May in Review

Sewing

I declared May to be a month of sewing for others but I also worked on a couple of projects for moi. I guess that makes my Me-Made-May sewing challenge an epic fail. There are two more projects for Mama R cut and ready to go but I just didn't have the time to get to them this month.

I entered two dresses in the vintage contest over at Pattern Review, a nineteen seventies house-dress I made for Mama R and a nineteen sixties wrap dress. The other sewing project that I managed to finish was a light-weight knit peplum sweater.  

Sewing wise it has been a slow month.

Me-Made-May Month

Once again, I participated in Me-Made-May. To be completely honest it really doesn't seem like a challenge since I like to wear what I make. It is a good challenge, however, to discover where my focus should be on future projects.

This year I didn't take daily pictures, instead I recorded what I wore both me-made and ready-to-wear. Although I wear at least one me-made item a day, there is still a heavy reliance on ready-to-wear items as part of my wardrobe.

RTW Fast

I can't believe that we're almost at the half way through our RTW Fast. I wasn't tempted by any RTW or window displays here in my home town. But I will admit to a few gasps on the Tilton sisters reports on their Paris shopping trips.

Marcy Tilton reported that the French like to put bows on everything which I found amusing since I'm presently cutting out this tunic top with cute bows on the front.

Reading that made me feel some what fashion-forward despite the fact that I'm working with an out-of-print pattern from the nineteen nineties.  

Stash Busting

It wasn't a good month for stash-busting [holding head in shame]. My bad.

Items	Stash-busted	Added to Stash
Fabric	48.1 metres	46.4 metres
Interfacing	2 metre	0
Lining	1.5 metre	0
Sewing Patterns	14	17
Spools of Thread	14	7
Sewing Needles	6	0
Pant Hooks	5	6
Zippers	5	0
Trim	0.40 metres	10
Elastic	1.3 metres	12 metres
Bias Tape	2 metres	0
Snaps	0	0
Buttons	38	12
Ribbon	0	0
Hook and Eye or other Closures	4	0
Basting Tape	2.1 metres	0

 

Me-Made-May '14: The Final Week

I did it!  I managed to participate and survive Me-made-May '14. Quite the learning experience where I learned that I need to make more undergarments. The ratio of me-made to ready-to-wear leans more heavily on the ready-to-wear side but I'm sure that will change as time goes on especially since I'm on a RTW Fast this year and I've come to appreciate my sewing skills more than I did prior to this journey.  Well, here is how the final me-made week played out.  

Sunday, May 25th

Me-Made Items:  3

Beige spring coat out-of-print Burda 7304, navy skirt Vogue 1247 and flannel nightshirt out-of-print McCall's 8525.

Ready-to-wear Items:  8
Black and taupe knit dress, cropped black sweater, white tee-shirt, blue and white jacket, pj bottoms, tee-shirt and undergarments.

Accessories:  

Taupe wedge heeled shoes (church shoes), black mephistos (outdoor shoes), beige mephistos (garden/yard work shoes), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and cream and blue Coach handbag.

Monday, May 26th

Me-Made Items:  

Navy skirt Vogue 1247, flannel nightshirt McCall's 8525.

Ready-to-wear Items:  

White tee-shirt, blue and white jacket, taupe panty-hose and undergarments.

Accessories:  

Yellow wedged shoes (outdoor and work shoes), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and blue and cream coloured Coach bag.  

Tuesday, May 27th

Me-Made Items:  2

Pink striped skirt out-of-print Vogue 2885, flannel nightshirt McCall's 8525.

Ready-to-wear Items:  

Floral pink shirt and undergarments.

Accessories:  

Black mephistos (outdoor and work shoes), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and floral leather handbag.  

Wednesday, May 28th

Me-Made Items:  2

Black light-weight wool pants Vogue 1325 and black and white cotton top/jacket Butterick 5891.

Ready-to-wear Items:  4

Wool socks, night gown and undergarments.

Accessories:  

Black mephistos (outdoor and work shoes) and floral leather handbag.  

Thursday, May 29th

Me-Made Items:  1

Floral dress McCall's 6554.

Ready-to-wear Items:  5

Cream coloured short sleeve sweater, jean jacket, night gown and undergarments.

