Tag Archives: review

Yellow, Black and White Maxi: Simplicity 3503

18 May IMGP6995

It’s not too often I outright copy Trena and make something because I saw hers. I mean, I get salty when I give her unloved fabric and she turns it into a masterpiece. When? Like this shirt and this dress.  I already know I’m going to be mad when she sews this fabric from China. Four years ago Trena made (now out of print) Simplicity 3503 and I was j-e-a-l-o-u-s. Don’t get me wrong, I’d made my own version and a version for a friend. But, Trena’s was stunning with the use of border prints. And, the version for me I gave away to Liz because I didn’t understand a FBA back then. Once I knew I needed an FBA, I just didn’t like the way the dress fit. Ann, if you ever ever ever get that fabric again, please send me a telegram.

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So, here’s my newest Simplicity 3503 (complete with a FBA), a good four years after the maxi dress trend peaked, lol. I’ve wanted to add more yellow to my wardrobe the last two years too. The fabric was in my stash from Fabric Mart and I scooped up an additional two yards at the DelMarVa blogger meet up last fall. I needed it too because of the way I wanted to cut out and place the various prints.

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This is one of the prettiest things I’ve made lately. But, guys. It’s a kind of a hot, happy-hands-at-home mess.

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1. I really really detest facings and sewing knits by turning under and stitching from the outside (wrong sides facing each other). I think it never looks nice and always looks homemade. My halter looks all kinds of janky on the outside edges because of it. And, I’ve already pressed the life out of it.

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The inside of the dress is also self-lined.

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2. To get the waist to fit nicely (I really shoulda/ coulda cut a whole size or two smaller), I took in the waist a few inches. I forgot that my facing knit at the waist band is SUPER stable. Which meant I couldn’t get the dress on after taking it in  as it wouldn’t stretch in the waist. To ‘fix’ that, I just sliced into the facing at the sides.

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Now, I could rip out the waist, recut and resew. But, I’m already not happy with the way the halter looks. I am going to put this dress in the magic closet and see if I have the energy at some point to redo the waist. But, for now. I just don’t have it in me.

You can see a little peek of my bra on the left under my arm. Well, that’s after I took the straps up by two inches on each side. I also made a one inch FBA and shortened the dress by four inches.

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Half of this was sewn on my new-to-me serger, the Babylock Imagine. So far, I am in love. I’ll do a separate post on it after I’ve sewn a few more items. But, this garment also made me get a serger. My Euro-Pro was chewing up and eating holes (while shredding and breaking threads) in this dress and many of the other knits I’ve tried to sew the last year.  I was so frustrated I wanted to *throw* it against a wall. It has served me well low these past 8 years. But, at $400 for the price from HSN. It has served its purpose and I bid it adieu to the sewing machine farm in the sky.

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I wore the dress today to a wedding/ logistics- rehearsal. I’m officiating the wedding next weekend at my friends’ home. Doesn’t a maxi dress just make you think of Miami and a pool?  In my mind I’m making something new to wear. But, I haven’t even started….

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Lots of Little Things

15 May IMGP6706

The last time I wrote, I promised I’d have photos of my latest project on me. Well, little did I know it would be a incredibly windy and biting 36 degrees (2.2 celsius) on Sunday when I wore the dress in Michigan. In case you’re wondering, that’s 35 degrees cooler than it was when I left Baltimore. It was just too cold to take pictures outside. I was hopeful that I’d get some pictures inside but, things were so rushed that it just didn’t happen. My occasional photographer didn’t seem all that interested in having a photo shoot for my sewing blog on the day he graduated from law school. The nerve.

I did get one photo in my dress. But….

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The lighting wasn’t good. My flash didn’t go off. I look sort of goofy. My waist (and fabric) were grabbed so tight that I look about three months pregnant in all the pictures!  The darts! They hurt my eyes. Blergh.

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I’ve not attended anyone’s graduation since my own. So, I was feeling super old school at this ceremony. I love this version (my third) of this Burda pattern.  I am obsessed with this seersucker. Karen gave me the remnants of her pieces of it. At this point this seersucker is… five years old? I’ve used it for several projects in the past. If I could get more, I’d buy a bolt and make a whole summer wardrobe just from this seersucker.

