Slow going

I've been working on another dress from Butterick 5314. I wanted to make view A. I really did. I cut it out of the same white cotton jacquard used for the previous dress. I cut the draped collar from a beautiful shades-of-blue poly left over from another project.
It should have been perfect.
It wasn't.

The collar didn't drape enough at all. I cut a new one after measuring very carefully but it had too much fabric to ease into the neckline. I re-cut, re-pinned, and re-basted that sucker a million four or five times. No go.

Finally, I'd had it. I had another view B collar cut out of the white cotton (I don't know why I cut two but now I'm glad I did) so I cut one from the blue fabric and basted the two together so they could be handled as one layer. The blue poly by itself didn't have enough body for a stand-up collar but with the cotton inside, it's perfect. Now I just need to make a matching ribbon belt and the dress will be ready to wear.

Butterick 5314 - white sleeveless dress

It is done!



This is view B of Butterick 5314. The pattern is for a dress with front & back darts, waistline seam, and three collar/neckline variations. View B has a simple bias-cut foldover collar.

I used a lovely cotton floral jacquard from Gorgeous Fabrics. It was a breeze to sew and press, and I am glad to have enough left for at least one more dress. The pattern calls for a lining but I skipped it, opting instead to use a facing at the neckline and bias tape for the armholes.

Besides the omitted lining, there are two other points of departure from the pattern instructions: one is the invisible zipper - I prefer it over the centered zipper application recommended in the pattern. The other is that I let the collar spread instead of bringing the points together at center back with hooks and eyes. I like the dip it creates (and not having to sew on another hook and eye is always a bonus).

Here's the back view:



I am definitely planning to make this dress again in other fabrics. This was kind of a trial run to see how I would like sewing and wearing cotton and to tweak the remaining fitting issues in this pattern (I worked out the major ones in muslin, as usual). I am always drawn to collars like this when I browse vintage patterns so I decided to give it a try - and I love it!

The Year of the (Sleeveless) Dress

Last year turned out to be very unpredictable, which made it difficult to get much sewing done. This year, things should be different because

1. our hospital switched to a different scheduling system so my sewing time should be much more predictable,
2. I have learned to sew in small chunks, say 30-60 minutes, instead of waiting to have a whole day to sew, and
   
3. I am learning (slow process, mind you) to let go of my perfectionist tendencies which often hinder my creativity.

I plan to add a few many dresses to my wardrobe this year because that's what I like to wear the most. Sleeveless sheath dresses have proven to be the most versatile and most-often worn pieces in my wardrobe (together with knit cardigans, but I buy those) so I will focus on sewing more of them, both from my TNT pattern and Butterick 5314.



I love the graceful collared necklines of views A and B, and the waistline seam will be useful for pattern-morphing later. View B is currently half-sewn. I plan to finish it tomorrow.

Back from hiatus

Hmm, I didn't even realize I've not posted since last July. It's not that I haven't been sewing - I have, but mostly muslin mock-ups, a couple of wadders, and a bunch of aprons. And then life got hectic and painful (and full of anxiety - long story involving a new dentist) and there went the mojo again. But now it's back and I am hoping to have some pretty new dresses to share and wear soon.

What I'm loving for fall...

Well, the Vogue Fabrics mailer finally arrived and to my amazement I found I was only slightly tempted to make a purchase. Most of the fabrics are still very summery and for some reason I'm already thinking fall. So today, I was a happy camper when I surfed over to Vogue patterns to find these:


V1123 - the neckline on the dress is a bit severe but I am in love with the jacket. The line drawing shows kimono sleeves with gussets and a lovely collar that stands away from the neck without being oversize.



V1129 - a totally cool unlined fitted jacket with what looks like a nice high armhole. It would make a great throw-on jacket for Florida's "cold season", more of a long cardigan really. The drape adds a touch of drama (more than plenty for my non-dramatic clothing personality).



V8604 - the briefest jacket of all, a cross between a shrug and a cardigan, it could easily become a favorite this season.

We still have a few months of heat left this year which gives me plenty of time to dream up the perfect collection of little black (and gray and blue) dresses to wear with these jackets.

