S.E.W.N.

04/08/2012

D.I.Y Tribal Side-cinched Maxi

S.E.W.N.

I found the inspiration for this maxi with a difference in this Lululemon dress. I was however slightly bummed that someone clever and witty named it the ‘It’s A Cinch Dress’, stealing the perfect would-be blog post title. Oh well, I forgive them and give thanks for the inspiration behind my new spring / summer / autumn / winter maxi. It’s winter here, albeit mild and mostly ignorable, so I’ve been wearing it with a blazer and some boots but come summer I’ll be donning strappy sandals and hopefully longer, slightly less temperamental hair. Multi-seasonal? Very wearable? Check and check.

Ada Spragg // Side Cinched Maxi Dress DIY

So maybe you recognize this pattern from here, it’s the Mission Maxi transformed with a really simple mod. After studying the Lululemon number, squinty eyed, I decided surely it couldn’t be that hard to add a cinched side? The seam allowance for the Mission Maxi is a scant 3/8″, so I kept that around the bust but then widened to 5/8 ” from the waist down to allow room for the allowances to become a casing for the drawstrings. After sewing the front and back side seams of the dress, I pressed the seam allowances open, then sewed them flat against the dress 4/8″ either side of the side seams, starting from thigh height down to the hem, to make the casing. As for sense, just holler if I’m not making any. We can try diagrams.

For the actual drawstrings I was going to use some plain navy cotton cording but it all looked a bit home-eccy. But then I had the idea to make the drawstrings out of the actual dress fabric so I used the bias pattern piece included to make the drawstrings. I knotted the ends several times and added some little brass stoppers found at my new place of work (more on this soon). It seems sometimes the smallest details can really lift a hand-made garment.

Sometimes a girl just needs a little tribal in her life. There’s no telling when and where the urge will strike. Just know it will. Since interesting knit prints are a rare breed, when I came across this beautiful cream and navy jersey here, I snapped up two yards. This pattern used about 1.5 so there’s still enough for say, some tribal leggings. I decided to use the wrong side of the fabric because the cream tones on the right side, were more yellow and looked a little sickly next to my ‘winter complexion’. In creating a very-wearable wardrobe I am always thinking about color. Some make me feel joyous and others completely flat.

Ada Spragg // DIY Side-Cinched Tribal Maxi Dress

Take a moment to admire the majestic beer bottle. Not mine! How did I not see it? Next stop: Peplum top.

15/07/2012

Slouchy woven tee

S.E.W.N.

Sorry to go all MIA on you like that but I’ve been struck down by some serious adult sewing inspiration. So if no-one objects, the kid stuff can take a back seat while I indulge in a little, okay a lottle, sewing for moi. And if you’re a mum who decides to make something for yourself, I believe the term is ‘sewing’, not ‘selfish-sewing’ in case there’s any confusion. If you’d asked me a couple of years ago whether I thought it possible to sew a closet that could rival anything store bought I would have been dubious. It’s a wild challenge but since last year’s ‘New clothes free year’ wandering around shopping centers as a recreational activity has lost all appeal. Except to get inspiration for sewing. The happy side effect of this quest for hand-made fantasticness, is that one piece at a time I’m becoming quite the capable sewer. I don’t say this to put anyone off or to blow my own bugel, but in the hopes of inspiring any would-be sewers tinkering on the edge to jump right in. Sewing is just so learn-able.

I swear I’m not intending every post to begin with a sewing d & m lately but I can’t help it. I’m just so completely-utterly-can’t-sleep-inspired! So here’s what you can expect to see in this space over the next little while: a slouchy woven top, a maxi with a difference, a stretchy pencil, something with a peplum and definitely some printed leggings. Okay, enough cryptics, please refer to primitive sketches below. The dude on the left is not part of the plan. My sketchbook has become communal by the looks of things.

Well, sometime around Feb I had great plans for a winter wardrobe. Sometime around June they all went out the window as I got caught up in the northern hemisphere spring sewer buzz. Apart from the fact we hardly have winter, I wasn’t feeling it about the things I had planned to sew and if there’s one thing I’m learning is that sewing time is too precious to make anything you’re half-assed about. Instead I’ve been gathering inspiration from Pinterest and all the amazing sewing around blogland for these pieces that are hopefully multi-seasonal but some just plain fun. First up, a slouchy woven tee….

…made from….

That’s right, a $4 piece of thrift store woven, semi-knit, mesh-y synthetic stripe fabric from another era. I don’t really know what it is. But I bought it with no pattern in mind, just summer. It doesn’t iron at all, would probably melt, but turned out to be a perfect match for this pattern that has no facings to press.

