À La Mode...

Skirt Assembly and Bodice Lining . . .

2011-10-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

Red Riding Hood Soundtrack (Fever Ray), The Wolf

I realize I am not going in the appropriate order here, but I like to have at least a partial skirt by this point so I feel like I have made some solid progress. I went ahead and interfaced the lining with fusible featherweight, I think I will be pleased with this decision in the end, the silk is just so thin and fragile without it. No actual problems yet, but I'm sure now there will be. Too easy.

Bodice Work . . .

2011-10-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

Red Riding Hood (The Big Pink), Crystal Visions

The bodice is coming along nicely, however once again I am at a loss when it comes to interfacing. Much like in Riley's Prom dress, I feel the need to fusible interfacing the lining and or main bodice, if only because it is strapless, and the silk is very light. Why they don't even suggest this idea is beyond me. I didn't like the left drape at all when I initially pinned it down, but since it's been on for awhile now I have grown rather fond of it

Laying Out The Pattern . . . or 'How to make an 8-yard dress out of 3 yards'

2011-10-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

The Killers, Everything Will Be Alright

In a not-so-shocking turn of events, Joann Fabrics only had 3 yards, and not a centimeter more of the raspberry duiponi. The pattern calls for 8 yards (of 45" wide), but naturally I will need less, since this is going to be hemmed to slightly above the knees. Nonetheless, I wanted 5 yards, but intended to get 4 and more later if necessary. The only way I can see to cut the pattern out on three yards is to make 'dummies' of the pieces that need to be cut multiple times, so I can get a feel for whether I can even come close to fitting it all on. So far, It's a close game.

Homecoming ... For Natalie!

2011-10-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

New project :) A homecoming dress, for my friend Natalie, if all goes as planned it should be finished by... Friday!

The Pattern :

The Fabric :

Raspberry Duiponi

Pink and Orange Nylon Tulle

Halloween 2011!

2011-09-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

Since Halloween is on a Monday this year, I assume I will be working. So in keeping with the superhero theme of my department, I have settled on Poison Ivy. Thus far I have only just ordered the wig, for a price too unreasonable to mention, but I found it on Etsy, leading me to believe it may actually be of half-way decent quality and or look like the pictures. I would love to start the leotard/bodice of the costume right now, but I think I really should wait until the wig comes, so I can choose an appropriate non-Christmas green to go with whatever shade of red the wig turns out to be. In the meantime, impressive interpretations of the costume :

And of course, the real Poison Ivy :

Riley's Prom Dress . . .C'est Fini!

2011-05-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hand Stitching And More Sparkles . . .

2011-05-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Augustana, Stars and Boulevards

I have just finished adhering the last few sparkles to the skirt and trimming the tulle. It took awhile to sew down the lining as I kept having to stop and trim the boning down more to make it fit properly. I ended up folding the point under, realizing that there was no real purpose for the lining to be pointed. I whip-stitched the interfaced point in the front under and it turned out lovely.

Sparkles . . .

2011-05-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

Brandon Flowers, Right Behind You

The dress fit wonderfully, so now I'm really excited to finish. I only have a few things left, handstitching the lining down, cutting the tulle to length, and sparkles. Adhering sparkles, or bedazzling or whatever you like to call it is not usually my thing, but after a few hours of bonding (literally) with my 'sparkle iron' I feel like I'm getting pretty darn good at it. It's a little on the time-consuming side, probably because you have to look at it and judge where to place each gemstone or stud. I used a variety pack, so there are two different sizes of gemstones and two different sizes of silver studs. The variety makes it look more random, which is good, because I start to develop a pattern if I'm not careful. The rest of the sparkles will have to wait until tomorrow though, as I have just ran entirely out.

Zipper and Final Fitting!

2011-05-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

Keane, Somewhere Only We Know

The zipper went in nicely, without too much drama. The only difficulty I had with it was deciding how the skirt(s) should be attached. The easiest way would be to sew the 3 pieces (front, back, back) together but leave the center back completely open until all three tiers were stacked and basted at the waistline. Then baste each side of the center back together and proceed as though it were one layer of fabric. The downside to this would be that it would make it less circle skirt-like. because the tiers would all be sewn down to one another. Ultimately I opted to keep them separate up until the bottom of the zipper, although this was a little harder and more time consuming. Whatever, it looks better. It fits my dress form lovely! I only hope it fits Riley just as well. If I had to guess I would say it might be on the snug side since I took a solid 2 inches out of the bodice since Tuesday's fitting, but a little snug is probably a lot better than a little loose, being strapless formal-wear.

Things I Don't Understand . . .

