Costume Sewing and McCalls 5954

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments you all left me about the rabbit dress that I made my little friend. I’m very impressed with my NY stash additions as well. So much so that four pieces were washed and are in rotation for upcoming garments. One piece is done and I will blog about it soon so stay tuned. Tiny, in my last post you asked me if I made my labels. The answer to your question is no. I purchase my labels from Namemaker.

I’ve made my final decision on the lace for the skirt project. It will be in the works soon, but I have a few things I need to finish up first. A co-worker asked me to make her daughter’s costume for Halloween. The costume is Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. Picture is courtesy of www.chasing-fireflies.com

I used McCall 5954. I started on this project last weekend and worked on it this past week to deliver it this past Friday. 22 plus hours of work later and that's with a day job that's very demanding. I delivered a finished costume to a very happy mother. This project and I mean project took some planning and shopping for trim, because let me tell you, this project was not a walk in the park and there were a few scary moments. Below is a mini diary of my escapade. I hope you enjoy.

On Thursday (Oct 13th) the Mother tells me oh, my daughter is in a contest next weekend and we have stuff planned for her the following weekend. I think to myself (OH Sh.., she finally brought me the fabric last week and I haven't started this project yet. OMG!!!) Nothing like her telling me at the last minute that I didn't have another week to get this baby done. Hello!!! (Why did I take this project on? Project Runway here I come.)

Thursday night I started cutting fabric and did the markings.

Friday at lunch I started basting the bodice during lunch, so far every things looks pretty good. I also used Wonder Under for the first time. It's webbing that you attach to fabric if you want to make it an applique/iron-on. For those of you that don't know it, it's like stitch witchery or steam a seam, but it comes on a bolt like fabric. I’m not crazy about my client’s fabric choice, but hey, I didn’t buy the fabric. I feel that there should be some crushed velvet in here somewhere, it would make the costume look a little more richer and this kid would be a lot warmer. I’m trying to pace myself on this one because it’s so elaborate, but I also want to get it done. I want to work on my own stuff.

Tuesday ( Oct. 18) When I accepted this job, I knew that it would be time consuming and involved, but I didn’t realize how INVOLVED it would be. I sewed on Saturday morning for about 4 hours before I had to head over to my mother's and did some handwork over there in the middle of doing stuff for her. Sunday I did not sew anything. Took the day off to rest. I did go shopping at Joanns Saturday for a heart charm to make her choker. All I found were 2 fairly large red heart buttons. I think this will do with some Mod Podge and red glitter, the ideas are endless. Sunday I glittered the buttons. They look fantastic. My brain is flying all over the place. In the time it took me to make this costume, I could have made at least 3-4 new pieces of clothing for myself or a new blazer or coat, by now, and don’t let me get started about the sleeves and the painstaking slowness that I had to take to get them attached to the bodice. If you ever have to do sleeves for a 3 ½ year old, attach them flat. I followed the pattern directions and realized afterward that they don’t fit on the sleeve arm of my machine because they’re TOO SMALL/LITTLE. I can say that I was questioning my skills on getting this one done, and so far I haven’t had a problem. I guess I just needed to know that I could do it. Every time I look at this dress, I’m like Wow, I did that, and I’m loving the trim I picked out. It’s really made this costume. (Note to self, run over to Jomar and get some more of that trim, I need to incorporate it into a project for myself. I love it.)

Wednesday (Oct 19) Through trials and tribulations, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. All the hard stuff is done with not too much mishap. Last night I finished sewing the other sleeve on to the bodice and this one went on a bit quicker as I knew what I was doing. I also added the peplum. I have to say, this is some of my best work yet and I’m still amazed that I can do this. I’m still not use to sewing for others and it freaks me out a little bit. I’m always afraid that something will go wrong like getting grease stains on the white portion of the skirt while machine stitching on the hearts. Tide stick and baby wipes are a beautiful thing. I woke up this morning and the stains were gone. I almost had a heart attack just thinking that I might have to start part of this project over.