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Because it was so fricking cold, I did get to wear this awesome vintage leather coat that was gifted to me by a co-worker. Listen, people. There is something to be said for being known for loving vintage fashion.

This colleague kept telling me she was moving and cleaning out her closets and had some coats to give me and I kept rolling my eyes. I have been the sorry recipent of terrible 80s patterns and ratchet clothing from other people. She dropped them off in a garment bag and it sat in my office for weeks before I took them home or even bothered looking. I finally opened the bag and this and another GORGEOUS  black wool  with a fur collar coat were inside. I rocked the hell outta this jacket over the weekend. This makes me want to save ALL THE VINTAGE in the world. Like, all of it. I want to own it ALL, wear it ALL and be fabulous in ALL OF IT. ME ME ME.

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It only took my third trip to Michigan to have time to sightsee. I’m always here for a few days and running in and out of town on other people’s schedules. But, this time, I finally got to go to Detroit! I’ve always wanted to see Detroit since it’s compared so much to Baltimore as a urban city with a blue collar background (and massive population declines). We were super short on time but I made sure we went to the Motown Museum.

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Oh. Em. Gee. We couldn’t take photos inside.  Let me tell you. I grew up listening to the sounds of Motown and was completely stoked to walk the same halls and be in the recording studio where the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and the Temptations walked and sang.  Especially exciting was their exhibit on girl groups. People, I need you all to be prepared for my style the next few months to be heavily influenced by the 1960 girl groups of Detroit and the Motown sound. I am not playing. Talk about serious black glamour. I’m going to be doing plenty of sheath dresses and empire waists.

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Finally, before I headed out of town, I did get to go to the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo with Robin, which was in Baltimore. I’ve never been to an expo before and my MAIN motivation for going was to check out the Babylock serger with Jet Air Threading and a Juki semi-professional straight stitch only machine. My modern Kenmore’s tension is so wonky that I sewed the above dress on my green vintage Kenmore. I’m in the market for a new machine in a few months.

Well, Brother, Pfaff and Babylock (all sponsors) were there. But, Juki (also a sponsor) wasn’t! I did test out the Babylock Imagine serger and purchased a pre-owned version. I’m picking it up tomorrow (Thursday)!

The fashion piece of the Expo wasn’t nearly where I’d like it to be. I heard Vogue Fabrics attended expos in the past. I like quilting quite a bit and enjoyed that aspect of the show. But, all the bitching and moaning from the vendors about the lack of attendees annoyed me. I mean seriously. I heard at least three stalls complaining about it to either me or to other vendors. I thought it was kind of tacky and a downer on something I’d been looking forward to for months. They thought parking was the reason people didn’t come. They thought crime was the reason people weren’t there. They thought no one likes coming in to a city. Whatever. I’ve never set foot in Chantilly, Va. But, I came downtown to see this. Make of it what you will.

Whew. So, yeah. Lots of little things going on. Just thought I’d get a lot of it said :)

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Sewy Rebecca: Conquering the Scalloped Band

30 Mar IMGP6558

In my last bra post, I said I needed to get up to five new bras this year. Well, I’m just about there now with the addition of these two bras. Both are made from the Rebecca pattern by Sewy (a German company) and kits from Summerset on Etsy.

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I did try this brown combo once before in a too small size.

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The brown lace is from Etsy and the white lace with yellow accents from dear Hilde when I went to Amsterdam two years ago.

What’s different about these two bras? I’ve finally conquered the scalloped band that I’ve dreamt of using guidance from Sigrd’s blog.

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On the yellow version, I just did the bridge with a scallop. Not a mirror image. The lace only came in one direction.

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On the brown, the entire front underband has the scallop. Hmm, I should have used brown thread on the lace bits, eh?

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Something else I’m doing different with my bras is using this super narrow elastic from etsy when I reinforce the upper cup instead of clear elastic.  I think it’s 1/8 inch and is also sold as elastic for ‘baby headbands’.

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The other thing with my bras (and why I like to sew my own) is that I have an extremely narrow bridge. You can see in these photos below that my underwire casing actually overlap (double click to enlarge).