2011-05-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

Aqualung, Good Times Gonna Come

Obviously this has been done before, just not often. I like to think that in my more normal state I should be able to solve this dilemma, but for the life of me I cannot figure it out today. How do you attach a basque-waist bodice to a circle skirt? I have been puzzling over this for close to 2 hours now, and have concluded that I will just have to learn how another time. For this project I will have to leave the point in the center bodice out of the attaching, and deal with it separately. I am also leaving the lining (containing the boning) detached, so I can hand stitch that down when all is said and done. Last picture, before I potentially ruin the entire project by trying to make a two piecer into a dress :

99 Bottles of Fray-Check On The Wall . . .

2011-05-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Snow Patrol, How To Be Dead

It only just today occurred to me that I can't 'hem' this skirt. Luckily, I have some Fray Check lying about, which after a few test runs seems to do nicely. I'm not generally a fan of such products, as they make me think of the glue-gun-pipe-cleaner-plastic-cross-stitch genre of crafting. Since I can see no other way out of this situation I continue Fray Checking away despite visions of cross-stitched Kleenex boxes. This is a bit of a process, as I have to put the stuff along all of the scalloped edges on each piece, on each tier, then after it's dry I must go back over it all and trim a small amount off of the edge to eliminate previous fraying and such. I have a fitting with Riley in 30 minutes, I do hope she's not alarmed that her dress is still in two pieces. I am feeling quite good about how it's all coming along... then again maybe all the Fray Check has gone to my head.

Skirting The Issue . . .

2011-04-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Death Cab For Cutie, Someday You Will Be Loved

Upon first assessment of the design, I would not have said circle skirt, but the more I look at it I can't imagine how else to get it full enough. Additionally, any other full-ish skirt would involve gathers, which often translate as tacky and unpleasant. So I set to work drafting a circle skirt pattern. I tried (out of paper, luckily) a half circle skirt, in a pathetic attempt at conserving fabric. I was astounded by how unimpressive it was, not even close to what I was looking for. Moving on. I re-drafted the pattern as a complete circle skirt and am fairly pleased with the paper results, so I make two more identical patterns to shorten for the other layers. After some mental origami, I fold the pattern in half a few times and cut the end, to make the sort of scallop effect I'm trying for. This takes a few tries to perfect, glad I started out longer than necessary.

2 Dutch Bros And A Coke Later. . .

2011-04-28T23:42:00.000-07:00

The Brothers Bloom Soundtrack, Penelope's Theme

Successfully sewed the bodice and lining together, though only at the top edge, since the skirt still doesn't exist and the zipper is not in. It's getting to be quite lovely. I always forget how much I adore boning until I work with it again. It does wonders, makes bland lifeless garments look rigid and official.

And For My Next Trick . . .

2011-04-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

Maroon 5, Won't Go Home Without You

Leave it to McCall's to overcomplicate the simplistic. The pattern asks me to sew the boning casings (yes, the white crap that it comes in) to the silk gown I am making. Who writes this trash. Seriously. Of course now I have no choice but to do it, since I already followed their other lousy instructions regarding the trimming of seams and such. Wonderful. I attempt to simply stitch the ungodly 'casings' to the bodice lining, only to discover that my machine still will not stitch properly. WHAT IS THIS. After several profanities and a few ruined scraps of fabric I get mom to poke at it. 5 minutes later she concludes that I have the needle in entirely backwards. Yes, sometimes I really am special. With needle now correctly positioned I am now able to sew normally! Wow. To make things more interesting, there also seems to be a mysterious second 'lining' which after reading through the pattern I can only conclude serves no actual purpose, since they instruct you to baste the two linings together and continue. I <3 wasting fabric, thanks again McCall's.

Distraction Ensues . . .

2011-04-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

James Blunt, 1973

My Singer seems to be making hideous stitches, and I have no idea why. It is inconvenient to say the least and I certainly do not have time for these kinds of shenanigans. I vaguely remember my mom saying something regarding fuzz and lint being a culprit in many sewing machine issues. So naturally I decide to clean the bobbin and surrounding areas (wtf). Because obviously since prom is a full week and a half away, this is exactly what I should be doing! For those who don't sew, this is like 'Oh I lost a sock under the couch', *glances under couch and decides to pull out the whole thing, then sweep and mop* My findings, feel free to be disgusted and/or appalled :

Bodice Piecing . . .Take 2

2011-04-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

The Killers, Sam's Town

Not a hard fix to do, I just traced the pattern and extended it until it looked good. Nonetheless, a stupid waste of fabric and time. I'm glad I caught it now though, instead of after I attached the lining. It looks quite a bit better. Additionally, I've decided it needs interfacing (fusible), but only just on the bodice front. I think interfacing the whole thing would make the dress seem crunchy. It really only need it on the front to maintain the integrity of the point and shape.