And this pattern: Simplicity 6025 + Wiksten tank. Yes, you read correctly. I’ve been pining for slouchy tees, pinning them into my sewing inspiration pinterest board and longing to re-create one. I came across this pattern with version B and knew I’d want to change the length from tunic to tee and give it a softer looking hem. I used the Wiksten tank pattern to make the new hemline and traced it straight onto the simplicity pattern. I also added an extra inch of length, since I’d actually like my Wiksten tank to sit an inch or so lower. The widths of the two tanks matched exactly which made it a real no-brainer alteration to make, if you’re interested in giving it a go.

Sizing: I cut the 8 based on a 34 bust measurement and a finished garment bust measurement of 38 (quite slouchy), so I can only assume the sizing must be quite different between simplicity and Vogue patterns, in which I make something around a 12 based on bust. Anyone else had strange sizing experiences? To accommodate long arms I cut the sleeves at the length of the size 10, and could have even gone longer.
Mods: The pattern calls for the neckline to be finished with binding made from the same fabric but because of the no-pressing issue I used bias binding instead, which worked superbly. I used the bias again to hem the shirt but finished the sleeves with a regular hem because I thought you would be able to see the bias binding the way the sleeve sits when finished. It wouldn’t press at all so I rolled it over twice, pinned then stitched. It got a little stretched along the way but because of the way the sleeve is held up it’s not noticeable.

Make again? I love this top and would be interested to see how it looks in a fabric with less body and more drape. I’d also think about cuffing the sleeves. I’ve just bunched them under the strap here rather than roll them over once like you’re supposed to, because I didn’t like the look of seeing the sleeve seams on the outside.

Forecast…sew storm!

24/06/2012

Miz Mozelle’s Hummingbirds

S.E.W.N.

One night, while working on this dress, I was overcome by a major sewing appreciation moment. You know the obvious stuff that comes to mind: a creative outlet, playing with fabric, colour, fashion. The secondary stuff…Sanity. Distraction. But I was suddenly all appreciative of some other things learning to sew has taught, namely patience and trust. On my first grade report the teacher wrote ‘Sophie does not like to try things unless she knows she will be good at them’. Aaah, still so true. Surely I’m not alone in getting so easily overwhelmed by the sum total of something that I can’t bare to start just in case I get stuck along the way. But sewing has taught me to go slowly and take care with big things like following instructions, smaller important things like transferring markings but also to get help when I hit a bump. Generally, to trust in the process. For someone with giver-uper tendencies it’s a pretty major revelation that if I take each step one at a time and don’t look down (get freaked out by section coming up), I end up with a finished dress in my hands. It’s the craziest thing.

Oh man, I la la la LOVE this dress. And not just the dress but the pattern behind it, the Miz Mozelle by Jamie Christina. Admittedly, it wasn’t even in the project queue (just floating around my sewing inspiration pinterest board). But I’d been wondering what to make out of this extra drapey pink jersey with finches (an etsy find from here) and after seeing the white version of the Miz Mozelle I was sold…and made an impulse pattern purchase. Oooo sewing thrills!

Let’s talk about the pattern. In my shortish sewing experience, there’s only been a handful of clothes I’ve made, where I’ve thought ‘yup I am going to make another one’. But for good reasons both the Mission Maxi Dress and the Miz Mozelle make the list with their flattering fit, neat finish, not to mention a beautiful end result. This dress is basically a slipper for your whole body, it’s soooo comfy. There’s lovingly thought out details like binding on the capped sleeves, a sweet little collar and a key hole with button closure. I added piping to my collar to make it stand out from the background fabric and found a pale pink heart button. Saccharine enough for ya?

Sometimes you just have to hear things a few times, from a few different angles before it clicks. I’ve been this way about sewing knits, knowing there’s some magical combination of this foot and that stitch and yadadyaa. And I kind of got it, but it wasn’t until the last few knit projects that it’s really come together. This dress sewed like a dream and is ten times neater than my last stretch adult stretch project, the Tigerlily Maxi. No puckers, no pulling and I can put it down to this: Stretch needle, walking foot and stretch stitch in the parts that need to stretch and regular stitch for the rest. Finally, I think I’ve tamed the stretch. But maybe not the thistle…

…note to self: blow away from wind.

14/04/2012

Jenny Skirt + Banksia Blouse

S.E.W.N.

Well, that was a break I didn’t see coming! Ill never take my arms for granted again, after living without them for the good part of a week. Who’s novel idea was it to try a Crossfit class?! Sure, it was hard. And not being able to grip the steering wheel on the way home, well, that’s just a sign of a good workout right? But two days later I couldn’t cut cheese, reach behind my head to do hair or a bra. Talking on the phone was lying my head on the table with it on speaker. And taking aim at my mouth with painkillers to stop the burning in my T-REX ARMS! Which were puffy…muscle trauma perhaps? Doctor in the house? Anyway, that’s my excuse so I’m hoping to appease with two garments, finished pre-incapacitation.

