Fiddly fabric

I was able to spend about two hours working on my skirt.  I really picked a fiddly fabric to use.  I have applied fusible tape to waist, peplum bottom edge, waist band and center back seam to help keep the edges from fraying.

The peplum edges have been hemmed and topstitched.  The view I am making called for braid along the edge of the peplum but this fabric is too thing to attached braiding and would probably stretch around the edges due to the weave of the fabric.

The back darts have been stitched and there are not darts for the front.  I interfaced the waist yoke and waist yoke facing.  This should give this area more support.

At this point I decided to take a break to rest shoulder and neck.  Next will be to attach the front and back peplum to skirt followed by attaching the lining.  The pattern does not call for a lining but I like linings for most skirts I make but most particularly for this skirt as the fabric is rather thin and see through.

Going to watch a movie now with DH.

Staycation and New Fabric

Today is my Friday!  And DH and I are taking vacation time starting this evening and into next week.  No real travel plans, but I do have sewing plans.

I have not purchased much fabric of late and started feeling some withdrawals.  With fall fashion magazines popping up all over, I can not help but want to start on some fall sewing; somewhat tough when weather heats up again.

So I began going to my favorite fabric haunts-EOS, Gorgeous Fabrics and Fabric Mart.  I ordered black and white boucle fabric from EOS earlier this week and it arrived today!!!!  I want to make some jackets this year; have not sewn many in the past few years and time to refresh those items in my closet.  Here is iPhone photo of my EOS purchase.

Photo does not do this fabric justice.

I ordered some wool gabardine fabrics from Fabric Mart along with some rayon challis.  I purchased enough fabric to receive a fabric bundle.  The last bundle I got from FM was very nice so hope the colors and the fabric type works well for me this time as well.  Will share photos when fabric arrives.

Update on NL skirt

I am making slow progress with the New Look skirt.  The fabric I used is very loosely woven and ravels just looking at it.  Interestingly there is an article in Threads on stabilizing loosely woven fabric.  So I am taking my time by using straight or bias fusible seam tape to stabilize the bottom edges of the bias peplum of the skirt.  I have serged finished the seam edges.  I can see the need to use the tape along waist line as well.

So this will become a little more tedious than I had anticipated.  More updates later.

Wearing Striped Dress

I had a moment to take a few photos of me wearing the dress I just completed.  This is such a simple dress but the fabric is what makes it noticeable. I made the sash with the stripes running vertically to break up the horizontal stripes. 

The great colors in this dress will allow me the opportunity to wear various shoes-cream, blue and black. 

New Look Skirt pattern

Several months ago I cut out NL6003 and put it aside when I decided to make the Vogue peplum blouse and McCall's skirt.  I then went on to make the color blocked Vogue dress and the Vogue striped dress which is now complete.

I have been viewing several fall fashion magazines and getting some great ideas for fall sewing.  All well and good; I now have so many ideas I am having a hard time focusing on what I want to sew up next.  This morning I decided to sew up the skirt pattern as it is cut out and ready to sew.    Because it is grey I think it is a good transition into fall sewing.

The McCall's dress pattern is ready to become a dress and have picked a fabric that has been in my fabric stash for quite some time.  To be perfectly honest, if this dress turns out to be a wadder, as it has gotten mixed reviews on Pattern Review and blog land, I will not be overly upset.

You may ask why besides the mixed reviews would I even venture to think it will be a wadder.  My concern is that when I pin fitted the dress, even with ABCD cup variations, I had to make a FBA and was much more along my usual FB adjustments and I used the D front pattern piece.  Normally I have to make a 1/2 inch FBA for the D cup bodice pattern, this was more than that.  I adjusted the bust and waist darts.  I pin fitted the pattern after the adjustments and seemed like a good fit.  So we will see.

DH and I have a cookout to go to this afternoon so not sure how much sewing will get done.  More later.

Update on Vogue Dress

The dress is almost complete.  I need to hem it and sew the sash and viola!!! complete.  Excuse the wrinkles as the dress needs a good overall pressing.

Sewing Vogue 8278 OOP

I cut out the fabric this morning after returning from CURVES. The rest of the morning was spent on some household chores and then shower.  DH and I ran some errands and then had dinner at Outback.  We then had coffee at Starbucks.  After arriving home later than planned I immediately went to my sewing room.

I cut out interfacing and fused to facings.  I then thread the serger and serge finished all seams. I then stitched the center back seam before deciding I was just too tired to do much more.  When I feel tired I need to take a break or I will make some sewing mistake.

More tomorrow.

Working toward the weekend

Well my business trip at the beginning of the week was a good one.  I had hoped to visit a fabric store while in town but that just did not happen.

I am so looking forward to this weekend and time off.  I have the Vogue pattern ready to cut out, with all the fitting adjustments made to the pattern.  My hope is that I can cut the fabric tonight and spend time sewing tomorrow afternoon/evening.