Bodice Piecing . . .

2011-04-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Strokes, Reptilia

I finished cutting out and piecing the bodice together! . . . Only to realize the pattern didn't come to nearly enough of a point.

Back to the drawing board.

Cutting The Bodice . . .

2011-04-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

George Strait, Run

Finally, I've actually cut into the fabric. I think it's a combination of size-uncertainty and deep appreciation for silk that kept me from going at it for so long. This is really the easy part, since I actually have a pattern for the bodice, so I need to put my game face on and make some progress.

Bodice Work . . .

2011-04-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Gary Allan, Kiss Me When I'm Down

I'm not completely sold on what size I should be using for the bodice. . . My instincts say go with the bust size, since this is what I do when I make things for myself. However, I'm a little more fearless when it comes to making things for myself. I am going to use the bust size, but in planning for the worst, I will make tracings of the size I want it cut to, so I will have an uncut pattern just in case I have to remake the whole ordeal.

Re-Writing The Pattern . . .

2011-04-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

I went through the whole bodice portion of the pattern, and not shockingly, I had to read it three times before I could grasp what they were getting at. They don't ask you to interface the main or lining (same fabric in this case) pieces at all, which seems peculiar, being strapless and whatnot. I haven't decided if I will do as they say or put some in there... I may look over my black gown to see what I did there, that one is the same fabric, and I think I may have used iron-on. I omitted several steps regarding an 'extension' as the original design uses buttons and loops... Which I have no interest in conquering this week, nor would they comply with the design we are after here. I think it may be best to attach the skirt to the lining, then fray-check fold under and whip stitch the bodice down... although this might call for some fancy endeavors on my part when it's zipper time. We shall see.

Silk Shantung. . . and Patterns

2011-04-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

Pattern :
McCall's 5321
The slight sweetheart neckline on this pattern is lovely, and very much what I was looking for. The skirt, however, will prove to be a bit more of a project.

Fabric :
I realize this is not what the original dress was made of, but it's Silk Dupioni, and therefore superior.

Sketches. . . for Prom!

2011-04-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

This dress looks obscenely complicated upon first inspection, but now that I've done a few sketches I'm feeling much better about it logistically. It is a strapless gown, princess seamed bodice with a basque waistline. The skirt has a slight A-line to it, and is comprised of (a self slip?) 3 tiers of the main fabric (a Silk or Satin) and a single 'tier' of Tulle netting under the aforementioned. All of which seem to naturally follow the shape of the Basque waist.

Prom Dress for Riley . . .

2011-04-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

New project. . . A prom dress for the daughter of a friend from work.
The dress it's to be modeled after :

Pintucks . . . got owned.

2010-12-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

Kenny Chesney, Somewhere with You

Naturally, as with everything else they do, McCall's took it upon themselves to complicate some very simple instructions concerning pintucks. Therefore, I am not solely to blame for waiting until the last possible moment to make these dresses. Taken aback and slightly disturbed by the overwhelming complexity of their illustrated directions, I of course put the entire project out of my mind, clearly a natural stress-avoidance maneuver. A week and a half later . . . No choice but to man up and learn the pintucks. Now that I've done several of them, the method is painfully obvious, but being the type of person I am (a slave to the waffle ready-light) I really did want to understand and use their directions. That said, McCall's needs better writers for their patterns.

Button, button . . .

2010-12-19T10:09:00.000-08:00

Marie Antoinette Soundtrack, The Melody of A Fallen Tree

Little House Costumes . . .

2010-12-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head

In much the same spirit as the 3 dresses I made in 2008, more Christmas gift dresses!
The pattern is McCall's 4547. I realize the pattern looks like crap, but I have faith, it'll do nicely when I am done with it.

Romeo & Juliet... both!

2010-11-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

Sleeves. . . Almost Done.

2010-10-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

Progress. . . or 'At Least One of Us Will Be Costumed'

2010-10-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

This pattern is truly gorgeous, although I don't generally care for McCall's, this could change my mind. It's very simplistic, but still has plenty of shape and remains relatively flattering. I like the back drape, it's like a pre-cursor to the Watteau gowns of the 18th century. So far I've got the main part of the gown sewn up, and the neckline trim attached. I'm impressed.

Size Charts. . . Are Disappointing.

2010-10-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

So those tights arrived... And fit horribly. That size chart gets an F. Now I get to shell out another 40 some bucks for more, since I don't trust them to efficiently 'return' these and send me more in time for Halloween. They aren't bad tights, just way too big, and being 'tights' the kind of need to fit. Yay.

Cap Frame. . . Success!

