spring Archives - Page 3 of 3

Lucinda April 10, 2013

Finished Project: Laurel Dress [Colette Patterns]

Pattern: Laurel by Colette Patterns (view 1 )
Fabric: Eyelet from Fabric Place Basement, Silk Habotai from Grey’s Fabric and Notions
Size: 2 graded to a 4

Belt: self made (see Tilly’s Bow Belt Tutorial)
Shoes: Tommy Hilfiger
Earrings: Francesca’s

Well, I did it! I finished my Laurel dress in the nick of time for the Cocktails with Colette party last Saturday in Boston (pics and party details to come later this week).

The Fabric

I had a couple of firsts with this dress – it was my first time working with silk (eek!) and my first time underlining a garment. The underlining probably would have been much easier to do had I not been working with silk which, by the way, was a miserable experience. All the shifting, all the raveling….ugh!! I’m not a fan, to say the least. Had I had a bigger cutting mat, I would have used a rotary cutter to cut out the lining pieces, or if I had tissue paper, I would have tried the paper sandwich method to cut out the fabric. But I took my time with hand sewing the darts and the basting of the two fabrics together and it turned out alright.

The Pattern

The dress seemed to fit a little different than the top. For my top, I cut out a 2 for the bust, a 4 for the waist, and a 6 at the hips. When I did that for the dress, it hung like a sack and and felt and looked too big on me. After re-grading down to a 4 for the waist and hips, the fit looked better but…I just wanted a little more of a fitted look. Tilly’s Bow Belt to the rescue! I cut out some leftover silk (with my rotary cutter this time) and whipped one up following her instructions. I love the contrast to the main dress fabric and the belt makes the green underlining pop and stand out a little bit more. In the future, to get a better fit, I’ll take in more at the back darts – the front fit was great but it really looked like it was the back that had more of a fitting opportunity for me. Again, this was different from how the top fit on me.

A word of caution: this dress is s-h-o-r-t! Which, if that’s your thing, this dress is perfect. I could have made this a teensy bit longer, since it’s difficult to pick up things in a dress this short, but the length makes the dress much more hip and fun than if it was a longer length. Because, you know, no one wants to wear a long shift dress – that would just look frumpy.

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Lucinda April 2, 2013

Pattern Review: Laurel Top [Colette Patterns]

Pattern: Laurel by Colette Patterns, pullover top version
Fabric: Swiss dot from Mood Fabrics
Size: 2 graded out to a 6

Jeans: Levi’s
Earrings: Francesca’s
Sunnies: Tommy Hilfiger
Nails: Essie “Play Date”

My first wearable “practice” garment! In preparation for sewing the dress version of the new Colette Laurel pattern, I pulled out some Swiss dot I bought at Mood several summers ago in NYC and thought, if the fit worked out, it would make a cute top to wear for Easter. I love this pattern! My fabric is all washed and ready to go to make the dress and I can’t wait to see how the fabrics come together (I’m layering eyelet over silk habotai).

These pictures were taken after eating Easter dinner, so please excuse the wrinkles from sitting! 😉

Unlike a lot of pullover tops, this one has a good amount of shaping. I cut a 2 for the bust, graded to a 4 at the waist, and then a 6 at the hips, but I probably should have cut the bust as a 4 since it’s snug to pull on and off over my head. Or, in the next version, I could do a cool exposed zipper in the center back seam. Other than that, I didn’t need to do any other fitting – even the bust darts were spot-on perfect, didn’t need to move them up like I usually do. The back waist darts add a nice amount of shaping as well that keeps the back from poofing out. At no time did I feel like I was wearing a blousey maternity top!

The bias tape finishing for the neckline and sleeve hem was a nice, neat touch. Being the lazy sewist I am, I opted to sew the bias tape in place with my machine instead of my hand. I will probably hand sew my dress since it’s going to be made out of special fabric.

The reason I held on to this fabric for so long in my stash is because, as you can see in the picture, it’s really sheer (and wrinkly!). I felt like if I made a dress with it, it would look like I was wearing a nightgown, plus I’d have to line it – no fun. This top is really fast to make but took me a little longer since I French seamed alllll of my seams, even the sleeve seams. I think I’m addicted to French seaming, it makes everything look so clean and tidy inside, plus it’s perfect for sheer and lightweight fabrics. The hem is a teeny tiny narrow hem I machine stitched using this tutorial from Jen at Grainline.

That’s pretty much it! It was in the mid 50’s in Boston on Easter and this top was perfect for the early spring weather. If you’re looking for a no-brainer, instant gratification project, the Laurel top is a great garment.

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Lucinda May 1, 2012

Pattern Review – Simplicity 2369

Pattern: Simplicity 2369
Size: 10 graded to a 12
Fabric: Knit ITY from Joann Fabrics

Jeans: Mek Denim
Sunnies: Bulgari
Necklace: birthday gift!
Wristlet: Michael Michael Kors (birthday gift to myself!)

I’ve had this top finished and in my closet for about a month and realized that I never had an opportunity to share it here, partially due to my “photographer” not being available when I was as well as the hours I’m working for my new job (I got a promotion!). It was cool in Boston on Sunday and I wanted to feel comfy but look cute for my birthday mini-golf outing – it was definitely a jeans and tee kinda day.

Yes, it was my birthday! I noticed a fine line forming on my forehead in the bathroom that morning and my roots need to be colored since my grays are showing through. Hooray.