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I’m very very pleased with these two bras. What’s next for me and bras? I have one more cut out in pink from Etsy lace.

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And two more kits waiting in the wings. My new goal is to get two week’s work of bras (worn twice each).

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Thanks for all the tips and advice regarding the sheer interfacing (known to me as ‘tulle’ via Sigird). Orange Lingerie has a stash of it and kindly offered to send me a bit. So, this year I’ll tackle some more sheer style bras. I’m not a huge fan of the exposed satin in the lower cup. Snags too easily.

There may be some clothes coming again from my sewing machine, lol. I’ve been really absorbed at work and can only handle smallish projects now. But, I need a dress for a graduation in May. And, over Memorial Day I’m officiating my second wedding for dear friends of mine. So, I need to get on the stick.

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Sewy Rebecca: Valentine’s Day Edition

17 Mar IMGP6542

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So, I’m a month and one holiday too late. I thought I’d get this sewn in time for Valentine’s Day and at least inwardly celebrate the day. But, alas, I lost my mojo. I was lucky it came back in a spurt Friday night after meeting up with Norma of Orange Lingerie who is in town. After picking her brain about her custom lingerie sewing and asking questions about her upcoming book, I couldn’t wait to get home and sew some lingerie.

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This is my TNT Rebecca Sewy. I cannot get over how pretty my bras are now! I’m still experimenting with the all lace cup. I did ask her about ways I could go more sheer since I’m currently using lace, powernet and lycra in my lower and side cups. I’m going to be working on that sooner or later methinks.

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I’ve got my next bra already cut out. I’m going to play with some lace placement for interest. Hoepfully, a scalloped bridge. I would like to have five bras in rotation so I can retire my RTW ones that I got a few years ago. So, at least three more bras this year.

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I’m sure you all heard my scream when Google Reader announced they were closing. I’ve switched to Feedly for my blog reading. I like that I can add blogs with a double click in Safari and Chrome. It imported all my feeds and bookmarks from reader. And I don’t have to sort out what ‘Follow me on Bloglovin’ means.I like that you can chose the format your feeds show up in (this is ‘magazine’).  Finally, it syncs across the multitude of mobile devices I read blogs with.

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Assembly Line Sewing: Fehr Trade’s Lacy Thong

27 Feb IMGP6217

My underwear situation is pretty tragic. Once I figured out a year ago that I could sew my own panties, I refused to buy them any more (even at $5 a pair). Except, I also wasn’t sewing them either.

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It was Trena who mentioned she’d used the Under Armour thin wicking fabric from my local Guss Woolens’ to make drawers.  I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me! They told me in the shop it was used for making underwear at Under Armour.  Trena  kept going on and on about how great the fabric was for underwear (great recovery, breathable, non fading).

Last February, Kathi R. sent me a stack of pretty stretch laces from FIDM. Lots of gorgeous colors! So, when Melissa released her free Lacy Thong Pattern, I knew I had no excuse but to get to sewing.

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For my first sample, I used a black stretch lace from Fashions Unlimited. I think this was like 50 cents to 1 dollar a yard. Once the first version was sewn and worn with success, I got to cutting.

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And assembling

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And sewing. I found my 1/4 inch foot super helpful with the smallish seam allowances.

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In my mind I was making 10 pairs. But, started to lose steam, lol. Here are the six of the seven that I completed.

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My prior lace thong pattern draft is all lace and I don’t find that the greatest for every day wear. But, this version with the jersey is perfect. A little sexy but still practical.

What do I love about this pattern? It’s simple. You don’t need a serger. The style is super cute. I can’t thank Melissa enough for giving us access to it!

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What don’t I like? It’s kind of tedious to sew like this. I wouldn’t recommend batch sewing unless you are in dire straits (as I was). Otherwise, just sew them as you feel like it!

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I’ve updated the Lingerie Resources tab at the top of my blog. A few etsy shops and bra components were no longer active. And, I added another three or four etsy shops I found from searching.

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I have some one inch wide lace on order to make a similar batch of the Rosie Lady Shorts from Cloth Habit. Not my usual style of underwear, but I thought the pattern was super cute and would be great for working out.