Here’s Jenny. I’ve been hanging out to make this perfect Burdastyle pencil and made a really adult decision here. I had this heavy stretch cotton set aside for a second Vogue 8280 wiggle dress. Only thing is, I actually do want a very wearable hand-made wardrobe even if it means reigning in the statement dresses. A tough call but the skirt won out on the grounds that it would go with nearly all potential ‘blouse’ fabrics in the stash. Pretty mature I thought.

Loved: Jenny is a great shape. Using a heavy fabric with stretch means no lining too.

Loathed: Inserting the zip twice. The first one got snagged where the skirt seam joins the waist band. I don’t think invisible zippers like this bulk.

Adjustments: Invisible zip, adding two inches to the length like Gertie’s ( she added three, and next time I’d add at least three to get it below the knee). I took width out of the sides for a wiggle shape and shortened the back slit.

Triumphs: Blind stitching the hem by hand really is worth it, as is using a co-ordinating serger (over-locker) thread. For two years I’ve been living in fear of my over-locker. I’ve wanted to change the thread but tend to avoid manuals like the plague. It quickly became insurmountable. Until recently, when I took the beast to the shop, hoping for a pity re-thread and got charged $15! When I actually opened it up, there were diagrams and the whole thing took five minutes. Sans manual.

Pattern: Megan Neilson Banksia
Fabric: The softest, sweetest cotton floral. Gosh I love it. A thrifty find from my one and only (and bestest) real live sewing buddy. They’re in short supply!
Loved: Just the cutest blouse and great instructions. A definite make-again.
Loathed: High bust darts. And their accompanying wrinkles. When I make it again, I need to move them. Any tips on lowering bust darts? Or raising busts?
Adjustments: When I attached the collar to the bodice the ends of the collar finished about an inch either side of the placket, which is not how it looks in the picture. Paunnet mentioned this here and adjusted her collar pattern. I re-fed the collar around the neckline, so that it met the placket and to do this I really eased the neckline, not quite to the point of gathers but it worked.
Triumphs: A placket! The pattern comes with two versions and I chose the easy one.

Not sure how much longer I can pretend it’s Spring…it’s getting chilly!

01/04/2012

Hello Deerest

S.E.W.N.

How old is too old to play dress-ups and make-believe? Somehow, I don’t think you should repress these kind of things or they might return with greater zest! Honestly I’d happily spend my days sewing wiggle dresses and scouting the streets for interesting locations to get into character. Though this time there is a purpose to all this hamming up… Julia Bobbin’s Mad Men Dress Challenge. Where did those six weeks go? Today is the big reveal so head to Julia’s for a vintage swoon fest.

1960 Misses' Dress With Slim or Pleated Skirt McCall's 5692 Size 14 Bust 34 Factory Folded

So here she is: a historically correct, wiggle dress made from this vintage pattern. As it was my first dealings with such a beast, I had no idea what was in store. I’m pleased to report that firstly it came with a nice old person smell. And secondly, there was nothing wild and outrageous about the construction, or instructions. Everything was pretty much the same as today’s patterns. Except for features like this collar. It’s gigantic, and um…reflective. Where ever you go, you get studio lighting on your face. Nifty!

Fabric: Cotton ‘Deer Valley Antler Damask’ in Taragon by Joel Dewberry, from here. I really thought that lining up this design would be a challenge. Have a look at the picture of my behind, don’t be shy… there’s a seam right down middle-back of the skirt. Hard to tell?! A pat on the back for Matchie Matcherson. Maybe this print has magical liner-upy qualities… I didn’t even try and match it at the waist and it still works.

Adjustments: Moved hem from calf to knee length and once again sheared it into a wiggle shape at the bottom.

Notions: Self-cover buttons with collar fabric.

Location: An older suburb, brimming with rickety fences and antique shops with ready-to-borrow props out the front (see suitcase).

Vintage Accessories: Nana Alma’s gloves from the 60’s, mum’s necklace and, including me, it’s a three generation outfit. Naw.

Rather than choose just one inspiring Mad Men dress I went for the oh so fabulous wiggle silhouette. Though of all the ladies I feel this number, with it’s shape and colours, belongs to Joan. So while it’s unlikely to make it to very wearable status it’s still nice seeing it hanging in the closet waiting patiently for a Mad Men themed party. What a challenge! From scouting for vintage patterns, finding era appropriate fabric and playing dress-ups, it was thrills all the way. I feel I’ve brought a little piece of history to life! This must be where sewing gets nerdy.

…I’ll leave you with some Mad Men-esque drama from the ‘trailer’.