2010-10-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Juliet Cap Frame arrived today, and looks exactly like the picture. Very good service, nice hand-written thank you in the envelope. Lovely people.

Romeo . . . Tights

2010-10-18T23:36:00.000-07:00

I have ordered tights for Tyler's Romeo costume! After a lot of tedious google research, I arrived at yet another website selling exactly the same pair of tights for pocket change less than all the others. These sites all have precisely the same display photo, which (Nancy Drew as I am) leads me to believe these are virtually the only half-way decent pair of 'hose' available on the web for men's costumes. I am going to believe their size chart... watch me regret it. I am ordering mediums, in black.

See website here.

Fabrics for Halloween. . .

2010-10-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

In part, the decision for Romeo and Juliet halloween costumes came from the fact that I am the proud owner of a huge roll of expensive red velvet. Said velvet was happily donated to me by a wonderful friend of my mother, Kim Lowder. I AM SO GRATEFUL.
I will still have to buy fabric for Romeo, but the amount of fabric pales in comparison to the Juliet dress.

Juliet Cap Frame. . .

2010-10-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

This took forever to find, despite the fact that McCall's lists 'Juliet Cap Frame' on the back of their pattern, as though I should be able to run right over to the Wal-Mart and purchase one. HA. I must say, I was a little concerned, but google ultimately pulled through, and for a good price! After shipping it came to 12.50, I can't wait to get it!
See website here.

Juliet Dress... Pattern and Sketch

2010-10-13T23:26:00.000-07:00

A simplified version of the dress, though retaining the same overall style.

McCall's 5155, which is sadly out of print now :(

Romeo and Juliet . . .

2010-10-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

I don't exactly have any exciting plans for Halloween, but being the costume deprived child as I was, I will certainly still take the chance to dress up. I'm not really in the mood to replicate anything here, but I think the red-warm and blue-dark color scheme is brilliant. Very symbolic and memorable.
The costumes I want:

Final New Moon Costume . . .

2009-11-24T17:14:00.000-08:00

Moonstone Ring or The UPS Man Must Wonder. . .

2009-11-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

Moonstone ring came today while I was in school. Looks exactly like the selling photo, I like that it's adjustable too. Very neat.

Turquoise Bracelet. . .

2009-11-13T17:55:00.000-08:00

Turquoise bracelet arrived this morning by UPS. It's definitely not a match, but I knew that when I bought it. The cracker jack replica would have been $75-$200 depending on which Etsy merchant you buy from, but it also takes at least two weeks to arrive, so no good. It's turquoise, on a silver cuff, so pretty much no one else will nit-pick about it, it's just me. The cost was about $24 after shipping, which I find quite reasonable. The first is mine, the latter is the more accurate one.

Prayer Beads. . .

2009-11-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

Prayer Beads came in the mail today, I compared them to the poster and various other pictures, they're pretty legit. They match the St. Jude bracelet great too.

Headband Arrives . . .

2009-11-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

The headband came in the mail today, it's gorgeous. It also came with a silver one, which I may wear at some point, but it's a little stark against my hair.
Jewelry has been ordered. . . Prayer beads (left hand, with St. Jude), Turquoise & silver cuff bracelet and Moonstone ring (both right hand). All from various Etsy shops.

Headband. . .

2009-11-02T17:34:00.000-08:00

Ordered the Goody Stay-put Headband off of ebay today, it should be here in a week or so, no jewelry ordered yet, still indecisive.

St. Jude Bracelet . . .

2009-10-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

First bracelet acquired, Hot topic. . . $10

Researching The Dress . . .

2009-09-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

So this is really quite interesting, I found this dress, while looking for better pictures of the birthday dress, it's eerily close, but not exactly the same as the real thing. . . More research to follow.

Premiere Decisions . . .

2009-08-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

Attempting to choose between two costumes for New Moon premiere, for a lot of reasons I would rather do Volterra, but I think (as has happened previously) most people wouldn't get it. The birthday dress would be slightly more obvious, the Goody headband is the exact one, which they used in multiple Twilight costumes as well, The shoes and sweater are also exact, but they are sold out EVERYWHERE : ( Old navy had the sweater at one time, probably a year or two ago, Target had an eerily similar one, last spring, also gone now. Multiple shoe websites had the shoes, in the right colour as well, but of course others are quicker with spotting and already bought them up, however, the shoes are still around (Overstock, Amazon, Ebay, etc...) they are all the wrong colours though . . .