I picked up several yards of gray and royal blue thin wicking from Under Armour at Guss Woolens today to try it out soon. Guss Woolens doesn’t have an online presence  but will mail samples out and take phone orders if you’re interested.

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Long Lingerie Sewing Weekend: Pale Sea Breeze Rebecca Sewy Bra

19 Feb IMGP6191

It was February last year when I made my last bra. I guess sewing is a bit cyclical isn’t it?  What really happens to me is that Sigrid starts posting her incredible creations and I get a crazy itch to try again. My plan was to make like ten pairs of Melissa’s excellent Lacy Thong pattern. But, I got distracted halfway through and decided I wanted to sew a new bra. While the bust was about right in my two home sewn bras, I found the elastic in the cup flipping under when worn. It started to annoy me so much that I discarded the red bra and used the silver one on my dress form.

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I poured through Sigrid’s tutorials and posts on bra sewing. It finally occurred to me that maybe I needed to sew the channeling so that it flipped outward to be on *top* of the elastic instead of inward and away from the elastic. I dashed off an email to Sigrid with the subject ‘Dumb Question’. Once she responded, I sewed in the channeling correctly (outward) and had my almost perfect bra.

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This all lace version of the Rebecca Sewy has been cut out for a year now. I went with all lace instead of just the upper cup. The lace is from an Asian market vendor on etsy and the lycra kit is from Summerset also on Etsy.

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I mean, it’s the gorgeous lace bits that made me want to start sewing my own bras!

Guys, the elation I felt when I put this bra on and it *fit* in indescribible. The entire time I was sewing it, I thought it was looking too big in the cup. It’s also frought with many little errors.

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I plan to sew one or two more straight away. My three RTW bras are about three years old and need to be retired soon. If my next two come out correctly, I will *finally* sew my complete kit from Amsterdam. I’ve been saving this one for when my bras are almost perfect.

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After all this, I will never begrudge the cost of a RTW bra. Especially one with all lace. Think, there are about five pattern pieces. I have them cut from lace, powernet, and lycra. There is a lot of little small seams and details. It’s a lot of work, but so worth the effort!!

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Geometric Sweater Knit Cardigan: Burda Magazine 11/2012

15 Feb IMGP5921

I’ll be honest with you. I don’t usually care much for sewn cardigans. And, when people were getting on board the waterfall cardigan train three years ago, I happily passed.  They don’t have the fitted look I seem to like in hand knit sweaters. But, I fell for the feel of this Burda waterfall cardigan (they call it a waistcoat) when it appeared in the 11/2012 edition (#137 available on the BurdaStyle website for download for $5.40).

They recommended using a lightweight mohair, but I wanted to use this thick and cozy geometric sweater knit from Mood fabrics. This is a non-knitting sewists dream material! Warm and spongy, with amazing recovery.

The pattern though, is a massive, fabric-eating PITA. You see, I purchased two yards of this sweater knit from Mood when it first went up on the site. Then, a few months later, it was 50 percent off of the original $18! I jumped at the chance and bought two more yards so I could make this cardi.

But, I didn’t heed the Burda directions and decided to cut my back on the fold — unlike the single layer layout I was directed to use (2 yards). Of course, this meant that I could only squeeze one  single ‘front’ from the leftovers (2 yards). So, I had to order another two yards of the knit so I could have all three peices.

For those who may be lost, that means it took me six yards and three orders to make one sweater because I’m an idiot. Pieces of it were laid out in my living room for so long, my Chihuahua Linus took to sleeping on it.

The pattern and sewing are fairly simple at 1.5 dots. I made zero alterations for fit and sewed a 40 to allow for my bust and my lack of adjustments for my wide lower thighs. I also didn’t match the motifs at the side or front.  To finish the edges, I just serged the edges.

Along the neckline and shoulder seams, I used cotton shirting selvedge  to stablize the seams and prevent stretching.

The fabric is thick, so lots of steams and my  clapper was used to open the seams as flat as possible. I loved my fabric choice. This sweater is WARM!! Office peeps loved it and I’ve worn it all weekend too.

