More Easter Dress Progress

Today I made the skirt - so far, I'm staying on schedule.  I should have no problems finishing this is time to wear.

As you can see, all I need is a zipper, hem and a little bit of finishing.  That zipper is part of tomorrow's plans.

Parting Shot:  New Yarn.  This the yarn I bought on Sunday - a silk and alpaca blend from Blue Sky.  I will be making it into this pattern.

Easter Dress Progress!

Yes, there is real progress today.  At least more than the sad, lonely tab I showed you yesterday.  Today I made the bodice as promised.

Although I have chosen to fully line the dress, the fabric was a still a bit more drapey than I would have liked for the dress.  Because of this, I am underlining the bodice with muslin.  I will probably underline the skirt, too, because I really like the way the bodice turned out. 

After cutting the bodice pieces again out of muslin, I put the fashion fabric and muslin together and treated them as one layer when stitching the darts and seams.


I've also finished and lined the bodice just like I did for my daughter's Easter dress.  To do this, I had to move the zipper from the side seam to the center back seam, but that's an easy thing to do.

Tomorrow:  the bottom half of the dress!

Parting Shot:  Socks.  I finished my red socks, finally.  I'm really happy with them, but I might not get to wear them too much until the fall when I'll need socks again!

Easter Dress Progress

Yes, we have a tab!  Yes, that's it.  So far.

My plans to cut out the dress and get started yesterday afternoon changed when my husband wanted to take the afternoon to find a particular pack for hiking.  This is a new pack for 2010 and only one store in our state carries it and that store is an hour north of our house.  We had just enough time to go up, check out and buy the pack, eat lunch and squeeze in 15 minute's worth of yarn shopping before going home, changing clothes and going to his ensemble practice which is right before choir practice.

So, this morning I cut out the dress.  This afternoon I made a tab.  I am going to use the button shown as I didn't have anything else I liked better.  I haven't been to Jo-ann's yet, so that may change.  I could always pin it in place and then change out the button for different looks or use small vintage pins there, too.

Other than that, during the afternoon errands, I stopped in at Talbot's to check out the original dress.  The style of mine is totally different, and my fabric is thinner and has a smaller weave.  I also noticed on all the dresses that the front neck facing wants to roll to the outside, even though it was understitched. I think it might be because the tweed is sort of thick.   

Tomorrow I shall make a bodice.  I promise.

Parting Shot:  Bye Bye Birdie.  Bluebird of Happiness is out and about again - today I shipped it to Paducah, KY for the AQS show in April.  Once again, I'll be making the trip to model the ensemble.

Just a Quick Note Regarding the Easter Dress!

It has been a long couple of days between all the events I've been to, but I have decided to make the McCall's for Easter.  I'm still not sure about the tab and button, but I'll dig around my collections of stuff tonight and see what I can do.  Maybe I'll made the version with the triangular cut out - that would be a little different.  

I will get it cut out tomorrow afternoon!

If you liked the Vogue, don't despair.  I've got a fabric that will work for it - that red/white eyelet border print I got from Kashi will work nicely, so it might make an appearance later this summer.

Parting Shot:  Lamps.  We got a couple of matching lamps for the bedroom - they go nicely with the two smaller ones we already have an coordinate well with the rest of the furnishings.  Since they were a Target find, they weren't expensive, either.  Let's hope I don't find Wellie on top of one of these!

Another Easter Dress Option

I haven't 100% decided on the Easter for a few reasons.  One, I was gone all day yesterday teaching a class, gone all this morning running errands I would have been running yesterday, gone this evening serving a banquet and tomorrow I'll be gone all day to a regional leadership conference that our church hosts.  Obviously, I haven't and won't be working on the dress until Sunday at the earliest.  Sigh.

I did find another pattern that I'm interested in and I think would work nicely, Vogue 5870:

This would also allow me to use the button or another pair of buttons if I can find anything that I like between now and when the buttonholes need to be made.  The dress has a pair of buttons at the neck like the jacket.  I won't make the jacket - too boxy for me.  I'm already running a risk of looking like a box in this style.

What do you think?  I'm actually leaning toward the Vogue at this point.

Parting Shot:  That Cat!  This morning I walked into my bedroom and found this scene.  Is there anywhere this cat won't go?!?

Thinking About An Easter Dress

I've been thinking about an Easter Dress for myself for a few weeks now, and I suppose I should actually get to making one.  Carolyn posted some pictures of some really nice dresses from Talbot's the other day and I really liked this one:

I'm thinking this vintage McCall's would work for me to get a similar look.  I've made this pattern before, so I know it fits.