Thursday (Oct 20) Last night I sewed the back of the skirt on, attached the skirt to the bodice. That was not easy. With all the gathers in that skirt it was crazy trying to attach the skirt to the bodice and peplum Stitching it was not too hard. When I went to serge everything to make it look clean, that was another story. I thought at one point I broke my serger. The dag on fabric was just too thick and bulky. Bias tape is a beautiful thing. It hides things that you just don't want seen and can clean up a garment like nobody's business. I called my knitting students last night because I am going to need tonight to finish up this baby. This morning before I left the house I cut out the striped fabric for the choker a striped piece for the back of the collar, ironed on a piece of interfacing and sewed both pieces before walking out the door. When I talked to the mother earlier in the week, I told her I didn't need the striped fabric. She looked at me and asked, is there anyway you can fit it in anywhere on the costume. I don't want the fabric to go to waste. (Is she freaking crazy? I've been working on this costume till 12:30 every night this week. I'm holding my eyes open with toothpicks here. Oh, and did I tell you, Mr. D. hit a pot hole in the wildlife refuge near our house while riding his bike Tuesday night and flew over the handle bars? I had to clean him up when he made it home.)

Thursday night I installed the zipper to the dress. Did all the hemming and attached snaps to the collar and dress. I was going to add striped fabric to the hem of the dress per her agreement, but now looking at it, it would ruin the dress and since I'm the designer here, it's my show and I don't want this dress to look tacky. Also made ring to match choker. Every queen must have her accessories.

Friday, delivery of dress on schedule, my mini project runway is over and I'm exhausted, but I do have one happy customer/parent.

By the way, major shout outs and thank yous go to my girls Sheila and Cennetta for keeping me on track and sane this past week.

My September Recap

I apologize for my absence but as they say, I took a blog vacation. I didn’t mean for it to be so long, but time got away from me. I have been a little busy though. I even met up with a few of you for the shopping day in New York. Here’s the loot to prove it.

This is what I got from Metro Textiles.

From the top row, the corduroy is from Mood, the two knits in the top row are from Spandex House. The bottom two fabrics are from Elliot Berman.

Sorry I didn’t take any group pictures, but my main reason for going was to buy lace for my skirt project that I talked about in my last post. Let’s just say trying to find 6-7 inch black woven lace is not one easy task. I was a little discouraged as I wanted to start on my skirt right away and then realized it had to go on the back burner. Anyway, I was able to find two different designs at Pacific Trim, and one oddly enough on Etsy.

It’s recycled but I don’t care. I think it very pretty. Here are my choices. The 2 on the top on Pacific Trim and the one on the bottom is the reclaim lace.

Let me know which one you like the best. Here is the picture of the skirt again.

To take my mind off of the skirt I decided to design a dress for my four year old girlfriend who lives across the street from me. She told me she wanted purple and I said okay. She even came over and helped me mark up her dress. Of course I marked it first and she went over the lines I had already made. I had the idea of making a romper so I purchased Simplicity 5489 which is a basic romper pattern that I picked up at Joanns. The corduroy fabric is from Joanns as well.

I decided that I wanted to place a bunny rabbit on it. That’s when the wheels started turning. Instead of placing a patchwork type shape of a rabbit on the dress, I decided to make it a pocket.

I found a picture/outline of a rabbit online, blew it up, traced it on to tracing paper and then outlined it making it bigger because it wasn’t big enough to use as a pocket. I cut 2 pieces of fabric, interfacing one of the sides to make it sturdy. After attaching the rabbit pocket on to the dress, I thought it looked a little plain so I added a ruffle to the top of the romper.

Since my little buddy is still getting use to buttons, I tried to make it easier on her since she is dressing herself and gave her snaps to close the romper.

Now to complete this outfit, what rabbit would not like something to snack on between feedings. Let’s just say the dress was a hit and my dear little friend ran off to go and play with her dress.

In knitting news, I did finish my sweater and got a chance to wear it before the cold wave set in.

It was a hit and I got a few offers but I stayed strong.

