Morphing the coat pattern

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

I had an interesting time with this pattern morph. The front wasn't too hard - aligning CF on CF, I simply traced the front edge and funnel neckline from V2988 onto the front of V8307. In this picture, you can see both the original lines and the new lines.



The back was a different story. V2988 has a cut-on funnel collar in the front but a separate collar in the back. I could not reconcile the neckline curves so instead I drew an extension similar to the one in the front.


We'll see how well it works when I make the mock-up tomorrow. I've left the original V8307 lines (shoulder and neck) in case I need them for adjustments. I think the funnel neck looks really wide on the model and I may have to take it in a little.

I am also debating leaving the fairly close shaping as is or making the coat slightly looser and belting it instead.

The planning of this project has been a lot of fun and I'd like to say "thank you" to all who have written words of advice, both here and elsewhere, about these two coat patterns. I have read the reviews and blog posts, looked at the pictures, and taken into consideration every comment. Sewing is definitely not the solitary endeavor it used to be, thanks to the wonderful online sewing community.

On vacation

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

Not much sewing action in the last week - I am on vacation, visiting my family. I have been wearing my two latest dresses. I love them, so comfy in the heat. Oh, and the heat... it's well over 80F and sunny... I am in heaven.

I do need to get my behind in gear and make a mock-up for the coat sew-along. I decided to morph the two coat patterns. I like the funnel neckline of V2988 and the shape and seam detail of V8307. I have the paper pattern halfway ready - it still needs my usual alterations. I'm hoping to get to it in the next few days. I'll be home on Wednesday, then I can try it out in muslin.

Vacations are great but they can really get in the way of sewing sometimes. I'm looking forward to getting back to my sewing studio.

Project #15 - red summer dress

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

Remember how I said that I was going to use that Burda WOF dress pattern again?

I cut the fabric on Friday, then spent part of yesterday and today to make this:





The fabric is the same linen/rayon or linen/cotton I'd used for this tunic. It's very easy to sew although I think it may wrinkle more than the other dress fabric. Oh well.

And here's how it looks with the belt from the aubergine dress. Gives it a different look, doesn't it?

Project #14 - aubergine dress - closeup

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

This is a follow-up post from Part 1.

The pictures from yesterday didn't show much detail so I took some today with better lighting. Here's how the belt looks when you can see it:



And here's a closeup:



The bias skirt is very comfortable as it moves with the body. With the fabric being a linen/cotton blend and the dress unlined, I was expecting a lot of wrinkles. To my very pleasant surprise, very few actually formed and those that did were very soft and hung out after a while. Bias rocks!

Project #14 - aubergine dress

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

I finished this dress last night. Last Saturday, I wrote about trying it out in muslin and planned to finish it on Sunday. Then I got sidetracked and the dress had to wait a couple of days.
Anyway, here it is:



The pattern is from Burda WOF 06/99 - #125. It's a simple sheath-like dress with a high-waist seam. The bodice and sleeves are cut on the straight of the grain, the skirt on the bias. A pretty scoop neckline and short sleeves finish off the summery look.

The pattern comes in sizes 36-44. I used size 36 and made appropriate adjustments on the muslin. The bias skirt was the only iffy thing because muslin is much stiffer than the fashion fabric so I knew the drape would be different.

I read through the instructions to get an idea of how they intended the dress to be sewn up. They were fairly straightforward but I changed some things:

1. I prefer to put the zipper in while the back is still flat, before sewing the shoulder and side seams.
   
2. Also, I didn't line the dress because I wanted it to be the kind of dress I could wear when it's 90F and feel comfortable. (Not that I'm expecting heat like that here in Germany - we're supposed to have a high of 58F, yes, fifty-eight, tomorrow.)
   
3. No lining meant I had to come up with an alternate way to finish the neckline. I used a bias strip pressed to the inside (not binding).
4. I added a belt because when I was working with muslin #1, I used the belt from my robe to cinch it in to see if it truly was worth fixing. It was and I decided to make a matching belt because I liked the look.
5. The original pattern shows the sleeves made of chiffon. I used the same fabric as the rest of the dress.
   

The fabric is a linen/cotton blend that I'd bought when we were still in Florida. Oh, the good old days of being able to run a mile or so down the road to my favorite fabric store/Bernina dealer. It was very easy to work with it - it sews up and presses like a dream. I was a bit scared of the bias because it is really stretchy, being a somewhat loose weave. I had actually spent most of Sunday researching ways to ensure success with bias sewing. It turned out I didn't need to worry. I quickly found a way to control the stretch with my fingers and it went very smoothly.