Carolyn with Diary of a Sewing Fanatic showed a picture of the new Vogue September magazine and I went to a B&N hoping to purchase it.  It has not arrived in my area yet.  Elle had their September magazine on the racks so I purchased that one and will wait patiently for the Vogue one to arrive; perhaps it will be in place this weekend.

More updates later.

How I got to Vogue from McCalls

I appreciate the feedback on what pattern to use for the stripe fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics.  I was going to use this McCall's pattern.  I have even pin fitted and made the pattern adjustments.  Yet this pattern was not "talking" to me about this fabric and it.

I kept thinking about this top  sewn and reviewed by Karen (Sewing By The Seat of my Pants).  I loved the way she used the fabric to keep an even flow of the stripes.  So I decided that I either need to make a kimono style dress or something in that neighborhood.  I then thought about my TNT Vogue 8278.

I have made that twice now and have perfected the fit for me.  I went to my dress pattern stash to pull the pattern and it was not there.  I went to my huge plastic bag holder for my new patterns and those that I have pulled thinking I will make the pattern(s) soon.  Not there.  Checked in some other locations and not there.  I do not know where that pattern is and now think that I may have given it to Goodwill???!!!

I go on line to check the Vogue site and learn this pattern is now OOP.  I thought I would run to JoAnn's to buy another one.  They don't have it in my size.  Why Vogue sells OOP patterns at full price instead of clearance is for them to know and me to not know.

So I ordered the pattern from eBay seller for $7 and free shipping.  I got the pattern yesterday; re-read the reviews I wrote for the pattern at PR and last night cut out the pattern pieces and began making the fitting adjustments.

I hope to finalize those adjustments this AM and cut out the pattern-there are only four pieces.  I will not be able to sew it up as I travel this afternoon to WVa for business meeting that will take place Monday and Tuesday.  At least the fabric and pattern will be ready to sew upon return.

More later.

What I Wore or Just One More Time

I work for a non profit organization and once a year we do an annual fund raiser which we call Second Runway.  It is always a nice event and so I decided that I would wear V8805 to the event.  Here is a photo of the dress you just saw in an earlier post, but now  with necklace and shoes. 

The shoes are Franco Sarto purchased a few years ago and they are a cross between pink and lavender so I thought they went perfect with the dress.  I have to brag say that I got a lot of compliments on the dress.  I carry a Miche bag purse; it is one of those that has a base and then you can change the shell so you have many purse looks without a lot of expense.    So much easier to change the shell than empty the contents into another bag.  I digress--the bag I took was cream colored background with one side sporting  pink and lavender.  I did not take a photo of that. 

I also am wearing my glasses that the frames are pale lavender.  So one final look

Wearing V8805

I had a moment yesterday evening to take a few photo shots of me wearing V8805.

Front view

As you can see this is a pretty straight, unfitted look.  I took in the waist line area close to 1 3/4 inches.  Because of the close fitting neck line and deeper seams taken it can be a little difficult to get on and off.  One of the reviewers at PR stated they had scooped out the neckline a little more as they felt it was too high and tight.

This is my hands on hip look

Just could not put my shoes back on

And of course you have to see the back and side views.  I really do like this color combo.

I have to go to our agency's annual fund raiser tonight.  It is a fashion show and I plan to change into this for the event tonight.  

Stripes and what should it be

First let me say that V8805 is complete.  I finished all the handwork that needed to be done this AM--hand sewing the hem and sewing the hook and eye to the neckline opening.  I had reduced the waist to hip area by 2 inches before cutting out the pattern; this is somewhat standard for me and added back an inch to the bottom piece.  I added only one inch as normally patterns are still long on me after reducing the waist to hip area or they are just the right length after hemming.

With this dress, the length ended up being pretty much where I wanted it BEFORE HEMMING.  I sewed a pale lavender lace to the bottom edge using a 1/4 inch seam allowance and then turned the hem up 5/8 inches.  The lace was about 1.5 to 2 inches thus giving me ample hem to hand stitch.

I will take photos later.  I am not sure that I will make this dress again.  If I do it will not be color blocked and if it needs lining I will sew a lining instead of underlining as I did with this dress.

Next up is a dress, not sure what dress yet.  I purchased this lovely striped stretch woven fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics earlier this year.  Though the photo may imply that the stripes run vertical they actually run horizontal.  I think when I purchased this fabric I was going to make a skirt; that is still an option.  Then I thought about making a dress with princess seams and having the front piece with horizontal stripes and sides vertical.  Then I thought about having just a simple sheath style dress with front darts and let the horizontal stripes just be.  Next I thought about making a peplum top with bodice horizontal, peplum stripes running vertical and having a skirt with horizontal stripes.  I really cannot decide.

Here are some of the patterns I thought about using, this one from McCall's.  Thinking about using the red dress.



Using the peplum model is wearing and the skirt.


The yellow dress.

I tried adding a poll to the sidebar but Blogger is not playing well with me this AM.  I would appreciate your feedback as to one of these or if you have another suggestion, I would like that as well.  Later.