Accessories:  

Burgandy mephistos (outdoor and work shoes), black birkenstocks (outdoor shoes) and floral leather handbag.  

Friday, May 30th

Me-Made Items:  2

Floral dress out-of-print McCall's 9264 and nightshirt out-of-print McCall's 8525.

Ready-to-wear Items:  3

Black sweater and undergarments.

Accessories:  

Black mephistos (outdoor and work shoes), sunglasses and leather floral handbag.  

Satuday, May 31st

Me-Made Items:  1

Purple floral skirt Vogue 1247.

Ready-to-wear Items:  3

Beige tee-shirt and undergarments.

Accessories:  

Floral leather handbag, sunglasses, burgandy mephistos (outdoor shoes) and black birkenstocks (indoor shoes).  

Peplum Sweater

Stash busting 2014:  The Peplum Sweater

Fabric:    1.5 metres of mystery fabric.

Thread:   Finished off two spools of thread.

This is the second time I broke out McCall's 6844. The first time I make this pattern I made view A and it came out fine. There was the issue with the shoulder length that I adjusted but that was it, an easy fix.

I forgot to make a shoulder adjustment on this one so I just trimmed off a bit between the notches and up and over the shoulder curve.

This time around I made view C the shorter peplum sweater. The peplum is longer in the back and to be completely honest I felt like a penguin with it on. But not as cute.

That is when the the sweater ended back on the cutting table to even out the hemline. I'm short and I really could have shortened the bodice a wee bit too. But all-in-all this sweater will work as a light-weight option for the summer.

The fabric has been in my stash for ages. I've been holding onto this bargain priced fabric because I had no idea what to make out of it. It is a light-weight mystery fabric, no clue what the fibre content is but I am quite certain is it a laboratory produced product. Not my usual taste in fabric but I was drawn to the colours. It was perfect for a muslin and with fingers crossed I pieced this together with hopes that it will be a wearable muslin.

And it is! It has been quite warm lately and this will be perfect for those warm workdays spent in the air-conditioning.

Happy Sewing!

Me Made May '14: Week #3

Sunday, May 18th

Me-made items:   3

Denim and leather trimmed skirt Burda 7025, altered shirt out-of-print Vogue 2789 and nightshirt out-of-print McCall's 8525.

Ready-to-wear items:  2

Undergarments.  

Footwear and Accessories: 

Black birkenstocks (indoor shoes).  

Monday, May 19th

Me-made items:  3

Angel shirt Vogue 1274, Rachel Comey skirt Vogue 1247 and white striped nightgown out-of-print Simplicity pattern (number unknown).

Ready-to-wear items:  4
Black SmartWool socks, undergarments, black leather jacket.  

Footwear and Accessories:

Navy rubber boots (outdoor shoes) and black birkenstocks (indoor shoes), greenish metallic grey handbag and floral print umbrella.

Tuesday, May 20th

Me-made items:  3

Black light-weight wool pants Vogue 1325, Marcy Tilton jacket out-of-print but still available on the Vogue website Vogue 8709, robe out-of-print Simplicity 7417.

Ready-to-wear items:  6

Black spring coat, nude knee-high stockings, undergarments, tee-shirt and pj bottoms.

Footwear and Accessories:

Navy rubber boots (outdoor shoes), grey and black mephisto all-rounders (work shoes), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes), floral umbrella and greenish metallic grey handbag.  

Wednesday, May 21st

Me-made items:  2

Navy pants Vogue 1325 and robe out-of-print Simplicity 7417.

Ready-to-wear items:  7
Red light-weight sweater, navy and white striped tee-shirt, black socks, undergarments, tee-shirt and pj bottoms.  

Footwear and Accessories:  

Navy rubber boots (morning outdoor wear), black and grey mephisto all-rounder (outdoor and work shoes), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and blue and cream coloured Coach handbag.  

Thursday, May 22nd

Me-made items:  2

Blue and yellow wrap dress out-of-print vintage Simplicity 8032, embroidered night gown out-of-print Simplicity pattern.

Ready-to-wear items:  5

Cream coloured crocheted sweater, pantyhose, slip and undergarments.

