Catching Up (Read: Bad Blogger!)

Good heavens, it's been a long time since I've posted! So sorry to have fallen off the radar like that. It's been a busy few months, and I haven't had much time to photograph or blog, although I have been doing some sewing.

Firstly, I have been meaning to post some photos of the gala dress actually on my body. I will know for future reference not to rely on Husband to be photo-man for events, particularly ones where I'd like shots of one of my creations. Noted. That said, I took a few snaps of myself wearing it, along with a few of the other recent completions. So, yeah, they were all taken today. No hair and make-up variety, but I did try to change up my background a bit here and there. :)

 I purchased a mask from Michael's craft store to make a matching masquerade ball mask. I covered it in the same maroon satin fabric, used stick-on jewels (which I glued for stability) and painted the designs on with glitter glue. Just one one-piece feather thingamabob hot melted onto the back and some pretty ribbons. It wasn't terribly difficult, just a bit time consuming. But I was asked a few time how I managed to have a matching dress and mask, a people were genuinely surprised and impressed when I told them I'd made both items. Not so secretly, I love that. :)

 Pardon all the wrinkles. The dress hasn't been cleaned and re-pressed since the event.

I should mention that the only change I made the original Burda design was to add bra cups sandwiched between the outer and lining layers. There was no possible way to wear an undergarment with a back that low, and even with my less than ample chesticular area, I thought it necessary to have a bit more modesty.

I did take a bit of break after I finished the dress. Although not particularly difficult, it was a time burner and the last few bits were a little fiddly. I guess I needed a little break, so I doubt I stepped foot in the studio for at least 2 weeks. Once I did finally get some mojo back, I started on McCalls 5668, which I've had cut forever and never bothered to put together. What better way to ease back in than with a project you don't even have to cut, right?  I didn't bother with a muslin since it was just a cheapo moleskin from Joann Fabrics with a pretty swirly flowery design. I find, for the most part, that I can get away with a straight-out-of-the-envelope size 12. I count myself very fortunate for this, believe me.

 
I think it turned out very nicely, and I've already worn it twice. The only thing I changed on this pattern was to add a closure. The white shirt underneath was also a completed project, but it was in the laundry, and thus I could not photograph it for this post. Promise I'll throw it in somewhere else after I can get a photo.

I threw this little skirt together in an evening. It was comes from a Butterick 5534 separates pattern and really lives up to its Fast and Easy title. It's a bit hard to see in the photos, but the fabric is a subtle blue/black plaid with a little stretch. It has to be 100% polyester based solely on the smell of it being steam pressed. I did add a full lining, which the pattern did not call for, and changed the lapped zipper to an invisible one.

 Please ignore the horrible fit of the RTW shirt I've paired it with. I won't attempt an excuse except to say that I won't wear it anymore after seeing the photos. Ick.

Lastly, sometime for the girl. Well, one of the girls. Lilly came home from preschool the Friday before St. Patrick's week in tears after her teacher told her she could wear something green on St. Patrick's day. The child who normally only allows me to dress her in pink (and the occasional purple or Disney/Nickelodeon character) was devastated that she didn't own a single green item. So, what is a sewing mom to do? We went down to Joann's, picked out some green printed cotton and flowery trim and whipped something up.  I used Simplicity 2269 from my stash.

I had to re-do the squared front sections twice so they'd lay flat. It's taken a while, I think I can safely say I've mastered that skill now. It's super cute and she was completely in love with it. Not only did she wear green on St. Patty's Day, but she wanted to wear it again to church on Sunday. Maybe I've converted Little Miss Pink to include a bit more variety. Maybe it's just because it was a dress. She still won't wear jeans with anything that isn't pink. Oh well, I guess it could be worse! :)

 

So, yeah. That's what I've been up to for the past two months.  This weekend I'm headed out to a cabin with some girlfriends of mine about an hour from home. It's traditionally a scrapbooking getaway, but since I've converted my friend (who happens to be the organizer) she's made into a Scrap-n-Sew. I have to haul my machine and supplies, but who cares! Imagine -- a whole weekend with no husband, no children, no distractions (well, except for the hot tub and copious amounts of alcohol), just lots of sewing (and maybe some scrapping) time! I'll be sure to take the camera to document my (hopefully) productive 2 days away. 

Until then... Happy sewing to all!

FINISHED! The Great Coat Project of 2010

What can I say? I'm a bit of a flapper at heart. I really didn't mean to style myself right out of the Decade of Indulgence, I swear. (But I like it!)

And wouldn't you know that the day I finish a wool winter coat it would be 50 degrees outside? I was sweating while doing my contest photo shoot! Last week... wind chill of 16. Today? Not so much. But, I'll be honest and say I MUCH prefer the unseasonable warmth. Greatly.

Here it is, all pretty and pressed on Beatrice. The only thing that bugs me is that I can't get my buttons to stay facing the same way. I had to add a bit of a thread shank, since the wool is so thick, and now they twist all over the place. I'm working on a solution. ...... Ain't she perrrrty?