2009 #2 Summer casual wardrobe

It is done! Three dresses and two sleeveless tops - my summer wardrobe is pretty much complete.



The dresses are all from my TNT pattern, all three made up exactly the same. I would like to play with the neckline but this month was not the time for it - I needed dresses to wear right now. I am happy with all three, have worn the white and the print already. The blue dress was just born this afternoon. They are all unlined and I wear them with a half-slip. In the interest of speedy sewing, I faced the necklines but used a bias strip to finish the armholes. It looks nice, though it won't work in every situation - the topstitching is not invisible.

The two tops are from New Look 6895, much adjusted in the back. First I took out 1" at CB neck, tapering to nothing at the hem, then adjusted for an erect posture. I added a lining in a lightweight solid white poly crepe, sewed a wide band of the shell fabric to the hem of the lining, and hemmed the top 1.5" shorter to get the look of a double hem. I got the idea from an Ann Taylor top I love. The necklines are bias-bound and wide enough to go over my head without a closure. I changed the gathering in the front to a series of pleats because I liked it better. The tops are flowy, which makes them comfortable even in Florida's humid heat, despite the fact that they are polyester. I wear these tops with white shorts but they look great with blue jeans and a cardigan as well.

This was my first time sewing with polyester. I'd avoided it all these years thinking it was hot and uncomfortable and difficult to sew. Then I bought the Ann Taylor top and fell in love with it. It's made of polyester and I thought if AT can use it, so can I. As it turns out, it's easy to cut and sew, and the right pattern can provide comfort even in hot weather. *Disclaimer: I keep the thermostat set on 77-80F so my idea of "hot" and yours may differ (I freeze below 75F).

It's been a while...

...I know. It's been hectic, it's been fun... and the time just flew by. The house is now furnished and comfortable. I've settled into my new old job. I've even done some sewing.

One of my goals for this year was to make more dresses. To that end, I've been working on improving my TNT sheath pattern. There was a bit of extra ease in the lower front that resisted all attempts at removal. Several mock-ups later, the pattern is now fixed.

My fabric collection stayed in Germany; it will move with us when we come back stateside in 2011. My wonderful mom-in-law sent me the few pieces I had stashed at their house so I have some basics but no real stash here and I don't want to build a new one. Instead, I subscribed to the Vogue Fabrics By Mail service. I wasn't really sure what to expect but figured $30 was a small price to pay for someone to coordinate fabrics for me. At the beginning of May, my first mailer arrived and I was impressed. Nine color-coordinated collections of very affordably-priced fabrics of very decent quality.

Two collections immediately caught my eye - they would be perfect for a casual summer wardrobe. A few days later, these lovely pieces showed up at my doorstep.



From the top: polyester plisse print and polyester faille print for loose tank tops, poly/rayon/flax textured suiting solid for a simple sheath, rayon/poly "painterly" print for another sheath, white textured cotton/lycra suiting for a sheath (and maybe a jacket or skirt, or both, I wasn't sure so I ordered 5 yards), and a cotton blend novelty tweed that will make a lovely cardigan jacket.

Now, my main fabric collection consists of timeless basics that I buy in 5 or 10 yards lengths and intend to use over time. However, these fabrics are for immediate sewing and, with the exception of the white cotton suiting, came in 2yd pieces, which I thought should be enough to cut a summer top or dress and still leave enough to re-cut in case of emergency. Also, having seen how Carolyn works embellishment, I thought having a half-yard or so left over might come in handy one day.

The cardigan jacket will be a project for later this year when it gets cool enough here to actually wear one. Other than that, my only rule was that the rest of the fabrics would have to be sewn up into garments before I could order more fabrics. That gave me two months to sew. Well, not quite because I had company most of May, but still plenty of time to sew. Otherwise, there would be no new fabric from the next mailer.

So far, I have finished two dresses - the white cotton and the painterly blue/green/white print, and two tank tops from the poly prints. This week I'll make a dress from the blue suiting and then wait contentedly for the next mailer. Pictures coming soon.