattern is a casualty.

Not a big deal, right? Just order a new one? Well, they are only sold on a German language site. I’ve emailed them in English and was not able to get a response. I tried to register on the site to place an order and that didn’t work.  A KIND KIND PatternReview.com member was going to Germany. She contacted them while there and they sold her the pattern which she in turn sold to me.  While there she spoke with the owner and she’s not currently shipping to the US.

So, my Christmas plea. Is there a reader in Germany (or in the EU) that is willing to order this pattern for me in a Group 1 and let me reimburse them? I will happily (and quickly) paypal you the money. Or, if there is something in the US I have access to we can work out and exchange.

I think I’ve worked it out! It appears the site’s bugs are worked out. It’s letting me order now and ship to the US. It’s no longer getting hung up on Paypal or requiring registration. So, fingers crossed. Thanks Ghainsom!

Thanks!

 Homeowners in historic Union Square open up their 19th century homes to participants. Each house bakes a different cookie too.

The neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places district. I had some serious house envy. On average, the houses are around 2500 to 3,000 sq ft, 4 bedroom / 4 bathrooms. Oy.

One homeowner said that during the 1800s there were 19 servants that worked in the home!

I didn’t take the best / most useful photos for blogging.  I was all caught up in getting cookies. Plus, it felt a little strange photographing someone’s house. But, here are a few highlights.

This house with the nutcracker collection has nine fireplaces, eight of which are in operation. The one below is in the kitchen. Can you imagine??

While some houses kept the super traditional look. Others went with a more modern decor.

Including this house that hung doors from the set of HBO’s the Wire. These were used as the fictional police department on the show.

Here’s the Christmas tree in the same house. Upside down! I didn’t know that was a thing.

More of the infamous marble steps of Baltimore.

The renovated bathrooms make me want to drool

And other homes of the more modern home were the exposed brick

If you are in the area next Christmas, I recommend you take the tour. It’s got great history, it’s fun to see how people decorate and renovate their homes and a wonderful introduction to this historic area.

As evidenced by my earlier post, I like my trees white, pink or black and faux. It works well for my personal style. I asked my frequent male companion if he was going to get a tree this year. He answered in the affirmative. I suggested Ikea and he said, ‘Why wouldn’t I go cut down my own?’ You see. He’s from the midwest. And there, apparently, you go and cut down your own Christmas tree. What a novel idea! I was game.

I remember two years in a row my mom and I got a free tree on Christmas Eve from the abondoned tree sales lot. I don’t know that I’ve ever paid for a tree never mind left the City limits looking for one. So, on Saturday a group of us went to the country, err *county* to cut down some trees.

Turns out there is a lot of walking when looking for the ‘perfect’ tree. Perhaps, dare I say, it’s like hiking?

You walk

And survey

And walk some more.

And evaulate and compare different trees.

Finally, you settle on one tree (when truthfully the three ‘contenders’ look the same)

And it must be cut.

Not with power tools. But, a hand saw. Unless you choose to ignore the rules…

And the tree comes down.

I did initially help with the carrying of the tree. I mean truthfully, I felt my role was to document the process. And to insert my will over color schemes. But, apparently, I didn’t do a very good job with the carrying.

Hah! Well. That’s one thing I can check off my bucket list!

The swearing in was yesterday.  It was a really beautiful setting outside of City Hall on the plaza. Unfortunately, it was rainy. But, not torrential.

Later that evening was the gala / ball. The room was set up with murals of Baltimore with live painting.

Here I am with my work girlfriends. We’re a little Model UN! Eastern European, South American, Indian, German-American and me.

I was excited to see style blogger Jessica from her fun style blog, Get Jessed Up.  How sharp does her date look in his tux? I had to show off my my Princess Diana sapphire ring. I’m hoping to pull myself together to do a guest post for her soon.

Finally, here’s a photo with my frequent male companion. My boss loaned me the art deco inspired jewelry. She found the earrings at an estate sale.

Apparently, I can only take photos with my hand on my hip.

This would be perfect for the weather tomorrow. Except, as you can see, it’s not installed yet. I originally planned to make a button out warmer, like a ‘real’ Burberry trench. But, I’m going to have to go the London Fog (originally made here in Baltimore, BTW) route and make it a zip out. I bought the zipper in NYC last October.  I’m not sure yet how I’m going to sew it together. I haven’t inserted a ‘regular’ zipper in dog years.

In other news, Christmas is here! I seem to want to decorate every other year.

My tree is up. Did I tell you I bought my tree at Rite Aid the day after Christmas for like $20?

And for the first time I’m doing some draping and lights between my dining and living room.

I have lights outside, but forgot to take a photo. But, you know I will

Remember my pastel blue vintage coat? It was just grime and dingy. Almost greasy feeling.  I contacted a local theater and asked for suggestions on cleaners.  I also asked if they knew someplace I could possibly dye the coat. The lead costumer warned me against dying. He said wool was temperamental and easily shrinks. Plus, any stains on the coat (of which there were a few) would pick up the dye even darker. So, he referred me to a dry cleaner less than a mile from my house that two theater companies in town work with.

For $16, my coat looks pretty good! It still not brand new clean. But, for a 30 year old coat, it looks pretty awesome. I need to get the collar and cuffs sewn back on by Tuesday. I’d like to wear it for the inauguration ceremony. I have another coat in mind for the gala that night.

This peach cobbler was my breakfast for three days. Which could be one of the many reasons I’ve actually gone running twice since I got here.  Is anyone on Nike+ / Nikerunning.com? I think my profile is public and I’m listed as Fussbudgit.

While here, I have been doing quite a bit of sewing. My Aunt Judy bought this outfit for my mom on a recent trip to Ghana. I didn’t take before photos. It was too big in the back, upper bust, hips and waist. Now, it fits nicely. . It’s remarkable how much easier it is to fit another person. It’s also remarkable how  differently we carry weight. I’m all saddlebag and boob. She carries weight in the mid section.  My waist is the only small thing on me.

The details are really neat. The applique leaves are cut out from the material and hand sewn together. This makes trim for the bust, back, center front and are the actual cap sleeves!

Alterations are the devil. For reals. Ugh.

The bodice and skirt are underlined.

And the stabilizer in the sleeves, waist  and hem is just paper!

Check the zipper. It goes all the way up along the back pieces. Nice and decorative. Would be totally fun in a metallic teeth, right?

Oh, I also made my dad two bow ties for Christmas. I’ll just leave them here and my mom will give them to him next month.

Have I mentioned how glad I bought a Singer 301 *just* for here?

I’ve also decided to give the warmer of my red trench coat a go. I’ll work on that this evening. I fly out tomorrow and am back in my own bed Tuesday night