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Linen Safari Skirt Sans Dinosaurs
I made a vintage style safari skirt (think Rachel Weiss in The Mummy) using the 7 panel skirt portion of McCalls 7718. I shortened the pattern piece by 10 inches and by the end of the hang time, I ended up taking off/hemming up 14″ to get it all even. The hem is exactly 16′ (4.88m) which is awesome because I’m going to hand embroider 16 dinosaurs spaced 12″ apart. I thought I was going to do 14 and zhuzh it, but I can’t pass up the exactness of it. And yes, I will include some popular ones, but also some really obscure ones like the Amargasaurus! Can you tell…
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Pattern Review: Simplicity 8257
Soooo, this pattern *says* it has 3″ of wearing ease at the waist. I call bullsh*t. It does not. I found out too late when I went to do my first fitting that there is no ease. I double and tripled checked my measurements after trying it on, hoping it was my mistake, nope. I then measured the dress (before letting out seams) and there was no ease. Or at least when sewing a larger size. To say I am frustrated with having a cute but too small dress is an understatement. I *was* able to take out enough of the seams to make the dress comfortable to wear on…
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Science of Sewing: Single Welt Pocket
The single welt pocket is a staple of business attire, commonly found on blazers, pants, and the occasional dress or skirt. Differing from a patch pocket, the single welt pocket is a pocket inside your garment, with a strip of fabric covering the pocket opening on the outside of the garment. While there are many ways to go about welt pockets, this tutorial covers the basic insertion of a single welt pocket with step-by-step instructions that are clarified with pictures. Once mastered, this easy technique, though somewhat time-consuming (it will take about an hour), will add a touch of elegance to your garments. Materials NeededFabrics: Garment fabric, pocket bag fabric…
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Science of Sewing: The Scallop Edge
I made a wrap skirt from a UFO dress from 2017 (pattern is lost and I didn’t have some of the pieces anymore). Wanting to not be plain Jane about it, I decided to do a scalloped edge on the overlapping piece to add even more visual interest to an already punchy skirt. So if you wanted to make something with a scallop edge, I got you covered. Here’s how you do so: Interface the edge of the fashion fabric you are going to scallop. (I also serged, this is not necessary though) 2. Draw your scallops! I took a candle and used that to trace to make my scallops…
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Pattern Review: Vogue 9285
Pattern Description:Loose fitting top has back hook and eye closure and sleeve variations. Pattern Sizing:6-14 or 14-22; I cut an 18. Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?I made a number of alterations, but the bones of the shirt matched that of the picture. Were the instructions easy to follow?The instructions for the bishop sleeve were easy. Reading through the flared sleeve instructions were slightly confusing. The shirt comes together quickly though. What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?The sleeve cuffs are dreadful, they are supposed to be one piece (I made them two to insert the…
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Science of Sewing: Enlarging a Sleeve
Enlarging a sleeve is something I have to do all the time! I don’t have the pencil arms patterns seem to think are normal, so I am constantly redoing the sleeves. I helps that I love a gathered sleeve head, that makes it even easier to alter. I’m working on a project that requires a rather fluffy sleeve. Having found no such pattern, I decided to make my own using an existing pattern as a base to alter to match. Note that there is some loft in the sleeve head – I’m interpreting that to be gathering. The forearm of the sleeve is also much wider than the bicep, so…
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Altering an Unflattering Dress
When I originally bought this dress from Ann Taylor, I didn’t inspect the fit as well as I should have. Totally my fault, I fell in love with the stripes and the shirtdress style combined, so I was blinded to the issues that were quite apparent that made the dress rather unflattering. While not too terrible, there were some serious issues. Circled in blue is the waist seam actually level. To do this, I had to pin up the back on the dress form otherwise it would sag in the back (highly improper for my body type unless it there is an empire in the front). This lead to a…
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Petticoat Math!
Beware: Algebra Ahead! Petticoats are not hard. I repeat, they are not hard. All of it is simple math and I’m here to help you figure out your fluff, length, and fabric requirements for a basic tiered petticoat like the one I’ve made for Anna! First things first: Fabric. You’ll need a stiff organza as your base fabric, my suggestion is to use this from Fabric Wholesale Direct. It’s easy to sew, easy to cut (fun fact, you don’t have to cut organza, you just tear it on the grain so it’s always perfectly even!), and it’s pretty. The other fabric you’ll need is tulle for the bottom tier. You…
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Making Fire
My 18th Century (specifically 1770’s) Charmander, aptly named “Le Feu du Charmander,” required a non-historical trim to create a flame effect. During the time period, fabric trims were, for the most part, various types of gathered strips of fabric or bows sewn onto the dress in artful, mirrored ways. No way would this work for the ombre look I was wanting to achieve – let alone match the texture I desired. The solution: nearly 200 individual ‘flames.’ I simultaneously regret and love this decision. I’m often quite conflicted when it comes to costuming and time-consuming techniques, this was no exception. Materials: Five 1-yard cuts of flame colored fabric 2 packs…
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Linen Petal Dress Creation
I have a few cuts of fabric that are solely dedicated for when I need a quick filler project to get my sewing fix. Yes, I am addicted, no, no help is needed. These two linen fabrics I’ve had for a while now, and finally decided to put this look together. The petal style skirt was inspired by a look of Michelle Obama’s a few years ago – I love the idea of scallops without the actual hem being curved. The visual interest of this is something that I don’t see in most clothing stores except very expensive ones – because the seams cannot be set by machine, they must…