This baby is for me, and I love the yarn I used.

Up next, some more knitting for others and a new dress, McCalls 6118 to dance my butt off in.

It's Maxi Time!!!

Believe it or not, I haven't sewn anything for the past 2 weeks, but I was thinking about this fabric,
and the maxi dress that would come out of it the whole time.

Now that I think about it, it might even be more like two weeks that I've been thinking about this dress. Isn't that sad? I think so.

I purchased this piece back in June at Spandex House. When I saw it. I t was screaming/whispering to me that it wanted to be a maxi dress. Anyway, I got busy doing other things and then when I had the time, I either thought about something else or looked at other patterns. I was also trying to figure out what pattern I wanted to use. I have a few tank top patterns that definitely fit the bill but in the end, I narrowed it down to Simplicity 2189. What helped me with my decision was that I didn't want darts in the bodice, and I wanted a no brainer as I was sewing this baby up after work Friday night for my company outing on Saturday afternoon. By the way I didn't look at the directions, I just did my own thing. Plus the dress is simple enough that you really don't need them. By the way, excuse the hair in these pictures. It's looking a hot mess. These pictures were taken after my job's summer outing and the weather was not the best. Let's just say Saturday was the precursor to Sunday's torrential downpour.

I cut out the size 14. I cut the neckline lower by about 2 inches because I wanted a lower neckline and added about 10 to 12 inches to the bottom flaring is a tiny bit. In the end I removed 3 inches from the bottom of the dress. That worked out perfectly because I used it for the armhole bands.

For the neckband I cut a long strip of fabric about 2 inches wide.

I sewed one shoulder seam leaving the other one open and attached the neckband to the dress before sewing the other shoulder seam closed.

This fabric was a little on the thin side so I lined it with tricot.

Overall, I'm very happy with this dress and would make it again. Here is my pattern review which goes over in detail what I pretty much just summarized.


Pattern Description:

Misses' & Plus Size shirt, pants and knit dress or top.

Pattern Sizing:

I sewed the 14, View A.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes and no. I change the length of the dress to make it a maxi dress.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

I really would not know. I did not look at them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

This pattern looks pretty good so far and there are a couple more items I may make from it. I picked this pattern to achieve a look I had in my mind for a tank maxi dress.

Fabric Used:

Rayon Lyra from Spandex House.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I cut the front neckline deeper by 2 inches and the back neckline deeper by about 1 inch. I also lengthened the dress pattern by about 10 to 12 inches, but then removed from the length about 3 inches. 2 of the 3 inches I cut off I recycled and used for the armbands. I did not use the pattern pieces for the neckband and armband from the pattern. I just winged it.

In putting the neckline and neckband together, I sewed one shoulder seam closed. I left the other one open and pinned the neckband to the neckline, right sides together. Once the neckband was on I serged it, then sewed the open shoulder seam closed. This technique enables the neckband to lay flatter and I like the look much better than sewing both shoulder seams then attaching the neckband.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes. I want to possibly work on the neckline a little bit more and possibly go for a racerback look next time. Yes I would recommend this pattern to others. There are a few more items in this pattern that I want to try.

Conclusion:

I'm pretty happy with the outcome of how my dress turned out. I was winging it and had a vision in my head with what I wanted. I got pretty close to it. The dress is very functionable for those lazy days of summer, and I looked and felt comfortable and chic at my job's summer outing.

Almost A Wadder

I have had New Look 6729 (OOP) in my stash for a couple of years but for some reason felt intimidated by the pattern. Why? I don't know because I was able to put it together pretty easily. I purchased the fabric from Fabric Warehouse about 3 or 4 years ago.