I even have a fabric that would work for it, and a possible button, although I'm thinking I'm not going to do the tab and button.  I'm thinking of cutting the center fronts on a fold and skipping the tab.

Of course, I do have to find a coordinating cardigan.  That shouldn't be too hard . . .

Parting Shot:  Sit Up!  Wellie will play with anything!  This bit of string was still attached to some fabric and we never let him have string just to play with.  Once the fun was over, the string was removed and put in a trash can that he can't get to inside a closet.

Refashion Skirt - Burda 2/10 #104

A Quick Finish!

 It is amazing how quickly one can finish up something that does not really have to have a zipper put in or a lining! You can see from the photo below that I only had to attach a small portion of the zipper where the yoke was attached. 

 I made the whole front first, with pockets and yoke, and then the back, complete with darts and yokes.  I then basted the side seams.  The purpose for this was for the fitting.  I knew from a quick measurement of the pattern that the hips would fit, but I knew that the waist would not, due to the hip curve that I have. Knowing that I'd take the extra out of the side seams, I kept pinning and basting until it fit.  Once I knew how much to take out of the yoke, I trimmed off the yoke facings to fit then constructed the yoke facings.

I did have a lining, but decided to take the quick route and not add it to the skirt.  The skirt is fine without a lining and if I feel I need one, I can always wear a slip.

 

I did end up straightening out the side seam, so the skirt is now straight rather than a-line.  It didn't look very a-line in this fabric and sort of collapsed at the sides from under the hip to the hem, so I just went with what the fabric was already doing and made a straight skirt.  Not quite as drafted, but works better for the fabric.

I like the skirt a lot and I think I'll get a lot of wear out of it this summer as I can pair it with white, black, blue, red and yellow!

Parting Shot:  Pin.  I picked up this cute little vintage pin the other day at my local antique gallery.   I pop in every now and then to see what is new and what little trinkets I can find.

Refashion Skirt - Burda 02/10 #104

Part One

Thank you all for the sweet compliments on my daughter's Easter dress! She is growing up and becoming a young lady and I hope that I can continue to dress her like one. My husband really like the dress, too. At first he was a bit confused because he thought it was for me but couldn't figure out why I chose pink. Seriously, when was the last time you saw me make a piece of regular clothing (art garments excepted!) for myself in pink?!? When he saw it on her, it made total sense and he liked the fact that it was pretty but not little girl frilly.

Some of you may remember this dress that I made last year:

While I liked the fabric and concept of the dress, it proved a bit impractical when worn and it was a bit too big in the lower half. I've decided to refashion the dress as a skirt which would be much more practical and fun for the summer.

After looking at the skirt portion, I knew I could make either a straight skirt or possibly an a-line skirt. I started by carefully taking apart the dress, cutting it right under the blue band and partially removing the zipper. Since the back had a zipper already nicely inserted, there was no reason to remove all of the zipper. Now I needed either a straight or a-line pattern with a zipper in the back. I chose to use Burda 02/10 #104:


I like the fact that it has pockets, and the shape will hopefully work with the fabric I have. I also saved the larger scraps from making the dress, so I know I'll have some extra to work with.

After removing the side seams and releasing the darts and hem, I pressed the pieces thoroughly to remove old press marks, etc. I then placed the new pattern pieces on the current skirt pieces to see if they would fit. Note from the photo below that I also had to length the skirt. I wanted a just below knee length skirt, and Burda's longer version was about 4" too short. I chose to split the pieces mid-thigh so that I wouldn't get too much flare and so the pieces would still fit.

The skirt was easily cut out, and assembly is going well. Know that the zipper is mostly installed is really nice, too! Tomorrow I should be able to show you the finished skirt!

Parting Shot: $9. Yes, that's right, $9. I got these nice, shiny (you know I love a shiny shoe!) Lands' End shoes on super clearance at my local Sears when I went to return the black sweater. The black sweater was accepted with no quibbles and although they were out of black petite cardigans, they still had some small, cute and very comfortable shoes in clearance! The had an avocado-y sort of green, and a burgundy, but I liked the blue best.

Easter Dress 2010 - Simplicity 1140

Final Details!

I finished the dress:

The hem was easy to finish, which left the trim, the lining and the inside waist belt. I serged the edge of the hem, turned it up and machine stitched the hem in place. Because of the embroidery, the fabric was a bit thick to turn twice, so serging and turning once was a good option.

