Linen Wrap Dress

The Tim Gunn Project:  The Day Dress

Fabric:    2.9 metres of linen
               3.2 metres of satin

Thread:  Finished off 1 spool of 100% cotton white thread

Pattern:  Vogue 8784

I am pleased with how this wrap dress pattern turned out despite my sewing blooper. The front bodice pleats are my favourite part. They give this bodice a lovely shape. I prefer this bodice to the gathered bodice on Vogue 8896 that I made earlier this year. If I make another wrap dress using this pattern I will make a couple of changes,

1. lengthen it a little bit (maybe an inch more) and
2. don't forget the sleeves!    

The linen print and embroidered fabric I found at Northwest earlier this year. The satin fabric that I used for the lining is from Fabricland and was not my intended fabric. I only picked it up when I was outraged that lining fabric was way more expensive than the satin. So in protest, I bought the satin. And oh my goodness, I am so glad I did because it feels amazing under this dress. 

In hindsight, I'm glad that this turned out to be a sleeveless linen wrap dress because it appears that summer finally arrived and it looks like we're going to have a few more hot days ahead.

If you're looking for a wrap dress pattern, sleeves or no sleeves, I would highly recommend this one! Out of the three wrap dresses that I made this year, this is my favourite pattern.  

Happy Sewing!  

At this rate...

At this rate, August will go down as the month of sewing bloopers.

My latest project is a white linen wrap dress. I absent-mindedly stitched the armhole closed when stitching the lining to the fashion fabric on the bodice. And I didn't realize the error of my ways as I serged, clipped and pressed the curved seams. So what was my blooper?  

I cut out sleeves with every intention of making this a wrap dress with sleeves! Sometimes you're I'm just coasting along so proud of how the satin lining fabric looks and thinking about how wonderfully silky it is going to feel next to your my skin when wearing the dress when it hits you me--you I screwed up!  

This is what happens when trying to kick the coffee habit. Yup, I'm going to blame it on coffee. But truth be told, it is all my fault. What can I say?  I'm human.  

It is too late to correct is blooper. And that is okay, because it still looks nice as a sleeveless wrap dress. Not my preference but sometime you just have to go with the flow, have a good chuckle, admit when you need a coffee break and get on with it.  

Here's to our sewing bloopers turning out beautifully flawed and no one knowing otherwise. Shhh, our secret.  

Happy Sewing!  

Pattern Give-away Winner: Vogue 1217

Good Morning!  

First, I have to compile a list since there were some comments that were not actually entries or there were double comments. This will be the list and order of entries I will use for random number generator. This way, there won't be any confusion as to the order (more for me in my pre-caffienated state).  

1. MAD14kt
2. Gaye Proctor
3. rachsews
4. Christie
5. Maryann
6. Anne Szabo
7. Janet
8. Linda T
9. Amy S.
10. Mrs. Smith
11. Jackie
12. Lucky Mom

Good luck!  And the winner is...

Lucky Mom!  

Luck Mom, congratulations and thank you for including a contact method. I'm off to send you an email.  Thank you to everyone who entered.  

Next Sunday (my birthday), I'm going to take a break from the August pattern give-aways. But I'll be back on Sunday, August 24th for one last pattern give-away for the month.  

Happy Sewing!  

I Want to Raid Mama R's Closet

Stash busting 2014: Vogue 8916 Jacket

Fabric:     1.5 metre of houndstooth weave suiting fabric
                1.5 metre of silk organza
                1 metre of lining
                0.5 metre of horsehair interfacing

Let me start of by saying I want to raid Mama R's closet for this jacket. Despite all the sewing bloopers that occurred while making this jacket, it turned out well. I did cut out another facing and side front lining and moved on from there. Thankfully, I have quite a bit of the fashion, organza and lining fabric to replace the damaged pieces.  

The pattern is Vogue 8916, it is a lovely jacket pattern with front pockets hidden in the front princess seam. But I have to tell you my favourite part of the pattern has to be the sleeves.  

There is the perfect amount of ease in these sleeve caps. They were easy to sew. The cap of the sleeves are ease-stitched 5/8" on both the lining and fashion fabric. The sleeve is attached to the lining at the hemline and then the sleeve is stitched onto the jacket. The lining is hand-stitched into place afterwards.  It might sound like quite a bit of work but it's not, easy peasy!  

Love this pattern as much as Mama R does. If you're looking for a jacket with a classic shape, this is it! Mama R only changed a few things, lengthened the jacket by an inch, lowered the centre front neckline by an inch and changed the sleeve to full-length from a three-quarter length sleeve.

Now, there is one thing missing to make this jacket complete--a matching skirt. I have enough fabric to make one. I was considering a dress but the final decision has been made and Mama R would like a skirt. There is a skirt pattern found in Simplicity 2372 that I'll try out. It has an elastic waistband that Mama R likes. And then this jacket will become a suit.   

Happy Sewing!

Pattern Give-away: Vogue 1217

Another Vogue designer pattern is up for this week's give-away. It is Vogue 1217, an Anna Sui dress and slip pattern.

This uncut and factory folded combination sized pattern contains sizes 14-16-18-20-22.