This pattern is new to me but it just became a TNT and I will be making and wearing more of these little dresses. I already have a couple of fabrics in mind.
Here's how I wore it today - with a linen shawl I knitted two or three years ago.



The belt is hard to see in the pictures because it's made in the same fabric as the rest of the dress. I positioned the belt to cover the seam. I wanted a bow in the front but I just couldn't make a bow I liked. I made a few "too-bows" (too floppy, too stiff, too big, too small, too wide...) then I gave it up. I decided instead of putting a button or hook/eye closure on the belt, I'll make it just a little bit longer and tie it in the front. The ends look like a bow when it's all done.

Closeup pictures and more thoughts about the bias are in Part 2.

That vintage dress!

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

Just last week, I showed you this lovely pattern that I ordered from LanetzLiving. I love that pink dress.



And last night, as I was reading the new issue of InStyle magazine, I came across this:


This beauty can be had for a mere $525 from stores that sell Phillip Lim fashions. The differences are minimal (raglan sleeve and French darts in the PL dress vs. cut-on sleeve and bust darts in the Simplicity pattern), the silhouette is the same. Now I'm looking forward to trying that pattern even more. I am definitely making it.

Muslin, muslin

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

Lindsay T muses about sewing muslin mock-ups this week. In her poll, Lindsay asks "When do you take the time to make a muslin?" My answer is for each new pattern. It saves me a lot of frustration.

I was actually thinking about it as I was working on a dress these last couple of days. You see, I made not one, but two mock-ups in muslin before cutting into the fashion fabric. I'm using a Burda WOF pattern (06/99 - #125) - a very summery sheath-style dress with short sleeves, scoop neckline and bias-cut skirt (the bodice is on the straight grain). After I traced it out, I compared it to my TNT sheath pattern. Several spots required immediate attention - square shoulders, short torso, and FBA. These are my standard alterations for most patterns. A few others weren't quite so clear. At least, I didn't know what to do about them. So I made muslin mock-up #1.

#1 looked great in the back but horribly loose in the front. I pinned out the excess ease, took off the dress, and transferred the adjustments to the paper pattern. Then I cut out muslin mock-up #2.

I know many people who think one is plenty, if not too many. In my opinion, it depends. For simple things, like taking in or letting out the side seams, sure. But if there are any wedge adjustments, and especially those that cross darts, I make a second mock-up. This will either confirm that my pattern is now correct and I can use the muslin pieces as a pattern, or it will reveal issues that were not apparent in the first mock-up because they were hidden or overshadowed by the already corrected problem.

#2 looked really good; the only thing that had to be fixed was the neckline width so my bra straps wouldn't show. After adjusting the paper pattern, I cut it out in the fashion fabric. I had time to sew all the darts but the rest of the sewing will have to wait until tomorrow. I have really high hopes for this pattern to become a TNT. It looks great even in muslin, imagine how it will look in a pretty fabric.

Overall, I consider sewing mock-ups part of the planning stage. They are relatively fast to sew and help ensure a good outcome. With the mileage I usually get out of my TNTs, a few hours of mock-up sewing are a small investment with a big payoff.

From the mailbag

Posted by Alexandra at Studio Alexandra

My coat patterns have arrived! All three coat/jacket patterns I'm considering for the coat sew-along are now in my possession and I am really looking forward to reading through the instructions tonight so that I can make an informed choice. It'll be hard because I really like them all.

Speaking of patterns, I have also been visiting LanetzLiving regularly lately and today I found some real treasures. (I don't mind sharing because they're already on their way to my mailbox.)
This one caught my eye first. There's something so simple about that pink dress and yet so elegant. I love the sleeve band detail.




















Next came this blouse pattern - check out the neckline treatment on View A. I am definitely going to make this one sometime soon.




















And last but not least, this lovely dress that at first sight looks so prim and proper, and it's only when you look closely that you notice the details: pretty round back yoke, gathered bloused back, convertible collar, wide cuffs with two buttons...




















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Comments

Thank you all very much for your compliments on the brown knit twinset.
Mardel - there is no time like the present. I'll be looking for pictures of your twinset on your blog.
Nancy W. and kbenco - the brown knit came from Nancy's Notions. It's a double knit, 67% polyester, 30% rayon, 3% spandex. It feels like the softest cotton, very substantial, and has just the right amount of stretch. I actually don't buy knits very much, I just really lucked out on that one (so then I bought it in three more colors).
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And that's all for tonight. I'm off to read the coat instructions.