 The front of the coat, in all its 20s-styled glory:

 And the back. It lays nice and smoothly without the original vertical shoulder folds. I guess those two full weeks of muslins really did pay off in the end.

 Too warm for the hat and gloves... after breaking into a sweat, we went with less buttoned-up type of look.

 And some of the front details. Did I mention before that I love the buttons? Cause if not, I really love the buttons. I mean, really really. They cost me a small fortune, but worth every penny. Now, to get them to stop spinning around! I know, I know, I mentioned that already.

*WHEW* I'm actually pretty glad that's over. It was fun, I learned A LOT of new techniques, and I got an amazing coat out of it. Overall, I'd say that I'm thrilled and excited to move on to the next project. Good luck to all of you participating in the Winter Wear Contest. Except Peter. That toggle coat is far too amazing, so I'm sending some voo-doo vibes that it doesn't win and gives the rest of us a fighting chance. ;)

I Can See the Finish Line!

Everyone coming down off the Christmas gifting/food/sugar high yet? It usually takes us a few days in our house to get back to normal. Today was planned to be the massive clean-up until Lilly woke up at 5:30 AM throwing up all over her bedroom floor. Poor baby. So, I let her off the hook for one more day. Santa hit our house hard, so she'll need to be in full health to tackle the mess. :)

I, on the other hand, have been working furiously on my coat for the Pattern Review Winter Wear Contest that ends on December 31st. I'm pretty sure (barring any unforeseen emergencies or snafus) that it'll be done with time to spare.... days, even.

Many thanks to my sweet hubby for taking on post-Christmas children solo for a few hours yesterday afternoon, so I could have some un-interrupted coat time. I got the sleeves set-in beautifully and smoothly using Gertie's method. Definitely worth a try if you've never used it before, especially on thick unwieldy fabrics like wool. They look great and the sleeve caps are supported, too.

 I got the lining completely cut out and the body seams finished and sewn to the facings. I had a really hard time deciding what color to use for lining. I wanted to use the Kasha flannel-backed satin for warmth so that I wouldn't have to underline. But, it only comes in a few solid colors. Hubby suggested ivory, which would have indeed looked gorgeous, but I worried about how easily white-ish colors can begin to look dirty and settled on navy instead.

It feel absolutely spectacular! If I ever make another winter coat, I'll definitely be using it again. If you could see close enough, you'd notice that where I attached lining to wool, I actually changed bobbin threads to match. I know, I'm an anal-retentive perfectionist. I can't help it. 

I do have the upper collar attached and the facings sewn to the coat (although it's still inside out). But, alas, I had to call it an afternoon when I ran out of thread. I should've known better and bought two from the beginning. I used heavy thread for the wool, so there's significantly less of it on the spool. It's okay, though, I need to get my shoulder pads, too.

The best is yet to come. After the lining is attached, I have all the hemming to do (ugh) and then... the buttons! Oh, I cannot wait for the buttons. They are, hands down, my favorite part. You'll see. I promise you'll love them, too. :)

Teaser

It's getting there...

Belt - finished.
Wool body shell - finished
Undercollar - pad-stitched and attached; steamed and drying overnight
Sleeves - stitched and awaiting attachment to coat
Facings - pad-stitched and read to go
Lining - in the dryer with wet towels, shrinking if it's gonna...

To do:
Cut lining
Attach sleeves
Attach facings
Sew and attach Kasha lining
Attach overcollar
Hem
Buttons and buttonholes
Admire ♥

Here's a little teaser:

Merry Christmas Eve! (okay, in 19 minutes...)

Persistence Pays Off

I've done it, folks! With minimal help, a little experimentation, and a few frustrated tears... I've finished my muslin. And it's actually GOOD! This makes three (I guess four if you count the alterations I did to #2) of them, all told, but the finished product seems light years from where it started. You can see the first awful mess here.

I made 4 adjustments:
1. I shortened the waist for the 'petite' sizing. I am only 5'2" afterall, so it would make sense with my petite frame that I might need a petite adjustment.
2. I trimmed just a bit off of the back side pieces at the princess seam. This took in just enough behind my arms that I don't have those unsightly vertical folds. As I started reading, I discovered that those ugly wrinkles were due to a narrow back and a bit too much fabric. A slight adjustment made those goners.
3. I added 1" (1/2" to each side) to the center back seam from the waist down. Now I have plenty of "bucket room" :)
4. I moved the bust dart up 1". The saggy look was not becoming on me; a must-fix. Moved the dart, redrew the lines and -- voila! -- a princess seam that looks like it should.

Lays smoothly and dart now ends at center bust, like it should.

Please ignore the fact that I sewed the back center seam inside out. I was too lazy to take it out and do it right. 

It's hard not to look super serious when you're trying to do self-photos. It's hard work!

Better, yes? *Whew* I guess you can learn just about anything you set your mind to! Thanks for the words of encouragement. Starting this weekend, I'll be pinning and cutting my actual fabric (gasp!), so wish me luck!

Lessons learned

I think I might have it, now. Thanks to the few people who offered some advice... my grandmother and Steph, in particular I have come away with an epiphany. Well, maybe several. 1. You don't have to know what you're doing to figure it out. Trial and error is the only way to learn  2. Simpler is usually better.