There was barely a yard of it, so I knew I had to be careful with how I cut the fabric. Anyway, I was in a rush to cut the fabric out because I wanted to wear it on Saturday and decided to cut and sew it on a Friday night before I ran out the door to go to the hair dresser to get my hair done. (I made this top in June by the way. Well, in my rush to cut out the fabric, I didn't check to see which way the stretch was and cut out the back. Of course to my horror I realized that I had cut the back out with the stretch going lengthwise. I freaked for about a minute and forged ahead, because there was no way I was throwing this fabric away. I liked the print too much. I cut the front piece out and made sure I had enough to cut it the correct way, sewed it up and left the arms and hem undone before leaving to get my hair done. When I got home I hemmed the sleeves and top then tried it on. In doing so I realized that the bottom of the top in the front was drooping in a weird way. I assumed that that was from me cutting the back out wrong.

I wish I had taken pictures to document my fudge up, but, of course I did not. (Mental note to self, start documenting everything. You never know when you may need this information again, or it might be helpful to someone else.) I put the top on Lola and messed with pinning in the sides a little, and it did the trick. I was able to get rid of the hanging droop in the front of the top.

Pattern Description

Pattern Sizing:

14, View C

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once
you were done sewing with it?

I think so.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Pretty much. I didn't have any problems with them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I liked the style of the pattern.

Fabric Used:

Rayon/Lycra Knit purchased from Fabric Warehouse.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

None.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes and yes.

Conclusion:

This is a nice top to add to your wardrobe and would look good with slacks, a skirt jeans or a suit. It is a top that can be dressed up or down. Definitely a keeper.

P.S. I made updates to my last post on how to make the laundry detergent for those of you that are interested. (Serenity, Sheila, Karen).

Vogue 8724

It has been a while, but with me these days, you all know that's no surprise. This heat has not been helping either. I was going through a dry spell for about 2 weeks where I had no mojo and then a little birdie by the name of Cennetta tweeted in my ear by calling me up and telling me to get stepping "Just cut something". I went through the motions and cut out Vogue 8724.

The fabric is from Spandex House which I purchased in June on one of my excursions to NYC.

This baby is a lot more colorful than I'm use to but, I've been trying to put more color in my life. When Mr.D first saw the fabric he was like "wow babe, I don't know." After all was said and done, we both liked it. The back of the dress consists of 3 long pieces. The center back and 2 side pieces.

That for me was different but I like how it turned out. The pleats in the center were a nice element to the design of the dress. In sewing them I had to do a bit of tweaking but it worked out okay.

The different cup sizes were a nice bonus to the dress pattern as well. For an added touch, I added a large button to the center of the pleats. Originally I picked out the button in the photo above but I wasn't crazy about the size so I went bigger.

Pattern Description

Close-fitting knit dress with custom fit cup sizing in two lengths with overlapping front pleats.

Pattern Sizing:

I made the 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once
you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

The instructions were very straight forward and I had no problem with them. This particular pattern has different cup sizes for you to choose from. I cut the B Cup. I did have a slight issue working the center pleat, but I worked it out and placed a large button in the center for embellishment.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I actually do not dislike anything about this pattern. The dress is very comfortable to wear. The way this dress is designed it hides my flaws pretty well.

Fabric Used:

Rayon/Lycra knit I purchased from Spandex House in June.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

None. I worked it straight out of the pattern envelope.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, I want to sew this one again, if not just to work the 2 center pleats out better than I did this time. I would recommend this pattern to others. The dress is very flattering on.

Conclusion:

I have worn this dress several times now, and each time I get a compliment. It is definitely a keeper.

Vogue 1250

My last and final dress for the Stay Cool Stitch Up A Dress Sew-a-long is Vogue 1250.

Now, there are many reviews on this dress and I figure, what's one more.

I love drape necks in blouses, dresses whatever. I think it's a flattering look on anyone. When I saw Carolyn make this dress, I ran to Joanns and picked up the pattern. Hey, the woman's made 4 of these dresses already and all I can say it, I right behind her. I have another one planned in a solid teal color. I have been dying to make this dress up for over a month but I was being very particular about my fabric choice and the print because I wanted something very summery looking. I purchased this fabric from Fabric Warehouse a couple of months ago and thought it fit the bill. Let's just say I'm Very happy with the outcome. If you don't have this pattern, please go out and get it. IT IS A MUST HAVE (Sheila, Karen are you listening?) The pattern consists of 2 major pieces and a facing for the back neckline and sews up in roughly 2 hours. The pattern drafting on this is genious. It gives the illusion of being tight fitted, but it really isn't. It just conforms and drapes around your body,

and it also helps that the dress is very, and I mean very comfortable.