Loose-fitting, pullover dress has front neckline gathers, piping, stitched pleats at lower edge, cap sleeves, bow with draped tie attached to right front and above mid-knee length.  Bias slip has front V-neckline and straps.  

Here's the deal,

• Promise not to sell them.  
• Give them a good home where they will be cherished, shared and made into a fabulous outfit.  
• Leave a comment below with an email that I can contact you.  (The last two winners have not contacted me yet and they did not leave contact info on their entry post.)  I don't want anyone to miss out.
• I am willing to ship internationally. 
• I will draw for this pattern on Wednesday, August 13th.  Good luck!  

And Happy Sewing!  

Sewing Bloopers!

I'm working on another jacket for Mama R. This one is a houndstooth fabric that I have underlined with silk organza.  

I got up early in the morning and tried to fit some sewing in before I had to head out to an appointment. That might have been my first mistake. I was sewing before my morning coffee.

My second mistake came when I sewed on of the pockets to the side front lining piece and then sewing that to the front. Oh my goodness! I was supposed to sew the pocket piece to the side front not the lining. I can't believe that I didn't realize my error and actually sewed the side front and front pieces together.  

I then had to dig out the seam ripper and remove all the stitching. Thankfully, I realized the errors of my way before I clipped any seams.  

Once I had all the seams removed and was able to save the pieces by ironing out the pressed seams, I continued sewing. With the front pieces correctly sewn, I went to take care of my errands before coming home to continue working on the jacket.  

I stitched the back shoulder darts before stitching the front to back at the shoulder and side seams. Everything was going well until I went to work on the front facing and lining pieces.  

  

Another sewing blooper was discovered when I pressed the princess seam.  

Yes, I clipped holes in my lining piece that I saved earlier that morning when I was clipping my princess seam.

Some days are not meant for sewing. 

Happy Sewing!

Do You Do ... [fill in the blank]

I love sewing. I truly do. I don't like sewing for others though. It is not that I'm selfish (although I do enjoy selfish sewing), it is that

1. I don't have the set up or the equipment that professional tailor or seamstresses do. Sure, I would love a Juki sitting in my sewing space, but I don't. My serger is an antique compared to the latest self-threading models that I dream about every time I struggle with re-threading the serger. 
2. My body is older than my sewing equipment. 
3. And I really don't need the stress of sewing for others on a hobby that I enjoy. I want to keep this as something that I enjoy, something that I find relaxing and can do at my own pace.  

But, I constantly get asked if I do hems, zippers, etc.  

I'm perplexed when people know that I sew my own clothes how quickly they are to assume that I want to do their mending and alterations. It is like saying "I like housecleaning while listening to The Clash's London Calling album." It doesn't mean that I want to come to your house and clean while listening to the album there. It just means that I like doing something, period.

I don't go looking for sewing work. I don't want someone else's sewing work on top of my other work. Good grief!, I can barely keep up with my own sewing. 

Now, I do sew for my Mom. Mama R is the exception to the rule. Goodness, this is the woman who made me clothes once-upon-a-time, it is the least I could do. And I know what a difficult time she has finding clothes that fit and if I make a mistake when sewing something for her, it is no big deal. She's not going to be upset. She'll actually offer words of wisdom and tries to help me find a solution. She'll even help out with pressing. How can I not sew for my Mom?  

I do find it annoyingly amusing when others try to invade the sewing kinship that my Mom and I share. My brother once brought over his partner's denim shorts announcing that it needs a new zipper and if I could fix it for twenty dollars, the going rate that the tailor shop would charge, he nonchalantly added. 

I was totally perplexed as to why someone would have a very reasonable quote from a business that has the equipment to do the job, leave and would think that I, with my domestic sewing machine, would want to take the job. Anyone want to take a stab at explaining that?  

People are funny and weird aren't they?    

I have no problem explaining or guiding them to DIY resources or better yet a professional. Heck, I even use a sewing professional! But it seems that folks are not interested in that. They just assume that it is so easy and that I would be willing to drop everything going on in my life to do their mending and alterations. Obviously, they have no idea what my own out-of-control mending and alteration pile looks like.  

Did you read Fit for a Queen's post Your Job is So Easy? Oh my goodness, she nailed it. People don't realize the aches and pains and devotion that come with sewing. I sew because I love it, not because it is easy. I'm constantly taking breaks to avoid popping a Tylenol 2 or seeking out an emergency chiropractor appointment. I moved my ironing board away from the sewing machines so that I force myself to get up and walk around at the pressing stage. I even decide on projects based on the pattern layout because my knees can't take cutting out a project on the floor anymore. Thank goodness for the adjustable table height on the cutting table. But then there are people who think I want to do hemming not thinking that I had not one, but two knee surgeries and they weren't even replacements. No, I don't want to get down on my knees which hurt most days and hem your pants, skirt, or dress. I might not be able to get up!  

But yet the requests come. I guess that I should feel flattered that someone thought about me. But really, I rather not be in the uncomfortable position of saying "no, thank you." I just want to sew at my own pace and maybe someday get through my own mending and alteration pile.

How about you, do you get asked to do others mending and alterations without seeking the work? Do you do it or do you turn it down?