So, here's the gameplan after more muslin alterations.

1. Move bust dart in princess-seamed side panel up about an inch.
2. Rather than doing an SBA on an armhole princess seam, I'm simply going to remove a sliver of fabric from the center front seam - about 3/4 inch at the top, tapering to nothing at the waistline.
3. I will make the petite adjustment at the waist
4. Add a bit of bum 'wiggle room'... I think about 1/2 inch should do it just fine.

Round 3 muslin coming soon.

Second muslin.... almost there!

I'm almost always a size 12 in Big 4 patterns. But since this coat was meant for lighter-weight fabrics (gabardines, broadcloths and the like) I thought maybe I should cut a 14 for the muslin so that I'd have room to both line and underline my coating weight wool. So, that's where I started.

There are no photos of the first muslin - it was enormous.

So, I cut another one, in my usual size 12. Hey, if you have to cut the muslin twice, at least it's a size smaller, right? Okay, so I won't complain too much. The fit seems to be much better this time. Here are my issues - perhaps some of you seasoned tailors can give a bit of advice...

The top is far too wide, while the hips are a bit tight. You can see it here in these photos. The princess seams are much closer to my armpits than across my bust. The back is actually pretty good... when I'm properly adjusted, there's really no swayback like it sort of looks like there is.

 

 If I pinch in about an inch on either front side, it seems to do the trick. Would that be fixed with an SBA? I've never had to do one before, so I'm really unfamiliar with the techniques. I've been perusing some of my pattern adjustment books, but any advice would be helpful. If I take it out of the front piece, it would have to go all the way up to the shoulder... but does the back seem like it could take a shorter shoulder seam, too? I don't want the sleeves to pull or not have full range of motion. What about the hips? Should I be adding a bit to the hips and where... the side seam? Ugh, this is starting to give me a headache. I don't know how you girls do it. I guess I got spoiled with a regular size that almost never needs any adjustments. I feel like I've been inducted into some sort of club. :)

 

You can see it here, too, on my dressform. When the front is pulled tight, the neckline overlaps WAY farther than it should. There's no lapel - or at least there's not supposed to be. And the closer to the bottom you get, the farther the spread. The waist fits perfectly - should I be trying to grade between 3 sizes!? Yeah, there's that headache again.

 

HELP! Some advice or ideas from the pros (or at least those slightly more versed in pattern alteration) would be great while I read every alteration book I can find.

Oh yeah, and a gratuitous photo of my babies. :)

Temporary Replacement

My sad, empty sewing machine table... it's lonely without Helen!

It's been weeks since I've had either the time or the energy to do any sewing. So, wouldn't you know the day I finally get motivated enough to cut and attempt to sew something, my machine would break. Oh, Helen! Why now? I'm beginning to understand the benefits of hoarding multiple machines. I feel I should invest in a spare... or two... or five. ;)

It's nothing major (I think), only the zig-zag function isn't working properly. It seems that my needle bar won't stay put, nor will it zig on command. Or zag, for that matter. It's in the repair shop as we speak, and I'm told that a tune up should do the trick, with the possibility of a small part replacement. I guess we shall see! But until the call comes, I figured I was just stuck without a machine. AH! But then I remembered.... my mother used to sew! She still has an old machine, and she's surely not currently using it. So, when my folks came over for movie night last night she brought it along. This lovely old gal will be helping me work through my coat muslin this week until my sweet Helen comes home again.

Ain't she a beaut? It's a Singer Merritt 3013 - old as the hills and still chuggin'! I'll have to give it a good dusting and thorough oiling, but it'll get me through. Thanks, Mom!

And speaking of.... My gorgeous wool coating from Mood is at the cleaners being steam pressed, the buttons, hair canvas, and Kasha flannel-backed satin lining are on the way and I've gotten my muslin all pinned.

 I've entered myself in the Pattern Review Winter Wear contest and I'm going to make it happen with or without my sewing machine! Wish me luck! (I think I might need it)

Thoughts?

So, as the weather cools off here in the mid-Atlantic area, I find myself pulling out my very old and sad looking winter coat. I got it as a Christmas gift from my mom (I picked it out) probably 6 years ago. It's lasted through several rough winters, 3 jobs, and 2 pregnancies (poor thing!). It's done it's duty and is falling apart. So, amidst my other many projects, I'm going to slowly piece together a new coat. I'm in no major hurry - it's still early in the cool season and I have another jacket that can suffice until the big snows. But I really want to take my time and create a beautiful, well-made, lasting piece a-la-Gertie. I have no desire to do the Lady Grey (as beautiful as it is), it's just not my style. I'm picking another pattern, but using the same techniques. I found a really beautiful wool blend from Mood. What do you think?

And  I love, love, love these horn buttons to go with it.

I'm at a loss for what sort of lining to use. What kind of fabric should I use? Should I go with a solid or a print? With a medium weight wool blend, should I bother interlining for warmth? I've never attempted outerwear before, so I could use a little advice and encouragement from those of you who have. Thoughts, advice, and cautionary tales would be appreciated!