Now, the only problem with using the thicker fabric, is that it’s not flattering at the middle. You can see here that the intergrated collar and scarf is already double once, then doubles again when folded.  If you’re at all self-conscious about thickness at your waist — this isn’t the the waterfall for you. I look about four months preggers from the side.

The tie belt does afford some waist definition, but I’ll be on the lookout for a wide, elastic stretch belt to use instead.

Overall, fabric hog but great pattern and super cozy in a thick knit.

The material for this sweater was purchased in part using an allowance from Mood Fabrics for the Mood Sewing Network

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He Think He Fancy: Simplicity 2755 and Burda Mag Dog Cape

12 Feb IMGP6084

You know how to get attention? Put your dog in clothes.  I guess I was missing Sir Linus (my dad’s name for my Chihuahua) after almost a week apart. I also felt like sewing but wasn’t up to starting any thing big or new. So, over the weekend I made two winter pieces for the little stinker and he’s now pretty full of himself. Why? Because we went for a walk in some new gear and this is what I heard being *shouted* from cars

“I like your dog!”

“That dog be CUTE gurrrl!’

“Where you get that dog at?”

This has seemingly all gone to his head and he’s now prancing on our walks.

Be forewarned: I have put more thought into sewing these two pieces than I have in any other garment recently. It’s… troubling. photo file_zpsa1e92acb.jpg

First up is this V-neck sweater is from Simplicity 2755. It’s part of Simplicity’s ‘Go Green’ line and also has a little hoodie pattern included. Cuuuuuttttte. I’m gathering from this experience that Go Green is designed for beginners, occasional sewers and crafters. The pattern is not fitted, kind of oversized and designed for single layer cut out.

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While I like the V-neck feature (my own v-necks don’t look this good!) the pattern is not drafted for pee clearance. I think it’s a colossal PITA to take a sweater off the dog to put on a coat when it’s time for a winter walk. So, I think I’ll tweak this 2755 to be similar to the bottom draft of Simplicity 3939 that I’ve made for Linus before. 3939 also has a snugger fit that he can’t wiggle out of in his sleep.

For once, I actually measured Linus and he fell in the ‘small’ for his chest and weight but the length of a ‘medium’. So, I added one inch in length (I’ve noticed things I buy for him in his weight and chest tend not to be long enough). But… Liz says Linus looks like he’s wearing a kimono (print, color blocking). So, I may just sew the XS next time.

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Above is the original crazy-long non-pee clearance length. I try hard to keep little Linus looking as butch as possible. We both have our pride. But, the dress-length sweater in a swirly print wasn’t helping.

I tried to adjust by hacking three inches off the bottom and rolling up the sleeves.  But, shortening the pattern still didn’t give him clearance.  Comparing Simplicity 3939, I see that they are drafted with a different slope around the dog boy bits.  Only one review on PR noted the pee clearance issue. But, I read the review after I sewed this up. Doh.

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Here, shortened with a black instead of self fabric band.

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The pattern only takes 5/8 a yard and is cut single layer to conserve material. I used a warm wool sweater knit from Mood Fabrics leftover from a soon-to-be posted cardigan.

So, it’s a pattern with good features. But, for my needs will need some tweaking.

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Reecntly, I was asked to consider a new cape for Linus by a frequent male walker. He said he was walking Linus and realized that when he was wearing his gray winter coat and Linus had on his cape — they looked like they were dressed alike.   And other people on the walks had noticed too….I think it’s hard enough to get a grown man to walk a twee dog that isn’t even his. So, why add insult to injury. With this in mind, I revisited Burda Magazine’s Sherlock Holmes’ inspired dog cape. I like the first one I made for Linus, but wanted to try a few new things. This fabric is a remnant of a beloved project. My aptly title ‘Sherlock Holmes Dress’ from 2008 (man, I really needed an FBA).

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First, I piped the whole thing in a reflective piping. This stiff plasticy piping I bought in NYC a few years ago. I think I was planning a messenger bag for biking. The plastic is too stiff for the body of the cape. But, awesome in the collar. I think I’ll just stick with piping the collar in the future. It’s really hard to see the piping along the body.