Birthday

Dress- Hot Topic (October)

Sweater- Old Navy

Shoes- Vans gisele in black linen

Bracelet (St. Jude)- Hot Topic (or etsy)

Prayer beads- Etsy, Ebay, or Google

Turquoise Bangle- Etsy

Moonstone Ring- Etsy, or Google

Headband- Goody Stay-put in Grey

Volterra

Green Button-up- Gap

Jeans-

Shoes- Keds

Bella Jacket Arrives . . .

2009-08-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

Bella's promo poster jacket...

2009-07-22T11:56:00.001-07:00

So generally speaking I don't intend to turn this into a 'what-sarah-likes-and-doesn't blog' but this was way too good to not post about. Last week I was innocently skimming the categories at ModCloth when I see the word twilight on the outerwear page. I try to remain calm, oh it's definitely just a coincidence, must be the colour, yeah, that's it, sometimes they use the word twilight to describe a colour. I click. Nope, definitely not talking about the colour. I try not to pass out. Here's the link... BB Dakota Jacket

It's not like the jacket is anything I was dying to have, if I had seen it at T.J. Maxx I might have got one if it was cheaper and in a less violent colour. It's just the fact that it was in the movie, hence, I obviously must have it. It doesn't ship until August 1st, and hopefully the xs fits, since all the other sizes were sold out. Final thought, can't wait, hope it looks better on me than on the ModCloth model, since when did bankers start passing as models anyhow?

Coral's Prom Dress. . .

2009-04-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

C'est fini! After a lot of drama . . .

Draping and Patterning...

2009-04-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

Progress so far on garment in question is...slow in coming to say the least. However, all is not lost. Yet. Thus far I've got a basic shape for the pattern, made using a combination of Vogue 8447 and some deep thinking. Didn't have quite enough of any one fabric to make an entire mock up to play with, so I used leftover homecoming fabric and did as much as I could.

Prom...

2009-04-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

Latest project...A chocolate satin prom dress for a friend (Coral).
The intended style...

Sarafan Progress...

2009-04-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

I've got the trim stitched down the front, that was a beastly project. I folded the fabric in half lengthwise and ironed it to put the center line in, laid the trim over the line and basted it down the middle. Sewed it down along the edges, even with the basting, I had to take portions of it out multiple times to get it absolutely flat, now I'm working at getting the back and front sewn up, then on to gathers.

Cutting and Contemplating

2009-04-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

Still uncertain about the fullness, but I think it will work. To get it to be a bit A-line, I folded in half, marked 8 in. inwards at the top, and used my square to bring the line out to the full width of the fabric (53) at the base. Next up, the daunting task of attaching the trim to the front center...

Sarafan Trim and Fabric

2009-04-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here's the fabric with the trim, fabric is red linen look, trim is black russian jaquard, both from Joann's. I'm still a little concerned about the weight of the fabric, and it will wrinkle something terrible, but I do love the look and feel of it.

Russian Sarafan

2009-04-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

Just started work on a Russian Sarafan for a friend (Kaitlin), have the fabric all washed up and ready to cut, bought the trim today. Sarafan refers to the jumper/dress which is to be worn over a peasant blouse. At present, just making technical decisions such as how A-line to make it, and how full it should be. Inspirational pictures...

Coffee Date dress...finished

2009-02-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

I got some ribbon for the waistband, I think it really needed that, it sort of breaks up the dress a little, it's good for some contrast.

Final cost-

Mirage Gray Solid - 9.78 (2 yds)

Thread - found in stash

Interfacing - Used scraps

Zipper - 2.53

Ribbon - .33 (1 yd)

_________________

12.64

Coffee Date dress...

2009-02-27T21:57:00.000-08:00

After some deep thinking I finally stumbled upon the logic they were getting at for the all-in-one facing. It just didn't make sense to me the way they presented it, but I got it sorted. I didn't have quite enough fabric for the ruffle, so mine is 32 x 5 instead of 36 x 6, but it had to be gathered to 21" anyhow so it was just less full. Turned out fabulous despite my attempts to completely butcher the bust darts. Hemmed up the bottom edge with a small decorative stitch, since I didn't have enough fabric for a wide dressy hem. The ruffle was simple to make too, which is good as I have very little patience for ruffles.

Avoiding Responsibility... pt. 1

2009-02-26T21:34:00.000-08:00

So awhile ago (probably months) I was googling when I ran across this great site with heaps of useful stuff on it...and promptly forgot about it. I was googling pattern making helps for my class today when I found it again. Being highly distractible as I am, of course I didn't go back to researching for class but rather found this adorable dress pattern instead : )

http://www.burdastyle.com

Coffee Date Dress-

While the putting the pattern together was a little tedious, the rest of it is quite simple so far.

It's coming along quickly so far, I think in the future it will take only an afternoon to make now i've got the pattern assembled. Progress...