The trim is a piece I had already in my collection that I had been saving for a long time to use in some way on a dress like this. She and I looked at a couple of options - either putting it around the bodice/skirt seam or putting it around the neckline - before she decided she wanted it around the waist seam. I like the placement, but I also think is probably is best left to those with her figure. I stitched it into place by machine before finishing the lining.

After finishing the lining, the last thing to be finished was the inside waist belt, with help of course.

He did not want to move and it was easier to let him stay, than to risk getting claws in the dress.

The inside belt helps to keep the dress in place and takes some of the strain off the bodice/skirt seam. It is made of grosgrain ribbon attached at the major seams and darts and closed with a hook and eye.



I chose to use a skirt hook and eye to make it easier for my daughter to put on by herself rather than having her fiddle behind her back with hooks and eyes.

Here she is wearing the dress for a quick try on today:

We will *not* be styling it with jeans and aqua socks for Easter!

Parting Shot: Hiding. "Hey, do you think you can see me hiding over here?" Yes, Wellie, we *can* see you.

Easter Dress 2010 - Simplicity 1140

Skirt and Zip

The next step in working on this dress is to get the skirt attached to the previously made bodice. The skirt itself is 3 wide panels of fabric - almost the width of the fabric each - sewn together, then attached to the bodice. The pattern has an option for pleats or gathers. I opted for gathers, but probably should have pleated the skirt. I just felt that gathers went better with the sweet color and embroidery of the fabric.

After stitching the panels together, I divided the top edge into four parts and then did the basting stitches for the gathers. I marked the division between each section with a safety pin - it is much easier to see that way and won't get lost amongst all the fabric. I also do this with enormous volumes and lengths of tulle that I need to gather for a project.

I placed a safety pin at center front and both side seams, thus dividing the skirt evenly around the bodice. This of course, made for very tight gathers. Between that and the fact that I was working with embroidered linen, my machine was not to happy using the standard needle. After bending the first one, I quickly switched to a heftier jeans needle and a slightly longer stitch length.

After that, I had no problems stitching the skirt to the bodice. The lesson here is to find the right needle that will work for the job. Some choices may seem a bit odd, but if it works for the project and your machine, then it works!

Inserting the zipper was not hard - there was only one seam to line up and it lined up right the first time.

Now all I have to do is finish the lining, add trim, a hem and an inside belt and it will be done! Maybe I'll get that done tomorrow!

Parting Shot: Needs Approval. Obviously my alteration jobs need approval from Wellie, too. Normally they are hung out of the way of the cats, but this one came to me in a bag. Thankfully, this client has pets and the bag was securely shut before Wellie decided he liked this client.

Easter Dress 2010 - Simplicity 1140

A Bodice

I was trying to finish yesterday's post before literally running out the door to church, and I forgot to answer one question! I totally apologize, Vicki! Vicki wanted to know if the Easter dress and the bib necklace, Spring's First Blush would match. SFB is a little more peach toned than pure pink. I think it might coordinate, but not be matchy-matchy. We'll definitely try it, post a picture and see how it looks.

Now for the bodice:

I'm fully lining the bodice, which is different than the instructions, so here's how I did it. I posted something similar a while ago when I was working on a sheath dress for myself, but since we're getting to the seasons of wearing things without sleeves, I thought I'd repeat it. Note that this will only work with a garment that has a center back seam, and a center back seam that has NOT been sewn or does NOT have a zipper already inserted.

First, I've stitched the darts and the shoulder seams only of both the fashion fabric and the linings.

Second, I've stitched the fashion fabric bodice and lining bodice together at the neck and armhole edges only. You can see the two pieces pinned together below:

I always stop a few inches away from center back. This makes inserting and finishing the zipper easier for me. I complete the seam later when finishing the lining at the zipper.

Third, once those seams have been trimmed and clipped the piece is turned right side out by pulling the backs through the shoulders to the right side. After pressing, the piece looks like this - still no side seams or center back seam, but the neck and armhole edges are finished:

Lastly, the side seams are stitched, with right sides together for both the fashion fabric and lining. This results in one long seam, starting at the bottom edge of one fabric, continuing on to the bottom of the armhole and then down the other fabric to the other bottom edge. In the photo below, the fashion fabric has already been through the machine and I'm right at the bottom of the armhole, starting to stitch the lining side seam.

After pressing, the bodice looks like the first photo of this post. Next, the dress will need a skirt and a zipper. That's for tomorrow!

Parting Shot: Surprise Prize. I won a prize from Superior Threads for a suggestion to improve their website. I submitted the idea quite a long time ago and forgot about it. I got an email earlier this week and wasted no time spending my gift certificate!