Footwear and Accessories:

Yellow wedged shoes (outdoor and work shoes), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and blue and cream coloured Coach handbag.  

Friday, May 23rd

Me-made items:  2

Red Rachel Comey skirt Vogue 1247, wrap dress Vogue 8896.

Ready-to-wear items:  7

White camisole, white shirt, undergarments, pj bottoms and tee-shirt.

Footwear and Accessories:

Black mephistos (outdoor and work shoes), beige wedge shoe (evening shoes), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and blue and cream coloured Coach handbag.  

Saturday, May 24

Me-made items:  2

Green polka-dot top out-of-print Burda 7489 and flannel nightshirt McCall's 8525 (In case you're wondering how can I wear shorts and a flannel nightshirt on the same day let me just say that it is chilly with the air conditioning on).  

Ready-to-wear items:  4

White shorts, white camisole and undergarments.

Footwear and Accessories:
Floral umbrella, black mephistos (outdoor shoes), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and blue and cream coloured Coach handbag.  

Vintage Wrap Dress: Simplicity 8032

Stash-busting 2014:  Simplicity 8032

Excuse the horrible photo. It's messy
pony-tail hair and no make-up day.

Fabric:  5.7 metres (includes blue eyelet fashion fabric and yellow cotton underlining fabric)

Thread: stash-busted 2 spools of thread

Button:  1 vintage button from my button collection

Before Diane von Furstenberg turned the wrap dress into an iconic must-have item in the nineteen-seventies, Simplicity came out with this pattern. I stumbled across this vintage 1968 pattern over at etsy.

This is almost the perfect pattern. The next time I make a wrap dress with this pattern I'm adding side seam pockets. That would make this a perfect pattern.

Okay, my version looks much longer than the pattern illustration. I did add four inches to the hemline since I do have a knee scar that I'm not looking to show off and I thought the dress would be on the short side. It is not.  I could easily left it as is and it would be fine.  

Here's the pattern description from the pattern envelope:  

The "wrap dress" with skirt gathered to bodice side front and back slightly above normal waistline has "V" neckline and self belt caught in front edges. Dress front "wraps" right over left, left belt slips thru opening in side front seams and buttons in back.  V. 1 has short set-in sleeves, V. 2 is sleeveless.  

 It is perfectly described and it is just how this turned out. And you know what else I like about sewing with vintage patterns? The texture of the pattern. They don't make tissue patterns like they did back in the day, this pattern is printed on a strong sheet of tissue paper. I love that.

The fabric has been in my stash for so long that some might qualify it as vintage. Let's just say that it is of a certain age. I can't even remember when and where I purchased this eyelet. I underlined the fashion fabric with a yellow cotton and together it has some weight to it. Even though I didn't have to underline the sleeves I wanted the sleeves to match the rest of the dress.

I didn't stitch the underlining hem to the fashion fabric. Here I left it as two separate pieces.  

The button was found in my collection of vintage buttons. 

This "wrap dress" pattern is a keeper.

I wouldn't mind making another one some day, I will just remember to cut it without adding any length to the hemline but add pockets to the side seam.  

Happy Sewing!  

Me-Made-May '14: Another Week in Review

Oh my goodness, it was nippy in the mornings! This week was not about wearing a spring coat, it was warm sweater or wool jacket type of mornings. Luckily, with the budding tree branches there is a hint that spring might actually be on its way.   

Sunday, May 11th

Me-Made Items:  3 

Grey and blue pinstripe wool and cashmere pants Vogue 1325, white french-cuffed shirt out-of-print McCall's 8943, floral dress out-of-print McCall's 9264.

Ready-to-wear items:  6

Black knit tee-shirt dress, black sweater (worn under floral dress above), undergarments, pj top and pj bottoms.

Footwear and Accessories:  

Yellow wedged mary-janes (church), black mephistos (outdoor shoes), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes), red necklace and metallic green and silver handbag.

Monday, May 12th

Me-Made Items:  1

Back buttoned skirt out-of-print Vogue 1918.

Ready-to-wear items:  7

Sleeveless blue top, cream colour sweater, beige tights, undergarments, pj top and pj bottoms.

