home made – Dresses & Me

2nd Secret Santa – Squared

I decided it was easiest to give my Secret Santa recipients a slip dress each. That way I could tailor it to their tastes so that hopefully they were really unique gifts. This is my second dress – made for my brother’s girlfriend, Steph.

My Mum showed me this top, basically a square with some arm holes and a neck hole. Simplest style I have ever seen! I traced a quick pattern, with a few alterations and cut the fabric out, a lovely light fabric with mini hearts all over it which I got from Centrepoint Fabrics in Auckland.

Again I didn’t know what size my SS recipient was so I made the pattern quite big and added ties at the back so it could be worn tight around the waist, for a more fitted look. Or alternatively loose and draping.

This was honestly the quickest and easiest pattern I have ever sewn. The hardest part was sewing the facing around the collar. And the best part, it doesn’t actually look like a square sack once it’s on the figure.

Has anyone else sewn one of these square dresses or tops before? Or a pattern of equal simplicity?

I am very keen to keep making this pattern. I can churn new outfits out in 2 hours tops (including the trip to the fabric store)!!

Blue Dress: Finished!

Here’s a photo journey of the Blue Dress (here’s where we left off from):

I sewed the facings to the bodice:

I pinked the edges around the arm and neck holes:

I finished the side seams:

Shortened the straps by about 3 cms:

And slip stitched the facing down:

Bodice finished:

I folded and pressed 1cm, then folded and pressed an 8cm hem.

Pinked some more:

Sewed the hem down:

And then the dress was finished:

HOPE YOU LIKE IT SISTER 🙂

Skirtsandme

Now that I’ve finished my velvet dress I’m thinking about the next thing I want to make. As we’re heading into winter in the Antipodes (the ends of the Earth) I was thinking of making the wool I bought in Wellington into a pencil skirt. So these are my pattern options:

From top left: Very Easy Vogue 7101 c.1987, view A (brown); New Look 6274c. 2003, view A (floral print); or Butterick 6662 c.1993, view C (yellow).

And here is the wool. It is woven out of thick strands (?) of cream, brown,and dark pink, almost fuchsia. Its a bit on the thick-side, and does not have any stretch. My first choice of pattern was the Very Easy Vogue, however I wonder if the pleats, belt loops and the pockets will make it look too bulk? So my next thought was the New Look pattern. This is a very simple two piece pattern (plus facings). It would be simple to put together and and definitely not bulky-making. The third option, the Butterick pattern was a bit of an after-thought. I thought that making it with the split to one side could make it a bit more interesting.

Can anyone offer any suggestions? All much appreciated!

Sewing Room: Part III

A little while ago I blogged about my new sewing room (also here). Unsurprisingly, yet saddeningly, my graduation bouquet did not live forever *mega sad face*.

So I bought this little pot plant to bighten up my room:

My dad brought me the little Nessy from Loch Ness, Scotland. I put them together so they can live together and have some company.

I’m still on quite a Florence and the Machine buzz so here’s a video of my first favourite Florence song:

Velvet Inspiration: Pattern Suggestions Please?

So I haven’t exactly finished my current velvet dress project but I’m already onto thinking about the next one. I saw this amazing dress in an etsy shop but unfortunately it is a touch too small in the waist (damn you 1950s sizing!) Also, I feel like I’ve seen a couple of sewing patterns for this type of dress and was wondering if anyone had any pattern suggestions to make this?

VELVET HOURGLASS Dress – 90s does 50s – Handmade – xs

But it got me thinking more about velvet and velveteen dresses and how they are both classy and super warm – which is important as we are heading into winter down here in the Southern Hemisphere. So here are some velvet dresses for inspiration.

Velvet Halter Dress – Looks Lovely in Plum Too

And my personal favourite – unfortunately no link *cries*

What ‘s your winter fashion fix?

Sewing Class: Week Three

Monday was my thrid week my sewing class where I’m making this dress. During the week I had already finished putting the darts in, joining the facings together at the sides and over-casting the lower edge of the facings by hand. (Here’s how to do it)

My (not very neat) version of an overcast stitch:

Attaching the facings using my Grasshopper

So when I got to class I carried on making the sleeves:

I sewed 5/8″ edge down

Trimed the excess:

Matched the front and back shoulder seams and machine sewed them together following the folded down edge as a guide. The facings sat nicely together so I then I hand sewed the facings together.

Here is the finished sleeve – voila!

How’s your sewing project going?

Sewing Class Tonight

Yay I have my sewing class tonight! I really look forward sewing class. I like that I have to set aside the time to going along because otherwise I might not get the chance to do it at all.

This is my sewing machine:

What are you looking forward to today?

Sewing Class: Week Two

On Monday I went to my second week of Sew, Sew, Sew! I got there early and got cracking with sewing my velvet to the lining as I had finished cutting, pinned at home on Sunday evening (aren’t I good!) Remember this pattern…?

The instructions wanted me to baste the lining straight onto the velvet shell. My tutor was a bit dubious about this approach but thought it best to go along with what the instructions said. I took a guess and thought that a half inch seam allowance would suffice.

I then stitched the shape of the side darts, front darts and back darts right through the velvet and the lining as the instructions asked me to. This seemed somewhat unusual aswell (tutor also agreed) but who am I to argue with the pattern?

The tutor and I also thought that having four parallel darts in the front as well as four more in the back could look be a bit bulky with the velvet. Soooo I have only put in the larger of the darts (closer to the middle) on the front and the back and will see how that looks. I put the side darts in like normal.

Also here are some more pics of the lovely bouquet my sister bought me for graduation… just cos I felt like it…

Tres Excitement!

During the week I found this newspaper clipping folded up inside my McCall’s 6564 pattern envelope. MEGA EXCITEMENT. I think the person who owned this pattern before me was hoping to make the coat (view c) out of this pattern to look like the newspaper clipping. It is pretty close, just needs lengthening and a sash.

THE GOLD of a sunset is captured in this exquisite evening ensemble from the new spring collection from Pierre Balmain of Paris. The designer topped a floor-length evening gown with an equally long coat done in the same brilliant goldne yellow shantung. The bodice of the gown is encrusted with lavish embroidery, shimmering in gold and sky blue.

A Slight Etsy Obsession…

Recently I’ve discovered Etsy (I told you I was new to the sewing and blogging). At the risk of sounding exceptionally naive – I was so pleased with this website. It was like walking into Aladdin’s Cave. And I’ve become slightly obsessed.

I have many items on my favourites list – mostly dress patterns – but also coat patterns, vintage dresses (for inspiration), blouse patterns and copious amounts of material.

Here are the patterns I bought:

Clockwise from top left: PatternRunway 1302 (easy Kimono dress with elasticated waist); Simplicity 3599 (c.1960s, dress with Kimono sleeves, gathered waist, full skirt); Simplicity 6227 (sleeveless scoop-neck dress with over-skirt and/or over-top) and last but not least Vogue 2050 by Calvin Klein (strapless fitted dress with semi-fitted waist length jacket).

Immensely excited to start making these…. Having some issues with finishing Vogue 1102 (far too distressing to discuss at present, will come to that on a later post)