Dresses...finished!

2008-12-22T11:42:00.000-08:00

And without further ado. . .

Sleeves. . . Attached!

2008-12-20T18:13:00.000-08:00

It's truly impressive how much more finished a project looks once there are sleeves on. . . I think maybe I am just not accustomed to finishing all of a project's pieces and then attaching them, but they certainly turn out nicer and more finished this way.

Sleeves...and some more hand stitching

2008-12-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

Yay! Success! I got the lining on the sleeves to work flawlessly this time around. It's a good deal easier to finish the inside of the sleeves before you've got an entire gown attached to them.

Pretty, Pretty Trims...

2008-12-18T22:43:00.000-08:00

I got the bodice all sewn to the stomacher, and decided the proper way to put on stomacher trim was before I attach the skirt (yes, yes, DUH).

Lining for Chloe's...

2008-12-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

Started lining the bodice today... Going smoothly so far.

Tedious - tiresome because of length or dullness...

2008-12-14T23:04:00.000-08:00

Once again I find myself at the familiar o-my-gosh-I-need-a-soda place. I haven't got anything against hand sewing, but I have to be in the mood, and I do not like whip stitch. ick. However, in the interest of finishing, and finishing properly I shall man up and complete what I began. Though you can hardly see all my miniscule anal stitches in the photo, rest assured they are there...I can hardly bear the thought of just ironing the seams flat. Oh well, only one side left...or is it three?

Sleeves...attached!

2008-12-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

Got both of the sleeves finished and attached to the bodice. I haven't tried sewing the sleeve lining over the flounce gathers yet, but it doesn't look too difficult.

Sleeve modifications...

2008-12-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

It occured to me this time around that to get the sleeve lace to lay right, the lace and the flounce should be sewn separate and then attached when I gather. So far this is working much nicer. I've finished the flounces and sleeves, just need to attach them.

Bodice lined...

2008-12-10T19:50:00.000-08:00

Lined the bodice and attached it to the stomacher, I also remembered to iron the lining up 5/8 this time, so I will have something to stitch over the gathers.

Great minds like these...

2008-12-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

So after a good deal of drama, several re-threadings and numerous stitch size changes, mom took it in. The verdict? The bobbin was askew. Irony, the one thing we didn't fiddle with. Machine is now in working order and sewing shall continue directly. The stomacher... (I did remember to put the lace in one at least)

Rage against the machine...

2008-12-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

Absolutely stupid lousy bothersome sewing machine has fouled up on me, and is refusing to sew properly. This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated, so I, (having no fix-it knowledge) have got mom in working on it. However being intrepid, dramatic and pessimistic, I have continued on with hand sewing. So far I've sewn the back darts, and started attaching the lining to the bodice, holding off on the stomacher quilting until I've got the machine in working order.

A better method...

2008-12-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

After some contemplation and looking over other dresses, I've found a better way to do the lining than the bias tape. Sew the lining to the bodice at the neck edge...duh. I think in the instructions for my 18th C. they must have deemed it overly difficult on account of the boning. So far I haven't seen any potential problems with this, but time will tell...

Gathers, zippers, and hems, oh my!

2008-11-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

Haven't had a chance to post since forever, but here's the progress...

Sewed on the other sleeve, Gathered and attached the over skirt,

Gathered and attached the petticoat,

Put in the zipper (!) without crying...

hemmed up the bottom,

and started putting on the trim.

Also...A bit of over-acheiving on the main seams,

a flat felled seam, but going in both directions

Birthday Dress...

2008-11-25T14:25:00.000-08:00

Finally, Birthday dress pictures...If I made it again I would make it a size smaller, though I think I would still have to add bust darts (like I did on this one), also I would put the skirt front on the fold especially with patterned fabric like this one, possibly the same for the waist section of the dress. Very comfortable to wear. My only issue with the pattern was the halter strap instructions, which made less than no sense, so I fabricated my own there, another thing that may be an interesting addition would be to making the halter straps long enough to tie them in a bow. All in all I think it turned out quite well for taking all of three days to make.

Preview, or 2/3's done and no blood?

2008-11-16T07:32:00.000-08:00

Not a very good picture, but by the time all is said and done I should have my good camera again. It's not sewn together here, but that comes later today...

Sleeve Modifications...

2008-11-15T23:13:00.000-08:00

As noted before, Simplicity has no sense of completion, or detail work whatsoever. They intended the sleeves to be made as seen below, without a lining of any kind. This is acceptable if you are fortunate enough to have a fabric with no right or wrong side...otherwise this is entirely unacceptable, however there was still enough yellow to cut sleeves. So...