Footwear and Accessories:  

Yellow wedged mary-janes (work shoes), navy rubber boots (outdoor footwear), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and metallic green and silver handbag.  

Tuesday, May 13th

Me-Made Items:  2

Plaid wool pants Vogue 1325 and wool jacket Vogue 1263.

Ready-to-wear items:  7

White camisole, red top, cream coloured sweater, brown socks, undergarments pj top and pj bottoms.

Footwear and Accessories:  

Navy rubber boots, Mephisto all-rounders (work shoes) and black birkenstock (indoor shoes).  

Wednesday, May 14th

Me-Made Items:  2

Grey and blue pinstripe wool and cashmere pants Vogue 1325 and flannel nightshirt out-of-print McCall's 8525.

Ready-to-wear items:  6

Light-weight black knit pullover sweater, black pleated jacket, black socks, leather jacket and undergarments.

Footwear and Accessories: 

Navy rubber boots (outdoor and work shoes) and black birkenstocks.   

Thursday, May 15th

Me-Made Items:  3

Knit dress Vogue 1234, wool jacket Vogue 1263 and flannel pj's out-of-print McCall's 8525.

Ready-to-wear items:  4

Black sweater, black tights and undergarments

Footwear and Accessories: 

Red groundhog shoes (outdoor and work shoes) and black birkenstocks (indoor shoes).

Friday, May 16th

Me-Made Items:  2

Yellow polka-dot top, Vogue 1306 and flannel pjs McCall's 8525.

Ready-to-wear items:  5

Blue jeans, black wool jacket, black socks and undergarments.

Footwear and Accessories: 

Black mephistos (work and outdoor shoes), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and greenish grey handbag.

Saturday, May 17th

Me-Made Items:  1

Flannel nightshirt, McCall's 8525.

Ready-to-wear items:  5

Blue jeans, brown tee-shirt, green socks and undergarments

Footwear and Accessories: 

Black rubber boots (worn while doing yard-work) and black birkenstocks (indoor shoes).

Underlining: The Seen Hero

I first wrote about underlining a few months ago when I was sewing the Sybil Connolly dress. I used underlining for that garment to give the fabric support and shape. The underlining was perfect for the polyester suiting fabric that had a bit too much drape.  

This is not the case with the current project that I am working on. Here, I underlined most of my pieces for modesty reasons and the fact that I don't want to wear a slip with this dress.  

Threads magazine suggests basting the underlining fabric to the fashion fabric before it is cut. I didn't do this, instead cutting out my fashion fabric and then my underlining and then basting the wrong sides together.  

This dress pattern has back darts from the shoulder and waist and I also basted the underlining and fashion fabrics outlining the dart placements. I did this so as not to encounter any puckering while sewing the darts since I'm working with a heavier cotton lace-eyelet type fabric.

The exciting part is that I started machine sewing this tonight!

I really do like sewing with vintage patterns because they always surprise me with techniques that I haven't encounter before. The bodice side is sewn to the front bodice and skirt piece which is cut as one and there is a sharp corner to contend with.

The pattern instructions ask you to reinforce the corner not with just stitching but also a "2" squares of remnants." It worked out beautifully.

The corner remnant is then trimmed and the reinforced corner is clipped. Instead of using a remnant, I used a two-inch square piece of purchased bias tape that I had sitting in my stash. Simple reinforcement technique that I think I will adapt into my other sewing projects where there are corners.

The part that I love so far about this dress is how the underlining fills out the gathers on the dress.

Well, I have an early morning and it is well past my time to shut down this sewing space.

Happy Sewing!    

In Sewing News Today...

There has been no machine sewing these past few days. There has been scheming and dreaming though. Right now I'm in the process of hand-basting an underlining to my pattern pieces for a vintage wrap dress that I have cut out.  

I've been holding onto this blue cotton lace fabric for goodness I couldn't tell you how long. Let's just say that it has been in my stash waiting for the perfect pattern to come along and some inspiration to hit me. I'm underlining it with a yellow cotton fabric. The yellow looks washed out in this photo but under the blue it looks quite nice. You'll just have to take my word on this until I can snap another photo with better lighting.  