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Second, I used two D-rings for the ‘belt’ (which is also waaay too long). Kind of fussy. I think I’ll just use strips of velcro in the future.

Third, I went back to the original length. I shortened the pattern the first time, but decided it was a little too short for him (again, he’s longer than a typical Chihuahua). I do think it’s a little big at the neckline still, so I’ll adjust for that next time.

Oh, I also cut the underlining a bit smaller. It seems to help with having the cape ‘curve’ toward Linus and not stick up when he… squats.

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I have a few more patterns I’d like to try out for him this year. But, I’m good for a little bit. I’m all dog sewed out.

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Tweaked Performance Boxer Briefs: Jalie 2327

6 Feb IMGP5873

I am a last minute sewer. I whipped up two pairs of black wicking boxer shorts for a birthday gift before work last Thursday morning.

I first made these boxer briefs in royal blue as a holiday gift back in December. I made a few mock pairs up for a volunteer pattern testing friend to ‘test’ run for me. After giving the briefs as a gift and hearing back from my pattern testing friend, I decided to make another tweak to the pattern.

The first tweak on my original pair (above) was adding a gusset in the crotch area (based on RTW and comments). This allows the boxers to ‘snug’ up in between the legs so to speak.

This time, I added more of a curve to the fly — about 1/4 inch for a total of half of inch. The red line is the original pattern line. This should allow them to be more fitted. I tried to think of it like a bra cup. The previous version didn’t have enough depth.

I believe the pattern is discontinued. I saw ‘performance boxers’ at Sam’s Club last week. They were two for $21 I think. This fabric is Under Armour wicking from Guss Woolens in Baltimore and $5 a yard. So, I made two pairs for $5 really. Unfortuntely, I bought the last of this waistbanding from an Etsy seller. But, I’m on the constant hunt for more.

Guss Woolens has this thin wicking in black and several shades of blue. I plan to use some for myself for workout tops and underwear.

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Baby Blue Burda Style Pullover: 11/2012 #124

30 Jan file_zpsd5377bc3

People. I have a serious problem. I seem to just to REFUSE to acknowledge that I have some little narrow shoulders and need (nay, MUST) start adjusting for them. It’s like how I didn’t do an FBA for ten years.

Allow me to start at the beginning.

This pullover from the November 2012 Burda features a low and wide neckline with cuff sleeves and cuffed waistband. I was drawn to the upstyle casual look of it.

I really liked how the back and front were two different lengths — providing visual interest to something that could otherwise be a bit ordinary.

For this project, I made my usual full bust adjustment and graded from a 38 bust to a 42 at the hips. I really wanted to make sure the pullover wouldn’t ‘cup’ under my tuccas from being too tight.

For this project, I used the last of my $18 a yard Mood Fabrics sweater knits from my October in-store purchase of three. The other similar sweater knit projects became my marine wool dress and an autumnal sweater. I *love* pastel blue. I seriously have over 20 pastel / baby blue nail polishes. I should be ashamed. But, I am not.

Which brings us back to my shoulders. On the model below, you can see that the shoulder seam hangs over her shoulder. I guess that’s fine. But, combined with my narrow shoulders, I find the entire neckline too wide  by about one inch and would have happily taken a 1/2 to 1 inch more fabric toward my neck. Oh, also, the pattern says to use binding or something on the neckline. I just stablised with interfacing, finished with my serger and did a turn and topstitch for the neckline.

See how her sleeve is is hanging down from the shoulder a bit? I didn’t stretch out the shoulders by using some bias interfacing along the entire armscye, staytape on the shoulder line and interfacing on the once turned in neckline.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with this simple top. I’d like to make more in ‘regular’ sweatshirt fabric or even a wool jersey. It would also make a great summer top in a thin knit or silk jersey. It works well with jeans and leggings. I can be casual, but with a nice twist.

In my mind, Liz and  I were going to recreate the editorial photo with my bike. But, it was so bitterly cold when I completed the top, that we looked for a cozy indoor spot instead :-)

I still have the long promised cardigan to finish and post. Things have been so hectic lately!

The material for this top was purchased in part using an allowance from Mood Fabrics for the Mood Sewing Network

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