The 'bell' part of the sleeve -

{same thing} all sewn up -

The 'sleeve' part of the sleeve -

finished sleeve with lace-

Neckline Progress...

2008-11-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

I got some bias tape in yellow to finish the neckline, as previously contemplated, and it worked very nicely. I used a pretty little ticking stitch to finish some of the seams, so as to make it more durable. There would be further progress to speak of but I babysat most of the day, leaving little time for sewing...

Bodice for Isabelle's...

2008-11-13T23:15:00.000-08:00

So far the pattern is pretty clear. The stomacher however was entirely too plain after scrapping the trash suggested for it, and everything I put over it looked outrageous, so I took creative liberties. I put batting between the stomacher and it's lining, then machine quilted lines on for the expensive-toilet-paper effect seen below. I know I've seen this before on petticoats, but i'm fairly certain it was used for stomachers as well. If I find pictures of an example i'll put them up. Also to be noted, any kind of a decent dress like the affore-mentioned should have lining of some sort, but apparently it wouldn't have fit on two pages of instructions because Simplicity didn't bother...Luckily there was quite enough of the butter coloured kona cotton to use for just that. I get the feeling when the neck facing comes into play tomorrow it shall be directly disposed of in favor of bias tape hand stitched to the lining.

Finished...

2008-10-25T23:40:00.000-07:00

At long last and most definintely at the 11th hour, finished. As alarmingly close as it was, (roughly two hours to spare) I'm just glad it's done. I may hem it up a little higher later, but for now, mid-calf length will have to suffice. Also a last minute addition, the pretty stuff to be seen in the center of the bodice is actually a hair barrett I thieved from mom to gather it up a bit. The second picture you see is one mom found of my great great aunt, possibly in the late 40's, the general lines of the dress are quite similar.

Accessories...

2008-10-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a close up of the barrett, and these are silver gladiators I found at T.J. Maxx to wear with it.

Almost done...

2008-10-23T23:36:00.000-07:00

Quite close now, the bodice and the skirt are sewn together, all that remains is the zipper, tacking the lining down, and the hem. Though I originally intended to hem it up to knee length, in the interest of keeping the style and look of the skirt, I will leave length on it. It fits brilliantly so far.

Bodice update...

2008-10-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

I in a moment of brilliance decided that I could pull off a size 6 instead of the usual and acceptable size 8, therefore resulting in the under connecting piece of the bodice, well... not connecting. After considerable drama and contemplated incineration of the garment in question, I sat down and fixed it. This took all of ten minutes, and all I really had to do was add a piece on, since for some inexplicable reason the actual back where the zipper will go fits just fine. Go figure. Aside from all this, the bodice is fairly simple to assemble, and the instructions very clear.

The sewing begins...

2008-10-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

And here we have the bodice all sewn up, awaiting the lining to be attached. Unremarkable, eh?

Progress, or Coke does wonders...

2008-10-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

Skirt preview...I have it pinned to my dress form here. I modified the skirt, even though it's a circle skirt they have you cut it in four pieces, which I'm sure is generally fine, but is entirely absurd with fabric this shiny. A seam down the front of the skirt would look like a goof, so I put the front on the fold. Also, a better colour pic.

Homecoming...

2008-10-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

For a homecoming gown I've decided to make my own, as opposed to wearing the trash they are presently trying to sell at the mall. Here's the fabric and pattern -

Though honestly, this sorry scrap of fabric from the website does not do it justice. It has a lot of sheen to it, it's very iridescent and looks blue, purple, or pewter depending on the lighting.

Prince Caspian...

2008-05-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, at long last! PC costume pictures...though sadly I didn't make any of it. When I do get around to finishing Susan's purple gown I shall post that as well.

Jane's Cinderella...

2007-11-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

Did the sleeve puffs on Jane's dress today...near impossible to get even, however, if you squint they are quite nice, yes, very 5 year old. I really think I hate this dress, not just because it's bothersome, but more because it's ridiculous. I wanted Glacier blue raw silk, with a sheer matte over skirt, maybe chiffon, or organza. What I got was 'dyed-to-match' blue casa polyester blend, with 'dyed-to-match' blue iridescent with little bedazzles (for lack of a better word) for the over skirt. *SIGH* I suppose it's exactly what Disney would want it to be, all the same, I'm appalled at the cartoonish appeal of it. I guess she will like it that much more for it.

'Early Rising'

2007-10-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

I wanted to sleep in sooooo bad today, ugh, alas, I can do no such thing. Onward to the fabric store, Coupons in ha-erm sort of, mum had to run back home for those. I managed to locate some robin's egg blue 35% wool felt for Haley's poodle skirt. Concerning things of lesser value, I did get a new magazine, Sew Stylish, handmade gifts, and some lovely new shears. I think the only thing that may cause me distress is Christy's petticoat. Otherwise, it should all do nicely.