The pattern that I have the blue lace and yellow underlining cut from is Simplicity 8032. It is a vintage pattern from the late nineteen sixties. I lengthened the dress by four inches so it should fall below my knee. There is still quite a bit of basting to do before I can start to piece this together. Hopefully, I will be ready to sew it by the weekend.  

How about you? What's on your sewing table?  

For Mama R (with all my love)...

Once upon a time, Mama R made clothes for me and my three brothers. She doesn't sew from a pattern anymore but sometimes you hear the hum from her sewing machine if you happen to walk by her sewing / exercise room. She says her eyes are "not good for sewing anymore" but she will take to the machine to mend or alter an item. And if anyone from the family asks her to mend an item and if she feels well enough and confident to do it, she would never turn them away. She's that kind of Mom.

And that is why I like to sew for my Mom. She's the one who, through her example, put the spark of sewing into me. I remember her sitting at the old Singer treadle sewing machine making me a jumper out of one of her old coats. She's the one, along with my father, who has sacrificed so much for their family. Her love for her family is boundless.  

Today, is a day to celebrate the greatest Mom in the whole world, mine. But I'm sure everyone else's is a close second. 

Happy Mother's Day Mama R.  And all the other Moms out there!  

Me-Made-May '14: Week in Review

Sunday, May 4th

Me-made items:  5
Navy pants Vogue 1325, white french-cuffed shirt out-of-print McCall's 8943, cream coloured spring coat out-of-print Burda 7304, wrap dress Vogue 8896 and nightshirt out-of-print McCall's 8525.  

Store bought items:  3

Undergarments and pantyhose.

Footwear and Accessories: 

Yellow wedged mary-janes (outdoor shoes), black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and metallic greenish silver purse.

Monday, May 5th

Me-made items:  4

Cherry and lemons front-buttoned shirt Butterick 5365, red skirt Vogue 1247, indigo boiled wool jacket Vogue 1263 and nightshirt out-of-print McCall's 8525.

Store bought items:  3

Red tights and undergarments.

Footwear and Accessories: 

Red wedged groundhogs (work shoes), Navy rubber boots (outdoor boots), and black birkenstock (indoor shoes) and metallic greenish silver purse.  

Tuesday, May 6th

Me-made items:  4
Green skirt Vogue 1247, angel shirt Vogue 1274, cream coloured spring coat out-of-print Burda 7304 and nightshirt out-of-print McCall's 8525.  

Store bought items:  4
Pantyhose, undergarments and black tee-shirt (art class garment).  

Footwear and Accessories: 

Yellow wedged mary-janes (work and outdoor shoes) and black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and metallic greenish silver purse.  

Wednesday, May 7th

Me-made items:  2

Navy pants Vogue 1325 and nightshirt out-of-print McCall's 8525.

Store bought items:  5

Sleeveless blue top, multi-coloured blazer, dark grey socks and undergarments.

Footwear and Accessories: 

Red wedged groundhogs (work and outdoor shoes) and black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and metallic greenish silver purse.  

Thursday, May 8th

Me-made items:  3

Purple skirt Vogue 1247, white shirt Burda 7136, and nightshirt out-of-print McCall's 8525.

Store bought items:  4
Beige suede jacket, pantyhose and undergarments.  

Footwear and Accessories: 

Yellow wedged mary-janes (outdoor and work shoes) and black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and metallic greenish silver purse.  

Friday, May 9th

Me-made items:  3

Black skirt Vogue Pattern magazine Feb/March 2012, Top Butterick 5891, Indigo jacket Vogue 1263.

Store bought items:  3
Pantyhose and undergarments.  

Footwear and Accessories: 

Yellow wedged mary-janes (outdoor and work shoes) and black birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and metallic greenish silver purse.  

Saturday, May 10th

Me-made items:  2
Red and white skirt out-of-print Vogue 2885 and nightgown out-of-print Simplicity number unknown

Store bought items:  8
Grey skirt, black, black leggings, white striped tee-shirt, jean jacket, white sweater, white camisole, and undergarments.  

Footwear and Accessories: 

Black Mephistos (outdoor shoes), black Birkenstocks (indoor shoes) and metallic greenish silver purse