Construction

I was apprehensive about how this top was going to fit since wrap tops are always too big on me due to the cross-over piece being too long. This isn’t a “true” wrap top since it’s only a half piece that wraps across the front, and I think that attributed to the correct fitting of this top. I did my usual mods, a 10 graded out to a 12 from waist to hip, and I think I could have gone a bit smaller up top. But I was too lazy to re-cut the top and take in the sides, it wasn’t that major of a fit issue.

My machine, however, did not care for the ITY I was sewing with. I never sewed with an ITY before, even though I have heard rave things about them and it seems to be quite the fabric in the knit fabric world, but I’m not sure I would sew with it again. I love my little Bernina 1005 but it had a hard time stitching consistently and kept skipping stitches, zigging when it should have zagged. I changed the stitch length, even switched to a straight stitch and stretched while I sewed, but it didn’t like that either. Maybe someone reading this has insight into this problem?

I decided to do a neck band instead of a facing for this top, figuring I could benefit from additional fabric being added to an already low neckline. I followed the instructions to make the binding and opted not to turn it to the inside. The only downside is that since I didn’t plan ahead to do this, I have raw edges on the inside. I also have to tie this top pretty tight and watch the neckline during the day, but having worn this top twice now, I haven’t had any gap-age issues. Whew, what a relief!

I loved this pattern – I made the pants to go along with this top as well – and I definitely want to make the dress, too. Since I already attempted to make a test garment for a wrap dress that failed, I bet this pattern will be the pattern I pick to make the wrap dress off of my 12 in 2012 list.

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Lucinda April 2, 2012

McCall’s Fashion Star Patterns!

Have you watched Fashion Star? I love the real-world aspect of it: designing clothes that could be sold in retail stores and bought by the masses. A lot of the designs that have been purchased by Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and H&M are cute and fashionable, but as a sewist, I can’t justify the price tag on some of those items because the designs are simple. Well, now us sew-at-home fashionistas can make our own Fashion Star looks!

McCall’s just launched their Fashion Star pattern line, which mimics the winning designs on the show. The construction is simple, which is great for a budding seamstress who wants to sew her own on-trend looks. I can’t wait to see what other patterns are released as the show continues. I think I want to make them all so far!

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Lucinda February 1, 2012

Spring 2012 Collection – Vogue Patterns

It’s February 1 and the spring 2012 patterns are starting to arrive. It feels like an early spring day today in Boston, but looking at the calendar, I’m certain that we will have many more winter-like days ahead of us, even into April. It’s never too early to start planning your sewing for the next season (just ordered some fabric and patterns last week!), so here’s a peak at what I’m already planning to make this spring.

V1287 – Donna Karan
Maybe it’s the print that drew me in to this pattern, but it looks likes a lot of fun to make and wear. The only thing I’m apprehensive about are those side pockets/bands – I’m not a fan of anything that draws attention to hips or makes them appear to be larger. I’ll have to see this made up on some “real” sewers before I decide to take the plunge and sew this one.

V1294 – Anne Klein
Even though this top is not considered to be flattering to my body shape (I’ll be writing a post on that topic later), I love the design of the neck flounce and the tailoring of this blouse. You could dress this up for work or dress it down with a pair of jeans for running errands.

V8784 – Very Easy Very Vogue
I’m determined to master the wrap-dress this year: I’ve never found one that fit my bust, either in RTW dresses or those sewn by myself. It’s a style that I’ve given up on, but the skirt and the styling on this dress is adorable. This just may be the dress that could work for me with a few tweaks.

V8787 – Vogue Easy Options
What a versatile dress pattern, I understand why it’s called “easy options!” What I really like about this pattern is the above style in the peppermint-stripe fabric that is cut on the bias for the bodice and skirt but on the straight grain for the waist band. It would be darling in a navy blue and white stripe double knit as well.

V8790 – Very Easy Very Vogue
So far three of the four patterns I’ve listed from this collection are dresses, which I have a weakness for in the warm months, but I really need to expand my sewn wardrobe and make more sportswear. This pattern has a sleeveless, short sleeve, and long sleeve option, so it could transcend the spring season and be an all-year pattern with some changes in fabric.

V8792 – Vogue Easy Options
Again, it’s the striped fabric that drew me to this pattern. It could be an interesting top to try mixing prints, a fashion trend for the spring, such as a large polka dot mixed with a small polka dot insert. Or perhaps a contrasting color insert – there’s a couple of options to take what could be a boring long sleeve top to a higher fashion level.

V8791 – Custom Fit
This is another top that I’ll wait and see what other sewers come up with. It has a cool, artsy vibe to it, and I’d style it with skinny cropped pants like on the model. I prefer the tank and short sleeve style of this top, but I’m afraid of looking shapeless in a top like this. Neat concept, but I’ll wait a little bit on this one.

A note to Vogue Patterns – I appreciate the attempt to style the pattern photos like in a fashion magazine, but don’t underestimate how important it is to get a clear, unobstructed view of the front and back of these patterns. It makes it really hard to figure out how a dress or top will look on me if I’m standing up straight and facing front, such as these patterns here, here, and here. I’m all for elevating sewing to another level, but I need a good idea of how a garment really looks before I invest my money and time into a project. An illustration is not the same as a photo of a real person wearing clothes.