No More 'Rhoda'!!!

2007-10-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

*Gasp* I finally finished it! Yes, YES, it's done!!! I finished Katie's costume. *Happy Dance* I daresay, the suspense nearly killed me, as I had to wait until after babysitting to try it on her once more. Much to my delight, it actually fits. She expected me to go directly home and make a coordinating head covering to go with it, however, in the interest of also finishing some stuff on my costume, I copped out. bad bad bad. Also very exciting, as though I should be surprised, my costume was the best one, or at the very least, the most impressive. Unfortunately, the only contest going on was pumpkin carving, which is a good deal more difficult in costume. I managed to wear it for the better part of the night though. I suppose I will get a report from Katie tomorrow, concerning her costume. Yes, I am lying about the time, it's actually closer to one `o clock, but in the interest of having things all in order, it looks nicer if it's on the twenty-seventh.

MORE 'Rhoda' (?!#&?$)

2007-10-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

And the frustration continues....

I went to all the trouble of temporarily postponing Rhoda, so I could finish the last hundred pages of 'In His Steps' for lit club, and after having read 70 of those pages I was informed lit club was being postponed. This would have been much more helpful to know a few hours before. However, now I can call the Wests, since they wanted me on Friday night anyhow. Back at home, after a five minute break from speed sewing, I find my Thursday evening sitting has been relocated to much earlier. *UGH* Mostly, it shouldn't bother me in the least, but as noisy as my sewing machine is, I can't sew much after nine without being growled at. I got enough of Rhoda done last night that I was able to take it over to Katie for fitting this morning.
The verdict- Armholes needed to be considerably larger, and the topmost portion needs to be let out an inch or so. Many hours, and a few minor alterations later, it's still too small in the armscye and... Home again, I cut the armholes 'correctly' for the umpteenth time. I plan on making more changes tomorrow though, if I happen to last that long ;)

'Rhoda' Costume

2007-10-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

Got Katie all measured up, and sketching for her costume done, though there's still a few details left to determine. After leaving the Johnstons, we went straight to Wal-Mart for a fabric grab. I must admit, I was impressed at how easily I was able to turn up something reasonable, usually I can wander the fabric department for twenty minutes and find nothing worth using. I found an oatmeal cotton polyester blend for the main part (tunica intima?), and a kind of pea green mystery fabric for the over tunic (robe?). Due to time constraints, it won't all turn out to my satisfaction, but all the same, just as long as it gets done... Aur Onnad Meren Vanye!

More Potential Jobs...

2007-10-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

I just took on a new sitting job, and now with it, some pillow covers. I estimated the amount of fabric it would take, but hopefully I will be able to finish the more pressing assignments before the person in question can find fabric for those. Katie has decided to attend the church party in costume, she wants to be a hard-to-guess bible character. I believe the character in question is Rhoda, I will look into that some more, in my *Spare Time*. Whilst I was away, the Gottschalks called, Haylie wants a poodle skirt like Christy's for Halloween. I still want to wear my Elizabeth Swann dress on friday, I just haven't decided how I will make that work, as I most definetly don't have 1/3 of the time it would take to make just the corset alone.

Various new projects

2007-10-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

Projects currently in progress... Jane's 'Cinderella' dress, Romeo and Juliet gown, and a freshly draped vogue inspired gown. Still have yet to decide what to wear on Friday night, I still think I may slightly alter the Three Musketeers gown, and do Elizabeth Swann. Depends whether or not I can wear the gown in question without proper underpinnings (e.g. a corset). I desperately need to go to the fabric store, as I made a mock up for Jane's dress, but now I'm ready for some blue silk shantung or raw silk. Also, I think I should need some corduroy as Grandpa is to bring a jacket he likes into town tomorrow, so I can draft a pattern from it to make a new one. If all goes as planned, I will have Jane's dress done by Nov. 20th or so. Hopefully.

1960's Dress, & Some 1950's Skirts

2007-10-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Got a new pattern today (S6723) at Wal-Mart, a kind of Holly Golightly, Breakfast at Tiffany's style gown. It has four variations and two clutches, but I only like view B. It cost a whopping $3.44 since it's a Simplicity 'New Look', *shudder* I will try to be brave and expect the best, but I don't normally trust patterns that advertise how easy they are. Elisabeth wants me to make her a few 50's style skirts (S3847), very full, high waisted, out of wool, felt, or tweed. Basically a poodle skirt without the poodle. Just have to find some reasonably attractive fabric now, though I think I will wait to see the jackets she has, so they will match nicely.