Here's my review of the pattern:

Pattern Description:

MISSES' DRESS: Close-fitting dress.


Pattern Sizing:

6-20. I made a size 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes, the directions were very easy to follow.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I LOVE the construction of this dress. It has two major pieces and a facing piece for the back neckline.

Fabric Used:

Cotton Lycra Knit which I purchased from Fabric Warehouse.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I added two inches to the length of the dress. I also finished the sleeves by hand as sometimes depending on the fabric you use when you hem sleeves in knit, they sometimes get a ripple look from serging them and then sewing them. Doing it by hand took care of that problem for me.




Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, I"m going to make it in a teal blue. I think everyone should have one of these in their closet.

Conclusion:

This is an awesome dress and I really love it.

Butterick 5147

Hi Everyone!!!! Happy Father's Day!!! I hope you are all having a wonderful day. I made sure I got up bright and early and made my phone call to my Dad!

Thank you all for the lovely comments you left me about my ruffle dress. I wore it last Saturday night when I played for a golf outing dinner and it was a big hit. The guys loved it and said I reminded them of Tina Turner. Let's just say I was shaking my thang and having a good time.

Dress #2 for the Stay Cool Stitch Up A Dress is The Blue Hawiian Dress a.k.a. the dress that almost wasn't. Last year I started this dress and after I cut it out, I realized that it had a fade mark going down the full length of the front of the dress. I looked at it and pressed on thinking hopefully that I'd be able to fix it. The lining was attached and all I had to do was put the zipper in and sew the sides up.

Discouraged, I put the dress away and it became a UFO. Now, during this time I spoke to Sheila and she suggested possibly using a Sharpie marker might do the trick and I agreed but of course I would have to do a spot check to see if it would work first. Fast forward one year later and Faye (Linda) has a sew-a-long for summer dresses which I join. I had no intention of finishing this dress but hay, I was straightening up/organizing my sewing room a little(it's a work in progress) and I came across the dress.


I thought to myself, "I went this far, I might as well finish it and tryout the marker. Last weekend after I installed the zipper and sewed up the sides, I put the dress on and went to town with my blue sharpie. What do you know, it worked. I am one happy woman because I really like this Fabric.

Pattern Description:

MISSES/MISSES PETITE JACKET, TOP, DRESS AND SKIRT: Jacket A has front and back darts, collar and three-quarter length sleeves. Top B has front and back darts, side zipper. Slim fitting dress C has front and back darts, back zipper and back slit, length is 2" below mid-knee. A-line dress D has front and back darts, back zipper, length is mid-calf. Slim fitting skirt E has front and back darts, back zipper and back slit, length is 2" below mid-knee. A-line skirt F has front and back darts, back zipper, length is mid-calf. All garments are lined.



Pattern Sizing:

8-24. I made a 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes, and I love the directions to install the lining.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

The one thing that I would change for next time is the lining pieces. Unfortunately, the lining pieces are the same as the main garment pieces. When I make this again, and I will, I will make the lining pieces a little bigger so that the dress itself will not pull. With the pieces being the same size, the dress can not flow the way it wants to and it pulls in a few places.

Fabric Used:

Cotton Twill that I purchased from Karlin's in Philadelphia last year.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

None, but, for my next version, I plan on making the lining a little bigger. Also, I will not use this lining fabric again. It was horrible. I wore it to work and when I got home, one of the seams frayed. I have a funny feeling I might have to change the lining in the future.

Lesson learned.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, and yes.

Conclusion:

This is a fantastic wardrobe builder for anyone's closet. Sheath dresses can pretty much work for anything, work, special occasions, or just a quiet night out. I say it's all in your fabric choice. Up next is Vogue 1250.