As Promised, Photos of the Monogram Shirt

Plus some Comments on Comments

Thank you all for the comments on my latest vintage shirt! So far, this one is my favorite, I like the monogram and the fact that the body is not so full as the others. I have worn the other ones, but I think this one will get quite a bit of wear. So, without further ado, here is how I wore it today, I also wore a red cardigan part of the day:


I can also wear it with jeans, too:


I did have to laugh at Mimi's comment about this shirt being a bit Laverne and Shirley, because all I could think of during the embroidery was those large L's on Laverne's clothes, particularly a lavender scarf with a dark purple L. I don't have a clue why that visual was stuck in my head, nor do I want to contemplate it further.

Regarding my daughter's Easter dress, I'd like to really thank Joan for her comment. I love comments like these from people who actually remember this stuff when it was "new". Here it is in case you missed it:

I just had to comment on the pattern your daughter chose for her Easter dress. It is almost exactly the same as a dress my mother made for me in about 1957 or 1958 - I was 14 or 15 at the time. It was one of my favorites, and the pattern had been around at least a couple of years before my mom used it. Only difference - the neckline, which on my pattern was a bateau or boat neck. We lived in Florida at the time, and cotton was the fabric used for our school dresses, so mine was made from a wonderful green plaid. I remember feeling very feminine in the dropped waistline, and that, together with the short sleeves, gave me more of an hour-glass figure than I really had. I liked it so much, my mom, who was a great pattern adapter, made use of it at least twice more for me. Great fun to see that pattern again. Thanks so much for sharing your projects!
Can you just see that dress made up in green plaid? I can - very cute and young look!

An anonymous commenter left this:
I hope she wears a beautiful puffy, fluffy petticoat with it! Do you think she would go for that?

LOL. She would *LOVE* a big petticoat to wear with this dress! Oh yes, I might let her borrow mine, as we're the same height now. She might discover that she actually doesn't like how scratchy they can be, but it will be fun at least for a few pictures.

Lindsay T commented: I wonder if her tastes will run vintage when she's grown up? of course that will mean '90s is vintage to her.

I'm not sure. She does have definite tastes already and picked this pattern over a Project Runway pattern with a similar look. She does not like the late 60's or 70's styles, but likes the very full skirts of the 50's. We'll see how that develops as she gets older.

JustGail, that Vogue Paris Original by Yves St. Laurent is #1269. It was published some time in the 1970's, not sure of publication year, because it is not printed anywhere on the envelope, pattern or instructions. I agree, even made up in a casual fabric, the top has a better look than just a sweatshirt.

Parting Shot: Grrrr. New cardigan, first or second time through the wash. I wear cardigans a lot, so when I saw this one, I was not happy. Thankfully, I will get a replacement because Lands' End is good about that sort of thing!

Easter Dress 2010 - Simplicity 1140, c. 1955

My daughter has chosen Simplicity 1140 as her Easter dress this year. I got this pattern a while back as a Haiti charity auction. She has chosen an embroidered pink linen blend for the fabric.

She likes the square neck of the pattern and wants the sleeveless version. She's also specified a center back zipper instead of the side zipper that the pattern originally had. Not a problem. Even with this request isn't going to be hard to make, and that's not necessarily a bad thing!


I am going to fully line the bodice, so in reality, the pattern only has three pieces: a front bodice, a back bodice and a skirt panel.

I did make a muslin of the bodice just to check the sizing. I have not made her the junior's or teen's sizes before, so I wanted to check bust darts, waist position, etc. before cutting out the linen. This pattern is labeled as a teen pattern. The waist was in the right place - on children's patterns I usually lengthen the torso up to 2". The side bust darts needed to be a little longer and a little deeper. She doesn't quite fill out this size pattern (bust 30), so increasing the bust dart was easy enough to do. She's still growing and filling out, so I don't want to make this too fitted.


So far, I've made some progress. The skirt is assembled and ready to be attached to the bodice.

The bodice and bodice linings have had all the darts stitched and the shoulder seams stitched. I made sure to cut the back as two pieces, with seam allowances at the center back for the zipper.

Tomorrow the plan is to get the bodice and lining together and to attach the skirt. After that, it will be zipper, inside finishing and hem. I should have this one done by the end of the week. Unless I get any more alterations or other unexpected work. Maybe I shouldn't speak too soon.

Parting Shot: YSL. Check these vintage YSL patterns out! They won't be staying with me for long, as they're going to a friend who collects them. These are from the 70's, but some of these pieces are very wearable today.